Tag: reviews-2007

The Importance of Being Groomed

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

How does one pass on legacy and heritage? For many it is in the home; for others it is church services or fraternal groups. Craig Marberry believes that, for the African-American community, there are two institutions that service to pass on this legacy and heritage: the church, and the barber shop. He wrote about this in his book “Cuttin’ Up”, which was turned into a play of the same name, written by Charles Randolph-Wright.

Last night, we saw “Cuttin’ Up at the Pasadena Playhouse (MySpace, blog, pasadenaplayhse). The show was presented as part of the Sheldon Epps Diversity Project in co-production with the Cleveland Play House. Cuttin’ Up tells the story of Andre, a barber in his mid-40s who has moved around from barber shop to barber shop across the country. He started his career when he was 8, learning the trade from his eight older brothers and his father. As the play opens, Andre is just starting to work for Howard, a long-time barber and shop owner in his mid-70s in Pasadena. This mileau — the barber shop — is the entire set of the story. Howard has a deep respect for the role of the barber shop in the community, and especially in the African American community. We learn of this respect through the stories told as the customers pass in and out. We learn how haircuts initially played a role in slave identification. We learn how being well dressed and well groomed gives a man dignity and pride of appearance. We learned how the diverse clientel can be role models. We learn how history is transmitted. We learned how the barber shaped many important people of today (including Oprah Winfrey, whose father, Vernon Winfrey, was a barber in Nashville).

Most importantly, we learn learn this through the stories of Howard, Andre, and Rudy (the young 20-something barber). We ultimately learn why Andre has moved from city to city, and how the African-American barbershop creates a secondary family home for the community. We see that Andre has been running because he was uncomfortable with the notion of family and growing close to people: his mother left his family when he was young, and his marriages have all failed. Ultimately, though, he finds a family in Howard and the barber shop, and we see how Howard cements this family through the passing on of the barber shop legacy.

African-American barbershops as a setting are nothing new. We saw this in the 2002 movie “Barbershop”, its sequel “Barbershop 2”, and the related movie “Beauty Shop”. But these movies played for the comedy, not the message. Although “Cuttin’ Up” has a large amount of comedy, ultimately the story is about the message: the importance of this institution, the importance of the family that you make, the importance of the oral tradition, and the importance of cultural institutions. I don’t think this is just an African-American message: I think this is true for most men’s barbershops (at least if you can find one not fully staffed with young punks). The shop I go to today is this way: I love going and listening to the stories I hear. You don’t find that at a Supercuts or Fantastic Sams.

The Playhouse did an excellent job telling this story: it had the right mix of comedy and bathos to keep the audience interested, and the actors truly inhabited their characters. You could see they were having fun performing this play, and to me that is an important aspect of making any play great. I don’t like actors for whom this is just a job: everyone wins when the actors joy in telling the story is shared with the joy of the audience in seeing it. About the only problem I had was a few scenes where the dialogue just wasn’t clear enough.

The play starred Darryl Alan Reed as Andre, Adolphus Ward as Howard, and Dorian Logan as Rudy. Playing the various patrons and historical figures passing through the shop were Harvy Blanks (Kenny, Rev. Carson, Bernard), Bill Grimmette (Rev. Jenkens, Uncle, Don King, Vernon Winfrey), Iona Morris (Karen, Yvette, Sandra), Maceo Oliver (John, Jermaine, Wheeler), and Jacques C. Smith (Howard Jr., Willy, Lou). The remarkable set was designed by Michael Carnahan, with costumes by David Kay Mickelsen, lighting by Phil Monat, Sound by James C. Swonger, and casting by Michael Donovan, Elissa Myers, and Paul Fouquet. The production stage manager was Jill Gold assisted by Lea Chazin. The production was directed by Israel Hicks. It was a co-production of the Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director) and the Cleveland Play House (Michael Bloom, Artistic Director), and was originally produced the Arena Stage (Molly Smith, Artistic Director).

As I noted above, I thought the production was excellent. So did the reviewers: LA Times, Daily News, OC Register, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, or Broadway World. In fact, if I have a complaint with the show, it is not the actors but the audience. Let me explain what I mean. Whenever we go to one of Sheldon’s “Diversity” shows, it is clear the moment we step out of our cars. It is visible in the mix of the attendees. What is normally the relatively-white audience of the Playhouse darkens. The black plays tend to play to blacks; the white plays to whites–and this bothers me everytime I see it. To me, good theatre is good theatre: it is color blind. What matters is the story and the quality of the acting. I think it does a disservice when the audience self-segregates: one misses learning the richness of stories that make up this great country. I believe that everyone–white, black, brown, yellow, green, purple, aquamarine, and more–should attend live theatre–and not just stories about their culture. I don’t just go to Jewish plays or white plays; I go to all plays. The Playhouse is to be applauded for presenting plays from a wider spectrum of cultures; now if that wide spectrum of cultures could return the favor and attend regularly.

“Cuttin’ Up” continues through April 15. Go see if, if you can.

Speaking of attending plays, what’s next for us? Currently, we have nothing ticketed until June, although we are going to the So Cal Ren Faire next weekend. During the April and May lull, I’ll be looking for tickets to “Driving Miss Daisy” at REP East; and possibly tickets for “Beehive at Valley Musical Theatre… plus whatever else looks interesting on Goldstar. We’ll also be attending “The Wizard of Oz and Then Some” at Nobel Middle School in Northridge on 5/31, 6/1, and 6/3. Currently ticketed theatre starts back up in June, with “The Constant Wife” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 6/2 @ 8pm; “Side Show” at UCLA Theatre Arts on 6/9 @ 8pm; “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA on 6/16 @ 2pm. We’re on vacation the end of June in Nashville, and when we return, it is “Jersey Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre on 7/15 @ 7:30pm and “Can-Can” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 7/28 at 8:00pm. Lastly, I plan on ordering season tickets for the Ahmanson, as discussed here.

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They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway / They say there’s always magic in the air

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

There are many types of musicals. Most people are familiar with book musicals, where there is a story to tell, and songs are crafted (or selected) to advance and tell the story. Another common type of musical is the revue, which takes the songs of a particular author or group, and simply presents those songs (sometimes in little vignettes or snapshots). There are many famous and successful “revue” musicals, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Sophisticated Ladies”, “Eubie”, and specialty shows that highlight particular broadway composers, such as “Side by Side by Sondheim”.

I mention this because today we saw “Smokey Joe’s Cafe at Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks. Smokey Joe’s Cafe is a musical that celebrates the music of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. The musical started its life at the Ahmanson/Doolittle Theatre in 1994, went on to Broadway (running for five years) and an extensive a touring life. The cast albums was awarded the 1995 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album and was honored with nominations for seven 1994-1995 Tony® Awards. The songs in the show are a familiar bunch, including hits such as Poison Ivy, On Broadway, D. W. Washburn, Yakety Tak, Charlie Brown, Hound Dog, I’m A Woman, Love Potion #9, Jailhouse Rok, Spanish Harlem, and Stand By Me. As you can guess, there’s not that much true acting in the show–a production succeeds or fails based on the strength of the singing and the dancing.

Cabrillo Music Theatre (as usual) had an excellent production. The cast was very strong, featuring Stephanie Burkett Gerson, Karen McClain*, Dion Mial, Reign Morton, Niles Rivers, Michael A. Shepperd*, Leslie Spencer Smith, Alistair Tober*, and Nataly Wright. According to the Ventura County Star, Cabrillo auditioned 140 actors to fill these 9 spots. They were all strong singers, and I was particular impressed with Karen McClain (who I think we’ll see again on the Cabrillo stage), Leslie Spencer Smith, and Michael A. Shepperd (all Equity). I also watched their faces, and most were getting into their characters (and it was a joy to see them react and play with their roles in each song). Dancing wise, I was a little less impressed. Movement could have been a bit more precise (but that would come with more rehearsal), and Nataly Wright, in particular, seemed to be watching her movements instead of their being fluid and free (and this served to prevent her from getting as much into her characters). But that was a small distraction, just like the overdone eye makeup of Stephanie Gerson. Both, I’m sure, would be corrected in a longer run. You can see pictures of the cast in this review, but I don’t agree with that review’s assessment of the singing–or perhaps it was an early performance.
[* indicates Actors Equity Member]

The set was a very simple set, with some very effective sliding panels and a movable scaffold. You don’t need much for this show. The lighting didn’t serve to distract, although one piece was a little dark. Costumes were quite good.

The production was directed and choreographed by Paul David Bryant. Musical direction was by Lloyd Cooper, who conducted the 7-piece band of Lloyd Cooper (piano), John Stephens (tenor sax, baritone sax), Chris Kimbler (synthesizer keyboard), Steve Bringelson (electric bass), Brian Reardon (electric guitar), Deve Peck (percussion), and Dave Lotfi (set drums). Lighting was designed by Steven Young, sound by Jonathan Burke, and costumes by Christine Gibson. Production stage management was by Lindsay Martens assisted by Melissa Machat, with technical direction by Hugh Scott. The artistic director of CMT is Lewis Wilkenfeld, and Carole W. Nussbaum is President and CEO of CMT.

There are two more performances of Smokey Joe’s Cafe: tonight at 9pm, and tomorrow at 2pm.

Cabrillo Music Theatre has also announced their 2007-2008 season of musicals, which will consist of the following 4 shows (they’ve added a winter show): Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Oct 26-Nov 4 2007); Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Jan 4-Jan 13 2008); Jekell & Hyde: The Musical (Mar 7-Mar 16, 2008); and Singin in the Rain (Jul 25-Aug 8 2008). Prices have gone up significantly: our balcony tickets which were $11/ticket/show back in 2001 and $14/ticket/show last year have gone up to $24/ticket/show (meaning last year’s $126 subscription will cost $288 this year). I’m guessing that attendance has gone down (less kid-oriented shows and old chestnuts); this might also explain why they have a new publicity team. As this team puts some of their other theatres up on Goldstar, perhaps we’ll see Cabrillo finally have a decent website and be listed on Goldstar.

As for us, what’s coming next? Next up is “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. We’re at the Southern California Renaissance Faire on Saturday, April 14. After that, the next currently ticketed show is “The Constant Wife” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 6/2 @ 8pm, followed by “Side Show” at UCLA Theatre Arts on 6/9 @ 8pm. After that it’s “Jersey Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre on 7/15 @ 7:30pm and “Can-Can” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 7/28 at 8:00pm. But I expect to be augmenting this list with tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (on sale 4/15); tickets to “Driving Miss Daisy” at REP East; possibly tickets for “Beehive at Valley Musical Theatre… plus whatever else looks interesting on Goldstar. I must also plug the performance of “The Wizard of Oz and Then Some” on 5/31, 6/1, and 6/3 at Nobel Middle School in Northridge, but more on that in a future post. Lastly, I plan on ordering season tickets for the Ahmanson, as discussed here.

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Looking Back on Two Relationships

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

[Note: Click here for all REP East reviews]

Back when I was in school, tests often required one to compare and contrast. This came to mind today as we saw “The Last 5 Years” at the REP East (MySpace) in Newhall, for last July we saw “The Last 5 Years” at The Pasadena Playhouse. For those unfamiliar with the show, The Last 5 Years tells the story of a marriage that didn’t work.This is done with an interesting plot device: she tells the story from the breakup to the first meeting, while he tells the story from the first meeting to the breakup. She and He alternate songs, meeting only in the middle (the marriage).

In my prior review, I took the opportunity to compare and contrast “The Last 5 Years” with another marriage musical, “I Do! I Do!”. The former is about a marriage that fails; the latter is about one that works. Back then, I hypothesized that Jamie and Kathy’s marriage failed because they were more married to their careers than each other. There was a lack of cross-dependency and caring that was present in the successful marriage of Michael and Agnes (from “I Do! I Do!”). I think this came across even more in the REP East production, perhaps because of the more intimate nature of the venue. The focus of Jamie and Kathy were their careers, and neither was willing to sacrifice that (or anything, for that matter) for the other. Instead, they built up defense, and as Kathy sang, “…once the foundation is cracked…”

Today’s performance brought up a different compare and contrast. In this case, we had two productions of the same show: one in a venue (the Pasadena Playhouse) that seats 688 with a moderately large stage. The other venue (REP East) was much smaller: a seating capacity of 81, with a much smaller stage. Given the same quality of actors (which was true in this case–more on that later), which venue worked better. Surprisingly, for “The Last 5 Years”: REP East. Even with prerecorded music and much simpler sets, the closeness of the actors to the audience made the connection much more palpable, and brought out the emotion much more. I think that such small musicals (casts of 2-6) do much much better in the small venues; they get lost in the mid-size venues, and would pointless in the order-of-magnitude larger venues such as the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, the Ahmanson, or the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. I’m very pleased that REP East chose this show.

Of course, casting it right also helps. The REP East did that as well. The role of Jamie was played by Jarod Scott (MySpace); the role of Kathy was played by Jill Kocalis (MySpace). Both were extremely strong singers… and they also got into the parts. You could tell by their performance, for it was believable that they were inhabiting the characters. In fact, I can show you, for REP East has actually put up a promo up on YouTube:

I thought the staging of the production was excellent given the limited size of the performance space (although I wasn’t sure about all the Dali-ish clocks on the set). The volume of the music could have been tweaked down slightly, as at one or two points it was difficult to hear the artist. But that’s something that varies day-to-day and may be seat dependent, so it is hard to balance.

On the technical side, the crew consisted of George Cummings as Director/Musical Orchestration, Kelly Hardy and Katie Mitchell as Stage Managers, Ryan Todd as Costume Designer, Tim Christianson as Resident Lighting Designer, and Steven “Nanook” Burkholder doing Sound Design. Vocal Direction was by Herbert Pabon, Set Design was by Mikee Schwinn and Phillip Peck. Jan Marie Rennels was a Creative Consultant. As always, Ovington Michael Owston was Artistic Director and Mikee Schwinn also served as the Theatre Manager.

“The Last 5 Years” runs through April 7. If you get a chance, go see it. Tickets are also available via Goldstar Events.

As always, we’re looking forward to the next REP East production, which will be “Driving Miss Daisy” This should be extra interesting, as I have a distant familial connection to the Wertham Family in Nashville. “Driving Miss Daisy” runs May 18 through June 16.

As for us? Things are starting to wind down. Next up is “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm, followed by “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. After that, the next ticketed show is “The Constant Wife” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 6/2 @ 8pm, followed by “Jersey Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre on 7/15 @ 7:30pm and “Can-Can” at The Pasadena Playhouse on 7/28 at 8:00pm. But I expect to be augmenting this list with tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA; tickets to “Driving Miss Daisy” at REP East; possibly tickets for “Beehive at Valley Musical Theatre… plus whatever else looks interesting on Goldstar. I must also plug the performance of “The Wizard of Oz and Then Some” on 5/31, 6/1, and 6/3 at Nobel Middle School in Northridge, but more on that in a future post. Lastly, I plan on ordering season tickets for the Ahmanson, as discussed here.

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I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party… but Do You Want To Know A Secret?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Back in the mid-1990’s, there was a little production company in Moorpark, California called the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama and Vaudeville Company. The MMMV was a home-grown company, established in 1982 by Kurt Aiken. In 1987, he sold it in 1987 to Linda Bredemann, who made a reasonable success of the MMMV until her husband’s health began to decline. Unfortunately, without her strong marketing skills and due to the changes made by third parties, it met with bankruptcy in 1998, and the MMMV was no more. Larry Janss purchased the theater in 2001, and it went through a succession of attempts at restoration until purchased by the City of Moorpark in 2005. It is now operated by the High Street Theatre Foundation.

This is all a form of introduction, for the MMMV is back (minus the “V”). They brought back melodramas in 2006, and we decided to give the new company a try. The current production is “The Beatles Slept Here,” and was performed at The Secret Garden restaurant, because the Theatre on High Street was unavailable for the show g(they were renovating in January (the original dates), and now the theatre is occupied with “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)”.

The original MMMV had an established company: they knew the art of melodrama, they knew how to play melodrama. That was their expertese, and they justified the first “M” (magnificent). Today’s company is still a work in progress. Some of them had the melodrama down right; some were clear professionals; and some could use some work. They had many of the old elements of the show in place: the hokey introduction, singing birthdays and anniversaries at the break, and the actors serving food at intermission. They did cut out some parts, such as doing the hokey-pokey, and seeing where people were from (“Somis”).

So what was the plot? You want a plot, call Calcomp. No, seriously, there was a plot. The story was about the Penny Lane Hotel, where the Beatles obsensibly slept in 1964 when their bus broke down (back when High Street was named Penny Lane). There was the rotund owner of the hotel (Sgt. Paprika) and his assistant (Eleanor) (“yea!”). There were the teens (Lizzie, Hillary, Brenda, and Jude) (future “Humina-Humina-Humina”) attempting to raise money for the hospital by holding a raffle. There was the evil sister of the owner (Clarabelle Little) (“boo, hiss”), attempting to get her cohort, Dr. Robert (“boo, hiss”) to declare her brother crazy, so she could have the hotel. There was the Beatles Fan Club, a bunch of 40-50ish ladies (Lucy Lawson, Honey, Julia, and Salley) holding a party in the hotel (“humina, humina, humina”, depending on taste). There was the art thief (Mean Mr. Mustard) (“boo, hiss”) and his cohorts Mink (“boo”), Jinx (“hiss”), and Finx (“humina, humina, humina”). There were the punk teens, dressed up as the Beatles (Cheerie/George), Stretch/John, Clovis/Paul, and Lippie/Ringo) to drive Paprika crazy. And there was the dumb detective (Detective Johnny B Goode) to confuse things more. You can find another summary in this review.

As I said, not much of a plot… and even worse, the melodramatic aspects didn’t work well. There wasn’t enough humina-humina-humina to go around (the Beatles-fans were in their late 40s/50s… and the rest were younger teens (<18)), nor was there a clear hero to cheer for. You need that... not just a villain. The location also didn’t help: there was lots of outside noise, including Amtrak, trucks, sirens, and a rooster or two. I do believe the cast tried hard, but the material and locale let them down. The crowd also didn’t seem to be a melodrama crowd (except for a few that “humina-humina-humina”-ed the villainess instead of booing, which was great). Most of the crowd didn’t participate and play with the actors--and that’s what makes a melodrama fun. Speaking of the cast, they do deserve credit. The cast featured Sonje Fortag (and yes, her nose was real) [Eleanor]; Ken Jones [Sgt. Paprika]; Savvy Pletcher [Lizzie]; Amanda Schaible [Hillary]; Kaitie Reimbold [Brenda]; Presley [Jude]; Rosemary Moffat [Clarabelle Little]; Ron Rosen [Dr. Robert]; Robin Powell [Cheerie]; John Kuhn [Stretch]; Cory Fromm [Clovis]; Natalie Kovacs [Lippie]; Chris Carnicelli [Mean Mr. Mustard]; Larry Haney [Minx]; Cesar Augusto Tarquino [Jinx]; Reesha Gulati Tuomi [Finx]; Elizabeth Lauritsen [Lucy]; Robyn Rothstein [Julia]; Susan Nicoletti [Honey]; Patricia Adrian [Honey]; Erica Kuhn [Sally]; Mike Moffat [Johnny B Goode]; Kendra Jones; Gergory Fromm; Spencer Pletcher. The show was directed by Allan Hunt, with musical direction by Robert Brandzel. The show was produced by Reesha Gulati Tuomi.

Will we go back to the Moorpark Melodrama? Perhaps… it depends on the show. I think only a traditional melodrama would be viable.

Next up on the theatre calendar: “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12; HotTix on 5/4 or after).

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A new world calls across the ocean… A new world calls across the sky…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Many years ago, I saw a show at the Ahmanson Theatre by Bob Fosse called “Dancin’”. This show opened with an actor coming on stage, and telling the audience not to bother to look for a plot… the show was just about Dancin’.

Tonight, we saw Songs for a New World at the ELATE Lincoln Stegman Theatre. Don’t go looking for a plot. This show is 100% about the wonderful music of Jason Robert Brown. The show, which was originally mounted in 1995, is pure and simply a musical review. It was Jason Robert Brown’s first produced show. It features wonderful music, such as The Stars and the Moon (MP3 link).

ELATE did a wonderful job of the show. Their setup was as the “New World Cafe” and these were patrons telling their story, but that was just an excuse for four excellent performers to sing their hearts out. These performers were: Steve Niccoli, Sean Bishop, Debbie Lowe Smith, and Kathy Villanueva. None of these folks have extensive credits, but boy could they sing. Although the Tolucan Times liked Lowe Smith, we were most impressed by both Sean Bishop and Kathy Villanueva. These two had great pipes (Bishop had a great tenor voice), but they were also really into the show, and we enjoyed watching their facial expression and movement. Lowe Smith seemed a little off and distracted, although a cough at one point made me think that might be due to a slight cold. Steve Niccoli was also great, and seemed really into things. A note for shutterbug93: Based on her bio, it looks like Villanueva hails from Hawai’i–something you don’t see that often. One other reason to be impressed by Bishop and Villanueva: based on their writing during the show, they are both left-handed folks!

The show was directed by Michael McCambridge. Richard Berent provided musical direction for the band consisting of Berent on the keyboard (we learned he also used to do music for the Triple-M-and-V), with John Harvey on drums, and Jeff Thorsen on bass. The show was produced by Deb Johnsen and Marty McCambridge, and was a production of ELATE.

A few production notes: I did see a few late lighting miscues, and there was one set nit that bothered me. As I noted above, the show was theorized as a cafe with the patrons telling their story (which is different than the original approach, which was more of an open set). The door of the cafe had a “Open” sign that, during the show, read “Open” towards the audience. This was wrong: it needed to read “Open” to external patrons–if it was open to the outside, the inside version of the sign would read “Closed”. As I said… a nit.

A bit about the venue. ELATE is a ministry of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. First, the notion of a church with a theatre ministry is fascinating–I’m curious how it brings folks to the congregation. The congregation itself has a neat history, going back over 60 years. For example, this was the famous drive-in church in the valley. Going back to ELATE… The show is performed in the 73-seat basement of the church, the Lincoln Stegman theatre. This was originally built as a discussion space. It is a small stage, with no real side nor backstage. They did a remarkable job with what they had, but the space necessarily limited the scope of potential productions. Even given that, thought, they appear to have been doing productions in the space since 1991 (perhaps even since 1984, but 1984-1990 may not have been as ELATE). For those that were there in the past, I should note they have new seats, recently rescued from the Orange Cinedome.

In any case, ELATE seems to be a unique and interesting production team. I think we’ll try more of their productions.

What’s next on the calendar… a few more shows until we get into quiet April. Tomorrow we see “The Beatles Slept Here” (a Moorpark Melodrama from the High Street Theatre Foundation) at the Secret Garden Restaurant (tickets) at 1:30pm; “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12; HotTix on 5/4 or after).

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That Big Bad Music Makes Me Go Insane

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I’m not a kid anymore. My ears are still ringing.

The last time I went to a true rock concert was sometime in the early 1980s: I went to go see Dan Fogelberg at the Forum. Other than that, my concert going has been much quieter: Peter, Paul, and Mary; Tom Paxton; the Austin Lounge Lizards; or Shep Cooke just don’t play loud enough to bring the house down.

So, I wasn’t really prepared for tonight. What was that you said? I still can’t hear you.

Tonight, we went to the CSUN Performing Arts Center to hear and see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. For those not familiar with BBVD, they are a contemporary swing band from Southern California that tours around the world. Led by Scott Morris (vocals and guitar), the band consists of Kurt Sodergren (drums and percussion), Dirk Shumaker (string bass), Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone), Glen “The Kid” Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (saxophone and clarinet), Joshua Levy (piano), Anthony Bonsera (trumpet), and Alex Henderson (trombone). As you can imagine with all that brass, they were LOUD. But sometimes, loud is good.

I didn’t note all the songs they did, but they did 90+ minutes straight through, all heavy brass swing. It included stuff from their first album, the holiday album, and their latest New Orleans tinged album. It was wonderful. It made me wish I could swing dance (in fact, I think it is something I might explore for exercise). Making the show even more energetic was the fact they were playing to a home crowd. Three of the band are CSUN graduates, and they all hail from this area.

All in all, it was a great evening (other than a whiney 12-year-old when we got home — the teen truck has definately hit). Now if my ears would just return to normal!

So, what’s next on the theatre calendar? “Songs for a New World” at the ELATE Lincoln Stegman Theatre on Sat Mar 17th @ 8pm; “The Beatles Slept Here” (a Moorpark Melodrama from the High Street Theatre Foundation) at the Secret Garden Restaurant (tickets) on Sun Mar 18th at 1:30pm; “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12; HotTix on 5/4 or after).

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Of Music and Lyrics Are Relationships Made…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Many years ago… back in 1978, to be precise… I saw the world premier of “They’re Playing Our Song” at the Ahmanson Theatre, with Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz as the leads. It is a show I’ve always enjoyed; the cast albums is always a joy to listen to. Today, I saw it again in the Valley Musical Theatre production at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

For those unfamiliar with They’re Playing Our Song, it is a musical with book by Neil “Doc” Simon, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Carol Bayer Sager. The story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, through the characters Vernon Gersch (a composer, in need of a new lyricist) and Sonia Walsk (a lyricist, coming off a bad breakup). They are attracted to each other, but are clearly opposites in character and temprament. Of course, given the nature of musicals, they come together and fall apart and come together again in humorous Neil Simon ways. Each of the two characters has a group of backup singers that represent the internal voices (although all they do is sing). That’s basically it: the humorous love story of Vernon and Sonia.

VMT (myspace) did an excellent job with this piece. Vernon Gersch was played by Scott Waara*, who was great… and far superior to the original Vernon (for one thing… he could sing!). I found him to be very warm and compelling as an actor, and he hit the comedy notes quite well. Sonia Walsk was played by Vicki Lewis*. Vicki did quite well on playing the quirky Sonia, although I slightly preferred the original, Lucie Arnaz, for the songs–Vicki had a few points where her phrasing or breaths were off. She did have a strong singing voice, though, and other than the occasional off-breath, was a pleasure to listen to. Vernon’s chorus consisted of Chris Ciccarelli, Jay A. Donnell, and Geoffrey Kidwell. Sonia’s chorus consisted of Seana Harris, Shanon Mari Mills, and Anna Perilo. Both choruses did what they were supposed to do–sing, provide the occasional funny look, and move scenery when appropriate–but they did not have distinct character.
[* indicates Actors Equity Members]

The show had a scenic design by Brett J. Banakis and Lighting by John E.D. Bass, and both were effective for the small stage at the El Portal. Costumes were by Thomas G. Marquez, sound by Philip G. Allen, and casing by Michael Donovan Casting. The music was directed and conducted by John Randall, and the production was directed and choreographed by Dan Mojica. Stage management was by Lindsay Martens with assistance from Brianne Levine. All did a great job.

This was the first production of the first formal season of the Valley Musical Theatre under the Executive Direction of Ronn Goswick. We had fun talking with Ronn after the show, and congratulating him on how great the show was. This is a new musical theatre group in Los Angeles; they deserve your support. Of course, I must also acknowledge their wonderful webmistress, our own shutterbug93.

There was one interesting aspect to this production. Ronn had arranged for a group from the DCA High School Show Choir to attend the show. He indicated that he likes to introduce youth to the arts, and has a regular program of having local schools attend Wednesday morning performances. Anyway, the DCA group seemed like a reasonable bunch of kids, and were enjoying the show… but at intermission, they all got up and left. I’m guessing the issue was the content, for there was (heaven forfend) an unmarried couple sleeping together. I feel sad for these kids having such a sheltered life–even Jesus was out in the real world, even if he didn’t approve of it all.

They’re Playing Our Song continues at Valley Musical Theatre until next Sunday, March 11th. The rest of their season looks good: the return of Beehive (April 20-May 6); Baby (Sep 21-Oct 7); and Little Shop of Horrors (Nov 30-Dec 16). I’d explore season tickets, but the narrow window of shows makes Goldstar more practical for scheduling purposes.

As for us, were in the March Madness that is our theatre calendar. Next up is a concert: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at CSUN on Sat, Mar 10th @ 8pm. Following that, we’re back to theatre: “Songs for a New World” at the ELATE Lincoln Stegman Theatre on Sat Mar 17th @ 8pm; “The Beatles Slept Here” (a Moorpark Melodrama from the High Street Theatre Foundation) at the Secret Garden Restaurant (tickets) on Sun Mar 18th at 1:30pm; “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12). As I said… a busy, busy, theatre spring.

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Millie, Take 2

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

This afternoon, we trundled out to Simi Valley to see Thoroughly Modern Millie (myspace) again. I say “again”, because we last saw TMM at the Ahmanson Theatre in June 1994 2004. Back then, I thoroughly enjoyed the singing and dancing, but noted the plot problems the show had. However, we didn’t bring nsshere to the show with us… and since then, she’s grown enamored of the music. So, when I saw a production at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, it was off to Goldstar to get tickets.

For those not familiar with the show, the stage version of Millie is a remake of the 1967 film starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing. A few songs were kept from the movie, and some original songs by Dick Scanlan and (lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music) were added. The musical maintains the basic story line of the movie but, in an effort to be politically correct, tones down many of the stereotypical traits associated with the Asian characters in the film. The plot revolves around Millie Dillmount, who escapes to New York City from Salina, Kansas determined to marry her wealthy boss – whomever he may be. Shedding her country girl image for the modern look of a “flapper,” she takes a room at the Priscilla Hotel for Women and gets a job as a stenographer at the Sincere Trust Insurance Company. In short time, she finds herself involved with Jimmy Smith, an apparently ne’er-do-well paper clip salesman, Miss Dorothy Brown, a genteel aspiring actress who never seems to have spare change, Trevor Graydon, her no-nonsense boss, and Muzzy van Hossmere, a madcap Manhattan heiress with a zest for the high life. The Priscilla Hotel proves to be a front for a white slavery ring, headed by Mrs. Meers, the property’s proprietor, and her two bumbling Asian henchmen. Her ideal target is an attractive orphaned girl with no family who won’t be missed if she suddenly disappears. Millie, who gets mail from home on a regular basis, is hardly a likely candidate, but Miss Dorothy (as she insists she be called), who hasn’t a soul in the world, is perfect. Of course, there are various complications in the love story, but things all work out well in the end.

So, how did the Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi do? For a community theatre, not bad at all. Let’s go area by area.

For the most part, the casting was excellent. Particular kudos go to Anna Desiree Graves (Millie Dilmount) who did a fantabulous job. This lady is a triple threat: she sings well, she acts well, and she dances great… and her enthusiasm comes across. I think she’ll go far. Also worthy of note was Rosemary Blankson (Muzzy van Hossmere), who was another triple threat. I was also impressed with Ryan Neely (Trevor Graydon), who showed a remarkable comic side (and who reminded us of an older version of one of our favorites, Kevin Earley, who played the role at the Ahmanson on Broadway [thanks, shutterbug93]). Alas, the casting was a bit off for Jimmy Smith: although Cameron Fife was a remarkable actor and dancer, his voice wasn’t quite in the range needed for the songs… and as a result, a few notes were off. Other main players in the cast included Farley Cadena (Mrs. Meers), Chris Hsu (Ching Ho), Marla McClure (Miss Dorothy Brown), and Mel Wong (Bun Foo). The ensemble, playing various not-explicitly-named roles, included Jenna Davi, Rachel K. Evans, Jennifer Fenten, Michael Robin Garcia, Wendy Kenney, Matthew Lawrence, Ian Loveall, Austin Miller, Michelle Pariso, Tania Possick, Gillian Samhamel, Alison Siegel, Corey Slack, Jessica Stone, and Rodrigo Roman Suarez.

Moving to the technical side of things. This is a small theatre, and the 8-piece orchestra (under the musical direction of Gary Poirot) did an excellent job, with one exception: the trumpet player. He didn’t quite make all of his notes, and the ones he didn’t make were painful. I think this show really needs more than one horn, and a slightly larger musical section would have worked better. The set design by David Daniels was reasonable for the stage size, and I particularly liked the integration of the projector. Costume design was by Ben Kahookele and Shon Le Blanc, and was reasonable except for Mille’s outfit at the top of Act 2: the yellow T-shirt-ish top served to focus the attention on her (ummm) chest, and not her excellent singing and dancing. The costume needed to be more in the 1920’s slinky style. The production was produced and directed by Jan Glasband and David Daniels, with choreography by Seth Kamenow and Kristina Stieffel. Technical direction and lighting design was by Christian West, and the stage was managed by Kaelia Franklin.

Surprisingly, for all the credits in the playbill, the most important ones were left off. The book was by Richard Morris (from his original screenplay for the 1967 film of the same name), and most (but not all) music and lyrics were by Dick Scanlan (lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music). The production runs through April 1, 2007.

So, will we go back to the Simi Cultural Arts Center? Quite likely, depending on the show. For a community theatre, they did a reasonable job, and they seem have a good set of musicals in their repertoire. We’re not that interested that much in the remainder of the 2007 season, as we’ve seen The Wizard of Oz and Ragtime.

As for us, the theatre calendar for the next few weeks is getting quite busy indeed: “They’re Playing Our Song” at Valley Musical Theatre on Sat Mar 3rd @ 2pm; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at CSUN on Sat, Mar 10th @ 8pm; “Songs for a New World” at the ELATE Lincoln Stegman Theatre on Sat Mar 17th @ 8pm; “The Beatles Slept Here” (a Moorpark Melodrama from the High Street Theatre Foundation) at the Secret Garden Restaurant (tickets) on Sun Mar 18th at 1:30pm; “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12). As I said… a busy, busy, theatre spring.

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