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CAMILLE GAVIN: 'Romeo' raw but effective

The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, Feb 03 2010 04:34 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Feb 03 2010 04:34 PM

Overall, Spotlight Theatre's "Romeo and Juliet" runs like a well-oiled machine in the hands of director Brian Sivesind.

It moved along at a smooth pace with rarely a sputter along the way in the performance I attended last Saturday.

Set in current times, the drama is enhanced by a clever use of modern technology in the form of PowerPoint images and Internet texting projected onto small screens on either side of the backdrop. Excerpts from contemporary songs also help to emphasize the time period.

As the final death scene unfolded, I felt the satisfaction of having seen an imaginative and well-told version of Shakespeare's tragic tale of two young lovers.

Yet like any production with a large cast -- this one has 23 members -- it has its strengths and weaknesses. Much of this has to do with the actors' previous experience and their ability to develop their individual roles. To speak the lines is one thing, to give them meaning is another thing altogether.

Elizabeth Reichelt makes a charming and graceful Juliet although there were times when I wished she would allow her emotions to rise more forcefully to the surface. Patrick Fackler is less believable as Romeo although his soliloquy in the balcony scene bodes well. This was his first starring role and I admire him for taking on Shakespeare, which is no easy task.

Both actors are young, only 19. As they gain more experience on stage I have no doubt their confidence in portraying characters other than themselves will increase as well.

Jack Slider turns in a powerful performance as Juliet's controlling, beer-swilling father and Hester Wagner is suitably ditzy as her mother. Barbara Gagnon is perfect as the witty Nurse. Greg McDonald is by turns, energetic, amusing and fearsome as Mercutio, Romeo's friend and defender.

Kayla Fraye is delightful as the non-English-speaking servant. Tena Milburn is commanding as the Prince and Sivesind turns in a sensitive performance as the Friar.

The choreography, designed by Alex Neal, Slider and Sivesind, is a major element in the drama. The costume party dance scene is a joy to watch, the violent opening scene seems like a rumble between neighborhood gangs fighting over their turf, and the slow motion fights in later scenes have a magnetic, almost hypnotizing effect.

Equally effective is the lighting. Designed by Jarred Clowes, it contributes much to the production, particularly in scenes where a reddish glow creates shadows around the bodies of the victims, which results in the illusion they are surrounded by pools of their own blood.

I recommend that you see "Romeo and Juliet," and when you do, listen well to the words of the Bard. They are timeless.

'Down the Rabbit Hole'

As a writer, a reader and a former children's librarian, I am pleased to see that a children's classic published 145 years ago still has the power to stir the imagination.

The evidence, in this case, can be found in "Down the Rabbit Hole," an art exhibit that opened last Friday at the Younger Gallery in downtown Bakersfield.

A juried show, artists were asked to create their interpretation of a scene or a character in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," said Nicole Saint-John of the Arts Council of Kern, sponsor of the exhibit.

Nancy Sharp was awarded Best in Show for "A Very Cheesy Cheshire," her colorful depiction of a yellow cat, its teeth and paws sparkling with glued-on silver glitter, that seems to be charging right off the canvas. Sharp, a trial attorney in the county's Public Defender's Office, says taking time to paint during her off-duty hours is a good way to relax.

Two honorable mentions were the only other awards given. One went to Beverly Carrick, a local artist, the other to Tatiana Ianovskaia, who lives in Canada's Ontario province.

Carrick's features a bow-tied White Rabbit standing in an underground pond along with rat, a snail and a lizard. It is illuminated by sunlight that beams from behind Alice as she peers through a small hole at the top of the painting.

Ianovskaia's oil painting, titled "Court" is a jumbled pyramid of boxes with the Queen of Hearts reigning overall. Various figures, some trapped in cages, appear in descending levels.

"Down the Rabbit Hole" will be on display through March 25.

CSUB music auditions

Singers and musicians looking to get a head start on their college education, as well as to get details about a valuable scholarship, are encouraged to sign up for auditions to be held Saturday morning at Cal State Bakersfield.

Vocal auditions will be conducted by Robert Provencio, chairman of the CSUB music department, and instrumentalists by Jim Scully, a lecturer and director of jazz ensembles.

Each is equally optimistic about the future of music studies at CSUB.

"We are really trying to grow our program in spite of these economic times," Scully said. "Our dean told us we can add as many students as we see fit and we want to take him up on that offer and add 20 to 30 percent more students for the fall quarter."

Provencio emphasized that being a music major isn't a requirement. The program is open to students majoring in other disciplines on campus as well as members of the local community.

"The audition process is primarily to assess placement in studio lessons and ensembles," he said, "and to learn about our incoming students and provide entry level advising."

The instructors also provided a few suggestions about students' preparation for the auditions.

"We want to spend more time getting to know our prospective students' goals so the solo need not be long," Provencio said. "A couple of minutes will be fine."

An accompanist will be available for vocalists, if needed, or they can sing a cappella or with a recorded accompaniment.

Instrumentalists, said Scully, should prepare something that shows them in "the best possible light -- ideally they will have a couple of contrasting pieces prepared."

Potential students will be given information about the Fine Arts Merit Award Scholarship, better known as FAMAS and pronounced "famous." It is a four-year commitment of $5,000 awarded to talented incoming freshmen.

Those who attend the auditions don't have to be confirmed applicants to CSUB at this time. However, March 1 is the deadline for applying to any campus in the CSU system.

'Providence Nature'

Drew Dominick will open "Providence Nature," an exhibit of his work at the Todd Madigan Gallery with a lecture in the Albertson Room, which is adjacent to the gallery at Cal State Bakersfield.

His sculptures, titled "Avalanche" and "Dust Storm," will be accompanied by working drawings, videos and photographs, said Joey Kotting, gallery director.

In addition, a collection of Depression-era photographs by Dorothea Lange will on exhibit.

Dominick was born in 1965 in Portland, Ore., and in his youth worked at his family's dude ranch near Cody, Wyo. For the past 10 years he has taught sculpture and new genre art at UCLA, CSUB and CSU Long Beach.

Parking fees in lots B and C will be suspended during the opening event. The exhibit will be up through March 6.