Tag: colony-theatre

Education is important. Sometimes it occurs during school hours, and sometimes after school. But the most important factor in the education is the teacher that is teaching it. [Well, and being able to pay for it, which is where the Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security comes in, but I digress.]

As I was saying, education and teachers are important. The play we saw at  The Colony Theatre (FB) this afternoon (which should be seen by every English teacher we know, as well as everyone who is a grammar nazi), “Sex & Education“, addresses just that subject. It tells the story of an English teacher (Miss Edwards) who is tired of teaching; a teacher who is quitting the profession to go sell real estate. It also tells the story of a horny high-school basketball playing senior, Joe, who has accepted a scholarship to North Carolina to play college basketball. It is three days before graduation, and Miss Edwards is administering the final exam in her English class (which includes Joe). She’s looking forward to getting out of the school, and intends just to pass everyone. But then she catches Joe passing a note to Hannah, a cheerleader who is also Joe’s girlfriend. The note is confused mix of topics including insulting the teacher, the test, and asking Hannah to have sex with him under the bleachers, given that she has given him a blowjob before. It is riddled with obscenity, bad grammar, poor sentence construction, and much more. Miss Edwards she asks Joe to stay after the test.  What happens next is every English teacher’s dream. She works with Joe to write a proper persuasive essay to get Hannah to overcome her reluctance and sleep with him. Naturally, Joe is reluctant, and the witty repartee as Miss Edward’s “schools” Joe is wonderful. Does Joe successfully persuade Hannah to “do the deed”? You’ll have to come to the show to find out.

“Sex & Education” was written by Lissa Levin, and it is clearly a love note to her teachers. Anyone who appreciates the importance of good writing (or who is dismayed at what passes for writing these days) will love this show. It not only teaches the difference between “lay” and “lie”; it emphasizes the importance of persuasion in getting “laid”.  You’ll come out of this show not only entertained, but refreshed in English grammar. How many shows can say that?

The production was transparently directed by Andrew Barnicle (FB) who made his actors seem reasonably realistic. Miss Edwards was played by Stephanie Zimbalist (FB) with energy and enthusiasm. She seemed to be enjoying the teaching role, and handled the large amount of dialogue well (with only a few line blurbles). Playing her foil, Joe, was William Reinbold (FB). Reinbold had the height to be a realistic basketball player, and he came off convincingly young and horny. The third element of the equation was Hannah, played by Allison Lindsey (FB). For much of the show, she was relegated to the sidelines, acting the role of cheerleader. This bothered me, but luckily in the final scenes we got to see her much more as a real character, and this worked well.

The set was designed by Trefoni Michael Rizzi (FB), and it initially reminded me of Lysistrata Jones with the underlying basketball court and hoops on each end (although there was no basketball playing on stage). On top of the court was a large piece of college-ruled paper with a blackboard and desks that constituted the schoolroom. This worked very well. Properties were by John McElveney (FB). The costumes, by Dianne K. Graebner (FB), were appropriately high-school (basketball warm-up suit, cheerleading outfit) or stuck-up teacher. The lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg (FB) worked reasonably well, although sometimes the actors seemed to have to hunt out their lighting positions. The sound design of Drew Dalzell (FB) provided appropriate sound effects. Dale Alan Cooke (FB) was the stage manager. Barbara Beckley (FB), the artistic director for the Colony, was away and unable to do her normal announcements, so the new Colony Development Director, Karen Kendrick (FB), did them. I could swear that she was channeling Barbara — she had the mannerisms down pat! She did make one mistake, however: She said their next production, “The Lion in Winter“, was in August … when actually it is in May (see below for August).

As I noted when we saw MoonIE and Broon at the Colony in January,  the Colony Theatre (FB) has announced the 2014-2015 season. The season consists of 5 shows: (♦) “Family Planning” by Michelle Kholos Brooks (July 12-August 10, 2014), a comedy about putting a lot of relatives in the same space (stated as a World Premiere, although it was done by PRT in 2012); (♦) “What I Learned in Paris” by Pearl Cleage, a comedy about lovers in Atlanta in 1973 (West Coast Premiere); (♦) “Handle With Care” by Jason Odell Williams, a story about “love, fate, and the importance of GPS-enabled tracking devices” (West Coast Premiere); (♦) “The Road to Appomattox” by Catherine Bush, a drama about Lee’s final retreat to Appomattox (West Coast Premiere), and “Words by: Ira Gershwin & The Great American Songbook” by Joseph Vass (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, Music by Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, and George Gershwin), a jukebox musical about Ira Gershwin (Los Angeles Premiere). Subscription prices run around $175 for the set of shows (at least for where we sit on a Saturday night). Subscription information for the current season is here; I suggest contacting the Box Office (boxoffice@colonytheatre.org) to be mailed information on the 2014-2015 season.

“Sex & Education” continues at the Colony Theatre through March 16, so you have two more weeks to catch. Do so; you’ll enjoy it. Tickets are available through the Colony Box Office; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or LA Stage Tix.

[Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. 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 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 Theatre and Concerts:  Next weekend brings “Biloxi Blues” at REP East (FB) (moved from March 29). The weekend of March 16 brings Purim Schpiels, with Sunday afternoon bringing “Inherit the Wind” at the Grove Theatre Center (FB) in Burbank. March 22 brings “Harmony” at The Ahmanson Theatre (FB), followed by “Author, Author: An Evening with Sholom Aleichem” at the Santa Monica Playhouse (FB) on March 23. The last weekend of March is open, and will likely stay that way as we’ll be exhausted. April starts with “In The Heights” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) on April 5, and should also bring “Tallest Tree” at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as the Southern California Renaissance Faire. April may also bring “My Name is Asher Lev” at the Fountain Theatre (FB) (as this runs through April 19). Current planning for May shows “The Lion in Winter” at The Colony Theatre (FB), and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at REP East (FB). 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.

Catholic shrines and iconography. This is something I’ve never understood, being Jewish. The reference given to statues and miracles is just something beyond my ken. Yet such a shrine is at the heart of the last play of this weekend, “Miracle on South Division Street” by Tom Dudzick (FB), which we saw this afternoon at The Colony Theatre (FB) in Burbank.

Tom Dudzick describes his play as follows: “Miracle on South Division Street” is the story of the Nowak family, living amidst the urban rubble of Buffalo, NY’s East Side. Maybe the neighborhood is depressed, but not Clara, the family matriarch. She happily runs her soup kitchen and tends to the family heirloom – a twenty-foot shrine to the Blessed Mother which adjoins the house. This neighborhood beacon of faith commemorates the day in 1942 when the Blessed Virgin Mary materialized in her father’s barber shop! When the play opens, a family meeting is in progress. Daughter Ruth divulges her plan to finally “go public” with the family miracle by creating a one-woman play about the sacred event. But during the course of the meeting, the entire family’s faith is shaken to the very core when a deathbed confession causes the family legend to unravel. The results are heartfelt and hilarious.

Based on a true “shrine” in Buffalo on Senaca Street, the summary above is essentially correct. The main characters are Clara (Ellen Crawford (FB)), the family matriarch, and her three children: Ruth (Karianne Flaathen (FB)), an actress who has written a one-woman play based on the true story of the shrine; Jimmy (Brian Ibsen (FB)), who is about to propose to his girlfriend (whom the family has never met); and Beverly (Meghan Andrews (FB)), who is involved with a near-priest and whose sense of self comes from the shrine. I won’t spoil the secret of the shrine; let’s just say that it was quite unexpected and leads to quite hilarious results.

As always at the Colony, the play was very well performed. All of the cast was exceptionally talented and believable — I especially appreciated the little facial gestures and movements that made it look as if they were inhabiting their characters. Credit, as always, goes to a mix of the acting team and the director, Brian Shnipper (FB).

Technically, the set by Jeff McLaughlin (FB) did a wonderful job of creating a 1940s-era bungalow in Buffalo, down to the linoleum on the floor. This was supported by the appropriate props (including a load of food) from MacAndMe (FB). The costumes by Dianne K. Graebner (FB) worked well to convey the sense of place.  The sound effects by Drew Dalzell (FB) blended in well, and the lighting by Jared A. Sayeg (FB) was simple but effective. Leesa Freed (FB) was the production stage manager.

“Miracle on South Division Street” continues at the Colony Theatre through December 15. It is well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the Colony Theatre, as well as through outlets such as Goldstar.

Dining Notes: Well, this really isn’t a dining note — more of a gaming note. Game Haus Cafe (FB), a project we helped Kickstart, has opened its doors in Glendale. Game Haus is a board game cafe — there are hundreds of board games as well as a small menu. For $5 you can game all day. An interesting concept, marred only by slightly difficult parking (which is beyond their control). Still, I intend to go back there, because I can play without having to wait for a scheduled game day. I’m thinking of going the day after Thanksgiving, assuming my head cooperates. Anyone want to join me? There is a summary of the games they have on Boardgamegeek.

[Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. 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 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 Theatre and Concerts:  This afternoon brings the rescheduled “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB). Thanksgiving weekend brings “Falling“ at Rogue Machine on Sat November 30, and may also bring the concert “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” at REP East (FB) on Sunday December 1 [I’m unsure about this — on the one hand, it supports REP East… but on the other hand, it’s Christmas music]. December will start with “The Little Mermaid” at Nobel Middle School on Friday, December 6. We then leave for New Orleans and the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). When we return we have an interesting play, “Sherlock Through the Looking Glass“, at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (FB). December, as currently scheduled for theatre, concludes with “Peter and the Starcatcher” at The Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Of course, there will be the traditional movie and Chinese Food on Christmas Day — right now, the two movie possibilities are “Saving Mr. Banks” opening December 13 (meaning we can use group discount tickets), or “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” opening December 25. None of the other December releases look worth the money (I’d rather see “August: Osage County” on the stage, thankyouverymuch). Looking into January: The first scheduled show is on January 18: “Mom’s Gift” at The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre (FB) in North Hollywood. The following weekend, January 25, is on hold for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change“, which is the first show of the REP East (FB) season. February 8 will bring “Forever Plaid” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB). The following weekend, February 15, is being held for Lysistrata Jones at The Chance Theatre (FB) in Anaheim. The last weekend of February, February 22, is currently being held for Sutton Foster at the Broad Stage (FB) in Santa Monica (if I can find discount tickets). March brings “Sex and Education” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on March 8, and March 22 is being held for “Biloxi Blues” at REP East (FB). Lastly, we may go see “Harmony” at The Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on March 29. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Exploring a life on stage. This is a common theme in the theatre, especially if the life is an interesting one. It was the theme of Friday’s show, “Humor Abuse“; it is the theme of the two musicals whose cast albums I recently purchased (“Chaplin” and “Scandalous“); and it was the theme of the show we saw last night at The Colony Theatre (FB) — “Breath and Imagination: The Story of Roland Hayes” by Daniel Beaty (FB). The exploration of a life can be magical on stage — it can draw the audience into an experience they never knew, and it can both show and share that spark that propelled the protagonist along their journey. If the story is told right, the audience can walk out of the theatre with a little of that spark inside them, excited to learn more about the protagonist, and with an urge to incorporate that spark into their being.  For me, although I found “Breath and Imagination” an interesting and beautiful journey, I didn’t walk out with that spark.

“Breath and Imagination” tells the life story of Roland Hayes (1887-1977), an American Lyric Tenor who was the first African-American artist to receive wide acclaim. The facts in the story agree pretty much with the truth, at least as described by Wikipedia and some other biographies of Roland Hayes, so I’m not going to attempt to re-summarize Hayes’ life story. There were some liberties taken with the timeline (such as who introduced Hayes to Caruso), some facts glossed over (such as the fact he married his cousin, or the fact that he had a brother), and the framing device (the creation of a mixed-race music school at the plantation in George where he grew up) does not appear supported by the facts. The latter is the most problematic, for it leaves the audience with the impression that Hayes created the school to stand up to the racial problems in Georgia. Hayes did attempt to combat racism — both by setting an example of what an African American artist can do, and by pushing for integrated seating in the halls where he performed. Yet neither of those aspects was stressed in the production; rather, it was the fictional creation of a music school where blacks and whites studied together. Perhaps this is where the spark was dimmed.

Daniel Beaty (FB) attempts to tell this story by focusing on the relationship between Hayes and his mother, Fanny Hayes, who he called Angel ‘Mo. Interspersed and told through Negro Spirituals and operatic songs that Hayes sung throughout his life, this relationship and the significant incidents in Hayes’ life are told through vignettes involve Roland, his mother, and occasionally a third character (provided by the accompanist). The story generally moves forward from his young life on the plantation to his success on the stage; it is framed by the opening of the school, and occasionally flashbacks to the incident where his wife and daughter were arrested and physically assaulted for sitting down to purchase shoes in the whites-only section of a shoe store in Rome GA. Through the vignettes, we see how Angel ‘Mo encouraged Roland to pursue singing and spirituals, yet was less enthused when he moved his focus from the church to the stage. We also see some of the various obstacles that Roland overcame in his life, from a life as a sharecropper to the life in the city with limited finances, to the different types of racism he faced in both the south and the north, to his acceptance in Europe (although the story does not show the problems he faced in Germany), to the problems he faced in the “new South” in the mid-1940s.

This is not a musical, although it is filled with music. The music in the show serves to showcase and frame Hayes’ talent (and the musicality he inherited from his parents), but the words of the music do not propel or illuminate the story. The music in the story primarily illuminates Hayes’ talent and the musical environment he grew up in. The music was beautiful, primarily slower spirituals and operatic arias (you can find a full list here). The problem — to me — is that the music needs to be the kindling against which the spark of the story works; when successful, the two combine to create a blaze that excites and warms the soul. My musical tastes are not excited by either operatic arias or spirituals presented operatically (folk-style is a different matter). As a result, I didn’t walk out of the show with the combination making me to “Wow!”; I walked out going “Nice.”. The music flew, but didn’t soar.

Where does the fault lie for this problem? I’m not sure. Some is probably me, as this is a style of music that does not excite me. Part of it belongs to Daniel Beaty (FB)’s story, which does not completely bring out the excitement and energy. Part of it belongs to the director, Saundra McClain (FB), who does not bring out the excitement and joy of these characters in the actors — the performed Hayes appears very controlled and restrained, just like the music that he sings. It is just that somewhere, something — or more like, some energy — is missing.  This is not to say the story is bad or uninteresting, or that it was performed poorly. I just contrast this with Friday’s “Humor Abuse“, and if the words describing “HA” were “energy” and “excitement”, the words that describe “B&I” were “control” and “beauty”.

The problem was certainly not in the performances. As Roland Hayes, Elijah Rock (FB) became the author’s vision of Hayes — a controlled powerful man who grew up with music, with a beautiful tenor voice that floated musically, battling the discrimination of his time to become a musical artist. He was paired with Karen Kendrick (FB) as Angel Mo. Kendrick’s performance was remarkable — not only did she have a lovely voice, but she demonstrated a number of acting nuances that caught my eye and made her character real (such as her motion tic when she was playing the elderly Angel Mo, especially when contrasted with the youthful Angel Mo). Rounding out the cast was Kevin Ashworth (FB)  as the accompanist as well as a number of other small roles (from Roland’s father to a Georgia police officer to a voice teacher to Miss Robinson at Fisk to King George V). Ashworth played the piano beautifully, and disappeared into the various short roles inbetween. All were great performances; the show was worth seeing for the strength of the performances alone.

The scenic design by Shaun L. Motley (FB) was simple — a piano, a multilevel wooden stage that was elegant but unadorned. The feeling was that of a concert hall, but when combined by the props and set dressing of MacAndMe (FB) and the performances of the actors, portions of the stage were transformed into various other locations, including a sharecroppers farms. Also assisting in these transformations were the simple but effective costumes of Dianne K. Graebner (FB). The lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg (FB) worked well to establish the mood — I particularly noted the use of the projections against the back of the stage and striplights on the side and top of the stage.  Some special credit should also be given to Orlando de la Paz, who was the scenic artist and painted the faux wooden floor.  The sound design by Dave Mickey (FB) was a little more problematic. It was excellent in the clarity of the sounds, and particularly in the quality and directionality of the sound effects in a number of different scenes. It was overly noticeable, however, in the reverb during the concert scenes.  Musical arrangements were by Mike Ruckles (FB), with additional arrangements and musical direction by Rahn Coleman. Mary K. Gabrysiak (FB) was the production stage manager. “Breath and Imagination” was staged and directed by Saundra McClain (FB).

A comment or two about the audience at this performance. First, it was nice to see a contingent of students from Burbank High School — it is so important to expose students to the arts. Second, I noticed what I’ll call the “Pasadena Playhouse Effect” at this show. This refers to the fact that whenever Sheldon Epps would produce a show with an African American theme at the Pasadena Playhouse, suddenly the audience would change… hue. In other words, more African-Americans attend shows about African-Americans, with the white audience for those shows seemingly shrinking. This has always bothered me — I believe good theatre is good theatre, and you can find something in every story and life portrayed that will resonate, even if it is from a different culture and experience than your own. I wish everyone would attend theatre — being a theatre audience is my passion and my joy. Perhaps one day we’ll reach the point where there won’t be obvious hue shifts in an audience depending on the subject of the show. That, perhaps, might make Roland Hayes happy — he wanted people of all colors to attend his shows, and wanted to be seen as an artist, and not just a black artist.

“Breath and Imagination: The Story of Roland Hayes” has one more week at The Colony Theatre (FB), closing on October 13.  Tickets are available through the Colony website, and they have been available through Goldstar in the past (although as I write this, there are no current offers). The next production at the Colony is “Miracle on South Division Street” by Tom Dudzick, running November 9 through December 15, 2013 (alas, there are no performances Thanksgiving weekend, which screwed up shifting my tickets back one week). Colony is also doing a special production on October 19, 2013, focused on Gene Kelly called “Gene Kelly – The Legacy” (FB). Ticket prices range from $29 to $59.

Dining Notes: Some sad news here. Our normal go-to place before the Colony has been Cafe Columbia on Glenoaks. Alas, they seem to have closed sometime in the last 30 days — their website is wiped, and their phone has a closed message.  I’ll miss their excellent food, and I wonder what happened. Luckily, we recently found another good Columbian restaurant, La Maria, in Burbank. However, we didn’t have time to get there, so Fuddruckers it was.

[Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. 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 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 Theatre and Concerts:  Next week sees me at the West Coast Premier of “Burnt Street Boys“ at the Third Street Theatre (FB).  The third week of October had been held for the production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but this production will now be in 2014. I may go to “Gene Kelly – The Legacy” (FB) at the Colony; I may find something else on Goldstar.  October ends with the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” (October 26). November starts with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB). That will be followed by a visit with Thomas the Tank Engine when we volunteer at OERM over Veterans Day.  The third week will be theatre-ish, as we attend ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). One of those weekends we’re also likely to see a Trollplayers (FB) production of Steven Schwartz’s “Children of Eden” (which runs November 8-17) [Trollplayers is the community theatre group at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Northridge]. The weekend before Thanksgiving will be very busy with three shows: Tom Paxton (FB) in concert at McCabes Santa Monica (FB) on Friday; “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) on Saturday, and the rescheduled “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB) on Sunday. Thanksgiving weekend is currently open, as is much of December (December is due to the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC) in New Orleans, which has me out of two the first two weekends in December… but has me wondering about New Orleans theatre), but should bring “The Little Mermaid” at Nobel Middle School, and “Peter and the Starcatcher” at The Ahmanson Theatre. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

Richard Rodgers. When one thinks of the composer, one thinks of his lyricists: Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II (yes, there were others, and he did some work on his own, but none were as memorable or successful as the first two). People are very familiar with the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein, but the works of Rodgers and Hart are less familiar. In some ways, this is sad, as at one point the works of Rodgers and Hart filled not only the stages of Broadway, but the American popular song catalog.

Seeing this, the Colony Theatre in Burbank decided to mount a musical centered around the works of Lorenz Hart. Working with playwright Mark Saltzman, the resulting piece — titled Falling for Make Believe: Lorenz Hart,His Life, His Love, His Songs — premiered on April 27, 2013. We just saw the musical today, at what was supposed to be the last performance (it has been extended — more on that later). As for what I thought about it — that is, was it good or not — is hard to put into a single word or two because there are so many different ways to judge it.

Jukebox musicals have a problem. They can go the easy route and be a simple revue of songs. This is what shows such as Smokey Joe’s Cafe does. That creates an enjoyable evening, but it is ultimately not satisfying. They can create a fake plot around the songs in the existing catalog that weren’t designed for a plot — this can sometimes work (e.g., Mamma Mia), but usually doesn’t. They can also take the hard route and select songs and build a story that tells the story of the person at the heart of the catalog. This is what Ain’t Misbehavin’ did so successfully — each song actually provided insight into the characters and the times.

Falling for Make Believe took this latter approach. It created an artificial character — Fletcher Mecklin — and used him (combined with eulogies at the funeral of Lorenz Hart) to tell the story of Hart. This story was primarily centered around Hart’s drinking and Hart’s homosexuality — how it drove his work, and how it ultimately led to his destruction. Most of the reviews of this show center on this story and its impact — and how it was never really told during the life of Hart. Certainly, the world well knew of Hart’s drinking (in fact, it eventually led Rodgers to dump him as a lyricist for Hammerstein). They didn’t know the other side of his life, as contrasted to other other famous Broadway homosexuals, such as Cole Porter or Noel Coward. In general, this aspect of the story worked. Mecklin served as a good vehicle to discuss how homosexuality was viewed during the time period, and how it affected Porter’s life. It provided a good way to show how Hart’s agent, Doc Bender, enabled the behavior, and how the others in Hart’s circles — Rodgers and his wife, Vivian Ross (their regular leading lady) — reacted to it all.

So where was the problem? First, the songs that were chosen from the catalog did not always amplify the chosen story. Often, the songs were chosen (seemingly) because they were popular and well known, not because they might be construed as making any statement. Further, although the show attempted to present the songs in chronological order, it skipped back and forth and back and forth (a good example of this is Blue Moon, which is seemingly referenced before it was written). It also only highlighted a number of shows.

Right now, this show is only about 90 minutes with no intermission. For the show to move to the next level, I believe it needs to figure out how to present the songs and shows in a chronological order. It needs to figure out how to make the selected songs show how Hart was changing over the years, and perhaps discovering both his homosexuality and his love for alcohol. This may require introducing additional characters, especially to cover the early years. In particular, was his homosexuality affected by the number of years he spent in Hollywood working on film songs. In other words: we need to see Hart’s lyrics present a deeper picture of Hart, not the superficial picture we get with the show.

Note that the above is not meant to imply the show is bad — rather, it is more my thoughts on how to improve the book. As it is now, it is still a very enjoyable one-act with great performances and wonderful Rodgers and Hart music.  The direction by Jim Fall and the Choreography by Lisa Hopkins work well to keep the stage alive and engaging, and to bring out realistic performances from the ensemble. This does take some creativity given the stage constraints of the flyspace-less Colony facility — I can imagine a completely different staging were there set pieces that could fly in and out (such as at the Pasadena Playhouse).

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the performances were excellent. In the lead positions were Tyler Milliron as Fletcher Mecklin, Brett Ryback as Richard Rodgers, and Ben. D. Goldberg as Lorenz Hart. Milliron had a lovely tenor voice that was just great to listen to. Character-wise… he was a chorus member. In other words, his character served more to move the story along than to have any depth or substance of his own. The main character in the story — Hart — was portrayed by Goldberg. He also had a pleasing voice and captured the drunk Hart well. I’m not sure how well he captured the homosexual Hart, for it is hard to know homosexual behavior that isn’t just a caricature or a stereotype. More problematic is that there wasn’t a strong demonstration of the behavior — other than chronic lateness or drunkenness — that would lead Rodgers to say what he actually said about working with Hart. Hart was more of a nice gay drunk, and I’m not sure that’s how he really was. More problematic was that he had a very similar look to the actor portraying Rodgers, and this occasionally led to some confusion for me. Ryback’s Rodgers was quite enjoyable — nice voice, nice movement, and nice acting.

The second tier of characters consisted of Megan Moran as Peggy/Dorothy Rodgers/Police Woman, Jeffrey Landman as Doc Bender, and Rebecca Ann Johnson as Vivian Blaine. Here I was smitten by the look and performance of Moran — she was a very strong singer and performer. We haven’t seen her before, but I do hope to see more of her. Johnson was also very strong as Blaine with a great singing voice and very good performance skills — especially in her interactions with Goldberg’s Hart. We saw much less of Landman’s character; he only had one song.

The scenic design by Jeff McLaughlin was relatively simple — a number of levels with a piano and a small bar area. Properties and set dressing were by the resident prop-people, MacAndMe. The lighting by Sohail e. Najafi worked well, although there were at times the attempts to focus the lighting through aluminum foil structures created some odd reflections. The sound design by Drew Dalzell provided good sound. The costumes by Dianne K. Graebner were for the most part good, although I was unsure about the first costume for Vivian Ross (I would have expected something a little more risque for a performance in a speakeasy when the actor wanted to show they could do something more daring — especially in the 1920s).

Musical direction was by Keith Harrison, and the 4 piece orchestra (two keyboards, bass, and percussion) was conducted by Kathryn Lounsbery. The production stage manager was Leesa Freed, and the assistant stage manager was Brian Cordoba.

Falling for Make Believe was scheduled to close today, but an extension has been announced. After a two week hiatus, the show will return on June 6 and continue until June 30 (and there was a hint it could continue after that, if demand is sufficient). Tickets are available through the Colony box office, as well as through the usual discount places. As for the next season at the Colony, the official word from Barbara Beckley, Artistic Director, is that they are working on it. Unofficial word is of a more binary nature — it is likely there will be a season, but when it will start, how many shows there will be,  and what those shows are is all unknown. Likely, it all depends on how long this last show extends and the state of the Colony budget. My guess is that the next season, if there is one, will be a recovery season with shows selected to draw in the audience and new subscribers, with sufficient spacing to extend the shows if demand warrants. So we’re still in a “wait and see”, but I’m not going to give up quite yet.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   The last weekend of May brings “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East and The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre. June brings “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, and (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA (although DOMA may be replacing it with “Nine“). June will also bring a Maria Muldaur concert at McCabes.  I’m also considering Rent at the Hudson Theatres or A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts in Thousand Oaks. July is currently more open, with “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East in the middle of the month, and “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo at the end of the month. August is currently completely open due to vacation planning. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

 

 

Somethings are easy to do in the theatre: musicals, comedy, drama, and even mysteries. Somethings are a lot harder to do, and to do right. Thrillers are one such genre. Thrillers are different than mysteries: thrillers need to make you jump in your seat occasionally, and that element of surprise is hard to achieve with live actors. Luckily, the current comedy/thriller “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony Theatre in Burbank does it, and does it well. How do we know this? We saw it last night.

“I’ll Be Back Before Midnight“, written by Peter Colley, takes place in an old isolated farmhouse (where else would such a story take place… c’mon). The setup is as follows: Greg Sanderson, a PhD student studying stone tools, has rented a farmhouse near an isolated quarry where he is doing field research with his father-in-law. He bring his wife, Jan, to the farmhouse for some rest — and to rejuvenate their relationship, after Jan has been released from the hospital after a massive depressive incident. This incident occurred after Greg’s mother died, and Laura, Greg’s sister, returned into Greg’s life. Unbeknowst to Jan, Greg has also invited Laura to the farmhouse; this is a problem as Jan has an intense hatred and distrust of Laura. The last element in this mix is George Willowby, from whom Jan has rented the house. Shortly after Jan and Greg arrive, George comes over to check on the house… and tells Jan of the history of the house. This includes the fact that he bought the house for his son, who never lived there choosing instead to go live in the city. He also indicates the house is haunted, dating back to when a young bride was murdered in the living room by a crazed deformed man who broke in through a window. Since then, there are ghostly heartbeats heard when the crazed man is about, and blood seeps up from the floorboards whenever a murder has been committed. But Jan doesn’t need to worry; he’s provided them with a loaded shotgun.

There. You have all the ingredients you need. A haunted farmhouse. Ghosts, murders, and isolation. A nervous wife. A hated sister. A man in the middle. A jolly old neighbor to provide the needed exposition, and a little comic relief. Mix and stir well, and add some darkness to the mix. You end up with a delightful thriller….

….which I must add was well executed by the Colony Theatre. This is the type of piece that the Colony does very well — a character-driven piece that their scenic designer can have fun with. They can establish the atmosphere, pick great actors, provide good direction, and the result is wonderous (as evidenced by the fact that the run has been extended). In this case, the direction is so good because it is being done by someone who knows the piece very very well — because he wrote it. Under the direction of Peter Colley and David Rose, the suspense is maintained well and surprises are not telegraphed. The characters seem realistic (well, I’m not sure the farmer would drink that much). It all works very well.

The acting team is also very talented. As the mentally-nervous wife, Jan, Joanna Strapp does a great job of conveying the tenuous stability of her mental state, combined with coolness and cleverness. She is just fun to watch. Playing off her is Tyler Pierce as her husband, Greg. Pierce, as Greg, portrays the man trying to please two masters quite well: he seemingly wants his wife to recover and have their marriage be what it once was, but he also seemingly wants to maintain a strong relationship with his sister, Laura. Laura was played by Kate Maher, who does a very good job of portraying (to be blunt) a controlling bitch of a sister who does not believe her brother’s wife is good enough for him. The last actor in the mix is Ron Orbach, playing the farmer next door, George Willowby. We last saw Orbach many many years ago (in the late 1980s) at the Pasadena Playhouse; it was great to see him again. Orbach brought the humor to the ensemble wonderfully, and provided some surprising aspects near the end of the story.
[All actors are members of Actors Equity]

Turning to the technical side: Stephen Gifford‘s scenic design was excellent as always: he recreated a wonderfully rustic farmhouse on the Colony stage, assisted with properties from Colony regular MacAndME. My only problem with the design is that there were too many rock tools around if this was a new rental by Greg. Lighting was by Colony regular Luke Moyer, and it did a great job of establishing the mood. The sound, by Drew Dalzell, was very effective, although the pre-show and intermission sounds were a little loud.  The costumes by Dianne K. Graebner worked well. Leesa Freed served as the Production Stage Manager.

“I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” was supposed to close tonight, but it has been extended through March 17. Go see it, you’ll be at the edge of your seats while having a blast. Tickets are available through the Colony website. The Colony also reported that they have sufficient funds to mount their next production, “Falling for Make Believe“ , a musical building on the songbook of Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers. This runs April 24 – May 19, 2013, and you can also buy tickets through the Colony website. Alas, the Colony has not yet been able to commit to the 2013-2014 season. I’ve suggested that they do a Kickstarter, but they seem to prefer older fundraising models. Let’s hope they make it.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Next weekend sees us in North Hollywood for “Company” at the Crown City Theatre. The third week of March takes us to the Pantages and Hollywood for  “Catch Me If You Can”on March 16. The fourth week of March brings “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23, and ends with “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson on March 30. April has less theatre — so far, only one show is scheduled. The first weekend of April is open. The next weekend brings with the Southern California Renaissance Faire.  Following that is “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and April concludes with a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is busy in a different sense, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May also brings “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, and (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA. We were originally planning on the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month, but their collection of corps this year is poor. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

Music: Country — After All These Years (Chet Atkins): “I Can Hear Kentucky Calling Me”

Imagine reading the paper and coming across the following theft report:

“The ‘Davidov’ Stradivari violin, owned by Erica Morini, was stolen just before her death from her Manhattan home. However, it seems that this was no break-in by casual looters, but a planned theft by a small circle of those who had access to the apartment and to the key of the wardrobe in which she kept the instrument. When a friend went to check on the violin, all she found was an empty case, with no trace of forced entry or exit to the flat. Last valued at $3.5m/£2.2m, the ‘Davidov’ may well provide a lucrative private deal for the thief. But any new owner will have to keep it well hidden from violin experts for many years if they wish to remain anonymous.
(“Morini’s ‘Davidov’ Strad vanishes”, The Strad, January, 1996, quoted on Cozio.Com)

Would this report about a real violin that is now on the FBI’s Top Ten Art Crimes List strike you as an interesting subject for a play? It struck Willy Holtzman that way, and we saw his resulting play, “The Morini Strad“, last night at The Colony Theatre in Burbank.

The Morini Strad tells the story of Erica Morini and her relationship with Brian Skarstad, a luithier who Morini hires to repair her Stradivarius after it is damaged due to a slip of the bow. It portrays the relationship of these two from the point of hire to the point of Morini’s death. Although it changes a few details for the point of storytelling, it essentially shows how a deep friendship developed between these two: the crusty artist and the affable artisan. In doing this, the story becomes less a story about the Strad and more a story about the people. It serves to raise questions about the price an artist pays for the pure devotion to their art, and how much the work of an artist is due to the craftsmanship and talent of the artisan who makes their instruments. Lastly, it also raises the question of whether over-inflating the quality of the instrument  over the quality of the artist is appropriate, for Skarstad supposedly makes instruments of equal if not better sound than Strad (and I was just listening to a recent Freakonomics that made the point that an artist should not blame lack of creative quality on their tools; remarkable creativity can be done with the poorest of tools).

What did I think of the story? At the end of the play, my reaction was neither “wow!” nor “whimper“. I thought the story of the violin itself was interesting, although it didn’t draw me in. What I did like was the character interplay between Morini and Skarstad: the development of the relationships and the humorous asides were quite good. The relationship achieved the goal of demonstrating character growth in both sides: the Erica Morini of the end was not the cold artist we met at the start; she had become a person with understandable drives and goals. Similarly, the Brian Skarstad of the end wasn’t the simple craftsman we met at the start; by the end, Brian was understandable as an artist in his own right. It was this story of people that I liked.

It is hard to tell how much of this lack of “wow” was a fault of the director, Stephanie Vlahos. More of an opera type, her previous production at the Colony was Old Wicked Songs,  which was a similar two-character drama ostensibly about classical music. Both productions came across as classical — measured, slowly building, with exciting and intense passages as well as calming interludes. Vlahos used and moved her actors well, and made them come across as the characters they portrayed. Perhaps that’s all we can ask of a director; they can’t always make an interesting story into a “wow”.

The performances in this were excellent. In the lead positions were Mariette Hartley as Erica Morni, and David Nevell as Brian Skarstad. Hartley inhabited Morini; she was very believable as the eccentric older artist, set in her ways, irrascible, feeling that her time has passed her by and she is in the waning measures of her life concerto. Nevell’s Skarstad came across as the opposite: a likeable craftsman who cared about his family and people, and whose art was often suppressed in service of life. That’s an interesting realization, by the way: Morini was suppressing life for the sake of art, and Skarstad was suppressing art for the sake of life. Anyway, both performances were excellent and a joy to watch.

Supporting these two was a young artist, Geneva Lewis. Lewis is a 14 year old violinist, and provided the background violin music, as well as portraying some students. You never saw her as an actress; only a musician. To my untrained ear, she was very talented. You can see and hear her in this youtube video.

Turning to the technical side, this production was developed by the regular Colony team. Stephen Gifford‘s set, supported by the Property Design and Set Dressing of MacAndME, was very simple: a curtain backdrop, an armoire, a working desk, some furniture. I initially thought this was a reflection of lower budgets at the theatre, but (a) it worked well, and (b) provided the opportunity to create a stunning Carnegie Hall set near the end of the show.  The lighting of Jared A. Sayeg was very effective, especially in the aforementioned Carnegie Hall scene. The sound design of Drew Dalzell was particularly good; at one point, I truly believed the dog barking was out on the street behind the theatre instead of being a sound-prop. That’s realistic sound. Costumes were by Kate Bergh and were effective, conveying the characters well… although I could not understand the large bow they put on young Miss Lewis. Ashley Boehne Ehlers served as Production Stage Manager.

“The Morini Strad” was originally scheduled to close today, but has been extended with six more performances to January 13, 2013. Tickets are available through the Colony Website;  half price tickets do not appear to be available. It is worth seeing, especially as The Colony Theatre can use the support.

An aside or two about the Colony before I close this post out. The Colony has had their troubles large and small. Last night we saw both. On the small side, their box office server lost its motherboard that morning, and they had to do all “will call” tickets by hand without knowing what seats were assigned. This resulted in them seating those patrons holding tickets with assigned seats first, and then filling in the rest. They weathered the storm, figuring out how to sit the audience. Luckily, they didn’t have a sold-out crowd.

Turning to the large problem, it is in that last sentence: they didn’t have a sold-out crowd. We learned shortly before this show that the Colony was having major financial problems. They needed to raise money to put on this show; they needed to raise an order of magnitude more money to keep their doors open for future seasons. We found this disheartening, as we had moved our subscription to the Colony due to the financial woes of the Pasadena Playhouse. The Colony did raise enough funds to put on Morini, and they have sufficient funds for their next show, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight. However, they don’t have enough funds yet to declare the crisis over; they haven’t committed to their last show, nor to the next season.

There are patterns in all this that are troubling to me. First, the Colony is not being upfront with where they are in the fundraising — having a progress meter can go a long way towards getting people to donate. They are not harnessing new media (such as Kickstarter), nor are they seeming to work towards major sponsors for productions or shows. Being transparent about the problem encourages the theatre family to support things. Further, the productions this year have had smaller and smaller casts. These lower the cost of production, but they also don’t necessarily provide the name stories that draw the audiences in. It drastically demonstrates the problems that mid-sized theatres face in Southern California. I think 2013 is going to present us with a hard question about how to fill our mid-size theatre subscription slot. Will we return to the Colony? to the Pasadena Playhouse? to something different like the Geffen or the Rubicon? The mid-sized slot is important — it is where we see the new plays and musicals, the classics and local premieres that we wouldn’t see elsewhere. Stay tuned, I guess.

I’ll note that last night’s show at the Colony came on the same day as the 8th birthday of REP East, and the end of the last show of their 2012 season. I think that the Colony could learn a lot from the REP: how to pick shows that draw audiences in (even to the extent of being local premiers); how to get sponsors for shows; how to have ancillary activities and fund raisers that draw people in and are effective. Contrast, for example, REPs upcoming New Years Eve Midnight Circus fundraiser with the Colony’s fundraiser, an evening of classical music performed by the Lewis family, with Geneva Lewis on violin and her brother and sister on piano and viola. Which will draw the younger audience?

As for us, we’re starting to plan the theatre calendar for 2013. So here goes…

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  This week brings two live performance events:  “Judy Collins” at VPAC on December 21, and another intriguing mash-up: “A Mulholland Christmas Carol“  at Theatre of Note on December 22 (this is a combination of A Christmas Carol with the story of the St. Francis Dam disaster). December ends with Other Desert Cities at the Taper on December 29. (I”ll also not we’ll likely see the Les Miz movie on Christmas, followed (of course) by Chinese food).

Turning to 2013… January starts with “Anything Goes” at the Ahmanson on January 6. January 12 is currently held for the MoTAS Shabbat, although I may book something in the evening. January 19 is currently open, as Erin returns to Berkeley the next day; supposedly, there may be an event at REP of interest that evening. January 26 is being held for the just announced production of Triassic Parq–The Musical at the Chance Theatre in Orange County. February will start with the first play of the REP season, “Putnam County Spelling Bee“.  February 9 is being held for “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson. February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and the last weekend of February is currently open. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire (I’m getting tickets this week through the $15 Holidazzle sale), “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

Music: Bookends (Simon & Garfunkel): “America”