A murderous November on local stages

Tom Titus

If November is sweeps month for the television industry, it’s a month

filled with carnage for local theaters, at least this season. There

are some murderous goings-on at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, where

Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” knocks off its characters one

by one until nearly all of the “Indians” have bitten the dust.

But that’s small potatoes compared to what local audiences are in

for this weekend, when UC Irvine mounts the musical “Sweeney Todd”

and Vanguard University takes a crack at the “Scottish play,”

otherwise known as Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

Between these two, both set -- as is Christie’s “Indians” -- on

the other side of the pond, the body count will reach titanic

proportions. It’s difficult to determine which title character,

Sweeney Todd or Macbeth, chalks up the most kills, but both are quite

proficient in that regard.

Playgoers with a queasy stomach might prefer to take refuge at the

Newport Theater Arts Center, where Oscar Wilde’s witty comedy “The

Importance of Being Earnest” is also opening this weekend. Or, for a

little less-lethal Shakespeare, Orange Coast College’s “Twelfth

Night” bowed in last weekend.

In any event, November offers a plethora of local live theater

opportunities. But in the three aforementioned cases, maybe the word

“live” should be in quotes, since most of the characters in

“Indians,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Macbeth” have been sent to their

eternal reward by the final curtain.

UCI didn’t have to look very far to find an actor to assume the

role of the murderous Sweeney Todd. Robin Buck, head of the

university’s music department’s voice emphasis and opera workshop,

plays the bloodthirsty “demon barber of Fleet Street.” He’s performed

major roles in leading opera houses and theaters around the world.

“This is one of the greatest and most challenging roles ever

written,” Buck declares, “requiring exceptional vocal, physical and

emotional stamina.” The Sondheim show will be on stage for two

weekends at the Claire Trevor Theater. Reservations are being taken

at (949) 824-2787.

Susan Berkompas, who heads Vanguard’s theater program, is

directing “Macbeth,” which she terms “one of Shakespeare’s most vivid

depictions of the battle between good and evil.” The tragedy also

runs for two weekends only. Tickets are available at (714) 668-6145.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” may seem tame in comparison with

the other two murderous offerings bowing in this weekend, but it’s a

classic in its own right. Oscar Wilde’s comedy of romantic

shenanigans, directed by Darlene Hunter Chaffee, will play weekends

through Dec. 14 at the Newport Theater Arts Center. Reservations may

be obtained by calling (949) 631-0288.

Whichever attraction they choose, theatergoers should be in for a

bloody good time.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.