Page 67 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2017

The Sugar Bean Sisters at Spreckels
The Sonoma Film Festival opens
March 29th and ends April 2nd.
Christian Bale fans will want to go
opening night to see “The Promise”
at the Sebastiani at 7pm. “India in a
Day” sounds amazing and the director, Richie Mehta, will be at the screening Saturday, April 1st. No fooling! Closing night will be “Cook Up A Storm” 6pm Sunday, April 2nd. Buy a pass so you don’t wait in line. The Cinema Pass is good for all films and access to the backlot during the day. The Soiree Pass is good for all films and access to the backlot VIP area all day.
Review by Harry Duke
At its regularly scheduled meeting (Tuesday, February 21, 20017), the SeA
Three old men in disguise, going in style.
title like The Sugar Bean Sisters may conjure up images of sweet Southern belles, mint julips, or quaint sibling rivalries that end in hugs, forgiveness and tears. Perhaps it invokes memories of the female singing groups of by-gone days like the Andrews Sisters
April Film and Theater Preview
Opening April 7: “Going in Style” which is a remake of the George Burns movie from the ‘70s. This one stars the awesome Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin.
April 14th: “The Fate of the Furious” with Vin Diesel and The Rock. Even though I don’t like sequels I like this franchise.
April 21: “Unforgettable” starring Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geo Stults and everyone’s favorite Charlie’s Angel, Cheryl Ladd. Also opening April 21st is “Born in China”, Disney’s annual Nature film. This time we follow three families of animals in China.
April 28: “The Circle” starring the very busy Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. Opening April 28th is “Sleight” starring Jacob Latimore as a young street magician left to care for his little sister after their parents’ passing and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads.
Wrong.
A hidden grapefruit fortune, Eva Gabor wigs, sandwiches, Jack Daniels, snakes, the Weekly World News, voodoo curses, Disney World, ghosts, a Reptile Woman (Sharon Gri th) and spontaneous human combustion all come to play over this bizarre play’s two hour running time. Need I say this show has some twists and turns to it?
Faye Clementine (Mary Gannon Graham) and Willie Mae Nettles (mollie boice) are living out their lives in their ramshackle family home in swamp-side Sugar Bean, Florida. Once a happy family of five, they’re down to two after Mama’s passing, Papa’s hanging (by mob after accidentally poisoning 14 beauty pageant contestants,) and third sister Robinelle’s unfortunate consumption by ‘gator. Willie Mae pines for the local Mormon Bishop (Larry Williams) and the bright lights of Salt Lake City. Faye longs for the return of an alien spaceship that landed in their corn field twenty-five years ago, and hopes it will whisk her away to some distant planet. Their mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Miss Videllia Sparks (Lydia Revelos,) a “dancer” out of New Orleans stranded by car trouble. Then things start to get weird.
The 60th San Francisco Film Festival opens April 5th and ends April 19th. Jenny Slate fans will want to go opening night to see “Landline” at the Castro Theater at 7pm. It also stars Jay Duplass. The opening night party will be at the Regency Center. Ethan Hawke fans will want to go to his tribute Sunday, April 8th. His new film “Maudie” will screen after at the Yerba Buena Center. Get there early because I know this event will sell out. Go to s lm.org for prices and more information.
If you only go to one play a year then I have the play for you. “The Sugar Bean Sisters” is a must see! Directed by the very talented Denise Elia-Yen and starring a very talented cast including Mollie Boice, Mary Gannon Graham, Lydia Revelos, Sharon Gri th
6th Street Playhouse presents “Ghostbusters: Live! A New Musical Parody!” Conceived and composed by Justin Pyne, this show runs from April 7th to April 9th. Call 707 523-4185 for tickets and more information.
All this weirdness takes place on finely detailed, over-stu ed, multi-level set by Eddy Hansen and Elizabeth Bazzano that is as much a character in this piece as any of the performers. It may be the most interesting set I’ve seen in the Condiotti space. Adding to the swampy ambience are some nice projections by Patrick Taber and a terrific sound design by Jessica Johnson.
It’s tough to categorize the Spreckels Theatre Company’s production of The Sugar Bean Sisters. Nathan Sanders’s script is a southern gothic theatrical stew - part family drama, part jet-black comedy, and part supernatural fantasy. At heart, it’s a comedy of desperation. It’s the oddest play I’ve seen in while, and I just saw a play about Je rey Dahmer. It’s campy, creepy and often very funny. There’s certainly nothing else like it on stage right now in this area.
The Shelton Theater in San Francisco presents “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead”. Charlie Brown and Snoopy fans will love this show. It opens April 28th and closes May 20th. The Shelton Theater is located at 533 Sutter St. San Francisco. Call 415 577-7633 for more information.
By all means, head on out to the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, if ya like. But DON’T sit in Momma’s chair. It just ain’t done...
Finally, Main Stage West opens “The Birds” on April 7th and closes April 23rd. It’s directed by Elizabeth Craven. Call 707 823-0177 for more information.
Presented by The Spreckels Theatre Company through April 9. Photo by Eric Chazankin
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Director Denise Elia-Yen has gathered a tight ensemble of performers and veteran singer Gri th certainly makes an impression in her first play, but make no bones about it, Mmes Graham and boice rule the Sugar Bean roost as the strangest pair of sisters since Blanche and ‘Baby’ Jane Hudson from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? The humor, as that reference may indicate, is often macabre as the show begins by taking you one on one journey and by intermission veers to another. The humor, though plentiful, gets darker and darker as the evening progresses.
and Larry Williams. When
you read the program you
will be stunned to see that
this is Sharon Gri th’s first
play. She is amazing as the
Reptile Woman. The play is very original and the set design by Eddy Hansen and Elizabeth Bazzano is so good you will think you’re in New York! It’s at Spreckels in Rohnert Park and you have until April 9th to see this amazing play. Go to the Spreckels website for more information.
Email me with any questions regarding theater and film. Dongibblecast@hotmail.com.
mollie boice, Mary Gannon Graham