The Mysterious Affair at Styles (In Motion)

Before the proliferation of smart phones (after which time everyone became a cinematographer) capturing random moments on video was a bit more rudimentary. As I have been recalling the ten years since my play adaptation of The Mysterious Affair at Styles premiered, certain video "memories" have popped up on social media.


Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Opening Night
Alcazar Hotel, Cleveland Heights
Producer Daniel Hahn whipped out his flip-phone to record a record turnout for the Great Lakes Theater outreach tour (above). Over one hundred and twenty people attended opening night at the Alcazar Ballrooom. I promise, this is due to the enduring popularity of Agatha Christie, and not my reputation.

The first image is that of director Lisa Ortenzi, who did such a marvelous job getting this show on the road.

 

Thursday, March 1, 2012
Nordonia Hills Branch of the Akron Public Library

Ten years ago I had not yet acquired a smart phone, but I did have a laptop and used that to create this time-lapse document (above) of how our company of five brought in and put up the quite impressive and heavy set. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Lorain County Community College

The second night of performance, Daniel brought his family camcorder and recorded the entire performance at LCCC. It's handheld, so of course it's a little shaky. In this clip, Captain Hastings bids farewell the his audience. Don't worry, no spoilers, and we do get to see the entire company emerge for curtain call.

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles” adapted by David Hansen from the novel by Agatha Christie is available from Playscripts, Inc.

On the Dark Side of Twilight: The Alcazar

Ten years ago, Great Lakes Theater produced my first outreach tour "On the Dark Side of Twilight."

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Well. I think that went all right.

Very good turn out at the Alcazar tonight, a nice mix of residents, friends and family, theater people and vampire freaks. Does the show work? I think it does. The nicest thing an audience member said following the performance was, "I was surprised more people didn't come out for curtain call."

My little girl, age seven, was in attendance. I am looking forward to talking to her about it. During the performance I had enough self-awareness to think, "Ew. Is that line going to bend her mind?"

with Özen Yula

Most of the time, however, there was not, in fact, time for such reflection. I think there was a brief moment during the first arc where I stood still for a few seconds backstage thinking, "Really? Shouldn't I be putting something on/taking something off/hitting a sound cue/wiping something up?" Other than that I was mostly doing at least one of those things, at all times, and so was everyone else.

It took five of us forty minutes to get everything out of the space, with assistance. What the hell will three of us do tomorrow? But it does pack up nicely.

And holy crap! Turkish playwright Özen Yula was in attendance to see the opening night of my show! Yeah. I think that went all right.

Regarding Neil Gaiman

Satan.

Last year during the tour of Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick), plans were already being made for this year's tour. The last time Great Lakes produced As You Like It, the outreach tour was a different play titled Seven Ages, featuring a slate of ten-minute plays, each written by a local playwright, each dealing with one of the seven ages of man. These short plays were contemporary, each a stand-alone short play.

We decided to put a spin on that concept, seven different Cleveland-area playwrights, each telling the story of one of seven ages, we would even use the same title, like editions of a magazine. Like the first three Peter Gabriel albums.

But how would it be unique? Emily asked me about it over lunch during the tour season, and I eagerly explained my concept. Four characters from As You Like It would be taking refuge someplace, like a tavern or somewhere, hiding out during a massive tempest, and they tell these stories to pass the time. And the stories could go anywhere! They can be fable or folktale, sincere or satire, spun from the past or even the future.

She said, "That's World's End."

Sandman #51, "A Tale of Two Cities"
(Vertigo, 1993)

Well, crap. She was absolutely right. My concept for Seven Ages even had a young woman passing as a boy.

Okay. Okay, okay. Okay? Yes, there are similarities. Neil Gaiman's World's End is one volume of his comic Sandman. Characters take shelter against a "reality storm" in the tavern "World's End". These people are from different periods in history, they are perceptibly "real" (from the world as we know it) or mythic.

And they tell stories, because that is what you do to pass the time. Today we can pass the time alone listening to stories (radio) or watching stories or even creating stories (screens). Without such technology, people will tell stories, they always have.

Gaiman's work is storytelling, which is the role of any writer, but a trope particular to him is the act or the art of telling stories, whether they come in dreams, shared by forgotten gods or months of the year,  or passed about in publicans.

Backstage at the Alcazar.

So? It's good to be aware of what influences you. Strangers coming together who then tell stories? Gaiman would be the last person to claim he has a copyright on that concept. And so we cobbled our tales and last night presented the work to an invitation-only preview audience of Great Lakes Theater supporters and friends at The Alcazar in Cleveland Heights. None dast call it unoriginal.

Seven Ages opens at The Alcazar tonight at 8 PM, free and open the the public. Please join us.

Double Heart: The Alcazar

Happy company!

Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick) opened at The Alcazar last night to a capacity crowd, there were over 100 people and not enough chairs to go around. Fortunately the grand ballroom has some comfortable window seats where the overflow crowd was able to find a good place to sit, while others were content to stand. Thank you, Cleveland Heights. You are my city.

Sigh no more.

Reaction from the opening night audience was very positive, we were called out for a second curtain call and I do not remember that happening at any tour I have participated in. While the audience at tonight's performance at Lorain County Community College was not as large as last year's, it was still a marked improvement in attendance over previous years. Word continues to build about these annual performances, and I guess the word is good!

Remember the page.

Both evenings there was at least once audience member who were outspoken enough to take issue with the actions of certain characters in the story, but I was looking forward to that and we have been able to turn them into some great, open discussions. On Tuesday night there was a question as to whether I (as playwright) wasn't belittling a tragic situation by having one of my characters behave selfishly. It was my position that creating a character who acts in his emotional self interest is not the same thing as endorsing that behavior.

Tonight one found it hard to believe that certain characters could enter into a Shakespearean comedy (Much Ado About Nothing) weighted with the kind of emotional baggage created in Double Heart. My question is, what was the capacity for forgiveness? Are there things that cannot be forgiven, ever? Can time, in fact, be a healer?

I mention these two examples because I like the criticism. But I also like all the praise which has been provided to the script. They like it, they like the poetry. You would imagine that trying to write a play in iambic pentameter, modeled on Shakespeare, would be considered presumptuous and arrogant, but mostly I think people are just impressed and enjoy the effort.

Tomorrow we have a private performance at a local high school. A Catholic high school. Very curious as to how all the dirty jokes are going to be received.

"Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick)" is available from YouthPLAYS.

Double Heart: Final Dress

Annie runs lines backstage.

Yesterday was long and full and strangely relaxing. We loaded out the entire set in a half-hour, and loaded it into The Alcazar in roughly fifteen minutes. There isn't a single piece of the set that cannot be carried by one individual. Those familiar with previous tours (say, Mysterious Affair at Styles) would be astonished, and perhaps burn with rage and jealousy.

That's the entire set. That's it.

Our final dress was witnessed by the Great Lakes Theater Shakespeare Society, and a more supportive crowd we could not find. It was reassuring to witness the reactions from an audience before we open. Is the funny funny? Well, apparently, yes. Yes, it is. And it moves. Many remarked after how much we managed to pack into one hour.

GLT Artistic Director Charlie Fee was on hand, and had much to say about the historical basis for the play, especially as it relates to the sea wars between the Ottoman Empire and Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Much Ado About Nothing is not specific about which wars Benedick and his fellow soldiers are returning from ... but I do.

In fact, it was a comment from director Lisa's ten year-old niece (who watched a double run-through on Sunday) that the play gave her quite an education in the Civil War, which she is studying in school right now. They describe battles and laws, but they don't get into the details of what happens to individuals or the general populace when war breaks out ... but I do.

Tonight we open at The Alcazar at 8 PM, the performance is free and open to the public. Please join us.

Double Heart: Countdown

One week from tonight Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick) will open at The Alcazar in Cleveland Heights. As Daniel says, The Alcazar must hold a record for the most world premiere plays in Cleveland ... at least during the 21st Century.

Pretty ladies in pretty dresses.

We have a dance, a fight and a drinking song ... well, it's not a "drinking" song, per se ... in fact, it's the opposite of a drinking song, if you follow me. There are many beautiful sights and sounds, and some not so beautiful, in fact, the opposite of beautiful -- but we all look very good. And ideally, we will sound good. The text has been frustrating me the past two days. I have been striving to pick up the pace and not eat too much of the scenery. Good luck, as the kids say, with that.

But it is very sweet. We have a night off this evening, I will be visiting the folks at These Are The Times. I am counting on much of the text to drop in so, and have a great final run-up to opening. I am definitely looking forward to moving into a new space where making quick changes will not be quite so challenging. Did I mention I am playing four different characters?

Why, yes. Yes, I am.

Styles: Opening Night

We opened last night at The Alcazar. I do not have the final number, but it was a very large crowd, a record for that venue, standing room only. We had folks sitting in the window seats that overlook the courtyard. All credit goes to Agatha Christie.

And I believe all went well, but it is hard for me to tell. There were a great many laughs, which surprised the actors but it did not surprise me. When Emily as Mrs. Cavendish enters the inquest, wearing the hat, I hear a wave of admiration sweep the crowd. That also did not surprise me, but it was delightful to experience. It is a beautiful hat, and sits so perfectly on top of Emily's impossible neck.

So the big question is, does it work as a murder mystery? Christie wrote a novel where the reader gets all the same clues as the detective, and should be able to solve the crime. Have I adapted it to accomplish the same thing? Or more to the point, is it too easy for the audience to figure out, or so confusing that they don't even bother trying.

Daniel asked for a show of hands as to who knew, who thought they knew, who suspected others, and who were entirely befuddled. The result was a healthy mix of all of those responses, so I believe we are on a good footing.

It took almost two hours to load out the set last night, but we were attempting it for the first time, with everyone taking my lead as how to pack the van. Tonight, hopefully, it will not take so long. But that is a physical challenge, and I need to be sure to rest up, take my vitamins, and rest up.

Did I mention I am training for a marathon?

Tonight: Lorain County Community College, Stocker Center Theatre. 7:30 PM. Free. Be there!

The Intimate Bar

Emily Pucell as Dare Wright
Photo courtesy of Cassie Neumann

Do Do That Voodoo
Sept. 10, 2011
Pandemonium 11

Toni K. Thayer ... The Living Newspaper
David Hansen ... William F. McDermott
Emily Pucell ... Dare Wright
Joshua D. Brown ... Orson Welles
Geoffrey Hoffman ... Bernard Schrader
Eric Perusek ... your bartender


McDermott chats up Dare at the Intimate Bar in the Alcazar Hotel.
We had two great performances Saturday night, the "Lose Me Lodge" space had, perhaps 30 chairs in it which were filled at 8 PM and we were SRO at 8:55.

At the end of the brief performance, Toni was to hand out copies of McDermott's actual PD review of the "Voodoo" Macbeth, but she did one better and actually calling out the banner. Every audience member took one! And they had Josh's poster for It Can't Happen Here on the reverse.


Orson Welles shares a laugh with his driver ... or is Bernard yawning?
It was a sheer delight working with this team, even for only a few days. Having Josh back in town was a thrill, and he took the opportunity to play Orson Welles with great joy. Mr. Welles was in rare form that night ... it was hard for me to play half in the bag and focus on the other actors' faces, but I looked up at Josh one time when I was going off on some rant and he had this maniacal grin on his face, it was tremendous.


Welles quizzes the theater critic as he phones in his review.
This was my first time working with Geoff, and I hope to again.

I was ostensibly the "director" of this piece, I wrote it, it was short, our time was short, so I just told everyone what I wanted.

But he graciously offered several spot-on suggestions, which in the whirlwind of our time together I was extremely grateful to receive.

He really gave me an excellent note for the delivery of my last line which really put a nail onto the last moment. Well, the penultimate moment. The last moment was his, and that was super, too -- especially to our older crowd, who really got it.

This event also gave me the chance to do some revisions.


YES!!!
Photos courtesy of Margi Herwald Zitelli
After our second performance, it was time for dessert, to check out a few of the other shows ... and to finally get that Magic Hat.

Did I mention CPT received a one million dollar grant from The Kresge Foundation’s Building Reserve Grant program? So it was a good night for everyone.

The Alcazar Hotel

Located at the intersection of Surrey and Derbyshire Roads in the Cedar Hill neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, the "Moorish" styled and tiled Alcazar Hotel opened in 1923. The building is an irregular pentagon, has 175 rooms, and was inspired by the Hotel Ponce De Leon in St. Petersburg, Florida.

During the 1930s it was stylish hangout, where people could dine in the Patio Dining Room or have a cocktail in the Intimate Bar. You could take rooms by the evening or the month. During the Great Lakes Exposition, Johnny Weissmuller stayed here when he was performing in the Aquacade.

Was Cole Porter, in fact, inspired to write the lyrics to Night and Day when staying here in 1932? Who knows, I am just passing that along. But he, like Bob Hope, Mary Martin and George Gershwin did actually take rooms here, once upon a time.

And of course, William McDermott liked to drink here.

Alcazar means "home in a fortress."

Sources: cleveland.com
Alcazar website

William F. McDermott

William F. McDermott
(Feb. 17, 1891 - Nov. 16, 1958)

Born in Indiana, attended Butler College, McDermott came to Cleveland in 1921 to become drama critic for The Plain Dealer. In addition to writing theater reviews for the Cleveland and New York stages, and making travels to Europe to interview literary luminaries, he also wrote columns on various issues of the day.
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes that he wrote against censorship in the 1950s, I'd like to know more about that. Much has been made of a certain doting actress restaging an entire production from the Hanna in his living room in Bratenahl when he was too ill to make it to the theater.

What McDermott and I disagree on - the value of federally funded theater. What we agree on - the brilliance of Tennessee Williams.

According to Dennis McDougal the young Louis Wasserman worked to ascend the rungs of Cleveland nightlife by plying local journalists with liquor ("buying them drinks, partying with them at the Alcazar Hotel, escorting them home") and occasionally writing their items for them when they got too loaded. The list of theater critics Wasserman claims to have ghosted for is all-inclusive, including Mr. McDermott.

Sources:
The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA, and the Hidden History of Hollywood
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History