I was completely enthralled when I first saw Paula Vogel’s “Indecent” at SF Playhouse in 2022, and even more so last week when I had the pleasure of watching an extremely talented cast and director make this powerful script come to life.
Center Rep’s production, jointly presented with Yiddish Theatre Ensemble, does a remarkable job with Vogel’s challenging script which has the actors speaking in English as well as Yiddish. Projections overhead translate the Yiddish and keep the audience abreast of geographical changes.
Under Elizabeth Carter’s flawless direction, the seven actors and three musicians engage in a beautiful dance-like tale of a Jewish acting troupe performing a new playwright’s work “God of Vengeance.” The show is such a hit in Europe it is brought to the United States.
But the U.S. censors insist the lesbian scene be cut and the playwright agrees much to the chagrin of the performers, who decide to go back to Europe and perform the original show. Unfortunately, the Europe they left is very different as Hitler’s insatiable purge of the Jews intensifies. The troupe continues performing in whatever spaces they can including one of the camps. You can imagine the rest.
Kudos to Christopher Fitzer’s versatile stage design complete with drainage for the poignant rain shower scene.
The actors – Michael Champlin, Michelle Drexler, Cindy Goldfield, Kina Kantor, Adam KuveNiemann, Vincent Randazzo and Joel Roster – all give commanding performances.
Choreographer Adin Walker sets the tone for the piece with the dance-like movements of the actors as well as several ethnic dances.
The actors work in tandem with the superb musicians who were an integral part of the action: Audrey Jackson (clarinet, piccolo), Christina Walton (violin, mandolin) and Eric Walton (accordion, ukulele and percussion).
“Indecent” runs through Sunday at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center on 1601 Civic Drive. Call 925-943-7469 or go to centerrep.org.
Lafayette: “Cabaret and Cabernet” are on the menu Sunday thanks to The Peter Pan Foundation. Due to capacity crowds at a smaller venue, PPF decided to move it’s open-mic-style musical performances, cozy drinks and community connections to the historic Town Hall Theatre on 3535 School St. in Lafayette.
The event features performances from “The Stay at Tone Moms,” a powerhouse East Bay vocal group bringing rich harmonies, unexpected arrangements and bold energy to every performance. The Six Queens, a fierce ensemble of PPF’s adult performers, brought down the house during the group’s spring concert. Finalists from this year’s Lamorinda Idol competition will also perform.
Tickets are $10 cash or Venmo the night of the event, which begins at 7 p.m.
Berkeley: College students across the country are busy adjusting to new environments and unexpected pressures, with Theresa Rebeck’s “Seminar” bringing those experiences and more to the stage.
The Royal Underground Theatre Company presents Rebeck’s sharp-witted comedy through Sept. 28 at Berkeley’s Live Oak Theater on 1301 Shattuck Ave.
In her engrossing tale, Rebeck tells of four young writers who sign up for a private seminar with Leonard, a celebrated novelist with unorthodox teaching methods. As sessions unfold, alliances form, secrets surface, and each student must decide what he/she will sacrifice to make it in the literary world.
Directed by Enrico Banson, the show features Harrison Alter (Leonard), David Patino (Martin), Chika Okonkwo (Kate) and Kristy Aquino (Izzy).
According to Banson, the show is now more relevant than ever: “In an era when creative careers are shaped as much by connections, politics and personal branding as by talent, the play holds a mirror to today’s high-pressure, gig-driven world. It asks the same question every artist must face: Do you want to be told you are good, or do you want to actually be good?”
For tickets to this intriguing play, go to theroyalunderground.org.
Also in Berkeley: Due to popular demand, Berkeley Playhouse has extended “The Addams Family.” If you haven’t seen this delightfully dark musical, you now have until Oct. 8 to find it on 2640 College Ave. Go to tickets.berkeleyplayhouse.org for tickets.
One more: The Marsh Berkeley on 2120 Allston Way presents a subversive journey to activism with Wayne Harris’ “Drapetomania,” running Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. from Saturday through Oct. 25.
In 2012, Harris was invited by the U.S. State Department to travel to Palestine to do storytelling workshops and perform a piece about Martin Luther King. His journey inspired a rallying cry for democracy which became his latest work “Drapetomania.”
Coined by Dr. Samuel Adolphus Cartwright in 1851, drapetomania was used to label a supposed “mental disorder” that made enslaved Black people run away from bondage. Dr. Cartwright used drapetomania to justify slavery by making resistance to it a disease with brutal treatment methods.
Harris draws chilling parallels to how pseudoscience resurfaces in America, fuels conspiracy and silences dissent.
The piece is written and performed by Harris and directed by David Ford. For tickets, call 415-282-3055 or go to themarsh.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.