Tag: reviews-2019

🎭 HFF19 #3/#4: 🐵 “Hamilkong” | “Supportive White Parents”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=fringeAnd the Fringing continues: Yesterday we saw four more shows (6 out of a current 20 down). The first was about a rapping ape; the second was about a girl who wished for different parents… and got them.

Hamilkong (HFF19)The idea behind Hamilkong (HFF19, WWW, Playbill, FB) was a potentially interesting one: tell the story of King Kong, using the music from the juggernaut that is the musical Hamilton.  The execution, at least at our preview performance, was fatally flawed in a number of ways. First and foremost, they committed the cardinal sin of a Fringe show: Thou shalt not run over your time slot. This show was scheduled for our hour; we walked out at almost the ninety minute mark because we had another show to make, and they had three songs still to go. We did receive an email from Adam Korenman (FB), the producer (and author, and lyricist) this morning that said: “We know that the show ran a bit longer than intended, and we want to apologize if you had to leave early to make your next play. When ambition and reality collide, you can end up running over a few minutes. HAMILKONG will be cutting some pieces in order to tighten up to 60 minutes. That means that you, as the Preview Crowd, saw an exclusive DIRECTOR’S CUT! Congratulations!”

Making lemonade and all that rot, I guess.

Yes, songs need to be cut. But I believe the problem with this show runs a bit deeper than that. Simply put, it is monotonous. There’s a reason that Lin Manuel had the variety of songs that he did — and in particular, why he had the more pop style songs for the King. Breaking up the style of the songs makes the show aurally interesting — it provides the necessary variety for the ears. In its current incarnation, Hamilkong is too much of the same. Look at the song list. How many times can you hear the lyric: “I’m just like a monkey; I’m flexible and funky”? So not only is cutting required, but improving the mix and the storytelling is needed.

Although I haven’t seen it, I can 100% guarantee that the version of King Kong on Broadway adapted the story and is not the Peter Jackson movie on stage. For this to work, the story details need to be worked down a bit a bit more to the essence, and the characters need to be clearer. The idea is good, the execution needs work.

Under the direction of Adam Korenman (FB), and with choreography by Marlee Delia (FB), the staging was effective for a fringe show: meaning minimal costumes and effects. The performances were, for the most part, strong — although with these lyrics, the cast really needs to make sure that they enunciate clearly so the audience can hear all the worlds.

Notable cast members were Geri Courtney-Austein (FB) as the king himself, Hamilkong;  Asia Ring (FB) as Ann Darrow, and Sashaaa (FB) as Carl Denham. These three had lovely voices, and did the best they could with the characters they had (after all, this is a parody, meaning the characters weren’t that fleshed out). In more supporting roles, but also with good voices, were Francesca Reggio (FB) as Carol Preston / T-Rex and Olga Desyatnik (FB) as Jack Driscoll. I’ll note that Reggio was particularly cute as T-Rex.

Rounding out the cast were: Nate Leykam (FB) Bruce Baxter / King Lobster / Eisenhower / Agent; Adam Korenman (FB) Captain Engelhorn / New King; Jeanne Lau (FB) Chief Akko / Ensemble; Genna Weinstein (FB) Queen Squid / Ensemble; Jeremy Klein (FB) Cop / Ensemble; and Kyle Reese Klein (FB) Sailor / Ensemble.

The production was inspired by the play Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the character of King Kong by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper. Music direction by Francesca Reggio (FB), Olga Desyatnik (FB), and Asia Ring (FB). Piano Accompaniment by Nate Leykam (FB). Graphic Design by Joey Korenman. Nick Foran (FB) was the stage manager and technical director.

Hamilkong (HFF19, WWW, Playbill, FB) has three more performances: June 16 @ 630p, June 21 @ 1030p, and June 29 at 1030p. Hopefully, they will get the show cut down to the advertised Fringe length. Tickets are available through the Fringe Website. The show was an ambitious idea and had good performances, but our preview performance ran way long — a cardinal sin for Fringe.

Supportive White Parents (HFF19)We escaped the machinations of King Kong in order to run over to the Broadwater for what was our best show of the night: Supportive White Parents (HFF19, FB). The premise of this show, which was written by Joy Regullano (FB), with music by The Sam and Tony Show (FB) and Lyrics by Joy Regullano (FB), was simple:

When an Asian girl tells her parents she doesn’t want to be a doctor anymore, she wishes on a shooting star for supportive white parents.

The show, which is structured with a few musical numbers, has Joy telling her Filipino parents that she has decided to change her major from Molecular Biology to Theatre and East Asian Studies, with predictable response. She wishes she had parents that would support her whatever she does, and so wishes on a star for supportive white parents. The stars grant her wish, and suddenly all the things that made up her identity: her drive, years and years of study, etc., have been replaced with the stereotypes of white parents that love you and hug you even if you slack off and talk back. It is a great parody of what parents have become these days. Of course, in the end she decides that her original parents are what she wanted.

The show is extremely funny, with entertaining music and great performances. Perhaps it leaned into the stereotypes a bit, but comedy has the ability to do that and get away with it. It was one of our favorite shows of the night.

In the lead position was  Joy Regullano (FB), who not only sang and told the story, but played a mean violin. She was just delightfully fun to watch.

As her Filipino parents were Giselle “G” Tongi (FB) Maria Elena [Joan Almedilla (FB) plays the role on 6/26 and 6/28] and Earl Baylon (FB) Jose, Guitar. Although I’m not an expert on Filipino parents, they seemed to capture what I would expect from that role well.

The Supportive White Parents were played by Gina D’Accario (FB) Carol and Scott Palmason (FB) Jim, with Greg Smith (FB) as the rebelling brother Garrett. They captured the “mayonnaise” perfectly: the parents that love you no matter what you do. Gee, I hope we weren’t like that.

In terms of production credits: The show was directed by Frank Caeti (FB), with music direction by Tony Gonzalez (FB) and Choreography by Ally Vega (FB).

Supportive White Parents has four more performances: Sun 6/16 @ 930p, Wed 6/23 @ 10pm, Fri 6/28 @ 5pm, and Sun 6/30 @ 11am. This is a very funny show that is well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the show’s Fringe page.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

Key: ⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

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🎭 HFF19: And it starts… #1 “She Kills Monsters” | #2 “Trump Family Special”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

userpic=fringeSaturday night was our first night “Fringing” for 2019. Translating that for the uninitiated: that means the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. The Fringe Festival consists of around 385 live performance shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. Comedies, dramas, and variety shows. One person to large cast. All taking place in the smaller intimate theatres (99 seats and under, as opposed to the thousands of seats at the big boys). Some shows work, and some are duds. But that’s how a festival is.

She Kills Monsters (HFF19 | Hobgoblin Theatre)Both of our shows Saturday night were at the Hobgoblin Playhouse (FB), a pop-up venue that appears during Fringe, operated by the team behind Studio/Stage and Theatre Unleashed. The first was to have been a revue of Tom Lehrer music, but the producer had to withdraw due to a death in the family. Together we say “Awww” because that was a show we really wanted to see, but given the circumstances, condolences to the producer. As a result, our first show was a traditional play, a show that has been mounted at venues large and small across the country: She Kills Monsters (HFF19, WWW, FB) by Qui Nguyen.

Nguyen, on her webpage, describes the show thusly: “Average Agnes is finally leaving her childhood home following the death of her sister Tilly. However when she stumbles upon Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, Agnes embarks on an action-packed adventure to discover more about her geeky sibling than she previously cared to know. A heartwarming comedy about loss, bullies, and dragons!”

She Kills Monsters was a great start to the 2019 Fringe. In terms of story, not Fringy at all. The well constructed story focuses on Agnes, an admitted average high school teacher, who lost the rest of her family in a car crash. She finds her younger sister’s D&D notebook, and decides to go on the adventure that she wrote to learn more about her. Through battles in the role playing world, she gets to truly know and understand her sister, as well as her sister’s high-school friends and what role playing games can do for people. More importantly, she learns about herself and how to transcend her average life.

It is worth noting that the venue, Hobgoblin Playhouse, is D&D central: in addition to She Kills Monsters, the venue is host to a celebrity D&D game, as well as Tabletop the Musical, a new musical that is focused on D&D and its impact on a group of friends (which is well worth seeing). The production itself started as a staged reading at Stuart Roger’s acting studio.

Getting back to She Kills Monsters: We just loved the story of She Kills Monsters, and the message it sends on female empowerment and the positive aspects of role playing games. I never got into RPGs for the same reason that I’m a professional audience, and not either on stage or writing the stories: I can’t inhabit characters, or imagine their stories. But I know D&D players well; I knew folks who were deep in that community when I was in the UCLA Computer Club in the late 1970s. This captured that community, and the freedom that RPGs bring to their players.

The execution of She Kills Monsters was more fringy: minimal sets and costumes, as befits a kickstarted fringe show. Performances were generally strong, but at our preview performance there were a few line mishaps, and the cast was a bit less polished than might be seen in an established company’s fully realized production. That doesn’t make one difference at all to me; this is Fringe, after all. But the Fringe environment forces creativity on a low budget, and this show definitely had both.

In the lead positions were Susannah Snowden-Ifft (FB) as Tilly, and Vivi Thai (FB) as Agnes. This duo was also the producing team, serving as Executive Producer and Producer, respectively. Snowden-Ifft brought a wonderful nerdy-ness and vulnerability to Tilly, a high-schooler who repressed her personality in life, but found expression in the fantasy world of D&D where she could live the life she wanted. Snowden-Ifft did a great job of making the two personalities distinct. Thai’s Agnes was different. What I remember most was her reaction during the opening exposition, recoiling in horror at being characterized as being notable only in her average status. That wasn’t what she wanted in life: to be average. Thai captured the transformation of her character from average teenager and sister to a bad-ass warrior well. Both of them were a joy to watch, and you could see their passion for telling this story.

The remaining characters in the story all served to help Agnes and Tilly in their transformations, starting with the members of the RPG party: Harry Owen (FB) — Dungeonmaster (DM) Chuck; Reyneen Pedro (FB) — Kaliope / Kelly; Kristin Walker (FB) — Lilith / Lilly; and John Yang Li (FB) — Orcus / Ronnie. Most of these were drawn broadly, as D&D characters are: the warrior, the elf, the DM, the demon. But each performer brought a little something to those characterizations — a good sense of fun and playfulness. More importantly for the actual party characters was the characterizations they brought to those people outside the game, as the high school friends of Tilly. Of not here was Pedro’s transformation from the strong and sexy elf to the real-life person behind the elf. Great acting.

Also serving to help Agnes find herself were Zach Summers (FB) — Miles (6/8, 6/14; Andres Paul Ramacho (FB) for the last three performances in June); and Brad Milison (FB) — Steve. Summers was the clueless boyfriend of Agnes who misunderstood what Agnes was doing with this high school kid, and Millson was the red-shirt of the story: another D&D adventurer who kept being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both captured these broad stereotypes well.

Rounding out the cast in smaller and more various roles were Shikira Saul (FB) — Vera / Farrah / Evil Tina / The Beholder; and Blair Allison (FB) — Narrator / Evil Gabbi. Saul got to play the most varied roles, from jaded best friend of Agnes to high school cheerleader to various demons and monsters. She was best in her portrayal of Vera, Agnes’ friend, where she delivered some wonderfully sardonic lines that I’m sure most high school guidance counselors would love to say. Allison’s parts were smaller, although she did well with the narration and its tone.

Lastly, turning to the production side: The production was directed by Genny Wilson (FB), with no real credits for scenic design, costumes or those traditional departments. This isn’t surprising for Fringe, where you load in and out in 15 minutes. The sets were either non-existent or minimal — perhaps a few square boxes. There were projections used, as well as shadow puppets to show events like the car crash. Props and costumes were used to create characters and provide weapons as such, although there were no explicit credits for prop or costume design. Elliott Beltran (FB) did the sound design (mostly sound effects and establishing music), and Greg Crafts (FB) did the lighting design. The effective fight choreography was by Masa Kanome (FB) and Tadahiro Nakamura. Incidental music was composed by Darrin Stafford (FB). Beth Wallan (FB) was the stage manager. She Kills Monsters was produced by Vivi Thai (FB), with Susannah Snowden-Ifft (FB) as Executive Producer.

She Kills Monsters has four more performances during Fringe: Fri 6/14 @ 11pm; Sat 6/22 @ 9pm; Sun 6/23 @ 9:30pm; and Sat 6/29 @ 2:00pm. Tickets are available at their Fringe Page.

2nd Annual Trump Family Special (HFF19)The second show we saw last night, The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special, was both much more Fringe-y and more professional. On the professional side of the equation, this particular production had been mounted before: off-Broadway in New York, as well as previously in Hollywood. It had many cast members that were AEA and who had performed on Broadway and/or in National Tours. But the execution itself was on the Fringe side: improvisation at times, quick adaptation, improvised costumes and props at times, and a general playfulness that comes with the nature of a live variety show vs. a more scripted play such as She Kills Monsters.

The basic conceit of the show is that the Trump family — Melania, Ivanka, Eric, and Don Jr. — are putting on an annual variety show, hoping that their dad (the POTUS) will show up. Making special guest appearances are the earlier Trump wives — Marla Maples, Ivana Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. Missing in action, just as in real life, are Barron and Tiffany. Trump never shows, of course, but contributes to the proceedings through tweets. The content of the show is a both a politically incorrect appeal to their base, but much more a parody of their situation and personalities.

The show featured book and lyrics by Daniel Salles (FB), with music and additional lyrics by Tor Hyams (FB) and Lisa St. Lou (FB) / Tor and Lisa (FB). The book and songs generally poked at the well known images of the first family: Melania as the airhead model who hates her husband, Donald and Eric as generally stupid and sixest, the nature of Trump’s relationships to his ex-wifes, Ikanka as the power behind the throne, Jared Kushner as a puppet, etc. As such, it is both silly and plays to the LA audience well (as well as to the gay audience in particular, based on the attendance at our show). Examples of this are songs such as “Win, Win, Win”, “Look Gorgeous”, “Three Trophy Wives”, and perhaps the best political commentary, “It’s a Circus”, which presented the White House as a three-ring circus, with Donald as the ring-leader.

But I think the most telling song of the show was “MAGA/And Then He Tweets”. In the middle of a song about how great Trump is, there are asides from the Music Director talking about the reality of the world of Trump for gays and other minorities. This, I believe, was the true heart of the show.

Over the years at Fringe, I’ve seen numerous shows dealing with Trump. These have ranged from the totally warped Zombie Clown Trump, the Star-Trek mashup Trump in Space, and the quite good The Dangerous Cures of Dr. B, which uses the demagogue John Brinkley as an analogue for the pedagogy of Donald Trump. The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special does a great job of skewering the first family, their foibles and personalities, and how Trump relates to them. But does it make a strong cases or have a deeper meaning? Does it provide a particular insight into Donald Trump, his machinations, or the motivation behind his forms of evil. No. You get more of that from Planet Money. The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special is entertaining, but ultimately light on substance — reflecting perfectly the first family and the absence of substance and depth therein.

Under the direction of show creator Daniel Salles (FB), the show moves briskly and is entertaining. At our preview performance, the cast had to improvise around various problems, such as lights not being where expected and wardrobe malfunctions of various forms. They coped well, as trained actors do. Benji Schwimmer (FB)’s choreography was appropriate for the style of variety show — low budget — that the book made this show out to be.

The performances were strong. Perhaps the strongest — certainly the strongest and clearest voice — was that of Lisa St. Lou (FB) as Ivanka Trump and Ivana Trump. She had the bulk of the stage time, and was extremely strong in her songs and characterizations.

Playing her step-mother and first lady was Mary Birdsong (FB) as Melania. She was clearly having fun with the characterization, sang strongly, and dealt well with the preview issues.

Rounding out the cast were Ryan Murray (FB) as Eric, and John Shartzer (FB) as Donald Jr. Shartzer got double-duty as Marla Maples, and I believe it was Murray doing double duty as Mike Pence.  Both handled the comedy and the songs well.

Tor Hyams (FB) served as music director, and provided commentary and “directed” the variety show from behind the parameter. It was Hyams that provided the input on “And Then He Tweets” aspect I liked so well.

The NY scenic designer was David Goldstein; as there is no LA credit for this, presumably his design was transferred. The design was simple: some boxes, a fancy backdrop, a few props, and a Jared Kushner puppet that looked a lot like Jerry Mahoney. The NY costume design was by Vanessa Leuck (FB), with LA costumes credited to Wendell Carmichael (FB). Modulo a few costume malfunctions, the costumes generally worked. Johnnie Carmichael was the Sound Engineer; Greg Crafts (FB) did the lights. Tanya Nancy Telson (FB) was the stage manager, and Hannah Carroll (FB) and Sharon Logan are credited as “Backstage Superstars”, whatever that means. The lead LA producer was Victoria Watson Winkler (FB); there are numerous other producers and associate producers.

The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special has 6 more performances: Sun 6/9 @ 8pm; Thu 6/13 @ 830p; Fri 6/14 @ 7pm; Sat 6/15 @ 1030pm; and Sun 6/16 at 3pm and 10pm. Tickets are available through their Fringe site; through the show website; and discount tickets may be available on Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

Key: ⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

 

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🎭 🎸 Learning About Legends | Surviving Frank Lloyd Wright @ EST/LA ♦ Ruskin / Book Binder @ Blvd Music

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Surviving Frank Lloyd Wright (EST/LA)Saturday was an interesting day. The Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) hasn’t started yet, so my calendar was empty. My wife was out of town and I wasn’t in the midst of highway page updates, so I didn’t have much to do. I thought about the opening night of  Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB), but there were no discount tickets. But then I received some emails about the solution to my problem.

The first was from Ensemble Studio Theatre / Los Angeles (FB) about a “Check-In Reading” for a play they had in development from Tom Lazarus (FB). “Check-In Readings” are no-frills readings of plays under development in the Launchpad 2018-19 Long Term Dramaturgical program. The readings “check-in” on the current status of the play, and allow an audience to give their reactions and make suggestions.

At this reading, the play was “Surviving Frank Lloyd Wright: The Creation of Hollyhock House“. It was described in the email thusly:

The true story of political radical and free love advocate Aline Barnsdall hiring the scandal plagued genius Frank Lloyd Wright to architect a creative utopia. They battle over the design and the out of control budget. Wright hires Rudolph Schindler to supervise construction throwing the future of Hollyhock House in doubt as the aesthetic and sexual triangles play themselves out.

Given that as an ancillary interest to my highway hobby I have a keen interest in the history of Los Angeles, this play caught my eye. So yesterday started out with a jaunt to Atwater Village for the reading.

This was my first time attending one of these readings, and I had a blast. The setup was simple: actors reading from the script, with another actor reading the stage directions. Voice performance, no costumes, allowing one to focus on the script in development. The performers were: Ian Patrick Williams (FB) – Frank Lloyd Wright; Lizzie Peet (FB) – Aline Barnsdall; Ethan Rains (FB) –Rudolph Schindler; Ashley Francis Hoffman (FB) – Maud (Maude Noel, Wright’s 2nd wife); Maura Knowles (FB) – Miss Lang; Jon Sperry (FB) – Norman Bel Geddes; and Stevie Stern (FB) – stage directions.

I’m not going to go into the developmental work needed or any criticisms — those were communicated to the playwright during the discussion afterwards (and were the purpose of this reading). Readings are how plays mature into what you see working on stage, and it is rare for a play to emerge fully formed and perfect (no matter what the author may think). The same is true for government documents :-). So this is more my positive thoughts on the show.

Going in, although I had heard of Frank Lloyd Wright and Barnsdall Park, I didn’t know much more than that. This show was focused on the creation of Hollyhock House. It starts with Aline Barnsdall hiring Frank Lloyd Wright to build an artist’s utopia at the top of Olive Hill, which she had purchased with her inheritance.  Her plan was to build a theatre, housing for staff, and a house for herself and her daughter on the hill. Wright was focused on the house, and kept delaying everything else. The focus of this play was the conflict between the two, and which ones would give first, and what the ultimate result would be.

I was initially confused as to location when this play started, probably because I’ve never been to Barnsdall Park or seen Hollyhock House. The way the characters spoke, I thought the hill was much higher than it was — but that was likely due to the growth of the area around the park obscuring the hill. Still, this play introduced me to a side of Los Angeles that I didn’t know, and made me go and research people I had never heard about (in particiular, Aline Barnsdall). That’s a good thing for a historical play. It helped me learn the personalities of these people. The script caught and held my attention, and I had a blast learning both about the story and the play development process.

The performances were strong. The actors, as this was a reading, had no costumes, no particular directions other than those in the script, and no real rehearsal. As such, you got to see the pure actor’s side: taking the lines on the page and bringing them to life just through voice and minimal movement. They did a great job. I particularly enjoyed the Williams, Peet, and Sperry.

I got such a kick out of this that I plan to attend more readings. If you want to learn about these types of efforts, get on the email lists for the theatres you like. To get on EST/LA’s list, click here.

Rick Ruskin and Roy Book Binder (Blvd Music)The second email I received was from Boulevard Music (FB) about a concert from Rick Ruskin and Roy Bookbinder. I was familiar with Rick Ruskin (FB), having been introduced to him by my uncle through some of his earlier albums. I was unfamiliar with Roy Bookbinder (FB) (sometimes written as Roy Book Binder). Both were expert guitar players, students and friends of the Reverend Gary Davis, with both a blues and humorous guitar style.

As I was less familiar with the songs from these artists (I have four albums from Ruskin, none from Bookbinder), I don’t have a play list. The two were both on stage at the same time, alternating songs and sharing stories. Ruskin did a mix of songs from Davis, himself, and a few covers of popular songs. Bookbinder focused more on the blues, doing songs from Davis, himself, and a few others. What was notable about Bookbinder was his stories. Before — and sometimes during — each song, Bookbinder would tell a rambling story of how the song came to be, stories about characters in the songs, and so forth.

There were a few mentions of Peter, Paul and Mary; I hadn’t realized that “If I Had My Way” was a Davis song and earned him substantial earnings. There was also a story about Mississippi John Hurt.

I enjoyed the music quite a bit, and picked up two albums from each artists. Always support artists at shows by buying merch.

Both had interesting observations about their age. This got me thinking about who the new folk artists are; in other words, who are the youngsters perpetuating the folk tradition. I’m not sure the answers, but I’d like to explore getting music from folk artists who aren’t 15 years older than I am.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Next week, the the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) starts. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

Key: ⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

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🎭 Family is What You Make It | “Bronco Billy The Musical”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Bronco Billy - The Musical (Skylight)A few weeks ago, I saw a little musical at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) called Falsettos. That musical was promoted as being about family; and more importantly, being about the family that you make with the people around you. Well, folks, that musical has nothing on the musical I just saw, which truly is about the fact that the family that you make — and that cares about you — is much more family than the one created by birth or by marriage.

So what did I saw that make me say this? What musical did I enjoy so much that I’m thinking about getting tickets to see it again (something I rarely do; I think the last time was Astro Boy and the God of Comics at Sacred Fools)? The answer:  Bronco Billy – The Musical at the Skylight Theatre (FB).

Going in, I had no idea what this show was about. I don’t go to movies; I had no knowledge of — and certainly hadn’t seen — the 1980 Clint Eastwood movie. All I had was an email from the publicist describing the show thusly:

The country’s going crazy; partisan politics, civil rights threatened, technology exploding. That’s right, it’s 1979! Somewhere in America’s heartland, with more heart than sense, Bronco Billy struggles to keep his traveling Wild West show alive. But when Billy and his ragtag troupe of misfits meet Antoinette, a Manhattan heiress on-the-run, the ride gets even wilder as she turns Billy’s world upside down. 

For some reason, that description drew me in. That, and the following words from the book writer, Dennis Hackin (FB), who also did the original screenplay:

The show is about living your passion. About being part of a family even if you have to create your own. With some unexpected turns through love, villainy, show business, and lots of humor, Chip, John, and Michele have beautifully honored the book and enlightened the characters with their magical musical influences. All this, during a time when everyone could use a new upbeat musical.

“Chip, John, and Michele” refer to Chip Rosenbloom (FB), John Torres (⭐FB, FB), and Michele Brourman (⭐FB). Chip and John did the music and lyrics for the show; Michele did some additional lyrics.

As I said, going in I knew nothing about the movie. When I got home, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Other than some basic structure of the story, it appears that the musical did a fair amount of story adaptation for the stage. The movie actually sounds less interesting that the story in the musical. So kudos to the writing team for the rework: it resulted in an extremely enjoyable show.

By this point, you’re probaby wondering about the plot. It is the late 1970s, and Bronco Billy McCoy is a western entertainer barely surviving with a “Wild West Troupe” going from county fair to county fair. This troupe includes Doc, Lorraine and her husband Chief Big Eagle, Two Gun Lefty Lebow, and Lasso Leonard James. The group is hoping they can make it to Hollywood to get their big break by auditioning for a producer. Parallel to this, the founder of the Ollie the Owl Candy Bar Company dies. In a revised will, he leaves all his money to his daughter, Antoinette Lilly, pissing off his second wife, Constance. But the lawyer, Lipton, points out that there’s a loophole: If she doesn’t survive for 30 days, the bequest goes to the stepwife. After a failed attempt by Antoinette’s husband, John Arlington, to off her, Antoinette runs off into hiding — with Bronco Billy’s troupe. Still wanting the money, Constance and the Lawyer hire Sinclair St. Clair to do the “hit”. You can take it from there, with subsequent backstory reveals and the formation of a family with the Bronco BIlly troupe.

As I said, the plot is different in a number of key ways from the movie. I was glad that I hadn’t seen it beforehand.

This is a new musical, so some examination of these book and music is in order. The book is … a musical book. That means that some characters have their characterizations exaggerated for the stage. The description of the movie comes across as dark. This is light and fun. One or two jokes may be a bit strained (in particular, the recurring gag on the hit man’s name), but overall it is enjoyable. Don’t go in expecting a deep social commentary — this isn’t Dear Evan Hansen. Rather, go in expect to have fun with a story that is a bit more old fashioned: think Addams Family – The Musical or Hairspray.  I think — in terms of the underlying message — this musical creates a family in a stronger, more “extended” way than Falsettos did. The real point of the story here is that family is built by those who care about each other and what happens to them. It make the point that your past is in the past; family is what you make today, going forward. And that’s a real good point to be making in this day and age, when families are being torn apart due to politics. Perhaps that’s why this show has a new resonance.

I found the music and lyrics to be strong. There were a lot of great upbeat numbers that made me long for a cast album. The opening number “Ride With Us” really sets the tone, as do numbers like “Our Time Is Now”, or “It’s Gonna Be Great”, or “Whopper of a Song”. But the ballads are very nice as well. But I just know what I like to listen to; I can’t judge whether those who obsess about rhyme or composition would be happy. I just enjoyed it and found myself humming the tunes as I left (which is rare). A testament to this show, and how much I liked the music, was that I just went and bought tickets to see it again. Directly from the theatre (albeit with a discount code). I’m squeezing it in during the Fringe Festival. That’s how much I enjoyed the book and the music of this show.

I think the key factor in assessing this show is this: not once did I have the urge to look at my program to see when an act was going to end. In fact, the end came too soon; I was enjoying it that much.

Under Hunter Bird (FB)’s direction, the cast was clearly having fun, and the brisk was pace… pace was brisk. The acting team seemed to be really into their inhabiting characters and bringing out the joy within. I’m never sure — hey, I’m just an audience member — what part is the director and what is the actor, but I do know the director can help make the magic happen. Even more significantly, it is the director that brings the vision to the show — and the artistic vision with the wooden boxes that miraculously unfolded to become the different pieces and places was just astounding. About the only directoral complaint I might have relates to the fight sequences, especially in the Musical Showdown. I don’t know the extent to which this was direction, vs Matt Franta (FB)’s fight choreography, but a number of the fight sequences were a bit too “stagey or fake” — they needed a bit more realism to make them “hit” (so to speak). Improved sound effects to augment them would help, but there needs to be more smacks in the smackeroos. But this, mind you, is a minor complaint.

This brings us to the performance team. In the lead positions were Eric B. Anthony (⭐FB) as Bronco Billy McCoy, and Amanda Leigh Jerry (FB) as Antoinette Lilly.  Anthony was wonderful as Billy — personable, relatable, with a lovely lighter singing voice that is just beautiful in songs like “Just a Dance” and “Everything I Needed”. For those expecting a hard Clint Eastwood type, expect to have your mind blown. Think more of a Ben Vereen, which fits much more with what the West really was. I should note I’ve seen Anthony sing before — although not listed in his bio, I saw him in Five Guys Named Moe at Ebony Rep in 2017. Great then, great now. The real knockout, however, was Jerry. She had a personality and internal oomph that she broadcast to the back of the theatre, with a winning look and super strong singing voice. All of her numbers were great, especially “Get Me Out of Here” and her “Be Strong” numbers.

Billy’s troupe consisted of Benai Boyd (FB) as Doc; Fatima El-Bashir (FB) as Lorraine; Michael Uribes (FB) as Chief Big Eagle; Randy Charleville (FB) as Two Gun Lefty Lebow, and Kyle Frattini (FB) as Lasso Leonard James.  I’d seen Boyd before in the Actors Co-Op production of Violet, and she blew me away then. She was even stronger here as Doc: she opens the show, she holds everything together, she has a knockout singing voice, and she is just fantastic to watch.  Also strong was El-Basher (who I had seen in Empire) as Lorraine. Together with Boyd, they made a delightful duo opening the show, plus she is wonderful in “Look in the Mirror”. Further, she tap dances. I just love a good tap dance :-). Uribes (who, you guessed it, we saw before in Robber Bridegroom) was more of a taciturn character, although he did have a wonderful number in the opening of the second act. Charleville was strong as the clown, Lefty; and Frattini did a wonderful job of playing up the comic as Lasso Leonard. [Yes, and before you ask, we did see Frattini in Shrek at 5-Star, as well as in Beatniks at last year’s Fringe].

There’s a reason I mention this repeat talent: We have, here in Los Angeles, a remarkable talent pool. Actors who love the craft, and who are just astounding in what they do. Some are primarily stage actors, some are working their way there. Some work in TV and film. But they are all incredible talents, and it is just a joy to see the best of them pop up in shows at different venues throughout this great theatre city.

This brings us to the villains of the piece: Michelle Azar (⭐FB, FB) as Constance the Step-Mother; Marc Cardiff as the Lawyer Lipton, Chris M. Kauffmann (⭐FB, FB) as Antoinette’s husband, John Arlington, and Pat Towne (FB) as the hit-man Sinclair St. Clair. All were written as broadly comical roles, and all were played as broadly comical. Think of the hencemen in Kiss Me Kate or The Drowsy Chaperone. As such, for how they were written, they were played very well. Azar had the lead on a number of different numbers and had a lovely voice.

Rounding out the cast in smaller character roles and ensemble parts were: Bella Hicks (FB) – Mitzi, Female Ensemble; Anthony Marciona (⭐FB, FB) – Sam, Gas Station Attendant, Disco Guy, Stage Manager; Jamie Mills (FB) – Dee Dee, Ensemble. All were great. I noticed Mills first, as she was out before the show working the crowd with a wonderful personality (and a tiny little hat). Hicks caught my eye when she came out as Mitzi; in later roles, her personality just lit up and she was a delight to watch. Marciona had a face that kept making me think of a good friend from our synagogue’s mens club; he clearly had fun playing a large number of different parts – and was funny in his last role as stage manager, staying in role even after the bows.

Understudies who were not on stage were Richie Ferris (FB), Molly Livingston (FB) and James Olivas (FB). We’d see the latter two before in Steel Pier at UCLA; alas, we didn’t seem them at our performance.

Music was provided by an on-stage band conducted by Anthony Lucca (FB) – Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard. Other band members were: Austin Chanu (FB) – Woodwinds, Percussion; Jeff Frantom (FB) – Guitars; Cyrus Elia (FB) – Electric and Upright Bass; and Ryan McDiarmid (FB) – Drums, Percussion. The band had a great sound, and even had one chance to interact with the actors. Other musical credits: David O (FB) – Arrangements and Orchestrations.

The Choreography was by Janet Roston (FB), who brought some wonderful dances to the small space that is the Skylight. As the world premiere of a new musical, it is always worth asking whether this can scale to bigger and better venues. Dance is a large part of that. The dances in this show were expressive and fun, and I believe that they could scale to the larger stage of a Geffen or the Pasadena Playhouse, if not even bigger houses. There was a mix of the Western styles including what appeared to be some line dancing, as well as broader ballet and pop styles.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative side: The director worked with well-known LA scenic designer John Iacovelli (FB) worked with Properties Designer Kevin Williams (FB) and Projection Designer David Murakami (FB) to create a masterpiece of boxes that folded and unfolded to create all the different locations and locales and set pieces, blending overall design with properties, and occasionally with projections on the sides of the boxes. The magic of it reminded me a bit of Astro Boy with the overall creativity show for the space. As I write this, I hearken back to Falsettos again with the creative use of the stage pieces. Theatre need not always be strongly realistic; imagination on stage does wonders. Brian Gale‘s lighting design established time and place well; I particularly noted the heavy use of moving mirrors that were required in the space. That’s an unforgiving technology, and it worked well. Cricket S. Myers (FB) and Daniel S. Tator (FB) did the sound design, and it works reasonably well except for a few microphone crackles, and either some cell-phone interference or a mis-timed sound board queue. Sound effects were good, but could use improvement in the fight scene. Ann Closs Farley (FB)’s costume designs worked well, bringing in modern Western design, a touch of both the ridiculous and sublime, and just some nice looking outfits. Other production credits: Matt Franta (FB) – Fight Coordinator; Christopher Hoffman – Production Stage Manager; Ben Altman (FB) – Stage Manager; Garrett Crouch (FB) – Stage Manager; Michael Donovan CSA – Casting Director; Patty Onagan Consulting – Marketing; Guillermo Perez – Graphic Design; Gary Grossman (FB) and Tony Abatemarco (FB) – Producers.

Bronco Billy – The Musical continues at the Skylight Theatre (FB) until June 30. I liked it enough that I’m squeezing it in during Fringe to bring my wife to see it again. Translation: Yes, you should see this. Tickets are available through the Skylight Online Box Office; the code BILLY20 works at selected performances for 20% off. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

June is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): June starts with another concert: Rick Ruskin and Roy Bookbinder at Boulevard Music (FB). I may go to a check-in reading of a new play about Frank Lloyd Wright at Ensemble Studio Theatre (FB) before that. Fringe previews start the next week. We’re squeezing in a return to Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB) on June 15. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

 

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🎭 Congregational Schisms | “The Christians” @ Actors Co-Op

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

The Christians (Actors Co-Op)I’m Jewish. In fact, I’m one of the maintainers of the soc.culture.jewish FAQ, and for a long time ran the Liberal Judaism Mailing List until it withered away. I say that as point of reference #1.

I’m an avid theatre-goer. When a favorite small theatre in Santa Clarita went belly-up a few years ago, we moved our subscription to a small company in North Hollywood called Actors Co-op (FB), based on the quality of their work and their season selection. I tend to believe that subscriptions should be used to bring you to shows you might not choose to see yourself; to take you out of your comfort zone. This is point of reference #2.

But although we like the work of the company, everytime we walked on their campus we were a bit uncomfortable, as their host church had signs at the time indicating they sponsored Jews for Jesus. I would read in their program that they are a “company of Christian actors driven by passion for the Lord Jesus Christ.” Reference point of reference #1. So when I saw that the last show of this season was to be “The Christians” by Lucas Hnath — about which I knew nothing — needless to say I was a bit worried. Was this going to be overlay Christalogical? Would it be overly preachy? Would I be squiriming in my seat: a Jewish boy in a sea of goyim?

Luckily, the answer was “no”, and this company continued their tradition of producing thought-provoking theatre of the highest quality, that didn’t tell you want to think but made you question what you thought. That is what theatre — and churches and synagogues — should do.

The Christians is about a megachurch that is on the precipice of a schism, only they don’t know it yet. At the worship service that starts the show, Pastor Paul starts with a four-part sermon that explores where the church is today, how it got there, and where it is going. He relates a story, and raises a controversial notion: What if you don’t have to be Christian to be saved from the fires of Hell? What if Hell doesn’t exist? What if you don’t have to believe to get into Heaven? Initially, much of the church goes along with the pastor, except for the Associate Pastor Joshua, who can’t accept the notion. Joshua and his followers leave, going off to form their own church. And thus from this little crack…

Soon, questions start to emerge. What is the impact of this on Church donations and membership? What was the history behind the relationships, and the conflicts, between Paul and Joshua? Was the timing questionable — why did the pastor wait to drop this until just after the mortgage was paid off? More and more questions, with answers that weren’t always easy, or provided.

Where to start analyzing this… especially this week, when we’ve seen a number of states attempting to legislate what is in essence a religious decision, ostensibly to help prevent people from going to Hell for their actions…

Let’s start with the Jewish perspective. My wife turned to me during the show, when the Pastor gave his sermon, and said it sounded like he had a Jewish conversion. The Jewish notion of Gehenna (what the Christians call Hell) is very different than the Christian notion; quoting from the FAQ: “Gehennom (lit: the valley of Hinnom, in Jerusalem; i.e. hell) is the sinner’s experience in the afterlife. In other words, it’s the same “place” as gan eiden (lit: the garden of Eden; i.e. heaven) — it’s the perspective of the individual that makes it one or the other.” As for Satan: Satan is no devil with horns. He is the challenger, placed there to give you the choice between good and evil, so that you have the ability to choose to do good. Thus, it turns out that this play — which I feared would be pushing Christian notions of believing in Jesus to be saved, was actually presenting a very Jewish notion.

But, of course, it wasn’t accepted. There was a growing number of people that couldn’t accept that heaven and hell were the same place, with only perspective differing between them. They wanted there to be a requirement to believe in Jesus to be saved. That, indeed, is a fundamental notion in many churches. It is the belief that is important more than action. It is witnessing that belief to others, to convert more people to Jesus. As the play showed, that provided comfort to many, and a growing number wanted that path.

Was it the right path? The play does not answer that question.

Schisms in congregations are nothing new. Our congregation in Northridge had something similar. The Board had a difference in direction from the Senior Rabbi, and he was let go. He has since attempted to form his own congregation, while the original congregation is finding its way. If you look at a history of the congregations in the valley — and I’m sure this is true for the churches as well — they all form from splits from other congregations, each tweaking what they saw as their missions and their interpretations of their core teachings. Who is right and who is wrong? I can’t say, nor can our country. We have the freedom to find many paths to our salvation, and some of those paths might even involve belief systems that eschew notions of God completely (and yes, that’s a belief system as well). All we can say for certain is that we all question why we are here at some point.

In the end, we left the show — and the talkback afterwards — quite pleased. Theatre did what theatre is supposed to do: raise questions. This company did what its mission is: “pursuing the highest standards of theatrical excellence”. It made the audience think and question their beliefs; it provided understanding without preaching. I’m very glad that we saw the show.

It didn’t hurt that, under the direction of Thomas James O’Leary (⭐FB, FB), the cast was uniformly excellent. At the talkback, we learned that the script was quite unusual, which many actions not spelled out (e.g., lines that were “…” or “and and and”). This director did an excellent job with the cast of expanding the unwritten lines, the hidden text, into performance. Not being a performer, I always have trouble understanding what a director does, but this production provided more insight on the role.

In the lead position was Townsend Coleman (FB) as Pastor Paul. Coleman had the bulk of the stage time: the whole sermon, and the whole questioning afterwards. His performance was mesmerizing — holding the audience’s congregation’s attention, teaching, questioning, and in the end, doing an effective job of questioning himself. We truly enjoyed watching him.

Working in a different direction was Thomas Chavira (FB) as Associate Pastor Joshua. Joshua was true to his name: blowing the trumpets that started the walls tumbling down. Chavira did a great job of youth in opposition: a man with a different belief that was equally strong, and that he turned into leadership when confronted. It was interesting to watch.

The other characters on the bima pulpit were smaller: Phil Crowley as Elder Jay, and Kay Bess (⭐FB, FB) as Elizabeth, Pastor Paul’s wife. Both were effective in the questions they raised to Pastor Paul, and in how they inhabited the characters that question. Where Crowley really shined was in the talkback: we had a delightful theological discussion with him that could have gone on for hours (and who knows, perhaps we’ll connect again in real life and it will).

Behind the pulpit was the choir, which was wonderful. Before I note the choir members, I must call out Jenny, played by Nicole Gabriella Scipione (FB), who gave a wonderful testimony and raised some very pointed questions. She was truly believable; what more can you want from an actor. The choir consisted of the following members — and note that there was an A and B choir, and we had the A choir. Note also that our A choir was truly “A”: they had the most wonderful and angelic expressions as they sang. The combined choirs consisted of: Khara Bigham (FB); Aislin Courtis (⭐FB, FB); Hattie Sue Dahlberg (FB); Mary Moore Driggers (FB); James Everts (⭐FB, FB);  Catherine Gray (FB); Tim Hodgin (FB); Laura Kelly (FB);  Deborah Marlowe (FB); Maurice McGraw (FB); Kyle Montgomery (FB); Ariel Murillo (FB); Fadeke Oparinde (FB); Amanda Peterson (FB); Andrew Retland (FB); Daniel Schwab (FB); Cody Scurlock (FB); Kevin Shewey (FB); Isaac Sprague (FB); Paige Stewart (FB); and Bria St. Julien (FB).

Turning to the production side: Nicholas Acciani (FB) did something I’ve never seen before in the Crowley Theatre — laid down wall-to-wall carpet. I hope they find a good use for it after the show. Other than that, not being familiar with the layout of a Christian pulpit — which changes by denomination, and is very different from a bima layout — I can only state that it gave an appropriate Christian feeling. Donny Jackson (FB)’s lighting design seemed appropriate, and worked well with Nicholas Acciani (FB)’s projections. David B. Marling (FB)’s sound design used something you don’t see in this day and age: wired microphones, and worked really well. E.B. Brooks (FB)’s costume design seemed reasonably churchly.  Rounding out the production credits: Josie Austin (FB) – Stage Manager; Heather Chesley (FB) – Artistic Chairwoman; Nora Feldman (FB) – Publicist; Jazmin Henderson (⭐FB, FB) – Asst. Stage Manager; Carly Lopez (FB) – Producer; Noriko Olling (FB) – Music Arranger / Pianist; Dylan Price (FB) – Choir Director; Selah Victor – Production Manager.

The Christians continues at Actors Co-op (FB) until June 16th. If you’re not Christian, don’t be put off by the title — this is a great debatable theological question for everyone. If you are Christian, well, it’s still a great debate and a great show. In any case, it will do what theatre is supposed to do: make you think. Tickets are available through the Actors Co-Op website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday]. Fringe previews start the next week. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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🎭 Death on Stage, Done Right | “Les Misérables” @ Pantages

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Les Misérables (Pantages)Yesterday, I wrote about Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre, and how the death at the end of that show closed the show on a down note, leaving with the audience impressed with the performances, but an ultimate “eh” for the overall feeling. Contrast that with the death that occurs at the end of Les Misérables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB): almost the entire company on stage, marching and singing and celebrating the life and glory. You walk out humming an uplifting anthem, with a completely different feeling. Now that’s how you do death!

Also as with Falsettos, this is the second time we’ve seen the show. The first was also in 2011 when it was at the Ahmanson. This was also the year we first saw Falsettos. Back then I wrote about the show:

Back in 1985, a musical juggernaut was created: Les Misérables, the musical version of the Victor Hugo novel. It hit Los Angeles in 1988, opening at a rejuivenated Shubert Theatre in Century City, where it ran for fourteen months. It returned to Los Angeles numerous times since then under Broadway/LA’s banner (2004, 2006). However, it wasn’t until the current 25th anniversary production at the Ahmanson Theatre that I finally saw the show. As my wife said as it ended last night, “Wow!”.

“Les Misérables” (the musical) tells the story of Jean Valjean, also known as prisoner 24601, and his adopted daughter, Cosette. It is based on the Victor Hugo of the same name, but does cut a few elements of the story. The story, which covers 17 years, is so complicated that a synopsis needed to be published in the program (seemingly, a bad sign). Given that, I’m not going to attempt to repeat it here. You can read it yourself in the Wikipedia Page on the show. Suffice it to say that the show condenses the 1,200 page, five volume novel into two acts of 90 minutes and 65 minutes respectively. The first act covers Jean Valjean’s release from prison and the interaction with the Bishop at Digne, the mayoral years at Montreiil-Sur-Mer where Valjean meets Fantine and takes responsibility for Cosette, the visit to Montfermeil where Valjean obtains Cosette from the Thénardiers, and the years in Paris where the student revolt begins and Marius and Cosette fall in love… all of this while the police officer Javert is chasing Valjean. The second act is solely in Paris and covers the student revolt, its failure, the subsequent growth of the relationship between Marius and Cosette, the final confrontations of Valjean and Javert, and the final redemption of Valjean. That’s a lot of material to cover—trying to cover so much material and so much time is the reason many great novels, such as Gone With The Wind, never make it to the Broadway stage. It is a testament to the original authors Claude-Michel Schönberg (music) and Alain Boublil (a French-language libretto) that they were able to take the beast of a novel and turn it into something understandable (although, arguably, this is really a full opera presented in the guise of a “musical”—at times, the lines between the two blurs). It is also a testament to the English language adapters, Herbert Kretzmer who developed the English language libretto, and Cameron Mackintosh, the original producer, who discovered the French production in 1982 and has sheparded it ever since (I’ll note Mackintosh’s full bio in the program was: “Produces musicals.”). The production was adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn and John Caird.

The translation does have its weak parts, however, primarily in how manipulative it is for the audience. By this, I mean the show in engineered to be a pleaser, with music that builds and leaves the toes tapping; with moments designed to permit the actors to shine; and with act-ending finales designed to stir the soul. In that sense, it is truly operatic as opposed to dramatic. It it also, at times, emotionally overwrought—again, a hallmark of the more operatic side. To some that is a fatal flaw that reduces the worth of the show, but I do enjoy the general effect.

[Some story credits I missed including the first time: Claude-Michel Schönberg Music; Herbert Kretzmer English Lyrics; James Fenton Additional material]

It is now 8 years since I saw that production. What has changed, other than Cameron Mackintosh now having a full bio? Does the new touring production reach the same heights? After all, the story hasn’t changed at all.

Sad to say, the answer is decidedly mixed. The performances are soaring, and the direction and choreography makes the best use of what they have to work with. Voices are remarkable, and the audience is excited. But production decisions make the ultimate effort hard to embrace. At the Ahmanson, the tour was designed to use the entire stage, which is needed for the company to express the broadness and scope of the production. At the Pantages, the set artificially constrained the stage space, cutting the width of the Pantages stage by an estimated one-sixth on each side (that’s a one-third cut overall, for those math challenged). This limited movement, and obscured sight lines from the side. Further, the lighting was dark dark dark, and then smoke and fog effects were added. This made it hard to see. I recall that the Ahmanson staging was better lit and you could see the actors from a distance. The constrained stage and the lighting served to tone down the show. At least the sound was, for the most part, good (which can be a problem in the Pantages).

This is not to say that the production was bad or poorly executed: only that it could have been better. The performances themselves were stunning. The comic bits with the Thénardiers were hilarious (in particular, Mme. Thénardiers reprise to “Master of the House” with the bread), and there were some remarkable sustained high notes. The voices were phenominal, and the music for this show is just a delight. You can just float away on that alone. It just didn’t have the impact of the first time we saw the show.

Some of the problems with this production — at least design wise — may be the results of decisions by the directoral team of Laurence Connor and James Powell. But they did do a great job with their performers about bringing out effective and strong performances that conveyed both the story and the emotions of the characters. They helped their acting team inhabit their characters and tracks, and generally made the performances the strongest part of this show.

In the lead position of this story was Nick Cartell (⭐FB, FB) at Jan Valjean. Cartell had soaring vocals in songs such as “Bring Him Home”, and captured the angst and torment of the character well, Opposing him throughout much of the story was Josh Davis (⭐FB, FB) as Javert. Davis also had soaring vocals in songs like “Stars” and his Soliloquy — a common trait in this cast — and provided solid opposition.

This brings us to the adult women in the cast: Mary Kate Moore (FB) as Fantine; Jillian Butler (FB) as the adult Cosette; and Paige Smallwood (FB) as the adult Éponine. All were beautiful and spectacular and sang like angels — Moore in “I Dreamed a Dream”, Butler in “A Hear Full of Love”, and Smallwood in “On My Own”. They made the same casting decision that was done in the 2011 production that required a bit of suspension of disbelief (little white girl turns into stunning black singer), but this is a stage fantasy, so who really cares.

Then there are the kids: Cate Elefante (FB) as Little Cosette (alternating with Aubin Bradley), Aubin Bradley as Young Éponine (alternating with Cate Elefante (FB)), and Parker Weathersbee as Petit Gervais / Gavroche (alternating with Parker Dzuba, who came in for Jonah Mussolino (⭐FB) in August 2018, when Jonah moved to Falsettos). Elefante was spectacular in her opening scene singing “Castle on a Cloud”, and Weathersbee was strong as Gavroche in the second act in all of his numbers. All were astonishingly cute.

Joshua Grosso (⭐FB) made a strong Marius, whom we see as Cosette’s love interesting and a leader of the students in the second act.  He has a touching rendition of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”, and a lovely duet with Éponine in “A Little Fall of Rain”.

Lastly, in terms of the major characters in the story, there is the comic relief duo of J. Anthony Crane (⭐FB, FB) as Thénardier and Allison Guinn (⭐FB, FB) as Mme. Thénadier. We don’t meet the characters until the wonderful “Master of the House”, and then they keep reappearing in funny situations throughout the story. The actors play off each other well and are having fun with their roles, and that comes across to the audience well.

All of the other characters are in smaller roles, often not well named on stage, or in ensemble positions: John Ambrosino (FB) – Bamatabois, Claquesous; Felipe Barbosa Bombonato (FB) – Grantaire (at our performance), Farmer, Babet (normally); Olivia Dei Cicchi (FB) – Innkeeper’s Wife; Kelsey Denae (FB) – Wigmaker; Caitlin Finnie (FB) – Ensemble; Monté J. Howell (FB) – Innkeeper, Combeferre; Stavros Koumbaros (FB) – Joly; Andrew Love (FB) – Champmathieu, Brujon; Andrew Maughan (FB) – Bishop of Digne, Lesgles, Loud Hailer; Maggie Elizabeth May (FB) – Old Woman; Darrell Morris, Jr. (FB) – Constable, Montparnasse; Ashley Dawn Mortensen (FB) – Factory Girl; Bree Murphy (FB) – Ensemble; Domonique Paton (FB) – Ensemble; Talia Simone Robinson (FB) – Ensemble; Patrick Rooney (FB) – Constable, Fauchelevent, Jean Prouvaire; Mike Schwitter (FB) – Laborer, Feuilly; Matt Shingledecker (FB) – Enjolras; Brett Stoelker (FB) – Swinging in to Babet, Major Domo (at our performance); Addison Takefman  – Ensemble; and Christopher Viljoen (FB) – Factory Foreman, Courfeyrac. Matt Hill – Normally, Grantaire, Major Domo was out at our performance.

Swings were Julia Ellen Carter (FB); Jillian Gray; Tim Quartier (FB); Brett Stoelker (FB); and Kyle Timson (FB).  Understudy allocations are not shown.

This show isn’t a dance show per se, but there is lots of movement. The musical staging was by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt (FB). Kyle Timson (FB) was both the Dance Captain and the Fight Captain. Given the small stage space, the movement was very effective in utilizing that space and doing its best to create the illusion of a larger space. Still, this resulted in a lot of people going in a lot of circles.

The orchestra (under the Musical Direction of Brian Eads (FB)) was larger than the typical touring orchestra, and had that wonderful large orchestral sound that this show needs. No indication was provided as to who was local and who was not, but I recognize a number of names, so my educated guess as to locals is indicated with 🌴. The orchestra consisted of: Brian Eads (FB) – Conductor; Eric Ebbenga (FB) – Assoc. Conductor, Keyboards; Tim Lenihan (FB) – Asst. Conductor, Keyboards; Danielle Giulini (FB) – Violin, Concertmaster; Karen Elaine (FB) – Viola; 🌴 Ira Glansbeek – Cello; 🌴 Michael Valerio (FB) – Double Bass; 🌴 Amy Tatum (FB) – Flute, Piccolo, Alto Flute, Recorder; 🌴 Richard Mitchell – B Flat Clarinet, E Flat Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Recorder; 🌴 Laura Brenes (FB) – French Horn 1; 🌴 Allen Fogle (FB) – French Horn 2; 🌴 John Fumo (FB) – Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet; Phil Keen (FB) – Bass Trombone, Tuba; Jared Soldivero (FB) – Drums, Percussion, Mallets, Timpani; Mary Ekler (⭐FB) – Keyboard Sub; Stuart Andrews – Keyboard Programming; Jean Bellefeuille – Asst. keyboard Programming. Other Orchestral credits: 🌴 Eric Heinly (FB) – Orchestra Contractor; John Cameron – Original Orchestrations; Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe, and Stephen Brooker [UK] – New Orchestrations; Stephen Brooker [UK] and James Moore (FB)  [US] – Musical Supervision; and John Miller – Musical Coordinator.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative aspects: I’ve already mentioned the constrained stage space and the problems with the darkness of Paule Constable (FB)’s lighting design. Setting that aside, the rest of the production worked well. Matt Kinley‘s set and image design used a balcony on one side and archways on the other to create a wide variety of spaces, using a combination of rolled on, flown in, and projected set pieces. Some were extraordinarily effective, such as the catacomb effect in the sewers in the second act. Credit also goes to 59 Productions for the projection design, which also used images inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This was also augmented by the Costume Design of Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland, which seemed both appropriately poor and rich depending on the scene, and seemed to fit the characters and their stations well. The wig and hair design of Campbell Young Associates also worked well. Mick Potter‘s sound design generally worked well, although there were points that it was muddled in the cavernous space that is the Pantages. Other production credits: Laura Hunt – Associate Costume Designer; Nic Gray – Associate Sound Designer; Richard Pacholski – Associate Lighting Designer; David Harris and Christine Peters – Associate Set Design; Corey Agnew – Assoc. Director; Richard Barth (FB) – Resident Director; Tara Rubin CSA (FB), Kaitlin Shaw, CSA – Casting; Ryan Parliment – Company Manager; Jack McLeod (FB) – Production Stage Manager; Jess Gouker (FB) – Stage Manager; Joseph Heaton (FB) – Asst. Stage Manager; Broadway Booking Office NYC – Tour Booking &c; NETworks Presentations – Production Management; Gentry & Associates – General Management. A Cameron Mackintosh and NETworks Presentation.

Les Misérables continues at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) through June 2, 2019. If you haven’t seen the show before, it is worth seeing. If you have seen the show before and love the show, you’ll certainly enjoy this outing. If you have seen the show and are looking for a new take, this might be hit or miss with the darker lit staging. Tickets are available through the Pantages box office.  Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or through TodayTix.

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Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Tonight brings another tour: Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday]. Fringe previews start the next week. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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🎭 A Time It Was, And What a Time It Was | “Falsettos” @ Ahmanson

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Falsettos (Ahmanson Theatre)Normally, the progression of how I see major musicals is to see a regional tour first, then see the a major regional production, and then see the intimate theatre version or versions of the show. But 25 years ago I was seeing less theatre and preparing for the birth of my daughter, and so missed Falsettos when it was at the Ahmanson at the Doolittle. My first exposure to the show, instead, was back in 2011, when the YADA/Third Street Theatre mounted a production. About that show, I wrote:

“Falsettos” is really two parts of a three part trilogy of one-act musicals with book by William Finn and James Lapine and Music and Lyrics by William Finn (it premiered on Broadway in 1992). The first part of the trilogy (which is not in “Falsettos“) is “In Trousers“, which introduces us to the main character, Marvin, and his discovery that he prefers men to women. The two parts of “Falsettos ” take place after this: Marvin has just divorced his wife, Trina, and has become involved with Whizzer. The first act, “March of the Falsettos“, addresses the desire of Marvin to have a tight-knit family of Marvin, his lover Whizzer, his ex-wife Trina, his son Jason (age 11), and their psychologist (and Trina’s eventual husband), Mendel. This act explores the impact of Marvin’s relationships on those around him, ending up with Trina in a somewhat happy relationship with Mendel, Jason reconciled with his dad, and Marvin and Whizzer split. The second act is the last part of the trilogy, “Falsettoland“. It deals with Jason’s Bar Mitzvah under the Marvin being reconciled with Whizzer, and the shadow of Whizzer coming down with AIDS and eventually dying.

Neither of these are the happiest of subjects, and William Finn’s sung-through music provides opportunity after opportunity to explore all the angst. Unlike “Spelling Bee” or “New Brain“, the music isn’t particularly memorable or uplifting. So overall, we walked out of the musical with an “eh” reaction to the book: it wasn’t quite as incomprehensible as “Adding Machine“, but it wasn’t particularly a wow either. That’s not to say there aren’t some good songs. I’ve always like the opening of both acts: “Four Jews in a Room Bitching”, which opens “March of the Falsettos” and “Welcome to Falsettoland” which opens “Falsettoland“. March (Act I) also contains the wonderful “I’m Breaking Down” (originally in In Trousers): this is a comic delight that Trina sings while making some god-awful baked contraption. The visual gags alone are a delight. Falsettoland” (Act II) has a few good numbers as well, in particular, “Watching Jason (Play Baseball)”, where the characters bemoan how Jewish boys can’t play baseball, and “Everyone Hates Their Parents” where Mendel and Jason sing about how teens always hate their parents as teenagers, but when they are older, they hate them less, and that when they have kids, their kids will hate them. As the father of a teen who is in this stage, all I can say is “how true!”. Lastly, Marvin’s haunting last number, “What Would I Do?”, is just wonderful: it poses the question of what Marvin’s life would be had Whizzer not been it in. It is a suitable capstone to the piece, showing the value of love and friendship.

It is now (looks at watch) 8 years later. Do I still think it is “eh”? If anything, this has become much more of a period piece: we now know how to manage AIDS/HIV, and we can essentially cure or render the disease non-detectable. That’s a good thing: we no longer have the epidemic of men and women dying of this disease. This piece, on the other hand, takes place at the start of the AIDS/HIV era, when we didn’t even know what the disease was — only that men were dying of it. Think of a continuum: this piece capturing the start, with pieces like Rent squarely capturing the middle (recall the “AZT break, referencing the cocktail that had just become common), and pieces like The Prom capturing the modern era where the disease isn’t a consideration. In that continuum, this piece has increased in importance to remind us where we were, and how a disease can rip apart families. It also reminds us that families are who we choose them to be.

But still, this is not a show where you walk out of the theatre cheering. As we drove home, we were listening to an episode of The Ensemblist with Shoshana Bean, and she talked about Hairspray,  and how it ended with all the cast on stage happy and singing. Sister Act, last week, ended similarly. But this show? Let’s just say it ends on the predictable downbeat, with the teeny tiny band. As a result, you still walk out of the theatre a bit “eh”. You enjoyed the show, there were great and wonderful performances, but it left you … solemn. It’s a downbeat book. Not Mack and Mabel downbeat, but still downbeat. But the performances were great.

Before I get into the individual performances, I would like to highlight some of the great moments in this show — because although overall it was down, there were some great ups along the way:

  • I love the opening songs in each act: “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” for Act I (March of the Falsettos), and “Welcome to Falsettoland” for Act II (Falsettoland).
  • “I’m Breaking Down” is still a comic masterpiece, and one of my favorite songs overall.
  • “Everyone Hates His Parents” is an absolute truism, and was wonderfully performed.
  • “The Baseball Game” is just so true, especially as I know Jewish Men that try to play baseball.

Under the direction of James Lapine, and with choreography by Spencer Liff, the production is incredibly creative. The first act has the characters using a large cube of oddly shaped pieces to create the various scene bases, and the dance is less the “step turn step step twist turn” cheorography of a big show with lots of dancers, and more of a choreography through life. Nowhere are both better demonstrated than in “I’m Breaking Down”, where the simple act of making a cake becomes both a dance and an exercise in mental collapse. That is the perfect mess of directors getting the best out of their actors, and cheoreographers making the movement seem natural yet integral to the storytelling.

The performances in this piece were strong. It is hard to tier the first act leads, as they all have relatively equal roles (two characters get added in the second act). But let’s start with the centers of the story: Marvin and his son Jason.

Marvin is in one sense the center of the triangle in the story: He was married to Trina and divorced her; he left her for Whizzer; and his psychiatrist was Mendel, who fell in love with Trina. Playing Marvin, Max Von Essen (⭐FB, FB) captures a man who doesn’t know what he wants in life exceptionally well. He has a lovely voice, which he shows in quite a few numbers, but especially in “What Would I Do?” or his very neurotic numbers like the opening “A Tight Knit Family”.

But Marvin isn’t the only center of the story: there’s also Jason, Marvin’s son. Two actors alternate playing Jason: Thatcher Jacobs and Jonah Mussolino (⭐FB). At our performance, we had Mussolino, who appears to have moved to this tour from the Les Miserables tour (which is across town at the Pantages, if he wants to see his friends). Mussolino was spectacular. His expressions, his playfulness, his singing and performance (for example, in “Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist”) in the first act were only surpassed in the second act with his Bar Mitzvah, in “Everyone Hates His Parents”, and “Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah”. Great great performance.

However, if I had to pick a first choice in the performances, it has to be the top of the triangle, Eden Espinosa (⭐FB) as Trina. Just watching her energy, her fact, her embodiment of her character is just a delight. I noted before her performance in “I’m Breaking Down” as a comic masterpiece; but she’s strong in every number she’s in.

Trina is one point of the triangle; another point is Nick Adams (⭐FB, FB)’s Whizzer, the gay man with whom Marvin, Trina’s ex, falls in love in. Adams gets the lucky honor of not surviving the story. I think his character changes the most between the two acts: a bit more aloof and unexplored in the first act; a lot more open and loving in the second act, and with a decidedly stronger relationship with Jason, Marvin’s son. Adams captures those changing characterizations well, and moves from his initial stereotype to a warm person the audience cares about. He sings wonderfully and moves well.

The final point in the triangle was Nick Blaemire (⭐FB, FB) as Mendel, the Psychiatrist. Blaemire, who also wrote the musical Glory Days (which we saw the same year we first saw Falsettos) captures the self-effacing humor of Mendel well, and creates a very relatable  down-to-earth character who does a wonderful job of creating a new family with Trina. He sings wonderfully, is very playful in his movement (look at “Everyone Hates His Parents” or his scenes with Jason), and is quite fun to watch.

In the second act, two additional characters were introduced — the lesbians next door: Dr. Charlotte (Bryonha Marie Parham (⭐FB, FB)) and Cordelia, the Kosher Caterer (Audrey Cardwell (FB)). First and foremost: Ms. Parham has a voice on her — she sings, and sings wonderfully. It was a delight to hear her on all her numbers, in particular, her characterization and expression in “Something Bad is Happening”. Cardwell’s Cordelia gets less of an established personality in the writing, but Cardwell does great with what she gets, pushing her food with style :-).

Standbys and understudies were: Josh Canfield (⭐FB, FB) [who was on Survivor, cool!], Melanie Evans (FB), Megan Loughran (FB), and Darick Pead (FB).

The on-stage “teeny, tiny, band” was conducted by P. Jason Yarcho (FB), and consisted of: P. Jason Yarcho (FB) Conductor, Piano; Max Grossman (FB) Assoc. Conductor, Keyboard; Philip Varricchio (FB) Reeds; Jeremy Lowe (FB) Drums/Percussion. Other music credits: Michael Keller (FB) Music Coordinator; Taylor Williams (FB) / Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programmer; Vadim Feichtner (FB) Music Supervisor; Michael Starobin (FB) Orchestrations.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative credits: David Rockwell (FB)’s set was extremely clever. Starting out as a cube on stage with a backdrop of New York (presumably), the cube came apart to form walls, houses, chairs, desks, and you name it. This was extremely clever, but we replaced by more realistic elements, such as hospital beds and walls, in the second act. Still, the set was an extremely clever conception to execute. It was augmented by Jeff Croiter (FB)’s lighting which mostly worked well, but which also left some characters in the dark or at the edges thereof when they were still the focus of attention. Jennifer Caprio‘s costumes seemed appropriately period, as did Tom Watson‘s hair and wigs. Dan Moses Schreier‘s sound was clear. Rounding out the production credits: Eric Santagata Assoc. Director; Ellenore Scott (⭐FB) Assoc. Choreographer; Tara Rubin CSA (FB), Eric Woodall, CSA, and Kaitlin Shaw, CSA Casting; Broadway Booking Office NYC Tour Booking &c; Gregory R. Covert (FB) Production Stage Manager; Amber Dickerson (FB) Stage Manager; Hollace Jeffords (FB) Asst. Stage Manager; Joel T. Herbst Company Manager; Gentry & Associates General Manager.

Falsettos continues at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) through May 19, 2019. Tickets are available through the Center Theatre Group. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or through TodayTix.

🎭

The Ahmanson Theatre (FB) has announced their 2019-2020 season, and coming off of their 2018-2019 season, my reaction is much like my reaction to Falsettos: eh. There are only two shows I’m interested in seeing out of the seven: Once on This Island and The Last Ship. Further, the Ahmanson does not understand care and feeding of season patrons (especially the feeding, as we saw at the Pantages subscriber backstage events at the Pantages and Dolby, where local restaurants brought their wares). When I recently had to exchange tickets, I was forced into a higher priced tier because of the paucity of seats available on any date — even weekdays — at my price point. The website was unclear and I needed to call customer service to confirm whether the price was before or after the exchange. Add to that the fact that, when we subscribed originally, they forced us to subscribe on a weeknight (as there were no tickets in the lowest price tier available for subscribers on weekends), and didn’t let us pick the week. Basically, they don’t make me want to go out of the way to be a subscriber even if there is a show or two I don’t like. Good treatment of subscribers is something I’ve seen the Pantages demonstrate. So I think for 2019-2020, it is single tickets. Similarly, there’s only one show in the Taper season of interest: What the Constitution Means to Me. Again, single-tickets. I am, however, considering the Musical Theatre Guide (MTG) season, if it isn’t too expensive: Barnum, The Goodbye Girl, It Shoulda’ Been You, and Kismet.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Tonight brings another tour: Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday]. Fringe previews start the next week. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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🎭 Heavenly Glitz for a Community Institution | “Sister Act” @ Casa 0101

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Sister Act (Casa 0101)In the song “It’s a Business” in the musical Curtains there is the following exchange:

Actor: “… to me the theatre is a temple.”
Producer: “What? So it should only be filled on Shabbat?”

I was thinking about that exchange as I mused about last night’s production of Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB). I’ll circle back to why this exchange resonates so in a moment, so just keep it in mind….

Last Saturday, I wrote about my seeing In The Heights at LAPC. I noted that one reason for seeing a show multiple times is to see how the show has changed over time, and to particularly see it in a different sized venue. I also noted that the LAPC performace was the third time I saw seeing Heights. This weekend is very similar. This is my third time seeing Sister Act: back in 2006, I saw the original, pre-Broadway production at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB); just over two years ago (in 2017) I saw the regional premiere of the show at Cabrillo Music Theatre, now 5 Star Theatricals (FB). Both of those were large theatres. The Casa 0101 production was our third time, and here’s why: (1) this was a chance to see the show in a significantly smaller, intimate theatre setting; (2) we love the theatrical work of Casa 0101, going back to the first show we saw there, a bilingual version of Aladdin; (3) we love what Casa 0101 is doing with its local community (actually on a par with what 5-Star does with its community). In many ways, this perhaps was the best of the three.

For those unfamiliar with Sister Act (music by Alan Menken (FB); lyrics by Glenn Slater (FB); and book by Cheri Steinkellner (FB) and Bill Steinkellner (FB), with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane (based on the Touchstone Picture “Sister Act” written by Paul Rudnick under the pseudonym Joseph Howard)), here’s the synopsis I wrote in 2017:

Black jive lounge singer witnesses a murder and turns police informant, and needs to go in hiding from her crime gang boyfriend. The police decide to hide her in a fading Catholic Church, amidst a superfluity (gee, and I thought the term was gaggle) of nuns. Mostly white nuns. Yeah, she won’t stand out at all. In any case, the Mother Superior objects and the two clash like oil and water. But this of course is the movies (and later, the theatre), so they must learn to love and appreciate each other. In this case, it happens by our nun-in-hiding taking over as choir director, and teaching the other nuns to repurpose 1950s and 1960s pop songs as Catholic anthems (and which, since that can’t be done in the theatre, to develop new songs that sound like 1950s and 1960s pop anthems but are not). These new songs bring new people into the church and save the church from being sold and the nuns disbursed. They also bring the spotlight to the church, leading the gangster boyfriend and his, umm, gang to figure out where the nun-in-hiding is hiding. A chase then ensues, which in the movie takes place in Las Vegas, but since the Las Vegas set was stolen by the gang from Honeymoon in Vegas, the theatre chase takes place in the nunnery itself. But in the end, everything comes together: the convent is saved, the Mother Superior and the nun-in-hiding grow to appreciate each other, the nun-in-hiding falls in love with the cop-who-hid-her (who had a crush on her in high school — fancy that!), and the gangsters, as in any show, turn into song-and-dance-men.

So that brings us back to how I started this: Theatre being a temple, and how (so to speak) to get its worshippers to fill the pews so the doors don’t close. Casa 0101 is a community theatre; a vital beating homegrown heart in the community of Boyle Heights (so much so that, at our performance, we had the monsignor and a few nuns from the local Catholic church seeing the show). It went through hard times quite recently, and almost closed its doors. What kept it alive were donors that believed its mission and purpose, as well as musicals like this. Just like Deloris Van Cartier’s music brought the people into Queen of Angels church and saved it, musicals like this, cast to reflect the diversity of the Boyle Heights community, had this theatre packed to the rafters. From what I understand, it was similar for 0101’s recent Beauty and the Beast, and we certainly saw it in the recent Remembering Boyle Heights. No, there are no actors hiding in the theatre from the police across the street (that we know of), but wonderful music is drawing them in and saving a temple to the arts.

Casa 0101’s production of this was distinctly different that other productions I’ve seen. The Pasadena Playhouse had the funding to do a production with elaborate sets. Cabrillo/5-Star had less funds, but prides itself on doing Broadway caliber regional productions. This production was much more shoestring and worn (at least in terms of sets), just like one imagines Queen of Angels to be: A basic quasi-gothic church set, heavy use of projections to adapt that set as locations change, and basic theatrical props (boxes, tables, benches) do the rest. The glitz in this production comes not from the set, but from the costumes (with heavy use of sequins and glitter) and the performances (which were stunning). The intimate theatre setting of Casa 0101 (under 99 seats) means that you are upclose with the actors, permitting you to watch their faces and performances closely, and to observe not just the lead characters but to see the performances of the nuns in the background. What you’ll see is not just strong leads, but a strong overall cast who have become one with their characters (credit here goes not just to the actors, but to the director Rigo Tejeda (FB)).

The closeness that comes with intimate theatre also changes the emphasis. When you sit back at a significant distance: as you typically do at the Playhouse or the Kavli (5-Star’s home) or at the Pantages (if you saw the touring production), you focus on the big picture — and this makes the flaws in the story stand out. At the intimate level, the actors and performances take center stage (so to speak), and there is so much additional humor in the facial expressions and movements of the actors that the distances of the big theatres filter out. Affording yourself the opportunity to see a big production in a small venue is a treat, and something to remember.

Another thing that struck us about this production was the quality of performance. This is something we’ve seen again and again at this theatre, and it is one of the reasons we’re really growing to like Casa 0101 as a venue. They are doing shows about the community, as well as musicals we like (I’d like to have more musicals I haven’t seen, but that’s getting harder). For the last two seasons we had subscribed at Chromolume Theatre in the West Adams district — another historically underserved area. Chromolume closed their doors for good back in May (their final production was The Story of My Life for HFF18), and we have been debating where we might subscribe instead. Casa 0101 is on the short list of candidates (esp. as the mission of our other small theatre subscription is increasingly uncomfortable, even though they do good work). Theatre should inspire, and it is important to have venues that do that for the community, as well as for the actors in the company.

Lastly, despite the stereotypes and tropes in the plot (which is not the most intellectual), this is a very very funny story. This was my third time seeing it — and I’ve seen the movie even more — and I was still laughing at how this cast executed the well-known story. They brought out additional levels of humor from the story — yet again a reason to see this production in an intimate theatre setting.

Under the direction of Rigo Tejeda (FB), with choreography by Tania Possick (FB), the production scintillates. This team has helped each actor inhabit their characters and become playful with the character in ways that fit the character. That means one sister is extra giggly, the other perhaps more demure. The movement was reasonably complex and appeared to fit the time period (although, admittedly, I wasn’t out dancing back then … or even now).

In the lead position was Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (FB) as Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence. Schofield was clearly having fun with the role, and handled all aspects — performance, movement and singing — well. She captured well both the outsized personality that was Deloris before, as well as the changes that convent life brought to her. She was also able to capture both the outsize and tender aspects of the songs as well.

Playing against her, as Mother Superior, was Beverly Crain (FB). Crain gets less of the outsized numbers, but does have some tender songs. What was fun to watch with Crain was her face and reactions when Mary Clarence was doing some of her more outrageous activities. They were hilarous, and made clear that she was doing more than just reading lines — she was living the role.

Deloris’ non-spiritual savior (and eventual love interest) was Caleb Green (FB) as Det. Eddie Souther. Green captured the timidity of the character well and had some good comic — as well as some good touching — moments. However, he was plagued with a microphone that kept changing amplification levels, and this translated to some problems with his songs and vocals.

The bad guys (who were more comic relief than truly threatening) were portrayed by Marco Infante (⭐FB, FB) Curtis Jackson; Matthew Noah (FB) T. J.; Jason Biyo (⭐FB, FB) Joey; and Gil Garcia (FB) Pablo. All were great with the humor, and Infante was strong in “When I Find My Girl”. My wife pointed out that Infante had a costuming problem: back in the 1970s, one would have worn either a tie or chains with an open shirt, but not both a tie and chains. I particularly enjoyed the comic interplay between Noah, Biyo, and Garcia (although the fight sequence could have used a bit more fight choreography during the chase). Noah, in particular, was really funny as T.J.

This brings us to the main contingent of nuns, who it is sometimes hard to tell apart. The extremely bubbly nun was Sister Mary Patrick, played by Briana Bonilla (⭐FB, FB). The older sardonic nun was Sister Mary Lazarus, played by Dorrie Braun (FB). The oldest nun was Sister Mary Theresa, played by Megan Frances (⭐FB, FB). The younger nun, lost in her own world, was Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours, played by Sarah J. Garcia (FB). Lastly, of the named nuns, the novitiate was Sister Mary Robert, played by Samantha M. Lawrence (⭐FB, FB). All of the nuns were strong singers and performers, and did an excellent job of embodying their characters. Particularly strong was Bonilla’s bubbly Mary Patrick, the exceptional singing voice of Lawrence, and the humorous deadpan of Braun’s Mary Lazarus. Of course, Frances’s rap wasn’t bad either. They were all very strong.

Omar Mata (FB) captured the authority of Monsignor O’Hara quite well, although he needs to work on his Irish 😁.

Rounding out the cast, in multiple smaller ensemble roles, were Chrissi Erickson (FB) Tina, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Laura Altenor (⭐FB; FB) Michelle, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Michael Gallardo (FB) Ernie, Drag Queen, Ensemble, Homeless, Cab Driver, Fantasy Dancer; Alejandro Lechuga (FB) Cop, Reporter, Ensemble, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Shanelle Garcia (FB) Nun, Hooker; Daniela Santi (FB) Nun, Hooker, Homeless, Bar Waitress, Fantasy Dancer; and Leilah Telon (FB) Nun, Bar Patron, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer. Of these folks, I’d like to highlight a few. Altenor’s facial expressions were wonderful in reaction, especially when there were lines commenting on Delores’ ethnicity. She also sang and moved well. Santi was another ensemble standout: there was just something about her look, her face, and the fun she was having that was great to watch. Lastly, Gallardo and Lechuga were hilarious as the clearly gay choir boys — yes, a bit stereotypical, but funny none-the-less.

Music direction was by Gabrielle Maldonado (FB), although the remainder of the orchestra was not credited in the program. Tsk, tsk.

Lastly, we turn to the production and creative side of the equation. The set designs and projections were by Effy Yang (FB). The sets worked well for an intimate theatre: doors and stairs designed for projections. The problem was with the focus of the projections, which ended up with double and blurry images. Focused, they would have been great. Angel Estrada (FB)’s properties supported the design well, and were creative within the limited budget of intimate theatre. Marielena Covarrubias (FB)’s costumes were, from a distance, good. For those who knew the details, they were a bit more problematic: my wife noted that Curtis Jackson would not have worn both a tie and chains; she also noted (and this is coming from a Jewish girl, who grew up in Tucson) that the wimples needed to be folded correctly, and the nuns other than the novitiate needed wedding rings (they are figuratively married to Christ). The lighting by Kevyn Vasquez (FB) captured the time and mood well, and Joshua Cardenas (FB)’s sound, modulo the one microphone problem, worked well. Other production credits: Jerry Blackburn (FB) Production Stage Manager; Andrew Ortega (FB) Stage Manager; Genesis Miramontes (FB) Prod. Asst / Asst Stage Manager; JP (John Paul) Torres (FB) Asst Stage Manager; Michael Gallardo (FB) Dance Captain; Hiram Lopez (FB) Sound Mixer; Jorge Villanueva (FB) Relief Board Operator; Sujey Gonzalez (FB) Wardrobe Supervisor; Dazhane Demus (FB) Stagehand; Ed Krieger (FB) Production Photos; Steve Moyer Public Relations Publicity; Conrado Terrazas (FB) Executive Producer.

Sister Act: The Musical continues at Casa 0101 (FB) for two more weekends, until May 19, 2019. The show is a lot of fun with a really talented cast. Tickets are available through the Casa 0101 website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open (Fringe previews start the next week), and the end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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