Betty's Glowing Review

Thanks to Lorrainne Spence and the Vindicator for this stellar review!

Here it is - with my personal commentary! Enjoy!! Or just click the link to read the unfettered article...

"'Betty's' Keeps Oakland Edgy"
No Doy!

As this summer comes to an end, the Oakland Center for the Arts presents an atypical summer show, “Betty’s Summer Vacation,” by Christopher Durang. The Oakland is known for producing edgy material, and this play nearly goes over the edge.
Woohoooo!!! We're like Thelma and Louise, speeding our convertible over a cliff! Yeeehaw!!!

Anyone familiar with Christopher Durang knows he writes odd, dark comedies, and “Betty’s Summer Vacation” is about as dark as it can get. With humor stemming from incest, rape and murder, and some very vulgar language, this play is not for the faint of heart. Much of the plot is disturbing and at times oddly insightful. It’s also actually really funny.
I think that insight most often comes from disturbing revelations - we don't really remember lessons unless they shake us to the core. And hey, how else can we address these issues without humor? The part about it being actually really funny? Right on!!

“Betty’s Summer Vacation” takes place in a beach house where five people have bought time shares to spend a week together. Betty is the first to arrive, eager to get some peace and quiet away from the city. She is immediately disappointed when her friend Trudy breaks her promise to “not talk so much.”
It's funny to think that we buy time to spend with one another. i often wondered if Betty and Trudy were friends prior to arriving at the house - I imagine they work in some crappy publishing house together - Betty as a copy editor; Trudy as a secretary.

Joining them are Keith, an odd young man with a shovel and a hatbox; Buck, a lecherous surfer dude; and Mrs. Siezmagraff, an overbearing woman who invites a flasher to dinner. As the day progresses, characters conflict, and Betty’s hope for a peaceful vacation deteriorates.

As if all of this weren’t enough, Durang includes another odd set of characters in his play. Three “voices” are present throughout the show, sitting in front of the stage. At first, these voices simply watch the show and laugh at Betty and her roommates, who are confused and disturbed to hear them. The voices begin to comment on the show and eventually make demands of the characters, screaming “Entertain us!”

Clearly, Durang’s play was meant as a commentary on America’s obsession with voyeurism and reality-as-entertainment. The voices demand to see fighting, misery, rape and murder and are never satisfied. References to Lorena Bobbit and the Menendez brothers reflect America’s interest in and acceptance of the horrors people create. By alternately shocking and amusing the audience, Durang seems to encourage us to reconsider what we find entertaining.
It's funny to listen to the references - they date the play more than anything else, but some of them are still funny. Andrew Cunanan? I'm sorry to say I still don;t know who he is! And the Michael Jackson trial reference - too soon!

The success of the Oakland’s “Betty’s Summer Vacation” is clearly due to director Craig Snay and his amazing cast. Each actor in this ensemble holds his (or her) own with obvious experience.
Again, I say - no doy! Actually I say this is kinda funny because this is Quentin's first time on stage beyond high school, and Jonathan's first time on stage ever (he's a camera actor), but everyone else is pretty well-seasoned. We're a very salty gang, indeed.

Brooke Slanina’s Betty was the anchor of the play. Her attempts to remain sane and level-headed made her both realistic and sympathetic.
Ahem. Might I suggest my character is not far removed from my role in real life? I might. The hardest part of playing this role is that I could not be sarcastic. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to NOT be sarcastic? My god, I don't know how I did it! Come see it and tell me if I succeeded.

Ali Cleland played Trudy with depth, beginning as a simple, vapid girl but becoming haunted and depressed.
Ali likes to say her strength is er voice - she has a degree in musical theater - but she's really, really good and funny in this show. i still have such a hard time not laughing when she makes the car alarm noises. Also, she is cayooote as a button!

As Mrs. Siezmagraff, Gerri Sullivan was appropriately over-the-top, and Tom Smith’s Mr. Vanislaw exuded a mix of harmless oddity and underlying menace that was both funny and frightening.
Gerri, without a doubt in min mind, landed the most difficult role in the show. She has to be blissfully unaware that she is batshit crazy - something only people who are truly that crazy can do. She has to talk fast, make little-to-no-sense, put on a puppet show trial, show off her prison sex moves AND red welts on her thighs, save her daughter, and lead to her own demise. It's exhausting just to watch her. And Tom? Well. Let's just say I never. EVER want to see him in a rain coat again!

As Buck, Quentin Duda held nothing back — literally. Delivering his lines with both deadpan sincerity and idiocy, his total self-confidence and comfort made his character both ridiculous and realistic.
Not only is this Quentin's first time on stage at the Oakland, but it's also his first time oing community theater! AND he has to wear a speedo the whole time he's on stage, almost. His character is really funny and he puts a great spin on it. It's funny to try to have a debate with him while he's walking in front of me in his speedo! It just cracks me up. Also when he smashes a beer can against his head, I can never not laugth at that. Anyway Quentin also built the set with Craig. I was hoping to lock him in the closet and feed him scraps in exchange for volunteering but it turns out he's moving after this show. Dammit, Youngstown! Stop driving the youth away!

As the voices, Joyce Jones, Ryan Newell and Jonathan Eldell were a disconcerting presence. Their laughter and comments seemed to make the audience as uncomfortable as the characters onstage.
I just love these people. Joyce is the strongest voice, I think its safe to say, but I like when she is not there and just Ryan and Jonathan do it. They have a good dynamic. Jonathan has been interesting to watch evovle because he's not a tra9ined stage actor. The Sopranos we are not. A movie set with Jake Gyllenghall we are not. Microphones are not deployed. He has to learn to project and annunciate and improvise. It's great to see him on stage. And Ryan? He's also great. he's like 20 and just started his own theater group in East Palestine!

The most memorable performance of the evening was that of Cleric Costes, playing Keith. Costes’ Keith was an odd character, uncomfortable around other people but also finding enjoyment in their misery. Costes entirely embodied his character, from his voice to his hair, to his feet, to create a hilarious performance.
Cleric, Cleric, Cleric. Who can resist Cleric's charms? That thick head of hair...those dancing eyes...uhnm....other stuff. There's something about Cleric that makes me happy. He is so fun and fun to be around and knows all the swears and dirty sex words in sign language. He is also a writer, did you know? And a highly trained professional actor who does theater for a living! He is soooo good as Keith. there is a part in the play where he slides down the couch into a fetal position on the floor, and it is SO. HARD. for me to not nudge him with my foot. i tried once and got a note from Craig, so I will never do it again.

Craig Snay should also be commended on his amazing set design. Never has a set at the Oakland looked bigger and more polished. Snay’s attention to detail made his set both realistic and a bit ironic (notice Munch’s “The Scream” on the wall). Even the lighting fixtures that always hang above the stage fit perfectly, reminiscent of a set in a television studio.
God, Craig Snay. I love this man. he is amazing. He just built everything himself. I never want to tear this set down. I always want every show to happen on this set. The floor! OMG the floor! It looks so great! And the details are great! And he did it basically himself, with Quentin's help, and Ali painted floor with him, and Michael helpd some too. And he helped hang the lights and he designed sound and he did all the props (actually, according to the program, his identical twin cousin Crag Snay did it). he's so great. And as a director he's also great. It was interesting to work with him because he didn't reference the script, so we had to keep repeating stuff until he figured out the part we messed up. And he was always building physical comedy into scenes. He was just great. I'll lock him in the closet too, but he's going to be in Hamlet so I guess I'll wait til that's done.

“Betty’s Summer Vacation” may not be the typical summer-theater fare, but that’s what makes it such an intriguing production.
No doy! No doy!!

“Betty’s Summer Vacation” continues Friday, Saturday Aug. 20 and 21 and Aug. 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and midnight Saturday Aug. 21.
Don't miss it!!!