I cant have a single conversation these days without what Messr. Trump has decreed or done in the last 12 minutes intruding. <\/p>\n
Similarly, I can no longer see a topical play without shuddering because I keep picturing his apparent belief that all journalists except those who toil for Fox should be drawn and quartered. <\/p>\n
Consider Ideation, a Marin Onstage production directed by Queenelle Minet at the Belrose Theatre in San Rafael. <\/p>\n
Its a creepy serio-comedy that builds to a crescendo of, well, ambiguity. <\/p>\n
Minet, in the program, says she likes the plays unique ability to make us laugh and feel horrified at the same time. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the laughs are rare. <\/p>\n
Ideation readily plays into all my night terrors, especially with germ warfare being about the only apocalyptic item not on Trumps wish list. <\/p>\n
Sandeep, a Harvard-educated engineer from India competently portrayed by Heren Patel, wonders if the mysterious, secretive Senna Project he and his think-tank colleagues are working on is really a plan to kill brown guys named Mohammed, foreigners people who look like him. <\/p>\n
Is the project meant to save humanity? <\/p>\n
The four co-workers start to worry that their backers are involved in a sinister conspiracy. <\/p>\n
And as the corporate consultants paranoia grows, they begin to become excessively suspicious of each other. <\/p>\n
Ben Ortega as Brock, who futilely strives to be cool and always think logically, provides the funniest moment when hes so overwhelmed with possibilities he stammers. <\/p>\n
And stammers. And stammers. <\/p>\n
Another amusing interlude occurs when three members of the ensemble cast search hither and yon for electronic bugs, laying waste to anything in their way. <\/p>\n
And I grinned when smiley and frowny faces are used to illustrate grim scenarios on the blackboard. <\/p>\n
But its impossible not to wince when the dialogue focuses on liquidation facilities and a doomsday virus, or choosing between crematoria, a mass grave or burial by sea (in sinkable shipping containers). <\/p>\n
Ted (Len Shaffer), whose southern accent vanishes from time to time, reminds them theyve been asked to save the human race from extinction. <\/p>\n
But Brock asks, What are we gonna do with all the bodies? <\/p>\n
Upwards of 2 million of them. <\/p>\n
Later, however, he tongue-lashes the groups lady boss, Hannah, for being worried about imaginary people in imaginary death camps. <\/p>\n
Bringing to the forefront of my mind shades of Nazi Germany. <\/p>\n
Interestingly, Marianne Shine, who plays Hannah a tad stiffly, has dedicated her performance to her father, a Holocaust survivor. <\/p>\n
The fifth actor, Jeremy Judge, is Scooter, 22-year-old intern squeezed onto the team through nepotism, again reminding me of our peerless leaders penchants. <\/p>\n
The entire cast, which needed to memorize and understand an inordinate number of phrases and concepts, deserves at least a B for its efforts. <\/p>\n
Playwright Aaron Loeb only merits a C, though for coming up with a laborious peek at mental masturbation, a satire unduly convoluted, complicated and complex. <\/p>\n
Loquacious to the nth degree. <\/p>\n
Even the title which means a creative process of forming new notions isnt a word Ive ever used in a polite sentence. <\/p>\n
Ideation premiered at San Francisco Playhouse a few years back and then moved to off-Broadway. <\/p>\n
It lasts only 90 minutes and has no intermission. But its exhausting since it contains about 1,768 thoughts and what seems like 2,958,854 words. <\/p>\n
And it still doesnt answer any of the big questions it poses. <\/p>\n
Ideation will run at the Belrose Theatre, 1415 5th Ave., San Rafael, through March 4. Night performances, 8 p.m. Fridays and Sundays; matinees, 2 p.m. Saturdays. Tickets: $12 to $24, subject to change. Information: 415-290-1433 or http:\/\/www.marinonstage.org<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read the rest here: <\/p>\n 'Ideation' is complex, convoluted, not-so-funny satire - Marinscope Community Newspapers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I cant have a single conversation these days without what Messr. Trump has decreed or done in the last 12 minutes intruding Continue reading