Latest news with #TheReservoir
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jake Brasch's ‘The Reservoir' suffers from arrested character development at the Geffen Playhouse
All unhappy families of addicts are unhappy in their own way. Unless, of course, you're a stage family, overrun with 'characters' who don't so much speak as deliver laugh lines and dispense nuggets of moral wisdom. Those families tend to be all alike, regardless of the superficial differences among them. Grandparents play a larger role than usual in Jake Brasch's 'The Reservoir,' which opened Thursday at the Geffen Playhouse under the direction of Shelley Butler. But the theater's ability to turn family dysfunction, be it alcoholism, Alzheimer's or just garden-variety existential agony, into entertainment and instant illumination, has long been a staple of the American stage. My tolerance for the artificiality of the genre may be lower than most theatergoers. Some take comfort in hoary comic patterns, souped-up eccentricity and reassuring pieties. Overexposed to this species of drama, I slump in my seat. Indeed, my patience was as thin for 'The Reservoir' as it was for 'Cult of Love,' Leslye Headland's drama about a family breakdown during the holidays that made it to Broadway last season after its 2018 premiere at L.A.'s IAMA Theatre. Neither play is beyond pandering to its audience for an easy laugh. Serving as protagonist and narrator, Josh (Jake Horowitz), the queer Jewish theater student on medical leave from NYU who wakes up one morning after an alcoholic bender at a reservoir in his hometown of Denver, exhibits the snappy, manic banter of a drunk not able to face up to his problem. Patricia (Marin Hinkle), his long-suffering mother, has had it with Josh's relapses, but how can she turn away her son who lies bleeding on her couch? With his mother's help, Josh gets a job as a clerk at a bookstore as he tries once again to pull his life together. Fortunately, Hugo (Adrián González), his manager, is quick to overlook his lax performance. Apparently, drinking has so scrambled Josh's brain that alphabetizing books takes every ounce of his strength. I didn't quite feel as indulgent toward Josh, but not because I didn't sympathize with his struggles. My beef was that he sounded like an anxious playwright determined to string an audience along without forced exuberance and sitcom-level repartee. (Compare, say, one of Josh's rants with those of a character in a Terrence McNally, Richard Greenberg or Jon Robin Baitz comedy, and the drop off in verbal acuity and original wit will become crystal clear.) What gives 'The Reservoir' a claim to uniqueness is the way Josh's four grandparents are conscripted not just into the story but into the staging. Seated in a row onstage, they serve as chorus to their grandson's travails, chiming in with their own opinions and acting out his description of the way his thoughts compulsively take over his mind, like an unstoppable train or a raging river. Each also has an individual role to play in Josh's recovery. Patricia's mother, Irene (Carolyn Mignini), for example, has been transformed by dementia since Josh has seen her last. She's always been his favorite grandparent. He fondly recalls baking cookies, playing Uno and singing along to 'The Sound of Music' with her. Even when she pulled away after he came out in high school, his affection has remained steadfast. He would like to connect with her again and fears he has lost his chance. At the bookstore, he reads up on Alzheimer's disease and hatches a plan to build up the cognitive reserve of all his grandparents by feeding them spinach and keeping them mentally engaged. He's trying, in effect, to save himself by saving them, but they're too feisty to be corralled by their unstable grandson. Irene's fiercely protective husband, Hank (Geoffrey Wade), an arch religious conservative, is too grumpy. As for Josh's paternal Jewish grandparents, Shrimpy (Lee Wilkof) is too much of a practical joker with sex on his mind. And Beverly (Liz Larsen), an electrical engineer who doesn't mince words, is too gimlet-eyed not to see that Josh is focusing on his grandparents to avoid doing the hard work of recovery. Having been sober for many decades herself, Bev recognizes the narcissism of addiction, the way addicts have a tendency to put themselves at the center of the universe. She offers Josh the tough love that he needs, forcing him to see that a grandparent isn't just a grandparent but a human being with a complicated history that needn't be worn like a Kleenex visible from under a sleeve. Josh sets out to be a savior but ends up getting an education in the reality of other people. Brasch's intentions are noble, but 'The Reservoir' doesn't plunge all that deep. The play draws out the distinctiveness of the grandparents by ratcheting up their zingy eccentricities. How easily these characters fall into a punch-line rhythm. Larsen has the most consequential role and she imparts just the right note of astringency. But the staginess of the writing makes it difficult for any of the actors to transcend the shtick that's been assigned to them. Hinkle brings a depth of realism to her portrayal of Patricia, but the character isn't fully developed. Whole dimensions of Patricia's life are veiled to us. Both Hinkle and Gonazález gamely play other characters, but these sketched presences compound the general impression of a comic world drawn without much nuance. The staging is frolicsome but visually monotonous — a problem for a play that is much longer than it needs to be. More than two hours of looking at the fey-preppy outfit costume designer Sara Ryung Clement prepared for Horowitz's Josh becomes a kind of fashion purgatory for audience and protagonist alike. I'm not sure why a production that doesn't take a literal approach to settings has to repeatedly trot out the front seat of a car. The spry assistance of stagehands, who not only move set pieces but help flesh out the world of the play, is a jaunty touch. But the sound and lighting effects get rather heavy-handed during Josh's hallucinatory meltdowns. Blame for the inexcusably clunky dream scenes, a writing fail, can't be pinned on the designers. Horowitz had the Geffen Playhouse's opening-night audience in the palm of his hand, but I heard an actor playing his comic lines more than his character. Horowitz, however, is only following the direction of a playwright, who has a harrowing story to tell and needs you to enjoy every tricked-up minute of the zany-schmaltzy telling.
The Citizen
24-04-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Fourth sluice gate reopened at Vaal Dam
As of Thursday, the Vaal Dam water levels exceed 111%. Two sluice gates will be opened on Thursday. Water management authorities have implemented a structured release schedule to manage the rising water levels. Picture; Nigel Sibanda The Vaal Dam has seen a significant rise in water levels, increasing by 3.82 percentage points overnight to reach 111.64% capacity. In response to the rising levels, authorities opened a fourth sluice gate at 10am on Thursday, with plans to open a fifth gate later in the day. Current Vaal Dam levels According to The Reservoir's latest report, the Vaal Dam is currently experiencing high water inflow at 1 332.4m³/s with an outflow of 461.1m³/s. This outflow figure is still to be confirmed. The dam started Thursday with three gates open and no river valves in operation. At 10am, one more sluice gate was opened due to the increased inflow. The nearby Vaal Barrage is maintaining a level of 7.6m with an outflow of 1 094.4m³/s and a water temperature of 18.1°C. ALSO READ: Gauteng residents warned to brace for more severe weather Vaal Dam water scheduled releases Water management authorities have implemented a structured release schedule to manage the rising water levels. The Reservoir reported that a fourth sluice gate was opened at 10am, with a fifth gate scheduled to open at 16am on Thursday. Downstream at Bloemhof Dam, outflows are being systematically increased throughout the day. The schedule includes increases to 1 050m³/s at 9am, 1 300m³/s at 11am, 1 550m³/s at 1pm and finally reaching 1 800m³/s by 3pm. ALSO READ: Heavy downpours are a threat to crops Vaal Dam rising water levels Wednesday's data showed the Vaal Dam at 107.82% with significantly lower inflow of 215.8m³/s and outflow at 299.6m³/s, with only two gates open. The dramatic overnight increase in water levels follows months of heavy rainfall since March. Tourism impact despite flood concerns The high water levels have caused some concern among residents and potential visitors to the area. The department of water and sanitation previously advised residents near the dam to evacuate their properties as a safety precaution, leading to speculation about negative impacts on Easter weekend tourism. ALSO READ: Government won't compensate residents near dams for flood damage, says Majodina Despite these concerns, Midvaal councillor Pieter Swart indicated that tourism in the area remained strong during the holiday period. 'Vaal Marina businesses experienced a very successful Easter weekend. I have not yet received word of businesses on the river to suggest otherwise,' Swart said. When asked about statistics on cancellations and support measures for affected businesses, Swart noted that no specific data was available, but standard cancellation policies would apply regardless of the cause. Infrastructure and safety measures Addressing concerns about infrastructure and safety, Swart emphasised existing regulations for property development near the dam. 'Authorities have regulations in place in terms of building lines (one in 50 year flood line, one in 100 year flood line etc). These should be adhered to by property owners and risk assessments taken into account,' he said. Swart also reminded the public of the dam's primary function, stating: 'It's important to remember that the Vaal Dam's main purpose is water storage and it will be managed as such.' NOW READ: Weather alert: Wet conditions across the country and possible snowfall in KZN
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
New York isn't theater's only powerhouse, and this Bay Area company shows why
In Bay Area theater's post-COVID worry over butts in seats, budget balancing and company closures, it can be easy to sideline another metric that's just as important: how much new work a region is adding to the art form. Without world premieres, after all, the local theater scene could only recycle others' successes. In a region famous for counterculture and subcultures, risk-taking and innovation, art here would look like widgets from big-box chain stores. Berkeley Repertory Theatre's 2025-26 lineup, with three world premieres among seven titles, helps ensure the Bay Area is no mere importer. And while Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer said she doesn't consciously program around a theme, some throughlines emerge after the fact. One, she told the Chronicle in advance of unveiling the company's slate on Wednesday, April 23, is 'Who is America meant for?' Another is thick, thorny familial relationships. The latter is on ripe display in the season opener 'The Reservoir' (Sept. 5-Oct. 12). In Jake Brasch's play, a queer young man struggling to stay sober enlists his four grandparents to help, with wacky and poignant results. Amid his recovery, Pfaelzer said, 'he realizes that each one of these people exists in their own complexity, with their own pain, with their own sense of joy, with their own accomplishments and failures — and that really he is the living legacy of all of those things.' Fall continues with 'The Hills of California' (Oct. 31-Dec. 7). Jez Butterworth's play begins in 1976, when four adult sisters reunite as their mother lays dying, then travels back in time to 1955, when that same mother ruthlessly drills her daughters with the hope of their becoming a girl group in the mode of the Andrews Sisters. 'It's an epic play that places mothers and daughters at the center of it,' Pfaelzer said. 'It looks at all of a mother's aspirations for her children, all of the ways in which one can fail in that and the ways in which children love, honor, reject all of their parents' dreams for them.' Former Magic Theatre Artistic Director Loretta Greco revisits the Bay Area to direct; 'The Hills of California' is a co-production with Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, which she leads. With the world premiere of 'Mother of Exiles' (Nov. 14-Dec. 21), Berkeley Rep sets its sights again on Angel Island, the subject of Lloyd Suh's 'The Far Country,' which the company produced last year. But Jessica Huang's play is really a triptych, Pfaelzer pointed out, with only the first part set at the San Francisco Bay's immigration station, following a woman about to be deported in 1898. In the second part, one of her descendants works for the border patrol a century later; in the third, it's 2063, and still more descendants seek refuge from climate disaster. The new year heralds the company's second world premiere in 'How Shakespeare Saved My Life' (Jan. 23-March 6). Jacob Ming-Trent's autobiographical epic poem, co-produced with Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater, mixes references to Renaissance drama with nods to the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Former Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Tony Taccone directs. Up next in 2026 is Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons' (Feb. 20-March 29). Director David Mendizábal resets the 1947 classic, in which wartime moral turpitude poisons a patriarch's pursuit of the American Dream, amid a Puerto Rican family. Mendizábal is also the company's associate artistic director. Pfaelzer shared that this project came about after she asked him, 'What are you hungry for next? 'When I'm in a long-term artistic relationship, that is both the privilege and the responsibility of my position: to get to ask that question to somebody,' she added. Then comes 'The Monsters' (March 27-May 3). In Ngozi Anyanwu's West Coast premiere, a little sister follows her big brother's mixed martial arts career from a distance, till one day she appears at his door out of nowhere. The show, Pfaelzer said, explores how siblings are 'the people best suited to be the truth tellers of our own sense of our family.' The season wraps with a new epistolary musical, in the form of 'The Lunchbox' (May 17-June 28), which adapts the 2013 film of the same name. The love story is set in Mumbai, where every day deliverymen whisk thousands of homemade lunches from wives at home to husbands in offices. In the show, written by Ritesh Batra and Daniel and Patrick Lazour, Pfaelzer said, 'A woman in a somewhat loveless marriage is doing everything she can in pouring her heart into the making of these lunches for her husband … and it ends up on the desk of a man who has lost his wife.' Rachel Chavkin ('Hadestown') directs. For subscriptions, which range from $224 to $756, call 510-647-2949 or visit
