Sunday, June 14, 2015 – Observations Along the Road

A Lovely Duet on a Sunday Afternoon

Posted onSunday, June 14, 2015Tuesday, June 16, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=fringe What’s better on a Sunday afternoon that a little Sondheim?

Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. A common trick for a producer wanting to create a small cast musical is to take a collection of a composers songs, ideally those unfamiliar to an audience (such as songs cut from other musicals and not easily available), arrange them together into a show, and hope it works. Sometimes, if that producer is lucky, they can create a through theme and perhaps a modicum of a story. If a producer is really good, and the songs are really good, they can come together and form something with a distinct identity that can succeed on its own. That’s what happened with Marry Me a Little, created as an off-off-Broadway review back in 1981. Now, if you combine that with great direction and performance, you can get what I saw this afternoon: an instantiation of such a musical that can make you forget the sources of the previously little-known songs (that are now well known thanks to easy publishing and deep archives), and see the collection as a touching whole piece. That is what you get at Good People Theatre (FB)’s production of Marry Me a Little at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB).

Marry Me a Little started as an off-off-Broadway piece in 1980, conceived by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene, drawing together music from Sondheim‘s then-unpublished Saturday Night, as well as songs cut from Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Funny Thing…Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, and some even rarer shows. They were connected in a cycle that created a story of two singles in apartments in New York that were adjacent vertically. The story showed them both longing for love and imagining love with each other. Since the piece was published a number of the songs have become better known: Saturday Night has been recorded and released, Side by Side by Sondheim and a number of tribute albums have captured songs like Foxtrot, and the incessant explorations of Company have captured the many songs cut from that show. Still, Marry Me a Little remains a small easy to do show (and thus perfect for Fringe festivals :-)), with minimal requirements and lots of audience oomph.

Good People Theatre, under the direction of Janet Miller (FB), was the perfect choice to bring this to the Fringe, having done a great job on other musicals. What particularly struck me watching this was that it didnt’ seem like a Fringe show. In other words, most of the other Fringe shows have that edgy feel to them — actors with minimal props using their imagination to do lots of different things, often frantically (because I like comedies). But this was… elegant. About the only way to improve it would be to import the grant piano from Closer Than Ever. It felt like the set was right and not improvised; it felt like the music was right and not rushed. This is the same feel that came from 2014’s Fantastik‘s and 2013’s Man of No Importance. This is why I particularly look forward to GPT’s productions at the Fringe (or anywhere else for that matter).

Marry Me a Little - Jessie Withers and David Laffey, Credit: Rich Clark Photography The performances were great, both individually and together. Some general comments before I touch upon the individual actors (who are illustrated in the production still to the right). I particularly enjoyed that GPT did not cast the typical image of a Hollywood actor — thin and chisled and shaped. The actors in this show looked like real people, and that little, subtle touch made the show relatable and believable. This wasn’t an unobtainable couple, this was an everyperson couple. That was great. The two actors had remarkable chemistry together, which was clearly visible in songs like “So Many People” (from Saturday Night), “A Moment With You” (also from Saturday Night), and “Pour Le Sport” (from the unproduced The Last Resorts).

The woman was played by Jessie Withers, who had a lovely operatic soprano voice. If you understand the difference between an operatic and a pop music voice, you’ll realize that I’m saying she had both wonderful controlled power and a purity of tone that was a joy to listen to. One of my favorite performances of hers was in “Can That Boy Foxtrot” (from Follies), where in addition to the voice she combined some wonderful little facial expressions and movements to bring the acting side to the fore. She was also particularly good on “Marry Me a Little” (from Company).

The man was played by David Laffey (FB), who had a lovely what I would guess to be a tenor voice. It didn’t quite have the operatic power of Withers, but blended well with hers and was nice to listen to in his solo moments. Laffey was particularly good on “Uptown, Downtown” (from Follies), with some lovely dance moves.

Music was provided by wonderful Corey Hirsch (FB) on an electronic keyboard; he had some great interactions with the characters that made him much more than just an onstage accompanist.

As noted earlier, the scenic design by Robert Schroeder (FB) was simple and worked very well, making one forget this was a Fringe production. This was aided and abetted with the props from Good People Theatre (FB). The lighting by Katherine Barrett (FB) and appeared to be a combination of movers and programmable LED lights. These worked great for the Fringe (which often leaves productions stuck in terms of lights), and allowed the lights to enhance the mood. The costumes by Kathy Gillespie (FB) worked well on the characters. Other technical credits: Kimberly Fox, Marketing Director; Michael P. Wallot (FB), Marketing/Media Manager; Oliver Lan, Graphic Designer; Rebecca Schroeder (FB), Stage Manager.

“Marry Me a Little” has 7 more performances at the Fringe, and it is well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the Fringe website, and may be available through Goldstar (some are already sold out).

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I subscribe at three theatres: REP East (FB), The Colony Theatre (FB), and Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows: Next weekend sees the craziness continue with the Nigerian Spam Scam Scam (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and Merely Players (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and (on Sunday) The Count of Monte Cristo – The Musical (FB) (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) in the afternoon, and Uncle Impossible’s Funtime Variety & Ice Cream Social, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) in the evening. The Fringe craziness ends with Medium Size Me, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Thursday 6/25 and Might As Well Live: Stories By Dorothy Parker (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Saturday. June ends with our annual drum corps show in Riverside on Sunday. July begins with “Murder for Two” at the Geffen Playhouse (FB) on July 3rd, and “Matilda” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on July 4th. July 11th brings “Jesus Christ Superstar” at REP East (FB). The following weekend brings “The History Boys” at the Stella Adler Theatre (FB) on Saturday (Goldstar), and “Green Grow The Lilacs” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB) on Sunday. July 25th brings “Lombardi” at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB), with the annual Operaworks show the next day. August starts with “As You Like It” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB), and is followed by the summer Mus-ique show, and “The Fabulous Lipitones” at The Colony Theatre (FB). After that we’ll need a vacation! As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Silly Wombat, Trix Are For …

Posted onSunday, June 14, 2015Sunday, June 14, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=fringe Do you remember the days when Superheros were clearly good, not these brooding tortured psychological studies we see on the screen today? The days when good meant clear ethics and clear morals, that hint of sparkle from the teeth? The days when our heroes may not have been the brightest bulbs in the bunch, but they were good?

Do you remember the days when our Supervillains were truly cartoonish, not these brooding tortured psychological studies we see on the screen today (hmmm, there’s not much difference today between good and bad)? The days when being bad meant stealing candy from children and killing off significant plot points in bloodless ways, with no ethics or morals? The days when our villains were clearly not the brightest bulbs in the bunch?

Do you remember the days when live was accompanied by a voice-over track setting the scene, when our police officers were more interested in going after cartoon threats than the real source of crime — actual criminals committing common crimes (assault, murder, mayhem, theft).

Yes, I’m talking about the days of innocence. The days of — Batman on television, when being a superhero was to be campy and funny and unconsciously self-aware. I certainly remember those days, watching Batman on television. Chrisi Talyn Saje (FB) also remembers those days, and has captured their style and tone perfectly in her 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) comedy, Wombat Man: The Cereal Murders (Blog, FB), which we saw last night at Underground Theatre (FB). [This is a product of the Female Playwrights Initiative]

Wombat Man tells the story of (who else) Wombat Man, a blissfully good and completely clueless superhero in Slotham City. He is so unaware that he keeps leaving his cellphone for his roommate, Gladys to find, and prefers to be contacted by pigeon than his phone. He has barely 20 twitter followers, yet the city depends on him. When Trix the Rabbit steals all the marshmallow bits from Lucky Charms cereal (together with kidnapping Lucky the Leprechaun so that no more can be made), Commissioner Borden and Police Chief Leibowitz (who oddly has an Irish accent) summon Wombat Man into action. The subsequent adventure, involving the plot by Trix, his evil henchmen Milk and Spoon, and his girlfriend Lucy first involves capturing Tony the Tiger. When Tony is inadvertently killed, they go next after Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Trix’s goal: Finally get a taste of his namesake cereal (which he seems to never be able to get, because, all together now, “Trix are for kids”.

I think, from the names and the descriptions, you get a real sense of the show. It is blatantly silly, hilariously funny, and a complete mindless diversion (which we all need occasionally). It is truly helped along if you understand the parameters of the good era of superheroes — the 1960s — when Superman, Batman, and WonderWoman were all white and clean cut, villians were truly cartoonish, and every fight was accompanied by word balloons.

In addition to a very funny and silly story, Chrisi Talyn Saje (FB) directed her team to capture the mood and style very well. In the lead positions were Brian Cunningham (FB) as Wombat Man and Jan-David Sohtar (FB) as Trix the Rabbit. Cunningham’s Wombat Man was the perfection of clueless good in a furry coat and purple cape; fun to watch just for the silliness. He had a certain charm that made his character work well. Sohtar’s Trix was an equally cartoonish rabbit, with the typical high nasally voice and outlandish plot ideas. He also captured the stereotypical performance well.

Most of the other roles were similarly stereotypical to the their appropriate tropes. On the side of good were Steve Jun (FB) (Sidekick), Chrisanne Eastwood (FB) (Gladys, the housekeeper), Jim McCaffree (FB) (Police Chief Leibowitz, Tony the Tiger, Jimmy), John David Wallis (FB) (Commissioner Borden, Lucky, Arena Stage Manager). Jun’s Sidekick, who shows up in the middle of the show after he loses his ride (Tony the Tiger) brings a wonderful breath of fresh rationality to the show — he seems completely confused by the other characters but ends up playing along, much like Sancho Panza goes along with Don Quixote. Eastwood’s Gladys is marvelously cynical; again, she is seemingly wondering why Wombat Man doesn’t see his own ridiculousness. On the law and order side of the issue, Borden and Leibowitz are remarkable parodies of Gordon and O’Hara (except that Leibowitz keeps wanting to sing showtunes).

On the henceperson side were Clare Wess Yauss (FB) (Lucy, Jenny), Dan Horstman (FB) (Spoon), and John Potter (FB) (Milk). Yauss’ Lucy captured the sexy but ditzy girlfriend well; Horstman and Potter were the typical non-descript henchment from the Batman days, down to the point of having their names on their shirts (presumably, so they don’t forget them). Potter had a short running gag about not talking.

On the technical side…. this is a Fringe production. The set itself (designed by one of the henchmen, Dan Horstman (FB)) was some simple black flats with shiny curtains; a sense of place was conveyed more by props (the Wombatputer, the cereal table, the boxes of cereal, the “red phone”, etc.) and costumes. General costume credit was not provided — overall the costumes provided a good sense of character, especially those of the cartoon characters, the henchmen, and Lucy (Glady’s costume was the typical shapeless shift you expect a housekeeper to wear). There was specific credit for Wombat Man’s costume (Lara Kristine Elliott/FB) and hat (Toni Johnson/FB). His costume was the typical superhero costume (you should know, you see them on the street everyday): tights, shorts, a hairy top) with a cap with Wombat ears. It was reasonably well executed and suited the character well. No credit was provided for lighting or sound design. Jeremy Saje (FB) was the real stage manager and wrote the Wombat Man theme song.

Wombat Man: The Cereal Murders (Blog, FB) has 4 more shows at Underground Theatre (FB) as part of the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB): June 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available through the Fringe Website. If you like humor you don’t need to think too much about — and especially if you were a fan of the 1966 Batman series, this is worth seeing. For us, it was the perfect show after the bad interaction at Fringe Central after our 4pm show left a bad taste in our psyches.

Upcoming Shows: This afternoon brings Marry Me a Little (HFF) by Good People Theatre (FB) at the Lillian Theatre (FB). Next weekend sees the craziness continue with the Nigerian Spam Scam Scam (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and Merely Players (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and (on Sunday) The Count of Monte Cristo – The Musical (FB) (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) in the afternoon, and Uncle Impossible’s Funtime Variety & Ice Cream Social, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) in the evening. The Fringe craziness ends with Medium Size Me, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Thursday 6/25 and Might As Well Live: Stories By Dorothy Parker (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Saturday. June ends with our annual drum corps show in Riverside on Sunday. July begins with “Murder for Two” at the Geffen Playhouse (FB) on July 3rd, and “Matilda” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on July 4th. July 11th brings “Jesus Christ Superstar” at REP East (FB). The following weekend brings “The History Boys” at the Stella Adler Theatre (FB) on Saturday (Goldstar), and “Green Grow The Lilacs” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB) on Sunday. July 25th brings “Lombardi” at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB), with the annual Operaworks show the next day. August starts with “As You Like It” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB), and is followed by the summer Mus-ique show, and “The Fabulous Lipitones” at The Colony Theatre (FB). After that we’ll need a vacation! As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

A Sound of Music Midrash

Posted onSunday, June 14, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=fringe In Judaism, there is this concept of a midrash. A midrash tells the story between the lines; it explains the story that appears in the formal scripture by providing the back, side, and around story. Classic examples of midrashim include the story of Abraham smashing his father’s idols or the story of Lillith. Neither appear in the book of Genesis, but both are the explanations of the story that does appear.

Yesterday, we saw our second 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) show: Max and Elsa. No Kids. No Music. This show is a midrash on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It tells the back, interstitial, and after story of two minor characters: Max Detweiler (Clayton Farris (FB)) and Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Megan Rose Greene (FB)) during the times not portrayed on the stage. It begins with Max trying to find the right man for Elsa — a man who is wealthy enough that Max can sponge off of him as well as Elsa. Elsa is insistent that he not have kids, for she’s not the mothering type; however Max convinces her that Captain Georg Von Trapp (Frank Smith/FB) is the man for her. She’s unsure because of “all those kids”, but gives in. Max tells her not to worry; he’s hired this non-descript nun to watch over them. What Max doesn’t tell her is his new position: he’s a booking agent and he’s looking for acts.

You know the rest of the visible story: how Georg and Elsa fell in love and got engaged, and how Maria and Georg fell in love and destroyed the engagement, creating a singing act in the process. What you don’t know (and what this story shows) is how Max engineering the whole thing, including getting Maria to storm off and return. He even engineered their escape, and got arrested for it… which brought Max and Elsa back to where they were: trying to find the right man for Elsa.

The story itself was very amusing and laugh-out-loud funny at many points. The authors of this production, Mason Flink (FB) and Lindsay Kerns (FB), came up with a wonderful backstory for these characters — a backstory that meshes well with our memories of the characters. Under the direction of Flink (FB), Max is clearly a man obsessed with, and out for, … Max. His philosophy is to move in whatever direction advances the cause of Max, and provides Max with the ability to live large on someone else’s nickle. Elsa is that Baroness we see in the movies: cold and calculating, uncomfortable around children and music, strongly wanting someone with particular qualities — the ability to support her parties and her lifestyle, and keep up with her.

Clayton Farris (FB) (Max) and Megan Rose Greene (FB) (Elsa) did a wonderful job of creating and projecting these character traits. They worked well together and had a strong chemistry and humor. They also rolled wonderfully with the unpredictable beast that is live theatre: Elsa when the cap to her fountain pen just wouldn’t cooperate, and the both of them when Max slipped up and talked about the escape to Austria (no, Switzerland).

What adds to the humor in this production is the character that Flink (FB) created for Capt Von Trapp. As portrayed wonderfully by Frank Smith/FB, Von Trapp was a dim bulb who couldn’t even remember the names of all his children, didn’t want them to sing, and pretty much allowed himself to be manipulated by whomever was around him. His only passion was for Austria. The dim nature of Von Trapp, combined with Elsa’s cynical dislike for both children and music (with a mixture of Max’s self-obsession) combined to create wonderful comedy.

Supporting these three characters was Matthew Gilmore (FB) as both Rolf Gruber, Liesl’s 17 (going on 18) boyfriend, and the Mother Abbess. These side portrayals were hilarious.

On the technical side, the set design by Lindsay Kerns (FB) was simple: some boxes, photos, tables, etc. They worked just well enough to establish the requisite place and time. The sound design by Alysha Bermudez (FB) worked well, particularly the sound effect of the children and the interstitial music (musical echos of The Sound of Music‘s music, composed and whistled by Mason Flink (FB)). Brandon Baruch (FB)’s lighting design illuminated the action, but due to Fringe limitations couldn’t do that much more. The costume design by Megan Rose Greene (FB) worked well: Elsa’s costumes gave off a wonderful sense of elegance and warmth; Max’s were suitably eccentric, and Georg’s had that echo of Austrian military. Rolf and the Mother Abbess were… inspired. Lastly, Jean Ansolabehere (FB) was the stage manager and coordinated props.

Max and Elsa. No Music. No Children. has five more performances, all of which are supposedly sold out. They will also supposedly be adding more pop-up performances (which will be announced on Twitter @thenortonschool). If you can get tickets, the show is well worth seeing.

Ancillary Notes. Be forewarned that parking may be horrible. We hunted in the area for ½ hour before giving up and paying $10 for the valet at the Dragonfly — the supposed Fringe central. This left us in a poor mood, which luckily the show brightened considerably. Alas, the good mood from the show was destroyed by the customer service problem we ran into at Fringe central afterward, but restored somewhat by our excellent evening show, Wombat Man: The Cereal Murders. None of this is the fault of Max or Elsa, which is why this is an ancillary note.