REVIEW: Love Letters at Aux Dog and You Can't Take it With You at Desert Rose

RAVING RICHARD RADIO REVIEW, TO BROADCAST LIVE ON JUNE 10, 2008 KKIM, 1000 A.M., ALBUQUERQUE, AND 94.7 F.M., SANTA FE. GREETINGS AGAIN FROM THEATRELAND, AND WHAT A BUSY WEEKEND THIS HAS BEEN FOR THEATRES HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE--MEANING I'VE REALLY BEEN ON THE GO TO SEE THE TWO SHOWS I'M REVIEWING TODAY: "LOVE LETTERS" AT THE AUXILIARY DOG THEATRE, DIRECTED BY LOU CLARK, AND "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU," A COMEDY BY MOSS HART AND GEORGE S. KAUFMAN AT THE DESERT ROSE PLAYHOUSE, DIRECTED BY LESLIE JOY COLEMAN.
FIRST, RE "LOVE LETTERS." TO ME, OTHER THAN SHAKESPEAREAN EPICS, THIS EPITOMIZES THE CLASSIC FORM OF THEATRICAL DRAMA. IT DOESN'T FEATURE A LARGE CAST--IN FACT, THERE ARE ONLY TWO ACTORS, RAY ORLEY AND NINETTE MORDAUNT; THERE'S NO BACKDROP OR ELABORATE SET, JUST TWO CHAIRS; THERE AREN'T THE CUSTOMARY DOORS FOR ACTORS TO ENTER AND EXIT THE STAGE; AND THERE ARE NO ELEGANT COSTUMES NOR ANY DRAMATIC EFFECTS IN SOUND, LIGHTING, AND SO ON, AS IN YOUR TYPICAL PLAY.
THIS IS A HEART-WARMING PLAY WITH ROMANTIC OVERTONES, AND DEPICTS EVENTS IN THEIR SEPARATE LIVES FROM GRADE SCHOOL THROUGH ELDER YEARS--ALL THE WHILE THEY REMAIN SEATED! ALL THEY HAVE ARE COPIES OF FORMER LETTERS THEY'VE WRITTEN TO EACH OTHER, WHICH THEY "READ" ALOUD AS THEIR SOLE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, WHICH THEY EXPRESS WITH GREAT EMOTION, BOTH IN SPEAKING AND REACTING, REVEALING DEEP FEELINGS IN A MOST NATURAL MANNER. THOUGH IT'S ACTING, OF COURSE, BUT IT ISN'T ACTING-ITS RAY AND NINETTE ACTUALLY BEING THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES. WHAT FABULOUS PERFORMANCES!!!
A SURE INDICATION OF AUDIENCE APPEAL IS THAT THIS PLAY WAS EXTENDED TWO WEEKENDS, SO IT STILL HAS PERFORMANCES THIS COMING FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT 8, AND A MATINEE ON SUNDAY AT 2. THE AUX DOG IS LOCATED AT 3011 MONTE VISTA, AND FOR DIRECTIONS AND RESERVATIONS, CALL 254-7716.
THE DESERT ROSE IS STAGING A COMEDY CALLED "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU," WRITTEN BY MOSS HART AND GEORGE S. KAUFMAN. IT'S HILARIOUSLY FUNNY, THANKS BOTH TO THE SCRIPTS CRAZINESS AND TO LESLIE JOY COLEMAN, DIRECTOR, WHO'S ALSO A WONDERFUL ACTRESS. SHE HAS ASSEMBLED A SUPERB CAST, AND TOGETHER, THEY KEEP THE ACTION FAST-PACED ALL THE WAY. THE BLOCKING IS EXCELLENT, AND FURTHER VALIDATES HER WELL-ROUNDED SKILLS AS DIRECTOR.
IN A DELIGHTFUL WAY, THE STORY TELLS OF A FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO DROP BY. EACH ONE IN THIS SUPERB CAST IS WELL-SUITED FOR THE ROLE-THOUGH THE CAST IS TOO LARGE TO CREDIT EACH ACTOR INDIVIDUALLY. HOWEVER, BEING A GRANDFATHER MYSELF, I CERTAINLY HAVE TO RECOGNIZE MY FRIEND CLIFF CATO, WHO PLAYS THE SAGE GRANDPA. HE PORTRAYS HIS MAJOR ROLE VERY CONVINCINGLY, AS DO ALL THE OTHERS, FOR THAT MATTER.
THE PRODUCTION STAFF DESERVES THEIR OWN SHARE OF PRAISE, I.E., FOR SUCH A REALISTIC SET; FOR THE ATTRACTIVE COSTUMING; AND ALL THE WORK WITH THE PROPS AND OVERALL STAGE MANAGEMENT-THERE'S A LOT TO MANAGE! THIS COMEDY RUNS TWO MORE WEEKENDS, CONCLUDING ON JUNE 29. FOR EASY DIRECTIONS AND RESERVATIONS, CALL THE DESERT ROSE PLAYHOUSE AT 881-0503.
IN BRIEF, THOSE ARE MY HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT LIVE THEATRE PLAYING IN THIS AREA--WITH THESE COMMENTARIES BY ME, RAVING RICHARD, HEARD EVERY TUESDAY AT 3:30 ON THIS STATION, KKIM, CHRISTIAN RADIO FOR NEW MEXICO, AND SIMULCAST ON 94.7 P.M., SANTA FE; ALSO SEEN ON THE INTERNET AT KKIMAM1000.COM AND ALBTHEATRE.ORG. THANKS FOR LISTENING.