REVIEWS
Echo's Hammer
The Theatre @ Boston Court
April 21 - June 12, 2005 (Extended)
Pasadena Star and San Gabriel Valley Tribune
HAMMER TIME
With truly avant garde theater productions, the real trick is to understand that what you are seeing. Just as is true with modern art or literature, absorbing symbolism is key to absorbing text, and sometimes language exists as much to provide music as it does to provide meaning. One takes away layers to ponder, and can often be struck hours or even days later with powerful images of great staying power, suddenly understandable long after their context has dimmed.
Take the world of Ken Roht's "Echo's Hammer" at The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena as an example. In this piece, which dramaturge Michael Silverblatt explains in the program as an allegory of creation, one faces three distinct tales about the yearning for connectedness, and how easy it is to disconnect in the process of creation.
The worlds are weirdly intertwined. The characters sing and dance, wander around on catwalks, and even the ceiling. An odd muse, named in the program as "Amazement" (Laura Martin) calls peculiarly to each of the members of a talented ensemble cast in turn - sometimes destructively. Yet the earnestness of their search, the pathos of their losing, the empty victories inherent in their inanimate creations, these are the things which power the message one feels in the end.
Roht himself acts as director and choreographer, and plays one of the central roles, as Pon, a likable but driven man intent on creating a large mechanical object which gradually forms in the center of the stage. In this he is helped by the genial, loving Deedo (made absolutely charming by Bill Celetano), whom he sees alternately as helpmate and distraction. The third party in this initial tale is the oddly disengaged Nancy the maid (Kristen-Lee Kelly), whose odd presence seems almost Deedo's counterweight at times.
Juxtaposed against this story are Cheryl and Frank (Geraldine Singer and Don Oscar Smith), an older couple confronting their own physical disconnect - symbolized by the Plexiglas boxes in which they live - in an era of sterile test-tube conception. Tied to them electronically, though echoing a simpler age, is the isolated but content Uncle (Jack Kandel), a shoemaker. His is a world where all is done by hand, and reality is easily at one's fingertips.
Yet, even as one tries to define these stories here, this is not really what it's all about at all. To see something like "Echo's Hammer" is to see many different scenarios at once. One can say that Roht has managed the fairly remarkable feat of directing, choreographing, writing and starring in a production without it becoming self-consciously all about him, or without it suffering from a seeming lack of an independent eye. This is a rare thing.
The piece is short - only 90 minutes - but satisfyingly filled with ideas to mull over, and strong, attractive images which resonate long after the show has ended. "Echo's Hammer" will not be easy theater. Certainly, it shall not appeal to anyone not willing to work their brain as part of the process of being an audience. Some of its themes are comparatively adult, and its messages layered. Go with people you'd be willing to spend the next hour or two across a table with, discussing what each of you saw.
Frontiers
Echo's Hammer
Theatre@Boston Court
Through June 4
562/683-6883
Ken Roht is an acclaimed actor, writer, director, and choreographer known for his imaginative works that defy easy categorization. He's a master of dazzling theatricality, and the biggest strength of his new work, "Echo's Hammer," is its breathtaking visual imagery. It's also a diffuse amalgam of ideas that don't cohere to the degree its creator intended. Capturing an ambience that brings to mind the absurdist dramas of Samuel Beckett, Roht spins a story of two combative lovers, Pon (Roht) and Deedo (Bill Celentano), who are building an elaborate steel sculpture and working through their emotional disconnection in the process.
Contrapuntal to their story is a portrait of another problematic relationship, a married couple (Don Oscar Smith and Geraldine Singer) who reside in separate Plexiglas cubicles suspended from the ceiling-chanting, bickering about everything and nothing, and eliciting uncomfortable laughter with their vitriolic exchanges. It's as if George and Martha from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" appeared in the middle of this offbeat romantic tale as a reflection of relationship woes of a different sort.
The workshop in which the two men toil, masterfully designed by Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge, evokes an exhilarating world of high-tech wonderment mixed with the mood of a goofy, old-fashioned fairy tale. Pon, Deedo and their mute servant, Nancy (Kristen-Lee Kelly), occasionally break into marvelously whimsical dance routines, backed by sprightly music by Roht and John Ballinger. Additional bizarre characters include the crooning spirit Amazement (Laura Martin), who strolls above the actors' and audience's heads on the theatre's overhead grids.
If it sounds like an acid-induced hallucination, that's exactly how it feels at times. Although it fails to lead up to a lucidly conveyed thematic statement, there's a lot to enjoy. And one thing is certain: You'll never see a gay love story quite like this one.
á L.S.
Pasadena Weekly
May 5, 2005
Their Hearts Were Young and Gay
By Leigh Kennicott
Wonder what's different about the 21st century? Hurry on down to The Theatre @ Boston Court and Ken Roht's postmodern creation to find out. Combining all the elements of performance plus art, the fast-paced production is alternately bewildering and clear as a bell, but always fascinating to watch. If you've seen Cirque Du Soleil, you'll have an idea of what to expect.
But there is a story; in fact, two. High above the stage two glass cases enclose a husband (Don Oscar Smith) and wife (Geraldine Singer) dressed in lounge clothes of the 1960's - a wife beater for him and a housecoat for her. We know instantly that they are trapped in their marriage. He ignores her as she prattles on; she scoffs at him as he tries to confide his dreams and desires. We hear more from them in funny, touching vignettes as the evening progresses; in their idle tasks, they mimic the more visceral industry appearing on the stage floor.
The primary story centers upon the making of a huge contraption that may fly - or not. The workshop set (wondrously designed by Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge) is scattered with bolts and nuts, old bicycle wheels and stray bits of steel and buzzes with activity, reminding one of Santa's workshop just before Christmas. The mad inventor, methodical and given to deeply concentrated reverie, is none other than the creator of the piece, Ken Roht (as Pon). His helper, Deedo (Bill Celentano,) lives to serve. Their relationship takes shape in a manner reminiscent of Gogo and Deede in Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." As the intricate machinery takes form, Deedo's demands for attention, his fawning like adulation and his na•ve questions irritate Pon. The two alternately bicker and bite, croon and caress, as expressed in songs and acrobatic dance. Nancy (Kristen-Lee Kelly), their mute housekeeper, looking a little like a blonde Betty Boop, looks on or joins in, depending on Pon's whim.
Although at first blush they do not seem to have much to do with the central action, important triggers belong to Nancy and two other auxiliary characters. The be-plumed Laura Martin as Amazement adds an omniscient voice from on high, first on the right catwalk, then on the left. Martin sings Ken Roht's breathtakingly layered arrangements as a commentary to the happenings onstage. She clearly sets the action in motion when she instructs the downtrodden Nancy to wait "for the period of incubation." By the end of the performance, we will know what that means.
Jack Kandel plays Uncle, a shoemaker whose authentic-looking set-up arranged near the back of the shop. He might be an elf in Santa's employ except that he sings in Italian (badly on purpose) from time to time. He might perform only decorative purpose but for the fact that he harks from another time. His presence draws attention to the strange object emerging in the center of the room as we note the practicality of his work in contrast to Pon's fanciful invention.
We are ready, now for the grand finale where questions about life and art come together. Roht's marvelously inventive device, Ann Cross-Farley's evocative costumes, crystalline lighting from Brian J. Lilienthal and bristling sound from John Ballenger all crescendo in an avalanche of sensation. Although it's definitely not Disney, it's quite a ride.
"Echo's Hammer" continues through June 4, 2005, at the Theatre @ Boston Court at 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena. Tickets are $30 and available online at www.bostoncourt.org or call (626) 683-6883.
Core Media Group:
Arcadia Weekly; Monrovia Weekly, Sierra Madre Weekly, Pasadena Independent
- May 5 2005
"Echo's Hammer" a Thought-Provoking Forge
By Bill Peters
Ken Roht is a multi-talented artist who has crafted a surreal multi-disciplinary fusion of theater, dance, music and video that he wrote, directed, choreographed and participates as leading actor in his latest effort, "Echo's Hammer" which opened last weekend at The Theatre at Boston Court in Pasadena.
Roht presents his vision of how-things-are in a one-act, hour and a half presentation on the main stage at Z. Clark Branson's state-of-the-art 99-seat theater. Branson is the Pasadenan who champions the latest in performing arts by producing artist-driven shows that challenge the mind. His efforts are shaking the arts environment of the San Gabriel Valley as he brings contemporary music and theater that, until now, has been the sole province of the folks West of the San Diego Freeway. His allegiance to the arts will be acknowledged on June 5 when the Pasadena Arts Council honors him (and five other artists and supporters of the arts in the region) with its prestigious Gold Crown Award.
"Echo's Hammer" is hard to figure and hard to follow since all stage action is based on perceptions. Starting with the title itself, the playgoer is left to his own devices to decide what it means. I'll take a stab.
Much of life is a repetitious, which forges into relationships, issues and accomplishments. The play is seen, literally, on two planes. On the stage floor, two men, an artist couple named Pon and Deedo, work on a piece of modern sculpture while working on their relationship. Above them, separated into two clear-plastic cubes, a couple claws their long-term togetherness into compassionless, but physical affiliation. Add to the mix a silent servant girl, an old-world Italian cobbler and a voice from above, a woman dressed like and Agnes DeMille tart in "Oklahoma" who wails her discomfort with human behavior, and you can pretty much get the challenging nature of the work.
But, it is fascinating. Roht as Pon, Bill Celentano as Deedo are in constant athletic motion. Their acrobatic dancing defies gravity. Kristen-Lee Kelly as Nancy, the servant girl, joints Roht and Celentano in two dances that are first-rate vaudeville-ballet. The jaded couple, Geraldine Singer as Cheryl and Don Oscar Smith as Frank, are so good as to make you squirm if you have watched friends over the years whose marriages seem held together by who-knows-what. Jack Kandel as Uncle the Italian cobbler is the in-between character who presumably is the happiest in his simple world; but dismissed by playwright Roht, to make his point, as out of touch with the reality's of today's world, leaving the character colorless. Laura Martin is the character Amazement, singing from above in lyrics that are either nonsensical syllables or indecipherable. Dramaturg for the production, Michael Silverblatt, explains in program notes that Amazement is a goddess who presides over the processes of creation and destruction. I won't argue with that.
Scenic design by Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge coupled with lighting design of Brian J. Lilenthal is brilliantly conceived offering distinct planes of color and light. Costume design by Ann Cross-Farley wonderfully achieves each character's presumed persona. Sound design by John Ballinger makes outstanding use of the Boston Court sound system and with Roht has composed some fine music for this production. Christine Zirbel assisted Roht in the direction.
This is a mature production for mature people. Language and sexual situations are blunt. With that said, "Echo's Hammer" is a fine work of theater art and should not be passed by based on prudery. Audiences not afraid of challenge will enjoy the mŽlange that draw its inspiration from the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Batman and Robin, the Bickersons and others.
"Echo's Hammer," at The Theatre at Boston Court, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena (corner of Boston Court and Mentor) runs Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. through June 4. Tickets are $30 with student and senior discounts available. For information, please call (262) 683-6883 or visit www.bostoncourt.com.
CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings
A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Echo's Hammer
By Jana J. Monji
Somewhere between the chorus girls of yesteryear's musicals and the surreal meanderings of a French circus, is the dimension inhabited by Ken Roht's musical theater performance piece, Echo's Hammer. This a world premiere, a two-hour trifle about love that is touched by lust, is written, directed and choreographed by Roht.
There isn't actually a character called Echo but there are hammers and not all of them are the tools you use for nails. Pon (Roht) and Deedo (Bill Celentano) are lovers and inventors. They bicker and flirt and ignore their servant, Nancy (Kristen-Lee Kelly). In the background, uncle (Jack Kandel), a Germanic cobbler, sings and creates practical crafts. Pon tells Deedo he's the "constant source of my unhappiness" while Deedo asks Pon, "Are you my inspiration?"
Pon and Deedo inhabit a workshop with wheels and hammers and assorted clutter. Above them is a goddess-like Amazement (Laura Martin) who provides Cirque du Soleil-like vocalizations- gloriously melodic yet devoid of lyrics. Upstage on opposite sides are two metal cages inhabited by another fighting couple, the middle-aged Cheryl (Geraldine Singer) and Frank (Don Oscar Smith).
While the news tells about a world in our future with clones and other scientific disasters, Cheryl and Frank, neither paying much attention to each other, from time to time crawl out onto a catwalk running beneath their cages and meetin in the center to playout sleezy interactions between two randy strangers at a bar.
Pon and Deedo attempt to create an invention to glorify themselves and a relationship that excludes Nancy. The contraption they assemble actually resembles modern art-as this piece is more akin to performance art than a cohesive
story.
Roht creates an odd mix of lust, dysfunction, love, jealousy-past and present. Echo Hammer isn't as wonderfully loopy as his "99 Cent Only Show" that giddily celebrated cheapness. What we get are some moments that are amazing, some that are amusing and some that just jar one out of one's revery.
ECHO'S HAMMER
Playwright, Director and Choreographet: Ken Roht
Cast: Ken Roht (Pon), Bill Celentano (Deedo), Laura
Martin (Amazement), Kristen-Lee Kelly (Nancy),
Geraldine Singer (Cheryl), Don Oscar Smith (Frank),
Jack Kandel (Uncle).
Set Design: Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge
Lighting Design: Brian J. Lilienthal
Costume Design: Ann Closs-Farley
Running Time: Two hours, no intermission
Running Dates: April 21-June 4, 2005
Where: The Theatre@Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave.,
Pasadena. 626-683-6883. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.
Sundays, 3 p.m. www.bostoncourt.org.
Reviewed by Jana J. Monji on April 30 /td>
BACKSTAGE WEST
ECHO'S HAMMER
Theatre @ Boston Court
Reviewed by Travis Michael Holder
Samuel Beckett meets Abbott and Costello in Ken Roht's latest epic-sized departure into an artistic dream state. The collaboration between Roht-ian theatrical madness and the willingness of this valiant new arts complex to make funds available without 99-seat theater's usual budgetary constraints, seemed as though it would be a match made in heaven-and nearly is.
Writer-director-choreographer Roht's award-winning and spectacularly imaginative staged fantasies-made even more startling by his brilliantly rambling poetry sometimes devolving into beguiling nonsense-have heralded a true visionary of the American stage. Here there's a resplendently talented cast, including Don Oscar Smith and Geraldine Singer as a whiny married couple who live perched over the stage in plexiglass cages, a charmed turn by Kristen-Lee Kelly as a Lurch-like servant to the artist protagonist (Roht), and especially a boldly stylized yet radiantly nuanced performance by Bill Celentano as the artist's partner in creation and occasional hesitant lovemaking. There's also a monumental twisted metal set designed by Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge, plus a rich Cirque du Soleil-esque musical score by Roht and John Ballinger, hauntingly sung by Laura Martin as a bird-like creature-gloriously costumed by Ann Closs-Farley-who watches the action from suspended side stages or a grid above the audience's heads. So what could go wrong?
Unlike other wildly successful efforts by Roht, this one, while suitably captivating and otherworldly in what it attains, somehow doesn't satisfy. Where previous journeys into the hallucinogenic depths of his psyche also entertain at breakneck speed as they unfold, this time, reaching farther into drama than before, it bogs down considerably, occasionally slowing to a crawl-and a melodramatic crawl at that. The other problem is Roht's performance, too often deadly serious and dour, when casting someone who would be more a physical foil for Celentano's comedia dell' arte-inspired clowning would have kicked the play up several notches. Oddly, when Roht breaks into one of his own inspired moments of ridiculously agile choreography, the spirit is there, only to devolve at song's end back into a one-note, pouty demeanor that deflates his piece into a curious flatness.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
THEATER REVIEW
Love echoes through dazzling absurdity
By David C. Nichols, Special to The Times
Three subliminal charges land for every direct hit struck by "Echo's Hammer" at Boston Court. Ken Roht's daft, dark paean to the impasse between love, creation and survival in our post-millennial madness rides its fabulist course with dazzling staying power.
We enter a great space rendered fantastic by Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge's set. Upstage hang Frank (Don Oscar Smith) and Cheryl (Geraldine Singer), the voices of lowest common denominator, in futuristic plexiglass cages and Lilly Pulitzer colors. Below, a workshop runs riot with astonishing metalwork and a lantern-bearing silent movie creature. She is Nancy (Kristen-Lee Kelly), the oppressed housekeeper to the unabashed lovers who toil here.
They are invention-driven Pon (author-choreographer- director Roht) and Pon-driven Deedo (Bill Celentano), who function for, by and against each other and Frank and Cheryl's nihilistic Bickersons. Wandering in and tinkering away is Uncle (Jack Kandel), who sings pidgin Italian and harks back to simpler times.
Above everything roams Amazement (Laura Martin), a singing deity who pulls Hindu and Vegas aspects into play. Yet, for all its woozy whimsy, "Echo's Hammer" moves past the Oz-meets-Oceania techniques of past Roht excursions. Taking on the price that techno-commercial existence exacts from relationships, i.e., human progress, "Echo's Hammer" gradually evolves into an absurdly delightful, yet dangerous, passion play.
Costumer Ann Closs-Farley, lighting designer Brian J. Lilienthal, videographer James Wade Byrkit and composer-sound designer John Ballinger are all invaluable.
The fearless cast is extraordinary, Roht and Celentano the magical teaming in a season teeming with them. At present, only Matthew Bourne's "Play Without Words" rivals "Echo's Hammer" for what it delivers: a subversive watershed and a groundbreaking theatrical event.
*
"Echo's Hammer"
Where: Boston Court Main Stage, 70 N. Mentor Ave.,
Pasadena
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m.
Sundays
Ends: June 4
Price: $30
LA WEEKLY
ECHO'S HAMMER
Suspended over the stage in separate Plexiglas boxes, a married couple, Cheryl (Geraldine Singer) and Frank (Don Oscar Smith), bickers in a narrative that punctuates the story below, where a pair of artists, Pon (Ken Roht) and Deedo (Bill Celentano), also squabble - but these two create, dance and frolic as well. When not playfully chasing each other around the workshop with hammers, the artists labor, not always happily, on a sculpture of mammoth proportions. They share a workshop with Uncle (Jack Kandel), an artisan who uses his hammer to make "happy shoes." Only the artists' helper, the silent, much oppressed Nancy (Kristen-Lee Kelly), seems to hear Amazement (Laura Martin), a goddess-like figure who hovers over the stage. Written, directed and choreographed by Roht, Echo's Hammer examines the processes of creation and destruction. The production is visually stunning, thanks to Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge's masterful set. Roht teases the audience by displaying parts of the sculpture, building suspense by having the artists actually assemble their project of steel and odd-sized wheels on stage. As the bitter married couple on high, Singer and Smith are superb, gamely slithering in and out of their clear plastic boxes. Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru June 4. (626) 683-6883. Written 05/05/2005 (Sandra Ross)
ACCESSIBLY
LIVE OFF-LINE
(Vol. 10-No. 18-Week of May 2nd,
2005)
The Theatre @
Boston Court in Pasadena presents the world premier of Ken Roth's ECHO'S
HAMMER, a twisted tale of love, affection, and the creation of machines that
will express themselves in more ways than one.
The setting is
the workshop of Pon and Deedo (Ken Roth and Bill Celentano). They, along with
their setting, resembles a place where one can build devices that just doesn't
Ôdo' things, but a place where ideas are born, not made. Pon and Deedo are not
mad scientists or anything, but two "lovers" that keep discovering what love
and emotion are all about, but not just solely for themselves. What one sees is
a stage full of surreal looks that goes on within this workshop while examining
others involved, not necessarly directly. There is Nancy, (Kristen-Lee Kelly),
the assistant to Pon and Deedo, working silently. There is the Ôcouple' of
Cheryl and Frank (Geraldine Singer and Don Oscar Smith). They are a pair that
either can be seeking each other out, or presents themselves as a low key
"Battling Bickersons". Rounding out this troupe is Amazement (Laura Martin), a
semi-mysterious chorus girl, and Uncle (Jack Kandel).
This
production is full of whimsy, fantasy, poetic prose, and even has a bit of that
old standard, the Broadway Musical-complete with music, dancing and plenty of
experimentation! Playwright Ken Roth, who also directs of choreographs, has
created a piece that is anything but non-linear. There isn't necessarily a
beginning, and it only ends when the show decides to! The idea of the quest of
love continues on, but for ninety minutes, one is treated to a world full of
whimsy and wonder.
The real
showcase is the scenic background designed by Jason Adams & Alicia Hoge. It
takes a standard machine shop and makes it into something that Jules Verne
himself would take down notes for! Ann Closs-Farley's costumes design
complements the elements while resembling its cast members as part of a
subterrain circus. The musical number composed by John Ballinger and Ken Roth
add to the fantasy, while Brian J.Lilenthal's lighting design gives the perfect
mood that this show deserves!
ECHO'S HAMMER will remind one of those experimental
theater pieces that one used to see performed on some college campuses. This
production may not be for everyone, but for the rest, it offers plenty! Best of
all, it's pretty to look at! Not many theater shows can offer that notion!
ECHO'S HAMMER performs at the Theatre @ Boston Court, 70 North Mentor Avenue
(Near the intersection of Lake Street and Colorado Blvd), Pasadena, until June
4th. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights @ 8:00 PM,
and Sunday matinees @ 3:00 PM. Reservations and information, call (626)
683-6883. Visit the web site at http://www.bostoncourt.org
REVIEW PLAYS
ECHO'S HAMMER
Theatre @ Boston Court
Ken Roht's most recent presentation at the Theater @ Boston Court in Pasadena has found its perfect setting. The wide stage and catwalks that circle the area provide the frame for Roht's brilliant leap into a semi-musical adventure that is deeply steeped in imagery and symbolism. This is nothing new for Roht, who constantly invents new ways to push the envelope, while critics scramble to invent new adjectives to describe his work.
The Chaplinesque writer, director, choreographer and actor has created a collage of scenes that, in its barest bones, can be described as two men, Pon and Deedo, (a couple) building a machine that seems to have no purpose. With a love relationship between the men that runs hot and cold depending on what triggers their sensibilities while working around the cluttered workshop, Roht places a bickering couple high above the action in the back, caged in Plexiglas in an undetermined time frame, apparently providing a counterpoint for the men But wait. There's more! There's this waif of a servant named Nancy, who almost divines every need Pan and Deedo have, and is right there with a towel, a bowl, a hammer or whatever. We never learn the real purpose of the contraption they so diligently build, but in the contraption they so diligently build, but in the midst of all this madness, a character called Uncle comes to work in his own space fixing shoes. Of all the characters, he is the most stable, as he has a defined task and seldom deviates from his purpose. He also does a great Italian accent.
Every show needs an exotic female, and in this one Amazement prowls the catwalks high above as if observing, maybe guiding, maybe passing judgment, but Interacting only with Nancy. Like a mythical bird-goddess, she flies in and out of the scenes. When the men complete the machine it spins on an axis with Pon twirling in the center. This contraption alone is worth the price of admissions, as it is built piece by piece during the performance, with metal tubes, iron rods, three odd size bicycle wheels and its aluminum frame at least 10 feet on each side. The delta shaped, three-wheeled gadget actually makes perfect wide circles on stage, with Pon enjoying the moment as he forcefully pushes Deedo away to prevent him from sharing in the triumph.
Some people might leave the theatre questioning "what is this show about?" You might guess it depicts the unhappiness people feel even when things apparently seem right, or it could be about the constant struggle we face just to exist, facing many obstacles and enjoying very few rewards. No doubt the question that everyone has uniformly is, "How does Ken Roht come up with all these ideas?"
Some call it imagination - others call it talent. Then there are those who say its genius. You decide.