REVIEW: In a Handbag Darkly

In a Handbag Darkly                     Runs Apr 30–May 23                                iDiOM Theater

   By Robin Johnson                         Tickets- $10 advance, $12 at door         1418 Cornwall Ave

                                                                                                                            Bellingham, WA 98225

     For their Spring Rep, The iDiOM Theater showcased a back-to-back showing of two one-act plays called Broken Holmes and In a Handbag Darkly. For those of you who are fairly familiar with the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, and the play The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde, you will all have a wonderful laugh with the cast of these two plays. They are quite spoofy and have inside jokes relating to the actual works and I highly recommend reading or getting familiar with them. 

     First of all, I wanted to note that both of the plays were written by Robin Johnson and directed by iDiOM veteran Bryce Hamilton. Knowing this, it was very interesting to see two works on the same stage, with the same actors and familiar props. Most people would agree that it would be a dangerous move to recycle the actors in two different plays, not to mention directly after one another! However, Hamilton pulled through and the actors made it refreshing to see them again in another context. As for the props and stage, it quite helped that these two plays could be considered part of the same era and it worked for the crew to keep most of the furnishings for both acts. I had never been to the iDiOM before this show, very lovely space to work in and just big enough for a good number of people but not large enough to feel like you're just another person who paid and sits in row 600 from the main stage only squinting to see what they are doing or cupping your ear to hear what they were saying. Nice and quaint; but I like that personal atmosphere.
   

Broken Holmes/In a Handbag Darkly at iDiOM Theater. Photo: Jolene Hanson

     Let's take a closer look into In a Handbag Darkly. I had just read The Importance of Being Earnest, and was able to comprehend the clever puns that hid in the dialogue. My favorite being the nod to 'Bunbury'. Though, I took my boyfriend with me (who was quite unfamiliar with the story or text) and everyone could tell he was definitely lost or missed the punchline of the whole act. Most the time I had to lean over and explain some things whilst it was too late and another complicated inside joke occurred. Although, he was not the only one, there were moments where I felt like the act went on a tangent and wondered "Where the hell did this Mr. Handbag come from?!". One piece I quite enjoy in theatre, is that there are parts that are left up to the audience member to interpret for themselves. The decision to create a "backstage" area behind the set to give an idea of another room was very well thought out. Not everything needs to be right in front of our eyes to understand what's going on. The train station's luggage room was unseen but we understood that that area was meant to symbolize it and we can add our own imagination into that as well.  Quite an interesting story overall and a hilarious take on a classic piece of work.

Sources Cited:

• "Spring Rep: Broken Holmes & In a Handbag Darkly | IDiOM Theater." IDiOM Theater. Web. 18 May 2015.  
•  "Review: Broken Holmes/In a Handbag Darkly." PlayBell. 2 May 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.
•   "The Importance of Being Earnest." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 18 May 2015.
•   "Sherlock Holmes." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 18 May 2015.  

REVIEW: on reviews of 'Late: A Cowboy Song'

                                             
     'Late: A Cowboy Song' is a play written by Sarah Ruhl, a now prize-winning playwright who also wrote 'In the Next Room, or the vibrator play', about the struggles of Mary, who is a lonely wife to Crick who is just dim-witted, who finds a long lost friend named Red, who is a cowgirl. This is aiming to write a critical review of three others reviews on this exact play with three unique takes on the play itself when it showed at the The Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia through January 19th, 2014.


     Theater review: ‘Late: A Cowboy Song’ staged with bluesy whimsy.
     In the first review, the author, Nelson Pressley, seemed quite enthused with the way the everything turned out. It seemed to me, Pressley liked the fact that it was whimsical and fantasy-like, calling it "blusey-whimsy"and raved about the plot. The only downside with this review though, is that the summary portion goes for nearly half the paper until you reach the opinions and the evidence that shows it. It starts with the directors method of pushing his actors towards the absurd and the author points out that this is what Ruhl wanted for her characters. Next, Pressley talks on every little key point on the way the play was set up, by touching on the music, lights, and set. Pressley really does compliment the writer of the play, Ruhl, for her ambition and how she "has a finger to her chin in poetic meditation, with the added attraction of a youthful yodel in her heart."

     Theatre Review: ‘Late: a Cowboy Song’ by No Rules Theatre Company at Signature Theatre
     When I read the second review, I got a little lost with what the opinion was, whether Roger Catlin was raving or panning the play. I read the beginning and it sounded like Catlin didn't like the way Ruhl wrote her plays saying that "as well acted as it is throughout, it lacks a kind of cohesive whole and strong dramatic shape." But, reading further Catlin summarizes the play just perfectly so I still get the sense of the play and what happens without giving too many spoilers. The next topic the author chooses, is to talk about the literary elements put into the play through acting. My favorite point Catlin talks about is the sound design in the beginning that is a 'vortex of noise', provided by the designer, Brandon Roe, which conveys a metaphor for modern life. However, I am a nerd for those types of things, the underlying message within a scene. Catlin goes into a little more detail with the lighting and the set, and ties it up at the end to say that Ruhl will have a rich career.

     An eccentric play about eccentrics (and the Pittsburgh cowboy isn't even the most eccentric thing)
     Notice the title. Two things, there isn't even the actual title of the play which we know is  'Late: A Cowboy Song'. and then just the wording is slightly scornful with eccentrics, eccentrics, eccentrics. We know now, just from he title that this is the pan review. Rebecca J. Ritzel, is another playwright, roughly the same age, same career, and intriguingly similar looking to Sarah Ruhl. With her review, Ritzel says almost everything about it was mediocre. The characters spoil the play and it was written with much effort but little outcome. Ritzel goes into summary but I feel she never stopped and I didn't appreciate the detail into the ending and spoiling it for me. Ritzel commented on the fact that the actor who played Red the cowgirl, Alyssa Wilmoth, played guitar and sang on stage, almost in a way as to say 'don't show off'. Ritzel continues her pan with talking about the sex scenes and saying they were too elaborate, which is a good thing to note on a review that it won't be appropriate for younger audience members, but it was a little elaborate in the detail department.

     I would definitely rate this play 4/6 because it hits the mark on major issues in today's society. Some controversial and others not so much, but the fact that we are talking about a butch cowgirl and a naive housewife becoming 'friends' is something that could become controversial or been mistaken for something that it isn't. Firstly, the play is not about lesbian lovers and the wife leaves her husband etcetera... This play is much more centered on the fact that love has no center and it cant be clearly defined, just as sexuality is unclear. Just as you may have already read the play and the panning review, we have learned that Mary has a baby that is intersex and they try to decide what the sexuality of it will be and the name and anything that has to do with its gender that is also what Mary is feeling and she is confused right now; especially because she feels like time has never been on her side, hence the title, "Late".

Works Cited:

• Pressley, Nelson. "Theater Review: 'Late: A Cowboy Song' Staged with Bluesy Whimsy." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 5 May 2015.  
• Catlin, Roger. "Theatre Review: ‘Late: A Cowboy Song’ by No Rules Theatre Company at Signature Theatre." Maryland Theatre Guide. 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 5 May 2015.  
• Ritzel, Rebecca J. "Late: A Cowboy Song, Reviewed: An Eccentric Play about Eccentrics (and the Pittsburgh Cowboy Isn't Even the Most Eccentric Thing) - Washington City Paper." Washington City Paper. Web. 5 May 2015.  
• Chapman, Kamarie. "Theatre 228 Class." Western Washington University, . 30 Apr. 2015. Lecture.  
• "Third Street Theatre." Calgarys Queer Theatre Company. 29 July 2012. Web. 5 May 2015.