REVIEWS ...
Excerpted from
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Red hunt victim vents his rage on stage
By Bill Hirschman, Staff Writer
Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo wrote that there were no real heroes during the Red witchhunts of the 1950s, only victims. The dramatic reading of his correspondence proves him wrong.
His torrent of words, droll and acerbic, flowing from GableStage's production Trumbo, reminds us of a time when liberals crusaded fearlessly regardless of the personal consequences.
His volcanic outrage, skewering sarcasm and resilient humanity is woven into every letter, from an invective against a producer participating in the blacklist to a protest of an electrician's estimated bill.
The production benefits from a unique piece of casting. Joe Adler, GableStage's producing artistic director, portrays Trumbo through the end of the month -- the first time he has acted in nearly 20 years. Then veteran political journalist Michael Putney will take over through Sept. 12 in his acting debut.
Adler is solid self-casting... he grows in power and passion until he often has the audience mesmerized. He spends most of the evening sitting behind a desk, but never at rest. His head seems ready to bob off his neck and his hands assault the air.
Adler said he wanted to produce something politically relevant for this crucial time in our history. He has given us a cautionary tale not of some fantasy dystopia, but of what has already happened in this country.
Almost hidden under his open collar, Adler wears a tiny American flag pin. It, like the play, underscores that sincere criticism of society is as patriotic -- maybe more patriotic -- than support for the status quo and unthinking paranoia.
Bill Hirschman can be reached at 954-356-4513 or bhirschman@sun-sentinel.com.
Excerpted from
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Fascinating S.O.B.
Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was an American original
By Ronald Mangravite
He was called, among other things, fascinating, abrasive, wise, vain, ruthless, tenderhearted, indefatigable, and contentious. The production features the theater's artistic director, Joseph Adler, as Trumbo in his first stage appearance in nearly two decades, a bold move that's both a clever publicity stunt and effective casting -- the affectionate descriptions of Trumbo's personality could be and have been applied to the ebullient Adler.
Had Trumbo merely been a prolific Hollywood scribe (Kitty Foyle, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Five Came Back) he would have probably receded into obscurity, a subject of interest only for film students and Jeopardy! contestants. But Trumbo is widely known as one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of leftist screenwriters who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s. Like the others, Trumbo was imprisoned (for a year), then blacklisted in Hollywood, unable to work under his own name.
As theater, Trumbo's travails have solid dramatic potential, but it is his copious letter writing and his penchant for pungent, often hilarious commentary that make him a prime candidate for a stage project. The two-man show tracks the reminiscences of son Christopher alternating with his father's passionate letters to an array of friends and foes. Two memorable sequences include Trumbo's raucous letter to his son about masturbation and his poignant poem about Christopher's birth, written to celebrate his son's tenth birthday.
The production itself, which Adler directed, is quite effective... Adler moves his actors around well, making good use of Tim Connelly's spacious, sleek set, a Hollywood executive office flanked by two podiums. Jeff Quinn's outstanding lighting design features vivid projections in shades of magenta and aqua that evokes Hollywood's chilly allure. The production is also enhanced by Dennis Diamond's video design played on two large monitors, an effective addition of black-and-white newsreels of the original HUAC hearings, movie clips and press photos, and Trumbo family snapshots.
It's the warmth of the personalities -- of Trumbo, of his son, and of the actors who portray them -- that shines through in this passionate, detailed portrait of an American original.
Excerpted from
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Trumbo at GableStage
By Tony Guzman, Critic at Large
Trumbo's consummately crafted words bristle with everything from red-hot indignation to wildly mischievous humor.
GableStage's Producing Artistic Director, Joseph Adler, returns to the stage after decades for this production, and he does a marvelous job of reading Trumbo's words with fluid intelligence and conviction.
Trumbo is a superb testament to a genuine "man for all seasons" whose legacy is especially pertinent during this time of jingoism, political chicanery and bully-baiting.
During this election season go see Trumbo, and do the right thing. Good guys can win.
Excerpted from
Friday, August 20, 2004
Trumbo at GableStage
By Buddy Clarke, Critic at Large
An interesting bit of theatre, with deep meaning. Well worth seeing because we get to understand what kind of man and hero Dalton Trumbo really was.
