Arts & Events

Last weekend I went to a show more or less off-the-cuff, at the behest of a friend who wanted me to see a production of 'King Lear' by a small company I'd never heard of with a funny name--Ninjaz of Drama.

'Lear' is, of course, a tough classic to pull off, to communicate whole, as a living, breathing work of art. I can count on one hand the productions I've seen where the whole play came through, not just great scenes or performances, and all of them were by professional companies, or companies dominated by professional actors.

(One of the most promising versions I've ever gone to, at the Old Vic with a famous director and first-rate cast, bogged down by the storm scene and proceeded to break apart into just that--scenes and individual performances of greater and lesser worth.)

So it was one of those delightful surprises that make everything else worthwhile to watch the Ninjaz bring off one of the clearest, most articulate performances of 'Lear' in terms of story and detail I've seen. With the fine direction of San Francisco native Rey Carolino (who also played several minor roles) and excellent script editing of David Abad, the actors of various degrees of stage experience became an ensemble dedicated to the exposition of this thematically complex, emotionally difficult masterpiece.  

Geoffrey Colton's splndid portrayal Lear deserves mention, but there were several performances of merit--and the cast worked well together, each pulling through at the most difficult moments.It confirms my longtime belief that small, semi-professional troupes are the real backbone of Bay Area theater and often do the most exciting work.The performers all deserve to be named: besides Colton and Carolino, Terry Kolkey, ShawnJ West, Lynn Sotos, Vicki Zabarte, Miranda Hanrahan, Federico Edwards, Lijesh Krishnan, Greg Gutting, Alan Quismorio, Richard Friedlander. 

There're only two performances remaining, happening right away--Thursday and Friday, June 30 and July 1, 8 p. m. at the Phoenix Theater (one of my favorite studio theaters around), 414 Mason, suite 604 (sixth floor of the Native Sons Building, between Post and Sutter, near Union Square, San Francisco. Tickets: $15-$20. ninjazofdrama.com