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BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » Hot Dames and Tough Guys in ‘Angel Face'; Buzzin Interviews Singer Shawn Ryan; Preview: ShowBuzz Coming Up Applications Engagingbaresingers Fa About Treet Archives Engaging Bare Singers

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The Dame gets a job at a Gangster Run Night Club as a singer to try to get evidence on who thinks is the real killer. Suddenly, she is this gorgeous singer wearing the latest rags. No explanation about where she got the money. Why did she want to get this job? It’s complicated, but she believes that the Gangster killed her brother’s girlfriend. She starts to snoop and tries to open the safe. But, Dames in those days were not too bright – so she gets caught. They douse her with booze and plan to kill her and dump her somewhere. To the rescue at the last minute is the Copper – in time to save her, but not her brother who has just been executed minutes before she was saved.

The story starts out at the beginning with a soulful Billie Holliday song. It was quite fitting with this mournful story. No one can relay passion better than Holliday. This is truly inventive staging by the Word for Word group. It has a rapturous visual look in this go-for-broke Noir Crime drama. Not only does the Woolrich work come to life on the stage, it comes to life like a 3-D black and white movie. It exerts a grip that won’t let go. No snooze time here. It’s a tough, taut cat-and-mouse thriller.

There are many characters in this play, but only eight actors play various roles. The most Noir-ish actor was Michael Patrick Gaffney who plays a Detective, A manager and a sidekick to the mobster among other parts. Laura Lowry plays the ‘Dame’ who looks the part and is fascinating, but in the first part of the play with her effected New York accent – it was difficult to hear all of the words. Later on in the play when she becomes the glamorous Night Club singer – she thankfully dropped some of N.Y Brogue. Paul Finocchiaroo was especially effective as the Night Club Boss. All of the cast members in feature roles give performances that ought to be remembered for a long time. They are Danny Wolohan, Morgan Voelliger, Casey Jones Bastiaans and John Flanagan. They hold this bare-knuckle noir together.

Dramatic lighting design by Thomas Ontiveros. Period perfect costume design by Laura Hazlett. Fabulous sound design by Calvin L.L. Jones. The crisp and engaging direction is by Stephanie Hunt. Pre-show music is from the Robert Downs collection of 78’s. In Noir days they would say: “I do dusties”. – meaning: I sing songs that are out of style. But Noir is never out of style. Noir is the new thing and gaining in popularity all over the world.

Angel Face is at Theatre Artaud through Sept. 2. www.zspace.org/angelface.htm.

RATING: FOUR GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE!!!! –trademarked- (highest rating).
Recipient of the Lee Hartgrave FAME AWARD – Best Play.


Singer Shawn Ryan

INTERVIEW: BUZZIN WITH – SHAWN RYAN

(Shawn Ryan Live at the Herbst Theater, Fri., August 24 at 8pm. One Night only. The America’s Got Talent Semi-Finalist returns to SF for a concert featuring the 14 piece Kelly Park Orchestra, 7 Dancers and 3 Back-Up Singers)

Shawn, you sang the lyrics, "I want to be rich and famous and powerful" on 'America Has Talent.' Just wondering, do you feel that you are living that song?

Yes and no. The song is wonderfully sarcastic and funny, but I don’t think of myself that way. I would not want to be that sarcastic in my personal life. The name of the song of course is not ‘I Want to be Rich, Famous and Powerful’ but most people think that it is.

The Judge "Piers" on the "America" Show said, "I don't usually care for cabaret-type singing, but you are one of the best that I've heard." Piers is known as 'America's Got Talent' version of Simon Cowell. Let us know what you really think of him. Chances are he will never have the chance to review you again.

Actually, Piers was one of the best supporters of my act on the show. As hard as that may seem to believe – because he has the reputation of pushing the loud buzzer in the middle of an act when he doesn’t like an act. That never happened to me on the show. I only remember having a great experience. All of the Judges, including David Hasselhoff were really great.

When you advertised for male dancers on your show, you said the dancers must be comfortable dancing around and with a completely out gay man. How did this work for you?
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