"The Family Makespeace" by Tom Mercer has it all, mystery, surprise, humor and an articulate understanding of the human psyche!

Diablo Actor’s Ensemble recently produced a smash hit and thoroughly outstanding production of Willy Russel’s Educating Rita, starring well known professional actor, L. Peter Callender and local favorite Ginny Wehrmeister in their little 49 seat theater in Walnut Creek. Now, a month later, Artistic Director Scott Fryer, has come up with another terrific offering in a "world premier" of Tom Mercer’s “The Family Makespeace”. This new play is a gritty, tightly woven and pungently humorous story of a terribly dysfunctional family, brought about in large part due to the infidelities of the family patriarch, Jack Makespeace. Director Daunielle Rasmussen has brought together a stellar cast of professional level performers to deliver a story about a family gathering to celebrate (with tongue in cheek), among other things, Jack’s birthday. Jack is a professional actor, albeit a minor bit part and commercial walk-on actor, with many years of enduring skills and enough talent to keep him traveling and engaged constantly.

The gathering consists of Jack’s lesbian daughter, Sally (Hannah Brunner), his depressed and alcohol sustained son, Michael (Vince Faso), Jack’s second wife, Peg (Jennifer Lucas), a friend of his daughter, Gwen (Kate Jopson), Sally’s significant other and lesbian lover, Andi (Maryssa Wanlass), and a surprise guest, Isabel (Rachel Siegel).

As soon as the lights come up on the first act, it is obvious that the tension is palpable and that something far more significant than a simple birthday gathering is about to occur as we observe second wife Peg, attempting to quickly camouflage three suitcases in a corner of the front room as she rushes to the front door to admit her first visitor. Michael arrives with a chip on his shoulder, obviously not thrilled with the idea of being at this gathering to celebrate the birthday of a father he has absolutely no love or respect for. He immediately asks Peg what there is in the house to drink, requests a beer, then changes his mind and asks for plain scotch, and plenty of it. Peg and Michael discuss his well developed propensity for booze and she tries to convince him that it will be better for all concerned if he lightens up on the attitude and alcohol. Michael learns that his sister will be arriving soon, accompanied by a friend, whom he assumes will be her lesbian girlfriend. Peg runs off to another room to complete the birthday cake and Michael responds to a knock on the door. He admits a very attractive young woman, Gwen, whom he incorrectly assumes is his sister’s lesbian girlfriend. After making a complete ass of himself during the introductions, he learns that Gwen is actually a “straight” girlfriend of his sister, who has been invited specifically to meet him! They start the introductions over to attempt to get off on a better foot, but it seems that Michael has three left feet, one of which is perpetually in his mouth.

Andi and Sally arrive and the sparring continues into a near blood-sport event as the family members verbally dissect each other, each trying to determine who has the greatest disdain for dear old dad for leaving their mother in shambles many years earlier. No one seems to know when dad is actually supposed to arrive but bantering continues as the family laundry is put on fluff dry to remove some of the static in the air.

As the palpitations continue, the heart of the evening’s story is about to make a left turn in an even more disastrous direction. While there is a great deal of pain and frustration between the family members, author Tom Mercer has done a superb job of taking the acrimonious edge off, with some outstanding and cleverly penned humor. There are many insightful lines such as “I think I want to slip into something more comfortable - - like a coma!” Perhaps his artful mix of comedy and sarcasm might be compared with Neil Simon, but I think he has landed on his own feet, quite soundly, with a terrific, albeit very short and succinct play. I believe the entire play, with no intermission, took just slightly over an hour. While the story and the characters have room to expand without desensitizing the impact, the play as written, works very well.

The acting is absolutely perfect, a true triumph in bringing these characters from page to stage. I loved the mix of emotions, love, frustration and sweet surprise in a perfectly culminated story. Just as in real life, there are a lot of twists and turns. This story has it all, mystery, surprise, humor and an articulate understanding of the human psyche.

The story came about when Tom Mercer attended the first Contra Costa Times playwriting contest a few years ago. The following year Tom sat down and began writing this play which had been bouncing off the walls of his brain for some time. He came away the winner with what was considered to be the best play in that year’s contest. Then in 2008, when the Diablo Actors Ensemble promoted its own play writing contest, Tom submitted a reworked version of the story and again won the contest, which led to the opportunity for this play to be staged in this theater.

Tom has been a long time Bay Area resident and holds a B.A. in drama from San Diego State University. He has attended and worked through an interface program that brought highly respected actors and writers from the theatrical incubator that is Los Angeles to the hallowed halls of SDSU to work with students to assist them in their learning process. After Tom returned to the Bay Area, he immersed himself in community and local theater, eventually piloting a new dinner venue theatre company called, “Mystery is Served.” I attended some of his productions and reported very favorably on his company and efforts. Tom is a long time member of the Walnut Creek Fantasy Forum Actor’s Ensemble where his acting and working skills have been further honed. I have to tell you that Karen and I have been invited to other “new plays” written by local playwrights, and while some were very amateur and awkward, this one has “success” written all over it. We came away absolutely enamored with this short but thoroughly sweet theatrical experience.

“The Family Makespeace” is a play that I highly recommend! It will continue Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees on Sundays now through March 27th in the Diablo Actors’ Ensemble Theater located at 1345 Locust Street in downtown Walnut Creek. Tickets range in price between $10 and $25 and there is plenty of parking directly across the street from the theater in a public garage. Call (866) 811-4111 for reservations or visit the company’s website at www.diabloactors.com for more information. Stay tuned as the next show coming up at DAE will be the delightful Neil Simon comedy, “Same Time Next Year” starring two of our now favorite local stars, Joel Roster and Ginny Wehrmeister!

In you love the San Francisco Symphony and enjoy the brilliance of Charlie Chaplin, then why not "Go for the Gold" on April 15th, by attending the SF Symphony's complete 1942 "original Chaplin composed" orchestral score to his popular silent movie, "The Gold Rush".

If you love old movies, then I want you to be aware that the San Francisco Symphony will be presenting Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 15th through the 17th at Davies Symphony Hall, at 201 Van Ness Avenue, in San Francisco. The orchestra, led by Assistant Conductor Donato Cabrera, will perform Chaplin’s original movie score to accompany this rare viewing of the film.

The Gold Rush (1925) is one of Mr. Chaplin’s most successful films and the highest grossing silent film comedy of all times. Inspired in part by the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and the horrific Donner Party Tragedy, the film tells the story of Chaplin’s iconic character, Tramp, as the “Lone Prospector” during the great gold rush in Alaska. His adventures, his dreams, and his pursuit of unrequited love are depicted through a mixture of slapstick, pantomime and a dash of sentimentality. Classic scenes include his “dance of the dinner rolls”, the teetering cabin on the edge of the cliff, and the starving Chaplin eating his leather shoe soles! This was Chaplin’s favorite film and the one that he said he wished was the most remembered. It was re-released in 1942 with a full orchestral score composed by Chaplin.

Stephen Salmons will give an “Inside Music” talk one hour before each concert. This is free to all concert ticket holders. Doors open 15 minutes before the talk.

Tickets are available at www.sfsymphony.org or by phone at (415) 864-6000 and at the Symphony Hall Box office on Grove street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Streets in San Francisco.