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Guilt-Free Brain Food At A Theater Near You

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By KATHY L. GREENBERG, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 3, 2008

Updated: 01/02/2008 06:33 pm

There is one New Year's resolution that is easier to stick to than an all-chocolate diet. Repeat after me: I vow to see more live theater.

For a start, the following thought-provoking plays guarantee a bounty of guilt-free brain food: Jobsite Theater will present a lesson in love and psychology with "Eleemosynary"; a historical side note to Hollywood's Golden Age will be relived in "Moonlight and Magnolias" at American Stage Theatre Company; and art, history and politics will converge at Gorilla Theatre in "A Picasso."

Simple as pie.

'Eleemosynary'

Told through narration, flashbacks and linear storytelling, Lee Blessing's play explores the dynamic among three generations of women in the Westbrook family. Their differences and similarities stir up feelings and memories, causing the kind of friction that many families can relate to.

"Each woman has her own perspective and her own issues. How they interact with each other is extraordinary. It's quite fun and heartbreaking to watch," said director Kari Goetz.

Dorothea, the matriarch and grandmother, is an eccentric. She communicates with the dead and believes she can fly using homemade wings. Her offspring, Artemis (Artie), is the polar opposite. A pragmatic scientist, she views the world in black and white, which strains her relationship with her mother and precocious 13-year-old daughter, Echo.

The play's title comes from the word Echo spells to win the National Spelling Bee competition. Easier to say than to spell, eleemosynary is derived from the Latin word for mercy or compassion - a theme that runs throughout the play.

"I keep referring to the production as a holiday recovery show. I think the holidays are when we begrudgingly spend time with family because we feel obligated. But we walk away feeling, for good or bad, that we are fortunate to have family. The show is great post-holiday therapy," said Goetz.

'Moonlight And Magnolias'

In 1939, three weeks into production of the film "Gone With the Wind," producer David O. Selznick shut down the set. Supposedly, he was unhappy with both director George Cukor and the script. He replaced Cukor with Victor Fleming, who at the time was directing "The Wizard of Oz," and hired Ben Hecht to rewrite the script. Selznick and Hecht then churned out the final screenplay in a week and a half.

Ron Hutchinson's play is a comedic treatment of these true events. Here, Selznick locks the men in his office for five days with only a few snacks to sustain them.

"It's situational comedy. People are held against their will and being fed peanuts and bananas. It's pretty intense, wacky, fast-paced and furious," said director Drew Fracher.

Over the course of the week, the characters begin to crack from the pressure.

"By the time it's done, they've all experienced some severe psychotic symptoms. It's a full-out, no-holds-barred situation. That's the real fun of it," said Fracher.

'A Picasso'

"Gone With the Wind" might have been exactly that had Selznick made the movie overseas. In 1941, the Nazi's were collecting, burning and destroying a wealth of European art and literature. Jeffrey Hatcher's "A Picasso" is set during this time in France.

Pablo Picasso has been sequestered in a basement for questioning about three works of art. His female interrogator tells him to identify which of the pieces is his, as the Nazis need one Picasso to add to their bonfire. A cat-and-mouse game ensues when the artist waffles about their authenticity and the woman's real identity comes to the fore.

"There's a lot of subtext. My character presents herself as one thing but is hiding a lot about who she really is and what she's doing. We're also dealing with whether these are real Picassos," said actor Linda Slade, who plays the interrogator.

Hatcher's play also argues the relevance of freedom of speech and artistic expression in a politically oppressive environment.

"The play is about censorship and people condemning others for lifestyles or behaviors. It was a time in history where art was losing its freedom. Can the world live without art? Would it?" said Petrus Antonius, who portrays the artist.

ON STAGE
Eleemosynary
WHEN: Today through Jan. 20; 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Shimberg Playhouse, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa

HOW MUCH: $24.50; (813) 222-1001; www.tbpac.org

ON STAGE
Moonlight and Magnolias
WHEN: Jan. 16 through Feb. 10; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

WHERE: American Stage Theatre Company, 211 Third St. S., St. Petersburg

HOW MUCH: $22 to $35, depending on date and time of performance; (727) 823-7529; www.americanstage.org

ON STAGE

A Picasso

WHEN: Jan. 17 through Feb. 3; 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Ave., Tampa

HOW MUCH: $20 to $25, depending on date of performance; (813) 879-2914; www.gorillatheatre.com

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