Tag: theatre-2009

A Musical Sampling That Was Quite Filling

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

This afternoon I was feeling a bit better (all the coughing seems to be gone, and I have a bit more energy back), and so joined the rest of the family for the “Mini Musical Fest” at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. I made it through allright, although I’ve got a slight headache, which I attribute to the heat and the high pressure system (it was about 100°F in NoHo; it’s hotter outside here). But you’re not reading this post for that information… you want to know about the show.

The “Mini Musical Fest” was a series of six short musicals, each between 10 to 15 minutes, mostly with distinct casts, directors, composers, lyricists, tech crews, etc. I think there was one actress overlap and one lyricist overlap. It was an interesting way to do a program, and I was suprised at the depth in some of the productions. In general, there were minimal sets and costumes, and there was a shared standard set of lighting. In many ways, it was like one of those sampling buffets: you got to see whose work you liked and whose you didn’t, and weren’t stuck in a 3 hour production that was interminable. Luckily, most of these mini-musicals were quite good, and the weakest of the bunch only dropped to the good level. All productions were produced by Mike Rademaekers.

Musical The First: The Red Bouquet. This musical told the story of what appeared to be a former couple (Daniel and Alice) in a restaurant. After some casual discussion where the Claude the waiter (Kelly J. Roberts) keeps interrupting (and Daniel (Trevor Lissauer) assumes he is gay), they have a fight and he leaves, leaving Alice (Julia Gregory) to realize she only has one reliable thing: nothing. This was reasonably interesting and showed some emotional depth. Only Lissauer and Gregory sang, and they had quite nice voices. The story has music, book, and lyrics by Joshua Fardon, and was directed by Wynn Marlow.

Musical The Second: Change of Plans. This very enjoyable musical told the story of Jimmy (Jordan T. Maxwell), a former enterpreneur, who is about to move in with his girlfriend, Katherine (Kristin Chiles) and go to work for her father. While packing his old place, he discovers his old college journal, and through a series of scenes with his friend, Ethan (Ross Merrick), rediscovers what he wants out of life. I really enjoyed this mini-musical — the acting and the singing was great, and the story was touching and funny. This musical featured music, book, and lyrics by Michael Gordon Shapiro. The costumes and scenery were designed by Elicia Woerle. It was directed by Derrel Maury, and was co-produced by Kevin Elliot.

Musical The Third: More Precious Than Diamonds. This musical told the story of a Julie (Fay Gauthier), who by her 40th birthday had given up on ever finding a man who would put a ring on her finger. So she goes with her friend, Michelle (Deborah Ping) to Tiffany’s to buy herself a ring. Of course, the salesman (Marco Antonio Aguilar) who shows her an $88,900 ring falls for her, while the security guard (Steve Walby) watches on. This was a cute and funny musical, and the two leads were very engaging and sang quite well. This musical was written by Stephanie Hutchinson, and directed by Jonathan Levit. Steve Walby also served as stage manager.

Musical The Fourth: The Queen and the Dragon. This was less a musical and more a mini-opera. It takes place in ancient greek times, and tells the story of Queen Cassandra (Christina Linton), who has just reached her age of majority and has been annointed by Hera (Deborah Dey). She can now choose her suitor, and she wants Adon (DeReau K. Farrar). But Adon loves another… Jason (Miguel Vargas), Hera’s son. The law prohibits such unions, unless Cassandra changes the law. Cassandra, not knowing that, directs Zeno (Paul Wong) to create a love potion, which requires obtaining the blood of the Red Dragon, which usually ends up fatal for the person sent. This was a quite well sung and acted mini-opera, and most of the singers were quite strong (Linton, while beautiful, could have been a bit stronger). Of course, its story was timely and went in the direction one would predict, but that wasn’t a problem. The mini-opera featued a libretto by Jan Michael Alejandro and Jonathan Price, with music by Jonathan Price. Musical direction was by Gordon Glor. The production was directed by Kirk Smith.

Musical The Fifth: Something Not Real. This tells the story of two couples (Bill (Dan Wingard) and Mary (Julia Gregory), and Frank (Dan Wiley) and Annie (Rebecca Larsen) [or it could have been Bill & Annie and Frank & Mary]). The men, who were brothers, seem to be going through problematic times. One is out of work. When a former co-worker, Dickey (Derek Houck) arrives, trouble ensues. I found this the weakest of the stories: not due to the acting or the music, which was fine, but due to the muddled story that left me confused as to what was going on. This musical also had music, book and lyrics by Joshua Fardon and was directed by Wynn Marlow — the same as the first musical.

Musical the Sixth: Myjovi El Musical. This musical tells the story of Carlos Carlos (Christopher Showerman), inventor of the MyJovi energy drink. While celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend Jovina (Christina Jones) and the employees of MyJovi (Patrizia Medrano, Aisha Renee or Abby Bollenbacher (the program wasn’t clear which one we had at this performance), and Lisa Vachon, who had multiple chorus roles) and while receiving an award from the Mayor of East LA (Carla Marie), he receives a cease and desist order. This order comes from the shyster Kir Du Soleil (Ian Federgreen) on behalf of the singer Ben Jovi (Jeff van Hoy). In two mini-acts, we see how Carlos recovers the right to produce his drink. In some ways, they saved the best for last: this had an enjoyable and strong chorus, innovative sets, audience interaction, and strong and charismatic leads… and some silliness. I enjoyed it quite a bit. This musical featured music, book, and lyrics by Jan Michael Alejandro, with choreography by Jebbel Arce. It was directed by Rachel Myles.

The “Mini Musical Fest” continues at the Secret Rose Theatre through July 5. Tickets are available online through Brown Paper Tickets or through Goldstar Events.

Upcoming Theatre: We have no theatre over July 4th weekend, although we may go see “Up”. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm we’re off to Finland the Ahmanson to see “Spamalot”. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening), and then we rush to Chatsworth to catch the bus to the Hollywood Bowl to see the 8:30pm performance of the “Guys and Dolls” concert. 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. 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.

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Tuesday Theatre News Chum: Patti Lupone-ed in Vegas, How Now Dow Jones Revival, and Upcoming Shows

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Some quick lunchtime items to chew upon, whilst I take a quick break from typing in comments on a document:

  • From the “She Did It Again” Department: Patti is at it again, as in Patti LuPone chewing out audience members for using electronics during one of her performances. This time it was in Las Vegas, where she called out an audience member for using a device. Not only that, she called out the NY Times for calling her on it. Of course, she’s right: theatre audiences these days have no manners. Even the Wall Street Journal has commented on it. Perhaps they should follow the Golden Rules of Theatre Etiquitte.
  • From the “I Predicted It” Department: Remember a while back I wrote that the time was ripe for a revival of “How Now Dow Jones”. Well guess what? I predicted it. There will be a revival of the show as part of the New York Fringe Festival.
  • From the “Stage to Screen to Stage” Department: Turning to new productions, Playbill is reporting that “City of Angels” (a wonderful Cy Coleman hard-boiled detective show that was the last production we saw at the LA Shubert) will be made into a movie musical. The musical’s Tony-winning lyricist, David Zippel, is attached to the project. Hairspray composer Marc Shaiman will provide additional musical material based on the late Cy Coleman’s jazz score and serve as musical director for the film. Going the other direction, the Christmas-classic (?) “Elf” is being turned into a stage musical. The show will feature a book by Tony winners Thomas Meehan (Hairspray, The Producers) and Bob Martin (Drowsy Chaperone) and a score by Wedding Singer collaborators Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Elf is hoping for a 2010 holiday debut. Those who like “The Marvelous Wonderettes” will be pleased to hear the show’s team has developed a related musical, “Life Could Be A Dream” telling the story of the boy group that competed with the Wonderettes. Performances start July 27 at the Hudson Mainstage under the direction of Roger Bean. The cast will comprise Doug Carpenter as Skip, Justin Michael Duval as Wally, Jim Holdridge as Eugene, Daniel Tatar as Denny and Jessica Keenan Wynn as Lois. More details on Dream can be found here.
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Creatively Insane

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

As a Father’s Day afternoon treat, the family made this a double-theatre weekend and took in the second performance of a new musical, “Insanity”, at the North Hollywood Arts Center. “Insanity” (music and lyrics by Scott DeTurk, book and additional lyrics by James J. Mellon, based on a concept by Larry Russo) primarily tells the story of Zarek Saxton, a director of slasher movies who is exasperating Ramsey Hawking, studio liasion, with the time he is taking on his current slasher pic, starring Katelyn Keenan. Zarek, you see, has this new vision for the picture, something that will “change the world”. One night, in New Orleans, after partaking in a psychedelic something, he is found naked and in a fetal position, talking strange. Sensing his opportunity to get Zarek off the movie due to an insanity clause in the contract, Zarek is shipped back to a vanity psych clinic in Malibu for a 72-hour psychiatric hold. Hawking presses the hospital psychiatrists (Dr. Megan Goodman and Dr. Hudson) to figure out a way to find him insane before the 72 hours are up. But this patient is a difficult one for Dr. Goodman, as it brings back memories of her crazy actor ex-husband, as well as her daughter who died at age 3 (these two facts come out slowly during the piece). While at the clinic, we see the interactions between Zarek and the other patients: Peter, Monica, Virginia, Raymond, Rex Reynolds, and Hughie. We also learn the real story behind Zarek’s state, courtesy of his brother, Matt. Will Zarek remain at the clinic past the 72 hour hold, or will his “Insanity” take him into a new creative direction… and what will be the effect of this experience on Dr. Goodman, who relates the experience, and her demons from the past?

The storytelling rough edges were remarkably few for the second performance of a new musical. It took a while to figure out the demons of Dr. Goodman (although they made sense as they came out), and as she told the story one began to wonder if this was really her story, or Zarek’s. As for the basis of the story itself, it was an interesting cross between “Next to Normal” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, although with a very different ending. One might wonder, based on the ending, how much of the directorial staff in Hollywood is really sane… and if they are not, whether we could tell it. Along the way, we meet some very interesting characters: a gay young man who can’t come out to his unaccepting parents; an opera singer withdrawn into herself; a nympho-starlet fighting the demons in her head; an ex-Shakespearian actor; a man who thinks he is Jesus; and a man who believes he is carrying an alien baby. As Zarek sings, “You Couldn’t Write This Shit”, meaning the craziness life can bring you is weirder than anything a Hollywood writer can come up with.

The cast for this production was very strong. In the lead roles were Kevin Baileyæ as Zarek Saxton and Dana Melleræ as Megan Goodman. Both were strong singers and dancers, and I particularly enjoyed the contrast of the manic insanity of Bailey contrasted to the stoic scientist of Meller. Bob Morriseyæ, as Ramsey Hawking, was a good dancer but seemed to have trouble being heard — I don’t know if this was his projection or a technical problem with the opera (hanging) microphones. As Katelyn Keenan, the star, Sabrina Miller portrayed the appropriate air of bubblehead actress whose brains were mostly in her chest. The remaining hospital staff were Tara Lynn Orræ as Dr. Hudson and Curtis C.æ as Freddie, the Attendent (Curtis also played Ovacu, the Shaman). Lastly, Zarek’s straightlaced brother, Matt, was played by Jonathan Zenzæ.

Rounding out the cast were the patients in the clinic: Peter (Victor Warrenæ), who thought he was Jesus; Monica (Cat Davisæ), the nympho starlet; Virginia (Clarissa Park), the opera singer; Alex Robert Holmesæ, the homosexual; Rex Reynolds (Brad Blaisdellæ), the Shakespearian actor; and Hughie (Arthur Ross), who is an alien baby incubator. Of the patients, I particularly enjoyed Blaisdell and Davis, as well as Holmes. All gave realy interesting portrayals of their characters.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical… the stage (design by Laura Fine Hawkes) was a multilevel structure, with simple props (by Janet Fontaine) that established the space: tables, chairs, cameras. Providing more location establishment were the costumes by Curtis Jackson: these clearly distinguished the sane from the patients and the doctors from the actors. The sound design by Jonathan Zenz was having problems: actors weren’t miced, but the opera mics weren’t picking things up clearly. The lighting design by Luke Moyer was remarkable in its use of projected images and colors; spotlights were done with moving lights and moving mirror lights, but the actors had difficulty coordinating with the programming. Hair and make-up were by Rique. The production stage manager was Karesa McElheny. Bobby Nafarrete served as musical director for the unseen band, and choreography was by Suzanne Carlton. The production was directed by James J. Mellon.

“Insanity” continues at the North Hollywood Arts Center until August 9, 2009. Tickets are available from the theatre. Discount tickets are available through Goldstar Events and LaStageTix.

Upcoming Theatre: The next two weekends are currently unscheduled, although I am exploring the Mini-Musical Festival at the Secret Rose Theatre. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm brings “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening). Lastly, August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. Tuesday gf_guruilla plans to go to the Bowl to ticket the the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09) and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Lastly, 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.

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Do Not Stand Idly By When Observing The Greed Of Those Close To You…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night, we went out to Pasadena to see the Pasadena Playhouse production of “The Little Foxes”. By we I refer to myself and nsshere, gf_guruilla having been felled by a headache a few hours earlier. It was a delightful father-daughter evening: my daughter is quite the remarkable young woman.

“The Little Foxes” was written by Lillian Hellman back in 1939. It is part of the Pasadena Playhouse’s season subtitled “Women: The Heart and Soul of the Theatre”. It takes places on an Alabama plantation around 1900. Wikipedia synopsizes the play as follows: The focus is on Southern aristocrat Regina Hubbard Giddens, who struggles for wealth and freedom within the confines of an early 20th century society where a father considered only sons as legal heirs. As a result, her avaricious brothers Benjamin and Oscar are independently wealthy, while she must rely upon her sickly husband Horace for financial support. Having married his much-maligned, alcoholic wife Birdie solely to acquire her family’s plantation and its cotton fields, Oscar now wants to join forces with Benjamin to construct a cotton mill. They approach their sister with their need for an additional $75,000 to invest in the project. Oscar initially proposes a marriage between his son Leo and Regina’s daughter Alexandra – first cousins – as a means of getting Horace’s money, but Horace and Alexandra are repulsed by the suggestion. When Regina asks Horace outright for the money, he refuses, so Leo is pressured into stealing Horace’s railroad bonds from the family business. In order to acquire a larger share in the mill from her brothers, Regina threatens to report the theft to the police. In retaliation, Horace says he will claim he gave Leo the bonds as a loan, thereby cutting Regina out of the deal completely. When he suffers a heart attack, she makes no effort to give him his medicine, and he dies, having tried to climb the stairs for the help of Regina’s maid, without anyone knowing his plan. Regina makes use of this in blackmailing her brothers. The price she ultimately pays for her evil is the loss of Alexandra’s love and respect. What is more, Benjamin suggests that he could, in turn, blackmail Regina, commenting it that he found it odd that her husband had died on the stairs.

One of the central focuses of the play is greed, and this is emphasized by the imagery in the Playhouse product, from the money-themed production logo, to the intense green of Regina’s dress. There is also an imagery of decay, both in the set (set in a southern mansion that had seen better days, and which was opened to the back to expose the decaying brick and foundations), as well as in the behavior of the principles, especially that of Birdie Hubbard, once a fine southern lady degenerated into alcoholism and escape. But the emphasis of the play, and one that remains timely today, is in the notion that just as it is wrong to be greedy and exploit others, it is equally wrong to silently let others do it as well. In this case, it is the greed of the Hubbard siblings: Ben, Oscar, and Regina. It is seen in their desire for money, their desire for things, and their desire to exploit others. It is made clear this is why Oscar married Birdie: not out of love, but to acquire her cotton plantation. It is why Regina married Horace: not out of love, but of wanting the things that come from a successful husband. It is seen in the unethical behavior of Oscar in exploiting workers, in Leo in stealing the bonds, and Ben in wanting to exploit his sister. But the positive characters in the play do not have that greed. Horace, Regina’s husband, wants to be away from it all and ethically run his bank. Birdie, when asked what she wanted had she money, dreamed of restoration of the southern aristocratic lifestyle and her plantation of the old days. Alexandra, Regina and Horace’s daughter, just wanted her father. The notion of not-standing-by is emphasized in the end of the story, where Regina kills Horace by standing and doing nothing in his time of need… out of her greed, for had he lived, he would have revised his will. She successfully exploits her greed to extort her brother, but her daughter cannot stand by and profit from it, and indicates she will leave the greed behind.

Under the direction of Damaso Rodriguez, this was a powerfully staged and acted play. In the lead, as Regina Hubbard Giddens, was Kelly McGillis, who developed a wonderful personification of a strong, greedy woman. As portrayed by McGillis, the greed is so strong it comes out angry and forceful: this is a woman you don’t cross lightly. Her husband, Horace Giddens (Geoff Pierson) is unseen in the first act, being away for his health in Baltimore. In the second act we meet him: a much calmer but strong character who stands up against his wife… and for what he believes is right for those whom he cares about: his 17yo daughter Alexandra (Rachel Sondag) and his long-time black housekeeper, Addie (Yvette Cason). Pierson’s portrayal of Giddens is as an affable, but dying man; you feel sorry he wasn’t in better health. The second member of the Hubbard trio is Oscar Hubbard (Marc Singer), an angry exploitive man (who I think was a bit overplayed by Singer), eager to take whatever he can get. He takes from his wife, Birdie (Julia Duffy), driving her to drink (as demonstrated in an excellent scene in the second act). He passes on his greed to his son, Leo (Shawn Lee), encourages him to steal, and engineers to have his son marry his first cousin Alexandra, in order to keep any money in the family. The last Hubbard family member is Benjamin Hubbard (Steve Vinovich), a seemingly affible man who engineered the entire scheme, but who exerts firm control on everything (or tries to). Never married, he exhudes the confidence that all will be his, or in his family, at the end. Rounding out the cast where Cleavant Derricks as Cal, Regina and Horace Giddens driver/butler, and William Marshall (Tom Schmid), the man going in with the Hubbards to build a cotton mill on the plantation. This was just a very powerful and talented acting ensemble, although (as I noted above) I though Singer’s character was a little overplayed.
[All actors are members of æ Actors Equity ]

Technically, the Playhouse did their usual excellent production. The stage (designed by Gary Wissmann) consisted of the drawing room and dining room of a southern mansion, with the decay of its foundations visible (serving as a metaphor for the larger story). The costumes by Mary Vogt (who, I should note, did the Pushing Daisies pie-lette) also reflected the characters: Regina’s emerald green dress reflected her greed and jelousy; Birdie’s dress had seen better days; and the businessmen (Benjamin, Oscar, and Leo) were all business in matching suits). The sound design by Michael Hooker) was notable not for any amplification problems but for the way, in the second act, it amplified the drama through well-timed thunder. The lighting design by Dan Jenkins establishes the warmth or coolness of the acts: the first act is warm and sunny, in light yellow and white; the second act is cold and foreboding, in shades of purple. The actor’s southern dialects were coached by Joel Goldes, and the excellent casting was by Michael Donovan. The production was stage-managed by long-time Playhouse stage manager Lea Chazin (her 44th show!), assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“The Little Foxes” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through June 28, 2009. Tickets are available from the Pasadena Playhouse. Discount tickets are available through Goldstar Events and LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre: Later this afternoon we are seeing the new musical “Insanity” at the North Hollywood Arts Center. The following two weekends are currently unscheduled, although I am exploring the Mini-Musical Festival at the Secret Rose Theatre. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm brings “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening). Lastly, August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. Tuesday gf_guruilla plans to go to the Bowl to ticket the the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09) and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Lastly, 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.

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Spamalot Tickets Scored

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today is the day that Hottix went on sale for “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. We’ve now got 4 for the Sunday matinee on 7/12, making that weekend a full theatre weekend, as we are seeing “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse in Saugus the night before.

ETA: Due to crossed wires with my daughter, we’ve moved “Fat Pig” to 7/18 to accomodate a party she is hosting for a friend.

ETAA: Plus we’re seeing “Insanity” at the NoHo Arts Center for Fathers Day (they were on Goldstar)

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Monday Morning Tony-backing

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A few quick observations on last night’s Tony awards, while the tea cools:

  • What was with Neal Patrick Harris’ shiny suit. Did he have it tailored in Duloc?
  • Award shows are not only to award the best, but to market Broadway. To that end, I was confused by the choices of numbers from Shrek, Guys and Dolls, and West Side Story. Although Shrek’s number showed Christopher Sieber’s remarkable on-the-knees dancing, it did nothing to show off the principles. Similarly, Guys and Dolls showed off Nicely-Nicely’s number, not the numbers for the leads: Sky, Nathan, or Sarah Brown. As for West Side Story, although the number showed off the dance skills of the cast, it did nothing to show off the revised bilingual lyrics. On the other hand, the numbers from Billy Eliot, Hair, and Next to Normal made me want to see those shows.
  • It was nice to see the touring companies perform, although the number from Mamma Mia struck me as low-energy. As I noted in the last bullet, these numbers should sell these shows: they should make me want to see the touring productions. The Mamma Mia number didn’t.
  • Beating the marketing horse to death: it would have been nice if they had also included production numbers for some of the other musicals currently running to help publicize Broadway as a whole.
  • It was interesting to watch Gregory Jbara drag his wife up to the stage. You can tell she was a little shell shocked, plus her dress was not really meant for running up to the stage.
  • I was disappointed that 9-to-5 didn’t win anything, although their competition (in the form of “Billy Elliot” and “Next to Normal”) was very strong.
  • The opening number was excellent, and I found the closing song amazing. Other than that, NPH did acceptably. Not outstanding.
  • Some of the folks haven’t aged well: Stockard Channing, Liza, Carrie Fisher. On the other hand, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda were stunning.
  • The sound engineer for the production had trouble. There were lots of problematic microphones — much more than usual.
  • Some of the acceptances were truly great: the three Billys, Geoffrey Rush, Alice Ripley, Angela Lansbury, and Karen Olivo come to mind. Others were…wtf… especially Liza’s, where I expected her to go off on some odd tangent.
  • Frank Langella’s introduction was priceless, where he castigated the ATW for not nominating him.
  • The snippets from the play nominees were too short — they didn’t give a good sense of the plays. Again: this should be Marketing 101: put in a sufficient scene to sell seeing the play. If you’re not going to do that, why bother?
  • Lastly: It was great to hear about “Working in the Theatre”. But bring back “Downstage Center”. It’s been gone since November, when Sirius and XM merged.
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Writing a Relationship

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This afternoon we went down to Hollywood to see “Setup and Punch” at the Blank Theatre Company. I wasn’t in the greatest of moods going down (more on that in my next post [LJ-Friends-Only, so join LJ]), but I was looking forward to seeing something at a new theatre. The Blank is an interesting theatre: their mainstage focuses entirely on new plays; their artistic producer is Noah Wyle; and they are theatrical West-Coast home of Michael John LaChiusa. They are also the home of the Young Playwrights Festival. I do have to say I was impressed with the quality of today’s production, and I look forward to seeing more of their work.

The name of the play, “Setup and Punch”, refers to how comedy pairs work: one serves to set up the story, and the other delivers the punch line. In this play, our comics are a theatrical ex-couple, Brian (Andrew Leeds) and Vanya (Hedy Burress). The story, which is told in a series of letters and flashbacks, is about their relationship as a music-and-lyrics writing team. This relationship started when they graduated Cornell, and continued through their successful “Fairy Tale Theatre”. They’re last project was for a revue about New York, and it was for this project that they met Jan (P. J. Griffith), the former lead of the Byronics and a sex-god in his own mind. Through these letters, as well as a few songs, we learn how Brian discovered his orientation, and how Vanya uncovered her ambition, and what happened when everything came together with Jan, thanks to a mustard seed planted by Miguel (also P. J. Griffith), a college colleague and a divinity student.

Although billed in a sense as a musical, the musical numbers (music by Berton Averre, lyrics by Rob Meurer) were not really about the characters singing their inner thoughts or advancing the story — rather, they were songs being written by the various songwriting teams. In that sense, they were more of a prop than an integrated part of the story (although the first number, about the couple on the subway, was quite humerous). The story was really about Brian, and to a lesser extent Vanya, and how they grew (and didn’t grow) over the letters. It was quite a joy to watch this growth, and to see the mustard plant grow. But of course, out in Southern California, wild mustard can be a noxious weed, so if you let it grow too much, you have trouble.

The actors in this were a joy to watch: Andrew Leeds had a nerdy playfullness to him that was just fun to watch. Hedy Burress seemed to be a playful emotional bundle, and P. J. Griffith struck me as nothing other than a young Steven Weber. Their enthusiasm combined with the excellent writing by Mark Saltzman, just made this a fun play.
[All actors are members of æ Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical side: The Blank is a small Equity-Waiver house, so one has to be creative with sets. For “Setup and Punch”, the set by Ian P. Garrett is stacked boxes — some movable — that hint at the New York skyline. Spartan, but it works. The props by Michael O’Hara are equally simple: some laptops, a keyboard, a piano. The costumes by Michael Mullen are suitably playful — especially those for Vanya and Jan. The lighting design by R. Christopher Stokes did an effective job of lighting the space and evoking mood, and made good use of what lighting equipment they had. The sound design by Warren Davis was unnoticable, which is a good thing in a sound design (I don’t believe the actors were amplified). The production was directed by Daniel Henning, who is also the Artistic Director of the Blank Theatre Company, assisted by June Carryl. Ilona Pacek was Stage Manager, assisted by Brenda Goldstein. The production was produced by Henning, Michelle Lander, Stacy Reed, and Noah Wyle; June Carryl, Daniel C. Garcia, and Stephen Moffatt were associate producers.

“Setup and Punch” continues at the Blank Theatre Company through June 21; it is unknown if it will extend. Discount tickets may be available through LA Stage Tix and Goldstar.

Dining Notes: Grabbing a quick lunch before the show we hit Astro Burger at Melrose and Gower. Quite good, and quite fast — we’ll have to remember that the next time we go to the Blank Theatre Company or West Coast Ensemble. While at The Blank, we picked up a flyer for Lucifers Gourmet Pizza in Los Feliz. We’ll have to try them — they have Gluten-Free crusts, and quite a few interesting toppings.

Upcoming Theatre: So far, we have no theatre the weekend of June 6: I’ve been interested in “Breaking the Code” at The Production Company in North Hollywood (5/15-6/20/09), but they only seem to put up 2 tickets on LAStageTix, and they don’t have anything on Goldstar. The weekend after that is Fathers Day, and nothing is currently scheduled. June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Lastly, July 11 will bring “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. Other shows pending scheduling and ticketing include “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson (7/7-9/6/09), the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09), and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Also of potential interest are: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse (Venue Goldstar) (7/9-7/26/09); and “The Apple Tree” at Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood (6/5-6/28/09) (LAStageTix). I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

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Fiddler at a Middle School. Sounds crazy, no? But here in our village of Northridge…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night, we went to see the second performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School. Our daughter was very involved with this program the previous two years, and we’re still generally supportive and involved with it. This production was the culmination of the third year of the drama program at Nobel Middle School.

I don’t believe I need to repeat the story of Fiddler on the Roof. You can easily find the synopsis on Wikipedia. It tells the story of Tevye the Milkman and his 5 daughters (the original story by Sholem Aleichem had 7 daughters), and features a book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. This particular production was based on the Fiddler Jr. version (which provided them with most of the musical accompaniment), but had some songs restored (such as Wonder of Wonders and the first half of Tevye’s Dream). I note that the Junior version takes some of the standard version songs and turns them into recitations, particularly the second half of Tevye’s Dream and The Rumor. A number of songs were cut from the second act: Now I Have Everything and Chaveleh, and the dancing after To Life was significantly cut. The Junior version also makes the production a single act; Nobel added an intermission after Wonder of Wonders, which is a non-standard and jarring break. To the instructor’s (Fanny Araña and Jean Martellaro) credit, they did not augment the story to create additional characters, which in my eyes is a step forward for the Nobel drama program. I do hope that one day the drama program selections can be integrated in the rest of the curriculum, as plays like this provide a wonderful context to teach literature aspects as well as historical aspects in conjunction with the production, and that can serve to get the entire student body involved. This play, in particular, provides a wonderful opportunity for discussing the impact of hate crimes, the wave of immigration to American in the early 1900s from eastern Europe and its affect on society, and how traditions shape society.

The acting, for the most part, was above typical middle-school quality, and exhibited the usual mix of strong actors and students going through the paces (the latter mostly buried in the ensembles). The cast numbered 55 students, so I’m not going to list them all. However, there are a few noteworthy performances I want to highlight, starting with that of Camille Martellaro (Hodel). I’ve seen this young women’s talent grow over the years, and I am always impressed with her. She has strong acting and exceptionally strong singing skills, and was particularly touching in Matchmaker and Far From The Home I Love. Also notable was Henry Rosen (Tevye): although his singing was a bit weaker (I’m told he was having vocal trouble last night), his acting and bathos were quite strong. Kelsey Trammell had the right shrillness for Fruma Sarah, and it would have been interesting to see her sing instead of speak the song. I also liked Devon Yaffe as Motel. Also worthy of mention was Chloe Rosen (Chava), who did a nice job on Matchmaker and in her final scene with Tevye. I should also note that their “Fiddler on the Roof” (Kinsey Cohen) was an actual violinist, although she only played one short bit, and simulated the rest. Other students in lead roles were Emma Wolgast (Golde), Teal Fink (Tzeitel), Sonni Vargas (Shprintze), Emily Hart (Bielke), Elliott Aronson (Perchik), Nicole Araña-Zweig (Yente), Paul Supanish (Lazar Wolf), Mariana Mora (Grandmother Tzeitel Z”L), Nicholas Lutfi (Constable), and Drake Irvine (Fyedka).

Turning to the technical side of things. The sound setup at Nobel has improved immensely from when they restarted this program, and all of the actors could be heard clearly from the back of the auditorium. However, there was a balance problem, in that the music at times overpowered the actors. As for the lighting… sigh…. it served to clearly light the stage, making everything equally visible. The lighting could have been used to much better effect: it could have highlighted the mood, and served to better delineate Tevye’s monologues. But it just lit the stage. Our daughter did submit a lighting design (and spent a fair amount of time in the lighting cage ensuring that what equipment could work did), but for whatever reason (most likely cost and students to operate it) it wasn’t used. Nobel is starting a technical theatre program next year, so hopefully they will improve in this area and start to use lighting to better effect — and hopefully they will integrate the technical theatre with the Math-Science magnet, as sound and lighting design are wonderful opportunities to teach rudimentary physics and the corresponding supporting mathematics (have you discovered by now I’m a big believer in integrating activities into curriculums, and making everying a learning opportunity). The sets (designed by Dennis Kull, a community volunteer) were effective, and exceptionally strong for a middle school production. The backdrop, however, could have been stronger (I’m guessing this was due to lack of time and budget). Costumes were typical peasant style, although more of the male characters (some of which were played by women) should have had beards, given the traditions at the time.

There are two more performances of Fiddler: today at 2pm and at 7pm at Nobel Middle School, which is located at Tampa and Lassen in Northridge CA (for some reason, they still don’t put their address on the flyers). Donations at the door.

Upcoming Theatre: Our next production is Sunday, May 31 @ 2pm, when we see “Setup and Punch” at The Blank Theatre Company. I’m still unsure if we are seeing anything the weekend of June 6: I’ve been interested in “Breaking the Code” at The Production Company in North Hollywood (5/15-6/20/09), but they only seem to put up 2 tickets on LAStageTix, and they don’t have anything on Goldstar. June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Lastly, July 11 will bring “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. Other shows pending scheduling and ticketing include “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson (7/7-9/6/09), the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09), and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Also of potential interest are: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse (Venue Goldstar) (7/9-7/26/09); and “The Apple Tree” at Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood (6/5-6/28/09) (LAStageTix). I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

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