Thursday
**** "Quite Entertaining and Smart" **** Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m. Thru Mar.. 1ST
TWO BOOMERS LOOKING FOR LOVE ONLINE IN MUSICAL THAT CAPTURES A GENERATIONT
SAN FRANCISCO-Piano Fight Productions and CAFÉ presented the world premiere production of “. Love” (yes, that’s dot love), a mostly sung "boomer" tale of experiences many of us have shared; love, sex, drugs, families, careers, divorce, loneliness and middle age. Shows run at the Off Market Theatre. Middle aged and looking for love online, a couple reflects upon their lives and their love in this two act musical for two performers by East Bay composer/playwright Richard Jennings.
An accomplished composer for theatre, television, dance and film, Richard Jennings is the recipient of the Hollywood Drama Logue Critics Award for Excellence in Theatre. Trained by Pulitzer Prize winning composers, he has composed for Tony Award winning theatres, over 25 Shakespearean productions, TV movies, Disney, PBS and Children’s Fairyland in Oakland.
Soprano Eula Janeen Wyatt and Baritone Gregory Marks portray the couple we follow through their lives together and apart, apart and together. “.Love” was first workshopped in 2005 with support from the Zellarbach Foundation. Last season it had a series of successful showcases at The Marsh, the Berkeley Arts Festival and the Intersection for the Arts, which generated much excitement and led to this production.
The simple staging brings the words and music into intimate focus. Ben Frandzel, of Opera Piccola said of “.Love”: “Both the quality and variety of the music really sustained the show, and the wit and insight of the lyrics did the same. I found myself really caught up in the emotional journey that both characters underwent, and felt a strong sense of empathy for them.” One fan said: “You caught so many life... what shall I call them?... hazards so well." Others; “I saw my life.”, “I think the whole thing touched everyone in some way.”
Monday
"BRILLIANT!" "POIGNANT"
.LOVE
Maybe that high school sweetheart was my soul mate after all.
SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
Shopping in the same grocery, He and She traverse the aisles. Both are interrupted several times by phone calls that reveal their complicated adult lives: He is a music professor, up for Dean and a single dad with an almost adult daughter. She’s an editor of the local newspaper. Her ex husband is undependable and is teaching their daughter questionable values. Their shopping carts almost collide, but diverted they do not meet. Each goes home to check on their latest computer match. Disappointed, they ask “Is that all? Is love over in this life” Their thoughts drift back to childhood. We follow them through their lives together and apart starting when they met on the playground at age 5 and played “Doctor”. Getting older, puberty arrives with confusion. In High School, they become close friends for a while before sexual tension causes them to part. Separately, they experience college life until they meet and bond with intensity and set up house. She becomes pregnant. He withdraws, confusing her. She has an abortion, thinking that’s what he wants. That was not his intention. Somehow, they don’t have much to say to each other. They break up.
ACT TWO
In middle age now, they live separate lives, single in the same city. Both are shopping in the same grocery. Their shopping is interrupted several times by phone calls that expose their complicated adult lives: He’s getting pressure to cover for the sick Dean. His daughter wants to drop out of college and travel. She writes for the local newspaper. Her child is rude and her husband verbally abuses her constantly. Their shopping carts almost collide, but diverted, they do not meet. He feels lonely and frustrated by the dating scene. He finds the online dating world difficult. She feels trapped and finds solace from Salsa dancing. When her husband is caught soliciting sex online, she is happy to end the marriage. He explores more dating websites. She examines her life decisions and looks forward. Each separately decides to try one more online matchmaker... “.love”. They make a connection and a date for coffee with their online “match”. She is enthusiastic but has doubts about getting back into the dating scene. She gets a call from her ex, trying to wiggle out of his time with their daughter. She is firm but the conversation reveals just how fragile her life is. It upsets her deeply. As he is about to go out his door, he gets a call from the University President, informing him that his mentor, the Dean, has died. The President is appointing him Dean of Fine Arts. He is humbled. They both are a little taken aback and they wonder why they are forging out into the world to try something new when their lives are already so full and complicated. They conclude, “I’m alive”. Taking a deep breath, they go to meet their online match. Standing in line to get coffee, they recognize each other. They talk. There is much affection and interest. After polite and personal conversation, they realize they are the “match”. Tentatively, they embrace.
©2007 Richard Jennings Music
Thursday
Strong Praise for ".LOVE"
Hi Richard,
I want to say that this is a very fine piece of work on your part. Both the quality and variety of the music really sustained the show, and the wit and insight of the lyrics did the same. I found myself really caught up in the emotional journey that both characters underwent, and felt a strong sense of empathy for them. You did a really nice job of modulating the emotional tone of the show so that it stayed very engaging and involving for the audience throughout the evening. For me the emotional climax of the show was the father’s song about his daughter, which I found very moving. I also have to say that Ellen’s direction was very effective in using relatively simple gestures and changes in the course of the show to tell the story in an effective and moving way, as is so often the case with her work. So basically, I’m saying congratulations on a great show! I hope to see it again.
Best,
Ben
Ben Frandzel
Managing Director
Opera Piccola ("Small Works")
www.opera-piccola.org
I want to say that this is a very fine piece of work on your part. Both the quality and variety of the music really sustained the show, and the wit and insight of the lyrics did the same. I found myself really caught up in the emotional journey that both characters underwent, and felt a strong sense of empathy for them. You did a really nice job of modulating the emotional tone of the show so that it stayed very engaging and involving for the audience throughout the evening. For me the emotional climax of the show was the father’s song about his daughter, which I found very moving. I also have to say that Ellen’s direction was very effective in using relatively simple gestures and changes in the course of the show to tell the story in an effective and moving way, as is so often the case with her work. So basically, I’m saying congratulations on a great show! I hope to see it again.
Best,
Ben
Ben Frandzel
Managing Director
Opera Piccola ("Small Works")
www.opera-piccola.org
PEOPLE LOVE ".LOVE"
“BRILLIANT!”
"It was wonderful."
"The first act drew me in."
"It's all of my memories."
"That second act is fabulous!"
"You've captured a generation."
“I loved the pianist-she played great!”
"It was a warm and wonderful show."
“The music was fun and we enjoyed the show.”
"You caught so many life... what shall I call them?... hazards so well."
“The big-seller song is the "Daughter" song and Gregory carried that one beautifully. Again: no dry eyes”
"We enjoyed the show - creative, entertaining, good portrayal of full lives, great music, living our own 'history'. “
“Amazing voices you found, and we also loved the pianist. Brava times 2 and bravo!”
“I think you have a real story here.”
“I was humming the tunes all the way home.”
“I think the whole thing touched everyone in some way.”
“This is genius! “
(Said twice. Once by a TV producer and then by an entertainment lawyer.)
“The music is exciting and emotional.
I really enjoy your point of view of humanity that comes through.”
“You really hit on a lot of my emotions with the lyrics in these songs.”
“It was a great evening: fun, lyrical, thought provoking, local.
The play really did remind me of the first time I saw The Fantasticks.”
“Very Sondheimy, the way the rhythm and melodies interact.
It’s unexpected. It goes places you don’t anticipate. I had to sit up and say
OK, I’ll pay attention and go with this. We enjoyed it very much.”
“Looking around the audience, I think people really enjoyed it.
I know we did.”
“You really understand and communicate the emotions”
“Your piano accompaniments are always interesting and
have wonderful energy and flow.”
“The first act is about things we kinda remember as clichés.”
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.” (Daughter).
“I loved that piece!” (Dating Carousel)
“I could totally see myself in each scene”
“Thanks for creating a delightful piece of theatre.”
“I think you have a viable property here.”
“I really loved the song about the daughter...so lovely and tender.”
“I think the music is very sophisticated.”
"I loved the piano music"'
"A memorable night."
“I loved the music!”
“I saw my life.”
“A great musical!”
"I cried"
“I got it!”
PRODUCTION HISTORY
SEPTEMBER 2005 - Workshop Production
APRIL 2007- THE MARSH THEATRE -SAN FRANCISICO
MAY 2007 - THE BERKELEY ARTS FESTIVAL
JULY 2007 - Concert Performance - INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS - SAN FRANCISCO
Produced by LMS Productions
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2008 OFF-MARKET THEATRE STUDIO 250, SAN FRANCISCO
Presented by Piano Fight Productions & C.A.F.E.
APRIL 2007- THE MARSH THEATRE -SAN FRANCISICO
MAY 2007 - THE BERKELEY ARTS FESTIVAL
JULY 2007 - Concert Performance - INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS - SAN FRANCISCO
Produced by LMS Productions
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2008 OFF-MARKET THEATRE STUDIO 250, SAN FRANCISCO
Presented by Piano Fight Productions & C.A.F.E.
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