1001 at Just Theater

Oops. I went to see Just Theater‘s production of Jason Grote’s 1001 way back on Friday, but things have been so busy since then, I neglected to mention it until now — its last week! Only four shows left!

1001 had its world premiere back in 2007 at the Denver Center, and I remember it making quite a stir. Crazy good reviews, great word of mouth, etc. Because I’m in-the-know and finger-on-the-pulse and have-access-to-email, I was able to get a copy of the script, and after reading it, I spent two years dying to see it.

So I was psyched to hear Jonathan Spector was able to get the rights to it for Just Theater. It’s the perfect kind of show for Jonathan, who’s particularly good at directing plays with intricate language and sprawling storylines. And on Friday, I was not disappointed, even with that much of a build-up.

Many critics have gone nutso for this production, calling it “compelling,” “engrossing,” “mesmerizing,” and “wildly successful.” My feelings were best summed up by Sam Hurwitt on The Idiolect:

“The whole show is a spellbinding, often hilarious and intricately tangled celebration of the power of storytelling…it’s a fantastic production of a brilliant play that makes for an almost giddily exciting evening at the theater.”

Now look: I waited two years to see it, then I waited four days to write about it. But the thing closes in five days, so if you are interested, don’t be like me.

‘CURRENT NOBODY’ by Just Theater

Saturday night I went to see Just Theater’s West Coast premiere of Melissa James Gibson’s Current Nobody. I’ve seen everything that Just Theater’s done and am consistently impressed by the production levels these guys bring to small theater. Sets (by Logan Granger), lights (by Stephanie Buchner), video (by Wesley Cabral) and sound (by Dina Maccabee) are stunning — especially considering that this is the same theater where we’re used to seeing ultra-low-budget fringe festival pieces.

Jonathon Spector, who’s the co-AD of the group and director of the play, has a great aesthetic. He’s worked with Marcus Gardley, Shelia Callaghan, Elizabeth Meriwether and a bunch of other writers who have a keen command of language and who write fresh, surprising, contemporary plays.

And this play fits right in there. It’s a modern take on Homer’s The Odyssey that reverses the genders. Suddenly, instead of Odysseus (Ryan O’Donnell) heroically leaving to fight a war, it’s Penelope (Arwen Anderson) who leaves her husband and daughter (Danielle Levin) to photograph a war. Instead of male suitors attempting to win the abandoned wife, it’s three female indie docu-filmmakers (Lindsey Gates, Michelle Pava Mills, Lizzie Calogero) who try to woo the husband. And of course, you remember Homer’s doorman Bill (Michael Barret Austin) who buzzes up from the lobby with portents of doom.

I really loved this play. There have been a whole host of plays out there that are modern versions of myths, and I’ve seen quite a few, but none have amazed me as much as this one. I think, in the end, even with the fantastic sets and direction and video and sound, it’s Melissa James Gibson’s script that makes it a wonderful piece of art. She uses modern-day language in such a precise way that it’s elevated to poetry — and yet still conversational, contemporary and real. She makes the characters real and believable and relatable. And she sets up several incredible moments — some funny, some dramatic, some heartbreaking — that make for a really terrific night of theater.

Melissa James Gibson’s Current Nobody at Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy Street, SF, through Dec 13. Tickets at justtheater.org.

What I Want To See In October/November

Because of our surprise New York trip, I only saw 3 out of 8 shows I flagged for September. I’m hoping that I can get to at least some of these early in the run so I can post my thoughts and hopefully hype some of these cool-sounding shows:

• Tore Ingersoll-Thorp’s March to November by Sleepwalkers Theatre (Oct 23 – Nov 8). Inspired by an article Chloe Veltman wrote asking for plays that do more than congratulate liberals for being liberal. Produced by one of my favorite small theatre groups, and starring Ian Riley, who directed my little play a couple months ago.

• Eugene Ionesco’s Victims of Duty by Cutting Ball (Oct 24 – Nov 23). “An unsuspecting couple answers a knock at their door and a detective enters.  What starts as a simple interrogation becomes an incredible journey through their past, present and future.”

• George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple at Aurora Theatre (Oct 31 – Dec 7). Shaw’s only play set in the U.S. “Set in a New England village during the Revolutionary War, a self-proclaimed devil’s disciple finds himself mistaken for the local reverend…and arrested by the British army as a rebel.”

• Carter W. Lewis’ Evie’s Waltz at Magic Theatre (Nov 8 – Dec 7). Directed by Loretta Greco, who directed all the best stuff at A.C.T. last season. “After their son is expelled for bringing a gun to school, an unexpected visit from their son’s girlfriend turns a couple’s backyard barbecue into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.”

• Melanie Marnich’s Tallgrass Gothic by Impact Theatre (Nov 14 – Dec 20). Produced by one of my other favorite small theater groups. I read this and lobbied for it back when I was a lit manager in Austin. I lost. Marnich’s Bay Area professional debut.

• Melissa James Gibson’s Current Nobody by Just Theater (Nov 14 – Dec 13). Directed by Jonathan Spector, who is great at directing “fragmented language plays”  or whatever you would call those awesome things Anne Washburn, Sheila Callaghan, and Mac Wellman write. Note: I have no idea if this is actually a “fragmented language play,” but he can direct pretty much anything really, really well.

• The Great Puppet Bollywood Extravaganza by Un-Scripted Theater (Nov 28 – Dec 20). Like that show I was in last year, only this time an extra degree of difficulty because it’s improvised, a musical, with puppets — and in the style of a Bollywood musical. Give me a break! Note: I’m not in it. All the more reason to go. If you haven’t seen puppets improvise, you are in for a treat.