Featuring Richard Thomas (who?) as Juror Eight. Fascinating 90 minute courtroom drama with no intermission that takes apart individual beliefs while exposing public schools of thought for their shoddiness and hypocrisy. And it’s only a first degree murder charge.

After the performance, a panel featuring 3 professors of law and 3 of the actors was conducted by somebody from the educational department at the OCPA (Yeah, they changed their name by schmooshing Arts and Center into one big, hard-to-say word, Artscenter!). Unfortunately at least 3 questions were wasted by older folk who chose to voice their opinion that yes, it is incorrect form to stab downward with a switchblade knife and that they know because they were trained in the usage of switchblade knifes by their parents or by the military. Oy!

Starring Scott Coutler & Debbie Gravitte accompanied by John Boswell
Act 1

• Overture (included Morning Glory from Pippin) – John
  • segued into
• Magic To Do from Pippin – Scott, Debbie and John
• Summer Night from Rags – Debbie
• Just Around The Riverbend / Corner of the Sky from Pocahontas / Pippin – Scott
• In Whatever Time We Have from Children of Eden – Scott and Debbie
• Extraordinary from Pippin – Scott
• Colors Of The Wind from Pocahontas – Debbie
• Out There from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame – Scott
• It’s An Art from Working – Debbie

Act 2

• Entracte (including No Time At All from Pippin) – John
• Turn Back, O Man from Godspell – Debbie
• Dreamscape from Reluctant Pilgrim (Schwartz’s standalone album) – John with Scott and Debbie
• God Help The Outcasts from The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Debbie
• What Is This Feeling? from Wicked – Scott and Debbie with John
• For Good from Wicked – Scott and Debbie
• Defying Gravity from Wicked – Debbie
• Medley
  • Day By Day from Godspell – Scott, Debbie and John
  • Bless The Lord from Godspell
  • Popular from Wicked – Scott and Debbie
  • When You Believe from Prince of Egypt – Scott and Debbie
• Encore – Someday from The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Scott, Debbie and John

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This is a dramatization of a novel that was also a movie. Originally titled “The Caine Mutiny”, the novel details the actual incident as well as the ensuing court martial. After the movie was made starring Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg, Broadway came calling. The author decided to dramatize just the court martial, revealing the incident solely through exposition. Thus The Caine Mutiny Court Martial was born.

A fascinating courtroom drama, the stars of this production are Lt. Cmdr. Queeg (Michael Turner), Lt. Barney Greenwald (Geoffrey Varga) and Signalman Third Class Junius Urban (the comedic relief, portrayed by Shane Cullum). Everybody else kind of passes in the night and does alright, but these three actors really make the performance worth enduring.

I’m really pissed at my audience. About halfway through the 2nd act, Queeg delivers one hell of a monologue that builds and builds and builds and when it finally reaches its peak, you see him not as a rational military thinker, but as a paranoid personality. And my audience chose to clap for him, COMPLETELY destroying the moment. Damn seniors! If I ever reach my golden years, go to a show and do that, you have my permission to shoot me in the head. Just remind me first, cuz otherwise that’s just cruel. And wait until the show is over, so that the performance is no more disturbed than it already is.

I fell asleep during the first act because I was very tired which is a shame because the show is really cool. The show consists of Hal Holbrook, who has been performing Mark Twain for over 50 years now, coming out on the stage (which is dressed up as a period turn of the 20th century lecture hall stage – chair, podium, table with books, water and combination ashtray/matchbox) and lecturing us for about 3 hours (one 15 minute intermission). It was a little frustrating because his speech was mumbled about a quarter of the time and a little difficult to understand some of the names he pronounced, but other than that, it was a hilarious show and I feel privileged to have seen Hal Holbrook perform Mark Twain at least once in my life. He also said some very poignant things that made me want to go read the collected works of Mark Twain.

The second act featured an excerpt from Huckleberry Finn which was very cool…fun to watch the “author” act out a reading of his work.

The French are thoroughly made fun of.

“I wonder if the French are the missing link between man and the monkey…”

“[in describing how all evidence in the trial of Satan is from the prosecution, never the defense]…it’s not English…it’s not American. It’s French.”

Something about how God created the monkey because he messed up with man? Whatever…it was still funny…

If someone doesn’t agree with your opinion, that person is insane. It’s very hard to respect other people’s opinions without getting frustrated at them. They are insane after all.

I drink 2 glasses of Scotch a night to prevent toothaches. I’ve never had toothaches before and I don’t plan on having them ever again.

It’s very hard to cure someone if they don’t have any habits.