Theater review: 'A Woman's Place' isn't necessarily on this stage

"A Woman's Place," West End Players Guild's second production of its 100th season, feels a lot like an uneven episode of "Saturday Night Live" — probably not the outcome directors Renee Sevier-Monsey and Carrie Phinney were going for Friday with their staging of four one-act shows.

A cast of six takes on multiple roles in "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, "Australia" (at about five minutes, more of a scene than an act) by David Mamet, "Hello Out There" by William Saroyan and "Ashes to Ashes" by Harold Pinter. The pieces' common factor: Each deals with women tested by extreme situations such as rape and murder.

While such an undertaking has a lot of potential, the quality of the acting in this effort varies so wildly to the point where it's just distracting. Compelling performances often are mismatched with actors who are just delivering lines (and making an uncomfortable amount of eye contact with the audience).

There are some notable performances, though. Susan Elaine Rasch is solid in three of the pieces. Her portrayals seem effortless, and "Australia," basically a monologue, is an enjoyable showcase of her range.

Anthony Wininger, as a man jailed for rape in "Hello Out There," is paired appropriately with Elissa Schrader, who plays a 17-year-old with a misguided attraction to him. The two display chemistry — well, as much chemistry as a naive teenager can have with an accused rapist — and their inexplicable love-at-first-sight relationship is a delight to watch.

"Ashes to Ashes," which seems to go on forever, would have been more tolerable with quicker pacing. Pinter's writing is clever, and there's a fairly interesting plot in there someplace, but the glacial speed makes it nearly incomprehensible. Nancy Lubowitz does a fine job channeling Rebecca, a disturbed woman who emotionally — and sometimes comically — recalls an abusive lover from her past.

The cast also includes Chuck Lavazzi and Sean Ruprecht-Belt.

All four shows play out on a drab set designed for "Trifles," which takes place in 1916. But a bare stage with just a few key furnishings — and better use of lighting to establish the moods and locations — may have been a more effective approach. Too often, the stage lights illuminated much of the house, a reminder that it's a church basement.

West End Players Guild deserves applause for attempting an evening of one-acts. But in the end, character development and better pacing would have made for a more enjoyable evening of theater.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 11.09.10

Theater review: West End Players' 'A Picasso' is a work of art

The West End Players Guild opens its 100th season in style with "A Picasso," a smart, fast-paced primer of the life and work of Pablo Picasso.

Jeffrey Hatcher's story, based on actual interrogations of the artist by Nazi officials while Adolf Hitler tried to remake German art, takes place in a vault beneath the streets of occupied Paris in 1941. Picasso is being questioned by the fictional Miss Fischer, a German cultural attaché who wants Picasso to authenticate three confiscated works thought to be his.

Picasso quickly identifies each as his own, but when Fischer tells him the paintings will be included in a bonfire of "degenerate art," the two reach a deal: Picasso may authenticate just one painting for the fire, and two will be spared.

But asking an artist to disown any of his work is akin to asking a parent to disown a child. Fischer advises that he think like a critic.

"First I have to think like a German," he says. "Now I have to think like a critic?"

Picasso's discussion of each of the drawings gives a glimpse into the mind of the artist targeted at that time for his antiwar painting "Guernica."

Kevin Beyer gracefully takes on the role of Picasso, presenting the larger-than-life figure in a way that's actually quite relatable. When the play begins, and he's alone in the vault waiting for Fischer, it's easy to see the fear on his face and in his movements. Once Fischer enters, he pulls himself together.

In retelling the events that shaped his life — the death of his sister, for instance, which had a profound effect on him — we learn the motivations for many of his political actions and artistic decisions.

Maggie Murphy portrays Miss Fischer with the force you'd expect of a Nazi interrogator but also with elegance and charm. Beneath her business-only exterior, Fischer is a devoted Picasso fan, and Murphy allows that to shine through at the right moments.

Murphy delivers her well-written lines with a convincing German accent. "We're all guilty of something," she tells Picasso at the start of the interrogation. "It's just a matter of finding the appropriate law."

Mark Wilson's gorgeous two-tiered set is piled high with artwork and plenty of detail. Amy Ruprecht-Belt's lighting design is simple yet effective, and Russ Bettlach's stylish period costumes are perfect. "A Picasso" is expertly directed by Steve Callahan.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 09.26.10