Tag: reviews-2009

Putting a Stamp on the Theatre

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

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 æ 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.

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Tap Your Troubles Away

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I’m always a sucker for a good tap dance. I’m even more a sucker for a tap dance when you have a stage full of girls and guys doing the tapping. Combine that with great music, and I’m happy. I mention this because… I was happy last night.

Perhaps I should clarify. Last night we saw “42nd Street” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. “42nd Street” is part of that subgenre of musicals I would call “Theatre” musicals: that is, they are an homage to the lore and legend of the theatre. Others in this category include “Curtains”, “Minksys”, “Me and Juliet”, and “Follies”. “42nd Street” is an adaptation of the 1933 Busby Berkeley movie musical of the same name. The story takes place during the depression, when famed director Julian Marsh (played in the first Broadway production by Jerry Ohrbach) returns to the theatre to mount a big musical called “Pretty Lady”. The musical follows the process from first audition to opening night, and features the large cast of tappers, the newcomer from Allentown PA who can dance and sing a storm, gets into the chorus, trips the lead star (breaking the star’s ankle), and then goes on to replace her and save the show.

Oh, you want a more detailed summary? Here’s the one adapted from Wikipedia: Read More …

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You Don’t Have To Be Crazy To Attend A Play Like This

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night, we went to see “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Rep East Playhouse in Saugus. Wow. I’ll never look at their artistic director in the same light again.

Perhaps I should back up. “One Flew” focuses on the antics of the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy, a happy-go-lucky transferee from a prison work farm to a mental hospital. Having been found guilty on a battery charge, McMurphy fakes insanity to serve out his sentence in the hospital. This particular ward of the hospital is run by the buttoned-up, tyrannical Nurse Ratched and her three black orderlies. The ward consists of a variety of patients: Chief Bromden, a large silent Native American who appears to be deaf and dumb, but really hates himself; Dale Harding, the president of the patients; Billy Bibbit, a young man who lives in fear of his mother; Charles A. Cheswick III, a loud patient; Frank Scanlon, who loves explosives; Anthony Martini, who loves explosives; and Mr. Ruckly, the silent post-lobotomy patient. After arriving, McMurphy constantly antagonizes Nurse Ratched, upsets the routines, and incites the patients. Betting on himself, McMurphy tries and fails to lift a heavy electrical control box. He runs a card table, captains the ward’s basketball team, comments on Nurse Ratched’s figure, incites the other patients on the ward to conduct a vote on watching the World Series on television, and plans for a patient party. The Chief, opening up to McMurphy due to the latter’s rebellion, reveals late one night that he can speak and hear. McMurphy presents a discipline problem and challenge to Nurse Ratched’s authority, and the two become engaged in a power struggle. A disturbance after the World Series results in McMurphy and the Chief being sent for electroshock therapy sessions, but even this experience does little to tamp down McMurphy’s rambunctious behavior. One night, after bribing the night orderly, McMurphy breaks into the pharmacy and smuggles bottles of liquor and two prostitute girlfriends onto the ward. McMurphy persuades one of the women to seduce Billy Bibbit, so that he can lose his virginity. Nurse Ratched interrups the party, and the play then runs to its conclusion (which I won’t reveal, although you can search it out).

Good plays are plays that demonstrate growth in their characters during the progress of these play. The lack of this growth is why many plays, and most jukebox musicals, are unsatisfying. In this play, we see significant growth, but not from the main characters. McMurphy comes in an antagonizing agent, and attempts to remain that way throughout the play. Ratched comes in a power authoritarian figure, and remains that way until the end. However, what we see is the effect of these two catalysts on the patients. We see how McMurphy’s energy and rebellions revitalizes the patients, and how Ratched’s authority beats them down. In particular, we see significant growth in Hardin, Bibbit, Cheswick, and Chief Bromden). Is this a metaphor for the youth generation (the story was written by Ken Kesey in 1959, the play was adapted from the story by Dale Wasserman in 1963, and the Oscar-winning movie version was relelased in 1975). Is this telling us the importance of rebellion against authority in our lives? Certainly it is demonstrating that we shoudn’t go meekly into that night, and those who appear crazy around us might actually be the sanest individuals.

Now, at the start of this review, I indicated it made me see “O”, the artistic director, in a new light. That’s because Ovington Michael Owston (known to his friends as “O”) , who is the artistic director of the REP, also played Randle P. McMurphy, . “O” played crazy to such perfection you might think he was crazy in real life (but trust me, we know him, and he isn’t… at least we think he isn’t). Seriously, “O” was excellent as McMurphy and came across perfectly as an unpredictable loose cannon in the ward, and you didn’t know whether he was crazy, or it was all just an act (and after that towel scene, you’ll definately see him in a new light).

Battling McMurphy was Laura Clark Greaver as Nurse Ratched. A small women, she just exuded power from her performance, and was an able match for McMurphy’s craziness. The two made an interesting team.

The remainder of the ward consisted of the following folks, all of whom gave excellent performances. As Chief Bromden, Michael Bruce (who we last saw as Lenny in Of Mice and Men) gave a great strong and silent performance, except when his rage overtook him. His character was one who saw the most growth, and Michael portrayed it well. Jeff Harman as Dale Harding, the President of the Patient’s Council, also exhibited great character growth, and I loved his calming persona. Anderson Reid as Billy Bibbit, the vulnerable stutterer, also inhabited the character and ran with it. Others in the ward included Brad Sergiæ (Charles A. Cheswick III), Skip Pipo (Frank Scanlon), Jeff Lucas (Anthony Martini), and Dave Forster (Mr. Ruckley).
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

Turning to the hospital supporting staff, which had much smaller roles, we had Gregor Mannsæ as Aide Williams, Eric Bush as Aide Warren, Tyrone “Tippy” Washington as Aide Turkle (although the program lists him as Steve Hubbell, a character he played in a past show), Amber Van Loon as Nurse Flinn, and Jymn Magon as Dr. Spivey. Rounding out the cast were Ryann Turner as Candy Starr, Hilary Barraford as Sandra.

The production was directed by Mikee Schwinn, who did an excellent job in bringing out the craziness in his actors. But I mean that in a good way.

I’m always amazed at what the REP does with its small black-box space. This time, Jeff Hyde turned the REP stage into the asylum, with hulking electrical boxes, a full bathroom, an aged nurse’s station, and in general the look of a worn dayroom. The lighting by Tim Christianson was remarkable: a mixture of stage lighting, realistic lighting, and stuff you can’t even name that created the effective mood. Nanook Burkholder, the regular sound designer, dug into his back of sounds for excellent effects including transformer hums, relay thumps, and stuff I can’t even name. This was an excellent technical team, all overseen by Johnny Schwinn, the stage manager.

“One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” continues through April 11th. Tickets are available through the REP website, Goldstar Events, and LAStageTix… although get your tickets quickly, the show is rapidly selling out.

Upcoming Theatre: Our next production is April 4 @ 2pm, when we see “42nd Street” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. 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 Southern California Renaissance Faire and possibly 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 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 likely to switch to “Fat Pig” in their “81 series”. Lastly, June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. We might also explore “Little Woman: The Musical” at the Lyric Theatre (3/19 – 4/26), depending on whether it fits into the schedule (and I note they are doing “Once Upon a Mattress afterwards (5/14-6/21)). Quite an ambitious theatrical spring.

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“It’s Not Illegal When The President Does It”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Do those words sound familiar? Do they sound like they could have been uttered by a recent administration? Well history must have a way of repeating itself, for I’m actually referring to their reference by our president in the late 1960s: Richard M. Nixon.

I mention this because this afternoon we went down to the Ahmanson Theatre to see the Donmar Warehouse production of “Frost/Nixon”, written by Peter Morgan. This was not the recent movie, but the original stage production that inspired it. In the titular roles were Bob Ari as President Nixon (filling in for an ailing Stacey Keach) and Alan Cox as David Frost.

This play tells the story of the famous interviews between David Frost, a British talk-show host, and President Richard Nixon, who resigned the presidency after the Watergate coverup. It begins with that resignation and Frost’s invitation to the President for a sit-down interview. It continues through the negotiations for the interview, with the bulk of the play being the interview sessions themselves. Through it all, there is continued commentary by Jim Reston (Brian Sgambati). We learn how both Frost and Nixon were looking to the interviews to rehabilitate or change their images. Frost succeeded. Nixon never did, and although the interview started soft, by the end Nixon finally admitted his mistakes, that he might have gone too far, but that he never thought of his actions as illegal. Hubris comes before a fall.

Although the end of the show was good, the beginning was slow (in fact, for some reason I was quite drowsy during the first interview segment, but perhaps that was because the Ahmanson was stuffy). I should also note that the theatre was the emptiest I have ever seen for the Ahmanson. It looked like the top top balcony was empty, and fully one-third of the orchestra was empty. This show is not drawing well: I don’t know if that is due to Keach’s illness or the movie.

As noted above, the lead cast was very good (all cast bios). Rounding out the Frost team were Antony Hagopian (John Birt) and David Sitler (Bob Zelnick). On the Nixon staff were Ted Koch (Jack Brennan) and Noel Velez (Manolo Sanchez). Other cast members were Roxanna Hope (Caroline Cushing), Meghan Andrews (Evonne Goolagong), Peter Hilton (Ensemble), Tamara Lovatt-Smith (Ensemble), Stephen Rowe (Swifty Lazar/Mike Wallace), Kelly McGrath (Ensemble). All actors are members of æ Actors Equity.

Turning to the technical side. The set (designed by Christopher Oram) was very simple: basically wood paneling and chairs. The lighting design by Neil Austin was primarily lit from above and behind, with minimal obtrusive spot use. Videos were designed by Jon Driscoll. Sound design was by Adam Cork. Costumes were by Christopher Oram, with hair and wigs by Richard Mawbey. The production stage manager was J. P. Elins, with Timpothy Eaker as stage manager and Kelly McGrath assisting him. The production was directed by Michael Grandage.

“Frost/Nixon” continues at the Ahmanson until March 29, 2009.

Upcoming Theatre: Our next production is March 28 @ 8pm, when we see “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. 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 likely to switch to “Fat Pig” in their “81 series”. Lastly, June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Quite an ambitious theatrical spring.

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What Do You Feed Your Plants?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night, we went to the second performance of “Little Shop of Horrors”, presented by “Actors in Action” and the Performing Arts Magnet at Van Nuys High School. Going in I was familiar with the music from Little Shop, but had only seen the screen version of the musical and read the synopsis of the stage version. The translation of this being that I was not in a position to detect the minutae of missed cues: I was looking at the presentation wholistically.

For those unfamilar with the story, Little Shop is a retelling of the “classic” 1960 Roger Corwin film, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and book by Howard Ashman. It tells the story of Seymour Krelborn, who works in Mushnik’s Flower Shop, a failing store on Skid Row. The shop is run by Mr. Mushnik, Seymour, and Audrey. Business is off, well, OK, there is no business, and Seymour suggest displaying his new exotic plant, which he has named Audrey II. Of course the strange plant draws customers and business is soon booming. In celebration Mushnik invites Seymour and Audrey out on the town, but Audrey has a date with her boyfriend, the sadistic dentist, Orin Scrivello. Seymour also declines and stays behind to tend to the suddenly ailing Audrey II. That night, alone in the shop, he discovers the shocking secret to the plant’s health and phenomenal growth: human blood. Seymour encourages the plant’s growth by pricking his fingertips and feeding Audrey II his own blood. This only lasts for a few days, however, and the meager drops of blood aren’t enough for the quickly growing plant. Finally, late one night the plant grows bold and speaks: “feed me.” Eventually, after the nitrous-addicted dentist laughs himself to death, Seymour does. This permits Seymour to confess his love to Audrey. However, Mushnik witnessed Seymour’s crime and threatens to turn him… and so the plant gets fed again. But the ethics of the situation gets to him and he decides to flee. Before Seymour can complete his plan, however, the plant mortally wounds Audrey. Dying, she requests that she be fed to the plant, so she can become a part of it and always be near Seymour. As the music swells, Seymour feeds her to Audrey II, which at last reveals its ultimate plans–nothing less than world domination. Seymour makes one last attempt to kill the plant but fails. In the end, he too is devoured. The singers, joined now by the faces of the dead characters, warn that Audrey II and other alien plants have begun to devour the world one city at a time–starting with Cleveland… (note that the movie wimps out, and Seymour lives).

Van Nuys made one slight change in the story: they cast a woman as Mr. Mushnick, and changed the character to Mrs. Mushnick. Personally, I wish they had made one other change: in the song “Somewhere That’s Green”, they should have changed the word “Levittown” to something that kids today in the San Fernando Valley would understand. I’d suggest “Panorama City”, but it wouldn’t scan.

Anyway, on to the production. The leads in the program were extremely strong in their singing abilities. I really have to give strong kudos to Sean Scott, a 9th grader in his first VNHS show, and Ashlyn Kilham, a 10th grader in her second VNHS show for their songs. I thought their acting was also quite good, although not yet up to professional standard. Give them time–this is only high school. The Rhonettes were a mixed bag: the lead singer Stephanie Hoston (Rhonette) was wonderful, a senior who has performed at venues such as Citywalk and the House of Blues. Lisa Lee (Chiffon), another senior, sang alright, but kept being off on the choreography. Freshman Christina Soldano (Crystal) was a bit weaker on the singing and the choreography. It’s hard to judge this greek chorus on their acting — I’ll look closer when we see the show again next week. [ETA a week later: My original impression was right: the only strong one in the trio was Hoston. Both Lee and Soldano were weak in the choreography, and had trouble with the high notes in the singing.] Also in lead, but unseen roles, were Raymond Adrian as Audrey II’s puppeteer, and Jeffrey Colon as Audrey II’s voice. Both did good jobs.

In the mid-size roles, Senior Mikel Bossette (who is normally excellent) seemed a bit off as Mrs. Mushnick, but I think that was more due to the incongruence of her in the role, microphone problems, and an odd costume. She just doesn’t come off as an older New York Jewish lady. She only gets one song (which is a pity as she is a good singer), and the combination of how she had to adjust her voice as Mushnick and the microphone didn’t permit her to show off her skills (which we have seen and liked before). Mikel would have been better as a Rhonette, but she just didn’t have the tall and thin look the director wanted. [ETA a week later: She would have also been a great Audrey, but again, couldn’t get past the director’s casting biases.] It was the audience’s loss. James C. Gelinas, another Senior, was adequately menacing and maniacal as Orin, the dentist.

In the minor roles, Van Nuys had Janice Ha, John Geronilla, Brandom Thomas, Angelique Gross, April Machado, and Glessida Magaling. For the most part, they were adequate for what little they did, however I found the “Meek Shall Inherit” number a little overplayed and overdone, which detracted from it.

The four-piece orchestra was excellent (VNHS has wonderful musicians, and the music teacher Robert Eisenhart just won a major national award, the Mr. Hollands Opus Award). During the pre-show music, they played Inna Gadda Da Vida, and I found myself wondering how many in the audience actually recognized it.

Technically, there were some problems. I found the lighting design by Shauna Lucas, assisted by Erin Faigin, to be very effective. I particularly liked the use of the Gobos to created a skyline of the city and the chain link fence. Moving light design was by Josh Price assisted by Ryan Hamidi, with spots by Leslie Montano, Nico Reeve, and Slater Lopez. Sound was more problematic, as a number of on-stage mics kept going out. When they worked, it was great. When they didn’t…. Sound design was by Emily Tugwell. I found the costumes and hairstyles problematic: the most obvious problem was Mrs. Mushnick: whoever thought of dressing up what is supposed to be an old 1950s Jewish flower-shop owner, being played by a black girl, in a dress suit and *blond* wig, was beyond me [ETA a week later: Apparently the wig was grey, but from a distance, appeared blond–it was still a problem]. But worse was the time travel: Little Shop obstensibly takes place in the 1950s (certainly by the various song and TV references), and most of the actors just didn’t give off a 1950’s vibe. I’m not trying to say they needed to be dressed as Sock Hoppers from Grease or Happy Days, but adults in that time didn’t wear short slinky dresses or dress suits (they were more mid-length dresses), and even nerds wore ties, albeit thin ones. The set, designed by Mr. Tom Kirkpatrick and his stage class, adequately conveyed the Skid Row environment, but had difficulty with some other environments and might have been helped (if it possible in that space) with a backdrop that could go down in front of the shop for locals like the dentist or generic Skid Row.

In terms of the teaching staff: Mr. Randy Olea was director and runs the drama class. Mr. Olea just lost the drama room to a fire: donations of scripts and other theatrical material would be welcome (send them to Mr. Olea c/o the school). Adam Riggs Designs provided the Audrey II puppet. Mr. Marque Coy coordinated the lighting and sound students. Mr. Robert Eisenhart led the orchestra. Anita Morales and Julia Rachilewski designed the choreography.

There are four more performances of Little Shop: tonight at 7pm, and next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7pm. Tickets are available at the door. Van Nuys High School is located at 6535 Cedros Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91411.

Upcoming Theatre: Our next professional production is March 22 @ 1pm, when we see “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.

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A Stormy Lifetime, On Stage

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

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 Uggamsæ) 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 Trucksæ) brings Kay Thompson (Dee Hotyæ) (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 Casonæ), the difficulties she had with the men in her life (her father, Teddy Horne Sr. (Cleavant Derricksæ); her friend Billy Strayhorn (Kevyn Morrowæ); her son, Teddy Jones (Jordan Barbouræ); and her husband, Lennie Hayton (Robert Tortiæ), her interactions with MGM studios (including her discovery by Arthur Freed (Michael Scottæ), her vocal training by Kay Thompson (Hoty), and her interactions with L. B. Mayer (Bruce Katzmanæ), 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 Crawfordæ), 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 Fergusonæ and Phillip Attmoreæ). 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 1st class 2nd 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 Vincentæ in some various female roles.
[æ denotes members of æ 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 8th.

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 7th. 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.

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“Oh! I am to choose, am I? I suppose it is quite settled that I must belong to one or the other.”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

CANDIDA: One last word. How old are you, Eugene?
MARCHBANKS: As old as the world now. This morning I was eighteen.
CANDIDA: Eighteen! Will you, for my sake, make a little poem out of the two sentences I am going to say to you? And will you promise to repeat it to yourself whenever you think of me?
MARCHBANKS: Say the sentences.
CANDIDA: When I am thirty, she will be forty-five. When I am sixty, she will be seventy-five.

This afternoon, my sweetie and I went to the Colony Theatre in Burbank for a little belated Valentine’s theatre: “Candida” by George Bernard Shaw. “Candida” was an appropriate play for Valentine’s Day: it is a story about a woman, Candida, who thinks for herself, and the men that love her. Who are these men? The first is her husband, the Reverend James Morell, a Christian Socialist clergyman of the Church of England. The second is Eugene Marchbanks, a strange and insecure poet of eighteen years who has become a frequent guest in the Morell household.

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“But Doctor, I Thought You Said To Prick His Boil”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Doctor: “My nurse always gets things mixed up.”
Man: Runs across stage, holding his crotch.
Nurse: Comes out of door, “But Doctor, I though you said to prick his boil.”

And friends, I give you burlesque.

I mention this because today we went to the Ahmanson Theatre to see the world premier of the new musical comedy “Minsky’s, with book by Bob Martin, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, adapted from the original book by Evan Hunter, based on the movie “The Night They Raided Minsky’s” by Arnold Shulman, Sidney Michael, and Norman Lear. This world premier was a while in the making: the original movie came out in 1968, and the musical version was originally scheduled for the 1999-2000 Center Theatre Group schedule. This means a long-gestation, historically troubled show. This is not to say it isn’t a good or entertaining show, but I’m not sure it would be ready to survive on its own on Broadway, especially against what is out there today.

“Minsky’s” tells the story of Billy Minsky and his show at the National Wintergarden Theatre in New York in the early 1930s, when the depression was driving down theatre business, vaudeville had died, and burlesque was dying as well. This would be roughly the same time period as “Gypsy”, as vaudeville was turning into burlesque and then into the strip clubs. Minsky is trying to keep his show alive and his cast together in the face of a crusading politican who wants to get the smut out of the Lower East Side (did someone say “Tenderloin”… no, I guess not)…. and complicating matters is the fact that Billy has fallen in love with this politician’s daughter (which, as nsshere noted, is like “Urinetown”). So, the story is how does Billy save the theatre, embarass the politician, and get the girl. Surrounding this all are a bevy of burlesque dancers, the requisite Catskills comic, the experienced show manager (think Lottie from “Mack & Mabel… again, about the same time), the duo in the theatre that has no talent, the policemen whose guns tend to go off prematurely, and the stuffy politician in drag.

Does it work? Sort of. The underlying story, which does work through songs such as “Every Number Needs a Button”, “Home”, “I Want a Life” and “Nothing Lasts Forever”, play a wonderful homage to the theatre and theatre life, and reminded me a lot of “Curtains” (of these, “Home” is recorded on The Musicality of Strouse). The songs related to the love story also worked, such as “Someone”. A number of other songs, however, are more novelty numbers (as was common in the theatre in the 1930s) that are simply part of the burlesque show. These are entertaining numbers (such as “Bananas”, otherwise known as “Why do you need a man when you have a banana?”), but they don’t really advance the story: they stop and entertain. In these numbers, the show was part “Drowsy Chaperone”. So the show worked and didn’t, and was sort of muddled in its direction. If I was a show doctor, I’d cut down some of the novelty numbers that don’t relate to the story, and musicalize some of the other sequences (for example, it would be great if the pie-in-the-face number with the comic Scratch and Randolph was musicalized).

There are also some side stories that are given short-shrift, such as the romance between Jason the bookkeeper and Beula, the producer’s daughter with no talent. In fact, Beula’s role needs something more to make her more than the throwaway comic-relief character that she is. She’s a character the audience wants to root for, and nothing comes of it.

So, in short, story-wise, there is some work to go. It’s not a bad show — we found it quite entertaining — but in order to be a top-notch show it needs more. Right now (especially with some of the Borscht-belt jokes) it would succeed in South Florida or Banson MO… but I don’t see it succeeding with today’s New York audience. “9 to 5”, “Sister Act”, or even “Mask” would be much more successful.

Casting and acting wise, the show was top-notch. In the role of Billy Minsky was the talented Christopher Fitzgerald. He was a strong actor and dancer, and carried the frentic Minsky well. Beth Leavel was Maisie, the veteran stage manager — a strong singer and dancer known well for being the chaperone in The Drowsey Chaperone and Frau Bleucher in Young Frankenstein. I really enjoyed her strong skills. Minsky’s love interest, Mary Sumner, was played by Katharine Leonard (who was also in “Prop 8: The Musical”) — where she sang, she was strong, but her skills were more on the comic and love interest side. Moving to the comic side, Gerry Vichi played Scratch, the comic, seemingly channeling Fyvush Finkel in an effective way. Lastly, of the major leads, George Wendt was underutilized as Randolph Sumner, the crusading politician — he had no number of his own, and his comedy was more forced.

Turning to the secondary roles: John Cariani was effective as the bookkeeper Jason Shimpkin, and it was interesting to watch his interaction with Rachel Dratch, whose comic abilities were underutilized as Beula, the producer’s daughter. Paul Vogt was effective as the taciturn Russian Boris. Others in the case included Kevin Cahoon (Buster), Megan Nicole Arnoldy (Sunny), Nathan Balser (Ensemble), Roxane Barlow (Giggles), Jennifer Bowles (Curls), Kirsten Bracken (Flame), Jennifer Frankel (Sylvie), Linda Griffin (Ensemble), Blake Hammond (Sergeant Crowley, Dr. Vinkle, Waiter), Philip Hoffman (Mr. Freitag, Judge), Stacey Todd Holt (Reporter), Marc Kessler (Swing, Asst. Dance Captain), Sabra Lewis (Flossie), Matt Loehr (Dr. Vankle), Ariel Reid (Bubbles), Jeffrey Schecter (Reporter), Angie Schworer (Ginger), Sarrah Strimel (Borschtie), Charlie Sutton (Ensemble), Jennifer Werner (Swing, Dance Captain), and Patrick Wenzel (Blind Man). As you can see, a large cast.

[Note: All actors are members of æ Actors Equity.]

Turning to the technical side: the set (designed by Anna Louizos) was an interesting amalgam of flying pieces and wing pieces, and was very effective in conveying the mood (I especially appreciated the ghost light at the end). The effective lighting was designed by Ken Billington: it set the mood great, it used spots and moving lights great, and was, so to speak, spot on. The costumes by Gregg Barnes (article on costuming “Minsky’s”) and hair design by Josh Marquette were effective and fun to watch … especially the outlandish costumes chosen for the comic, and the creative exposure of the costumes of the Minsky girls. The sound design by Acme Sound Partners was clean and clear. The orchestra was a delight to listen to, with orchestration by Doug Besterman, musical arrangements by Glen Kelly, and a 17-piece orchestra conducted by Phil Reno. The production was directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, with directorial assistance from Casey Hushion and choreography assistance by Lee Wilkins. Technical supervisor was Peter Fulbright. Karen Moore was production stage manager, with Rachel S. McCutchen and Susie Walsh serving as stage managers. Michael Ritchie is the artistic director of CTC.

Minsky’s continues at the Ahmanson until March 1, 2009. Tickets are available through the Ahmanson; select dates are also available half-price through Goldstar Events. If you want to contrast this with the LA Times review, you can find their review here.

Dining Notes: For lunch, I decided to try an oldie but a goodie: Clifton’s Brookdale downtown. The food was satisfactory, but I didn’t expect more (being a cafeteria). However, the decor and ambiance was fascinating. Decorated like an old Yosemite lodge, with an old dining room upstairs with the history of the original Clifton’s. The family has been runnning cafeterias since 1888, and this Clifton’s has been open since 1935.

Theatre Calendar Update: Next Sunday takes us to Burbank and “Candida” at the Colony Theatre on 2/15 @ 2pm. The following weekend is Pasadena , where on 2/21 @ 8pm we have “Stormy Weather” at the Pasadena Playhouse. March will also bring “Little Shop of Horrors” at Van Nuys HS (it is running March 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21 — let me or nsshere know if you want tickets). Sometime between 3/13 and 4/11 we’ll be seeing “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” at Rep East, and hopefully the end of March (perhaps 3/22 or 3/29) will bring “Frost/Nixon” at the Ahmanson… HotTix should be available around 2/18. Turning to April, April 4 @ 2pm will bring “42nd Street” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and April 18 @ 8pm will bring Mauritius at the Pasadena Playhouse. Other late April/early May shows of interest are “Is He Dead? at ICT Long Beach (4/28-5/24); and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Theatre League Thousand Oaks (4/28-5/3). May has nothing ticketed yet, but shows of interest include “big” at West Coast Ensemble (5/9-6/28); and “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse (5/19-5/31). Additionally, the end of May brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere may be involved with the lighting design.

Look, some guys like to splurge on football or sports, and other folks go to the movies. I love live theatre!

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