BWW Reviews: Incredible Paul Potenza & Angela Bond in Jobsite's ANNAPURNA

It's been a strong year for local theater thus far, and the performances I've seen at Jobsite Theater are certainly one of the reasons. People are still talking about Zachary Hines' camp perfection in Vampire Lesbians of Sodom or Giles Davies scene-stealing brilliance in Twelfth Night. But Jobsite has saved its best for (near) last with their latest, ANNAPURNA at the Shimberg. This exceptionally well-written play has the two finest performances of the year that I have seen from any local theater group. I left the Shimberg with tears streaming down my face; I was not just affected by the play's content (powerful stuff) but at seeing real acting with real purpose done by two performers at the top of their game.

Great art has the power to change us, to shake us, to remind us that we are not alone. It can connect or disconnect, it can humanize us or make us hate, it can entertain or make us think. But it must make us feel something in some capacity--joy, sorrow, whatever the case may be. The single greatest production I have ever had the pleasure of seeing was 23 years ago, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles--the first time both parts of Angels in America (Millennium Approaches and Perestroika) were shown together. It shook my world. It was a year before the future Pulitzer/Tony-winner hit Broadway, and I sat afterwards unable to move. Seven hours of the best theater I had even seen, with just a dinner break separating Parts One and Two. I had just witnessed something so powerful that I was left speechless. Literally, for several minutes. I felt very protective of what I had just seen, like it was suddenly my own child. And then I got home and found out, via answering machine, that my grandfather had died. It was a moment where the power of art merged with my life events.

ANNAPURNA at Jobsite left me with a similar kind of feeling (thankfully, no life-changing phone messages awaited me this time after it was over). Although the play isn't on the same level as the Kushner masterpiece, nor does it share its epic scope, and even though it goes on five minutes too long for my tastes (it should have ended right after the moment of revelation, where the audience is on the edge of their seats and an exquisite moment with an iPhone follows), it will leave you in breathless delight, so happy that this kind of theater is going on in the Bay area right now. It's very exciting. If you are worrying about the present state of local theater, then get your butt over to the Shimberg right now to see that the performing arts are alive and well and shining brightly in our area.

The opening image will not soon be forgotten: A man, totally naked with the exception of a strategically placed apron, holds a frying pan of tainted sausages while a well-dressed woman stands in front of him, stunned and obviously taken by surprise, as they stare at one another in a cluttered trailer. We soon learn that he (Ulysses) and she (Emma) had been married, and that she disappeared twenty years earlier with their young son. Ulysses is now a disheveled mess, looking like a mountain man in a nudist colony from hell, dying of lung cancer. Why his wife felt the need to flee years earlier, and why she ultimately decides to return now, are two of the mysteries that hang over the show.

Sharr White's script is a winner, with just the right touches of humor and pathos. We are wrapped up in the two characters' dilemmas. Something quite risky is done with the show's structure. In most plays, Act 1 is usually longer than Act 2; here, that notion is turned on its head with a twenty-odd minute Act 1 and an 80-plus minute Act 2. But it works. Act 2 is especially a work of art, its power erupting from the Incredible (note the capital "I") performances of two people who I will now travel anywhere to watch--Paul Potenza and Angela Bond.

As Ulysses, the bearded Potenza has left an indelible mark on me. He has reached far beyond the words in a script and created an original, offbeat, lovable, horrifying, but truly human character. It's a one of kind part--where the actor has dug deep into himself and has left everything on that stage. Every emotion is utilized, every physical aspect is at play. If you are an acting teacher, take your students to see Potenza in action. He is playing a man breaking down, with the shakes, gasping for breath, knowing his time on earth is limited, and he must sustain this for that 80-plus minute Act 2. This is why nothing beats live theatre...in a movie, the actor would get to rest between takes; here, he must stay in character the entire time, struggling for strength, knowing he's slowly dying. It is mesmerizing to watch. He winds up breaking your heart as few performances ever will. Although Potenza starts off ANNAPURNA completely stripped of his clothes, he becomes stripped emotionally by the end of the show. And so do we.

Angela Bond starts off rather slick and distant; it suits the part, but it takes the audience several minutes to warm to her. By Act 2, she matches Potenza's energy, and we really feel like we are watching a couple. Bond really delivers the goods; she even turns the simple act of sandwich making into a work of art. She takes her time throughout the show, holding back when appropriate, but when she lets it out, it is a catharsis not only for her and Potenza's Ulysses, but also for us.

The show was co-directed by the husband-wife pair of Summer Bohnenkamp and David Jenkins (Jenkins is also the Producing Artistic Director and co-founder of Jobsite), and they have guided their actors into these exquisite characterizations. The script is chock full of great stuff, but without these two stellar performances molded by Bohnenkamp and Jenkins, it might be like every other play I've seen. They have staged it wonderfully (though Bond sometimes faces the audience too many times for my naturalistic tastes) and the pace never lets up; though the structure is obviously wacky with the short first act and long second act (divided by an intermission), it works beautifully.

Brian M. Smallheer's set of a Paonia, Colorado trailer's frame works well, and the cluttered interiors make it look like an American Pickers flea market booth with unkempt beds. (I like the use of Piggly Wiggly merchandise as well as the picture of Burt Lancaster on the wall; however, I'm still wondering what Pikachu is doing in all that mess...was it once a toy owned by Ulysses' son?) Kaylin Gess' lighting sets the tone (the outside brightness dimming as night approaches is a nice touch). The music enhances the show, especially the version of "Ain't No Sunshine." The costumes also suit the play well; Potenza does get to wear pants in the second act, and I like Bond's Act 2 outfit--an open-backed dress where marks/bruises are revealed on her upper back when she turns away from the audience.

All of the behind-the-scenes aspects work exceedingly well, but in the end it's Potenza and Bond who score the victory. Their acting cuts to the bone; performances like these are why I love reviewing. It's been over two days, and I am still shaken. And awed. You only have four more chances to get that same jolt that only the best art--and the best performances--can deliver. Don't make the mistake of missing it.

ANNAPURNA plays at the Shimberg (in the Straz Center for the Performing Arts) until May 24th. For tickets, please call (813) 229-STAR (7827).

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