Dispatches From the Scene:

Previewing House Divided, presented by InterAct Theatre Company

Close followers of Theater Buzz (thanks dad) may be puzzled by my recommendation of House Divided this week. Just a few Buzz’s ago I wrote that I feel at odds with InterAct’s general mission. I can almost hear the Sunday morning local theater roundtables: “Flip Flopper!” Not so fast Philly theater pundits. What I actually said was that “regional theater elevates a woefully limited number of voices with limited perspectives. The solution, however, is to develop new voices with underrepresented experiences, not to be more fair and balanced.” Larry Loebell is a Philadelphia writer that, in my estimation, has been woefully underrepresented on this scene. Plays like La Tempestad, Girl Science and The Ballad of John Wesley Reed never received a fair hearing in the city’s major regional theaters. For example, in 2005 La Tempestad received an off-Broadway production, which sold well and landed a very positive review in the New York Times, but it never received a whiff of interest here. The more that regional theater limits itself to simply producing work that has already had success in New York and London, the more provincial it becomes--a watered-down version of the real thing. The more that Philadelphia theater companies nurture their own writers, designers and performers, the more they develop Philadelphia’s voice. That makes this city a more inspiring place to live. Oh yeah, and it creates jobs for artists. I’m for that too. There are other manifold ripple effects. Think globally, act locally. It’s worth repeating. Think globally, act locally. Now you try.   

Loebell’s latest, which begins previews this week, is about a Jewish Philadelphia family divided over their views on Israel. In the Vietnam era, Lou (who will be played by David Howey) became quite orthodox, immigrated to Israel and joined the IDF. His brother, Douglass, stayed in the states and pursued a career with Amnesty International. While on assignment for one of my other employers, I had the opportunity to talk to Loebell about the play during a dinner break from rehearsal. “I don’t want this to be, ‘he refused to state his position,’” he said when asked about his stance on Israel. “I just sort of think it’s irrelevant. The play speaks for itself.” He was also adamant that the play is not autobiographical. Still, it’s clear that his life and experience provided him with ample material. Loebell is from a large Jewish family, some live in Israel, some are very conservative, and others are on the opposite political pole. I’m looking forward to Larry’s framing of the debate. He has a unique, thoughtful poise when it comes to these issues. The cast and crew are replete with talented Philadelphians. What a victory for local artists!

$23 - $27, May 23 - June 22, Interact Theatre, 2030 Sansom St., 215.568.8077, www.interacttheatre.org

This week’s e-mail is from Sarah in Kensington. She’s a tweedy little bugger, but that doesn’t stop her from reading The Buzz. Thanks Sarah. Below are my responses to your comments/questions.

 “Can you ask Aroundphilly.com to fix a typo after it's published?
There's an extra t in the eighth of eighth and dickinson.' “I hope this is helpful and not being prick-ish.”

Prick-ish, but that’s okay. You’re reading.

“Also, I hope they will give me a job someday as copy editor.”

Send resume to cconnors@aroundphilly.com.

“Also, I hope that I am not Mail-bag(ged).”

No hyphen necessary in Mailbag.
 
“Also, a Journey musical would be amazing.”

I agree.

“Signed,
Possibly Your Most Devoted/Critical-in-a-Hopefully-Helpful-Way Reader”

Replied to by,
Possibly your most sassy-in-a-hopefully-sassy-way theater critic.