Capsule Reviews

The Illustrated Woman Nancy Kiefer’s
depression-era drama seeks, but never finds, adequate focus. It has enough backstories
for a half-dozen plays — incest, rape, amnesia, adultery, hard times — but the
major plot devices hinge around daughter Jane Ellen’s secrets resulting from
a childhood trauma, which are telegraphed through the reading of diary entries.
When the work’s most fascinating character, a traveling carnival’s tattooed
lady, doesn’t appear, you know the play’s in trouble. Furthering that
impression are Ma and Pa, who always look surprised when abused daughter Jane
Ellen starts acting “schizo and scar.” She’s been strange for
years, we’re told through blocks of exposition — and now they notice?
These are juicy, over-the-top roles that demand fire and flash, not the limp-laundry
line readings given here. Laura Schlecht is convincing in the role of fractured
daughter Jane Ellen’s alter ego, who’s a very bad girl. But her wimpy
Jane Ellen comes across as demented, not psychologically scarred. It’s not
entirely her fault; playwright Kiefer glosses over all her characters. Dean R.
Dicks puts alcoholic Dad on solid ground, though, giving this paper-thin villain
a semblance of reality, and Danitra Tapscott tells her long monologue about meeting
the “illustrated woman” with refreshing naturalness. But no one is helped
by the staging, which places most of the scenes upstage, behind a hanging window
frame and mirror that block our view. There’s an intriguing play lurking
somewhere between the lines, it’s just hard to find when so covered up. Through
March 27 at Theatre Suburbia, 1410 West 43rd, 713-682-3525.

A New Brain Charming and strange, William Finn
and James Lapine’s odd little musical A New Brain fits perfectly
on the small stage at the Masquerade Theatre. Not the stuff of typical musicals,
A New Brain tells the story of Gordon Michael Schwinn (Luther Chakurian),
a songwriter who is hospitalized early in the story because of a brain illness
or, as the song says, “Trouble in His Brain.” One of the best things
about A New Brain is the story’s quirky humor. Gordon has a “nice
nurse” (Kory Kilgore) and a “thin nurse” (Laura Gray), who treat
him as their names imply. He’s also got a recurring nightmare in the form
of a giant frog named Mr. Bungee (Russell Freeman). A strong cast has been directed
with care by Phillip Duggins, who is helped by the talents of choreographer
Laura Gray. Both direction and choreography have been toned down to fit the
small theater with this production, making it one of the most successful the
company has staged since its formation. Through March 13. 1537 North Shepherd,
713-861-7045. $21–$26.

Parallel Lives: The Kathy & Mo Show Actors/friends
Kathy Najimy and Mo Gaffney had no idea that their 1989 two-woman feminist romp
would become a staple of regional theater. In the Bayou City alone, there have
been three different productions in as many years, but the current incarnation
at Theatre New West, presented by Theatre con Queso Productions, brushes the
dust off this faded valentine to the female gender and adds spirited new lace
to its frayed edges. In 12 sketches, the women play a host of characters, male
and female. When the material is good, it’s very good. Leigh Anne Patterson
and Shannon Woelk bring several fully rounded characters to vibrant life: not-so-grieving
sister Karen gulping ice cream right from the container, Jewish matron Madeline
explaining her gay nephew, single mom Karen Sue straightening out her fringe
jacket while her country/western song-like life unravels. The show’s success
lies in the winning combo of actors Patterson and Woelk, who burst onto the
stage with bubbly enthusiasm and make us feel right at home, even when some
of the material in these sketches is subpar. Their camaraderie is infectious,
and we get as much pleasure from their playing together as they do. Through
March 13. 1415 California, 281-224-3170. $20.

Symphony of Rats Stepping into the
theater at the Axiom, where Infernal Bridegroom Productions has opened Richard
Foreman’s Symphony of Rats, is a bit like walking into some
strange, wonder-filled attic. Splattered across the cinder-block walls of the
theater is a crazy quilt of cartoon images — TVs, spaceships, skeletons. Gaze
at this psychedelic landscape long enough, and it begins to take on its own
weird logic, especially given the acid trip of a show that Symphony of Rats soon becomes. The hour-and-a-half-long ride through Foreman’s formidable
imagination takes us deep into the land of the avant-garde, where presidents
can receive messages from space-alien robots who make bubbles and smoke cigarettes
as they delve into philosophical discussions about knowledge and the constructs
by which we live. While it’s a bit unclear exactly where our man of the
hour, the president (played with impish innocence by Paul Locklear), ends up,
we can say for sure that aliens, sex, music and a delightful bit of dancing
are all involved in his quest. Of course, he can’t just up and go off to
places like “Tornadoland” without making a few folks mad. His odd
staff, consisting of two men (Noel Bowers and Walt Zipprian) and two women (Tamarie
Cooper and Charlesanne Rabensburg), does everything it can to get in his way.
There’s no story here, only surreal moments filled with the strange sort
of light produced by art that can shatter your world — if you let it. Through
March 13. 2425 McKinney, 713-522-8443. $10–$15.

Twelfth Night or What You Will Wildly
innovative, wonderfully strange and never stodgy, Gregory Boyd’s Shakespeare
always can be counted on to shake up our schoolmarmish expectations of the greatest
playwright in the English language. And his deliciously entertaining production
of the comedic Twelfth Night might be the director’s best dance
ever with the Bard. Not only is Viola (Josie de Guzman) herself a compelling
sprite of a character, but so are the oddballs spinning around her. The stunning
ensemble cast functions like fine clockwork, telling Viola and her brother Sebastian’s
tales of love and gender-bending with heartfelt charm. Aristocracy takes on
glamorous proportions here. As played by Todd Waite, Orsino the Duke is a pop
star of a ruler. And the beautiful Countess Olivia (Elizabeth Heflin) is fairly
incandescent with her crown of golden hair. Leading the pack of hangers-on in
Olivia’s house is Sir Toby Belch (James Black), Olivia’s poor and
dissolute uncle. He manipulates a visiting wealthy fop named Sir Andrew Aguecheek
(John Tyson) into believing that the lovely Olivia might fall in love with him.
Tyson is hysterical here, tromping across the stage in his pink high-heeled
shoes, flame-red stockings and white wig. All the energies in this fine production
are held together by Boyd’s brave, wonderfully inventive direction and
his willingness to make Shakespeare utterly new all over again. Through March
14. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas, 713-228-8421. $35-$50.