A very frustrated Chandler Kimbrough (Brandon Alexander) lives a solitary life as a hemophiliac in William Mastrosimone's charming Shivaree. OnStage Playhouse has once again brought their audiences a play not seen in the San Diego area. This production opens their challenging 2008-2009 season.
Shivaree takes place in Chandler's room. His overly protective mother, Mary (Lizzie Mander) practically imprisons him just one degree less than that of the Bubble Boy. Chandler is not allowed out of the room except with his mother and in her cab. Lonely, he longs for more. He wants to experience what other young men experience. He highly intelligent and, also, very naïve about the world outside his room and people outside of his mother. Alexander convinces us of this the moment he utters his first word of dialogue. It is easy to empathize with him.
Enter stage right, from an apartment next door one itinerate belly dancer, in costume, about his age, named Shivaree (Kali Kirk). To say that she is beautiful is to say that the Mona Lisa is just a painting. She has playful eyes that know much more than she'll every let you know. Being a dancer, she doesn't walk, she flows. Her smile lights up the room. She lights up Chandler. Their first meeting is cut short by Mom.
Mander's convincing Mary is almost abusively over protective. While one can understand her concern for her son, it is easy to dislike her. There seems to be very little humanity pouring forth from her lips. Fortunately, we do see the true heart of Mary. We learn to understand her and feel her pain.
Two other folks are a part of Chandler's life. There is Scagg (Michael Dean Grulli) a scumbag ice cream truck driver with a great side-line of products and services that bring new meaning to the word dessert. One of his services is the procurement of Laura (Christina Christianson), a working woman. Chandler scraped together coins -- all properly wrapped -- over a long period of time. As with Mary, we see two sides of Scagg and Laura. Scagg isn't all scumbag and, yes, Laura is a prostitute with a heart.
Rosemary King's complex set not only includes his room but also his and Shivaree's balconies and a skyline. Lighting and sound (Christopher DeArmond and Carla Nell) work well. Adriana Zuniga provided both art and photography to the set, Michael Dean Grulli composed Shivaree's music, and Michael Turk Woodbury designed a piece of technical magic that adds a bit of amusement to a couple of scenes. Real belly dancer Dawn Marie Himlin choreographed the dancing as well as providing Kirk's costume.
Shivaree, a tender love story for two dissimilar people, offers very good acting, is well directed, and gives the audience a loving experience. It is nice to leave a theater feeling good about the play, the world, and yourself.
