Collier, Schmidt do fine job with 'Gamma Rays'

OK, nothing and nobody is perfect — but sometimes some things pretty come close to it. The Acting Company's production of "The Effects of Gamma Rays on the Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" is a good example.

It currently is running at TAC through Aug. 1, and you'll kick yourself for not making at least one show of it. Two would probably be better.

The show is directed by Chris Collier, but the real weight of the show is carried by Ada Schmidt, who should be a contender in the annual SARTA (Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance) award program for best actress — if TAC is still part of that organization.

If not, TAC should find some sort of special award to give Schmidt, because she really delivers in this role as Beatrice.

I mean, Ada Schmidt does "bitch" really, really well, and that is the point of this whole play.

Having some exposure to this sort of thing — hey, life is tough all over — I told her as much after seeing her performance last weekend. She has an artist's sense of humor, and my comment got a good laugh.

What is amazing about Schmidt's performance is how much of the show she carries. She probably does 80 percent of the lines in the show. This more or less makes it a one-woman show.

That's not to say Rachel Devitt, who plays daughter Matilda, the central figure growing the marigolds, does not do a good job. No, she does a fine job.

But the script by Paul Zindel focuses on the mother, a hard-drinking, cigarette-smoking, resentful woman not too happy that her blossoming daughter is showing her up.

There is a second daughter, Ruth, well played by Andrea Angove-Volb. She is the catalyst at critical moments in the play. I was particularly struck by the fine portrayal she does of an epileptic seizure. It is a key moment in the play, and if you've never been exposed to this, you should be there for the, er, demonstration.

Director Collier has done several plays at TAC, but this is likely one of his best productions so far.

The stage set by Heather Cowell is simple and straightforward. Only one major rearrangement is required. That's economic stage management to be sure.

Also of note is the lighting. The special lighting effects — lightning, thunder — provided by lighting designer Matthew Tmozick add important stage values.

Ancillary sound effects were provided by John Proctor, and they work well.

Of special note is Heather Young, who does a number of backstage tasks, but — if I'm reading the program correctly — she also plays Janice, who represents Matilda's most serious contender in the scientific competition that forms the central issue in the play.

Going back to the set designer, there is a cat skeleton in the scene in which Rachel is competing.

There are a couple of things about this Collier production that infrequent theater-goers my not fully appreciate. Some of these points are covered in the director's program note, which amounts to an unusual personal confession of his love for the theater.

"I have been thinking a lot lately about the opportunities that life gives and one of the greatest is to work in the theater with talented people," Collier writes. He then goes on to identify individuals who have meant a lot to him in putting this excellent show together.

"A special thinks to Nancy Perillo for her creative costume design and to Anthony for his magnificent efforts to obtain the marigolds," Collier noted.

Truth to tell, I was specifically wondering about that particular issue because I wouldn't know at gunpoint the difference between a marigold and a daisy. Thus, I sat through much of the play wondering if I was actually looking at a marigold or a daffodil.

Still, Collier did a much better job preparing for his task than I did. He got scientific.

"In my research," Collier reports, "marigolds can ward off destructive pests, radiation, heal skin diseases and can even survive on the nutrients from moon rocks. Some people can thrive in the worst of families."

Which brings me back to what a great job Ada Schmidt does with her role as the mother, Beatrice. She handles the smoking well and seems to know how to walk around the house expertly with a half pint of whiskey from which she nips with aplomb from time to time.

First published in 1970, Zindel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play remains relevant.

There are a couple of roles that should not be overlooked.

Nanny, played by Barbara McCarthy, has no lines, but the way she gesticulates does her role proud.

Then, too, there is Ringo Star, who plays the role of Peter the rabbit.

I checked afterwards, and it was a floppy-eared breed of bunny rabbit. While he met his mortal demise by a brutal murder, I can faithfully report that he was in good shape at the end. Of the play.

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Shop 'til you drop!

The Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council (YSRAC) is currently participating in the SaveMart "SHARES" program. Purchases made with a SHARES card earns 3 percent "points" for YSRAC — the equivalent of about one dollar — on grocery purchases, according to spokesperson Tory McConnell.

Hey, that's not bad.

All current members who are interested participating in this fundraiser to support YSRAC will receive free cards upon request, McConnell reports.

It's pretty simple getting started with this. After receiving the free card, swipe it every time purchases are made at SaveMart supermarkets.

Points are credited to the YSRAC account, and we will receive a quarterly check for the amount earned, McConnell reported.

Questions and comments should be directed to YSRAC at 742-2787 by email at e-mail@yubasutterarts.org.