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Sunday, December 29, 2002

By Christopher Rawson, Post-Gazette Drama Critic

In the beginning was the word, they say. Or perhaps ritual song and dance came first. Soon spectacle staked its claim. But the enduring, charismatic appeal of theater remains the individual performer.

	Martin Giles had a breakthrough role as J.P.W. King in "The Gigli Concert" at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre. (Suellen Fitzsimmons)

So having selected the 10 best theater evenings of the year (announced Friday), the Post-Gazette turns now to celebrating individual achievements, topped by naming the Performer of the Year.

This can be hard. As local professional theater has expanded, so has the professional acting pool. For a quick quality check, consider: Of the 18 previous PG Performers of the Year, nine were active on Pittsburgh stages in 2002. Maria Becoates-Bey, Etta Cox, Heath Lamberts, Bingo O'Malley, Doug Mertz, Larry John Meyers, Lenora Nemetz, Helena Ruoti and Robin Walsh set a high standard against which to be measured.

Even so, this year's choice isn't difficult because Martin Giles, already one of Pittsburgh's busiest, most reliable actors, had a great role that took him to a higher level.

Giles has usually been cast in character roles with an eccentric or sardonic twist. Last year, for example, there were his vengeful nonentity in "Tonight at 8:30" and feckless schoolteacher in "The Sea-gull" (both Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre), supporting roles he made disturbingly pivotal.

He had more such roles this year, the flashiest being the quasi-deranged Millet in City's "Fuddy Meers," doing a manic double-act with a hand puppet. He just finished playing the obsessively sunny Bob Cratchit at City in Christopher Durang's new parody of "A Christmas Carol," and he showed oily power, also at City, as the manipulative art critic in "Inventing Van Gogh."

	Related information On further review ... 19 Years of Post-Gazette Performers of the Year

But his breakthrough role was as J.P.W. King, the improbable, scruffy English healer in Tom Murphy's "The Gigli Concert" at PICT. Always articulate and able to ride a caustic verbal tide, Giles here dug deeper to discover an innocence beneath J.P.W.'s cunning. His antagonist, a ravaged Irishman played by Larry John Meyers, provided the firm fulcrum for Giles' risky journey from comic funk to mysterious redemption.

And that's not all: During the year Giles did a powerful reading of David Hare's solo "Via Dolorosa" (for PICT). And he returned to his earlier roles as playwright, director and producer, starting a new company, Goatfish Players, to stage his own one-acts. He also produced a successful improv dinner theater script, "Class Reunion."

The rest of the best

There were other 2002 performances on the same level as Giles' in "Gigli." Jilline Ringle returned to City Theatre with another astonishing cabaret act, "La Dolce Vita," to follow last year's "Mondo Mangia." Lenora Nemetz warmed the entire Byham Theater with her expansive skills and comic heart as Pittsburgh Musical Theater's "Hello, Dolly!" Heath Lamberts triumphed at Playhouse Rep as the endlessly conceited and loquacious fool who is "La Bete." And Robin Walsh found the tragedy in "Desire Under the Elms" (Starlight Productions), then powered the movingly layered "Indian Ink," the Quantum show that topped our 10 Best list.

That's just four. There's much more to celebrate.

First the ground rules. For Friday's 10 Best, we considered all 191 shows in Western Pennsylvania reviewed by the PG in 2002, both local productions and tours. But for this compilation of bests, we stick to the 177 shows produced by Pittsburgh companies -- no tours allowed.

These aren't the Emmys, so I generally omit recurring performances, no matter how excellent, such as Daniel Krell and the rest in "A Musical Christmas Carol" (CLO), Jeremy Czarniak's fabulous Groucho (Steel City) or Art DeConciliis and Mark Yochum's comic turns in the "Tuna" vehicles (Little Lake).

To make these lists, I have drawn on the judgment of the eight others who reviewed theater for the PG in 2002. John Hayes, Anna Rosenstein and A.J. Caliendo contributed the most; others were Barry Paris, A. Levine, Richard E. Rauh, Karen Carlin and Jim Heinrich.

We didn't see everything, of course. No one could. Some excellent achievements must have slipped through unnoted. The individuals who follow, however, we noted very well. I hope these lists will stir your own memories.

Lead Actor: In addition to Giles and Lamberts, here's a dozen plus: Roger Robinson, "Driving Miss Daisy" (Public); Doug Rees, "Mrs. Bob Cratchit" (City); Christian Rummel, "Breaker Morant" (Playhouse Rep); John Shepard, "Speaking in Tongues" (Quantum); Kevin Gray as "Jekyll & Hyde" and Robert Cuccioli, "Guys and Dolls" (both CLO); Bingo O'Malley, "Desire Under the Elms" (Starlight); Matthew Gaydos, "The Real Thing" (Pitt); John Magaro, "Huck Finn" (Playhouse Jr.); Michael Tornetta as "Riddley Walker" (Playhouse Rep); Joe Schulz, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (PMT) and "Aristocrats" (PICT); Jay O'Berski, "Aristocrats"; and Marcus Stevens, "Floyd Collins," and Brian Leech, "Cloud Nine" (both Point Park).

Lead Actress: I'd hate to have to choose among the performances by Ringle, Walsh and Nemetz listed above, each stunning in different ways. But if I did, I'd opt for Nemetz, pouring her hard-earned experience into a Dolly who is a luminous life force. Then there's Helena Ruoti. The manipulative Eleanor in "The Lion in Winter" (Unseam'd) is a role others could do, but few could match her bewildered Claire in "Fuddy Meers," giving goofball comedy a realistic foundation and lacing it with brains and feeling.

Lenora Nemetz, shown with Jeff Howell, warmed the entire Byham Theater in Pittsburgh Musical Theater's "Hello Dolly!"

A dozen more: Deirdre Madigan, "Much Ado About Nothing" (Public); Victoria Clark, "Guys and Dolls" (CLO); Mandy Siegfried, "Blackbird" (City); Janelle Baker, "Quake" (Quantum); Chandler Vinton, "Mercy of a Storm" (City); Tessa Klein, "She Stoops to Conquer" (PICT); Daina Michelle Griffith, "Three Penny Opera" (Playhouse Rep) and "Cabaret" (Point Park); Diana Brennan Gay Hesser, "Game of Love and Chance" (CMU); Kristin Pfeifer, "Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" (Red Barn); Linda Levine, "On the Verge" (Little Lake); and Christine Ryndak, "Three Sisters" (Point Park).

Add two familiar youngsters: Molly Donovan, "The Diary of Anne Frank" (Little Lake) and Emily Gup, "Heidi" (Prime Stage).

Supporting Actor: In addition to Giles' work in "Fuddy Meers," there's John Ahlin's insistent Dogberry and Edward James Hyland's authoritative Leonato in "Much Ado" (Public) and Randy Rogel's zany Cosmo in "Singin' in the Rain" (CLO). More: Sunil Malhotra, "Indian Ink" (Quantum); Dennis Palko, "Good Night, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)" (Unseam'd); Tom Rocco, "Hello, Dolly!" (PMT); Michael Moats, "Class Reunion" (Latshaw Productions); Dereck Walton, "Tony & Tina's Wedding" (Perloff Productions); Kevin Bass, "Perfect Wedding" (Theatre Factory); Dale Irvin, "Cuckoo's Nest" (South Park); Tom Schaller, "La Bete"; Michael Fuller, "Fuddy Meers"; Joe Franze, "Chicago" (PMT).

Supporting Actress: If there were a separate award, it could go to Myrna Paris, "H.M.S. Pinafore" (Public), or to Susan McGregor-Laine for "Indian Ink," with an additional nod to her title role in "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (Summer Company). More: Janet Dickinson, "Importance of Being Earnest" (Mountain Playhouse); Shellie Jacobs, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (Proudly Presents); Vanessa German, "The Conjur Man Dies" and "Mumia" (both Kuntu Rep); Megan May, "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (South Park); Deanna Muro, "Perfect Wedding" (Theatre Factory); Autumn Ayers, "Wild Signs" (Bricolage); and Jacquelyn Baker, "Company" (CMU).

Ensemble: There were many plays in which the level of performance justified the accolade "true ensemble" -- Quantum's four-actor, nine-role "Speaking in Tongues," for example. But the year's most invigorating ensemble creation was in "Constant Star" (City), where five remarkable actresses played the multitalented pioneer Ida B. Wells. Maria Becoates-Bey, Etta Cox, Nadiyah S. Dorsey, Wabei Siyolwe and Brenda Thomas passed Wells among them like a basketball team of five selfless point guards.

Duos, trios: Sometimes fine performances come in pairs: Peggy Taphorn's wired Velma and Alison Cahill's comic Roxie in "Chicago" (PMT); Juliet Landau and Karl Bury as the combative Hennie and Moe in "Awake and Sing" (Public); Elena Passarello and Bryn Jameson as contrasting young men-about-town in "The Importance of Being Earnest" (Unseam'd); Bingo O'Malley and Milt Thompson, contrasting curmudgeons in "I'm Not Rappaport" (Jewish Theatre); and Rachel Downie and Chad McWreath as Jaycie (an "actoid") and Adam in "Comic Potential" (Little Lake).

Or trios, such as the three lead daughters in "Fiddler on the Roof" (CLO) -- Stephanie Block's wistful Tzeitel, Kim Huber's golden-voiced Hodel and Courtney Laine Mazza's intense Chava -- or Jennifer Juul, Barbara Lawrence and Marla L. Nathans in "Ballad Hunter" (Pitt).

Direction: Like lighting -- if it's too obvious, it probably isn't very good. And as a viewer, it's usually hard to tell whether director, actor or playwright deserves most credit. So we usually judge directing by the overall result, which means the directors of those plays named 10 Best belong on this list, de facto.

But even with all due diffidence, it is possible to name a director of the year: Mladen Kiselov, who guided to success two massive shows at CMU, Beaumarchais' "Marriage of Figaro" and David Edgar's "Pentecost." These were political drama at its most expansive -- epic, detailed, colorful and compelling.

Otherwise, in addition to Rodger Henderson, Gavan Pamer and other directors of the 10 Best, there are Penelope Miller Lindblom, "Heidi" (Prime Stage) and "Huckleberry Finn" (Playhouse Jr.); Robert Cuccioli, "Jekyll & Hyde"; Sunny Disney Fitchett, "On the Verge" (Little Lake); Robert C.T. Steele, "Desdemona/Juliet"; Van Kaplan, "Speaking in Tongues" (Quantum); Melanie Dryer, "Ballad Hunter" (Pitt); Ted Pappas, "Much Ado" (Public); Nona Gerard, "Earnest" (Unseam'd);

Debut: The most adventuresome debut was Jeffrey Carpenter's Bricolage, which infested a former Highland Park church with its ambitious investigation of the origins of vampirism, surviving a fire at its headquarters in the process. In terms of real estate, the biggest debut was that of Gary Bianchin's Canterbury Dinner Theater, a capacious new space in a former school in McKees Rocks. The small Penn Avenue Theater changed leadership, reopening as the Penn Theater in an inaugural co-production with Renaissance Publications.

Other groups making opening bows in 2002 were Howard Perloff Productions ("Tony & Tina" at Station Square); Porch Light Productions ("Father Figures" at the Hamburg Studio); Goatfish Players (Giles' one-acters at Gemini); The Rage of Stage Players ("Absolution of Dreams" at South Park High School); Avalon Productions ("Faeries, Mortals and Magic" at the Hazlett); and Los tres locos duenas ("DearlyDeparted" at the Hamburg).

Which will persevere remains to be seen. One will not: the "Pittsburgh Pubic [sic] Theater" was a one-time accompaniment for "Penis Dialogues," limp skit comedy capitalizing on "The Vagina Monologues."

Sets: For some reason, there were lots of trees on stage this year. What does this signify -- preemptive arboreal nostalgia? Future chroniclers of environmental disaster may want to take note.

Karl Brake was responsible for the lavish colors of "Figaro" (CMU) and Anne Mundell for the chameleon-like adaptability of "Inventing Van Gogh" (City). They were the best. Jorge Cousineau used an entire church for Bricolage's "Wild Signs," Michael Schweikardt took us colorfully to sea in "Pinafore" (Public), and "Anne Frank" (Stage 62) and "Arsenic and Old Lace" (South Park) provided authenticity on a budget. The Pittsburgh Playhouse under Stephanie Mayer continued the strong work noted last year -- witness Mayer's "Breaker Morant," Danila Korodgodsky's "La Bete" and Yevgenia Nayberg's "Three Sisters."

Costumes: A new name to reckon with is Pei-Chi Su, whose several assignments included "She Stoops to Conquer" (PICT). A few others of note: David Zyla, "Pinafore" (Public); Kim Brown, "My Fair Lady" (PMT); Carol Lauck, "The Miser" (Little Lake).

	The cast of City Theatre's "Constant Star" - from left, Wabei Siyolwe, Nadiyah S. Dorsey, Brenda Thomas (top), maria Becoates-Bay (bottom) and Etta Cox - was the ensemble of the year. (J.C. Schisler)

Lights, sound: The most unusual lighting challenge must have been Andrew David Ostrowski's, making darkness visible in "Floyd Collins"; Liz Atkinson provided the atmospheric sound. To his set for "Wild Signs," Cousineau added lights and sound -- difficult indeed in a hollowed out former church. Kirk Bookman created lovely lighting effects in "Pinafore." And CMU lived up to its usual high standard throughout the year.

Music: In this heterogeneous category, special praise goes to Ernest McCarty for composing and directing exhilarating scores for several New Horizon productions -- "The Region," "Get Ready" (musical director, Henry Diggs) and "Give Us Another Time."

Jennifer Sharon played off-stage Chopin piano for "Aristocrats." Thomas Wesley Douglas' trio provides very on-stage support for Ringle in "La Dolce Vita." (Douglas also joins Gerry Dantry in producing fine musical support at CMU.) Douglas Levine's musical direction inspired "Three Penny Opera" and "Floyd Collins" at the Playhouse and PMT's "Chicago." John Holt retains his title as the master of local cabaret with his Shiloh Inn revues. Jim Overly played superior piano accompaniment for "Songs for a New World" (CCAC Boyce) and Evonne Henry directed a tight music ensemble for "Working" (Stage 62). And the indispensable Karl Mullen enriched Bricolage's debut and Beth Amsbary's "The Priesthood of Plenty" (Frick Museum).

Dance: In "Singin' in the Rain" and "George M!," the CLO energized its tradition-rich season with some glorious tap. On the student level, so did "My One and Only" at Point Park. Choreographer Mark Esposito brightened CLO's "Guys and Dolls," and Billy Porter used dance to set the urban environment in "Company" (CMU).

Portent: City Theatre enlisted a sponsor for its pre-curtain announcement, meaning the usual advice about cell phones and noisy candy is now accompanied by self-promotion. What other sorts of creative underwriting may theaters now design?