by Charlsie-Kern Kruge
Okay. The first thing to know about “Dada Teen Musical: The Play” is that it’s not a musical. Another cool thing is that it is Central Works 78th (!!!) successive world premiere. I think they might be on a roll. A third thing is that this is a dream cast for comedy. Seriously. (Or not). A fourth thing is that it is very, very funny. And a bonus: Although it’s about a high school drama club creating a Dada version of “The Sound of Music” it has no music, no Alps, no Maria, and no cute children. Which, no doubt, will come as a relief. What it does have is a wicked smart script by Maury Zeff. The kind of script that makes you gasp with laughter.
Let’s get to that dream cast. There’s four of them. They are very charismatic actors playing juicy roles with the kind of zest that is born of absolute confidence in their skills. They compete. It’s hilarious. They are Chanel Tighman who plays Mariah, a sullen teen with a passion for The Ramones. Passion is too little a word. Mariah is obsessed with The Ramones. You may be familiar with Chanel Tighman from her standout star performance as Dorothy in A.C.T.’s recent revival of The Wizard of Oz. Jacob Henri-Nafaa may be less familiar you, but he is no less skilled. He plays teen-dream cum nightmare Tyler, a real go getter with the leadership skills and ethics of the Piped Piper of Hamelin. Hide your children! Henri-Nafaa has shown himself in the past to be a fine dramatic actor. I remember his 2020 performance in an excellent version of Chekov’s “Three Sisters”. But his Dada turn here is a looooong way from the sophistication of 19th century Moscow. Then there’s Zoe Chien as Annabel. Audiences outside “the biz” may be a bit less familiar with Zoe Chien than those theatre folks that know her for her association with 3Girls Theatre Company and Playground (a local new play incubator). Her performance as Annabel is the polar opposite of Mariah, the Ramones freak. Annabel is wired for success, determined to get into Harvard and anxious to buck up her resume by producing a school play. She is rebellious, though, in her way. She has decided to set her sights on Harvard because her entire family has been drinking at the tables down at Mory’s for generations. They’ll be devastated. (An obscure joke, but those who know will know. Look it up, if you like.) Lastly (not least by any reckoning) is the SF Bay area’s premiere nerd specialist, Alan Coyne, determined to whip the rest of the company into shape. He is Mr. Dorfman, the high school math teacher with a secret passion for Dada, who is easily manipulated by Annabel and Tyler. Well, Mr. Dorfman, the character, is easily manipulated. Mr. Coyne, the actor, gives the other company members a hell of a run for their money.
My point is that there is nothing like watching truly excellent comic actors, at the top of their game, competing with each other on stage, full of zest, and obviously having a wonderful time – especially when the material is new, well written, and the setting is close up. The theatre at Berkeley City Club seats fewer than 40 in a parlor type setting. It’s a treat.
Maury Zeff’s ear for the language of teenagers is also a treat. He has a sensitivity to style like Damon Runyon, and the rhythmic intensity of David Mamet. The dialogue is rapid fire and full of delights. As I began preparing this review, I pleaded a copy of the script from the producers. I hoped to find some pithy examples of Zeff’s dialogue – but, alas, it is difficult to pick anything out of context. The whole is too much greater than the sum of its parts, and, moreover, without the actors’ rapid fire and inspired delivery, it doesn’t quite deliver the magic I felt at the performance.
So you’re just going to have to go see for yourself.
Gary Graves wisely directs this mayhem with a light touch. He just had to toss the script at the actors and let’em chew. There is no set to speak of, although there are a few cleverly chosen motivational posters to look at. Tammy Berlin has fun with the costumes.
Don’t worry if this review doesn’t give you much idea of the plot. It’s obscure, at best, in any case.
That’s dada for you!
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Rating: *** *(For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“Dada Teen Musical: The Play” by Maury Zeff. Original music by Alex Mandel. Director: Gary Graves. Costume Designer: Tammy Berlin. Lighting Designer: Gary Graves. Sound Designer: Gregory Scharpen.
CAST:
Mariah: Chanel Tighman. Tyler: Jacob Henrie-Naffaa. Annabel: Zoe Chien. Mr. Dorfman: Alan Coyne.
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