Month: April 2016

Election Decisions

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=political-buttonsA post yesterday by a friend picking apart Hilary’s logo made me realize that I need to start thinking about the upcoming June primary in California, at least at the Presidential level.

It probably comes as no surprise that I’m on the Democratic side: I cannot stomach either Trump or Cruz. Kasinich is much more moderate, but (a) will not get the nomination without splitting the GOP, and thus dooming the GOP, (b) still has positions — such as his abortion stance and his opposition to the Affordable Care Act — that I cannot stomach.  The Republicans are pretty much screwed at the Presidental level: the moderates hate Trump and view Cruz, at best, as a toilet plunger — something you use to get the turd out of the way.  If Trump is denied the nomination, the party will split; if Trump wins the nomination, the party is doomed.

So it really comes down to Sanders vs. Clinton, and the most important thing is that *either* of them get elected. Each has their faults, but either of them is better than the GOP alternatives. But how to decide? I have some irrational fears that I have to sort through: I’m worried about Sanders being Jewish, and his election creating antisemitism, about Sander’s past involvement with socialism, and about Sander’s age. On the Clinton side, I’m worried that she brings far too much baggage that the GOP hates, making compromise difficult. I worry that her positions are perhaps too politically calculated, and perhaps don’t go far enough for my liberalism. I worry about her ties to the 1%, although (again) it is much better than any Republican. These are not necessarily rational worries. So let’s set them aside for now.

I looked at some comparison sites, and the two have very similar view.

Inside-Gov Comparison. Looking at Inside-Gov’s comparison, I note that Sanders has a definite lack of foreign policy experience, but has significantly more legislative experience. Foreign policy experiences is increasingly important, but foreign policy positions are equally significant. Legislative experience could indicate an ability to work with Congress as opposed to butting head with Congress. Then again, they need to be able to propose ideas that will actually get through Congress. This is where Hilary is stronger: her ideas, being more moderate, are likely to get more cross party support (if that can be done at all these days). That’s harder with some of Bernie’s more radical proposals.

Sanders does not have a legal background, and only has a BS. Clinton is clearly smart and has the legal background, with both a BS and a JD degree.

Most of their scores are similar except in the area of defense. Defense is of interest to me. I think most people think defense spending is just building bombs and funding troops, but it really is a massive jobs program. The funds go to defense contracts, who put people to work with well paying jobs. Much of the middle class comes from these workers. Me included. I support an FFRDC that supports the USAF on the acquisition of space systems and space cybersecurity. I’m personally concerned on how the candidate wants to work in space and expand our cybersecurity protections.  Here, all I can see is that Clinton is more conservative.

Mother Jones. The Mother Jones comparison (written before primaries started) highlights something interesting:

The contrasts between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are largely differences of degree. He’s a self-proclaimed socialist; she fashions herself a “progressive that likes to get things done.” He hopes to bust up the biggest banks and offer free tuition at public colleges and universities; she wants to tamp down on risky Wall Street behavior and require students to work part-time in order to attend college without building up debt.

But these discrepancies would likely disappear if either Democratic candidate wins the presidency and attempts to push these bills through a Republican Congress that considers all of the proposals too far left for its liking.

The real difference between Sanders and Clinton might come down less to the what of their policies than to the how of implementing them. When Sanders unveils a new policy as part of his presidential campaign, he tends to pair it with legislation he introduces in the Senate. Judging from his campaign, a President Sanders would spend much of his time trying to convince Congress to pass massive legislative overhauls.

Clinton, on the other hand, often pairs ideas for legislation with promises of executive action in her policy fact sheets. When she rolls out a new policy proposal, the most details are usually in descriptions of the unilateral actions she would take through the power of the executive branch.

This could directly translate into how effective they end up being if the Democrats don’t regain Congress.

Continued Comparisons. I continued to read the comparison sites, but often they are partisan, cherry picking the issues. Some Sanders supporters have a visceral reaction to Clinton, just not trusting her. But in general, I see their proposals as pretty similar.

Drawing a Conclusion. At this point, I can’t really decide between the two. I think, in terms of governing ability, that Clinton will be stronger. She’ll have more moderate ideas, and be able to work better on getting them through Congress. She’ll have more experience with foreign policy and diplomacy. Sanders may have better ideas than Clinton in a number of areas, but having better ideas doesn’t necessarily get them through Congress and enacted (despite what your followers want). I’m unsure if he would end up being more effective. He has some naive assumptions in the foreign policy area — much as he believes one can talk through any problem, that doesn’t work in all cultures.

I think, alas, this campaign is going to boil down not to the question of who is the best candidate, but who is good enough. I think aiming for the best in terms of policy may have the result of hurting the electibility or the likelihood of getting that policy implemented. Good enough means electing someone with known imperfections, but someone with policy that are more likely to move us incrementally in the right direction, and that can get through Congress.

I truly would like to say Hilary can do that … and she could … if only she wasn’t a Clinton. The hatred on the many sides of that family could doom her ability to govern. That’s why I supported Obama in 2008 — because I felt we needed to break the cycle of Clinton and Bush. Would we be starting that up again with Hilary and the Hilary haters.

And so I keep oscillating between the two, like one of those perpetual clacking ball toys.

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Jewish Reponsibilities to the Community

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userpic=tallitYesterday, there was a very interesting article in the LA Times concerning the need for a park in Koreatown. Quoting from the beginning of that article:

The people of Koreatown were on the brink of getting something urban planners and psychologists said Los Angeles’ most densely packed neighborhood desperately needed: A public outdoor space for respite in a booming urban corridor increasingly smothered in concrete and glass.

Now, five years later, a 346-unit luxury apartment building dubbed the Pearl on Wilshire is taking root where Koreatown Central Park was slated to go. It will have a dog wash, yoga room, putting green and spa, but not so much as a park bench for public use.

And as heavy equipment roars and beeps at the once-vacant lot at Wilshire and Hobart boulevards, people familiar with the abandoned project are left to wonder: Who’s to blame for letting a park die in this neighborhood where residents have about one-hundredth of the park space as the average Angeleno citywide?

Most people read this and moved on. Me? My eyes stopped on the phrase “the once-vacant lot at Wilshire and Hobart boulevards”. I grew up at Wilshire Blvd Temple (WBT). WBT is located on Wilshire Blvd, between Hobart and Harvard. Next to it to the east is a major catholic church. Wilshire, in fact, now owns all the land betwen Hobart and Harvard, between Wilshire and Sixth, and operates an outreach and support center for the community on the Sixth Street end.

Here’s my question: What is the Jewish obligation in this issue? Should WBT (and its neighbor, St. Basil’s) be speaking up for the park. Should they have been lobbying for the park. Going back to when I attended Wilshire in the 1970s and 1980s, that land was vacant. Should Wilshire have tried to purchase it for the community? How does one balance the responsibility to your community of faith with the responsibility to the community at large?

I’m not sure I know the answer, and I’m not sure they could have made a difference. But I thought the question was an interesting one.

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The Sharks Are In Vegas, Baby

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=las-vegasThe sharks are in Vegas, and they’re looking for chum. News chum, that is. Let’s give them some:

  • Riviera Sign Down. One fascinating this article had to do with the Riveria sign — specifically, the one that was on the big glass wraparound at the southern end of the resort on the strip. The sign was taken down this week to go to a collector in Reno, who plans to restore and make the sign operational. But that wasn’t what I found fascinating. Rather, there was a very interesting comment in the VitalVegas blog about the sign: “Don’t know if anyone noticed, but the Riviera sign here actually was superimposed over the existing outline of the previous Splash sign that was on the side of this building when the show was shut down.” The image to the right should show this:rivsign
  • Doubling Down, Literally. Speaking of the Riviera, the funding has been approved to take the old dame down. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved paying $42 million to the contractor that will bring the Riviera buildings down in June and August. Officials say separate implosions are necessary because of the large size the Riviera, which closed last May after the authority purchased it to expand its convention space. Before the implosions of the Riviera’s Monte Carlo and Monaco hotel towers, crews are expected to tear down other buildings, such as parking garages and the property’s convention center, although it’s not clear when that will happen. Once all of the Riviera buildings have come down and the site is cleaned up, the authority plans for the land to become outdoor exhibit space. That needs to be done by early 2017 so a major trade show can use the land. Outdoor exhibit space. What a waste, and what bad news for the north end of the strip.
  • Lagoon on the Strip. Just a bit south of the Riviera, news comes out regarding the old Desert Inn property, now the Wynn and the Encore. This property had a large golf course just off strip — one of its prides. That’s partially going away. Steve Wynn has proposed expanding on to the golf course,with a 1,000-room expansion centered around a 38-acre lagoon that would host water skiing, paddle boarding and parasailing by day and fireworks displays at night. The project, tentatively called Wynn Paradise Park, would cost about $1.5 billion to build and open in 2020 if work begins later this year as planned. Now, what is interesting about this proposal is that it will save water over the golf course. You read that right: The proposed 38-acre lagoon project would actually use less water than the 18-hole golf course that currently sits east of the Strip resort. Uri Man, CEO of Crystal Lagoons US Corp. of Coral Gables, Florida, said that a 7- to 10-acre lagoon would use 30 times less water than a typical golf course and 50 percent less water than a park of the same size. Further, this water isn’t coming from Lake Mead. For Wynn Paradise Park, the company owns the water rights under the golf course, grandfathered in from the Desert Inn Golf Course that once stood on the property, and would use water from wells on the property.
  • A Rebirth to the West. I’ll believe this one when I see it: Yet another developer is promising to give the Moulin Rouge a rebirth. For those unfamiliar, the MR was a casino on the west side of Vegas that was best known for driving the other casinos in Vegas to integrate. Opened on May 24, 1955, the Moulin Rouge was the first racially integrated hotel-casino in Las Vegas. It drew customers but, apparently, not enough money to satisfy its creditors. Closed after an October 1955 bankruptcy, the casino opened sporadically under different owners over the next few years, and was best known for being the site where the March 1960 agreement to desegregate the city’s casinos was announced. It operated in a diminished capacity for years, ultimately becoming a short-term residential motel. A series of fires destroyed anything salvageable of the original structure, leading to a more or less empty space—and a blank slate. There have been numerous attempts to revive it over the 50 years of decline. Now, a new investor group wants to resurrect the casino and hotel, provide a resource center and museum to both help and preserve the history of the surrounding Westside neighborhood. In addition, a planned nonprofit, Moulin Rouge Cares, will reach out to the Westside. Groundbreaking is set for May 24, but experience says that the Fountainbleu will be completed before we see a new Moulin Rouge.

 

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Going In Blind 👫 Stella’s Last J-Date @ Whitefire

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Stella's Last J-Date (Whitefire)userpic=theatre_ticketsSelecting theatre is a lot like going on a blind date. You peruse a list of shows, swiping left, swiping right, until something piques your interest. But before you commit to seeing it, you do a bit of research. You read the press release. You read reviews of the show. You look at the Lemonmeter. This is very similar to the online dating scene: you review profiles and you mark some for future investigation. You read their background. You look at their ratings (perhaps from others that went out with them). For both shows and dates, in the end, you pick one that you hope is compatible with your taste.  However, that selection doesn’t always work out, for your tastes may not agree with others. Everyone else can like the person or show, and it might have off tastes or characteristics for you. That doesn’t make it bad; that just makes it something that you might not like. Further, people and shows can be like cilantro: over time and with enough exposure, you can grow to love them.

Last night, we saw Stella’s Last J-Date at the Whitefire Theatre (FB) in Sherman Oaks. The show looked like it would be a winner: the press-release writeup sounded interesting, there were some great performers in the show, and it was universally loved over on Bitter Lemons. And, for the most part, we enjoyed it. For the most part, as there was some small percentage that hit wrong, that left us a little confused. That’s happened before: I remember one show at ZJU that everyone was hysterical over while we were just… whelmed (neither over nor under). That also happened with the recent Bach at Leipzig over at Group Rep — everyone else loved it, but something was off for us (although not quite as bitter as B-L made us out to be).

Stella’s Last J-Date is simply that: we’re the fly-on-the-wall watching Stella, a neurotic Jewish female dog trainer of unspecified middle age (I’d guess in her 40s) out on a date arranged by J-Date. Her date of the evening is Isaac, a 50-60s fellow who is a 5th grade teacher. The entire evening consists of their determining whether they are compatible, exposing their particular neuroses and quirks, coming together and blowing apart, and so forth. We learn secrets about each. We learn the color of their baggage. They slap. They hit. They make fun of their problems. Periodically, the evening is punctured with the appearance of Don, a black pimp-like character who seems to beat up Isaac to give up trying to like Stella. Don seems to know secrets about both Isaac and Stella, and appears to be warning Isaac to run… run…. run…. and don’t look back.

Let’s get the most important part out first: This is a funny show. Even as the underlying story left us a little confused (more on that in a moment), there were some wonderful jokes that had us really laughing along the way. I can’t remember most of them, but I do remember one about how Jewish women don’t care how much something costs, but how much they saved. There were great comedic performances, verbal and non-verbal. So where was the problem?

Thinking about the show afterwards, I can see three areas that may have made things difficult for us, and that might not have bothered others:

  • Stereotypes. The show was built around a number of stereotypes of characters. The neurotic Jewish woman that can’t hold on to a man, that loves to shop, that obsesses over everything, that has been through the drug mill. The nebbish Jewish man who is a milquetoast. The African-American pimpish character. Stereotypes are wonderful to convey information without exposition, but in today’s society they are increasingly uncomfortable. In the wrong eyes, they can be slightly-insulting or off-putting. They often become a comedy crutch, something to lean on when it is difficult to create the character of depth from their experience. Stereotypes are very popular on sitcoms, and there is a reason why. Some Jews embrace our stereotypes. Some don’t. (and if you don’t believe me, ask any one that truly understands Yiddish culture and the Yiddish language what they think of the stereotype of Yiddish as a language with funny sounding insulting words).
  • Character Arc. From attending a lot of theatre, I’ve learned that one thing you look for is a character arc. Characters in a story (at least the main ones) typically start at point A, face some sort of trial or situation, and end up at point B having learned something about themselves or changed something about their character. Where is the character arc here? It clearly isn’t Don’s– he’s just a catalyst. Do Stella or Isaac really change from the beginning to the end? They’ve faced their problems, but has it affected them in any way, changed anything about their characters? In the end, I don’t think so. They’ve found each other. But have they changed who they are? I don’t think so, or at least we don’t know for sure. Without that change, this is just a bunch of very funny jokes in a particular context.
  • Confusion. Specifically, who or what was Don? The character was clearly not someone from J-Date (then again, he could be blewish). Was he part of Isaac’s subconscious? Stella’s subconscious? Both? Neither? Stella’s protector? All I could conclude is that he was an unexplained weenie with the purpose of exposing and exploiting subconscious aspects of Isaac’s and Stella’s past. That left me confused.

So, with respect to the story by Andy Rooster Bloch (FB), is this good or bad? I think it is clearly funny. Very funny. Laugh out loud funny. But, at least for me, funny isn’t enough. I want that funny to come from someplace deeper, and not just be one-liners tossed off to hide the pain. There’s a something more that is needed here to move this from sitcom to story. It’s good as it is, but is good enough? I’m not sure. I guess I would characterize it as the difference between Gilligan’s Island and Cheers: Does the character of Gilligan change from the beginning of the series to the end? Does the character of Sam change from the beginning to the end? Which has endearling long-lasting watchability? However, as I said, theatre is like dating, and I may be looking for different things in my theatrical matches than others are. This could be your perfect date.

Cast of Stella's Last J-DateOne thing that is not a problem is the performances. The cast, under the direction of Bryan Rasmussen (FB), is very strong. I was particularly impressed by Barry Livingston (FB)’s performance as Isaac. Of course, I remember Barry from My Three Sons (and I have an even vaguer recollection about him being a kid in Westchester, near the airport, and possibly in the same Cub Scout troup back in the 1960s). Barry was spectacular — especially for what he didn’t say. The opening scene, which is essentially non-verbal reaction and movement from Barry, was priceless. He has the ability to convey wonderous information with his body and face. This continued throughout the show, and I think his performance was one of, if not the main, highlights of the show. His performance wasn’t comic slapstick — it was a mixture of pathos, Buster Keaton, and exasperated bemusement. If you go see this, watch him and I think you’ll be as impressed as I was.

Amy Smallman-Winston (FB) played the neurotic Stella. She captured the neuroses and craziness of the character well — she was certainly someone that I wouldn’t want to be involved with. She was clearly able to handle the physical comedy well, but didn’t have the same level of character study moments to exploit. Somehow, given the ending, she needed something a little bit more to hint at it. She did have the most comic lines in the show and tossed them off with perfection.

Lastly, there was Elvis Nolasco (FB)’s Don. His character was an enigma: it is hard to know if he was portraying it well without knowing what it was supposed to be. I can, however, safely say that he was fun to watch, and his interactions with Barry’s Isaac were quite good.

Bryan Rasmussen (FB) also did the scenic design, and it was relatively simple: tables and chairs to create the impression of a bar, with projections by David Svengalis (FB) to place it in New York. The simple set worked well, especially considering that the one stage at the Whitefire is having to serve at least three different shows each week (so complicated set treatments weren’t possible). The lighting of Derrick McDaniel (FB) served to enhance and create the mood. David Svengalis (FB) was also responsible for the sound and video design; my only comment here was that the opening sounds of the bar were just a little too loud. I don’t have that much to say about the costume design of Morgan DeGroff (FB) [assisted by Laura Tiefer (FB)] other than they appeared reasonable (although Don’s outfit might have been the source of confusion about his character). Remaining production credits: Nancy Santiago/FB [Assistant Director]; Mike Mahaffey (FB) [Fight Choreographer]; Ricki Maslar, CSA (FB) [Casting Director], Nora Feldman (FB) [Public Relations], David Svengalis (FB) [Technical Director]; Neda Ganjeh-Tabe/FB [House Manager]; and Scott Disharoon (FB) [Producer]. Stella’s Last J-Date appears to be a production of the Whitefire Theatre (FB) [I say appears to be, because with three productions going on, I’m not sure which are productions of the home company, and which are rentals from outside producers. The involvement of Whitefire’s Artistic Director, Bryan Rasmussen (FB), makes me believe this is a Whitefire show.]

Stella’s Last J-Date continues on Thursdays at the Whitefire Theatre (FB), with an extended run through May 26, 2016. Tickets are available through Brownpaper Tickets, as well as through Goldstar.

* 🎭 🎭 🎭 *

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 currently subscribe at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) and the  Hollywood Pantages (FB); my subscription at  The Colony Theatre (FB) has gone dormant, and REP East (FB) has seemingly gone dark for 2016. 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 weekend is our annual visit to the Renaissance Faire (Southern). Next weekend is Pesach, but we are squeezing in a show on Sunday when we go see Anton in Show Business at Hollywood’s Hudson Mainstage Theatre (FB). The last weekend of April will be the Four Clowns (FB) production of Lunatics and Actors at the LA Shakespeare Center on April 30. May starts with Endgame at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (FB). We then run off to the Bay Area for our daughter’s graduation from Berkeley. While there, we are seeing the Landmark Musical Theatre (FB)’s West Coast Regional Premiere of The Boy from Oz (but pay no attention to that production behind the curtain at the Celebration Theatre (FB) — if they start the same day, they are simultaneous premieres and both have equal bragging rights). We may also be seeing The Last 5 Years at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.) (FB).  May 21 has a HOLD for Los Angeles: Then and Now, a new musical at LA City College (FB) from Bruce Kimmel. The last weekend of May has HOLDs for the MoTAS Outing to the Jethawks, and for I Only Have Eyes for You at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (FB). As for June? It’s the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), and I’ve started to hold dates for the following shows: Alien vs. Musical ✨ All Aboard the Marriage Hearse ✨ All The Best Killers are Librarians ✨ Code 197 DWB (Driving While Blewish) ✨ Qaddafi’s Cook — Living in Hell, Cooking for the Devil ✨ Squeeze My Cans ✨Tell Me On A Sunday  ✨ Toxic Avenger: The Musical  ✨  Vintage Box ✨ Einstein ✨Titus Andronicus Jr. ✨The Old Woman ✨Sweet Love Adieu ✨ My Big Fat Blond Musical✨Doctor in the House ✨ Hamlet (Las Vegas Style) ✨. But that’s just a small percentage; there are over 240 shows listed now.  We thought about Love The Body Positive, but then again… no. Can’t be scaring people.  July brings us back to conventional theatre, with for Beautiful at the  Hollywood Pantages (FB) and the Western Corps Connection (FB) the first weekend, a HOLD for Grey Gardens at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) the second weekend, The Little Mermaid at  Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)  the third weekend, a HOLD for Weird Al Yankovic at the Hollywood Bowl (FB) and Operaworks (FB) Opera Re-Constructed at CSUN the fourth weekend, a mid-week Hollywood Bowl (FB) concert of Wynford Marsalles and Aaron Copland, and a HOLD for Armadillo Necktie at The Group Rep (FB) the last weekend.  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 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves.

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Making a Change – The Show Selection Process

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=theatre2If you’ve been reading my theatre posts for the last few weeks, you’ve seen the following line: “The fourth weekend in April is Pesach, but the Indie Chi Productions dark comedy Dinner at Home Between Deaths at the Odyssey Theatre (FB) sounded so interesting I’ve booked Sunday tickets.”

It did sound interesting. I made the selection based on a press release before it opened. As it has been running, however, I’ve been seeing its rating over on Bitter Lemons:  It is currently at the end of the ratings, with a score of 48% bitter. Quotes from the reviews include “a bit undercooked; with lighting cues missed, the stumbling over lines, and an integral plot incident causing unintentional laughter.”, “a sitcom whose humor is eccentric and contrived rather than savage and true”, “falls frustratingly short of both suspense and laughs, teeter-tottering between naturalism and farce. Stuart Ross’ direction so misunderstands the nature of the immature text that the actors are left “dead in the water.””, and “And then there are the plays that are really bad. Poorly conceived, badly written, terribly miscast, and excruciatingly directed. Such a play is “Dinner at Home Between Deaths”, now having its world premiere as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles. There is one good thing about this play, though: it’s only 90 minutes long” (although I must note some reviewers liked it).

One advantage of being a professional audience, as opposed to a professional critic, is that I pick the shows I see. Further, since I pay for shows, I can decide where to spend my money (note: even when I coordinate with a publicist, I pay at least Goldstar prices for my tickets). Further, when I book through Goldstar, I have the Red Velvet advantage: I can cancel a ticket. When I get a heads up about a potential train wreck, I’d rather go see something with a better chance of success. But what to see? My basic constraint was that it had to be Sunday, as Saturday is the first day of Pesach, and if we were going to a second seder, it would be Saturday night. That cut out some of the top rated shows on Bitter Lemons: “Waiting for Johnny Depp“, “Baby Oh Baby“. Others, such as “Cloud 9” weren’t on Goldstar, or (in the case of “You Never Can Tell“) were, but were too expensive.  I looked through the shows that had tickets for Sunday, and tentatively decided on “Anton in Show Business“, which was on Goldstar and had the following description:

When you’re a well-known TV star looking to increase your theatrical street cred, what do you do? Sign on to play a role in a small Texas repertory theater’s production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Go behind the scenes with three actresses — a jaded stage veteran, an eager Southern belle and Holly, the wildly popular TV star — in Anton in Show Business. Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Jane Martin won the American Theater Critics Association New Play Award for this raucous comedy. Now Nell Teare directs this all-female cast of Anton in Show Business at Hollywood’s Hudson Mainstage Theatre.

I had seen the press release on the show and it was of interest, but I couldn’t work it into the schedule.

Now, the other day, my wife had met a writer and an actress while having lunch somewhere, and they had mentioned they had a musical opening at the Met Theatre in Hollywood (which is the new home of Rogue Machine, having previously been home to DOMA, but this was neither a RMT or DOMA show). We googled the writer and the actress, but there was no mention of the show. My wife emailed him, and found out the show was “Psychosexual – A New Musical“, which had tickets on Brown Paper Tickets.  The description of the show was:

Marriage Counselors and Best-Selling Authors, Doctors Brad & Sarah Morton, are on the verge of getting their own big-time Television Show, produced by celebrated Media Mogul and Talk Show Host, Omeika Carter. Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to Omeika) Brad and Sarah’s own relationship is on the rocks.  Seeking solace, Brad has started to frequent Floyd’s Fabulous Fantasy Club, where exotic dancer, Leah Lane, has caught his attention.   With Club Owner Floyd Ryder seeking to take advantage of every situation, and fellow dancer, the sensual Kayla Sizzle, also looking for love, “PSCHOSEXUAL: A LOVE STORY” will both make you laugh and warm your heart.

Potentially interesting, but something was raising red flags. This show was opening in two days. There had been no press release. It wasn’t on Goldstar. It wasn’t on LA Stage Tix. It wasn’t on Plays411.net. It wasn’t on Footlights. The actress playing the lead wasn’t promoting it. It wasn’t being publicized anywhere that normal shows are being publicized. That was odd. That says “vanity production”. Sensing something, I investigated the writer more. He has written mostly for the animated TV screen (think “Cartoon Network”), and has had one other musical, “Campaign”, done with the same composer at this show.  I found a review of that show at the LA Times:

Mounting a full-blown original musical takes plenty of guts. In that regard, the creators of “Campaign,” a world premiere at the MET, deserve kudos for sheer ambition.  They also deserve a few discreetly hurled brickbats for the general clunkiness of their production, which fails to coalesce into a cohesive professional effort. A chief obstacle is the uninspired book by Samuel Warren Joseph, who also wrote the music and lyrics with Jon Detherage, the show’s musical director. […] But despite a few laughs along the way, the show seems stale, with retro musical numbers that sound like they’re being channeled from the 1950s.

Reading this, I was unsure whether I wanted to move from a known train wreck to an unknown train wreck. Better to see how the reviews for this show shake out before seeing it. On the other hand, although the production of Anton only has one review so far (it just opened), that review was extremely positive, the playwright won an award from the show, and past productions of the show have gotten very positive reviews — so at least there is a good chance of a decent book. The show is also publicized in the usual places.

Guess which show I’m switching to? Now you see the thought process that goes into selecting a show. Remember: This is the era of the Internet. People will research.

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The Spark of Creation 🌠 “Children of Eden” at Cabrillo

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Children of Eden (Cabrillo Music Theatre)Cabrillo UserpicFor a change, I’m going to start a writeup with a BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): If there was ever a reason that Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) needed to survive, it is productions such as this. We have been attending Cabrillo since Anything Goes back in the Fall of 2000, and I believe that this is one of the best, if not the best, production that they have done. I believe that this production could transfer to the Pantages, Ahmanson, or even a Broadway stage and the audience would be equally blown away. The performance, technical, dance, creative, and musical teams come together perfectly to make a creation that is an Eden. If you do nothing else, get tickets for one of the remaining performances. You will fall in love with this musical, its message, and this production.

OK. Enough gushing. You’ve probably figured out that we liked this show.

One of the things that I liked about this particular Cabrillo season was that it was all shows that I have seen with a professional company: they’ve been films, schools, and churches. My exposure to Children of Eden, other than the music, was a Church production back in 2013. This version of Children of Eden was head and shoulders above that version, and that version was very strong for what it was. I’ll note that this is one of those rare musicals that has never seen a life on Broadway: it went straight out to the regional circuit, where it has done extremely well. Steven Schwartz (FB), the composer (who most know from Wicked these days), has indicated that this is his personal favorite musical. There’s a reason, which become apparent as you see it multiple times. If “Feed The Birds” was the heart of Mary Poppins, I think the heart of this show is the Act II song “The Hardest Part of Love”:

And it’s only in Eden
Grows a rose without a thorn
And your children start to leave you
on the day that they are born
They will leave you there to cheer for them
They will leave you there to mourn
Ever so

Like an ark on uncharted seas
Their lives will be tossed
And the deeper is your love for them
The crueler is the cost.
And just when they start to find themselves
Is when you fear they’re lost

But you cannot close the acorn
One the oak begins to grow
And you cannot close your heart
To what it fears and needs to know
That the hardest part of love…
That the rarest part of love…
That the truest part of love…
Is letting go.

Note: On his website, Stephen Schwartz has a wonderful document on the show, its origins, its themes, and its impact on people. Well worth reading. He notes that he particularly likes “Stranger to the Rain”:

I don’t curse what I can’t change
I just play the hand I’m dealt
And when they lighten up the rations
I tighten up my belt
I won’t say I’ve never felt the pain
But I am not a stranger to the rain.

The story of Children of Eden (book by John Caird (FB), based on a concept by Charles Lisanby, with music and lyrics by Schwartz (FB))  is the story of letting go, and the story of learning to let go. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve, from their creation to their death, their interaction with their Father, and in turn, their interaction with their children (who exhibit remarkably similar traits to their parents). It deals with parents being disappointed with their children; it explores children and boundaries (which brings to mind The Fantastiks line about getting children to do something by just telling them “no”). It demonstrates that parents are only human as well, and the hard choices we are sometimes forced to make when we have knowledge — especially when we must decide between two things that we love. The second act brings the other end of that lineage:  it explores the story of Noah, focusing on the reason for the flood, and again focuses on the power of choice, of making a decision.

As this was my second time seeing the show, I’ll note that I got much more out of Cabrillo’s production. I found myself recognizing depths and aspects of this story I hadn’t seen in the Church production, and insights and story aspects that made we want to explore more of the midrashim in this area. I think it demonstrated why the point of these stories in the Book of Genesis is much more than a creation story: it is a parable of parents and children, of raising the question of proper choice that surfaces again in Deuteronomy. It shows that — independent of the religious trappings — the stories in Genesis have wonderful lessons to teach us about life and handling life’s situations.

If theatre and performance can make you reflect and think like that… that’s the power of theatre and of live performance. And, as I said upfront, it is why performance and production teams the size and scale of Cabrillo are vital for a community’s spiritual and emotive health. This is a large production: in addition to the leads and main players, there were 12 Storytellers, 5 adult Ensemble members, and 20 children’s Ensemble members. Broadway can’t afford that. Regional productions can, especially when mixing local and Equity talent. But regional spaces that can handle that size of a show are rare; this is especially true when attempting to find such spaces that aren’t already booked with the “From Broadway” tours. Again: a reason why Cabrillo is vital to the artistic health of Ventura and northwestern Los Angeles county.

Lewis Wilkenfeld (FB), who directed this production, brought some interesting touches. I particularly noted the unspoken framing devices: The story starts with Father (God) in street clothes reading the story to his children in bed; it ends with the cast not in their biblical garb, but again in street clothes as they sing:

We cannot know what will occur
Just make our journey worth the taking
And pray we’re wiser than we were
In the beginning
It’s the beginning
Now we begin…

This simple directorial decision changes the impact of the story from something in the past to a challenge to us today.

[It also, as I re-read the words, has an interesting echo for Cabrillo Music Theatre itself (for which Lewis Wilkenfeld (FB) also serves as Artistic Director): They want to make the journey worth the taking, hopefully being wiser than before the flood. It’s the beginning of a new Cabrillo. But I digress…]

There are some other directorial decisions that I thought were the little touches that gave this performance something extra. Lewis obviously worked with the children on this show, keeping that childish joy there (seen when they are portraying animals). He was the one with the broad view that brought the overall image the magic that it needs. He also, I’m guessing, was responsible for some of the little things, like how Father would watch the characters go on and off stage during Act II, just like a caring watchful parent. Observing all. Saying little.

This is one of those shows where everything came together: the dance, the lighting, the visuals, the movement, the performances, the costumes. That overall vision — especially on the stage — comes from the director. Kudos to Lewis for this vision.

Normally, I might hunt down some publicity pictures for you to look at while I discuss the cast. I found some on Broadway World, but it is unclear if they are BWW’s or the show’s. To play it safe, I’ll just provide you the link to see them.

The leads in the show were played by three Equity actors whom we have all seen at Cabrillo before (as well as in other regional productions): Norman Large (FB) as Father, Misty Cotton (FB) as Eve/Mama Noah, and Kevin McMahon (FB) as Adam/Noah. All were spectacular. Let’s take them one by one:

Large’s Father was just what you would want a father to be: caring, loving, and concerned for the future of his family. You could see the exasperation of a father when he was dealing with a childish Adam and Eve. You could see his anger and disappointment when his children disobeyed his orders, and especially when they brought harm to others he loved. Large captured well the emotions every father knows well. He sang beautifully in all his numbers, but especially memorable was his opening number and his duet with Noah in “The Hardest Part of Love”. What I’ll remember, however, is something little he did: In Act II, as characters walked off -stage, he turned and watched them. This is the omnipresent concern of a father, keeping an eye on your children wherever they may be.

Cotton had the matriarchal roles in both acts: Eve and Mama Noah. We’ve seen Cotton many times, most recently in her wonderful performance as the mother in Carrie: The Musical. In this show, what I remember most about her was her childish enthusiasm and curiosity, which she captured so well in the first act in number such as “The Naming” and “Grateful Children”, as well as her interaction with the snake in one of my favorite songs, “In Pursuit of Excellence”. Where she brought the house down, however, was her gospel-y, rock-ish performance of “Ain’t It Good”, the penultimate number of the show. Just an astounding performance.

Lastly, McMahon’s Adam/Noah was a wonderful counterpoint to Cotton’s Eve. He, too, had the childish nature that came across in Act I, but with a much more obedient streak, which made his portrayal of making the decision between his wife and his father a more painful one.  His standout performance, however, in my eyes, was in “The Hardest Part of Love”, where he captured the true emotion of what it means to be a father.

Next we have the children of Adam/Noah: Ryan J. Driscoll (FB) (Cain/Japeth), Barnaby James (FB) (Abel/Ham), and Paul DiLoreto (FB) (Seth/Shem).  Driscoll gave a strong performance both as Cain and Japeth. In the first act he did a wonderful job on “Lost in the Wilderness” as well as the emotion and passion of his battle with Abel. In the second act, he had some wonderful interactions with Yoneh and had a wonderful duet in “In Whatever Time We Have”. James’ Abel was also strong, especially in his interactions with Cain and Adam, and in “A Ring of Stones”. James and DiLoreto’s roles were less visible in the second act; I’ll note that all three were enjoyable in “A Piece of Eight” and in the concluding number “In The Beginning”.

The roles for the brother’s wives come into play only in the second act; I have the feeling they were part of the larger ensemble during the first act. Of the wives, the standout is Natalia Vivino (FB)’s performance of Yoneh, a character created by Schwartz to create the second act conflict. Vivino first blew us away when we saw here in ARTS’s Addams Family; she did it again last night. She was just spectacular in the touching numbers “Stranger to the Rain” and “Sailor of the Sky”, and in her duet with Driscoll in “In Whatever Time We Have”. There have been performers we’ve seen go big after their days at Cabrillo (yes, we remember Katherine McPhee in Annie Get Your Gun). I hope that happens for Ms. Vivino — she has a unique look and a wonderful talent, and I think she will go far (for whatever the opinion of this cybersecurity specialist means). Rounding out the brother’s wives were Elizabeth Adabale (FB) as Aysha and Kayla Bailey (FB) as Aphra.

Children of Eden uses the storytelling device of a chorus (in the Greek Chorus sense). This group provides commentary on the action and fills in portions of the story as needed. As such, it is difficult to separate the voices and the actions, although I do recall that the lead storytellers were very strong. The storytelling chorus consisted of Kenneth Mosley (FB) (Lead), Katie Porter (FB) (Lead), Francesca Barletta (FB), Jenny Hoffman (FB), Janelle Loren (FB), Zy’heem Naheo/FB, Rile Reavis (FB), Christopher Reilly/FB, Pablo Rossil (FB),  Rodrigo Varandas (FB), Terri Woodall (FB), and Kendyl Yokoyama (FB). I will note that I particularly enjoyed those members of the chorus that comprised the Snake for “In Pursuit of Excellence”; the Storytellers were also very strong on “Generations”.

Rounding out the players on stage were the adult ensemble and the children’s ensemble. The adult ensemble consisted of Judi Domroy (FB), Nicholas Ferguson, John Gaston (FB), Heidi Goodspeed (FB), and Susan Robb/FB. The childrens’ ensemble consisted of Carolina De los Rios, Audrey Devina-Goldberg/FB, Natalie Esposito/FB, Mia Gabbey/FB, Gannon Hays/FB, Samantha Hirschhorn/FB, Julia Rose Kreinces (FB), Kyle Lobenhofer/FB, Calista Loter (FB), Nathaniel Mark/FB (Young Cain), Brielle Napue/FB, Zoë Reed/FB, Marcello Silva/FB (Young Abel), Ashley Kiele Thomas (FB), Taylor Lynda Thomas (FB), Lilly Thompson/FB, Hattie Ugoretz/FB, Jessica Wallace (FB), Emerson West/FB, and Megan Zide/FB. Whew. That’s a lot of links. The ensemble is what made this show special in many ways, particularly the kids’ ensemble. They were particularly notable during the animal scenes (especially in Act II, where they just melted your heart as they stayed in character as they moved offstage). There was also one adorable little girl, brown hair, relatively young, who was just radiating so much joy as she danced in one of the second act numbers. Cabrillo always has outstanding ensembles, but this group (particularly the little ones) outdid themselves with what they added to this show.

Unseen, but heard, was the off-stage pit choir consisting of students from Thousand Oaks High School, Chaminade College Prep High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, Moorpark College, CSU Northridge, and CSU Channel Islands.

As Lewis Wilkenfeld reminds us every show: live theatre needs live music. The Theatre League learned this the hard way when they were raked over the coals for pre-recorded music during their recent production of Ragtime at the Kavli. Luckily, Cabrillo had a great orchestra, under the musical direction of Cassie Nickols (FB). This orchestra consisted of Cassie Nickols (FB) (Keyboard Synthesizer I), Benjamin Ginsberg/FB (Keyboard Synthesizer II, Asst. Music Director), Lloyd Cooper (FB) (Keyboard Synthesizer III, Asst. Music Director), Gary Rautenberg (FB) (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Sax), Ian Dahlberg (FB) (Oboe, English Horn, Tenor Sax, Clarinet), Matt Germaine/FB (Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Clarinet), Jennifer Bliman (Horn), Pathik Desai (FB) (Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin), Gary Solt (Electric & Acoustic Guitars), Stephen Green (Cello), Shane Harry/FB (Double String Bass), Tyler Smith/FB (Percussion), Alan Peck (Set Drums). The orchestra was produced by Tanikawa Artists Management LLC.

This is a show with a very strong choreographic element. This is evident from the very first number, where the choreography, projections, lighting, and performance come together to make it clear that you are seeing something special. Credit, of course, goes to the dances as well as the choreography of Michelle Elkin (FB) [whose work we saw ages ago in Sister Act at the Playhouse]. In general, this is a show with a very special movement component throughout. Just look at the movement in “Let There Be”, “The Naming”, “The Return of the Animals”, and “Ain’t It Good”. A wide variety, well executed.

Lastly, we turn to the production and remaining creative team. This is one of those shows where everything came together perfectly, and no where is that seen better than the combination of the lighting design of Christina L. Munich (FB) and the scenic and projection design of Jeff Cason. It was just an astounding tour de force. Adding to this was the outstanding costume design of Noelle Raffy (FB), the hair and makeup design of Cassie Russek (FB) and Stephanie Fenner/FB, the prop design of Alex Choate (FB), and the animal costumes from Maine State Musical Theatre Costume Rentals (FB). Sound design was by CMT regular Jonathan Burke (FB). Remaining production credits: Jessica R. Aguilar (Production Stage Manager), Jack Allaway (Technical Director), David Elzer/Demand PR (Public Relations), and C. Raul Espinoza (FB) (Marketing Consultant).  Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) is under the artistic direction of Lewis Wilkenfeld (FB).

Children of Eden continues at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) through April 17, 2016. It took me so long to write this up you only have next weekend to see it. Tickets are available online through Cabrillo; there are no discount tickets currently on Goldstar. 🌟🌟🌟Go See This🌟🌟🌟.

Dining Notes: We found a new place to eat just down the street from the Kavli: Mouthful Eatery (FB). Handcrafted food, relatively heathly, very very tasty. Reasonably fast. We will remember it.

* 🎭 🎭 🎭 *

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 had been subscribing at three theatres:  The Colony Theatre (FB), Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB), and REP East (FB): but all have gone or are going dark (update: Cabrillo is coming back!), I just added a subscription to the  Hollywood Pantages (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: Next weekend’s theatre is on Thursday, because the actual weekend brings our annual visit to the Renaissance Faire (Southern). The Thursday show is Stella’s Last J-Date at the Whitefire Theatre (FB). The fourth weekend in April is Pesach, but the Indie Chi Productions dark comedy Dinner at Home Between Deaths at the Odyssey Theatre (FB) sounded so interesting I’ve booked Sunday tickets. The last weekend of April will be the Four Clowns (FB) production of Lunatics and Actors at the LA Shakespeare Center on April 30. May starts with Endgame at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (FB). We then run off to the Bay Area for our daughter’s graduation from Berkeley. While there, we are seeing the Landmark Musical Theatre (FB)’s West Coast Regional Premiere of The Boy from Oz (but pay no attention to that production behind the curtain at the Celebration Theatre (FB) — if they start the same day, they are simultaneous premieres and both have equal bragging rights). May 21 has a hold for Los Angeles: Then and Now, a new musical at LA City College (FB) from Bruce Kimmel. The last weekend of May has holds for the MoTAS Outing to the Jethawks, and Armadillo Necktie at The Group Rep (FB). As for June? It’s the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), and I’ve started to hold dates for the following shows: Alien vs. Musical ✨ All Aboard the Marriage Hearse ✨ All The Best Killers are Librarians ✨ Code 197 DWB (Driving While Blewish) ✨ Qaddafi’s Cook — Living in Hell, Cooking for the Devil ✨ Squeeze My Cans ✨Tell Me On A Sunday  ✨ Toxic Avenger: The Musical  ✨  Vintage Box ✨ Einstein ✨Titus Andronicus Jr. ✨The Old Woman ✨Sweet Love Adieu ✨ My Big Fat Blond Musical✨Doctor in the House ✨ Hamlet (Las Vegas Style) ✨. But that’s just a small percentage; there are over 200 shows listed now.  We thought about Love The Body Positive, but then again… no. Can’t be scaring people.  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 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves.

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Saturday #NewsChum Stew: Risk, Radio, Drugs, Discounts, DNA, and Darwin

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Observation StewIt’s Saturday, and you know what that means: Time to clean out the accumulating links and see what sort of stew it makes:

  • Risks of the Internet of Things. Working in cybersecurity, I’m well aware of the risks of the IOT: that these untrusted unprotected devices could be a stepping stone into a private network for attacks. But there’s an even larger functionality risk, demonstrated this week by Nest’s announcement that they will no longer support the Revolv hub: The manufacturer can render your expensive connected appliance useless by simply shutting down the server.  Just imagine it: refrigerators and HVAC equipment that no longer works because they can’t check in to their home bases. TVs and audio equipment that fail because they can’t sync. Cars that become doorstops when their underlying site goes down.
  • Expressing Your Love. Steve Julian is a long time host on public radio here in Los Angeles. He’s been fighting a losing battle — on his terms — with brain tumors. LA Observed had an interesting article on how the digital community is coming out to support Steve and keep his spirits up. We often don’t realize the value of the community we build on places like Facebook, Livejournal, Dreamwidth, and other such social sites.
  • Drug Schedules. With all the talk of new rules for Hydrocodone and Oxy, I’ve been worried about impacts on the T3 I use for migraines. As such, I found this description of what the Federal Drug Schedule is and how it is determined fascinating. I was relieved to see that Oxy was in a different category than T3. Of course, most people are reading it about pot, but I’m not most people.
  • The New Costco Card. Costco will be changing our credit cards from Amex to CitiVisa. In the process, they are moving to a card with outstanding deals. This might entice me to use the card at gas stations, although I’m sure that the gas rebate is less than the discount I get for the private gas company cards (which are charged like cash).
  • Yiddish Roots of Hollywood/Angel’s Flying. With my daughter’s love of Yiddish, article on the subject catch my eye. Here’s an exploration of Hollywood’s Yiddish roots. If that doesn’t interest you, read about how the Angels flew to Anaheim.
  • Celiac Disease and DNA. It appears they are finding more and more information about the root causes of Celiac Disease. This time, they’ve identified more of the trigger DNA sequences.
  • Darwin and Drives. Thumb drives, that is. It appears that surveys show that a majority of people, when they find a thumb drive lying in the street, will plug it into their computer to find out who owns it. They do, and — blam — they are pwned. Leave the investigation of drives to the trained professionals.
  • Porn Economics. Here’s a detailed article exploring the economics of porn, including the fact that most porn sites are run by one company, and that the search terms they choose insidiously propagate particular attitudes and preferences designed to denigrate. It is a fascinating read if only for that access: the tremendous amount of data these sites collect from you. Our society and our electronics used to be somewhat anonymous: your iPod didn’t report your music preference to Apple, that clerk in the adult store didn’t collect names and preferences when cash was used, payphones weren’t tied to individuals. Welcome to the world of big data, and all hail our ubiquitious all-knowing all-collecting overlords.
  • Moving to Encryption. WordPress has moved to encryption by default of all wordpress.com websites. They’ve also moved to encrypting all domain names they host. This is something I need to do one of these days (once I figure out how), both for tasnorthridge-motas.org (which is homed at enomcentral but really on wordpress.com) and cahighways.org (which is homed on enomcentral, but hosted on Westhost).

If you didn’t see the earlier chum this week, they were on food and controversial subjects.

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Chum of Controversy

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=los-angelesThis collection of news chum may be controversial. It touches on a number of hot button topics: religion, racism, trolls, and sexism.

  • To Bear or Not to Bear, A Cross Too Far. The origin of the user pic to the right is a battle from many years ago when Los Angeles County redesigned their county seal to remove the cross. A few years after that, one of few Republicans on the Board of Supervisors got it added back. A judge has just ruled that the cross must go: that a cross has no place on a county seal.
  • Dress Shirts and Racism. When sizing a shirt, what questions can you ask? This was an issue faced by an internet startup that wanted men to be able to order shirts that would fit them perfectly. He started collecting statistical data, and found out that one of the best predictors was… race. He then discovered that just asking the question put him into a cultural minefield. As the article notes: “There’s no denying the satisfaction of a smartly tailored shirt. But with this one question, the once mundane world of dress shirts is now dabbling in a kind of racial profiling. Are we ready to dredge up centuries of racial strife, simply for a perfect fit?”
  • The Troll Under the Bridge. Have you ever thought about the characteristics that define an Internet Troll? Boing! Boing! did, and came up with a quad chart of seriousness and sincerity. It came up with four categories that it categorized as Squares / Jesters / Worms / Trolls. It turns out, when pressed, there was a diagonal correlation: Squares to Trolls, and Jesters to Worms. A fascinating theory.
  • Gaming and Sexism. I’d seen the source article on this, but Vox had a great summary of a new issue that, is in a sense, an outgrowth of GamerGate: Sexism and Tabletop Gaming. I’ve been boardgaming for years, and I haven’t seen it in the community; then again, I might just have blinders that need to be recalibrated. But I can certainly believe it in the role playing and heavy wargaming  communities. We’re learning more and more about the sexism and aggression that was under the surface, that just wasn’t seen. Part of me longs for the days of my youth when we didn’t need to worry about this, but then I realize that although seeing these aggressions and problems is uncomfortable, it is necessary in order to move society above those problems.

 

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