Tag: other-theatres

Way back in January 1980, I had the joy of seeing the original cast of Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Blvd, as part of the National Tour of the show. It was then I fell in love with the music of Fats Waller and the performance of the original cast. The show was interesting. It was one of the first jukebox musicals performed. Through the performances and the songs, it loosely told the story of Fats Waller: his style, his popularity, his reception in the white vs. black communities, and his problems in life. Since then, when productions of the show have been mounted, I’ve tried to see them.  I remember a production of the show back in 2008 by Cabrillo Music Theatre (now 5-Star Theatricals), directed by Ken Page (I even used the same title for the writeup back then). Rereading that review, I wasn’t all that impressed with their production, although I did like Natalie Wachen as “Charlene” (they kept the original character names).

Fast forward to 2026. I learned that Ebony Rep, the company where I saw 5 Guys Named Moe a few years ago, was mounting Ain’t Misbehavin’. They had done such a great job on Moe, I thought I would try to squeeze it in. So I booked tickets for the penultimate performance (forgetting that the Tony Awards were on at the same time), and we trucked on down to Washington Blvd for the show. Luckily, I was able to record the main broadcast part of the Tonys because DirecTV is reliable. As for the Tonys Act One: PlutoTV, or Spectrum, or my Orbi RBK752P router sucks, because the live streaming show was unwatchable for the buffering and interruptions. If someone knows how to find Act One for delayed watching, let me know.

But back to Ain’t Misbehavin. As noted above, this is a true jukebox musical. The song sequencing and the performances tell the story, hopefully aided a bit by program notes (although, alas, the ERT program contained no background information on Fats Waller). Generally, the Ken Page role (deeper voiced larger man) is a surrogate for Fats himself; other “characters” just interact.

Wren Brown, the director, made the directorial choice to set the show in a Harlem Brownstone at a form of cocktail party. While this provided a suitable setting for the time, it lost the connection between the original Ken Page character (played by Chester Gregory here and called Chester) and any personification of Fats Waller. This served to lose the meaning, and in some senses, poignancy, of songs like “Black and Blue” or “Lounging at the Waldorf”.

In general the performances were very strong, although I have this feeling that they swapped a few songs between the female performers. In general, Natalie Wachen (who we saw in the Cabrillo show) did the Charleyne Woodard songs; Connie Jackson did the Nell Carter songs; and Ledisi did the Armelia McQueen songs (although I could have those two swapped). Chester Gregory did the Ken Page songs; and Marty Austin Lamar did the Andre DeShields songs. In the “Ladies Who Sing With The Band”, I think there was a bit of overplay on the bad singing for “Yacht Club Swing” and “Nylons Bloom”, and I did detect some slight lyrics changes in “Off Time”. But overall, the performances from the stage were strong. There were quite a few that stuck in my mind: Again, Wachen was really strong in “Keepin’ Out of Mischief”; the whole company was great in “Black and Blue”, and Jackson was great in “Cash for Your Trash”. Both Jackson and Ledisi were strong in “Find Out What They Like”.

Especially during the first act, and especially up in the balcony, there were some amplification problems that made the performances seem overly shrill. That seemed to have been corrected by Act Two, so I think it was a tuning issue.

The on-stage band, led by William Foster McDaniel, was hot. This was demonstrated during the Entre’acte and during the playout. They were wonderful.

However, there was a performance problem: The audience. In the row in front of us, we had folks taking out their phones in the beginning and videoing, and then putting them away. We had them bringing them out to check things. We had another group that was looking at pictures on their phone during the show, combined with talking. It was as if these folks had never been to live performance before, or were unaware about the audience members around them. Now I see why Patti LuPone does what she does. Audiences need to remember that it is the light from devices that disturbs other audience members and the actors on the stage, not just the noise. Keep your voices down, and your light-emitting devices off.

Additionally, the audience also seemed to ignore the capacity limit of the elevator, causing it to break before the show. This not only delayed the start of the show necessitating the director to do an impromptu Q&A, but led to the elevator being broken after the show. This created problems for the disabled folks in the balcony who needed the elevator and now needed to go down two flights of stairs.

The last performance of Ain’t Misbehavin at Ebony Rep is today at 8pm, and it is sold out. The Ebony Rep is an interesting place, although parking is horrible. It was built on the site of the former Ebony Showcase Theatre, which was torn down after an unsubstantiated claim of structural instability on the site of the former Rimpau/Metro theatre. I mention this because during Wren Brown’s Q&A, he noted that he grew up a few yards to the south through the theatre’s wall, back when EST was still around. FSY converted the former theatre into the new PAC.

Credits

Ain’t Misbehavin’. The Fats Waller Musical Show. Music by Thomas “Fats” Waller. Conceived by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horowitz. Created and originally directed by Richard Maltby Jr. Original Choreography by Arthur Faria. Directed by Wren T. Brown. Choreographed by Dominique Kelley.

Cast; Marty Austin Lamar, Connie Jackson, Ledisi, Chester Gregory, Matalie Wachen

Music Department; William Foster McDaniel Music Director, Piano; Land Richards Drums; Keith Fiddmont Saxophones; Fernando Pullum Trumpet; Weldon Scott Bass; Luther Henderson Musical Adaptations, Orchestrations, and Arrangements; Jeffrey Gutcheon Vocal and Musical Concepts; Jeffre Gutcheon and William Elliott Musical Arrangements.

Production and Creative: Dominique Kelley Choreography; Wren T. Brown Direction, Founder, Producing Artistic Director; John Iacovelli ז״ל Scenic Design; Wendell Carmichael Costume Design; Andrew Schmedeke Lighting Design; Danny Fiandaca Sound Design; Kevin Williams Property Designer; Elsbeth M. Collins Production Stage Manager; Sir Tony Wig Design; Cynthia Ayala Co-Lighting Designer; Candace Brown Assoc. Choreographer; Patty Onagan Consulting Public Relations; Gayle L. Hooks Managing Director; Andi Chapman Assoc. Artistic Director; Courtland Trapp Technical Director; Israel Hicks Founding Artistic Director.

Producers: Ebony Repertory Theatre in association with Fig Street Films. Originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club. Originally Produced on Broadway by Emanual Azenberg, Dasha Epstein, the Shubert Organization, and Jane Gaynor & Ron Dante.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Shows left and right have been announcing that they will be going on tour (even shows that are closing). So, even though we haven’t started the 2026-2027 seasons for Broadway in Hollywood (BIH) and the Center Theatre Group (CTG), here are my predictions for the 2027-2028 seasons in Los Angeles.
^* indicates shows for which tours are not yet announce, but I’m guessing they will tour. 🏆 indicates 2026 Tony Award winning; ^⭐ indicates nominee.
Sources: Playbill as indicated, Tours to You, Broadway League Tours.

Show	Where It Will End Up
The Lost Boys 🏆	BIH/Pantages
Ragtime 🏆	BIH/Pantages
Every Brilliant Thing ⭐	CTG/Taper, but note there will be a local production at The Main in Sept. 2026
Beaches	BIH/Pantages
Titanique ⭐	BIH/Pantages
Just In Time	BIH/Pantages
Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York ⭐	CTG/Ahmanson
Schmigadoon! 🏆	BIH/Pantages
Cats: The Jellicle Ball* 🏆	CTG/Taper, but poss. BIH/Pantages
Giant* 🏆	CTG/Ahmanson (but possibly as a local production)
Rocky Horror – New Broadway Production* ⭐	BIH/Pantages
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella	BIH/Pantages (Add-On)
Heathers – The Musical	CTG/Ahmanson
Liberation* 🏆	In 2027 at the Geffen Playhouse
The Ballusters* ⭐	Local production at the Geffen or Pasadena Playhouse.

Additionally, May saw the opening of ticket sales for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. There are over 2,150 performances over the month of June; there are 439 shows listed in the show catalog. These all occur during the month of June, with multiple shows throughout the day. 20 minutes to move in; then the show; 20 minutes to move out. Ticket prices are low. The shows run the gamut, from totally strange to one person shows to full on short plays to musical reviews. You’re sure to find something you’ll like.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• June: ♦ Elegies at Chromolume; ♦ Primary Trust at CTG/Taper; ♦ Mamma Mia at CTG/Ahmanson.
• July: ♦ Mexodus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ The Wizard of Oz at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ If/Then at Chromolume Theatre.
• August: ♦ Beauty and the Beast at BIH/Pantages;
• September: ♦ Water for Elephants at BIH/Pantages; ♦⊕ The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ The Turning at Taper/CTG; 🎼 Sutton Foster at The Soraya; ♦⊕ Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; ♦⊕Every Brilliant Thing at The Main; 

Just because we’re out of town doesn’t mean that the desire to see live performance goes away. While we were visiting our daughter in St. Louis, we were able to squeeze in two show. I’ll talk about them out of order, becauwe these writeups tend to focus more on theatre than concerts.

Roasted Ham

While in St. Louis, we had the opportunity to see the Black Repertory Theatre production of Fat Ham, which we last saw a little over two years ago at the Geffen, in a production starring The Neighborhood‘s Marcel Spears as Juicy. Here’s the synopsis of the play as I wrote it then:

Fat Ham transposes the story [of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet] to one about a black family, somewhere in the south, sometime in the near past. The program states that is is North Carolina or Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee, but not Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. The time is sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, based on dress and hairstyles and such. It is a blue-collar level (but not poor) house, in a rural area, where the family business is a barbeque restaurant run by Pap and Rev, two brothers. Pap went to prison for gutting a customer like a pig, and while in prison, was shafted. It turns out that Rev, Pap’s brother, had arranged the shafting … and not a week after the funeral, Rev married Pap’s widow, Tedra. The play takes place in the backyard of Tedra’s house, where there is to be a celebration of the wedding.

The focus of the story is Juicy, Tedra’s son. After Juicy’s friend Tio sees Pap’s ghost, the ghost comes to Juicy and asks him to avenge his death. Juicy is conflicted. Story beats of the traditional Hamlet story play out in the backyard, as Rev’s friend, Rabby comes to visit with her two children, Larry (who is in the Marines) and Opal. There are both rough and obvious correspondences: Juicy/Hamlet, Rev/Claudius, Tedra/Gertrude, Tio/Horatio, Rabby/Polonius, Larry/Laertes, Opal/Ophelia. But not all of the character beats are the same, especially as the story goes on and the relationships get … shall we say more contemporary.

There are also some key changes in the characters, beyond the obvious transposition from the Court of Denmark to the rural south, with the “Kings” becoming owners of a BBQ Joint. Juicy is a bit of a schlubsy student, attending the University of Phoenix. His friend, Tio, is a stoner addicted to porn. Rabby is a high church lady, her son Larry is on leave from the Marines, and her daughter Opal wants to go to the Marines, although her mom wants her to be a debutant. Relationships are not traditional.

The production in Los Angeles was (essentially) the Broadway cast. The production of Black Rep was a regional production; essentially at the level of a Colony Theatre production: a 644 seat thrust stage, with three Equity actor positions and the rest cast regionally from the local non-Equity pool. The Geffen Playhouse production was in a 512 seat proscenium stage with a mostly Equity cast. How did the two productions compare?

Let’s start with the performances. The lead, Marshall W. Mabry IV Juicy brought a much darker energy to the role;  this isn’t a surprise as he wasn’t carrying the sitcom baggage of Marcel Spears. Mabry was a truly believable pseudo-Hamlet: brooding and angry. Enoch King was strong as Rev/Pap, bringing out two distinctly characterizations. Angela Wildflower was good as Tedra, although at times she spoke so fast it was hard to make out her words. To, ummm, amplify that last point: This production was not amplified (unlike most mid-sized productions in Los Angeles), and it was a bit harder to hear folks. Amplification isn’t required (witness our recent outing to Falstaff); however a bit more projection or volume would be good.

In the smaller roles: Brian McKinley was good as Larry, although on his initial entrance he was missing one button, which a Marine would never do. Raevyn Ferguson was strong as Opal—an interesting character who is almost as conflicted as Juicy. Margery Handy brought the right church-lady vibes to Rabby, and Olajuwon Davis captured Tio’s personality (although he also was hard to hear at times).

One additional note on the characters… and the audience. It was interesting to watch the interactions of the performers and the audience, and contrasting that with what I recall of the audience reaction at the Geffen. Here in St. Louis, we’re much closer to the Southern-style churchgoers than in Los Angeles. As such, there was more audience reaction as the tropes referenced in the play were recognized. The audience also didn’t have the complexion problem I see in Los Angeles: one of my major complaints with black-themed plays in Los Angeles is that the non-white audience often seems to stay away. When the Pasadena Playhouse does a black-themed production (common when Sheldon Epps was the artistic director), the audience seems to be 80% black; the pendulum would swing the other way for less diverse stagings. This would bother me quite a bit as I believe theatre is for all, and that theatre provides us the opportunity to learn about and gain insights into milieus different than our own. Alas in Los Angeles, despite its progressivism, audiences seem to self-segregate based on the show. That’s bad. The Edison audience, although far too small, was much more mixed. That’s a good thing. I just wish it was larger. We had, perhaps, only a quarter of the theatre filled. This was an excellent show with excellent performances. Why wasn’t the audience there? Memorial day weekend? Publicity problems? St. Louisians (if that’s a word): This is an excellent show. You should be going out to see it!

The set was remarkably similar to the one at the Geffen. The major difference was the treatment of Pap. At the Geffen, I remember him rising out of the smoker and rising out of the cooler. Here he generally came in from the side. Thankfully, the Black Rep production didn’t use a glitter cannon or balloon drop like the Geffen for the last scenes. I abhor such things for the waste of plastic that goes straight into the waste stream, and they have become far too common in theatre today. Black Rep found a way to bring the fun without the plastic.

There were a few minor production problems: at times, characters walked to the edge of the stage or came in from the edge of the stage and didn’t have the lighting they needed. There were also problems with the amplification of the Karaoke machine.

One other last complaint: Black Rep handed out a postcard Playbill, with a QR code linking to the actual playbill. I recognize this saves the production money, but at what costs. Most folks won’t go to the code and learn about the actors and production team. It won’t serve the advertisers that support the theatre. It won’t provide a physical record that lasts. Digital link rot is real. Websites get reorganized. Try to go to this link 10 years down the road, and there is a 95% chance the link won’t work anymore. Yet with a printed playbill it lasts. Last weekend, I filed playbills from about the last 20 or so years of theatre. I saw playbills in my files from the 1980s and 1990s. I couldn’t do that with the digital QR code playbills; I don’t get a memory that lasts. Digital playbills are a false economy. Give your playgoers a physical playbill, or at least have them available at the show. Print at a level of 50%, but print them. Color isn’t required.

Fat Ham continues at The Black Rep at the Edison Theatre on the grounds of Washington University, St. Louis, until June 7, 2026. Tickets are available through OvationTix. The Black Rep has announced their upcoming season, and it is a good one. Were they closer to Los Angeles, I might even subscribe. The 2026-2027 season is: The Color Purple—The Musical (Sep 9-27, 2026); The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe (Jan 6-24 2027); Purpose by Braden Jacob-Jenkens (Feb 3-21 2027); For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf  by Ntozake Shange (Mar 3-28 2027); and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean May 12-30 2027. I’ve always heard about For Colored Girls; I can’t recall a recent production in Los Angeles. I wonder if anyone will ever remount a production of Your Arms Are Too Short to Box with God?

Hasenpfeffer

“Hasenpfeffer” refers to the live concert we saw: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, which is a touring production nearing the end of its 35^th Anniversary tour, celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 85^th birthday. We saw the production at Powell Hall, which is just coming off a multi-year renovation, accompanied by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Surprisingly, although the production has been a regular at the Hollywood Bowl, we’ve never seen it there. My wife loves the WB cartoon library, so this was a perfect fit. The music was outstanding, and the production presented five “new” cartoons (with live music) as part of the production:

• “Skyscraper Scrap“, a new Bugs Bunny cartoon, with score adapted by Carl Johnson from La gazza ladra by Gioachino Rossini. This was a Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoon set of the ledge of a skyscraper.
• The “Coyote Suite”, a set of three new Road-Runner cartoons (3D animation):
  • “Rabid Rider“, a 2010 short involving the Coyote on an Acme Segway-equivalent, with predictable results.
  • “Coyote Falls“, another 2010 short using an Acme bungee cord
  • “Fur of Flying“, another 2010 short with an Acme flying helmet
• “Dynamite Dance“, a 2019 Elmer/Bugs romp with lots of dynamite to Dance of the Hours.

The Coyote/Road Runner cartoons made me think of the supposed rules for Road Runner/Coyote cartoons.

The music was very enjoyable, and the cartoons were delightful. A lovely evening.

Credits

Fat Ham. Written by James Ijames. Directed by Geovanday Jones.

Cast (^æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Marshall W Mabry IV^æ Juicy; Angela Wildflower^æ Tedra; Enoch King^æ Rev/Pap; Brian McKinley Larry; Raevyn Ferguson Opal; Margery Handy Rabby; Olajuwon Davis Tio.

Production and Creative (^æ indicates members of Actors Equity): Geovonday Jones Director; Heather Beal Choreographer; Patrick Huber Scenic and Lighting Design; Andre Harrington Costume Design; Tre’von Griffith (TreG) Sound Design; Courtnee Rouse^æ Stage Manager; Joyous Celestine 1^st Asst Stage Manager; Stanley Powell 2^nd Asst Stage Manager; Marissa Perry Costume Shop Supervisor; Taina Bantu Wardrobe Head; Mikhail Lynn Props Designer; Alan Phillips Sound Board Operator; Trenton Ames Light Board Operator; Mikhail Lynn Shop Foreman; Victor Malmgren Scenic Charge; Mondis Doyle, Alan Phillips, Mikhail Lynn, Stanley Powell Carpenters.

🐇🐤

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. Starring Bugs Bunny. Conducted by George Daugherty. Created and produced by George Daugherty & David Ka Lik Wong.

Orchestra: Too large to type, but they should be available through the program notes on the SLSO website.

Production and Creative: See the production website.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; BIH/Pantages; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

There were some interesting theatre and theatre-related announcements recently. First, the Pasadena Playhouse announced their 2026-2027 season. It’s pretty spectacular. The season begins with a new production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s tragicomedy The Visit, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak and starring Jefferson Mays. The Visit was later turned into a musical by Fred Kander and John Ebb; but this is the play version. Next up is the long-awaited L.A. premiere of Passing Strange, the Tony-winning musical based on the life of L.A.-born musician Stew, directed by Tony nominee Zhailon Levingston. Passing Strange never toured after winning the 2009 Tony, so this is its LA debut. There is then a TBA winter production (hopefully better than last year’s Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, which was horrible). That is followed by Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, the musical version of the play we saw two weeks ago. This was on Broadway but did poorly and thus never toured; it is its LA premiere. Lastly, a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Alfred Molina. We’ve already renewed our membership.

Also announcing recently was the Soraya, previously known as the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Northridge. Can’t you just hear Vin Sculley saying “Isn’t it beautiful”. They have announced their 2026-2027 season. There is loads of good stuff this season. Notable for theatre folks is the opening show, Sutton Foster; in April, Audra McDonald will grace the stage. Along the way, there are shows such as Snarky Puppy with the CSUN “A” Jazz Band, Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrating John Coltraine; a tribute to Gershwin and the Golden Age with the LA Jewish Symphony; the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltraine; A tribute to Frank Sinatra with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; the Emmet Cohen Trio; and much more. Music of all varieties, jazz, dance, pop, classical, and loads more. Those are just the shows we’re interested in. Memberships are also on sale.

Lastly, May saw the opening of ticket sales for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. There are over 2,150 performances; there are 439 shows listed in the show catalog. These all occur during the month of June, with multiple shows throughout the day. 20 minutes to move in; then the show; 20 minutes to move out. Ticket prices are low. The shows run the gamut, from totally strange to one person shows to full on short plays to musical reviews. You’re sure to find something you’ll like.

Watch This Space. We’ve had more and more shows announcing their 2027 tours; enough so that I can pretty well guess that 2027-2028 seasons for Broadway in Hollywood, and for some of the CTG slots (they also do some local productions, not tours). I’ll share those guesses after our next show.

Upcoming

Key: ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• May: ♦ Hells Kitchen at BIH/Pantages.
• June: ♦ Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Ebony Rep; ♦ Elegies at Chromolume; ♦ Primary Trust at CTG/Taper; ♦ Mamma Mia at CTG/Ahmanson.
• July: ♦ Mexodus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ The Wizard of Oz at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ If/Then at Chromolume Theatre.
• August: ♦ Beauty and the Beast at BIH/Pantages;
• September: ♦ Water for Elephants at BIH/Pantages; ♦⊕ The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ The Turning at Taper/CTG; ♣⊕ Sutton Foster at The Soraya; ♦⊕ Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; ♦⊕ Every Brilliant Thing at The Main

If your life ended suddenly tomorrow, what would be remembered? What would you remember? Would you be remembered? What impact would you have made?

These are the questions posted by the musical Ride The Cyclone, which we saw yesterday at The Main in Santa Clarita (Newhall), and which continues for one more weekend. The story, narrated by the mechanical fortune teller Karnak (who has the ability to predict a person’s time and means of death, which who has been set to family friendly fun mode) tells the story of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir of Uranium City, Saskatchewan. When the choir visited Karnak, even though he knew it would cause their death, his “family friendly mode” instead told them their lucky number, and that they should “Ride the Cyclone”. Their mistake. A part failed, the ride failed, and they all died. They entered into a limbo, along with a headless”Jane Doe” who was found in a choir uniform. Karnak informs them they are all to have a little contest, where one will win the prize: Being brought back to life.  The show then proceeds to have each tell their life, with a bit of narration by Karnak, until the winner is chosen.

I never realized it before, but this show is a variation on Cats. This show has less dancing, but has a better plot, better music, and much darker humor.

I won’t spoil the details of the character’s stories, but if you want you can read the Wikipedia summary. I discovered the show through the cast album, which is great. When I subsequently found a production, I made arrangements to see the show and it was well worth it.

This show was mounted at The Main, an 81-seat black box operated by the City of Santa Clarita, in the space that was formerly Rep East Playhouse. A moment of silence for The Rep. We still miss that place.

Being at this small of a theatre with a community based, non-Equity cast and a small budget means the scenery was simple. But for the small budget, the talent was generally strong. Sadie Kate Gibson was outstanding as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, with a strong singing voice and a great humor that came across well. Jonah Deocariza was equally strong as Constance Blackwood. Also notable was Ty Pierson’s Noel Gruber, who was spectacular in their song. The choreography worked well in the small space. I also enjoyed Jeff Frame’s Karnak and the sardonic way he brought across the humor.

As I just came from the science fair, some places for improvement: Some of the characters spoke a little too fast, making it hard to figure out what they were saying. Sanya Arnold had a lovely voice as Jane Doe, but at point it didn’t seem to blend as well as it could (a clash between a more operative voice and musical theatre style). However, that could have been intentional.

This was a really fun show, and I liked the dark humor. It makes some interesting statements about what we do with our life, both in our dreams and what we do. It raises good questions: What makes a life lived one that was worth living? What impacts do we leave? It is probably not appropriate for small children.

Ride the Cyclone continues at The Main though April 19, 2026. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. I’ll note the team behind this show is doing a production of Every Brilliant Thing in September. Every Brilliant Thing is currently on Broadway with Daniel Radcliff, to be followed by Mariska Hargitay. So if you don’t mind seeing it with a local performer, that’ll be your chance.

Credits

Ride The Cyclone: The Musical. Book, music, and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Booke Maxwell. Originally produced by Kevin McCollum and Morris Berchard. Directed by Jeff Frame. Choreographed by Jonah Deocariza.

Cast: Sanya Arnold Jane Doe; Danny Barrios Ricky Potts; Jonah Deocariza Constance Blackwood; Sadie Kate Gibson Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg; Liam Johnson Mischa Backinski; Ty Peirson Noel Gruber; Jeff Frame Karnak.

Music Department: No credits. Presumably prerecorded.

Production and Creative: Jeff Frame Director; Jonah Deocariza Choreographer; Sadie Kate Gibson Vocal Director; Kyndal Zakarian Stage Manager; Kasey Smith Asst Stage Manager; Kristi Frame Costumes; Haileigh Frame Props; Billy Davis Set Design; Phil Lantis Lighting Design; Aidan Frame Light Tech; Lindsay Gibson, Walker Gibson, & Jeremy Thompson Sound Techs; Shannon Bouknight Scenic Artist; Haileigh Frame Promotional Material Design. Presented by Outpost Media.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Some interesting shows that have caught my eye. Wisteria Theatre is doing Reefer Madness: The Musical (in April), as is Long Beach Playhouse (in October/November).  Wisteria was overpriced for a black-box; I might look into Long Beach’s production (but have to factor in the drive). Ebony Rep is doing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the end of May into June. I love the show, but the prices are a bit high and I’m still trying to decide. I have a hold on the calendar. Casa 0101 is doing the play version of Real Women Have Curves from the end of March into May. Conundrum Theatre is doing a bunch of shows, but notably Big Fish in December 2026. And, as noted earlier, the Colony Theatre is doing Catch Me If You Can in the September/October 2026 timeframe. I’ll look into ticketing the fall shows once I know the CTG Season, to prevent conflicts. Lastly, I’ll note Group Rep in NoHo has announced their season, which includes a mounting of Applause in the July-August timeframe. That’s useful if you missed the MTG one-nighter; I haven’t yet decided if I want to see it again (although Group Rep does a great job with older and rarely done musical re-visits).

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• April: ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players; ♦ Real Women Have Curves at Casa 0101.
• May: ♦ Falstaff at LA Opera; ♦ The Sound of Music at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Brigadoon at The Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ Hells Kitchen at BIH/Pantages.
• June: ♦⊕ Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Ebony Rep; ♦ Elegies at Chromolume; ♦ Primary Trust at CTG/Taper; ♦ Mamma Mia at CTG/Ahmanson; plus whatever I schedule from the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
• July: ♦ Mexodus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ The Wizard of Oz at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ If/Then at Chromolume Theatre.

Affinity. The desire to be part of a group with similar likes and interests. It is one of the ways that we, as humans, come together to meet people and have fun together. Affinity comes from shared beliefs, shared hobbies, shared interests. My synagogue, Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, has a number of these affinity groups (which we call small groups) to bring people together. One of them is a group of people that love to attend live theatre, which I coordinate.

My belief is that such a group, as it is under synagogue auspices, should attend live performance events that have a Jewish theme. It’s not right for a synagogue group to go see Christian-themed plays (e.g., Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, A Man for All Seasons), nor generally secular plays. I also don’t want it to be all Holocaust, all the time. So I try to find interesting Jewish plays, and along the way, introduce the group to small theatres they may never have seen. So we’ve seen shows such as Sukkot at 6th Street/Skylight Theatre in 2024, Treyf at the Geffen Playhouse in 2022, It Shoulda’ Been You at MTG in 2020; Eight Nights at Antaeus in 2019;  and numerous online things during the pandemic: Shared Legacies at JWT;  Stars of David at the Y! I Love Yiddish Fest; Fabulous Fanny Brice; Allan Sherman Unmasked!; and Jews, God, and History (Not Necessarily In That Order). I should also note that, because of the writeups I post here on my blog, I’m viewed as a theatre critic by some publicists; as such, I get lots of press release mailings and invitations to shows.

One of those lists is the mailing list for the Santa Monica Playhouse. We were there a long time ago — way back in 2014 — to see Author Author, a play they do on Sholom Aleichem (In fact, they will be doing it again in May 2026). A mailing from them in December 2025 mentioned a play they were doing: Jewish For Dinner:

Santa Monica, CA. December 10, 2025. The Santa Monica Playhouse Jewish Heritage Program is excited to present the WORLD PREMIERE of Lou Borenstein’s play Jewish for Dinner.

Ruth Cohen finally finds the perfect man to love, marry, and above all else, bring home to her Conservative family. But she neglected to ask one, small question: Is he Jewish? Or, can he at least fake it?

The play is based on the short film “Jewish for Lunch,” that won Best Comedy at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival, Best Comedy and Best Actor (Rylie Decocq) at the Mentone Film Festival, and Best Jewish Short Film at the Anatolian Film Festival in Turkey. Written & directed by Lou Borenstein.

This sounded like a perfect outing for our TAS Live Theatre Group. So I sent out a message, and we ended up with a group of 19-22 people at the show (we have 19 in the group photograph, but my RSVP count was 20, and I was told we had one or two more after that who didn’t tell me they were coming). We had a delightful dinner at Fromins Santa Monica beforehand (it’s no Brents (our local deli in Northridge), but there are few like Brents), which has been in Santa Monica for 47 years under family ownership.

So, on to the show itself.

As the Press Release noted, Jewish for Dinner is an expansion and extension of the 2022 13 minute short film, Jewish for Lunch, featuring much of the original cast. You can see the original film on YouTube. The situation in the film (which is still in the play) was expanded with more backstory and context; there was also a resolution added turning this from a filmed situation into a broader story with some deeper questions. The SM Playhouse did a staged reading of this back in August 2025, and now they have mounted the full play.

The basic story ties back to how I opened this writeup: affinity. Shared interests often lead to the desire, as we form relationships, to bring “like” together: people from the same background, the same religion, the same culture. This often reduces friction and provides common touchpoints and language. So this play’s setup is this: Conservative (as in the Conservative Movement in Judaism; not politically) Jewish family. Father, mother, two adult kids. Regular Shabbat dinner. A friend comes over, and is playing with the dating apps on her phone. The daughter comments how hard it is to find a nice Jewish guy. The friend suggests dating out of the faith. She dismisses the idea, giving numerous examples of how her family wouldn’t accept it or how it is doomed to failure. She also kvetches about the synagogue adding a high-holiday service they for which they are charging … something called Tashlich. The family notes this shouldn’t be a surprise: the synagogue is remodeling and needs more money for the remodel. There’s an argument about how she wouldn’t mind donating the money, but doesn’t like the subterfuge of the added service. She decides to go into the synagogue to complain. When she gets there, the Rabbi is in a meeting with a handsome architect, David Green, over some rolled architecture diagrams (that look like a Torah scroll). Insert a meet cute, and the fact that she doesn’t know that David Green is actually not Jewish. They quickly fall in love, and he proposes. Then, as they say in the sitcom world, hijinks ensue. We have family dinners with the usual confusions and problems. We have meetings with the Rabbi. We have fights, and the inevitable reconciliations. C’mon, you don’t really believe they would stay broken up over this?

If you’ve made it this far into the writeup, you’re probably wondering what I thought of the play. There are two ways to look at this, modulo some quibbles I’ll mention in a few.

First and foremost, this is a very funny play. My wife and I were laughing quite a bit, and our temple group also greatly enjoyed the play. There were situations that we recognized, and it captured much of American Jewish culture today, with all of its stereotypes.

That said, it also felt at times like an episode of The Neighborhood. Now, we love that sitcom and find it very funny, but there are times that it telegraphs the train wreck that is about to occur. You get that feeling here. And, as with The Neighborhood, you find the wreck is averted by some little twist or story point that takes things in a redeeming direction. Still a bit of a train wreck, but still very funny.  And the basis of the train wreck is pretty easy to see: Non-Jew trying to blend in as Jewish, and (a) getting everything slightly wrong, and (b) the girlfriend in a panic because of it all.

But even with the gefilte fish out of the bathtub problem, the show has an interesting point to make: What makes someone Jewish? Is it simply an association by birth, even if one doesn’t understand or even know all the rituals (such as how the daughter was unaware of tashlich). Is it belief? Is it a desire to be part of the Jewish people and find meaning, as the boyfriend learns by the end? What is the ultimate problem with intermarriage? It used to be a big issue in the non-Orthodox community (it has always been a shanda in the Orthodox community). Reform started accepting it in the 1980s and it is now very common and accepted. Conservative Judaism used to prohibit such marriages, but even that attitude is changing.  So in raising these questions, I think this show can provide some good discussions about belief, Judaism, and interfaith marriage.

I think my biggest quibble is the setup, but that could easily be rectified by some writing fixes. The main problem: Tashlich is a pretty standard part of Jewish High Holyday practice. I know that it has been done at most Reform congregations I’ve been at (TAS does it at either Limekiln Creek or Lake Balboa). Further, as Tashlich is done off premises, there usually is not an extra charge on top of High Holyday tickets. For those who aren’t Jewish, you might be wondering about the practice of charging for services. For most Shabbats, there is no charge to attend services, except possibly a registration access due to security in these antisemitic times. But for the High Holydays, when even the non-observant Jews come to synagogue, there are often tickets used to ensure sufficient seats. These are typically included with membership, although some congregations charge extra for better (i.e., closer to the bimah) seats; there are also charges for additional tickets. Note that there is often an unticketed family service open to the community; and of course in these post-COVID days, there are often live-streamed services. But back to the play: I’ve never known about an extra charge for a tashlich service.  This easily could be changed to something else for which there is a charge — perhaps a Sukkot-dinner, perhaps some other event. But using tashlich as an excuse took me out of the story.

There were some directorial quibbles. At times, the projections still had the menu bar at the time and the Apple finder at the bottom. For a Conservative Jewish household, they had some mannerisms that were less than Conservative (but, then again, that’s common in Conservative families). During the High Holyday service, they seemed to do the mourner’s kaddish in the middle of the service. The hatza-kaddish (half-kaddish) I could understand, as that separates segments, but the full mourners kaddish is at the end. Some folks in our group indicated they had to stifle the desire to stand up during some of the prayers. But I think these are all minor quibbles, and ones that would be ironed out in a production that ran longer or had a greater budget.

I do have one more major quibble, and it is a common one these days: I absolutely hate having programs that are only available via QR code. You can’t easily look at them during the show; you don’t have a long term record; and most importantly, they have no archival quality because websites change, are reorganized, or disappear. That online program of today will be gone tomorrow. Shows, at minimum, should have a one pager (which, if you fold it and print double-sided, can give you four “pages”). Give the basics about the show and cast. Even if you have to use a tiny-font (8 pt), and print in black and white, there should be something.

The cast was generally strong, which isn’t a surprise as many came from the short film. There seemed to be a few hesitation points, but I’m willing to write that off to this being a small theatre with a small number of runs. Kate Huffman, as Ruth Cohen (the daughter) was very strong, as was Rylie Decocq as the boyfriend. I also liked Daryl Mendelsohn as the Rabbi, as he had the right gravitas. Some of the mannerisms were a bit exaggerated, but that fits with the overall sitcom style. This is a case where a dramaturg might have helped with some fine tuning.

Jewish for Dinner runs until March 1, 2026 at the Santa Monica Playhouse. Tickets are $25 or less, and are available online through Showclix or by calling the box office at 310-394-9779 ext 1. This isn’t a deep show and is a bit sitcomish, but is very very funny and makes some good points. It was great for our theatre group, and would be a great show for synagogue groups.

The Santa Monica Playhouse is recovering from a water pipe break that damaged / destroyed their stage and dressing rooms. The stage is rebuilt; the backstage less so. They are still looking for donations, and did a plea at the end of the show. We supported them. You should to.

Credits

Jewish for Dinner. Written by Lou Stone Boren. Directed by Jeff Jackson.

Cast: Kate Huffman Ruth Cohen; Ryle Decocq Dave Green; Abby Kohl Mollie Green; Gregory Cohen Leo Cohen; Ben Horwitz Gabriel Cohen; Amanda Dolan Sheba; Daryl Mendelsohn Rabbi Rosh.

Production and Creative: Lou Stone Borenstein Playwright; Jeff Jackson Director; George J Vennes III Technical Director; Joseph Perez Playhouse Projects Coordinator; Sandra Zeitzew Public Relations; Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie Artistic Directors. Surprisingly, the program has no credits for sound (and there was sound), lights (and there were lights), projections (and there were projections), and stage management (because there is always stage management). Given the program is being done via QR code and online, those credits should be added to the program.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre ^NEW, and 5-Star Theatricals. We just added Chromolume Theatre as our intimate theatre subscription — we subscribed there pre-pandemic when they were at their West Adams location, but they died back in 2018. They started back up last year (but we had seen all their shows); this year, their season is particularly interesting: The Color Purple, If/Then, Elegies (during Hollywood Fringe), and Roadshow (nee Bounce) [by Steven Sondheim]. Mind you, these are all in the intimate theatre setting, and this will be the first time Roadshow has been done in Los Angeles, to my knowledge. Information on purchasing their 2026 season is here. Our previous intimate theatre, Actors Co-Op, seems to be on hiatus.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• January: ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG (at Broad Stage); ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya; ♣ Mandy Gonzalez in Concert: Broadway and Beyond at Broad Stage.
• March: ♣ Noel Paul Stookey at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts;  MoTAS Brotherhood Seder at Temple Beth Hillel; ♦ The Color Purple at Chromolume; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals;  ♦ Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper;  MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at Temple Beth Hillel;  MoTAS Poker Tournament; ♦ Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.
• April: ♦ Kim’s Convenience Store at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Ride the Cyclone at The Main; ♣ Jeremy Jordan at The Soraya;  California Science and Engineering Fair at CLU; ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players; ⊕ ♦ Real Women Have Curves at Casa 0101
• May: ♦ Anyone Can Whistle at El Portal Theatre; ♦ The Sound of Music at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Brigadoon at The Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ Hells Kitchen at BIH/Pantages.

September has really been the month for comedies on the stage. We started out the month with a silly jokefest, Shucked, at the Pantages. We followed that (after a brief interlude for Fiddler, in Yiddish, which has its funny moments as well) with Eureka Day at the Pasadena Playhouse. We concluded September last night with One Man, Two Guvnors at A Noise Within. Each of these was very very funny, but each was a very very different type of comedy.

Shucked was primarily a joke fest. There, the emphasis was on funny, but borderline stupid writing. Think Hee Haw on stage, which was actually the intent of the show.

Eureka Day was more intellectual. There the humor came from a wittier level of repartee, from insults and not-so-veiled digs. The whole online chat sequence was hysterical.

One Man, Two Guvnors was much more the classic farce, and as the patron guide pointed out, an almost classic version of Commedia dell’arte. That’s not a surprise, as One Man, Two Guvnors was based on the Italian play The Servant of Two Masters, written by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) who invented the term. As the guide notes: “Commedia dell’arte plays feature recognizable character types, also known as stock characters. These include the Young Lovers, the Clowns (sometimes called Zanni, from which the English word “zany” may derive), the Old Man (who often stands in the way of the Young Lovers), the Clever Servant, the Main Couple (older and wiser than the Young Lovers), the Doctor/Professor, the Clever Maidservant, and the Boastful Military Captain.”

But One Man, Two Guvnors also heavily adds elements of both farce and improvisation. The farce comes from the heavy use of physical comedy, precise timing, and lots of wordplay. The improvisation comes from breaking the fourth wall and involving audience members in the show. At least they seem to be audience members, although one may have been a plant. But this means the actors must be nimble enough to adapt to the audience response and answers.

There’s a good chance you might have seen a version of this play. A few years ago, James Cordan did a version of the play in New York and the West End. It was recorded and broadcast on PBS.

The show is set in 1963, and as usual, the plot is contrived and silly. Pauline Clench, daughter of Charlie “the Duck” Clench, is engaged to marry Alan Dangle, son of Harry Dangle. The problem is the Pauline was previously engaged to Roscoe Crabbe as part of a financial business arrangement with her father to provide cover for Roscoe, who was gay. But Roscoe was killed by Stanley Stubber, the boyfriend of Roscoe’s (identical) twin sister, Rachel. Roscoe’s man, Francis Henshall (the harlequin in this play) shows up with Rachel disguised as Roscoe on the night of the engagement party, and this is the start of the hilarity. Francis ends up being employed as a servant to both Roscoe/Rachel and Stanley, with neither knowing about the other. Add to this Charlie’s bookkeeper, Dolly, who is sweet on Francis; Alfie, an incredibly old waiter at the inn; and Lloyd, a long time friend of Charlie and owner of the pub where much of the action takes place. Oh, and Paddy, who is blamed for everything. Mix this up, stir it up, and as they say, “hilarity ensures”.

Additionally, there is a four-piece skiffle band on stage (this is the early 1960s type of band that birthed the Beatles). This isn’t a musical per se, as the music does not relate to the story or move it forward. But it is a play with music, and the music is quite good and funny. The music serves to set the time and tone of the piece.

The cast was very talented, especially Kasey Mahaffy as Francis Henshall. Mahaffy is a master of the physical comedy and the improvisation, and was consistently entertaining. He was the center of the show, and his timing really made the show work. Also outstanding was Trisha Miller as Dolly, Cassandra Marie Murphy as Pauline, and Christie Coran as Rachel. Josey Montana McCoy was wonderful as Alfie, handling his physical comedy well. In the ensemble, Vic Crusaos was really strong, especially in the first act.

We hadn’t been to A Noise Within in ages: our last show there was Three Penny Opera in 2015. A Noise Within focuses on the classics; we tend to go for the rarely done shows. I’ll keep my eyes open for upcoming shows of interest. Their upcoming season includes Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Oct 12-Nov 9); A Christmas Carol (Nov 29-Dec 24); Richard III (Feb 8-Mar 8); Death of a Salesman (Mar 22-Apr 19); and Exit the King (Ionesco), May 3-31.

Alas, your opportunities to see One Man Two Guvnors is limited; it is 1130am as I write this, and the last performance is today at 200pm. Visit the show page at A Noise Within for more information.

Credits

One Man, Two Guvnors. Written by Richard Bean, based on The Servent of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Songs by Grant Olding. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Goeff Elliott.

Cast (^æ denotes Actors Equity member): Kasey Mahaffy^æ Francis Henshall; Ty Aldridge^æ Stanley Stubbers; Christie Coran^æ Rachel Crabbe; Paul David Story^æ Alan Dangle; Trisha Miller^æ Dolly; Cassandra Marie Murphy^æ Pauline Clench; Luis Kelly-Duarte Lloyd Boateng; Henri Lubatti^æ Charlie Clench; Lynn Robert Berg^æ Harry Dangle; Josey Montana McCoy^æ Alfie; Evan Lugo Gareth; Adriel Camarena Ensemble; Vic Crusaos Ensemble; Cristian Venegas Ensemble.  Understudies: Scott Harris^æ u/s Francis Henshall; Evan Lugo u/s Stanley Stubbers; Lucy Parks Urbano u/s Rachel Crabbe; Nate Ritsema^æ u/s Alan Dangle; Becca Savoy^æ u/s Dolly / Pauline Clench; Francis C. Edemobi u/s Lloyd Boateng; Alistair McKenzie^æ u/s Charlie Clench / Harry Dangle; Mac Rodgers^æ u/s Alfie / Gareth.

Music Department: Rob Bagheri Music Director, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboard, Lead Vocals; Cody Volk Electric Guitar, Background Vocals; Mike Selfridge Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Background Vocals; Art Pacheco Drums, Washboard, Background Vocals.

Production and Creative: Julia Rodriguez-Elliott Producing Artistic Director / Director; Geoff Elliott Producing Artistic Director / Director; Angela Sonner^æ Production Stage Manager; Hope Matthews^æ Assistant Stage Manager; Frederica Nascimento Scenic Designer; Ken Booth Lighting Designer; Jeff Gardner Sound Designer; Kenneth R. Merckx Jr. Fight Choreographer; Andrew Odinov Dialect Coach; Nicholas Santiago Projection Design; Sasha Smith Intimacy Coordinator; Indira Tyler 1960’s Dance Consultant; Stephen Taylor Properties Designer / Technical Coordinator; Tony Valdes Wig / Makeup Designer; Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad Resident Dramaturg; Douglas Love-Ramos Managing Director; Alison Rodriquez Casting Director.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• October: ♣ Fly Me to the Moon at The Soraya; ♦ Hairspray at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ ha ha ha ha ha ha at Pasadena Playhouse
• November: ♦ Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at CTG/Taper; ♦ Paranormal Activity at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Suffs at BIH/Pantages;
• December: ◊ ACSAC Conference; ♣ Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at The Soraya; ♦ Stereophonic at BIH/Pantages;

When you go to the theatre these days, there’s this sense of déjà vu: that you’ve seen what is up on stage before. Now, I don’t get that, because I always consider the stage show to have come first (and thus, Shakespeare begat Pulp Fiction). But for many, seeing a musical adaption of a film is déjà vu: it is comfort food for the brain; it is a known quantity that folks think will be successful. Sometimes it works, and the stage production has a long life, sometimes even moreso than the original. Productions like Shrek,  Legally Blonde, The Producers, and Hairspray come to mind. Sometimes, they fail miserably, leaving not that much memorable. American Psycho or the more recent Almost Famous. Sometimes, these failed shows have some wonderful songs: One of my favorite songs is The Last Real Record Store on Earth from High Fidelity. But most shows that attempt screen-to-stage end up in this middle ground—entertaining in the moment, one, perhaps two, memorable songs, but ultimately they are “Donuts for Dinner”. If you’re not familiar with that phrase, it comes from [title of show], and refers to an idea that seems satisfying at the time, but an hour later you’re hungry again. We’ve had a lot of donuts up on stage of late: Pretty Woman, Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire. Entertaining, but other than prolonging the life of a property, you wonder why they made the stage production. We saw one such show last week: Back to the Future: The Musical.  Technically astounding, with great performances and humor, but if you were to ask me any of the songs a week later, I could only name one. Ask me in a month, and …

I’ll note that, for me, there’s another category of musicals: Shows for which I have heard the music, but have never seen the show. Some I may never see. I doubt anyone will mount American Psycho or Sweet Smell of Success in Los Angeles. Not even MTG. Occasionally, I luck out, such as Charles Steward Howard Playhouse’s production of Hands on a Hardbody this year, or MTW’s Big Fish in 2014. But there are so many I would like to see for completeness: High Fidelity, Tuck Everlasting, How to Dance in Ohio, Cry Baby. Universe, if you’re listening, put a bug in an artistic director’s ear about this.

These two groups (screen-to-stage musicals and musicals I’ve heard but never seen) led to the show I saw last night. A small theatre company I’d never heard of, Long Beach Landmark, which is a theatre-ministry offshoot of a local long-established church (similar to Actors Co-Op or Troll Players or CSH Playhouse) publicized their current show on some group I’m a member of on Facebook. I thought I wouldn’t be able to squeeze it in, but I ended up booking the penultimate performance. The show? Groundhog Day: The Musical.

Going in, I’ll note that I’ve actually never seen the movie upon which this was based (Groundhog Day, 1993). That said…

To summarize up front: I went in thinking this would be another Back to the Future: cute, but utterly non-memorable. In many ways, it was. But I was ultimately taken by the lead character’s redemption arc (which is what made the original film so significant). I was also taken by the performances, aspects of the staging, and in general how this little company did such a good job with the property.

Let’s start with the story. As I said: I hadn’t seen the movie. Perhaps it is me, but many of the jokes in the story that had the audience roaring had little impact on me. But by the second act, I was taken by how this time loop had changed Phil. I felt there was a wonderful lesson in that: To be successful and move on, we need to be doing good for others, and not be so self-centered. Perhaps this is why this church theatre ministry chose the property: this message of DOING good, not just speaking good or subscribing to the Gospel of Prosperity, is fundamental to the UCC denomination with which they are associated. It was a risky choice for a church group, given the language and sex in the show. But it worked. As always: a good book is a good book, and the folks familiar with THE good book probably recognized that.

Musically, however, there’s not much to write home about. The music and lyrics are by Tim Minchin, who did Matilda (a fun show, but only a few memorable songs). In this show, most of the songs were unmemorable. There were a few standouts, however. “If I Had My Time Again” is a lovely looking forward song; and the final song, “Seeing You” had a catchy melody and some really nice words.

But what set this performance above the typical was the performances and the production. Performances first. Groundhog Day requires a strong Phil, and Jay Dysart was up to the task. He had a very strong voice, and some great comic timing. In short, he was fun to watch. But the performer who was astounding was Lauren McGunigale as Rita. She had an astounding voice, and a playful personality that shone through her characterization. She also had great chemistry with Dysart’s Phil. Some other notable performances were Emily “E.C.” Cipriani, who just shone joy and fun; Amanda Webb, who I was initially unsure about but who shone in the second act; and Joel Steven, who was just having fun with Buster.

The production was great, especially considering what this theatre had to work with. Landmark does its shows in the First Congregational Church of Northridge. They don’t do them in a gussied up social hall (like Troll Payers or CSH Playhouse or Actors Co-Op). They do it in the historic main sanctuary. This means no fly space, the wings are just spaces curtained off, the orchestra is downstage in the choir pit. Lighting likely needs to be removed after each Saturday show for the Sunday morning services and put back. As a result, their scenery was mostly flats and construction pieces that can be moved off to the side. Yet they still made turntables on the side, human powers. But most impressive was a scene in Act 1 that was clearly a projection in the original show, where Phil and two guys from the bar take off on a dangerous road trip. Lacking a projection, instead actors carried stick figures of the cars and the landscape, and moved all around the stage. It worked: yeah, it wasn’t realistic, but this is theatre. It told the story, and was a clever invention to do so. BTTF should pay attention, as this is a way to get around that shows heavy use of projections.

A few nits: The first had a bunch of microphone static, and I think the sound balance was a bit off, with the speakers for the music overshadowing the performers.

So in the pantheon of middle-ground screen-to-stage musicals, where does this fit? Hard to say. It won a lot of awards when it was first produced in 2016, especially in the UK. But there’s no accounting for taste in the UK, as they liked Girl from the North Country. In the US, it won some awards primarily for the lead actor: As I said, the performance of Phil Connors is what makes or breaks this show. I think you’ll see regional or community theatres occasionally do this show, drawn by the creating team (Matilda), the familiarity of the movie, or a desire to do something that isn’t that frequently done but is still familiar. If there’s a local production in your area, certainly go an see it. But I wouldn’t go to the level of getting caught in a time loop to see it again and again.

The last performance of Groundhog Day: The Musical by Long Beach Landmark, in the historical First Congregational Church of Long Beach, is tonight at 7pm. Limited tickets are available through their website. This is a company that is worth following, but that entails going into Long Beach.

And speaking of going into Long Beach, a bit of a rant. The intersection of I-405 and I-710 is really poorly designed. The signage from 405 SB to 710 SB is almost non-existent. I ended up on the ramp for 710 NB by mistake, diverted back to 405, and then had to work surface streets to the 710. Coming home was little better: I almost missed the 405 transition because it is a single lane for both NB and SB 405, with poor signage. That interchange really needs a rebuild. Alas, I know of no plans to do so. The City of LB is no better. You get off the 710 on a city-built freeway along Shoreline Drive. There are signs that Broadway is a left exit, but the actual exit is NOT signed as Broadway. Going home, I ended up going around the block to Ocean, thinking it would take me to the 710. But no — it feeds directly to Route 47 and the Vincent Thomas Bridge, with no signage to 710. I ended up getting off on Pico Ave, and working my way to a 270° loop ramp to the 710. Really, really, poor wayfinding.

———

Groundhog Day: The Musical. Book by Danny Rubin. Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin. Based on the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture and the story by Danny Rubin. Directed and Choreography by Megan O’Toole. Produced by Jay Dysart.

Cast: Jay Dysart Phil Collins; Lauren McGunigale Rita Hanson; Pluto Dysart Larry; Mark Waters Ned Ryerson; Amanda Webb Nancy Taylor; Martha Duncan Mrs. Lancaster; Richie Muhammad Freddie / Healer 2 / Puppeteer; Emily “E.C.” Cipriani Debbie / Puppeteer; Charlie Carlos Ralph / Healer 1 / Bartender Billy / Elder; Joey Krumbein Gus / Groundhog Guy / Elder; Taylor Mobely Doris / Scientologist; Lisa Bode Heard Mrs. Cleveland / Piano Teacher; Mark Bruce-Casares Mr. Cleveland / Ensemble / Townsperson; Doug Emslie Old Jensen / Elder / Radio DJ; Joel-Steven Buster / Radio DJ; Corey Shaw Sheriff; Catherine Ram Deputy / Psychiatric Phamacologist; Jennifer Walquist Naturopath / Storm Chaser / Townsperson; Emily Morgan Joelle / Nurse / AA Person / Director; Jack Millis Storm Chaser / Elder; Tiger Chen Jeff / Ensemble / Puppeteer; Matthew Kopp Jonathan / Priest; Alison Mitchell Ensemble / Townsperson / Puppeteer; Marisa Krumbein Ensemble / Townsperson / Puppeteer. 

Music Department: Curtis Heard Musical Director / Conductor / Keyboard; Ed Peffer Reed 1; Jeff Sisil Reed 2; Eric Messerschmidt Bass; Amanda Duncan Drums; Greg Adamson Cello; Matt Brislawn Violin; Landon Grigsby Trumpet; Nicholas Washburn Trumpet; Paul De La Rosa Trombone; John Ballinger Guitar.

Production and Creatives: Jay Dysart, Nathan Amondson, Megan O’Toole Production Concept; Jay Dysart Producer / Marketing Director; Lily Penner Asst. Director / Producer, Prod. Coordinator, Stage Manager; Nathan Amondson Scenic Designer; Pluto Dysart Asst. Choreographer; Ken Beaupre Sound Designer; Harold Kast Technical Director; James Carhart Costume Designer; Maddie Levy, Jay Dysart Social Media; LJ Curiel Lighting Designer. Megan O’Toole Landmark Artistic Director.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending). We’re a bit light on theatre while my wife is recuperating from her knee replacement.

• November: La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse;
• December: ♦ Wicked at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);
• February: ♦ Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends at CTG/Taper; ♦ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ⊕♦ Desperate Measures at ICT Long Beach;
• March: ♦ Top Dog/Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse; ⊕♣ Nefesh Mountain at McCabes; Fake It Until You Make It at CTG/Taper; MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at Temple Beth Tikvah;  ⊕♦ Drat the Cat at Group Rep; MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder at TAS.

What do you do when you’re on vacation. Ussens? We don’t stop seeing live theatre; we go out and see what the locals have to offer. And so, today, out in the 109°+ heat, we decided that the best place to be was in the cool of the theatre, out in Surprise AZ, seeing Radium Girls at Stage Left Productions.

Radium Girls, by D. W. Gregory, tells the story of the girls that painted faces on watches and dials in the 1910s and 1920s, before the full dangers of working with radium were fully known by industry. It tells the stories of 3-4 such girls, and how they started to get sick. It tells of their fight to get compensation from the US Radium Company, which fought them to the end. Dramatic Publishing summarizes the play as follows:

In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Written with warmth and humor, Radium Girls is a fast-moving, highly theatrical ensemble piece for 9 to 10 actors, who play more than 30 parts—friends, co-workers, lovers, relatives, attorneys, scientists, consumer advocates, and myriad interested bystanders. Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science.

Wikipedia has a nice summary of the true story; there’s even a great book out about these girls.

Focusing on the substance of the play, this was a very interesting story. My wife has a chemistry background, so it was of particular interest to her. What happened to these young women was tragic, and it was essentially in the name of greed. My wife thought the show didn’t stray far from the actual truth of the story, although the pacing was a bit slow. I would think that, especially if you have a science background, you would find this play interesting if it comes around your area (alas, we saw the last performance out in Surprise. Surprise!)

But what I found more interesting, watching this show, was the geographical juxtaposition. Driving down Bell to get to the show, we’re seeing all these street signs from Republican candidates trying to out Trump Trump. Arizona is a divided state, with lots of Trump support. It was interesting watching this play with that in mind. Here you have a business man that wanted the media to spread disinformation for his own use. You have a company that wanted to intentionally delay trials to benefit the company, not caring about the people that it hurt. You had people that wanted to spread disinformation about cures to protect their mishandling of the situation. Sound familiar?

So what does this play speak to, being presented in Trump country? Is it a backhanded way for artists to highlight the hypocrisy of those who seek to exploit others for their own gain? A fair question, and a great reminded of theatre doing what is it supposed to do: Be a mirror to people without making them realize it beforehand. This show had a great message in that respect.

Further, it is timely with respect to the news, as the Navajo Nation is facing continued problems from Uranium mining. According to ABC News in December 2023, “Just miles from the site of the 1979 Church Rock Mill spill, the largest nuclear disaster in American history, uranium extraction operations could resume near the Navajo Nation. Now, Navajo leaders say the health and prosperity of their community could be in even further jeopardy. A Canadian company is working to move forward with uranium extraction, an industry that has a lengthy history around the Navajo Nation.”

We’ve repeatedly seen the interests of business being placed above people. Further the second, we saw this play a day after the Supreme Court dismissed the Chevron doctrine, allowing judges to decide whether regulations are valid, not the scientists and experts. So could the courts do away with protection against radiation in the workplace, and again put the needs of business first? With this court? ’tis possible.

So this was a very, very timely play.

It was also pretty well done. My wife commented on the pacing; I thought it was fine (I’m guessing the pacing was in the script). Performances were pretty strong. I especially liked Anora Biggs as Grace, Scott Sims as Roeder, and Jayda Valentine as Kathryn. Also strong was Charlie Gray as Tom and Ashley Diane as Miss Wiley. My only complaint was with Tracy Burns as the female reporter. At times, she came across as overplaying it a bit, which took away from the illusion being created.

This was the last performance of Radium Girls. Next up at Stage Left is Silent Sky, another Laura Gunderson play. This is another play about women and scientific discoveries. Given the quality of the production we saw, it should be well worth seeing. I also encourage people, when they are travelling, to search out and see local theatre. At least for those outside the major areas, these are folks for whom performing is a local, not their profession. They need encouragement, and these local companies need your support.

———

Radium Girls. Written by D. W. Gregory. Directed by Christian Graca.

Cast: Anora Biggs Grace Fryer; Jayda Valentine Katheryn / Society Woman / Ensemble; Ashley Diane Irene / Miss Wiley / Ensemble; Tracy Burns Sob Sister / Mrs. Fryer / Ensemble ; Cara Friday Mrs. Roeder / Mme. Curie; Thomas F. Graca Lee / Bailey / Ensemble; Ryan Dammeyer Berry / Martland / Ensemble; Charlie Gray Tom / Reporter / Ensemble; Will Friday Markley / Van Sochocky / Ensemble; Scott Sims Roeder.

Creative and Production: Christian Graca Director; Thomas F. Graca Stage Manager; Thomas Graca Sound Design; Cody Dull Lighting Design; Christi Gray Costume Design; Christian Gray Hair and Make Up Design; Christian Gray Set and Prop Design; Jeff Jones Set Building; Rodney Rickard, Cody Dull Set Painting; Savoy Graca Casting Consultant; Cody Dull, Rodney Rickard Box Office; Rodney Rickard House Manager.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac ⊕ at Pasadena Playhouse;
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Season renewals time: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; and Pasadena Playhouse are all renewed. We’re looking to see what Chromolume Theatre (which is returning) and Canyon Theatre Guild are planning. Other than that, Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Morgan-Wixson will be doing Bat Boy: The Musical in September, but I don’t think we’ll be able to fit it in.