concerts – Page 6 – Observations Along the Road

Blowing in the Winds

Posted onWednesday, October 29, 2014Thursday, October 30, 2014Authorcahwyguy2 Comments

userpic=folk-guitar If you recall from my write-up of “Pippin“, I said we had two shows this weekend. The second show came about because some friends of ours (the Past President of MoTAS; I’m the current Prez) had the audacity to skip away the weekend of the Golf Tournament to take a cruise to Hawaii. They offered us their tickets, and knowing that my wife loves symphony music, we accepted. As a result, Sunday saw us not only scoping out Calabasas for the location for the tournament, but going to the new Performing Arts Center at Calabasas High for the special LA Symphonic Winds performance “Stars of the LA Winds”.

The 100 piece Los Angeles Symphonic Winds is a community band in Los Angeles. Membership is drawn from the vast pool of gifted Los Angeles-based professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians, many of whom have performed with major symphonies, motion picture and television recording studio orchestras and entertainment-world headliners. The L.A. Winds normally presents a six concert subscription series before sold-out houses in the beautiful Performing Arts Center on the campus of picturesque, suburban Los Angeles Pierce College (but as that is being rebuilt, they were in Calabasas).

The program we saw was part of the Daniel Pearl World Music Days concert series, and highlighted select members of the Winds. Here is what was on the program:

Suite from “The Big Country”: Main Title; Waltz; Ballad; Scherzo; Finale. Jerome Moross. Arranged by Bob Joles. This was a collection of scoring music from a motion picture. Quite enjoyable.
Concerto for Horn: II – Andante Moderato; III – Allegro. Ralph Hermann. Jennifer Bliman on horn. Another enjoyable piece.
Concerto for Euphonium Part I: I- Non troppo allegro; II – Dance: Zeibekikos. Philip Wilby. Neil Jansen on euphonum. Also enjoyable, especially the dance.
Concertino for Clarinet, op. 26. Carl Mari von Weber. 9 clarinetists, whom I’m not going to list. The piece itself was OK. The first three pieces were introduced by Sttephen Piazza, director of the Winds, who told the story behind each of them. This piece was conducted by Charles Fernandez, who got up, glared at the audience, and then started without a word of intro.
Five Folksongs for Soprano and Band: 1 – Mrs. McGrath; 2 – All the Pretty Little Horses; 3 – Yerakina; 4 – El Burro; 5 – A Fiddler. Bernard Gilmore. Sung by Christina Kushnik Roszhart. I wasn’t that crazy about this piece: folk music doesn’t work that well when sung by an operatic soprano with an orchestral quality fancy band backing. Folk cries for the simplicity. An interesting note discovered writing this piece: Roszhart was married less than two weeks ago — two weeks a newlywed.
Finale from “Death and Transfiguration”. Richard Strauss. ~~I like Strauss’s waltzes. This wasn’t a waltz.~~ I wasn’t that crazy about it.

There are far too many members of the Winds to list them all, but you can find them at the Winds Website.

[Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.]

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: November is back to busy, with “Big Fish” at Musical Theatre West (FB) on Sat 11/1, “Handle with Care” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on Sun 11/9 (shifting to avoid ACSAC and opening night), a trip out to Orange Empire Railway Museum to see my buddy Thomas on 11/11, “Sherlock Holmes and the Suicide Club” at REP East (FB) on Sat 11/15, the Nottingham Festival on Sun 11/16, and “Kinky Boots” at the Pantages (FB) on Sat 11/29. I may also see some theatre when I visit my daughter Erin in Berkeley between 11/20 and 11/26. Right now, I’ve scheduled “Harvey” at Palo Alto Players (FB) in Palo Alto for Friday 11/21, and I’m looking at “The Immigrant“ at Tabard Theatre (FB) in San Jose, , “Rhinocerous” at the UC Berkeley Theatre Department (FB), or possibly a show at UC Santa Cruz featuring a family friend in the cast or crew. [As a PS on the above: I’m trying to figure out a way to balance “The Immigrant”, the show at Santa Cruz, and Dickens Fair on one weekend. Am I crazy?] As for December, I just ticketed “She Loves Me” at Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim on 12/20, and we’ll probably go see “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Nobel Middle School just before ACSAC. Right now, there is only one show booked for January 2015 – “An Evening with Groucho” at AJU with Frank Ferrente. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Music, Rhythm, and Feet

Posted onWednesday, September 10, 2014Sunday, August 9, 2015Authorcahwyguy

Normally, I pick the shows that we see. So when my wife points to an ad for some shows and says “Get tickets for this”, I do it with nary an additional question. Recently, this happened with an ad for Muse/ique (FB), a counter-cultural orchestra event. She was reading the LA Times when she saw an ad for a concert event with Savion Glover (with a half-off discount code). She brought it to me and asked me to get tickets. I did, and Sunday evening saw us on the lawn at Beckman Mall at CalTech for a concert titled “Earth/quaked: Dance Changes the World“. I’m very pleased that I went. I do, however, need to apologize in advance for two things: First, I apologize for for the delay in this writeup — I’ve been busy with MoTAS business the last two nights. Secondly, I apologize for the briefness of the summary of the show and lack of complete credits — the closest thing to a program that was provided was a fan with some information, and I’m going from memory for the rest.

Let me start with some observations about the setup, which was remarkably civilized. One hears “concert on the lawn”, and one things this means bringing blankets and folding chairs. Not for Muse/ique (FB). There were tables set up on the lawn in distinct seating areas: upfront for the special patrons, in the middle for the premium assigned seats, and even tables of 6 for the festival seating (where we were) in the back. You could buy food at the catering tent in the back, or you could bring your own food in. Unlike the Hollywood Bowl or other such venues, there was no bag check — no limitations on bottles or what you could bring in. Further (and this really surprised me), no one ever asked to see my ticket! Each of our festival seating tables had a small bag of hard candy and a few fans that served as the concert program. Very, very, civilized.

The show itself had a wide variety of music, presented by the Muse/ique Counter-Conventional Orchestra. I’m going from memory, but the compositions (in order were): A medley by Lennon/McCartney, A medley from “West Side Story” (Bernstein), a clip of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson dancing with Shirley Temple, a recording of Mr. Bojangles sung by Sammy Davis Jr., a composition or two by Alan Steinberger, a longer medley of music by Duke Ellington (one of his suites), concluding with a long medley of Vivaldi. Starting with Mr. Bojangles, Savion Glover joined the orchestra. Glover, if you recall, was the man behind “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk“, and his dancing during this show exemplified his philosophy of tap: that tap dancing is a form of music and that one can create music with the feet. Bojangles was straightforward emotional tap, but by the later numbers (especially in the Vivaldi piece), Glover’s feet were a part of the orchestra. Of course, being the back we could only see the dancing through the few big screen monitors that had been set up; but with Glover, this is dancing meant to be heard. I’ll also note that there was one segment that featured a display of artwork by davidkremers, a visitor in Aerospace at Caltech…. which was accompanied only by the sounds of Glover’s feet dancing.

The orchestra at Muse/ique was under the direction of Rachael Worby (FB), the artistic director of Muse/ique. It was a very large orchestra featuring the following artists: VIOLIN I / Roger Wilkie, Agnes Gottschewski, Grace Oh, Mei Chung, Shelly Shi, Hana Kim / VIOLIN II / Tammy Hatwan, Neel Hammond, Alwyn Wright, Simeon Simeonov / VIOLA / Shawn Mann, Rodney Wirtz, Brett Banducci / CELLO / Kim Scholes, Joo Lee, Ginger Murphy / BASS / Mike Valerio, Geoff Osika / FLUTE / Sara Weisz, Sal Lozano / OBOE / Jennifer Johnson / CLARINET / Amanda McIntosh, Damon Zick / BASSOON / Anthony Parnther, Samantha Duckworth / HORN / Kristy Morrell, Amy Sanchez / TRUMPET / Marissa Benedict, TJ Tesh / TROMBONE / Mike Hoffman / TUBA / Blake Cooper / TIMPANI / Theresa Dimond / KEYBOARD / Alan Steinberger / PERCUSSION / Jason Goodman / DRUM / Jamie Tate / ELECTRIC BASS / Mike Valerio… and of course, as Worby noted, / FEET / Savion Glover :-).

There were no technical credits, which is too bad because the sound designer ensured that the sound was clear throughout the mall, and the lighting designer used LED lighting very effectively to convey mood.

This was the end of the Muse/ique performances for the summer, but they do plan on activities over the year. Next summer’s program will focus on Leonard Bernstein, and we plan to be back. For future reference, they do appear to list tickets on Goldstar.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: This coming weekend bring “Moon Over Buffalo” (Goldstar) at the GTC in Burbank. The remainder of September brings “Bat Boy: The Musical” at CSUN for the Friday night before Slichot (9/19), “What I Learned in Paris” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on Sat 9/27, and “The Great Gatsby” at Repertory East (FB) on Sun 9/29. October currently has two shows (three if you count Yom Kippur on 10/4): “Don’t Hug Me, We’re Married” at the Group Rep (FB) on Sat 10/18 (when Karen is at PIQF), and “Pippin” at the Pantages (FB) on 10/25. November is back to busy, with “Big Fish” at Musical Theatre West (FB) on Sat 11/1, “Handle with Care” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on Sun 11/9 (shifting to avoid ACSAC and opening night), a trip out to Orange Empire Railway Museum to see my buddy Thomas on 11/11, “Sherlock Holmes and the Suicide Club” at REP East (FB) on Sat 11/15, the Nottingham Festival on Sun 11/16, and “Kinky Boots” at the Pantages (FB) on Sat 11/29. I may also see some theatre when I visit my daughter Erin in Berkeley between 11/20 and 11/26. I’d love to get down to San Diego to see either (or both) of “Bright Star“, the new Steve Martin/Edie Brikell musical, at The Old Globe Theatre (FB) (September 13-November 2), or “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (based on the Disney film) at The La Jolla Playhouse (FB) (October 25-December 2), but I’m not sure either would work in the schedule. As for December, right now I’m just holding one date: “She Loves Me” at Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim on 12/20. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

A Night to Remember

Posted onTuesday, June 17, 2014Sunday, December 28, 2014Authorcahwyguy1 Comment

Theodore Bikel's 90th userpic=folk-guitar If you haven’t figured it out by now, I like Tom Paxton and Peter, Paul, and Mary. I’ve loved folk music all my life. So when Tom Paxton (or his proxy) posted on Facebook that Tom was participating in a special celebration of Theodore Bikel‘s 90th birthday at a theatre in Beverly Hills, I was intrigued. When I later learned that the program would include Peter Yarrow and Arlo Guthrie would be on the bill… and that tickets were on Goldstar… I was sold (even though it was a Monday night). So last night, after a long weekend, saw us in Beverly Hills for a even longer night — celebrating the legacy of 90 years of Theodore Bikel.

Now, if you are not familiar with Theodore Bikel… read his biography! Bikel has been a movie, TV, and a theatre actor for years. He was Tevye in Fiddler, the Captain in the original stage Sound of Music, and has had many more roles. He’s also been at the forefront of the battle to save Jews in the Soviet Union, fighting for the poor and oppressed, …. including many actors while he’s helmed the Actors Fund and Actors Equity. This is a man beloved by all. Most people — including me — have a number of his Jewish and Yiddish folk music records.

The show itself was spectacular. The master of ceremonies was Ed Asner, who was more crotchety than usual. The musical acts were varied: each group performed 2-3 songs. The acts included:

Cantor Mike Stein and the Rolling Steins, who performed an odd yodeling number.
Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, a Grammy award winning folk music duo who I know from Woodsongs.
Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg from the Klezmatics
Artie Butler, a famous composer I’ve never heard of.
Craig Taubman, a modern Jewish music composer.
The aforementioned Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow, and Arlo Guthrie
Alberto Mizrahi and John Bilezikjian, a famous hazzan from Chicago and his accompanist on a bazouki or perhaps an Oud.
Merima Ključo, a concert accordianist.
The LIFE Choir, a gospel choir

Combine this with an audience featuring notable actors and actors organization executives, and you could just feel the power in the room.

I didn’t try to write a set list, but here is some of what I remember:

Tom Paxton did “How Beautiful Upon the Mountain” and “Thank You for the Honor of Your Company”, two very appropriate songs.
Peter Yarrow seemed a bit out of it except when he was singing. He did “Puff the Magic Dragon”, and this inspired everyone on stage to pick up their instruments and join him. A real neat jam session. He also did “Light One Candle”.
Arlo Guthrie did two compositions from his father, including (if I recall correctly), “This Land is Your Land”.
Mizrahi and Bikel did an absolutely stunning duo. The two of them can sing.
Bikel also did a spectacular duo with the accordionist.

The evening concluded with everyone joining in “We Shall Overcome”. It was truly a memorable evening — well worth staying up for.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: This coming weekend brings Solopalooza, a fund raiser for REP East on Saturday night, followed by “Stoneface: The Rise and Fall of Buster Keaton” at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB) on Sunday. The last weekend in June brings “I’m Not Just a Comic Genius” at Secret Rose (FB) on June 27. July will be busy: “Ghost” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/5, “Return to the Forbidden Planet” at REP East (FB) the weekend of 7/12, “Once” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/19, “Bye Bye Birdie” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on 7/26, and “Family Planning” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on 8/2. August then remains quiet as we work around vacations and such (but I’m eyeing a number of productions in Escondido, including “Two Gentlemen of Verona” at the Old Globe, and “Pageant” at the Cygnet in Old Town. What they have at the Welk (“Oklahoma“), Patio Theatre (“Fiddler on the Roof“), and Moonlight Stage (“My Fair Lady“) are all retreads. Things start to get busy again in September and October, with “The Great Gatsby” at REP, “What I Learned in Paris” at the Colony, and “Pippin” at the Pantages. More on that later. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Hair at Harrahs

Posted onMonday, May 5, 2014Authorcahwyguy

userpic=las-vegas You may have noticed that it’s been quiet from this end of late — I’ve had some high priority projects at work sucking my time, plus we’ve been getting ready for a little vacation. On the vacation now we are (did you appreciate that little call-out to Star Wars in honor of 5/4) (even though I’m still working in the mornings 🙁 ), so I thought I would bring you up to date with my thoughts… plus I think I’m incapable of seeing live entertainment and not writing about it.

Every time I come to Vegas I realize how this town has changed from when I was here as a kid in the 1970s. Gone are the headline entertainers and the “dinner show” showrooms; gone are most of the production shows. Gone, in fact, is everything serving the great god of gaming — everything is its own profit center now. Still, when you’re in Vegas, you see shows (and there are a few I want to see, if the price is right).

One of the shows we discovered was in town was the end of Jason Alexander’s stint at Harrah’s. Now, I’ve never watched Seinfeld (I’ll repeat that, because you probably don’t believe it — I’ve never watched Seinfeld). However, I am a fan of Mr. Alexander from his work on the stage — he was in a number of Broadway shows, and we saw him give a great performance in The Producers in Los Angeles. We’re also aware of him from his movies — our daughter was a big fan of Dunston Checks In. Given that his show wasn’t that pricy, we went last night.

I’m glad we did. It was a very funny show. Jason combined music, musical parody, and great comedy observations to create a hilarious two-hour show. He riffed on a variety of subjects — Seinfeld (of course), hair, relationships, and sitcoms are a few I remember. We just enjoyed the show immensely. If you get a chance to see Jason Alexander, it is worth it.

Dining Notes: Before the show, we ate at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at the Flamingo. We chose them because they were one of the few restaurants in walking distance with a gluten-free menu. Very good food, and fun entertainment.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: While in Vegas, we’re also hoping to see Blue Man Group at the Monte Carlo, as well as Evil Dead: The Musical“. Once we return, we’ve got a twofer day: “Hairspray” at Nobel Middle School followed by “The Lion in Winter” at The Colony Theatre (FB). The next weekend brings both “Porgy and Bess” at the Ahmanson and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at REP East (FB). The next two weekends are currently unscheduled: Karen is helping Erin move, and there’s not that much calling to me from Goldstar. June is busy. It starts with a CDF Conference for Karen while I see “The Fantastiks” at Good People Theatre. We lose the following weekend to a Bat Mitzvah. The remainder of the month brings “Stoneface” at the Pasadena Playhouse on June 22, and “I’m Not Just a Comic Genius” at Secret Rose on June 27. July will be busy: “Ghost” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/5, “Return to the Forbidden Planet” at REP East (FB) the weekend of 7/12, “Once” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/19, “Bye Bye Birdie” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on 7/26, and “Family Planning” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on 8/2. August then remains quiet as we work around vacations and such, but things start to get busy again in September and October. More on that later. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Such a Simple Song

Posted onSaturday, April 26, 2014Saturday, April 26, 2014Authorcahwyguy

userpic=folk-artists As I just wrote, this has been a crazy week, and next week doesn’t look much better. Luckily, I had a great stress relief valve last night: a concert at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Last night’s artist was Noel Paul Stookey, who is perhaps best known as the “Paul” in “Peter, Paul and Mary”.

Although I’ve been a fan of PP&M since I was in my teen, I’ve tended to favor Peter Yarrow over the other performers. But the last time I saw Peter solo (at AJU), his performance was rambling and wandering. I also discovered that Noel Paul was giving concerts at McCabes. We went last year, and we just loved the show, the music, the humor, and the man. So when Noel Paul showed on the schedule, I just went and ordered tickets.

Last night was a great show. Many of the songs were from Paul’s new album, “One and Many“, but there were a few old favorites (and lots of great stories). Here’s the playlist:

Act I		Act II
Such a Simple Song Music from the Heart The Love of It All Start a Revolution One and Many Cue the Moon The Wedding Song April Fool Love Rules!		Virtual Party Nukes are Nuts (new) The Connection Our Lives are Connected Cabin Fever Waltz Jean Claude Una Famila de Corazon (new/instrumental) American the Beautiful This Land is Your Land/In These Times If I Had a Hammer

In all, it was just a great show. Of course, I added an album to the iPod. Once of these days, I’ll get all my new music digested…

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: Today brings the Southern California Renaissance Faire. May brings “The Lion in Winter” at The Colony Theatre (FB), and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at REP East (FB), as well as “Hairspray” at Nobel Middle School. I may also be scheduling “Porgy and Bess” at the Ahmanson. June is mostly open pending scheduling of an MRJ meeting, but I will try to fit in as much of the Hollywood Fringe Festival as I can. July will be busy: “Ghost” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/5, “Return to the Forbidden Planet” at REP East (FB) the weekend of 7/12, “Once” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/19, “Bye Bye Birdie” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on 7/26, and “Family Planning” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on 8/2. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Rocking Out

Posted onSunday, April 20, 2014Monday, April 21, 2014Authorcahwyguy

userpic=repeast Last night, we went to go see “A Night at the Rock Opera” at REP East (FB), so I’m guessing you’re expecting the traditional write-up/review. But you’re not going to get it. There are a few reasons. First, there were no handouts, so I have no cast list to credit, nor a song list (or should I say “set list”) to give. Secondly, this was a fundraising benefit — so you don’t expect quite the same level as a well-established book show. Thirdly, we’ve got company coming over this evening, and I’ve already lost 6 hours to a headache. So, instead, a few observations.

The cast was made up of a REP regulars, from what I could tell. Going just from tagging on Facebook, the performers included: Ginhee Eng, Lori D’Itri, George Chavez, Sarah Krieg, Tom Lund, Beth Ann, Sarah Stoddard, Coastal Eddie, Nikki Berra, Casey Christianson, Kelly Bader, Amber Schwinn, Erin Rivlin, Leslie Berra, Jill Kocalis Scott, and Bob Berra. All were good singers — a few had particularly strong rocker voices (you can hear the difference). You can see a picture of the cast here.
The performances were very strong. Good voice, lots of energy, and you can tell they were having fun. That’s always key to me — if the folks on stage are having fun, the audience has fun.
The selection of songs was a wide mix, and I could recognize most of the shows: Jesus Christ Superstar, The Who’s Tommy, Mamma Mia, Hair, Little Shop, All Shook Up, We Will Rock You, Hairspray, Footloose, Return to Forbidden Planet, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal. Posts indicated there were songs from Rock of Ages (which I expected), but I don’t recall hearing anything from that show. There were also a few shows I expected to be in the mix but that weren’t: Grease, American Idiot, Marvellous Wonderettes, Backbeat. I also wish that more songs from certain shows were included — particularly more from Next to Normal (I love “My Psychopharmacologist and I”, but “I’m Alive” would have been great), Hairspray (“Mama I’m A Big Girl Now”), Spring Awakening (“The Bitch of Living” and “Totally Fucked”), and Rent (“La Vie Boheme”). But there’s only so much time. Part of the problem with song selection is defining just what is “rock” and what characterizes it. Especially for music from the early 1960s, the line isn’t always clear. This affects some of the songs from Hairspray, Little Shop, and All Shook Up. Arguably, more of the headbanging stuff was what I expected. But then again — this is a concert, I had fun, and all the songs were good.
I was thinking, when they were performing Bohemian Rhapsody, that they really need to listen to the Big Daddy version. It’s on an unreleased album that was available only as a Kickstarter premium. However, I have it, and would be glad to play it for them. Just imaging Bohemian Rhapsody with “Shaboom, Shaboom”.
In general, the theme of the costuming was … black. Black dresses (of many forms, all long), and most of the guys went for the black on black look (black suit, black shirt, black tie). Some of selections worked; some worked spectacularly well, and a few less so. For women, the black dress has always been a classic; I’m guessing the black-on-black look for guys is in now (I never grew up with it). I’ll have to try it. Do you think I could rock brown-on-brown?
In some ways, the concert was sad. There were middle aged and up performers on stage, and the audience was filled with middle-age and such (including me) rocking out. Since when did Rock become the music of the older generation (I remember making this observation when we saw “Rock of Ages”)? Gee, I’m getting old. Excuse me while I go shoo someone off my lawn.
The show got me thinking — could someone make a jukebox musical out of rock musicals (especially original songs for rock musicals — otherwise it gets too meta). It could be an interesting commentary on the evolution of theatrical music from the traditional era of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: The last weekend of April will bring Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes, as well as the Southern California Renaissance Faire. May brings “The Lion in Winter” at The Colony Theatre (FB), and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at REP East (FB), as well as “Hairspray” at Nobel Middle School. I may also be scheduling “Porgy and Bess” at the Ahmanson. June is mostly open pending scheduling of an MRJ meeting, but I will try to fit in as much of the Hollywood Fringe Festival as I can. July will be busy: “Ghost” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/5, “Return to the Forbidden Planet” at REP East (FB) the weekend of 7/12, “Once” at the Pantages (FB) on 7/19, “Bye Bye Birdie” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on 7/26, and “Family Planning” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on 8/2. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Oh, That Tickles

Posted onFriday, February 21, 2014Saturday, February 22, 2014Authorcahwyguy

userpic=theatre_musicals This weekend we’re in Portland OR doing site visits for a conference. You would think that would stop us from seeing live entertainment… but you would be wrong. This evening, a dear long-time friend (I’d venture to say my longest-term friend — we first met back in elementary school) invited us to join her and her husband at Harvey’s Comedy Club in Downtown Portland. Live entertainment? But of course!

Now, I’ve never been much of the clubbing type. I’ve been to one rock concert at the Forum, a few at the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, or Universal Amphitheatre (Z”L), but these days, my concerts are at the level of McCabes or VPAC. In particular, I’ve never been to a true nightclub, and I’ve never been to a comedy club. So this was a first time for me. I was thankful I was in a city where the club wasn’t smokey.

The comedy portion of the show consisted of three performers. The first act was Anatoli Brant/FB. I don’t remember much of his routine, other than his favorite toy growing up was a brick. Oh, and he did some jokes about the trials and tribulations of being a gluten salesman in Portland.

The second performer was Mike Walley Walter. He was pretty good. His routine started out talking about various cities he’s performed in, and he was having particular fun making fun of Laughlin NV, Las Vegas NV, and Reno NV. His routine degenerated into some interplay with some hecklers in the audience and stories about ex-wives and dating.

The third performer was Tracy Smith. Her routine was perhaps the raunchiest, with numerous riffs on being an older woman dating, shaving various body parts, and of course, interplay with the younger clueless women in the audience. She seem to have the most interaction with the clueless clown sitting in the front row using his cell phone. You think someone would actually know better to do that in a comedy club, but they didn’t. Let’s just say that he got what he deserved.

Did I find the comedians funny? Some jokes hit, but most were either going for the attack jokes (i.e., make fun of someone) or the raunch jokes. Perhaps I’ve turned into that old “get off my lawn” sort-of guy, but I miss the days when comedians would tell funny stories (think Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, or Milt Kamen), or would be simply silly (think the Smothers Brothers, Red Skelton, or Jonathan Winters). I’m sure the next generation of those times of comedians are out there; I hope the younger audiences learn that there is something more than jokes about bald vaginas.

Still, it was an interesting first time to a comedy club, made better by the company we were with!

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: Tomorrow night, we’re going to the Brunish Theatre at Portland5 to see the Elton John/Tim Rice musical “Aida“. The last weekend of February was going to start with Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing” at Two Roads Theatre, but the problematic reviews (decidedly mixed reviews on the performances, and nearly unanamous reviews that the show was too long and had too many long scene changes) led me to cancel it and replace it with Larry Shue’s “The Foreigner” at Crown City Theatre (FB). The next evening brings the MRJ Regional Man of the Year dinner at Temple Beth Hillel, followed by “Sex and Education” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on Sunday March 2 (moved from March 8). The weekend of March 8 now brings “Biloxi Blues” at REP East (FB) (moved from March 29). The weekend of March 16 brings Purim Schpiels, with Sunday afternoon bringing “Inherit the Wind” at the Grove Theatre Center (FB) in Burbank. March 22 brings “Harmony” at The Ahmanson Theatre (FB), followed by “Author, Author: An Evening with Sholom Aleichem” at the Santa Monica Playhouse (FB) on March 23. The last weekend of March is open, and will likely stay that way as we’ll be exhausted. April starts with “In The Heights” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on April 5, and should also bring “Tallest Tree” at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as the Southern California Renaissance Faire. April may also bring “My Name is Asher Lev” at the Fountain Theatre (FB) (as this runs through April 19). Current planning for May shows “The Lion in Winter” at The Colony Theatre (FB), and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at REP East (FB). As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Clowning Around

Posted onSunday, January 12, 2014Sunday, January 12, 2014Authorcahwyguy1 Comment

userpic=colony Most people don’t appreciate a good clown. They hear the word “clown”, and they instantly think of someone in whiteface, Emmet Kelley-style, who is out to eat them. But to me, the word “clown” conjures images of Red Skelton, a comic actor who just enjoyed the silly for the joy of being silly, and in doing so, brought laughter to the world. There are only a few clowns like that — masters of the art of being silly. We saw one of the last night.

Perhaps I should back up. For years, we have been going to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. One of the performers we enjoy seeing there is MooNiE (Phillip Earl Johnson (FB)). MooNiE is a pure clown, loving the silly for the silly. He typically works Faire with his partner Broon (Brian Howard (FB)). Broon is more of the straight-man for MooNiE (in terms of setting things up and reacting), but is a physical comedian in his own right. Together, they form MooNiE and Broon (FB). Recently, a friend of mine alerted me to the fact they were doing a show at The Colony Theatre (FB) in Burbank. Although this was a rental gig for the Colony, here was a chance to see two performers we love in a venue we love to support. This was especially important, as MooNiE will not be at Southern RenFaire this year. So last night saw us at the Colony, for what might be MooNiE’s last Southern California performance in 2014.

The show itself consisted of two acts. The first act began with some improvisation with both MooNiE and Broon. The opening improvisation was quite funny — these two play off of each other and amplify the signal and the silly. This was followed by Broon’s solo segment, which was primarily a straight-jacket escape with an audience member participating. The fun here was both the reaction (and playfullness) of both Broon and the audience member; however, the segment struck me as something done regularly. At the end, Broon announced it was time for intermission… but the house lights didn’t come up. Still, some audience members fell for that. MooNiE then came out, first carrying a big log across the stage, and then going into his usual ping-pong ball juggling routine that he commonly does at RenFaire. This gives him a chance to play with the silly. For both of these solo acts, even though you have quite likely seen them before, there is something about them that makes them timeless and still funny on repeated viewings. This may be the live audience factor — each performance is slightly different because of the audience reaction and interaction.

The second act, to me, was the stronger act. Although it may have incorporated elements of the RenFaire act (I believe the juggling with a human volunteer in the middle is part of the RenFaire act), the real heart of Act II was the improv. The bulk of the act was the two comics just improvising around the key bits in the act (the banana competition, juggling, the bed of nails). Some of this was based off of comments left by the audience during intermission (including some home-baked cookies from an audience member). This improvisation was hilarious and spectacular, and simply silly. It was amplified by numerous double entendres, and flights off into … various directions, mostly unpredictable. I think that’s one of the aspects that made the second act so funny — it was simply unpredictable and you didn’t know where they were going with the comic bits (indeed, you often got the impression that those on stage didn’t know either). This is comic talent — the ability to think on one’s feet. It is also what separates the improvisational clown from the comedian (who tells stories) and the comic actor (whose talent is timing and reaction). The power of two cannot be underemphasized: what made this act strong was the interplay between the two: one would go off in a direction and the other would follow, and then drag things kicking and screaming in a third or fourth or fifth direction. The clowning was strong, and reminded me of the improvisational masters: Skelton, the last Jonathan Winters, and Robin Williams. You just never knew what was going to happen, and that was great!

A few minor critical comments (although I hestitate to even bring it to the complaint level). First, MooNiE’s accent kept shifting around — sometimes it was midwest, sometimes much more distinctively London or even Cockney. The shifts, although playful, were slightly distracting. Second, I missed the usual announcements about cell phones and exits; it would have been interesting to see MooNiE and Broon’s take on the announcement to put away the phones or anything that lights up. At least no one attempted flash photography. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, to see segments from last night’s show up on YouTube (sigh).

I’ll note that MooNiE and Broon were supported by an excellent technical team; alas, there was no program so that I can’t identify them by name. Lighting was simple but effective, especially in the second act where the spot-equivalent operator seemed to be joining in the fun. Sound was mostly good, although (especially in the first act) the sound had a bit of a muffled quality too it. Set dressing was simple, and there were numerous props on the stage that were not used (and I’m guessing they were there in case the need to improvise with them hit them). MooNie and Broon were also supported by a, yet again, uncredited Merch team. The Colony provided a (yet again uncredited) house manager, who I’m guessing got to assist with the cleanup of the stage after the show — a thankless job.

Overall, this was a show worth seeing if you need a good laugh. Although Southern California won’t be seeing them again in 2014, there are two more opportunities: on January 18 for those in Northern California (Walnut Creek), and on January 25 for those in Illinois. Specific schedule info is here. During the show, MooNiE alluded to the show he’s doing in Chicago this spring (the one keeping him away from Southern): “The Dance of Death”. As he didn’t give a proper plug, here’s the specific information on the show, which is at The Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL from April 1-July 20, 2014. MooNiE (Phillip Earl Johnson (FB)) will be playingthe innocent “Kurt”. If I was in the area, I’d go see it. I”ll note that The Writers Theatre does put their events on Goldstar.

A few other observations on the show. First, the audience at this show looked drastically different than the typical Colony audience. When we go for a subscription show, the audience is distinctly… ummm… grey and older. Alas, this is far too common for theatre audiences today. It is also more elegant and (umm) conventionally stylish. In constrast, the MooNiE and Broon audience was significantly younger, significantly more energetic, and (umm) rounder. It was great to see such a young audience at the Colony — and even more so as they were looking at the Colony’s displays of past shows, looking at the set pieces and awards, and picking up the literature (including subscription literature). This is just the audience the Colony needs to attract. That’s the good part of this rental — exposing the Colony to a new audience.

The bad part? The subscription information was for the 2013-2014 season that is drawing to a close (just two more shows). The Colony Theatre (FB) has just announced the 2014-2015 season, but didn’t have any publicity material out yet. In fact, they just sent the mailing about the season to the subscription base for renewals. So, for those MooNiE and Broon folks reading this, here’s the skinny on the upcoming Colony Season (as I happen to be both a MooNiE and Broon fan, as well as a Colony subscriber). Given I haven’t seen the press release yet, this may be a scoop. The season consists of 5 shows: (♦) “Family Planning” by Michelle Kholos Brooks (July 12-August 10, 2014), a comedy about putting a lot of relatives in the same space (stated as a World Premiere, although it was done by PRT in 2012); (♦) “What I Learned in Paris” by Pearl Cleage, a comedy about lovers in Atlanta in 1973 (West Coast Premiere); (♦) “Handle With Care” by Jason Odell Williams, a story about “love, fate, and the importance of GPS-enabled tracking devices” (West Coast Premiere); (♦) “The Road to Appomattox” by Catherine Bush, a drama about Lee’s final retreat to Appomattox (West Coast Premiere), and “Words by: Ira Gershwin & The Great American Songbook” by Joseph Vass (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, Music by Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, and George Gershwin), a jukebox musical about Ira Gershwin (Los Angeles Premiere). Subscription prices run around $175 for the set of shows (at least for where we sit on a Saturday night). Subscription information for the current season is here; I suggest contacting the Box Office (boxoffice@colonytheatre.org) to be mailed information on the 2014-2015 season.

Dining Notes: We’ve been at a loss ever since Cafe Columbia closed last year. Last night, we tried Mi Latin Kitchen, hoping they had Ajiaco. Alas, they didn’t — and we weren’t that impressed with the menu or the service. We’ll likely go back to La Maria (although they don’t have Ajiaco either), and keep hunting for a new Columbian restaurant. Perhaps Sazon Columbia near us… at least they have it on the menu. El Meson Criollo in Van Nuys doesn’t; in fact, they appear to have the same menu as Mi Latin Kitchen.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: Theatre performances for 2014 start next week on January 18 with “Mom’s Gift” at The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre (FB) in North Hollywood. The following weekend, January 25, brings the first show of the REP East (FB) 10th season: “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change“ (which we last saw at REP in 2006). February 1 brings “Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike” at the Mark Taper Forum. February 8 will bring “Forever Plaid” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). The following weekend, February 15, is being held for Lysistrata Jones at The Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim. The next weekend, February 22, is currently open (as Sutton Foster cancelled at the Broad). The last day of February sees us in Studio City at Two Roads Theatre for Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing“, followed the next evening by the MRJ Regional Man of the Year dinner at Temple Beth Hillel. March theatre starts with “Sex and Education” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on March 8. The weekend of March 15 is open, but will likely be taken up with Purim Schpiels (although I might do theatre on Sunday, March 16). March 22 is being held for “Harmony” at The Ahmanson Theatre (FB). March concludes with “Biloxi Blues” at REP East (FB) on March 29. April will start with “In The Heights” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on April 5, and should also bring “Tallest Tree” at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as the Southern California Renaissance Faire. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.