Month: November 2016

To The Democrats / To The Republicans

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=bushbabyTo My Democratic Friends: Take a deep breath and calm down. I’m seeing folks reacting just like the Republicans did when Obama was elected. He’s going to be a dictator! He’s going to take away all our rights! He’s going to undo everything the previous administration did! We thought the Republicans were unrealistic when they said that then, so why are we acting that way now? The same constraints exist on the office. Appointments must be confirmed by 60% of the Senate. The Constitution is still in play, and can only be changed by an amendment or a case that goes through the court system. The President is limited in what they can do. Here’s one good article on that. Congress will limit him further, because they have their jobs to protect. Further, Mr. Trump is going to be hit by the enormity of  the task he has taken on, which is very different than running a business. He’s going to want to win: which means not destroying America, but going down as the Best President Ever™. He’s probably feeling like a dog that has captured the car. I think we’re going to see the office change the man. It has happened to everyone else that has held the office.

To My Republican Friends: Just because Mr. Trump has been elected does not give you the right to act like he has in the past. There are still laws on the books regarding sexual harassment, sexual abuse, hate crimes, discrimination. These laws derive from the constitution, and are not going away even after Mr. Trump becomes President Trump. ACT LIKE ADULTS. Don’t gloat. Don’t be dicks. You’re only making it harder for our government to have a peaceful transition. You’re only making it harder for Mr. Trump to become a better man and this country to be strong. You are exhibiting the worst of America. Further, forget all this gloating about Sarah Palin and other unqualified people becoming cabinet officers. It didn’t happen with Obama, and it won’t happen with Trump, because the Senate cares about this country, and are part of the process to ensure that the right people go into office.

To America In General: Candidates change when they become President. The office changes them. They rarely achieve everything they promise; to do even 25% is remarkable. We all need to calm down, take deep breaths, hug our friends and be there for them. We need to let a peaceful transition occur, because that’s what America is. We need to have confidence in our system of government. It may zig-zag to goals, it may be slow, it may seen byzantine, but it is survived long beyond both good and bad Presidents, beyond honest and corrupt Presidents. Our founding fathers designed it very well, and that is why it has lasted so long.

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Don’t Panic

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=stressedI’ve been seeing a number of my friends on Social Media seemingly panicking over the election results (not to mention the protests in the streets). Please folks, if President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren aren’t panicking, why should you? Please keep the following in mind:

  • Mr. Trump does not take office until January. Until then, he is just a private citizen. He still has to testify in his upcoming fraud case, and he is not shielded from his legal problems. He still has to figure out how to address his conflicts of interest.
  • All those wild messages you see about proposed cabinet officers and Supreme Court Justices. None of them have been ratified, and they have to get through the Senate, where the Democrats have the power of the filibuster. Sen. McConnell, Majority Leader, has indicated he does not want to get rid of the filibuster. This means that the Democrats have the power to keep unqualified candidates, and those too far to the side ideologically, out of office (just like the Republicans did with them).
  • Trump cannot repeal Obamacare wholecloth immediately. He can do a partial repeal, but many regulations will remain in place.
  • The Military does not support everything Trump says. In particular, they will follow the Constitution, not unlawful orders.
  • Trump will be hamstrung by the nature of the Federal bureaucracy, and the ways the Congress works. He will discover — as Obama did — that the powers of the President are very limited.
  • All the existing laws on the books at the Federal, State, and local levels regarding hate crimes have not instantly gone away. His followers who commit hate crimes can still be prosecuted.
  • Trump does not have the full support of the Republican establishment. It is likely that in many areas they will not support his proposals, or will join with the Democrats to moderate them.
  • Trump will be held to task by those who elected him. What do you think will happen in two years when he hasn’t been able to “blow up Washington” as he promised? Remember, other Presidents have promised the same thing, and have been unable to do so.
  • Trump will also be held accountable by Congress. If he commits clear crimes or even somewhat crimes, the spectre of impeachment will be there. Moderate Republicans would be eager to do so, especially to get the more normative Pence into office. Further, Trump likes to win — and at this point, winning means going down in the history books as the greatest President. That won’t happen if he gets impeached or cannot get anything done. There is a high likelihood that the office, combined with the place he will leave in history, will change him.

I didn’t support Trump; I didn’t vote for him. However, he has been elected, and I respect the office of President even if I don’t like the man (a lesson I learned in the Bush years). I remember the transition from Clinton to Bush in 2000, and from Bush to Obama in 2008. It was peaceful, and we survived. Our nation is stronger than Trump, and we can survive at least two years. Now is the time to start finding those Democrats — future-Congresscritters and Senators — and getting them elected into office. Now is the time to elect Democrats to state offices and the Governorships so that when the redistricting happens, we can make fair districts. The pendulum will swing back. It always does. As they sing in Sweeny Todd: “Wait…”.

As for the people most in danger under Trump’s administration: That is the reason not to run away, not to give up. We must stay here and help them, and defend them. What the Government chooses not to do, we can. We can show the power of the people of America.

PS: Gene Spafford also shared this interesting “Don’t Panic” link. Here’s another on why you shouldn’t be worried.

PPS: Here’s an interesting link on how the checks and balances can prevent Trump from becoming a dictator.

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There’s Got To Be a Morning After…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=rough-roadSome thoughts this morning on waking to a presumptive President-Elect Trump:

1. Lament for a Lost Election

Let us begin by singing the “Lament for a Lost Election”, by Tom Paxton:

Shit.

2. We’ve Been Through Some Crappy Times Before

Let us continue by singing together with the Austin Lounge Lizards:

3. My Hopes for President Trump

Just as we wished Donald Trump would be gracious had Clinton won, and that President Clinton would realize there was hard work to unite this country, I feel the same way now towards President Trump. I hope that as he begins the transition the enormity of the office he is assuming hits him, and that he realizes he is governing a very divided country and he is the leader of all the people … not just those that voted for him. I hope he realizes that how he behaved on the campaign — and in the past — is not appropriate for a President, and that he uses this transition period to come up to speed on how government really works, and how a President needs to behave.

I hope he realizes that he was elected by people protesting what was wrong in Washington — and that means people who were tired of the partisanship and gridlock. They wanted to break that up by electing an outsider. He cannot continue to be partisan and angry without inciting a further revolt. That means he will need to figure out how to reach out. It will be outside his comfort zone, but he is a smart and a shrewd man — and I believe he will do what he needs to do to win over the country.

I hope that he surrounds himself with smart and talented advisors who also want to repair the divide, and that he listens to them. I hope he thinks carefully before speaking and acting.

I hope that the moderate Republicans in Congress, together with the Democrats, and serve to temper Trump’s excesses as much as they can. This is not to say that I expect Trump to abandon his agenda; however, Congress can serve to turn an ideological agenda into a realistic compromise that all the country can accept.

I worry about the preservation of the separation of Church and State. I pray that the justices of the Supreme Court go above their personal ideologies and ensure the constitutional separation remains intact.

I’m worried about the Supreme Court, but again, I hope that Trump thinks carefully before he nominates, and that the Senate really does its job. I pray for at least 6 more years of excellent health for the current justices of the Supreme Court.

I also pray that President Trump does not give into the radical elements that backed him: the KKK, the White Power movement. I hope he realizes that America is acceptance of all religions, colors, and orientations, and protection of the minority. While protection may not advance under President Trump, I hope and pray it does not regress. I also pray that Trump does not take revenge on his detractors and opponent; revenge is not an American value.

We never saw Mr. Trump’s tax returns. I hope he can extricate himself from his businesses and realize that, come January 20th, America is his only business. The Trump business empire will just have to do for four years without him at the helm. Hopefully, he can put good businessmen in charge there. I pray that he can govern America working in the interest of the Nation, and not the Trump family.

4. What We Must Learn

This election demonstrated much that we must understand:

  • There was a seething, underestimated current of discontent with “Washington Establishment” in this country. I believe that Trump was elected less for his policies, and more for who he was — and what he wasn’t. This discontent must be addressed quickly if the country is to heal.
  • Almost every polling and poll aggregation site got it wrong. In this age of the Internet and cell phones, can we ever effectively poll the people? Have robocalls and ignorance of the “Do Not Call” list doomed telephone polling? Our statistical gathering organizations needs to do some major methodology reevaluation.
  • The Tom Bradley effect is real. I believe people were unwilling to admit to pollsters they were voting for Trump.
  • This election highlighted the divide between the urban population in most cities (very diverse in so many ways), and the rural population (mostly homogeneous, white, with a Bachelors degree at best). I believe it demonstrated that the pace of change of the last eight years — from healthcare to societal issues such as gay marriage to #BLM — was far too much for the rural population. Too much. Too fast. They reacted with a backlash, or should I say, a white-lash.
  • We have sliced and diced our demographics in so many ways, and this has just served to divide us. I think both sides were trying to send a message — the Trump side by blowing up the system, the Clinton side by voting for someone who promised to reunite us — that we must find a way to come together.
  • Our media is broken. Just look at the shock and awe last night as returns came in. There needs to be a strong reexamination of how our media works, and how punditry and opinion is clearly distinguished from fact-based journalism.
  • Our social media is broken. I’ll have more on that in a day or two, but organizations such as Facebook, Twitter, and others must realize that have moved from a place to share family pictures to a national news aggregation source — and as such, have the responsibility to label what is what — from objective journalism, to partisan sites, to parody sites. We, as users of social media, must learn to think before we share.
  • We must investigate the extent of outside meddling in the election: from WikiLeaks to Russian Hacking to the timing of Comey’s announcements. American elections must be fair and free from such interference.
  • The Democrats must take the blame for having a clearly flawed candidate, whose flaws were of her own making. Instead of grooming the next generation of leaders, they put all their hopes on this flawed candidate. Major mistake. The Democrats need to do some soul searching (and no, Bernie would not have been better — with the veiled antisemitism in Trump’s campaign, going against a New York Jew would have been ugly ugly).
  • The Republicans must take the blame for having a clearly flawed candidate. They could have blown up the system without all the flaws. They must also take responsibility and rein in his excesses, while thinking about what their party wants to be.
  • The political pendulum swings, and it is very rare for a two-term president … of any party … to get an effective continuation of that term through election of a successor in the same party. Often, the pendulum swings from one candidate to the exact opposite. Clinton was the opposite of Bush 41, and Bush 43 was the opposite of Clinton. Bush 43 to Obama was a sea change, and if you look at Trump, he is the opposite of Obama. The pendulum swings.
  • Both parties need to consider the extent to which realignment is needed of what they stand for. Just because Trump was elected, does he represent the Republican position. Just because Clinton was the nominee, does she represent the parties values. We need a realignment: edges and the middle. Right now, the edges have control and the middle is discontent and scared.

5. Moving Forward

As I wrote yesterday, we must move forward recognizing that we are all Americans doing what we believe is right for the country. We must move forward recognizing that what built this country, and made it strong, was not partisanship but compromise. We must strive to find what we agree on and urge our leaders to move forward in those areas. Most importantly — and I pray that President-Elect Trump learns this — we must learn to listen to each other. We must step outside our echo chambers and our comfort zones, and interact with those on the other side of the spectrum (and interact with respect). We must listen to what they say without knee-jerk response; it is heart-felt to them and thus important. They must listen to us the same way.

We pray (or, for those who don’t pray, we hope) that our new Leadership finds a way to move beyond the partisanship to figure out a way to make our Government serve the people again. If they don’t, well, there’s 2018.

P.S.: If you didn’t get the reference in the title of this post: Morning After was the title song in The Poseidon Adventure, a movie about a luxury cruise ship sinking and a motley collection of passengers making their way out and surviving:

There’s got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let’s keep on lookin’ for the light

Oh, can’t you see the morning after
It’s waiting right outside the storm
Why don’t we cross the bridge together
And find a place that’s safe and warm

It’s not too late, we should be giving
Only with love can we climb
It’s not too late, not while we’re living
Let’s put our hands out in time

There’s got to be a morning after
We’re moving closer to the shore
I know we’ll be there by tomorrow
And we’ll escape the darkness
We won’t be searchin’ any more

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The Oldest Echo Chamber

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=angry-dogWe’ve just come off of a far-too-long immersion in the echo chambers of the Internet. We’ve hidden in our Liberal or Conservative cocoons, reading our news sources, looking at our favorite satire site, being gullible enough to fall for our fake news sites, and listening to our friends extoll the virtues of our views. We’ve also poopooed or discounted their news sources, found their satire sites not funny, wondered how they could have such fake news written, and gotten to the point of defriending those that disagreed with our view. We probably believe that these chambers are the fault of, and started with, Facebook.

A recent discussion with a FB friend reminded me that’s not the case, as we delved into one of the oldest echo chamber battles of the Internet: the legitimacy battle between Reform Judaism and Orthodox Judaism (which were once referred to as RCO battles, including Conservative as trying to straddle the middle — and hence the term Progressive is used as a catchall for RC). For those unfamiliar with these battles, you could likely find something in the legitimacy battles between Protestantism and Catholicism — which was permitted to call themselves “Christianity”. Of course, we all know how well that turned out, and how accepting different Christian groups are of other flavors of Christian groups.

But the RCO battles are classic echo chambers, and mirror quite heavily the divide we see politically today. Many (but not all) Orthodox groups exist in an insular news vacuum: they tend to read only Orthodox-approved media, move in Orthodox circles, and have little exposure with the theology and current approaches of the more progressive movements. Note that I did not say they don’t have exposure to Progressive Jews. They’ve met a few in their lives, and have read about them in their publications, and have extrapolated from there what they believe the entire Progressive movements to be.

Is it better on the Progressive side? Do Reform Jews, with their supposed pluralism, accept the Orthodoxy? Some do. Others are in the Progressive echo chambers that portray Orthodoxy as rigid, insular, and unchanging. Their image of Orthodoxy comes not from participating in their communities, but from portrayals in movies and the occasional Chabadnik they met while in college who forced them to wrap tefillin.

Each side extrapolates from a small number of instances what they believe the whole to be. They don’t realize that there is a range of practice and belief within both, as well as a range of acceptance (spoken or silent) of official doctrine. Doesn’t this sound like politics? Haven’t you heard “All liberals are…” or “All conservatives are…”? Further, there is belief that each side aligns 100% with particular political views. I’ve seen Orthodox write that all Reform Jews are Liberals or Marxist or Socialist, and I’ve seen Reform Jews who believe that all Orthodox Jews are of a political Conservative bent. Of course, this is utter nonsense — there is a range of political views of both, and the official organs (movements, synagogues) are carefully non-political to retain their IRS status.

Why am I reminding you of this now? Simple. For over 15 years, I maintained a mailing list that attempted to eliminate the echo chamber — that operated under the supposition that we could talk to each other with respect. We could accept that the different movements had studied and come up with their own path to the divine. Even if we might believe the movement as a whole was on the wrong path, we did not discount the individual. We believed that if we operated in a way that respected the individual, what they had to say, and their right to say it, we might be able to understand our differences. This required the ground rules be applied to both sides. It was hard work, but we did it. We were able to discover that although we still had significant doctrinal differences, there was a lot that was the same. We all rested and worshipped on Shabbat. We lit Chanukah candles. We came together and told our story on Passover. We worked to make the world a better place, as we saw it. We maintained that respectful dialogue.

As we close down our precincts, and the noise from our various echo chambers die down, I urge you: remember this example. Treat those with whom you’ve disagreed with respect. Understand that we were seeing different paths to the same goal: a stronger America. Understand where we agree (which is probably in more areas than you think). Realize that the person you might think is trash due to their political views is the loved child of someone, the parent to someone else, a sibling, and possibly someone’s partner. They work and love and cry and try to make sense of this crazy world, just like you do. They try to do what they believe is right and moral.

Let’s figure out how to heal.

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Nottingham 2016

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=faireYesterday, we went to the 4th edition of the Nottingham Festival (FB) (having supported the original Kickstarter back in 2013). This year’s festival (November 5/6 12/13) comes directly after the Simi Valley Historical Ghost Tour, (produced only by Actors Rep of Simi Valley (FB), not Nottingham) which came after the 1st Annual Tumbleweed Festival on October 22/23 and used the same location. This allowed the organizers (Actors Rep of Simi Valley (FB) and the Simi Valley Cultural Association (FB)) to rent the same space for four weekends in a row. As before, the event was held near the Simi Civic Center. Like last year, they used Civic Center Park in Simi Valley, which is the space between the Courthouse and the Simi Valley City Hall, as opposed to being in Rancho Tapo Community Park (note: the map below is mislabeled — the purple is the 2013-2014 location; the orange the 2015-2016 location):

Rought Nottingham 2016 Layout
They seem to have the entry aspect under control: there were no lines. Whether that is due to lower attendance, I don’t know. I do know that it was a simple “collect your ticket”; there were no security inspections upon entry. Had we known, we might have brought drinks. I think this Faire is small enough that the concern isn’t all that great — there were uniformed (although not period uniform — that would be neat!) police officers wandering around.

For some reason, I didn’t like this year’s arrangement as much as the last two year’s (2015, 2014) (although it is certainly better than 2013‘s). [Evidently, 2015 was in the same location, but I recall the layout being very different] The stages seemed harder to find, parking seemed tighter, the Master’s Pavilion (normally a star attraction) seemed tucked away as an afterthought behind some stores. The kids stuff seemed hidden, and there was less play space. It wasn’t a disaster, but I’m not sure the economy of the using the same space and layout as Tumbleweed helped overall (although it did save the sponsors a lot of effort). The new layout, however, did provide some picnic tables. I’m hoping this is like the situation in 2013 — they will workout the flow kinks for the combination, and next year will have a better flow.

Food vendors seemed a little bit lighter than in past years. What was there was excellent and not overpriced, so who am I to complain? I certainly enjoyed what I had for lunch, and wanted to try more but didn’t have the room. There was still a dearth of beverage options for those avoiding sweet beverages — I still maintain that having a “water fill” station for a reasonable price ($1-$2) would allow people to fill their mugs and goblets, and use a lot less plastic and other waste. There were also precious few gluten-free options for my wife — the turkey legs and the Topanga Jerky were about it.

Entertainment options were good from what we saw; as always, more music is welcome. The program was lacking — the map was really rough, and there was not a list of all vendors (which would be very useful).

The crowd seemed reasonable for a small festival — I hope it was worthwhile for the vendors. There was a really good selection of vendors — I believe a few more than last year. They have added at least one pottery vendor, and there are a few more clothing vendors. They still, however, are missing a stave / wand vendor (which is a big surprise, as they had a stave vendor at Tumbleweed). Here’s hoping for more continued growth.

[Edited with a correction on the location from Nottingham’s director of communication.]

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One is the Loneliest Number | “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” @ Pantages

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Pantages)userpic=broadwaylaThe Los Angeles Times called Hedwig, “Annie with a Bad Attitude”. We saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch last night at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), and I’m not sure I would go that far. She is, however, a self-professed nasty woman. In that profession, you begin to see why Hedwig is such a special woman for these times, and why this show appears to have a special resonance.

It is difficult to know how to approach Hedwig. On the surface, it is a hard-rocking musical (supposedly in the style of David Bowie, but not being a Bowie fan, I can’t vouch for that). I do know it is the sort of angry hard rock I like — the type with an underlying melody beneath the volume (Green Day’s American Idiot is similar). But there is a mix of very tender ballads thrown in.

In another sense, it is an echo of our current times where we are beginning to understand the wide variety of gender and sexual identities. Hedwig is not the drag queen of Priscilla, nor the stereotyped gay of La Cage Aux Folles. Hedwig is “genderqueer”, which if you aren’t familiar with the term, is defined as “a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.” Hedwig was male, had a botched sex change (hence the “angry inch”), and is now presenting as female … and sometimes male (the ending of the show isn’t quite clear). There is something similar in Hedwig’s husband, Yitzchak, who is traditionally played by a woman dressed as a man, who reemerges as a woman at the end. There is a joke in the show about how Yitzhak was originally singing songs from Yentl — how appropos.

Hedwig is also a topical musical. Unlike musicals that have a set book, the musical is like Hedwig herself — a little bit fluid around the edges. Each production is tailored to the time and the location — hence the references to Los Angeles, the audience interaction, the reference to the Hollywood Bowl, and veiled references to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (when Hedwig proclaims herself to be a “nasty woman”).

Ultimately, Hedwig might best be compared to The Book of Mormon (of all things). For all the flash and glam and “in-your-face” of the presentation, it is at its heart a very conventional musical story: the quest for love, the quest to find your other half. So many musicals explore this quest. This is demonstrated in a very early number, “The Origin of Love”, which explores not only the origin of gender fluidity, but of the quest to find your other half — whoever he, she, or whatever-pronoun-you-choose may be.

I realize I haven’t describe the plot of the show yet. It is summarized in the Times article; it is also in the Wikipedia page (where it is also useful to read the history of the show). In short, is the story of Hedwig/Hansel, an East German man in love with American music. When a gay American GI offers Hansel a chance out, he takes it — even though it means leaving a bit of himself behind. Becoming Hedwig, she shares her story of her life in America, her relationship with the career and the man behind Tommy Gnosis, and her connection to Yitzhak. In the end, Hedwig finds, well, it is unclear what Hedwig finds in some form of cosmic merging.

The conceit surrounding Hedwig (and the supposed excuse for her being on Broadway (or at your regional theatre) is that Hedwig and her band were booked to perform a one-night show after the previous booking, the new musical Hurt Locker: The Musical opened and closed the same night. Using Hurt Locker’s set, Hedwig goes on. There are Playbills for Hurt Locker scattered around the theatre — if you can snag one, do so. It is hillarious. Just read the entry for Metallica, and you’ll get the tone.

Hedwig is topical, gender bending, in-your-face, transformative, loud, gentle, and surprisingly complicated. It is a clear example of how what we see on the surface is only that — the surface — and that the complexity and strange directions of people’s lives color us in way we can’t expect. We put on the clothes, we put on the wig, we put on the expectations, and we… become. Every Hedwig is different — and there have been many in the role — but they are also the same. Hedwig exposes that common humanity, and exposes that urge to find the person from whom you were torn asunder. You walk out of the show a little confused, but with an ultimately positive feeling.

But “Annie with an attitude”? I think not.

Bringing this Hedwig to life is Darren Criss (FB). Criss’ performance leaves one at a loss for words. Under the direction of Michael Mayer, Criss lives and breathes Hedwig. The personas merge; you truly believe he is she, is Hedwig. It is also clear that she, meaning he, is having a blast on  stage with this role — with a rare liberty to go all out, to play with the audience and the character, to go (within reason) beyond the staid book of a musical. It is just an astounding performance that you will remember long after.

Supporting Criss is her husband, Yitzchak, portrayed by the Broadway Yitzchak, Lena Hall (FB). Silent and sullen throughout much of the show, he gets his/her moments to shine, providing some spectacular numbers (and an astounding transformation). Hall will evidently play Hedwig at a number of performances (Sun Eve 11/6, 11/13, and 11/20; Fri Eve 11/25), and that should be a real Victor Victoria moment: a woman playing a man playing a woman who was a man once. How the ending of the show will be handled at those performances leaves me a little perplexed.

That’s it. That’s the cast. Hedwig (Criss) and Yitzchak (Hall). There is no ensemble. Hedwig and Yitzchak are supported on stage by Hedwig’s band — the Angry Inch. The Inch consists of Skszp (Justin Craig) [Music Director, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals]; Jacek (Matt Duncan (FB)) [Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals], Krzyzhtoff (Tim Mislock (FB)) [Guitar, Vocals]; and Schlatko (Peter Yanowitz) [Drums, Vocals].

Standbys for the performance are Mason Alexander Park (FB) (for Hedwig), Shannon Conley (FB) (for Yitzhak), Dylan Fusillo (FB) (for Schlatko), and Matt Katz-Bohen (FB) (for the remaining band members — Skszp, Jacek, and Krzyzhtoff). Note the Conley is performing as Yitzhak the days that Hall assumes the role of Hedwig.

Turning to the production and creative side. Hedwig was written by John Cameron Mitchell, who was the original Hedwig on Broadway. Hedwig started out as Mitchell’s story — he was Tommy Gnosis — the gay son of an Army General in Berlin; his caretaker was someone like Hedwig. The music and lyrics in Hedwig are by Stephen Trask (FB), and are particularly strong. Orchestrations are by Trask (FB), with an assist on the arrangement of “Sugar Daddy” from Justin Craig. Amusing note: Trask’s real name is Stephen R. Schwartz, the name credited in the Hurt Locker musical — not to be confused with Stephen L. Schwartz, who wrote Wicked, among many other shows; or Stephen Michael Schwartz, who was part of Parachute Express and wrote the musical “It Came From Beyond”.

The musical staging — which appears to be a fancy way of saying choreography without all the implications — was by Spencer Liff (FB). Paul McGill (FB) was the Movement Associate (which is a guess is a fancy way of saying Asst. Choreographer 🙂 ).

The scenic design was by Julian Crouch (FB), and was ostensibly the scenic design of Hurt Locker: The Musical , which was also credited to Crouch.  As this was the design for Hurt Locker, it consisted of bombed out rubble, with a stage door in the back, that gets deconstructed as the show goes on. However, the dual-use design had some nice elements to support Hedwig as well — in particular, the dancing wigs for the “Wig in a Box” number. Lighting design was by Kevin Adams — also credited for both shows.  The lighting design was very effective and rock-ish, but be forewarned there is heavy use of strobes if that is a trigger. The scenic and the lighting were supported by the projection designs of Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions — these were awesome in “The Origin of Love”. The true scenic elements, however, were the costumes and the wonderful wigs and makeup. Credit for the costumes goes to Arianne Phillips (FB) (who coincidentally designed the costumes for Hurt Locker), and for hair and makeup to Mike Potter (FB) (ditto for Hurt Locker).  The sound design was by Tim O’Heir (FB), and Stephen Gabis (FB) was the dialect coach.

Before I complete the credits, a buried credit I must highlight. The Playbill for Hurt Locker: The Musical is credited to Mike Albo and Amanda Duarte (FB), with design by Rogers Eckersley. From the casting to the bios to the song titles (“The Humvee With the Roof-Mounted Machine Gun on Top”) to the ads in the back, it is hilarious. Find one. Read it. Laugh profusely.

Completing the real credits: Casting – Calleri Casting (FB); Music Supervision and Coordination – Ethan Popp (FB); Associate Director – Johanna McKeon (FB); Production Stage Manager – Lisa Iacucci (FB); Stage Manager – Jovon E. Shuck; Assistant Stage Manager – Jeff Siebert; Production Management – Aurora Productions; Executive Producer – 101 Productions, Ltd. (and loads of producers).

Hedwig and the Angry Inch continues at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) until November 27, 2016. You can purchase tickets online through the Pantages website. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar. It is well worth seeing; if you are sensitive to loud noises, bring earplugs. If you are sensitive to strobe lights, I’d stay away.

Dining Notes: Before the show, we tried a new restaurant near the theatre, in the complex where they charge far too much for theatre parking (take Metro instead): Greenleaf (FB). It was excellent — healthy, portioned right, and presented well. We’ll come back; it is nice to have an alternative to Feast (FB).

* * *

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), the  Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, and a mini-subscription at the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) (FB).  The Chromolume 2017 season looks particularly good: Zanna Don’t (Tim Acito, January 13 – February 5), Hello Again (Michael John LaChiusa, May 5- May 28), and Pacific Overtures (Stephen Sondheim, September 15 – October 8) — all for only $60). Past subscriptions have included  The Colony Theatre (FB) (which went dormant in 2016), and Repertory East Playhouse (“REP”) (FB) in Newhall (which entered radio silence in 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 continues with the Nottingham Festival (FB) in about an hour. We then lose a weekend as we travel to Palo Alto for a Bar Mitzvah. The third weekend of November brings Funny Girl, a Conundrum Theatre Company (FB) guest production at  The Colony Theatre (FB) and a Day Out With Thomas at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) [excuse me, “Southern California Railway Museum”]. November concludes with Little Women at the Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim. December starts with Into the Woods at Nobel Middle School, and staged concert of Wonderful Town being performed by the LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. The next week brings the CSUN Jazz Band at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC), and Amalie at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). The third week of December brings  The King and I at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). December concludes with an unspecified movie on Christmas day; and a return to our New Years Eve Gaming Party.

Turning to 2017, January currently is quiet, with just a single hold date for Zanna Don’t at the Chromolume Theatre (FB). February 2017 gets back to being busy: with a hold for Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum (FB) the first weekend. The second weekend brings 33 Variations at Actors Co-op (FB). The third weekend has a hold for the WGI Winter Regionals. The last weekend in February brings Finding Neverland at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). March quiets down a bit — at least as currently scheduled — with Fun Home at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) at the beginning of the month, and An American in Paris at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) at the end of the month.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Although we can’t make it, I also recommend the 10th Anniversary Production of The Brain from Planet X at LACC. Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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Election-Free News Chum Stew

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Observation StewTake a deep breath. Three days and the national nightmare begins — but at least we won’t have the ads, the fake news stories, and the FB battles. To hold you over, here’s a bit of news chum I’ve accumulated over the last few weeks:

  • Math and Knitting. Two articles related to mathematics and knitting. The first article is about a couple that have focused on knitting mathematical objects: Together they have knitted and crocheted about 90 mathematical afghans, as well as other mathematical objects. The other article is on illusion knitting: Knitting that takes advantage of the 3-D nature of knitting to show different images depending on how the knit object is viewed. The simplest kind of illusion knitting uses one color of yarn. From the front, you see a swath of, say, green. From the side, you see an alternating checkerboard of green squares. Or take the knit below, which appears to be a multicolored grid straight-on but from an angle reveals circles within the grid.
  • Food Triggers. Two articles related to food that can trigger medical problems. The first looks at a group of proteins that have  been identified as the possible cause of non-gluten wheat sensitivity. This group, called amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs)  are a small group, representing about 4 percent of wheat proteins, but they’re powerful. The scientists found that consuming pure ATIs can cause all manner of nasty reactions throughout the body, triggering inflammation not just in the gut but also in the lymph nodes, kidneys, spleen, and brain. That same inflammation can exacerbate autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease. The second article looks at why some foods trigger migraines. It turns out it isn’t only the food, but the microbes in the mouth. The research team analyzed 172 oral samples and nearly 2,000 fecal samples taken from the American Gut Project, and sequenced which bacteria species were found in participants who suffered migraines versus those who did not. And it turns out, the migraineurs have significantly more nitrate-reducing bacteria in their saliva than those who don’t suffer these headaches.
  • Paying Rent. This went around a few weeks ago, but its still fun: London is still paying rent to the Queen on property rented in 1211 (it seems they didn’t know about “lease-to-buy”). The rent? A knife, an axe, six oversized horseshoes, and 61 nails. Further, no one knows where the property is anymore. Each fall, usually in October, the city and the crown perform the same exchange, for no particular reason other than that they always have. You have to admire the Brits.
  • Popcorn. Here’s another interesting piece of history: why do we have movie popcorn? One didn’t always eat popcorn at movies, but it came into vogue during the depression. At that point, people began to expect it, and theatres realized they had a moneymaker.
  • Internet Problems. Have you found the internet harder to read of late? Even after you take out the election posts, is it hard to read? There could be an answer. Scientists believe that what is making the Internet harder to read is a trend towards lighter and thinner fonts. Where text used to be bold and dark, which contrasted well with predominantly white backgrounds, now many websites are switching to light greys or blues for their type. “If the web is relayed through text that’s difficult to read, it curtails the open access by excluding large swaths of people such as the elderly, the visually impaired, or those retrieving websites through low quality screens.”
  • New Cars and Car Washes. Have you bought a new car of late? Ever take it to the car wash? Many new cars won’t work in car washes because the additional safety equipment locks the wheels even when the car is in neutral. Those cars need special configuration to go through a car wash, and it isn’t just a “car wash” button — but it is buried in the manuals. The issue is automatic parking brakes, which put on the brakes, even if in neutral, to prevent the car from rolling into people or things. It does this if it detects things near the car.
  • Homelessness and Cars. Sigh. The city has passed an ordinance to prevent people from sleeping in cars or RVs in residential districts. This is an example of a law that the privileged pass against the unprivileged, instead of helping.
  • Jacob Neusner Z”L. A passing you may have missed: Jacob Neusner, one of the top Jewish scholars of our generation. Neusner almost singlehandedly created the modern study of Judaism. In doing so, he revolutionized our understanding of the history of Judaism and our perception of what Judaism can mean to Jews today. I know I was reading Neusner’s books when I was at UCLA in the 1980s.
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Cybersecurity and Continuing Education

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=acsacSince 1990, I have had the honor and the privilege of being the Training Chair for the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC), one of the three original conferences on what is now called Cybersecurity. ACSAC, which is held in early December in the sunbelt, is an approximately 200-250 person conference that brings together academics and industry to connect and talk about the application of computer security cybersecurity research. Attendance is about 25% international.

The conference, which this year takes place the week of December 5 at the beautiful Hilton Universal City in Los Angeles, consists of two days of training and workshops, followed by a two-and-a-half day technical conference. The purpose of this post is to highlight this year’s training program. Advance registration ends 11/14/2016. I encourage you, if you have an interest in cybersecurity, to attend one or more of our training courses:

Monday, December 5, 2016
M1 Understanding and Contrasting Android Malware at Runtime
Giovanni Russello, University of Auckland
M2 Program Analysis and Machine Learning to Improve Security and Privacy
Paolina Centonze, Iona College
M3 angr: Advancing Next Generation Research into Binary Analysis
Fish (Ruoyu) Wang, Yan Shoshitaishvili, and Chris Salls, UC Santa Barbara
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
T4 Practical Homomorphic Encryption
Kurt Rohloff, New Jersey Institute of Technology		 T5 Big Data Analytics Over Encrypted Data
Hassan Takabi, University of North Texas
T6 Hands-On Interactive Car Hacking
Craig Smith, Theia Labs and Brendan Harris, US Dept. of Transportation Volpe Center
T7 Steganongraphy with Malware Applications
John Ortiz, Harris and UT San Antonio

Tutorials T4 and T5 are half-day, the rest are full day. Click here to register for the conference; there are discounts for locals and those staying in the conference hotel. To register at the hotel, click here. Tutorials cost $575 (full day), $300 (half day); students are $300 (full), $150 (half). Rates include a good-sized continental breakfast and lunch (I know, I’m doing local arrangements and the food as well). Rates go up after 11/14.

Here is a summary of the tutorials: Read More …

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