It's almost rock'n roll

One of the greatest surprises of the Portland Player's production of "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" on Thursday night was not that five women from various backgrounds found more in common than their brides maid dresses, but instead, the extended use and mentioning of marijuana, binge drinking, promiscuous sex and cocaine. Except, of course, Frances, because she's a christian.

That's Frances' catch phrase. The young woman, played by Sara Harvey, resonds to just about every dilemma with these words. The other woman include the rebellious sister of the bride, Meredith, played by Hannah Brown, the happy-go-lucky lesbian Mindy, played by Crys Worden, the train wrecked Georgeanne, played by Deirdre Fulton and the beautiful, wise and jaded Trisha, played by Stephanie Atkinson. The only other character is the bold and idealised usher, Tripp, played by Matt Delamater.

The highlight of the production was the obvious enthusiasim of the cast. However, it would be wrong not to mention the ornate set designed by Jeff Fleming. Most plays performed in Portland make use of minimal staging, a necessity in small theatre due to constraints on time and money. This set was elaborate, thoughtful and realistic.

The funny, but at times tragic, drama examines the thoughts and feelings of the five woman as they discuss their pasts and their future dreams with each other while getting ready for the wedding in Meredith's bedroom. There is much ado about sex and failed expectations from life.

The play falters slightly when it attempts to discuss big issues like HIV and alternative life-partners. While it may be worked out as the show and actresses continue to perform in November, it felt like the words of the play and the actresses themselves were not comfortable with the issues.

Also, each of the woman's characters felt typecast and rarely moved beyond the premeditated roles, a result of choices by playwright Alan Ball. Pointing, perhaps, to the fact that this was written about woman by a male. Ball also wrote the prize-winning script "American Beauty."

Overall, the production is fun and entertaining, but it lacks the conviction to bring the bigger questions it raises to fruition and instead fumbles around the women's own egocentric problems. This makes the second act drag on about twenty minutes too long but gives an enlightening view on the female perspective towards men.

The show runs until Nov. 23. For more information, visit portlandplayers.org.

Good Theater's Must See!

Ireland is undoubtedly a heavyweight of drama, and the Thursday night performance of Marie Jones' "Stones in his Pockets" at the St. Lawrence Art Center proved to be a knockout. The play first ran in Belfast, Ireland, and was nominated for three Tony Awards in 2001.

But Good Theater didn't rest on the play's credentials. The production was a continuous burst of comedy and drama that related a story of small-town values and entertained with an impressive range of skills from the two actors, Brian Chamberlain and Christopher Reiling.

Jones' drama, which is set in rural County Kerry, Ireland, found a kindred spirit in the precise and careful directing of Stephen Underwood.

Brian Chamberlain, who performs numerous roles in Good Theater's production, "Stones in his Pockets."

The premise for the play is the arrival of a Hollywood movie crew in rural Ireland and its hiring of local extras. Anyone familiar with Irish theatre will recall the "The Cripple of Inishmaan."

The main characters are Jake, played by Chamberlain, and Charlie, played by Reiling, but the two actors also play the Hollywood female superstar, the director, the manager, the coordinator and a handful of locals. The actors do this without changing clothes or leaving the stage in what amounts to a tour-de-force of vocal and visual talent.

The two even change almost flawlessly between an authentic-sounding Irish accent and a U.S. dialog, depending on their character's background.

The story is humorous and almost slap-stick until a local, Shaun (sic), puts stones in his pockets and drowns himself because he didn't make the cut as a local extra for the film. The audience can't blame those casting the film when they see Shaun high on drugs at the start of the production.

However, the finger points to Hollywood because it rapes the authenticity of rural Ireland for money, and then sets unrealistic expectations of success for people like Shaun, who become dissatisfied with their lot in life.

The play not only criticizes Hollywood and its pandering for mass-audience appeal, it shows its bastardization of acting by creating a place where talented actors can perform numerous roles without cutting the camera or changing wardrobe. The real-time actors on stage demonstrate the craft of acting and the absurdity of Hollywood prima donnas.

The play is about two extras and it is their story, not Hollywood's. This production is an absolute must for anyone who enjoys truly great theatre.

The Good Theatre production of "Stones in his Pockets" runs until Nov. 23 at the St. Lawrence Art Center on Munjoy Hill. For more information, visit goodtheater.com.