Features Overview
TWELFTH NIGHT | WELDED | ONE LONG DAY | HAZARD | 2ELFTH NIGHT | HELEN | A TIME FOR HAWKING | SEEN / BY EVERYONE | ANGEL STREET (GASLIGHT)
Adrian Deane as Feste transports us into an almost otherworldly setting with her wit, shimmering presence, and almost magical control of any situation.
-Jarion Monroe
Also outstanding is Deane’s Feste. Deane plays the fool with sensitivity and depth. Her remarkable talent for song and dance elevates an already excellent performance.
Adrian Deane is a sober Feste the jester, fretful and compassionate, here made Viola’s confidante in lieu of one of the several minor characters cut out of this adaptation. Deane’s Feste also sings some powerful renditions of the play’s songs, in keeping with the melancholy vibe of David Warner’s haunting music.
And Adrian Deane’s gentle Feste is also delightful.
The amazing thing about Twelfth Night, I think, is the extraordinary growth arc experienced by each and every character, and, in this production, this is abundantly clear.
Another thrill of the show, which I saw Sunday, Aug. 13, at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, is Bridgette Loriaux’s direction.
If eros is everywhere in Illyria, so is meanness. Director Loriaux is wise enough to let those two sit side by side without needing to resolve them. Some on the isle can walk off into the sunset hand in hand with their lovers; others can only look downward, legs dangling off the lip of the stage. But even for them, life isn’t over; there are many nights yet after the twelfth.
EUGENE O’NEILL FOUNDATION of Danville Goes to Ireland
After a run with the Danville foundation, Eric F. Hayes takes WELDED to Sister-Theater St. Michaels in New Ross, Ireland.
By invitation, to open for the Eugene O’Neill International Festival | October 13th - 16th, 2022
St. Michael’s Church, October 13th 8pm
Praise for Deane’s Performance:
HIGH PRAISE FOR DEANE AS ELEANOR CAPE:
Though it has rarely been performed, it was very well received. US actress Adrian Deane was outstanding in the lead female role of Eleanor Cape.
—- New Ross Standard, David Loopy
And what a part it is, requiring Eleanor to spin through a kaleidoscope of emotions at a dizzying pace. In lesser hands the dialogue could certainly seem “overwrought.” Indeed, during rehearsals of the premiere, Doris Keane pleaded with director Stark Young to let her withdraw from the play, saying she could not act the role (see Gelbs, 234). Deane, however, was up to the task.
While hurdling through the scale of emotions at the breakneck pace the text requires, she struck each note resonantly and made the abrupt and extreme changes in pitch seem the inevitable results of her character and circumstance.
—- Daniel McGovern, Project Muse | Penn State University Press | Volume 43, Number 2, 2022 | pp. 224-226
2 1/2 BREATHS
Reviewed by Ed Rubin of TheatreCriticism.com
Ed Rubin reviews Bridgette Loriaux’s Off Broadway Premier of 2 1/2 BREATHS:
“Every once in a while, a little-known theater company, usually from a distant city, mounts an amazing groundbreaking theatrical production, brings it to New York City for a limited run, and then returns to their home base leaving us all lusting for more.”
https://www.theatrecriticism.com/bridgettte-loriauxs-2-1-2-breaths-finishes-off-broadway-run-at-chain-theatre/
What is it to become a word? To become or even create an emotion that doesn’t exist…at least not yet. How much power does the artist have to convince and make believe? The awesome power to make one believe. How much potential does movement theatre actually have? In this world? Now. These questions have been the driving force in writing this piece
– Playwright Bridgette Loriaux
BEST ACTRESS NOMINATION & BEST DRAMEDY
for ADRIAN DEANE and ‘ONE LONG DAY’
at THE 2021 SMOKEY MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
‘One Long Day’
Wins Best Dramedy & Nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film for Adrian Deane
‘Best Dramedy’ at the 2021 Bare Bones International Film Festival
Official Selections at the 2021 Toronto International Women Film Festival, the 2021 Monadnock International Film Festival, & the 2021 Smoky Mountain Film Festival
Written and Directed by Gairo Cuevas
‘Hazard’ Horror Short Gets Some Love
Named ‘Short Film of the Week’ by Filmink
“Worth Watching!” says FirstShowing.net
HorrorNews.Net reviews: “This is a short sweet campfire story of a film and I like it.”
Junkyard Demento says the film “cleverly builds tension and suspense, leading to a satisfying end.”
SlashFilm explains how writer-director Gairo Cuevas came up with the concept for the film: “inspiration came while his dog was dropping off some fertilizer.”
HorrorBuzz summarizes ‘Hazzard’ as “Simple, delightfully predictable, but haunting.”
Keane & Doyle Return from Their Edinburgh Festival Fringe Debut with Feelings, Friends, and Nothing but Four and Five Star Reviews!
Ronan Hatfull The 730 Review — FIVE STARS:
“2Elfth Night is a jaw-dropping display of vaudevillian Shakespeare, with female-male double-act Keane & Doyle sharing nearly every part […]” — Ronan Hartfull, ‘The 730 Review’
“The result is chaotic, intense, farcical and joyous. So perfectly do they inhabit and distinguish each specific character, that it is sometimes difficult to believe that there are only two actors onstage. Particular highlights include cross-gender cast examples such as Keane’s frat boy-aping Sebastian and Doyle’s imperious Olivia.”
“These interpolations and Shakespop mash-ups enhance the production’s irreverent tone and make it one of the most accessible Shakespeare productions at the Fringe.”
“It must also be said that the plot, despite being conveyed by just two actors, is incredibly clear and well conveyed to the audience. There are moments when the comedy is stripped away and Keane & Doyle demonstrate their dramatic chops. For instance, during Keane’s delivery of Viola’s speech in Act 2 Scene 3 which concludes with her reply to Duke Orsino that she is ‘all the daughters of [her] father’s house’, there was a palpable, awestruck silence in the theatre, as Keane delivered the lines with beautiful sincerity and a clear, naturalistic tone. The best productions of Shakespeare’s comedies are those which recognise the need to lean into those serious moments of shade amidst the raucous light and 2Elfth Night is a perfect example of this.”
“I would compel you to catch them at your earliest convenience and look out for their brilliant work. This is a company operating in the true, vaudevillian spirit of Monty Python, the Reduced Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Brent and their work presents Shakespeare as the playwright himself would surely have intended: fast, direct, involving and moving.”
Christopher Gaunt The Wee Review — FOUR STARS:
“They change characters seamlessly, using new voices, different mannerisms, and as-slick-as-possible costume changes. However, during all of this absurdity, they still keep to much of the same dialogue as the piece from which the story derives. Thus allowing for both Shakespeare novices, as well as frequent visitors’ of the Globe Theatre in London, to find joy in the production.”
“The play finds a nice balance between interacting with the audience and showcasing the pair’s natural character acting and physical comedy. […] The joy and energy the pair bring to the performance provide the most delight for the audience. They seem to be having genuine fun telling this absurd rendition of a timeless story, whilst also giving it the grace it deserves, and ultimately providing laughter and smiles to everyone lucky enough to attend.”
Elaine Chapman Freelance Review — FOUR STARS
Natalie Holman Three Weeks Edinburgh — FOUR STARS:
“Despite all the fun kerfuffle onstage, they do actually portray Shakespeare’s classic clearly and succinctly. ‘2Elfth Night’ is an enjoyable, comedic and engaging production suitable for all ages.”
Jasper Cresdee-Hyde Binge Fringe — FOUR STARS:
“The interplay and chemistry between Keane and Doyle is tremendously fun; sure, they’re an established duo by this point, having been performing together since January 2017, but strong interactions aren’t necessarily a guarantee at the Fringe.”
“Indeed, each are accomplished actors in their own right, weaving between a wide variety of characters effortlessly while being funny in the process.”
Tweet-Sized Reviews — FOUR STARS:
“12th night by 2 people in an hour, feat. Audience participation, possibly recognisable tunes, several cups of water and of course, stripy yellow socks. Fast paced without losing the sweeter beats of the play, highly entertaining & worth a look!”
2ELFth Night 'Crowned" 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe's COMPANY TO WATCH
THE 730 REVIEW has Posted its BEST OF THE BEST, POST-FESTIVAL LIST, and 2ELFth NIGHT is Mentioned not Once but 2-WICE!
After a generous 5-STAR review to end KEANE & DOYLE’s first Edinburgh run, THE 730 REVIEW has continued its praise and included 2ELFth NIGHT in its post-festival EDINBURGH FRINGE AWARDS 2019.
Keane & Doyle are chuffed to have been named the COMPANY TO WATCH this year, as well as a nice runner-up BEST OF THE BEST.
Needless to say the duo are encouraged to continue their adventures into festival lands near and far, bringing flailing, confusion, blasphemy, and possible joy to audiences across the universe.
Thank you to THE 730 REVIEW’s Ronan Hatfull and Emily Champion, as well as all this summer’s audiences, in Scotland and in California, who made 2ELFth Night into something real, actually funny, and reliably, fantastically weird!
HELEN at THEATER OF YUGEN
Charles Lewis III of The Thinking Man’s Idiot writes, “[W]e follow Helen (played admirably by Adrian Deane, star of two of the best shows that I saw last year) through her routine of killing flies (a nod to Emily Dickinson?), changing her dress, and making herself up in the mirror […].” Dream Girl: ‘Helen’ at Theatre of Yugen
Christine Okon of Theater And Such writes, “As Helen, Adrian Deane navigates moments from selfish obliviousness to the shaky self-doubt that can lead to change.” What Would Helen Do
Rachel Norby of Theatrius writes, “Helen (talented Adrian Deane), the most beautiful woman in the world, has been living in a hotel room in Egypt for 17 years. Like Rapunzel in her tower, Helen is waiting for someone—her husband Menelaus (captivating Steven Flores)—to rescue her.” ‘Helen’ Delves into Illusions of Beauty & War, at Yugen, S.F.
George Powell of For All Events writes, “[…] she deals with her enduring fame, […] At the same time […] feels caught in an information vacuum, unsure the seemingly endless war is actually over and unable to find out any substantive news on TV. […] These emotions are skillfully and convincingly portrayed by Adrian Deane as Helen […].” Thought-Provoking ‘Helen’ Delights Audiences at Theatre of Yugen
Jean Schiffman of San Francisco Examiner writes, “Adrian Deane is a graceful Helen, easily negotiating the play’s comedy as well as its quieter, deeply felt moments.” Theatre of Yugen’s ‘Helen’ Offers Funny, Feminist Perspective
Lily Janiak’s blurb in The SF Chronicle: ‘Helen’
Time for Hawking
Lily Janiak from the San Francisco Chronicle Zeroes in on Adrian Deane’s Work as Jane Wilde!
"Jane must perform a series of unenviable tasks. She has to maintain a fervent curiosity when her interlocutors seem like they’d be just as content whether she kept talking to them or not, and when they display not a fraction of the interest in her work — medieval Spanish poetry — that she has in theirs. She has to get insecure and defensive about the value of the arts as compared with the value of science. And she has to become the good woman whose love, faith and strength, the play implies, propels a man to greatness.
Yet Deane does exquisite work with these thankless chores, elevating Jane to not just a three-dimensional character, but one of molten complexity. Deane has the power of transforming her expression completely without visibly moving a single facial muscle. It’s as if clouds of rage, hope, gratitude and genuine curiosity keep silently storming through, for an instant inflaming her eyes and flushing her cheeks, then ceding ground to the next passing weather system.”
Seen / By Everyone
THE THINKING MAN’S IDIOT
“[…] Adrian Deane’s enthusiastic, confused, and frightened performance as Maggie, which holds the entire play together.“
"As you’ve probably figured out by now, this show made me cry. This is – after 4.48 Psychosis – the second show I’ve seen in several months that dealt with death in a way that was hauntingly real, despite its stylized presentation. (And both shows star Adrian Deane as the departed.) It’s a show that takes humanity’s long-held questions about death, filters them through the lens of social media, and punctuates it with the occasional pop song. So, by the time Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” is sung by a character in denial of her own grief, I was a mess.”
- Opening Night Review by Charles Lewis III
FOR ALL EVENTS
“Maggie (Adrian Deane) fills the difficult role of spirit who remains ever-present thanks to her still-existing social media presence.“
- George Powell says “All that and More”
TALKING BROADWAY
"'When someone dies,' as several of the characters say toward the end of the piece, 'you don't get over your grief by forgetting—you get over your grief by remembering.' And so it is with Seen/By Everyone: it shows us—in its yugen way [a sense of the ineffably profound in art and nature]—that when memory is all we have of a person, we embrace them still by keeping them in mind."
"If you are looking for answers to the big questions of life and death, you won't find them here. All you will find are more questions. You will be unsettled and unsatisfied, yet if you open yourself up to the underlying emotions being presented in such a mannered and precise form, you may find the experience of Seen/By Everyone compelling."
ANGEL STREET (GASLIGHT)
INDEPENDENT NEWS
"As Mrs. M., Adrian Deane is a revelation of realistic portrayal. Her maddened state is a painfully truthful representation of a mind under siege, never trusting itself, and completely controlled by a stronger will."
"Adrian Deane radiates fearful anxiety under meek reserve as Bella Manningham."
"Adrian Deane captures both Mrs. Manningham’s fragility and strength in a stirring performance."
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/10/24/curtain-calls-review-by-sally-hogarty-role-players-craft-beautiful-thriller-with-angel-street/