Category: reviews

🎭 Roasted Ham and Hasenpfeffer | “Fat Ham” @ Black Rep … and Bugs Bunny

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Just because we’re out of town doesn’t mean that the desire to see live performance goes away. While we were visiting our daughter in St. Louis, we were able to squeeze in two show. I’ll talk about them out of order, becauwe these writeups tend to focus more on theatre than concerts.

Roasted Ham

Fat Ham (Black Rep - STL)While in St. Louis, we had the opportunity to see the Black Repertory Theatre production of Fat Ham, which we last saw a little over two years ago at the Geffen, in a production starring The Neighborhood‘s Marcel Spears as Juicy. Here’s the synopsis of the play as I wrote it then:

Fat Ham transposes the story [of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet] to one about a black family, somewhere in the south, sometime in the near past. The program states that is is North Carolina or Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee, but not Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. The time is sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, based on dress and hairstyles and such. It is a blue-collar level (but not poor) house, in a rural area, where the family business is a barbeque restaurant run by Pap and Rev, two brothers. Pap went to prison for gutting a customer like a pig, and while in prison, was shafted. It turns out that Rev, Pap’s brother, had arranged the shafting … and not a week after the funeral, Rev married Pap’s widow, Tedra. The play takes place in the backyard of Tedra’s house, where there is to be a celebration of the wedding.

The focus of the story is Juicy, Tedra’s son. After Juicy’s friend Tio sees Pap’s ghost, the ghost comes to Juicy and asks him to avenge his death. Juicy is conflicted. Story beats of the traditional Hamlet story play out in the backyard, as Rev’s friend, Rabby comes to visit with her two children, Larry (who is in the Marines) and Opal. There are both rough and obvious correspondences: Juicy/Hamlet, Rev/Claudius, Tedra/Gertrude, Tio/Horatio, Rabby/Polonius, Larry/Laertes, Opal/Ophelia. But not all of the character beats are the same, especially as the story goes on and the relationships get … shall we say more contemporary.

There are also some key changes in the characters, beyond the obvious transposition from the Court of Denmark to the rural south, with the “Kings” becoming owners of a BBQ Joint. Juicy is a bit of a schlubsy student, attending the University of Phoenix. His friend, Tio, is a stoner addicted to porn. Rabby is a high church lady, her son Larry is on leave from the Marines, and her daughter Opal wants to go to the Marines, although her mom wants her to be a debutant. Relationships are not traditional.

The production in Los Angeles was (essentially) the Broadway cast. The production of Black Rep was a regional production; essentially at the level of a Colony Theatre production: a 644 seat thrust stage, with three Equity actor positions and the rest cast regionally from the local non-Equity pool. The Geffen Playhouse production was in a 512 seat proscenium stage with a mostly Equity cast. How did the two productions compare?

Let’s start with the performances. The lead, Marshall W. Mabry IV Juicy brought a much darker energy to the role;  this isn’t a surprise as he wasn’t carrying the sitcom baggage of Marcel Spears. Mabry was a truly believable pseudo-Hamlet: brooding and angry. Enoch King was strong as Rev/Pap, bringing out two distinctly characterizations. Angela Wildflower was good as Tedra, although at times she spoke so fast it was hard to make out her words. To, ummm, amplify that last point: This production was not amplified (unlike most mid-sized productions in Los Angeles), and it was a bit harder to hear folks. Amplification isn’t required (witness our recent outing to Falstaff); however a bit more projection or volume would be good.

In the smaller roles: Brian McKinley was good as Larry, although on his initial entrance he was missing one button, which a Marine would never do. Raevyn Ferguson was strong as Opal—an interesting character who is almost as conflicted as Juicy. Margery Handy brought the right church-lady vibes to Rabby, and Olajuwon Davis captured Tio’s personality (although he also was hard to hear at times).

One additional note on the characters… and the audience. It was interesting to watch the interactions of the performers and the audience, and contrasting that with what I recall of the audience reaction at the Geffen. Here in St. Louis, we’re much closer to the Southern-style churchgoers than in Los Angeles. As such, there was more audience reaction as the tropes referenced in the play were recognized. The audience also didn’t have the complexion problem I see in Los Angeles: one of my major complaints with black-themed plays in Los Angeles is that the non-white audience often seems to stay away. When the Pasadena Playhouse does a black-themed production (common when Sheldon Epps was the artistic director), the audience seems to be 80% black; the pendulum would swing the other way for less diverse stagings. This would bother me quite a bit as I believe theatre is for all, and that theatre provides us the opportunity to learn about and gain insights into milieus different than our own. Alas in Los Angeles, despite its progressivism, audiences seem to self-segregate based on the show. That’s bad. The Edison audience, although far too small, was much more mixed. That’s a good thing. I just wish it was larger. We had, perhaps, only a quarter of the theatre filled. This was an excellent show with excellent performances. Why wasn’t the audience there? Memorial day weekend? Publicity problems? St. Louisians (if that’s a word): This is an excellent show. You should be going out to see it!

The set was remarkably similar to the one at the Geffen. The major difference was the treatment of Pap. At the Geffen, I remember him rising out of the smoker and rising out of the cooler. Here he generally came in from the side. Thankfully, the Black Rep production didn’t use a glitter cannon or balloon drop like the Geffen for the last scenes. I abhor such things for the waste of plastic that goes straight into the waste stream, and they have become far too common in theatre today. Black Rep found a way to bring the fun without the plastic.

There were a few minor production problems: at times, characters walked to the edge of the stage or came in from the edge of the stage and didn’t have the lighting they needed. There were also problems with the amplification of the Karaoke machine.

One other last complaint: Black Rep handed out a postcard Playbill, with a QR code linking to the actual playbill. I recognize this saves the production money, but at what costs. Most folks won’t go to the code and learn about the actors and production team. It won’t serve the advertisers that support the theatre. It won’t provide a physical record that lasts. Digital link rot is real. Websites get reorganized. Try to go to this link 10 years down the road, and there is a 95% chance the link won’t work anymore. Yet with a printed playbill it lasts. Last weekend, I filed playbills from about the last 20 or so years of theatre. I saw playbills in my files from the 1980s and 1990s. I couldn’t do that with the digital QR code playbills; I don’t get a memory that lasts. Digital playbills are a false economy. Give your playgoers a physical playbill, or at least have them available at the show. Print at a level of 50%, but print them. Color isn’t required.

Fat Ham continues at The Black Rep at the Edison Theatre on the grounds of Washington University, St. Louis, until June 7, 2026. Tickets are available through OvationTix. The Black Rep has announced their upcoming season, and it is a good one. Were they closer to Los Angeles, I might even subscribe. The 2026-2027 season is: The Color Purple—The Musical (Sep 9-27, 2026); The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe (Jan 6-24 2027); Purpose by Braden Jacob-Jenkens (Feb 3-21 2027); For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf  by Ntozake Shange (Mar 3-28 2027); and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean May 12-30 2027. I’ve always heard about For Colored Girls; I can’t recall a recent production in Los Angeles. I wonder if anyone will ever remount a production of Your Arms Are Too Short to Box with God?

Hasenpfeffer

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony (St Louis Symphony Orchestra)“Hasenpfeffer” refers to the live concert we saw: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, which is a touring production nearing the end of its 35th Anniversary tour, celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 85th birthday. We saw the production at Powell Hall, which is just coming off a multi-year renovation, accompanied by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Surprisingly, although the production has been a regular at the Hollywood Bowl, we’ve never seen it there. My wife loves the WB cartoon library, so this was a perfect fit. The music was outstanding, and the production presented five “new” cartoons (with live music) as part of the production:

  • “Skyscraper Scrap“, a new Bugs Bunny cartoon, with score adapted by Carl Johnson from La gazza ladra by Gioachino Rossini. This was a Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoon set of the ledge of a skyscraper.
  • The “Coyote Suite”, a set of three new Road-Runner cartoons (3D animation):
    • “Rabid Rider“, a 2010 short involving the Coyote on an Acme Segway-equivalent, with predictable results.
    • “Coyote Falls“, another 2010 short using an Acme bungee cord
    • “Fur of Flying“, another 2010 short with an Acme flying helmet
  • “Dynamite Dance“, a 2019 Elmer/Bugs romp with lots of dynamite to Dance of the Hours.

The Coyote/Road Runner cartoons made me think of the supposed rules for Road Runner/Coyote cartoons.

The music was very enjoyable, and the cartoons were delightful. A lovely evening.

Credits

Fat Ham. Written by James Ijames. Directed by Geovanday Jones.

Cast (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Marshall W Mabry IVæ Juicy; Angela Wildfloweræ Tedra; Enoch Kingæ Rev/Pap; Brian McKinley Larry; Raevyn Ferguson Opal; Margery Handy Rabby; Olajuwon Davis Tio.

Production and Creative (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Geovonday Jones Director; Heather Beal Choreographer; Patrick Huber Scenic and Lighting Design; Andre Harrington Costume Design; Tre’von Griffith (TreG) Sound Design; Courtnee Rouseæ Stage Manager; Joyous Celestine 1st Asst Stage Manager; Stanley Powell 2nd Asst Stage Manager; Marissa Perry Costume Shop Supervisor; Taina Bantu Wardrobe Head; Mikhail Lynn Props Designer; Alan Phillips Sound Board Operator; Trenton Ames Light Board Operator; Mikhail Lynn Shop Foreman; Victor Malmgren Scenic Charge; Mondis Doyle, Alan Phillips, Mikhail Lynn, Stanley Powell Carpenters.

🐇🐤

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. Starring Bugs Bunny. Conducted by George Daugherty. Created and produced by George Daugherty & David Ka Lik Wong.

Orchestra: Too large to type, but they should be available through the program notes on the SLSO website.

Production and Creative: See the production website.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

There were some interesting theatre and theatre-related announcements recently. First, the Pasadena Playhouse announced their 2026-2027 season. It’s pretty spectacular. The season begins with a new production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s tragicomedy The Visit, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak and starring Jefferson Mays. The Visit was later turned into a musical by Fred Kander and John Ebb; but this is the play version. Next up is the long-awaited L.A. premiere of Passing Strange, the Tony-winning musical based on the life of L.A.-born musician Stew, directed by Tony nominee Zhailon Levingston. Passing Strange never toured after winning the 2009 Tony, so this is its LA debut. There is then a TBA winter production (hopefully better than last year’s Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, which was horrible). That is followed by Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, the musical version of the play we saw two weeks ago. This was on Broadway but did poorly and thus never toured; it is its LA premiere. Lastly, a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Alfred Molina. We’ve already renewed our membership.

Also announcing recently was the Soraya, previously known as the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Northridge. Can’t you just hear Vin Sculley saying “Isn’t it beautiful”. They have announced their 2026-2027 season. There is loads of good stuff this season. Notable for theatre folks is the opening show, Sutton Foster; in April, Audra McDonald will grace the stage. Along the way, there are shows such as Snarky Puppy with the CSUN “A” Jazz Band, Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrating John Coltraine; a tribute to Gershwin and the Golden Age with the LA Jewish Symphony; the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltraine; A tribute to Frank Sinatra with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; the Emmet Cohen Trio; and much more. Music of all varieties, jazz, dance, pop, classical, and loads more. Those are just the shows we’re interested in. Memberships are also on sale.

Lastly, May saw the opening of ticket sales for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. There are over 2,150 performances; there are 439 shows listed in the show catalog. These all occur during the month of June, with multiple shows throughout the day. 20 minutes to move in; then the show; 20 minutes to move out. Ticket prices are low. The shows run the gamut, from totally strange to one person shows to full on short plays to musical reviews. You’re sure to find something you’ll like.

Watch This Space. We’ve had more and more shows announcing their 2027 tours; enough so that I can pretty well guess that 2027-2028 seasons for Broadway in Hollywood, and for some of the CTG slots (they also do some local productions, not tours). I’ll share those guesses after our next show.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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🎭 Perfection on the Heather | “Brigadoon” @ Pasadena Playhouse

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Brigadoon (Pasadena Playhouse)This has been the spring for classic musicals in Los Angeles. First, we had the wonderful revisical version of Flower Drum Song from East West Players, which premiered on Broadway in 1958 (and whose source book author, CY Lee, is actually remembered on the walls of the Pasadena Playhouse). Then we had the excellent touring production of The Sound Of Music, which was brought to the heights by the performances of its leads, Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria and Kevin Earley as Captain Von Trapp. The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway in 1959. The trio concluded this week with the lightly revised revival of Brigadoon at the Pasadena Playhouse, which we saw last night. Brigadoon premiered on Broadway way back in 1947. I had forgotten what a joy Brigadoon is; I truly believe the Pasadena Playhouse version is worthy of a Broadway transfer. Brigadoon hasn’t been on Broadway since 1980, and this updated version brings and updated energy and sensibility to the show, combined with the luscious score. In this era of continuous revivals of seemingly the same recent shows, this could be a breath of fresh Scottish air.

In seeing this show, I was trying to remember the last time I saw Brigadoon. I thought it might have been at the old LA Civic Light Opera, but they last did the show in 1954 (which was before I was born). Perhaps it was in the Cabrillo Music Theatre days (now 5-Star), but then I would have a program. Perhaps I only thought I had seen it, and was conflating it with the movie version with Gene Kelly and Van Johnson, which I’ve seen many times. That’s a distinct possibility, as I didn’t remember some of the songs (and those are the songs that were cut in the movie). But it turns out I have seen Brigadoon before on the stage: a December 1981 production of the Al Malaikah Shrine at the Shrine Theatre, with Genevieve Marie Sordetto as Fiona and Brad M. Arrington as Tommy Albright.  I must have gone with my parents (who were avid theatregoers), as I was still a college undergrad at the time, and my dad was a member of that Shrine club. I also, surprisingly, only had one version of Brigadoon in my music library: the 1991 Studio Cast. A good version, but one is not enough. That was remedied this morning (I added the 2017 NY City Center revival).

The reason for the above reminiscing is to demonstrate that, like many I’m sure, I knew of Brigadoon, but I didn’t remember it well. I think we all remember the outlines of the story: Two NYC hunters (Tommy and Jeff) on vacation in Scotland discover an enchanted village that reappears for one day every one hundred years. One of the hunters falls in love with a local lass (Fiona). There’s a wedding, and the suitor that wasn’t selected (Harry) attempts to leave the village, which would destroy it. He is stopped and dies in the process. The hunter in love wants to stay with the village, but his friend convinces him to leave. Back in NYC, he’s unhappy, so he returns to Scotland and loves the girl so much that the village reappears and takes him in. Along the way, there’s lot of dancing and singing, including the standard “Almost Like Being In Love”.

Those are the main story notes. But (unsurprisingly, as the original was written in the late 1940s), the original story had dated elements. It reflected an American stereotypical view of Scotland. It showed Scottish women with no agency (a very 1940s view), which was not the reality. The presentation of the two American friends was dated. The show wasn’t as problematic as Flower Drum Song, but it needed updating. If you’re not familiar with the original details of the show, Wikipedia has a good summary of the plot. If you’re only familiar with the movie, you can see the movie excised even more story, notably the sub-story of Meg Brockie. They also changed how Jeff killed Harry Beaton. The movie was clearly not the basis for a good revival: the movie was more a piece to show off its stars, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.

For the Pasadena Playhouse version, Alexandra Silber adapted and updated the story. Here are the changes I could detect. She changed Meg Brockie from a simple milkmaid to an independent woman who operated a pub (which became the center for much of the action in the story). She might have been a widow, which would explain the ownership. They also made Meg much more sexually forward and lusty than would have been acceptable in the 1940s or 1950s. She changed the town leader, Mr. Lundie, into the Widow Lundie. This might have been done to fit the casting of Tyne Daly, but it also fits with the power of Widows in Scottish society. She changed the manner of death of Harry. In the 1940s original, as Wikipedia notes “Jeff also reveals that he tripped Harry and accidentally killed him.”. In the movie, again according to Wikipedia, “With men closing in on him, Harry climbs up a tree to hide but is accidentally gunned down by Jeff, who skipped the wedding to go hunting. Harry falls dead to the ground and is soon found by the men.” In this version, however, Jeff is not responsible for Harry’s death. As Harry nears the edge of town, they lock eyes. Harry seems to decide he can’t cause the town’s destruction, and so throws himself off the bridge instead.

There are also significant changes made in the penultimate scenes. In the original, according to Wikipedia, “Four months later, Jeff is drinking heavily at a hotel bar in New York. Tommy, who has been living on a farm in New Hampshire, enters and greets Jeff, but is still in love with Fiona and cannot stop thinking about her. His fiancée Jane Ashton, a beautiful socialite, talks to him about their impending wedding, but everything she says causes him to hear Fiona’s voice and dream of Brigadoon (“Come to Me, Bend to Me” (reprise) and “Heather on the Hill” (reprise)). Tommy tells Jane that he cannot marry her, and she argues with him, but he continues to daydream about his true love (“Go Home With Bonnie Jean” (reprise) and “From This Day On” (reprise)). Jane leaves, and Tommy tells Jeff that he wants to return to Scotland, although he knows the village will not be there.”

In this updated version, Silber turns it around: Tommy is so much in love he can’t get over it and has turned to drinking. Recent promotions mean nothing to him, and there is no fiancée. Everything the barkeep says (played by the same actor that played Widow Lundie) makes him think of Fiona and Brigadoon. Jeff, now sober, returns and convinces Tommy he was wrong. There can be such a love, and he had it with his wife who died (presumably of cancer). It is Jeff who tells Tommy he must go back to Scotland, and provides him with the tickets.

I found that the updated story worked well, and fit the beats I remembered. The revisions were suitably gentle and nudged the story into something that worked better for modern audiences. There are still some aspects that feel dated—in particular, the heavier emphasis on dance and ballet that one doesn’t see in modern shows—but they are tolerable. It is quite possible that the Agnes DeMille dances are contractually required (similar to the dream sequences in Oklahoma or The King and I).

The performances were top-notch. In the leading positions were Betsy Morgan as Fiona Mac Laren, Max Von Essen as Tommy Albright, and Happy Anderson as Jeff Douglas. Morgan brought a wonderful life and vivaciousness to Fiona; one could easily see why Tommy fell in love with her. She also had a spectacular singing voice. Von Essen was a great leading man, with a relatable stage presence, a great singing voice, and most notably, spectacular chemistry with Morgan. Anderson transformed Jeff from a handsome friends to a more lovable doofus. Anderson provided some wonderful comic relief through the show.

As the couple getting married, Kylie Victoria Edwards (Jean Mac Laren) and Daniel Yearwood (Charlie Dalrymple) were great. I particularly enjoyed Yearwood: he had a wonderful voice and was fun to watch on stage.

The simple milkmaid, Meg Brockie, was transformed in this version to a tavern owner, vivacious and fully of life and happiness. She was played by Donna Vivino with a strength of voice and personality that was great. Although it wasn’t listed in her credits, I could swear that Vivino is a local. I think I’ve seen her (and her daughters) playing multiple roles out at Cabrillo/5-Star.

The matriarch of the town, Widow Lundie, was played by Tyne Daly. This was a coup getting her for this role, as she brought a wonderful gravitas to the character. Alas, you could see by how she was moving on stage that she is getting frailer than she once was. Still, she is a theatrical powerhouse and it is always a delight to see her on stage. I particularly liked her turn as Frankie, the barkeep.

Also notable was Jessica Lee Keller as Maggie Anderson. She was hidden during much of the production, but had a spectacular dance turn during the funeral scene.

Lastly, I’d like to call out the ensemble and cast members who were playing instruments on stage. They aren’t explicitly identified in the program, unless they had some of the musicians don costumes and come on stage. So to the unspecified fiddle, bodhran, bass, piccolo, and bagpipe players: your presence in the tavern scenes added a wonderful authenticity to those scenes, and brought back memories of shows such as Once or Come From Away, both of which have elements like that.

I am delighted to note that the scenic aspects of the show were achieved without the use of a single glitter cannon or a single projection. There was wonderful traditional scenery: bridges, taverns, villages; the Pasadena Playhouse provides sufficient fly space that they were able to use a lot of “fly in” scenery. Costumes were suitably Scottish; Jeff and Tommy had their costumes updated to modern times (including modern backpacks and water bottles, and I think I even spotted a cell phone).

Were there any negatives? Perhaps one minor one: There were four stage lights at the top of the proscenium that were very bluish-white (distractingly so). They were fine when they were tuned to other colors, so they just need to be toned down a bit.

Other than the horrid (to us) Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha earlier this year, the Pasadena Playhouse has been hitting it out of the park this season. Their next season looks to be equally strong. We’ve already renewed our membership, and we look forward to scheduling our shows for the next season. This production of Brigadoon is yet another example of the quality work from the Playhouse. Folks should get over to the Playhouse to see it and be reminded how the classic musicals still hold up. It runs until June 14, 2026. Tickets are available through the Playhouse Website.

Credits

Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon. A new adaptation by Alexandra Silber, inspired by the original book by Alan Jay Lerner. Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Music by Frederick Loewe. Original dances created by Agnes DeMille. Directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman.

Cast (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Happy Andersonæ Jeff Douglas; Brian Calìæ Ensemble / Angus; Amanda Clementæ Ensemble, Dance Captain; Tyne Dalyæ Widow Lundie; Sophie Liu Davidæ Ensemble; Kylie Victoria Edwardsæ Jean MacLaren; Michael Scott Harrisæ Archie Beaton; Jessica Lee Kellaræ Maggie Anderson; Evan Kinnaneæ Ensemble; Julia Wheeler Lennonæ Ensemble; Brian Kim McCormickæ Ensemble / Stuart; Spencer Davis Milfordæ Harry Beaton; Betsy Morganæ Fiona MacLaren; Gabriel Navarroæ Ensemble; Chuck Sacullaæ Ensemble / Sandy Dean; Amy Smithæ Ensemble; Gil Sweeney Ensemble / Swing; Donna Vivinoæ Meg Brockie; Max Von Essenæ Tommy Albright; Daniel Yearwoodæ Charlie Dalrymple; Geoffrey Wadeæ Andrew MacLaren.

Music Department: Darryl Archibald Music Supervisor; Brad Gardner Music Director / Conductor; Gennie Cheng Assoc Music Director / Piano; Bethany Mennemeyer Concertmaster, Rhea Fowler, Nichole Garcia, and Nolan Livesay Violin; Rodney Wirtz and Bryan Gonzalez Viola; Ginger Murphy and Chris Ahn Cello; David Hughes Bass; Rachel Mellis Flute, Piccolo; Victoria Sabonjohn Oboe; Laura Stoutenborough and Adrienne Murray Clarinet; Lieza Kallin Bassoon; Jared Haworth and Elizabeth Donahue Bagpipes; Lisa McCormick French Horn; Tim Rubottom, Barbara Laronga, and Justin Drisdelle Trumpet; Devon Taylor Trombone; Nick Stone Percussion; Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor.

Production and Creative (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Alan Jay Lerner Lyrics, Book; Frederick Loewe Music; Alexandra Silber Playwright; Katie Spelman Director, Choreographer; Jason Sherwood Scenic Designer; Raquel Adorno Costume Designer; Jaymi Smith Lighting Designer; Danny Erdberg Sound Designer; Ursula Kwong-Brown Sound Designer; Alberto “Albee” Alvarado Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design; Ryan Bernard-Tymensky Casting; Jill Goldæ Production Stage Manager; Lauren Buanganæ Asst Stage Manager; Miriam Mendozaæ Asst Stage Manager; Gaby Ostroveæ Asst Stage Manager.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

There were some interesting theatre and theatre-related announcements recently. First, the Pasadena Playhouse announced their 2026-2027 season. It’s pretty spectacular. The season begins with a new production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s tragicomedy The Visit, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak and starring Jefferson Mays. The Visit was later turned into a musical by Fred Kander and John Ebb; but this is the play version. Next up is the long-awaited L.A. premiere of Passing Strange, the Tony-winning musical based on the life of L.A.-born musician Stew, directed by Tony nominee Zhailon Levingston. Passing Strange never toured after winning the 2009 Tony, so this is its LA debut. There is then a TBA winter production (hopefully better than last year’s Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, which was horrible). That is followed by Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, the musical version of the play we saw two weeks ago. This was on Broadway but did poorly and thus never toured; it is its LA premiere. Lastly, a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Alfred Molina. We’ve already renewed our membership.

Also announcing last week was the Soraya, previously known as the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Northridge. Can’t you just hear Vin Sculley saying “Isn’t it beautiful”. They have announced their 2026-2027 season. There is loads of good stuff this season. Notable for theatre folks is the opening show, Sutton Foster; in April, Audra McDonald will grace the stage. Along the way, there are shows such as Snarky Puppy with the CSUN “A” Jazz Band, Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrating John Coltraine; a tribute to Gershwin and the Golden Age with the LA Jewish Symphony; the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltraine; A tribute to Frank Sinatra with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; the Emmet Cohen Trio; and much more. Music of all varieties, jazz, dance, pop, classical, and loads more. Those are just the shows we’re interested in. Memberships are also on sale.

Lastly, May saw the opening of ticket sales for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. There are over 2,150 performances; there are 439 shows listed in the show catalog. These all occur during the month of June, with multiple shows throughout the day. 20 minutes to move in; then the show; 20 minutes to move out. Ticket prices are low. The shows run the gamut, from totally strange to one person shows to full on short plays to musical reviews. You’re sure to find something you’ll like.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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🎭 The Sound of Perfection | “The Sound of Music” @ BIH/Pantages

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The Sound of Music (Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages)Last night, we saw the touring production of The Sound of Music at the Pantages as part of the Broadway in Hollywood season. When the show was announced, my thought was “Not again. We’ve seen this old chestnut enough.” This is a show that we had recently seen (2024) in an excellent regional production at 5-Star Theatrical. Enough! But this production was so well performed, and the show itself is so well constructed, that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was also interesting that quite a few audience members had never seen the show, or only knew the show from the movie musical. So perhaps the time was right for the new tour.

I’m going to assume, at this point, that everyone knows the story. If you don’t, you can read the details on Wikipedia. Note that the original musical has some songs in a different place from the movie. The really short synopsis is young nun in Austria doesn’t fit in at the convent, is sent to be the governess of 7 children of an Austrian naval officer. She teaches them to sing and charms the britches off the Captain. He was set to marry a rich baroness, but a dispute about supporting the Germans as they advance into Austria, combined with the Captain’s growing love for the nun, sabotages that. The Germans take over Austria, and the Captain has to leave. They figure out a way to exploit a music festival to all escape over the mountains, thanks to the music festival promoter.

A few thoughts on the show itself, some of which are echoes from what I wrote back in 2024.

First, if I had to ask you to name a perfect musical, what would it be? I mean a musical where you don’t really need to change anything for modern audiences? A musical where the construction and staging and design has no flaws? A musical that is eternal with absolutely no way to “revisical” it. Only a few come to mind: Gypsy, Guys and Dolls, and Sound of Music. There’s precious little that can be changed about the presentation of the story.

The story is also timely. The LA Times recently had a story about how there are three revivals currently in LA of “old chestnuts” that are surprisingly relevant: Flower Drum Song, at East West Players, which we saw a few weeks ago; The Sound of Music, which we saw last night; and Brigadoon, which we’re seeing at the Pasadena Playhouse next week. Both Flower Drum Song and Brigadoon have been updated to address dated or problematic plot elements. The Sound of Music requires no changes.

All three are also relevant to the times. But I noted that regarding Sound of Music back in 2024:

This begs the question: Is The Sound of Music relevant today? Listening closely, it is. The situation presented in the show of the rise of Hitler and Germany in the backdrop of people that want to ignore it—of people who think they can just go with the flow and ride it out—has an eerie echo to the rise of Trumpian politics today. At one point in the second act, as the song “No Way to Stop It” is starting, the Captain questions whether there is any way to stop the Germans, whom he hate, from taking over his country? Austria may not have had that ability, but here in America we do have the one tool they didn’t have: The Ballot Box. This show is a reminder of what might happen if we don’t use the tools we have. We will have brainwashed legions enforcing their view of what we can think, of what we can say. It is clear from the messages in their shows—a hatred of racism, a hatred of indoctrination, a hatred of violence against women—that Rodgers and Hammerstein would have stood against Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. Could a timely revival of Sound of Music reinforce that message? It is an interesting thought.

The Sound of Music tells the story of a family that refuses to accept that facists are taking over their country. They decide to escape the problem by running away to America, because America was a place where facism could never take hold. Alas, in 2026, we’re seeing the facism and racism are taking hold, and we really don’t have a safe place to easily run away to… nor should we. We do have a way to fight, by voting in the upcoming election. I have done a ballot deep dive for the upcoming primary, and you can see it here.

Here’s a sad thought regarding The Sound of Music: There were a large number of children and young adults in the audience, and this was probably their first time seeing the show. For how many of them was there a need to explain what the Anschluss was, and why it was such a watershed? Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote this in the 1960s, when the horrors of Nazi Germany was still fresh in the minds of American; the war had ended just 15 years before. Today WWII is 80 years in the past. The last of those alive during the war are dying. The sight of a Nazi flag in a theatre was shocking in 1959. Today, similar ideas to those held by the Nazis are broadly promoted by the current administration, although targeting different groups. Do our young folks today remember and abhor what the Nazis did? Have they forgotten, and perhaps that explains the rise of Trumpism? The Sound of Music is a poor vehicle to teach about Nazi horrors; it only hints at the problem as the author’s assumed that the audience at the time knew it well. The Producers doesn’t teach it at all. There are plays that do (The Diary of Anne Frank), but plays don’t have the reach; however, musicals about the subject are doomed to failure (well, unless you’re The Producers).

Lastly, why does The Sound of Music keep coming back? You see it a lot more than you do R&H’s other perennial successes, Oklahoma and South Pacific, both of which also have relevance. I also answered this in 2024:

The Sound of Music is a great stepping stone for actors. The characters are known, people know the story, and because of this the performance can shine. Cabrillo/5-Star is well known for its ability to find and promote talent (I think that’s why it is so heavily supported by donors). I still remember seeing a young Katherine McPhee in a 2005 CMT production of Annie Get Your Gun; many other actors have gotten their start in Cabillo/5-Star productions. So, even though this is such a well-known show, I urge you to go see it. The performances are what make this production special.

That’s just a true for this Broadway tour. Let’s talk about some of the standout performances.

Let’s start with Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria, in her tour debut. She brought a load of personality and happiness to the role (although I think in that area the 5-Star Maria, Shannon O’Boyle, could have given her a run for her money). What struck me most about Capaldi was her voice. She kept making me think of Sutton Foster; if you closed your eyes, you might think it was Foster singing (and, speaking of Foster, she’s going to be the opening concert of the Soraya season. More on that in a minute). She had the voice; she had the humor. She was perfection in the role.

Then there was Kevin Earley as Captain Von Trapp. We’ve known Kevin for years: he was very active in the Southern California theatre community. I think we first saw and met him back in February 2006 when he was in It Came From Beyond; our friend Sheri was doing his website at the time. We saw him again in 2006 when he was in Johnny Guitar at La Mirada. We saw him in Empire: The Musical back in 2016. Most recently, we saw him in Old Friends at the Ahmanson in 2025. I swear, that man must have a mirror in his closet, because he hasn’t aged a day. He has one of the loveliest singing voices around, and he brought a personality and a playfulness to the Captain that I haven’t seen before. He also had astonishing acting and characterization—watch how he is checking the curtain during the concert numbers, and watch his facial expressions during his interactions with Max and Elsa.

Christiane Noll was spectacular as the Mother Abbess. Normally this is a role given to an older soprano who plays it very wooden. Noll brought play to the role—just watch her during “My Favorite Things” and some of her other scenes. She also has on of the best singing voices around.

Ariana Ferch was very strong as Liesl. In her tour debut, she brought a wonderful voice to the character; in later scenes, watch her playfulness and joy with the character on stage.

Nicholas Rodriguez was a strong Max; he has evidently played the Captain in other productions. He also had a wonderful voice and was having a lot of fun with the sardonic nature of Max. Watch him especially during his interactions with Elsa and during the Concert scene.

If there was a weak point (and it was a very minor one), it might have bene Kate Loprest as Elsa. She had the characterization down; but her voice seemed a bit wrong for the character: a bit too shrill, perhaps. But that is a very very very minor quibble.

Overall, the production was a delight (and there was no glitter cannon—a common complaint of mine). I also applaud the use of traditional scenic design: I could detect no use of projection, and there were no credits in the program for a projection designer. Far too often these days, stage productions overuse projection design, and this makes it a problem for shows to have a life past the Broadway production or subsequent Broadway tour. (Although, of course, for The Sound of Music, there is no question about there being post-Broadway productions. I don’t think it has ever been off the stage since 1959).

Yes, it is an old chestnut. But this is a well done production of The Sound of Music with spectacular performances, and is well worth seeing (if only to see Kevin and Cayleigh as the Captain and Maria). It continues at the Hollywood Pantages until May 24. Tickets are available through the BIH Ticketing Partner, and discount tickets might be available through TodayTix.

Credits

The Sound of Music. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. Directed by Jack O’Brien. Choreographed by Danny Mefford.

Cast: Cayleigh Capaldi Maria Rainer; Kevin Earley Captain Georg von Trapp; Christiane Noll Mother Abbess; Nicholas Rodriguez Max Detweiler; Kate Loprest Elsa Schraeder; Anriana Ferch Liesl; Ian Coursey Rolf Gruber; Torben Mularski Friedrich; Skylar Matthews Louisa; Reece Boyle Kurt; Haddie Mac Brigitta; Berkeley Waluk Marta; Everly Beeson Gretl; John Adkison Franz, Ensemble; Corey Greenan Admiral von Schreiber, Ensemble; Jennifer Malenke Frau Schmidt, Ensemble; Daniel Robert Sullivan Herr Zeller, Ensemble; Blaire Eilene Baker Ensemble; Sydney K. Borchers Ursula, A New Postulant, Ensemble; Dylan Bradford Ensemble; Alli Echelmeyer Ensemble, Dance Captain; Hugh Entrekin Ensemble; Charlotte Jenkins Ensemble; Meredith Lustic Sister Sophia, Ensemble; Mark Bradley Miller Baron Eberfeld, Ensemble; Tess Primack Sister Margaretta, Ensemble; Lisa Rosetta Strum Baroness Elberfeld, Sister Berthe, Ensemble. Non-Ensemble Understudies: Brady Carville u/s Kurt, u/s Friedrich; Rory L. Prichard u/s Marta, u/s Brigitta; Tessa Mae Pundsack u/s Louisa, u/s Brigitta. Swings: Steven Grant Douglass, Ruthie Sangster.

Music Department (🌴 indicates local): Andy Einhorn Music Supervision and Additional Orchestrator; Robert Russell Bennett Orchestrations; Jonathan Marro Music Director, Conductor; John Miller Music Coordinator; Anne Van Steenwinkel Assoc Conductor, Keyboards; Griffin Strout Keyboards; Kyle Knepper Trumpet; Sarah Fazendin Violin, Concertmaster; 🌴 Jen Choi Fischer Violin; 🌴 Ira Glansbeek  Cello ; 🌴 Ian Walker Bass; 🌴 Jeff Driskill Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet; 🌴 Michele Forrest Oboe, English Horn; 🌴 William May Bassoon; 🌴 Emily Pesavento French Horn; 🌴 Aaron Smith Trumpet; 🌴 Charlie Morillas Trombone; 🌴 Danny Taylor Percussion; 🌴 Ryan Whyman Keyboard Sub; 🌴 Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; Hiro Iida and Ethan Deppe for Strange Cranium Electronic Music Design.

Production and Creative: Richard Rodgers Music; Oscar Hammerstein II Lyrics; Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse Book; Jack O’Brien Director; Matt Lenz Assoc Director; Danny Mefford Choreographer; Mark Myars Assoc Choreographer; Douglas W. Schmidt Scenic Designer; Jane Greenwood Costume Designer; Natasha Katz Lighting Design; Kai Harada Sound Design; Tom Watson Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design; Trude Rittmann Dance and Vocal Arrangements; Leigh Zimmerman Intimacy Director; The Telsey Office Casting; The Road Company Tour Booking; Gentry & Associates General Manager; Kent McIngvale & Company Tour Press & Marketing; Jamey Jennings Company Manager; Elle Aghabala Assoc Company Manager; Brigham Johnson Production Stage Manager; Kali Ashurst Stage Manager; Megan Belgam Asst Stage Manager; Christine Tureta Tutor, Child Wrangler. “Something Good”: Lyrics by Richard Rodgers, Additional Lyrics by Jack O’Brien.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

There were some interesting theatre and theatre-related announcements this week. First, the Pasadena Playhouse announced their 2026-2027 season. It’s pretty spectacular. The season begins with a new production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s tragicomedy The Visit, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak and starring Jefferson Mays. The Visit was later turned into a musical by Fred Kander and John Ebb; but this is the play version. Next up is the long-awaited L.A. premiere of Passing Strange, the Tony-winning musical based on the life of L.A.-born musician Stew, directed by Tony nominee Zhailon Levingston. Passing Strange never toured after winning the 2009 Tony, so this is its LA debut. There is then a TBA winter production (hopefully better than last year’s Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, which was horrible). That is followed by Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, the musical version of the play we saw two weeks ago. This was on Broadway but did poorly and thus never toured; it is its LA premiere. Lastly, a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Alfred Molina. We’ve already renewed our membership.

Also announcing last week was the Soraya, previously known as the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Northridge. Can’t you just hear Vin Sculley saying “Isn’t it beautiful”. They have announced their 2026-2027 season. There is loads of good stuff this season. Notable for theatre folks is the opening show, Sutton Foster; in April, Audra McDonald will grace the stage. Along the way, there are shows such as Snarky Puppy with the CSUN “A” Jazz Band, Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrating John Coltraine; a tribute to Gershwin and the Golden Age with the LA Jewish Symphony; the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltraine; A tribute to Frank Sinatra with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; the Emmet Cohen Trio; and much more. Music of all varieties, jazz, dance, pop, classical, and loads more. Those are just the shows we’re interested in. Memberships are also on sale.

Lastly, May saw the opening of ticket sales for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. There are over 2,150 performances; there are 439 shows listed in the show catalog. These all occur during the month of June, with multiple shows throughout the day. 20 minutes to move in; then the show; 20 minutes to move out. Ticket prices are low. The shows run the gamut, from totally strange to one person shows to full on short plays to musical reviews. You’re sure to find something you’ll like.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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🎭 Never Piss Off Smart Women | “Falstaff” @ LA Opera

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Falstaff (LA Opera)Back in the early 2000s, I picked up the original cast recording of what was then an off-Broadway musical, Lone Star Love. Subtitled, “The Merry Wives of Windsor TX”, this was a musicalized version of the Shakespeare story transplanted to the West in Post-Civil War times. Alas, it never made it to Broadway thanks to the antics of Randy Quaid, one of the few folks to receive a permanent ban from Actors Equity.  There was a concert performance of the show in 2025, but otherwise it hasn’t seen an attempt at revival. As for me, I loved the music from the show and have always wanted to see it.

I mention this because of an interesting set of circumstances. We had tickets for Sat 5/2 to see Anyone Can Whistle, a rarely done Sondheim show, at the El Portal from a new theatre company, but it ended up getting canceled. While hunting around for a replacement show, we thought about Reefer Madness: The Musical  at the Wisteria Theatre, but their seating was strange and overpriced. Then I saw LA Opera advertising Verdi’s opera, Falstaff.

Many many years before the folks behind Lone Star Love attempted to musicalize Shakespeare, the noted opera composer Verdi did the same thing. It was Verdi’s second comedy (and the only successful one), written in his late 70s (it was first performed when he was 80). It was also one of the last shows to be conducted by James Conlon. So, we thought…. why not? We normally go to traditional theatre and musicals, but it’s worthwhile to go out of our comfort zone occasionally. Why not a real opera, with a known fun story. So we dressed up (because you dress up for the opera), trotted down to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and went to the Opera. We went early enough so we could attend a pre-show lecture by James Conlon about the show and its history. That helped quite a bit.

Here’s the summary of the story as described by LA Opera: “Sir John Falstaff finds himself a bit short on cash, so he hatches a scheme: seduce two merry (and wealthy) wives of Windsor and live out his days in luxury. Too bad this bumbling knight happened to send both his targets the same love letter! Now Alice Ford and Meg Page are set on teaching Falstaff a lesson, and it’s not long before a long list of his adversaries join in. Audiences are in for a whirlwind of disguises and deceptions, and maybe even an unexpected dip in the River Thames.”

First, some thoughts of the opera itself, and then this specific show.

There are some key differences between opera and musical theatre, beyond being “sung through”. After all, Sweeney Todd is sung through, and Evita is sung through, but they aren’t opera. First and foremost, opera isn’t amplified. At least we couldn’t see or detect any, and yet we could hear the performers clearly from the topmost balcony. Second, it typically isn’t in English, so you need to follow projected super-titles that provide translation (unless you know Italian). Last, there’s emphasis on the orchestra, which is SIGNIFICANTLY larger than the smallish orchestras one sees in musical theatre these days.

Now some thoughts on this show itself:

First, the music wasn’t something you could “hum”. It was pretty and all that, but I didn’t walk out of the show humming any of the arias. That might be different if I was a big opera person, but I’ m not. I didn’t have the urge to go out and get a recording of the opera (instead, I’m listening to Lone Star Love as I’m writing this).

Even with the language difference, the story was easy to follow. The roles were played with fun and joy, and I particularly enjoyed the playfulness of Hyona Kim’s Mistress Quickly and Craig Coiciough’s Sir John Falstaff. The voices were lovely, and as I noted before, were quite clear without amplification in the top balcony of the Dorothy Chandler. It was clear that they were having fun with this (and it was great watching the littles in the final scene of the third act).

The scenery was much more traditional / Shakespearean than one finds in modern theatre. There were no projections. Nothing flew in from the fly space. Nothing was carried in by the actors or stage crew. There were just traditional flats and structures and such. They were pretty, but a different style. If I had a sound complaint, it was more that the scenery changes were quite noisy.

It might be interesting to see operas such as this stage in the modern theatrical style: that is, modern scenery, amplification, quasi-realistic performances. Would that improve the audiences?

Speaking of the audiences: It was a delight to see folks all dressed up. Folks used to dress up for theatre in LA (I remember it from the days of the LA Civic Light Opera), but you don’t see that anymore.

The large orchestra was wonderful to listen to.

Falstaff continues at LA Opera through May 10, 2026, which will be Conlon’s last conducting performance, IIRC. Tickets are available through the LA Opera website.

Credits

Falstaff. Music by Giuseppe Verdi. Liberetto by Arrigo Boito after William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Parts I and II. Directed by Shawna Lucey. Conducted by James Conlon.

Cast:

  • Principals: Nathan Bowles Dr. Caius; Craig Coiciough Sir John Falstaff; Yuntong Han Bardolph; Vinicius Costa Pistol; Sarah Saturnino Meg Page; Nicole Heaston Alice Ford; Hyona Kim Mistress Quickly; Deanna Brelwick Nannetta; Anthony Leon Fenton; Ernesto Petti Ford. 
  • LA Opera Chorus: Sopranos Christina Borgioli, Alannah Garnier, Karen Hogle-Brown, Stephanie Jones, Elizabeth Lee, Lori Stinson, Courtney Taylor, Janet Todd, Sunjoo Yeo, Ella Yewon Yoon; Altos Elizabeth Anderson, Natalie Beck, Danielle Marcello Bond, Molly Burnside, Sara Campbell, Veronica Christenson, Kelly Krantz, Andriana Manfredi, Jessie Schulman, Bonnie Snell Schindler; Tenors James Callon, Christopher Craig, Omar Crook, Adam Faruqi, Sung Bong Kim, Charles Lane, JJ Lopez, Francis Lucaric, Sal Malaki, Todd Strange, Daniel Suk; Bass Tim Campbell, Abdiel Gonzalez, James Hayden, Mark Kelley, David Kress, E. Scott Levin, Connor Licharz, Gabriel Manro, Steve Pence, James Martin Schaefer.
  • Supernumeraries (* indicates children): Ryan Benson, Jeff Cook, Tony Cronin Innkeeper, Tucker Futnell, Dane Halvorson, Slim Khezri, Howard Morales, Sean Wrinkle, Enzo Ma*, Anastasia Michel*, Violette Michel*, Osgood Shelby-Szyzsko*, Schroeder Shelby-Syzsko* Robin, Falstaff’s Page, Bellami Smith*, Koa Spiegel-Shaw*, Ean Sun*.

LA Opera Orchestra: First Violin: Alyssa Park Stuart Canin Concertmaster; Armen Anassian Assoc Concertmaster; Lisa Sutton Asst Concertmaster; Cheryl Norma; Olivia Tsu; Beau Henson; Katie Sloan; Heather Powell; Radu Pieptia; Adam Millstein; Erica UzCa; Myroslava Khomik. Second Violin: Ana Laudauer Principal; Grace Oh Assoc Principal; Florence Titmus; Leslie Katz; Michele Kikuchi; Cynthia Moussas; Lorand Lokuszta; Haesol Lee; Ina Veli; Irina Voloshina; Viola: Erik Rynearson Principal; Even Antes Assoc Principal; Peng Jing; Kate Vincent; Aaron Oltman; Diana Wade; Linnea Powell; Carrie Holzman-Little. Cello: Rowena Hammill Principal; Michael Kaufman Assoc Principal; Dane Little; Helen Altenbach; Nadine Hall; Trevor Handy. Bass: Nathan Farrington Principal; Evan Hillis Assoc Principal; Frances Liu Wu; Zach Histop; Timothy Eckert. Flute: Heather Clark Principal; Angela Wiegand; Sarah Weisz Piccolo. Oboe: Leslie Reed Principal; Jennifer Cullinan English Horn. Clarinet: Stuart Clark Principal; Donald Foster Bass Clarinet. Bassoon: William May Principal; William Wood. Horn: Steven Becknell Principal; Daniel Kelley, Jenny Kim Assoc Principal; Aija Mattson-Jovel. Trumpet: Ryan Darke Principal; David Washburn Assoc Principal; Bryce Schmidt. Trombone: William Booth Principal; Alvin Veeh; Terry Cravens; Todd Eames Bass Trombone. Guitar: Paul Viapiano Principal. Harp: JoAnn Turovsky Principal. Timpani: Gregory Goodall Principal. Percussion: Theresa Dimond Principal; John Wakefield. Others: Melisandra Dunker Music Librarian; Brady Steel Orchestra Personnel Manager; Julian Garvue, Bryndon Hassman, and Bin Yu Sanford Musical Preparation.

Production and Creative: James Conlon Conductor; Lee Blakeley Original Production; Shawna Lucey Director; Adrian Linford Scenic and Costume Designer; Pable Santiago Lighting Designer; Jeremy Frank Chorus Director and Asst. Conductor; Andrew Kenneth Moss Fight Director; Sara E. Widzer Intimacy Director; Ky Chassells Asst Director; Whitney McAnally Stage Manager; Peter Walsh Prompter; Randall Behr Supertitles; CBS Scenic Studios Scenery Construction; Studio Sereno Additional Props; Los Angeles Opera Costume Shop Costumes; Los Angels Opera Wig Department Wigs.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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🎭 Worth and Beauty in All Things | “Real Women Have Curves” @ Casa 0101

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Real Women Have Curves (Casa 0101)Back in July 2025, there was a very interesting episode of Planet Money about garment works, and the costs of making a garment in America. You can read the transcript here. Garment work is piece work (although legally they should be making up the difference between that and minimum wage), with workers being paid perhaps 30¢ a piece for the various parts, for a bra that might retail for $62. To earn a living, they often bring work home. Many of these workers are immigrants, and many are undocumented. When we buy a cheap T-shirt that was made overseas, we never think about the working conditions of the people that made it. When we buy a “Made in the USA” garment, we don’t think about the people who make that garment for us: who assemble and sew it, who manufacture the fabric. People who get paid pennies for a garment we pay hundreds for.

All of this went through my mind last night when we went to see the play Real Women Have Curves, at the theatre founded by its author, Josefina López many many years ago. Although this property has been around for a while, I’ve never seen it: I haven’t been to a production of the play, nor have I watched the subsequent movie version. I have listened to the cast album to the recent Broadway musical version, and I hope someday to see that. Perhaps more on that later.

Real Women Have Curves tells the story of five women working in a small garment factory operation, seemingly in East Los Angeles. A mother (Carmen), her older daughter (Estela), her younger daughter (Ana), and two friends (Pancha and Rosali). They live their lives in  fear of the immigration authorities (although all but Estela are now here legally). They have little money, as their operation hasn’t been paid for the last order as they delivered late, and that payment won’t come until they finish the next large order. The owner of the shop, Estela, is being on the payments for the machine and the courts are coming after her (which is why she hasn’t started the immigration paperwork). Despite all these problems, they are happy and hopeful that they will be able to move forward. The protagonist of the story even hopes to be a writer some day, if she can afford to go to NYU. As all workers do, they gossip about their love lives, their opens and fears. They are realistic about their size and joke about it. They are also tired from the heat, but cannot open the door because of the immigration fears. When one worker collapses, they worry if they will get the order finished.

Although written in the late 1980s, the play makes many comments that are relevant today. Certainly, the issue of garment workers being underpaid and exploited is as relevant today as it was in the 1980s. In the play, they comment about how they might make $30 for a dress that sells for $200; the Planet Money article shows those ratios are still holding. They also comment that most of the folks buying garments don’t understand the work that goes into the making of the garment, while those who do the work can see the evidence of the sweat and labor that goes into it. The play also comments on how society views women and their bodies, and the chase for women to be young and beautiful and thing. It makes explicit comments about seeing the beauty in real bodies, with realistic sizes, and all the scrapes, bumps, scars, and cellulite that comes from a life well lived. It that, the play presaged the monologues that resonated so much in the movie Barbie about society’s unrealistic expectations about women. Lastly, an overriding theme of the play is the fear of la migra — immigration authorities — taking people and disappearing them with little notice. This hasn’t changed; under the Trump administration it has gotten worse. I’ve listened to someone recent podcasts that detail the horrors that ICE is inflicting on people and the fear it creates, as well as the damage that the tear gas they use inflicts.  The fear was real then, and the fear is real now, and those pushing the agenda forget that these are just real people, doing the low paid jobs that most folks don’t want to do but need to be done. Politics builds up the fear and hides the people; this play makes us see the people and the impacts. In that, this is a vitally important play today, just as it was when it first came out.

The performances were outstanding. Stefany Arroyo, a recent graduate, was wonderful as Ana, brining a joy and delight (as well as realism) to the role. In a small theatre like this, you could see the real emotions in her face, and it was wonderful. Blanca Araceli was strong as her mother Carmen, and Yasha Alaniz brought an interesting joy to Estela. Rounding out the ensemble was Amy Melendrez as Rosali and Laura Vega as Pancha. These two made you really believe that they were friends. The direction by Corky Dominguez demonstrated he was familiar with the play, and knew how to bring out the characters as real.

The set (designed by César Retana-Holguín) was realistic; my wife noted that they were using real industrial sewing machines (powered by imagination), set up properly. Costumes also appeared realistic and appropriate for the time. I appreciated the makeup work that deemphasized existing skin art, which was less prevalent in the time of the play.

Overall, this was a wonderful play: it now makes me want to watch the movie, and I increasingly hope someone mounts the recent musical (which, alas, didn’t do well in a crowded Broadway season and thus didn’t mount a tour). Hopefully, a local theatre company will choose to produce the musical (I’ve heard rumors this might be happening, which makes me happy). But until that happens, we’ll have to be satisfied with this excellent production of the original play.

Go see this show. Casa 0101 needs your support, and seeing this production is a great way of doing it. This is our fourth show at Casa: We saw a bilingual production of Aladdin ages ago, as well as Remembering Boyle Heights and Sister Act. They bring talent and heart to all their shows, and we need to remember to go there more often (and a hint — go down a few blocks and have dinner at Casa Fina beforehand, which was started by Josefina López as well). Real Women Have Curves is yet another example of the excellent productions at Casa 0101, and the story it tells is perhaps more important today as when it was first written in 1988. The show continues through May 3, 2026, and there are both English and Spanish versions. More information is available through the Casa 0101 website, although I seem to recall it may be sold out through the rest of the run.

Next up at Casa 0101 is Soul Sacrifice, running May 29 – June 21, 2026. The synopsis is: “Nine-year-old Connie doesn’t know what to do about her world falling apart. Her older brother, Luie, has been drafted into the Vietnam War, her father is drinking, her mother spends hours praying, and her siblings, Ben and Rachel, respond differently. Ben is protesting while Rachel’s focus is on Victor, who’s also been drafted, filling their home with tense silences and raised voices. Set against the backdrop of Vietnam and the Chicano Movement, Connie watches her family unravel under the weight of war, activism, grief, and ultimately witnesses the resilience of family.” More information here.

Credits

Real Women Have Curves. Written by Josefina López.  Directed by Corky Dominguez. Produced by Emmanuel Deleage.

Cast (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Stefany Arroya Ana; Yasha Alanizæ Estela; Blanca Araceliæ Carmen; Amy Melendrez Rosali; Laura Vegaæ Pancha; Mariana Montes Sandoval u/s Estela / Carmen / Pancha ; Gabriela Machuca u/s Ana / Rosali.

Production and Creative: Josefina López Casa 0101 Artistic Director / Playwright; Emmanuel Deleage Producer / Executive Director; Corky Dominguez Director; Angelica Ornelas Stage Manager; Joy V. Diaz Asst Stage Manager; Doreen Sanchez Asst Stage Manager; Andy James Garcia Prop Manager; Alejandro Parra Lighting Designer; Miguel Angel Delgado Sound Designer / Technical Director; César Retana-Holguín Scenic Designer; Jeremiah Ocañas Set Construction; Tony Iniguez Costume Designer; Abel Alvarado Asst Costume Designer; Itzel Ocampo Graphic Designer / Marketing & Operations Manager; Edward Padilla Casting Director; Steve Moyer Public Relations Press Representative; Mark Kraus Development Director; Karla “Ojeda” Melendez Program Administrator; Jorge Villanueva Facilities Manager; Oscar Basulto Box Office Manager.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

Share

🎭 The Clash of the Old and New | “Flower Drum Song” @ East West

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Flower Drum Song (East West Players)Revisals. The process where the book of a musical (and occasionally a play) is reworked to update the story, potentially remove problematic or outdated material, and to fix things that really didn’t work. Sometimes these reworks are light, such as the rework of Sweeney Todd to have the actors play their own instruments or dramatically downsize the set of players, or the rework of West Side Story to include more lyrics in Spanish. Sometimes they are more significant, such as the rework of Cats that is currently on Broadway: Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Sometimes they are successful, and sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they change very little, and yet are very controversial. An example of this is the recent revival of Oklahoma, which was a stripped down version of the musical that retained all the words, but made the presentation much darker. There were those who got what was being done and loved it. There were those that hated it.

Oklahoma brings us to the second relevant aspect of this little discourse: Rogers and Hammerstein. The main stage shows of this dynamic duo fall into three groups (I’m excluding the two shows done primarily for the large and small screen: State Fair and Cinderella). There are the shows that became clear classics: Oklahoma, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. There are the shows in the middle that are problematic today for various reasons: The King and I, Carousel, and Flower Drum Song. Lastly, there are the shows that are rarely performed today,  and that were generally not all that successful: Allegro, Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream.

The first tier of shows seem frozen. With the exception of the aforementioned Oklahoma, there haven’t been attempts to radically revisit these shows to expose unseen aspects. The Sound of Music is currently on tour; I don’t expect the staging to be any different from the regional production I saw last year at 5-Star Theatrical, or the versions one sees in a community theatre. What can you do with The Sound of Music? How do you improve on that show? South Pacific is similar: there are a few more stereotypes in that show, but those are accurate for the time, and the point made by that show remains applicable.

The last tier of shows are begging for rework and revival. Allegro was the most successful of the bunch, but really hasn’t been revived except for one Encores version. Similarly with Pipe Dream. All need rework to fix the problems that doomed them in the first place.

This brings us to the middle tier. The King and I suffers from a major stereotype problem: Although the music is beautiful, the portrayal of the Siamese kingdom is offensive today both in the style of speech and how the people are viewed. It also is deeply entrenched in the “white savior” problem, and that may be incurable. Carousel has a major problem with domestic violence against women. Although the story is strong, it would likely require rework to be acceptable today. That leaves Flower Drum Song. FDS was successful when first released, but over time has become a problem. The penultimate show by the duo, it suffered from a very stereotypical view of the Asian-American community (not surprising, as it was written by two white guys), and has not aged well.  The movie version wasn’t a classic, and the show has seen few revivals due to the portrayal problem. Read the summary of the 1958 plot on Wikipedia, and the problems become clear.

According to Wikipedia, after seeing the mid-1990s revival of The King and I, playwright David Henry Hwang got the idea to rework and revise FDS with proper representation. It took a few years, but a revised version hit Los Angeles and then Broadway in 2002. There was a complete rework of the plot, retaining only character names, most of the music, and the ultimate points of the musical about the clash of old and new cultures. It had mix reviews and wasn’t successful (although I liked the album, but didn’t see the show). You can read the summary of the 2002 plot on Wikipedia. I think the new story generally works well.

This brings us to 2025. East West Players chose to include Flower Drum Song as the last show in their 2025-2026 season (which immediately caught my eye, and I grabbed tickets as soon as I could). This version would be yet another rework by David Henry Hwang of the 2002 rework. It finally hit the stage this week, and after two cancelled preview performances due to technical issues, it opened for preview performances Saturday. We saw the second preview performance Sunday evening. It officially opens Thursday. So note: Some of my observations may be overtaken by events, and some things we saw may have been adjusted by opening.

In terms of story, about 85 to 90% of the 2002 story remains.

The ending coda has completely changed, but luckily they retained having the cast state where they are from (something I loved on the cast album). I did notice a number of lyric changes from the original show, and even a few from the 2002 revival. I like the new ending quite a bit.

Skip this paragraph if you want to avoid a spoiler:  According to Wikipedia, the ending in 2002 was “Ta leaves Club Chop Suey and the two become street performers as Chao departs for Hong Kong. Harvard announces his intention to return home and attempt a reconciliation with his disappointed parents. Despite his irritation at Ta, Wang allows him to marry Mei-li at the club (which now features Ta’s Chinese opera one day a week), as the company celebrates how Chinese and American cultures have converged to create this happy moment.” The updated show has the double wedding as the ending still. However, most of the main characters move to Los Angeles — and in fact, it is implied that Ta and Mei-li start a theatre company in Los Angeles that eventually becomes East West Players. Harvard remains in San Francisco, and turns the club into a successful gay Asian nightclub to provide visibility for yet another segment of the Asian community. 

As this was a preview, there were a few problems but no stopping of the show. In the first act, as the headdress was being removed from Linda Low’s head, it caught on her hair pulling off her wig. As she tried to recover it flew in the face of the actor next to her. The actors handled the problem quite well, and the humor played well with the audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if that problem doesn’t become part of the show. In the second act during “Don’t Marry Me”, the problem of using real food arose: one actor was still chewing when it was time for his song cue. Again, this was handled professionally (with a little humor) and worked well. Such is the fun of a preview, and actually added to the enjoyment of the show.

Overall, the reworked version of the show did a great job of illustrating the problems of the Asian immigrant experience in the 1950s and 1960s, where white culture saw them as a stereotype created by movies (e.g., Mickey Rooney playing Japanese) and media. It was characterized in the show as the impossibility of being 100% Asian or 100% American. The updated epilogue does a better job of showing the transition of the Asian-American community.

Performances were strong throughout. My wife loved the performance of Scott Keiji Takeda as Ta (the son), in particular his voice. I loved Grace Yoo’s Mei-Li, especially watching her facial expressions. Krista Marie Yu was strong as Linda Low, and Kenton Chen seemed to be having great fun playing it up as Harvard. Emily Kuroda captured the humor of Madame Liang well; similarly, Marc Oca did a great job as the father, Wang, capturing the change from the traditional to the nightclub performer. Lastly, it is always a joy to see Gedde Watanabe on stage.

The ensemble was strong, playing multiple role and singing and dancing up a storm. I can’t speak to the authenticity of the dance moves, but they were fun to watch.

Staging was simple. Thankfully, there were no projections, and no confetti gun. There were a few tables and such as props, and appropriate background signs and such. They established location quite well. The costumes were effective and beautiful. There were a few sound problems, but that’s not a surprise in a preview performance where the sound is still being tuned and the performers are still adapting to the microphones.

About my only complaint with the show was the program: For all the credits included, there was no credit and bio for Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Although older audiences know who these folks are, the “kids” today likely have little idea — and especially, they may not know anything more about them than Oklahoma or The Sound of Music.

My wife summed it up best as we were leaving, and talking to Emily Kuroda who played Madame Liang as we walked to our cars: This was one of the best productions we’ve seen in a long time, both in terms of story and performance. It continues at the Aratani Theatre next to the JACCC through May 31. Tickets are available through the EWP website. Go see this show.

Credits

Flower Drum Song. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by David Henry Hwang, based on the original book by Hascar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields, which was based on the novel by C. Y. Lee. Directed by Lily Tung Crystal*. Choreographed by Lainie Sakakura* and Janelle Dote Portman.

Cast: (æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Cooper Lee Bennett Chao; Kenton Chenæ Harvard; Emily Kurodaæ Madame Liang; Marc Okaæ Wang; Scott Teiji Takedaæ Ta; Gedde Watanabeæ Chin; Grace Yooæ Mei-Li; Krista Marie Yuæ Linda Low; Joven Callowayæ Ensemble, u/s Harvard; Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan Ensemble, u/s Ta, u/s Chao; Ijay Espinoza Ensemble; Sierra Goria Ensemble Swing; Sally Hongæ Ensemble, Dance Captain, Ms. Lee; Tony Jin Ensemble Swing; Brian Shimasaki Liebsonæ Ensemble; Esther Leeæ Ensemble, u/s Linda Low; Emma Park Ensemble; Gemma Pedersen Ensemble, u/s Mei-Li, u/s Linda Low; Hillary Tangæ Ensemble; Ai Toyoshimaæ Ensemble; Haoyi Wen Ensemble; Paul Wongæ Ensemble, u/s Chin, u/s Wang. Gedde Watanabeæ performs Chin from Apr 16-May 10 and May 17-31. Paul Wongæ performs Chin and Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan performs Ensemble from May 11-17. Joven Callowayæ performs Harvard and Tony Jin performs Ensemble on May 23.

Music Department; Marc Macalinta Music Directior, Conductor, Keyboards; Don Sebesky Orchestrations; David Chase Musical Adaptation; Richard Berent Asst Music Director, Keyboard; Robert Elhai Additional Arrangements; Ian Dahlberg Reed 2; Vincent Reyes Guitars; Casey Lipka Bass; Phil Moore Reed 1; Rebecah Yeh Cello; Christopher Spilsbury Drums / Percussion; Avery Robinson Trombone; Peter Marcos Violin; Richie Francisco Trumpet.

Production and Creative (* Member of Stage Directors and Chroeographers Society; ¤ Member of United Scenic Artists 829): David Henry Hwang Book; Richard Rodgers Music; Oscar Hammerstein II Lyrics; Lily Tung Crystal* Director; Lainie Sakakura* Choreographer; Janelle Dote Portman Choreographer; Jamie Guan Beijing Opera Choreographer; Chen-Wei Liao¤ Scenic Designer; Jiyoun Chang¤ Lighting Design; Ruoxuan Li Costume Design; Brian Hsieh Sound Design; Naomi Kasahara Properties Design; Y. Sharon Peng Hair and Makeup Design; Darlene Miyakawa* Production Stage Manager; Annie Jin Wang Dramaturg; Shinshin Yuder Tsai Intimacy Director; Mara Palma Asst. Director / Directing Fellow; Patrick Chew Cultural and Language Consultant; Katie Adams Asst Scenic Designer; Ruth Araujo Asst Costume Designer; Antonia Yang Asst Lighting Designer; Maddi Deckard Asst. Sound Designer; Kevin Dajay Asst Props Designer; Sarah Albee Asst Choreographer; Nora Degreen Asst Choreographer; Grace Mori Asst Beijing Opera Choreographer; Brandon Hong Chengæ, Jaclyn Gehringer, and Bonifacia-Erlinda Montaño Asst Stage Manager; Sally Hongæ Dance Captain; Ai Toyoshimaæ Asst. Dance Captain. Robert Longbottom Original Direction and Choreography.

Small Print: FLOWER DRUM SONG is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, www.concordtheatricals.org. Produced on Broadway by Benjamin Mordecai, Michael A. Jenkins, Waxman Williams Entertainment, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum/Gordon Davidson/Charles Dillingham, with Robert G. Bartner, Dragotta/Gill/Roberts, Kelpie Arts/Dramatic Forces, and by arrangement with The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Some interesting shows that have caught my eye. Wisteria Theatre is doing Reefer Madness: The Musical (in April), as is Long Beach Playhouse (in October/November).  Wisteria was overpriced for a black-box; I might look into Long Beach’s production (but have to factor in the drive). Ebony Rep is doing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the end of May into June. I love the show, but the prices are a bit high and I’m still trying to decide. I have a hold on the calendar. Casa 0101 is doing the play version of Real Women Have Curves from the end of March into May. Conundrum Theatre is doing a bunch of shows, but notably Big Fish in December 2026. And, as noted earlier, the Colony Theatre is doing Catch Me If You Can in the September/October 2026 timeframe. I’ll look into ticketing the fall shows once I know the CTG Season, to prevent conflicts. Lastly, I’ll note Group Rep in NoHo has announced their season, which includes a mounting of Applause in the July-August timeframe. That’s useful if you missed the MTG one-nighter; I haven’t yet decided if I want to see it again (although Group Rep does a great job with older and rarely done musical re-visits).

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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🎭 Life, Examined | “Ride the Cyclone” @ The Main

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Ride The Cyclone (The Main)If your life ended suddenly tomorrow, what would be remembered? What would you remember? Would you be remembered? What impact would you have made?

These are the questions posted by the musical Ride The Cyclone, which we saw yesterday at The Main in Santa Clarita (Newhall), and which continues for one more weekend. The story, narrated by the mechanical fortune teller Karnak (who has the ability to predict a person’s time and means of death, which who has been set to family friendly fun mode) tells the story of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir of Uranium City, Saskatchewan. When the choir visited Karnak, even though he knew it would cause their death, his “family friendly mode” instead told them their lucky number, and that they should “Ride the Cyclone”. Their mistake. A part failed, the ride failed, and they all died. They entered into a limbo, along with a headless”Jane Doe” who was found in a choir uniform. Karnak informs them they are all to have a little contest, where one will win the prize: Being brought back to life.  The show then proceeds to have each tell their life, with a bit of narration by Karnak, until the winner is chosen.

I never realized it before, but this show is a variation on Cats. This show has less dancing, but has a better plot, better music, and much darker humor.

I won’t spoil the details of the character’s stories, but if you want you can read the Wikipedia summary. I discovered the show through the cast album, which is great. When I subsequently found a production, I made arrangements to see the show and it was well worth it.

This show was mounted at The Main, an 81-seat black box operated by the City of Santa Clarita, in the space that was formerly Rep East Playhouse. A moment of silence for The Rep. We still miss that place.

Being at this small of a theatre with a community based, non-Equity cast and a small budget means the scenery was simple. But for the small budget, the talent was generally strong. Sadie Kate Gibson was outstanding as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, with a strong singing voice and a great humor that came across well. Jonah Deocariza was equally strong as Constance Blackwood. Also notable was Ty Pierson’s Noel Gruber, who was spectacular in their song. The choreography worked well in the small space. I also enjoyed Jeff Frame’s Karnak and the sardonic way he brought across the humor.

As I just came from the science fair, some places for improvement: Some of the characters spoke a little too fast, making it hard to figure out what they were saying. Sanya Arnold had a lovely voice as Jane Doe, but at point it didn’t seem to blend as well as it could (a clash between a more operative voice and musical theatre style). However, that could have been intentional.

This was a really fun show, and I liked the dark humor. It makes some interesting statements about what we do with our life, both in our dreams and what we do. It raises good questions: What makes a life lived one that was worth living? What impacts do we leave? It is probably not appropriate for small children.

Ride the Cyclone continues at The Main though April 19, 2026. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. I’ll note the team behind this show is doing a production of Every Brilliant Thing in September. Every Brilliant Thing is currently on Broadway with Daniel Radcliff, to be followed by Mariska Hargitay. So if you don’t mind seeing it with a local performer, that’ll be your chance.

Credits

Ride The Cyclone: The Musical. Book, music, and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Booke Maxwell. Originally produced by Kevin McCollum and Morris Berchard. Directed by Jeff Frame. Choreographed by Jonah Deocariza.

Cast: Sanya Arnold Jane Doe; Danny Barrios Ricky Potts; Jonah Deocariza Constance Blackwood; Sadie Kate Gibson Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg; Liam Johnson Mischa Backinski; Ty Peirson Noel Gruber; Jeff Frame Karnak.

Music Department: No credits. Presumably prerecorded.

Production and Creative: Jeff Frame Director; Jonah Deocariza Choreographer; Sadie Kate Gibson Vocal Director; Kyndal Zakarian Stage Manager; Kasey Smith Asst Stage Manager; Kristi Frame Costumes; Haileigh Frame Props; Billy Davis Set Design; Phil Lantis Lighting Design; Aidan Frame Light Tech; Lindsay Gibson, Walker Gibson, & Jeremy Thompson Sound Techs; Shannon Bouknight Scenic Artist; Haileigh Frame Promotional Material Design. Presented by Outpost Media.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Some interesting shows that have caught my eye. Wisteria Theatre is doing Reefer Madness: The Musical (in April), as is Long Beach Playhouse (in October/November).  Wisteria was overpriced for a black-box; I might look into Long Beach’s production (but have to factor in the drive). Ebony Rep is doing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the end of May into June. I love the show, but the prices are a bit high and I’m still trying to decide. I have a hold on the calendar. Casa 0101 is doing the play version of Real Women Have Curves from the end of March into May. Conundrum Theatre is doing a bunch of shows, but notably Big Fish in December 2026. And, as noted earlier, the Colony Theatre is doing Catch Me If You Can in the September/October 2026 timeframe. I’ll look into ticketing the fall shows once I know the CTG Season, to prevent conflicts. Lastly, I’ll note Group Rep in NoHo has announced their season, which includes a mounting of Applause in the July-August timeframe. That’s useful if you missed the MTG one-nighter; I haven’t yet decided if I want to see it again (although Group Rep does a great job with older and rarely done musical re-visits).

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

Share

🎭 A Family Business | “Kim’s Convenience” @ CTG/Ahmanson

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Kim's Convenience (CTG/Ahmanson Theatre)Let me start out by saying that we don’t have Netflix. We’ve long used DirecTV Satellite, and have so much backed up on the DVR to watch we’re not switching. We’ve dabbled in the streaming (Paramount+, for Star Trek), but that’s about it. Given all the price increases we’re reading that Netflix is doing, we’re likely not to be subscribing for a while either.

Why do I mention this? Because Kim’s Convenience is evidently a Canadian sitcom on Netflix, and unlike much of the world, we’ve never seen it. It was evidently based on an original play by Ins Choi, which we hadn’t seen either. Well, until this afternoon at the Ahmanson.

Let’s just say that seeing the play makes me want to see the series. However, it doesn’t make me want to see it enough to pay Netflix prices. Eventually, these Netflix “exclusives” will show up elsewhere, I’m sure, as companies attempt to monetize their catalogs. So, for those folks (like us) who are not Netflix folks: Seeing this show is one way to get a taste of Netflix without that continual monthly charge.

Kim’s Convenience is a touching and warm story about a Korean family running a small family store in Toronto. Along its journey, it touches upon the issue of families and all their disagreements, on the generational passing of a family business when the next generation has other plans, on Black-Korean relations, and how family can bring things together. It wasn’t what I expected: When I saw an old man running a convenience store, I was expecting something darker with crime and theft and violence, but that just wasn’t there. Perhaps if the story had been set in America; this was a Canadian story after all.

The cast was very strong; this isn’t surprising as most of the cast is the original cast of the original play. Alas, at our performance we didn’t get playwright Ins Choi in the lead, but his alternate James Yi was wonderful in the role. Brandon McKnight did a great job of portraying a large number of different characters, and I really enjoyed the facial expressions of Kelly Seo’s Janet.

The staging was simple: A single-set well-stocked convenience store (I wonder what they are going to do with all the products afterwards?). Industrial lighting, except for a few scenes. Other than stocking the story, this is likely something that can be done at the regional or school level, if it is ever released for licensing.

I really don’t have much more to say, other than this was a delightful show that we really enjoyed. Go see it.

Kim’s Convenience continues at The Ahmanson Theatre through April 19, 2026. Visit the show page to get tickets.

Lastly, the Ahmanson Theatre announced their 2026-2027 season last week. Not quite the touring blockbuster of the Broadway in Hollywood season, but still quite good. I also predicted right, guessing that both Oh, Mary and Boop! The Musical would end up at CTG. The One CTG subscription package is (1) The Turning (Taper, 9/2-10/11/25); Oh Mary! (Ahmanson, 11/10-12/10/26); Destiny of Desire (Taper, 11/11-12/20/25); Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (Ahmanson, 12/12/25-1/10/26); Fiddler on the Roof (Yiddish) (Ahmanson, 2/13-3/14/26); John Proctor is the Villain (Taper, 3/17-4/25/26); August Wilson’s Fences (Taper, 5/26-7/3/26); and Boop! The Musical (Ahmanson, 7/6-8/1/26). The CTG:FWD add-ons are The Music Man, Riverdance 30-The New Generation, Dogman: The Musical, and Clue. When I initially blocked dates on the calendar (in the current season, we were the 1st Saturday at the Ahmanson, and the 6th Saturday at the Taper), there were some bad conflicts: Two shows were on the same day, and one show would have had us running from at DTLA matinee to a 730p show in Thousand Oaks. Luckily, CTG learned: According to the subscriber line, subscribers in our group are now the 1st Saturday at the Ahmanson, and the 3rd Saturday at the Taper. Much better. There is currently only one bad conflict, and that involves moving the Pantages show to accommodate a show at the Soraya. We’ll have a couple of runs from DTLA to either the Soraya or the Pantages, but those are doable. We’re on auto-renewal, so I shouldn’t have much to do other than add Riverdance to the mix.

One other season comment: Could the theatres please stagger their season subscriptions. Broadway in Hollywood hit last month. CTG this month. I just got emails from the Pasadena Playhouse and the Soraya about renewing our memberships there. When these all hit at the same time, especially if there are not payment plans, it can overload the pocketbook.

Credits

Kim’s Convenience. Written by Ins Choi. Directed by Weyni Mengesha.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Ins Choi James Yi Appa; Kelly Seo Janet; Esther Chung Umma; Ryan Jinn Jung; Brandon McKnight Rich, Alex, Mr. Lee, Mike. Alternates and Understudies: ↑ James Yi Appa Alternate; Frank Chung Jung u/s; Ngabo Nabea Rich, Alex, Mr. Lee, Mike u/s; Rosie Simon Janet/Umma u/s.

Production and Creative: Weyni Megesha Director; Ins Choi Author; Joanna Yu Set Design; Ming Wong Costume Design; Wen-Ling Liao Lighting Design; Fan Zhang Sound Design; Nicole Eun-Ju Bell Projection Design; David S. Franklin Production Stage Manager; Angela Mae Bago Asst Stage Manager; Michelle Blair Asst Stage Manager; Aaron Jan Asst Director; Becca Trimbur Company Manager; Pemberly Productions Tour General Manager. The set, props, paint, and costumes for this production were built by the Soulpepper Theatre Company artists in Toronto, ON, CANADA.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Some interesting shows that have caught my eye. Wisteria Theatre is doing Reefer Madness: The Musical (in April), as is Long Beach Playhouse (in October/November).  Wisteria was overpriced for a black-box; I might look into Long Beach’s production (but have to factor in the drive). Ebony Rep is doing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the end of May into June. I love the show, but the prices are a bit high and I’m still trying to decide. I have a hold on the calendar. Casa 0101 is doing the play version of Real Women Have Curves from the end of March into May. Conundrum Theatre is doing a bunch of shows, but notably Big Fish in December 2026. And, as noted earlier, the Colony Theatre is doing Catch Me If You Can in the September/October 2026 timeframe. I’ll look into ticketing the fall shows once I know the CTG Season, to prevent conflicts. Lastly, I’ll note Group Rep in NoHo has announced their season, which includes a mounting of Applause in the July-August timeframe. That’s useful if you missed the MTG one-nighter; I haven’t yet decided if I want to see it again (although Group Rep does a great job with older and rarely done musical re-visits).

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

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