Here's a look at some recent news in the Tampa Bay area theater scene:
Season's Greetings. Jobsite Theater has announced its 2008-2009 season, and it looks like a good one — mostly. The lineup is as follows: Blackbird, Sept. 11-28, History of the Devil, Oct. 8-24, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Jan. 8-25, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, March 19-April 5, Rabbit Hole, June 4-21, and Pericles, Aug. 6-23. Several things about the season occur to me: First, how glad I am to have a chance to see Blackbird, a play about sexual abuse which won a rave review in the New York Times and was a big hit in London; The Lieutenant of Inishmore, which bowled me over a few seasons ago at Sarasota's Florida Studio Theatre and is the most scorching anti-terrorist satire imaginable; and Rabbit Hole, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, a serious drama that I've been wanting to see ever since. I'm also intrigued by Pericles: It's one of Shakespeare's least produced plays, but after punk-rocker Joe Popp works it over, it may very well turn into a special event. As for the other two plays, I'm not terribly hopeful: I remember History of the Devil as schematic and wearisome when Jobsite produced it in one of its first seasons, and as for Picasso, a long-ago production by Stageworks left me underwhelmed. Still, times change and productions change with them — maybe I'll be surprised. In any case, when it comes to the best of recent Off-Broadway offerings, Jobsite, about to enter its 10th season, is the place to go. For more information and/or tickets, find your way to Jobsitetheater.org.
Where's Brian? If there's one actor who's turned up on area stages — deservedly — more than anyone else, it's got to be the prodigiously talented Brian Shea. This multiple winner of the Best of the Bay award for acting has played the title role in Jobsite's Dracula, Vladimir in Stageworks' Waiting for Godot and has been a repeat star in various American Stage productions, from Spinning into Butter to Proof. But more than a year since he was the only standout in American Stage's Othello, Shea seems to have disappeared from the theater scene. Using my finely developed methods of detection, I called him on the telephone and asked what was going on. His answer: "It's not for the lack of me trying. I've just actually had my worst year since graduating college for getting jobs. I've been auditioning and the theaters or the directors, they've just opted to go another way when it comes to casting." Shea told me he auditioned unsuccessfully for Orson's Shadow at Gorilla Theatre and for Sleuth and Hamlet at American Stage — in the latter case, for the parts of Hamlet and Laertes. So what's it like psychologically to be off stage all this time? "It sucks," he observes. "You just have to learn to deal with it, roll with the punches. There's highs and lows when it comes to getting jobs, and right now I'm at a low point."
As for the near future, Shea said he inquired about Betrayal, set to open May 28 at American Stage, but "I've been informed that offers have already been put out for that show, so beyond that it looks as though I have to start looking as far as next season."
Area producers take note: One of the finest thespians in Florida is available and willing to work. Sometimes all that glitters is, in fact, gold.
Where's Shakespeare? After more than 20 years of presenting a Shakespeare play every season — most of them outdoors at Demens Landing, but the last two on the mainstage — American Stage has announced a season minus the Bard. The 2008-2009 program goes like this: By the Waters of Babylon, Sept. 19-Oct. 12; A Tuna Christmas, Nov. 14-Dec. 28; King Hedley II, Jan. 23-Feb. 15; Lysistrata, March 13-April 5; Altar Boyz (in the Park) April 17-May 10; Tuesdays with Morrie, June 5-28; and a yet-unnamed award-winning play July 24-Aug. 16. Thoughts on the shows: The good news is Babylon, written by Richard Schenkkan of The Kentucky Cycle fame and detailing the love of a recluse and her gardener, a poet from Cuba. The other exciting production should be August Wilson's King Hedley II, the second in American Stage's bold project of presenting all the 10 dramas of Wilson's "century cycle." But I've never been impressed with the campy, mindless Tuna plays, and Tuesdays with Morrie is a good vehicle for an older actor but not very original in its homespun wisdom. As for Lysistrata, I've never seen a production that didn't come across as adolescent (but maybe this new adaptation will surprise me). Altar Boyz is fun to an extent, but the story of a Christian rock band with one Jewish member plays it too safe.
What bothers me most, though, is that missing Shakespeare. American Stage head Todd Olson assured me that the omission is experimental, but the Bard-in-the-Park shows were a real jewel in the meager crown of Bay area arts, and I'm afraid that we're now seeing the whole concept quietly vanish. How are we going to introduce our children to great theater if we don't have our yearly treat? Patrons and subscribers: Tell American Stage you want your Shakespeare! For tickets and info, call 727-823-PLAY.
And Now For Something Completely Different. OK, it's not a theater note particularly, but it still involves lots of drama. I'm talking about the last two concerts I saw by the Florida Orchestra, the first at the Mahaffey Theater and the next at the acoustically superior Ruth Eckerd Hall. Three weeks ago, I was happy to experience late local hero Robert Helps' Symphony No. 2, a haunting and evocative work that was much more affecting — surprisingly — than the Brahms Piano Concerto on the same program. And then last week I was thrilled by Rachmaninoff's evergreen Piano Concerto No. 2, played by the incredible Natasha Paremski and passionately conducted by music director Stefan Sanderling. Want to give your emotions a workout? Try our local orchestra — and Berlioz's sublime Symphonie Fantastique this very weekend.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2008.