Rarely is a show extended before it opens, but such is the acclaim for “Such Small Hands” in previews at Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills that it’s been extended through Mar. 30. OC doesn’t get too many world premieres of new plays, so this presentation of Adam Szymkowicz’s romantic drama is something of an event—unusual in itself for a small, intimate two-character piece.
Paul (Bruce Goodrich) is an old man who needs help, but doesn’t like being helped. He’s worried about becoming a burden, but his patient, loving wife Marie (Juliet Fischer) isn’t ready to let him go. There are unlikely laughs along the way. Matthew McCray directs with sensitivity, imbuing the play with a poetic quality often attempted but rarely achieved. The actors’ fine performances are further enhanced by inventive scenic design. Ticket info: ChanceTheater.com.
I like Ike. Truth be told, I’m not quite old enough to remember the former president when he was in office, but if he was anything like the straight shooter convincingly portrayed in Richard Hellesen’s “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” I would’ve found him likeable. Set on Ike’s farm in Gettysburg early in his retirement, this one-man show—thoughtfully directed by Peter Ellenstein—packs a lot into its two-hour running time.
Tony winner John Rubinstein doesn’t strongly resemble Eisenhower, apart from his hairline, but he persuasively conveyed the man’s humility and down-to-earth personality. When he speaks out against “suppression of the truth” and “extremists calling themselves conservatives” it’s hard to believe it wasn’t written last week; he’s quoting Ike himself.
I caught up with this New L.A. Repertory Co. production recently at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts; it’s coming to North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach in October, with a run at Laguna Playhouse to follow. Info: eisenhowertheplay.com.
I can also recommend José Casas’ “Sometimes, I Wish,” a one-act play loosely adapted from Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” and set on Skid Row in Los Angeles. This poetic drama, which I saw in a staged reading not long ago, is wonderfully directed by Sara Guerrero. It runs Mar. 14-22 at Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Arts Center Theater in downtown Santa Ana. Info: artstickets.fullerton.edu.
Bruce Goodrich and Juliet Fischer in“Such Small Hands” at Chance Theater. Photo by Doug Catiller.
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