An ambitious musical drama by Sharmon J. Hilfinger (playwright) & Joan McMillen (composer), directed by Virginia Reed based on original direction by Rachel Anderson is dedicated to Emily Dickinson, her creative process, and her personal life. The premise is sure to attract attention of anyone familiar with Dickinson’s amazing poetry far exceeding the epoch in which it had been written. Chopped, elliptical, sounding at times like some kind of clairvoyant telegrams, and at times like riddled messages from a Victorian oracle, and often verging on pure craziness (or ESP), the poetry in question is so rich and powerful that just reading it out loud would be a challenge on one hand, and a self-containment on the other… However, the essence of literary material hardly calls for a cheerleading squad. In the new BootStrap Foundation production of Tell It Slant, now playing at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, the intimate intuitive poetry is mostly chanted and shouted, and nailed into the audience, with the exception of some poems/scenes, like “Victory comes late” that let a glimpse at what an accomplished staging it could’ve been under different circumstances… The pervading feeling in the audience is that of being watched by a healthy ensemble of nine youthful, energetic and enthusiastic actors [not that there is anything wrong with the latter], since most of them are present onstage at any time, dressed in horrid costumes, and intensely peering through the fourth wall. (If you are engaged in an episodic part of a "desk," must you have sparkling eyes and enormous grins?). The male team of the ensemble, while not without [comedic] talents, seems to unintentionally dominate and overshadow the female team, in which each actress performs rather beautifully – under pressure (Emily Dickinson – Caitlyn Louchard, Lavinia Dickinson – Juliet Strong, Demiurge – Paz Pardo, Susan Gilbert – Siobhan Doherty). [What if it were a female-only ensemble, just mentioning male participants and never letting them out – no, I’m not a feminist, far from it!] An overwhelming amount of “director’s finds” also hints at too many thespians on a small stage in a cozy little theatre, in a chamber play about a reclusive and deeply introverted poetess. Her inner conflict, caused by her two closest beloved people now forming a bond of their own where there is no place for her – a primary cause for ED’s genius poetry, while clearly outlined in the play, gets almost smothered by the robust layering of production development. Thankfully, the poetry perseveres. The show runs through May 16 at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, Building D, Marina Blvd., SF. Call for tickets 415-433-1235, or visit tixbayarea.com. More info at: bootstrap-foundation.org.
Tell It Slant, Just Let Her Speak
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By Emma Krasov
An ambitious musical drama by Sharmon J. Hilfinger (playwright) & Joan McMillen (composer), directed by Virginia Reed based on original direction by Rachel Anderson is dedicated to Emily Dickinson, her creative process, and her personal life. The premise is sure to attract attention of anyone familiar with Dickinson’s amazing poetry far exceeding the epoch in which it had been written. Chopped, elliptical, sounding at times like some kind of clairvoyant telegrams, and at times like riddled messages from a Victorian oracle, and often verging on pure craziness (or ESP), the poetry in question is so rich and powerful that just reading it out loud would be a challenge on one hand, and a self-containment on the other… However, the essence of literary material hardly calls for a cheerleading squad. In the new BootStrap Foundation production of Tell It Slant, now playing at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, the intimate intuitive poetry is mostly chanted and shouted, and nailed into the audience, with the exception of some poems/scenes, like “Victory comes late” that let a glimpse at what an accomplished staging it could’ve been under different circumstances… The pervading feeling in the audience is that of being watched by a healthy ensemble of nine youthful, energetic and enthusiastic actors [not that there is anything wrong with the latter], since most of them are present onstage at any time, dressed in horrid costumes, and intensely peering through the fourth wall. (If you are engaged in an episodic part of a "desk," must you have sparkling eyes and enormous grins?). The male team of the ensemble, while not without [comedic] talents, seems to unintentionally dominate and overshadow the female team, in which each actress performs rather beautifully – under pressure (Emily Dickinson – Caitlyn Louchard, Lavinia Dickinson – Juliet Strong, Demiurge – Paz Pardo, Susan Gilbert – Siobhan Doherty). [What if it were a female-only ensemble, just mentioning male participants and never letting them out – no, I’m not a feminist, far from it!] An overwhelming amount of “director’s finds” also hints at too many thespians on a small stage in a cozy little theatre, in a chamber play about a reclusive and deeply introverted poetess. Her inner conflict, caused by her two closest beloved people now forming a bond of their own where there is no place for her – a primary cause for ED’s genius poetry, while clearly outlined in the play, gets almost smothered by the robust layering of production development. Thankfully, the poetry perseveres. The show runs through May 16 at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, Building D, Marina Blvd., SF. Call for tickets 415-433-1235, or visit tixbayarea.com. More info at: bootstrap-foundation.org.
An ambitious musical drama by Sharmon J. Hilfinger (playwright) & Joan McMillen (composer), directed by Virginia Reed based on original direction by Rachel Anderson is dedicated to Emily Dickinson, her creative process, and her personal life. The premise is sure to attract attention of anyone familiar with Dickinson’s amazing poetry far exceeding the epoch in which it had been written. Chopped, elliptical, sounding at times like some kind of clairvoyant telegrams, and at times like riddled messages from a Victorian oracle, and often verging on pure craziness (or ESP), the poetry in question is so rich and powerful that just reading it out loud would be a challenge on one hand, and a self-containment on the other… However, the essence of literary material hardly calls for a cheerleading squad. In the new BootStrap Foundation production of Tell It Slant, now playing at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, the intimate intuitive poetry is mostly chanted and shouted, and nailed into the audience, with the exception of some poems/scenes, like “Victory comes late” that let a glimpse at what an accomplished staging it could’ve been under different circumstances… The pervading feeling in the audience is that of being watched by a healthy ensemble of nine youthful, energetic and enthusiastic actors [not that there is anything wrong with the latter], since most of them are present onstage at any time, dressed in horrid costumes, and intensely peering through the fourth wall. (If you are engaged in an episodic part of a "desk," must you have sparkling eyes and enormous grins?). The male team of the ensemble, while not without [comedic] talents, seems to unintentionally dominate and overshadow the female team, in which each actress performs rather beautifully – under pressure (Emily Dickinson – Caitlyn Louchard, Lavinia Dickinson – Juliet Strong, Demiurge – Paz Pardo, Susan Gilbert – Siobhan Doherty). [What if it were a female-only ensemble, just mentioning male participants and never letting them out – no, I’m not a feminist, far from it!] An overwhelming amount of “director’s finds” also hints at too many thespians on a small stage in a cozy little theatre, in a chamber play about a reclusive and deeply introverted poetess. Her inner conflict, caused by her two closest beloved people now forming a bond of their own where there is no place for her – a primary cause for ED’s genius poetry, while clearly outlined in the play, gets almost smothered by the robust layering of production development. Thankfully, the poetry perseveres. The show runs through May 16 at Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center, Building D, Marina Blvd., SF. Call for tickets 415-433-1235, or visit tixbayarea.com. More info at: bootstrap-foundation.org.
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