Tag: theatre-2011

I Hate Off-By-One Errors

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Did you know that Equity rules require that there be more audience members than cast members? We didn’t. We do now.

“Lust N’ Rust” at the Lyric didn’t happen. They needed 9 audience members, and only had 8. A combination of their first Sunday performance and a holiday weekend. It’s unlikely we can make any of the other performances of the run, unless we were to try for a Friday night, and those are difficult (both Saturdays are booked, and the only Sunday performance is Easter Sunday, which has a high risk of cancellation).

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Singing and Dancing Nazis–What Could Go Wrong?

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Last night, we went to go see the “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. “The Producers” is an interesting piece. The original movie was a classic, with genius performances by folks such as Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, and Dick Shawn. The Broadway musical version wasn’t as much genius as it was hyped to be or that its number of Tonys led one to think it was: it was Mel Brooks on stage with Mel’s unique level of Jewish humor, augmented by great choreography by Susan Stroman and wonderful wonderful sets. What set it apart—what made that show—was the chemistry between Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick (this was captured in the 2005 film, which was essentially the stage show on film, which is why it failed). We saw “The Producers” on stage in 2003 or so at the Pantages with Jason Alexander and Martin Short—which had its own form of manic energy. I had the opportunity to see “The Producers” again last year when the Aerospace Players at work did it, but having seen their production of “Caberet”, I just couldn’t see this show at the amateur level. This all brings us to Cabrillo.

Wait, you’re saying you’ve never heard of “The Producers”? Rent the 1968 movie. Seriously, the show tells a story of a failing formerly famous Broadway producer whose accountant points out that, under the right circumstances, you could make more money with a flop than a hit. The circumstances are: it must close on opening night. So they set out to make a guaranteed flop: a musical about a singing and dancing Adolph Hitler called “Springtime for Hitler”. Starting with the worse play, they get the worst director, the worst actor, and worst cast. And what happens? It is a smash success. The failure producer goes off to jail; his accountant partner goes to Rio with the buxom secretary. Along the way there are numerous old-lady sex jokes, gay jokes, Jewish jokes, in jokes about Broadway, and insults to almost every ethnic group you can think of. Typical Mel Brooks.

Cabrillo did a credible job with the show, but there was something missing that was hard to pinpoint. Perhaps it was the fact that I had seen the show numerous times before, and thus the jokes that are “in your face” funny the first time and perhaps the second don’t have the same resonance after many years. Perhaps it was the cast: they were good but they weren’t (at least in the leads) inspired to the level of “manic” that Mostel/Wilder or Lane/Broderick or even Alexander/Short could bring. Perhaps it was the sets, which didn’t go to the over-the-top level of the Broadway sets, but were the more limited National Tour sets, showing their age. Perhaps that’s the problem: this is a show that shows its age—it has gone quickly from the timeless to the shopworn. If it is not at the level of outrageous and over-the-top, it rapidly succumbs to the “just a musical”. A good musical. A well-executed musical. But not the comic juggernaut of the original.

That’s not to say there weren’t moments. During the intermisson portion of “Betrayed”, Max (Michael Kostroffæ) turns to the audience and says, “I understand your next show is “Sound of Music”. Another musical about singing Nazis”. Good line. Chris Caldwell Eckert (diswiz, ) was over-the-top as Carmen Ghia, especially in the little moments where he was able to milk the schtick. David Engelæ was a delight as Roger DeBris and even better as Hilter where the over-the-top asides to the Orchestra were spectacular.

What makes the show was the leads, and although they were good, they were missing the manic. As Max Bialystock, Max Kostroffæ () came across as a cross between Mel Brooks and Jon Lovitz. He was good in the role; he knew the role; he knew the moves…. but he wasn’t over-the-top outrageous. This was at its most obvious during “Betrayed”, which needs to be a comic tour-de-force but came off as more subdued. Better was Larry Rabenæ () as Leo Bloom. He had the boyish charm, and seemed to be channeling Matthew Broderick, and was closer to over-the-top. He worked well with Kostroff, and it was clear they have done these roles many times before. It was a comfortable chemistry, giving you what was expected. I wanted the unexpected.

The second tier was excellent, with a number of highlight-worthy performances. As noted before, David Engelæ was a delight as Roger DeBris. Also enjoyable for her performance was Sarah Cornellæ as Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yonsen Tallen-Hallen Svaden-Svanson (Bloom), particularly in the quality of her singing (and her belting) and her dancing. Also strong was James W. Gruessing () as Franz Liebkind—I especially enjoyed his performance in “Have You Ever Heard the German Band”.

The third tier was mostly a well blended ensemble, but there were a few notables. As I mentioned before, Chris Caldwell Eckert (diswiz, ) was a great Carmen Ghia. I also want to single out Jennifer Strattan () in the multiple roles of a showgirl/Shirley Markowitz/Kiss Me-Feel Me. This is obviously a comic relief role, and Stratten does a lot with the little roles and was a joy to watch. Rounding out the cast, in various other roles (first nighters, denizens of New York, accountants, showgirls, pigeons, little old ladies, storm troopers, convicts) in addition to what I list, were Whitney Ackerman () (Officer O’Reilly), Joseph Almohaya (Bryan the Set Designer, Jack LaPidus, Judge), Kathryn Burns, Farley Cadena () (Hold-Me Touch-Me), Nicola Harrington (Usherette), Keenon Hooks () (Officer O’Houllihan), Natasha Hugger (), Elizabeth Johnson, Nick Lorenzini () (Lead Stormtrooper), Lindsay McDonald () (Usherette, Lick-Me Bite-Me), Chris Pow (Officer O’Rourke), Kelly Roberts (Mr. Marx, Kevin the Costume Designer, Seargent), Veronica Stevens, Timothy Stokel () (Scott the Choreographer, Donald Dinsmore), and Tonya Washington. There were some areas where this ensemble seemed smaller than I imagined it should be, especially in “Along Came Bialy”, where there were a number of men dancing as old women.

Technically, the production used sets from the national tour designed by Robin Wagner and costumes designed by William Ivey Long, provided by NETworks Presentations. The sets didn’t work work on the Cabrillo stage, often requiring scrims to reduce the stage size down, which truly deminished them. Lighting was by Christina L. Munich and was pretty good—the ubiquitous follow-spot wasn’t too intrusive, and there was good use of gobos and stage lighting. Sound Design was by Jonathan Burke and was unobtrusive, seeming as if amplification wasn’t being used heavily. I did note he did use the Mel Brooks vocal clip during Springtime for Hitler. Wardrobe was supervised by Christine Gibson, with Mark Travis Hoyer doing Hair and Makeup Design. Allie Roy was back as production stage manager, assisted by Michelle Stann and Jessica Standifer.

The production was directed by Steven Glaudini, who kept the portrayals pretty well in line. Matthew J. Vargo provided the choreography, buliding upon his previous presentations of this work at MTW and the St. Louis MUNY. Darryl Archibald once again led the great Cabrillo 17-piece orchestra—it is a rarety to see such a nicely-sized live orchestra in this day and age.

Alas, Cabrillo has lost their long time president Carole W. Nussbaum, meaning that Lewis Wilkenfeld, artistic director, did the introductions. He was much less organized and more rambling, but it was still nice to see the introductions remain. Cabrillo did announce their 2011-2012 season: “Annie” (October 14-23, 2011); “Ring of Fire” (February 3-12, 2012); “Once Upon a Matress” (April 20-29, 2012); and “Meet Me In St. Louis” (July 20-29, 2012). Mostly shows we haven’t seen before, so it looks to be a good season.

The last performance of “The Producers” at Cabrillo is tonight.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Tonight sees us at our second show of the weekend: “Lust N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical” at the Lyric Theatre. April 23rd, which is during Pesach, brings the last show of the current Colony season, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre. April 24 was to bring “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre, but the Hottix sold out in ½ hour… so we may try to get rush tickets (for they are not selling rear balcony in advance). The last weekend of April brings another concert: (this is a concert heavy year, it seems): Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May starts with our penultimate Pasadena Playhouse production, “George Gershwin Alone“, on May 7. The weekend of May 12-14 will bring the “Collabor8 Dance Festival” at Van Nuys High School, which is always excellent. The third weekend in May is currently open, but I expect that to change. The last weekend of May brings “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28 (note: “Dear World“, which was to have been at the Lyric Theatre, appears to have been cancelled). June begins with “Year Zero” at the Colony Theatre on June 5, with the rest of June being lost to Confirmation Services at Temple (now a maybe), and a college visit trip (but who knows — we might go see “Always Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). Lastly, July should hopefully start with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (pending hottix), and continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); Dolly Parton (July 22 or 23, Hollywood Bowl, pending ticketing); “Shrek” (July 23 or 24, Pantages Theatre, pending ticketing); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed).

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Four High School Friends Revisiting Their Past Glories

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

High school friendships. They’ve been the subject of many musicals, be it “Grease“, “Hairspray“, or “Happy Days: The Musical“. The latter is a particularly appropriate mention, for last night we saw another musical about high school friends, starring the young fellow who starred in “Happy Days” at Cabrillo. This musical is called “Glory Days“, and it is running through April 24 at the Elephant Stages at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood. This is the Los Angeles premiere.

“Glory Days” tells the story of four high school friends—Will, Andy, Jack, and Skip—who meet one night, a year after graduation, on the high school football field’s bleachers. The four became friends when they were all ostracized by the football team. In the opening number we see learn about the characters: Will is the basic good boy and chronicler (a role very similar to Ritchie Cunningham in Happy Days). He is rooming with Andy, a frat-boy interested in girls and sports… and little else. Skip is a long-haired hippie type who went to an Ivy league school. Jack appears more preppyish. Will mentions that the purpose of the night is to play a prank on the friends’ high school rivals, although there is one problem… Will has the wrong key to the sprinkler box. As the evening goes on, we learn that Jack dropped out of school to take a road trip, learning that he is gay along the way. This naturally creates problems with Andy, who privately airs his feelings of betrayal to Will, and Will convinces Andy to stay despite how uncomfortable Andy is being around Jack. Skip proceeds to expound on his recent intuitions about life and the generation to which the four friends belong. After hearing about how his friends have changed, Will sits back and reflects on the difference between the reality of the get together and what he assumed it would be like. After reading Will’s Journal, the four friends compare notes about high school and recount the “glory days” of the past. Jack then takes Will aside to ask him about what he thinks about Jack’s revelation, and asks Will what Will thinks Andy thinks, where Will betrays Andy’s confidence and half-lies to Jack to cushion the blow of Andy’s misgivings, going on to “explain” Andy to Jack.When Jack expresses some feelings for Will, he and Will are caught by Andy and Skip. An altercation brews when Andy interprets this as a further betrayal and explodes at Will, who is then defended by Jack (who unintentionally validates Andy’s assumption). The argument grows more heated and more confusing as Skip leaps to Jack’s defense and Will attempts to make peace between the four friends. During the argument Andy throws an angry epithet at Will, and Jack and Andy then vent their mutual feelings of betrayal and anger at a new level of emotional violence after which Jack departs. Skip then turns on Andy, who vents his ire, exposes the lies Will had told, and demands his due from the two remaining friends, after which Andy storms off. Learning what truly happened from Will, Skip then talks Will into accepting his mistakes, and Skip leaves Will alone on the field. Will reexamines his life and decides to stop living in the past and move forward like his friends have.
[Summary adapted from Wikipedia]

I found the parallels between this musical and “Happy Days” illuminating. Both were about groups of friends at the cusp of moving past who they were in high school. In “Happy Days”, the key problem was that the characters didn’t grow—they remained in their high school personas. In “Glory Days” most of the characters had grown: Jack found his sexuality; Skip moved from the military nature of his upbringing. Andy never grew up, remaining a stupid child in an adult’s body (which, admittedly, does capture many frat boys). Will had to confront these changes and decide what to do—in this case, he decided to grow up. In fact, he wanted to become a writer, and talked about writing what he knew (which made me think of “The Story of My Life“, which we saw in the same space).

The underlying book of “Glory Days” (which is by James Gardiner) is supported by a reasonably strong rock score by Nick Blaemire (who did both music and lyrics). I will admit that some songs are more memorable than others. I was particularly drawn to “those Good Old Glory Type Days” and “Generation Apathy”.

The cast’s portrayal of these four friends was very good—you came across with the impression that these were real friends from the way they played, joshed, and just interacted with each other. Credit for that goes not only to the actors but to the director, Calvin Remsberg (who we happened to have a nice conversation with before the show). Remsberg directed the show very true to life (I want to use the word “naturalistic”, but I know enough to know that has a specific meaning that I don’t know :-)). The movement and the playfulness and the use of the physical space just came across as very real, as opposed to staged. This made the show fun to watch, as you were a voyeur on the field with these friends.

Speaking of the acting team: it was great. As Will, Derek Klena (), gave off a wonderful clean-cut vibe (you can easily see why he was cast as Ritchie Cunningham, even if his hair color was wrong :-)). He sang strong, and just gave off that friendly enthusiasm you would expect from such a character. Matthew Koehleræ () was the perfect red-haired frat boy in plaid shorts, to the point of doing sit-ups and push-ups on the bleachers during songs. Again, a strong singer who inhabited the character. Similarly, as Skip, Alex Robert Holmesæ inhabited the character (in fact, he reminded me of some of my high school friends). Lastly, as Jack, Ian Littleworth (), portrayed the character as a real person, not stereotypically. If I hadn’t said it before: all were strong singers and strong actors, with great personal chemistry both between each other and with the audience.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

I previously noted that music and lyrics were by Nick Blaemire. Music was provided by a hidden four piece band (Justin Smith on guitar, Ken Wild on bass, Brian Boyce on drums, and James May () on keyboards) under the muiscal direction of James May (). The band sounded quite good (and was quite a change from the modern jazz in the afternoon), and didn’t overpower the singers.

Turning to the technical… I’m continually impressed with how the Elephant Stages space is used. I still remember the creative use for “The Story of My Life“. For “Glory Days“, scenic designer Andy Hammer turned the thrust stage into a football field complete with bleachers, lighting stancheons, trash cans and trash, and a lighted football scoreboard. It was perfect (and made me think this would be a great show to do at REP East). The costumes by Mara Bear were appropriately college-ish, and served to highlight the appropriate characteristics of the characters. The lighting design by Jeremy Pivnick was a bit more problematic. This wasn’t due to the choice of colors or how the various lights were used—that was great and served to highlight the mood. The problem was more technological: the scrollers tended to be distracting either due to the noise they make or reflections off the gels, plus they often made the color transitions harsher. I’m beginning to think that scrollers are problematic in a small theatre space because one is too close to the mechanism. The other lighting aspect I noted was the use of moving mirrors for the spots: that’s a necessary limitation of a space like that that lacks a spotlight booth, but it does mean that sometimes the spot isn’t where you want it to be. The sound design by Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski () was reasonably good, but there are times I wasn’t sure that the obvious microphones the actors were wearing were live. Ronn Goswickæ was the production stage manager. “Glory Days” was produced by Calvin Remsberg, Anthony Gruppuso, and Tricia Small Stabile.

“Glory Days” continues at the Lillian Theatre/Elephant Stages until April 26. Tickets are available through Plays411, as well as through Goldstar Events and LA Stage Alliance.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Next weekend takes us to the Renaissance Faire; no theatre is scheduled. April 16 sees us out in Thousand Oaks revisiting “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, with “Lust N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical” at the Lyric Theatre on April 17. April 23rd, which is during Pesach, brings the last show of the current Colony season, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre. April 24 was to bring “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre, but the Hottix sold out in ½ hour… so we may try to get rush tickets (for they are not selling rear balcony in advance). The last weekend of April brings another concert: (this is a concert heavy year, it seems): Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May starts with our penultimate Pasadena Playhouse production, “George Gershwin Alone“, on May 7. The weekend of May 12-14 will bring the “Collabor8 Dance Festival” at Van Nuys High School, which is always excellent. The third weekend in May is currently open, but I expect that to change. The last weekend of May brings “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28 (note: “Dear World“, which was to have been at the Lyric Theatre, appears to have been cancelled). June begins with “Year Zero” at the Colony Theatre on June 5, with the rest of June being lost to Confirmation Services at Temple (now a maybe), and a college visit trip (but who knows — we might go see “Always Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). Lastly, July should hopefully start with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (pending hottix), and continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); Dolly Parton (July 22 or 23, Hollywood Bowl, pending ticketing); “Shrek” (July 23 or 24, Pantages Theatre, pending ticketing); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed).

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An Optimistic Young Woman… and a Harsh Reality

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“That’s the difficulty in these times: ideals, dreams, and cherished hopes rise within us, only to meet the horrible truth and be shattered. It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness. I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too. I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.”

Youthful optimism. A belief that people are ultimately good and the world will be right. It is this outlook that can keep a family together in the face of the worst adversity; it is our children’s optimism that can keep an adult struggling through. We saw an example of this on stage last night in the superbly constructed presentation of “The Diary of Anne Frank at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall. Their mailers for this production indicate it was submitted for Ovation consideration, and it is truly worthy.

For those not familiar with the story (which is a true story): Otto Frank was a merchant who had moved from Germany to Amsterdam as Hitler rose to power. He brought with him his wife, Edith, and two daughter, Margot and Anne. When Margot received a call-up for a German labor camp, the family went into hiding in a secret annex of Otto’s former business location. Joining them were their friends, Hermann and Auguste Van Pels and their son Peter, and later a dentist, Fritz Pfeffer (those are their real names—the play changes their names to Van Daan and Dussel, respectively). Their only contact with the outside world are two former employee’s of Mr. Frank, Miep Gies and Viktor Kugler (name changed to Mr. Kraler). From 1942 to late 1944, the family hides in the secret annex until their discovery and arrest in August 1944. Only Otto Frank survives the holocaust, and goes on to publish his daughter’s diaries to share the story with the world. The secret annex is later preserved and turned into a museum

The play, which was written in the 1950s by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and readapted in 1997 by Wendy Kesselman, follows the Frank family from the time of their entry into the Annex until their capture, with a short scene after Otto Frank returns to the annex after his liberation. The REP (or the revised script—it isn’t clear) made some adaptations in the opening, deleting the opening scene where the post-liberation Otto is in the Annex starting to read the diary, beginning instead with Anne’s voiceover of the diary). We see Anne enter as a bouncy, annoying adolescent, with a playful attitude and grating personality. As the play continues, we see how Anne matures and begins to calm down and become insightful.. and begins to experience romance. As originally written, the play was not without controversy, both for its accuracy to Anne’s own words and its portrayal of the Jewish experience. Supposedly Kesselman’s updates addressed that; however, I did notice that the play presented a picture of a very assimilated family, with only the occasional Jewish prayer and a single Chanukah observance. Whether that was an accurate reflection of their level of observance, or simply the playwrite’s adaption of the story to make it connect better with American audiences is unknown to me.

I do know that the story, as presented, hit home. I was particularly moved by one line in the first act, where Mr. Dussel relates what was happening outside: men would come home from work to find their families gone; children would come home from school to an empty house. For anyone that cares about someone else, that’s just a chilling image. As we have fewer and fewer survivors to tell their stories, plays such as this grow in importance as a witness to what happened. Once can only hope that years down the road this play is not viewed as fiction, and the Holocaust as a fictional story (as, alas, some world leaders seem to believe today). We must remember that horrors such as happened in Germany in the 1930s can occur anytime and anyplace we move from seeing people as fellow humans to seeing people simply as labels with either accept or hate. I have a fear the intense partisanship and hatred in the US today is moving us to that label-based view, given the vitriol I see in online comments. We must ever be aware, and plays like this (and thought provoking musicals such as Jason Robert Brown’s Parade) deserve to be seen and seen again.

If you can tell that I was moved by the REP’s presentation of the story, I was. This is due to a number of directoral and production decisions made by the first-time director,  Jarod Scott, in addition to the excellent acting of the cast. These decisions include casting age-appropriate actors as the Frank girls (the actress portraying Anne is a 14 year old 9th grader at Canyon HS; Margot is an 11th grader at Saugus HS), how he used the black-box space of the REP (which actually enhanced the tight-quarters of the annex), and how he kept the actors onstage during the intermission, playing their roles, going on with their lives in a space they could not escape. We have seen Jarod act before, but his directoral debut was impressive.

The acting was also top-notch from the typical REP mix of Equity professionals and local talent. All were excellent, and it is difficult to single anyone out… but I must. Brooke Moore as Anne brought a youthful enthusiasm and realism to the character—you could see her as the budding girl she was because Brooke is that age and knows from where Anne is coming. Especially in the first act, she also made Anne’s personality come through—and not in a saccharine sweet goody performance you might expect, but as a truly annoying “I must be the center of attention” young teenager that is the real thing many parents know. She realistically hated her mother (who didn’t understand her) but loved her father, and was impulsive and impetuous and didn’t always have her brain in gear. This from a young girl who has been acting since age 6; quite remarkable and quite good casting. Also impressive was Skip Pipo as Otto Frank, who provided that element of calm reason that I’m sure kept everyone in the Annex sane. I was unsure about  Barry Agin and Libby Westæ as Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan, but they shone in the second act in the scenes were Mrs. Van Daan’s fur coat had to be sold because the family was broke, and Mr. Van Daan broke down after stealing some bread. But it was just the little things that made this cast perfect, as could be seen during intermission: the playfullness between Anne and Christina Rideoutæ as her mother; the sisterly love between Anne and  Becky Allen as her sister Margot; the initial annoyance and later budding relationship between Anne and  Robert Altepeter at Peter Van Daan; and the annoyed tolerance between Paul Tigueæ as Mr. Dussel and Anne—all of these worked together to turn the performance from actors on the stage to people who were these characters, which was wonderful to see. Rounding out the cast were  Bridget Pugliese as Miep Gies (who was delightful to watch in her few scenes) and Robert Henryæ as Mr. Kraler.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

In terms of production quality, I’m always amazed at how an 81-seat theatre like the REP pulls off what they do. The resident set designer, Jeff Hyde, turned the REPs black box stage into a raised annex with four visibly separate rooms and an attic, with period worn beds and props. The costumes by Christopher Chase of Tribe Productions (who also served as Assistant Director) were appropriately period—I was particularly taken by their drabness, especially in contrast with the eye-popping red worn by Miep Gies who could actually go into the outside world. The sound design by resident sound designer  Steven “Nanook” Burkholder was excellent as always, although intially the Andrea Bocelli mood music seemed odd until one realized that people in that area listened to opera and classical. Of particular note was  Tim Christianson‘s lighting design: not only did it serve to highlight the rooms and the people, it emphasized the harshness and starkness of the life in the annex. It was particularly effective when it was the actor, as during the scene where the Franks and the other families are captured by the Nazi’s (which takes place in almost darkness), and the scene immediately thereafter, where you are just looking at the empty Annex, devoid of its people.  Johnny Schwinn was the resident stage manager. “The Diary of Anne Frank” was produced by Ovington Michael Owston and  Mikee Schwinn, co-artistic directors of REP East.

Uncredited, but certainly deserving of credit, is whomever decorated the REP lobby, which for this production was turned into a museum of the Holocaust, with information on the markings used by the Germans, maps, photographs, and other memorial displays. The REP lobby never gets the credit it should—this is a little theatre that takes the time to set the mood for their shows from the moment you walk into the door. It is this attention to detail that makes this place so special to us.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” continues at REP East until April 16, and is well worth seeing. It is particularly thought provoking; I know it promped an extended discussion in our car on the way home. Tickets are available through the REP Online Box Office and are nominally $20 for adults, and $17 for students and seniors. You can often learn about discounts and “sold out”s by friending  REP East on Facebook. Discount tickets are available on both Goldstar Events and LA Stage Alliance.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Next weekend is a busy one, with two shows on Saturday: Branford Marsalis and Terence Blanchard at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica at 4pm, and “Glory Days” at the Lillian Theatre at 8pm. April 9 will bring the Renaissance Faire. April 16 sees us out in Thousand Oaks revisiting “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, with “Lust N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical” at the Lyric Theatre on April 17. April 23rd, which is during Pesach, brings the last show of the current Colony season, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre. April 24 was to bring “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre, but the Hottix sold out in ½ hour… so we may try to get rush tickets (for they are not selling rear balcony in advance). The last weekend of April brings another concert: (this is a concert heavy year, it seems): Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May starts with our penultimate Pasadena Playhouse production, “George Gershwin Alone“, on May 7. The weekend of May 12-14 will bring the “Collabor8 Dance Festival” at Van Nuys High School, which is always excellent. The third weekend in May is currently open, but I expect that to change. The last weekend of May brings “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28 (note: “Dear World“, which was to have been at the Lyric Theatre, appears to have been cancelled). June begins with “Year Zero” at the Colony Theatre on June 5, with the rest of June being lost to Confirmation Services at Temple (now a maybe), and a college visit trip (but who knows — we might go see “Always Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). Lastly, July should hopefully start with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (pending hottix), and continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); Dolly Parton (July 22 or 23, Hollywood Bowl, pending ticketing); “Shrek” (July 23 or 24, Pantages Theatre, pending ticketing); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed).

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The Cost of An Original Cast

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

“God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson has extended two weeks to May 29, so I thought I would try for HotTix again. No luck. I learned from the customer service representative I spoke to that (a) the producers originally didn’t want any hottix, and CTG had to fight to get what they got, which sold out in 2 hrs; (b) the producers raised ticket prices from the norm for the show, and closed the rear balcony (obstensibly to move people to higher priced seats); and (c) HotTix in the rear balcony available day-of-show are not guaranteed—the producers haven’t decided yet whether they will be offered. They are doing all these things to keep the ticket prices higher, so that they can afford the salaries of the original NY cast.

Sigh. There are times I bemoan the cult of original cast. If the play is well-written, it should be doable with any quality cast. I’m more interested in the original story and the original direction.

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A Successful Original New Musical — I Guess You Can Have It All!

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In 1982, the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown, wrote a book titled “Having It All”, claiming that it was possible for a woman to successfully have it all: a loving relationship, a full and complete family with children, and a fulfilling career. Since the book was written, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether what Brown believed was actually possible. Mother, actress, producer, and educator Wendy Perelman was thinking about this in 2002 when she began to develop an original musical about whether a woman could have it all. She pulled a team together: David Goldsmith to work on the book with her and to craft the lyrics, and John Kavanaugh to craft the music. The musical in 2006 “Having It Almost” premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. But that wasn’t the end for this original musical. Work continued on it. It was produced again in 2008. Work continued: songs were added and deleted and a new producing team (David Elzer and Peter Schneider) was brought in with significant experience in successful small musicals (this team produced both “The Marvellous Wonderettes” and “Life Could Be A Dream”). Additional dramaturgy occurred, an equity acting team was pulled together, a talented director (Richard Israel) added to the mix, and a great theatre venue selected. Turn the crank a few times, and you have the wonderful result that opened on March 12 at the North Hollywood Arts Center: “Having It All”. We saw it last night, and I’m pleased to say this musical does indeed succeed in having it all: a well written original musical, a great performance team, and a book that works and draws in the audience.

“Having It All” tells the story of five women in the boarding area for gate B26 at the New York International Airport (JFK), waiting for the flight to Los Angeles. The first, Julia (Jennifer Leigh Warren) is the uber-professional woman: an entertainment industry executive, a wife, a mother… and her life is falling apart all around her. The second, Amy (Shannon Warne), represents the other end of the spectrum: a woman who gave up any career to be a wife and mother of two boys. Third is Sissy (Lindsey Alley), a budding professional writer who broke her foot having stand-up sex. The fourth woman is Carly (Alet Taylor), a yoga instructor whose healthly lifestyle can’t help her beat one factor in her life: getting older. The last woman is Lizzie (Kim Huber), a woman who loves her husband and her career as a midwestern teacher, but is missing the one thing in her life that would bring her fulfullment—a child. These women are all introduced in the expositional opening number, “In Her Shoes”, where they all are judged and assessed based on the traditional woman’s harbinger… the shoes that they are wearing. As we learn more about these women, we learn that Sissy’s book treatment is overdue, and she’s blocked for a topic. Not surprisingly, a topic presents itself: writing the story of these women and their lives. This serves as the jumping off point for the remainder of the musical, which explores the lives of each of these characters. Were they happy with where life has taken them? Did they succeed in having it all, or is their lift still missing something? More significantly, how much are they deceiving themselves, believing they want something when in their hearts they are craving something else?

It is this exploration that is the heart of the musical; it is what ultimately make the musical connect. As I listened and watched the musical, I also watched the women in the audience. They were intensely listening and nodding their heads. I think this means that the musical was reminding every women in the audience of their life, and whether they were “having it all”. This is a good thing, for musicals are successful when they hit home… being reminded one of their youth, their lives, or their loves. But, you’re sure to ask, what about the men? This musical connects with them as well, for they recognize the issues from the women in their lives.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the cast is uniformly excellent, and most are well known to Los Angeles theatre audiences (we’ve seen all but one of them in other productions). Lindsey Alley, who we hadn’t seen before, was excellent as Sissy, with an intriguing face and incredibly strong singing voice (in fact, they all had great voices, so you’ll hear me say that a lot). Also strong was Jennifer Leigh Warren as Julia, who we saw as Sheila in the Reprise production of Hair, and have heard on numerous albums. Warren portrayed the correct mix of bitchiness and vulnerability in her character. As Carly, Alet Taylor give off the correct new-age aura; we’ve seen her before in Guys and Dolls at Cabrillo. Amy was portrayed by Shannon Warne, who we’ve seen before in Loving Repeating, Camelot, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Shannon is always excellent and was a deslight to see in this production. Lastly, as Lizzie, Kim Huber (who we have seen both the Cabrillo and El Portal Marvellous Wonderettes) provided that touch of innocence and wanting. They were all just great.
[All actors are members of æ Actors Equity ]

The music for the production was top notch, under the musical direction of Gregory Nabours. The program provides no credits for the musicians, so I’m guessing it was primarily Nabours at the keyboard. Whatever it was, it was sufficient. I’ll note that if you’re curious about the music, the demos for the 2008 version are available on the web; they appear to correspond to the show except for one number.

[ETA: As I’ve been cleaning this afternoon, I’ve been listening to the demos on my iPod. There’s a depth to the lyrics I didn’t pick up when I first heard the songs in the theatre (where they go by very fast). In particular, there’s quite a bit of foreshadowing in the songs I didn’t notice at the time; now that I know the dénouement, I’m appreciating the forward references.]

Turning to the technical side: The scenic design by Stephen Gifford was nice and elegant, capturing a generic high-class boarding area quite well.Properties were by Sara J. Stuckey, who deserves mention if only for having to deal with all the food wrappers :-). The sound design was by the omnipresent Cricket S. Myers (who we see everywhere in LA theatre), and was clear, crisp, and professional. The lighting design by Luke Moyer was for the most part good, however there seemed to be spotlight difficulties. Given that the NoHo Arts Center uses moving mirror lights as opposed to a follow spot, this could indicate some adjustment in the lights or the blocking is needed. The costumes by Ann Closs-Farley did a great job of conveying the nature of the characters while still seeming realistic. Casting was by Michael Donovan CSA. Stage management was by Chris Warren Murry, assisted by Eric Heidenthal. Michael Spellman was the Associate Producer.

“Having It All“ continues at the No Ho Arts Center through April 24. Tickets are available through Plays411.net, as well as through Goldstar and LA Stage Alliance. This show is worth seeing, and will likely have a long life. Go see it.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Next weekend (March 26) brings “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Repertory East. The following weekend, April 2, brings “Glory Days” at the Lillian Theatre. April 9 will bring the Renaissance Faire. April 16 sees us out in Thousand Oaks revisiting “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, with “Lust N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical” at the Lyric Theatre on April 17. April 23rd, which is during Pesach, brings the last show of the current Colony season, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre. April 24 was to will bring “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre, but the Hottix sold out in ½ hour… so we may try to get rush tickets (for they are not selling rear balcony in advance). The last weekend of April brings a concert: Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May starts with our penultimate Pasadena Playhouse production, “George Gershwin Alone“, on May 7. The weekend of May 12-14 will bring the “Collabor8 Dance Festival” at Van Nuys High School, which is always excellent. The third weekend in May is currently open, but I expect that to change. The last weekend of May brings “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28, and (pending ticketing) “Dear World” at the Lyric Theatre. June begins with “Year Zero” at the Colony Theatre on June 5, with the rest of June being lost to Confirmation Services at Temple and a college visit trip (but who knows — we might hit a show in Nashville or St. Louis). Lastly, July should hopefully start with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (pending hottix), and continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); “Shrek” (July 23, Pantages Theatre, pending ticketing); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed).

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Two Things: West Coast Ensemble Season / Paywalls

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today’s been a busy day, but I do want to share / opine on two emails I received recently.

The first was the season announcement from West Coast Ensemble, who have done remarkable shows in the past (I particularly remember their productions of “Zanna Don’t“, “Big“, and “Assassins“). The upcoming season, alas, doesn’t attract me:

  • GYPSY (starting 5/13), with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, based on the memoirs of burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee. They are presenting the show in the intimate setting of the Theatre of Arts Arena Theatre (formerly the Egyptian Arena Theatre), but haven’t named any cast yet. I’m not drawn to Gypsy with an unknown cast.
  • CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY (starting 6/10) by Lynn Nottage, a lyrical and moving coming-of-age story set in post World War II Brooklyn. This production will open for a limited three-week run at the Loung Theatre in Hollywood.
  • LIVE WORK SPACE (starting 7/22) by Don Cummings, a razor-sharp comedy about two loft-living couples in downtown Los Angeles grapple with issues of commitment, sex, intimacy and love in this insightful and challenging love letter to Los Angeles. Presented at the Pan Andreas Theatre in Hollywood.

Alas, I have to say that none of these are calling to me.. Since I wrote that, “Gypsy” called to me and we eneded up seeing it.

***

I also received an announcement this morning about the upcoming paywall at the New York Times. The rates aren’t that attractive: $15 per four weeks for unlimited access, with only 20 articles for free each month. I go through 20 articles in a week! Home delivery might be a better option: it is $5.20 per weekend, or $3.70 for weekday papers. Hmm, I it looks like the weekday papers is slightly cheaper than the base digital subscription ($3.70/week for the paper, vs. $3.75/week for the digital). Right now, I’m not inclined to subscribe, so hopefully the news chum won’t suffer.

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Pasadena Playhouse 2011-2012 Season

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Earlier today, I wrote about how the Ahmanson had announced their 2011-2012 season, and I was interested in four of the five shows (“Bring It On”, “Funny Girl”, “American Idiot”, “Fela!”). I probably won’t subscribe because I can usually get Hottix (“God of Carnage” is an exception).

I come home to discover that the Pasadena Playhouse has announced their 2011-2012 season. Here it is:

  • SOUTH STREET by Craig Carlisle & Richard Addrisi. September 2011. A new musical based off of Philadelphia South Street Jazz, from the fellow who wrote “Never My Love”. Summary from Playbill: On Philadelphia’s legendary South Street, Sammy’s Place has long been the hottest joint around. Now the club’s family and its eclectic regulars gather to celebrate the club’s namesake at the annual Full Moon Festival. Get ready for an evening full of love, laughter and friendship with a score by the legendary songwriter Richard Addrisi [known for] his hit song ‘Never My Love’…
  • PASTORAL by Frank Tangredi. World-premier play starring Angela Bassett. From the Playhouse Hothouse series about a pastor with a dark secret. Summary from Playbill: Pastor Emily has a dark secret, hidden from even her own son. When a terrible crisis ensues, she must set her pain aside and look within to discover the true capacity of her forgiveness.
  • ART by Yasmina Reza. International hit, directed by David Lee. About the dire consequences about adhering to one’s taste in art. Short description: How would you feel about your best friend if she suddenly did something so colossally stupid, it made you doubt the very basis of the friendship? It happens in Yasmina Reza’s monster international hit, Art. When an art lover buys what is in essence a pure white painting for a horse-choking sum, his best friend goes ballistic. Yet a third friend gets squeezed in the middle. Questions about the meaning of strange modern art and strange modern friendships–and how they’re sometimes not all that different–fly thick in the limelight.
  • THE HEIRESS by Ruth & Augustus Goetz. An American classic. Short description: This classic tale of love and betrayal centers around the socially awkward and painfully shy spinster Catherine, who in 1850 stands to inherit a tidy sum. When the handsome but penniless Morris Townsend begins to woo her, Catherine’s suspicious father, bitter over his wife’s death and at Catherine’s inability to live up to her mother’s reputation, cruelly insists that she is not worthy of true love and threatens to disinherit her. Will Catherine choose love? Will love choose her? All is in doubt until the emotionally shattering conclusion.
  • MUSICAL TBA 6/2012, either musicalizations of (a) PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (American premiere of the revised London success) or (b) THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (Based on the Jerry Lewis film, w/ score by Marvin Hamlish & Rupert Holmes)

The pricing for the season is much more reasonable: weekend evenings is $225 per person, or about half of what it was under the old group. No options for split payments, though.

My opinion on the season? It is the old Pasadena Playhouse mixture. A few plays designed specifically to draw in the African-American audience in Los Angeles (SOUTH STREET and PASTORAL). A hit from Broadway (ART). A classic most haven’t heard of (THE HEIRESS). A new “feel good” summer musical… although the NUTTY PROFESSOR musical has been in development for a while and keeps having trouble (plus is something that shouldn’t be musicalized), so PEGGY SUE is the more likely candidate. However, that dates back to 2001, and was considered to be a “dose of sickly, second-hand nostalgia“. However, some liked it.

Will we subscribe? There’s not that much attracting me back, other than the price. None of the shows are “must see”s, except perhaps “Art”.

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