October 2015 – Observations Along the Road

A Virtual Witches Brew of News Chum

Posted onSaturday, October 31, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=masks Boo!

Are you scared yet? You might be after reading this collection of news chum:

From The Sexy Nurse. You’ve seen them everywhere: the “Sexy” (insert your noun here) costumes. I wrote about some of them recently. You probably don’t know about the company that made them, though. Leg Avenue. It was going with shorter skirts that transformed Leg Avenue from a small company that made leggings and lingerie into a dominant force in the Halloween costume business. How, by bringing in the “sexy”.
The Cars Have Ears. Back when I was in high school, I had a friend who liked to wrap his head in aluminum foil to avoid the radiation from the aliens. Don’t know whatever became of him. But aluminum foil — is still useful for wrapping things. For example, this article recommends that you wrap your car keys in aluminium foil. Why? Your car is always listening. Not for your voice, like the Amazon Echo or Siri, but for an electronic signal, such as the coded “unlock” signal from your electronic key fob. If it’s a newer car model, you might not have to press any buttons; just approach your car and the doors will unlock automatically. In some cars, the engine will even turn on. If someone can copy and duplicate that signal, who needs the physical key? Scared yet?
First, Vocal Fry. Now NPR Voice. A while back, everyone was in a panic because vocal fry was everywhere. Be scared again. This time, it is NPR voice. This is a characteristic of NPR and many podcast announcers that derive from NPR. In NPR voice, in addition to looser language, the speaker generously employs pauses and, particularly at the end of sentences, emphatic inflection. A result is the suggestion of spontaneous speech and unadulterated emotion. The irony is that such presentations are highly rehearsed, with each caesura calculated and every syllable stressed in advance.
What Happens To My Accounts When I Die? The answer, if you don’t do anything, is that they become zombie accounts, alive but with no life behind them. How to prevent this? Make sure you share your password with someone you trust. Ideally, collect your passwords in a password manager, and store the password to that account in a safe place (such as with your spouse, in her password manager, while you store hers). Leave them in escrow with your lawyer. Put them in the pantry with your cupcakes. Oops, wrong song.
Your Friendships Will Change. One side effect of getting older is that your friendships change. All those close friends from childhood. Most are different than your adult friends. I think I have, perhaps, one close friend from elementary school days, with a few more on the acquaintance side. I have perhaps a handful from High School. Here’s the explanation of why friendships change when you become an adult.
Will You Die of A Heart Attack? You probably have a better chance not to die thanks to the contributions of Dr. Walter S. Graf, who died this week. Graf was a cardiologist who who helped establish the modern system of paramedic emergency care. Alarmed by high death rates and encouraged by new technology, a small group of pioneering physicians started equipping ambulances with defibrillators and paramedics who knew how to use them. Graf was former chief of staff for the Daniel Freeman Hospital. In the 1960s, he established what was thought to be the West Coast’s first dedicated coronary care units there and later created the groundbreaking Daniel Freeman Paramedic Training Program. In 1999, it merged with the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care. In 1969, Graf, who was then president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Heart Assn., converted a white Chevy van into a “mobile critical care unit.” How much of an influence was it? Consider that the TV series Emergency started in 1972, a mere 3 years after Graf created the idea.
Scared About Running Out of Water. Ever hear that old adage “water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink.”? Scientists have discovered a gigantic ocean of water 400 miles towards the center of the earth. It could fill our oceans 3 times over. The problem: You can’t just drill down and get it. But due to it, we have our oceans.
Satellites Falling from the Sky? First there was Skylab. A really big thing to fall from the sky. Then more and more. Now we have smallsats and cubesats… and according to this article, thumbsats. A “ThumbSat” is controlled by a tiny circuit board and carries an experiment that is just 48 mm x 48 mm x 32 mm across at most and weighing around 25 grams (0.055lb). The mission is cheap — about $20,000 US for an experiment — it will only last about eight to 10 weeks in orbit. This is long enough to do some science, but short enough to carry just a tiny battery. The payload is designed to be in a low enough orbit to burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere shortly after finishing, to avoid becoming space junk.

But The Title…

Posted onSaturday, October 31, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=ucla-csun I first saw the musical Urinetown back in 2004 at the Wilshire Theatre (now called the Saban Theatre). This was one of the first reviews I had written (I started my Livejournal back in February 2004, and this was May), and it was relatively terse. My opinion about the show then was: “Ignore the bad name, and go see Urinetown while you can. It is one of the funniest musicals I’ve seen in ages, with obvious parodies of other musicals, great acting, and one of the most satirical and sardonic books I’ve seen in ages.” The good news is that, over 10 years later, the musical still holds the humor it held then. In the student-acted, faculty-directed production I saw last night at CSUN, the acting help up very well, despite the plethora of minor technical glitches.

For those that are unfamiliar with “Urinetown: The Musical” (Book by Greg Kotis (FB), Music by Mark Hollmann, and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis (FB)), you can find a detailed synopsis on the Wikipedia page. I won’t repeat all the details; here’s the executive summary: The central conceit of the show is that the world has been living over 20 years with a horrible drought. The situation has gotten so bad that a private company, “Urine Good Company”, has engineered the situation to make it illegal to urinate or defecate in anything other than a public amenity. No private toilets. No peeing in the bushes. The amenities are not free: you must pay to pee. If you break the law, you get sent to the mythicial Urinetown … a place to which people go but never return from.

Our main characters in the show are Caldwell B. Cladwell who owns and operates UGC; his daughter Hope; Penelope Pennywise, who operates Public Amenity #9; Bobby Strong, her assistant custodian; Officer Lockstop, who enforces the law and narrates the story; and Little Sally, a street urchin. The story starts at the public amenity, and after the initial exposition, we see Bobby Strong’s father get sent to Urinetown for peeing in the bushes because he didn’t have the fee, and Bobby refused to give it to him. An encounter with Hope encourages Bobby to listen to his heart and rebel. He opens the urinal for all to pee free. There is a battle with UGC, and Bobby and the people take Hope hostage, while UGC and the cops cannot capture them due to incredibly slow choreography. The rebels want to kill the girl, but they are convinced to keep her alive for leverage. Cladwell offers to meet with Bobby and attempts to bribe him, but Bobby refuses and is sent to Urinetown. Little Sally hears Bobby’s last words and tells the rebels and Hope. Hope goes on to lead the rebels to victory. They open all the urinals and get rid of the fee, but the water runs out and Hope eventually meets the same fate as her father. The world is revealed to be Urinetown. Oh, and the river is in you.

There are a lot of ways to look at this story. The surface story is a commentary on megacorporations as a power for good in the word — or, in reality, an opportunity for unchecked greed. As such, this become an allegory on rich vs. poor, and how the way in which the rich treat the poor can lead to rebellion. But it also points out that the poor may not be able to govern in a far-sighted way, and that short term reward is no substitute for long-term planning.

Yes, I guess it could mean that.

But to me, this musical tells a different story. It tells the same type of story that was later told by shows like “Drowsy Chaperone“, “[title of show]” and the currently running “Something Rotten“. Urinetown is (to me) a commentary on the theatrical form: its structure, its conventions, and the common theatrical tropes that evoke memories of other shows. This is consistent throughout Urinetown through the self-awareness that it is, indeed, a stage musical bound by illogical stage conventions (such as incredibly slow choreography, or the limitations of the ensemble size). It is also consistent through the references and parodies of other shows, such as the bottle dance at the top of Act II, the pastiche of West Side Story gang movements, the Les Misérables style mobs, the sudden choral numbers, the interjection of gospel, and the continual catchphrase of “Whaaaaat”?

But this type of show is not for everyone. You have to be open to its type of humor. You need to be able to suspend disbelief in the non-sensical plot, and just let the parody wash over you like a warm and golden shower. Oh, right, too soon.

This production of Urinetown was a product of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication (FB) at CSUN’s Theatre Arts Department. This means this was primarily a student production, with faculty direction. This production was directed by Kari Hayter (FB), who has directed numerous musicals production that we have seen at The Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim. She has also worked with students both as CSU Fullerton and CSU Northridge (CSUN, if you hadn’t figured it out already). In fact, she directed the excellent Drowsy Chaperone that we saw on the VPAC (FB) stage earlier this year. I’ve commented many times that I sometimes have trouble seeing the contribution of the director, but here there were glimpses of how she molded the students into actors. This was evident heavily in the pre-show, where the actors wandered onto stage in costumes and just kept doing little activities in character. It was evident in the early-audience policing of cell-phones by Officers Lockstock and Barrel. It was also evident in the behavior of those characters in the background. Hayter (FB) also was a co-choreographer with Christopher M. Albrecht (FB), and the two worked together to provide good movement across the stage. Urinetown is actually a production that benefits a little from overacting and over-stylized movements; both serve to amplify the comedy in this case. Hayter and Albrecht recognized this and clearly worked with the cast to bring it out.

The cast itself was excellent, especially considering that this was a student cast. I’d like to single out Jessamyn Arnstein (FB)’s Little Sally for special notice. I’ve seen Jessamyn before in both Bat Boy and Drowsy; she was just a knockout here. Strong voice (even with the technical problems), strong performance, strong dance, strong interactions, strong characterization. She took what was clearly a fun satirical role and ran with it. Brava!

Also worthy of special highlight was Daniel Bellusci (FB)’s Cladwell B. Cladwell. We also saw Bellusci in Drowsy as the Man in Chair (when I noted he was the product of Nobel Middle School in the years after my daughter matriculated from that fine institution). Bellusci had an evil aura that was perfect for the role, and had a surprisingly strong singing voice. Again, he got the mannerisms and characterizations down pat (and reminded me of another Nobel actor, Quest Zeidler, all grown up). A great example of this was Cladwell’s “Don’t Be The Bunny” number.

Dahlia Yablon (FB) ‘s Hope Cladwell had just the right sense of spunk and verve for the role, and she had a lovely high singing voice that brought something special to their songs. Yablon spends much of the second act tied to a chair with a gag on her mouth, yet still succeeds in successfully singing and dancing.

John Bernos (FB)’s Bobby Strong was unfortunately plagued with a microphone that kept going in and out, and kept producing a load of static. He clearly had a great voice, but needed the extra amplification in a room of that size. His performance was strong (and continued in the vein of strong performances — we also saw him in Drowsy), and he captured the gung-ho nature of the character well. He played off of Yablon’s Hope very well, as demonstrated in the number “Follow Your Heart”, but also showed great comic timing in “Run Freedom Run”.

One of the first characters we meet is Robert Collins/FB‘s Officer Lockstock. He captured the tone of the character just right, but needed just a tad more strength in the voice to bring out the satire. But that’s really a minor quibble; I enjoyed his performance quite a bit. I discovered writing this up that Collins was Coalhouse Walker Jr. in a 2013 CSUN production of Ragtime. This shows he had the strength in the voice; my conclusion (therefore) is that he needed a bit more amplification. My only question regarding Collins is one of casting intent. Both Collin’s Officer Lockstock and Robert Stroud/FB‘s Officer Barrel were black, and most of the other cast and ensemble (except for two ensemble members) were white or white-ish. I didn’t know if this was a conscious decision of the director to make a commentary on all the recent police interactions between black and white, or if there was some other message. In the end, I decided that to think about that question was to overthink the question. I opted to accept the performance for what they were: very good, and fun. I’ll note that Lockstock is one of the those roles that actually benefits from a bit of overplay, and I think Collins captured that overplay very well and had fun with the role. I loved his opening speech before the show started, but he needs to remind people not just to not take videos, but to turn off the devices during a show (in fact, to turn off anything that emits light).

The last of the major roles was Valerie Gould/FB‘s Penelope Pennywise. As she did with Mrs. Tottendale in Drowsy, Gould plays older comedy well. She had great over exaggerated mannerisms (in the manner of Three Penny Opera) and style, and played the humor very well. She also handled her one major number, “It’s a Privilege to Pee”, with aplomb. This number had a number of very high notes and odd timing; it was great to see her nail it.

As for the remainder of the cast, who had smaller named and ensemble roles, there are a few worthy of special note. Sarah Kline (FB)’s Josephine Strong shines in her few highlighted moments, and has a great singing voice. Matthew Kesner/FB was appropriately menacing when he was leading the mob in “Snuff That Girl”. Robert Stroud/FB‘s Officer Barrel was a nice contrast to Collins’ Lockstock (almost in a Kenan and Kel fashion). Rounding out the smaller roles and ensemble were: Lance Amann/FB [Mr. McQueen], William Goldstein/FB [Senator Fipp]; Robert Murray/FB [Old Man Strong], Josh Cooper/FB [Tiny Tom]; Kate Graham/FB [Little Becky Two Shoes], Ethan Barker/FB [Robby the Stockfish], Elliott Maynes/FB [Billy Boy Bill]; Lulu Mack/FB [Mrs. Millennium], Nia Bernstine (FB) [Ensemble], Hyungwoo Jang/FB [Ensemble], JayCee Porter/FB [Ensemble], Darian Ramirez/FB [Ensemble], Cade Stedman (FB) [Ensemble], and Jin Villanueva (FB) [Ensemble].

Music was provided by the Urinetown Town Band, under the direction of David Aks (FB). The band consisted of Leon Thomasian (FB) on Piano, Isaac Green (FB) on Bass, Joe Martone (FB) on Drums and Percussion, Sean Harrison (FB) on Saxophones and Clarinets, and Ryan Ruder/FB on Trombone and Euphonium. The band had a real good sound; this was especially noticeable if you hang around for the playout after the bows — the band is just smoking and having fun with the music.

Finally, we turn to the technical and production aspects. This is where this show had the most difficulties; but on the upside, it is also an area that is easy to correct. The scenic design by Christopher Scott Murillo (FB), assisted by Ilana Molina/FB, was mostly a series of scaffolds and structures, with a few drop down signs to suggest locations. The big problem was that the back door of the stage was open, esposing the backstage area. This was never used or incorporated into the design, and so served to distract. At minimum (i.e., if the door could not be closed), put a backdrop over it during the show. Another problematic area was sound, which was designed by Kenji Kang/FB, assisted by Sierra McDuffee/FB. Here the problem was less design, and more technical: the mics were extremely staticky, and kept going in and out during the production. Part of the sound designer’s job is to teach the actors how to move without creating mic problems, and where to place the mic for best effect. Those are the two areas that need to be reexamined. Other than that, the sound was good — especially the background noises in the pre-opening. For the most part, the lighting design of Glen Howes/FB, assisted by Josh Legget/FB, worked well to establish the mood. I particularly liked the use of uplighting to create menace. However, the follow-spot requires a bit more work, as often it played catchup with the actors. The last of the problem areas related to the costumes designed by Paula Higgins (FB), assisted by Diego Arias/FB. Again, the problem wasn’t in the costumes themselves (which were fine), but in the execution. In this case, it was execution with respect to the ensemble’s quick changes: one actor came back in an early scene with the blouse puffing out of the zipper in the back of her skirt; in another ensemble number, a police officers blouse was visible through her unzipped zipper. These are distractions that just didn’t need to be there. One positive credit goes to the Prop Masters, Taylor Anderson/FB and Eric White/FB for engineering quite a few clever props, including the bunny slippers and the Bobby Strong Memorial Mannekin used in Act II. Other significant technical/production credits (there are far too many to list and link all the crew members, supervisors, operators, etc.): Scott McKim/FB [Technical Director], Meg Imamoto (FB) [Production Manager], Corey Sorenson (FB) [Vocal Coach], Jihee Jenny Park/FB [Stage Manager]; Beth Kalish/FB [House Manager], Ah-Jeong Kim [Department Chair/Producer].

Urinetown: The Musical continues at CSUN through November 8, 2015. Tickets and information are available at (818) 677-2488. They are also available online ($20) through Ticketmaster and other outlets. They are not on Goldstar.

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: Sunday sees us out in Simi Valley for “The Addams Family” at the Simi Cultural Arts Center (Simi Actors Rep Theatre (FB)). The following weekend sees us back in Simi for the Nottingham Festival (FB) on November 7. We then go out to Perris for “A Day Out with Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) on November 11 (I can’t skip seeing my buddy Thomas and his friend Percy). The following week brings Deathtrap at REP East (FB) on November 14. The weekend before Thanksgiving I’m on my own. I picked up a postcard for “Timeshare” at Eclectic Theatre Company (FB) while at the Colony for Best of Enemies, and it sounded so interesting I booked a ticket for November 21. The last weekend of November is currently open. December brings “El Grande Circus de Coca-Cola” at The Colony Theatre (FB) the first weekend, followed by a mid-week stint as a producer, when we present The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam as the dinner entertainment at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). December also has dates held for “The Bridges of Madison County” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and “If/Then” at the Pantages (FB). As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

And They Say Los Angeles Has No History

Posted onWednesday, October 28, 2015Wednesday, October 28, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=los-angeles Many people say that LA has no history, but here are some recent articles touching upon LA history:

Saved from the Wrecking Ball. If you have ever driven down the 5 freeway past Sun Valley (excuse me, 5 past Sun Valley), you’ve seen a set of golden arches in an automobile wrecking yard (and no, they aren’t the golden arches you are thinking of). These golden arches once stood above the car wash and Tiny Naylor’s coffee shop on Laurel Canyon at Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, and look roughly like a trio of gigantic boomerangs. They were built in the early 1960s, and may have been inspired by the “boomerangs” that adorn the Cathedral of Brasilia, designed by Futurist architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1958. They rose 86 feet from ground level through the roof of the car wash and were originally painted white. After the car wash was torn down, they were moved to the Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking (FB) yard. Today, it was announced that the Aadlen Brothers yard is closing. The final day for the 53-year old, 26-acre yard in Sun Valley is New Year’s Eve, and there will be a big sale beforehand. Some pieces, however, are not for sale: they have been donated to the Valley Relics Museum. This includes an early 1930s Helms Bakery twin-coach, an amazing mid-century car that has been modified to look like a shoe, and the aforementioned arches. As I drive to the Colony Theatre in 2016, I’ll miss seeing those arches…
A Different Type of Shipping. If you went to UCLA in the 1980s or before, you’ll remember a little restaurant on Westwood Blvd called Ships. Ships Coffee Shop (FB) was open 24 hours (great for students), had wonderful breakfasts, and had a toaster on every table. There was one in Westwood, one in Culver City and one in West LA. Alison Martino, of Vintage Los Angeles, has a wonderful remembrance of Ships in Los Angeles Magazine. Ships was a model for Googie architecture. The first two Ships (run by Emmett Shipman) (Culver City and Westwood) were designed by Architect Martin Stern, Jr.; the third Ships at La Cienega and Olympic was designed by the architecture firm Armet & Davis. Armet and Davis also designed… you guessed it… the arches just saved at Aadlen Brothers.
A True Ghost Town. I grew up in Westchester, a bedroom suburb just outside of the LA International Airport (LAX). When Westchester started, the airport was nothing. But soon the jets came, and soon the jet noise came — 707s and 727s were noisy. This led to the death of a number of communities: the portion of Westchester S of 92nd Street (we lived on 90th), and the community of Surfridge, on the bluffs you fly over when you take off from LA. I had numerous friends that lived in Surfridge when I was young (among them, Paul Jones, the brother of Anissa Jones from Family Affair). All those families were bought out and relocated by the airport. Luckily, Tres Bohemes has a wonderful look back at Surfridge, and the elite that once lived there, in the days before the Airport and the El Segundo Blue Butterfly. (…tying things back to the Googie theme, Westchester was also the home of the Loyola Theatre which had a wonderful neon sign out front, and the famous Googie Panns Coffee Shop, which is still there and operating)
Three Scoops for 15¢. If you grew up in Los Angeles, you remember Thrifty Drug Store, and you probably remember them for their ice cream, which was (for the longest time) 1 scoop for 5¢. I particularly enjoyed their chocolate chip and rocky road. All that is left of Thrifty is their ice cream brand, which was preserved by Rite Aid when they bought Thrifty in 1996. (coincidentally, the same year that the last Ships closed). Today, news came out that Walgreens is buying Rite-Aid, and the question on every Angelino’s lips was… what will happen to Thrifty ice cream. For now, it’s safe: Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said Rite Aid products will be available while the drugstore continues to initially operate under its own name and that other decisions on product lines will be made later. Evidently, the question has social media (especially Twitter) in an uproar. (… and, to tie things back to Ships and Aadlen, the Thrifty at La Brea and Rodeo in Baldwin Hills had a 52′ Trilon (which is still standing), similar to the car wash arches)

All This Desperate Boredom

Posted onSunday, October 25, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=yorick Until last night, the only Chekov play I had seen was “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike“.

I’ll wait for that to sink in. If you don’t understand it, look at the linked Wikipedia page for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. I’ll wait.

Get it. Got it. Good.

Now that my unfamiliarity with Chekov has sunk in, you’ll understand why a production of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya piqued my interest when it came across my theatrical RADAR. Combine that with the fact that it was being done by one of the best small theatre companies in Los Angeles, and it was almost a certainty I’d go. But it wasn’t up on Goldstar. Luckily, their publicist contacted me and arranged for comp tickets… which I paid for when I got to the box office (remember: I don’t take comps).

So, last night, with our tummies full of wonderful Russian food (see Dining Notes below), we journeyed to Russia in North Hollywood with the Anteaus Theatre Company (FB)’s production of Uncle Vanya. I should note that the production was not super-Russian: the adaptation used was by Annie Baker, based on a literal translation of the original Russian text by Margarita Shalina and the original Russian text. This updated the language of the play to modern vernacular, although the play was not updated in any other way (including the Russian names, places, love of vodka, or tolerance of peasants).

As I indicated above, my only familiarity with the play coming in was superficial, based on a play that combined various Chekov notions into a single story. I knew that it was a slice of life story; and I had a vague notion that it emphasized the dreary side of life. But that’s it. As I watched the story, I found that I kept drawing parallels to Vasha and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and it turned out that Durang’s modern play had actually kept many of the notions in the original Uncle Vanya story.

Uncle Vanya tells the story of life on a Russian estate in pre-revolutionary times (probably the turn of the 20th century). Ivan Petrovich Voynitsky (Vanya) has been living on and maintaining the estate together with his younger unmarried niece, Sofia Alexandrovna Serebryakov (Sonya), his mother (and Sonya’s grandmother) Maria Vasilyevna Voynitsky, Sonya’s old nurse Marina Timofeevna, and their right-hand-man, Ilya Ilych Telegin (Waffles). Into this mundane existence comes a retired university professor, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Serebryakov, who was married to Sonya’s late mother. With him is his significantly younger second wife, Helena Andreyevna Serebryakov (Yelena). Lastly, to this mix is added Mikhail Lvovich Astrov, a middle-aged country doctor and environmentalist (well, he cares about saving the forests). The professor is old, bitter, and curmudgeonly. The doctor has the hots for Yelena, as does Vanya. Sonya has the hots for the doctor. Yelena wants none of them. Almost all the characters feel their life has been pointless, making no impact.

The first two acts are a long (but interesting) introduction to the various characters and the interactions I’ve noted above. We learn who they are, what they desire, how they feel about each other, and so forth. You can find a detailed summary of what happens on the Wikipedia page; I won’t repeat it here. Essentially, it is Explain, Mix together, Shake, Stir.

Post-intermission (which is logically Act II, but is really Act III), a catalyst is introduced when Aleksandr announces he wants to sell the estate, invest the proceeds, and live off the interest. This provokes Vanya into action, protesting that he and Sonya have essentially set aside any hope of happiness (and, by implication, family) by maintaining the estate and sending him money to live on. He notes that the estate is really Sonya’s, as she inherited it from her mother, Aleksandr’s first wife. Tensions mount, a gun comes out, and … boom … no one is hurt. The play concludes by everyone expressing their general disappointments, going on their separate ways, and life going on a dreary and boring as before.

This may sound not all that exciting. The characters really don’t grow and change that much, although they do learn about themselves. Lives don’t significantly change. But that’s how life is sometimes, and the exploration of the story proves to be interesting, with spots of humor and drama. Chekov’s story is really everyman’s story, providing a commentary on despair and the futility of life, where it can take us, and how we just have to accept that life is what life is, and that it is sometimes boring and depressing. In other words, it is a very Russian story :-).

[Hmmm, that just made me realize how Chekovian Avenue Q really is.]

Annie Baker’s adaptation brings the language to modern usage (for the most part), and makes the characters seem realistic and accessible. You don’t get a strong sense that this is a story that took place over 100 years ago, other than the lack of electronic gadgets and the references to horses for transportation. Robin Larsen (FB)’s direction aids in this by making the characters seem real, casual, and accessible. I’ve often wondered how to separate out the contribution of the director (although this article helped a little), but here I think the director helped the characters find the naturalism inside the people they portray, and it worked quite well.

Uncle Vanya Production Photos (Mermaid Cast, Ph. by Karianne Flaathen) Anteaus Theatre Company (FB) double casts (excuse me, “partner casts”) each show (something they couldn’t afford to do under AEA’s proposals for LA Theatre, which is why I’m pro99 and proud). For our production, we had most of the “Mermaid” cast (all of whom were Equity members). In the lead positions were Rebekah Tripp (FB) as Sonya and Don R. McManus (FB) as Vanya. I really liked Tripp’s portrayal of Sonia. There was just something about the character she inhabited that was accessible and likable and weary and hopeful and just magical, and there were points in her performance where she was wordless but just conveying so much. Her interactions with Linda Park (FB)’s Yelena were just great. Truly a fun performance to watch. McManus’s Vanya was more weary with age, but equally passionate about what his life was lacking. He reached his real fire in the second half of the show, both in his response to the proposal to sell the estate and the subsequent incident with the gun.

The other main pair of characters in the story were Lawrence Pressman (FB)’s Aleksander Serebryakov (Professor) and Linda Park (FB)’s Yelena. When the story began, I wasn’t sure what to make of either character: Aleksander was an enigma, and Park seemed just to be eye candy. But as the story went on, their characters (and the actor’s portrayal thereof) grew really interesting. Pressman imbued his character with an age-appropriate weariness and view of life: he was old, and he was angry about being old and about his life not having amounted to much. Park’s Yelena proved to be much more interesting. Despite the first impression of the character, she came into her own in her interactions with the other characters — in particular, Tripp’s Sonya in the latter part of the first half and throughout the second half. She was also great in her interactions with Jeffrey Nordling (FB)’s Astrov and McManus’ Vanya. I was familiar with Park only through Enterprise, and it was really nice to see her on stage — a pleasant and unexpected surprise of a nuanced powerhouse performance.

For much of the action, Jeffrey Nordling (FB)’s Astrov was the catalyst. Nordling captured the mid-life crisis of the doctor well: he felt his life hadn’t amounted to all that much, and he was much happier with his vodka and with his trees. He thought he had found a new passion in Yelena, but she really didn’t want anything to do with him (or perhaps she did, but she didn’t want to destroy her marriage or deal with all the ramifications of giving into that passion, so she was settling for the boredom instead). Nordling made Astrov come off as an affable character, but also captured the underlying anger in the character that came out when he was drunk.

In supporting roles were Mimi Cozzens (FB) as Maria, Lynn Milgrim as Marina, Morlan Higgins (FB) as Telegin, and Paul Baird as Yefim. All captured their characters well. Milgrim made a nice Marina in her interactions with Astrov in the beginning of the piece, and I enjoyed seeing her character knit (one wonders if it was in the casting sheet that she could knit). Cozzens’ role as Maria (Sonya’s grandmother, Vanya’s mother) was smaller, but I did enjoy her reactions during the scenes where Vanya starts to break down and hugs here. I particularly enjoyed Molan Higgins’ music as Telegin — well performed on the mandolin and quite tuneful (and luckily, the composer and music director, Marvin Etzioni (FB) made it available to patrons of the show during the run, once they get the links fixed). According to the credits, he’s part of a band called Staggering Jack (FB) — I’ll need to look into that as I like Celtic music. In addition to Higgins music, his portrayal of the right-hand-man Telegin was quite good. Baird had a much smaller role, but was great on the accordian. I look forward to seeing him later next month if he continues in El Grande Circus de Coca Cola at The Colony Theatre (FB).

As I noted above, Anteaus double casts each role; you find out which cast you have at each performance. The cast we didn’t see (the “Vixen” cast — so named because Yelena is referred to as both a Mermaid and a Vixen) is Harry Groener (FB) [Aleksander Serebryakov]; Rebecca Mozo (FB) [Yelena], Shannon Lee Clair (FB) [Sonya], Anne Gee Byrd (FB) [Maria], Arye Gross (FB) [Vanya], Andrew Borba (FB) [Astrov], Clay Wilcox [Telegin], Dawn Didawick (FB) [Marina], and John Allee (FB) [Yefim].

Turning to the technical: The scenic design by Michael B. Raiford (FB), complimented with the scenic art of Colony regular Orlando de la Paz, established a convincing estate with nice little touches (such as the samovar). The lighting design of Leigh Allen (FB) worked quite well, especially for the storm scenes. Similarly for the sound design of Christopher Moscatiello (FB), which was very convincing during the storm. Jocelyn Hublau Parker‘s costume designs weren’t particularly Russian (which was fine), and some (especially for Yelena) were clearly very modern and elegant. Rounding out the production credits: Mallin Alter (FB) [Assistant Director], Christopher Breyer (FB) [Dramaturg], Bill Brochtrup (FB) [Co-Artistic Director], Emyli Gudmundson (FB) [Rehearsal Stage Manager], Emily Lehrer (FB) [Rehearsal Stage Manager], Adam Meyer (FB) [Production Manager / Props Design], Rob Nagle (FB) [Co-Artistic Director], Matthew Sanchez [Assistant Stage Manager], John Sloan (FB) [Co-Artistic Director], Kristin Weber/FB [Production State Manager / Wardrobe Mistress]. Lastly, one of the more interesting credits buried in the progam: Ned Mochel [Violence Designer].

Uncle Vanya continues at the Anteaus Theatre Company (FB) through Dec. 6 on Thursdays and Fridays at 8p, Saturdays at 2p and 8p; and Sundays at 2 p. Tickets are $30 on Thursdays and Fridays (except Oct. 15 and Oct. 16 which are $34 and include a post-performance reception), and $34 on Saturdays and Sundays. The Antaeus Theatre Company is located at 5112 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, CA 91601. Parking is available for $8 in the lot at 5125 Lankershim Blvd. (west side of the street), just south of Magnolia. The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call 818-506-1983 or go to www.antaeus.org. I did not see discount tickets on Goldstar or LA Stage Tix.

Dining Notes. Given we saw a Russian play, we decided to go get Russian food before the show. Luckily, there’s a great Russian restaurant not that far from the theatre: Russian Dacha (FB) over on Laurel Canyon, just N of Magnolia. It looks to be a great restaurant for groups, but is BYOB. My wife had a delightful borscht, and we shared a great combo kabob. We plan to go back there.

Upcoming Shows: Halloween weekend sees me at CSUN for Urinetown, and then both of us out in Simi Valley for “The Addams Family” at the Simi Cultural Arts Center (Simi Actors Rep Theatre (FB)). The following weekend sees us back in Simi for the Nottingham Festival (FB) on November 7. We then go out to Perris for “A Day Out with Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) on November 11 (I can’t skip seeing my buddy Thomas and his friend Percy). The following week brings Deathtrap at REP East (FB) on November 14. The weekend before Thanksgiving I’m on my own. I picked up a postcard for “Timeshare” at Eclectic Theatre Company (FB) while at the Colony for Best of Enemies, and it sounded so interesting I booked a ticket for November 21. The last weekend of November is currently open. December brings “El Grande Circus de Coca-Cola” at The Colony Theatre (FB) the first weekend, followed by a mid-week stint as a producer, when we present The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam as the dinner entertainment at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). December also has dates held for “The Bridges of Madison County” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and “If/Then” at the Pantages (FB). There are also a few other interesting productions I’m keeping my eyes open for. The first is the Fall show at The Blank Theatre (FB), “Something Truly Monstrous”, sounds wonderful — however, it runs through November 8, so squeezing it in would mean a double weekend. The show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (FB) also sounds like an interesting exploration of clutter — but “The Object Lesson” only runs through October 4, and I’m not sure we can squeeze it in. 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.

Windows 10 Periodic Reminder

Posted onSaturday, October 24, 2015Authorcahwyguy

userpic=toshiba No, this isn’t a nudge for you to install Windows 10. Rather, it is a reminder that I’m collecting all Windows 10 articles that are of interest to me in my post: “I Think I’ll Wait to Wash the Windows“. If you are using or considering Windows 10, you should look at that post. As for me, I’m still waiting. I’m still seeing reports of various problems with the Toshiba A665 and Windows 10. I think I’ll wait until I have some concentrated time to take the risk — most likely between Christmas and New Years.

Shticks of One and Half a Dozen of the Other: Saturday Chum Stew

Posted onSaturday, October 24, 2015Authorcahwyguy1 Comment

userpic=schmuck This has been the second very busy week in a row. I’ve accumulated a number of articles, but there are no coherent things, but lots of things I want to comment upon. So let’s get started with this news chum collection:

🏥 Sexism in the Emergency Room. The Atlantic had a fascinating article that I certainly believe: Doctors Tend To Take Women’s Pain Less Seriously. It is sad to think that this type of sexism still exists in the medical profession, but it does. There are fewer research projects to see the effect of medicine on women, and often a woman’s complaint is dismissed as hysteria (and by the way, if you don’t know the origin of that word, you should — it’s relevant). In this article, a woman almost dies because the doctors don’t believe her complaint about serious pain.

💏 Contributions of the Yiddish Theatre. As my daughter is busily studying Yiddish at UC Berkeley, news about Yiddish tends to catch my eye. Here’s an article about how the first lesbian kiss on stage was in a Yiddish theatre production. Specifically, the 1923 English-language production of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance, at the Apollo Theater on 223 West 42nd Street, presented the first same-sex kiss in the history of Broadway, leading to the entire cast’s being arrested on obscenity charges. Paula Vogel and Rebecca Taichman’s Indecent, having its world premiere at the Yale Rep in New Haven this month, is a delightful, unexpected, and surprising play about Asch’s play.

🎭 To Review Community Theatre? An article in the On Stage Blog has prompted some interesting discussion. Its question: Should theatre reviewers review community theatre, and if they do, should they give an honest assessment? A fascinating question: after all, these are not professional actors, so should we hold them to the same quality standards? They are often true amateurs, and the directors are equally amateurs. Personally, I tend to agree with the VC On Stage Blog: I review honestly, but try more to couch my review as constructive criticism (how to improve, instead of “Bob stunck”).

🏊 A Hole in the Ground, Filled with Water. With the current drought, there’s more an more interest in demolishing pools. It’s an interesting question, and one that I’ve thought seriously about. Pools can add to the value of a house, and in general a pool actually uses less water than a lawn. But they can leak easily — I’m pretty sure our pool has a leak somewhere in the piping deep underground that feeds the pump (I have to add water weekly). But the cost of removing the pool can be quite high — multiple thousands of dollars to remove the decking, break up the shell, etc. If it costs only an extra $50 to add water per month, it is cheaper to add water. Never an easy question.

💳 American Express in Trouble. Here’s a fascinating article about the woes of American Express: Specifically, the loss of their US contract with Costco is a big deal, no matter what they say. Amex no longer has the prestige it once had, and its higher fees often make people less likely to accept it. They can hang on, but they may be going the way of Diners Club over time.

💊 The Cost of Generics. By now, our insurance companies have drummed it into our heads: Buy generics, it is cheaper. But as we’ve read in the news, the cost of generics is actually rising, often thanks to greedy manufacturers. Who is that hurting? Small pharmacies, who are finding that their insurance reimbursements do not cover the cost of the generics. This means, due to insurance contracts, they often lose money on generics. Welcome to screwed up health care in America.

🔯 Holocaust Revisionism. This week, we had an interesting example of Holocaust Revisionism… from an Israeli leader, who proclaimed that Hitler didn’t want to kill the Jews — it was an Arab idea. Dr. Deborah Lipstadt — who was my professor for a number of Jewish Studies courses at UCLA including ones on Zionism and Antisemitism — wrote a very good rebuttal and analysis of Netanyahu’s statement. (if that link doesn’t work, go here, and then click on the article). As Dr. Lipstadt noted: “Netanyahu, however, did not paint [the Grand Mufti] as a supporter of this genocide. He credited him with coming up with the idea. There is a vast difference between the two. Historians continue to debate who originated the idea of the Final Solution. No serious historian, however, has ever laid the decision at the feet of the mufti. These are scary days in Israel. Arabs, some of whom have been incited to act by religious and political leaders, have stabbed, hacked, and stoned Jews. Others have mowed them down with cars. This inexcusable barbarism does not, however, legitimate rewriting of the past.”

🍕 Feeding the Addiction. I really try to avoid becoming an addict. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I am addicted to Afrin, but that’s a different story. This week I learned I really am an addict. So, here’s goes. My name is Daniel, and I’m addicted to Cheese. Yup, a new study has shown that Cheese Addiction is real. Cheese happens to be especially addictive because of an ingredient called casein, a protein found in all milk products. During digestion, casein releases opiates called casomorphins that play with the dopamine receptors and trigger that addictive element. The LA Times drilled down even deeper into the study, and concluded: So the decision to call cheese crack is entirely yours. And if the University of Michigan study makes you feel better about eating a quesadilla for lunch and half a cheese board before dinner, so be it.

🍷 Liquid Refreshment Andrew Ducker over on LJ alerted me to this article, which is related to a different type of food addiction. Yes, there are people who feel better after drinking blood, but no they are not vampires. The article is an interesting study of sanguinarians — real life “vampires” and their communities.

💥 I Feel The Earth Move. Everyone started to run scared in LA after an article from NASA saying the chance of a major earthquake in the San Gabriel Valley is 99.9% in the next two years. But then again, Dr. Lucy Jones disputes the findings. Specifically, a yet unpublished study from seismologists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab predicted with 99.9 percent certainty that we’d get a 5.0 quake sometime within the next couple years. They were 35 percent certain that it would be even bigger, registering at 6.0 or worse. However, Dr. Lucy “Earthquake Lady” Jones, a seismologist who works with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti on earthquake preparedness, noted that the claim that it’s such a high probability is made in a paper by one individual group of researchers, and the paper doesn’t document how they came up with that number so it’s impossible for us to even evaluate whether or not the statement has any validity, because they didn’t say why. She also noted this is not an official NASA claim, and pointed out that a lot of us might not even be able to feel a 5.0 quake. What’s more likely? Dr. Jones says a more likely figure is a 2 percent chance of SoCal getting a big quake—7.5 or greater—each year. But there is a certainty that eventually be a big one, so it also helps to be prepared.

💺 The First Jumbo Jets. Airline Reporter had an interesting exploration of Delta Air Lines and their first jumbo jets: the 747-100s. Delta ended up settling on the DC-10s and L-1011s, and of course, now uses different jumbos. The article provides a great insight on why airlines order what, and what happens to an aircraft after it is no longer needed.

🍏 They’re back. Yay. Pippins are back in markets. Get them while you can.

Skin in the Game

Posted onSunday, October 18, 2015Tuesday, October 20, 2015Authorcahwyguy

Cabrillo Userpic You gotta have skin.
All you really need is skin.
Skin’s the thing that if you got it outside,
It helps keep your insides in.
It covers your nose,
And it’s wrapped around your toes.
And inside it you put lemon meringue,
And outside ya hang your clothes.

Whoops. Right song. Wrong lyrics.

Those of you who are old enough will remember that parody song on Allan Sherman‘s album “Allan in Wonderland”. The underlying tune was from the song “Heart”, written for the musical Damn Yankees back in 1955 by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. I bring this all up because last night we saw the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Damn Yankees“, and about my only complaint with the production had to do with skin. More on that later.

If you recall, we had decided to drop our Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) subscription when the 2014-2015 season was announced: Memphis, Company, Oklahoma, and Mary Poppins. None of which I had a strong desire to see again. So I was pleasantly surprised when the 2015-2016 season was announced: Damn Yankees, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Children of Eden, and The Little Mermaid. These were all shows that I had seen only in amateur productions (high school, middle school, church), or only in the movie version. So we rejoined as subscribers, and it felt good to be back. The Cabrillo organization is a great one — doing a helluva lot in the community and for the community — and it is one we are glad to be able to support. They also help a lot of theatre people get started in the industry — I still remember when we saw Katherine McPhee in Annie Get Your Gun.

As I noted, our only exposure to Damn Yankees was a high school production. Luckily it was a good one — the Van Nuys HS production back in 2010. In many ways, no one can top Quest as Applegate. But I did want to see a professional production, and the Cabrillo one was a very good one.

For those unfamilar with this 1955 show (which starred such folks as Gwen Verdon as Lola and Ray Walston as Applegate)… or its late 1990s revival (with Bebe Neuwirth as Lola and either Victor Garber or Jerry Lewis as Applegate), “Damn Yankees” is a sports-oriented retelling of the Faustian legend. It is set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball. The story is set in motion when a long-time baseball fan, real estate agent Joe Boyd, offers to sell his soul to see his team, the Washington Senators, win the pennant away from those damn Yankees. Be careful what you say, for the Devil (in the form of Mr. Applegate) shows up and offers Joe the chance to leave his long-suffering baseball widow Meg and become the long-ball hitter the Senators need. Joe agrees, but insists on an escape clause: he can decide the evening before the last game to get out and return to his wife. Applegate waves his hands, and Joe Boyd disappears and young Joe Hardy replaces him. Joe shows up at the Senators locker room, and convinces the manager to add him to the team. Everyone is won over by this man, except for a young reporter who is suspicious. While she investigates his background, Joe begins longing for his wife. Joe’s visits back to his old home get under the skin of Applegate, who plots what he can do to get Joe away from his wife. He sends a skilled homewrecker, Lola, after him, but she fails to seduce him. Applegate decides to switch tactics to ensure Joe’s failure. He releases false information about Joe Hardy’s true identity being “Shifty McCoy”, an escaped criminal and con artist. When Gloria discovers this information, she presses charges, and Joe is forced into court. As the Senators prepare for the final game against the Yankees for the pennant, Joe goes on trial. Joe tells the Applegate he wants out, and Applegate says he has to confirm this at 5 minutes before midnight. But the trial has various delays, and at the magic mark, just as Joe is proven innocent, the delays prevent him from exercising the clause. Joe heads into the final game, but Lola has drugged Applegate, and he doesn’t show until the very end. In order to have the Senators lose (the plan all along, for then there will be loads of suicides and anguish from the fans), Applegate does the only thing he can do: turns Joe back as he is catching the final run. Joe Hardy disappears, and Joe Boyd returns to his wife. Applegate tries to convince Joe Boyd to go back to being Joe Hardy, but the older Joe prefers the love of his wife. I’ll note there’s a longer synopsis (alas, of the 1994 version) on Wikipedia; the primary difference appears to be the setting of the novelty number, “Whos Got The Pain” and the setting for “Two Lost Souls”. Cabrillo appears to have done the 1955 version, with the “Pain” number as part of the Talent Show, and the “Souls” number done in a nightclub. That must be what they are licensing.

The story, by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop based on Wallop’s novel “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant“, is a little bit creaky in this age of instant sports stats and online research. However, if you transport yourself to the 1950s, you’re fine. The music, by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, also mostly stills shines. The major problem is the number “Who’s Got the Pain?”, which to this day has nothing to do with the plot and makes absolutely no sense — a dance number inserted to accomodate the conventions of the day and not move the plot one iota. I enjoy the dance of “Whatever Lola Wants”, although I find the number itself a bit odd. Hands down, however, I love the number “Those Were The Good Old Days”. But the plot is what the plot is: this is a 1955 classic that made the careers of a number of actors, and it still has wonderful roles that actors yearn to do.

The Cabrillo production was directed by Kirsten Chandler (FB). Chandler did a good job of bringing out good performances given the wide mix of skills in the cast. The choreography by John Todd (FB) was extremely energetic — I particularly recall the dance sequence in “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO” and, of course, “Whatever Lola Wants”. In general all the dance was quite fun to watch.

Leading off on the side of good were John Atkins (FB) as Joe Boyd, Sarah Tattersall (FB) as Meg Boyd, and Travis Leland (FB) as Joe Hardy. Atkins, as the senior Joe, projected the requisite old and creaky, and had a lovely singing voice (used to good effect in “Goodbye Old Girl”. Tattersall brought a youth, vitality, and lovelyness to Meg that I hadn’t seen before, which together with a wonderful singing voice was quite magical. The only problem was that, from the mezzanine, she seemed quite younger than Atkin’s Joe — making the statement that he married her when she was in her 20s a bit odd. She needs to somehow come across as a bit more 50ish, lovely as she is. But, overall, in the scheme of things, that is really a minor problem. Leland (who we saw before in Adding Machine) was a wonderful young Joe — nice voice, nice stage presence, and giving off the aura of the good guy that Joe is. He seemed to fit better with Tattersall’s Meg than did old Joe; this was demonstrated in their lovely ballad “A Man Doesn’t Know”.

Leading off on the side of evil were John Sloman (FB) as Applegate and Renèe Marino (FB) as Lola. Although he could have projected just a touch more malevolence, I enjoyed Sloman’s Applegate. He had slight-of-hand magic down pat, and did a wonderful job on “Good Old Days”, which requires a spectacular song and dance man. Marino’s Lola was a knockout. Spunky, sexy, and playful. She did a wonderful job with her two big numbers in the first act, “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” and “Whatever Lola Wants”, and she was very touching with Leland in the second act’s “Two Lost Souls”. Just fun to watch.

In the second tier of roles, I’d like to highlight Katheryne Penny (FB)’s Gloria Tharpe. Her performance in “Shoeless Joe” was breath-taking — literally, as she must have been out of breath when she was done. Her performance there dancing, singing, and acting made me think of the prior Katherine on the stage (and I hope she has as much success).

Providing mostly comic support as Sister and Doris, respectively, were Farley Cadena (FB) [a Cabrillo regular] and Tara McGrath (FB). Both provided that well, and were fun to watch in their reprise of “Heart”.

The Washington Senators consisted of Ray Mastrovito (FB) (Mr. Welch – Owner); Tom G. McMahon (FB) (Van Buren – Manager); J. Bailey Burcham (FB) (Smokey – Catcher); Timothy Joshua Hearl (FB) (Vernon); Michael Mittman (FB) (Rocky); Tyler Matthew Burk (FB) (Lynch, Sohovik), Ramiro Garcia Jr. (FB) (Micky); Jotapè Lockwood (FB) (Del); Dylan MacDonald (FB) (Ozzie); Rile Reavis (FB) (Henry, Postmaster); Joshua Rivera (FB) (Buster); Brance William Souza (Bouley); Julian Xavier (Bubba). They worked together as a team, and were particularly hilarious to watch during the opening practice prior to “Heart” (and they did a good job on “Heart” as well). The lead members of the team (Van Buren, Rocky, Smokey, Vernon) were particularly good in “Heart” in terms of performance, movement, and voice. Alas, it was during “Heart” that the skin issue mentioned in the beginning occurred. Suffice it to say that I saw some things that might have been better unseen — and the problem was not a performance one, but a directoral or choreographical choice. It didn’t detract from the show, but it stuck in my head.

Rounding out the adult ensemble were Nichole Beeks (FB), Bernadette Bentley (FB), Jenny Hoffman (FB), Janelle Loren, and Alysa Perry (FB). They were very good rounding out the dance in “Six Months Out of Every Year” and in the background of “Two Lost Souls”. The Children’s Ensemble consisted of Addie Chandler, Calista Loter, Micah Meyers, Drew Rosen, and Marcello Silva. They were cute in their performance of the reprise of Heart, and even cuter leading the audience in “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch.

The music was under the direction of Cassie Nickols (FB), who also served as conductor. In addition to Nickols, the orchestra consisted of Gary Rautenberg (FB) [Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Sax]; Darryl Tanikawa (FB) [Clarinet, Alto Sax]; Ian Dahlberg (FB) [Oboe, English-Horn, Tenor Sax, Clarinet]; Matt Germaine/FB [Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Clarinet]; Darrin Smith [Bassoon, Baritone Sax, Clarinet]; Bill Barrett [Trumpet I]; Chris Maurer [Trumpet II]; June Satton (FB) [Trombone I]; Robert Coomber [Trombone II]; Sharon Cooper [Violin I, Concertmaster]; Sally Berman [Violin II]; Marisa McLeod (FB) [Viola]; Stephen Green [Cello]; Ben Gisberg/FB [Keyboard Synthesizer]; Shane Harry/FB [Double String Bass]; and Tyler Smith/FB [Set Drums, Percussion]. Darryl Tanikawa (FB) was the Orchestra Contractor, and Darryl Archibald (FB) was the Music Supervisor.

Turning to the technical side: There was no credit for set design; the program notes that scenery was provided by FCLO Music Theatre (FB). The set was pretty straightforward, with sets that rolled in for the Boyd home and the dugout, and a basic multilevel structure that served as the stadium and other purposes. Prop Design was by Alex Choate (FB). Costume design was by Christine Gibson (FB), with costumes provided by FCLO Music Theatre (FB), The Theatre Company (FB) in Upland, and Costume World Theatrical (FB). The costumes worked pretty well; I particuarly appreciated the choice of uniform number 42 for the one black dancer. About my only costume quibble was that it kept looking like Katheryne Penny’s sweater would burst during the “Shoeless Joe” number. Hair and makeup design was by Cassie Russek (FB); it worked pretty well, although I might have worked a tad more grey into Meg’s hair. Sound design was by CMT regular Jonathan Burke (FB); my only comment here was that the balanced needed to be reworked to either increase the amplification of the actors, or decrease the amplification of the orchestra. Lighting was by Rand Ryan, and exhibited the usual Cabrillo over-dependence on follow-spots (which in this case were occasionally late or off position slightly). Other than the spots, it worked well. A few of the buried credits that deserve highlighting. Ray Mastrovito (FB), who played Mr. Welch, is also credited for Applegate’s Magic Effects — this was one thing I particularly liked about this Applegate, so kudos to him. The preshow and intermission video design was by David Engel, and I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of “Who’s On First“. Rounding out the credits: Gary Mintz was the Technical Director. David Elzer/Demand PR (Public Relations). John W. Calder III (FB) and Chris Warren Murry (FB) were the Production Stage Managers. Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) is under the artistic direction of Lewis Wilkenfeld (FB).

Damn Yankees has one more weekend at Cabrillo. Tickets are available through the Cabrillo web site; discount tickets are available through Goldstar. It’s an enjoyable production.

Upcoming Shows: October was being held for the NoHo Fringe Festival (FB); they’ve finally announced some shows but nothing yet is of interest. Given their delays, I started booking weekends with non-fringe shows. The fourth weekend of October brings “Uncle Vanya” at Antaeus Theatre Company (FB) in North Hollywood. Halloween weekend sees me at CSUN for Urinetown, and then both of us out in Simi Valley for “The Addams Family” at the Simi Cultural Arts Center (Simi Actors Rep Theatre (FB)). The following weekend sees us back in Simi for the Nottingham Festival (FB) on November 7. We then go out to Perris for “A Day Out with Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) on November 11 (I can’t skip seeing my buddy Thomas and his friend Percy). The bookings for November conclude with Deathtrap at REP East (FB) on November 14; the rest of the month is currently open. December brings “El Grande Circus de Coca-Cola” at The Colony Theatre (FB) the first weekend, followed by a mid-week stint as a producer, when we present The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam as the dinner entertainment at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). December also has dates held for “The Bridges of Madison County” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and “If/Then” at the Pantages (FB). There are also a few other interesting productions I’m keeping my eyes open for. The first is the Fall show at The Blank Theatre (FB), “Something Truly Monstrous”, sounds wonderful — however, it runs through November 8, so squeezing it in would mean a double weekend. The show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (FB) also sounds like an interesting exploration of clutter — but “The Object Lesson” only runs through October 4, and I’m not sure we can squeeze it in. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

A Shot Across The Bow

Posted onSunday, October 18, 2015Authorcahwyguy2 Comments

Last night, when I got home from seeing Damn Yankees at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) [writeup this afternoon], I discovered a theatrical shot across the bow in my email. If you recall, back in April and May, there was a lot of press about how the intimate theatre community in Los Angeles was up in arms about the antics of the Actors Equity union, which was attempting to impose a particular wage structure in Los Angeles’s intimate theatre, even after the members in Los Angeles voted that structure down 2 to 1.

Since then, it seemed that AEA had won. They imposed the interim structure, and a number of theatres seemed to be operating within it (at least within the membership company rule). A number of others simply announced they had stopped using AEA actors, limiting themselves to SAG/AFTRA and other non-union actors. It seemed that AEA had divided and conquered. Many were upset at the quiet.

You should be very scared of things that are quiet.

Yesterday, the sleeping giant that is the review committee awoke. From the press release (which you can read in its entirety on the Footlights site, which also has a link to the text of the litigation):

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 17, 2015) — Actors and other members of the Los Angeles theatrical community filed a lawsuit today against Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. The lawsuit challenges the Union’s decision to eliminate its 25-year-old waiver of jurisdiction over small 99-seat theaters, a program popularly known as Equity Waiver. Plaintiffs claim that the Union’s decision to end Equity Waiver will unfairly destroy small theater in Los Angeles and deprive thousands of actors of opportunities to collaborate on creative theatrical projects.

The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles federal court. The plaintiffs are Los Angeles-based members of Equity, together with other theatrical artists and theater operators who had entered into a litigation Settlement Agreement with the Union in 1989 that established a system for regulating future changes to the Equity Waiver program.

The lawsuit alleges that the stage actors’ union violated this Settlement Agreement by improperly interfering with the democratic and due process procedures established in the Agreement to prevent any unilateral Union decision to eliminate the world of intimate theater. The lawsuit complains that Equity’s new rules, including a prohibition on volunteer acting at small theaters and a new wage compensation obligation on these theaters, will force theaters to close, reduce their production runs, or to hire non-union volunteer actors in place of Union actors.

The plaintiffs announced that they would not serve the Complaint on the Union immediately, in the hope that the Union would respond to their request to meet and confer about a mutually acceptable resolution of the small theater controversy.

“Although we have now filed the complaint, we have not yet served it on the Union,” stated Steven Kaplan, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “We have asked the Union to take this opportunity to avoid the time, expense and acrimony of litigation, and sit down with its members to discuss a mutually advantageous resolution.”

Gary Grossman, a member of Equity and one of the plaintiffs in the 1989 litigation, stated that “This lawsuit became necessary because Equity refused to comply with the preliminary procedural protections built into our 1989 Settlement Agreement. These procedural protections were designed to ensure that, before substantial changes were made to the 99-Seat Theater Plan, meaningful discussions would take place within the small theater community.”

Actor Michael A. Shepperd, also a plaintiff, said, “Our members voted to reject the Union’s actions by a 2-1 margin in one of the largest election turnouts in the organization’s history. We are terribly disappointed that our Union rejected the principle of democracy on which it was founded, and foisted on Union members new rules that will harm all actors in the long run.”

Now, I’m just an audience member. I’m not an actor. I’m not a director. I’m not a creative. I’m not a producer (but then again, I am mounting a one-night production of a fringe show for the ACSAC conference, so perhaps I am). I have no skin in this game other than being someone who buys tickets. Why do I care?

It’s simple:

I believe that Los Angeles is a unique theatrical ecosystem. Unlike other cities, actors do not have to depend on the stage to make their living as an actor. Lucrative wages can come from TV and Film. Given this, many (but not all) actors in Los Angeles act because they feel the need to work their craft and exercise their acting muscles on the stage. Remuneration is secondary, and many actors do not feel that it is the paycheck that makes them a professional, it is how they behave.
I believe that compensation for the creatives should be worked out in a mutually agreeable arrangement between the theatre company, producers, creatives, and actors involved. If an actor does not like the arrangement, they always have the ability to say no. Unlike other cities, there are plenty of other actors vying for the role. And, in the LA unique creative-driven marketplace, there are plenty of roles available.
I believe that, in such an environment, Equity’s primary role should be to ensure safe and non-exploitive work conditions, protecting the physical and mental health of the actors. Equity has abdicated that role in its current proposal with respect to membership companies.
I believe that a situation should not exist where some actors are independent contractors or volunteers, and others are employees. That is against the law. That is also what Equity is insisting on in its current “minimum wage” agreement for non-membership companies.

As an audience member, I believe it is in my best interest for the parties to sit down and come to an agreement before more theatres close, and more ancillary support businesses (such as costume and prop shops) go out of business. That hurts the economy of Los Angeles, and means there is less theatre for me to see. Lawsuits are expensive, and it is much better for all parties involved for the money that would have gone into a lawsuit to go towards paying actors and other creatives and keeping theatres afloat, as opposed to lawyers.