Thursday, October 9, 2008

North Dallas Gazette’s October theater preview

By Rick A. Elina of North Dallas Gazette

First, here’s a thought for the day. It’s one that’s hotly debated anytime a multigenerational discussion ensues regarding art. Two opposing camps quickly emerge, vigorously taking disparate sides regardless of the art form in question; music, painting even theatre. At the heart of the debate, the central question becomes, which school of thought best serves the basic human need to self-express? Is it the classic school of thought or the modern school of thought? Or simply put in the language of today, old school or new school? The classic treasures have been around and have withstood the test of time. But there are many new gems out there waiting to be discovered. In the next few months, Dallas will play host to a variety of offerings; everything from the ancient treasures of King Tut to several exhibits featuring new age modern art. The same diversity can also be found in the upcoming productions of two local theatres. So whether you prefer the security of old school Shakespeare or feeling adventurous and wanting to discover something new, the month of October should provide plenty of choices.

Shakespeare in The Park presents The Merchant of Venice throughout the month of October. According to Shakespeare, “Dallas, Greed and prejudice tell the story of The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's suspenseful, dark comedy. In Venice, Bassanio asks the merchant Antonio for a loan which Antonio must borrow from the moneylender Shylock. While Bassanio is facing certain death, he must rely on his friends to save him from Shylock's revengeful demand of "a pound of flesh." Visit ShakespeareDallas.com for more details.

Among the new works being offered is Losing Daniel by local playwright Lon Rogers. Matthew Shelton, a famous American playwright, loses his 17-year-old son Daniel to death in a tragic automobile accident. In an attempt to assuage his grief and give his dead son a touch of immortality, he writes a play about him but finds the story too painful to submit for production. For twenty years the manuscript remains buried in a trunk in the basement of Matthew's home. Then, after stumbling upon it by accident, he decides at last to push the play for production, but only if he can choose the actor who plays the young Daniel.

Set in Colorado, in the mountain home of Matthew and Nora Shelton, the play opens with Tommy newly arrived from New York to win Matthew's approval in the role of Daniel. Tommy bears an uncanny resemblance to the deceased Daniel, which rekindles Matthew's mourning for his lost son. As the story unfolds, the margins between reality and fantasy become blurred for Matthew, until in his mind Tommy becomes Daniel—with disastrous consequences.

Losing Daniel is the story of a playwright who has devoted his life to the smoke and mirrors of the stage, only to become entangled in his own blurred inner narrative. As such, Matthew's story reminds us that we, all of us, in our attempts to grasp the imponderables of love and loss, find truth elusive. Perception becomes Truth, our truth, for it is the only reality we know.

Losing Daniel is presented by Teatro delle Muse and opens October 17th at the Art Centre Theatre in Plano. Visit TeatrodelleMuse.us for more details. Time-tested literature of William Shakespeare provides us all with a degree of security, insight and entertainment. But I believe there is a gem waiting to be discovered in this upcoming new work by Lon Rogers.

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