Sunday, March 31, 2024 – Observations Along the Road

🛣 Headlines About California Highways – March 2024

Posted onSunday, March 31, 2024AuthorcahwyguyLeave a comment

And with that quarter I just dropped in the slot machine of life at the Tropicana (soon to be ז״ל‎, which is sad news for us Vegas historians), 2024 is down its first quarter. It’s been eventful, hasn’t it (and I’m not even talking politics, which its own form of crash and burn). But the first quarter of 2024 is now water under the bridge, so to speak. Well, something’s under the bridge.

Too soon?

In any case, it is the last day of March. I understand there are some holidays today, but for me, it is a perfect day for a headline post. For those unfamiliar, this post generally contains headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. It also serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my ~~highway-obsessed~~ highway-interested readers.

So what has happened in March with me? There was lots of theatre: One of the Good Ones at the Pasadena Playhouse; Million Dollar Quartet at 5-Star Theatricals; Chicago at Broadway in Hollywood; the Go Jazz Big Band at The Main in Santa Clarita; and Fat Ham at the Geffen. We also got a new 2024 Subaru Forester: my daughter’s 2012 Chevy Sonic with over 100K miles on it is on its deathbed, and she’s getting our 2016 Subaru Impreza (with 43K miles on it). Good timing, as work has caught the “back to the office” bug, meaning I’ll be on the 405 more. Is that friction I’m feeling? Could the relief be retirement? We’ll see, but not for at least a year.

The podcast continues apace. One more episode dropped in March, and we’re hopefully recording more this week. I’ve started writing Season 3, but it is going close. Route 3 is done, and I’m working on Route 4. Episode 2.07 prompted a friend at Caltrans to offer to do an interview to talk about Fastrak and tolling in California; we’ll coordinate that as a bonus episode during the Season 2/3 break. I’m hoping to talk not just about Fastrak and tolling, but all those fake license plates going around, and placement of the transponder (article in the headlines). Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Yes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted this month:

CA RxR 2.10: Route 1: The Lost Coast (incl. Route 208 and Route 211). Episode 2.10 of California Highways: Route by Route completes our exploration of Route 1, as we discuss the “Lost Coast”. This area was originally part of the last segment of LRN 56, and was to be Route 1, but some reworking of the state system made the former lateral between Usal Road and US 101 (which in 1964 became Route 208) officially Route 1, and made the “Lost Coast” portion of the route Route 211. This episode explores the Lost Coast, including the history of Route 208 and Route 211. (Spotify for Podcasters)

The season will conclude with two episodes on Route 2: One on the flatlands from Santa Monica to Glendale; and one on the mountain segments along the Angeles Crest Highway.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for March.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. 🎧 indicates an primarily audio article. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

Most Calif. DOT under-freeway spaces failed fire inspections (Gov1). An alarming number of storage sites under Bay Area freeway underpasses failed state fire marshal inspections spurred by last year’s devastating blaze that shut down Interstate 10 in Los Angeles, according to new Caltrans reports that raise questions about the risks of leasing space under California’s highways. Inspectors found combustible trash, vegetation, tires and debris, stacks of wooden pallets and lumber, unsecured compressed gas cylinders, unsafe wiring, motor oil and obstructed fire safety access. “Inspections of these sites revealed several issues presenting fire or safety risks, as well as other issues and lease violations,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares wrote in a Feb. 6 report to Gov. Gavin Newsom on the safety of Caltrans’ program to lease out space under freeways.
Massive Ventura County landslide shuts down portion of CA-150 (AOL). Recent rainstorms in Ventura County have caused a massive mudslide that’s blocked off a stretch of State Route 150 north of Santa Paula, closing the road. Crews don’t anticipate the stretch to reopen for several months. According to Caltrans, the hillside along State Route 150, also known as Ojai Road, began to slide in early Febrary, as massive storms rolled through the area. Now, more than 150 feet of the road is completely covered by mud and debris. Caltrans estimates that 3,200 vehicles use that stretch of road daily. Through traffic is blocked between Stonegate Road in Santa Paula, south of the slide, and Mupu Road at Steckel Park, north of the slide.
What’s in our draft Long Beach – East Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan (and how you can weigh in) (The Source). Last month, we released the draft Long Beach – East Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan (for short, the CMIP), an comprehensive 255-page document that describes the ambitious community efforts to re-envision mobility within this 18-miles-long and 5 miles-wide area linked together by the 710 Freeway. Bounded by Long Beach and East Los Angeles, this project area includes 18 cities and 3 unincorporated communities. Twelve percent of LA County’s population (1.2 million) live here. It’s home to eleven percent of LA County’s jobs (one half million). The corridor also links the manufacturing district in southeast LA to the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), two of the busiest ports in the world. In other words, moving supplies up and down this corridor is essential to keeping our pantries full, our businesses open, and our hospitals stocked with supplies. It’s an economic lifeline.
Centennial Corridor flyover to open March 5, marking completion of $600 million project (Bakersfield Now). Centennial Corridor flyover, the ramp from northbound Highway 99 to westbound Highway 58, is expected to open to traffic at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, with weather permitting or as late as Wednesday, March 6, completing the more than $600 million project. The flyover connector ramp was the only outstanding portion of the project left to open. Other portions of the project opened to traffic on Feb. 17 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the engineering work and the impact of the about 1.5 miles of new roadway connecting Highway 58 and Highway 99.
Caltrans And Angels Camp Host Public Meeting On Mobility Project (myMotherLode). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the city of Angels Camp have announced a public meeting to discuss the Mobility Project, an initiative aimed at tackling traffic and safety concerns in the region. The event is open to all community members, local businesses, and media outlets and will take place on March 7 from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Bret Harte Multi-purpose room. The Mobility Project addresses traffic and safety issues along the Highway 4 and 49 corridor, a route heavily impacted by the annual influx of visitors. The project aims to create safer and less congested streets, not only for current residents but also for future generations. According to a statement from Caltrans, the project’s scope extends beyond Angels Camp, impacting multiple economies and communities along these vital state routes.
Plan to improve traffic flow on Interstate 15 in Riverside County hinges on ‘smart freeway’ high-tech solutions (ABC7 Los Angeles). Riverside County transportation officials are hoping an upcoming project will improve a stretch of Interstate 15 through Temecula that seems perpetually snarled by traffic. “It gets gridlocked almost any time of day,” said Aaron Hake, deputy executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. “Not only do you have the commute coming back from San Diego, but you also have a lot of local residents here just trying to get around the Temecula – Murrieta area. “They’re merging, they’re weaving, and just trying to get on the 215. And all of those actions have the effect of slowing traffic down and producing the opportunity for collisions.”
Golden Gate Bridge receives $400 million from Biden bill (SF Examiner). U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Mayor London Breed, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu at the Roundhouse Cafe at the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza Monday to celebrate a $400 million grant to complete the final phase of a much–needed seismic retrofit to one of nation’s most iconic spans. The bridge’s retrofit funds come from the Biden administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan. The first three phases of the retrofit were completed between 2002 and 2014, according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.
Skyline Boulevard: A long and winding road through scenic redwoods (Local News Matters). A drive along State Route 35, aka Skyline Boulevard, is a reminder of all the wilderness that the Santa Cruz Mountains and Bay Area have to offer. This is where the redwoods meet the road, where the mountains soar high and open space abounds. It’s a winding road, all 45 miles of it between Highway 92 and Highway 17 at the Santa Cruz County line. So which part should you see before carsickness takes over? (State Route 35 also continues north to Daly City, but for a six-mile stretch it disappears and joins Interstate 280 between San Mateo and San Bruno.)

🎭 The Lyin’ King | “Fat Ham” @ Geffen Playhouse

Posted onSunday, March 31, 2024Sunday, March 31, 2024AuthorcahwyguyLeave a comment

Fat Ham (Geffen) Going into Fat Ham, which we saw last night at the Geffen Playhouse, I didn’t know much. I knew it had been successful during its Broadway run, garnering some Tony nominations. I guess it might be something like Fat Pig, which we had seen many many years ago at the REP. Note: It wasn’t. The reality: Fat Ham wasn’t anything like I expected (other than it was very funny); in fact, if you knew its source material, it wasn’t what that would lead you to expect.

Fat Ham, at the highest level, is loosely based on Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. This is a continuing tradition in the theatre, and it shows the brilliance of Shakespeare in that his work is so readily adaptable to different forms and eras. The title of this writeup is a reference to yet another adaption of Hamlet: Disney’s The Lion King. Malevolent Uncle marries the widow of the King, who the Uncle had killed. Son has to deal with avenging his father, with the help of friends. Similar story beats in Fat Ham.

Fat Ham transposes the story to one about a black family, somewhere in the south, sometime in the near past. The program states that is is North Carolina or Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee, but not Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. The time is sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, based on dress and hairstyles and such. It is a blue-collar level (but not poor) house, in a rural area, where the family business is a barbeque restaurant run by Pap and Rev, two brothers. Pap went to prison for gutting a customer like a pig, and while in prison, was shafted. It turns out that Rev, Pap’s brother, had arranged the shafting … and not a week after the funeral, Rev married Pap’s widow, Tedra. The play takes place in the backyard of Tedra’s house, where there is to be a celebration of the wedding.

The focus of the story is Juicy, Tedra’s son. After Juicy’s friend Tio sees Pap’s ghost, the ghost comes to Juicy and asks him to avenge his death. Juicy is conflicted. Story beats of the traditional Hamlet story play out in the backyard, as Rev’s friend, Rabby comes to visit with her two children, Larry (who is in the Marines) and Opal. There are both rough and obvious correspondences: Juicy/Hamlet, Rev/Claudius, Tedra/Gertrude, Tio/Horatio, Rabby/Polonius, Larry/Laertes, Opal/Ophelia. But not all of the character beats are the same, especially as the story goes on and the relationships get … shall we say more contemporary.

There are also some key changes in the characters, beyond the obvious transposition from the Court of Denmark to the rural south, with the “Kings” becoming owners of a BBQ Joint. Juicy is a bit of a schlubsy student, attending the University of Phoenix. His friend, Tio, is a stoner addicted to porn. Rabby is a high church lady, her son Larry is on leave from the Marine, and her daughter Opal wants to go to the Marine, although her mom wants her to be a debutant. Relationships are not traditional.

The play clearly breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges the audience and even interacts with them, with characters commenting about “What are you telling those people?”. There are points where Juicy breaks into soliloquy, even going so far as to quote the source Shakespeare. The interplay with Shakespeare is quite interesting. There are jokes expected and unexpected (I particularly like “Aye, there’s the rub” in reference to cooking BBQ — someone has to use that as a restaurant name). There are many of the lines you would expect (yes, there is “What a Piece of Work is Man”, which (if you recall) was in Hair as well). Yet this isn’t Willy’s story, it is Juicy. It ends up in a different place (although the Uncle is still dead). There is magic, and there are ghosts. But there is also glitter and sparkle.

There are also the black family beats. While I was writing this up, the plot of the recent movie American Fiction. One of the central aspects of the story is the question of why stories about black families are successful only if they are ghetto, involve violence, guns, etc. Why don’t stories about middle-class black families sell. Think about that with respect to Fat Ham. Here’s a story about a black family. It involves prison. It involves murder. It involves shanking. It has characteristic black southern language and dress. It has poor people who can’t afford college; people that don’t have the generational wealth to make that a possibility. It has families with generations of killing and prison. The idea of success is getting a career in Human Relations. But the play was successful. What does that say about what the predominantly white theatregoing audiences expect from stories about black families? Is this just proving the point of American Fiction? Contrast it with the story from One of the Good Ones at the Pasadena Playhouse, which is a successful middle-class hispanic family (questioning what it means to be hispanic). Why is that context for a minority family accepted? It is certainly something to think about—and perhaps the reason we need more playwrights of color so that we can see a broader spectrum of black and minority families.

Theatre is a reflection of ourselves, and successful theatre means seeing our stories on the stage. The timeless story of Hamlet is successful simply because treachery is part of the human experience, as is the desire for revenge and avenging a wrong. Lust fits in there as well. We see that story play out in all sorts of families: be it a pride of lions, or a lyin’ prideful family.

Fat Ham is a very funny play, although not as hysterical as the recent POTUS. The performances are remarkable and strong. It is worth seeing, especially as the Geffen has essentially brought back the Broadway cast. We don’t often get that anymore in Los Angeles (although we used to, as I noted in my Chicago review last week)

I’d particularly like to note the performance of Marcel Spears as Juicy. Most know Spears as the younger, nerdy son on The Neighborhood. His performance as Juicy made me see how good of an actor this young man is. He’s much more than just the comedy chops we see on TV. His performance here brings out a great range, and is well worth seeing.

The set and creative design was interesting. I particularly noticed the prints used to create the house; the transition for the closing scenes was so fast I didn’t even notice it. The… well, I guess you could call it a smoking jacket … used for the ghost was particularly creative, as were the entrances and exits of the ghost. Be prepared for lots of theatrical smoke, if you are sensitive to that. There is also some rough language, violent themes and sexual references. This isn’t a show for kids. Hamlet never was (well, unless you’re Disney).

Fat Ham continues at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood through April 28, 2024. Tickets are available through the Geffen Online. Discount tickets may be available though ~~Goldstar~~ TodayTix—yes, I just received email that Goldstar is officially changing its name, and my pandemic-time credit for a cancelled show is moving to TodayTix. I guess I’ll never get my Goldstar EGOT now.

A parking note: Although parking is convenience at the Westwood Medical Plaza next door, and much cheaper than the TJ’s lot a block away, the parking lot is really badly designed. It is never clear where you can park until you are deep in the bowels of the structure; there are no clearly marked handicapped spaces (drop your passenger off in the loading zone before the theatre first, then circle back), and at the end of the show, it takes 20-30 minutes before the line to exit even starts moving. You have been warned. It is worse than the El Centro Garage near the Pantages, and that’s equally poorly designed. You would think, by now, architects would know how to design good underground parking structures. But they don’t.

———

Cast: Nikki Crawford Tedra; Chris Herbie Holland Tio; Billy Eugene Jones Rev / Pap; Adrianna Mitchell Opal; Marcel Spears Juicy; Benja Kay Thomas Rabby; Matthew Elijah Webb Larry. Understudies: Jasmine Ashanti U/S Opal; Armand Fields U/S Juicy; Ethan Henry U/S Rev/Pap; Jarvis B. Manning Jr. U/S Tio/Larry; April Nixon U/S Tedra / Rabby.

Creative: Written by James Ijames; Original Direction by Saheem Ali; Directed by Sideeq Heard. Produced in association with No Guarantees, Public Theatre Productions & Rashad V. Chambers.

Production: Marcel Spears Assoc Producer; Maruti Evans Scenic Designer; Dominique Fawn Hill Costume Designer; Bradley King Lighting Designer; Mikaal Sulaiman Sound Designer; Skylar Fox Illusions Designer; Earon Chew Nealy Wig, Hair, & Makeup Designer; David H. Parker Assoc. Director; Lisa Kopitsky Fight Director; Chris Herbie Holland Fight Captain; Darrell Grand Moultrie Broadway Choreographer; Abdur-Rahim Jackson Assoc. Choreographer; The Public Theatre & National Black Theatre Originating Producers; Alyssa Escalante Production Stage Manager; Lauren Buangan Asst Stage Manager; Kate Murray CSA Original Casting Director; Phyllis Schuringa CSA Casting Director.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

April: ♦ Funny Girl at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ‍◊ Renaissance Pleasure Faire; Xanadu at Canyon Theatre Guild; ♦ Spongebob Squarepants – The Musical at CSUN Theatre; ♣ Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band at BofA/Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks. Possible: ♦ Head over Heels – The Musical at Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center – COC.
May: ♦ Hands on a Hardbody at Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse; ♦ Girl from the North Country at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at Canyon Theatre Guild (⊕)
June: ♦ Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ You Can’t Take It With You (⊕) at Group Rep; and potentially some ♦ Hollywood Fringe Festival shows, although June is pretty well booked already.
July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages;

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

The Geffen Playhouse just announced their 2024/2025 season: The Brothers Size (08.14-09.08.2024); Dragon Lady – Part 1 of the Dragon Cycle (09.04-10.06.2024); Waiting for Godot (11.06-12.15.2024); Noises Off (01.29-03.02.2025); Furlough’s Paradise (04.16-05.18.2025); and The Reservoir (06.18-07.20.2025). Nothing particularly calls out to me. I like Noises Off, but it’s not worth dealing with Westwood Parking to make the trip worthwhile.