Tag: theatre-2009

What Theatre Geeks Are Really Like

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Back in 2007, Amazon’s recommendation mechanism recommended the CD of a new musical called “The Green Room”, which I finally broke down and ordered in February 2008. I listened to the CD, and found the music quite nice. Shortly after that, I discovered (thanks to the author’s MySpace page) that the musical would be at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse… in May 2009. So, I kept waiting… and watching….

Last night, after a brief visit to Fiesta Hermosa (which was far too overcrowded to make it possible to even look at what limited art they had on display), and some dinner at Versailles (mmm, Cuban), we went to the Hermosa Beach Playhouse. We met up with shutterbug93 and her husband, Mark, which was a treat. Then we finally saw “The Green Room”. It was worth it.

“The Green Room” tells the story of four college students (Anna, John, Divonne, and Cliff) at the mythical St. Nordoff’s college. The action takes place in “The Green Room”, a room just offstage where actors wait, and that these four acting students have made their home in their college years (in fact, it made me think a lot of the UCLA Computer Club where I hung out). The first act chronicle’s Cliff’s first year at college: he arrives at the Green Room on the invitation of his sister Anna, and after some tripidation, gets accepted by Anna’s fellow sophmore acting students John (her boyfriend) and Divonne. Divonne and Cliff have a fling, with some predictable and not-so-predictable results. The second act appears to be when they are all seniors: Cliff is no longer nerdish and somehow seems to have caught up with the others, and the big concern is whether Anna and Cliff’s rich parents will fund Cliff’s off-Broadway show, which requires that (a) they all graduate, and (b) they all be in the show.

As this is a new musical (in fact, this is the premier production), it’s reasonable to start off looking at the above book, which was written by C. Stephen Foster and Rod Damer, with music and lyrics by Chuck Pelletier. The story is clearly in the vein of musicals about the theatre, which include “A Class Act”, “Curtains”, “Minsky’s”, “A Chorus Line”. The musical style is a mix of rock-style fast numbers and ballads, all enjoyable with interesting lyrics (although the lyrics appear to have been toned down from the CD, likely to protect the sensibility of the older-skewing Hermosa Beach audience). As the artistic director noted, it is also in the vein of the newer musicals about the theatre (such as (ugh) “High School Musical” and “Glee”). Unlike these other attempts, however, this focuses on the college years of acting development. I found that quite enjoyable, and certainly captured types I’ve seen watching my daugher as a performing arts student (although we both noted there needs to be a musical about technical theatre geeks!).

However, the book, while enjoyable for what it is, is not perfect. The problem is not that there are plot flaws or places where it drags, but the story is just too short. This musical clocks in at perhaps 1¾ hours with intermission, and at points the dialogue sections seem more designed to set up the next song than to let us learn about the characters. As such, some of the songs seem more novelty (although enjoyable) as opposed to interwoven with the plot. This is especially apparent in the second act, where we learn nothing about the intervening years, we learn nothing about how Cliff lost his nerdiness, we learn nothing of how these characters grew. We’re back from intermission… and “boom”, it is 3 years later. Gaining that additional insight could be done in some additional scenes, or perhaps a song or two, and might greatly improve Act II.

The music of the show is quite enjoyable. There has been a lot of buzz about the song “It’s All About Me”, but all of the songs from the show are very enjoyable. In addition to “It’s All About Me”, I particularly enjoyed “Nothing Can Stop My Boys” (it’s fun watching the audience react), the novelty number “Don’t Try To Part The Water”, “Good-Lookin’ Girls” and “I Wanna Go To Extreme”. The songs are energetic and playful. Do give them a try (you can listen to them through the musical’s MySpace page).

One of the things that makes this musical come alive is the acting ensemble, all of whom appeared to be extremely talented and enjoying their roles (although in our performance, there were a few line hesitations, but nothing major). Anna was played Stephanie Burkett Gerson, who captured the reserved character well. Her boyfriend, John, was played by her real-life husband, Zane Gerson. I was particularly taken with the performance of Jessica Gisin as Divonne — she brings a lot of fun and a great voice to the role. Lastly, as Cliff, Michael J. Willett, captures the theatre-nerd reasonably well in Act I, and transforms in Act II. If this story belongs to any character, it is Cliff, for it follows his growth in college.

Turning to the technical side (and I should note: the actors seemingly thanked only the band, and not the remainder of the tech crew, which they should remember to do if they want to be heard and seen): Hermosa Beach did reasonably well with what they had. Music (under the direction of the composer, Chuck Pelletier), consisted of a four-piece offstage band (piano, drums, bass, and guitar). The musical quality was very good. There were no discernable sound problems in the sound design by Kevin Goold, although at times it appeared the sound came more from the speaker system than the actors, but that could have been a balance problem from Row B. The lighting design by Ric Zimmerman was very good (we’ve seen his work before in “Into The Woods”): he made creative use of scrollers and moving lights on a traditional theatrical stage, and seemingly eschewed the overuse of spotlights except in one comic appropriate number. Choreography was by Karl Warden, who had some interesting creative movements that didn’t come across as traditional dance. The set, designed by Christopher Beyries, consisted of the typical cluttered college campus room, with a wide variety of props by T. Theresa Scarano (who also does props, IIRC, for Cabrillo). The costumes, by Christa Armendariz, are reasonable college student clothing, although I did find Anna’s costume in Act II slightly disconcerting, as her bright blue bra was showing through the yellow top. That can, and should, be easily fixed. Surprisingly, there were no credits for stage management. The production was directed by Stephanie A. Coltrin.

“The Green Room” continues at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse through next weekend, May 31. Tickets are available through the Hermosa Beach boxoffice, and may also be available through Goldstar (that’s where we got our tickets).

Upcoming Theatre: Our next production is back at the Middle School level, when we see “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School on Fr 5/29. May 31 @ 2pm brings “Setup and Punch” at The Blank Theatre Company. If the Goldstar Gods are with me, the weekend of June 6 will bring “Breaking the Code” at The Production Company in North Hollywood (5/15-6/20/09) (on LAStageTix, Venue Goldstar). June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Lastly, July 11 will bring “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. Other shows pending scheduling and ticketing include “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson (7/7-9/6/09), the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09), and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Also of potential interest are: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse (Venue Goldstar) (7/9-7/26/09); and “The Apple Tree” at Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood (6/5-6/28/09) (LAStageTix). I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

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Quote of the Day

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I just got the CD for “Toxic Avenger: The Musical” (great music, BTW). So, while trying to hunt down who was singing which song, I ran across the following in a Q&A with the author:

Q: I have no idea what the hell your show is about. Using other shows as reference points, could you describe “The Toxic Avenger” as though you were pitching it a simple-minded television executive?

A: Sure. “The Toxic Avenger” is like if “Little Shop of Horrors” met “Bat Boy” and then they fell in love and gave birth to a baby comprised of “Urinetown” and “The Producers” and that freak baby grew up and started dating “Rocky Horror Picture Show” but then they had a bad break-up and the show wanted to date “West Side Story” but “West Side Story” stood them up so the show just decided to stand on their own and it pimp-slapped “My Fair Lady” and became — ta da! — “The Toxic Avenger.” Does that help?

A: Yes, very much! That clears up a lot. Thank you.

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Be Careful What You Wish For

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This afternoon, we went to Hollywood to see “big: The Musical” at the West Coast Ensemble. For those unfamiliar with this musical, which is based on the Tom Hanks movie, it tells the story of 12-year old Josh Baskin. Josh is at that awkward age — too small for girls to notice him, awkwardly growing into teen-hood. One day at a carnival, Josh wishes to “be big” at the carnival Zoltar machine. The next morning… he wakes up “big”. A grown up. Of course, his mom thinks he’s a stranger and out of the house he goes. His best friend Billy packs him off to New York to find a job, while he goes to find another Zoltar machine. Josh lands at FAO Schwartz, where he meets a toy company executive who can’t figure out why his toys aren’t selling. Josh, being a kid inside, tells him… and gets hired. Now Josh is in the corporate world… and is a success by being a kid at heart. But he also has to start dealing with things he’s never dealt with before: such as the female co-worker who falls for him. Does he stay “big” for her, or does he go back to being a kid?

But that’s just the story. “big” is really a play about how kids grow up too fast, and what it is really like to be a kid inside. We all lose that kid far to quickly these days. I just heard a wonderful piece on Quirks and Quarks about the importance of play… and that’s something that is harder and harder to do in today’s world: just be playful. We see the view of the parents, whose children grow up far to fast. We see the view of the adults, all business. We also see the dilemma through two important sets of eyes: Josh’s, who must face the difficulties of adult love for the first time, and Susan, the colleague who falls for him, who learns that sometimes playfullness is the secret to love. I should note that the book for “big” is by John Weidman, based on the screenplay by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg. Music was by David Shire, with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr..

West Coast Ensemble is a theatre group that does great things with off-beat musicals like this. We’ve seen them work their magic on “Zanna Don’t” and “Assassins” before, and this production was no exception. Working in an extremely limited space, they created the flexibility to pull this off. As an example, one of the best known numbers in the show is the one where Josh and the president of the Toy Company dance on a gigantic floor keyboard. This theater could not afford a gigantic fancy lit keyboard–so they just painted one on the floor, and as the actors danced on the keys, the ensemble behind them sang individual notes. Their musical director (Daniel Thomas) also created a great sound with what appeared to be a single keyboard. A simple multi-level stage became everything from a schoolyard to bunk-beds in an apartment, to a working office, to a toy store… with just a few props. Credit goes to Stephen Gifford for his remarkable stage design and Lisa D. Katz for her imaginative lighting design in the limited space.

Of course, no production would be complete with out the actors, and this production had an excellent set of them. Leading the cast as the adult Josh Baskin was Will Collyeræ, who captured the kid inside of him, as well as being a great singer and dancer. His adult love interest, Susan Lawrence, was played by Darrin Revitzæ, and equally great singer and dancer. Both were just having fun with the roles, which is a joy to see. Others in the cast who particularly impressed me were: Johanna Kent (Mrs. Kopecki/Panhandler/Salesperson/Miss Watson/Diane), who we saw first in Assassins as Sara Jane Moore, and must be one of the most expressive actresses around; Alex Scolari (Cynthia Benson/Goth Girl/Kid/Intern), who we saw in 13 and was just mesmerizing, and LJ Benet as the young Josh Baskin, who in his second act solo number demonstrated a remarkable voice. Also worthy of note were Lisa Picotteæ as Mrs. Baskin and Larry Lederman as Mr. MacMillan (head of the toy company). Rounding out the cast were Ashley Marie Arnold (Tiffany/Kid), Sterling Beaumonæ (Billy Kopecki), Joseph Castanon (Brandon/Kid), Coby Getzug (Derek/Gang Dude/Kid/Intern), Frank Romeoæ (Mr. Kopecki/Arcade Guy/Salesperson/Birnbaum/Nick), Jake Wesley Stewart (Mr. Baskin/Drag Queen/Salesperson/Barret/Tom), Sara J. Stuckey (Mom/Homeless Lady/Salesperson/Receptionist/Abigail), Kaylie Swanson (Debbie/Kid), and Stephen Vendette (Dad/Stoner Musician/Paul Seymour).
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

I’ve already spoken about the excellent technical side of this production. Completing the backstage element were Sharon McGunigle with an excellent costume design (although I’m unsure whether cell-phones were that prevalent during that period), and Cricket S. Myers for Sound Design. The production was directed by Richard Israel assisted by Suzanne Doss. Choreography, which was remarkable given the limited space, was by Christine Lakin, assisted by Corrie English. The stage manager was Amy E. Stoddardæ, who was gracious to take nsshere backstage to discuss working in technical theatre. The producer was Ben Campbell. West Coast Ensemble is under the artistic direction of Les Hanson and Richard Israel.

I should note that if you are familiar with “big” from the cast album: some of the songs appear to be changed. In particular, I noticed a new song for Josh’s mom (“Say Good Morning to Mom”) in the opening, and I think one or two others were changed. However, a number of my favorites are still there, including “Fun”, “Stars”, “Cross the Line”, and “Coffee Black”. Some of the song changes are explained in the Wikipedia page.

“big” continues at West Coast Ensemble through June 28. Tickets are available through West Coast Ensemble, and Tix.Com; discount tickets are available through LAStageTix and Goldstar events. The show is well-worth going to, but note that parking in the neighborhood can be difficult, and the seats in the theatre are very narrow.

Upcoming Theatre: Our next production is “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 @ 7:00pm. The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School: we’re planning on going on Fr 5/29. May 31 @ 2pm brings “Setup and Punch” at The Blank Theatre Company. June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Lastly, July 11 will bring “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. Based on the reviews, we’ve decided to take a pass on “Marry Me a Little/The Last 5 Years” at East/West Players. Other shows pending scheduling and ticketing include “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson (7/7-9/6/09), the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09), and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Also of potential interest are: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse (Venue Goldstar) (7/9-7/26/09); “Breaking the Code” at The Production Company in North Hollywood (5/15-6/20/09) (on LAStageTix, Venue Goldstar) (with “Equus” over the summer); and “The Apple Tree” at Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood (6/5-6/28/09) (LAStageTix). I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

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Is It The Right Time For a Reworking and Revival?

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Today, while my iPod was on shuffle, up came a song from the 1967 flop musical, “How Now Dow Jones” (book: Max Shulman; lyrics: Carolyn Leigh; music: Elmer Bernstein). The musical ran for 220 performances in 1967, and even its lead actor, Tony Roberts, thinks a revival is unlikely. Part of the problem is that the plot is very dated. Quoting from Wikipedia:

Act I

Kate (“the voice of Dow Jones”) is frustrated that her engagement to Herbert, a Wall Street analyst, has gone on for three and a half years, only because Herbert has been expecting the Dow Jones average to hit the magic mark of 1000. She meets Charley (a chronic failure), and they find that they share not only suicidal tendencies but also an attraction.

Cynthia (Kate’s friend and a tour guide for the NYSE), who recently met Wingate (a Wall Street Tycoon) at a party and worships him, visits him in his office; Wingate, who is married, sets her up in an apartment as his mistress. After she leaves, Wingate and his fellow tycoons try to talk Senator McFetridge out of using an investigation of Wall Street to help his next election campaign.

After spending the night, Charley is smitten with Kate and wants them to travel the world together, but Kate turns him down, still hoping for a steady life with Herbert.

Having lured all other types of investors, Wingate now wants to convince widows and orphans to take their money out of safe bank accounts. But his customers’ men don’t have the kind of gawkiness that would win over old ladies. He notices Charley out on a window ledge about to jump, stops him, and finds him to be just the right kind of man for the job. Charley quickly becomes successful at charming rich widows into betting on the stock market.

Meanwhile, Kate finds out she’s pregnant from her one-night stand with Charley. She loses her resolve to tell him when his childhood sweetheart Sue Ellen Bradbury and her father (the richest man in Elmira NY) show up at their meeting place: now that Charley has turned out not quite the total failure Mr. Bradbury thought he was, Charley and Sue Ellen are engaged. In desperation, during her next Dow Jones update, Kate ignores the true figures given to her and announces that the Dow has reached 1000.

Act II

There is initial euphoria among investors such as the widows and Kate’s doctor. But soon it is discovered that the announced figures were false. After all the tycoons eliminate each other as the perpetrators, they narrow down Kate as the suspect, but Senator McFetridge does not believe the scenario and plans to explose Wall Street corruption in a news interview. The rest try to find Kate.

Wingate visits Cynthia at her new apartment to ask if she knows where Kate is. It turns out that he has never taken advantage of their arrangement since it was first set up. He tells her that if the market crashes, the apartment will have to go. Cynthia brightens up when he asks her come with him to stand by his side when the national panic happens.

Wingate, Cynthia, Herbert, and Charley find Kate in her apartment. Even though she lied in order to get Herbert to marry her, she really doesn’t love him. The matter of her pregnancy by Charley causes Wingate nearly to faint at the thought of what this entire illicit affair would do to the image of Wall Street. Left alone, Kate and Charlie resolve against suicide. Charlie is determined to come up with a solution and to make a life with Kate.

At Wingate’s brokerage, the bottom is about to fall out. Even the Senator is resigned to having to live off of only his congressional salary from now on. Suddenly Charley comes in with Kate and the solution to the problem: the legendary old man A.K. himself, in a wheel-chair. Wall Street respects everything A.K. does in the stock market. Doddering near the end of his one sane hour a day, A.K. is convinced by Charley to buy up all the stocks that are now up for sale and thereby save the U.S. economy.

Now, admittedly it would need some updating, but I think the basic plot probably could be adapted and fit well to the current financial debacle. Despite the book problem, the songs are reasonably enjoyable. Reworks of problematic shows have been successful before: look at the recent reworking of “Flower Drum Song”. I know that some owners of the properties are more willing to permit reworks to bring these problem shows back (especially when the underlying score is strong and the problem is more the book).

What other shows would I like to see revived and reworked? First and foremost, “Tenderloin”, a Bock-Harnick failure about a do-good preacher crusading against prostitution. Then again, that likely would have done better during the previous administration. I’d also love to see a production and rework of any of the three Rogers and Hammerstein failures, “Me and Juliet”, “Pipe Dream” (which sounds a lot like Carousel), or “Allegro”. From Kander-Ebb, I’d love to see a production of “70 Girls 70” (the music is great) or “The Rink”.

P.S.: As an aside, the casting for the upcoming Addams Family musical in 2010 has been announced, and it is inspired: Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlain as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Reigler as Pugsley, and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday. Also in the cast are Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, and Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke. The musical features music and lyrics by Tony-nominatd librettists Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party). It is based on the cartoons, not the TV show or the movie. The plot is described as: “Storm clouds are gathering over the Addams Family manse. Daughter Wednesday, now 18, is experiencing a sensation that surprises and disgusts her — caring about another person. Young Pugsley, jealous of his sister’s attention, begs her to keep torturing him, severely, while mother Morticia, conflicted over her daughter’s lurch into womanhood, fears being upstaged and discarded…like yesterday’s road kill. All the while, father Gomez — master of the revels, mischievous and oblivious as ever — would prefer everything and everyone remain as it is. But when outsiders come to dinner, the events of one night will change forever this famously macabre family — a family so very different from your own…or maybe not.”

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Artists Are Only Respected When They Are Dead

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

In the classic American story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, the title character attends his own funeral, just to hear the good things people are saying about him. Death has that interesting effect: we tend to focus about the good of the person. This is especially true in the art world: when an artist dies, no matter his quality, the value of his artworks often go up in value. So, suppose you have a penniless artist and his friends, who owe a lot of money, and they have just come to this realization. What do they do?

The answer is simple: The artist must die. But before you think this is some murder plot, think again. The artist just comes back as his long-lost twin sister. Add to this a classic melodramatic villian (think “Musical of Musical” — “I must have the rent!”), an engenue in love with the artist, the villian in love with the engenue, and a second engenue in love with the artist’s best friend… who thought up the plot. Add to this a man dresses up as a woman, some limberger cheese, and lots of doors, and you have the making of a farce. A very good farce.

I mention this because last night we went to see this farce. The play is called “Is He Dead?”, and was written by an author you might have heard of: Mark Twain. Almost a hundred years ago, he wrote this play, but no one knew about it until it was rediscovered a few years ago and mounted on Broadway to great critical reviews. It is currently having its Los Angeles premier at the International City Theatre in Long Beach.

“Is He Dead?” tells the story of the French artist Jean-Francois Millet (Perry Ojedaæ), who owes a significant amount of money to Bastien Andre (Steve Marvelæ). Also owing Andre money is Papa Leroux (Jerry Hoffmanæ), father to the sweetheart of Millet, Marie Leroux (Suzanne Petrela). Neither can pay Andre; in particular, Millet can’t pay because his paintings aren’t selling. Millet’s pupils: Agamemnon “Chicago” Buckner (Brian Stanton), Hans “Dutchy” Von Bismark (Chip Bent), and Phelim O’Shaughnessy (Blake Silver)) come up with an idea: Millet’s paintings will be worth more if Millet is dead. So they invent an unmentionalable disease for Millet to contract and quickly die from, as well as a sister, the widow Daisy Tillou, who is Millet’s identical twin sister. Now, add to this mix Leroux’s other daughter, Cecile Leroux (Jules Hartley), who is in love with “Chicago”, and the two widowed landlady’s of Millet (Madame Bathilde (Terra Shelman) and Madame Caron (Jeanine Anderson)). Stir the mix with a number of love triangles (both Andre and Millet love Marie; both Papa Leroux and Andre love the Widow Tillou). Add misunderstandings and jelousy (Cecile thinks Daisy loves Chicago). Season with dialects and great comic timing, as well as a great supporting performance by Joe Friaæ as a British art patron (Basil Thorpe), a French detective (Claude Riviere), a servant (Charlie), and the King of France… and you have a very funny farce.

Farce is very different than situational comedy. Situational comedy are plays such as “The Odd Couple” (Neal Simon), where the comedy come from the people and their relationships, not just sillyness. Farce is almost sillyness for sillyness’ sake — think “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” or “Noises Off”. There’s timing and doors slamming; there’s misunderstandings and overreactions; there’s dialects and cross-dressing (men as women, women as men). Everything is played for the laugh. Farce also requires spot-on timing. I do have to say that this company was excellent. Ojeda, as Jean-Francois/Daisy, milked the cross-dressing and the kissing for as much as he could get out of it. Marvel played the evil villian well, and Stanton was an excellent schemer. The reactions and timing of the whole cast was just remarkable.

Turning to the technical side: ICT is a thrust stage, almost 3/4 round like the Mark Taper Forum. They had about 1/3 of their seats blocked off. The sets were mostly backdrops: in the first act, they portrayed Millet’s studio; in the second act, the opulant quarters of the Widow Tillou. The sets were designed by Stephen Gifford. The lighting was unnoticable (a good thing): there were no spots or lighting tricks, just overall lighting that established the time of day and mood. The lighting was designed by Bill Georges, assisted by Sean Conlin. The costumes (by Kim DeShazo) and wigs/hair (by Anthony Gagliardi) established the time period well and were quite creative. Props were designed by Patty and Gordon Briles, and included a significant number of reproductions of Millet’s works. Stage management was by Pat Loebæ, assisted by Terri Robertsæ.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

As I noted above, the story was by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). The manuscript was found by Shelly Fisher Fishkin, who had it adapted for the stage by David Ives. The original production was in 2007 in New York. The readaptation for Long Beach was under the direction of Shashin Desai.

“Is He Dead?” continues at ICT through May 24, 2009. Only Thursday and Friday performances are up on Goldstar. For other performance, contact the box office at (562) 436-4610 or visit the ICT Website.

Upcoming Theatre: Next Friday or Saturday (5/16) at 7:00pm, we’re likely going to the student dance production at Van Nuys HS, for which nsshere will be doing some of the lighting design. Sunday May 17 will be “big” at West Coast Ensemble, to be followed (hopefully) by “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 @ 7:00pm (pending ticketing). The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere is doing the lighting design. June 6 we might go to the last weekend of “Marry Me a Little/The Last 5 Years” at East/West Players. , June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Lastly, July 11 will bring “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. Other shows pending scheduling and ticketing include “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson, Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl, and the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix.

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Theatre Grrrr…

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Surfacing for a late lunch break, here are a few theatre “grrrr….” on my mind:

  • Grrrrr the First. The Broadway/LA Season for 2010 has been announced. Most of the season, which is at the Pantages, is less-than-interesting: “Riverdance” (Jan. 12-24); “Stomp” (Jan. 26-Feb. 7); “The Color Purple” (Feb. 10-28); “Cats” (March 9-21) [Big deal–you can see it cheaper, sooner, and better at Cabrillo Music Theatre], “Chicago” (April 20-May 2), and “101 Dalmations: The Musical” (June 8-20, 2010). Two of the shows are interesting: “In The Heights” (June 22-July 11, 2010) and “Young Frankenstein” (July 27-Aug. 15, 2010). The “grrrrr” is that they are (a) only here for two weeks, increasing the chance they will be sold out, (b) at the Pantages, which is a horrible theatre, and (c) at the Pantages, which doesn’t really offer good discount programs.
  • Grrrrr the Second. As you know, the Tony Award Nominations were announced yesterday. The “grrrrrr” here is that a number of good shows were snubbed, including “9-to-5”, which should have received more nominations; “13”, which should have received some nominations; and “Tale of Two Cities”, which also should have received a nomination. “[title of show]” probably should have received more as well.
  • Grrrrr the Third. An interesting musical (I love the music) called “The Green Room” is coming to the Hermosa Beach Playhouse starting May 19. I want to get tickets for May 24, but so far they are not on Goldstar or LA Stage Tix. I have no idea if they will be, and I’m beginning to fear that theatres aren’t putting up discount tickets in this economy. That’s certainly worth a “grrrr”, and it will be more “grrrrr”-worthy as I consider the likelihood of Hottix for “Spamalot” “Mary Poppins”, and “South Pacific”.
  • Grrrrr the Fourth. According to the WSJ, intermissions are on their way out. Although I can understand the lack of an intermission in a short show, I actually like the intermission. Gives one a change to stretch one’s legs, check in at home, talk to the theatre staff, etc. I have a certain “grrrrrr” if they go away.
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O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night (sort of a the last minute), we went over the the Horseshoe Theatre at LA Valley College to see the Theatre Arts Department’s production of Alicen. We had been alerted to the production through divasteph on Facebook (production page), and had been debating going, but it wasn’t until yesterday that we knew for sure nsshere’s schedule.

Alicen is a new play based off of the two main Alice stories (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, as well as other Alice-related writings of Charles Dodgson). The new adaptation was developed by Christopher Coddington (who also directed the production), and is relatively faithful to the books (the first act being “Wonderland”, the second act being “Looking Glass”). As this was a reasonably faithful adaptation, I won’t retell the stories, other than to note that most of the well-known incidents are included, but contrariwise, some of them have been left out. This faithfullness led to an extremely long play (clocking in at 3 hours, with each act approximately 90 minutes). I’ll note that this is one of the first productions of this adaptation, and thus is in some sense a workshop: thus I’ll suggest that the play could use with some trimming and tightening for the audience does feel the length of the production.

Although I refer to Alicen as a play, it is in reality a musical, with music by Matt Sheridan and Eric Killian (perhaps better known as “The Modlins”), with additional music and arrangements by Shane Richardson, Stephanie Pressman, Richard Rossi, and Crystal Castillo. The songs are mostly adaptations of the poems in the stories, and run the range from folk to rap (the rap version of “The Walrus and the Carpenter” is particularly amusing). I also enjoyed the musicalization of “Jabberwocky”. Within the show, the “band” consists primarily of Stephanie Pressman and Shane Richardson (both of whom sing and play guitar), as well as some other cast members who also play guitar and sing. I found the music very entertaining, especially some of the duets where the voices blended quite beautifully. I’ve heard rumors of a recording of the score — if that pans out, it would be a wonderful preservation of the delightful tunes.

The acting ensemble was quite talented, and speaks well of the theatre arts program at LAVC. In the lead, playing the Wonderland Alice (there was also a young-Alice and an adult-Alice) was Crystal Castillo. Ms. Castillo was remarkable in the role, showing strong singing and dancing abilities as well as good acting abilities. Another remarkable cast member was Richard Rossi [] as Charles Dodgson/White Knight. I found him enjoyable as Dodgson, but even more enjoyable as the White Knight, where he was having fun with the role and seemingly ad-libbing (which I later learned was scripted, making him even stronger in my book). Also enjoyable were Timothy Miller [] (Lewis Carroll; Dormouse; Red King) and Marina Gywnn [] (Alice Liddell).

Others in the large ensemble (more) — which was quite talented — were: Norma Arroyo [] (Edith Liddell), Simon Benjamin (Baby/Pig; Gardener 5; Ensemble), Bethany Bodin [] (Tiger Lily; Ensemble)), Adam Cloud [] (Fish Footman; Red Knight; Ensemble), Shawn Conklin (Caryl Hargreaves; Knave of Hearts), Nick DeNicola [] (Robinson Duckworth; King of Hearts), Courtnie Di Piazza [] (Red Queen; Miss Prickett), Julio Dominguez (Tweedledum; Ensemble), Nina Donato (Duchess), Cloey Eo (Frog Footman; Gardener 7; Ensemble), Leslie Holland (Ensemble), Azmyth Kaminski (Caterpiller), Katherine Ko [] (Lorina Liddell), Sherrie Lewandowski [] (Queen of Hearts), Alvyn Lopez (Gardener 2; Ensemble), Carlo Maghirang [] (Mad Hatter), Angela Manetti (Fawn; Ensemble), Lyle Middleton (Executioner; White King), Addison Randall [] (Humpty Dumpty), Shandar Robinson (Cook; Rose; Ensemble), Colleen Shelley (White Queen), Johnathan Solarte (Cheshire Cat), Theresa Strand [] (March Hare), and Andrew Wolf [] (White Rabbit).

Turning to the technical side: The Horseshoe Theatre at LAVC is a small facility, sitting the audience in a few rows around 3 sides of the stage. No amplification is necessary. Lighting, however, is. The lighting design was by P. T. Fogger, and had both strong and weak points. The strong point was the use of four spots such that they weren’t noticable. The weak point were the scollers, which were left on when the colors were changed, creating this districting color cavalcade when not-adjacent color changes occurred. The lighting board operators were Cullen Pinney and Stacey Cortez, with Jason Alexander, Danie Danebrock, Jason Henderson, and Matthew Miller as spot operators. The costumes, by Judy Ashton, where quite clever in their use of available resources (which, being a community college production, were limited). The set, designed by Cathy Susan Pyles [], was minimalistic, consisting of some steel frameworks and various props. Danielle DeMasters served as stage manager, assisted by Stacey Cortez [] and Nicole Ruiz [].

Being a musical, there was a fair amount of dance and movement, which was quite good and varied. The dance ranged from ballet-like moves, to ensemble pieces, to rap style movements. The choreography was by Ashleigh Lonning, assisted by Crystal Castillo.

Alicen has 3 more performances: May 7, 8, and 9 at 8:00pm at LAVC. Call 818 947-2790 for reservations. Ticket prices are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors/students. ETA: You can see a video sample of the show here.

Lastly, I should note that this is the first production we’ve heard of at LAVC: it would be nice if they had a mailing list so we could learn of future productions (hint, hint).

One last little note on the production: It reminded me of my copy of the book “The Annotated Alice”, which was given to me by my brother before he died, and which I still have. A nice memory to have return.

Upcoming Theatre: Next Saturday, we’re going down to Long Beach to see “Is He Dead? at ICT Long Beach. May 17 will be “big” at West Coast Ensemble, to be followed by “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 (pending ticketing). The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere is doing the lighting design. On June 6 @ 8pm we’re scheduled for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” at Repertory East Playhouse, but since we saw that when they did it two years ago, we’re planning to switch to “Fat Pig” in their “81 series” on July 11. As this opens up June 6, we might go to the last weekend of “Marry Me a Little/The Last 5 Years” at East/West Players. Lastly, June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse.

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If I Kept My Hair Natural Like Yours, I’d Be Bald

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today, we came closer to the trifecta of great Broadway second-bananas, who often stole the show from their leading ladies. Yesterday, I reported on the death of Marilyn Cooper, who stole the show from Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year. Today brings news of the death of Bea Arthur, who seems to be remembered most from some inconsequential television shows that will mostly be forgotten in 10 years. But her Broadway work, as the original Yenta in Fiddler on the Roof, and as Vera Charles, Mame’s BFF in Mame, will live on in cast recordings forever.

To illustrate the wit of this woman, here’s an except from her obit in the LA Times:

Although she had wanted the part of Mame, Arthur was talked into taking the gal-pal role by husband Saks, who was directing the musical. But she didn’t accept being second banana quietly, using humor to make her point.

According to “Balancing Act,” Martin Gottfried’s 1999 biography of Lansbury, Arthur told people that the original name of the show was “Vera” and that it was changed only because composer Jerry Herman couldn’t find rhymes for that name. Then she would dramatically pause, Gottfried wrote, and say, “Steve Sondheim could have.”

We will miss your wit, Bea.

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