Written by 4:52 pm OCcentric New Play Festival, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

License to Ill : OCcentric New Play Festival Presents : Grace Note @ Chapman University – Review

Written by Alina Mae Wilson 

Stories with mentally ill people have a good track record with me. Let me be clearer –I have yet to come across a story featuring a (potentially) mentally ill person failing to capture my undivided attention before the show is over. Robert Riemer’s Grace Note is no different. What starts as a somewhat bland family narrative successfully becomes a dark comedy about life, death, and reality as we know it.

Our family comprises Mama, Dad, Chris, and Michael. Mom is sweet but a bit dippy. Dad is gruff but a bit loopy. Chris is seemingly

Family reunion: Christopher (Tyler Koster) is back in town, off the streets, escaped from ... Abyssinia? ... and home with Mom (Jennifer Novak Chun) and Dad (Paul Thomas Arnold) in Grace Note. | Photo by Stephen Rack

Family reunion: Christopher (Tyler Koster) is back in town, off the streets, escaped from … Abyssinia? … and is home with Mom (Jennifer Novak Chun) and Dad (Paul Thomas Arnold) in Grace Note. | Photo by Stephen Rack

damaged beyond repair. Meanwhile, Michael is nice, friendly, helpful, and everything a loving son should be. Chris arrives home after taking a long absence with his brother Michael’s girlfriend, Lauren. Dad’s drinking buddy Norman stops by and, despite their alleged friendship, takes continual pleasure in making Dad feel like crap. As the night wears on, we find ourselves on an assortment of twisted paths of truth, lies, and that mysterious gray area, which is neither lunacy nor sanity.

Grace Note is completed in just over an hour in a simple environment that befits its brevity. We in the audience are accommodated in a nice black box nearer the back of the Waltmar Theatre. With only two rows of chairs lining the theatre walls all the way around, it would be very difficult to find the “bad seat” in the house. The set is effective as a house’s kitchen and bedroom, and the staging is clear. Because the blocking is well done and the cast list is six people long, there are no problems understanding the plot. Simplicity wins the day again.

As is often the case with plays, Grace Note has a hard time taking off. A good twenty minutes is committed to setting the scene for us, and it’s a drag –despite the cast’s fantastic performances. Enthusiastic arguments about people we don’t yet know are hardly riveting, but it’s worth being patient. Sit there thinking, “They’re upset about this person…why do we care…why do we care…*person shows up* oh THAT’S why we care…”  Bear with them because the excitement does come.

Speaking of excitement, let’s talk about the performances: wonderful, strong, and featuring many insane people running around onstage, so there’s little time to laugh/hang your jaw to the floor in shock.   My biggest issue stems from the direction given to Michael’s character–he is supposed to be “normal.”  One of the two lines referring to him mentions that he is the most pleasant and normal member of the bunch, yet that is not how his character comes across. From the beginning, he seems awkward, stiff, and ill at ease, which could have something to do with his environment. It’s hard to imagine anyone seeing him as a social human being. Perhaps the rest of the world sees him as weird,  and only his family views him as totally sane. This could be the case, but if this is what Director Sebastian Munoz is going for, he should probably consider stating it more explicitly. Michael’s shining moments occur when he gets to express sheer panic.

The cast, playwright and directors. Front row: Courtney Drumm, Paul Thomas Arnold, Jennifer Novak Chun, Ian Heath. Back row: Tyler Koster, Sebastian Munoz (dir.), Angelia Weitzman (asst. dir.), Robert Riemer (playwright). | Photo by Stephen Rack

The cast, playwright, and directors. Front row: Courtney Drumm, Paul Thomas Arnold, Jennifer Novak Chun, Ian Heath. Back row: Tyler Koster, Sebastian Munoz (dir.), Angelia Weitzman (asst. dir.), Robert Riemer (playwright). | Photo by Stephen Rack

The rest of the show is smooth sailing. Special mention goes to Jennifer Novak Chun (Mama) and Tyler Koster (Chris) for their fantastic performances. Chun’s Mama is caring and tender, but we can’t help but wonder what precisely is wrong with her that caused her to be so eerie. She reminds me of Diana from the Broadway musical Next to Normal. Koster manages to be alarming without getting annoying. He is funny, sympathetic, and dangerous at all the appropriate intervals.

This is a fun show and introduces some interesting concepts to the audience. Not overly deep, but not a hunk of time-wasting cheese either.   Go out and enjoy some lunacy.

Location & Time:

Moulton Center Studio Theatre
300 E. Palm Ave., Orange, CA 92866

Thursday, August 27th at 8:00 pm

Friday, August 28th at 8:00 pm

http://www.oc-centric.com/

My Review
8.5 Overall
7.2 Users (3 votes)
Story0
Acting0
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What people say... 3 Leave your rating
Pretty amateur
Not the worst thing I've ever seen, but certainly not the best. Mostly, I thought this was just forgettable and pointless. Tyler Koster was pretty good. Courtney Drum and Ian Heath were terrible. The direction was serviceable, I suppose. B
September 2, 2015, 9:17 pm
Story5
Acting0.5
Set & Design1
Costumes0.5
Entertainment2
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3
Much appreciated!
Thank you for your observations. Much appreciated. And as you've already seen from the first review, the very, very talented Sebastian Munoz, directed - I just wrote the words. 🙂
August 25, 2015, 10:15 pm
Story10
Acting10
Set & Design10
Costumes10
Entertainment10
2
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Thank you!
Hi Alina. This is Sebastian Munoz and I'm actually the director or Grace Note. 🙂 I just wanted to say thank you for coming out to the show and I'm happy you enjoyed it so. Your words are very much appreciated. Thank you! Be well!
August 25, 2015, 7:19 pm
Story10
Acting10
Set & Design10
Costumes10
Entertainment10
2
1
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