Rogo (Robert Vincent Frank, left) and Lucy (Sarah Jane Nelson, right) outline their demands for the factory with Leo Gordon (Michael J. Hume). Photo: Jenny Graham.

As in 2008, a 20th century American play is debuting a half-season at OSF in July. It is again directed by Libby Appel.  Then, as now, there is a solid cast. So what's the difference between them; A View From The Bridge won uniformly high praise? Like the man said, "the play's the thing". Paradise Lost is difficult to honor as a "forgotten treasure." A product of the 1930s, the play tells a vivid story of a middle class in decline. What we're supposed to take from it, however, is either inscrutable or overly simplistic, take your pick.

Helena (Kjerstine Rose Anderson) embarks on her pilgrimage to Italy. Photo: Jenny Graham.

My default position towards All's Well That Ends Well is "Eeeugh." The play isn't written for modern sensibilities, true, but I can't help the disgust I feel towards the treatment of Helena and, worse, her willingness to shoulder the appalling burden that Bertram places upon her. When Diana is describing Bertram's wooing (to Helena!) I just want to slug him.

The fact that I was crying at the Epilogue is thus a testament to the miracle I saw in the New Theatre today.

Cardinal Wolsey (Anthony Heald) protests to Queen Katherine (Vilma Silva) that he did not encourage the King to divorce her. Photo by Jenny Graham.

And now, I will begin this review in the most honest way possible: the only thing holding this production of Henry VIII back from being great is the text. It's been 25 years since the last production of this play at OSF and now I know why. Tthe premiere performance on Friday was full of excellent acting, creative staging, pageantry, spectacle... everything you hope for in seeing a play other than... er, the play.

Beatrice (Robynn Rodriguez) and Benedick's(David Kelly) rivalry gives way to love. Photo by David Cooper.

This year's production of Much Ado About Nothing in the Elizabethan is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Primary thanks goes to the playwright (an up and comer by the name of W. Shakespeare) in this, one of his most accessible and easy-to-enjoy works. The Company of OSF, however, gives us a surprisingly uneven rendering that might have caused serious grief for a less-bulletproof text. Mustache-twirling, constant yelling... Hey, they can't all be the best of the season, right?

ceJean (Sarah Agnew) tries to determine if Gordon (Jeffrey King) is alive. Photo by Jenny Graham.

Can a man fall in love with a theater? There's nothing wrong with the Angus Bowmer or the Elizabethan, but man I've been enjoying the New Theatre for the last few years now. The latest treat is Dead Man's Cell Phone, a new-ish play by Sarah Ruhl. The play itself is good, but the company does such a great job of executing the production that it is elevated to a truly special place.

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Paul Nicholson was asked at a press event what the must-see production of the season was. Mr. Nicholson gave the "correct" answer, of course - "all of them". Yes yes, true enough, but I don't work with any of these people and I can afford to step on some toes. The must-see production of 2009 is The Servant of Two Masters, one of the most entertaining theatrical experiences I've ever seen.

Shag (Anthony Heald) attempts to explain to his acting ensemble the why's of his new play in rehearsal. Photo by Jenny Graham.

The word on the street is that Equivocation, a new play by Bill Cain that receives its world premiere in this year's repertoire at OSF, is something special - darkly funny, profound and illuminating. The word on the street is bang on - this is a passionate, exhilarating play that is more timely than any work about a turn-of-the-17th-Century acting company has any right to be.

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The web page for this year's production of Macbeth at Oregon Shakespeare Festival contain a line whose like I don't recall: "there are scenes of witchcraft, the slaughter of a mother and her children, and a decapitated head. There is violence, sensuality and disturbing imagery in the production." Sure enough, this is an intense, savage performance of the Scottish Play.

Dead Man's Cell Phone promo poster
Dead Man's Cell Phone is a fairly new play by Sarah Ruhl, who is another "Friend of Bill (Rauch)," a theme that is developing here in Mr. Rauch's second year at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It debuted with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company of Washington, DC, in 2007, and now it's helping to open the 2009 season at OSF but is only playing for half the year, from February 19 to June 19, in the New Theatre. Unlike seeing a Shakespeare play, I suspect few people will be familiar with Dead Man's Cell Phone before seeing it. The vibe in the audience, then, is likely to be more inquisitive and (if the play succeeds) electric than you might be used to in some other productions: everyone wants to know what happens next. Sure enough, director Christopher Liam Moore sounds excited to surprise his audiences this year in this video on OSF's website.

The Play

The play revolved around Jean, who works at a Holocaust Museum. Sitting in a cafe, she becomes increasingly annoyed by the ringing cellphone of a man who appears to be asleep. She soon discovers that the man, one Gordon Gottleib, has just passed away. Nevertheless, as Jean says later, a ringing phone demands to be answered, and so she does. Soon, with the help of her comfort with vague answers ("I hadn't known him long," for example) she ingratiates herself into Gordon's circle of intimates.

This introduction to Gordon's family allows Ms. Ruhl an easy device for an outside observer to offer commentary on a collection of people who give her far more intimate access to their lives than she'd otherwise warrant. In exchange for "messages" from Gordon (there's no magic going on here, she's making things up), she gets a clear view of his estranged wife, his mistress, his chilly mother, and (cue strings) his brother, Dwight.

There's the obvious theme, of course, of the changes in society wrought by the constant connectivity of cell phones, paradoxically bringing us closer to talking to people but separating us from those we're near. (Full disclosure: I'm a happy luddite who has resisted the siren song of the cell phone. . . although, if I could get a Siren Song ring tone I might reconsider.) Sarah Ruhl, however, is an inventive playwright who will catch you off guard with an odd turn of phrase or an unexpected flight of fancy. Dead Man's Cell Phone is, for all of its morbid central conceit, a comedy of depth and wonder.

by Carlo Goldoni, adapted by Oded Gross and Tracy Young. Playing March 25 - November 1 in the New Theatre. Directed by Tracy Young.

OSF link http://www.osfashland.org/browse/production.aspx?prod=164

by Clifford Odets. Playing July 22 - October 31 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. Directed by Libby Appel.

OSF link http://www.osfashland.org/browse/production.aspx?prod=144