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SOUVENIR AT THE FALCON THEATER
A Prayer for My Daughter
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SOUVENIR AT THE FALCON THEATER
By Richard Kaplan

Imagine an elderly woman of unexceptional looks, not that there is anything wrong with that! And a singing voice which could curdle milk and break the glass that it's in. Now, imagine that same woman performing some of the most ambitious operatic repertoire including Mozart, Verdi, Strauss and Brahms to a sold out audience some of which paid hundreds of extra dollars for scalped tickets and, this was back in 1944. Hundreds of dollars back in 1944 to hear a seventy six year old tone deaf woman perform at Carnegie Hall!? Oh, I forgot to mention, her accompanist was a charming gay amateur body builder who was a child prodigy pianist born in Mexico of Irish and Mexican descent named Cosme McMoon who had come to New York as a young aspiring singer/songwriter.

Who could blame Stephen Temperley, an English playwright, for wanting to tell this uniquely bazaar yet heartwarming story which was a Broadway hit? I give thanks to Garry Marshall and company for bringing this whimsical play under the direction of Gregg W. Brevoort to Burbank at the Falcon Theater.

Renown theatrical actress and award winning concert hall recitalist Constance Hauman successfully brings to life the complex and bewildering personality traits of Florence Foster Jenkins through her dexterity and vast knowledge of stage-craft. Hauman is well complimented with her co-star Brent Schindele in the role of Cosme McMoon, Jenkins long time piano accompanist. Schindele's extensive theatrical credits serve him well as the role requires a reasonable proficiency in playing piano, singing and acting which Schindel proves praiseworthy and up to the task.

While there is tremendous onus placed upon Hauman's shoulders in terms of extensive dialogue, numerous costume changes and the ability to keep us interested and even sensitive to the vulnerability of Jenkin's character. Hauman is completely engaging and truly flawless in her role.

The story unfolds through the retrospective memory of McMoon, her accompanist, who really developed a deep and meaningful relationship with Jenkins. Through their twelve years together they performed at prestigious venues including the popular Ritz Hotel to packed houses at the ballroom. Jenkins would record several successful records which included some of McMoon's obscure songs he had written.

Of course, it did help that Jenkins was able to initially propel her singing career with the help of a significant sum of inheritance. And, the irony that her wealthy parents while supportive of piano lessons when Jenkin's was a child discouraged her from singing and refused to finance a trip to Europe to further study music which led to Jenkin's eloping at the tender age of 17.

And while it is asserted that Jenkins truly was in delusion about her signing ability similar to one of those American Idol auditions where the contestant seems utterly puzzled when the judges informs them that they have a hideous voice. There is a sobering glimpse of reality from Jenkin's however when she is quoted as saying. "People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing." McMoon also has a self examining moment of reflection for his part in the odd partnership when he is states, "People used to say to me, why does she do it? I always thought the better question was, "Why did I?"

Jenkin's would eventually die of heart failure just one month after her Carnegie Hall performance while shopping for sheet music. While the music store owner was trying to keep her calm while waiting for the ambulance. Jenkin's reportedly told him that she thought the heart attack symptoms were just the affects of the rich creamy chicken dish that she had just enjoyed with friends.

Don't miss this wonderful little gem of a play currently running at the Falcon Theater located at 4252 Riverside Drive in Burbank. Runs through February 28, 2010.
Tickets: (818) 955-8101
www.falcontheater.com

A Prayer for My Daughter
By Jonathan Weichsel

A Prayer for My Daughter is a dark, gritty crime drama about two men who are accused of murder, and the police officers interrogating them. The Crown City Theater Company's production captures the essence of Thomas Babe's play, which deals with issues of troubled masculinity, unsure patriotism, misplaced loyalty, and the pains of fatherhood. The production explodes with riveting drama even as it reveals the vulnerability of its four main characters. A Prayer for My Daughter is an intriguing production that will please lovers of crime drama as well as theater.

It is a hot, sweltering July 4th in late 1970's New York City. A bi-sexual cult leader, Sean de Kahn, played by Gary Lamb, and one of his junky followers, Jimmy Rosehips, played by Mathew Thompson, are dragged into a district police station. An old lady has been shot in the face, and one of the two pulled the trigger. Two detectives, the older Francis Kelly, played by Francis Brief, and the younger, wilder Jack Delasante; played by Matthew Williamson, want a confession tonight.

Kelly is having a pretty bad day. His troubled daughter calls him on the phone threatening suicide, and instead of dealing with the crises, he throws himself into interrogating the two suspects. Delasante is a pretty messed up individual himself. He has a history of problems with women, and a drug addiction. The two cops make bets about which suspect is guilty, they drink and shoot heroin while on the job, and use violence and other coercive techniques in order to try to get the criminals to confess.

Sean de Kahn is smart, manipulative, cold, and cynical. Jimmy Rosehips is young, naïve, and troubled. The two cops attempt to play Jimmy and Sean off of each other, but during the course of the interrogation Jimmy and Sean are able to turn the tables on the cops. Both cops are dealing with issues involving their masculinity and their place within post Vietnam American society. Sean and Jimmy are able to recognize and exploit the officer's weaknesses, creating some harrowing, riveting drama.

A prayer for my daughter is brilliantly staged and paced, so that the drama slowly builds to a crescendo. Audiences will be enthralled, disturbed, and ultimately moved by this story of four characters trying to play out their rolls in a world where rolls aren't defined. Are the criminals really all that bad? Are the cops, who are supposed to be heroes, actually good people? Questions such as these will linger in the mind long after the play is done and the actors have taken their bows.

A Prayer for My Daughter was written in 1977 by Thomas Babe. It premiered at Joseph Papp's Public Theater in New York 1978. When it played at the Richmond Shepard Theater in Los Angeles in 1983, it ran for ten months. The Crown City Theater production may be the first time the play has been shown in LA since then.

Crown City Theatre Company has been producing since 1996. Plays and musicals they have produced include "The Hunchback of Notre dame," "Godspell," and "The Boys from Syracuse". They have produced three seasons of the Pasadena Shakespeare Festival, three world premieres and six other plays and musicals in the past two years. Their company has won numerous awards and their current running show "A Big, Gay (north) Hollywood Wedding" has been running for more then 14 weeks and has been seen on NBC Nightly News and KTLA Morning News.

A Prayer For My Daughter is playing now at the Crown City Theatre (located in St. Matthew's Church) 11031 Camarillo Street North Hollywood, CA 91602. It is playing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm. Thursday performances are $20, Friday and Saturday is $25. To learn more visit the crown city website at http://www.crowncitytheatre.com/

Please note, A Prayer for My Daughter contains hard language, drug use, and full male nudity, and may not be suitable for children.

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