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just FTTH
by Terrence McNally
May 23 & 24, 2005; 7:00 p.m.
A fable about the birth, life, and death of Joshua, a modern-day
homosexual Christ figure.
profile
Theatre
project
(503) 242-0080
Profile Theatre Project ■ 3430 SE Belmont Street ■ www.profiletheatre.org
Wonderffalls: The
Complete Series
The Brady Bunch: The
Complete First Season
ere’s rhe story...of a sitcom that has aged
ne of the quirkiest shows on television for
quite nicely.
quite some time, Wonderfalls had only four
It’s easy to mock The Brady Bunch for its
episixles to prove itself before Fox gave it
the ax in early 2004. But fan and critical reac wholesome approach to family fluff like missing
tion was strong, leading to a DVD release of all
dolls and lockets.
But when the sitcom is placed in pop cultur-
13 episodes, including the nine that never
al context, it was downright revo
aired.
lutionary: a mixed household
A slack
reflecting changing family dynam
er named
ics in the United States, a couple
J aye (Caro
who
actually slept in the same bed
line Dhaver-
nas) works
together...and televisions first
divorcée? While the pilot directly
at a Niagara
Falls gift
addressed the death of Mike
shop when
Brady’s (Robert Reed) first spouse,
not avoid
we never learn what became of
the mysterious Mr. Martin. Was
ing her suc
cessful and
he a deadbeat dad who abandoned
overachiev
Carol (Florence Henderson) and
ing family:
their three young girls? Did she
Republican
escape from an abusive situation?
surgeon
Or did she kidnap the children,
Dad
change their names and start life
(William
anew? Inquiring minds what to
Sadler),
know!
novelist
Regardless, Bunch creator
Mom
Sherwtxxl Schwartz knew what he
(Diana
was doing. Like his previous hit,
Scarwid),
Cnlligan’s'lsland, he assembled lik
Gay actor Robert Reed portrayed the man of
secretly les the house in The Brady Bunch.
able yet predictable stereotypes
bian lawyer
guaranteed to connect with
sister (Katie Finneran) and multiple-Ph.D.
viewers: charismatic older sibs Greg (Barry
brother (Lee Pace). Jaye is just trying to enjoy
Williams) and Marcia (Maureen McCormick),
life with her best friend (Traci Thoms) and to
insecure middle children Peter (Christopher
romance a cute bartender (Tryon
Knight) and Jan (Eve Plumb) and precocious
Leitso)...except that things are talking to her.
youngsters Bobby (Mike Ltxikinland) and
A wax lion, a wind-up penguin and a fish
Cindy (Susan Olsen).
mounted on the wall are just a few of the inani
Each episode brings a new calamity to the
mate objects that only she can hear. And
family: Marcia hates her new braces! Jan is
they’re telling her to do things—things that
allergic to the dog! Cindy can invite only one
affect other people’s lives in a positive way if
parent to the school play! It’s all neatly resolved
she does them right, and her life in a negative
by the epilogue, which traditionally contains a
way if she
gag along the lines of
does them
“Oh, dear, here we go
wrong or
again!
avoids her
Queers can especially
unwanted
appreciate the family’s
responsi
outdated yet familiar
bility.
battles-of-the-sexes
Created
involving who gets to
by openly
use the backyard club
gay writer
house, which family
Bryan
doctor to call and how
Fuller,
to spend those damn
Wonderfalls
trading stamps. We also
mixes some
love ambiguously gay
scathingly
housekeeper Alice (Ann
funny poli The Wonderfalls clan included a semi-closeted lesbian
B. Davis), always reli
tics and
able for some sad-sack
lawyer (Katie Finneran, third from right).
sexual sub
comic relief. (Sure, she
text into its plots. One storyline has the lesbian
messed around with Sam the butcher here and
sister breaking up with her bisexual girlfriend
there, but c’mon, it’s not like she could come
colliding with a birdnapping plot; potshots at
out in 1969 suburbia.)
Republicans are common. Dhavemas is an
The real superstar of the show, however, is
astonishingly gifted actress whose Gen Y per
Reed—a classically trained thespian whose
sonality is spot-on. She’s clearly going places.
sharp comic timing made Mike Brady one of
The set also includes six commentary tracks,
television’s most beloved patriarchs, despite the
a d<x:umentary, a music video and more. For
fact that he was portrayed by a closeted homo
those who might like to see what kind of show
sexual. The actor died of AIDS in 1992.
would result if you combined the eccentricity of
The set also includes commentary tracks
Twin Peaks with the knowing antics of Malcolm
from Schwartz, Williams, Knight and Olsen
in the Middle, the funny, strange and sometimes
along with the featurette “Coming Together
touching Wonderfalls is the answer.
Under One R<x)f."
—Andy Mangels
—Jim Radosta JF1
O