Musings and Asides about Sex Pantheon Productions

"Musings and Asides . . . about Sex," Pantheon Productions' showcase of solo scenes, contains both audition speeches and sporadic drama. Under the direction of Kevin Theis, 10 actors, recreating historical or literary legends, testify to the power of sex to exalt, destroy or confuse.
The testimony divides roughly into proponents and detractors of sex. Ironically, the boosters are led off by Juliet (Mo Williams) in the tomb, lusting for her handsome husband (just before she sees his corpse). Clearly, her praise of sex will be quickly qualified. However rhapsodic Williams' emoting, her writing adds nothing to a sufficient original." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Tribune January 25, 1996


1/10/96 - 2/10/96


Musings and Asides . . . about Sex," Pantheon Productions' showcase of solo scenes, contains both audition speeches and sporadic drama. Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Tribune January 25, 1996

Under the direction of Kevin Theis, 10 actors, recreating historical or literary legends, testify to the power of sex to exalt, destroy or confuse.

The testimony divides roughly into proponents and detractors of sex. Ironically, the boosters are led off by Juliet (Mo Williams) in the tomb, lusting for her handsome husband (just before she sees his corpse). Clearly, her praise of sex will be quickly qualified. However rhapsodic Williams' emoting, her writing adds nothing to a sufficient original."


This program of monologues lives up to its title: a procession of famous literary and historical figures delivers rambling discourses on erotic matters. Albert Williams, Chicago Reader January 19, 1996

Written by the actors who perform them, the speeches are uneven but share one quality: they don't have much to say. Instead of probing the psychology of Orson Welles, Judy Garland, Cupid, Juliet, Montgomery Clift, etc, the pieces recount anecdotes from the characters' usually unhappy lives and describe but rarely illuminate their moral or emotional conditions.
This play, intended to fall into the genre of Jane Martin's Talking With..., comes across as a glorified casting call, one actor after another auditioning for our approval. Directed by Kevin Theis, they generally make credible but unexceptional impressions. The ones who play celebrities come nowhere near capturing the right mannerisms or intensity; more successful are Patricia Thompson as Eleanor of Aquitaine, giving emotional conviction to her tale of a discarded middle-aged wife, and Laurie Buck as the Unabomber, seeking revenge on the men who've returned her love letters unopened.

The only real gem here is a very funny turn by Eric Johner as the Cat in the Hat, lounging in stovepipe hat and long johns as he declaims his Dr. Seuss-ian doggerel "Fun Sex Rex" ("Would you try it in a car? Would you try it in a bar?"). Succeeding on sheer silliness and charm, Johner puts to good use the superficiality that flaws more serious attempts, like Dennis Stewart's supposedly profound but actually sentimental characterization of God.

Author
Pantheon Productions

Director
Pantheon Productions

Performers
Mo Williams, Mary DeVeny, Dale Gregory, Eric Johners, Patricia Thompson, Dick Mintos, Laurie Bucks, Ed Dzialo, Dennis Stewart, PJ Jenkinson

Tags: Theater, Old Europe, 1996