Tag: colony-theatre

Last night, we saw a play about China. Well, not exactly China. Dinnerware. To be specific, last night we saw the play “American Fiesta”  at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. The primary subject of American Fiesta is Fiesta dinnerware (often referred to as Fiestaware), a line of colorful household china produced by the Homer Laughlin China company since 1936. Collection of the original patterns and colors is for many an obsession; the protagonist of American Fiesta is such a collector.

However, the protagonist of American Fiesta is much more. He is a representation of the author of the play, Steven Tomlinson. In fact, in the original productions of the play from 2007, the protagonist was played by Tomlinson. In addition to being an avid collector of Fiestaware (and obviously, a playwright), Tomlinson is a PhD in Economics and an adjunct professor of pastoral ministry at an Episcopal Theological Seminary. American Fiesta is a one-man show where Tomlinson talks about his Fiesta collecting obsession and how it started. But it is much more than that. Tomlinson uses Fiestaware as a metaphor for discussing the evolution of his relationship with his boyfriend, Leon, and how this relationship plays out with his conservative Oklahoma parents. He also uses it as a political metaphor, relating how the brain obsesses over Fiestaware to how companies manipulate voters with slogans that play on strong feelings, just as Fiestaware draws people in with strong colors and strong memories.  Ultimately, Fiestaware serves as a way to bring out people’s stories, and Tomlinson’s message is that by listening to stories, and bringing the different colors together, you can create something harmoneous. All of this is brought together in an 80-minute, one-act, one-man show.

Does it work? For the most part, yes (and when it doesn’t, oh, look at the pretty colored china). The script has the actor playing a number of different characters and voices: himself, his fiancee Leon, his mother, his father, the owner of an antique shop in rural Oklahoma, and many others. It also has the actor bringing together the various threads of points together: the collection, the electoral politics, and the politics of gay relationships in the conservative Southwest. The story does this relatively effectively (although I’m not sure it could sustain the interest much longer than the current 80 minutes). It is helped along the way by the colorful china, and more importantly, by very effective graphic projections that serve to set the location and frame particular narrative points. It is also helped by the way the director, David Rose, brought out the different characters in the stories through the movements, mannerisms, and voices of the actor.

There is also another primary reason why American Fiesta works: the lead actor, Larry Cedar*. Cedar does a great job of embodying a large number of different characters, and truly makes you believe he is a gay obsessive collector of colorful china, living in a hipster area in Texas, and regularly driving to Oklahoma to see his parents. In many ways, it is the skilled acting of Cedar that makes this play a success: he is fun to watch and does a great job of drawing you into the story.
[* indicates member of Actors Equity]

Turning to the technical side of things: The scenic design by David Potts is relatively simple: a large number of shelves and two movable tables, augmented by three large flat-screen monitors. These are filled over the show by a large collection of colorful Fiesta bowls, plates, pitchers, cups, and other assorted pieces, all assembled by Colony-resident prop-master MacAndME. The video projections, designed by Dave Mickey and Kristen Campbell (who has no narrative bio in the program), serve very well to set the scene and move the story along. Amplifying the color of the china is the colorful lighting of Jared A. Sayeg, which seems to emphasize the colors of the china. Sound effects are provided by David Mickey (who possibly also did the aforementioned projections).  Costume design was by Kate Bergh. Also deserving of credit is the stage crew, Andrea Dean and Cuyler Perry, who quietly move all the china on and off the stage. Brian Cordoba was the production stage manager.

“American Fiesta” continues at the Colony Theatre through the weekend of October 20. Tickets are available from the Colony Theatre, and should be available via Goldstar as well.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  Next weekend we won’t be able to see any theatre, as we’ll be dealing with family business. The last weekend of October makes up for it with two productions: “The Book of Mormon” at Broadway LA/The Pantages on 10/27, and “1776” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/28. November is much lighter in terms of theatre. At the beginning of the month, my wife will be going to VPAC to see Ballet Folklorico (but you probably won’t see a review here). That weekend may also bring “Seminar” at The Ahmanson Theatre (still undecided on ticketing; another possibility is “Ruddigore” at the Sierra Madre Playhouse), although that is increasingly unlikely. The following weekend won’t be available for theatre, as we’ll be out working at “Day Out with Thomas” at OERM. The next weekend sees us at VPAC for a concert performance of Raul Esparza. November will close with “Moonlight and Magnolias” at REP East. December has no theatre currently scheduled (other than ACSAC), but will likely bring “Anything Goes” at the Ahmanson. It will also bring another concert: “Judy Collins” at VPAC. Starting the look into 2013. Currently nothing is scheduled for January, but that’s sure to change as REP announces its dates for the 2013 season. February brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre and “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. It may also bring “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson. March will likely bring “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages. 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: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (2012 Encores Cast): “It’s Delightful Down in Chile”

Dramaturgy. Most of us haven’t even heard the word, let alone do we know what a dramaturg does? Now imagine a play about a dramaturg. You would expect it to be boring, right? Wrong. How do we know this? Last night, we were at the Colony Theatre in Burbank seeing an incredibly funny backstage comedy about a dramaturg, “Blame It on Beckett“. (I”ll note that the Beckett in the title refers not to the play Becket or the Honor of God by Jean Anouilh, but the problems in the theatre created by Samuel Beckett and his play Waiting for Godot)

So what does a dramaturg do? According to Wikipedia, “A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas.” It expands on this, noting “One of the dramaturg’s contributions is to categorize and discuss the various types and kinds of plays or operas, their interconnectedness and their styles. The responsibilities of dramaturg vary from one theatre or opera company to the next. They might include the hiring of actors, the development of a season of plays or operas with a sense of coherence among them, assistance with and editing of new plays or operas by resident or guest playwrights or composers/librettists, the creation of programs or accompanying educational services, helping the director with rehearsals, and serving as elucidator of history or spokesperson for deceased or otherwise absent playwrights or composers. At larger theaters or opera houses, the dramaturg works on the historical and cultural research into the play or opera and its setting. In theater companies, a dramaturg will create a workbook for the director and actors (usually these are different) and work extensively with the director prior to the first rehearsal.”

In “Blame It On Becket“, the story revolves around Jim Foley, a dramaturg at a small theatre company whose mission is to originate new works. Heidi Bishop is a recently graduated MFG desiring a career in dramaturg, but currently working in the box office. She convinces Jim to take her on as a reader for free, and then works the general manager, Mike Brasci, into a part-time intern position. Jim’s responsibilities primarily involve reading through the submission pile to determine what plays the theatre will produce; he also has the responsibility to shape the selected new play for presentation. The play this year is the latest from the noted playwright Tina Fike, who has worked with Jim for years. The general manager is hoping that this play will move to Broadway, both because the theatre needs the money, and because he wants to move with it and get out of the small theatre world.

You can see the various situations this sets up. To put it in dramaturgical terms, for each character you can see both the character’s goals and the obstacles in the way of the goal. This setup also permits the author and the other characters to voice all their frustration with the backstage processes at the theatre, which is hilarious. I can’t remember all the lines, but I do remember the wonderful comparison between theatre and the Catholic church, where the playwright is the author of the Gospels, the director is the priest, the actors are the alter boys fulfilling the work of the priest, and the dramaturg is the prophet shouting against the wind who is usually ignored and martyred. The author takes every opportunity presented to skewer those involved backstage, including himself (who is dismissed by the dramaturg character as a hack playwright!). He also made a comment, which I agree with, that no one really understands what the director does. I’ve had that problem as someone who writes up productions: how do I distinguish the work of the director, the work of the actor, and the directions from the author?

This is a relatively unique backstage story, at least that I’ve seen. The ones of which I’m aware are either musicals (think Kiss Me Kate, Juliet and I, and such, which focus on the relationships of the actors) or pure farces (think Noises Off!). This looked at the lives of the other people backstage in a way that I actually learned something. It was also a telling social commentary, dealing with issues of sexual harassment, the hunger for advancement, and the continuing war between productions that are successful financially vs. successful artistically. Although not explicit, it was also a commentary on gays in the theatre and the AIDS epidemic.  But mostly what this was a very funny comedy. Credit for this should go to the writer, John Morogiello, and the unnamed dramaturgs who worked with him on this play. There’s a good summary of the backstage aspects of the play in a recent LA STAGE TIMES article.

The Colony performance of Blame It on Beckett was excellent. Much of this was due to the excellent acting team, including some contribution that I’ve never been able to figure out (:-)) from the director, Andrew Barnicle. The team was led by Louis Lotorto as Jim Foley, the dramaturg. Lotorto’s Foley was pompous and pedantic, never shy to express an opinion. Lortorto pulled off this characterization well, as well as capturing the more human side of Foley as well. Playing off of him was Blythe Auffarth as Heidi Bishop, the green dramaturg-to-be. She captured the strident character well, exposing her sexy side when appropriate but primarily being extensively earnest and effusive about the theatre. Both Auffarth and Lotorto’s performances were delightful to watch: you could see them as people and just wanted to spend more time with them.

Also fun to watch was Brian Ibsen as Mike Braschi, the general manager. Ibsen did a wonderful job of capturing the ambitious side of Braschi, and I especially appreciated his playful smile and his light banter. Rounding out the cast was Peggy Goss as Tina Fike, the playwright. This character was more foil, but acquired some depth in Act II.
[Note: All actors are members of Actors Equity.]

The scenic design by Stephen Gifford, combined with the props by MacAndME, captured the overworked office well. From the Steel Case desks to the stacks of scripts everywhere (with hilarious titles such as “Whodunit? The Musical” — I wonder if they were real) — it was just great. This was augmented by Kate Bergh‘s great costume design, which captured not only the elbow-patched dramaturg well, but the young college graduate, the business executive, and the rumpled playwright. Drew Dalzell‘s sound design provided appropriate sound effects and voiceovers, and the lighting by Paulie Jenkins and Ilya Mindlin was unobtrusive and established the scene wele. The production was stage managed by Ricky Moreno.

“Blame It On Beckett” has one more performance, today at 2pm. Tickets are available at the Colony Box Office online or by calling (818) 558-7000 x15. Next weekend, the Colony is hosting a special performance by Jane Kean, who has a long history on stage and screen, including playing Trixie in the Honeymooners. Although it wasn’t mentioned in the handout they gave us, I remember her from the musical Ankles Aweigh, which was a noted failure in the 1950s. Again, tickets are available through the Colony Box Office.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: Next weekend sees me in the Westlake District for “Silence: The Musical” at the Hayworth Theatre. This is a musical version of Silence of the Lambs, and is supposedly quite funny. The following weekend brings “Xanadu–The Musical” at DOMA; I’ve heard the music, and again this is a great parody. The penultimate weekend in September takes us to the Celebration Theatre in Hollywood for the musical Justin Love. The month ends with  “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” at REP East on September 29. October brings some traveling for family with the bat-mitzvah of a cousin in Fresno, and Karen will be travelling for the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara. It may also see us in Berkeley for UCB Homecoming.  Still, what’s a month without theatre, so… October will start out with “The Fantasticks“ at Theatre West on 10/6. That will be followed by “American Fiesta” at the Colony Theatre on 10/13, “The Book of Mormon” at Broadway LA/The Pantages on 10/27, and “1776” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/28. Continuing the look ahead: November will bring “Moonlight and Magnolias” at REP East, which is booked for the end of the month. It may also bring “Seminar” at The Ahmanson Theatre (still undecided on ticketing) and may bring a concert performance of Raul Esparza at VPAC, especially if Erin flies in for it (he’s singing on her birthday). Non-theatrically, it will also bring “Day Out with Thomas” at OERM (certainly on some or all of Veterans Day weekend – November 10-11). Lastly, to close out the year, December has nothing formally scheduled (other than ACSAC), but will likely bring “Anything Goes” at the Ahmanson, and may bring “Judy Collins” at VPAC. 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).

My friend, Larry (of perl fame) used to tell me how he would handle religious arguments: he would pull out a copy of the septuagint, and attempt to resolve the issue by going back to the original Greek, or even earlier. This story came to my mind as I watched the penultimate performance of “The Savannah Disputation” last night at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

The Savannah Disputation (written by Evan Smith) tells the story of Mary and Margaret, two middle-age sisters living together in Savannah. Mary, the older sister, is an angry and bitter women, eager to argue with everyone, and having little tolerance for fools. Margaret, on the other hand, tries to see the good in people and appears to genuinely care about others. As the story opens, their household is visited by a cheerful young Pentecostal missionary, Melissa, intent on converting them away from Catholicism. Mary slams the door in her face,  foreshadowing the rest of the play by saying “I hope she comes back so I can slam the door in her face again.” She does come back, and this time Margaret answers the door. Margaret is more interested in what she has to say, taking a pamphlet, and making arrangements for her to come back the following Sunday. When Melissa (the missionary) returns, Mary is home and pissed about the return visit (well, Mary is pissed about everything, but she’s especially pissed about this). As Margaret and Melissa debates whether Catholicism is founded on a lie (specifically, whether “petra” refers to St. Peter), Mary joins in the argument and eventually kicks Melissa out again.

But the seed of doubt had been planted. To resolve these doubts, Mary engineers a confrontation. She has Margaret call Melissa and apologize, express interest in what she was saying, and invite her back Thursday at 7pm. Mary then invites her friend, Father Patrick Murphy, to dinner the next Thursday. They are just finishing dinner when guess who should arrive: Melissa. You can guess how the discussion goes from there. For most of this, Father Murphy holds back, out of fear of converting Melissa to Catholicism. But once he gets going, they go after it… arguing chapter and verse, and causing everyone to question their beliefs.

That’s the basic story. Looking at the basic story, it had its strengths and weaknesses. Dealing with the strengths firsts: the characters of the two sisters are great, and fall in the tradition of the great odd couples — in this case, we have meanness vs. sweetness. This works well, and you can see why each sister behaves the way they do. The comedy of this piece is also quiet funny, especially if you enjoy jabs at the various sillier aspects of Christianity. I also like the way the Father is not obviously a father, holding back from the argument until drawn in by a particular technical point (and a hefty dollop of good scotch).

On the weakness side, I found that the play left me wanting more (and it was not that the play was too long and they had to cut–this was a 90 minute, one-act piece). There were hints that one sister was ill; this was indicated by a regular phone message left from a doctor’s office. This was never followed-up on; it would have been nice to learn how the reaction to this illness raised questions of faith and how the two variations of Christianity addressed them. There was also mention of a breakup between Melissa (the missionary) and her pastor (and now ex-boyfriend) — it would have been interesting to see how this affected Melissa’s faith. Further, at the end of the play, various characters were left questioning aspects of their faith. It would have been nice to revisit these characters later to see how this questioning affected them. The play also only superficially touched what the real faiths were; it would have been nice to see more the differences between the liturgical Catholicism and the emotional evangelical faith. This all could have been handled in a second act that explored these questions two to three weeks later in the storyline. Lastly, although the local was titularly in Savannah, there wasn’t anything particularly Southern about the story other than the accents and the scenery.

Story aside, the production was a treat to watch. The director, Cameron Watson, did a great job of pulling the characters out of the actors: you believed these people were who they pretended to be. This was particularly true for Anne Gee Byrd*, who has worked with Watson before. Byrd’s portray of Mary was spot on: angry and bitter and manipulative (a type of senior that, alas, I know far too well). In bringing up these feelings, it was also one other thing: realistic. This is a good thing, for Mary is a character that could far too easily be turned into Sophia from the Golden Girls. On the sweet side of the scale, Bonnie Bailey-Reed*’s portray of Margaret was delightfully pleasant; someone you would enjoy being around and could simply spend time with.  Again, this was a role that could devolve into characterture, but the actor and director combined to ensure that it didn’t.

Turning to the missionaries themselves: on the evangelical side there was Rebecca Mozo* as Melissa. Mozo’s Melissa was that perky Southern blond that you just hate: over-eager, bent on her mission, full of spunk. She was well played by Mozo, who demonstrated the character’s vulnerability in the scene where she was breaking up with her boyfriend. Lastly, as Father Murphy, Josh Clark* gives a wonderfully underplayed performance: you can just watch him simmer when he learns of the subterfuge, and come closer to boiling as he listens while sipping scotch.
[* indicates members of Actors Equity]

Technically, the production reflected what we have come to expect from the Colony. There was a wonderful scenic design by Stephen Gifford that gave the sense of Savannah, with loads of appropriate properties and atmosphere items provided by MacAndME. The lighting by Jared A. Sayeg did a wonderful job of establishing the mood, and the sound design by Rebecca Kessin provided the requisite sound effects to establish the story. The costumes by Kate Bergh were appropriately period and worked well. Gil Tordjman was the production stage manager.

“The Savannah Disputation” has its last performance this afternoon at The Colony Theatre. Our performance was almost sold out; I have no idea if there are any tickets still available.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts: Next weekend sees us up in Santa Clarita for the first production of REP East’s 81 Series (a group of more mature-themed summer plays):  “The Laramie Project”. I’ve heard good things about this play; it will be interesting to see how REP does it.  The third weekend in July is my wife’s birthday weekend, and she has selected two shows: Friday night  we’re seeing “Fluffy Bunnies in a Field of Daisies” at the Arena Stage; Saturday we’re going to CSUN to see the OperaWorks production of “Non-Boring Original Opera“, which is an improvised original 3-act opera weaving well-known arias and improvised dialogue into a new storyline. (if you would like to meet us at these shows and wish her Happy Birthday, please join us).  The last weekend in July brings “Meet Me In St. Louis” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. August has a bit less, as we’re going to have some vacation days and will be taking Erin to start UC Berkeley. We’ve only got one show scheduled: “Play Dates” at REP East. As an aside: we will be vacationing in Palm Springs, so if anyone knows of live theatre going on there in August, let me know. In September theatre activity resumes, beginning with “Blame It On Beckett” at the Colony Theatre on September 1 and “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” at REP East on September 29. I”m also looking into “Silence: The Musical” at the Hayworth Theatre, which starts September 8 and runs through December, and “Xanadu” at DOMA, which starts September 7 and runs for about 3 weeks. October brings some traveling for family: the Cal Parents Weekend at UCB, and the bat-mitzvah of a cousin in Fresno. It will also bring “American Fiesta” at the Colony Theatre, “The Book of Mormon” at Broadway LA/The Pantages, and “1776” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. Continuing the look ahead: November will bring “Moonlight and Magnolias” at REP East, which is booked for the end of the month. It may also bring “Seminar” at The Ahmanson Theatre (still undecided on ticketing) and a concert performance of Raul Esparza at VPAC, especially if Erin flies in for it (he’s singing on her birthday). Non-theatrically, it will also bring “Day Out with Thomas” at OERM (certainly on some or all of Veterans Day weekend – November 10-11-12). Lastly, to close out the year, December has nothing formally scheduled (other than ACSAC), but will likely bring “Anything Goes” at the Ahmanson, and may bring “Judy Collins” at VPAC. 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.

Some musicals you go to for their deep social content–an example might be “Kiss of the Spider Woman“. Others have a great or familiar story–take “Annie” or even last week’s “Once Upon a Mattress“. Some are simply jukebox musicals. Then there are those that are completely silly fluff — and they know it. Last night’s show, “Dames at Sea” falls clearly in the fluff category. The authors knew it, the set designers knew it, the actors knew it… and the audience learnd it when this fun piece of fluff was performed last night on the stage at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Those those unfamiliar with “Dames at Sea“, it is a musical written in the 1960s with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise. It was intended from the get-go as a parody of the “Golddiggers” movies of the 1930s and the style of Busby Berkeley. It was intially produced off-Broadway in 1968, and featured newcomer Bernadette Peters as Ruby, the fresh-off-the-bus newcomer to Broadway who becomes a star.

Plot? You want to know the plot? There isn’t any. Well, to be serious, it really doesn’t matter, does it? As the show opens, we see… opening credits. Seriously, the name of the show is introduced, along with each of the actors. As I said, this is a parody of movie musicals. As the show really opens, it is the early 1930s. We’re on Broadway, where a Broadway musical is in rehearsal. The temperamental star, Mona Kent, is doing a number with two dancing skyscrapers who keep trying to upstage her. In short order, we meet Hennesy, the producer/manager/director, and Joan, the seen-all, knows-all chorus girl. The naive Ruby arrives from Utah determined to be a Broadway star. She gets into the show, but then realizes she left her suitcase at the bus depot. In busts Dick with the suitcase. Ruby and Dick fall in love. Dick is not only a sailor, but an aspiring song-writer. The rest of the first act consists of Dick introducing his songs, the star Mona Kent falling for Dick’s songs, Ruby mistaking that for Mona falling for Dick, and Dick’s friend, Lucky, reigniting his relationship with Joan. As that act ends, however, the show can’t go on because the theatre was being torn down for a WPA project roller-rink. But Dick has an idea! They can do the show, which is titled “Dames at Sea” on the battleship. Thus, the second act. In the second act, Dick and Lucky persuade their Captain to volunteer the use of their ship. Mona recognizes the Captain as a former boyfriend. Again, we have the romance misunderstandings, and as Ruby wants to leave, Dick and Lucky engineering to make Mona seasick. As a result, Ruby steps in to save the show and becomes a star. The three couples decide to marry.

Simple, silly fluff, as I said. Luckily, the Colony saw this. The scenic designer, Stephen Gifford, designed a set that was purposefully hokey, including props that didn’t always work, a simple stage that turned into the battleship, and backdrops that looked like they were purposfully non-realistic. The sparkle and glitz came not from the set (as it does in some major theatres) but from the costumes (designed by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg) and the wonderful performances from the cast. The director, Todd Nielsen, also saw this and emphasized the sillyness and light-heartedness in the performances. The set, costumes, and direction in fact, were such a major part of establishing the tone of this show that I had to talk about them before the cast.

The cast was remarkable. Leading the cast as Ruby, the fresh-off who becomes a star, was Tessa Grady. We’ve seen Tessa many times on the Cabrillo stage (as Joanie in “Happy Days, The Musical” as well as the star-to-be in the recent “Annie“), and she has impressed us each time. She was simply superb–tapping her little heart out, singing up a storm, and exhibiting a naivete that came across perfectly. As Joan, Shanon Mari Mills (another Cabrillo regular, who we also saw in Mask at the Pasadena Playhouse) was also fun to watch. Shanon inhabited the blond wig, and was also a spectacular dancer. Rounding out the female roles was Heather Ayers as Mona, who presented a hard diva nature in addition to wonderful singing and dancing.

Turning to the men, Jeffrey Scott Parsons (yet another Cabrillo regular — we’ve seen him before in “42nd Street” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers“) portrayed Dick. Jeffrey had a voice that reminded me of Matthew Broderick, with a similar earnestness and comic timing, as well as great dancing skills. Quite a joy to watch. Dink O’Neal (who was also in “Annie” at Cabrillo) played the dual roles of the Captain and Hennesey. Dink is a great comic actor, with an expressive face and good dancing skills. The one problem I had was not with his performance, but when he was dressed as the Captain, he bore a strking resemblance to a vice-president at work. Very disconcerting. Lastly, as Dick’s shipmate Lucky, Justin Michael Wilcox (who hasn’t been at Cabrillo!) was also a great singer and dancer.

The production was choreographed by Lisa Hopkins, who not only captured the Berkeley style well, but had split-second timing in the movements she obtained from her actors. They would jump, move around, and dance in such a way that if they were just half-a-second off, they would have been in big trouble with their landings. This was amazing, and the show is worth seeing for the movement alone. Music was provided by Colony regular Dean Mora, who was hidden up-top but did stick out a baton to acknowledge the audience.

Sound was by Drew Dalzell and was effective and clear; the sound effects were also spot on. The lighting by Jared A. Sayeg did a good job of creating the mood, although the spot operator appeared to have some trouble keeping up with the actors. Colony regulars MacAndME provided the creative props. Hair and Make-up were by Joni Rudesill. Leesa Freed was the production stage manager.

“Dames at Sea” continues at the Colony through May 13. Tickets are available through the Colony website. The Colony has announced their 2012-2013 season, and season subscriptions are now available. The season is: THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION,June 13 – July 8, 2012;BLAME IT ON BECKETT,August 8 – September 2, 2012;AMERICAN FIESTA,September 26 – October 21, 2012;THE MORINI STRAD, November 14 – December 6, 2012;I’LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT,February 6 – March 3, 2012; andFALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE,April 24 – May 19, 2013. All of them are premiers of one form or another.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: The remainder of May brings the senior dance show at Van Nuys HS, the Spring Railfest at Orange Empire, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” at REP East, and it may also bring “Follies” at the Ahmanson. Oh, and May also has my daughter’s HS graduation. June is more open, but does feature both “Addams Family” and “Million Dollar Quartet” at the Pantages. July I”ve been keepling light until we know the orientation schedule at UC Berkeley and our vacation schedule. As always, open dates are subject to be filled in with productions that have yet to appear on the RADAR of Goldstar or LA Stage Alliance.

Music: Songbird (Barbra Streisand): Stay Away

Last night, we went to see “Old Wicked Songs” at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. With a title like that, you would probably expect a musical. Although there was music, and the actors even sung to it, this was most assuredly not a musical. Rather, it was part comedy and part drama that explored the conflicted emotions and environment in Vienna, Austria, during the time that Kurt Waldheim ran for the President of Austria.

“Old Wicked Songs“, written by Jon Marans, tells the story of two men: Professor Josef Mashkan and Stephen Hoffman. Mashkan is vocal instructor in Vienna who teaches piano students how singers sing, in order that they might be better accompanists. Hoffman is a young piano prodigy who burned out doing solo concerts, who wants to move beyond technical proficiency to find the joy in music. Hoffman has come to Vienna to study with a piano teacher, but this teacher requires him to study vocal accompaniment for 3 months before he will work with him. The framing music for this study are a number of pieces by Shubert that emphasize the theme of sadness mixed with joy, which proves to be an ongoing theme throughout the piece. I don’t want to give away all the plot twists and turns, but I will mention that the story is more than just piano lessons: it goes into the deeper relationship between these two men, the relationship that both Germany and Austria have with their past (including Dachau), and the election of Kurt Waldheim, who tended to hide his personal connection to the Nazis.

When this show started, we didn’t quite know what to make of it. It was slow, with lots of classical music and German songs. Mashkan came off as slightly antisemitic, and it just didn’t seem all that interesting. We might have left midway through, but the theatre was small enough that the actors would have noticed, and that’s just a wrong thing to do. The second act turned the story around and redeemed the production — you really began to care about these two and their situation, and you ended up walking out quite satisfied. It’s nice when theatre does that.

The credit for this goes not just to the writing, but to the acting and direction. Stephanie Vlahos directs her two actors to have them come across as real people. They way they move and talk and interact just seems normal. Credit also goes to the actors: John Towey as Josef Mashkan and Tavis Danz as Stephen Hoffman. Both are excellent actors and piano artists, and come across extremely realistic.  I was particuarly taken with Towey’s portrayal of Mashkan: there was just an indescribable level of depth in it.

Turning to the technical: The Scenic Design was by Stephen Gifford, and did a great job of turning the stage into an old Vienna study. Properties and Set Dressing were by Colony regulars MacAndMe.  Lighting was by Jared A. Sayeg, and was particularly notable as some scenes were entirely done through a combination of lighting and the set — no acting. Sound design was by Drew Dalzell, and was effective, especially the music between scenes. Costume design was by Kate Bergh. Mary K Klinger was production stage manager.

“Old Wicked Songs” continues at the Colony through March 4, 2012. The next production at the Colony is “Dames at Sea“.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: March begins with Bernadette Peters in concert at the Valley Performing Arts Center on March 3. That will be followed by  “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” at Van Nuys High School (March 2-3 and 8-10; we’re likely going on 3/10), and continues with “American Idiot” at the Ahmanson, and “Journey’s End” at REP East. March will conclude with Tom Paxton in concert at McCabes on 3/31. Continuing the look ahead, April will bring “Billy Elliot” at the Pantages, the Southern California Renaissance Faire, “Once Upon a Mattress” at Cabrillo, and “Dames at Sea” at the Colony.  May will bring “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” at REP East, the senior dance show at Van Nuys HS, and may bring “Heiress” at the Pasadena Playhouse, “Follies” at the Ahmanson, and the Spring Railfestival at Orange Empire Railway Museum. As always, open dates are subject to be filled in with productions that have yet to appear on the RADAR of Goldstar or LA Stage Alliance.

Music: The Marvellous Toy & Other Gallimaufry (Tom Paxton): Englebert The Elephant