Month: April 2018

Criticizing the Message | Attacking the Messenger

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userpic=trumpTwo thoughts on the current kerfuffle regarding Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Michelle Wolf:

  1. I think it is wrong to make jokes about anyone based on how they look (or other similarly protected categories) … ANYONE. In terms of doing it in a political venue: If you would be bothered if the “other side” did it to you, don’t do it to them. There’s plenty legitimate things (actions) to poke at and make fun of.
  2. I think it is wrong to attack the messenger when it is the message that bothers you. If Trump had sent a member of his staff that actually creates policy in some way, go for it on that policy. But SHS is just a mouthpiece attempting to report on that policy; she doesn’t create the policy. You can make fun of over the tops effort to defend the policy, but attack Trump if you disagree with the policy. Again, remember the real source of evil.

In this day and age — the age of #MeToo and worries about cyberbullying — I find that much of what passes for comedy is veiled bullying by those who were likely bullied in school. I’m referring to comedy that makes fun of people for their attributes, looks, size, intelligence, job, etc. Perhaps it is fun in the moment, but it is teasing and bullying none-the-less, and we are better than that. I prefer the gentler humor of folks like Bob Newhart, Red Skelton, George Carlin, Steven Wright, and such. There may be an argument that that aspect of the Correspondent’s Dinner might have outlived its day. I’d disagree with that — the last thing we need to do is censor reporters — but I do believe the comedy that is there needs to poke at the message and the press/newsmakers role with respect to it, and not do attacks on the messengers.

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Absurd in San Jose | “Adrift in Macao” @ Tabard Theatre

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Adrift in Macao (Tabard)How far would you travel you travel for theatre (excluding, of course, those silly enough to fly all the way to New York City)? For us, pretty far. We’ve gone 62 miles to the  Chance Theatre (FB) in the Hills of Anaheim. We’ve gone 155 miles to see shows at theatres like  the Cygnet Theatre (FB) or the Diversionary Theatre (FB) in San Diego. This weekend? We drove 328 miles to see Adrift in Macao at the Tabard Theatre Company (FB) in San Jose.

I first learned about Adrift in Macao when I got the NEO: New, Emerging, Outstanding Musicals album back in 2007; I subsequently got the Off-Broadway cast album in 2011. I fell in love with the score: it was absurd and self-referential, and sounded quite interesting. So (as I am wont to do) waited for a production in Los Angeles. And waited. And waited. In 2014, I was visiting my daughter at UC Berkeley and was looking for interesting theatre, and found a production of The Immigrant at a small company, the Tabard Theatre Company (FB), in San Jose. It blew me away, and I joined their mailing list. When I learned they were doing Adrift in Macao as part of the their 2017-2018 season, I started to make plans — we ended up building a mini-vacation to see friends around the show (their 2018-2019 season isn’t bad either, and we’re thinking about coming up for Queen of the Mist).

Adrift in Macao was written by Christopher Durang, well known for comedies such as Sister Mary Ignatious Explains It All or Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. In this comedy, he builds a musical about parodying all the detective film-noir conventions. What are these conventions, you ask? Quoting from the afore-linked site:

The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.

Heroes (or anti-heroes), corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out, conflicted hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths or killers, crooks, war veterans, politicians, petty criminals, murderers, or just plain Joes. These protagonists were often morally-ambiguous low-lifes from the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption. Distinctively, they were cynical, tarnished, obsessive (sexual or otherwise), brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure loners (usually men), struggling to survive – and in the end, ultimately losing.

Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks (or a series of flashbacks), witty, razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device, as was the downfall of an innocent Everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed. Revelations regarding the hero were made to explain/justify the hero’s own cynical perspective on life.

Ripe stuff for a parody, right? The music was by Peter Melnick, grandson of Richard Rodgers, composer of The Last Smoker in America, and numerous film scores.

The story? Well, it was about that classic film-noir quest … the search for a McGuffin. This is defined by Wikipedia as “a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation. The MacGuffin’s importance to the plot is not the object itself, but rather its effect on the characters and their motivations. The most common type of MacGuffin is a person, place, or thing (such as money or an object of value).”

In the case of Adrift in Macao, our McGuffin is literally a Mr. McGuffin, whom nobody knows what he looks like, but everyone is scared of him. Enter Lureena Jones, who has been left with no money, no job, and only a slinky dress in Macao. She tries to hail a rickshaw, but instead hails Rick Shaw, owner of a seedy nightclub (yes, that is the level of jokes and absurdity in this).  She talks him into hiring her as a nightclub singer. This pisses off the current nightclub singer, Corinna, who takes solace in her opium addiction. Into the nightclub comes Mitch, a downtrodden detective, accused of a murder he didn’t commit (he took the fall for McGuffin’s deed). He’s trying to find McGuffin to clear his name. He inquires of the bartender, Joe, and the Chinese worker, Tempura, to find Shaw in order to find McGuffin. You can guess how the story goes from there, with mistaken identities, stereotypical portrayals suitable for 1952 (the year of the movie), and a little support from the cigarette girl, Daisy.

The production is filled with references to noir films from the 1940s and 1950s, as well as non-noir dramas and mysteries. I’m sure there are references that I missed, but I did pick up on quite a few.

When I listened to the music, I found it absurd. Multiple songs to the same underlying tune, used for great comic effect. Watching the show unfold, I’m pleased to note that it was even more absurd than the music. I was laughing and smiling throughout. I was hearing numerous laughs from the friends we had brought with us to introduce them to the theatre. That’s not to say this is a deep or meaningful show in any way. It isn’t. It is silly and absurd. The plot is a McGuffin. It is self-referential. It used words it doesn’t even know the meaning of. But it is fun. Sometimes, you go to the theatre to have fun, and I think that was the concensus of our group.

Adrift in Macao - Cast PhotosThere were some problems at our show, all primarily technical. I’ll cover those later. However, performance-wise, it was great. Director Doug Baird (FB) is sufficiently familiar with the film noir conventions that he was able to work with his ensemble to bring them out in the performances in a hilarious fashion. This was augmented by the choreography of Jennifer Gorgulho (FB), which fit well into the film noir and various other styles (mambo) called for in this show.

In the lead positions were Alicia Teeter (FB) as Lureena Jones and Tim Reynolds (FB) as Mitch. Both had lovely voices, which start the show out strongly in the numbers “In a Foreign City (in a Slinky Dress)” and “In a Foreign City (in a Grumpy Mood)”. They capture the noir aspects of their characters well, and were just a delight to watch. Very, very funny and (as appropriate) very very deadpan.

Playing counter to the leads were Cami Jackson (FB) as Corinna and Derek DeMarco (FB) as Rick Shaw. Jackson had a lovely voice and style, and played well against her Teeter as her foil. About the only complaint is that the two had similar looks, and potentially a wig should have been used with one of them to provide more distinction. But that’s a minor quibble for what otherwise was an excellent performance with great comic timing, good dance, and a lovely voice on numbers like “Mambo Malaysian” or “Adrift in Macao”. DeMarco’s character has fewer numbers, although he shines in “Rick’s Song” and has great chemistry with Jackson’s Corinna (which is no surprise, as he is her real life fiancee).

Perhaps the most problematic character in the show is the funniest as well: Joshua Lau (FB)’s Tempura. As written, this character is over-the-top stereotypical movie oriental, with all the problematic dropping of r’s, and inscrutability. But the writing makes clear that this is intentional tongue-in-cheek — this is 1952, and it is how Asians were written then. That doesn’t make it right or less offensive, but it does put it into the context of the show and of film noir — which was at its very nature both stereotypical, mysogynistic, and offensive in portrayals. By doing so, I think it was highlighting how those portrayals were absurd and wrong. Lau plays with this to the hilt, and seems to be having a lot of fun with it. He sings well in numbers like “Tempura’s Song” and the closing “Ticky, Ticky Tock” number, and is quite funny.

Rounding out the cast in supporting ensemble roles as well as the indicated named roles were Emily Schmeichel-Frank (FB) as Daisy, the cigarette girl/waitress and Patrick Kelleher as Joe, the bartender (at some performances, Joe is played by Hank Lawson (FB)). Schmeichel-Frank draws the eye and is fun to watch when she is on-stage, and Kelleher (at our performance) had some great comic moments, and they moved well in their ensemble background numbers.

Music was provided by an off-stage (behind a screen) five piece band, under the musical direction of Samuel Cisneros (FB), who also played keyboards. The remainder of the band consisted of Doug Forsyth (FB) [Keyboard 2]; Ron Bowman (FB) [Reeds]; Jerald Bittle (FB) [Drums]; and Linda Jansen (FB) [Bass].

Turning to the production side of the equation, starting with what worked. There is no program credit for scenic or set design; presumably, the director did that. Tabard has a quarter to third round stage, and this was designed with an oriental symbol in the center (with the band behind it), a bar space, and some table space, with some dancing space front and center. This worked, although the bead curtains to off-stage were a little noisy. The design was supported by Miranda Whipple (FB)’s props, which worked well. Mood and date was provided more by Melissa Sanchez (FB)’s costumes, assisted by Marilyn Watts (FB); there was no credit for hair or makeup. The costume designs seemed reasonably period, but I’m no expert in that area.

Now for what was more problematic…. The sound design by John DiLoreto (FB) was great at some points (particularly the directionality of the sound during the hunt for McGuffin), but there were other times where actors drifted in and out of amplification. This could have been a board problem, but the sound designer is responsible for training the board operator. Similarly, Nick Nichols (FB) lighting design mostly work, but there were times performers were singing in the dark (meaning spot or position failures). Lastly, the bigggest flaw belonged to Technical Director Rover Spotts (FB): when the time came for the sing-along at the end (of “Ticky Ticky Tock”), the projection design wasn’t ready — they had to play catch up with opening and starting the presentation, and then the presentation was just words. It did add to the humor, but that wasn’t intentional.

Rounding out the production credits: Charlynn Knighton (FB) [Production Manager]; Robert Lewis (FB) [Asst. Stage Manager, Board Operator]; Cathy Spielberger Cassetta (FB) [Producer]; Barbara Reynolds (FB) [Program Layout]. Speaking of programs: As this is a regional theatre out of a traditional theatre city (LA, NYC), most of the actors and the production team did not have professional bios online (there were perhaps two), and being Silicon Valley, many folks are smart and don’t have FB. But luckily, Tabard puts its program online so you can read the credits.

There is one weekend left for Adrift in Macao. You can get tickets through the Theatre’s website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar. The next event at Tabard is on May 10th at 7:00 PM, when the Tabard Theatre Company will celebrate its 10th year of being the resident and managing theatre company of Theatre on San Pedro Square. Information and tickets to this free event are available online. The next show will be a production of Love Letters, running June 8 – 24. The first show of their new season, Another Roll of the Dice, starts September 14th. This is the West Coast premiere, thanks to the death of the Colony Theatre (FB) which was about to produce the show when it informed subscribers that it was going belly up on hiatus for an indefinite period.

As a side note: I was surprised at how many theatres there were in DTSJ – Downtown San Jose. Within walking distance of Tabard were: Broadway San Jose at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; the Montgomery Theatre, which also includes the City National Civic, the Center for the Performing Arts, and the California Theatre — all withing walking distance.  Those are the largest; next on the size scale is the Hammer Theatre at SJSC, also managed by the city, and the Trianon Theatre. Going smaller, there’s the San Jose Stage Company, which looked to have a great season, and  the City Lights Theatre Company. For someone used to LA theatre, seeing this concentration of theatres demonstrates that although the South Bay may have worse drivers than Los Angeles, it has a great theatrical community.

***

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music 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 5 Star Theatricals (FB) [the company formerly known as Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)], the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, a mini-subscription at the Saroya [the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The first weekend in May will bring School of Rock at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), with the following weekend bringing Soft Power  at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). The middle of May brings Violet at Actors Co-op (FB).  The last weekend will hopefully bring a Nefesh Mountain concert at Temple Ramat Zion; the weekend itself is currently open.

June — ah, June. That, my friends, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), including The Story of My Life from Chromolume Theatre (FB). I’ve begun planning my scheduling using the HFF18 information, and it looks like we’ll be seeing 19-20 shows over the weekends in June. More on that when the schedule finalizes. Additionally in June we’re seeing the postponed Billy Porter singing Richard Rodgers at the Saroya (the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)) (FB), The Color Purple at  the Hollywood Pantages (FB), and possibly Do Re Mi at MTW. The latter, however, is on a Sunday night in Long Beach, and so Fringing may win out.

July will get busier again. It starts with the 50th Anniversary of Gindling Hilltop Camp, followed by On Your Feet at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The next weekend brings Jane Eyre The Musical at Chromolume Theatre (FB). The third weekend in July brings a Bat Mitzvah in Victorville, with Beauty and The Beast at 5 Star Theatricals (FB) that evening. The last weekend may be a Muse/ique (FB) show. August starts with Waitress at the Hollywood Pantages (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-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: 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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Art, Artists, and Accusations in the #MeToo Era

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The conviction this week of Bill Cosby brings, once again, the distinction between art and artist to the fore. Whereas it might be possible to look the other way for an artist that had problematic behavior at the level of “only unsubstantiated accusation” or a single incident once way in the past, Cosby’s history makes it clear that he was abusing from his first stand-up days, and throughout his film and TV career. It raises the question of how we view his media output in the light of this. For some, Cosby has made his media work a betrayal of the values that it conveyed. But for others? Does his behavior make his standup less funny? I grew up thinking his album “Wonderfulness” was one of the best, with routines like “Tonsils” and “Chicken Heart” memorized. There was none of his abusive behavior in those stories. Indeed, throughout much of his early standup, shows like “I Spy” and his various TV series (The Bill Cosby Show in the 1960s, Cosby, etc.) were mostly wholesome entertainment. How is that tainted by the abhorrent behavior of the artist? Or to put it bluntly: You’ve got the LPs, the CDs, the DVDs of those performances, although paid for. He makes no money whether you view them anymore. So what do you do with them? Is listening to them betrayal of your values or support of his behavior?

This, in essence, is the broader question of how we separate the art from the artist. It would be wonderful if all of our artist were good people (same for our politicians). If we enjoy their work, we want the artist to be good. But people are complicated, and art is complicated, and complicated people produce art with complications. Do we abandon the artistic output of people like Woody Allan, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski? Do we not listen to bands where the rock stars slept with underage groupies? Do we delay doing so until the artist is dead, or will no longer make money from us that they can use towards abuse?

It’s not an easy question.

Complicating this is the fact that in having abusive sexual behavior, the victim is not the only one who is screwed. Think of all the other innocent actors on Bill Cosby shows, who are now not earning residuals because of Cosby’s behavior.  Think of the media companies that no longer make money, the writers that no longer get exposure. The people for whom their association with Cosby is now a stain on their resume. They didn’t ask for this. In penalizing the man, we hurt a larger community. [By the way, in saying this, I want to make clear that I don’t support his behavior or think we should look the other way. I’m only noting that his behavior hurts a far wider circle.]

It also raises the question of how we view art and artistic output in the #MeToo (and post-#MeToo era). Cosby has raised the question of good art from badly-behaving artists. But there’s also the question of the #MeToo lens. I’ve noted how our new environment has made me look at shows I watch and see differently — both for the good and bad. Some shows, like Steel Pier, resonate more post-#MeToo. Others are painful to watch because of the stereotypes they perpetuate or implicit privilege they capture (How To Succeed is an example of this, but far from the only one — perhaps Gone With The Wind is the best example). What do we do with this art, and how do we handle and reinterpret it. Do we need to explicitly express the historic context to enjoy it. Do we hide it away, embarrassed? Does art transform from good to bad because of its message?

Just as with people, art is complicated. Would there be simple answers?

I certainly don’t have them. But I see the conflict, I see the lens. I recognize the bad behavior of the artists, and (at least for some time) may set aside the artistic output. But I remain conflicted? What should I think when a song from Beyond the Sea with Keven Spacey comes on the iPod? To that end, what do I think about when I hear great music from artists that abused women? No easy answers.

I’m open to your thoughts. How are you dealing with the question of art and artists, in the post #MeToo era?

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The Law of Unintended Consequences

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Did you ever do something, only to discover there were side ramifications you hadn’t considered? Today’s collection of news chum (prompted by some podcasts I listened to yesterday), examine a number of those cases:

  • Sex Trafficking and Prostitution. A month or so a new law called FOSTA-SESTA made a change in the safe harbor provision in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This was the provision that protects a website from being liable for what a user posts. Based on the change, sites like Backpage shut down, and Craigslist closed its personals section. The law was intended to stop sex trafficking of underage girls. But a recent episode of Reply All showed how it could have deadly consequences for sex workers. Essentially, those sites moved workers off the street and allowed them to vet their clients, saving lives. With the sites gone, the dangers has come back, and women are dying. A really interesting listen.
  • Opioid Addiction. Another podcast I listened to yesterday explored the unintended consequences related to opioid addiction. Basically, a few flawed studies led doctors to believe that opioids were non-addictive, and this combined with new industry standards to ask people about pain and to treat it led to overprescription of these drugs, which led to dependence. But then again, Heroin was created to have something less addictive than Morphene. Now opioids is an “epidemic”, and the unintended side effect of those with real pain, who don’t overuse opioids, often now have to live with more pain. Note that they have a second part on kicking the habit. There may be a similar problem with anti-depression meds.
  • Gas Prices and Electric Cars. A little thing like price can have such an impact on things. For example, gas prices go down briefly and cars get more efficient fuel wise. The government changes laws requiring a lower average MPG for an automaker’s lineup. As a result, people more people buy more SUVs and Trucks. The automakers don’t have to keep the higher MPG cars in their lineup to satisfy the government, so they gravitate to the higher profit SUVs and trucks. The unintended result: more and more American car makes abandon the passenger car and sedan marketplace. For example, Ford just announced its withdrawal from that marking, reducing the number of its cars to 2.  Chevy is doing something similar, dropping the Sonic, and Dodge previously did the same. A market is being ceded to the Europeans and Asian automakers — and what will happen when fuel prices go back up and people want higher MPG cars? Where will they turn? They might go electric, but then there’s another unintended consequence: people are buying so many hybrids and electrics that the toll lanes that allowed them for free are getting crowded. As a result, Metro is now thinking of charging tolls for electrics in the toll lanes.
  • Grading on a Curve. What happens to a class when you announce you are grading on a curve, where the highest grade will get an “A”, and everyone else lower? The class might band together and refuse to take the exam, so that everyone has the highest score – 0. That’s exactly what happened at a computer science class in at Johns Hopkins. All the students boycotted the exam.
  • Finding Gold. Where is there more gold? In the recycle bin, or in a gold mine? If you said “recycle bin”, you were right. There’s tons of gold — and other precious metals — in electronics. But it takes work to get those electronics to a recycler, so they sit in a garage (broken), or go to a landfill. This makes it more expensive to get the metals for electronics, and creates pollution. By making something harder, electronic retailers hurt themselves. But then again, don’t try to refurbish and repair them either — do that, and add a free to download operating system, and Microsoft might sue you.
  • Changing Alphabets. Kazakistan is changing its alphabet again, and that could have quite a few unintended consequences. The linked article explores the economic aspects of the change, and the unintended consequences for private business. But think further, about the impact on search engines and user names and all that rot. Quite complicated.
  • Streaming Music. The music industry had a problem. No one was buying albums and CDs anymore, and that was hurting record labels. How to save the music industry? Streaming? You only get a fraction of a penny for a play. How can that make up for an album? Well, it turns out streaming is saving the music industry. People may lease their music, but all that streaming adds up: You pay each time you listen to a favorite son, and when it is on a playlist, that’s $$$$$$.  What is an unintended consequence? Well, you don’t have your music when you want it. Labels can pull back their music whenever they want to, as in the pre-VCR days of TV. You go someplace you can’t stream, and you can’t listen.
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Shaping Factors

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Over lunch, I was reviewing my accumulated potential news chum links. There had been some interesting articles over the last few days that had piqued my interest (got it right this time), but what would theme? Then it hit me — a connection between articles. All of these have to do with factors that shape our perception and our history, especially in California and Los Angeles in particular.

  • Drawing the Line. Curbed LA had a recent article of late on Los Angeles History 101, presenting 13 defining moments in Los Angeles history. Item #8 was redlining, which was the process of distinguishing particular neighborhoods for particular ethnic and economic groups. That article provided some interesting history, including the fact that many communities in Southern California were “sundown” towns, where blacks were not permitted after sundown (these include Hawthorne, Palos Verdes and South Pasadena). It also mentioned “redlining”: When the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was established in the 1930s as part of the New Deal, it was meant to bolster the housing market. It also assessed and ranked the value of land and risks according to a neighborhood’s economic and racial makeup. Depending on the community, certain groups were barred, or loans were more risky. The redlining connected to their item #9, which is the dark history of how the Dodgers acquired the land for Dodger Stadium, as well as items #10 and #12, the Watts Riots and the Rodney King Riots. This dovetailed with an article in the Atlantic looking at the practice of redlining in more detail. That article went into the racist history of both the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, showing how the redlining shaped the racial tensions that impact the city to this very day. Look at the redlining maps, and then look at where the racial issues boiled over in Chavez Ravine, Watts, and South LA. Then think about other LA incidents such as the Zoot Suit Riots, and you’ll see the racist history of California in gory detail.
  • Water and Land. Another defining moment in the Curbed LA article is #3, Water and Mullholland. Water enabled the city to grow, but at a great cost. Water is also key to California’s growth, and there was a great article on that a few months ago talking about the central valley of California, water rights, and the small number of farmers that own vast acreage and shape politics and policy in the San Joaquin Valley.  The article talks about Stewart Resnick. . Last time Resnick checked, he owned 180,000 acres of California. That’s 281 square miles. He is irrigating 121,000 of those acres. This doesn’t count the 21,000 acres of grapefruits and limes he’s growing in Texas and Mexico. He uses more water than any other person in the West. His 15 million trees in the San Joaquin Valley consume more than 400,000 acre-feet of water a year. The city of Los Angeles, by comparison, consumes 587,000 acre-feet. It looks at the impact of Resnick’s companies, such as Pom Wonderful (of Cuties fame). He is one of the largest growers of pistacios. And, of course, he owns a mansion in Beverly Hills.
  • Perceptions. Our perceptions are shaped in various ways. The Washington Post had an interesting article (use incognito or private mode if blocked by their paywall) about how social media shaped and spread a historical lie. This is the lie that “The Democrats created KKK.”, and it involves a purported photo of a Klan march captioned: “This photo was taken at the 1924 Democratic Convention. It was known as the ‘Klanbake’ (just in case you want to Google it).” The problem? There was no Klan march at the 1924 Democratic convention — the photo was actually taken in Wisconsin — nor was the convention ever actually known as the “Klanbake.” Read the article for the full details and disputation. But we’re seeing other shaping perceptions, notably in the form of faked videos of celebrities. Often called “deepfakes”, these are used to create “celebrity porn” or fake news, with politicians saying things they never did. Of course, we see the video and believe our eyes — seeing is believing, right? Wrong. Now even what we see is faked.  So here’s a good guide on how to recognize “deepfake” videos.

 

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It Rings a Bell | “Hunchback of Notre Dame” @ 5-Star Theatricals

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Hunchback of Notre Dame (5-Star Theatricals) What makes a monster, and what makes a man? This was the underlying question of an almost perfect production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on the Victor Hugo novel and the songs from the Disney Film, that we saw at the The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts (FB) back in October 2016. When we got the season announcement for the “inaugural” season of the newly renamed Star Theatricals (FB) and saw that it contained Hunchback, we were intrigued. Could it equal or come near the spectacular La Mirada production. Last night, we saw the second performance of Hunchback at 5-Star, and I’m pleased to say that it was very very close. There were some touches that I preferred in La Mirada, and one annoying misstep in the printed program,  but I recommend the 5-Star production strongly. If you have not seen the new darker theatrical production of Hunchback, this is well worth seeing.

As I wrote back in 2016 (and have since edited slightly):

Coming into the show, the first thing I would say is: drop your expectations. This is not exactly the Victor Hugo novel. It is definitely not the Disney film, although it retains the songs by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. It retains some notions of the Disney adaptation, although all cutesy humor has been dropped, along with the happy ending (it roughly retains the ending of the original). It is not the 1999 German musical version with a book by James Lapine — there are significant changes in the story there. It is based on the 2014 production at the La Jolla playhouse and the 2015 Paper Mill Playhouse version of the show (with a revised book by Peter Parnell) but even then there are some changes from that version. The seeds of this particular production were sown at the Sacramento Music Circus earlier in August 2016, and I believe the Sacramento version is the version that is now licensed by MTI.

Given the complexity of the story, I’m going to refer you to the Wikipedia entry on the Paper Mill Production for the detailed synopsis. The story focuses on the Frollo brothers, Claude and Jehan, and their legacy. Given salvation in the Cathedral of Notre Dame as infants, they are raised in the church. Jehen rebels and marries a Gypsy woman; Claude continues in the church and rises to Archdeacon, ever resenting the Gypsys for stealing his brother from him. On his deathbed, Jehan summons Claude and presents him with Jehan’s son, a deformed infant. Claude raises the boy, whom he has named Quasimodo, in the church, keeping him away from everyone in the bell tower. Quasimodo’s only friends are the stone gargoyles, who come to life and speak to him in his imagination. Once a year, the Gypsies are allowed to dance in the street; Quasimodo goes out that day and is crowned King of the Gypsies, and then taunted for his looks. The palace guards stop the taunting, and a gypsy woman, Esmeralda, comforts Quasimodo. She visits the church to see him, where Claude develops a lustful attraction for her. So does the captain of the guards. You can see the tragedy set in motion from that point, so I’ll leave it there. Suffice it to say that this doesn’t end well for everyone in the end (do Hugo’s novels ever do?).

Back when I saw the La Mirada production — in the period just before the election of Donald Trump — I wrote of the character Dom Claude Frollo “The character itself brought to me echos of Donald Trump in his reactions to immigrants, his anger, and his desire to keep the world safe and simple as he knows it. That echo is not intentional in the story, of course, but does make this story truly relevant to this year when we consider what makes a candidate human or a monster — the question of compassion vs. anger.”. It is now 18 months later, and Donald Trump is now president. There is hatred of the immigrant growing, there is increased judgement of the disabled, and we have leaders that actively work against those who are different. In the welcome to the show in the program, these issues were highlighted: “It is an easy connection to make between the gypsies in this story, and those sections of our contemporary society who are equally marginalized. The character of Quasimodo, with his physical deformations could just as easily be any myriad of persons who are wrongly viewed as unworthy in our society for any number of reasons (physical, mental, moral, among others).”. I’m pleased to see this echo recognized in the program: it is perhaps why this show is seeing an increased number of productions, and perhaps it will lead to better understanding of the plight of the immigrant and understanding of the disabled — perhaps seeing them as people and not monsters to be feared. On the other hand, it may also lead to viewing some of the leaders who have the veneer of acceptance to be seen as the monsters they are underneath. This is the point of this story; it is perhaps why it is so timeless, and why the darkness is so important.

There’s one other additional echo worth comparing since La Mirada: The impact of the #MeToo movement. I’m seeing this more and more in theatre today: aspects of productions that were once accepted without question have new meanings. In this show, there was a scene in the second act where Dom Claude attempts to use his power to sexually coerce Esmeralda. It now makes the audience uncomfortable, increasing the pleasure when Dom Claude gets his comeuppance. Think about this production and the view of women in the story. Think particularly about the implication from Dom Claude where he blames the gypsies and the behaviors for his desires and his misbehavior, when instead it is his lack of self-control. In this production — at this time — that statement screamed out to me in its relevance. Who are the monsters that cannot control their desires and then blame others for their lack of control, and who are the men who control their desires and who work and accept others. It is a telling message.

In the period leading up to the 5-Star production, I read an interview with Will North, Managing Director of 5-Star, about the 5-Star production of Hunchback. North has a strong connection with this show; this connection, I believe, is why he chose the show for the season. In 1996, North was the first actor to portray Quasimodo on the Disney World stage; he returned to the role for this production (and this seems to be a theme this year at 5-Star, for Susan Egan will return to the role of Belle in Beauty and The Beast in their next production, a role she last played in 1994). In any case, in the interview, North said, “I want to take the movie’s lighter tone and bring it to the stage”. I had been curious how he would do this, as the stage version is very dark and intense, and ends differently from the movie. I’m pleased to say that I didn’t detect a significant lightening of the tone, although my wife noted a few staging aspects that may have been lighter (such as the pouring of the molten lead).

It is in Will North (FB)’s casting that the most significant change from the La Mirada production occurred. In La Mirada, two actors portrayed Quasimodo: a deaf actor (John McGinty (FB)) who handled the performance and speaking portions, and a hearing actor (Dino Nicandros (FB)) who handled the singing portions. This, and the incorporation of ASL, made clear that the songs and the belief that Quasimodo didn’t see his disability was completely in his mind. It also permitted La Mirada to show the transformation of the actor to Quasimodo onstage, raising the question of Quasimodo as everyman. 5-Star took a different approach: North handled both the singing and the speaking, and only appeared on-stage made up as Quasimodo. His performance was exceptional, and he had a surprising and strong tenor voice, but the “unification” when compared to La Mirada lost a level of meaning. I think this is something that would only be significant to someone who saw both productions, however. Looking at North’s performance as something new, I still believe audiences will be blown away. The difference, is essentially, between 100% and 95%.

5-Star (I keep wanting to type “Cabrillo”, their former name) continued its tradition of strong leads and strong casting, with a mix of newcomers and AEA veterans. Their leads, in addition to North, were spectacular and just blew me away with their performance and vocal talent. Cabrillo 5-Star also knows how to use an ensemble well, and they continued that here — both in the gypsy ensemble and the gargoyle/statue ensemble. The main ensemble problem was the printed program: it is being able to identify the strongest ensemble performers that allows them to move up in their careers and get recognition, and it was difficult to do that from this program. More on that later.

Director Misti B. Wills (FB) and choreographer Michelle Elkin (FB) did a remarkable job of shaping the ensemble, the performances, and the movement. There were some elements on stage — particularly the use of real less-controlled fire — that you don’t see that often. They also brought out the appropriate intensity in the leads, and utilized the stage space well both in the dance and in the overall movement and coverage.

‘ve already noted the strength of Will North (FB) as Quasimodo. It was a surprising performance, especially considering that North has moved behind a desk, and is less on the stage as an actor and singer. He had a strong and emotive voice and handled his numbers well. He worked well in his interactions with those around him, and — most importantly — was believable and not a caricature. Quite a remarkable performance.

As Esmeralda, Cassandra Marie Murphy (FB) was simply spectacular. Her “God Bless the Outcasts” will blow you away with the beauty of her voice. She captured the sexiness of the character without being over, and truly portrayed her as a strong independent woman. She was a joy to watch.

Gregory North (FB), who we have seen before as a strong Capt. Hook at Cabrillo/5-Star, was an equally strong Dom Claude. North has to bring strength and power to this role, which he does in both performance and voice. His “Hellfire” is extremely strong.

Adam Hollick (FB), who was Joseph in Cabrillo/5-Stars recent production of Technicolor Dreamcoat, gave another strong performance here as Captain Phoebus De Martin. We admired his singing and his look then, and he didn’t disappoint this time.  ollick has a great singing voice and a good stage presence, and handled his character well.

The last “lead” character — at least as the publicity photos go — was Justin Michael Wilcox (FB) as the “King of the Gypsies”, Clopin Trouillefou. We’ve seen Wilcox in numerous past shows, and he always gives a great performance. In this show, he has the added burden of most of the narration and exposition — a task he handles well. Strong singing and strong dancing make him fun to watch.

The remaining actors have smaller named roles as well as performing in the ensemble. It is here that the printed program first breaks down (there are more): it doesn’t distinguish the ensemble members that are part of the gypsy ensemble, and those that are Quasimodo’s stone friends and statues. This is bad, as there are some remarkable performances and looks in those clearly identified roles, and it is difficult to match the performers to the role. This is particularly true for the statues: there was one female statue with a breastplate that had a strong voice (later identified as Miyuki Miyagi (FB), who we liked in Allegiance)  and my eye kept being drawn to the mouse or rat or gargoyle on stage left (at least I think it was left — it may have been Elizabeth Adabale), but identifying the performer was hard. I did admire the performer playing Saint Aphrodisius (L. Michael Wells (FB)) for his look; I had a similar admiration for the “Madame” character for her look and characterization. I also admired Emma Carlborg’s work with the live fire and dance. In general, I found myself watching the ensemble members closely during the larger numbers just for their expressions, happiness on stage, and performance quality. The following folks comprised the ensemble/smaller named roles: Katie Hume (FB) [Florika, Ensemble]; William Carmichael (FB) [Father Dupin, Ensemble]; James Beardsley (FB) [Frederic Charlus, Ensemble]; Trevor Shor (FB★, FB) [Jehan Frollow, Ensemble, Phoebusu/s]; Tom Hall (FB) [King Louis XI, Ensemble]; Sarah Marie (FB) [Madame, Ensemble]; L. Michael Wells (FB) [Saint Aphrodisius, Ensemble]; Daniel Berlin (FB) [Official, Ensemble]; Zy’heem Downey (FB) [Ensemble]; Elizabeth Adabale (FB★, FB) [Ensemble]; Andrew Garcia (FB) [Ensemble]; Emma Carlborg (FB★, FB) [Ensemble]; Evin Johnson (FB) [Ensemble]; Veronica Gutierrez (FB) [Ensemble]; Mitchell Johnson (FB) [Ensemble, Clopinu/s]; Miyuki Miyagi (FB) [Ensemble]; Alastair James Murden (FB★, FB) [Ensemble]; Kat Monzon (FB) [Ensemble, Esmeraldau/s]; Rodrigo Varandas (FB★, FB) [Ensemble]; Naomi Murden (FB) [Ensemble]; Jimmy Saiz (FB) [Ensemble, Quasimodou/s]; Elizabeth (Lizzy) Jorden Sheck (FB) [Ensemble]; Marie Spieldenner (FB) [Ensemble]; Tyler Marie Watkins (FB) [Ensemble]; and Terri K. Woodall (FB) [Ensemble, Dance Captain].

As with La Mirada, there was an on-stage chorus (almost liturgical) that provided additional voices and sound, as appropriate for a French church setting. Laura Dickinson (FB), who was the narrator for Joseph,  served as Chorus Master. Alas, here is where the second failure of the program comes into play: The members of the chorus are not credited anywhere that I could find. All I can say is that they were in good voice.

Music was provided by the 5-Star Theatricals Orchestra, under the musical direction of Dan Redfeld (FB★, FB). The orchestra consisted of:  Gary Rautenberg (FB) Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Soprano Sax; Kimaree Gilad (FB) Oboe, English-Horn, Alto Sax, Clarinet; Darrin Smith (FB) Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax; Jennifer Bliman (FB) Horn; Bill Barrett (FB) Trumpet I, Piccolo, Trumpet; Chris Maurer (FB) Trumpet II, Flugelhorn; Mike McCully (FB) Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone, Euphonium; Colleen Coomber (FB) Violin I;  Sally Berman (FB) Violin II; Karen Goulding-Long (FB) Viola;  Bang Eunn Lee (FB) Cello; Benjamin Ginsberg (FB) Keyboard Synthesizer I; Ryan Whyman (FB) Keyboard Synthesizer II; Shane Harry (FB) Double String Bass; and  Tyler Smith (FB) Set Drums, Percussion.  Darryl Tanikawa (FB) was the Orchestra Contractor. The orchestra was produced by Tanikawa Artists Management LLC.

Finally, turning to the production side. The program contains absolutely no credit for scenic design. No scenic designer, no rental credit for the scenery. Nothing. Nada. There is the possibility that they rented the scenic design from McCoy Rigby Entertainment (FB) and the La Mirada production — there are some similarities. As I wrote then: “The scenic design by Stephen Gifford (FB) was…. towering. The stage consisted of a two level structure. The lower level served a number of purposes, both low (town square, church floor) and high (bell tower). The upper level housed the choir on each side, and provided an upper portion to the bell tower and an observation point for various characters. There were large bells that were lowered, and a grate that was likely wooden…” — this seems to fit 5-Star’s usage. So this is the third problematic program omission: scenic designs deserve credit, both for the designer and any subsequent rental.

Returning to the production side: the non-scenic design props were designed by Alex Choate (FB) and worked well — especially the use of fire effects presumably coordinated by Emma Carlborg (FB★, FB). Costumes were by Beth Glasner (FB), with hair and wig design by Daniel Robles (FB) and  Trina White (FB) did the makeup. In general, the costumes, hair, wig and makeup worked well. I was particularly taken with St. Aphrodisius’s costume and the illusion of him holding his head. A few of the gargoyle costumes needed some undergarment correction to be a tad less — shall we say bulgy in wrong places. The gypsy costumes worked well, and I appreciated the tattoos that appear to have been added. Overall, I felt the illusions created by the costumes worked well; I can’t speak to how Quasimodo’s costumes and makeup looked up close, as we were in the Mezzanine. The sound design by  Jonathan Burke(FB) generally worked well; there could have been more effects for the lowering of the grates and such.  Jose Santiago (FB)’s lighting design established mood and time well. Remaining technical credits:   Jack Allaway, Technical Director; Talia Krispel (FB), Production Stage Manager; Richard Storrs (FB), Marketing Director; Mustang Marketing (FB), Marketing Team; David Elzer/Demand PR, Press Representative; and Will North (FB), Managing Director.

There is one more weekend to see Hunchback of Notre Dame at Cabrillo  5 Star Theatricals (FB). Tickets are available through the 5-Star Box Office; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar. It is a well-done production that is well worth seeing; be aware that it is darker than the Disney animated movie.

***

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music 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 5 Star Theatricals (FB) [the company formerly known as Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)], the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, a mini-subscription at the Saroya [the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Next weekend sees us travelling for a show, as we drive up to San Jose to see friends as well as Adrift in Macao at The Tabard Theatre Company (FB).

Continuing into May and June: The first weekend in May will bring School of Rock at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), with the following weekend bringing Soft Power  at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). The middle of May brings Violet at Actors Co-op (FB).  The last weekend will hopefully bring a Nefesh Mountain concert at Temple Ramat Zion; the weekend itself is currently open.

June — ah, June. That, my friends, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), including The Story of My Life from Chromolume Theatre (FB). Additionally in June we’re seeing the postponed Billy Porter singing Richard Rodgers at the Saroya (the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)) (FB), The Color Purple at  the Hollywood Pantages (FB), and possibly Do Re Mi at MTW. The latter, however, is on a Sunday night in Long Beach, and so Fringing may win out.

July will get busier again. It starts with the 50th Anniversary of Gindling Hilltop Camp, followed by On Your Feet at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The next weekend brings Jane Eyre The Musical at Chromolume Theatre (FB). The third weekend in July brings a Bat Mitzvah in Victorville, with Beauty and The Beast at 5 Star Theatricals (FB) that evening. The last weekend may be a Muse/ique (FB) show. August starts with Waitress at the Hollywood Pantages (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-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: 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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Science Saturday – Cleanin’ Out The Chum

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I’ve been really busy the last few weeks, and the chum has been accumulating. So I decided it was time to clean some clutter out of the bookmarks. Here’s a collection of science and medicine related articles that I found of interest:

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis. My wife, unfortunately, gets to deal with RA. Quite a few weeks ago, I learned about an article that explored the relationship between bacteria in beef and milk and RA: In particular, a strain of bacteria commonly found in milk and beef may be a trigger for developing rheumatoid arthritis in people who are genetically at risk, according to a new study from the University of Central Florida.
  • Artificial Sweetner and Crohns Disease. Another immune system disease, like RA, is Crohns. In another study,  researchers have found that, given over a six-week period, the artificial sweetener sucralose, known by the brand name Splenda, worsens gut inflammation in mice with Crohn’s disease, but had no substantive effect on those without the condition. I’m curious is there is any impact on RA. My wife only uses Stevia.
  • Going Gluten Free. We all know that if you are Celiac (as is my wife), you need to go on a gluten-free diet. Well, it turns out that might not be enough. There are reports on some extreme cases of cross contamination, and there are now tests sensitive enough to test for it. Cross-contact can start at the farm, where gluten-free crops might be grown adjacent to, or rotated with, gluten-containing crops. It can also occur anywhere down the line in processing, packaging and shipping. When Thompson reported the study on her Facebook page, which has over 17,000 followers, worried comments spooled out, ranging from concerns about airborne gluten from the bakery section of supermarkets, to cross-contact from wheat-eating family members, to a report from one woman with a gluten-detection dog able to reportedly detect down to 1 part per million (the dog alerted her to gluten on her shopping cart). A lament from one person with celiac disease seemed to sum it up: “There is no safe place in this world for a celiac. It breaks my heart.”
  • Case in Point: Oat Milk. It appears that a new artificial mylk is about to hit the market: Oat Milk.  They are predicting it will be the next big thing. Oat milk is made by milling oats with water to create a squishy texture. The resulting starch is broken down by added enzymes like malt sugar, which acts as a sweetener. That blend is then sifted to remove whole oat shells, leaving a creamy liquid that’s pasteurized and packaged. It even foams, thanks to a little canola oil. However, whether oats are gluten-free is iffy, and the malt sugar could also be a problem.
  • Having a Heart Attack. Here’s an interesting human interest story about a nurse in the Australian Outback that diagnosed their own heart attack, and saved their own life. Alone at his station, more than 600 miles from the city of Perth and 100 miles from any hospital at all, the 44-year-old man experiences a sudden bout of dizziness and severe chest pain. What he does next is remarkable, life-saving and — to a considerable degree — instructive.
  • Germicide Resistant Computers. Computers are a big problem in hospitals, because they can’t be sterilized or dipped in germicide. Enter HP: with new germicide resistant computers for hospitals.There are three products. There’s HP’s EliteOne 800 Healthcare Edition All-in-One desktop, there’s the 27-inch HP Healthcare Edition Clinical Review Display, and there’s the EliteBook 840 Healthcare Edition notebook. The laptop lets you disable the keyboard and touchscreen while cleaning, so that nothing is accidentally inputted. All three products are built to withstand deterioration from being cleaned with germicidal wipes, which may help reduce the spread of health care-related infections.
  • ADD/ADHC: How the Symptoms Shape Your Perceptions. In this interesting article, it is noted how the textbook symptoms of ADD — inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity — fail to reflect several of its most powerful characteristics; the ones that shape your perceptions, emotions, and motivation. The article then goes on to explain how to recognize and manage ADHD’s true defining features that explain every aspect of the condition: 1. an interest-based nervous system; 2. emotional hyperarousal; and 3. rejection sensitivity.
  • Night Owls. I get up early; my wife is a night owl. According to a recent study, that’s bad for her. A new study of mortality rates of nearly half a million people finds that individuals who strongly preferred to stay up late were more likely to be dead at the end of a six-and-a-half-year period. The findings, described in the journal Chronobiology International, offer the first study linking mortality risk to night-owl sleep habits, according to the authors. The results could help researchers better understand another aspect of the role that circadian rhythms play in human health. Then again, I’ve got the big belly, which is bad for me.
  • After Death. So what do you do with your body after you die, especially if you don’t want the “hole in the ground” that wastes resources and doesn’t decompose. Here are some eco-friendly alternatives.
  • Eyebrows. I find the human face and head fascinating. Especially the odd things, like the shape of our ears (quite ugly, when you think about it), and our eyebrows. There’s some new research out on eyebrows, and how they served to separate us from our Neanderthal brothers. The brow ridge is one of the most distinctive features that mark out the difference between archaic and modern humans. The theory is that eyebrows are a canvas upon which our eyebrows can paint emotions. And as we became an increasingly social species engaged in increasingly sophisticated communication, they helped us survive.
  • Poisoning Pigeons in the Park. A collection of scientific news chum wouldn’t be complete without a belated tribute to Tom Lehrer on his 90th birthday.
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The Chai Life | “Bad Jews” @ Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Bad Jews (Odyssey)Friday night. I could have been at the synagogue, celebrating Israel’s 70th Birthday. But no, I was at the theatre. I’m a bad Jew.

Conincidentally, that was the title of the show we saw at the  Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (FB) — Bad Jews, written by Joshua Harmon. We missed Bad Jews the last time it was in Los Angeles (at the Geffen, in 2015); this time the timing was right for us to make it (and, coincidentally, another of Harmon’s plays, Significant Other, is currently at the Geffen). The description of the show just made it sound so intriguing:

After a beloved grandfather dies in New York, leaving a treasured piece of religious jewelry that he succeeded in hiding even from the Nazis during the Holocaust, cousins fight over not only the family heirloom, but their “religious faith, cultural assimilation, and even the validity of each other’s romances.”

The story itself is centered around the two Haber brothers, Jonah and Liam, their cousin Daphna Feygenbaum, and Liam’s girlfriend, Melody. Their common grandfather — a holocaust survivor — has died, leaving a Chai necklace. The essence of the play centers around who wants — and who deserves — the necklace.

The characters are constructed in — at least from this Jew’s perspective — a stereotypical way. Liam is the typical secular Jew — atheistic in belief, and barely Jewish in heritage, with the typical non-Jewish blond and blue-eyed girlfriend. Davna is the type you meet at a Jewish summer camp: wearing her liberal and Israel-supporting Judaism on her sleeve; she’s strongly proud of it, but you don’t know how deep under the surface that pride goes. Jonah is more of an enigma: quiet, not wanting to make any trouble, the good kid. Melody is the non-Jewish girlfriend of no particular outward religious faith, but perhaps the most religious and moral of them all.

Bad Jews (Cast Photos)The play itself was at times laugh out loud funny, and at times darkly angry. My wife came away from it a bit disturbed. She felt the characterization of Daphna was too much of the “Jewish bitch stereotype”. It wasn’t something that would have been noticed three years ago when the play first arrived in LA, but in today’s #MeToo environment with a great sensitivity of how women are portrayed, it was a bit problematical. I also saw stereotypes in Melody: there was the immediate assumption that anyone blond and blue eyed was non-Jewish. Melody could very easily have been Jewish and just not saying anything; the question was never asked. We both noted that the playwright was a man: could this have been a problem with a man writing a role for a woman, and thus putting his perception of what Jewish women are into the characters, with them being shaped by a real Jewish women. This then raised the question of where the director, Dana Resnick (FB), came into shaping the play. After all, the current revival of My Fair Lady has been slightly reshaped for the modern era and a more liberated Eliza; was there enough directorial leeway to reshape the characters in a more realistic way (or was it forced by the dialogue). It was something we couldn’t answer, but we felt it was an interesting debate.

Other than that, we felt that the debate captured in the show represented a dilemma common with younger Jews today: what constitutes a “good Jew” in the modern era? Which character was the most deserving of the Chai? They all had legitimate claims. It is certainly a play that will leave you asking that question.

The performances themselves were strong. As Daphna, Jeanette Deutsch (FB) embodied the modern Jewish woman esthetic quite well. In other words: I remember her type from camp; I knew them and know them, and she captured it well. I thought she just went to the edge; my wife felt her a bit over-strident.

As her cousin, Jonah, Austin Rogers (FB) was much more in the background, not wanted to get involved. He didn’t scream; he observed and provided the rational foil for the characters around him.

As his brother, however, Noah James (FB)’s Liam was a different story. He was in your face and argumentative, seemingly wanting to pick a fight.  I will never forget the scene of him screaming at Dephna.

Lastly, Lila Hood (FB) captured the outsider nature of Melody quite well. Although all the characters had remarkable facial expressions, hers spoke the most while she watched the other characters arguing. She had an entire dialogue and reaction going on in that face that said volumes. She was just fascinating to watch.

As an ensemble, the four worked well together and had a believable family nature. As I said above for Lila, just watch their facial expressions. These actors are saying loads with their reactions while the other actors go at it. I don’t know if this is direction or something organic from the actors, but it was just a joy to watch.

Turning to the production side: David Offner‘s scenic design was a modern New York apartment, complete with mess, two air beds, and working appliances. It was supported by Josh La Cour‘s properties and Tom Ash (FB)’s lighting. Vicki Conrad (FB)’s costumes captured the characters well, and Marisa Whitmore‘s sound design provided the requisite sound effects. Other production credits: Emma Whitley (FB) [Stage Manager]; Gregory Velasco Kucukarslan [Asst Director]; Matthew Gold  [Assoc. Casting Director]; Ron Sossi (FB) [Producer].

Bad Jews continues at the  Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (FB) through June 17. Tickets are available through the The Odyssey Theatre; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

***

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music 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 5 Star Theatricals (FB) [the company formerly known as Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)], the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, a mini-subscription at the Saroya [the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The third weekend of April has one more show: The Hunchback of Notre Dame at 5 Star Theatricals (FB) (nee Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)) on Saturday. The last weekend of April sees us travelling for a show, as we drive up to San Jose to see friends as well as Adrift in Macao at The Tabard Theatre Company (FB).

Continuing into May and June: The first weekend in May will bring School of Rock at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), with the following weekend bringing Soft Power  at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). The middle of May brings Violet at Actors Co-op (FB).  The last weekend will hopefully bring a Nefesh Mountain concert at Temple Ramat Zion; the weekend itself is currently open. June — ah, June. That, my friends, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), including The Story of My Life from Chromolume Theatre (FB). Additionally in June we’re seeing the postponed Billy Porter singing Richard Rodgers at the Saroya (the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)) (FB), The Color Purple at  the Hollywood Pantages (FB), and possibly Do Re Mi at MTW. The latter, however, is on a Sunday night in Long Beach, and so Fringing may win out. Currently, we’re booking all the way out in mid to late 2018!

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-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: 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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