Reason dies for worthy cause
By Derek Burrows December 26, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Theater 
The Death of Reason
Wed–Sat, Jan 14–17, 8pm
Sun, Jan 18, 6pm
Teatro Santa Ana
200 pesos

The Death of Reason promises to be a rare sensual treat for the San Miguel theater-going audience.

This innovative and professional production, written by Stefanie Glick and co-directed by Glick and Michael Grais, has it all: superb acting with a cast of visiting actors from Los Angeles and New York City as well as local talent, live music, dancing and a film-like set.

The play, written in verse, is at once philosophical and farcical. Convinced that Reason has stood in her way of living an impassioned and satisfying life, a woman sets out on the absurd mission of hiring a hit man to commit the murder of Reason.

Stefanie Glick is a New York City playwright who has been living in San Miguel for the past year. Interviewed during a recent rehearsal, she spoke about her inspiration for the play. “When I was at a cocktail party with T. S. Eliot in the early 1930s, he said to me, ‘Don’t dilly-dally and write a play. Follow your imagination. Give in to temptation. Open every door. And always yearn for more.’ And then he dared me to eat papaya. But that’s an entirely different story.” When I asked Glick what year she was born, she replied, with a wry smile, 1964. Staying on to watch the actors rehearse, it soon became apparent that it is this kind of playful wittiness that motivates the entire play.

Glick and co-director Michael Grais, who has written and produced movies of international acclaim, have assembled a group of first-rate artists for this distinctive theatrical event. The production features live Klezmer music by Anita von Ballmoos and Nathalie Braux, set design by Don Barbaree and Gigi Cutler, art design by Luis de Garay and costume design by Carolyn Elam. The stellar cast includes Blake Boyd, Chris Davis, Jurian Hughes, Peter Ross, Karl Schiffman, Frank Simons and Michael Sudheer.

The play is being produced as part of a month-long fundraising effort for IREE, the only school for low-income deaf children in the region. To ensure that all proceeds will benefit the kids directly, the entire creative team, cast and crew are donating their time and effort. The school, which not only provides an education but also food and therapy for the students, is scheduled to close if sufficient funds are not raised.

Tickets can be bought in advance at Teatro Santa Ana (Biblioteca) or at the door. Donors who buy a ticket for 300 pesos or more are invited to an opening night reception. 

Clarence Darrow arrives in San Miguel
By Nancy Kandal

Playreaders Theater
Clarence Darrow
Tue–Thu, Jan 6–8, 7:30pm 
St Paul’s Church
Cardo 6
Donation 20 pesos 

For all the suspicion and disdain with which most Americans hold the legal profession, a few lawyers rank alongside the country’s most notorious gangsters in the pantheon of American heroes. And of all the famous mouthpieces to gain public adulation, none could give ’em the old razzle-dazzle quite like Clarence Darrow.

Now, counselor Darrow has come to San Miguel in the presence of local actor Rudy Hornish, who will star in the one-man play Clarence Darrow. 

The play, by David W. Rintels, based on the book Clarence Darrow for the Defense by Irving Stone, appeared on Broadway in 1974 and starred Henry Fonda. John Houseman directed.

Darrow is perhaps best remembered as the defense lawyer in the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925. He was pitted against William Jennings Bryan in the case against John Scopes, who was charged with teaching evolution. This trial also became the basis of a play and then the film Inherit the Wind, starring Spencer Tracy. Darrow also represented the defendants in the notorious Leopold–Loeb murder trial.

Darrow was notable throughout his career as a defender of the underdog, taking on the railroads, the government and anyone who would tamper with civil rights. He was a distinguished writer and speaker on agnosticism, free thought and humanism. He stood up for unionism and opposed capital punishment and Prohibition.

Rudy Hornish is a professional actor and director who has appeared in Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theater and in film and television in the US. He has also appeared in several SMA productions, most recently as David O. Selznik in The Players Workshop production of Moonlight and Magnolias.

This production is directed by Nancy Kandal, also a professional actor and director whose work has been seen in New York, Los Angeles and San Miguel.

Theater-goers are asked to remember that seats are on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s a good idea to arrive early.