Tag: pasadena-playhouse

Last night, our theatregoing started back up with a visit to the Pasadena Playhouse to see their production of “Vanities: A New Musical” (official page). Vanities is a Broadway-bound (opening around February 2009) musical based on the 1976 Jack Heifner play of the same name.

Vanities tells the story of three Texas girls through a series of four snapshots of their lives. The first three were in the original play; the last was added for the musical. The first scene is in 1963, when the girls are cheerleaders preparing and organizing for the big high-school football game and pep rally. It is here we first learn the characters of the girls. Mary (Lauren Kennedy) is the wild one of the group. Kathy (Anneliese Van Der Pol) is the great organizer, the one who plans the best parties and is captain of the cheerleading squad. Joanne (Sarah Stiles) is the good girl: saving herself for marriage and her high school sweetheart. We also learn that these girls are fast friends. The second scene moves us forward to 1968: the girls are graduating college and planning their last semester at KKΓ. Mary (who was evidently a swinger on the pill in college) is going to Europe to experience life (and get away from her drunk mother). Joanne is getting married to her high-school boyfriend Ted, and Kathy is still trying to decide what to do with a degree in Physical Education, as well as figuring out how to deal with a broken heart. The next scene (which was the last in the play) takes place eight years later (1974) in a penthouse apartment in New York. Mary is back from Europe, running an erotic art gallery, still wild and free. Joanne is happy with her married life and children… on the surface. Kathy has given up teaching PE, and is living the life of leasure in the penthouse apartment in NYC. But this last scene shows there’s more to the story, as Kathy is a “kept woman” (the implication being it is Joanne’s hubby), and Mary has been having affairs with the same husband. The last scene, added for the musical, takes place almost 15 years (1990) later at the funeral for Mary’s mother. Still fast friends, we see how life as changed for these women: Mary is about to get married; Joanne is happy with her second husband; and Kathy is writing books, still searching for the meaning of life in Idaho.

The story is a good one: there is growth in the characters, and you do grow to like them. I think the show’s structure and length (under 2 hours, no intermission) works well for a theatre the size of a Pasadena Playhouse (under 1,000 seats). For a Broadway house, I’m less sure. I think the scenes need to be expanded slightly to permit an act break between college and the remainder of their lives, and there need to be some additional numbers in the last scene showing character growth of the characters, including some high energy number as in the first act. Note that the show already contains 13 numbers (music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum), with the bulk being in the early scenes (scene 1: 3; scene 2: 4; scene 3: 3; scene 4: 1). It also evidently had an intermission at one point.

One thing that shouldn’t change is the acting talent. Lauren Kennedy is a remarkable Mary: she conveys wild and free, and I can see her number “Fly Into The Future” becoming a classic song in her repertoire. Anneliese Van Der Pol breaks out of her Disney background as Kathy, the party organizer (with her chicken wire and newspaper), trying to find her life. She also is an extremely strong singer and great actress; I particularly liked her number “Cut Boys with Short Haircuts”. Lastly, Sarah Stiles is entrancing as Joanne, the virginal small-town girl marrying her high-school beau… who finds out that the facade isn’t what it is made out to be. Her signature song, “The Same Old Music”, truly showcases how she is just happy with her career goal of wife. All are great, all are strong singers and actresses, and all make the show (and have a clear friendship). Oh, and all of them are members of  Actors Equity.

Technically, the show is amazing, perhaps because all characters are on stage at all times, including for 95% of the costume changes. The scenic design by Anna Louizos has three main vanities on the stages that rotate for different purposes, a wooden backdrop with panels that illustrate different scenes and permitting a change from a high school gym to a fancy penthouse apartment. There are also lights the drop down to create the mood, as well as the normal theatrical use of lights (the lighting design was by Paul Miller). The costumes (Joseph G. Aulisi, costume designer) and wigs (Josh Marquette) do a remarkable job of conveying the sense of time and personality, as well as adapting to the constant on-stage changing. Sound design was by Tony Meola and was quite good, although a few times I lost the illusion that the sound was coming from the actresses (I should note that it appears the Playhouse has a new speaker system). You can learn a bit more about the sound work in Vanities from Mr. Meola’s Downstage Center podcast.

With respect to program management: The production was directed by Judith Ivey, with musical staging by Dan Knechtges. Orchestrations were by Lynne Shankel, with musical direction and vocal arrangements by Carmel Dean (who also served as conductor for the 8 piece band). Richard Roland was the associate director. The Production Stage Manager was Pat Sosnow assisted by Lea Chazin. The Pasadena Playhouse is under the artistic direction of Sheldon Epps; Brian Colburn serves as Managing Director (although he is leaving soon); and Tom Ware is Producing Director.

ETA: nsshere’s review of the production is here.

For a video interview with some of the Vanities: A New Musical cast, click here. There is also a good interview with the three actresses in Episode 213 of Broadway Bullet, which includes some snippets of the music. Vanities: A New Musical continues at the Pasadena Playhouse until September 28, 2008.

As for us, I said this was the start of another theatre string of shows. Next Sunday (9/28 @ 1pm) we see another Broadway-bound musical: “9 to 5: The Musical” at the Ahamanson Theatre. The following Sunday (10/5 @ 2pm) is “Of Mice and Men” at Repertory East Playhouse in Saugus. The next weekend is currently open, for I thought I was going to an event at camp. Sunday October 12 (2pm) brings “Kiss of the Spider Woman” at the Havok Theatre (Nick DeGruccio, Artistic Director). The next weekend is “The King and I at Cabrillo Music Theatre (I don’t know if youarebonfante is managing the production). The following two weekends are open, the latter originally for nsshere’s birthday. The weekend after that (11/15 @ 8pm) is “The Lady With All The Answers” at the Pasadena Playhouse. Still to be ticketed is “Spring Awakening” at the Ahmanson (HotTix go on sale 10/8 — I’ll try for 11/16 @ 1pm should just be going on sale — I’ll call today for 11/23). Another show of interest is “Blood Brothers – The Musical” (Goldstar Link) at the Whitefire Theatre (which runs through November 23 — 11/2 @ 3pm is a possibility, but we need to see when greenscar is going, so I’ll have to double-book a weekend). Lastly, I need to remember to explore tickets for “I Love My Wife (Reprise), which only runs 12/2-12/14 — right around the dates of ACSAC.

Last night we went to the Pasadena Playhouse to see their production of a new play by Matthew Lombardo called “Looped”. Just like Lombardo’s previous play, “Tea at Five” (which we saw at the playhouse in September 2005), the story is centered around an incident in the life of a famous actress, has another well-known actress in the lead role, and at times seems very shallowly written. But as with “Tea at Five”, we ultimately enjoyed the production.

“Looped” tells the story of eight hours in the life of Tallulah Bankhead, a famous actress who initially made a reputation on the stage, but then went to Hollywood and became better known for her excesses of all varieties. The story is based on an incident in 1965 where it took her eight hours to rerecord one line for the film “Die! Die! My Darling!”. It is also the story of the recording studio producer, Danny Miller, who has to deal with Tallulah. The setting basically provides time for Miller to draw out the story of Tallulah’s excesses, philosophy of life, and riffs thereupon (alas, seeming more to echo the information in the Wikipedia article — for example, that she came to Hollywood to fuck Gary Cooper — than something deeper). But it also provides time for the Tallulah character to draw out the story of the producer; and it is in that aspect that the character growth that is at the heart of “Looped” is revealed. Tallulah never changes or grows: she starts out as a pill-abusing alcoholic covering her pain, and she ends as a pill-abusing alcoholic covering her pain (although we do have a better idea of the reason for that pain). However Miller is a different story. Miller starts out as a simple recording producer, married with a daughter, who is annoyed with Tallulah’s excesses. By the end, however, we learn that there is much more story behind Miller, and we see how he comes to realize what he really wants out of life.

As I noted above, it is the character arc that makes the play. The first act of the play left us unimpressed. It seemed to be soley with someone dealing with a drunk pill-popper, a bad actress who liked to throw off one-liners. For a few minutes I even thought of Foster Brooks. Although they were very funny one liners, the drama wasn’t drawing us in. But the second act made the play: the one-liners were less present, and served more to support the character arc of Danny Miller. This was one of those plays where the second act made the play. Stay for it.

The acting in this production is top-notch. Playing Tallulah Bankhead is Valerie Harper^æ, coming across nothing like the characters we know her for from Television (Rhoda Morganstern, Valerie Hogan). She immerses herself in Bankhead, and has her down pat. You seriously think you are watching Bankhead. Harper has been receiving some well deserved accolades for the role.
[^æ denotes members of  Actors Equity ]

The producer, Danny Miller, is played by Chad Allen^æ, who is remarkable in the role. In many ways, I think Allen’s performance is more remarkable than Harper’s. Harper had a characterture to draw upon, a well known figure. Allen had a blank slate, and he did a great job of filling it in, making the producer a character of depth and emotion, of both outward and inward frustration. He did great.

The last character in the production is one we only see in a haze. Michael Karl Orenstein^æ plays Steve, the sound engineer in the booth. We only hear Steve’s voice during the production.

Turning to the technical side: The stage is dressed as a modernistic recording studio, with light wood art-deco paneling and a sound booth uptop, with a microphone and table center stage. There’s a piano off to stage left, some chairs to stage right. What is amazing about the stage is its transformation when Tallulah is talking about her experiences in “A Streetcar Named Desire”: the paneling reveals itself to actually be scrims — the lighting changes and the scrims become mostly transparent revealing the wrought-iron work of New Orleans. A very effective transformation.

The production was directed very effectively by Rob Ruggiero, whose direction adds to the character of Tallulah Bankhead and brings out the person inside Danny Miller. The scenic design was by Adrian W. Jones, with lighting design by Michael Gilliam. Sound design was by Michael Hooker. Costume design was by Alex Jaeger, with wig and hair design by Charles G. Lapointe. Dialect coaching (well done) by Joel Goldes. Production Stage Management was by Lea Chazin, assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“Looped” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse until August 3, 2008.

So what’s upcoming on our theatre calendar? Next up is “Singing in the Rain” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (Sat 8/2 @ 2pm) [where we hope to meet youarebonfante, who is stage manager]. After tat is “Assassins” at West Coast Ensemble (Sun 8/10 @ 2pm). In September we’ll be seeing “Vanitites” at the Pasadena Playhouse, and I hope to ticket “9 to 5” at the Ahmanson (HotTix go on sale in August). September will also bring “Of Mice and Men” at Repertory East on a date to be determined. October will bring “The King and I” at Cabrillo Music Theatre.

I close with this quote from Tallulah Bankhead: “If you really want to help the American theater, don’t be an actress, dahling. Be an audience.”

The buddy-buddy team of two guys, one smart, one dumb. We’ve seen it all the time. It shows up in our comedy teams (e.g., the Smothers Brothers, Rowan and Martin… and alas, Dick has said goodnight). We’ve seen it in the cartoons, and here I’m thinking particularly of George and Lenny cartoons that MGM did in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Who can forget “which way did he go, George; which way did he go?”, or “I wanna hug him and squeeze him and call him George” (although the latter is Warner Brothers — see comments). We see it in duos such as “Pinky and the Brain”. This form of team comes from a classic piece of American Literature: “Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck.

Of course, the reason I’m writing this is that we saw the Pasadena Playhouse production of “Of Mice and Men” last night, and upon the opening scene, I though of those prior images. “Of Mice and Men” is basically the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers in California. Steinbeck’s novel is based in the 1930s, and the workers are dust bowl migrants; this play places the story about 10 years later, and the workers are braceros — but it makes no difference to the underlying story, other than to interject small bits of Spanish into the dialogues.

So where was I? Ah, yes. “Of Mice and Men” tells the story of George and Lennie. George is the smarter member of the duo, making plans for a secure future for the two. He tries to do all the talking. His best friend Lennie is a gentle giant of a man, but obviously with a mental problem that makes him appear slow and stupid. Lennie loves to pet soft things: he loves to hug them and squeeze them, but sometimes he doesn’t know his own strength. When we meet these two, they are on their way to a job in Soledad CA to buck barley. We learn that Lennie has had trouble before grabbing a girl’s dress in Weed CA and they were run out of town, and that Lennie loves to pet mice, but they often are squeezed to death. These two eventually get to Soledad and the farm, and quickly become friends with most of the other workers, including Candy, an old swamper, and Crooks, a negro stablehand. Lennie even finds something soft to pet, and Smitty, the foreman, gives him a new puppy to pet. But there’s trouble brewing when Curley’s wife keeps coming out to talk to the men. First Curley gets in a fight with Lennie, and Lennie injures Curley. Later Curley’s wife is found by the boss talking to Crooks, Candy, George and Lennie, and this leads to the ultimate ending, which I don’t want to spoil. Throughout this all, George is talking and talking about the days when he and Lennie can buy a small plot of land and grow their own food and be their own boss, and Lennie can tend to the rabbits. He talks about how important it is that they are there for each other, and how they watch out for each. As such, this play focuses on the nature of this relationship, the importance of hope, and the ultimate price of actions.

The success of a production of “Of Mice and Men” really hinges on the actors, and the Playhouse did an excellent job of casting. George Milton was played by David Noroña, a small but powerful actor who captures the fast talking bracero George perfectly. His partner, Lennie Smalls, was played to perfection by Al Espinosa, a tall large man who captured the mentally-incapacitated nature of Lennie. He came across as gentle and strong, but stupid. Working around these two was the foreman, a mule skinner named Slim (Alex Mendoza), the old swamper Candy (Thomas Kopache), the two workers Carlson (Gino Montesinos) and Whit (Sol Castillo), and the Negro stableman, Crooks (Curtis C). Running the farm was the Boss (Josh Clark), his hot-headed son Curley (Joshua Bitton), and Curley’s lonely wife, Mae (Madison Dunaway). All actors are members of Actors Equity.

Much is being made of the change in this play’s setting, which lead to a primarily latino cast. The credit for this is given to the director, Paul Lazarus, who has given many interviews on the subject. I actually didn’t find the change in setting to be that big of a deal: other than the insertion of a few bits of spanish here and there, and the latino casting, you would never have known. I don’t think the change helped or hurt the play, other than bringing in some great actors. Lazarus, of course, is best known in Playhouse circles as the artistic director of the venue until 1992 when he resigned. The remainder of the technical staff consisted of D. Martyn Bookwalter (Scenic Design), Rita Salazar-Ashford (Costume Design), Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz (Lighting Design), Bruno Louchouarn (Music/Sound Design), and Michael Donovan (Casting). Production stage management was by Susie Walsh assisted by Hether Verhoef. The Playhouse is under the artistic direction of Sheldon Epps.

It will be very interesting to compare and contrast this version of “Of Mice and Men” with a smaller version of the same play we’ll be seeing at REP East in late September 2007. Although I’m sure it will be equally excellent, it will be interesting to see the story up close and personal, and in the migrant worker timeframe vs. the bracero timeframe. The Pasadena Playhouse production of “Of Mice and Men” continues through June 8, 2008; the REP East production runs from September 19 through October 18, 2008.

As for us, what’s next on the theatre calendar? Next week all of nsshere’s hard work pays off in the production of “Grease” at Nobel Middle School (5/29 @ 6:30pm, 5/30 @ 6:30pm, and 5/31 @ 2:30pm and 6:30pm). Those of you who are in the Southern California area, we encourage you to come and see it. These kids have built remarkable sets (especially for a middle school), and have worked long and hard on this production. June brings “A Very Brady Musical” at Theatre West (Sat, 6/14 @ 8pm) and “A Chorus Line” @ Ahmanson Theatre (Sat, 6/28 @ 2pm). Lastly, July brings “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Ahmanson Theatre (Sun 7/13 @ 1pm), “Looped” at Pasadena Playhouse (Sat 7/26 @ 8pm), and “Singing in the Rain” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (Sat 7/31 @ 2pm). I’m still exploring tickets for “Songs From an Unmade Bed” at Celebration Theatre (6/22 or 7/5) and “Parade” at Neighborhood Playhouse, Palos Verdes (7/13). Lastly, I just learned of a Cal Phil production of the music of Rogers and Hammerstein featuring Suzanna Guzman as mezzo soprano and Kevin Earley as tenor. Saturday July 26 at 7:30p will be on the green at the County Arboritum, but we have Playhouse tickets that night. However, they will reprise the concert on Sunday July 27 at 2:00p at the Disney Concert Hall, which I’ve never seen. Sounds like a possibility.

See you all at Grease. It’s the word, don’t cha know.

What do you think when you see a group of tattooed bikers, their bikes rumbling with the low roar, headlines shining in your eyes? After last night’s performance of “Mask” at the Pasadena Playhouse, I will think of family, and I will think of love, and I will think of Rocky Dennis. [Although I should note that one must never judge a biker by their leathers — I know of one biker who actually had a PhD in Engineering and was a mean ASL player, and I know that bikers are often the most caring people on the inside.]

“Mask” (in its World Premier) tells the true story of Rocky Dennis, his mother Rusty, and their Tribe of biker friends. It was written by Anna Hamilton Phelan, and is based on the motion picture “Mask” also written by Ms. Phelen that starred Cher and Eric Stoltz. It featured music by Barry Mann, and lyrics by Cynthia Weil. Rocky Dennis was a young man living in the city of Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley (only a few miles from the Pasadena Playhouse, in fact). Rocky was born with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a rare disease where abnormal calcium deposits form in the skull, distorting and flattening the face, and making it grow to twice its normal size. The story picks up as Rocky, age 15, is enrolling in Azusa High School, and is dreaming of becoming a man and joining The Tribe on the annual run to Sturgis SD for Sturgis Bike Week. Through the almost 3 hour show (the first act is 1½ hours, the second is just under 1 hour) we see how Rocky deals with the tests that life throws at the boy that turn him into a man: helping his mother get off drugs and find a stable relationship, learning how to find and deal with love himself, and learning how to become Rocky, a person who can stand on his own independent of his mother. We see how he does with with the help of his mother, Rusty Dennis, and the members of their biker club, The Tribe. The Tribe is headed by a CBG (Chubby Bearded Guy) named ‘Dozer, and includes Roadkill, Retread, Sirocco, Zephy, Barstow, T-Bone, and Gar (who later takes the lead of The Tribe and becomes Rocky’s stepfather). By the end of the story, Rocky has indeed past all his tests, found love, found the man of him, and is on the virge of doing a solo ride to Sturgis… but dies quietly in his bed on the eve of the ride.

This is a truly touching and inspirational story. It illustrates how we can overcome whatever problems we have with the right attitude, and how the support of whatever tribe of family members we create (not necessarily blood relatives) can sustain and strengthen us. It illustrates the trials we all face as we grow to be adults, learning to be free and independent beings, finding love, establishing who we are and what we can be, what we can do, and who we can touch in our existance. It forces us to see ourselves in a mirror, and to see past our warts and our bumps to the true person inside.

What makes the Rocky Dennis story so touching is that it is a true story, not one crafted by Hollywood writers to make a point. The author, Phelan, met Rusty and Rocky when they were being treated at the UCLA clinic. After telling the story in the movie, Phelan got to know the family better, and started work on the stage version in 1995, with input from Rusty. Alas, Rusty never got to see the final product, as she died in 2006 at age 70 in a motorcycle accident on her way to an NA meeting. Other principles in the story, such as Gar Youngblood, are still alive.

If you want a taste of this moving story and its music, there is an embedded video at BroadwayWorld.

What makes this production even more special is its amazing cast, who inhabit and become their characters, and give truly remarkable performances. They are just outstanding, and all give Ovation-worthy performances (and I hope they receive such recognition). Let me gush about a few of them. [^æ indicates ]

Allen E. Read^æ plays Rocky Dennis, and he comes across as just a normal teen, one that most of us would like to know. He has a very powerful singing voice, and even underneath the mask he wears through the show (a 2-hour makeup job by the master, Michael Westmore) conveys his emotions and feelings with his eyes, voice, and movements. Michelle Duffy^æ is even more outstanding. We’ve seen Michelle numerous times before (“A Class Act” at the Playhouse, “Can-Can” at the Playhouse, and in “Johnny Guitar”), and I have just astounded at this actor’s versatility and voice. She excels at playing strong tough women, who are inside very loving creatures.

Leading the tribe is Michael Lanning^æ [MySpace] as ‘Dozer, a chubby bearded guy (and the beard is real) who is truly what we think of when we think “biker”. Lanning is a remarkably tender singer, and portrays a caring man beneath that gruff exterior. Gar is played by Greg Evigan^æ (of BJ and the Bear fame), and he comes across as truly caring about this family, but having seathing anger under the surface he cannot control.

A number of other members of The Tribe give truly remarkable performances. Roadkill, another senior tribe member, is played by Brad Blaisdell^æ, gives off a strong mentoring vibe. His lady, Retread, is played by Diane Delano^æ (who folks probably best remember as Officer Barbara Semanski in Northern Exposure). Delano has a strong singing voice, and comes off as a great biker chick. The two hot babes of the tribe are Katy Blake^æ and Heather Marie Marsden^æ [MySpace]. We’ve seen Ms. Marsden numerous times (in both “The Beastly Bombing” and “It Came From Beyond”), and she never fails to impress us with her talent. We’ll also never forget Ms. Blake, not only for her performance, but for the end of the show, when during the standing ovations a voice boomed informing us of a special announcement. The spot was turned on Ms. Blake, and her boyfriend Barry came on stage, got on his knee, and proposed to Ms. Blake then and there, presenting her with a ring. Of course she said yes, and I’m sure it was something neither she nor the audience will ever forget.

The remainder of the cast featured Alec Barnes (Eric/Counselor), Ryan Castellino (Ruben/Camper), Chris Fore^æ (Man at Carnival/Biker/Student), Sarah Glendening^æ (Student/Diana, Rocky’s love interest), Krysten Leigh Jones^æ (Clarissa Davis/Camper), Mark Luna^æ [MySpace] (T-Bone), Shanon Mari Mills (Amy/Camper) (who was in “They’re Playing Our Song”), Suzanne Petrela (Angel/Student), Ethan Le Phong^æ (Scott/Camper), Jolene Purdy^æ (Biker/Student), James Leo Ryan^æ (John the Baptist/Rabbi), and Matthew Stocke^æ (Barstow/Mr. Simms/Dr. Vinton/Camp Director). Ms. Blendening was particularly strong as Diana Stills, the young lady Rocky meets at a camp for the blind–he teaches her how to see, and she teaches him how to love.

Turning to the technical side. The stagecraft and lighting were remarkable. The set had an open sky backdrop with silhouettes of powerpoles and the tops of houses, capturing the color and tone of the San Gabriel Valley perfectly. There were lots of set pieces rolled on and off stage, as well as a moving turnable. It was all very effective, enhanced by the lighting bar that was another member of the cast. This design was by Robert Brill (set design) and David Wiener (lighting design). The effective makeup was by Michael Westmore (who did the movie as well), with wig and hair by Carol F. Doran. Costumes were by Maggie Morgan. Projection design was by Austin Switser.

The musical staging was by Patti Columbo, with musical direction by Joseph Church, who also conducted the 9-piece orchestra. Orchestrations were by Steve Margoshes, with electronic music design by Jeff Marder. Sound design was by Peter Fitzgerald and Carl Casella. The production was directed by Richard Maltby Jr.

This production has plans to move to Broadway, and I think it may succeed, if the critics can get past their bias against Los Angeles productions (as seen in the Variety review, among others). We truly enjoyed the music and the story. However, I think during the move to Broadway the production can be tightened a little. There are points in the first act where there are long dialog sequences that can serve with a little trimming, and it is likely that one song needs to go or be reworked because it doesn’t really advance the story (“Do It For Love”, a musical retelling of the history of the Trojan War). Songs in musicals should advance the story and tell the inner emotions of their characters. Still, I hope this production moves to, and is successful on, Broadway. It is certainly one of the strongest Playhouse premier musical productions, even stronger than “Sister Act” (which should also go to Broadway). The Playhouse continues to astound us with their quality.

“Mask” continues at the Playhouse until April 20.

What’s next on the theatre and activity calendar for us? Today we’re going to see “The Who’s Tommy” at CSUN. Next week is the Southern California Renaissance Faire (on Saturday). April 19th brings Pesach, and the weekend after that (April 26-27) is the Orange Empire Train and Trolley Festival (I’ll be there Saturday). Theatre picks up again on 5/10 @ 8pm with “The Brain From Planet X” at Chance Theatre. 5/17 may bring “Pippin” at East West Players (currently unticketed). 5/24 @ 8pm is “Of Mice and Men” at the Pasadena Playhouse, directed by former Pasadena Playhouse artistic director Paul Lazarus. 5/29, 5/30, and 5/31 brings “Grease” at Nobel Middle School. 6/7 @ 8pm is “The Full Monty” at REP East, with (hopefully) “Songs from an Unmade Bed” at the Celebration Theatre on 6/8 (unticketed). 6/28 @ 2pm should be “A Chorus Line” at The Ahmanson Theatre (pending exchange). 7/5 will hopefully be “A Very Brady Musical” at Theatre West. 7/13 @ 1pm is “The Drowsy Chaperone” at the Ahmanson; 7/26 @ 8pm is “Looped” at the Pasadena Playhouse, and 8/2 @ 2pm is “Singing in the Rain” at Cabrillo Musical Theatre. Yup, we loves our theatre, that we do.

Last night, we went out to the Pasadena Playhouse for the first show of the 2008 season, “Orson’s Shadow”. In the words of Kander and Ebb, “It isn’t working.”

“Orson’s Shadow”, by Austin Pendleton, purports to tell the story of the time in 1960 when the cinema great Orson Wells agrees to direct Sir Lawrence Olivier and Dame Judith Plowright in a restaging of Eugène Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. At the time, Wells was coming off of multiple years of failure in Hollywood post-“Citizen Kane,” and was involved in a disasterous production of “Chimes at Midnight” in Dublin. This activity was arranged by theatre critic Kenneth Tynan as a way to get involved with the forthcoming National Theatre, directed by Olivier. At the same time, Olivier was fresh from his portrayal of vaudevillean Archie Rice on stage in John Osborne’s “The Entertainer”, and about to reprise the role in the film adaptation thereof. He was also getting romantically involved with Plowright, and was in the process of leaving Vivian Leigh (also a character in the play). Leigh, at the time, was coping with her manic-depression, TB, and was about to go to New York to work on a play. Lastly, adding to the complications, were the supposed reactions of Olivier and Leigh to bad reviews written by Tynan of the stage productions of “Streetcar Named Desire” in London and the Cleopatra Plays in New York.

So here we have a number of big egos–Wells, Olivier, Leigh, and to some extent Tynan–coming together. The explosion should be interesting to watch, right, and the drama is in how the characters pick up the pieces. I’m sure that’s what the author thought, and why Judith Auberjoinois suggested the idea. To some extent, it was — when the play was concentrating on the characters in character, it was good (although you weren’t quite sure where it was going). However, there was a lot of backstory to be brought in if the audience was to understand the production. How to do it? How to do it?

In this, the job devolved to characters in the play — although not as their characters. Instead, they would turn to the audience and give a monologue providing the necessary exposition. As an example of this, in the first scene, the Tynan character turns to the audience and says (paraphrased): “Here’s where the maid would receive a phone call where through the answers to the questions the backstory would be given. It would go like this…”, and he goes on for 5 minutes related the call and the exposition. This continued throughout the play, including announcing the intermission, and having Plowright (the only character still alive today) turn to the audience at the end and giving a recap of where every character ended up. This, to me, is poor writing. The play needs a different framing device, or additional scenes and characters to bring in this background in a more realistic fashion.

There were further book problems. Some scenes went on too long (such as the first rehearsal of Rhinoceros). More importantly, the playwright never found the right dramatic arc: at the end of the play, you need to provide redemption for some characters and comeuppance for others to provide the feeling of satisfaction… and that never happened in this incident, which was a fiasco from beginning to end. Perhaps that’s why they needed the expository bookends, but maybe this just wasn’t the right thing to dramatize. However, I must note that the middle — where the characters were being their characters — was very well written. There is the nucleus of gem here, but I think it still needs more work to polish it and get rid of some of the rough edges.

Aside from the book problems, how was the play? Acting-wise, most of the performances was excellent. I was particularly taken by the performances of Bruce McGill as Orson Wells, and Sharon Lawrence as Vivian Leigh. Lawrence’s performance in Act 2 was particularly good: she did a remarkable job of showing the manic-depressive nature of Leigh, and just shone in her scenes. McGill as Wells became the character: he had the stage presence and authority to become the man. Alas, the same could not be said of the other role requiring stage presence, Sir Lawrence Olivier, as played by Charles Shaughnessy (who most folks know as the male lead on “The Nanny”). Shaughnessy had the accent and played the role well, but just didn’t have the special something that made Olivier. Another key role in the cast was Scott Lowell, who did a good job as Kenneth Tynan — he had down the cough and meek nature of the man, but the role just isn’t a “shine” role. I also liked Libby West as Joan Plowright, but the role just didn’t allow this talented actress much to do. Rounding out the cast was Nick Cernoch as Sean, an invented minor stage hand/assistant role whose main purpose seemed to be for reaction and exposition.

On the technical side, this was the directoral debut of Damaso Rodriguez, the new associate artistic director of the Playhouse. He did OK, although there was some stiffness at time. The scenic design (a mostly backstage set, dark and dreary) was by Gary Wissmann. Costume design was by Mary Vogt, with lighting by Dan Jenkens and sound by Cricket S. Myers. Casting was by Michael Donovan, and the production was aided by dance consultant Art Manke with dialect coaching by Joel Goldes. Stage management was by Lea Chazin assisted by Hethyr Verhoef. The production continues through February 17.

As for us, the next show on the theatre calendar is “1776” at Actors Co-Op (with shutterbug93). I’m still considering whether to get tickets for something the remaining two weekends of February. The weekend of March 6-8 we’ll likely see “Grease” at Van Nuys High. Also sometime in March will be “W;t” at REP East (it runs 3/7 through 4/5). March 15 brings “Jekyll & Hyde” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, followed the next day by “Sweeney Todd” at the Ahmanson. That’s our current 1Q08 in theatre, as we know it now.

Last night, we went to see the last musical in the Pasadena Playhouse 2006 season: “Ray Charles Live”. “Ray Charles Live” tells the life story of Ray Charles Robinson Jr., better known as Ray Charles. It does this around a central conceit similar to that used in the musical “Forever Plaid”: Ray Charles has returned to record, live, the album of his life telling his life story, with the actual people in his life involved. As a result, the show takes place in a recording studio milieu, with the recording engineer off to the side, and no real scenery save for projections and costumes. As such, the central focus of the show was the man and his piano, Mr. Ray Charles.

With a show such as this, where there is no new music and the plot (being a life story) is pre-ordained, the strength is in the casting. Make a mistake there, and the show falls flat on its face. In this case, the Pasadena Playhouse team did an excellent job. Ray Charles (as the adult) was played by Brandon Victor Dixon, a strong singer and piano player who became Charles. Excellently playing the adolescent Charles was Wilkie Ferguson, while the young boy Charles was played by Jeremiah Whitfield-Pearson. Della B, the wife of Ray Charles, was played by Nikki Renee Daniels, a remarkable singer. Mary Ann Fisher, one of the original Raelettes and a notable “road wife” was played by Angela Teek. The remaining Raelettes were played by Nraca, Meloney Collins, Sylvia Maccalla, and Sabrina Sloan. Ray Charles’ mother, Retha Robinson, was played by Yvette Cason, who we last saw at the playhouse in the musical “Sisterella”. The recording engineer for the session, Tom Dowd, was playeed by Matthew Benjamin. Ray’s long-time manager, Jeff Brown, was played by Harrison White, with his later manager, Joe Adams, played by Maceo Oliver. Ray’s long-time friend and Atlantic record executive Ahmet Ertegun was played by Daniel Tatar, who was in the Playhouse production of “Last 5 Years”. Rounding out the excellent cast in the ensemble, the Ray Charles band, or other small roles were Phillip Attmore, Aaron or Christopher Brown, Tara Cook, Dionne Figgins, Matthew Koehler, Leslie Stevens, Rocklin Thompson, and Ricke Vermont.

As I said: I thought the acting was great, although at a few moments it looked like dancers were just going through the motions. At other moments, you could see the actors were really getting into their roles and enjoying what they were doing. I also enjoyed the variety of shapes and sizes: the casting director was not afraid to cast some rounder women, and to put them into dancer’s outfits. I think that was a tribute to Charles: as he noted in the show, he loved all women, and being blind, focused on other attributes.

Where the show had problems was the central conceit, and the fault for that belongs with the book writer, Suzan-Lori Parks. I can understand why she chose the approach: she had to distinguish the musical from the movie biographic, “Ray”. But in doing so, the approach distanced you from the story and made it less real. It also led to the recording engineer character having to lead Charles on to tell the story, and that was like pulling teeth. I also think the second act dragged a little: one or two numbers could have been cut or shortened, and the audience’s attention would have held a bit better. I don’t know if these problems can be corrected before the show moves to Broadway, as promised.

Ray Charles Live was directed by Sheldon Epps, who is also the artistic director of the Playhouse. This is Sheldon’s 10th year as artistic director, and he has done a great job there. My only problem is that they seem to forget the Lars Hansen era as A.D. and the excellent programs produced then. The production was choreographed by Kenneth L. Roberson, with musical supervision by Rahn Coleman, scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Carl Casella, hair by Charles G. LaPointe, video by Austin Switzer, and orchestrations by Harold Wheeler. The on-stage band was conducted by Eric “Cayenne” Butler, with Louahn Lowe (Keyboard I), Joel Scott (Keyboard II), Jack Allen (Guitar), Hilliard Wilson (Bass), Raymond Pounds (Drums), Fernando Pullam and Nolan Shaheed (Trumpets), Fred Jackson and Chalres Owen (Saxophones), and Garnett Brown on Trombone.

The production has been extended, and continues through December 23^rd.

The Pasadena Playhouse has announced its 2008 season, and many of my predictions were borne out. The season consists of “Orson’s Shadow” by Austin Pendleton; “Mask”, a musical written by Anna Hamilton Phelan with music and lyrics by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck; “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” by George Bernard Shaw; “Vanities” by Jack Heifner with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum and directed by Judith Ivey; and a surprise production to be announced.

For us, what’s next is a concert by legendary folk musician Tom Paxton at McCabes on 12/2 @ 7:30pm (that’s tonight!). Following this is the highly anticipated “The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales” at Nobel Middle School on 12/6 @ 7pm, 12/7 @ 7pm, and 12/8 @ 5pm — tickets for this donation-supported production are available at the door. On 1/5 at 2:00pm, we’re squeezing in a production (between a Bat Mitzvah service and a Bat Mitzvah reception [no, not nsshere’s]) of “The Color Purple” at the Ahmanson Theatre, followed on 1/12 by “Ain’t Misbehavin’” at Cabrillo Music Theatre.