1987 ORANGE COUNTY ARTS IN REVIEW : Community and College Theater

“Devour the Snow” (Grove Theatre Company/Gem Theatre, Garden Grove): Daniel Bryan Cartmell’s powerful performance and Thomas F. Bradac’s taut direction made Abe Polksy’s retelling of the Donner Party’s disastrous trek through the High Sierra harrowingly real.

-- “The House of Blue Leaves” (Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa): A vibrant and vital handling of John Guare’s very black comedy about the chaotic impact that Pope Paul VI’s 1965 trip to New York City has on a family living in Queens.

-- “The Glass Menagerie” (Stop-Gap/Curtis Performing Arts Center, Brea): Although this production was a little self-conscious, it nonetheless was able to sensitively communicate Tennessee Williams’ delicate messages about family and art.

-- “No Exit” (Alternative Repertory Theatre, Santa Ana): ART’s inaugural production was unerringly faithful to Jean-Paul Sartre’s dense and difficult existential classic. Not the usual first step for a new community troupe, but one that clearly showed ART’s commitment to challenging drama.

-- “The Man Who Came to Dinner” (Westminster Community Theatre): The key to the success of this Kaufman and Hart revival was Charles Taylor’s delightfully nasty portrayal of Sheridan Whiteside, the eccentric radio celebrity who invades a small town in Ohio.

-- “Curse of the Starving Class” (UC Irvine): An unpredictable and unnerving staging of Sam Shepard’s often depraved, sometimes comic vision of the American family. Director Mary Anne McGarry took some chances that paid off with explosive results.

-- “Evita” (Orange Coast College): A first-rate treatment of the musical focusing on the flamboyant political rise of Eva Peron. Director Bill Purkiss mixed agitprop, drama and humor into a colorful, even surprising, combination.