Month: August 2015

On The Move: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=travelContinuing to clear out the links… here’s a collection of news chum all being related by the theme of travel or travelling:

 

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The Art of the Possible

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Evita (Maui Arts and Cultural Center)userpic=theatre_ticketsJust because we are on vacation doesn’t mean the theatre stops. When I’m on vacation, I typically try to see at least one local show. When I confirmed we were going to Maui, I started looking for what live shows would be here while we were here. The only one in our window was Evita (FB), a Maui Academy of the Performing Arts (MAPA) (FB) production at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) (FB), which we saw last night. The BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) assessment is that it was a very good production for community theatre, and quite enjoyable with only a few quibbles. As an aside, I’ll note that there appears to be a fair amount of theatre on Maui, including a regular fringe festival. Who knew?

We last saw Evita in a high-school performance at Van Nuys HS back in 2011. That was my wife’s first exposure to the show; I had seen the original when it was at the Shubert Theatre in Century City back when both existed back in 1980. For those not familiar with Evita, it is the second rock opera written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentinian president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita’s early life, rise to power, charity work, and eventual death. It is a sung-through opera, with very little non-musical spoken dialogue. You can find a detailed synopsis of the story on the wikipedia page or on the Rice/Webber page for the show.

This production of Evita was put on by the Maui Academy of the Performing Arts (MAPA) (FB) , the third annual Broadway-style production from the 35 year old arts organization (they did Miss Saigon in 2014 and Les Miserables in 2013). As you can tell from the choice of shows, they like shows with large casts (presumably, to get large community involvement). This show was no exception, with 49 people in the ensemble, 10 additional tango dancers, 13 children in the children’s chorus.

The show was directed by David C. Johnston (FB), MAPA’s artistic director, with Choreography by André Morissette (FB) and staging by David C. Johnston (FB) and André Morissette (FB).  They made some interesting choices in the casting, movement, and staging departments — not necessarily bad choices, but ones that drew my attention. The first was in the casting. If you think about Evita and the typical casting, what comes to mind? A pencil-thin Eva Perón, a relatively thin army-officer type for Juan Perón, and a tall and thin Tango dancer for Agustin Magaldi. Their choices — talented all — were a bit more on the mid-size scale. This didn’t hurt the performances one bit (and I’m sure most of the audience didn’t notice), but it did give a different look to the show. You can see what I mean in the photos accompanying the cast credits below.  I actually enjoyed the casting, and it may have been more reflective of the Argentinian society of the time (size norms have changed over time, and what might be the image in my mind might reflect more the norms of the 1980s when this show came out, vs. the Latin American norms of 1930-1940 Argentina).

The second and third issues were more movement based. The director tended to have his actors use their arms quite a bit during songs (you likely know what a mean — the tendancy to sweep one’s arms in front of oneself as one sings to punctuate everything). This got to the point where it was a little visually distracting — again, it didn’t detract from the overall performance but was a directorial choice that was bothersome. The third issue was the overall movement of the ensemble, which was a bit more simplistic than I’m used to seeing on shows such as this in Los Angeles. My guess is that this was a combination of the extremely large ensemble and the fact that the ensemble was not built from professional dancers and gypsies, but from community members. Given that, the choreography was very good; it was just not all it could have been given what I’m used to seeing. It was great for the community theatre level, and — again — I’m sure most of the audience did not notice. I’m just used to community theatre at the level that challenges the professionals (look at the work of Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)).

In the overall scheme of things, however, those are minor quibbles. The basic performance and staging went well, with a set that consisted primarily of moving stairways and balconies, a few drop columns, and some basic props. With this simplicity, there was a strong need for the acting to establish not only story but place and time — and it did that well. The show was overall enjoyable with some very good performances. Let’s now look at those performances.

Evita (Publicity Photos by Jack Grace)In the lead position as Eva Perón was Hawai’i’s top selling vocalist of all times (and a product of the early days of MAPA), Amy Hānaili’i Gilliom (FB). She had the perfect vocals for the role and captured the emotional performance quite well. The staging had a few odd costume changes on stage for Ms. Gilliom that were much more noticeable from the balcony (where we were sitting), but she looked beautiful in the costumes and gave a great performance. I’ll note that MAPA chose the staging that incorporated the song “You Must Love Me” from the movie, and Gilliom handled that song beautifully.

Eva’s antagonist, Che, is never mentioned by name during the show, but serves as a sardonic off-side commentator on the proceedings to provide the necessary cynical look on the situation. If you’re familiar with the concept album, you always see him as pushing his insecticide (a plot element that disappeared in the stage transition, leaving a number of musical moments where the words have been removed from the remaining music. Che was performed by Kepa Cabanilla-Aricayos/FB. He brought a much higher voice to the character (as if Patinkin wasn’t high), but worked well. The only oddity was that in a number of scenes he was part of the crowd seemingly supporting Perón; I would have expected him to be more off on the side observing instead. I’m guessing this was a directorial choice, and not a major problem. In general, I expected a strong sardonic and angry nature from the performance — this was particularly noticeable in “Goodnight and Thank You”.

Juan Perón was portrayed by Francis Tau’a/FB. Tau’a had a lovely voice for Perón and brought an appropriate stage presence, including a very touching performance in the second act.

The remaining two named characters were Danielle Dalaunay (FB) as Perón’s mistress, and Joey Schumacher/FB as Agustin Magaldi. Dalaunay (hint: don’t do a Google search on the name; unfortunately an adult industry actress also chose that name) really only has one scene and one song, but she nailed it and gave a lovely and touching rendition of “Where Am I Going To?”. Schumacher’s gave a wonderful vocal performance as Magaldi, but didn’t have the look of a tango singer that would have the teenage girls swooning.

Rounding out the performances were the large ensemble components. The ensemble consisted of (takes deep breath): Jay Agasid/FB, Ashlyn-Jade Aniban (FB), Heather Bartlemus/FB, Craig Bode/FB, Shane Borge/FB, Alfred Cantorna/FB, Emily Cantorna/FB, Dr. Virgie Cantorna/FB, Alice Carter/FB, Maile Castro/FB, Jordyn Clarke/FB, Haylie Daunhauer/FB, Haley DeForest/FB, Gina Duncan/FB, Christie Ellison/FB, Molli Fleming/FB, Marion Haller/FB, Halia Haynes/FB, Casey Hearl/FB, Tasiana Igondjo/FB, Aeris Joseph/FB, Brock Kahoohanohano-Abrose/FB, Julie Kawamura/FB, Kevin Lawrence/FB, Carlyn Leal/FB, Nomi Macadangdang/FB, Betty Miller/FB, Orion Milligan/FB, Danann Mitchell/FB, Kaimana Neil/FB, Tully O’Reilly/FB, Jim Oxborrow/FB, Sara Patton/FB, David Pisoni/FB, Isaac Rauch/FB, David Rooks/FB, Karli Rose/FB, Kela Rothstein/FB, Molly Schad, Cole Shafer/FB, Emma Smith/FB, Scott Smith/FB, Theresa Supera/FB, Joylene Nina Tabon/FB, Marc Toliver/FB, Preston Watanabe/FB, Eliza Wright/FB, and Nolan Yee. The Tango Dancers were Vicky Ayers/FB, Rose Baiot/FB, Marcia Barnett-Lopez, Peter Black/FB, Sugandha Ferro Black/FB, Hawkeye Lannis, Doug Miller/FB, Nadama/FB, Rita Okeane/FB, and Tom Weierhauser/FB. The Children’s Chorus was Avery Ardoin, Madeline Austin, Ashton Chargualaf, Nealon Guzman, Kaylee Herman, Sofia Kafami/FB, Randi Lonzaga, Haley Mahoe, Luna Graham Milligan, Jena Mukai, Elly Smith/FB, Erin Smith/FB, Dutch Tanaka Akana, and Jillian Vince-Cruz.

Music was under the direction of Gary Shin-Leavitt (FB), who conducted the 19 piece on-stage band (something you don’t often see). The band consisted of: Kim Vitterli (FB) (Keyb0ard), Beth Fobbe-Wills/FB (Keyboard), Reid Ishikawa/FB (Keyboard), Judy Waters (1st Violin), Sue Westcott/FB (1st Violin), Ana Kalina (2nd Violin), Darius Soo Hoo (FB) (2nd Violin), Teresa Skinner (FB) (Viola), Patrice Weed-Shearer (FB) (Viola), Cheryl Lindley/FB (Cello), Michelle Ancheta (Cello), Lauralei Singsank (FB) (Flute), Beth Sederstrom (Clarinet/Sax), Cody Sarmiento (FB) (Trumpet), Henry Arroyo (Trombone), Stephen Rodrigues (Electric Bass), Wenlu Duffy (FB) (Guitar), Perry Gragas/FB (Percussion), and Richard Vetterli/FB (Drums).

Turning to the technical side. The set design by Dan Hays/FB was relative simple: two movable staircases, a movable balcony, and a static balcony. Simple, but effective, as they were constantly being reconfigured. These were supported by the props by Jeff Robidoux and Barbara Sedano (FB), which worked reasonably well. My only quibble was with the Argentinian flag, which was often portrayed without the sunburst. Now, it turns out that the sunburst-less version of the flag is the ornamental flag and thus a valid version. Still, I’m not sure if that was the right flag to use. The sound design by Joseph “Joe” Arias  was reasonable, but could stand for a little adjusting (some mics were problematic, and some needed their volume increased). The lighting design by Mark Astrella served to create the mood appropriately. The costumes by Vanessa Cerrito (FB) (Kenneth Peter Lee for Eva Peron) seemed appropriately period, as did the hair, wig, and make-up design by Marc Tolliver/FB and Karli Rose/FB.  André Morissette (FB)  was the costume consultant. Lina Krueger/FB was the stage manager, assisted by Tina Kailiponi/FB. Evita was produced by the Maui Academy of the Performing Arts (MAPA) (FB).

The last performance of Evita at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) (FB) is a few hours away, at 2:00 PM HST. Tickets are available through the MACC website, but at this point I’d call the box office. We forewarned: Hurricane Ignacio, as the time I’m writing this, is a Category 4 Hurricane about 400 mi E of the island of Hawaii, with a storm track that has it running to the north and west of the islands. We’re getting wind and some rain here on the north western side of Maui; MACC is in Kahului, on the eastern side of the island (which will have more storms and winds). The show is worth seeing, but stay safe.

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I subscribe at three theatres:  REP East (FB), The Colony Theatre (FB), and Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals).  I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows: September starts with Tom Paxton’s last concert at McCabes (FB) on September 12, followed by “The Diviners” at REP East (FB) and “First Date” at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts (FB). October will bring another Fringe Festival: the NoHo Fringe Festival (FB). They haven’t put up the Fringe shows yet, so I may start booking weekends. October also has the following as ticketed or hold-the-dates: CSUN’s Urinetown (end of October – 10/30 or 11/1);  “The Best of Enemies” at The Colony Theatre (FB) (Ticketed for Sat 10/10); and  “Damn Yankees” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) (Ticketed for Sat 10/17). November will bring the Nottingham Festival (FB) on November 7; “A Day Out with Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) on November 11; and Deathtrap at REP East (FB) on November 14. The rest of the month is currently open. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

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Older Technology Revisited: PDP/8s, Wingdings, and Space Jam

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userpic=cyborgContinuing with our “clearing out of the links”, here’s a collection about older technology that is still going strong, in some way, shape or another:

 

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Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=boredAnother in the continuing series of clearing off the pre-vacation and vacation links.This collection all has to do with thing or concepts that are either abandoned, or should be abandoned:

  • Women Want To Have Extramarital Affairs. If the Ashley Madison hack demonstrated anything, it demonstrated we must abandon the fantasy that women want to have affairs with handsome married men. The New York Post actually said it best:

    The Ashley Madison hack proves men are dogs. But the Ashley Madison service itself proves men are suckers.Not simply because millions of men who were trying to hide from their wives decided to use their real names and email addresses in signing up for an adultery website — though that wasn’t exactly the mark of genius. It’s because they thought that there were millions of halfway attractive, married women out there just waiting for a hot proposition from a married man so they could be unfaithful.

    There aren’t. And chances are there won’t ever be. It’s hard to know how many users of the site are real (it sounds as if some were signed up by friends or enemies as practical jokes). But even taking the numbers at face value, the ratio is abysmal. There were about 28 million men and 5 million women in the account list, while the credit-card information belongs almost entirely to men.

    Ashley Madison confirms what we already know about infidelity. Men are much more likely to engage in it than women. And men are much more interested in casual sex than women.

    To suggest otherwise is either a male fantasy or a feminist one.

    Or, as LA Observed put it:

    But the bigger story is that Ashley Madison isn’t actually a website where men pay to have hot affairs with women then have their names and personal info hacked. It’s a site where men pay and try to have affairs, then have their info hacked. A real distinction.

    The LA Observed article goes on with a whole bunch of statistics about the “women” on the site, including the fact that “Out of 5.5 million female accounts, roughly zero percent had ever shown any kind of activity at all, after the day they were created.”. In other words, Ashley Madison was a huge self satisfaction site for men. Now think about the fact that we’re pillorying people for being on it, even thought it is highly likely they were actually unfaithful. In fact, given they didn’t validate email addresses, it is highly likely that all the people who are on the list were really on the site.* Perhaps what we should abandon is the notion that society knows how to do critical thinking and reasoning.

  • Suitcases. From the 1910s through the 1960s, many patients at the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane left suitcases behind when they passed away, with nobody to claim them. Upon the center’s closure in 1995, employees found hundreds of these time capsules stored in a locked attic.  Mental Floss has a fascinating article about the contents of those suitcases, and what it says about the lives and hopes of the patients.
  • Handwriting. Those of us in the computer generation may be of the belief that it was the computer and text message that led to the death of handwriting. Atlantic Magazine has a different opinion: they opine that it was the ballpoint pen that killed handwriting. This was because the pen used different ink that required more pressure and made writing harder. As a regular fountain pen using, I can believe it. A good fountain pen is head and shoulders above a ballpoint.

*: On Facebook, about a week ago, I wrote the following: “Re: 2nd Ashley Madison Data Dump. Perhaps it is just the way my mind works, but what is to prevent anyone with a grudge from taking any past data dump (say any Target breech), doctoring with additional information, and then dumping it as Ashley Madison data? Certainly not the reaction of the victims: they are tainted if they admit, and not believed if they deny.”

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Interesting Games in the Pipeline

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userpic=gamingContinuing the process of clearing out the backed up links while on vacation. Today’s collection relates to gaming. I’ve seen three interesting games come across my RSS feeds recently, and all look like things worth exploring. Part of our problem is that we’ve been without a gaming group (other than SoCal Games Days) for a few years, ever since Lauren died and Nicole moved out of the Valley. So we’ve acquired some new games, but have no one to play them with 😞. Still, we might aquire these. Live local to Northridge? Care to come over and play?

  • Ticket To Ride UK/PA. Evidently Days of Wonder has been continuing to add to the Ticket to Ride series. We love the game, but don’t have all the expansions (in particular, I’d be interested in the 2 player Nordic Countries expansion). We have the base game, Europe, Märklin, 1910, and the Switzerland version. So I read with interest the announcement of new expansion maps: Ticket to Ride UK/Pennsylvania. The changes they are making to the train system sound intriguing.
  • Patchwork. A mention in one of my RSS feeds led me to the game Patchwork, a two-player game where players compete to build the most aesthetic (and high-scoring) patchwork quilt on a personal 9×9 game board. Given I’ve got a wife into the fabric arts, and we need some more two-player games, this sounds worth ordering. [ETA: Dennis Donovan also pointed me to another quilting related game: Quilt Show]
  • Sushi Go. This game was discovered by a mention on Boing Boing: Sushi Go. This is a card game where you choose a card from your hand and then pass the rest to the player on your left (receiving a new hand from the player on your right). The goal is to score the most points by strategically collecting groups of sushi (or a piece of sushi and a spot of wasabi to dip it in) while working to block your opponents from collecting what they need. Each type of sushi has a different value, which is listed at the bottom of the card. For instance, egg nigiri is worth one point per card, while sashimi is worth ten points for every three you collect.  According to BGG, it seems to accommodate 2 players as well.

 

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Thoughts on a Theatre Season: ICT 2016 Season

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userpic=dramamasksContinuing my question to clear off the stored links…. I recently received (both from International City Theatre (ICT) (FB) and their publicist) the announcement of ICT’s upcoming season. Here are my thoughts on it:

  • Closer Than Ever. February 10 – March 6. Music and Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. Filled with hilarious and poignant songs about dating, parenting, aging and dreams both fulfilled and unrequited, Closer Than Ever is like a musical “how-to” manual for life. With each song a self-contained story inspired by real-life experiences, its message to value the little things in life remains timeless.

    Thumbs Down Alas, I just saw the excellent Good People Theatre Co (FB) production of the show at Hollywood Piano Co. [writeup]. Once you have heard it on a wonderful 9½ foot Mason & Hamlin grand piano, who needs Long Beach?

  • ‘A Walk in the Woods. April 27 – May 22. by Lee Blessing.  Lee Blessing’s brilliant and funny play of ideas, based on an actual event, is a stunningly powerful and provocative drama that seems more timely than ever and probes the most important issue of our time – the very survival of our civilization. Nearing the end of the Cold War, a pair of arms negotiators – a clever, cynical Russian and an idealistic young American – meet in the woods outside Geneva to explore the obstacles their countries face on the path to peace. Can personal bonds bridge political chasms?

    Thumbs Down Although I haven’t seen this, the subject is not a sufficient draw to make me brave the traffic to Long Beach.

  • Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. June 8 – July 3. by Christopher Durang. One of the most lauded Broadway plays of recent years, this witty mash-up of Chekhov characters and smartphones is a delightful new comedy for our hyperconnected era. Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia live an angst-ridden, melancholic existence on their Bucks County, PA family farm. That is, until their glamorous movie-star sister, Masha, swans in for a surprise visit-along with her hunky 20-something boy toy, Spike.

    Thumbs Down We saw this play in early 2014 when it was at the Mark Taper Forum (FB) [writeup]. Although entertaining, it’s not unique enough to make it worth the drive to Long Beach.

  • Doubt, A Parable. August 17 – September 11. by John Patrick Shanley. John Patrick Shanley’s riveting psychological drama examines the fine line between what seems certain and ambiguity, between conviction and doubt. It is 1964, a time of movement and change, but Catholic school principal Sister Aloysius values a stern hand over progressive education. When evidence points to an inappropriate relationship between Father Flynn and the school’s first black student, she begins a crusade to rid the church of him.

    Thumbs Down We saw an excellent production of this earlier this year at Rep East Playhouse (FB) [writeup] with the wonderful Georgan George (FB) as Sister Aloysius and Jeff Johnson/FB as Father Flynn. We also saw it back in 2005 at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB) [writeup]. Again, no strong urge to go to Long Beach to see it.

  • Shipwrecked! An Entertainment – The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself). October 12 – November 6. by Donald Margulies.A celebration of storytelling, this theatrical adventure is based on the real-life autobiography of Louis de Rougemont. An intrepid explorer, Rougemont’s amazing tales of bravery, survival and exotic locales left 19th century England spellbound. Join Louis and two other actors playing more than 30 characters in a high seas adventure with flying wombats, giant sea turtles and more.

    Thumbs Down Although this sounds like it could be a humorous play, it doesn’t sound like something with sufficient draw to bring me to Long Beach.

So, you’re probably wondering, what does draw me to Long Beach. First, when ICT does musicals that I’ve only heard or heard about, but never seen. Their productions of Loving Repeating, The Robber Bridgegroom, and Once on this Island fell into this category. Second would be a production of something I’ve heard about on Broadway and want to see, but hasn’t been done elsewhere in LA. Is He Dead? fell into this category.

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Gluten Free Goodies

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userpic=gluten-freeWhile I’m on vacation, I’m attempting to clear out the backlogs of links accumulated over the past few weeks of work-crazy. This first post is a collection of articles related to gluten-free and celiac, and it focuses on the problems that the gluten-free diet faddists have created for the truly Celiac and those with true non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

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In “The Celiac’s (Gluten-Free) Lament” (if you’re caught by the WSJ paywall, do this search and click on the WSJ link), Thomas Swift relates his wife (Hania)’s relationship with gluten-free food since her diagnosis in 2002. He talks about how the food landscape has changed:

But gradually we discovered gluten-free versions of almost everything—except pierogies and Chinese food. Some substitutes were better than others; we got hooked on corn penne and brown rice fusilli. A friend, having discovered the latter, served them to her healthy teenage sons, who never suspected they weren’t devouring Italian wheat. Tasty gluten-free cookies and crackers also appeared, first in health-food stores, then on supermarket shelves, while flourless chocolate cakes became de rigueur on dessert menus. Breads popped up, usually frozen and sliced.

He also makes an important point about how the faddists have made life more dangerous for those with medical needs for eating gluten free:

Not long ago, we visited a restaurant known for its gluten-free fried chicken. Our waiter, on hearing of Hania’s disease, explained that, while technically gluten-free, the chicken was fried in the same oil as all the other chickens. That meant it was contaminated. This would be fine for most of the restaurant’s diners—the fashionably gluten-free—but not for celiacs. Without a knowledgeable waiter, we wouldn’t have known.

The gluten-free fad has corroded the meaning of the phrase, creating a playground for dabblers and a minefield for the minority of strict doctrinarians. Not only has the label become spurious, but many food-service workers have understandably grown lax, seeing the demands for gluten-free food as a passing fancy and not the requirements of a serious medical condition.

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In “I Was Gluten-Free Before It Was Cool“, Laura Bennett expresses some similar points. Diagnosed with celiac about the same time as my wife (1990s), she talks about how eating gluten free has moved from a niche diet to a fad to a punchline:

In two decades since I first heard the word gluten, it’s evolved from the obscure scourge of the small population of people with celiac disease into a fad-diet obsession for carb-phobics. Along the way, it’s become a nutritional bogeyman, a shorthand for a kind of phony asceticism, a pop-cultural joke. It started with a few scattered articles about “gluten sensitivity” and some scientific papers speculating about whether American wheat had become less digestible. Then there was the surest sign of mass-cultural anointment: Gluten coverage migrated from the health and science pages to the style section. With growing awareness of gluten came a surge in self-diagnosed allergies to it. South Park skewered the alarmism of the anti-gluten set by devoting an entire 2014 episode to the imaginary plague of Gluten Free Ebola. A Tumblr called Gluten Free Museum went viral by Photoshopping out the wheat products from famous works of art. A real dating website launched called glutenfreesingles.com.

We are now in a golden age of glutenlessness. Gluten-free food sales grew by more than 60 percent from 2012 to 2014, and by 2019 the number is projected to increase by 140 percent. A 2013 study claimed that only 2 percent of shoppers who buy gluten-free goods do so because they have been diagnosed with celiac disease, while 59 percent buy them because they think gluten is unhealthy. That’s 59 percent of gluten-free shoppers who are willingly subjecting themselves to rock-hard bagels and cookies that—in the absence of the springiness that characterizes normal dough—crumble to nothingness when touched by a breeze.

She talks about those who have to eat GF have formed a community, bound together by the days of styrofoam bread. The early adopters have to clearly distinguish themselves from the faddists, as she writes:

I imagine that being an ur-gluten-intolerant is a bit like loving a band no one has heard of and then watching it climb the Billboard Hot 100: the mix of puzzlement (“how did everyone find out about it?”) and possessiveness (“they don’t even really get it”), the slight internal reshuffling required to disentangle it from your self-image, the chip that materializes on your shoulder whenever you hear its name. For most of my life, though, being allergic to gluten had been a quirk that was at once specific to me and, unlike most quirks, safely meaningless—in no way a symptom of my character or my tastes or my brain. Now, when I turn down a beer at a party, I try to arrange my face in a way that says “I know, right.” When I ask a waiter if there’s gluten-free pasta in the kitchen, I offer a sympathetic little grimace.

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One problem, of course, is that eating gluten free isn’t necessarily more healthy. You’re just replacing the wheat with other starch, and adding more fats and sugars to make up for it. This article from the Daily Mail highlights this: “Doughnuts and pizzas on the NHS: £116million of food for special diets including junk food was handed out in prescriptions in the past year” . Evidently in the UK, the health service covers the food for special diets (unlike the Affordable Care Act). According to the article:

The NHS is handing out tens of thousands of prescriptions every year for custard creams, doughnuts and pizzas. Other calorie-rich treats issued to patients on special diets include Italian-style biscotti, cake bars and muffin mixes. The Health Service spent almost £116million last year on gluten-free products and other foods – twice as much as a decade ago.

This reflects the growth of the awareness of medically-necessary GF diets, but the growth of the GF junk food market. If you walk through a supermarked, you’ll see (if they have GF at all) loads of GF cakes, muffins, and cookies — but little awareness of whether the food in their prepared meal sections are gluten free. The problem for GF eaters is not the junk food, but finding safe healthy food that hasn’t had a bit of soy sauce for seasoning, or wasn’t cross contaminated.

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The last article was posted by a Facebook friend, and it questions the existence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity:

For a follow-up paper, 37 self-identified gluten-sensitive patients were tested. According to Real Clear Science’s Newton Blog, here’s how the experiment went:

Subjects would be provided with every single meal for the duration of the trial. Any and all potential dietary triggers for gastrointestinal symptoms would be removed, including lactose (from milk products), certain preservatives like benzoates, propionate, sulfites, and nitrites, and fermentable, poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates, also known as FODMAPs. And last, but not least, nine days worth of urine and fecal matter would be collected. With this new study, Gibson wasn’t messing around.

The subjects cycled through high-gluten, low-gluten, and no-gluten (placebo) diets, without knowing which diet plan they were on at any given time. In the end, all of the treatment diets — even the placebo diet — caused pain, bloating, nausea, and gas to a similar degree. It didn’t matter if the diet contained gluten. (Read more about the study.)

The key things, to me, in the above was “self-identified gluten-sensitive” and the size of the sample. Other research has shown that while there might be a tiny, tiny, proportion of people who are non-celiac but sensitive to gluten, it is not nearly as wide-spread as the claims make it out to be:

But if only a tiny number of patients who report NCGS have a gluten-related condition, what’s going on with everybody else who complains of digestive woes?

They probably fall into several groups. Some may be in the early stages of celiac disease and the disease hasn’t yet produced any of its telltale signs, Guandalini said. Others are likely allergic to wheat.

Many may be sensitive to FODMAPs, or fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols, which are certain types of carbohydrates including wheat, lentils, and mushrooms that can draw water into the intestine and potentially ferment, causing digestive problems for some people.

This is what the second influential study on gluten sensitivity found. The 2013 study suggested that intolerance to the carbohydrates in wheat might account for what many believe is a bad reaction to gluten.

The Australian research team behind the study had previously shown that patients who self-identified as having NCGS did better on a gluten-free diet even when they didn’t know if they were eating gluten or not. When they launched a second study, they expected to confirm these results.

But they didn’t. This time around, the researchers first reduced FODMAPs from the participants’ diets. Then they reintroduced gluten or a placebo. There was absolutely no difference in participants’ reactions.

The Australian team concluded that most patients who thought they couldn’t tolerate gluten were in reality sensitive to FODMAPs. Once they had cut consumption of these carbohydrates below a certain threshold, gluten posed no problem for them.

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So where does this leave us? I think it makes it clear that diagnosing food sensitivities is difficult, misleading and tricky. It also makes clear that if someone says they cannot eat a particular food, play it safe and keep the dish clean. It might not make a difference to a large number of faddists, but if it significantly hurts one person, is it worth it?

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Finding the Way Home

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A Company of Wayward Saints (REP East)userpic=repeastCommedia dell’arte is a particular artform with which I only have passing acquaintance; “passing” in this case meaning I’ve seen a high-school production of Scapino and heard the music of The Glorious Ones. However, I’ve never really understood the traditions or characters until a few nights ago when I saw the REP East Playhouse (FB) production of “A Company of Wayward Saints” by George Herman. So why did we go see it? First and foremost, because a friend (J. T. Centonze (FB)) was producing and directing the show; second, because we like the quality of REP shows; third, because my wife wanted to see it and we had that weekend open due to an upcoming trip. What did we think? Let’s put it this way: I’m very glad we went.

Commedia dell’arte is a 16th century Italian artform based on improvised performances utilizing particular character types. Originally, it was called commedia all’improviso. Performers played on outside, temporary stages, and relied on various props in place of extensive scenery. The better troupes were patronized by nobility. Characters typically wear masks, and fit a variety of stock characters, such as: The Harlequin (a clown); Scapino (the youth / acrobat / jack-of-all-trades); Pantalone ( the old man / money ); Il Dottore (the doctor / erudite); Il Capitano ( the captain / military man); the Innamorati, Tristano and Isabella (the lovers); Columbina (Harlequin’s mistress / the nag / impudent servant ); or Ruffiana ( tart / former prostitute). Other stock characters commonly found are listed / linked in the Wikipedia article.

I mentioned the particular character types above because A Company of Wayward Saints is the story of a commedia dell’arte troupe, La Compagnia dei Santi Ostinati (The Company of Wayward Saints) consisting of the above players. This troupe  is out on tour (no specific location, but it seems oddly to be somewhere in the midwest) and have started fighting with each other and becoming unprofessional. So unprofessional, in fact, that when the 8:30 PM curtain comes around, only Scapino and Columbina are there attempting to improvise and delay until the rest arrive. Harlequin, and shortly the rest of the troupe soon show up, and Harlequin informs the company that he has found a patron that is willing to pay their way home… on one condition. This patron, an unnamed Duke, has requested that they improvise on the theme of…. “The Story of Man”. If they do this, and they entertain him, he will fund their way back home. This is the set-up, and includes an introduction by Harlequin (the manager of the troupe) of the various characters in the troupe.

The remainder of the first act consists of the troupe’s first attempt to tell the history of man. They do this by attempting to do a variety of silly scenes illustrating human history: The Fall of Adam; Odysseus’ return to Penelope; the assassination of Julius Caesar. All fail miserably as the troupe keeps veering away from the point of each story, moving instead to illustrate failures such as arrogance, battles between the sexes, and much more. The actors upstage each other, end up infighting, and revert to being selfish children.  The act ends with the troupe members all walking out, leaving Harlequin to beg the audience to take a few minutes for themselves while he regroups the troupe, demoralized because they have “lost the art”.

The second act begins with Harlequin explaining that he couldn’t get the troupe back, but then they slowly all come back — having realized that their friendships and relationships were too strong. One character then gets the bright idea that the history of man need not be a literal history, but rather the history of the life of a man: birth, adolescent, marriage, death. The troupe then starts to stage these scenes — but this time they are working together. The scenes reflect the reality and pain of life: the birth scene is told from the point of view of the husband unable to help his wife, but learning how a child can bring back love; the adolescence scene relates the story of two Mississippi youth forming a relationship out of their tomboyish playfulness; marriage, where a negotiation between a female marriage broker and a daughter-marrying father ends unexpectedly with their liaison), and death (a story in which a priest on death row convinces his prosecuting soldier to take over for him). Out of these scenes comes the humor borne of reality and pain (as opposed to the heavy slapstick). This pleases the Duke and he agrees to fund their way home… but the troupe, having refound their art, decides to keep performing. At the end, Harlequin turns to the audience and requests them to single out no one player for your praise: showing that the selfishness of the first act has been abandoned.

As I indicated at the start, I was unfamiliar with this story and the characters that were portrayed. I was unsure as the act started, but ended the play touched and enjoying it quite a bit. The notion of a troupe rediscovering their art after a period of discord was a lovely and touching one. I can see why this play has had the longevity it has had (while researching this writeup, I even found a reference to when The Colony Theatre did the show, with John Larroquette as Harlequin). I found the story well worth seeing.

Although I could attempt to follow Harlequin’s dictum and not single out a particular player, I’d fail miserably. So let’s look at all the players equally instead. As Harlequin, Kevin Becker (FB) (who we saw just last week as Pontius Pilate) was wonderful and playful, capturing the clown well. He demonstrated his strong performance skills over both roles. Scapino was performed by Beth Ann Sweezer (FB), another REP regular, capturing the playfulness of the youth quite well … extremely fun to watch, both in the opening scenes, as the snake, and as the youth in the adolescence scene. Pantelone was Ryan Shrewsbury (FB), seen in REP’s Avenue Q, who captured the old man well (and was wonderful in the marriage negotiations). Dottore was  Stefanie Harbeson (FB), who was extremely touching in her discussions in the birth scene. Capitano was played with full bluster by Jay Potter/FB, appropriately stuffed in the Odysseus scene, but nicely down-to-earth in the death scene. The lovers were Benjamin Patrick Thomas (FB) [Tristano] and Kelly Boardman (FB) [Isabella], and seemed a well matched couple, both comically in the Adam and Eve scene, and touchingly in the birth scene. I’ll note that we just saw Thomas as Jesus in the REP’s Jesus Christ Superstar, and he looked totally different here. Columbine, the nag, was portrayed by Kim Iosue/FB with appropriate energy and shrewishness, and worked quite well in the marriage scene with Pantelone. Lastly, Ruffiana (the tart) was played by Marie-Clarie Erdynast/FB. I’ll note that I’ve known MC for years at REP, and I didn’t even recognize her in this role. A wonderful performance, especially in the adolescence scene.

As befits commedia dell’arte, the scenic design was minimal (and uncredited): the back of some flats left over from previous shows (with appropriate graffiti), some chairs, and such. It worked. The lighting design was by Jeffrey Hampton, and had a few points where actors were in the dark as they moved into the appropriate spot space (hopefully this will be fixed in the second week). Hampton also served as Stage Manager. Fight choreography was by Jesus, ooops, Benjamin Patrick Thomas (FB) and was suitably realistic. Music was by Ryan Shrewsbury (FB). The sound design was by the everpresent Steven “Nanook” Burkholder/FB. The production was produced and directed by J. T. Centonze (FB). Alas, we’ll be seeing J.T. a lot less at the REP: he just got the keys, and will soon be opening, Off Kilter Kilts (FB) in Pasadena.

A Company of Wayward Saints has one more weekend at REP East Playhouse (FB). You can get tickets online at the REP Online Box Office; note that this homegrown system will soon be replaced by a spiffy new Vendini system. Discount tickets are available on Goldstar.  You can also find special discounts by liking REP East on Facebook.

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I subscribe at three theatres:  REP East (FB), The Colony Theatre (FB), and Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals).  I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows: This coming weekend sees a vacation show:  Evita at the Maui Cultural Center (FB), starring Hawai’i’s top-selling female vocalist of all time, Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom. September starts with Tom Paxton’s last concert at McCabes (FB) on September 12, followed by “The Diviners” at REP East (FB) and “First Date” at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts (FB). October will bring another Fringe Festival: the NoHo Fringe Festival (FB). October also has the following as ticketed or hold-the-dates: CSUN’s Urinetown (end of October – 10/30 or 11/1);  “The Best of Enemies” at The Colony Theatre (FB) (Ticketed for Sat 10/10); and  “Damn Yankees” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) (Ticketed for Sat 10/17). As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

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