Tag: pasadena-playhouse

When we think of horrific events like Columbine, where someone snaps and kills a number of people and then kills themselves, we often think of the families of the victims of the initial attack. We never think about the family of the shooter. Exploring this aspect of the aftermath of a horrific crime is the subject of Charles Randolph-Wright’s latest play, “The Night is a Child”, which we saw last night at the Pasadena Playhouse.

“The Night is a Child” tells the story of the Easton family in the aftermath of a horrific event. The primary focus is on the matriarch of the family, Harriet Easton (JoBeth Williams^æ), whose son, Michael, committed such a horrific crime. It also explores the aftermath of the incident on Michael’s siblings: his twin Brian Easton (Tyler Pierce^æ, who also plays Michael) and his older sister Jane Easton-Whitcomb (Monette Magrath^æ). What did Michael do? We don’t start to find out until the end of the first act, so perhaps I won’t tell you yet.

When the play opens, we find Harriet seemingly on a dream vacation to Rio De Janero, Brazil, a place she has always wanted to visit after being inspired by the samba-like stylings of Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66. Bia (Sybyl Walker^æ), a local woman she sees on the beach recommends that she change hotels to one in Ipanema, which she does. Meanwhile, we learn that back in Boston, her family (Jane and Brian) are frantically searching for her… while dealing with the recognition they face as the siblings of Michael Easton. As the action switches back and forth between Brazil and Boston, we learn more about these people and the nature of Michael’s crime. In Boston, we learn how Jane and Brian have been coping with the incident: Brian has become a full-on alcoholic, drinking to forget, and Jane has claimed to compartmenalize the issue, burying away any thoughts of her brother. In Brazil the story plays out in a different way. Bia has urged Harriet to a particular hotel, where the manager, Joel (Maceo Oliver^æ) finds her a room. Both Bia and Joel attempt to encourage Harriet to let loose, to samba, to free herself from whatever tormets her, and live carefree the Brazilian way. But Harriet is increasingly drawn to visions of Michael that talk to her, seemingly brought on whenever a group of candomble (Brazilian voodoo) priests pass by on the beach. By the end of the first act, Brian and Jane have discovered their mother is in Brazil, and Harriet has decided she must visit a candomble ceremony to talk to Michael and to learn why he did what he did: going into a preschool in their neighborhood and methodically shooting the teachers, each child, his ex-wife, and then himself.

In the second act, we see Jane and Brian in Brazil, learning about the country from Henrique (Armando McClain). We also see Harriet visiting the candomble ceremony… and the post-ceremony aftermath where she runs into Jane and Brian. We don’t find the answer to “Why?”, but we do see how Brazil leads to the redemption and recovery of the Easton family. This occurs as we learn more of Bia’s secrets, including that she studied in Boston to be a doctor, and her brother (who turns out to be Joel) never let her go from being his little sister. I won’t spoil all her secrets, other than to note that by the end of the play, the Easton family has let go of any guilt they may have had regarding Michael, and are hopefully moving on to better lives.

The way this story is told makes the second act critical. During the first act, as things switch back and forth, I found myself getting confused as to who Michael was and why it affected his family so. Even by the end of the first act, when you learn of the attack, you just know that some form of redemption will occur (because the dramatic nature of the play demands that character growth). You can’t see how it will fully happen. The second act brings it all together. The redemption occurs, and the unanticipated twists and turns make the ride worthwhile.

This play is unlike Randolph-Wright’s previous plays that we have seen at the Pasadena Playhouse, “Blue” and “Cuttin’ Up”, which explored aspects of the African-American experience. This play was more a commentary on the stereotypes regarding racial minorities in the United States. There’s a point where Bia and Harriet are discussing her experiences in Boston, and how Bia was always viewed as someone’s maid, as opposed to a medical student. Bia also comments on the fact that all the attention in America is seemingly on the crimes of the ghetto, but that the horrific criminals — the ones that snap and do these shooting crimes — often come from the privileged neighborhoods and the best homes. These are significant aspects of the stereotyping of the African-American experience, to be sure, but are not the main commentary of the play.

The play was extremely well acted by the entire ensemble. JoBeth Williams did a wonderful job of portraying the initially confused Harriet in love with Brazil, being confused by her visions of Michael, who was repressed and couldn’t let go. Monette Magrath played uptight very well, which made her relaxing and coming loose on the Ipanema beach even more of a surprise. Tyler Pierce captured Brian’s drunken stupor very well, and also showed some remarkable insights in his recovery. On the Brazilian side, Sybyl Walker embodied Bia’s freedom and joy and spirit and love, while Maceo Oliver was the model of the Brazilian host. All the cast seemed to be having fun with the roles and the commentaries they were making.
[^æ denotes members of  Actors Equity ]

The production was directed by Sheldon Epps, artistic director of the Playhouse. This direction was the subject of some scrutiny, for as it is common to have black director direct plays about the black experience to gain authenticity, this was a black director focusing on the white experience. This resulted in an article in the LA Times exploring whether black directors should direct white plays. I’m pleased to say that Sheldon did an excellent job on this production, building the characters well and letting us see the author’s words echoed in the movement and nuances of the action.

Turning to the technical side, the scenic design by Yael Pardess was simple, consisting of plain backdrops and a few benches. The sets were really constructed through the lighting design of Lap Chi Chu and the projection design of Jason H. Thompson. The latter was the star of the scenery, using images to establish the locale of each scene. It was, however, also the source of one of my complaints about the program: the fan on the projector was loud, distracting from the action on the stage and making the theatre far too warm. Maggie Morgan costumed the characters well, with clothing selections that echoed the character’s personality: Harriet frumpy and a bit stuck in the past; Jane uptight; Brian sloppy; Bia carefree and joyous; and Joel relaxed and calm. This was echoed in the movement of the characters as well, likely due to the work of Doriana Sanchez as movement consultant. The various dialects from dialect coach Joel Goldes were satisfactory: the Brazilian dialects were much stronger than the Boston ones. Casting was by Michael Donovan. The projection was under the stage management of Jill Gold, assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“The Night is a Child” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through September 27.

Upcoming Theatre: We’re in the last quarter of the year, and we’re coming down the home stretch for 2009 theatre. Next Saturday night we’re seeing “Sherlock Holmes’ The Hound of the Baskervilles” at REP East Playhouse. That will be followed on Monday 10/5 with the next installment of “Steve Allen’s Meeting of Minds” (Episode 3: Marie Antoinette, Karl Marx, U.S. Grant, and Thomas More) at the Steve Allen Theatre (ticket info). No theatre is currently scheduled for the weekend of 10/10, but I’m open to suggestions. Sunday 10/18 we’re seeing the Donmar workshop version of “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum, and the month of October closes with “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. Halloween weekend is currently open. The following weekend is currently blocked off for “A Day Out With Thomas” at Orange Empire Railway Museum. The following weekend Erin is going to the TMBG concert at UCLA, while we will attending Havdalah with Peter Yarrow at the American Jewish University. The weekend of 11/21 I’m holding open for “M*A*S*H” at REP East Playhouse, although I haven’t confirmed the particulars with Mikee yet. Thanksgiving weekend is currently open; however, it might be taking by a shift of our production for the following weekend (“Baby Its You” at the Pasadena Playhouse), due to the fact I head out on 12/6 for ACSAC in Hawaii. The rest of December is currently open, but I know that sometime in December I’ll be attempting to ticket “Mary Poppins” at the Ahmanson. There will also likely be additional episodes of “Meeting of Minds”. As always, I’m looking for suggestions for good shows to see, especially if they are on Goldstar or LA Stage Tix.

In “Fiddler on the Roof”, there is a line in the song “Tradition” where Tevye talks about how Jewish tradition is to always keep ones head covered, in order to show constant devotion to God. No, this isn’t a review of the current Fiddler tour with Topol. I’m mentioning this because it is not only a Jewish tradition to cover one’s head during worship. It is an African-American tradition too, and one that we learned about last night at The Pasadena Playhouse when we saw the musical “Crowns”, written by Regina Taylor.

“Crowns” tells the story of hats, and their connection to the African-American experience. This is done through the journey of a young woman from the streets of Brooklyn NY, Yolanda (Angela Wildflower Polk). As the play starts, Yolanda has been sent to Darlington SC after her brother was shot to live with her grandmother. In the south, Yolanda sees the intersection of her street-developed unique style with the southern African-American rhythm, and the tradition of church hats. This she learns through various stories and experiences told by her grandmother, Mother Shaw (Peggy Ann Blow) and a circle of women (Velma (Sharon Catherine Blanks), Jeanette (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Wanda (Suzzanne Douglas), and Mabel (Ann Weldon)), assisted by a male character (Clinton Derricks-Carroll), who takes on many roles. These stories all connect to the importance of hats in a culture where church was often the only place to wear the finery, and a hat was that unique expression of style. As such, the hat was not a representation of piety and respect that Tevye speaks about, but rather captures the notion that when one goes to meet the king, one wears your best.

The play tells this story not in the traditional structure of characters talking in a living room, but in a space that stylistically represents a number of different churches, all hinted at through the slightest abstractions. As such, it is hard to get into the story at first: you wonder who this rapping girl is, and why there is this vaguely African group going on behind her. As it moves into a service structure (procession, morning service, marriage, funeral, baptism, recessional) the stories start coming. Through most of this, Yolanda seems to be an oddly separated observer: the stories happen and she sings and moves, but it is just going through the motions.

Stories are told of the different morning services and the roles that hats played in the lives of these women. We see the morning service, and how hats gave these women their pride, and something to be proud of. This includes a remarkable performance of “Eye Is On The Sparrow” by Sharon Catherine Blanks. Even more touching is the “Jumping the Broom” scene, where we see the life of a couple and the role that hats play in that life: from when they meet to their marriage, through their children (the wedding shawl is transformed into the baby), and through the husband’s death (and the wedding shawl becomes the funeral shroud) and burial in his hats. It was in this scene in particular that I was really impressed with the acting ability of this ensemble, in particular, the performance of Clinton Derricks-Carroll.

As we move into the funeral scene, we begin to see the transformation of Yolanda and the cracking of the Brooklyn-hard persona. As she tells the story of the murder of her brother, Teddy, and how she wore a special hat to the funeral and was transformed by it, the audience is transformed. During this scene, the acting of Angela Wildflower Polk was just amazing. We then see Yolanda’s baptism in the south, and as she sees the joy of rebirth, her transformation.

I’ve told the story of this musical and described the players in a manner quite different than I normally do. But this is quite a different play. You start out wondering what’s going on around you (like Yolanda), and you get drawn into the transformational spirit that these hats bring. This is a testament to Taylor’s writing (the play is adapted from a book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry) and the infectuous gospel style music arranged by Linda Twine and David Pleasant, with additional arrangements by Eric Scott Reed. As a side note, this appears to continue artistic director Sheldon Epps theme of plays about the African American experience which has been ongoing for many years — in particular, I felt that this play dovetailed quite well with a play in a previous season, “Cuttin’ Up — a story about black barbershops — also by Marberry. Hair and hats have an importance in the African-American culture that is something unfamiliar to me with my Jewish cultural background… and so I learn. It is interesting that Epps is successfully doing this where he is — in Pasadena, California, a town that was shaped by the midwestern Iowans and is traditionally portrayed as lily white. The audience color shift I’ve written about previously was still present, although a bit weaker (it still boggles my mind about why one color audience tends not to go to shows about the other color — good theatre is good theatre). By the way, “Crowns” was a co-production with the new Ebony Repertory Theatre which presented it earlier in the season. The ETR is a new company whose mission is to create, develop, nurture and sustain a world- class professional theatre rooted in the experience of the African Diaspora and shaped by a dynamic perspective that incorporates an understanding of, and respect for, the unique African- American journey to freedom. Given Sheldon’s commitment to this sub-genre, I expect to see more ERT co-productions.

As I noted above, the acting and singing in this production were exceptional. There are a few I would like to highlight. Cinton Derricks-Carroll shined whenever he got the chance in this company of women; Angela Wildflower Polk, Sharon Catherine Blanks, and Vanessa Bell Calloway proved not only to be remarkable actresses but powerful singers. The weakest performance was that of Ann Weldon: although never dropping character, she had a larger than expected number of line hesitations and the occasional start-over that was slightly distracting. All actors are members of Actors Equity.

The set design by Edward E. Haynes Jr. was simple, with a number of floor to ceiling structures just holding hundreds of hats. Simple elements flew down to suggest different churches, and simple prayer benches were moved as necessary to suggest other structures. The lighting design by Lap Chi Chu initially struck me as odd: very dark, with an overuse of spotlights (shakey at that) that made one feel alien. However, this turned out to be just echoing the mood, because as the production progressed the lights became brighter, the spotlights less noticable, and the colors more integrated with the story. The sound design by Southern California sound specialist Cricket S. Myers was what a good sound design should be: clearly audible, with decent sound effects, and otherwise unnoticable. Of course, in a production such as this the costumes are key. Dana Rebecca Woods’ did a nice job with the dresses and an even nicer job with the hats, which came from local milliners Louise Green Millinary, Leola’s Fashion Hats and Accessories (Leola Speed), and One-Of-A-Kind Hats (Sonja Robinson).

The production was directed by Israel Hicks, with choreography by Keith Young. The production stage manager was Gwendolyn M. Gilliam, assisted by Playhouse regular Lea Chazin. The musical director was Eric Scott Reed, who conducted and played piano during the performance, together with Derf Reklaw on percussion and Trevor Ware on bass. Tom Ware was the Producing Director.

“Crowns” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through August 16, 2009. Tickets are available through the playhouse, and likely through Goldstar and LA Stage Tix. I should note that Erin came with us for the remarkable price of $15 for orchestra tickets. She took advantage of the Playhouse’s student rush tickets, which are available with student ID one hour before the performance for $15. For non-sold-out shows, as they say, “such a bargain”. She was 10th row orchestra, center.

Upcoming Theatre: Although we’re going on vacation, the theatre just doesn’t stop! Our next theatre looks to be Tuesday evening, when at least one of us (I need to get tickets for the other two) will be seeing a staged reading of “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me”, a new Groovelily musical at Palo Alto Theatreworks. The following Sunday sees us back at Theatreworks for “Tinyard Hill” at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto on Sun 8/16 @ 7:30 (there as 1 ticket left on Goldstar as of 824a 8/9, if you want to join us). Sat 8/22 sees us back at the REP for “Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang. August closes with the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday 8/29, where we are seeing Liza Minnelli. September brings the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana is the evening of 9/18 and the morning of 9/19; Yom Kippur is the evening of 9/27 and the day of 9/28). The only theatre ticketed so far in September is “The Night Is A Child” at the Pasadena Playhouse on 9/25 @ 8pm. Concertwise, September brings Tom Paxton at McCabes on 9/13. October brings “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at the REP on 10/3 @ 8pm and “Guys and Dolls” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 10/24 @ 8pm, and should also bring “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum (HotTix go on sale 9/3; the show runs 9/24 through 11/15). As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Lastly, remember that a recent study showed that it isn’t possessions that are important — it is shared experiences. So go have one of the best shared experiences there is: go support your local live theatre, and help keep all the people who work at the theatre (from the cast to the technical staff) employed.

Last night, we went out to Pasadena to see the Pasadena Playhouse production of “The Little Foxes”. By we I refer to myself and nsshere, gf_guruilla having been felled by a headache a few hours earlier. It was a delightful father-daughter evening: my daughter is quite the remarkable young woman.

“The Little Foxes” was written by Lillian Hellman back in 1939. It is part of the Pasadena Playhouse’s season subtitled “Women: The Heart and Soul of the Theatre”. It takes places on an Alabama plantation around 1900. Wikipedia synopsizes the play as follows: The focus is on Southern aristocrat Regina Hubbard Giddens, who struggles for wealth and freedom within the confines of an early 20th century society where a father considered only sons as legal heirs. As a result, her avaricious brothers Benjamin and Oscar are independently wealthy, while she must rely upon her sickly husband Horace for financial support. Having married his much-maligned, alcoholic wife Birdie solely to acquire her family’s plantation and its cotton fields, Oscar now wants to join forces with Benjamin to construct a cotton mill. They approach their sister with their need for an additional $75,000 to invest in the project. Oscar initially proposes a marriage between his son Leo and Regina’s daughter Alexandra – first cousins – as a means of getting Horace’s money, but Horace and Alexandra are repulsed by the suggestion. When Regina asks Horace outright for the money, he refuses, so Leo is pressured into stealing Horace’s railroad bonds from the family business. In order to acquire a larger share in the mill from her brothers, Regina threatens to report the theft to the police. In retaliation, Horace says he will claim he gave Leo the bonds as a loan, thereby cutting Regina out of the deal completely. When he suffers a heart attack, she makes no effort to give him his medicine, and he dies, having tried to climb the stairs for the help of Regina’s maid, without anyone knowing his plan. Regina makes use of this in blackmailing her brothers. The price she ultimately pays for her evil is the loss of Alexandra’s love and respect. What is more, Benjamin suggests that he could, in turn, blackmail Regina, commenting it that he found it odd that her husband had died on the stairs.

One of the central focuses of the play is greed, and this is emphasized by the imagery in the Playhouse product, from the money-themed production logo, to the intense green of Regina’s dress. There is also an imagery of decay, both in the set (set in a southern mansion that had seen better days, and which was opened to the back to expose the decaying brick and foundations), as well as in the behavior of the principles, especially that of Birdie Hubbard, once a fine southern lady degenerated into alcoholism and escape. But the emphasis of the play, and one that remains timely today, is in the notion that just as it is wrong to be greedy and exploit others, it is equally wrong to silently let others do it as well. In this case, it is the greed of the Hubbard siblings: Ben, Oscar, and Regina. It is seen in their desire for money, their desire for things, and their desire to exploit others. It is made clear this is why Oscar married Birdie: not out of love, but to acquire her cotton plantation. It is why Regina married Horace: not out of love, but of wanting the things that come from a successful husband. It is seen in the unethical behavior of Oscar in exploiting workers, in Leo in stealing the bonds, and Ben in wanting to exploit his sister. But the positive characters in the play do not have that greed. Horace, Regina’s husband, wants to be away from it all and ethically run his bank. Birdie, when asked what she wanted had she money, dreamed of restoration of the southern aristocratic lifestyle and her plantation of the old days. Alexandra, Regina and Horace’s daughter, just wanted her father. The notion of not-standing-by is emphasized in the end of the story, where Regina kills Horace by standing and doing nothing in his time of need… out of her greed, for had he lived, he would have revised his will. She successfully exploits her greed to extort her brother, but her daughter cannot stand by and profit from it, and indicates she will leave the greed behind.

Under the direction of Damaso Rodriguez, this was a powerfully staged and acted play. In the lead, as Regina Hubbard Giddens, was Kelly McGillis, who developed a wonderful personification of a strong, greedy woman. As portrayed by McGillis, the greed is so strong it comes out angry and forceful: this is a woman you don’t cross lightly. Her husband, Horace Giddens (Geoff Pierson) is unseen in the first act, being away for his health in Baltimore. In the second act we meet him: a much calmer but strong character who stands up against his wife… and for what he believes is right for those whom he cares about: his 17yo daughter Alexandra (Rachel Sondag) and his long-time black housekeeper, Addie (Yvette Cason). Pierson’s portrayal of Giddens is as an affable, but dying man; you feel sorry he wasn’t in better health. The second member of the Hubbard trio is Oscar Hubbard (Marc Singer), an angry exploitive man (who I think was a bit overplayed by Singer), eager to take whatever he can get. He takes from his wife, Birdie (Julia Duffy), driving her to drink (as demonstrated in an excellent scene in the second act). He passes on his greed to his son, Leo (Shawn Lee), encourages him to steal, and engineers to have his son marry his first cousin Alexandra, in order to keep any money in the family. The last Hubbard family member is Benjamin Hubbard (Steve Vinovich), a seemingly affible man who engineered the entire scheme, but who exerts firm control on everything (or tries to). Never married, he exhudes the confidence that all will be his, or in his family, at the end. Rounding out the cast where Cleavant Derricks as Cal, Regina and Horace Giddens driver/butler, and William Marshall (Tom Schmid), the man going in with the Hubbards to build a cotton mill on the plantation. This was just a very powerful and talented acting ensemble, although (as I noted above) I though Singer’s character was a little overplayed.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

Technically, the Playhouse did their usual excellent production. The stage (designed by Gary Wissmann) consisted of the drawing room and dining room of a southern mansion, with the decay of its foundations visible (serving as a metaphor for the larger story). The costumes by Mary Vogt (who, I should note, did the Pushing Daisies pie-lette) also reflected the characters: Regina’s emerald green dress reflected her greed and jelousy; Birdie’s dress had seen better days; and the businessmen (Benjamin, Oscar, and Leo) were all business in matching suits). The sound design by Michael Hooker) was notable not for any amplification problems but for the way, in the second act, it amplified the drama through well-timed thunder. The lighting design by Dan Jenkins establishes the warmth or coolness of the acts: the first act is warm and sunny, in light yellow and white; the second act is cold and foreboding, in shades of purple. The actor’s southern dialects were coached by Joel Goldes, and the excellent casting was by Michael Donovan. The production was stage-managed by long-time Playhouse stage manager Lea Chazin (her 44^th show!), assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“The Little Foxes” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through June 28, 2009. Tickets are available from the Pasadena Playhouse. Discount tickets are available through Goldstar Events and LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre: Later this afternoon we are seeing the new musical “Insanity” at the North Hollywood Arts Center. The following two weekends are currently unscheduled, although I am exploring the Mini-Musical Festival at the Secret Rose Theatre. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm brings “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening). Lastly, August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. Tuesday gf_guruilla plans to go to the Bowl to ticket the the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09) and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Lastly, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

When I was a kid, I had many hobbies. One, which I picked up from my father, was stamp collecting. My dad collected first day covers, and I had a pretty good US collection (and a smattering of foreign). Starting with my 1965 Scott Specialized album, and adding pages I made on my one through the mid-1990s (when the hobby just got too expensive to keep up), I slowly built my collection. Now, I never did anything fancy: yes, by the end I was collecting pane sheets vs. individual stamps, but I was still mounting stamps using hinges, not real mounts.

Stamp collecting today seems to have become the provance of older folks: youth today is less interested in stamp collecting. Perhaps that is due to the cost, but I think it is more due to the change in society: who uses stamps these days. If we mail something at all, we use pre-printed postage. If we do use a stamp, it is self-adhesive, meaning one can’t soak it off the envelope as one could in the old days. The value isn’t there either: since the 1960s we’ve printed stamps by the millions, and finding older stamps is far too easy, making the cancelled stamps worth far less than their face values.

I mention all of this because last night we went to the Pasadena Playhouse to see the play “Mauritius” (written by Theresa Rebeck). “Mauritus” tells the story of a stamp collection, and of two particular stamps: the 1p and 2p Post Office Mauritus stamps of 1847.

The story goes like this: Upon the death of her mother, Jackie (Kirsten Kollender (pic)) has acquired a stamp collection. She knows nothing about stamps, and her comic book store friend directs her to visit Philip (John Billingsley). Philip waves her off — he’s seen too many worthless collections — but another patron in the store, Dennis (Chris L. McKenna) looks at it. He notes a few interesting stamps (such as a Inverted Jenny), but tells her there isn’t much in the collection. In reality, he has seen that the collection contains two perfect 1p and 2p “Post Office”s — which are worth millions — and he thinks he can get them from the girl for a song. He goes to his friend, Sterling (Ray Abruzzo), who lusts after the stamps, and concocks a plan to get them. Dennis then goes to visit Jackie (he followed her home), and finds her at the home of her mother, cleaning up the remains of the house with her sister, Mary (Monette Magrath). He confirms that the stamps exist, and learns of the conflict between the sisters — and that the stamps may actually be Mary’s, given to her by her grandfather who collected them with her). The rest of the story concerns itself with how Sterling attempts to get his hands on those stamps, with Dennis’ help… how Jackie plays Dennis… and how Mary and Philip play Jackie in turn. As for who get plays in the end… I’ll leave that for you to watch and find out.

The acting in this was top-notch: I especially enjoyed the fact that much of the acting wasn’t just the spoken word — it was in the small facial expression and reactions. These nuances are what people do, and what make people fun to watch. No one does this better than John Billingsley, who you might recall as the doctor on Enterprise. His rumpled appearance belies his clever craft: he is just remarkable with a turn of expression or phrase. Also joyous to watch was Kirsten Kollender as Jackie, who gave off a youthful naivete… but also was tough as nails in her negotiations with Sterling. Initially coming off as your typical college girl off the street, you learned there was something tough and damaged under the cute exterior. Speaking of Sterling, Ray Abruzzo (Little Carmine in The Spranos) kept making me thing of Ron Silver — a strong actor with a maniacle bent, who you know through their movements and mannerisms that they were tough as nails. Abruzzo (Sterling) was a joy to watch in his negotiations with Kollender (Jackie) over the stamps: you knew the deal would be consummated, but the passionate play was just fun to watch. Greasing the wheels was Chris L. McKenna as Dennis — a role that O (Ovington Michael Owston) was meant to play). McKenna was casual but slimey, someone who knew how to play people, especially women. Lastly, as Mary, Monette Magrath initially came off as vulnerable, someone who really didn’t want to deal with the death of her mother — she just wanted to get her stamp collection and go home, but later showed the toughness that ran in her family. All of these performances were just spot one: great characterizations, great acting.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

A lot of this was due to the story by Theresa Rebeck. From the first scene in the stamp store, the dialogue was so well crafted you felt that you were looking at real life. I’m sure this was aided by the direction of Jessica Kubzansky, who was able to pull perfection from her actors.

Turning to the technical: the scenic design by Tom Buderwitz consisted of three locales on one rotating set, all well constructed. The lighting design by Jaymi Lee Smith was very naturalistic (with no spots that I could tell). The costumes, by Maggie Morgan (who is on the faculty of UC Davis) made the actors look like real people (yes, that’s a complement). Original sound and music design was by John Zalewski, with fight choreography by Tim Weiske. Production stage management was by Jill Gold, assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“Mauritius” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through April 26. Tickets are available from the Playhouse; half-price tickets appear to be available through LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre: Next week, our theatre takes a different form as we head (likely on Sunday) to the Southern California Renaissance Faire. The weekend of May 2 I’m considering getting tickets for “Aliceⁿ”, a new play at LA Valley College featuring our friend Stephanie P. doing vocals and guitar. May 10 (pending ticketing–it looks like I’ll have to do their $25 Simulus Offer, as they are only putting tickets on Goldstar for Thurs and Friday performances) should be “Is He Dead? at ICT Long Beach. May 17 will be “big” at West Coast Ensemble, to be followed by “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 (pending ticketing). The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere is doing the lighting design. On June 6 @ 8pm we’re scheduled for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” at Repertory East Playhouse, but since we saw that when they did it two years ago, we’re planning to switch to “Fat Pig” in their “81 series” on July 11. As this opens up June 6, we might go to the last weekend of “Marry Me a Little/The Last 5 Years” at East/West Players. Lastly, June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse.

Last night, we went to see “Stormy Weather”, the new musical at the Pasadena Playhouse about the life and times of Lena Horne. The show was acted and sung to perfection by the talented cast, but just like storms do (at least out here in California), it left me feeling cold and unsettled. I’ve been trying to put my finger on the specific reason why, and I believe there are multiple reasons.

“Stormy Times” purports to take place in the early 1980s (although you wouldn’t easily know that looking at the glass-walled set), just as Lena Horne (being played in her later years by Leslie Uggams^æ) is starting a performance of what appears to be Broadway show, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music”). She seemingly breaks down and retreats to her apartment, where her daughter Gail (Toni Trucks^æ) brings Kay Thompson (Dee Hoty^æ) (her MGM vocal coach and friend) to convince her to return to the stage (which is odd because the show started with her on the stage). This “convincing” takes the form of Kay plying Lena with chocolates and booze while they reminisce through flashbacks featuring the yonger Lena about Lena’s life and why she doesn’t want to perform. Through this, we learn of her overbearing mother (Yvette Cason^æ), the difficulties she had with the men in her life (her father, Teddy Horne Sr. (Cleavant Derricks^æ); her friend Billy Strayhorn (Kevyn Morrow^æ); her son, Teddy Jones (Jordan Barbour^æ); and her husband, Lennie Hayton (Robert Torti^æ), her interactions with MGM studios (including her discovery by Arthur Freed (Michael Scott^æ), her vocal training by Kay Thompson (Hoty), and her interactions with L. B. Mayer (Bruce Katzman^æ), who always seemed to put her in excisable roles, not the leads she wanted). We also learn the toll this took on her family, her activism in later years, and her retreat in the 1970s. Eventually, she realizes how her choices affected her life, and ends up back on stage to thunderous applause.

In this choice of storytelling, we have problems #1, #2, and #3. Problem #1 is the structure of the story itself: This flashback approach seems to be a common one (they also used it in the Ray Charles musical, and I even think it was the approach taken in George M), and it doesn’t work well. It never has the right hook to get you into the story, for you never get a sense about why you care about this person other than that you brought into the theatre based on their celebrity. The movement then between present and past becomes jarring, and the times blur as the story is told. One gets to the point where you wish they would just tell the story from beginning to end, although some of the funniest lines in the show occur with Horne’s quips to Thompson. Therein lies Problem #2: you never get a sense of Horne’s personality. In the present day scenes, the dialogue seems like it could have been lifted from the pages of the Cybil Shepard sitcom “Cybil”: two older women, one more progressively drunk, exchanging bitter barbs back and forth (or, in the flashbacks, Horne exchanging quips with her younger self (Nikki Crawford^æ), which one knows isn’t real). However, there’s little demonstrating that sense of humor in the flashback scenes, so there’s no sense of where the older cynicism came from. Turning to the flashbacks, that appears to be Problem #3. Reviewing the Wikipedia page on Horne, it appears the story as told on stage gets a number of things wrong, dramatizing and changing the facts for drama’s sake. Horne’s life is interesting enough based on the facts, so why the story seemingly needed to be tweaked is beyond me.

There were also some structural problems, and I’m talking more than dramatic structure here. The set was this ginormous black glass or plastic piece–the type of smokey glass you often see with dividers. There were modern stage lights to and fro, on-stage and off. Moving lights, regular lights, lights behind the glass, lights making shapes, lights illuminating signs, multiple hand-controlled and computer-controlled spots. A beautiful and spectacular set… and one that served to distract from the show and often fail to do a good job of setting time and place (other than illuminated billboards). The reflectivity of the glass introduced some distracting reflections; the large number of computer controlled lights increased the heat and fan noise; and the modernness of the lights failed to establish the sense of the early 1980s. The large prop pieces and furniture pieces that flew on and off the stage tried hard to restablish the where and when, but the backstage never seemed to relent. The glass also added to the overall cold feeling.

The second structural problem was musical. One expects a musical about a singer to have lots of music. This one does, and all of it is sung spectacularly by the actors. The problem was: there was too much of it. There were a few times where I wanted to look at the program to see how close to done we were with an act. That’s usually a sign that the act is going on a bit too long, and something needs to be excised to keep the story moving along. I think this show could do with some judicious trimming — not because the music is bad (often, music cut from musicals is excellent), but because it sometimes stalls the story.

One last observati0n on the show itself. At a number of points in the show, the story featured some excellent tap dancing by the duo of Aiken Bones and Jivin’ Jones (Wilkie Ferguson^æ and Phillip Attmore^æ). Watching those scenes, however, I kept thinking back to “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk” where Savion Glover made the point about the artificiality of the black tap from the 1930s and 1940s. It was a jarring constrast in the mind, and the “shuck and jive” school of tap, though technically proficient and a joy to watch, served only to emphasize how Horne was treated as a 1^st class 2^nd class actor.

As I’ve noted before, the cast of this show was excellent, and I don’t believe any of the problems was due to their performances. I’ve named most of the cast above, but let me single out a few noteworthy performances. The two female leads–Leslie Uggams and Nikki Crawford–were spectacular in both their singing and their acting. I’ve enjoyed Crawford since seeing her in “A Class Act”, and Uggams is just riviting on stage. The dancers, Phillip Attmore and Wilkie Ferguson are spectacular to watch. A number of the other leads — in particular, Dee Hoty (whose singing I’ve loved in “Will Rogers Follies” and “Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public”), Yvette Cason (who I recall from “Sisterella” and “Play On!”), and Cleavant Derricks (who I recall from the original “Dreamgirls”)–were great singers, but never really got strong showcases of that aspect of their talent, which I missed. I also enjoyed Kevyn Morrow as Strayhorn and Robert Torti as Hayton. Rounding out the cast (and not previously mentioned in this review) were Cheri McKenzie in the various younger child roles and Diane Vincent^æ in some various female roles.
[^æ denotes members of  Actors Equity ]

The book for the musical was written by Sharleen Cooper Cohen, suggested by the biography Lena Horne, Entertainer by Leslie Palmer. The show featured a wide variety of songs made famous by Horne or in the era. The orchestrations were by Gordon Goodwin (a CSUN grad, and leader of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band), with an excellent on-stage orchestra (behind the black glass for most of the show) conducted by Linda Twine (who also served as musical director). Choreography was by Randy Skinner assisted by Jeremy Benton. The production was directed by Michael Bush.

On the technical side, the glass-heavy scenic design was by James Noone. The lighting design by Paul Gallo, with tons of modern moving lights (more than I’ve ever seen at the Playhouse before) was different and worked well with the set, but the reflections at times were jarring. All of the lighting programming was done by Dan Tuttle. The sound design by Lewis Mead was unobtrusive, and seemed to use different speakers than normal at the Playhouse. The costumes by Martin Pakledinaz were flowing and spectacular, and were well complemented by the wig and hair design by Paul Huntley and Carol F. Doran. Makeup design was by April Metcalf. The production stage manager was Lurie Horns Pfeffer, assisted by Playhouse regular Lea Chazin.

“Stormy Weather” has been extended, and continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through March 8^th.

Dining Notes: Dinner was quick, because we were running late (both due to getting a late start, and the idiotic Pasadena City parking lot near the theatre). We ate at La Fiesta Grande. They got us through in time (which was a good thing), but I found the food (as I usually do when I eat there) relatively bland. I much prefer Sacha Sushi or Burger Continental, but time didn’t permit it.

Upcoming Theatre: We have a short theatre break for a few weeks: the only thing on the weekend calendar is a SoCalGamesDay on March 7^th. Theatre starts up again in mid-March, with “Little Shop of Horrors” at Van Nuys HS (March 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21 — let me or nsshere know if you want tickets). March 22 @ 1pm brings “Frost/Nixon” at the Ahmanson (HotTix became available 2/18). March 28 @ 8pm brings “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” at Rep East. April 4 @ 2pm is “42nd Street” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. We’re planning on going to the Southern California Renaissance Faire on either April 11 or April 12. April 18 @ 8pm, after I take the CISSP exam, will be “Mauritius” at the Pasadena Playhouse. The weekend of April 25/26 is set aside for the OERM Spring Railfestival. May 2 or 3 (pending ticketing) will hopefully be “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Theatre League Thousand Oaks (this is their last weekend). May 10 (pending ticketing) should be “Is He Dead? at ICT Long Beach. May 17 (again, pending ticketing) should be “big” at West Coast Ensemble, to be followed by “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 (pending ticketing). The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere may be involved with the lighting design. Lastly, June 6 @ 8pm is “The Wedding Singer” “Musical TBA” at Repertory East Playhouse, and June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Quite an ambitious theatrical spring.

You can help too. Remember that a recent study showed that it isn’t possessions that are important — it is shared experiences. So go have one of the best shared experiences there is: go support your local live theatre, and help keep all the people who work at the theatre (from the cast to the technical staff) employed.

Dear Ann Landers:

I never thought I would be writing this to you, but it seems that no one else will listen to me. Last night, I went to see a play at the Pasadena Playhouse about you called “The Lady With All The Answers”. It featured you (or an actress purporting to be you — see, we all have a fantasies, but I know you know that — you shared the letters) reading a number of your letters. This sharing with the audience seemed to be a delaying tactic while you were trying to write your 1975 letter where you told of your divorce from your husband of 36 years, Julius Lederer. I wonder what you would say about someone who keeps putting off what needs to be done? Anyway, while putting off the inevitable, we learned a little about growing up with your identical twin (you were Esther Pauline (“Eppie”), and she was Pauline Esther (“Popo”)), your rivalries (you started your column first, she copied you when she started “Dear Abby”). We learned a bit about Julius. But we learned most about your readers — and their obsession with sex, marriage,… and toilet paper (and how it should be hung from the roll). You presented your life as a series of anectdotes and letters, and although we learned about you in snippets, something was missing.

Ann, I’m sure you’ve seen plays. After all, Chicago, where you live, has some excellent theatre. What would you think of a play that was mearly anecdotes, told by one person standing in an apartment, occasionally typing away without saying anything to an audience? What would you say about a comedy that was mild? What would you say about a play that really didn’t have a dramatic arc? Even comedies show some growth of the main character — look at how Oscar and Felix grow in The Odd Couple, or how the main characters grow in The Constant Wife. The only plays without growth are farces — and your life wasn’t a farce. Your growth, according to the play, was accepting premarital sex. It was unsatisfying. But this seems to be the style of the author who dramatized your story, David Rambo, who also wrote Tea At Five. He does good at CSI:, but I’m not sure about this.

But Ann, you always said to see the good, not the bad. There was some good here. You were played by Mimi Kennedy, who seemed to capture that midwestern style (although I’m unsure about the midwestern Jewish-ness). She had your looks down, thanks to the costumes by Holly Poe Durbin and the hair design by Carol F. Doran. She even had the right Chicago accent, thanks to dialect coach Joel Goldes. This wasn’t a dramatic part, but she did a credible job of capturing your humor and what I’m guessing was your style (as we’ve never met). That may be due to the direction of of Brendon Fox. You (or should I say “She” — I’m getting confused here) spent the entire play in your apartment in Chicago, which was beautiful, thanks to the scenic design of Gary Wissmann, who has done a number of Playhouse Productions.

I know, Ann, that you’re going “Where’s the question, bub?” Just hold on, because I’m still giving you the background of what I saw. I did think the lighting design was weak: all white lights, primarily the lights that you had in the apartment… plus a follow spot for your interview with Linda Lovelace. This design was by Trevor Norton — and I guess it fit the show because of the weak nature of the book. At least the sound design, by Lindsay Jones was transparent (as a good sound design should be), as was the stage management by Lea Chazin assisted by Hethyr Verhoef (I particularly liked updating the time on the clock, and actually finding a working electric typewriter). As you treasure honesty, Ann, I should note that the actors and stage managers are members of  Actors Equity.

So, Ann, on to the question. As a hobby, I write theatre reviews. I hope that people read them and enjoy them, but I rarely get feedback on them. Should this bother me? Am I just being a comment whore?

I look forward to your reply.

Ignored in Northridge

P.S. I’m sure you want to know what I’ll be reviewing in the future. Next Friday night we go to the the Ahmanson for “Spring Awakening”. The following Friday brings the last show of the RepEast season, “And Then There Were None”. December 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th brings “Scapino” at Van Nuys High School (with nsshere doing the lighting). Although I won’t be there, the following weekend brings the winter show at Nobel Middle School. Lastly, I still hope to explore tickets for “I Love My Wife (Reprise), which only runs 12/2-12/14 — right around the dates of ACSAC, so it may not work out. We’re still working on our schedule of theatre for 1Q09; suggestions are welcome.