By Kyle Moore on March 28,2007

GLENDALE - The Irish people have had a hard go of it, without a doubt. Much to the world's benefit though, they've retained an innate ability to turn their hardship and sorrows into laughter, song and storytelling, and this gift takes center stage in Tom Murphy's Bailegangaire (trust me on this one, don't even try to pronounce it) lovingly presented at the Luna Playhouse in Glendale.

Two sisters (Kristin Elliott and Kathyjean Harris, both excellent in their weariness and quiet desperation) are burdened with the task of tending to their aging, demented and demanding grandmother, Mommo (Carol Soldo, who deserves a commendation just for the sheer feat of memorization she's accomplished in this production), who lies in bed and continually tells the same long and ancient tale of how the town of Bailegangaire - "town without laughter" in Gaelic - came to have its name. While this was originally a three-hander, director Gabrielle O'Sullivan has wisely and intuitively added a fourth character, a younger, more animated version of Mommo, played by Georgan George.

Murphy's Irish syntax, coupled with the performers' accents, requires that the listener pay careful, close attention over the course of the play's two hours. If you're successful in following the thread of Mommo's rambling monologue, though, you're rewarded with a stunning allegorical insight into the heart and soul of the Irish people. Bare, bleak and grim though their circumstances may be, they still somehow manage to shake it all off with a laugh and a sigh.

 

Pinter's "Lover": Playful, Passionate and Peculiar

reviewed by Cynthia Citron  

Harold Pinter, like his friend and mentor, Samuel Beckett, is nothing if not quirky.  If quirky is your thing, I heartily recommend "The Lover", now playing at the Luna Playhouse in Glendale.  In this hour-long encounter a husband and wife engage in mundane conversation about the weather, the traffic, and their extra-curricular lovers.

She has a gentleman caller who visits her in the afternoon; her husband frequents a prostitute.  She admits that thinking of her husband working with his "balance sheets and graphs" makes her time with her lover more "piquant."

As directed by Gabrielle O'Sullivan, Aramazd Stepanian and Nora Armani bring these two whimsical characters to dramatic life.  Their superficial communication and Pinter's characteristic long pauses provide what has been termed a "comedy of menace."  Indeed, the implication of threat and strong feelings is the very definition of "Pinteresque."

Armani is by turns coy, inviting, and icy.  Stepanian is courtly, smoldering, and threatening.  Their fantasy dialog, their flirtation with dominance and submission, their changing role-play, leaves the viewer feeling like a voyeur---as if he has eavesdropped on a very private, if innocuous, conversation.

Armani, an attractive brunette, spends most of her time onstage changing her clothes.  She wears bright print shifts for her husband, a sexy, sequined "little black dress" for her lover.  Meanwhile, Stepanian, with his twinkling eyes and dignified beard, provides living proof that a morbidly overweight man can be both sexy and seductive.

William Saroyan Double Bill BACKSTAGE WEST Review

The Ping-Pong Players And Hello Out There
July 18, 2007
By Melinda Schupmann
William Saroyan, arguably the most famous Armenian-American writer, produced hundreds of plays, novels, and short stories. In honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of his birth, the Luna has chosen to stage these two one-acts, very different from each other in style but with the strong characterizations for which Saroyan was esteemed.

The first is a cryptic dialogue between a husband (Alex Kalognomos) and wife (Karine Chakarian) as they play Ping-Pong. Its brittle discourse is a game of one-upmanship, centered on the identity of the father of the pregnant wife's child. It explores the nature of love, but its brevity makes it tough for the actors to achieve much emotional connection with the audience.

The second, a beautifully realized drama, again pairs Kalognomos and Chakarian, to much greater effect. The setting is a jail in a Texas town. Kalognomos is a drifter who has been locked up, accused of rape. His protestations of innocence are ignored, and he calls out literally and metaphorically for someone to hear him. A lonely young woman who works in the jail befriends him, and for a brief moment they make a human connection. Director of both pieces Tamar Hovanissian handles this suspenseful, affecting story with delicacy and considerable skill. Chakarian and Kalognomos are powerfully moving; the ill-fated pair's need for each other is subtly underscored, and they achieve a dramatic bond that enriches Saroyan's drama. A brief cameo by Jonaton Wyne heightens the tension of the scene.

Maro Parian's jail-cell set design enhances the story line by using bars that can glide into any position, allowing a dynamic environment. Henrik Mansourian's lighting is suitably moody, and Mark Anthony Goebel's sound design allows for artful music that enhances the atmosphere in both offerings.

Clair de Luna

Critics' Forum

Theater

By Aram Kouyoumdjian

The light of the moon has been shining a little brighter ever since the Luna Playhouse opened its doors in September, traditionally the start of the theater season. As the season formally ends with the onset of summer, the time is opportune to take a look at Luna's first "year" in existence.

The intimate, 49-seat venue in Glendale is run, synergistically, by Aramazd Stepanian, Lilly Thomassian, and Maro Parian, who share directing and producing duties. They created the Luna space after clearing a daunting number of financial and legal hurdles - and they operate it at tremendous personal sacrifice.

Thomassian is a playwright, and "Thirst," her intriguing rumination on war, written in the style of Greek tragedy, was the premier production at the new theater. Parian directed that piece and has since designed sets and costumes for nearly all Luna shows. The playhouse further benefits from the talents of resident designers like Henrik Mansourian (lights) and Shahen Hagobian (sound).

Since "Thirst," three full-scale productions have been mounted at Luna. Stepanian directed "Hanoon Hayreniki yev Zhoghovrdi" (In the Name of the People and the Fatherland) - a contemporary satire by Gevorg Sargsyan - with inventive panache. Earlier, he had helmed Aghasi Ayvazyan's "Zhangark" (Twilight) while heading the Armenian Theater Company, which has now been absorbed into the Luna ensemble.

To date, I have seen almost all Luna fare with an Armenian connection, but the venue has offered an eclectic, cross-cultural selection of plays, including the Irish-themed "Bailegangaire" and the upcoming "Chinatown Correspondent."

Currently serving up laughs, under Thomassian's direction, is "The Lady in Question," a parody of film noir. Although no masterwork of comedy, "Lady," set in Germany circa 1940, revolves around a femme fatale, the internationally renowned pianist Gertrude Garnet, and her efforts to help a fellow artist escape from Nazi capture. The tickler in this piece of theatrical camp by "drag legend" Charles Busch is that Gertrude gets played by a man. At Luna, R. Christofer Sands shines in the role, amidst a gifted cast.

On the quieter side, solo performances have found a supportive venue at Luna. Earlier this year, "On the Couch with Nora Armani" enjoyed a brief run there. The question of ethnic identity was a key theme for the Egypt-born Armenian actress, just as it is for Anahid Aramouni Keshishian in "Ka yev Chka" (There Is and There Isn't), which is now playing (in repertory). In this Armenian-language piece, Keshishian regales her audience with astutely observed stories - both funny and poignant - of her childhood in Iran. Later on this summer, Arpie Dadoyan will take the stage for a triptych of sorts, presenting three separate solo works in quick succession.

While welcoming established artists, Luna has afforded opportunities for emerging talents as well, showcasing Jacklyn Narian's "Stuffed Grape Leaves" this spring. That modest piece attested to Luna's nurturing embrace of neophyte efforts.

Not all is perfect at the playhouse. Some of its productions have suffered the lack of a well-trained stage crew - always a challenge in theaters struggling to achieve high production values on limited budgets. Staffing its control booth with experienced board operators needs to become a priority in Luna's second season.

And what a season that promises to be. The playhouse has already announced a William Saroyan double-bill (including the rarely-staged "Hello Out There"), to be followed by a production of Harold Pinter's "The Lover" ... in Armenian! That translation alone - by Artashes Emin and Aramazd Stepanian - will mark a significant contribution to Armenian theater. Now, if only the rumor that an Armenian version of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" is forthcoming would turn out to be true ...

In the span of a single season, Luna has proven itself a serious player on the theatrical scene. Hopefully, the Armenian community will recognize - and revel in - its sparkle.

All Rights Reserved: Critics' Forum, 2007

Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting ("The Farewells") and directing ("Three Hotels"). His latest work is "Velvet Revolution."

You can reach him or any of the other contributors to Critics' Forum at comments@criticsforum.org. This and all other articles published in this series are available online at www.criticsforum.org. To sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to www.criticsforum.org/join. Critics' Forum is a group created to discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

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