Tag: actors-co-op

I’m often asked how I pick the shows that we see. The answer is that there are two sources. First, I get all sorts of announcements of shows, and from there I pick the ones I want to see for various reasons. The problem with that, of course, is that I never get forced into something I might not go to see otherwise. For that, I depend on my subscriptions. I find theatres whose quality I like and who tend to have a programming mix that I like, and that are affordable (that’s a big factor), and I subscribe there. In the past, that has included The Colony Theatre (FB) in Burbank and Repertory East Playhouse (“REP”) (FB) in Newhall. I grew to look forward not only to the shows there, but the people that I would see when I went there. Alas, both of those theatres have gone dormant, and I’ve been hunting around for replacements. Over the past few months, I’ve selected two: Actors Co-op (FB) in Hollywood and the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district.  Both had strong seasons, produce high quality work, and had great pricing for their seasons. Last night was our first show as a new subscriber at Actors Co-op (FB). It looks like I chose right.

Actors Co-op chose as the first show of their 25th season a classic — but one that I can’t recall seeing in an extremely long time: Our Town, by Thornton Wilder. Even if you’ve never seen Our Town, you think you’ve seen Our Town, because the conceit and basic staging of Our Town is so well known. You know that it is a minimalist play (no real sets, often non-specific costumes). You know that it takes place in Grovers Corners NH. You know that there is a Stage Manager that narrates and directs the action. And thats…. about all you remember. Oh, and you like remember you studied it in High School English class.

Your memory, such as it is, would be correct. Our Town is all of those things. It is a three-act, somewhat metaphysical play about approximately 15 years in the life of Grover’s Corners. The first act presents a typical day (including a birth); the second focuses on love and marriage; and the third on what happens when we reach the end of our lives.  The play focuses on the lives of two families: the Gibbs and the Webbs. Dr. Gibbs is the town doctor, and Mr. Webb is the publisher of the town paper. Both families have been in the town seemingly since its founding. The focus of the play is the children of these families: George Gibbs and Emily Webb. As you might have figured out by now: the first act introduces us to all the characters in the town and establishes the relationships, the second focuses on the marriage of George and Emily, and the last act deals with death and its aftereffects.

The traditional question asked of Our Town is what is the meaning of the Stage Manager? Is the Stage Manager intended to be God? Is it meant to imply that there is someone or something directing our lives for some purpose. I’m not going to attempt to answer those questions. To me, the Stage Manager is simply a story-telling device: a way to move the plot-line forward and explain when something is a flash-back or a pop-up explanatory bubble. Don’t let the stage manager phase you.

A better question is what is the meaning of the play: what is the point Wilder wanted you to think about as you left the play. After all, a good play not only entertains, but makes you think. This play won the Pulitzer Prize, so it must be more than just simple mindless entertainment. But for the first two acts, there is no point being made. It is just the story of lives going on. The kicker in this play is the last act — particularly the time that a newly-deceased gets the opportunity to go back and watch a day in their life. At that point, they significance and message of the play kicks in, and the meaning of the first two acts comes clear: We go through our days focused on living our lives and our business and our concerns, and we miss all the people and what is happening around us. Now, mind you, Wilder was writing this play in 1938 about a town at the turn of the 20th century, when life was significantly slower. Consider our lives today, with our faces focused on tiny-little screens, traveling at faster speeds and communicating with orders of magnitudes more even faster. If they were missing what was happening in life back then, how much more are we missing now. At this point, the rationale behind Actor’s Co-op choice of the first play of the season becomes clear: in the 25 years since they started, we’re missing what is going on around us. Perhaps we need to slow down, and, oh, I don’t know, take in a play?

But in the act of observing what is going on around us, we need to observe the changes in society that we might have missed. Actor’s Co-op amplified the ability to observe this by utilizing diverse casting. This not only included diversity in the racial and ethnic dimensions, but the casting of a female Stage Manager in a role traditionally cast as male. They also chose to cast a differently-abled actor as part of the ensemble, demonstrating how in the modern world, being disabled does not mean one cannot be on stage (something we also saw last week at Hunchback). In doing so, however, they highlighted a problematic aspect of Wilder’s presentation. Observe the list of churches that Wilder lists: all are variants of Christianity. Nothing else is in the town. Observe the ethnic makeup described in the first act: Slavs and a few others, and observe that “Polish Town” is far away, on the other side of the tracks. Those Eastern European immigrants — they are kept away from the main town folk. Observe woman’s roles, and what they are expected to do … and behave … and not behave. This play is clearly a product of its time, and the diversity we see on stage would not have, could not have, and did not exist in towns such as Grover’s Corners. Grover’s Corners would see no Muslims or Jews. It wouldn’t see blacks or asians. It wouldn’t talk about its disabled. It wouldn’t tolerate intermarriage. Although not visible from the cast, it wouldn’t tolerate orientation or gender diversity. Observing this aspect of the play makes us, the audience, observe how far we have come in just a little over 100 years. We may not be all the way there yet, but our slow change has been significant, and by putting us back in our past, we can clearly see what we couldn’t see at the time. That’s the second, perhaps more important message, of this play.

As I said, the casting and performance were excellent, and it is difficult to single people out. In the leading position was Crystal Jackson/FB as the Stage Manager. She handled the role well, providing believable direction of the actions as well as some wonderful facial expressions and reactions.

The Gibb family was portrayed by R.J. Farrington (FB) as Mrs. Gibbs, David Atkinson (FB) as Dr. Gibbs, James Simenc (FB) as George Gibbs, and Isabella Magas/TW as Rebecca Gibbs. This was a very diverse family — a combination that likely would not have existed in those days :-). All performed strongly; particularly notable was Farrington’s Mrs. Gibbs and Simenc’s George. Again, both went well beyond the words they were speaking to creatively portray their characters through expression and movement.

The Webb family was portrayed by Heather Chesley (FB) as Mrs. Webb, Richard Soto (FB) as Mr. Webb, Eva Abramian (FB) as Emily Webb, and Joseph Arujo/IG as Wally Webb. Again, strong performances here, with the highlights being Chesley’s Mrs. Webb and Abramian’s Emily, and Soto’s discussion with George Webb shortly before the wedding.

Additionally, while preparing this writeup, I discovered the actual age and experience of both Simenc (George Gibbs) and Abramian (Emily Webb). Both had me convinced they were high-school students, so again…. well-played.

Rounding out the cast were: Gunnar Sizemore (FB) [Joe Crowell / Si Crowell]; Tim Hodgin (FB) [Howie Newsome]; Christopher Salazar (FB) [Professor Willard / Simon Stimson]; Deanna Hudgens (FB) [Woman in the Balcony / Dead Woman]; Michael Worden (FB) [Belligerent Man / Joe Stoddard / Constable Warren]; Deborah Marlowe (FB) [Lady in a Box / Mrs. Soames]; Vanessa Benavante (FB) [Sara Craig], Shannon Dieriex (FB) [Choir Member]. Christian T. Chan portrays Willard / Stimson October 7 through 23. Musical accompaniment was provided by Eden Livingood (FB) on Violin, and Jean-Paul Barjon (FB) on Cello.

The production was directed by Richard Israel (FB), whose work we have seen many times — mostly in musicals. Here he was doing a play — and a play with no scenery or real props, at that. Israel is to be applauding for how well he has the actors pantomime as if the props were there, which is combined by excellent sound effects (one might even say Foley Effects). This creates the illusion of existance of a wide variety of props and set pieces, from screen doors to lawnmowers to dishes to glasses to… well, you name it. See the show, and you’ll be similarly amazed.

Turning to the creative and production credits: Rich Rose (FB) was the scenic designer (such as it was).  In all seriousness, the scenic design was simple: white chairs, white tables, simple ladders, and such. Sound design was more significant, and Cameron Combe (FB)’s design worked well, providing the sound effects that the cast was unable to produce (he likely also consulted on the other sound effects). Lisa D. Katz (FB)’s lighting design supported everything, serving to focus the audience’s attention to the appropriate portions of the stage and amplifying the mood.  Vicki Conrad (FB)’s costume design was modern and definitely not period, but as long as it is not outrageous, almost anything works for this particular show. Rounding out the production credits: Heather Chesley (FB) [Artistic Chair); David Elzer (FB) (Marketing / Publicist); Amanda Rountree/FB [the real Stage Manager]; Lauren Thompson (FB) [Producer]; Selah Victor (FB) [Production Manager]; Anthony Zediker (FB) [Composer].

Our Town continues at Actor’s Co-op through October 23. Tickets are available through the Actor’s Co-op Website. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or LA Stage Tix. This is a classic show well worth seeing.

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Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB), the  Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, and a mini-subscription at the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) (FB).  The Chromolume 2017 season looks particularly good: Zanna Don’t (Tim Acito, January 13 – February 5), Hello Again (Michael John LaChiusa, May 5- May 28), and Pacific Overtures (Stephen Sondheim, September 15 – October 8) — all for only $60). Past subscriptions have included  The Colony Theatre (FB) (which went dormant in 2016), and Repertory East Playhouse (“REP”) (FB) in Newhall (which entered radio silence in 2016). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals).  I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:  Next weekend has another Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) (FB) event: this time for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The third weekend has yet another VPAC event: An Evening with Kelli O’Hara on Friday, as well as tickets for Evita at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on Saturday. The following weekend brings Turn of the Screw at Actors Co-op (FB) on October 22 and the new Tumbleweed Festival (FB) on October 23. The last weekend of October brings Linden Waddell’s Hello Again, The Songs of Allen Sherman at Temple Ahavat Shalom (a joint fundraiser for MoTAS and Sisterhood).

Interrupting this recap for a word from a sponsor: Linden Waddell’s Hello Again, The Songs of Allen Sherman at Temple Ahavat Shalom is open to the community, and is a joint fundraiser for MoTAS and Sisterhood. Please tell your friends about it. I’m Past President of MoTAS, and I really want this to be a success. Click on the flyer to the right for more information. It should be a really funny night.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, October is also the North Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), although I doubt if we’ll have time for any shows. November will bring Hedwig and the Angry Inch at  the Hollywood Pantages (FB); a Day Out With Thomas at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) [excuse me, “Southern California Railway Museum”]; the Nottingham Festival (FB); and possibly Little Women at the Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim. We still have some open weekends in there I may book. We close out the year, in December, with the CSUN Jazz Band at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC), Amalie at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), The King and I at the Hollywood Pantages (FB); an unspecified movie on Christmas day; and a return to our New Years Eve Gaming Party.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Although we can’t make it, I also recommend the 10th Anniversary Production of The Brain from Planet X at LACC. See here for the Indiegogo. 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.

Musicals are interesting beasts. Some get to be very well known through success on Broadway — either by the awards they win, the tours they produce, their financial success, or their performances at the Tonys. Some (especially parody musicals) get to be well known through their off-Broadway success and their cast recordings. Some just produce great cast recordings and stay small and popular in the regional markets. Then there’s that fourth class: the class that becomes well known precisely because of their failure; their creation stories having become the stuff of legend. These musicals get revived more as curiosity pieces. Occasionally, the revival overcomes whatever the reason was for the original failure; sometimes these revivals go on to great success.

One of these “notable failure” musicals was Steven Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book)’s “The Baker’s Wife“, based off the movie ” La Femme du Boulanger“. Schwartz was coming off the successes of Godspell and Pippin; Stein was the book writer of Fiddler on the Roof. They developed Baker’s Wife and did a tour of the US with Topol and Carole Demas, who were eventually replaced by Paul Sorvino and Patti LuPone as the leads. The show played Los Angeles in May 1976 (alas, I didn’t see it (or if I did, I don’t remember it) — I was still in high school at the time, and not part of my parent’s LACLO subscription), and the Kennedy Center in November 1976. But the producer’s pulled it before Broadway, with never a good explanation. A studio cast album was made with some excerpts that preserved about 60% of the score; thank’s to this, awareness of the show never died. This album was primarily excerpts; it didn’t give the full score, and was not necessarily in order. But there were some songs that still became staples; most notably, “Meadowlark“. The show became, like Bock/Harnick’s She Loves Me, a show more appreciated because of its score than people having seen the show. Attempts to remount the show would happen occasionally, but it has never made it to Broadway. Last night we saw one such revival at The Actor’s Co-Op (FB) in Hollywood. I’m very glad we did.

The story is a fable, with an unstated moral. It is 1935 in a very small rural village in Provence, France. This is a village where nothing ever changes beyond the occasionally birth and deaths. There are quarrels — but they are never resolved. The bickering provides too much entertainment. The married men (Claude and Barnaby) bicker and put down their wives (Denise and Hortense, respectively), partially because they are pointedly not speaking with each other.  Doumergue bickers with Pierre because Pierre’s oak tree shades the sun from Antoine’s spinach. The priest (M. Le Cure) argues with the town teacher (M. Martine) for his embrace of logic and reason, and with the mayor (M. Marquis) for his embrace of passion with his three “neices”, Nicole, Inez, and Simone). The town drunk, Antoine, argues with everyone, and unmarried Therese watches on disapprovingly. The town is eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new baker: their previously one having died 7 weeks ago, having not arranged for a replacement in advance. Eventually, the baker (Aimable Castagnet) arrives, with his significantly younger and lovely wife, Genevieve. The town cannot understand why the two are together, but loves the resulting bread. One of Marquis’ men, his handyman Dominique, becomes smitten with Genevieve. With the help of his friend Philippe, he woos her and eventually convinces her to leave her husband, the baker. When she does, the baker initially doesn’t believe her — she has gone off to visit her mother. But with her gone, he can’t bake — and the town suffers. He goes on a drunk, and the men try to convince him he is better off without a wife. But he doesn’t believe them, so they organize to hunt for her. Most of the men don’t find her, but eventually she is found and convinced to come back. In the process, the various bickering in the town starts to resolve itself. She returns, and the baker refuses to hear her confession, telling her she has just gone to her mother. The baker’s cat Pom Pom, who had also run away, returned: the baker publicly scolds the cat summarizing everything the wife has done, but forgives her… and she forgives him, and the town has bread again.

I probably didn’t do this synopsis justice — you can also find one on Wikipedia, at MTI, or at the Guide to Musical Theatre … or you could read the libretto.

Watching the show, I tried to figure out how and why it failed. Initially, I thought it might just be a predictable plot. After all, from the minute you mean Genevieve, you know she is going to leave, and that it will destroy the Baker. Very predictable. Very unpleasant. But the show by the end redeemed itself and gave across a good message.

For a time, I thought it might have been Schwartz’ equivalent of Cy Coleman’s Welcome to the Club.  The way the men treat their wives is abhorrent, and the attitude towards woman (especially in the song “The Word’s Luckiest Man”) is horrible. It seemed to be a commentary from the authors about woman, and thus doomed to failure just like Coleman’s Welcome to the Club. Club was an extremely bitter musical about divorce and divorce jail. But as the show went on, this attitude turned around. Women started standing up for themselves, and there began to be reconciliation.

Eventually, I decided the problems was more the time and place of the show. This is not a show for a very large Broadway house, yet with the cast size it needs such a house for financial success. It was best in a small to mid-size house. The story — focusing on love and forgiveness — may also not have fit well in the cynical 1970s when the country was in the mood for neither. This show could come back with a successful production, if handled right.

So how, in the end, do I assess the story? I think ultimately this show is about love, and how love grows and does its magic when it moves from selfish to selfless love. Consider that the villagers learn how to move past their quarreling only when they move from their selfish focus to a selfless focus of finding Genevieve. Genevieve is initially with the Baker to get away from an affair with a married man; she separates easily when thinking only of herself and her pleasures. She finds real love and happiness when she comes back to the relationship and discovers the selfless love of being there for the Baker. The Baker finds the long-term love he needs through forgiveness (which, by definition, is putting someone else before you). The show also demonstrates the power of forgiveness and understanding, and of actually listening. Great messages.

One additional note: This musical makes one other statement about baked goods: they taste better when they are baked with love.

In short, I went in expecting to find a weak book was what doomed this show, and came out loving the underlying story.

I think part of the success is attributable to the director, Richard Israel (FB). Israel has a knack for coming up with great treatments of musicals that are either not well known or problematic. I loved his approaches on local versions of shows such as The Burnt Part Boys, Big, Assassains, Having It All,  Once Upon a Mattress, Kiss Me Kate, Falsettos, or an intimate version of Gypsy.   Israel handled the small space well, transitioning from the cafe to the bakery easily. I also noticed what I guess were the little touches: the expression on a face in the background, the reaction of a town member to a statement. The body language. As I’ve noted many times, I’m not an actor and have never been on a stage without a Powerpoint behind me. I have trouble separating where the actor’s experience ends and the director’s guidance starts. But I just have the sense here of a strong collaborative effort: Israel bringing ideas and vision, and working with the actors to realize them. However, the division, it worked well.

In a musical, the choreography and movement goes along closely with the direction. Julie Hall (FB), the choreographer, worked the small space well. This show doesn’t have a lot of large production numbers, but the ones they had worked well — I particularly enjoyed the movement and dance in “Bread”, “Mercie Madame”, and “The World’s Luckiest Man”.

In the lead acting positions were Greg Baldwin (FB) [Aimable Castagnet] and Chelle Denton (FB) [Genevieve Castagnet]. Baldwin’s Baker was a great everyman — middle aged, average looks, an easygoing personality. Denton’s Genevieve, in contrast, was a knockout. She didn’t have the build of the typical starting actress, but had a lovely and touching form and face — and particularly smile — that just made you melt. You agreed with the townspeople: how could this lovely thing end up with the everyman? In pondering this, I thought about my post yesterday, with an article on how it is life experiences that shape what people find attractive. Denton’s Genevieve was a woman who didn’t know what love was, and how it was distinguished from attraction and lust. Baldwin’s Baker was safe, and that safety was what was attractive. Genevieve brought this across well in her two key songs: “Meadowlark” in the Act I and “Where is the Warmth?” in Act II. In the first, she makes the decision to run off — to have the pleasure while she could, not thinking about the consequences; in the second, she sings of the realization that the physical may provide the heat but not the warmth of safety. Denton’s ability to convey this through the songs we create. The Baker, Aimable, was less of a solo singing role, although he did impart his message well in “If I Have to Live Alone” — he’d been alone before, and the memory of a love is sometime enough. What was best about Baldwin’s Aimable was his face and reaction, best seen in his reactions to “The World’s Luckiest Man” and “Feminine Companionship”… and in his final monologue as part of the Finale. Sitcom cinematographers understand this: humor often comes from the reaction; Baldwin had his reactions down pat.

The earworm of the show belongs to Treva Tegtmeire (FB)’s Denise. In addition to getting to sing the lovely ballad “Chanson” that keeps repeating throughout the show, Tegtmeiere has some great reaction shots as the wife of Jeffrey Markle (FB)’s Claude, particularly when Markle makes some of his more offensive lines about his wife.

Nick Echols (FB)’s Dominique has the right handsome looks to be attractive to Genevieve, and demonstrated he had a lovely singing voice in his “Serenade”, as well as in “Proud Lady”. It was nice to see Echols again — it is always great when we see actors from Repertory East Playhouse [REP] (FB) in Newhall (we saw Nick in Avenue Q back in January 2015) getting wonderful exposure to the rest of the LA Theatre community.

The remainder of the townspeople generally formed an ensemble that makes it difficult to single out any particular characters. Difficult, but not impossible. Jeffrey Markle (FB)’s Claude was not only Denise’s husband, but in a perpetual argument with Michael Worden (FB)’s Barnaby. The two portrayed this argument well — you truly believed they weren’t talking to each other for reasons they didn’t understand (which made the second act transformation work well). Worden was also strong in his interaction with Tracey Bunka’s Hortense — his wife. Worden’s Barnaby continually wouldn’t let her speak; Bunka captured the frustration quite well, which served her second act transition. Another arguing pair were Brian Dyer (FB)’s Pierre and Michael Riney (FB)’s Dourmergue. For these two, the argument was over spinach and trees, and it also came off believable (supporting their second act transition). Brandon Parrish (FB)’s Antoine was also notable in his comic portrayals of a headstrong man with no filter: I particularly enjoyed his “cuckold” imagery.

The Teacher, Kelly Brighton (FB) [M. Martine] had an interesting look and facial expression that drew the eye, and handled the rationality of the role well. Contrasting and conflicting with him was Tim Hodgin (FB)’s priest, M. LeCure, who gave off the correct amount of self-righteous authority and religious babble (and whose pronouncements were particularly interesting considering this came from the author of Godspell). The third element in opposition of M. Martine and M. LeCure was the hedonistic M. le Marquis (which the program lists as being portrayed by two actors: Christopher Maikish (FB) and Stephen Van Dorn (FB) — so I have no idea who we saw). Maikish or VanDorn was fun to watch with the role — it was clear he was having fun with the teasing and the presentation of that point of view. His “nieces” (where a niece is defined as the daughter of a brother, and aren’t all men brothers?) were Lindsey Schuberth (FB) [Simone], Greyson Chadwick (FB) [Inez], and Rachel Hirshee (FB) [Nicole]. These roles were written more as eye candy — and as such, I expected a little more unison is movement and action for some reason. They were provided the opportunity to break out of the undifferentiated eye candy in the song “Feminine Companionship” — which they did quite well — and in the scene where it was just the women. As Therese, Natalie Hope MacMillan (FB) was the town spinster, with predictable reactions to all that was going on. Lastly, Larray Grimes (FB) portrayed Philippe, Domininique’s friend and guitar player for Chanson.

Music direction was provided Jake Anthony (FB), who also conducted the on-stage band and played piano. Rachel Fastenow (FB) was next to him on flute and recorder, with Shaun Valentine (FB) on the other side on percussion (which included drums, washboards, triangles and bells). On the other side of the stage were Jay Rubottom (FB) on bass and Brian Manchen (FB) on accordian. About my only musical complaint is something out of control of the musicians: the volume on the flute tended to overwhelm the voices on stage, particularly Chelle Denton’s. As you can’t lower the volume of the flute, Denton needs to work on upping her volume at tad.

Finally, we turn to the technical and miscellaneous credits. The scenic design of Rich Rose (FB) worked well: tables in front to establish the place of the cafe, some sliding panels with French town scenes,  and the back with the bakery tables and bakery prices (in French ₣). These integrated with the properties of Hanna Mitchell/FB well. I’ll note that the properties include a lot of different styles of bread — if they are using actual bread, they must go through a fair amount of it! The sound of Warren Davis (FB) worked well — there wasn’t any amplification, but I did notice occasional background noises.  Bill E. Kickbush‘s lighting design worked well to establish mood and mostly blended in; however, the LED lights facing the audience at the back were overly noticeable. Wendell C. Carmichael/FB‘s costumes combined with Krys Fehervari (FB)’s hair and makeup design to create a believable town of the era; Chelle Denton’s dress was particularly lovely.  Rounding out the credits were: Heather Chesley (FB) [Artistic Chairperson], David Elzer/Demand PR (FB) [Publicity]; Kate Harmon/FB [Stage Manager]; Rory Patterson (FB) [Production Manager]; Michael D. H. Phillips/FB [Assistant Director]; Hanna Mitchell/FB [Assistant Stage Manager]; and Kimi Walker (FB) [Producer].

One additional note: This production has available for purchase as snacks the typical soda, water, chips, and candy. This is a missed opportunity. This show makes the audience hungry for fresh baked goodies for purchase. They could make some funds easily by having available for sale some fresh tarts, sweet-stuffed croissants, and brioche.

The Baker’s Wife continues at The Actor’s Co-Op (FB) in Hollywood through October 25, 2015. More information on the Actors Co-Op Page. Tickets are available online. It is sold out on Goldstar; discount tickets are no longer available through LA Stage Tix. What this says are: most shows are sold out, so get your tickets now while you can.

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I subscribe at three theatres:  REP East (FB), The Colony Theatre (FB), and Cabrillo Music 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: October was being held for the NoHo Fringe Festival (FB); they’ve finally announced some shows but nothing yet is of interest. Given their delays, I started booking weekends with non-fringe shows. Next weekend brings “The Best of Enemies” at The Colony Theatre (FB). The third weekend of October takes us to Thousand Oaks for “Damn Yankees” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). The fourth weekend of October brings “Uncle Vanya” at Antaeus Theatre Company (FB) in North Hollywood. Halloween weekend sees me at CSUN for Urinetown, and then both of us out in Simi Valley for “The Addams Family” at the Simi Cultural Arts Center (Simi Actors Rep Theatre (FB)). The following weekend sees us back in Simi for the Nottingham Festival (FB) on November 7. We then go out to Perris for “A Day Out with Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum (FB) on November 11 (I can’t skip seeing my buddy Thomas and his friend Percy). The bookings for November conclude with Deathtrap at REP East (FB) on November 14; the rest of the month is currently open. December brings “Humble Boy” at The Colony Theatre (FB) the first weekend, followed by a mid-week stint as a producer, when we present The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam as the dinner entertainment at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). December also has dates held for “The Bridges of Madison County” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and “If/Then” at the Pantages (FB). There are also a few other interesting productions I’m keeping my eyes open for. The first is the Fall show at The Blank Theatre (FB), “Something Truly Monstrous”, sounds wonderful — however, it runs through November 8, so squeezing it in would mean a double weekend. The show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (FB) also sounds like an interesting exploration of clutter —  but “The Object Lesson” only runs through October 4, and I’m not sure we can squeeze it in. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.