Previous Show Reviews
The Ninjaz of Drama have just opened a taut, sensitive chamber version of Shakespeare’s
Othello
at the Phoenix main stage. On a minimalist set with impeccably well-designed light cues and elaborate costumes, the Ninjaz bring in the classic play in just over two hours with fast pacing and smooth scene changes. But the star of the show is Federico Edwards, a stern, regal presence as the tragic Moor of Venice. His wife Desdemona (Livia Dimarchi) is also an actress who can deliver a fine sense of hurt and frustration. Othello gave her an heirloom handkerchief patterned with strawberries. In the first hanky scene, Desdemona tries to use it to bind his brow but he will have none of it. He casts the strawberry hanky to the floor. This scene is fraught with tragic emotion. Neither actor gives any indication they know what’s coming. “I hate the moor,” David Abad as villain Iago proclaims early on. He delivers his monologue with forceful internalization, showing well a sense of rage and hatred within. To other characters he extends an unctuous hypocrisy. “I am an honest man,” he insists. As the play develops, he convinces us that he actually believes himself to be honest, even up to the point where he frames young Cassio with the hanky. The pacing and tension development in this production are carefully attended to. From the moment the affable Cassio greets Desdemona, the sense of dread and evil permeate the rest of the play. Federico Edwards as General Othello seems to be angry about everything from the get-go. Two things are on his mind constantly, his war wounds and his green-eyed monster. Edwards stays consistently in character, building steadily to a seething sense of desperation. On the theater’s ¾-round stage set merely with three white panels upstage against black platforms left and right, Director Ray Carolino has seamlessly put together the scenes of the original play. Entrances and exits through the house voms and from behind the panels overlap with flawless timing. The action with few props displays mostly downstage and at the platforms. By the end, there are dead bodies on both. The enunciation and projection by the actors is mostly excellent, giving an overall sense of familiarity with the lines. The cast of thirteen works effortlessly together in ensemble scenes. The costume mysteries sometimes overtake them. Maria Graham’s designs are militaristic and vaguely contemporary. Othello's costumes are magnificent, even his civvies. Some men wear everyday suits. One actress wears a red dress with polka dots and a black pill box hat. Overall this is fully professional production running smoothly. It is at least one of the best
Othello
plays I have seen. With such an intimate venue, the inner turmoil comes directly downstage to you.
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Nina and the Monsters
Review by Jim Strope for Examiner.com, December 2, 2011
Rey Carolino’s energetic production drops many funny characters into your lap while sitting in the comfortable seats of the Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco. The entire cast is in continuous motion, entering and exiting, gesturing, hauling each other off stage and changing costume and character at every opportunity. Sal Serpe keeps us informed with a hand-wringing narrative, Sydney Bridgeman is Nina in all her transformations, Emily Claeys animates Dr. Helsing and Matty, Geneveve Cristobal as an extremely bewitching woman, Geneva May Coccol as Humbert Nina’s resourceful friend, Evelyn De Los Reyes, Stephanie Burd, Sami Missing, Ted Speros on guitar, Fabien Ferhani and Nouha Noumon as CIA agents Black and White, Jeffrey Schmidt materializes as Vlad the Impaler, Dracula’s father (it’s a family show, after all), Steven Randolph does a fine monster, Racheal Heiman as Bela Frank the movie star and Frederico Edwards her flamboyant director, and James Smith is the mayor of the town that runs away from monsters by changing its name and location every night.
Nina and the Monsters plays at the Phoenix Theatre 414 Mason Street,Dec 2, 3 2011 and will be coming back.
It’s a pleasure to see so many fine actors on live stage. The show has something for everybody.
Review by Jim Strope for Examiner.com, December 2, 2011
Rey Carolino’s energetic production drops many funny characters into your lap while sitting in the comfortable seats of the Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco. The entire cast is in continuous motion, entering and exiting, gesturing, hauling each other off stage and changing costume and character at every opportunity. Sal Serpe keeps us informed with a hand-wringing narrative, Sydney Bridgeman is Nina in all her transformations, Emily Claeys animates Dr. Helsing and Matty, Geneveve Cristobal as an extremely bewitching woman, Geneva May Coccol as Humbert Nina’s resourceful friend, Evelyn De Los Reyes, Stephanie Burd, Sami Missing, Ted Speros on guitar, Fabien Ferhani and Nouha Noumon as CIA agents Black and White, Jeffrey Schmidt materializes as Vlad the Impaler, Dracula’s father (it’s a family show, after all), Steven Randolph does a fine monster, Racheal Heiman as Bela Frank the movie star and Frederico Edwards her flamboyant director, and James Smith is the mayor of the town that runs away from monsters by changing its name and location every night.
Nina and the Monsters plays at the Phoenix Theatre 414 Mason Street,Dec 2, 3 2011 and will be coming back.
It’s a pleasure to see so many fine actors on live stage. The show has something for everybody.