"Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" at New Century Theatre

Planning a wedding. Writing your vows. Pre-wedding jitters. Pressure from one’s parents to get married. The loss of a loved one. All of these things are associated with a common milestone in life – getting married. The one tiny difference in the series of short plays called Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays is that the couples living through these common experiences are same sex-couples. But the emotions conveyed in this funny, touching, and at times heart-breaking play are universal human emotions that everyone in the audience can related to, no matter their sexual orientation or marital status.

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays began as a series of benefits in L.A., continued Off-Broadway last fall, and is now being produced in theaters across the country. Nine playwrights contributed to the work, and their collective body of work is impressive, including some plays I’ve seen recently: I Am My Own Wife (Doug Wright), Compleat Female Stage Beauty, What’s the Word For (both Jeffrey Hatcher), reasons to be pretty (Neil LaBute). Wendy Knox of the innovative Frank Theatre directs six talented local actors who portray a variety of characters in the nine stories. In one a couple is writing their vows, and discovering that the traditional words don’t really apply. Another is in the airport on their way from L.A. to Iowa (of all places) for a hometown wedding and coming to terms with the gravity of what they’re about to do. A New York mother pressures her single gay son to find a husband, because all of her friends' gay kids are getting married now that it’s legal. A heterosexual couple amusingly deals with the possibility that the husband is gay and worry that their son may follow in his father’s footsteps. A crazy woman begins hearing voices in her head and feels that her traditional suburban lifestyle is being threatened. A man delivers a heart-wrenching eulogy for his partner of 40 years. And finally, a happy couple celebrate their union with all of their friends.

About that talented cast of six. Jim Lichtsheidl (recently seen in the delightful fairy tale Vasa Lisa with Ten Thousand Things) is always a delight to watch, especially when he gets to play several characters in one piece. Shanan Custer brings her very funny style to stories both serious and ridiculous (the aforementioned crazy woman, in a hilarious monologue). Shawn Hamilton (Ragtime and Avenue Q) and Aimee K Bryant (Hairspray at the Chan) unfortunately don’t get to sing, but they do play a hypocritical evangelical couple determined to stay together despite her husband’s indiscretions and scandals. Mark Rhein is the man whose wife tells him he has a “gay sense of humor,” and in the most moving vignette, talks about his 40-year love story. Last but not least, Laura B. Adams is strong and funny as the Jewish mother and a woman planning a wedding, something she never thought she'd do.

Mark Rhein and Jim Lichtsheidl

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays is playing at the newest of the Hennepin theaters – the New Century Theatre in City Center in downtown Minneapolis. It’s the first time I’ve been there and I quite like the space, which includes little cocktail tables among the seats in the audience, reminiscent of Hennepin Stages (Hey City Theater) down the street. The plays are staged very simply staged, with a row of chairs on the stage and a few tables to the sides. The actors occasionally hold scripts; its more like a reading than a fully staged production.

I very much recommend this show (it runs for two more weekends). It’s an entertaining evening of theater that tells universal human stories, and it might get you thinking and talking about the subject of marriage equality. Which is something that we as Minnesotans need to think and talk about in light of the upcoming vote on the Marriage Amendment. For more information on that check out Minnesotans United for All Families.

"reasons to be pretty" by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at the Guthrie Studio

I'm not sure what's going on, but I've seen several plays recently about angry people yelling at and being violent with each other.  First was the story of battling brothers in True West, then the intersecting stories of gay men in the 1950s and today in The Pride, and now Neil LaBute's tale of two troubled couples - reasons to be pretty.  Don't get me wrong, they're all brilliant plays beautifully staged and acted, but it's a lot to take in in a short time!

The play opens with an argument between Steph and Greg.  Steph is offended and betrayed by something that Greg said about her - that she has a "regular" face in comparison to a pretty girl.  A small thing, but with huge consequences.  Steph can't stand to be with someone who she thinks doesn't like the way she looks, as much as Greg tries to convince her that it's not true.  So she leaves him, after four years of being together.  The other couple in the play are their friends and Greg's co-workers, Kent and Carly.  They seem to be happily married on the surface, but as the play goes on we begin to see just how much of a jerk Kent is.  Which makes Greg's slightly offensive comment seem entirely forgivable.

Thinking back, I don't think that the two women ever shared a scene together, which is interesting because their relationship is the strongest and most healthy.  But their conversations take place outside of the play, and we only see the alternately friendly and contentious relationships between the other pairs - Greg and Steph, Greg and Kent, Greg and Carly, Kent and Carly.  There's a lot of talking in this play, and it sounds the way real people talk, complete with swearing and talking over each other, inappropriate statements and humor.  But there's also some action, as Greg and Kent's relationship comes to a violent end after Kent says something unforgivable about Steph.

Ivey's "emerging artist" Anna Sundberg is believable and relatable as Steph, whose sense of hurt and betrayal is completely understandable (even if I wanted her to forgive Greg).  By the end of the play, Joseph Bombard's Greg turns out to be a sweet, smart, nice guy and a good friend, despite his flaws and the fact that it was his blunder that started the whole mess.  You really empathize with him through all the ugliness, and we're left with a little bit of hope that his life will get better.  Andrew Sass has a little bit too much fun as the creep Kent who's cheating on his pregnant wife and has absolutely no guilt about it.  As has happened a few times recently, I felt the urge to boo him at the curtain call because his character is so unlikeable!  Rachel Finch is sweet and strong and vulnerable as the wronged woman Carly, who knows there's something going on but doesn't want to admit it.  The cast plays and fights together very well in the various combinations of characters.

reasons to be pretty is an interesting reflection on appearance and beauty.  Something that we really can't get away from in this culture, as much as we might like to think we're above it.  This play seems to present more reasons NOT to be pretty, as being pretty causes all sorts of problems.  Or rather, people's reactions to and expectations of beauty.

I love the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater.  It introduces me to theater companies I never would have heard of otherwise.  Such as Walking Shadow Theatre Company, which I will now be keeping on my radar.  Once again I caught this show just as it was closing (sorry!).  But the rest of their season looks interesting - I do love an Oscar Wilde play!  And as much as I've enjoyed seeing these heavy plays in the last week or so, after all this drama, anger, and violence, I'm really ready for a light-hearted musical comedy.