by Gerald C. Rivers | Jun 1, 2014 | Theater
Shakespeare’s King Lear has its potencies. Simply described, it follows the downfall of a once- powerful leader and the dysfunction of his family. Pondering his retirement, the monarch asks his three daughters to avow their love. The elder two, Goneril and Regan,...
by Gerald C. Rivers | Apr 29, 2014 | Theater
At times, it seems unbelievable that playwright Alice Childress wrote Trouble in Mind in 1955. The show, which features the tried and true dramatic structure of a play-within-a-play, examines racial politics with a razor-sharp wit. Playing in repertory at Will Geer’s...
by Gerald C. Rivers | Jun 29, 2013 | Theater
Earlier today, I wrote of a theatre piece that focused on a woman with a behavior problem: she was bipolar, and couldn’t let go of her grief. But women with problems have been the focus of theatre for ages. This afternoon I saw a much older theatre piece about another...
by Gerald C. Rivers | Jun 28, 2013 | Theater
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum celebrated their 40 anniversary of music, poetry and performance, opening their Summer Season with a tantalizing performance of the The Taming of the Shrew, June 1st, 2013 in the magnificent outdoor amphitheatre terraced into the...
by Gerald C. Rivers | Jun 13, 2013 | Theater
Women with problems have been the focus of theatre for ages. “The Taming of the Shrew” As is common with Shakespeare pieces during the summer, it was at an outdoor venue: Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon. First, a word about the...
by Gerald C. Rivers | Jun 13, 2012 | Theater
This summer, Theatricum Botanicum examines the inequity of a rigid moralistic government and the effect upon its citizens in Shakespeare’s MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Director Ellen Geer maximizes the impact of the play’s themes by moving the time period to the...
