abe-vigoda – Observations Along the Road

Thoughts on a Theatre Season 2016-2017: Cabrillo Music Theatre 🎭 Pantages

Posted onTuesday, January 26, 2016Sunday, January 31, 2016Authorcahwyguy

userpic=theatre_musicals Yesterday, I received in the mail my season renewal for Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB); today’s news brought an update on the upcoming season at the Pantages (FB). So I thought I would share with you (over lunch) my thoughts on these announcements, together with my thoughts on an announcement we haven’t received from one of our regular theatres.

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Cabrillo Music Theatre

Cabrillo Userpic Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) has sent season subscribers their renewal information for the 2016-2017 season — these is even before the 2nd show of the 2015-2016 season (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, opening Friday 1/29) is on the boards. If you recall, we skipped the 2014-2015 season because we had seen all of the shows; we rejoined back in 2015 because the shows sounded interesting again. Here is the set of shows for 2016-2017, with my thoughts on them. Note that the show in the Kavli has moved from being optional to part of the season.

Evita. (October 14-23, 2016) We last saw Evita in a community theatre production while we were in Maui. While it was pretty good, it wasn’t at the professional level. The Evita before that was at Van Nuys HS. I saw the original tour when it was at the Shubert Theatre in Century City ages and ages ago. I actually enjoy the show if it is done right, so it will be interesting to see Cabrillo’s take on it.
Disney’s Tarzan. (January 27 – February 12, 2017, Kavli Theatre) This was on Broadway briefly, but it otherwise hasn’t been in the LA area. I’m not even sure I’ve heard the music or seen a cast album of the stage version of it. It should be interesting to see how this works for Cabrillo.
Sister Act. (April 21-30, 2017) We last saw Sister Act when it was at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB) in its pre-Broadway run in 2006. We liked it then; it will be interesting to see how it has changed. So, why didn’t we see it when the tour came to the Pantages? Simple: It’s good, but it wasn’t worth Pantages prices that close to the Playhouse run. Time — and lower prices — bring it back into the “going” camp.
Peter Pan. (July 14-23, 2017) According to the Cabrillo mailer, the theatrical rights have been tied up for a long time. I certainly haven’t seen it on stage in ages (if ever); Cathy Rigby used to do it regularly at La Mirada, but it’s got to be at least a decade or two since it has been there. I’ve seen dramatic variations; I’ve seen prequels; and of course I’ve seen live stage productions on TV. It will be interesting to see it on the Cabrillo stage, and I’m curious whether they are going to take the changes made for the TV production — additional songs, reworking of the Native American involvement — and move them back into the stage book.

So am I going to renew? I think so. The shows look interesting. The price is right (about $150 for Saturday evening Mezzanine, per person, for four shows)… plus they now allow you to split it over two payments!

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Pantages Theatre

userpic=broadwayla What truly prompted this lunchtime post, however, was the announcement that, as part of the Pantages (FB) 2016-2017 season, Hamilton was coming to Los Angeles. When the Hamilton tour was first announced, I wondered where it would sit down. The Ahmanson Theatre (FB), although having great seats, won’t host a show for that long of a period. As for the Pantages (FB), I didn’t think they would want to tie up the theatre for the long engagement Hamilton would need. I truly expected it would inaugurate one of the old movie palaces on Broadway. I was wrong. It is doing a five month engagement at the Pantages. Here are my thoughts on Hamilton, plus the rest of the announced schedule:

Hedwig and the Angry Inch. (November 1-27, 2016). I’ve heard the music to Hedwig, and I’ve grown to really like it. I wonder who they will get for the lead, and whether it will be a tour lead, or they will do a special lead for the Los Angeles engagement.
The King and I. (December 13, 2016 – January 21, 2017). I’ve heard the music to the recent revival of The King and I, and I like it more than other revivals. However, this is still my least favorite R&H show. I tend to find it slow and overdone. I’ll need to think about this one.
Finding Neverland. (February 21 – March 12, 2017). Ah, Peter, my friend. Back so soon. I’ve heard the music to this and like it quite a bit. It will be really interesting to see it in the same season that Cabrillo is doing their Peter Pan.
An American in Paris. (March 22 – April 9, 2017). Again, I’ve heard the music, and the wonderful Gershwin melodies. The story, at least as was in the movies, is weak. But I recall reading that the adaption made some interesting choices in the setting to make this work again. Plus, of course, there is the fabulous dancing.
The Bodyguard. (May 2-21, 2017). An adaptation of a Whitney Houston movie, starring Deborah Cox. It hasn’t been on Broadway to my knowledge; this is a tour from London’s West End. Book is by Alexander Dinelaris based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasden. There are no credits for music or lyrics, so this is a jukeboxer. I was more interested in Ghost than I would be in this.
The Book of Mormon (May 30 – July 9, 2017). Not interested. I saw this at the Pantages during the first National tour.
Hamilton. (August 11 – December 30, 2017). Yes, oh yes. I’ve grown to really like the music and the story of this.

All in all, a reasonable season. I’ve been buying individual tickets when they first go on sale at the Pantages, at the cheapest price. I’m buying them online now, so I do get the service fee. Given that, I think I’ll see if I can get a 4-show mini-subscription this year, as it may mean better and more consistent seats for the price. ~~I would love it if the Pantages did a “split into 2 payments” option, but I doubt they will. Too bad. They would probably get more subscribers.~~ [ETA: The good news is that according to their website, they have 2, 4, and 10 no-interest payment plans. The bad news is that currently they only have a 7 show subscription. Flex packages go on sale around July.]

Other Tour Musings: Aladdin: The Musical just announced their national tour, starting in Chicago April-July 2017. Those dates mean it can’t go into the Pantages until at least 2018, and this is show that I’d expect to go into the Pantages. So it may show up at the Ahmanson in the Fall of 2017 (they haven’t announced their season yet), or (more likely) it will be in the Winter or Spring of 2018 at the Pantages. It also sounds like there is a tour of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. It is part of the 2016-2017 SHN San Francisco season, so my guess is that it will be a fall show at the Ahmanson, because (a) it is unlikely they would delay it until 2018, and (b) they rarely, if ever, book plays into the Pantages. Fun Home and Something Rotten have also announced tours; Fun Home starts in late 2016; Rotten in 2017. Given the Pantages schedule, I’m expecting both to show up at the Ahmanson. School of Rock: The Musical has also announced a tour; although that’s a show that would fit the Pantages audience better, the long sitdown at the Pantages means it will likely be an Ahmanson show. Gee. I’ve just figured out the Ahmanson season :-).

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Repertory East Playhouse

userpic=repeast Now we come to the non-announcement. As you might recall, in all my writeups of late, I’ve been indicating that I’ve been waiting for REP East (FB) 2016 season. It normally would be well underway by now. But we have heard nothing from the theatre; their website has not been updated since December. I’ve heard ominous rumblings, but that could just be a bit of grisly beef I had for lunch. However, I did drop a note to REP, and did get a little something back. Basically, what I know is that they are closed for unspecified restructuring and renovations, and that a new season will begin in August. There will be a more formal announcement once the jello has jellified.

So the good news is: they are coming back. The bad news is: it won’t be until August. This is too short to switch a subscription to somewhere else, but I sense I’ll be getting a lot of The Group Rep (FB) tickets on Goldstar.

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userpic=las-vegas P.S.: This time it is true. Abe Vigoda has passed away. And in the universe, a thousand memes cried in sympathy.

Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

Posted onThursday, March 18, 2010Authorcahwyguy

Today’s lunchtime news chum brings a few articles related to nostalgia:

From the “Shoop Shoop Hula Hoop” Department: The SF Chronicle has a nice article on Wham-O, the original manufacturer of the Frisbee, along with the Slip ‘N Slide, the Hula Hoop and the SuperBall. The Wham-O brand was bought by private investors in 2009, and the company has since acquired Sprig Toys Inc., a small Colorado company with an emphasis on eco-friendly preschool toys, for an undisclosed price. Production is being moved back to the US, as some Wham-O manufacturing will return to Marvel factories in Lompoc (Santa Barbara County) and Michigan. Recycled materials will be used in products. Quite an interesting article.
From the “I Just Watch It For The Trolleys” Department: The NY Times has a nice article on how Pittsburgh remembers Fred Rogers, the host of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Although the show is no longer broadcast (except on some stations on weekends), it still has fond memories for many people. Alas, for most *kids* these days, they would probably look at you strange if you told them about an odd middle-aged man who invited little children to make-believe land.
From the “Preserved for Posterity” Department: Two stories of odd ways of preserving a legacy for posterity. In the first, the OC Register reports on how the songwriting team of Richard and Robert Sherman now have windows on Disneyland’s Main Street. In the second, the New York Times reports on how Supreme Court Justice bobblehead dolls are preserved in the Yale Law Library collection.

And your bonus item:

From the “No, Not That Abe” Department: Abe is dead. No, not Abe Vigoda. He’s still alive. A.B.E., the underseas explorer, is dead at 16. He/She/It was lost while helping researchers look for hydrothermal vents at the Chile Triple Junction, the meeting point of three tectonic plates. ABE is survived by a new generation of autonomous underwater vehicles with improved range, speed and sensing capabilities.

Tuesday News Chum

Posted onTuesday, September 23, 2008Authorcahwyguy

From the “I’m Not Dead Yet” Department: This just in… from CNN… Abe Vigoda is not yet dead.
From the “They give us those nice bright colors, They give us the greens of summers” Department: However, Kodachrome may be dead. According to CNN, there is only one processor of the color film left, and they are only manufacturing one speed (ASA 64) left, and they only have one 35mm format left, and they only do one production run a year, if that. It has been supplanted by digital and by easier to develop color film (evidently, Kodachrome gives you those night bright colors by being purely black and white when exposed. The three primary colors that mix to form the spectrum are added in three development steps rather than built into its micrometer-thin emulsion layers). Kodachrome is one of those famous films (after all, is there a park named after Ektachrome, or does Paul Simon sing of Tri-X). So, Kodak, don’t take our Kodachrome away.
From the “Did you wash your tie?” Department: Your mother always taught you to wash your hands, and you always make sure your doctor does. But that may not be what does you in. According to the New York Times, it may be your doctor’s clothing. In 2004, a study from the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens compared the ties of 40 doctors and medical students with those of 10 security guards. It found that about half the ties worn by medical personnel were a reservoir for germs, compared with just 1 in 10 of the ties taken from the security guards. The doctors’ ties harbored several pathogens, including those that can lead to staph infections or pneumonia. Another study at a Connecticut hospital sought to gauge the role that clothing plays in the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The study found that if a worker entered a room where the patient had MRSA, the bacteria would end up on the worker’s clothes about 70 percent of the time, even if the person never actually touched the patient. Thus, it is to your advantage if your doctor wears a short-sleeved T-shirt than looking professional in long sleeves and a tie.
From the “No, It’s Not From The Onion” Department: WPTZ NBC 5 is reporting that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow’s milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk. PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health. PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman is quoted as saying “Everyone knows that ‘the breast is best,’ so Ben & Jerry’s could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk.”
From the “But Why Are They Building Houses Now” Department: Lastly, an item of personal interest. The Ventura County Star is reporting that a proposal to build as many 13 homes off of Pacific Coast Highway at the southern edge of Ventura County cleared its last government hurdle Tuesday when it was approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. The proposal adds four homes to the nine that are already permitted on vacant land near Neptune’s Net restaurant, near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line. In exchange for the Coastal Commission’s permission to build, the owners agreed to pay for 11 camping cabins at Leo Carrillo State Beach. They also gave up their request to privatize Ellice Street and put a gate on the road. Now what caught my eye in this article was Neptune’s Net, which is at Yerba Buena Road and PCH… across the street from Camp Hess Kramer. The mention of Ellice Street confirms it.