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Eugene from Ashland to start up Willamette Repertory Theatre, he said he wasn't going to do Shakespeare. Why bother, when Ashland was only three hours away? But after only one year, he realized how much he missed the Bard. He wanted to get back to that language and offer it to Eugene. But which play to produce? Therein lay the question. The answer revealed itself in a most unusual way. "We were having a mailing party up at Mom and Dad's," Boyd says, grinning his widest oh-boy-I-love-my-job smile, "and afterward only a few people were left. I looked at Achilles (Massahos) and Patrick (Torelle). They were standing there watching TV: same expression, same height, same age, same girth; it was incredible. I thought, 'I've got to do something with this.'" Comedy of Errors was his answer. In what may have been Shakespeare's first play, two sets of twin brothers are separated at a young age. When one brother, now grown, enters Ephesus, the town of his identical twin, the case of mistaken identity creates all sorts of mayhem. The brother's wife thinks her husband no longer loves her and tries to get him back; and a man who is a pillar of society loses his reputation, his house, gets arrested for nonpayment of debts and is accused of being insane. Serious themes, yet portrayed in a very funny way. And that's easy for both Massahos and Torelle (the servant twins named Dromio), who, according to Comedy's director, Dan Kremer (recently seen in Willamette Rep's Art), "are splendidly funny gentlemen with a marvelous sense of the comedic." Kremer is a purist who sticks closely to the script without adding a lot of extra embellishments. In other productions of Comedy, Kremer says he's seen "the theme overwhelm the play." Although the play chronicles events that are completely bizarre, Kremer wanted to emphasize that those things are happening to real people. "What's funny is how those people react to those situations," says Kremer. The setting (by Norm Spencer) is a crossroads in a little town; the time is the course of one day out of any era (lighting design is by Michael Holcomb). Merchants occupy the town, so business suits with an international flair but no particular time period are the fashion (costuming is by Alexandra Bonds). The music is original and a style cannot be pinpointed (sound design is by Doug Clark). In short, the audience will be welcomed into a world of complete fantasy. And this cast is up to that task. Although Boyd had planned on using more Equity actors when he first came to Eugene, he soon realized the local talent (composed of some Equity but mostly non-Equity actors) was impressive. Only three members of this production are Equity, but "No one's a stranger to the stage," says Kremer. Indeed, some of Eugene's finest actors make up what Kremer calls "an extremely professional company with an enormous amount of training and experience." Because Comedy is an easy play to follow, children are encouraged to attend. To make it affordable, the Rep is offering a special family discount: With the purchase of an adult ticket for a Thursday or a Sunday matinee, a youth ticket is only $10. See calendar for dates. Call 682-5000 for tix. *Patience, Compassion, Gratitude is the title of TApRoOT's latest performance art showcase, happening at 8 pm Jan. 26 and 27 at LCC. "We wanted to offer our version of Love, Aquarian Love that is, to our friends, our people and our community," say Amy Impellizzeri and David Koteen. To help them spread the word, they've invited fellow Aquarian friends Kimberly Christensen, Sarah Palmer and Quint Ehley to perform as well. * Our space here is limited and nearly every theater in town is opening shows at the same time (which hurts everyone's box office), so all I can do is remind you that UO's Dancing at Lughnasa opens this weekend, as does ACE's A View from the Bridge. Opening last weekend were Black Satin: Divas of the Century at ACE, which I hear is great and Cloud 9 at Lord Leebrick. VLT's The Murder Room continues. I saw Cloud 9 last Friday and loved it. I've long been a David Beck fan but this time he completely blew me away (so to speak). The rest of the cast turns in remarkable performances to create a magnificent ensemble piece. It's funny. Leave the kids at home (see EW 1/18 for preview story).
figures, sweet l'il Bluegene is on its way to becoming a real, fully grown-up big city. We've had 23 percent population growth in the last 10 years and more people are coming. So maybe we should anticipate our urban maturation, maybe get our laws-happy City Council to enact a new law: Every ward of our fair burg should have at least one dining place like Jake's Place at 605 West 19th. We're pretty sure it's a rule in the great metropolises like New York, Chicago, Boston and such. Even in Portland, it seems, there is an unwritten but well followed rule that there must be at least one good neighborhood restaurant where normal people of modest means can dine on good grub, reasonably priced, in a relaxed atmosphere. Well, we're not Gotham yet, so for now Jake's Place will have to serve as an example of the quintessential neighborhood pub & grub. Jake's joint is boopy, a combined dozen booths and tables, plus a counter with about 10 stools for singles or couples who yearn to sit side-by-side. There's no bar as such -- no hard liquor, just beer (good taps) and a modest wine list -- but a couple of televisions hang in space, the sound off, rolling subscript text. The walls are covered with baseball pennants, neon beer signs, and large mirrors; these create the illusion of a larger space and more people. The lights are low and the tables covered in dark red leatherette, lending a feeling of hideaway intimacy. Jake's doesn't take reservations and the tables stay full almost every night, but service is snappy and informal, so waits are usually brief and made more painless by the musician playing classical guitar by the door. The owner of Jake's Place, Marty Tremaine, hired as his Executive Chef Bill McCallum, ex-chef of the Tree House. Together, they've created a menu that makes Jake's jump, offering a wide spectrum of options. Folks with bistro appetites can tackle burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads; serious diners can tuck into serious food. The Kat Pack arrived on a busy Friday night and jump-started dinner by selecting from the nine available appetizers. We picked the fire -- cajun chicken wings ($5.75) and panfried oysters, also cajun-style ($6.75). The wings were tasty, but the oysters rang bells, fresh, firm, flavorful and flaming. We doused our smoldering palates with a bottle of St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc ($22). Yum. We passed on the pastas -- seven choices that ranged from spaghetti ($7.25) and Veggie Lasagna ($8.50) to Fettucine Alfredo ($7.75) to Pasta with Prawns ($15). Another time; we will be back. Jake's "Specialties" are distinguished by reasonable prices and preparations that, while not being wildly inventive, show a flare for flavor. Peter Poet polished his plate whereon had lain a nice cut of Whiskey-Cured Prime Rib ($14.50), served with garlic mashed potatoes and a medley of veggies. Peter added a gleam to the ceramic dish by swirling chunks of Grandma's rolls ($4.25/doz. to go) in the sauce, only wishing for slightly more flavor of the whiskey marinade. "Good crust on the meat, but where's the whisky?" Soho Sandy found solace in the Crab Louies ($14). Fresh pineapple chunks made this an original. Ripe tomatoes this time of year that did not scream of chemically induced color. Fresh, sweet, sucullent crab (plenty of it) topped this plate of tender greens, self-drizzled with fresh squeezed lemons and a fruity olive oil. Lenny sadly landed a loser, the night's special seafood entree, a medley of snapper, salmon and scallops baked in a bechamel sauce with cheese topping ($14). The salmon was over-cooked and dry, the snapper submerged by the sauce. The scallops saved the dish, perfectly cooked, tender and toothsome. The rice side was bland, almost soapy in flavor. I opted for a classic, Brandied Pepper Steak ($15), the meat crusted in crushed peppercorns and topped by slices of red and green peppers. The beef was clearly high quality and prepared with a nice feel for temperature and tenderness, but I was most impressed by the side veggies, especially the baby carrots roasted in fresh dill -- delish. Though well stuffed, we let ourselves be tempted by our waitress and her lilting descriptions of the desserts. The chocolate mousse was a winner, but a lot of people are going to crave the chocolate brownie with ice cream and whipped cream topping and chocolate drizzle, especially if the server can get the brownie hot. Sated, we struggled for words to summarize our Jake's Place experience. We all agreed: Jake's is the kind of place everybody wants just down the street, around the corner, close to home. A place where regular people can relax and easily eat a good meal at fair prices. In the '40s, "jake" was a term for "just fine," as in "Everything's jake." In that sense, Jake's jumps, no jive.
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