Olympia Renaissance

Paris Reid paintings at Olyphant Art Supply

The Weekly Volcano, Aug. 22, 2013

“Francesco Hayez Master Study ‘The Kiss’” by Paris Reid

During the Renaissance artists learned their craft by spending countless hours in museums painstakingly copying the works of earlier masters. That kind of dedication and discipline is rare today, but we see it in Paris Reid’s paintings, a few of which are now on display at Olyphant Art Supply in Olympia (thanks to Tom Anderson for calling my attention to this show).

I have never heard of Reid and know nothing about her. Is she new to Olympia? Is she self-taught or has she formal art training? Are these paintings nothing more than copies or is there something about them that is unique to Reid? I suspect she is on a learning curve and headed toward finding her personal take on what she has learned from studying the masters. Her technique is astounding. 

She reminds me of local artist Lisa Sweet, whom I have often reviewed in this column, and who is a few steps further along that path. Reid is getting there.

There are six paintings in her show at Olyphant, most are in the style of Flemish or Italian Renaissance painters or other classical masters, the one exception being a portrait of Jimi Hendrix done in the psychedelic style of art represented by the ’60s and ’70s rock posters on display in the same gallery space — meaning she fits the style to the subject, an intelligent approach to art. 

Her painting “Francesco Hayez Master Study ‘The Kiss’” is an almost exact copy of a painting called “The Kiss” by the 19^th century romantic artist Francesco Hayez. The colors tend more toward the yellow end of the spectrum, but that could be misleading because I’ve seen Hayez’ painting only in reproduction. Reid’s painting is softer, and the textures on the wall and clothing are more subdued; I like her painting better than the original.

Her painting “David Gray Master Study ‘Muse’” is a copy of a painting by a contemporary artist who paints in the style of the old masters — David Gray is from Tacoma and studied at PLU.

“Flemish Mondrian” is a unique homage to contrasting styles. It is a portrait of a woman in the style of the Flemish masters standing in front of a wall covered with decorative floral patterns, and on the wall is a framed painting by the modern master Piet Mondrian. The wall paper is collaged onto the canvas; or maybe I should say pasted on just as wall paper is pasted to walls. That is a modernist twist that reflects the manner in which Picasso and Braque used collage.

She is also showing a self-portrait, confirming my suspicion that she is a young artist, and a study of a horse taken after a study by Da Vinci.

My only complaints with this show are first, that I wish there were twice as many paintings in it, and second, the guitar strings in the Hendrix portrait are too gimmicky. They are real strings attached to the painting.

The psychedelic rock posters are from the collection of Tom Anderson and are posters from concerts at the Fillmore West in San Francisco circa 1969-70.

[Olyphant Art Supply, Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Sept. 4, 117 Washington St. NE, Olympia, 360.556.6703]

The Lakewood Playhouse Celebrates 75 Years of Community Theatre

Anniversary celebration is September 13 with the start of 75^th season       

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (August 26, 2013) — The Lakewood Playhouse, located in the heart of the city, is celebrating 75 years of performances with over 400 plays and musicals and one million volunteer hours contributing to the theater’s success.

Three times the age of the City of Lakewood, the Lakewood Playhouse first opened in 1938 and has evolved with the city since its incorporation in 1996. An intimate theater seating 167 audience members, the Lakewood Playhouse is the oldest “black box” theater in Washington state. The black box theatre environment concentrates on the theatrical performances with minimal sets and parallels the Playhouse’s focus on community.

“Theatre is created through the relationship between performers and their audience. Theatre is like a family and we look forward to many more generations of designers, actors, directors and audience members who will join ours for years to come,” says Lakewood Playhouse Managing Artistic Director, John Munn. “We can’t wait to share this momentous anniversary and 75^th season with the community.”

Over the last 75 years, the Playhouse has flourished due to the Lakewood community’s involvement and love of the performing arts with volunteers donating over one million hours as designers, actors, directors and front of the house staff. Additionally, the Lakewood Playhouse Institute of Theatre offers an education program to build confidence and theatrical skills. More than 4,500 children and young adults have graduated from the program over the last 15 years.

The 75^th anniversary celebration is Friday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. at 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. in Lakewood. Other than the performance of “Arsenic & Old Lace,” the evening festivities are free and includes the following schedule:

4:30 p.m. – Ribbon cutting with the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce with special guests Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen and City Councilwoman Marie Barth.

5:30 p.m. – Proclamation of “Lakewood Playhouse Day” from the City of Lakewood.

6:00 p.m. – Silent auction and wine and cheese reception generously donated by 21 Cellars Wine and hor d’oeurves from Carr’s Restaurant.

8:00 p.m. – Performance of “Arsenic & Old Lace.”

9:00 p.m. – Live auction and raise the paddle to support the Lakewood Institute of Theater and the building endowment. Auction items include glass artwork, signed memorabilia from Broadway shows as well as memorabilia from Dustin Hoffman and Jerry Lewis.

“Our community is fortunate to have a cultural gem for the performing arts such as the Lakewood Playhouse,” adds Ellie Chambers-Grady, economic development manager for the City of Lakewood. “We’re looking forward to the 75^th season and to someday celebrating the Playhouse’s centennial anniversary.”

This season’s productions were chosen exclusively by the Lakewood Playhouse’s audience and community that participated in a five month poll with over 1,300 votes shared. Below is a list of upcoming shows that will be running through next summer including three from the Playhouse’s history and three shows never before seen at the theatre.

“Arsenic & Old Lace” by Joseph Kesserling, Sept. 13 – Oct. 13, 2013

Last seen at the Playhouse in 1997, this comedy has a little extra “something.”  On his wedding day, a drama critic learns that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family along with a fondness for arsenic-spiked elderberry wine.

“Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen, Nov. 8 – Dec. 1, 2013

Last seen at the Playhouse in 2001, sparks fly when the spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich and proud Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” by Edward Albee, Jan. 10 – Feb. 2, 2014

A Playhouse premiere, George and Martha face off as one of theatre’s most notoriously dysfunctional couples in Albee’s hilarious and provocative masterpiece. They are joined by an unwitting young couple invited over for an unforgettable night of cocktails and crossfire.

“12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose, Feb. 21 – March 16, 2014

Justice can sometimes be blind when a 19-year-old man stands trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case until one of the 12 jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts. This is a classic and tense American drama about the very human part of the judicial system.

“The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon, April 18 – May 11, 2014

Last seen at the Playhouse in 1967, Felix and Oscar are an extremely odd couple. Felix is neurotic, precise, and fastidiously clean. Oscar, on the other hand, is the exact opposite: sloppy and casual. Can they share an apartment together? 

“Monty Python’s SPAMALOT” by Eric Idle, June 12 – July 12, 2014

A first at the Playhouse, the production with music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez was lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Like the motion picture, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, beginning with women slapping men in the face with fish. This musical comedy won a 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Bonus Shows

“The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis, Dec. 12 – 22, 2013

Following the success of last season’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” the Lakewood Institute of Theater returns with a beautiful presentation of the wondrous the adventure about a lion, a witch and a wardrobe.

Annual Halloween Radio Show: “The War of the Worlds,” Oct. 25 & 26, 2013

The celebration of the Lakewood Playhouse 75^th anniversary will commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the broadcast that panicked America on Oct. 30, 1938. The show will open with another twisted episode from the iconic radio show “Lights Out.”

New art at Matter

The Weekly Volcano, Aug. 15, 2013

Among the new artists showing at Matter in Olympia are Mark Randall, Steven Suski, Rachel Juzeler and Lita Kenyon. Suski is certainly not new to Olympia, but he has some new works in Matter that are exciting. They are paintings of rock stars in acrylic on long play vinyl records. Among the musicians pictured are Curt Cobain, Pete Townsend of the Who, and Joey Ramone. They are not precise portraits but rather highly expressive paintings with heavy paint application — a style in keeping with the raw stylings of the musicians. Cobain is playing his guitar while a winged angel stands behind him.

“Almost Joan Again,” mixed media on galvanized metal, by Mark Randall, courtesy Matter Gallery

“Genuine Hickory,” Kiln formed glass with inclusions, found handles and frame, metal and fiber, by Rachel Juzeler, courtesy Matter Gallery

“Curt Cobain,” acrylic on vinyl recordl, by Steven Suskil, courtesy Matter Gallery

Randall, who has been chosen to do the cover illustration for the Olympia Film Festival, has a large group of pop art paintings, mostly of women including some pop celebrities from the ’60s, the heyday of pop art. Interestingly, although the colors and the subject matter and the straight-forward compositions are hallmarks of pop, his paint application is defiantly rough and expressive. Rather than the sleek and machine-like look expected of such imagery, Randall’s paintings look like old and worn signs that could have been out in the weather since Bridget Bardot and twiggy were hot young stars.

Rachel Juzeler, an artist from Alaska, creates kiln-formed and cast glass tools assembled with wood, metal, and fiber details.  She says she is inspired by the antiquity and ruins of her surroundings. She is showing a collection of glass and wood hammers, files and hatchets, each displayed on a mesh screen within an old frame. Although recognizable tools that are still commonly in use, they look like antiques. They also remind me quite a bit of the great pop artist Jim Dine, who coincidentally now lives at least part-time in Walla Walla.

Kenyon (whose works are so new to Matter that they have not yet been added to the gallery website) is showing a couple of very sensitive figure studies with lyrically smooth contour lines and delicate shading offset with collage elements such as words glued in as in a cut-and-paste ransom note. These are beautifully executed drawings that, in yet another interesting coincidence, look a lot like some of Jim Dine’s drawings.

Representing more than 100 artists, Matter specializes in but is not limited to works with recycled materials. Perhaps Suski best epitomized the Matter philosophy with his statement: “I like to find too. Things on the street, stuff that might be thrown away, or the objects that I collect, I find an artistic use for. The magic of making something from nothing or putting separate parts together to make a unique whole is what fuels my art.”

[Matter Gallery, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, closed Monday, 422 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.943.1760]

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Tavis Williams as the tiger in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Kalen Manion, Tavis Williams and Matthew Kline.

Ghosts both human and animal haunt the main stage at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College. It’s a student production of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph.

With the caveat that the show is produced and performed by students, my mixed impressions were that it is a strange dark comedy that is riveting in places and boring in places, and difficult to understand in many scenes.

The stage is large and the almost empty auditorium seemed cavernous opening night. There was a feeling that the actors were being overwhelmed by the space. When they spoke with backs to the audience and when that were upstage they were hard to hear, which made it hard to grasp an already complex and difficult play. Having said that, I must say that it was a brilliantly written play and the students did a laudable job with challenging roles.

The set by John Murphy and lighting by Lillie McCatty were outstanding. The dark and rich purples and greens were beautiful, although when fully lighted the green of the sculpted animals was too harsh.

The story is set in the early years of the Iraq War. Two American soldiers, Tom (Kalen Manion) and Kev (Matthew Kline), are guarding the Baghdad Zoo. All of the animals except one caged tiger have escaped and many have been shot to death by soldiers. The caged tiger (Tavis Williams without tiger costume, barefoot and in ragged clothes) makes wry comments to the audience. He’s hungry and pissed off, and when Tom stupidly tries to give the tiger a snack, the tiger bites his hand off. Kev shoots the tiger which comes back to haunt him and wander the streets of Baghdad pondering life, death and the meaning of it all; and Kev, wracked with guilt for killing the tiger, sinks into debilitating mental illness.

The trope that continues throughout the play is the fight over and search for the gold plated gun and solid gold toilet seat Tom stole from the palace of Uday Hussein (Ryan Petersen), whose ghost also comes back to strut the stage and spout feel-good euphemisms. There are a lot of ghosts in this show.

Rajiv Joseph’s writing is remindful of David Mamet and Aaron Sorkin, with a few touches of Tom Stoppard thrown in — most noticeably in his use of repetition and his relentless string of F-bombs. One of the funniest sequences in the show is when Musa (Ikaika Ortiz), Uday’s former gardener now serving as a translator for the American soldiers, tries to understand the meaning of the word “bitch.” He understands the dictionary definition but can’t grasp American slang. He’s particularly confused about why a particular knock-knock joke is funny. One of the strangest scenes is when Tom wants a prostitute to masturbate him because he can’t do it right with his prosthetic hand.

The three women in this play, Suzanne Keller as Hadia, Sara Jane Bangerang as an Iraqi girl, and Grace Lindsley as an Iraqi woman and a leper, had to learn Farsi. Keller in particular had to memorize many lines in Farsi, which she delivered with ferocity.

The play is filled with odd, inventive, and often disturbing humor in the midst of death and destruction. The effectiveness of much of the humor was dampened because the stage was too big and open and the audience too sparse. There was practically no laughter from the audience. I suspect it would have been much more affecting in the smaller black box with a larger audience.

The New York Times called this “ferocious” dark comedy "a savagely funny and visionary new work of American Theatre." It is not an easy play to sit through, but it is worth the effort. 

Where: Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, South Puget Sound Community College

When: Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Aug. 18

Tickets: $15 for the general public, $10 for students, faculty and staff. Tickets will be available through the Washington Center by calling (360) 753-8585. For more information, visit www.spscc.edu/theater.