E N T E R T A IN M E N T
love Molly down
on the farm
by Jay Brown
There's this couple, see, who've had it with
the New York rat race. They get the money to
buy an old farmhouse with some acreage
free and clear. They’re broke. One of them
writes a column for the Farm Journal which
brings in $ 12.50 a month. The guys down at
the feedstore love Molly’s stories about her
self and her family.
Great idea! A TV sitcom about this typical
American family. Wrong. The family is com
posed of Molly, her lover Josie, Baby, a rave
nous goat, and Albert an oversexed rooster.
It is a great idea. The woman who wrote M y
B lu e Heauen made her living writing televi
sion scripts. The play is very funny and intelli
gent. As done by the Portland Women’s
Theatre Company, Jane Chambers would be
proud that her talent is allowed to flourish so
well.
The play is an oddity; it's like watching two
episodes of a situation comedy back to back.
Each is a self-contained unit The two parts
are held together by the appearance of the
Emcee; a difficult convention in any case and
not very successful here.
The Emcee may be a ghost because he is
visible during the entire action. He is definitely
a spokesman from an earlier time but his
commentary seems too benign for the action
in the two episodes.
In the first episode Chambers establishes
the characters of Molly and Josie. Molly is a
former teacher. She was fired after publishing
a book titled “Living the Good Gay Life.” She
is a frustrated writer. Molly cannot write about
her life because she is a lesbian. So she does
the next best thing; she writes about Molly
and Joe Williams and their life on the farm.
Josie is a former computer technician. She
can build anything; “I got As in Physics,” she
says. Josie’s plans for the farm include a
windmill she will build. Josie wants to be
self-sufficient She also wants to own a junk
shop.
Making her acting debut as Molly, EAnn
Hinds performs like a veteran. The part of
Molly is not an easy one; she has some very
difficult things to deal with and Hinds never
lets her down.
Judy Clover is Josie, a tough, vulnerable
optimist Clover swaggers through the role
perfectly matching Hinds’ Molly.
The other roles in M y Blue Heauen are
male (with the possible exception of Baby,
the goat) and are all played by women. Faith
McDevitt is the Emcee. Ralph, a visitor in the
first part, is played by Debby Lindland. Both
McDevitt and Lindland are believable in their
roles.
Less than believable is the role of Dr. John
(Sara Nichols). Maybe it is in the interpreta
tion. Dr. John is an old friend of Molly’s, now a
minister. His aggressiveness seems too un
real in this gentle and affectionate comedy.
Probably the most difficult role is that of
Baby, but Kelley Edwards transcends her hu
manness and is a goat
The Pine Street Theatre is not the best
place for an intimate play like M y Blue
Heauen, the room is cavernous and has what
seems like a hundred chandeliers distracting
from the action. And sometimes the dialogue
gets lost in all that space.
The set by Ruth Selid and Pat Ware really
looks like an old farmhouse and the actors
have little trouble giving the illusion of com-
A n n ie is b e ltin g h e r heart o u t in Portland Ciuic Theatre's production w ith S unny Sorrels as
D addy W arbucks ¿uid K atharine M o ir as Annie. Directed by Paul Douroum is. A nnie plays
Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. through January 14. Call 226-2048.
photo by Jason Lynch
Aaron Wheeler-Kay as Tiny Tim and Ken Colburn as Bob Cratchit in the New Rose Theatre
Production of Charles Dickens’ A Christrm is Carol, December 1 -24. Times vary. Matinees
also on Saturdays and Sundays. Call 222-2495.
fortableness in the space. One can well im
agine what it would look like in a more inti
mate theatre.
Director Hester Schell, an experienced and
well-known actor in Portland, who is directing
a full length play for the fist time, handles her
actors like a pro. It is obvious that she likes
Molly and Josie.
The play, funny as it is, contains elements
of frustration that could overwhelm were it
not for the genuine affection between Molly
and Josie. Molly, Josie says, “hates wealth but
covets money.” But the money she covets,
Molly feels, is due her through exercise of her
art. Like all artists, Molly must portray what
she knows best Molly must interpret her own
experience.
But Molly cannot write about her life be
cause she is a lesbian. Jane Chambers was a
lesbian and we know what she must have felt
writing scripts for "Search for Tomorrow" by
watching and listening to Molly. (E.M. Forster,
one of the finest novelists of the 20th Century
stopped publishing fiction because of this
dilemma.)
Chambers, however, sees humor in Molly’s
dilemma and devises a way for Molly to use it
to her advantage. And through both parts of
the play Chambers shows real affection
between Molly and Josie.
The Portland Women’s Theatre Company
is to be commended for presenting this
delightful production of M y Blue Heauen. Be
sure and see it it will be a long, long time
before you’ll see it where it belongs. On televi
sion. Primetime!
Something
for the kids
Artists Repertory Theatre proudly presents
Ja ck a n d the Beanstalk. In England the
pantomime is a traditional holiday show that
adds vaudeville and musical comedy set to a
well known fairy tale. Returning from last
year’s “panto" is Joseph R. Cronin as the
Widow Bump and David Beetham-Gomes as
her simple-minded sidekick, Seymore Runtz.
Ja ck an d the B eanstalk is directed by
David Smith-English who directed the recent
production of M y F a ir Lady at the Eastside
Performance Center. This is the first time
David has brought his theatrical expertise to
ART. The cast includes many well-known
names in Portland theatre; Diane Olson as
Jack and Jillayne Self as Jack’s sweetheart,
Willamena. Jori Bieze will return as the Sprite.
The company also boasts Linda Schneider,
Judy Branham, Doug Timms, Cindy Smith-
English, Alyson Osborn, Meladee Martin.
Amy Fowkes, Bob Lamberson and Brian
Jones. Musical direction by Rebecca Adams.
Jack a n d the B eanstalk runs from
December 2 through December 23 at the
downtown YMCA, Fridays and Saturdays at
8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. Starting
December 8, Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and
Wednesdays, December 10,11,17 and 18 at
2:00 p.m. and two adult only late shows Fri
days, December 16 and 23 at 11:00 p.m. For
reservations please call 223-6281.
ju st Out Nov 25-Dec 9