East Heights Productions theatrical presentations

{Armstrong Browning Library, Baylor University, Waco, Texas} and {Balliol College Library, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England}

But it’s also buoyed by many strong, impassioned performances, and when the actors do manage to make the text come alive (Ken McFarlane, Lisa Zee Ziembicki and Richard Chassler all have their moments) you understand why those who believe in "The Ring and the Book" have invested so much time and talent.
After Dark, Volume 31, Issue 16, page 6, review by Meg Donivan - September 9-22, 1999

Richard Chassler fell into the role of the villainous Count Guido with a complex image of an innocent man, a victim in the self-exoneration of himself ... Whereas, Lisa Zee Ziembicki’s portrayal of Pompilia was a symbol of virtue in distress, a heroic prototype, very convincing in her compliance to the tyranny of Guido, her parents, and the Church ... A scene, impressively directed as well as superbly performed, was Guido’s last and notorious soliloquy, delivered from his cell.
TheatreWorld Internet Magazine, review by Meaghan D’Otazzo - September 7, 1999

... there is something contrived about having Pompilia speak about her feelings toward her alleged lover, Giuseppe Caponsacchi (Jerry Goble), while he clutches her, speechless.
Los Angeles Times, Calendar, Arts And Entertainment page F28, review by Jana J. Monji - September 3, 1999

Shellene Cirri’s backdrop of an Italian villa is quite lovely ... Richard Chassler, playing aggrieved nobleman Guido Franceschini, does the single-note noble-bearing thing until his final monologue at the end, when he is in his cell waiting to be executed. It’s a good thing there are no set pieces within his reach - they’d be chewed to splinters. Let’s just say William Shatner shows more restraint.
Back Stage West, page 18-19, review by Anne Louise Bannon - September 2-8, 1999

However, guided by Brenda Urquhart’s polished direction, this talented ensemble has adapted poet Robert Browning eponymous two-volume book set with a kind of flair that results in an intriguing theater spectacle ... Barry Shay Schaeffer and Heather Hiltermann are outstanding in their roles as narrators and conveyors of popular sentiments. But this show belongs to Chassler and Zee Ziembicki. Chassler, in particular, delivers a passionate soliloquy while the Count is lurching toward madness.
LA Weekly, Volume 21, Number 40, page 97, review by Jim Crogan - August 27-September 2, 1999

Professional Praise for The Blue Bird [1998]

Mike Kersey, who plays Tylo the dog, does a realistic canine unless you saw Stephanie Zimbalist as Sylvia. Director Price turns in a wonderful portrayal of Bread, the Luxury, and Oak Tree. He is a man of many talents. Lisa Zee Ziembicki as Tylette, the cat, and Karen Christie as Maternal Love are very convincing . . . The masks constructed by Chris Kisvardy are clever and interesting and add to the fantasy.
It’s Showtime, Volume 11, Number 7, page 11, review by Natalie Hyatt - January 16-29, 1998

Kersey, whose genuinely fun turn as the protective dog Tylo is loaded with vigorous energy to spare. Shervington’s sassy portrayal of Fire is another one they should watch - as is Marissa Fedele’s engaging delivery of the inquisitive Little Girl waiting to be born in the Kingdom of the Future. In addition, Christie is all maternal warmth, Sablich flows smoothly as Water, Zee Ziembicki’s Tylette is downright catlike and both Sherritt and Lanyon are appealing as Tyltyl and Mytyl, respectively ... The Blue Bird rises above and beyond East Heights’ workshop production and flies straight to the imagination. It is a marvelous tale for adults and children alike to discover - as my eight-year-old daughter Kate and my 10-year-old little brother Joseph can attest to ... the two of them enjoyed the show tremendously, and the three of us got into a semi-heated debate as to whether the kids’ journey was all a dream or whether it really happened. We were still talking about it well after we got home. The verdict? Joseph and I voted for a dream, Kate’s absolutely certain it really took place ... And isn’t that how it should be? Polished or rough, when theater stimulates and inspires, it is more than enough.
Pasadena Weekly, Volume 15, Number 3, page 24, review by William Campbell - January 16-22, 1998

Though the play is dated, sentimental and short on logic, it retains much of its magic due to the strangeness of Maeterlinck’s vision ... Lanyon plays Mytyl with conviction, Karen Christie avoids sentimentality doubling as Mummy Tyl and Maternal Love (and others), and Mike Kersey is a delight as the obstreperous but loyal dog ... the play is a fascinating curiosity and an intriguing cultural artifact.
LA Weekly, Volume 20, Number 8, page 86, review by Neal Weaver - January 16-22, 1998

Lisa Zee Ziembicki as the cat Tylette was perfectly evil and Mike Kersey as the dog Tylo fell into the role of man’s best friend with ease.
Entertainment Today, page 33, review by Ginny Zoraster - January 16-22, 1998

There were fine performances in this aptly directed debut from Jamieson K. Price. The minimalist set was both practical, yet creative ... it was an entertaining evening from an entertaining cast.
Talent Magazine, Volume 111, Issue 1.15, page 16, review by Breck Charles White - January 15, 1998

The most fun of the evening is provided by Mike Kersey, doggily adorable as Tylo, a loyal and lovable mutt, and Lisa Zee Ziembicki as Tylette, a respectably independent and sexy cat ... East Heights Productions has done a commendable job of psychologically updating Maeterlinck’s play,
Back Stage West, page 9, review by Madeleine Shaner - January 15-21, 1998

The Blue Bird is an allegorical fantasy which reassures young and old alike that happiness is where the home is. This new production, directed by Jamieson K. Price, is a bold attempt to stage Maurice Maeterlinck’s classic story with limited technical elements and a cast of both veterans and newcomers.
Drama-Logue, Volume XXIX, Number 3, page 24, review by Elias Stimac - January 15-21, 1999

The play’s high point comes when Tom’s mousy girlfriend, Emily (a hilarious deadpan Lara Baird), turns away from the drunken superficiality of this shipwrecked party to sing a world-weary and protracted dirge to the audience.
LA Weekly, Volume 19, page 102, review by Randee Trabitz - December 20-26, 1996

Craig Lucas’ "Blue Window" is a slight piece, with little action, but the characters and their interactions can evoke a feeling of discovery, pensive revelations over the capriciousness of life.
Los Angeles Times, Calendar, Arts And Entertainment page F36, review by Jana J. Monji - December 20, 1996

Carolyn Chiodini seems to have flair for campy damsels in distress and should excel with better material. Kara Maria Miller has the exotic look to go with her character of the Leopard Woman.
Night Life Entertainment Magazine, Issue #655, page E38, review by Rob Stevens - December 27, 1995

Maniacal scientist Bluebeard (Richard Magram) mesmerizes young women into marriage to use their bodies for his evil work, the creation of a third genital ... Kara Maria Miller is sexy as Lamia the Leopard Woman, but as the part is meant for a man in drag, the point about genital confusion is lost.
LA Weekly, Volume 18, Number 3, page 82, review by Randee Trabitz - December 15-21, 1995

Kara Maria Miller, as the leopard woman (don’t ask) Hecate, has the only memorable scene, revealing her past in a goofy French-cabaret-style song.
Los Angeles Reader, Volume 18, Number 10, page 52, review by Patrick Corcoran - December 15, 1995

"As my beard is blue, I’ll twist some human flesh into a genital new," proclaims the doctor (Richard Magram), with no apologies to "King Lear’s" Kent. For a maniac, Magram proves surprisingly genial ... Natalie King is hilarious as a strait-laced Victorian reduced to quivering hedonism by the doctor’s advances, and Carolyn Chiodini as the victim of his experiments sports her newly grafted appendage with stylish abandon ... Even the campiest vehicles are always funnier if the performers resist acting as if they’re in on the joke. Most successful in this regard are the two most outlandish characters, the sensuous cat-woman (Kara Maria Miller) and the hunchbacked servant (Mitch Rubman), who stay solidly rooted in their alternate reality no matter how silly the dialogue.
Los Angeles Times, Calendar, Arts And Entertainment page F21, review by Philip Brandes - December 15, 1995

A GIRLS GUIDE TO CHAOS [1992], In Los Angeles, Cynthia struggles with relationships and is grateful for a little help from her friends.
CANDY & SHELLEY GO TO THE DESERT [1990], Two ladies escape for a vacation across the country. Their car overheats in the desert and a lone biker comes their way adding to the antics.

In The News

Ad: A GIRL’S GUIDE TO CHAOS Creative Loafing, Volume 21, Number 25, page 18 - November 14, 1992

A Greek-American theater production Proini, page 16 - November 28, 1990

{California State University Sacramento, Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection}

Kallas’ wisdom in his use of placing the right character in the right place at the right moment is personified when Athena steps onto the stage. Ann Greyson plays the "Goddess of Wisdom" who becomes Pandora’s guiding light. You will love the modern game of charades. This sequence is sheer madness. What a better way to name a mythological goddess! Adeptly, the playwright concocted this refreshing, innovative, utilization as a tool to keep the play moving along in a fun way.
The Metropolitan bi-weekly student newspaper of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Park-Madison campus in New Jersey, Volume 32, No. 1, flyer insert, September 19, 1990 review by Nolan H. Rhodes - June 3, 1990

TALK STAGE [1991], Documentary program about three individuals struggling for an acting career in New York City.
{CMC Community Media Center Channel 19, Westminster, MD} and {Women in the Director’s Chair Film & Video Festival, Chicago, IL}

Reference copies of East Heights Productions theatrical programs at: The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Library, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA;
and Theatre In Video, Academic Video Online, Alexander Street of Alexandria, VA

The Ring and the Book

The Blue Bird

Blue Window | Bluebeard

Pandora