Still Talking After All These Years

The silly season is upon us, with seemingly every theater company in the county trying within the next few weeks to launch at least one more play before the holidays. Three opened last weekend, two dealing with one-to-one relationships and personal growth, and the third a political tract disguised as American history--just in time for Halloween.

*

Set in an affluent New York City suburb in 1982, John Ford Noonan’s “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking” begins with Hanna Mae Bindler, who’s just moved in from Texas, introducing herself rather forcefully to longtime resident Maude Mix. Although Hanna Mae is friendly as a li’l ol’ puppy dog (the forced folksiness is contagious), Maude resents the intrusion.

Before the play is over--a comfortable 100 minutes opening night, including a protracted intermission--the women . . . well, we don’t want to give away too much about this well-written, well-acted confection, now playing at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura.

Actresses Alison Coltis and Karyl Lynn Burns and director James O’Neil first collaborated on this play 13 years ago in Santa Barbara, so this version might be called “A Coupla Slightly Older White Chicks . . . .” The women wear the years agreeably, and Noonan’s dialogue moves back and forth so rapidly (and with such humor) you’re likely to forgive the patronizing title and stereotypical Texan, and might even miss the seriousness of his look at a developing relationship.

Jeff G. Rack’s handsome stage set is, as usual for his work, an asset. The only drawback opening night was that Loudon Wainwright III’s songs (from records and including his 1973 hit “Dead Skunk”) were occasionally muffled or played at too low a volume.

*

DETAILS

“A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking” continues at 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 21 at the Laurel Theater, 1006 E. Main St. in Ventura. Tickets to all shows are $27 weeknights and matinees; $32.50 Friday and Saturday evenings; all performances $5 less for students and seniors. An additional $5-per-ticket discount is available for groups of 12 or more. For reservations or further information, call 667-2900.

*

Up at the Ojai Arts Center, Andrew Brasted and Tyson Babayco are playing Murray and Nick, the uncle and nephew protagonists of Herb Gardner’s funny, often touching “A Thousand Clowns.”

Murray, a former writer for a TV kids’ show, is raising his nephew in a bohemian manner that attracts a pair of Social Services workers (Candace Crow and Justus Emanual, whose interaction in itself may be worth the ticket price).

Also appearing in the production, directed by Steve Grumette, are Jesse Lovejoy as Murray’s brother and agent and Vince Ugolini as the TV host.

Things didn’t run as smoothly as they might have at Friday’s opening, but the play is warm and funny--imagine Neil Simon without so much larded-on middle-aged angst--and the performers are a capable crew.

*

DETAILS

“A Thousand Clowns” continues at 7 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, and at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 20 at the Ojai Center for the Arts, 113 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai. Tickets to all shows are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and arts center members. For reservations or further information, call 649-9443.

*

Infants are dying, a young girl is hysterical, and she and several of her friends have been dancing in the woods after drinking a stew that a small frog (inadvertently?) jumped into. There is, of course, only one reasonable explanation for this strange behavior: witchcraft.

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is set at the Salem witch trials near the end of the 17th century. It’s both history and political allegory, and Moorpark College’s boisterous production arrives just in time for the trick-or-treat crowd.

Although he wrote “The Crucible” at the time of the Army-McCarthy hearings, when people with alleged Communist leanings were being brought to trial by the government, for once Miller used a relatively light hand. What goes on--the supposed witches are prosecuted, with those on the other side having their own reasons (including religious faith, fear, retribution and simple greed)--can be found to parallel events throughout history. Once the fingers start pointing, group madness takes hold.

Director Katherine Lewis has assembled a cast of 25, playing on a magnificent, multilevel set on the Performing Arts Center’s main stage. Among the prominent players are Daniel Larkin as the Rev. Samuel Parris; Morgan Jenks as Abigail Williams, the first suspected witch (played by Winona Ryder in the recent film version); Eddie Reay, very impressive as protagonist John Proctor; Craig Mackay as the odious Rev. Hale (think of him as a “special prosecutor”); and Sean Collier and Matt Ferrill as the presiding judges.

The size of the cast and various sound effects occasionally work against the production (muffled dialogue is the chief culprit), but overall, this production of “The Crucible” is most impressive.

*

DETAILS

“The Crucible” continues through Saturday at the Moorpark College Performing Arts Center’s main stage, on Collins Road off California 118 in Moorpark. Shows are at 1:30 this afternoon, and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets to evening performances are $10, $8 for seniors and students, $5 for ages 12 and under and Moorpark College ID cardholders. Tickets this afternoon are $5, but parking is extremely limited. For reservations or further information, call 378-1568.

Todd Everett can be reached at teverett@concentric.net.