Tag: theatre-2010

Well-Worn Schtick

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Back when I was in High School, the Marx Brothers (and other 1930s and 1940s comedy teams) had a brief resurgance in popularity due to the long-awaited re-release of “Animal Crackers” in 1974 and series of still picture books by Richard Anobile (“Why a Duck?”, “Who’s On First”, “A Fine Mess”, and others). But today, if you mentioned comedy teams such as the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, or Abbott and Costello to the “youth of america”™, you’ld likely get a blank stare. Planely silly comedy, with intelligent wordplay, has been replaced by raunch and shock.

I mention all of these because last night we went to the NoHo Arts Center to see “It’s Top Secret [Facebook] (A Golden Performing Arts Center Production), part of the New American Festival of Musicals. “It’s Top Secret” bills itself as a Marx Brothers Musical (and there are precious few of those—“A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine” is the only one coming to mind, although “Cocoanuts” was originally a musical, and many of the Marx Bros films had music… and a non-musical bioplay, “Groucho: A Life in Revue” regularly trods the boards). With that billing, you don’t expect high comedy, a deep (or even sensical) plot, or your typical musical convention. You expect the Marx Brothers and zaniness.

The plot of “It’s Top Secret” is at the usual Marx Brothers level: sufficient enough to hang the comedy on, but not strong enough to withstand a Southern California earthquake. The year is 1942. Dr. Avendale is working on a TOP SECRET formula that will permit American to Win The War. His daughter (Carol) is in love with the beat cop (Frank), of whom Dr. Avendale and his wife (Lydia, a society matron) disapproves. However, the world is at war and treachery is afoot. As the play opens, Dr. Avendale is found dead. The butler (James) and the maid (Sally), who are really Nazi spies, conspire not to call the real FBI but the private detective agency of Notello Bordello (“Chico”) and Lucky (“Harpo”). Also called in is Milton P. Malpracticus (“Groucho”) as the coroner. The two words, “mayhem ensues”, never applied better.

As I said, this was a very slight plot, reminiscent in many ways of a bunch of Marx Brothers movies put into a blender. The strongest antecedent is perhaps Animal Crackers, but I also recognized elements of Duck Soup. Many of the characters were also charactures of movie characters: Lydia (played by a man in drag) was the Margaret Dumont role. Carol was the Thelma Todd role. Frank was obviously meant to be Zeppo, although he had little comic schtick. They also threw in almost all of the well-known Marx Brothers bits: Groucho’s puns, Harpo’s endless pockets and chasing of girls, Chico’s mangling of the languge, the chase, the fluid architecture, Harpo playing the harp. I could say they threw in everything except the kitchen sink, however…. they threw that in as well (which gives you an idea of the level of puns). The show broke the wall with the audience continually, making reference to the fact they were in a musical, and even commenting on the action and the audience.

The music in the show was slight. One song was sung four times—a fact that did not escape Groucho’s notice. They sang the audience off to Intermission, and exhorted us to by candy. There were tangos and ballets. But, as in the original movies, the music didn’t serve to further the plot—it was just another element of the entertainment, allowing characters to show their talent.

Acting-wise, it was reasonably well done. In the first tier of characters, we had the Marx Brothers equivalents: Dan Wilson Davisæ as Milton P. Malpracticus/Groucho; John Albert Price as Notelli Bordello/Chico; and Adam Miller as Lucky/Harpo. These three captured their charactures well. I was particuarly taken with Davis’ Groucho and Price’s Harpo—those two really captured the sillyness. Price’s Chico was a bit weaker, as he didn’t quite have the Italian scoundrel done right. But all three were fun to watch (and it was nice to see the Marx Brothers again): I had forgotten the zaniness, and I had forgotten how much fun a character that doesn’t speak can be if it is done right.

Turning to the second tier: Dimitri Toscasæ was a man in drag playing Lydia, the Margret Dumont characture. This was a bit weaker: I’m not sure the Brothers would have done the gender-bending, and there are certainly actresses that could have done the role. Still, Toscas was funny for the schtick he did. Megan Campbellæ was stronger as Carol, the Thelma Todd characture. She was a good singer and dancer, and seemed really to be having fun with the role. Stephen Vandetteæ was a good characture of Zeppo as Frank, the policeman. He had the slight stiffness and handsome demeanor that Zeppo had, and played with the comedy well.

Rounding out the cast were the two spies: Kyle Nudo as James and Ailene Quincyæ as Sally. Nudo was good and suitably comic as the bad guy, serving primarily as the foil for many jokes. I initially wasn’t sure about Quincy, with her deep voice and small stature. But as the evening wore on, I grew to like her more: she seemed to me to be in the Nancy Walker mode—perhaps not the strongest singer, but a gifted comic actress. Still, at points (especially in the first act), she came across as a little wooden and not having fun with the role. I hope she works on that—this is a show to play and have fun with. Completing the cast were John Welsh as Dr. Winston Avondale and Erin Daigle as the occasional kitchen help and ensemble member.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical side: David Goldstein provided the set (assisted by Tim Miller) and lighting design. The set was a simple living room with lots of doors and stairs, which worked well for the comedy. The lights also worked well to establish the mood, with some interesting gobos used (especially at intermission). The sound by Jeff Resnick was more of a problem: there was a fair amount of static at points, some characters were overamplified, and in general you were aware of the amplification. The costumes by Rachel Stivers were good: the Brothers were dressed as their characters usually were, and the other costumes seemed reasonably period (although I’m not sure there were Nazi cummerbunds and aprons, but perhaps I didn’t visit the right merch store). Todd M. Eskin was the production stage manager, assisting by Joni Davis.

“It’s Top Secret” was written by Steven A. Muro and Daniel W. Davis. The production was directed and choreographed by Robert Petarca, who had one nice dance number in the corpse ballet. Paul Taylor was the music director and conducted the five-piece on-stage band, which included Taylor on piano, John Spooner on Percussion, Ross Craton and Tim Miller providing woodwinds, and Dave Hickok on trombone. The production was presented by the Golden Performing Arts Center, with Shelli and Tim Miller as Executive Producers.

“It’s Top Secret” continues at the NoHo Arts Center through July 11. You can get tickets from the production website; they are also available through Goldstar. More information is available from the “It’s Top Secret” production page or their facebook page. “It’s Top Secret” is a featured musical in the 3rd annual Festival of New American Musicals.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. This is a busy, busy summer. Tonight brings “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Underground Theatre. July starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. The third weekend of July brings ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 and the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18. The 4th weekend brings “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24, and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Mark Taper Forum on July 25. Plus July will possibly bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. July or August should also bring “[title of show]” at the Celebration Theatre (July 16-September 5) — I’m just waiting for tickets to show up on Goldsar. In terms of what is ticketed and calendared, August starts with “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages on August 1, and (hopefully) “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing) the following weekend. August 15 brings the August “Meeting of Minds”, and August 21 “Side Man” at REP East. Looking into September, there is “Free Man of Color” at the Colony on September 4, and “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 5-October 17, to be ticketed), and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East (9/17-10/16). It is unknown if there will be a September “Meeting of Minds”, and if so, when and where.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Meeting of Minds #10 (Martin Luther, Voltaire, Plato, Florence Nightingale)

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A lunchtime review… Last night was our monthly sojurn to Steve Allen’s creation, Meeting of Minds at the Steve Allen Theatre. This month was Episode #10. The guests were:

The focus of this episode was Martin Luther and many of his outrageous positions. I particularly remember his strong antisemitism, advocating destroying synagogues, the homes of Jews, denying them free passage over roads. He felt equally about other heritics, advocating they should be put to death. This offended all the other participants (Voltaire, Nightingale, Plato). There was also exploration of what the reformation stood for and what has lasted, and the acceptance of a broad view of the notion of God. Plato explored the philosphy of the Sophists, and noted how they used rhetoric to make absurd points. It was here that the script was updated to include references to Fox News and Glen Beck as examples of which the sophists would be proud. There was also exploration of Ms. Nighingale’s reclusiveness during the last years of her life, and of how mankind is always resistant to reformation efforts and new ideas.

As time has gone on, there appears to be more freedom being taken with the scripts in the form of minor updates. I noted previously the references to Beck and Fox, but I recall there were other updates, such as a reference to BP and the oil leak. I see more of this when Maxwell is playing Steve Allen vs. Gary Cole. In general, I find that Maxwell makes a better Allen: his personality comes off more similar and less stiff, there appears to be better innate knowledge of the material (whether that is acting I don’t know, but that’s the mark of a good actor). Speaking of the acting quality, I’ll note that this episode was a step above the first episode of this pair back in October: both Mark Moses and Harold Gould were much more energetic and lively; Abruzzo was his usual caustic self (got to love Voltaire); and I found Smart to be the perfect Nightingale—she had the right fiestiness and bite for the character. This episode was a pleasure to watch. As always, the production was directed by Frank Megna, who did an excellent job working with the actors to bring out the characters.

Last month, Dan Lauria indicated he had written a new Meeting of Minds script, featuring Congressional Medal of Honor winner Smedley Darlington Butler, Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War Doctor Mary Edwards Walker, Saint Patrick of Ireland, and Saint Joan of Arc. The reading of that script was cancelled at the last minute; alas, there were no updates given regarding its rescheduling. This could be because Lauria is involved with a new Broadway production of a play on the life of Vince Lombardi. Hopefully there will be word on that production soon.

“Meeting of Minds” is produced monthly by Bob Ladendorf and Diana Ljungaeus for Opening Minds Productions, every third Sunday of every month at 7:00pm through August at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood. The specifics of the regular July episode (Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 7pm) have not been announced. Alas, Opening Minds loses the use of the Steve Allen Theatre after August and is currently scouting for a new location.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. This is a busy, busy summer. Next Friday, June 25, brings “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, at the NoHo Arts Center; the next night, June 26, brings “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Underground Theatre. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. The third weekend of July brings ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 and the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18. The 4th weekend brings “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24, and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Mark Taper Forum on July 25. Plus July will possibly bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. July or August should also bring “[title of show]” at the Celebration Theatre (July 16-September 5). In terms of what is ticketed and calendared, August starts with “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages on August 1, and (hopefully) “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing) the following weekend. August 15 brings the August “Meeting of Minds”, and August 21 “Side Man” at REP East. Looking into September, there is “Free Man of Color” at the Colony on September 4, and “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 5-October 17, to be ticketed), and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East (9/17-10/16). It is unknown if there will be a September “Meeting of Minds”, and if so, when and where.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Aughh! My Dog Died! Now What?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

For the last year or two, I’ve been caught up in the continuing story of the Patterson family over in the community binky_betsy. This story continued the story of the “For Better or For Worse” original characters after artist Lynn Johnson stopped new strips and went into reruns. This story had the lead character go delusional and believe she was living in the past, with the rest of the situations devolving around her, until at the end, the mother is shot.

I mention all of this because last night we went to Valley West Actors Space in Woodland Hills, CA to see the 3Monkeys Theatre Co’s production of “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead”. “Dog Sees God”, by Bert V. Royal, does the same thing to the loved Peanuts characters developed by Charles Schulz. It is approximately 10 years after the times depicted in the strip, and the gang are in the middle years of high school… what happened? [I should note that, to avoid copyright problems, character names were changed slightly]

The story is framed with the conceit of “C.B.” (Charlie Brown) writing a letter to his pen pal, relating what happened shortly after his dog had to be put down after contracting rabies and eating this little yellow bird that had been his friend. That should give you the basic sense of this play. In any case, this incident sends C.B. questioning what happens to pets when they die—the sort of existential angst that only Charlie Brown would ponder while life goes on around him. Through these ponderings, we discover what happened to the rest of the gang: “C.B. sister” (Sally Brown) has continued to constantly change her personality, and is currently goth. “Van” (Linus) has turned into a pothead, and no longer has his blanket (he smoked it). “Tricia York” (Peppermint Patty) has become an alcoholic party girl, and is still connected at the hip with her best friend “Marcy” (Marcie), who is also a party girl and has a crush on C.B. “Matt” (Pig Pen) has become a neat freak, a sex-obsessed bully, and a homophobe and is one of C.B.’s best friends. “Beethoven” (Schroeder) is the outcast of the group and is believed by all to be homosexual (during the play it is revealed he was sexually abuse by his father, so it is unsure whether he actually is gay). “Van’s sister” (Lucy) is in jail for setting the hair of the little red-headed girl on fire. As you can tell by what happened, this is a play filled with strong sexual and drug references and use and extreme adult concepts (although nothing more explicit than a bong). It is also very funny at points.

You can read a detailed synopsis over on Wikipedia. The production touches upon the subjects of drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence and sexual relations, rebellion, and sexual identity. This isn’t your father’s comic strip, folks. To me, it also touched upon the existential, in the way that Schulz’s strips sometimes did. You know how Garfield Minus Garfield unvieled the hidden journey of Jon Arbuckle, losing a battle against loneliness and depression? This play does the same for C.B., who has always been outsider of his gang, the boy who pondered the questions of his universe while the world around him continued their mundane ways. It also brought to my mind, surprisingly, the world of Archie: C.B. corresponded to the lead character; Van to Jughead (who we all know was a pothead); Matt to Reggie; Marcy and Tricia to Betty and Veronica, the party girls. I found it an interesting story.

It was also well acted. I was particularly impressed with Nick Hauser as C.B., who did a good job of capturing the sensitive boy inside the teen. I also enjoyed Kyle Perren as Van and Noelle Barrett as Marcy, and was particularly taken with Jordan Kai Burnett as Van’s sister, who captured the true craziness of Lucy quite well. Others in the cast were Ashley Dulaney (C.B.’s Sister), Abica Dubay (Tricia York), Tom Rathbone (Matt), and Casey Graf (Beethoven). All just came off as their characters extremely well, and were strong actors.

Technically, there’s not much to say. This is a simple black box theatre. The set was minimal but effective. The lighting was a total of 7 parcans, with no obvious lighting booth (I guess it is in the back). There was no obvious sound setup. It worked for this show, but these limitations may affect the range of shows this space can support (then again, if they are as creative as REP East, who knows?). ETA: Since writing this, I have learned that Eric Carl was the Production Manager/Technical Director, and that the entire show was cast, rehearsed, and the technical construction completed in 2½ weeks. That’s a surprise, given the calibur of the acting — I thought they would have been working on it much longer!

The production was directed by Sara Wood.

The production continues at the Valley West Actors Space through the July 4th weekend. Tickets are available through Plays 411.

A note about the company itself: Valley West (older Facebook page, newer Facebook page) is a new theatre company in the Valley; in fact, they opened their doors as a theatre company on Friday. They are in a simple storefront in Woodland Hills just E of Fallbrook where they have built a small (I’d estimate 40 seats or less) black box theatre. In fact, their initial funding effort just ended on Thursday June 17th! It will be interesting to watch this company as they mature. The western end of the San Fernando Valley doesn’t have much theatre: I think there’s one effort out of the Madrid in Canoga Park, and that’s it. The theatre community is currently focused in North Hollywood and Burbank (with an outpost in Newhall). I hope the Valley supports small efforts like this, as well as larger efforts such as the new Performing Arts Center at CSUN. I wish them well.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. This is a busy, busy summer. Tonight is the regularly scheduled June “Meeting of Minds” (Episode #10: Voltaire (Ray Abruzzo); Martin Luther (Mark Moses); Plato; Florence Nightingale [Sharon Lawrence]; with Steve Allen (Gary Cole) hosting). Next Friday, June 25, brings “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, at the NoHo Arts Center; the next night, June 26, brings “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Underground Theatre. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. The third weekend of July brings ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 and the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18. The 4th weekend brings “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24, and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Mark Taper Forum on July 25. Plus July will possibly bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. August starts with “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages on August 1, and (hopefully) “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing) the following weekend. August 15 brings the August “Meeting of Minds”, and August 21 “Side Man” at REP East. Looking into September, there is “Free Man of Color” at the Colony on September 4, and “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 5-October 17, to be ticketed), plus of course, “Meeting of Minds” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East (9/17-10/16).

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Pasadena Playhouse Update

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today, while reading the Monster Mash at the LA Times, I got the urge to look at the Pasadena Playhouse website. Imagine my surprise when I saw a note about subscriber meetings, indicating that they were going to be held:

  • Monday, June 14th 7:00 – 8:30 pm
  • Tuesday, June 15th 2:30 – 4:00 pm
  • Wednesday, June 16th 11:00 am – 12:30

I should note that (as a subscriber) they never provided me with an announcement of these meetings: there was no mail (although they knew where to mail the bankruptcy paperwork); there was no phone call (even though they have my phone number); there was no email; and there wasn’t even a posting on their blog (to which I subscribe via RSS). Thus, although I would have been interested in attending, I found out too late, only by happenchance.

Given there was an email address for the Operations person, I dropped her a note as soon as I saw the page. Interestingly enough, she had called me at work early last week to talk, but I was in a meeting. I told her to call me back the next day… but she never did. I didn’t receive a response to my email, nor a call today. I’m writing this off as yet another example of the Playhouse’s problems with the care and nurturing of subscribers.

So, as she didn’t call, here are my suggestions about what the Playhouse should have done, subscriber-wise:

  • As soon as the closing was announced, created a mailing list for subscribers (this would be free at someplace like Yahoo). In their letter, provide an address for people to confirm they are on the mailing list.
  • They should also have created a special announcement blog just for subscribers. Again, easy to do.
  • They should have kept both lists updated regularly. Transparency of information is the best approach.
  • I understand that they could not provide confirmation of the bankruptcy filing before it was made public. But they could have indicated they were contemplating filing, and if they filed, what forms people would get and how to fill them out.
  • They should have passed on good-will offers from other organizations. Those wouldn’t have cost the Playhouse anything, and would have kept subscribers happy. More importantly, it would have created positive impressions and benefitted the entire theatre community.

Simple ideas. Ideas that would not cost the Playhouse anything, but would have indicated that the subscribers were part of the family. As for us, right now, I’ll keep watching what is happening. I want them to succeed and return, but I’m hesitant about resubscribing until I see a change in attitude. What I was buying there with my subscription dollar has bought an equivalent subscription elsewhere, plus left enought to fund attending a large number of productions around the Los Angeles area.

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Overcoming Prejudice

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

One of my favorite Shel Silverstein cartoons is that a parent stuffing their child’s head full of hatred. I mention this because this afternoon we toddled on down to the Ahmanson Theatre to see “South Pacific”. Surprisingly, this was the first time I have seen a full production. I was stunned.

Today, we look back at Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals and think of them as old-fashioned fluff. Oklahoma. The Sound of Music. The King and I. Nothing groundbreaking in there. But then we look at other works: Carousel, which explored relationship violence, or South Pacific. which looked at racism, and we begin to get a different picture of how groundbreaking these two men were. South Pacific came out in 1949, as was their fourth musical (Oklahoma, Carousel, and State Fair preceeded it). It tackled the subject of racism and the acceptance of it—in a sensitive accepting, but still critical manner. I think the heart of this musical is not the well-known songs, but the short song “Carefully Taught”:

You’ve got to be taught / To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught / From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed / In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid / Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, / Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You’ve got to be carefully taught!

South Pacific is, at its heart, a morality story buried in a love story that takes place during WWII on an island in the Pacific Ocean. You can find a detailed synopsis at Wikipedia. In short, the two love stories are between Emile de Becque (a wealthy white plantation owner with two mixed race children) and Ensign Nellie Forbush (a nurse from Little Rock AR), and between Lt. Joseph Cable USMC from Philadelpha PA and Liat, a native Tongoese girl. Nellie loves Emile, but has trouble accepting him because he’s been with a island woman. Cable loves Liat, but can’t propose because she’s not white like him. Woven into all of this are the typical Navy hijinks of a group of Seebees (think McHale’s Navy), and a subplot about Cable and de Becque going to a nearby island to spy on Japanese troop movements.

The casting of this production was excellent. We had a few understudies, but didn’t even notice (and one was Nellie!). In the main love story, the leads were Rod Gilfry (Emile de Becque), a superb operatic quality singer, and Kate Fahrner (Nellie Forbush (understudy)), a strong singer and dancer with great timing who was just a joy to watch. I really cannot see how the original cast were better than these two. Our second couple were Anderson Davis (Lt. Joseph Cable USMC) and Sumie Maeda (Liat). These had smaller roles (esp. Maeda), but Davis was stunning in his singing. Other significant roles were Matthew Saldivar (Luthaer Bills) and Keala Settle (Bloody Mary). Their roles were more comic, but they captured that aspect perfectly. Rounding out the large cast were Gerry Becker (Capt. George Brackett), Genson Blimline (Stewpot), Christina Carrera (Ngana), CJ Palma (Jerome), Peter Rini (Cmdr. William Harbison), Rusty Ross (Professor), Eric L. Christian (Kenneth Johnson), Jacqueline Colmer (Dinah Murphy, Ass’t. Dance Captain), Jeremy Davis (Lt. Buzz Adams), Mike Evariste (Henry/James Hayes), Alexis G. B. Holt (Bloody Mary’s Ass’t.), Robert Hunt (Richard West), Chad Jennings (Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey), Christopher Johnstone (Thomas Hassinger), Kristie Kerwin (Ensign Sue Yaeger), Jodi Kimura (Bloody Mary’s Ass’t), Cathy Newman (Lt. Genevieve Marshall), Diane Phelan (Ensign Cora MacRae/Bloody Mary’s Ass’t.), John Pinto Jr. (Yeoman Herbert Quale), Travis Robertson (Tom O’Brien), Josh Rouah (Lt. Eustis Carmichael/ Petty Officer Hamilton Steeves), Kristen J. Smith (Ensign Connie Walewska), Matt Stokes (Seabee Johnny Noonan), Victor J. Wisehart (Morton Wise). This is the touring company—there was no Los Angeles specific casting.

Technically, the production was a delight, although we weren’t able to have the Lincoln Center orchestra trick. The sets were by Michael Yeargan, and were sumptuous: an island with a palm tree, with flys to give Emile’s mansion and the various military locations. Lighting was by Donald Holder—although there was a bit more follow-spot than I like, the rest of the lighting was spot-on perfect. I particularly liked how the background was colored during Bali Hi, and the airplane effects. Sound was by Scott Lehrer—again, an amazing job, especially during the Wash That Man number, where I had no idea how the actresses were miced. Customes were by Catherine Zuber and captured the period well. The production stage manager was Brian J. L’ecuyer, with additional stage manager duties shared by Rachel Zack and Michael Krug.

As noted above, the show featured music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, with a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan, based on the story “Tales of the South Pacific” by James Michener. This production featured the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, with dance and incidental music arrangements by Trude Rittman. It was directed by Bartlett Sher. Musical staging was by Christopher Gattelli, with musical direction by Ted Sperling and musical coordination by David Lai.

“South Pacific” continues at the Ahmanson Theatre until July 17, 2010. I discussed the 2010-2011 Ahmanson Season in this post.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. This is a busy, busy summer. Next week is the regularly scheduled June “Meeting of Minds” (Episode #10: Voltaire (Ray Abruzzo); Martin Luther (Mark Moses); Plato; Florence Nightingale [Sharon Lawrence]; with Steve Allen (Gary Cole) hosting) on June 20. June 25 brings “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, at the NoHo Arts Center; the next night, June 26, brings “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Underground Theatre. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. The third weekend of July brings ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 and the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18. The 4th weekend brings “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24. Plus July will possibly bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. August starts with “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages on August 1, and (hopefully) “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing) the following weekend. August 15 brings the August “Meeting of Minds”, and August 21 “Side Man” at REP East. Looking into September, there is “Free Man of Color” at the Colony on September 4, and “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 5-October 17, to be ticketed), plus of course, “Meeting of Minds” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East (9/17-10/16).

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Party Like It’s 1985!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Sometimes, I’m amazed at what Rep East can do. This afternoon, we saw them put on a full Broadway musical, inventively, on their tiny black box stage, whilst simultaneously transporting their audience back to the mid-1980s in a rocking fashion. How did they do this? Simple: They put on “The Wedding Singer”

For those unfamiliar with the story, “The Wedding Singer” was a 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore that was turned into a musical in 2006. The musical featured music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. The short synopsis, from the Guide to Musical Theatre, is: “It’s the ’80s. Robbie Hart lives in his grandmother’s basement in New Jersey and sings in a wedding band. His dreams of being a singer/songwriter are long gone, replaced now by a burning desire to find the right girl and settle down. When his fiancee leaves him standing at the altar, he becomes a wedding planner’s worst nightmare, taking out his bitterness on stage until his eye ­ and heart ­ turn to a new friend, Julia, but she’s engaged to a wealthy Wall Street broker.” They also have a longer synopsis of the musical.

REP has been working on getting this musical for two years. They almost had it last year, but the rights were yanked due to an aborted National tour. This year it made it to the stage, and boy did they have fun with it. From the casting to the direction to the technical, this production was just a blast to watch.

Leading the cast were Will Fogarty as Robbie Hart and Sarah Brandonæ as Julia Sullivan. These two were perfect, and will make you forget Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. They captured the vulnerability of the characters, while being great singers and having great chemistry. Their tenderness was just perfect, and was a joy to watch.

The supporting roles were equally strong. Chairman Barnesæ (Sammy) and Ever Pabon Torres (George) were great as Robby’s band and friends. Barnes had that wonderful white trash vibe, while Torres was a hoot in a Boy George-like role (and you should here him do shehekianu). Julia’s friends were played by Jill Kocalis Scottæ (Holly), Bess Fanningæ, and Christina Rideoutæ (Angie). Of these, Ms. Scott was spectacular playing the skanky whore best friend. Rounding out the supporting cast were Jill’s husband, Jarod Scott as Glen Guglia and Kelly Bader as Linda. Mr. Scott was spectacular, especially in his standout number, “All About The Green”.

Rouding out the cast was an extremely talented ensemble that played multiple roles with multiple wigs and costumes. This ensemble made the show, and consisted of Johnny Schwinn, Bill McBee, Charlotte Ruiz, Walter Lee Perkins III, Laura Biery, and Amber Clark.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

Technically, this show demonstrated the creativity that is a hallmark of the REP: the theatre that does the best with what they have. Mikee Schwinn did the video projections—these are noteworthy, for they truely turned the ordinary into the spectacular. Mikee had the show introduced by Max Headroom; he had classic 1980s MTV videos for the scene changes; he had Back to the Future references everywhere; he introduced the second act with the “A Team” theme—he went over the top on making the 1980s come alive. Laura Clark Greaver did the costume design, and found correct costumes and correct fabrics that also made the 1980s. The makeup and hair designer wasn’t in the program, but he did a great job recreating that 80s hair, both the big and the strange. The lighting was by REP regular Tim Christianson, who brought that disco feel without the need for moving lights; sets were by REP regular Jeff Hyde who established the 1980s simply and colorfully (including Pac Man); and sound was by Steven “Nanook” Burkholder, who miced the actors without making them seem amplified. Perfect.

The production featured choreography by Nicole Dionne, and vocal direction by Tamarah Ashton-Coombs. The production was directed by Ovington Michael Owston and Mikee Schwinn, who obviously had a blast. Lauren Pearsall was the production stage manager.

Go see this production. You’ll have a wonderful time. “The Wedding Singer” continues through June 19. Tickets are available through the REP Online Box Office, and may be available through Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. June starts with “Peter Pan” at Nobel Middle School (June 3-5—we’re going June 5) and the “One Acts Plays” at Van Nuys High (June 2-4—we’re going June 4) [again, nsshere is acting in the One Acts], as well as the legacy tour of Merce Cunningham at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (June 6 @ 2pm) for Karen and Erin, and the new “Meeting of Minds” (Steve Allen (host) [Jack Maxwell], Congressional Medal of Honor winner Smedley Darlington Butler [Dan Lauria], Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War Doctor Mary Edwards Walker [Wendie Malick], Saint Patrick of Ireland [Jim Handy], and Saint Joan of Arc [Stana Katic]) at Greenway Court Theater for me (June 6 @ 6pm). Whew! A busy weekend. But, as there’s no rest for the wicked, June 13 brings “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson, with the regularly scheduled June “Meeting of Minds” (Episode #10: Voltaire (Ray Abruzzo); Martin Luther (Mark Moses); Plato; Florence Nightingale [Sharon Lawrence]; with Steve Allen (Gary Cole) hosting) on June 20. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). It may also bring “CHiPS: The Musical” at the Falcon Theatre (pending ticketing). The remainder of July brings ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24. Plus July will possibly bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. Lastly, looking to August, we will hopefully find “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing); “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages, the August “Meeting of Minds”, and “Side Man” at REP East.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Large Envelopes and the Pasadena Playhouse

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Now it’s time for another entry in the continuing saga of the Pasadena Playhouse. When last we spoke, I had received a love note from the Bankruptcy Court, as was informed I was a creditor. Since then, I dutifully filed the creditor paperwork.

Today, I received a letter from the Playhouse (evidently, they had also sent out another letter, which I never received). This letter indicates that they have finalized their recovery plan, and are waiting for court approval. The letter indicates that “If the play is confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court, the Playhouse will honor your outstanding 2010 season subscriptions by providing performances at the Playhouse over time.” However, they are offering is two additional treatment options: (1) to exchange the balance of our subscirption for tickets to the next two performances at the Playhouse, or to (2) donate the balance of the subscription to the Playhouse in return for a donation letter.

I’m torn on what to do. Originally, we were willing to go with the donation route. That’s a bird in the hand—a guaranteed sizable charitible deduction (some fixed percentage of almost $700). I think that roughly 40% of the would be the eventual tax credit, effectively paying for most of the Colony Theatre subscription that replaced the Playhouse subscription. I’m less sure about the “two performances” route, as there is no guarantee what they will be or what their quality will be (especially as the recovery plan indicates that they expect they would be joint performances with third parties). As for doing nothing, meaning they would fulfill our subscription if and when they recover, that’s rolling craps.

I guess I’m just really disappointed by how the Playhouse has treated their subscription base during all of this. They’ve just spent their goodwill with me, and I have no trust with them regarding future productions.

Still, I’d like your opinon. Facebook readers: just leave your opinion as a comment.

I’ll note that technically we have two subscriptions, but received only one letter. It is unclear how we fill out the letter if we go for Class 4(a).

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How Not To Treat A Customer: A Continuing Series

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today, in the mail, I received a love note from the United States Bankruptcy Court. Forms B9E and B10, informing me that I may be a creditor of the debtor, “The Pasadena Playhouse State Theatre of California”, and that I need to file a Proof of Claim. It also informed me (in 8-point legalese) that there will be a meeting of creditors on June 21, 2010 in downtown Los Angeles at 2:15pm. There was no explanation of how to fill out the forms, or what was even happening.

Now, I’m aware of what was happening because I read the Los Angeles Times. I knew the Playhouse was filing for bankruptcy (Chapter 11). But I’ve had no communication from the Playhouse. No letter from them indicating “here’s what we’re doing, here’s why, and here’s what you need to do”. Nope. Just an 8-pt legal form. This continues their record of poor communication.

If the Pasadena Playhouse is to succeed in its new post-bankruptcy incarnation, it can’t do it on single ticket income alone. It needs season subscribers… and the most likely base of those are were the current subscribers. I say “were”, because the Playhouse is rapidly alienating them and showing they won’t even make the effort to pretend to care. I know the good-will we had towards the organization has been lost, and we’re sending our subscription dollars to theatres that care about their subscribers.

Presuming I can figure it out :-), I’ll send in their proof of claim, with a reworded version of the letter I sent to the Playhouse, the charge date, and proof that they originally promised seven (7) plays [not six (6) as they later claimed] but only delivered one (1), “Camelot”.

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