theatre-2009 – Page 4 – Observations Along the Road

“We always keep our heads covered…”

Posted onSunday, August 9, 2009Authorcahwyguy

In “Fiddler on the Roof”, there is a line in the song “Tradition” where Tevye talks about how Jewish tradition is to always keep ones head covered, in order to show constant devotion to God. No, this isn’t a review of the current Fiddler tour with Topol. I’m mentioning this because it is not only a Jewish tradition to cover one’s head during worship. It is an African-American tradition too, and one that we learned about last night at The Pasadena Playhouse when we saw the musical “Crowns”, written by Regina Taylor.

“Crowns” tells the story of hats, and their connection to the African-American experience. This is done through the journey of a young woman from the streets of Brooklyn NY, Yolanda (Angela Wildflower Polk). As the play starts, Yolanda has been sent to Darlington SC after her brother was shot to live with her grandmother. In the south, Yolanda sees the intersection of her street-developed unique style with the southern African-American rhythm, and the tradition of church hats. This she learns through various stories and experiences told by her grandmother, Mother Shaw (Peggy Ann Blow) and a circle of women (Velma (Sharon Catherine Blanks), Jeanette (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Wanda (Suzzanne Douglas), and Mabel (Ann Weldon)), assisted by a male character (Clinton Derricks-Carroll), who takes on many roles. These stories all connect to the importance of hats in a culture where church was often the only place to wear the finery, and a hat was that unique expression of style. As such, the hat was not a representation of piety and respect that Tevye speaks about, but rather captures the notion that when one goes to meet the king, one wears your best.

The play tells this story not in the traditional structure of characters talking in a living room, but in a space that stylistically represents a number of different churches, all hinted at through the slightest abstractions. As such, it is hard to get into the story at first: you wonder who this rapping girl is, and why there is this vaguely African group going on behind her. As it moves into a service structure (procession, morning service, marriage, funeral, baptism, recessional) the stories start coming. Through most of this, Yolanda seems to be an oddly separated observer: the stories happen and she sings and moves, but it is just going through the motions.

Stories are told of the different morning services and the roles that hats played in the lives of these women. We see the morning service, and how hats gave these women their pride, and something to be proud of. This includes a remarkable performance of “Eye Is On The Sparrow” by Sharon Catherine Blanks. Even more touching is the “Jumping the Broom” scene, where we see the life of a couple and the role that hats play in that life: from when they meet to their marriage, through their children (the wedding shawl is transformed into the baby), and through the husband’s death (and the wedding shawl becomes the funeral shroud) and burial in his hats. It was in this scene in particular that I was really impressed with the acting ability of this ensemble, in particular, the performance of Clinton Derricks-Carroll.

As we move into the funeral scene, we begin to see the transformation of Yolanda and the cracking of the Brooklyn-hard persona. As she tells the story of the murder of her brother, Teddy, and how she wore a special hat to the funeral and was transformed by it, the audience is transformed. During this scene, the acting of Angela Wildflower Polk was just amazing. We then see Yolanda’s baptism in the south, and as she sees the joy of rebirth, her transformation.

I’ve told the story of this musical and described the players in a manner quite different than I normally do. But this is quite a different play. You start out wondering what’s going on around you (like Yolanda), and you get drawn into the transformational spirit that these hats bring. This is a testament to Taylor’s writing (the play is adapted from a book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry) and the infectuous gospel style music arranged by Linda Twine and David Pleasant, with additional arrangements by Eric Scott Reed. As a side note, this appears to continue artistic director Sheldon Epps theme of plays about the African American experience which has been ongoing for many years — in particular, I felt that this play dovetailed quite well with a play in a previous season, “Cuttin’ Up — a story about black barbershops — also by Marberry. Hair and hats have an importance in the African-American culture that is something unfamiliar to me with my Jewish cultural background… and so I learn. It is interesting that Epps is successfully doing this where he is — in Pasadena, California, a town that was shaped by the midwestern Iowans and is traditionally portrayed as lily white. The audience color shift I’ve written about previously was still present, although a bit weaker (it still boggles my mind about why one color audience tends not to go to shows about the other color — good theatre is good theatre). By the way, “Crowns” was a co-production with the new Ebony Repertory Theatre which presented it earlier in the season. The ETR is a new company whose mission is to create, develop, nurture and sustain a world- class professional theatre rooted in the experience of the African Diaspora and shaped by a dynamic perspective that incorporates an understanding of, and respect for, the unique African- American journey to freedom. Given Sheldon’s commitment to this sub-genre, I expect to see more ERT co-productions.

As I noted above, the acting and singing in this production were exceptional. There are a few I would like to highlight. Cinton Derricks-Carroll shined whenever he got the chance in this company of women; Angela Wildflower Polk, Sharon Catherine Blanks, and Vanessa Bell Calloway proved not only to be remarkable actresses but powerful singers. The weakest performance was that of Ann Weldon: although never dropping character, she had a larger than expected number of line hesitations and the occasional start-over that was slightly distracting. All actors are members of Actors Equity.

The set design by Edward E. Haynes Jr. was simple, with a number of floor to ceiling structures just holding hundreds of hats. Simple elements flew down to suggest different churches, and simple prayer benches were moved as necessary to suggest other structures. The lighting design by Lap Chi Chu initially struck me as odd: very dark, with an overuse of spotlights (shakey at that) that made one feel alien. However, this turned out to be just echoing the mood, because as the production progressed the lights became brighter, the spotlights less noticable, and the colors more integrated with the story. The sound design by Southern California sound specialist Cricket S. Myers was what a good sound design should be: clearly audible, with decent sound effects, and otherwise unnoticable. Of course, in a production such as this the costumes are key. Dana Rebecca Woods’ did a nice job with the dresses and an even nicer job with the hats, which came from local milliners Louise Green Millinary, Leola’s Fashion Hats and Accessories (Leola Speed), and One-Of-A-Kind Hats (Sonja Robinson).

The production was directed by Israel Hicks, with choreography by Keith Young. The production stage manager was Gwendolyn M. Gilliam, assisted by Playhouse regular Lea Chazin. The musical director was Eric Scott Reed, who conducted and played piano during the performance, together with Derf Reklaw on percussion and Trevor Ware on bass. Tom Ware was the Producing Director.

“Crowns” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through August 16, 2009. Tickets are available through the playhouse, and likely through Goldstar and LA Stage Tix. I should note that Erin came with us for the remarkable price of $15 for orchestra tickets. She took advantage of the Playhouse’s student rush tickets, which are available with student ID one hour before the performance for $15. For non-sold-out shows, as they say, “such a bargain”. She was 10th row orchestra, center.

Upcoming Theatre: Although we’re going on vacation, the theatre just doesn’t stop! Our next theatre looks to be Tuesday evening, when at least one of us (I need to get tickets for the other two) will be seeing a staged reading of “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me”, a new Groovelily musical at Palo Alto Theatreworks. The following Sunday sees us back at Theatreworks for “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 (there as 1 ticket left on Goldstar as of 824a 8/9, if you want to join us). Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28). The only theatre ticketed so far in September is “The Night Is A Child” at the Pasadena Playhouse on 9/25 @ 8pm. Concertwise, September brings Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Lastly, remember that a recent study showed that it isn’t possessions that are important — it is shared experiences. So go have one of the best shared experiences there is: go support your local live theatre, and help keep all the people who work at the theatre (from the cast to the technical staff) employed.

Theatre News (of the NC-17 variety)

Posted onWednesday, August 5, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Some theatre news that made me go “huh?” [yes, this is all real news. I haven’t followed the non-news links, so they may be NSFW]:

Playbill is reporting that “the plan to stage ‘The Deep Throat Sex Scandal’, a new play by David Bertolino, turns out to be anticlimactic — at least for now.” Yup, that’s how they said it. The announcement was made by “When Harry Met Linda, LLC”, the producers of the new play about the famed porn film, “Deep Throat.” As for what the play is about, the producers describe it thusly: “It all started as a little movie that nobody expected to do much at the box office, certainly not gross over $600 million. Or spark the sexual revolution. But that’s exactly what ‘Deep Throat’ accomplished. The Deep Throat Sex Scandal, a new play, takes you through the historic, chaotic and controversial episodes that would determine what Americans consider obscene. From the film’s creation to the players that would become legends, including Linda Lovelace, Harry Reems and trial attorney Allen Dershowitz, to the arrests, bans, courtroom drama and political fallout, this bizarre journey gives you an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the adult film industry. And it will inevitably ignite conversation and debate about freedom of speech, expression, and of course, sex.”
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a stage musical on the LA Porn Industry is in the works. The production is a partnership between New York’s experimental group the Civilians and L.A.’s Center Theatre Group (i.e., the folks behind the Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas theatres). The still-untitled show “will explore the real-life stories of the people who work in California’s pornography industry,” according to CTG. There is no opening date yet for the musical, which is being developed under CTG’s New Play Production Program. You can learn more about it by following @pornmusical on Twitter.
Playbill is also reporting that a rock musical is in the works about Lizzie Borden. With music by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer and Alan Stevens Hewitt, additional music by Tim Maner, and lyrics by Cheslik-DeMeyer and Maner, the musical tells the story of the brutal 1892 murder of Andrew and Abby Borden, father and stepmother to 32-year-old Lizzie Borden, who was acquitted of murdering the two with a hatchet in their home. As the producers describe it, “This dark, hard, campy, bloody, sexy, loud show offers a glimpse of these infamous events through the eyes of Lizzie, her older sister Emma, Lizzie’s close friend Alice, and the housemaid Bridget. Packed with kick-ass original songs, four fierce rocker divas, and two very bloody murders, our tale of repression and patricide sheds some light on why Lizzie Borden took that axe, and why we see her as a heroine for doing it.”

It sorta makes one long for simpler plays, like “Puppetry of the Penis”.

It’s a sucker bet when the deck is stacked…

Posted onMonday, August 3, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Last night we went to the Hollywood Bowl for our first bowl outing of the summer: “Guys and Dolls in Concert”. “Guys and Dolls” isn’t new to us: Karen worked on the show in her high school years; and we’ve seen it many times — most recently, in 2004 at the St. Louis Muny Opera. “Guys and Dolls” is one of members of the set of perfect shows (the set also includes “Gypsy” and “The Music Man”): wonderful book, wonderful music, and wonderful lyrics. So, you take a perfect show, and then stack the deck with a dream cast, and your odds of success are damn good.

For those unfamiliar with “Guys and Dolls”, you can find a full synopsis on Wikipedia. In a nutshell, it tells the story of Nathan Detroit, an inveterate gambling arranger, and his fiancee of 14 years, Miss Adelaide. Nathan is trying to arrange a location for a floating crap game, but needs $1,000 to secure the place. To get the money, he bets another gambler, Sky Masterson, that he will not succeed in taking the lead missionary from the Save Your Soul Mission, Sister Sarah Brown, to Havana Cuba for dinner. In the process of wooing Miss Brown, Sky gives her his marker for at least 1 dozen certified sinners for a midnight prayer meeting. To cover the craps game planning. a date is finally set for Nathan and Miss Adelaide. Sky gets Sarah to Havana, and while he is there the craps game is held… at the mission, without Sky’s knowledge. When they return, Sarah believes Havana was just a subterfuge for the game, and dumps Sky. But Sky must redeem his marker for his dignaty, so he bets the other gamblers for their souls… he wins, and as a result, they must attend the prayer meeting. Doing so forces Nathan to miss his elopement, and Adelaide dumps him… but after a great duet with Sarah, they realize they have to marry their men in order to change them. All of this is told in the mileau of Daymon Runyon’s colorful world and style. “Guys and Dolls” features a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser.

The music for this show is likely familiar to you, and includes such standards as “Guys and Dolls” and “Luck Be A Lady”. I mention this to note that there was one song I actually hadn’t heard before, which I’m guessing is called “Adelaide, Adelaide”. This takes place in Act I, Scene 7, and is sung by Nathan. There is the possibility that it just isn’t a formal song.

As I said before, the deck was stacked for this production. Not only did the production pick a spectacular work to produce, the casting team of Margery Simkin and Michael Donovan C.S.A. assembled a stellar cast for the show. This cast helped the show reach the heights, and was almost perfect. Let’s look at the principals:

Nathan Detroit was played by Scott Bakula^æ, a remarkable actor familiar to many from Chuck, Enterprise, and Quantum Leap. Many do not know that Bakula is quite the song-and-dance man, a talent demonstrated ages ago in the animated film Cats Don’t Dance. As Nathan, Bakula did a wonderful job — he wasn’t as outrageous as Nathan Lane (1992 revival), and came off as someone who really cared about Adelaide. He sang strong and clear, and was a strong dancer.

Miss Adelaide, Nathan’s long-time fiancee, was played by the wonderful actress Ellen Greene^æ, who many know from Pushing Daises, Heroes, and Little Shop of Horrors. Greene’s Adelaide was a bit more vulnerable and a bit more comic, and was played well by Greene. About the only weakness is this role was age: Greene is nearing 60, and the character is likely in her 30s. She was able to pull off the look and the singing, but at times the movements left her a little breathless. Still, this was minor, and this is a part she plays with perfection. As a side observation, I note that whenever Greene said (as Aidelaide) that she just wanted a nice home in the suburbs, I kept wishing she would add, “you know, somewhere that’s green”.

Sky Masterson, the suave gambler-of-gamblers, was played by Brian Stokes Mitchell^æ. Mitchell is primarily a Broadway-man, and is well known for his roles in Ragtime and South Pacific. He is a wonderful actor, and has one of those voices that makes you melt. He did a remarkable job with Sky, even better (in my opinion) than Frank Sinatra (movie) or Peter Gallagher (1992 revival).

Miss Sarah Brown, Sky’s object of affection, was played by Jessica Biel^æ. Most of the world knows Biel from Seventh Heaven, which suprisingly was omitted from her bio. She does have a series of successful movie roles, but no major theatrical roles. She was very strong in the acting portion of the role, and her comic timing (which was well demonstrated during the Havana scene) was spot-on. She was also very good in her dancing. As a singer, she couldn’t compete with the other major singers — being a bit weaker in vocal power and having difficulty at the top of her range — but she did give a reasonably acceptable performance. It will be interesting to watch how this affects her career, and if she keeps working on her voice to continue on the stage.

Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Nathan’s second-in-command and a major comic lead, was played by Ken Page^æ. Page is a wonderful singer and actor (and the 2^nd native St. Louisian — together with Scott Bakula), having made his name in the original casts of Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Wiz, Cats, and many more. He was a joy to watch, especially in his big numbers “Guys and Dolls” and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat”.

Other notable names in the cast, all of whom gave excellent performances, were Beau Bridges^æ as Arvide Abernathy, grandfather of Sarah Brown; Jason Graae^æ as Benny Southstreet; Danny Stiles^æ as Rusty Charlie; and Ruth Williamson^æ as Gen. Mathilde Cartwright. Others in the strong cast were: Jody Ashworth^æ (Lt. Brannigan), Cindy Benson^æ (Agatha), Sandahl Bergman^æ (Hot Box Girl), Catherine Chiarelli^æ (Ensemble), Josh Christoff (Ensemble), Paul Dean^æ (Ensemble), Chelsea Field^æ (Ensemble), Daniel Guzman^æ (Ensemble), Chris Holly^æ (Ensemble), Jane Lanier^æ (Hot Box Girl), Bill Lewis^æ (Harry the Horse), Christopher L. Morgan^æ (Ensemble), Valarie Pettiford^æ (Hot Box Girl), Tracy Powell^æ (Hot Box Girl), David Raimo (Ensemble), Stefan Raulston^æ (Ensemble), Kyrra Richards (Ensemble), Angelo Rivera^æ (Ensemble), Oskar Rodriguez (Ensemble), Herschel Sparber^æ (Big Julie), Amir Talai^æ (Angie the Ox/Joey Biltmore), John Todd^æ (Ensemble), Nikki Tomlinson^æ (Ensemble), Grace Wall^æ (Martha), and Kathryn Wright^æ (Hot Box Girl).
[^æ denotes members of Actors Equity ]

The production was directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, with choreography by Donna McKechnie, assisted by James Kinney. The direction and choreography did an adequate job of covering the large Hollywood Bowl stage (especially for a concert production), but at times there were multiple things going on at once, making it difficult to follow the action.

The sets (designed by Evan A. Bartoletti) were very simple and meant to hint at locales; they also had to fit within the limitations of the Bowl — meaning no fly space, and set pieces had to be carried on or off stage by actors or stagehands. Within that, they worked. Also successful were the costumes by Thomas G. Marquez and the hair and makeup (designed by Michael Moore, executed by Valarie Jackson). Other technical aspects were more problematic. The sound was clear at the back (no design credited; presumably the captive Bowl designer), although there were clear audio hums from an orchestra microphone, one failing microphone, and significant outside noise (a problem at the Bowl) from some party down on Highland. I also found the odd dripping noise distracting in the sewer gambling scene. The lighting design by Tom Ruzika was weak: often the colors at the top of the bowl were odd or didn’t quite fit the action, and the other lighting was more non-descript. The video aspects (presumably the standard Bowl staff) made faces look abnormally white on the big screen views; luckily, I had good binoculars.

Musically, the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, led by Kevin Stites was excellent. The production stage manager was Meredith J. Greenburg. Barbara Donner was the associate stage manager, and Stacey Sensenbach was the assistant stage manager.

Lastly, the crowd control at exit was horrendous: there was a major pileup at the bottom of the lower escalator, nearly resulting in injuries.

Upcoming Theatre: Next weekend (Saturday night August 8) brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We go on vacation shortly after that, but while on vacation we’re seeing “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 (Goldstar). Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28). The only theatre ticketed so far in September is “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 9/25 @ 8pm. Concertwise, September brings Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Night is a Child” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Today’s Installment: “Your ‘Memory’ Is False” or “A Cat House of Good Repute”

Posted onSaturday, August 1, 2009Authorcahwyguy

This afternoon we went to the the last production in the Cabrillo Music Theatre 2008-2009 season, “Cats”. Now, before you start harping on Andrew Lloyd Webber or Cats, let me remind you that your bias is likely based on all the ALW parodies you have seen of either “Cats”, “Phantom”, “Evita”, or “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Those are parodies — not the original productions, and in many cases there are reasons those productions were successful. I should also note that I have seen “Cats” before — many years ago when the original production played the no-longer-existant Shubert Theatre in Century City.

Anyway, back to today’s show… Today we saw “Cats”, but don’t go thinking of “Cats” as a musical. “Cats” is a collection of modern dances set to musicalized poems by T. S. Eliot (“Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”) [with a few additional lyrics by Sir Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe, and music by Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber], which have been arranged to provide a very weak thread of connection about selecting a cat to ascend to heaven. This thread is as weak as the connection between songs in musical revues such as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” or “Smokey Joes Cafe”, so if you come looking for plot, as Bob Fosse said at the introduction of his musical “Dancin’” (paraphrased from memory): “Don’t go looking for the plot; this is about the dancing”. If you go into “Cats” viewing it as a dance production set to pleasant music, you’ll be quite happy.

Cabrillo’s production was about the dance. The director/choreographer Dana Solimando, assisted by Billy Johnstone, assembled a remarkable clowder of actors (“clowder” is the group noun for cats) who were strong singers and dancers, and their performances made the show. They were delightful to watch, especially when you would take time to watch the ones in the background, who would have very catlike movements. By the way, it is difficult to tell the cats apart, even with a program. The wiki-page helps. I’ll also note, with respect to the dancing, that one gets a very different perspective depending on where you sit. We sit in the top balcony with binoculars, and thus our focus is much more on the overall image of the ensemble dance, with occasional focus on faces — a very different view than one in the orchestra. Perhaps this is why folks attend multiple times: so you can watch different cat characters from different positions.

As I noted, Cabrillo’s production had remarkably strong dancers, and with one exception, remarkably strong singers. Let me single out a few of our favorites before enumerating the rest of the clowder (boy, I like that word). My personal favorite was Catherine Ricafort as Rumpleteazer, the female half of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. She was a delight to watch in her dance and cat movements, and a strong singer with a really expressive face. Now, add to that the fact she is an Industrial and Systems Engineering grad from USC (minor in Musical Theatre), and, well, color me impressed. All the family was impressed with Jo Patrick^æ as Mr. Mistoffelees (“The Conjuring Cat”): he was an incredible dancer, doing continual piroettes with leg extensions without travelling. Other notable dancers/singers were Angela Jean as Victoria (the all-white cat who begins the Jellical Ball with her solo dance; Michael Hunter as Rum Tum Tugger, Daniel Smith as Munkustrap (the second-in-command to Old Deuteronomy). In terms of operatic voices, Will North^æ was wonderful as Growltiger in the opera, in addition to his performance as Gus (the Theatre cat) and Bustopher Jones. Jimmer Bolden was a strong Old Deuteronomy (which is more of a singing than dancing role), and Melissa Lyons^æ (the singing voice of Barbie) was remarkable as Grizabella, who gets the hit number “Memory”. About the only weakness was the other singer of that song, Bety Le as Sillabub: her dancing was good, but her voice was a bit too light for the song.

The remainder of the clowder were all great dancers and singers, as well as capturing the cat personas, but they didn’t quite stand out as much. These included Jessica Bernard (Jellylorum/Griddlebone), Ashley Cowl (Demeter), Jamie Joseph (Alonzo), Jupinko (Cassandra), Patrick Loyd (Bill Bailey), Andrew Pearson (Pouncival), Bebby Perino (Plato/Macavity), Colette Peters (Jennyanydots), Anna Schnaitter (Bombalurina), Matthew Dean Stewart (Skimbleshanks), Kelly Tatro (Coricopat), Andrea Taylor (Tantomile), and Estevan Valdes (Mungojerrie/Genghis). Not on stage, but singing in the pit were Chris Dane, Erin Fagundes, John Gaston, Mona King, James W. Lynch, Daniel Rosales, Jessica Stoll, and Katie Young.
[^æ denotes members of Actors Equity ]

Normally with “Cats” one thing that hits you when you walk into the auditorium is the set. I still have memories of walking into the Century City Shubert and seeing this junkyard set surrounding all of the orchestra seats. The set designer (formally uncredited, but the scenery was provided by the Fullerton CLO and designed by Peter Barbieri, Jr.) didn’t quite have that freedom in the Kavli, but did a remarkable job of creating a functional junkyard set in the space available. Even more remarkable was the work of the Jean-Yves Tessier as the lighting designer. Normally, the lighting design is reasonably conventional, with overuse of spots. But this time Tessier did a remarkable jobs, combining LED lighting in the junk, lights on the stage itself, moving lights with gobos, moving spots on stage… and when the conventional spots were used they were more tightly focused than usual and had softer edges. This lighting design truly contributed to the excellent quality of this production. The sound, by Cabrillo regular Jonathan Burke, was good and clear (there was only one pop) all the way up in the balcony. The costumes (wardrobe design by Christine Gibson, costumes from Stage West Costumes based on the London and Broadway versions) were suitably catlike, and the makeup by Rachel Samuels with wigs by Jacqueline Ruge was excellent. The production manager/prop designer was T. Theresa Scarano, and Darrell J. Clark was technical director. The ever capable and ever delightful Lindsay Martens (youarebonfante) was the Production Stage Manager (and we thank her for visiting with us after the show), assisted by Allie Roy and Emilee Wamble.

The orchestra for “Cats” was excellent, and was under the musical direction of Ilana Eden. It consisted of 16 players, and included flute, tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, baritone sax, english horn, oboe, trumpets, piccolo trumpets, flugelhorn, trombone, cello, guitars, electric bass, drums, and multiple keyboards. Kudos go to Darryl Tanikawa and Tanikawa Artists for producing such a great orchestra.

The last performance of “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre is Sunday, August 2. Tickets should be available at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza box office or via Ticketmaster. They may be on Goldstar; I haven’t checked.

I should note that Cabrillo did an interesting partnership this production: profits from the sale of merchandise went to a local animal rescue program, and there was an active pet adoption program going on before the show.

At the performance, Lewis Wilkenfeld, artistic director of Cabrillo, announced the 2009-2010 season of productions (which are all locally produced productions, not tours): “Guys and Dolls”, “The Andrews Brothers”, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, and “Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (and an option for the Christmas show, “White Christmas”). I should note that their prices are very good, including two-for-one balcony tickets: $100 for two tickets to four shows on a Saturday night. You can’t beat that.

Upcoming Theatre: We still have one more show this weekend: “Guys and Dolls” in concert at 8:30pm tomorrow night at the Hollywood Bowl. The cast is steller, featuring Jessica Biel (Sarah Brown), Scott Bakula (Nathan Detroit), Beau Bridges (Arvide Abernathy), Ellen Greene (Miss Adelaide), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Sky Masterson), Ken Page (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Jason Graae (Benny Southstreet), and Danny Stiles (Rusty Charlie). August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We go on vacation shortly after that, but while on vacation we’re seeing “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 (Goldstar). Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28). The only theatre ticketed so far in September is “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 9/25 @ 8pm. Concertwise, September brings Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Night is a Child” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

“…nothing’s more determined than a cat on a hot tin roof”

Posted onMonday, July 27, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Last night was yet another night of the heat wave we’ve been having in the Valley. There were hot roofs, and I’m sure the occasional cat was on one. But last night we saw a different type of cat on a different type of roof. We left the valley for the cool of the Palos Verdes Pennisula, and in a beautiful little theatre overlooking the crashing waves, we saw the final performance of the Neighborhood Playhouse‘s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof“. The “cat” in the title refers not to a feline friend, but the female of our species, and as for the roof, that’s best explained by this interchange between two of the principle characters in the play:

Brick: Win what? What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?
Maggie: Just staying on it, I guess. As long as she can.

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is a Pulitzer-Prize winning play written by Tennessee Williams. It tells the story of a decaying southern family, the Pollitts. The family patriarch (“Big Daddy”) is dying, and his two children are scrambling to get their piece of the substantial wealth, including 28,000 acres of prime land. Well, his children (his two sons Brick and Gooper) aren’t scrambling, but their wives certainly are. They are going at it like, well, cats. In one corner we have Gooper and Mae, and their five (soon to be six) children, including Dixie, Trixie, and Polly. The children are misbehaved, Mae is scheming and gossiping, and Gooper is exploiting legal angles. However, Gooper and Mae have one significant problem: Big Daddy dislikes them intensely (and Big Daddy is a nasty man). In the other corner we have Brick and Maggie. Brick is, to be blunt, a drunk. He drinks and drinks until he feels the click, which takes him away from the world. He does this to escape the loss of his only true friend, Skipper, who drank himself to death after an affair with Maggie (the depth of the relationship is left unsaid, but there are clear implications of something that was unacceptable in 1955). He also drinks to escape Maggie — it is unclear whether he hates her, but he is clearly indifferent to her. Needless to say, they haven’t been having sex or even been civil to each other. Brick has been been rapidly sinking — as the story starts, he had just broken his ankle jumping hurdles while drunk. But Maggie, eager for the inheritence, has been putting on “the face”: there is nothing wrong, there is no drinking problem, and that there might even be a child on the way.

The central theme of this play is a family destroyed by, as Brick puts it, “mendacity”: in other words, this is a family is given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth. In other words: they lie like dogs. Or is that cats? Anyway: Brink lies to Maggie. Maggie lies to Brick. Maggie lies to Big Daddy. Big Mama lies to Big Daddy. Everyone hides everything, unless, of course, it can be used to hurt. This, of course, means they are a typical American family :-), and perhaps this is why this play has resonated so well over the years to become a classic.

The Neighborhood Playhouse did a pretty good job with the play: they did their usual remarkable job of transforming the Church Fellowship Hall into a decying Southern plantation (kudos on the design go to Andrew Vonderschmitt and the team at Capricorn Design). In this plantation they dropped an amazing team of actors. As Maggie, Kathleen Early^æ combines beauty with claws, turning on the pleasance on the surface that distracts you from the machinations and scheeming. She had a strong stage presence, and was very believable in the role. As Brick, her husband, Aaron Blake^æ had the movements and the anger down pat, but didn’t give off the aura of functioning alcoholic as much as I would have liked — his aura was more handsome and stupid than handsome, stupid, and drunk. Big Daddy, the main presence in Act II, was played very strongly by Michael Prohaska^æ — he came across as the plantation owner who gets what he wants in the way that he wants it, and was enjoying the power that his believed medical respite gave him (his family had told him the doctors report was clear and it was just a spastic colon). Rounding out the major characters were Mark A. Cross^æ as Gooper, who came across as a believable dunderhead; Jennifer L. Davis^æ as his pregnant wife Mae, who had the scheming down but moved far too easy for a woman that far along; and Nadya Starr^æ as Big Mama, Big Daddy’s wife who was estatic and relieved that Big Daddy was going to be well… until he wasn’t. All these characters were clawing for whatever they could get, but in a truly Southern way.

Rounding out the cast in relatively minor roles were Beverly Oliver and E. Fé as Sookey and Lacey, the house staff; Chris O’Connor as Doctor Baugh; Gordon Wells^æ as Reverent Tooker; and Hannah Kreiswirth, Rebecca Jester, and Rachelle Dale as Mae’s “no neck” children, Dixie, Trixie, and Polly. Most of these actors didn’t stand out strongly one way or the other (a good thing, given the smallness of the roles); however, Hannah just didn’t quite seem right in the role, but as the role is so small, it truly is a minor comment.
[^æ denotes members of Actors Equity ]

On the technical side, I’ve already mentioned the excellent set by Vonderschmitt and his team. The costumes by Nancy Ling did a reasonable job of reflecting the 1950s south, although I was unsure about all the white suits (this wasn’t Miami). The hair design by Michael Aldapa was fine. The lighting design by Christopher Singleton was very naturalistic reflecting the effect of what the outside lighting would be (as Erin would note: lots of amber). There were no spots, scrollers, or moving lights, which worked well. The production was managed by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth (must be Hannah’s mother). Direction was by the artistic director of the Neighborhood Playhouse, Brady Schwind.

This was the last performance of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.

Dining Notes: We drove down a bit early, and had dinner in this little shopping area near Pacific Coast Highway and P.V. Blvd. We ate at Casa Arigato, which had some very nice sushi (including steamed sushi, which we hadn’t seen before). My only comment was the could have been a bit clearer on the menu: I had a beef bowl, which turned out to have fresh mushrooms in it. These triggered some allergies and a bit of a headache. If we go back, I’ll order something different.

Upcoming Theatre: Next weekend is busy: Friday is an alumni Shabbat at Hilltop, and Saturday brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening), … and Sunday bring “Guys and Dolls” in concert at 8:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl. August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We go on vacation shortly after that, but while on vacation we’re seeing “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 (Goldstar). Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28). The only theatre ticketed so far in September is “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 9/25 @ 8pm. Concertwise, September brings Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Night is a Child” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Why Yes, I Am Addicted to Live Theatre…

Posted onTuesday, July 21, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Ticketed over lunch today:

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at The Neighborhood Playhouse, Rancho Palos Verdes. Sun 7/26 @ 730p (2 Goldstar, 1 Regular price)
“Tinyard Hill” at Palo Alto Theatreworks, Sun 8/16 @ 7p (all via Goldstar — 8 tickets are left as of this post)

To ticket tomorrow (but for nsshere (Erin), not me):

“They Might Be Giants” @ UCLA, Sat 11/14 @ 8p. To my knowledge, nsshere (and possibly a date), ellipticcurve (Nicole), ixixlix (Lauren), and the Karate Kid will be going.

Of course, this addiction does make me realize my priorities are screwed (not that I’ll necessarily do anything about it): I’ll think nothing about laying out around $100 for tickets (Tinyard Hill, even with Goldstar, was $111 including fees ($31/ticket + $3 facility + $3 svc chg) [contrasted with full price tickets of $59/ticket + $3 facility +svc fees]) — although $900 series subscriptions do make me think twice… but I’ll obsess about a $20 difference in a hotel room night cost, or $5 on a tank of gas. The first step is realizing your behavior.

But She Has Such a Pretty Face…

Posted onSunday, July 19, 2009Authorcahwyguy

If I look back on my life so far, many of the women to whom I have been attracted have been large (and the few that haven’t all have had lovely long brown hair). Well, large is a euphemism. You might say chunky. You might say big-boned. You might say fubsy. Some might even say fat. But I never saw them that way: I saw them as joyful women who had curves, and who accepted themselves for who they were, and were happy in their skin. That happiness just oozes out and is contagious, and really doesn’t depend on size.

I mention this because last night we went out to the Repertory East Playhouse in Saugus (one of our favorite venues) to see Neil Labute‘s play “Fat Pig”. This is part of a series of plays Mr. Labute wrote that look at how society perceives beauty. Other plays include “The Shape of Things” (where an attractive woman makes over a nerdy museum security guard into a heartthrob who falls in love with her, and then reveals that he was just an art project and that she wanted to give him the illusion of love) and the recently closed “reasons to be pretty” (which deals with the reactions that result when a girls face is called “regular”). “Fat Pig” deals with our reactions to larger women in society — which are not pretty. It seems fat is one of the few acceptable characteristics that one can make fun of with impunity; in fact, it seems to be encouraged due to the concern about obesity in society. That behavior wasn’t right when its was done based on skin color or gender. It’s not right when we do it based on sexual orientation. It’s not right when we do it based on size.

“Fat Pig” tells the story of Helen (Joy Nash), a beautiful zaftig (see, another euphemism) woman who is comfortable in her skin and with her size, and who has a joyful personality that bubbles out and infects those around her. One of those is Tom (Shane Stevens), who meets Helen having lunch one day, and rapidly falls for her, not caring about her size. The problem: others do…. especially some coworkers: in particular Carter (Tyler Brooks), Tom’s smart ass friend who loves to ride Tom for whatever, especially the fat girl he is hiding from his friends, and Jeannie (Leslie Connelly^æ), the girl Tom once dated. Both Carter and Jeannie keep riding Tom to learn more about the girlfriend he is hiding… and Tom keeps falling more for Helen… but in private. Once Carter and Jeannie discover Helen, they both start picking on Tom for it. Carter makes fun of Tom’s choice by spreading the picture around the office and gossiping about the fat pig he is dating. Jeanne is miffed that Tom dumped her: trading someone was slender for someone who was fat. (My wife put the reason for that best: some men would rather go out with someone who is fat and happy than a skinny bitch). However, as with many Neil Labute’s plays, happiness does not ensure: although Tom and Helen love each other, Tom eventually dumps her because he cannot deal with the pressure of society’s non-acceptance of a young handsome man dating a woman who doesn’t fit society’s definition of beauty (this is a feeling I know well: my mother never accepted my wife, primarily because my wife was larger than the woman she thought I should marry).

The topics raised by this play are good ones: the value of accepting oneself for who you are. The ways that societal pressure can shape the relationships we form, and sometimes lead us to not form relationships just because others view them as unacceptable or non-normative. If you have ever been not accepted by society, or falling in love with someone who isn’t the slender model type, you will understand this play and its power.

This play was superbly acted and performed, and the entire cast is worthy of note. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Joy Nash (tengogozo, blog): she was just so beautiful and joyful and bubbly and comfortable with herself that one couldn’t avoid falling in love with her character (and she turned out to be just as joyful in real life, when we talked to her after the show). Her personal joy just came out in her character. Shane Stevens captured Tom quite well: a milktoast of a man who cannot be honest with himself or his friends, and who isn’t confortable with his feelings or where they take him. Leslie Connelly played the skinny obsessive bitch to a “T”: you hate her character from the moment she starts ragging on Tom for dumping her, and you are scared of her as you see the depth of her obsession. Tyler Brooks gives Carter the perfect asshole air: the friend who is always in your office, making fun of your choices, and teasing you about whatever makes you happy in life — he gets joy from your misery. You remember the type: the asswipe who made your life a living hell in high school. These four (Joy, Shane, Leslie and Tyler) created the perfect ensemble for thise show.
[^æ denotes members of Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical: This production was directed by Ovington Michel Owston (assisted by Johnny Schwinn), who creatively uses the small REP space to provide multiple locales, and who did a great job of bringing out the characters in the actors. The sound was by REP-regular Steven “Nanook” Burkholder. Lighting was also by a REP-regular, Tim Christianson, who provided very naturalist lighting, and used a strip light (one of those long lights with three colors alternating) in quite a nice way (I should note that our daughter E volunteered at the REP and helped hang some of those lights). The print and video design was by Mikee Schwinn. The production was stage managed by Justin Larkins.

“Fat Pig” continues at the REP until June 25^th. Discount tickets may still be available through Goldstar and LAStageTix, although they go fast. The REP is running a special for friends of season subscribers: Drop our name (Faigin) when you call the box office at 661-288-0000, let them know we recommended the show to you, and you can get half-price tickets!

Upcoming Theatre: Next week still isn’t booked: I’m still waiting for tickets to “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend, to show up on Goldstar. August 1^st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening); the following day brings “Guys and Dolls” in concert at 8:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl. August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We go on vacation shortly after that, but we may very well see “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 as there are still Goldstar tickets. Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28)–no theatre is currently ticketed for the month, although I’ve put in a request for “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 9/25 @ 8pm. September does bring Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Night is a Child” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

This Is The Show That Goes Like This

Posted onSunday, July 12, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Recently, I’ve been writing about and thinking about high school days. One group that was popular around this time in my circles was a comedy troupe known as Monty Python. Their BBC program (or should that be programme), Monty Python’s Flying Circus, was just hitting PBS in the US at that time, as was their movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail (“Monty Python’s Life of Brian” hit while I was in college). We watched those shows and those movies again and again. And again. And again. And again. Eventually we got so we could recite the jokes and scenes in our sleep. You could just say, “the dead parrot sketch”, and folks would know what you meant.

I note this all as background, because today we went to go see “Monty Python’s Spamalot” at the Ahmanson Theatre. As the cover states, Spamalot is “lovingly ripped off” from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” with the nibbly bits of “Life of Brian” tossed in. The show features book and lyrics by Eric Idle, and music by Eric Idle and John DuPrez, based on a screenplay by Monty Python. The story is roughly that of “Holy Grail”: Arthur gathers his knights together and goes looking for the Grail. You can find a full synopsis in the Wikipedia entry, but suffice it to say that all the favorite and expected Python bits are there: killer bunnies, cow catapults, farting French, gay jokes, cocoanuts, arguments about swallows, the Black Knight, etc. There are also other bits thrown in that are various parodies of the musical theatre biz, from the ethnicity of successful show producers, to parodies of numerous shows and composers. In the end, everyone finds their grails, and the show ends with a group sing-along.

Therein lies the success of the show, and theirin lies the problems. If one is a neophyte to Monty Python, the recycled bits are likely uproareously funny. If one is a rabid Python fanboy or fangirl, the bits are mandatory… and uproareously funny. If you are someone familiar with Python and to whom repeated humor become less laugh-out-loud the more often you hear the joke, the Python bits become checkmarks on a page. However, this is not to say the show isn’t funny: what saves the show is the new material. Although some is weak (the whole notion of Laker Girls as the cheering squad for the Lady of the Lake, the eventual Queen Gueneviere), some of it is spot-on, in particular, “The Song That Goes Like This” (which is a Phantom of the Opera parody), “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” (which is a parody of “Fiddler”, and arguably a parody of every Mel Brooks musical), and “I’m All Alone”. Other songs, although drawn from the Python canon, are very well executed and enjoyable, in particular “I Am Not Dead Yet” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. Our production had an extremely cute topical number inserted about Sarah Palin to the tune of Frère Jacques. I also enjoyed Patsy’s line near the end, but I won’t give it away. So overall the show is enjoyable, and you walk away humming tunes. I guess that’s the meaning of success… even without Jews.

While I’m still on the subject of the story and presentation, I should also note that I don’t believe this is a show that will have a long future of revivals. I’m not sure the Python-bits are that timeless, and the parodies of other shows will become less funny as time goes on. Rarely do you see the topical humorous reviews such as “New Faces of 1952” or “Parade: A Musical Review” (the one by Jerry Herman) revived, no matter how good the material. Combine that with some of the unique technical projection requirements of this show (which cuts out the high school half life)… and my conclusion is that you should see this tour now. I’m not sure we’ll be seeing it in 2020 (whereas we might see “The Producers”).

Acting-wise, this is the National Touring Company, and is thus a well-oiled acting and dancing machine. Special kudos go to the leads: John O’Hurley as King Arthur, Merle Dandridge as The Lady of the Lake, Jeff Dumas as Patsy, and especially the conductor, Ben Whiteley, who was a very good sport for all the interaction they added to his normally hidden role. Others in the cast, who all performed admirably, were James Beaman (Sir Robin, Guard 1, Brother Maynard); Ben Davis (Sir Dennis Galahad, The Black Knight, Prince Herbert’s Father); Christopher Gurr [who I must note is the first actor to give his twitter feed in the program] (Dennis’s Mother, Ser Bedevere, Concorde); Rick Holmes (Sir Lancelot, The French Taunter, Knight of Ni, Tim the Enchanter); Christopher Sutton (Historian, Not Dead Fred, French Guard, Minstrel, Prince Herbert), Matt Allen (Nun, Killer Rabbi Ensemble); Timothy Connell (Ensemble); Lenny Daniel (Monk, French Guard, Ensemble); Erik Hayden (Sir Not Appearing; Ensemble); Alexa Glover (Ensemble); David Havasi (French Guard, Minstrel, Ensemble); Carissa Lopez (Ensemble); Jennifer Mathie (Ensemble); Tera-Lee Pollin (Ensemble); Darryl Semira (Minstrel, Sir Bors, Ensemble); Vanessa Sonon (Ensemble); Steven Wenslawski (Monk); and Paula Wise (Minstrel, Ensemble). As one can see this is a compact touring cast: players play multiple roles with aplomb.
[All actors are members of Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical side. The production was well directed by Mike Nichols, with choreography by Casey Nicholaw. The sets and costumes (designed by Tim Hatley) are appropriately Python-esque, intentionally non-realistic or humerous at times (such as the bottle dance scene). The lighting by Hugh Vanstone created the necessary mood, but didn’t make me stand up and be amazed, although the projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy was quite good (especially the intermission graphics). These projected graphics were very much in the spirit of Flying Circus. The sound design by Acme Sound Partners was weak: perhaps it was the Ahmanson or the tour, but the sound was muddied and it was difficult to make out the actors clearly. The special effects by Gergory Meeh were very good: I particular enjoyed the chandelier, the conversion of the Black Night, and the hand grenade. Wigs and hair were by David Brian Brown, with makeup by Joseph A. Campayno. The magic consultant (wouldn’t you love that title) was Marshall Magoon. On the music side, musical supervision was by Todd Ellison, with orchestrations by Larry Hochman, music arrangements by Glen Kelly, and music coordination by Michael Keller. The orchestra was conducted by Ben Whitely (who had to put up with a lot), and was reasonably large for the pit size: two keyboard players (tour), with a local group consisting of two woodwinds, a french horn, two trumpets, a trombone, percussion, a third keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, and a violin. The production stage manager was Kenneth J. Davis.

“Spamalot” continues at the Ahmanson until 9/2. Based on the audience we had, you should still be able to get tickets: if not Hottix, then student rush tickets (a large portion of both the mezzanine and balcony were empty, and you could see their fill patterns and where the price line changes). I’d recommend seeing it — I’m not sure this will be a regular tour once it is gone. There are some special $49/seat offers (limited days, mention code GRAIL), there may be $20 HotTix available, and rush tickets should be available).

At the show, the Ahmanson handed out their program for the remainder of the season. In this economy, they are playing it safe with all tours: “August: Osage County” (9/8 – 10/18/2009); “Mary Poppins” (11/13/2009 – 1/10/2010); “Dreamgirls” (2/24 – 4/4/2010), and “South Pacific” (6/29-8/22/2010). I’ll probably see a bunch of these, but I’ll do HotTix. It’s not that adventurous a season, but I can understand why they won’t risk a new musical, given the number of seats they have to fill. I’ll note that the economy also shows in their new payment option: you can now get season tickets with a two-part credit card payment. Translation: the theatre is hurting — more than ever, you need to support it by attending a show.

Dining Notes: We took advantage of the Sunday morning to do a dim-sum run to Empress Pavillion. Yum.

Upcoming Theatre: We’re doing our part of support local theatre: we attend regularly! Next weekend will find us in Saugus, where on Saturday July 18 @ 8pm we’re seeing Neal LaBute’s “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse (drop our name when you call the box office at 661-288-0000, and you can get half-price tickets!). July 25/26 is currently open, although waiting for tickets to “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend, to show up on Goldstar. August 1^st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening); the following day brings “Guys and Dolls” in concert at 8:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl. August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We have some vacation after that, but Saturday 8/29 finds us again at the Hollywood Bowl to see Liza Minnelli. Upcoming shows will also include “Hound of the Baskervilles” at Rep East, “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum, “M*A*S*H” at Rep East, and productions at the Pasadena Playhouse and Cabrillo Music Theatre, as well as the Tom Paxton concert at McCabes. As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.