THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011
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REVIEWS
Film
Theater >> ‘The
Savannah Disputation’
If you haven’t been “saved” yet, you’ll feel holier than thou after you’ve seen “The Savannah Disputation” at Florida Studio Theatre. Director Kate Alexander, who describes the play best as reflective of a “dogma eat dogma world,” energetically and shrewdly referees this hilarious smackdown between two Christian super sects. Although it initially opened to mixed reviews in New York and has been dismissed by highbrow critics as a funny but silly and insubstantial sitcom, the play has undergone a recent, highly successful revival. Playwright Evan Smith was inspired to write a religious satire during the 2002 midterm elections, while he was living in Savannah, Ga. He was intrigued by the sudden intrusion into politics of the religious right, so he launched into a study of the Bible and the views of Protestant evangelicals and their detestation of the Roman Catholic Church. Even funnier than the skewering of fanatically held beliefs are the characterizations Smith contrived to represent those beliefs. He’s accomplished the seemingly impossible task of bringing to life characters simultaneously stereotypical and vulnerably believable. They are empathydeserving beings doing their best to find comfort in the face of their own mortality. FST has a brilliant and beatifically entertaining cast for this production. The main characters in the ensemble are two Catholic spinsters, in whose living room the action takes place. Like so many sisters, Margaret and Mary can be described as a salt-and-pepper pair. Susan Greenhill fabulously captures
IF You Go
“The Savannah Disputation” runs through Sept. 4. Florida Studio Theatre is located at 1241 N. Palm Ave. For ticket information, call 366-9000 or visit www. floridastudiotheatre.org.
every nuance of Margaret, a kind, loving, naive, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly innocent who declares, “I’m smart enough to know I’m stupid.” Greenhill is an FST veteran who has appeared in numerous TV shows. Lisa McMillan, recently seen in “Sheer Madness” at FST, provokingly plays Mary, self-satisfied, strong-willed and outspoken, to perfection. Her Broadway credits include “La Cage Aux Folles.” Lindsey Wochley plays Melissa, the door-to-door evangelical who comes calling at the sisters’ home. Wonderfully unexpected, her character is more of a hot babe than a card-carrying missionary, and her approach to her messianic calling is more reminiscent of a well-organized vacuum salesperson working her way through college. Sheffield Chastain as Father Murphy successfully straddles a fine line between prototypical Irish priest and realistic, lonely individual. Chastain made a hilarious appearance in “The 39 Steps” this year at FST. April Soroko captures the visuals in both scenic and costume design. David M. Upton provided the lighting design, with stage management by Will Willoughby. — Paula Atwell
Courtesy photo
>> ‘Rise
Caesar, an intelligent chimpanzee played by Andy Serkis, is fostered by neurogeneticist Will Rodman, played by James Franco, in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
of the Planet of the Apes’
If animal abuse tears at your heartstrings, you better skip “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” Although the apes are not living creatures, the film’s astounding effectiveness at portraying them as such can be difficult to watch. Last year’s Oscar nominee, James Franco (“127 Hours”), stars as Will Rodman, a neurogeneticist who’s involved in creating a drug to eradicate Alzheimer’s disease. Working for a drug company greedier than hedge-funders, Will is forced to test it on chimpanzees. The effects are startling. The chimp’s IQs soar. The experiments are halted when one goes berserk, and Will fosters her baby, Caesar. Caesar (Andy Serkis, in an Oscar-worthy performance) has inherited the genetic alteration from his mother. As he ages, he becomes intelligent enough to play a “decent game” of chess. But as we all know, chimps become apes — and apes become dangerous. So, when Caesar gets busted for biting a neighbor, he lands in a shelter for simians. This is when the film becomes disturbing. Caesar and his cell-
mates are brutally abused by their “caretakers.” The first half of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is mildly tiresome. But when the apes organize and decide to exact revenge, all hell breaks loose on the streets of San Francisco. Incredible camerawork (by cinematographer Andrew Lesnie) captures apes defying gravity and reeking havoc on the Golden Gate Bridge. One can’t help but to cheer them. Director Rupert Wyatt (“The Escapist”) deserves credit for concocting wizardly computer technology that makes apes out of human beings. It’s mind-blowing to behold. But on so many other levels the film falls short. Lame dialogue, a flimsy plot and bad acting keep “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” from being the great film it should have been. Aside from its shortcomings, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is a visual treat and definitely a prerequisite for the probable upcoming sequel. Let’s hope they do the franchise justice in the future. — Pamela Nadon
Presents
FESTIVAL of STARS Featuring
JOSE MANUEL CARREÑO
Star Of American Ballet Theatre
SARAH LANE
Soloist, American Ballet Theatre And NATALIE PORTMAN’S Double In BLACK SWAN
In a Suite Including White Swan and Black Swan from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’
Also:
JACOBY & PRONK
in ‘Softly As I Leave You’
MELANIE HAMRICK and gENNAdI SAVELIEV of American Ballet Theatre
ANd STARS OF TOMORROW PARTICIPATINg IN THE CARREÑO SUMMER INTENSIVE 2011
61116
SARASOTA OPERA HOUSE 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 Tickets $50, $35, $15 Sarasota Opera Box Office - 941.328.1300 or online: www.sarasotaopera.org/carreno2.aspx More information: www.carrenodancefestival.com
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Sarah Lane, eatre American Ballet Th