Month: May 2019

🎭 A Place to Play and Grow

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

This morning, I read in the LA Times about actress Constance Wu’s tweet about the renewal of Fresh off the Boat, and the resulting kerfuffle, which was not actually about FOTB, but losing an artistic challenge as a result of the renewal. I have two words for Ms. Wu:

Intimate Theatre

In particular, Los Angeles’ vibrant 99-and-under seat theatre scene. I’m not an actor, but a long-time LA audience member. Something Actors Equity never learned about Los Angeles is that LA’s small theatres is where TV and film actors go to exercise their craft and find challenge. It is where they go to escape the doldrums of a character they know well, and explore roles — in short runs — that are vastly different than their TV roles. And I’m sure the small companies in LA would love to have Ms. Wu join them. The audiences in LA certainly would, because we need the diversity she would bring to the stage.

Don’t believe me? Ask folks like Laurie Metcalf, French Stewart, Dan Lauria, Dann Florek, and the many other “recognizable” TV actors I’ve seen on the 99-and-under stages here in Los Angeles.

Want that artistic challenge? You don’t need to leave your TV home. Just go to Santa Monica Blvd, Western, Electric Avenue, or the many other streets housing our great local theatres. Do you want to get a taste? The Hollywood Fringe Festival starts the 2nd week of June.

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🎭 A Time It Was, And What a Time It Was | “Falsettos” @ Ahmanson

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Falsettos (Ahmanson Theatre)Normally, the progression of how I see major musicals is to see a regional tour first, then see the a major regional production, and then see the intimate theatre version or versions of the show. But 25 years ago I was seeing less theatre and preparing for the birth of my daughter, and so missed Falsettos when it was at the Ahmanson at the Doolittle. My first exposure to the show, instead, was back in 2011, when the YADA/Third Street Theatre mounted a production. About that show, I wrote:

“Falsettos” is really two parts of a three part trilogy of one-act musicals with book by William Finn and James Lapine and Music and Lyrics by William Finn (it premiered on Broadway in 1992). The first part of the trilogy (which is not in “Falsettos“) is “In Trousers“, which introduces us to the main character, Marvin, and his discovery that he prefers men to women. The two parts of “Falsettos ” take place after this: Marvin has just divorced his wife, Trina, and has become involved with Whizzer. The first act, “March of the Falsettos“, addresses the desire of Marvin to have a tight-knit family of Marvin, his lover Whizzer, his ex-wife Trina, his son Jason (age 11), and their psychologist (and Trina’s eventual husband), Mendel. This act explores the impact of Marvin’s relationships on those around him, ending up with Trina in a somewhat happy relationship with Mendel, Jason reconciled with his dad, and Marvin and Whizzer split. The second act is the last part of the trilogy, “Falsettoland“. It deals with Jason’s Bar Mitzvah under the Marvin being reconciled with Whizzer, and the shadow of Whizzer coming down with AIDS and eventually dying.

Neither of these are the happiest of subjects, and William Finn’s sung-through music provides opportunity after opportunity to explore all the angst. Unlike “Spelling Bee” or “New Brain“, the music isn’t particularly memorable or uplifting. So overall, we walked out of the musical with an “eh” reaction to the book: it wasn’t quite as incomprehensible as “Adding Machine“, but it wasn’t particularly a wow either. That’s not to say there aren’t some good songs. I’ve always like the opening of both acts: “Four Jews in a Room Bitching”, which opens “March of the Falsettos” and “Welcome to Falsettoland” which opens “Falsettoland“. March (Act I) also contains the wonderful “I’m Breaking Down” (originally in In Trousers): this is a comic delight that Trina sings while making some god-awful baked contraption. The visual gags alone are a delight. Falsettoland” (Act II) has a few good numbers as well, in particular, “Watching Jason (Play Baseball)”, where the characters bemoan how Jewish boys can’t play baseball, and “Everyone Hates Their Parents” where Mendel and Jason sing about how teens always hate their parents as teenagers, but when they are older, they hate them less, and that when they have kids, their kids will hate them. As the father of a teen who is in this stage, all I can say is “how true!”. Lastly, Marvin’s haunting last number, “What Would I Do?”, is just wonderful: it poses the question of what Marvin’s life would be had Whizzer not been it in. It is a suitable capstone to the piece, showing the value of love and friendship.

It is now (looks at watch) 8 years later. Do I still think it is “eh”? If anything, this has become much more of a period piece: we now know how to manage AIDS/HIV, and we can essentially cure or render the disease non-detectable. That’s a good thing: we no longer have the epidemic of men and women dying of this disease. This piece, on the other hand, takes place at the start of the AIDS/HIV era, when we didn’t even know what the disease was — only that men were dying of it. Think of a continuum: this piece capturing the start, with pieces like Rent squarely capturing the middle (recall the “AZT break, referencing the cocktail that had just become common), and pieces like The Prom capturing the modern era where the disease isn’t a consideration. In that continuum, this piece has increased in importance to remind us where we were, and how a disease can rip apart families. It also reminds us that families are who we choose them to be.

But still, this is not a show where you walk out of the theatre cheering. As we drove home, we were listening to an episode of The Ensemblist with Shoshana Bean, and she talked about Hairspray,  and how it ended with all the cast on stage happy and singing. Sister Act, last week, ended similarly. But this show? Let’s just say it ends on the predictable downbeat, with the teeny tiny band. As a result, you still walk out of the theatre a bit “eh”. You enjoyed the show, there were great and wonderful performances, but it left you … solemn. It’s a downbeat book. Not Mack and Mabel downbeat, but still downbeat. But the performances were great.

Before I get into the individual performances, I would like to highlight some of the great moments in this show — because although overall it was down, there were some great ups along the way:

  • I love the opening songs in each act: “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” for Act I (March of the Falsettos), and “Welcome to Falsettoland” for Act II (Falsettoland).
  • “I’m Breaking Down” is still a comic masterpiece, and one of my favorite songs overall.
  • “Everyone Hates His Parents” is an absolute truism, and was wonderfully performed.
  • “The Baseball Game” is just so true, especially as I know Jewish Men that try to play baseball.

Under the direction of James Lapine, and with choreography by Spencer Liff, the production is incredibly creative. The first act has the characters using a large cube of oddly shaped pieces to create the various scene bases, and the dance is less the “step turn step step twist turn” cheorography of a big show with lots of dancers, and more of a choreography through life. Nowhere are both better demonstrated than in “I’m Breaking Down”, where the simple act of making a cake becomes both a dance and an exercise in mental collapse. That is the perfect mess of directors getting the best out of their actors, and cheoreographers making the movement seem natural yet integral to the storytelling.

The performances in this piece were strong. It is hard to tier the first act leads, as they all have relatively equal roles (two characters get added in the second act). But let’s start with the centers of the story: Marvin and his son Jason.

Marvin is in one sense the center of the triangle in the story: He was married to Trina and divorced her; he left her for Whizzer; and his psychiatrist was Mendel, who fell in love with Trina. Playing Marvin, Max Von Essen (⭐FB, FB) captures a man who doesn’t know what he wants in life exceptionally well. He has a lovely voice, which he shows in quite a few numbers, but especially in “What Would I Do?” or his very neurotic numbers like the opening “A Tight Knit Family”.

But Marvin isn’t the only center of the story: there’s also Jason, Marvin’s son. Two actors alternate playing Jason: Thatcher Jacobs and Jonah Mussolino (⭐FB). At our performance, we had Mussolino, who appears to have moved to this tour from the Les Miserables tour (which is across town at the Pantages, if he wants to see his friends). Mussolino was spectacular. His expressions, his playfulness, his singing and performance (for example, in “Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist”) in the first act were only surpassed in the second act with his Bar Mitzvah, in “Everyone Hates His Parents”, and “Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah”. Great great performance.

However, if I had to pick a first choice in the performances, it has to be the top of the triangle, Eden Espinosa (⭐FB) as Trina. Just watching her energy, her fact, her embodiment of her character is just a delight. I noted before her performance in “I’m Breaking Down” as a comic masterpiece; but she’s strong in every number she’s in.

Trina is one point of the triangle; another point is Nick Adams (⭐FB, FB)’s Whizzer, the gay man with whom Marvin, Trina’s ex, falls in love in. Adams gets the lucky honor of not surviving the story. I think his character changes the most between the two acts: a bit more aloof and unexplored in the first act; a lot more open and loving in the second act, and with a decidedly stronger relationship with Jason, Marvin’s son. Adams captures those changing characterizations well, and moves from his initial stereotype to a warm person the audience cares about. He sings wonderfully and moves well.

The final point in the triangle was Nick Blaemire (⭐FB, FB) as Mendel, the Psychiatrist. Blaemire, who also wrote the musical Glory Days (which we saw the same year we first saw Falsettos) captures the self-effacing humor of Mendel well, and creates a very relatable  down-to-earth character who does a wonderful job of creating a new family with Trina. He sings wonderfully, is very playful in his movement (look at “Everyone Hates His Parents” or his scenes with Jason), and is quite fun to watch.

In the second act, two additional characters were introduced — the lesbians next door: Dr. Charlotte (Bryonha Marie Parham (⭐FB, FB)) and Cordelia, the Kosher Caterer (Audrey Cardwell (FB)). First and foremost: Ms. Parham has a voice on her — she sings, and sings wonderfully. It was a delight to hear her on all her numbers, in particular, her characterization and expression in “Something Bad is Happening”. Cardwell’s Cordelia gets less of an established personality in the writing, but Cardwell does great with what she gets, pushing her food with style :-).

Standbys and understudies were: Josh Canfield (⭐FB, FB) [who was on Survivor, cool!], Melanie Evans (FB), Megan Loughran (FB), and Darick Pead (FB).

The on-stage “teeny, tiny, band” was conducted by P. Jason Yarcho (FB), and consisted of: P. Jason Yarcho (FB) Conductor, Piano; Max Grossman (FB) Assoc. Conductor, Keyboard; Philip Varricchio (FB) Reeds; Jeremy Lowe (FB) Drums/Percussion. Other music credits: Michael Keller (FB) Music Coordinator; Taylor Williams (FB) / Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programmer; Vadim Feichtner (FB) Music Supervisor; Michael Starobin (FB) Orchestrations.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative credits: David Rockwell (FB)’s set was extremely clever. Starting out as a cube on stage with a backdrop of New York (presumably), the cube came apart to form walls, houses, chairs, desks, and you name it. This was extremely clever, but we replaced by more realistic elements, such as hospital beds and walls, in the second act. Still, the set was an extremely clever conception to execute. It was augmented by Jeff Croiter (FB)’s lighting which mostly worked well, but which also left some characters in the dark or at the edges thereof when they were still the focus of attention. Jennifer Caprio‘s costumes seemed appropriately period, as did Tom Watson‘s hair and wigs. Dan Moses Schreier‘s sound was clear. Rounding out the production credits: Eric Santagata Assoc. Director; Ellenore Scott (⭐FB) Assoc. Choreographer; Tara Rubin CSA (FB), Eric Woodall, CSA, and Kaitlin Shaw, CSA Casting; Broadway Booking Office NYC Tour Booking &c; Gregory R. Covert (FB) Production Stage Manager; Amber Dickerson (FB) Stage Manager; Hollace Jeffords (FB) Asst. Stage Manager; Joel T. Herbst Company Manager; Gentry & Associates General Manager.

Falsettos continues at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) through May 19, 2019. Tickets are available through the Center Theatre Group. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or through TodayTix.

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The Ahmanson Theatre (FB) has announced their 2019-2020 season, and coming off of their 2018-2019 season, my reaction is much like my reaction to Falsettos: eh. There are only two shows I’m interested in seeing out of the seven: Once on This Island and The Last Ship. Further, the Ahmanson does not understand care and feeding of season patrons (especially the feeding, as we saw at the Pantages subscriber backstage events at the Pantages and Dolby, where local restaurants brought their wares). When I recently had to exchange tickets, I was forced into a higher priced tier because of the paucity of seats available on any date — even weekdays — at my price point. The website was unclear and I needed to call customer service to confirm whether the price was before or after the exchange. Add to that the fact that, when we subscribed originally, they forced us to subscribe on a weeknight (as there were no tickets in the lowest price tier available for subscribers on weekends), and didn’t let us pick the week. Basically, they don’t make me want to go out of the way to be a subscriber even if there is a show or two I don’t like. Good treatment of subscribers is something I’ve seen the Pantages demonstrate. So I think for 2019-2020, it is single tickets. Similarly, there’s only one show in the Taper season of interest: What the Constitution Means to Me. Again, single-tickets. I am, however, considering the Musical Theatre Guide (MTG) season, if it isn’t too expensive: Barnum, The Goodbye Girl, It Shoulda’ Been You, and Kismet.

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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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). 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 Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (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:

Tonight brings another tour: Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday]. Fringe previews start the next week. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (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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🗯️ Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=trumpIn the era of Nixon and Watergate, I was a kid. We watched the news as 12, 13, and 14 year olds, but didn’t think all that much about it. We did, of course, read Doonesbury, and hence, the title of this post (and the flashbacks). Today, as an adult, I’m beginning to understand how adults felt in that era, with a President that had clearly committed crimes, stonewalling the investigation, with partisan supporters clearly asserting his innocence, while Congress endeavored to do their oversight job. The only difference between now and then is the magnitude of the crimes (simply burglary and theft for political campaigns seems so naive now) and the fact that we had a President then who understood the politics of the job, cared somewhat about the nation, and had the good sense to resign for the good of the nation. Today, on the other hand…

Stonewalling didn’t work then, and it won’t work now. The truth will eventually come out, the supporters will be proven wrong, and the criminals at minimum will slink away into obscurity, with reputations damaged and destroyed. The only question is: How long will it take for the Nation to recover?

So, some simple questions:

  • If the President is innocent and the report completely exonerates him, why is he hiding under claims of Executive Privilege and telling his aides not to testify? Before you answer: Remember that the Republicans asked the same questions regarding the Clintons, and they did testify.
  • Congress has an oversight role, as the Republicans so doggedly emphasized whenever there was a Democrat in power. The role does not go away or get diminished because the Republicans are in power. As the Republicans said with Hillary: investigate, and if there is innocence, let the truth come out in the investigation.
  • Regarding the tax return information uncovered by the New York Times: the American people have a right to know if the returns were legitimate, or if there was tax fraud taking place. Remember: Al Capone was brought down by tax evasion. Were those losses legitimate, or faked to evade taxes? If legitimate, what does that say about Trump and his business and economic acumen over the long term — and whom does he owe for bailing him out? If faked, what does that say about his respect of the rule of law?
  • In general, if Trump is innocent as he claims, let the facts prove it — the tax returns, sworn testimony, law enforcement investigations. If, as the Right claims, the facts are false, they should be able to prove that as well and present counter-evidence. But that won’t be known until the facts come out in the first place.

As I wrote before, I’m rapidly swinging to the impeachment camp. Yes, I understand it will solidify his base — but they are solid and unthinking and wouldn’t change their minds anyway. Yes, I understand the Senate will not remove him. But having the investigations in the House once charges are brought will provide a strong means of compelling testimony, and having a trial in the Senate will assuredly bring out the facts and compel testimony. Starting the process may be the only way to get to the bottom of the story.

Without that, and with all this stonewalling, President Trump looks quite a lot like President Nixon: as Mark Slackmeyer said, “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.”

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🎭 HFF19 Scheduling

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=fringeThis is my Fringe scheduling post. It will be updated as my Fringe schedule changes, unlike the schedule at the bottom of my theatre writeups, which are a snapshot at the time they were written.

The following are the Fringe shows that I currently have scheduled and ticketed. Note that due to my work schedule and where we live, we can only see shows on the weekend, and cannot do the shows that end super late (i.e., we can’t make start times after 10pm, in general). I also need to allow for meals, and time to get between theatres. Typically, my wife also has to be willing to see the show, and she’s not into things that are too dark, or might touch on triggery areas. Oh why, oh why, can’t someone do a good Fringe scheduler as a Science Fair project:

Key: ⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

The following are the shows that we were interested in, and had blocked out on the schedule, but ended up making everything too expensive and so were later cut. We may ticket these later, especially if comps or discounts come our way.  (OBAS) indicates they were on our schedule, but now have been Overtaken By Another Show, meaning a producer or publicist convinced me to see a show, which has stomped over the time slot I had originally planned. I’m still interested in those shows, if I could figure somewhere else to shoe-horn them in.

The following are the shows that we thought about scheduling, but just couldn’t fit in, given our constraints. Typically that means there were no weekend slots, they were too close to the end or beginning of another show, or there wasn’t adequate transportation time between the theatres:

To give you an idea of most Fringe locations, here’s a handy-dandy map:

HFF19 Theatre Map

 

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🎭 Heavenly Glitz for a Community Institution | “Sister Act” @ Casa 0101

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Sister Act (Casa 0101)In the song “It’s a Business” in the musical Curtains there is the following exchange:

Actor: “… to me the theatre is a temple.”
Producer: “What? So it should only be filled on Shabbat?”

I was thinking about that exchange as I mused about last night’s production of Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB). I’ll circle back to why this exchange resonates so in a moment, so just keep it in mind….

Last Saturday, I wrote about my seeing In The Heights at LAPC. I noted that one reason for seeing a show multiple times is to see how the show has changed over time, and to particularly see it in a different sized venue. I also noted that the LAPC performace was the third time I saw seeing Heights. This weekend is very similar. This is my third time seeing Sister Act: back in 2006, I saw the original, pre-Broadway production at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB); just over two years ago (in 2017) I saw the regional premiere of the show at Cabrillo Music Theatre, now 5 Star Theatricals (FB). Both of those were large theatres. The Casa 0101 production was our third time, and here’s why: (1) this was a chance to see the show in a significantly smaller, intimate theatre setting; (2) we love the theatrical work of Casa 0101, going back to the first show we saw there, a bilingual version of Aladdin; (3) we love what Casa 0101 is doing with its local community (actually on a par with what 5-Star does with its community). In many ways, this perhaps was the best of the three.

For those unfamiliar with Sister Act (music by Alan Menken (FB); lyrics by Glenn Slater (FB); and book by Cheri Steinkellner (FB) and Bill Steinkellner (FB), with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane (based on the Touchstone Picture “Sister Act” written by Paul Rudnick under the pseudonym Joseph Howard)), here’s the synopsis I wrote in 2017:

Black jive lounge singer witnesses a murder and turns police informant, and needs to go in hiding from her crime gang boyfriend. The police decide to hide her in a fading Catholic Church, amidst a superfluity (gee, and I thought the term was gaggle) of nuns. Mostly white nuns. Yeah, she won’t stand out at all. In any case, the Mother Superior objects and the two clash like oil and water. But this of course is the movies (and later, the theatre), so they must learn to love and appreciate each other. In this case, it happens by our nun-in-hiding taking over as choir director, and teaching the other nuns to repurpose 1950s and 1960s pop songs as Catholic anthems (and which, since that can’t be done in the theatre, to develop new songs that sound like 1950s and 1960s pop anthems but are not). These new songs bring new people into the church and save the church from being sold and the nuns disbursed. They also bring the spotlight to the church, leading the gangster boyfriend and his, umm, gang to figure out where the nun-in-hiding is hiding. A chase then ensues, which in the movie takes place in Las Vegas, but since the Las Vegas set was stolen by the gang from Honeymoon in Vegas, the theatre chase takes place in the nunnery itself. But in the end, everything comes together: the convent is saved, the Mother Superior and the nun-in-hiding grow to appreciate each other, the nun-in-hiding falls in love with the cop-who-hid-her (who had a crush on her in high school — fancy that!), and the gangsters, as in any show, turn into song-and-dance-men.

So that brings us back to how I started this: Theatre being a temple, and how (so to speak) to get its worshippers to fill the pews so the doors don’t close. Casa 0101 is a community theatre; a vital beating homegrown heart in the community of Boyle Heights (so much so that, at our performance, we had the monsignor and a few nuns from the local Catholic church seeing the show). It went through hard times quite recently, and almost closed its doors. What kept it alive were donors that believed its mission and purpose, as well as musicals like this. Just like Deloris Van Cartier’s music brought the people into Queen of Angels church and saved it, musicals like this, cast to reflect the diversity of the Boyle Heights community, had this theatre packed to the rafters. From what I understand, it was similar for 0101’s recent Beauty and the Beast, and we certainly saw it in the recent Remembering Boyle Heights. No, there are no actors hiding in the theatre from the police across the street (that we know of), but wonderful music is drawing them in and saving a temple to the arts.

Casa 0101’s production of this was distinctly different that other productions I’ve seen. The Pasadena Playhouse had the funding to do a production with elaborate sets. Cabrillo/5-Star had less funds, but prides itself on doing Broadway caliber regional productions. This production was much more shoestring and worn (at least in terms of sets), just like one imagines Queen of Angels to be: A basic quasi-gothic church set, heavy use of projections to adapt that set as locations change, and basic theatrical props (boxes, tables, benches) do the rest. The glitz in this production comes not from the set, but from the costumes (with heavy use of sequins and glitter) and the performances (which were stunning). The intimate theatre setting of Casa 0101 (under 99 seats) means that you are upclose with the actors, permitting you to watch their faces and performances closely, and to observe not just the lead characters but to see the performances of the nuns in the background. What you’ll see is not just strong leads, but a strong overall cast who have become one with their characters (credit here goes not just to the actors, but to the director Rigo Tejeda (FB)).

The closeness that comes with intimate theatre also changes the emphasis. When you sit back at a significant distance: as you typically do at the Playhouse or the Kavli (5-Star’s home) or at the Pantages (if you saw the touring production), you focus on the big picture — and this makes the flaws in the story stand out. At the intimate level, the actors and performances take center stage (so to speak), and there is so much additional humor in the facial expressions and movements of the actors that the distances of the big theatres filter out. Affording yourself the opportunity to see a big production in a small venue is a treat, and something to remember.

Another thing that struck us about this production was the quality of performance. This is something we’ve seen again and again at this theatre, and it is one of the reasons we’re really growing to like Casa 0101 as a venue. They are doing shows about the community, as well as musicals we like (I’d like to have more musicals I haven’t seen, but that’s getting harder). For the last two seasons we had subscribed at Chromolume Theatre in the West Adams district — another historically underserved area. Chromolume closed their doors for good back in May (their final production was The Story of My Life for HFF18), and we have been debating where we might subscribe instead. Casa 0101 is on the short list of candidates (esp. as the mission of our other small theatre subscription is increasingly uncomfortable, even though they do good work). Theatre should inspire, and it is important to have venues that do that for the community, as well as for the actors in the company.

Lastly, despite the stereotypes and tropes in the plot (which is not the most intellectual), this is a very very funny story. This was my third time seeing it — and I’ve seen the movie even more — and I was still laughing at how this cast executed the well-known story. They brought out additional levels of humor from the story — yet again a reason to see this production in an intimate theatre setting.

Under the direction of Rigo Tejeda (FB), with choreography by Tania Possick (FB), the production scintillates. This team has helped each actor inhabit their characters and become playful with the character in ways that fit the character. That means one sister is extra giggly, the other perhaps more demure. The movement was reasonably complex and appeared to fit the time period (although, admittedly, I wasn’t out dancing back then … or even now).

In the lead position was Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (FB) as Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence. Schofield was clearly having fun with the role, and handled all aspects — performance, movement and singing — well. She captured well both the outsized personality that was Deloris before, as well as the changes that convent life brought to her. She was also able to capture both the outsize and tender aspects of the songs as well.

Playing against her, as Mother Superior, was Beverly Crain (FB). Crain gets less of the outsized numbers, but does have some tender songs. What was fun to watch with Crain was her face and reactions when Mary Clarence was doing some of her more outrageous activities. They were hilarous, and made clear that she was doing more than just reading lines — she was living the role.

Deloris’ non-spiritual savior (and eventual love interest) was Caleb Green (FB) as Det. Eddie Souther. Green captured the timidity of the character well and had some good comic — as well as some good touching — moments. However, he was plagued with a microphone that kept changing amplification levels, and this translated to some problems with his songs and vocals.

The bad guys (who were more comic relief than truly threatening) were portrayed by Marco Infante (⭐FB, FB) Curtis Jackson; Matthew Noah (FB) T. J.; Jason Biyo (⭐FB, FB) Joey; and Gil Garcia (FB) Pablo. All were great with the humor, and Infante was strong in “When I Find My Girl”. My wife pointed out that Infante had a costuming problem: back in the 1970s, one would have worn either a tie or chains with an open shirt, but not both a tie and chains. I particularly enjoyed the comic interplay between Noah, Biyo, and Garcia (although the fight sequence could have used a bit more fight choreography during the chase). Noah, in particular, was really funny as T.J.

This brings us to the main contingent of nuns, who it is sometimes hard to tell apart. The extremely bubbly nun was Sister Mary Patrick, played by Briana Bonilla (⭐FB, FB). The older sardonic nun was Sister Mary Lazarus, played by Dorrie Braun (FB). The oldest nun was Sister Mary Theresa, played by Megan Frances (⭐FB, FB). The younger nun, lost in her own world, was Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours, played by Sarah J. Garcia (FB). Lastly, of the named nuns, the novitiate was Sister Mary Robert, played by Samantha M. Lawrence (⭐FB, FB). All of the nuns were strong singers and performers, and did an excellent job of embodying their characters. Particularly strong was Bonilla’s bubbly Mary Patrick, the exceptional singing voice of Lawrence, and the humorous deadpan of Braun’s Mary Lazarus. Of course, Frances’s rap wasn’t bad either. They were all very strong.

Omar Mata (FB) captured the authority of Monsignor O’Hara quite well, although he needs to work on his Irish 😁.

Rounding out the cast, in multiple smaller ensemble roles, were Chrissi Erickson (FB) Tina, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Laura Altenor (⭐FB; FB) Michelle, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Michael Gallardo (FB) Ernie, Drag Queen, Ensemble, Homeless, Cab Driver, Fantasy Dancer; Alejandro Lechuga (FB) Cop, Reporter, Ensemble, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Shanelle Garcia (FB) Nun, Hooker; Daniela Santi (FB) Nun, Hooker, Homeless, Bar Waitress, Fantasy Dancer; and Leilah Telon (FB) Nun, Bar Patron, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer. Of these folks, I’d like to highlight a few. Altenor’s facial expressions were wonderful in reaction, especially when there were lines commenting on Delores’ ethnicity. She also sang and moved well. Santi was another ensemble standout: there was just something about her look, her face, and the fun she was having that was great to watch. Lastly, Gallardo and Lechuga were hilarious as the clearly gay choir boys — yes, a bit stereotypical, but funny none-the-less.

Music direction was by Gabrielle Maldonado (FB), although the remainder of the orchestra was not credited in the program. Tsk, tsk.

Lastly, we turn to the production and creative side of the equation. The set designs and projections were by Effy Yang (FB). The sets worked well for an intimate theatre: doors and stairs designed for projections. The problem was with the focus of the projections, which ended up with double and blurry images. Focused, they would have been great. Angel Estrada (FB)’s properties supported the design well, and were creative within the limited budget of intimate theatre. Marielena Covarrubias (FB)’s costumes were, from a distance, good. For those who knew the details, they were a bit more problematic: my wife noted that Curtis Jackson would not have worn both a tie and chains; she also noted (and this is coming from a Jewish girl, who grew up in Tucson) that the wimples needed to be folded correctly, and the nuns other than the novitiate needed wedding rings (they are figuratively married to Christ). The lighting by Kevyn Vasquez (FB) captured the time and mood well, and Joshua Cardenas (FB)’s sound, modulo the one microphone problem, worked well. Other production credits: Jerry Blackburn (FB) Production Stage Manager; Andrew Ortega (FB) Stage Manager; Genesis Miramontes (FB) Prod. Asst / Asst Stage Manager; JP (John Paul) Torres (FB) Asst Stage Manager; Michael Gallardo (FB) Dance Captain; Hiram Lopez (FB) Sound Mixer; Jorge Villanueva (FB) Relief Board Operator; Sujey Gonzalez (FB) Wardrobe Supervisor; Dazhane Demus (FB) Stagehand; Ed Krieger (FB) Production Photos; Steve Moyer Public Relations Publicity; Conrado Terrazas (FB) Executive Producer.

Sister Act: The Musical continues at Casa 0101 (FB) for two more weekends, until May 19, 2019. The show is a lot of fun with a really talented cast. Tickets are available through the Casa 0101 website; 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). 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 Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (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 second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open (Fringe previews start the next week), and the end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (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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🎶 iPod Woes / Android Music Apps and SD Cards — Recommendations Needed

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy1 Comment

Yesterday, my iPods went south. I don’t mean that they went to Orange County (although one of them did); rather, I mean that they both are not working. Last night, after syncing them to iTunes 12, they both got into endless reboot loops. Given that this happened to both of them, I suspect a Windows Update corrupted the Apple Device Driver. I will attempt to reset them, and may need to reinstall iTunes, but there is the possibility that they are useless until Microsoft fixes the problem.

Le sigh.

So, the question is: What to do to get me back and running. Here are the critical parameters of the problem:

  • In my iTunes library, I have over 45,000 songs, and about 100 podcasts, MP3 and AAC format.
  • Size-wise, this iTunes library is between 256GB and 512GB.
  • I do not want to stream music; I prefer to play it from downloaded copies
  • My iPod Classics are my only Apple ecosystem devices. I have a Windows 10 PC, and an LG G6 Android phone.
  • I would prefer to be able to use my smart playlists and retain my ratings and play counts.
  • My LG G6 does have a MicroSD slot, and I’m open to getting a 512GB MicroSD for my phone.

I see two options at this point, and I’m open to suggestions about which to do. For the sake of this discussions, let’s assume that I get the SD card, install the card, format it, and mounted it.

Option 1: Google Play Music.

👍: Google Play Music has a music manager that runs on Windows 10, and can see and read your iTunes library. It permits you to upload up to 50,000 songs to its cloud library, although if the track is already in its library, it doesn’t upload your copy but uses its local copy. It appears to then permit you to download those songs to the SD card and play them from storage. It contains a podcast feature, but it looks like Google Podcasts may also integrate with the same storage.

👎: Supposedly, Google Play Music will be going away in favor of YouTube Music, but when that will happen is unknown. Supposedly, Google will make the transition seamless. It is also unknown the extent to which Google Play Music supports smart playlists. Playlists may be limited to 1,000 songs.

💲: $9.99/month. $14.99 family. It looks like you can do a free option as well, but the limitations of the free product are unclear.

Option 2: Apple Music,

👍: Apple Music integrates with iTunes on the PC because iTunes is Apple Music on the PC: You just set iTunes to upload to your iCloud account. It permits you to upload 100,000 songs to your cloud library, although if the track is already in its library, it doesn’t upload your copy but uses its local copy. It does not upload tracks it considers to be “poor quality”. It appears to permit you to download those songs to the SD card and play from storage. There is a separate Apple Podcasts app that supposedly integrates. Smart playlists supposedly move over.

👎: First, it is a continuation of the Apple ecosystem. Supposedly, iTunes will be going away and transitioning to the Apple Music model. The impact of this is unknown.

💲: $9.99/month. $14.99 family. There appears to be a 3 month free trial, although the limitations are unclear.

ETA: Option 3: iSyncr + Rocket Player

While researching Apple Music, I ran across a product called iSyncr. This appears to — for a one-time $10 fee — run in the background and sync iTunes information to the SD card on an Android phone. It syncs stats (bidirectionally if you use their player) and ratings, and handles smart playlists by syncing a snapshot of the playlist. As long as it syncs play counts back, that’s fine. They have a music player called Rocket Player that works with their app.  I’d much rather give a mom and pop operation my money on a one-time basis than give the highly-profitable, tax-avoiding Google and Amazon a monthly fee. Right now, I’m leaning towards this option.

Based on my research, it appears that if Windows Update fucked this up and the iPod Classics are dead, I’m going to need to move to a subscription service, about $120/year. That’s the bad part. It does look like I can still keep the music in iTunes and after the time-sink of uploading and downloading, have the music locally on my phone. But which service? Right now, I’m thinking Apple simply because it has a larger song limit and assuredly supports Smart Playlists. Google is appealing to get out of the Apple ecosystem, but (a) it is Google, and (b) it may be going away with the transition unknown.

I’d like to hear your thoughts and experiences.

 

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🗯️ What I Want

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=trumpThere are those who say I should support Trump because of his economic results, or because of his attention to the border. I say “no” to that. Dictators and despots often get great economic results, at the expense of the “little guy” Dictators and despots often enforce the border at the expense of those truly in need, or at the expense of families. I want more than that in my President. I want a President that respects the rule of law, and that respects the roles inherent in our triparte government as defined in the Constitution (including Congress’ oversight role, which isn’t just oversight of Democrats). I want a President that respects the Constitution, and the rights defined therein — both for citizens and residents of this nation. I want a President that doesn’t try to push one religion’s moral values on those of other faiths in the nation. I want a President that doesn’t encourage the flames of hatred, that works to make this nation safe for ALL its residents — not just those that are white, straight, Christian, and male. I want a President that respects our agreements, actually understand economics, and actually thinks before he or she does anything. I want a President that cares. I want a President whose desire for economic improvement goes beyond the millionaires and corporations, but extends to the white and blue collar workers, the people toiling in offices, stores, and fields. I want a President whose concern goes beyond the economic to the general welfare: including the health of all the people in the nation. I want a President that defends all our borders: not just the Southern border against the ethnicity he hates, but our electronic borders — ensuring that our elections are OUR elections, that our infrastructure is safe from electronic attack, and that our Intelligence agencies are respected and can do their jobs to identify foreign and domestic threats. That includes also defending our people against the scourge of internal terror attacks.

I don’t see any of that in our current President. Any short term economic improvements are not enough to offset what I simply don’t see.

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🎭 It’s All In Your Head | “Be More Chill” @ ARTES/CCLA

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Be More Chill (ARTES/CCLA)One of the big problems with the Tony Awards, if you live in Los Angeles, is you don’t have a chance to see the shows that are getting the awards until they go on tour. Normally. Sometimes you luck out. Sometimes the show did its tryout in Los Angeles, as was the case with Ain’t Too Proud, which got added to this year’s Ahmanson season before it moved to Broadway. But otherwise? You’re out of luck.

But then, the universe smiles. A quantum computer somewhere lets a local high school get the rights to a show, and not to have lost those rights when the show  is mounted on Broadway.

In this case, the lucky high school was the Arts Theatre and Entertainment School  (ArTES) Magnet at the Cesar Chavez Learning Academy in San Fernando. The show was Be More Chill, which after the school got the rights moved to Broadway. The Broadway version has been nominated for a number of various awards, including a Tony for Joe Iconis for Best Original Score. So now you have the situation where this high school is presenting a show that is currently on Broadway (although the school’s version appears to be the original version, not the slightly modified off-Broadway moved-to-Broadway version, which added two songs). In other words: Los Angeles, you have one more chance (if I get this review posted early enough) to see a show that is currently on Broadway.

I should note, however, that this is a high school production. That means you have student actors, with untrained voices, and all the problems that happen in high school productions. When we saw the show, we had voices cracking and changing key, and occasionally being a little off. We had the occasional instrument out of tune. We had numerous sound problems. But this is a musical about high school kids, being done in a high school. One does not expect perfection — one expects kids doing the best with what they’ve got, with raw talent yet to be shaped. That’s what you’ll see here — and that’s what I’ll focus on. You don’t beat up kids for not being at the caliber of trained professionals. But do understand, going in, that this is a high school production.

Be More Chill tells the story of Jeremy — a dweeb, a loser, one of those kids in high school who is addicted to video games and never is successful with the girls. Someone, well, like I was in high school 😁, who would hang in the Math Lab. He likes to hang with his best friend Michael playing two player games. But he is also interested in this girl, Christine, who has no interest in him.  The signs up for Play Production to be with her, but strikes out. During an encounter with the school bully later, he learns about this device that he can get called a SQUIP (“super quantum unit intel processor”) — a quantum computer that he can swallow, after activating it with Mountain Dew, that will implant in his brain and make him “cool and chill”. So he ends up taking it and becomes cool and chill. He gets the girls (although not the one he wants), and gets invited to the cool parties, but (of course)  ignores his long time friend along the way. But anyone can tell you these things never end well. In order to give Jeremy what he wants, the SQUIP calculates it has to take overall humanity (or at least the school), and when some humans refuse… Let’s just say that lessons are learned and the good guys win, and the ultimate message is that it is better to be yourself, un-augmented, with all your fears and insecurities, then to be under the control of something else.

The show features music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, and a book by Joe Tracz, based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini. It started as a production at a small theatre in New Jersey in 2015, and would have been forgotten except for a cast recording … that went viral. As you can see the message is one that will resonate with a high school and disaffected youth croud. It speaks to the kids with ADD and who are on the spectrum, who would rather interact on their phones than with people, for whom speaking to their sexual interests is scary. In other words, about 90% of teens and college kids. The popularity of the music spread, and spread like wildfire. This led to the production making its way to an off-Broadway production and eventually a move to Broadway. Reception there has been mixed. But having now seen this show, I don’t think the Broadway reception is going to make a difference. This is a show that will continue to resonate with the high school crowd, and with the added cachet of having been on Broadway, it will likely be popular on the high school circuit for years and years to come — especially as (having been designed for off-Broadway), it doesn’t require a lot in terms of set and staging, although you might need to rent a Theremin.

I’ve had the original album for about two years now, and loved the music from the show. Now that I’ve seen the show, the songs make a lot more sense. I’ll note that Joe Iconis tends to write very dark themes, and this show is no exception. If you’ve heard “Broadway, Here I Come” from Smash, you know his music … and if you listen closely, you know that song isn’t about someone going off to succeed on Broadway, but someone jumping off a building and landing on Broadway. Dark. Be More Chill is also dark, but in a different way. “The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire and He Burned Down The House)” is a great example of that.

As for the story itself: in some ways it is a bit derivative: there are loads of off-Broadway and even Broadway shows that deal with the problems and mean kids in high school, from Heathers to Mean Girls to Serial Killer Barbie to even Bring It On. Some are dark and some are light. What I think sets Be More Chill apart is its music and its solutions. Iconis’ music, when you start listening to it, is infectious.  It has some quality that draws you to it, even with the warped message. Give me nerd love and all that jazz. There’s an energy and a style to the execution that makes Iconis standout, and hopefully Be More Chill will introduce him to more people and continue him on the path to long lasting success on Broadway. Secondly, this is not a musical where the kids are out to destroy the school or their enemies. The kids just want to be kids and fit in. They find something that they think will help them to do it. But it does -only at the beginning. Ultimately, they spread it to their friends, and it destroys their minds and makes them automatons. Were this the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s, one might think this was an analogy for pot or alcohol. But I think this is a different cautionary warning. I think it is a warning about our cell phones and electronic devices, and how they are controlling us and taking over our thinking, and how sometimes we just need to reject them and be ourselves. At least that’s how I read this message.

So — despite this being a high school production with the inherent flaws thereto — this is worth seeing. You’re likely not going to be able to see this show again until its been on Broadway for more than a year, a tour is organized, and it shows up at the Pantages or Ahmanson with high ticket prices. But you can see it (checks watch) tonight for $20. What a bargain, even if it is a high school production.

⚠ [Note: In the following, I’m only going to do my usual linking to the adults. These are kids in an arts magnet; they are unlikely to have professional pages.]

Under the direction of Mr. Mark Brodie, assisted by Jessica Sumuano, these students give their all. They don’t appear nervous (except as the roles dictate); they are believably their characters. They appear reasonably real and are fun to watch. In other words, they come across as good actors with lots of potential for the future. Under the choreography of Ms. Anne-Marie Osgood (FB), they move well. These aren’t fancy dance moves — these are high school kids without long-term dance training — but are believably high school and what you would expect from socially awkward kids. In other words, they fit. Vocally, there are more problems, but this is high school. Vocal Director  Mr. Tim Borquez (FB) did a great job of teaching the kids to overcome fears, sing out loud and clear (even when amplification fails), and to be reasonably good with their voices. But as I’ve learned, few are blessed with perfect vocal talent from the start, and training the voice requires more than the few weeks one gets in a high school class. These kids did remarkably with the training that they had, and I was impressed with the product. Yes, I occasionally winced; but I also recognized this is high school. In other words: Earlier this week I judged the Jr. Mathematical Software panel at the California Science and Engineering Fair. These kids did remarkable projects, but they had flaws. But then again, they were 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. One took the difficulty for their age and experience into context. Same here. For the degree of difficultly of what these kids did, and the experience they had coming in, they did remarkably and are to be commended, even with their flaws. Those they will correct as they learn more. This was a celebration of their raw talent.

So let’s talk about that talent, shall we. Click here to see the Instagram story introducing the cast.

In the lead position, as Jeremy Heere, was Esteban Vasquez. Vasquez gave off the right nerd drive, and was believably Jeremy with all his insecurities and issues. He did a great job of capturing the change in character as the SQUIP took over his personality. His “love interest”, Joanna Garcia as Christine Caigula, captured the nervousness and awkwardness of Christine well.

Ricky Cardenas, as Michael Mell, Jeremy’s long time friend, was strong. He gets what might be the breakout number of this show, “Michael in the Bathroom”, and his performance in that number captured the sadness and loneliness of that character well.

As the SQUIP, Christina Izaguirre gave off a wonderful strength and confidence (as befits a quantum computer).

The triumvirate of gossiping girls and secondary love interests were strong: Charmen Orozco as Chloe, Lucy Vallin as Brooke, and Perla Rodriguez as Jenna Rolan. All captured their characters well, but my eye was particularly drawn to the performance of Vallin as Brooke. She brought a level of fun and playfulness to that character. Rodriguez was also startong as Jenna, particularly in the “Smartphone Hour” number in the second act.

Giovanni Luna gave off a suitable bully vibe as Rich in the opening; he was also fun to watch in the “Smartphone Hour” number. Michael Sanchez’s Jack Dillenger was a bit more timid in his character, but still worked reasonably well with Garcia’s Christine.

Rounding out the cast in smaller roles and as multiple/ensemble characters were Jackie Ibanez Madeline;  Nichole Guitierrez Mrs. Reyes;  and Brayan Velez Mr Heere. Of these, Velez is particularly noteworthy for his performance in “The Pants Song”.

So as not to single out problems, I’ll say broadly that girls in the cast had better control of pitch and tone than the boys, but that’s biology at that age. Consistently strong vocal performances included those of Perla Rodriguez, Joanna Garcia, Christina Izaguirre, and Lucy Vallin.

Music was provided by an off-stage pit orchestra under the direction of Scott Sutherland (FB) Music Director and Bass. Other members of the orchestra were: Weley Arai Keys 1; Noah Gulbransen Bari Sax, Tenor Sax, Soprano Recorder; Justin Vides Tenor Sax;  Cody Tabamo Flute, Theremin, Alto Recorder;  Justin Jones Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Flugaone; Diego Barahona Trumpet, Euphonium; Nathan Ortega Vocoder, Keys 2; Ruben Lopez Electric and Acoustic Guitar; and Andres Alcantar Percussion, Drums. In general, the orchestra was strong, modulo a flugelhorn that needed adjustment. The drums were a bit muffled, but that was an artifact more of how they were situated and exposed, as opposed to how they were played.

This brings us to the other production and creative aspects. The set design of Dr. John Ong was extremely simple: some wood boxes, some lockers that doubled as a blackboard. But this is theatre, and it worked well, What was more impressive was the laser design of Mr. Jesse Santos, working with laser operator Jade Drouaillet. Lasers were used to create most of the background — not just abstract designs, but words and pictures, with animation. Really nice job, with additional kudos to Mr. Noah Massey and the Digital Imaging Class. This was augmented by Yajayra Franco’s lighting design, which established mood well. Leslie Ruvalcaba’s costumes seemed reasonably high school, and Guadalupe Garcia’s properties were appropriate. The biggest problem was sound — which wasn’t the fault of sound designer Adrian Mier or sound mentor Mr. Tim Borquez (FB). Rather, there was loads of interference and static. This was likely a combination of students unaware of how movement impacts microphones, combined with audience members unaware of how their cell phones impact the Bluetooth used to communicate between the microphones and the sound system. People – when you attend live performance, phones off (or in airplane mode and silenced) and away. Other production credits: Andrew Brown Audio Consultant;  Dr. John Ong Technical Director; Jessie Santos Asst. to the Technical Director; Yajayra Franco Stage Manager; Gianmarco Cardenas Lighting Board Operator; Justin Sumuano Asst. Lighting Board Operator; Leilani Escobedo & Victor Alvarez Spotlights; Lizeth Perez Sound Board Operator; Jasmine Velasquez Asst. Sound Board Operator; Ignacio Rodriguez Sound Effects; Lucy Vallin Program; Ms. Lourdes Enriquez Student Store.

There is one more performance of Be More Chill at ArTES/CCLA at 7:00 PM tonight. I have no idea when advance sales close; if they are available, you can find them here. Otherwise, tickets are available at the door and are $15 for adults ($20 for premium seating). ArTES is located at 1001 Arroyo St. Exit the 118 at Glenoaks, and go N towards San Fernando. R at Arroyo. The execution of this production isn’t perfect, but the kids have loads of spirit and raw talent, and it is your chance to hear a Tony-award nominated score before the Tonys.

🎭

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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). 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 Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (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:

Tonight brings Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB) in Boyle Heights (because we love the work of this theatre, and we want to see how a small theatre tackles this big show). The second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). I’m just starting to wade through the list of 343 shows, but I already see some I want to see, including The Seven Year Itch, [title of show], and the return of Tabletop: The Musical. Right now, I’ve got about 30 shows in the schedule, so I expect to pair things down as I see ticket prices and the schedule shapes up. If you are producing or in a show and you want me to see it, now is the time to get me your information — especially any discount codes. I hope to post a preliminary schedule in the next week or so.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre (FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (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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