DTC Opens Season with "All My Sons"

By Blogger Charles "Ebbie" Alfree, III
After surviving the brutal yet extremely funny production of August: Osage County at the Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia) yesterday, I was ready for a wholesome classic play by Arthur Miller. My friend Katt and I took a jaunt to the Delaware Theatre Company to see the playwright's family drama set in 1947, All My Sons (the first production of DTC's 2011-2012 season). Although August: Osage County premiered in 2007, 60 years after the premiere of Miller's play, both productions dealt with the same theme—dysfunctional families. (Apparently nothing has changed over the years.)

Cast (from left) P.J. Benjamin as Joe Keller, Robert Eli as Chris Keller,
Jered McLenigan as George Deever, and
Anne-Marie Cusson as Kate Keller. Photo credit: Matt Urban.

Set in post–World War II, All My Sons is the story of successful business owner Joe Keller, who grew up poor and undereducated, and his family. Joe is the kind of guy who will do anything to keep his family happy and living in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, regardless of the consequences. Joe's wife, Kate, still holds hope that their eldest son, missing-in-action for three years, will come home. Their younger, more realistic son, Chris, has returned home from the war and now works for his father. The play begins the morning after a harsh storm as the family is preparing for a visit from their elder son's widow. Once she arrives, the layers of family guilt and unethical practices begin to unravel, with help from the family's neighbors.

The cast, directed by David Stradley, found the soul of the play and brought their grueling characters to life. P.J. Benjamin, in particular, gave an award-worthy performance as a loving father with a secret—a complex role perfectly executed. He and his colleagues performed on a set that evoked the feeling of living in a 1940s middle-class American “anytown”. The cast was met with a standing ovation, which was also to recognize everyone involved with this timeless play. I'm sure this cast will see a standing room at the end of every performance!

Driving home, Katt and I contemplated how the theme of the play still rings true today. How many mothers today are hoping their sons and daughters in the current war will come home? How many businessmen are making unethical decisions based on money rather than the greater good?

And, how many families are unable to face their problems and live "normal" lives? Based on these plays and the stories on the nightly news…perhaps not many….oy vey!

See www.delawaretheatrecompany.org.

It Must Be October! The Coffin Ball at Talleyville Frame Shoppe

Photo: Ophelia von Gray

While most of the attention on First Fridays is focused on downtown Wilmington, it's always worth the short drive up Concord Pike to the Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery -- especially this time of year, when horror-themed art takes center stage. This year, artists-slash-shop owners Ric and Wendy Frane focused on a coffin theme for contributing artists and, appropriately, named the opening event The Coffin Ball.

Each artist started with the same canvas: a flat toe-pincher coffin shape. Other than the base, there were no limits: Pat Higgins used his as a panels for comic-style pieces; Paul Romano created a carved 3D piece; Kristen Margiotta painted an upside-down bat in her distinctive big-eyes style; Adam Cruz, Ric Frane and Leila Marvel explored dark femininity with paint; Baron Von Reign utilized digital photography; and Ophelia von Gray applied her soft sculpture "Guten Monster" art into dimensional, coffin-shaped wall art. Several of the artists went with a bit of a Dia de Los Muertos theme, including Poppycock Tattoo c-owner Tina Marabito's Our Lady of Guadalupe, Poppycock tattoo artist Dave Mele's skeleton fortune teller and Wendy and Ric Frane's dead bride and groom pieces. Other themes, such as Tina Imel's "Death of the USPS" and Higgins' "Greed" made social statements. As a whole, the collection represents a spectrum of Delaware artists with a dark side, all of them highly talented.

L-R: Pat Higgins, Adam Cruz, Ophelia von Gray, Kristen Margiotta, Leila Marvel, Wendy Frane, Ric Frane.

The Coffin Ball itself was more than a gallery opening, it was also a rock 'n roll masquerade party featuring DJ Shadylady and live music by -- who else? -- Coffin Fly, who rocked it as usual with their twisted brand of rockabilly.

Photo: Kristen Margiotta

The Coffin Ball artwork will be on display through October at the Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery at 3626 Silverside Road (between the PNC bank and the Chuck E Cheese).

Les Six

The Delaware Symphony champagne series at the Hotel DuPont Gold Ballroom October 4 was a whirling delight of early twentieth century compositions. The program featured DSO woodwind principals and principal French horn in five solos and a grand finale sextet.

Pianist Lura Johnson, recently named principal piano to the DSO, was a powerhouse – playing every one of the quite difficult pieces and bonding extremely well with all five soloists. William Short was able to show his marvelous tone in both high and low registers in Henri Dutilleux’s Sarabande et cortege for bassoon and piano. (Having heard him play in Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra in both his final Curtis concert and the recent DSO opening, his smooth sound and control was no surprise.)

Charles Salinger’s arrangement of Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei for clarinet was a more somber and subtle piece, allowing Salinger to show his amazing control and dynamic gradations in a narrow range of sound. Karen Schubert’s horn sound in Paul Dukas’ Villanelle for horn and piano had the volume needed in that room to stand against the full sound of the grand piano’s open lid and Johnson’s strong attacks.

Jeff O’Donnell’s delicate oboe sound (which had been sorely missed during his year-long hiatus from the DSO) and Kimberly Reighley’s flute were both high enough to be in an almost different sound zone from the piano and this enhanced the effect of each performance, allowing their control and technical brilliance to be clearly heard.

And the Poulenc sextet was one of those moments in musical performances where everything seemed to click among the six musicians – the rollicking music resounded in the ballroom – and here is where the strength of Johnson’s piano playing really showed. What other pianist could have prepared that many notes for a single evening’s concert and still play with energy and gusto up to the very last note?

See www.delawaresymphony.org.