The fall school theater season began this past weekend with Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC) presenting The Bench and St. Joseph Notre Dame High School’s The Play That Goes Wrong. Each show was offered for only one weekend so these reviews serve more as an epilogue for their efforts than promotional prologues. Both were wonderful examples of young actor theater, that special place where kids get to play kids, or adults, or trees on sometimes wobbly sets with inconsistent light and sound cues, directed by passionate people for audiences of family and friends, many of whom were holding bouquets for the thespians. Like Little League baseball or youth soccer, there’s a special perfection in the imperfection on display, and an appreciation for the really difficult thing they’re striving to do.
The Bench
The stage for ACLC’s The Bench, a one-act by Josh Skyler, was a leaves-over-woodchips space between two buildings on their Third Street campus. Hovering above said bench was a lovely tree that helped bedeck the ground in shades of brown and green. Pre-show sounds of giddy actors permeated through the door to their green room, reminding the audience that these thespians’ day jobs are as schoolkids of a certain delightful age. Despite the absence of standard theatrical trappings—heavy curtains, lush seating, and lavalier mics—earnest actors speaking fresh words to tell stories is the core of all theater everywhere.
Multiple stories are told from the bench, with pairs of young people sharing troubling circumstances—a friend leaving for the military, another moving away, pals talking about parents, seniors swapping college application stress—all of which circle back to the bench as the play moves forward in time, with the kids growing into young adults. Linking all the vignettes is a quality of unique truth—teens playing teens where, no matter the level of chops, there is profound sincerity.
Since it is an authentic ensemble, I hereby name and praise each actor in order of appearance: Kendall Knight, Lucas Hoang, Ellie Hoover, Lydia Merritt-Derieg, Xavier Messiah Akalani Thomas Tafaoa, Nyles Terry, Sophia Ly, Nala Jane Brock, Martigus Griffith, Jr., Katy Li, Aarudh Saranya, Juliet Myers, Zara Shahrodizadh, Soleil Kintanar-Tungul, David Dilworth, Ovid Brock, Jaleel Stevens, and Alexa Pasillas. The applause they received was honestly earned. Bravo to all.
Distinctive praise goes to director Brian Cooper, who wrangled his actors and crew and guided them in a beautiful way, so that each performer believed in themselves, trusted their scene partners, and were committed to their part of the larger story. Both the story told and the telling of it were wonderfully done.
The Play That Goes Wrong
Every actor has a story of theatrical mishap—a poorly timed broken clasp, spilled drink, loopy light cue. Mine involves a fellow thespian attempting to leave a room heaving a large suitcase. It wedged in the doorway and shook all the walls until he unwedged it and exited with dignity. Mostly.
The Play That Goes Wrong, the fall show put forth by the St. Joseph Notre Dame High School drama program, is exactly as advertised—the story of a performance where everything went bump in the night, on stage that is, from curtain to curtain, intermission included. In some ways it’s a stage crew fantasy where idiotic actors are rescued by the deft heroics of the black-clad gang, who are not very good at their jobs and match their onstage counterparts with equal clumsiness and cluelessness.
The center of the onion is a British murder mystery, The Murder at Haversham Manor, and before I could unwrap my cough drops the madcap antics began. The dead guy (Sam Hillenbrand) seemed only semi-dead, flopping and gyrating, while my favorite wigged actor, Mira Lavasseur, tried to help the butler, Alphonse Clark (he of the most convincing facial hair), keep calm. Eventually the inspector showed up (Nora McNish, runner up for best false locks), the deceased’s fiancee arrived (Irina Escudero), and at that point characters, plot points, set pieces, and props spilled onto the stage like a dropped box of Legos.
Rather than try to make sense of it all—which is kind of counterproductive with farce—let me sing the praises of moments and elements that rose above the cacophony of calculated comedy.
- At one point in Act Two, the back wall fell and did not clonk the nearby actor, so well done, Mr. Jose Valdez.
- The revolving bookcase and grandfather clock were cardboard masterpieces. Nice job there.
- Lots of spitting took place, so shoutouts to the spitters and to those tasked with cleaning up the spray. Hopefully rubber gloves were used.
- James Phillipps Amari looked good in stripes and his falls have now become the stuff of legend on Chestnut Avenue.
- Honorable mention to the spirit-gum artist who kept the facial hair mostly attached to the faces.
- Luca Salloum earned the Oscar for best impression of Timothee Chalamet playing Arthur the Gardener.
With all sincerity, director Kristine Roxas-Miller and her partners in purposeful silliness deserve kudos for pulling this off. There were so many pieces, so many people, so many cues, so much intentional nonsense that I was in awe of their efforts. Even in the final moment at downstage center, directly in front of me, pants were pulled down, revealing ridiculous boxer shorts. Drop the mic, send everybody home, well done.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.
