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[criticsforumarchive] Critics' Forum Article - 01.06.08

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  • [criticsforumarchive] Critics' Forum Article - 01.06.08

    Critics' Forum
    Theater
    The Best of Theater: 7 in `07
    By Aram Kouyoumdjian

    The practice of handing out awards or issuing "best of" lists to
    honor artistic achievements certainly has its detractors. These
    detractors are offended when artists are pitted against each other
    in "competition," and they doubt that art can ever be evaluated
    objectively.

    I find their arguments valid. I never look at the Oscars or the
    Tonys as final arbiters of the "best" film or play in any given
    year. I recognize them as purely subjective exercises. After all,
    high-brow fare like Atonement may be fodder for the upcoming Academy
    Awards, but the People's Choice Awards has Transformers among its
    three Best Movie nominees and may be bestowing its Favorite Leading
    Man honor on former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

    Awards and "best of" lists are important, however, as expressions of
    appreciation and encouragement that recognize artistic talent and
    effort, and basically say, "Well done!"

    It is in that spirit that I offer this entirely personal "best of"
    list that covers Armenian theater for the past year in seven
    categories. It highlights the productions that were particularly
    impressive in their staging and the individuals who displayed a
    superior command of their craft. In essence, however, the list
    stands as a compilation of experiences that managed to do what
    theater does best. They moved me.

    I. Productions
    What most deserves celebrating in this category is the sheer number
    of Armenian productions - nearly three dozen - that abounded in
    Southern California over the last 12 months. These numbers point to
    an unmistakable boom in Armenian theater currently in progress.

    Helping the boom is the intimate Luna Playhouse that has accounted
    for much recent theater activity in the Armenian community, staging
    not only its own productions but providing a venue to both
    established and emerging guest artists.

    Among Armenian-language shows, Luna's production of Hanoon Hayreniki
    Yev Zhoghovrdi (In the Name of the People and the Fatherland) offered
    an engaging take on Gevorg Sargsyan's surreal account of an ordinary
    man caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare. Among English-language
    productions, Luna's revival of William Saroyan's Hello Out There, in
    which a young woman befriends a wrongly jailed man, was potent in its
    emotional charge. Over at the Fountain Theatre, the 20th anniversary
    staging of Sojourn at Ararat, which recounts Armenian history through
    our nation's poetry, was lyrical, poignant, and inspiring. Among
    translations, the Ardavazt Theatre Company's version of The Venetian
    Twins was an entertaining romp that ably captured the farcical
    elements of Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century script.

    II. Directors
    In the realm of drama, Nora Armani's direction of Sojourn at Ararat
    was graceful and fluid as it navigated the show's tonal shifts, while
    shifts of perspective - almost filmic in effect and achieved by
    altering the angles of movable set pieces - infused Tamar
    Hovannisian's take on Hello Out There with vibrancy. Michael Arabian
    replicated the moody atmosphere of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and
    the Deep Blue Sea (at the Elephant Theater) without sacrificing its
    visceral energy.

    In the comic realm, Aramazd Stepanian was inventive with the surreal
    aspects of Hanoon Hayreniki Yev Zhoghovrdi; the commedia dell'arte
    style was solid in execution in The Venetian Twins, helmed by Krikor
    Satamian; and sheer camp was delightfully realized by Lilly
    Thomassian in The Lady in Question (at Luna), a spoof of film noir.

    III. Actors
    The majority of memorable performances by actors happened to be in
    Armenian-language productions. Robert Khatchatryan showed beautiful
    restraint in Hanoon Hayreniki Yev Zhoghovrdi with his superb
    portrayal of a befuddled Everyman, while cast mate Aram Muratyan
    exhibited impeccable comic timing as a corrupt mayor. Muratyan was
    in equally fine form sharing the stage with the excellent Ari
    Libaridian doing double duty as The Venetian Twins and with Krikor
    Satamian, a skilled veteran who coaxed laughs as an adulterous
    politician in A Lost Letter (Ardavazt Theatre Company at the
    Manoogian Center). Avetis Khrimyan did expert work in Yedtsentsoom
    (Aftershock) at the Stars Theatre, playing a man confronting personal
    crises in post-earthquake Armenia.

    The exceptions to these Armenian-speaking players included Voki
    Kalfayan as the wacky and tacky lounge lizard headlining The
    Gazillionaire Show (at M Bar), and, conversely, Alex Kalognomos,
    solemnly impactful as the wrongly jailed man in Hello Out There.

    IV. Actresses
    Kalognomos had a strong co-star in Karine Chakarian, and Anais
    Thomassian was the perfect foil for Kalfayan as ditzy and squeaky-
    voiced bandleader Pretty Penny. These young actresses were in good
    company with Narine Avakian, who shone in The Venetian Twins as the
    twitch-addled Rosaura, and Mary Kate Schellhardt, whose emotionally
    devastating performance in Sojourn at Ararat embodied both tragedy
    and hope.

    Noteworthy performances by veteran actresses included Karen
    Kondazian's acclaimed portrayal of operatic diva Maria Callas in
    Master Class (Santa Barbara Theater at the Lobero) and Violetta
    Gevorgyan's turn as a mother fending for her family in Yedtsentsoom.

    V. Solo Performances
    Bryan Coffee's accomplished work in The Weekly Armenian (at the NoHo
    Arts Center) notwithstanding, the significant trend in solo
    performance was the dominance of the field by female artists. No
    less than five women of Armenian descent took solo flights last
    year. (That number would rise to six if one were to count Sona
    Movsesian's clever armeniamania, in which two of her friends crash
    her one-woman show). The pieces were often autobiographical and
    explored not only their authors' Armenian identity but their diverse
    roots in such countries as Egypt, Iran, and Lebanon.

    The standout piece, however, was Lory Tatoulian's Pomegranate Whisky
    (at the Heartbeat House Studio), a faux cabaret act constructed of
    monologues and accentuated by musical selections. Tatoulian was spot-
    on throughout her show, but perhaps nowhere more so than in a sketch
    about the Statue of Liberty, dragging on a cigarette in a fit of
    ennui and droning about returning to France.

    VI. New Works
    Several full-cast plays in Armenian and English found their way to
    local stages, while three translated works included the first-ever
    version of Harold Pinter's The Lover. A number of these new works
    reached the boards thanks to the efforts of Aramazd Stepanian, who
    not only co-translated The Lover (with Artashes Emin), but directed
    the American premiere of Hanoon Hayreniki Yev Zhoghovrdi and the
    world premiere of Yedtsentsoom (by Khoren Aramouni). As such,
    Stepanian can further be credited for making the most substantial
    contribution to Armenian-language drama in 2007.

    VII. Technical Achievements
    The dynamic duo of Maro Parian and Henrik Mansourian continued
    chalking up successes in technical theater. Parian, both a director
    and a designer, was the talent behind the sets of Hello Out There and
    Sojourn at Ararat, and the costumes for Sojourn and The Lady in
    Question. Mansourian's elegant lighting design for Sojourn included
    the smart and subtle use of reds, blues, and ambers - correlating to
    the colors of the Armenian flag.

    The best sound effects were in Bryan Coffee's The Weekly Armenian -
    and were remarkable for the fact that they were generated with
    nothing more than Coffee's own voice box.

    Looking Forward
    The new year kicks off with great promise, as Vahe Berberian's Baron
    Garbis premieres in January. This Armenian-language work is the
    first multi-character play from Berberian in nearly 20 years. It
    will, hopefully, usher in 12 months of quality productions that will
    generate much to celebrate come this time next year.


    All Rights Reserved: Critics' Forum, 2008

    Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting
    ("The Farewells") and directing ("Three Hotels"). His latest work
    is "Velvet Revolution."

    You can reach him or any of the other contributors to Critics' Forum
    at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
    in this series are available online at www.criticsforum.org. To sign
    up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to
    www.criticsforum.org/join. Critics' Forum is a group created to
    discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.
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