Tag: colony-theatre

Glenn: If you think about it, Superman is the ultimate American illegal immigrant story: He leaves his family and everything he knows behind him, to make an arduous journey to a new homeland. Once there, he suceeds due to the special characteristics of his homeland, combined with hard work. But he lives a dual life: there is the All-American face he portrays, and his secret of being an illegal immigrant. His only weakness is when he is presented with relics of his homeland.

Vuthy: Yes, but Superman was white. If he had been an Asian baby left on the side of the road of the 1930s, the Kents would have turned him into Social Services, not kept him as their own.

Glenn: I guess you’re right.

The above is a (paraphrased) dialogue from the excellent play we saw this afternoon at the Colony Theatre: the West Coast premier of “Year Zero“, written by Michael Golamco. Year Zero tells the story of a first generation Cambodian family living in Long Beach in the spring of 2003 (Long Beach, if you are unaware, is home to one of the largest Cambodian communities outside of Cambodia). The mother, who escaped the Kmher Rouge through an arduous journey, has just died. Her daughter, Ra, has returned to the family apartment to pack up her belongings and arrange for the care of her younger brother, Vuthy, a sophmore at Lakewood High School. Vuthy is a lonely 16-year-old who loves hip hop and Dungeons & Dragons (in fact, he DMs a game during the show). Also involved with the family is Han, a member for the major Cambodian gang TRG, who has just been released from prison. Han was once close to Ra, but since Ra has gone off to UC Berkeley, they have drifted apart. Also involved in the story is Glenn, Ra’s Chinese boyfriend (the Chinese, at least according to the play, consider themselves above the Cambodians) who comes down unasked to help. Ra’s mother, it turns out, has never opened up to either Vuthy or Ra about the escape from Cambodia, but she has spoken about it to Han, who also escaped when he was little. The basic question of the story is what is going to happen to these people: Will Han return to the gang? Will Ra dump Glenn and go with Han? Will Vuthy stay in Long Beach, and likely get involved with the gang, or will he return to Berkeley with Ra and Glenn?

The artistic director, in her write-up introducing this play, wrote “Here was a traditional American immigrant story taht explored the timeless issues of cultural memory and assimilation, but in a community many of us know absolutely nothing about. More important (to me), I believed in these people, I cared about them.” That’s what makes this play a resounding success: the writing, the acting, and the directing made me care about this family. The people were ultimately good, and I wanted to know them and know what happened to them after the play ended. I also learned about that community and its customs, as well as what a dual life they led. Wonderful wonderful story.

The direction of this play was excellent. David Rose did a great job of making the actors come across as 100% realistic. One got the sense of watching people living their lives, not seeing actors on the stage. This made the story even more real.

The acting was also superb: all four actors were stupendous. Christine Corpuz (Ra) was the typical Asian girl: torn beween duty to family and a desire to be perfect. A delight to watch, and very realistic. David Huynh inhabited Vuthy, making him come across as the typically rebellous teenager, a nerd drawn to D&D and comic books, who is trying to be good. Tim Chiou was Han: a brawny gang member with a good inner heart, who was torn between his duties to the gang and Ra and Vuthy, whose mother had been a second mother to him. Lastly, as Glenn, Eymard Cabling portrayed the outsider who just wanted to make Ra happy, but even with an Asian background, couldn’t understand the nuances of Cambodian culture. There was actually a fifth character in the play: Ra and Vuthy’s mother: a stern first generation immigrant from Cambodia, who had faced unspeakable horror in her childhood and escaped for the vision of her children, who would broker nothing that would lead her children from the path to success.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

The play was also very good technically, The set design by David Potts was very clever: the main set was a cluttered apartment with loads of figurines, but the back wall raised up to provide a small substage, which provided different locales such as a car or a Cambodian temple. The costumes by Anthony Tran captured 2003 and the characters very well: Glenn had a more upscale look; Vuthy had the typical D&D style T-shirts; Han was more menacing in gang-ish attire and tattoos; and Ra was a typical college girl. MacAndME did their usual excellent prop design. The sound design by Peter Bayne provided unobtrusive amplification, and created the scene excellently. The lighting by Colony regular Luke Moyer created the mood very well, although it did look like one Leiko was about to fail in the car scene. Leesa Freed was production stage manager.

“Year Zero” continues at the Colony Theatre until July 3. If you can, go see it. You’ll be pleasently surprised. Tickets are available from the Colony online box office. They are also available on Goldstar.

P.S.: They also made a casting announcement about their upcoming production of “On Golden Pond“: Hal Linden and Christina Pickles. I’m excited: Hal Linden was in the first professional stage production I ever saw: “The Rothschilds” at LA Civic Light Opera. I hope to be able to go up to him after the show and thank him for starting me on a lifetime of attending live theatre!

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: We have a short break from theatre while I do a college visit with my daughter (but who knows — we might go see “Always Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). July starts with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (ticketed); followed by Western Corps Connection on July 3 in Riverside. July should continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); Dolly Parton (July 23, Hollywood Bowl); “Shrek” (July 24, Pantages Theatre, ticketed); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed). August brings “Doubt” at REP East on August 13, and “On Golden Pond” at the Colony Theatre on August 20, and possibly the last Summer Evening at the Huntington with the Quarteto Neuvo on August 27. September currently only has one weekend booked: “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” at REP East on September 24; October shows “Shooting Star” at the Colony Theatre on October 1, “Annie” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on October 22, and (hopefully) Bernadette Peters at VPAC on October 16. October will also hopefully bring “The Robber Bridegroom” at ICT. Of course, I expect to fill some of the weekends in August, September, and October with productions that have yet to appear on the RADAR of Goldstar or LA Stage Alliance.

Jukebox musicals are tricky things. You can’t depend on the quality of the book to save you; if there is a book, it’s skimpy at best and shoehorned at worse. Hopefully, the music itself provides a theme, but usually you have to depend on the casting or staging to save you. Sometimes it can work spectacularly, as in “Ain’t Misbehavin”. Sometimes it doesn’t. Alas, for “The All Night Strut”, which we saw last night at The Colony Theatre in Burbank, the pieces didn’t come together.

“The All Night Strut” is a celebration of the music of the 1930s and 1940s: Harlem, wartime music, and post-war music. Although the website descriptions purport that there is a unifying theme, the show is really just a collection of songs that attempt to evoke memories. There is no underlying story, and there are no characters (although the four singers, according to MTI at least, have distinct “personalities”: “A party girl”, “A down-home girl with lots of soul”, “A romantic balladeer”, and “A consummate storyteller”). So this isn’t a jukebox musical with a storyline in the sense of shows like “All Shook Up” or “Marvelous Wonderettes”. It also doesn’t celebrate the songs of a particular artist and attempt to tell that artist’s story, as “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Jersey Boys”, or “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” did. It is perhaps closest to “Sophisticated Ladies” in era and style, but it does not make each song into a vignette; it is more of a choreographed concert. Concerts depend on the choice of the music, and the music in this show was chosen to evoke memories, as opposed to a specific theme or style (such as “Bubblin’ Brown Sugar” did for Harlem). The show was packed with songs: 16 in Act I, and 13 in Act II. They included, to give you an idea of the range, “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, “Minnie the Moocher”, “Rosie the Riveter”, “I’ll Be Seeing You”, “Juke Box Saturday Night”, “Operator”, “As Time Goes By”, and “Lullaby of Broadway”, with dates ranging from 1928 to 1959, not presented in any particular date order, except for the WWII medly. “The All Night Strut” was concieved by Fran Charnas

Sometimes, a show like this can be saved by its casting and direction. I still remember the strength of the cast for “Ain’t Misbehavin’” or “Sophisticated Ladies”: pure talent. The story for “The All Night Strut” was mixed. The strongest was Jennifer Shelton () in the Alto/”A down-home girl with lots of soul” slot: she was a great singer and truly enjoyed entertaining. I was particularly impressed with her on “Operator”, a gospel-themed number. Also strong was Scotch Ellis Loring () in the Baritone/”A consummate storyteller” slot: He interacted well and sang great. The other two actors struck me as off in some way—not that they were bad, not that they were not enjoyable—but something was missing. In the Soprano/”A party girl” slot, Jayme Lake () didn’t quite seem to have the right vocal tone in some numbers, and came off as too choreographed. I wanted to see more of her personality come through, and I didn’t get the feeling that I was seeing it. In the Tenor/”A romantic balladeer” slot was Michael Dotson (). Michael was perhaps the weakest, coming across as wooden and a little too boyish. On some numbers he was vocally perfect; on others it seemed the wrong voice for the song. I should note that there is a distinct possibility that my problems may not have been the cast: it may have been the direction and choreography by Murphy Cross () and Paul Kreppel (), for I got the distinct feeling during the show that every movement and gesture was choreographed, meaning there may have been too much direction/choreography for this show, which suppressed the actors personality. In a concert-type show like this, you need the actor’s personality (or some at least what should appear to be the actor’s personality) to shine through.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

Musically, the show was great but could have been spectacular. Musical direction was by Dean Mora (), who runs his own big band and played the piano on stage. Mora had a great personality that shown through; the audience would have enjoyed just listening to him and his trio for two hours! The other members of his trio were Jim Garafalo on bass and Ray Frisby () on drums. What would have made it spectacular? Even more of a big-band sound… meaning some brass and perhaps a saxaphone. That’s not to say the trio wasn’t great: it was the trio (and Jennifer Shelton) that provided the energy for this show. There was a reason the audience stayed after the lights went up to hear the band finish the playoff, and to give the band a rousing round of applause.

Technically, the show also didn’t “wow” as past Colony shows have. The scenic design by Stephen Gifford was a multilevel squarish platform that didn’t evoke a particular location or period; combine that with minimal props (as usual, from MacAndME), and its easy to see how any sense of time or period for these songs wasn’t there. The lighting design by Luke Moyer was odd: lots of flashing leikos (as opposed to moving lights), and some moving mirror lights to provide the primary spots proved more distracting; I found myself at times looking at the lights instead of the stage. The sound by Rebecca Kessin was mostly clear and crisp, although there were a few microphone blurbles, and I found myself wishing for the days where you didn’t see the ubiquitous microphone taped to the face. Casting was by Patricia Cullen, and Leesa Freed was the Production Stage Manager. Colony Theatre is under the artistic direction of Barbara Beckley.

“The All Night Strut” continues at The Colony Theatre () until May 1, 2011. You can purchase tickets through the Colony Website. There will also be a special night of Dean Mora’s Big Band Music on April 27.

In an era where theatres seem to be contracting their seasons (for example, the Pasadena Playhouse has one show less than in previous years, although the bankruptcy could be the reason) or going under entirely, the Colony has expanded their season to six shows. The 2011-2012 season consists of YEAR ZERO (June 1 – July 3, 2011); ON GOLDEN POND (July 27 – August 28, 2011); SHOOTING STAR (September 14 – October 16, 2011); TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT (November 9 – December 18, 2011); OLD WICKED SONGS (February 1 – March 4, 2012) and DAMES AT SEA (April 11 – May 13, 2012). Looks to be an interesting season.

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Next weekend brings another concert: (this is a concert heavy year, it seems): Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May starts with our penultimate Pasadena Playhouse production, “George Gershwin Alone“, on May 7. The weekend of May 12-14 will bring the “Collabor8 Dance Festival” at Van Nuys High School, which is always excellent. The third weekend in May is currently open, but I expect that to change. The last weekend of May brings “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28. June begins with “Year Zero” at the Colony Theatre on June 5, but most of June is lost to the college visit trip (but who knows — we might go see “Always Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). July should hopefully start with “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson on July 2 (pending hottix), and continue with “Jerry Springer: The Opera“ (July 8, Chance Theatre, pending ticketing); “Twist: A New Musical” (July 16, Pasadena Playhouse, ticketed); “Jewtopia” (July 17, REP East, ticketed); Dolly Parton (July 23, Hollywood Bowl, pending ticketing); “Shrek” (July 23 or 24, Pantages Theatre, pending ticketing); and “The Sound of Music” (July 30, Cabrillo Music Theatre, ticketed).

Dum-dum-dum-dum. Dum-dum-dum-dum. If you didn’t recognize those notes (I type better than I sing), those were the opening bars to theme from “Gone with the Wind”, one of the classic American movies. But the movie almost wasn’t completed, and certainly wasn’t a guaranteed success. David O. Selznick, the producer, had paid $50,000 for the rights to the story (before it became popular), and had the difficulty of turning a 1,000+ page story into something filmable (it’s a problem that symied many—just look at the history of Harold Rome’s “Gone With The Wind-The Musical” or the later Trevor Nunn version). There was difficulty finding the right cast, and George Cukor took three weeks just to film the opening. The initial screenplay was the work of over a dozen famous writers. Faced with this mess, Selznick did what any producer would do: he shut down production for a week to rework everything.

Tthe story of what happened during that fateful week is what is told in the Ron Hutchinson’s play “Moonlight and Magnolias”, which we saw last night at The Colony Theatre in Burbank. Selznick has brought in Ben Hecht, a talented and prolific screenwriter to completely rewrite the screenplay of “Gone With The Wind”, and has yanked Victor Fleming off of “The Wizard of Oz” to help. Never mind the fact that Hecht has never read the book. Selznick and Fleming will act out the story, while Hecht writes. They lock themselves in Selznick’s office, living only on bananas and peanuts brought in by Selznick’s secretary, Miss Poppenghul, and go to work… What results is, on its surface, an incredibly funny play, where you have these two men acting out scenes from an already melodramatic three-hour movie (it makes one think of “The 39 Steps”). If the play was just manic expression of GTTW, it would be good.

But “Moonlight and Magnolias” is more than that. M&M is also an exploration of the roles of jews in Hollywood. Selznick is Jewish, and is thought of a Jew first, and American second (a common perception of Jews at the time—and how many Americans think of Muslims today). So is Hecht. Fleming isn’t. This comes out as a whole subtheme in the play: trying to succeed at something and make an imprint as a Jew. There is also the responsibility that Hecht feels as a Jew to do something socially meaningful—and GTTW, which glorifies the institution of slavery, and the behavior of a tramp and potential homewrecker who marries for revenge and not love—is not it. There are also the subthemes of Selznick trying to prove something to his father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer. There’s also the continuing fight of who makes a movie a success: is it the writer, who gives the story; the director, who translates that story into film, or the producer, who finds the story and the money to enable everyone to do their work. Are all three at the mercy of the audience, who can reject the best story and elevate drek to classic. These are all subthemes in this very very funny story.

So, we’ve now talked about the writing of the story. But a play is nothing without the actors to bring it to life. The ensemble for this production is excellent, demonstrating great comic timing and love for the story (and, as a bonus, they even tend to resemble the real people). As David Selznick, Roy Abramsohn protrays the drive and craziness that marks a successful producer. Battling him along the way is Matt Gottlieb as Ben Hecht. Gottlieb’s Hecht comes across as a weary but talented writer who wants to do something socially relevant… and GTTW isn’t it. As Fleming, Brendan Ford provides another counterbalance to Selznick: this time one who is willing to film anything, as long as he had a damn screenplay—he can fix any rough edges with the appropriate camera angles. Supporting these three crazies is Emily Eiden as Selznick’s secretary, who becomes increasingly exasperated as the play goes on. As a side note, there is an excellent article from LA Stage Blog on how the cast, and especially Eiden, brought life to these roles.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

Of course, direction is important as well. Luckily, Andrew Barnicle is familiar with this property having directed it before, and works with these actors to make the timing perfect and the exasperation show. Comedy is hard, and farcical comedy is even harder–and Barnicle does it perfectly.

Turning to the technical: Bruce Goodrich scenic design recreates Selznick’s office in perfect period, down to the correct headlines on the issues of Variety strewn about and the correct pictures on the walls (credit for this likely goes also to MacAndME, who provided additional properties and set dressing). The costume design by Julie Keen is appropriately period. The lighting by Paulie Jenkins is simple but effective, and the sound design by Julie Ferrin is what a good sound design should be: unnoticable in its clarify. Ritz Gray is the Production Stage Manager, who gets the thankless job of cleaning up after this show, which destroys the set at every production (just imagine peanut shells and paper strewn everywhere).

“Moonlight and Magnolias” continues at the Colony Theatre in snowy Burbank until March 6, 2011. Tickets are available through the Colony Box Office.

The Colony Theatre has announced their 2011-2012 season. They are being bold in these economic times, expanding to six shows: YEAR ZERO by Michael Golamco (June 1 – July 3, 2011), ON GOLDEN POND by Ernest Thompson (July 27 – August 28, 2011), SHOOTING STAR by Steven Dietz (September 14 – October 16, 2011), TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT by Graham Greene (November 9 – December 18, 2011), OLD WICKED SONGS by Jon Marans (February 1 – March 4, 2012), and DAMES AT SEA with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise (April 11 – May 13, 2012). Subscriptions are affordable with pricing between $120 and $210, depending on night and seats (opening nights are $234) [that’s as low as $20 a show, getting near movie prices]. Plus you can pay in two-or-three chunks, which we find helps cash flow. Information is available here.

Dining Notes: Last nights dinner was surprisingly good, especially considering its location: the Ikea Restaurant in the Ikea across the street from the theatre. Not only do you get great food, but you get to see stylish furniture!

Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: March begins with a Noel Paul Stookey concert at McCabes on March 4. Saturday March 5 is the MRJ Regional Man of the Year dinner at TBH, and Sunday brings “Nunsensations” at the Lyric Theatre in Hollywood. Saturday March 12 sees us back at Van Nuys to see the other actress playing Eva Peron in “Evita”, at Van Nuys High School. Sunday, March 13 is “The Cradle Will Rock” at the Blank Theatre. March 19 brings “Having It All” at the NoHo Arts Center. Lastly, March 26 brings “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Repertory East. April will bring the Renaissance Faire on the weekend of April 9. April 16 brings “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. April 23rd, which is during Pesach, brings the last show of the current Colony season, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre. The last weekend of April is being held open (i.e., pending ticketing) for Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center. May is just starting to shape up, with the first weekend being held for “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre (pending Hottix) and “Cabaret” at REP East on May 28.

The supernatural seems to hold great fascination with the creative. Be it vampires, werecreatures, witches, goblins, zombies, or ghouls, you can be sure that there are stories about them, and these stories will show up on the stage, the movie screen, and various personal entertainment venues. That said, these stories come in waves. The current “in thing” is vampires, but at one time, witches were everywhere (you can see some here, and there’s a real good discussion of the subject here). From the witches of Shakespeare to Sabrina the Teenaged Witch, from Samantha to the Charmed-trio, from the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz to Elphaba in Wicked, they keep reappearing. Their portrayal ranges from the scary hag to the frothy CYT (cute young thing), with some being both (cough, Shannon Dougherty, cough). With this wide variety, did they have anything in common? I think so. First, the witch was the embodiement of the powerful woman, with how the witch was ultimately treated in the story reflective of the pervailing attitude towards powerful women. Second, these were women you did not want to cross: for with all witches, revenge is a dish to be served with embellishment and encrustations.

I mention all of this a prelude, for last night went to the Colony Theatre in Burbank to see a play about a witch: “Bell, Book, and Candle” (BB&C), witten by John Van Druten in 1948. There are some who say this was one of the insprations for the 1960s TV series “Bewitched”; it was made into a movie starting James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Jack Lemmon in 1958. BB&C is the story about a young beautiful witch who casts a spell on a young man to make him love her…. and what happens afterwards. I should note that in Van Druten’s witch-mythology, there are a few rules: witches cannot love, cannot blush, and cannot cry, and if they fall in love, they lose their powers.

Oh, you want a more detailed synopsis to see if this really inspired Bewitched. In the mid-1950s, Gillian Holroyd, a beautiful young witch, returns to her brownstone in NYC and falls in lust with her upstairs tenant, Shepherd Henderson. After meeting him, she indicates to her brother, Nicky and her aunt, Queenie, that she is going to try to make him fall in love with her without using magic. But when she learns that he is engaged to her college rival, Merle Kittridge, she casts a spell on him and he falls in love with her. She also uses a spell to bring Sidney Redlitch, an author of a book on witchcraft that Shepherd wants to publish, to her apartment. The relationship between Gillian and Shepherd is going well and lustily… until he proposes to her. She accepts and decides to give up witchcraft. When Nicky reveals that he is working with Redlitch on a book about New York witches, she is forced to use witchcraft to prevent publication, and outs herself as a witch to Shepherd. He’s OK with that, until he learns from Aunt Queenie that the spell was primarily because of the rivalry with Merle. He pays $5,000 to have the spell broken and leaves, and Gillian then learns that she is without powers, for she has fallen in love. Will they get back together? C’mon, what do you think?

As usual, we need to look at this in two ways: how well does the story hold together, and how well was it executed on the stage. The story was a 1950s romantic comedy. Cute, frothy, and reflective of the time. If we look at it from today’s point of view, we see a powerful independent woman who has to have her man to be happy, and once she gets him, she loses her power and independence. That’s very 1950s: if the story was sent today, either the lusty relationship would be sufficient, or when the eventual marriage happens, Gillian would regain her powers. But for what the story was, it was fun to watch. It was two hours of escapism where you didn’t have the urge to look at your watch.

Of course, this was helped by the excellent actors. In the lead positions were Willow Geer as Gillian Holroyd and Michael A. Newcomer as Shepherd Henderson. These two had a youthful loving chemistry together and were a delight to watch. Geer, a young beautiful redhead, did a wonderful job of projecting a 1950s urbane image; you could easily see her out at nightclubs, mixing martinis, and making men bow to her will with just her smile. Newcomer was a great foil: a handsome sharp young fellow who knew what he wanted and thought he was in control of his life… until he suddenly fell in love. In the supporting positions were Will Bradley as Gillian’s brother, Nicky, and Mary Jo Catlett as Aunt Queenie. Bradley captured the young bachelor with the playful, troublemaking side quite well; we’ve seen him before as Mordred in the Pasadena Playhouse “Camelot” where he was a similar young troublemaker. Catlett plays the doddering aunt with great comic timing—we’ve seen her in similar roles on Diff’rent Strokes and numerous other productions. Rounding out the cast was Benton Jennings as the author Sidney Redlitch.

All of the actors were members of  Actors Equity. This is a footnote you often see me write, but I want to highlight it this time because all the actors did in their bios. Bradley wrote “He’d like to thank … everyone at the Colony for … allowing him to live an uncompromised life.” Catlett noted that the Colony was “Equity Actor Friendly”. Geer commended the Colony for “sticking to the union” (a phrase that reflects her family upbringing as the daughter of Ellen Geer and the granddaughter of Will Geer). Jennings noted his AEA membership prominently, and Newcomer explicitly thanked the Colony “for operating with an Equity contract that provides for pension and health.” The last indicates why this is important: AEA, an actors union, helps to ensure the things in life that an actor needs: income, health benefits, and decent working conditions. Not all of the theatres in LA can accord Equity actors: for example, both REP and Cabrillo tend to use a mix of Equity and non-Equity—the REP due to its size (81 seats), and Cabrillo due to its nature as a regional talent house. Larger theatres such as the Ahmanson and the Pantages are 100% equity. But mid-sized theatres are often in a bind, and thus it is nice to see a smaller >99 seat theatre have the strong commitment to providing actors with a decent working environment. But I digress…

The production was directed by Richard Israel, with whom we are familiar from shows such as “Big”, “Assassins”, and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”). Israel helped the talented cast to excel in their portrayals of these characters. Leesa Freed (also an AEA member) was the Production Stage Manager. Barbara Beckley is the artistic director, and I commend her for doing something I love: introducing every show with humor and warmth that makes you feel a part of the Colony family. To me, this turns a theatre from a cold presenting property to a warm place where you feel like you are a team member with the actors and the producing team.

Turning to the technical, where the Colony is blessed with a pool of regular excellent talent. Stephen Gifford did the scenic design, creating a 1950s apartment with wonderful danish-modern touches, and the requisite minibar. Set dressing and props were by MacAndME. Costume Designer Sharon McGunigle captured the 1950s well with Gillian’s dresses and Shepherd’s stylish suits with narrow ties. Cricket S. Myers did her usual excellent job with the sound and sound effects (I particularly liked the tinkling in the background for magic), and Luke Moyer did an effective job with the lighting, including well timed snap cues. Robert T. Kyle was the technical director.

“Bell, Book, and Candle” continues at the Colony Theatre for one more week, ending on November 21. Ticketing information is here. The Colony Theatre is located in Burbank, next to the Burbank Mall, in the parking structure near Ikea. Two productions remain in the Colony season: “Moonlight and Magnolias” (running February 2–March 6, 2011) and “The All-Night Strut (March 30–May 1, 2011). I’ll note that “Moonlight and Magnolias” will be at REP East approximately the same time (January 21–February 19), allowing one to compare and contrast an 81-seat theatre production with a mix of Equity and non-Equity actors with a 276-seat 100% Equity production. Knowing both producing teams well, I’m sure both will be excellent and it will be interesting to see the nuanced differences. I must note, however, that the Colony had it scheduled first .

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. Next week brings “Amadeus” at REP East (ticketed for November 21). November closes with two shows: “The Wild Party” at Malibu Stage Company on Friday November 26, and “Randy Newman’s Harps and Angels” at the Mark Taper Forum (ticketed for Saturday November 27). December will bring “Uptown, Downtown” starring Leslie Uggams at the Pasadena Playhouse on December 11, “Next to Normal” at the Ahmanson on December 18, and for Karen and Ern, “West Side Story” at the Pantages Theatre on December 24 (I’m not interested in that particular production, especially at Pantages prices).

Looking briefly into 2011: January is mostly open with only Tom Paxton at McCabes ticketed for my birthday, January 21. February will bring the first show of the REP 2011 season, “Moonlight and Magnolia” (pending ticketing for February 5), followed by “The Marvellous Wonderettes” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on February 12; “Rock of Ages” at the Pantages on February 19. February closes with the 2^nd production of “Moonlight and Magnolias, this time at the Colony Theatre on February 26. March is also mostly open right now, although March 26 is being held for “The Diary of Anne Frank” at REP East. Of course, I learn of interesting shows all the time, so expect additions to this schedule.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review, and that I purchase my own tickets to the shows. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

What makes a man (or woman) free? Is it simply not living under slavery… or is being able to choose your own destiny based on your convictions? That’s the ultimate question being asked by the drama “Free Man of Color” currently being presented at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

“Free Man of Color”, written by Charles Smith, tells the story of John Newton Templeton, the first Afro-American student to graduate Ohio University. Templeton was freed in 1813 at the age of 6 or 7, at which time he and his family migrated to Ohio, eventually settling in Adams County. With the aid and encouragement of Rev. Robert G. Wilson, avowed abolitionist and president of Ohio University (1824-1839), Templeton enrolled at the University in 1824. It is noteworthy that Ohio University, unlike many institutions of higher education at this time, had no restrictive clauses pertaining to race; any male youth who qualified for acceptance was admitted. The play tells the story of Templeton’s time at the university: It tells the story of how Wilson brought Templeton to live in his house because he couldn’t live with the other students; of how Templeton interacted with Wilson’s wife, who bristled at the fact that Templeton could attend the University but women could not; of how Wilson was grooming Templeton to be leader of Liberia, a colony set up in Africa by current and former slave owners for freed slaves. Most importantly, it tells the story of how Templeton was educated and taught to think critically, and how that ability led him to see Liberia for what it was, and to be true to his convictions about establishing a home for freed blacks in America. It concludes with Templeton reading his commencement address, “The Claims of Liberia”, which can be read here.

However, this play is not just about Templeton. During the course of the play, we see growth in all of the characters. As noted above, we see Templeton move from being an empty vessel, eager for a classic education, to a critical thinker, strong in his convictions. We see Rev. Wilson move from viewing Templeton just as a student to a tool for the success of Liberia, as well as a surrogate son. We also see a remarkable amount of growth in Jane Wilson, who moves from viewing Templeton as a dumb freed slave to respecting him as a man, and as he gains this respect, she learned to heal from her personal tragedies.

The production was extremely well acted. The director, Dan Bonnell, did an excellent job of drawing out the talents of his cast and turning them into three remarkable characters. As Templeton, Kareem Ferguson created a dignified character, deferential, proud, thoughtful, who you could see grow in his reasoning. He made the show; he was a delight to watch. Opposite him was Frank Ashmore as Rev. Robert Wilson. Ashmore’s Wilson was clearly driven: driven to prove that Templeton was not just a parroting ape but was a thinker—thinking in his own right based on the study of great philosophers in the original Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. But you could also see, from his performance, that Wilson cared about Templeton, and was personally hurt when Templeton’s reasoning led him to a different destiny than Wilson thought was right. This personification of Wilson is a testament to the acting abilities of Ashmore. Lastly, as Jane Wilson, Kathleen Mary Carthy serves as a catalyst. Although initially just a thorn in the side of Templeton, the second act is where she shines, and in doing so, provides more of an education to Templeton about the ultimate reasons behind the American Colonization Society and the formation of Liberia. Carthy’s portrayal of the character did an excellent job of presenting both the fire and the tenderness of the character.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical: David Potts’ scenic design of “Free Man of Color” was sparse using abstract elements to symbolize the Reverend’s house and fields, and with silhouette’d trees and buildings. This worked well in the Colony’s quasi-thrust environment; I can imagine how different the set would have been in the more proscenium-oriented Pasadena Playhouse. The lighting by Chris Wojcieszyn was colorful in its use of ambers and pinks, and did an excellent job of establishing mood. The sound, by Cricket S. Myers, was less amplification and more ambient sounds and effects, which were quite, umm, effective. The props (by MacAndME) and costumes (by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg) were suitably period (this isn’t a surprise; Schoenberg is the owner of AJS Costumes and Renaissance Dancewear). Leesa Freed was the Production Stage Manager.

“Free Man of Color” continues at The Colony Theatre until September 12, 2010. Tickets are available through the Colony boxoffice, and are usually up on Goldstar. The next production at The Colony Theatre is “Bell, Book and Candle”, running October 20–November 21, 2010.

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. Next weekend brings “The Glass Menagerie” at the Mark Taper Forum on September 11. The weekend of September 18 is Yom Kippur; no theatre is currently scheduled. The last weekend of September brings “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre. October is currently more open, with “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East ticketed for October 9. and “Happy Days: The Musical” at Cabrillo Music Theatre ticketed for October 30. I should note that October 23 will be a Family Gaming Night at Temple Ahavat Shalom. , November will see “Bell, Book, and Candle” at The Colony Theatre on November 13; “Randy Newman’s Harps and Angels” at the Mark Taper Forum (November 10–December 22, Hottix on sale September 9, potential date November 21); and “Amadeus” at REP East (ticketed for November 27). December will bring “Next to Normal” at the Ahmanson (November 23–January 2; Hottix on November 2; planned date December 11). Of course, I learn of interesting shows all the time, so expect additions to this schedule.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review, and that I purchase my own tickets to the shows. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

Last night, we went to the first show of our new subscription to the Colony Theatre in Burbank: “Grace & Glorie”.

“Grace & Glorie” is a two-woman play that tells the story of Grace Stiles and Gloria Whitmore. Grace is a feisty 90-year old (is there any other kind) who has just been released from the hospital to go home to her granny cottage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to die. Gloria is a transplanted Type-A New Yorker who is her volunteer hospice worker. Grace is strongly independent and doesn’t want any help; she has a strong faith in God (although not church-going) and an acceptance of what life has dealt her. Gloria moved to Virginia with her husband after a personal tragedy; she’s not religious and fights for everything with a strong need to be the survivor at the top. The clash of the two teach each other lessons about life, while entertaining the audience along the way.

The portrayal of these two women was perfect, owing to the work of the director (Cameron Watson), as well as the excellent actresses, Beth Grant and Melinda Page Hamilton. Grant plays Grace as a fragile old women with loads of inner strength. She captures the backwoods Virginian ways—she is the embodiement of what you would expect for Appalachia. In contrast, Hamilton, as Gloria, captures the outwardly strong and bossy New York type with inner fragility. Both came across as real people; there was no consciousness that they were putting on roles.
[Both actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

The set designed by Jeff McLaughlin, with properties and set dressing by MacAndME, was rich, detailed, and intricate. It captures the cabin in the Virginia mountains well, with a seemingly working wood stove, real food, beautiful quilts and knitting, and the ephemeria of a life. The lighting, by Luke Moyer, created the mood well with use of oranges and blues, and nary a follow spot. The sound design by Cricket S. Myers not only blended into the background in terms of amplification, but provided the requisite atmosphere perfectly, be it the chirping crickets in the quiet time, or the directional sound of construction around the cabin. The costumes by Terri A. Lewis , reflected the personalities perfectly: Glorie in power-suits and elegant pants; Grace in aged, faded pajamas. Lara E. Nall served as the Production Stage Manager.

The full Playbill is online, if you want to read the full acting and technical credits.

“Grace and Glorie” continues a the Colony Theatre until July 18, 2010. Tickets are available through the Colony Theatre, and often via Goldstar Events and LA Stage Tix. The reviews for this show have been strong.

A word about the Colony itself: This was the first show of our Colony subscription (which is the replacement subscription for the Pasadena Playhouse). At least based on the first night, the Playhouse has a lot of work to do to win us back as subscribers. Here’s how I see some of the key differences:

Upcoming Theatre and Dance. Next weekend bring “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 and the July “Meeting of Minds (Catherine the Great, Daniel Cromwell, and Daniel O’Connell, starring Gary Cole, Penny Peyser, Ian Buchanan and Jim Handy) on July 18. The 4th weekend brings “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24, and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Mark Taper Forum on July 25. August starts with “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages on August 1. The next weekend brings “[title of show]” at the Celebration Theatre on August 6. August 15 brings the August “Meeting of Minds”, and August 21 “Side Man” at REP East. Looking into September, there is “Free Man of Color” at the Colony on September 4, and “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre (September 5-October 17, to be ticketed), and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” at REP East (9/17-10/16). It is unknown if there will be a September “Meeting of Minds”, and if so, when and where. October will bring “Happy Days: The Musical” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and possibly “The Glass Menagerie” at the Mark Taper Forum.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

When the Pasadena Playhouse closed, my wife and I began to think about what would replace that subscription (because, even if they did come back, their handling of patrons was not worthy of our subscription dollar). We began to think about what other theatres had the right mix of ambiance, size, and quality. Very quickly, our thoughts turned to a mid-size professional theatre in Burbank, the Colony Theatre company. We had seen a number of shows there before (and were impressed), so we started watching for a show to “test them out” again. Last night was that show: “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris”

Jacques Brel is one of the original “jukebox” musicals, dating back to its debut off-Broadway in 1968 (long before “Ain’t Misbehavin’”). We last saw the musical in one of our first seasons at the Pasadena Playhouse, way back in the summer of 1988 (in fact, it may have been our second season there). I have no real memories of it; the show is simply a collection of Jacques Brel songs, assembled and translated by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman. The show was revived in 2006; the revival trimmed a number of songs and added some. However, although the songs are beautiful and small stories in themselves, there is no particular book. What makes the show is the staging, the actors, and what the director and actors bring to the songs. This is not a show that can depend on a classic book to save it; it is the skill of the performance and the artistic vision.

In both of these areas, the Colony excelled. As we learned at the talkback, the director, Jon Lawrence Rivera, had a vision after reading the lyrics and listening to the music of placing the show in a memorial setting: the first act is at a funeral; the second act is graveside. Not adding any dialogue or lyrics, and simply drawing on the talents of the actors and creative team, he turned the song cycle into a story of sorts—well, if not a story, then he at least established personas for the actors. His accomplice in all of this was the acting team: Eileen Barnett (who we saw in both Kiss of the Spider Woman and Radio Gals), Zachary Ford (who we saw in Camelot at the Playhouse), Gregory Franklin, and Jennifer Shelton. This team had a remarkable talent of bringing the characters to life—they weren’t just singing the songs, they were living them. It is this combination and synergy that makes this show special. Adding to all of this was Brent Crayon, the Musical Director, who took a score that was received in pieces and assembled something great.

Back to the acting team for a paragraph, because they were so special. Although it is hard to pick a favorite, I just couldn’t take my eyes off of Ms. Shelton, who was just so expressive and playful in her character. She also had a remarkable voice and an obvious sense of humor and physical timing, which came across well in the song “Timid Freida”. Less physical but almost more emotional was Ms. Barnett, especially in songs such as “Marieke” and “Sons Of” (which is actually the song from which “Seasons in the Sun” derives—see, you have heard Brel). Turning to the men, Mr. Ford was another remarkable singer and performer, being especially notable in “Madeleine” and “Next”. Lastly, Mr. Franklin (who represented the older man) was great in numbers such as “Funeral Tango” and “Jackie”. Lastly, I’ll note that even the music director got into the singing act (and did quite a good job of it), joining with the other men in the number “The Middle Class”.

Turning to the technical side, there was good and bad. The scenic design by John H. Binkley was simple but effective: a coffin and chairs in Act I; fewer chairs and a grave site in Act II, surrounded by surrealistic metal trees. The lighting design by Adam Blumenthal was also simple: Colored lights, few spots, and effective color on the cyclorama (with an effective gobo splash). I noticed some moving mirrors, but couldn’t identify how they were being used. The costumes (by Dianne K. Graebner) were non-detractive, which in a show like this is what you want, as there is no particular period. They came across as appropriate mourning wear, with Mr. Ford’s being slightly military (although I was unsure whether the arm rank matched the shoulder rank). The sound design was by Cricket S. Myers who normally does excellent stuff (so I’m sure the actual design was good), but there were some setting and balance, as well as sound cue problems, that were noticable. We asked about this at the talkback, and it appeared to be due to settings not being reestablished during the week. Hopefully, that was just an anamoly for our show. Set dressing was by MacAndME. Crystal M. Munson was the Production Stage Manager. The casting director was Patricia Cullen.

As I noted before, the musical direction was by Brent Crayon, who coordinated the five member band (Brent Crayon, Piano; Cris Mello, Guitars; Jeff Novack, Bass; Oliver Steinberg, Bass; and Emiliano Almeida, Drums). Supplementing them was Zachary Ford on the accordian.

The artistic director of the Colony Theatre is Barbara Beckley, who did something I love to see: got up before the show, welcomed the audience, described the upcoming season, and made the place feel like a family. This is important to me as a patron: it is something the Pasadena Playhouse did under Lars Hansen and Susan Dietz, and something that was lost under Sheldon Epps.

As I noted at the start of this review: We went in trying to decide whether to subscribe, and we made the decision to become Colony Subscribers last night. This gives me the right to promote their upcoming season :-): “Grace & Glorie” by Tom Ziegler, June 9-July 18, 2010; “Free Man of Color” by Charles Smith, August 11-September 12, 2010; “Bell, Book, and Candle” by John Van Druten, October 20-November 21, 2010; “Moonlight and Magnolias” by Ron Hutchinson, February 2-March 6, 2011; and “The All Night Strut!”, conceived by Fran Charnas, March 30-May 1, 2011. You can get information on each of the shows here, or visit here for the PDF brochure. After the increasingly high prices at the Playhouse ($815 for the 7 show season, plus upwards of $5-$8 for parking), I was pleased by the subscription prices. Looking at the middle tier, the total tickets were $300 for 5 Saturday night performances (top tier would be only $50 more). That’s much much more reasonable, plus there is free parking at the theatre.

“Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” continues at the Colony Theatre until May 9, 2010. Tickets are available through the Colony, and are often available via Goldstar or LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre. As for us, what’s upcoming on the theatre calendar? Tonight brings “Damn Yankees” at Van Nuys HS; with the April installment of “Meeting of Minds” at the Steve Allen Theatre on Sunday. The following weekend takes me to “12 Angry Men” on April 24 (the rest of the family sees it on May 2). May looks to be equally busy, with “Little Shop of Horrors at Cabrillo Music Theatre (May 1), and “12 Angry Men” for Karen and Erin on May 2 @ 2pm (while I get ready for a Games Night at Temple that I’m running). The weekend of May 8 sees Karen and me at the So Cal Ren Faire on Saturday. The weekend of May 15 sees the CDF Conference for Karen and Erin, followed by “The 39 Steps” at the Ahmanson at 8pm. The next weekend takes Erin to the Ren Faire, while we see the May installment of “Meeting of Minds” at the Steve Allen Theatre (May 16). The fourth weekend in May brings the Spring Dance Show at Van Nuys HS (May 20-22). The last weekend in May brings the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend, as well as “The Wedding Singer” at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall (May 30 @ 2pm). June so far is mostly open, although I’m expecting that we’ll see “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson some weekend that month, and potentially the June “Meeting of Minds”. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3. The next weekend I’m holding upon for the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie” (likely July 10). That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). July will also bring ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); a possible July “Meeting of Minds, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 31 24 (likely moved due to a birthday party).

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.