Tag: theatre-2010

Meeting of Minds #13 (Emp. Theodora, B. Russell, T. Jefferson, St. Augustine)

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Last night was our monthly sojurn to Steve Allen’s creation, Meeting of Minds at the Steve Allen Theatre. This month was Episode #13. The guests were:

Given the guests, the subject (for the most part—after all, this is a freewheeling discussion) tended to focus on religion and rationality, and the rights that the state has to force religious obediance. Knowing Allen’s background, this was obviously a subject near and dear to his heart. In general, taking the side that the government should have a role in forcing religion were Augustine and Theodora (both of whom believed in forced conversions to Christianity); the opposite side was taken by Russell (of the more rationalist arguments) and Jefferson (who called for the more ethical precepts of Christianity but not the dogma). There was also delving into the history of Augstine and Theordora; more detailed background on Jefferson and Russell are in Episode #14.

The script had a number of updates from the original 1979 script. For example, when discussing how the Roman Empire was divided into two portions for governance, leading to the formation of the Byzantine Empire in the East, it was noted that there were no effective communication methods such as the Internet, Facebook, or Twitter. Later, during the religious discussion, it was pointed out that Jefferson was not the hard-and-heavy Christian the founding fathers are claimed to be (and thus making aspersions on the Tea Party movement).

As always, this is a staged reading, and the actors get the scripts perhaps a week before the show. Some actors deal with this much better than others. During this episode, I thought the best performances were given by Carradine as Jefferson (whose voice reminded me quite a bit of Will Rogers) and DuMond as Theodora. Lazenby as Russell started out slow, but warmed up as the evening went on. I wasn’t that enamored of Bologna’s performance as Augustine—he just didn’t come across as strong as I would have expected him to be. The problems with Bologna and Lazenby could have been due to their problems with getting the words out, as they (along with Gary Cole) had the most reading problems (that is, misreads from the script). Bologna and Lazenby were at their best when they were standing up arguing at each other. As always, the production was directed by Frank Megna, who did an excellent job working with the actors to bring out the characters (although, as I noted, Augustine needed a bit more “oomph”).

Unlike a lot of the other staged readings, this episode had significant costumes for all historical characters. These costumes were provided by Santra Magnusson.

Dan Lauria, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Vince Lombardi, introduced the program, commenting on how hard it is to write one of these scripts. He should know, as he has just finished the first new Meeting of Minds script in 20 years! It will be presented as a two-hour show at the Greenway Court Theatre on Fairfax Ave on Sunday, June 6 at 6pm (alas, I don’t know yet whether we can make it—K & E are going to see Merce Cunningham at 2pm at the Disney that day, and I’ll be at a niece’s birthday party in Orange County). The guests for the new episode will be: Steve Allen (host), Congressional Medal of Honor winner Smedley Darlington Butler, Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War Doctor Mary Edwards Walker, Saint Patrick of Ireland, and Saint Joan of Arc. Playing these roles are Dan Lauria, Wendie Malick, Jim Handy, Stana Katic, and either Gary Cole or Jack Maxwell as Steve Allen. Details and tickets should be available through Working Stage Productions or their Meeting of Minds page.

“Meeting of Minds” is now produced monthly by Opening Minds Productions, every third Sunday of every month at 7:00pm at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood. The regular June episode (Sunday, 6/20/2010 at 7pm) will be Episode #10 (Episode #9 review), featuring Voltaire (Ray Abruzzo); Martin Luther (Mark Moses); Plato; Florence Nightingale [Sharon Lawrence]; with Steve Allen (Gary Cole) hosting.

Upcoming Theatre. Next weekend brings the Spring Dance Show (yes, nsshere is dancing) at Van Nuys HS (May 20-22). The last weekend in May brings the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend, as well as “The Wedding Singer” at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall (May 30 @ 2pm). June starts with “Peter Pan” at Nobel Middle School (June 3-5) and the “One Acts Plays” at Van Nuys High (June 2-4) [again, nsshere is acting in the One Acts], as well as (pending ticketing) the legacy tour of Merce Cunningham at the Walt Disney Concert Hall… and who knows… perhaps the new “Meeting of Minds”! June 13 brings “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson, with the June “Meeting of Minds” on June 20. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and (pending ticketing) the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). July will also bring ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24. Plus July will nat bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. Lastly, looking to August, we will hopefully find “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing); “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages, the August “Meeting of Minds”, and “Side Man” at REP East.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Hitchcock? Didn’t He Do Bambi?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

It has been said that “Dying is easy; comedy is hard.” Last night, on the stage at the Ahmanson, we saw definately proof of that: a group of four actors working together to provide not only that dying is easy, but that it can be very funny as well. Last night, we saw “The 39 Steps”.

The original “39 Steps” was a 1935 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The short version of the plot of that film, from IMDB, is “Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to London. At the end of “Mr Memory”‘s show in a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. He accepts to hide her in his flat, but in the night she is murdered. Fearing he could be accused on the girl’s murder, Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring.”. You can find a more detailed summary of the film plot on Wikipedia.

This stage version of “The 39 Steps” is a comic farce interpretion of the movie. It takes the original mystery film, and puts the exact story onstage as if it was done by a group of four British actors at a cheap theatre. One actor takes the Richard Hannay role; one actress takes the three female lead roles (Annabella Schmidt, Pamela, and Margaret)… and the other two men take all of the remaining over 150 roles from the film. Along the way, they throw in every Hitchcock cliche and reference you can think of, including names of every Hitchcock films and most of Hitchcock’s well known situations (such as the shower scene from Psycho and the airplane chase from North by Northwest). They even throw in a Hitchcock cameo!

Making this even more fun is the fact that they don’t do this in the sort of expensive production you’ve come to expect from Broadway these days. They do it on the cheap, using clever invention (such as rear projection, puppets, representational props) to make up for the all-too-common overdone show. Further, they make fun of their invention throughout the show. It is just a hoot to see farce like this done right, with perfect timing and cleverness. This is one production I expect to have a long life after the initial tour: it can easily be done by inventive companies.

The credit for this wonderful shows belongs in four main areas: writing, directing, acting, and technical. The original Hitchcock movie (based on the adventure novel “The Thirty-nine Steps” by John Buchan) was adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, who retained almost 60% of the films dialogue and an almost frame-by-frame preservation of the story, whilst working in additional jokes.

Making this story come alive was the the result of the inventive genius of original director Maria Aitken, as preserved by tour director Nevin Hedley, who brought this story to stage using only smoke, four trunks, three ladders, two doors, and a number of overworked actors. A good director is key to making the split-second timing that underlies farce work, and Aitken/Hedley does that.

Adding to this was the talent of the four actors: Claire Brownell (Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret); Ted Deasy (Richard Hannay), and Eric Hissom and Scott Parkinson in the remaining 100+ male and female roles. These actors were having fun with their roles, and had their timings down. As I said at the start: comedy is hard work, and these four pour their hearts into it, getting it perfect. Although Deasy has square-jawed and square-persona-ed Hannay down, and Brownell suitably overplays the female roles (as is required by Hitch), the show is stolen by Hissom and Parkinson. These two become everything — so many characters I can’t remember them all, and at times even the actors can’t keep them straight (although that too may be an act). It is hilarious!
[All actors are members of æ Actors Equity ]

All of this is supported by the inventive technical side: Peter McKintosh’s sets and costumes and Kevin Adams’s lighting. To give you an idea of this inventiveness: a train is created through four overhead lights and four trunks; wind is created through movement of coats; stage doors have multiple sides to depict multiple rooms; overstuff chairs become beds; … you get the idea. It was just remarkable.

Rounding out the technical: the sound design was by Mic Pool. Original movement was by Toby Sedgwick, with additional movement by Christopher Bayes. Production stage management (which I’m sure was a job for this show) was by Harold Goldfaden, assisted by Sara Jaramillo. Stephen Gabis was the dialect coach. There were like four hundred producers listed in the program.

The last performance of “The 39 Steps” at The Ahmanson Theatre is today.

Oh, as for the title of this post: There’s a game called Traumfabrik, where one makes movies. One of the four-star directors is Hitchcock, and one of the potential movies is Bambi. It is so much fun to assign Hitch to Bambi. Just imagine what he would have done with the property.

Upcoming Theatre. Tonight sees us at the Steve Allen Theatre for the May installment of “Meeting of Minds” with Joe Bologna as St. Augustine of Hippo, Hayley DuMond as Empress Theodora, Keith Carradine as Thomas Jefferson, George Lazenby as Bertrand Russell, and Gary Cole as Steve Allen. Next weekend brings the Spring Dance Show (yes, nsshere is dancing) at Van Nuys HS (May 20-22). The last weekend in May brings the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend, as well as “The Wedding Singer” at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall (May 30 @ 2pm). June starts with “Peter Pan” at Nobel Middle School (June 3-5) and the “One Acts Plays” at Van Nuys High (June 2-4) [again, nsshere is acting in the One Acts], as well as (pending ticketing) the legacy tour of Merce Cunningham at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. June 13 brings “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson, with the June “Meeting of Minds” on June 20. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3, and (pending ticketing) the Western Corps Connection in Riverside on July 5. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). July will also bring ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); the July “Meeting of Minds on July 18, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24. Plus July will nat bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl. Lastly, looking to August, we will hopefully find “Rent” at the Hollywood Bowl (pending ticketing); “Young Frankenstein” at the Pantages, the August “Meeting of Minds”, and “Side Man” at REP East.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Pasadena Playhouse: And Yet Again, The Subscribers Learn It In The Times

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Yet again the Pasadena Playhouse demonstrates their commitment to their subscribers by informing them of major news before it hits the paper. Oh, right they didn’t.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Pasadena Playhouse is filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. They are reorganizing, which leaves us subscribers as creditors. Will we get something for our subscription dollars? Will we even get a donation letter? Stay tuned to this station to find out.

(One wonders how much of their subscriber base will stay with them after this. We won’t. We’ve already moved our subscription dollars to the Colony Theatre in Burbank!)

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What Did You Put In The Water? Miracle Gro?

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Just over a year ago we were sitting in the auditorium at Van Nuys HS watching their production of “Little Shop of Horrors”. It’s a year later, and guess what… we’re in the auditorium of another large theatre also watching “Little Shop of Horrors”. This time the theatre was the Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks and the producer was Cabrillo Music Theatre… and the production was anything but a horror—in fact, it was one of the best productions we’ve ever seen at Cabrillo.

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

As I said at the top, the Cabrillo production was excellent, and this excellence came from a combination of excellent ingredients that built upon the already wonderful story and music just described. Let’s start with the direction and the casting, which was great. Leading the ensemble were Jim Holdridgeæ as Seymour and Callie Carson as Audrey. We’ve seen Holdridge before in “Life Could Be A Dream”, where he honed his nerdish nebbish to perfection. Carson is new to us. Both were exceptionally strong singers and actors (dance doesn’t particularly play into this production), and were a joy to watch. It is hard to pick particular numbers to highlight for these folks, as all were great. Commenting on the action were the Ronnettes: Nicole Tillman (Ronnette), Robyn Michelle Jackson (Chiffon), and Domonique Paton (Crystal)—again, strong singers and movers, with movement that enhanced the story. Rounding out the face cast were Damon Kirscheæ (Orin Scrivello D.D.S. and others), Gibby Brandæ (Mushnik), Michael Conoscenti (Derelict) and Nick Newkirk (Dental Patient). Under the direction of Lewis Wilkenfeld (choreography by John Charron), these talented actors became their characters while still having fun with their roles. It was just a delight to watch them.
[æ denotes members of æ Actors Equity ]

Of course, what makes LSOH is Audrey II. The physical plants were constructed by Musical Theatre West, and I’m guessing there were 5-6 sizes (the original small plant; the one held by Seymour, the one sitting on the table, the medium Audrey II from the latter part of Act I, and the big and BIGGER Audrey IIs from Act II). But going beyond the physical plant were the actors inside and outside: Kameren Chase Nealæ as the voice of Audrey II, and James W. Gruessing as the person manipulating the puppets. These two brought the plant to life and gave it personality; they made you wonder “how the hell did they do that?”. They were just great.

Building upon this acting base was an excellent technical team, which started from the excellent Musical Theatre West base (which provided both costumes and sets) and built upon the skills of technical director Dan Healey (who came from the Pasadena Playhouse). The sound design by Cabrillo regular Jonathan Burke was clear and had nary a glitch. The lighting by Michael Tachco was a step above the Cabrillo norm. Aside from some odd lighting on Audrey II during “Feed Me”, it was spectacular. I particular remember the lighting on “Dentist” and “Somewhere That’s Green”—the former has one of the best uses of moving lights I’ve seen, and the latter used the spots and color particularly well. I also appreciated the lighting during the end number. Christine Gibson served as Wardrobe Supervisor, and Paul Hadobas did hair and makeup design.

The excellent orchestra just added to the production. Under the direction of Matthew Smedal, the five-piece ensemble (Smedal on Keyboard, Lloyd Cooper on Keyboard Synthesizer, Dave Winstone on Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Steve Bringelson on Electric Bass, and Dave Lotfi on Set Drums) filled the auditorium with wonderful sounds, seeming to be much larger than it was.

Holding everything together and keeping things running smooth were the “ever capable” Lindsay Martens (Production Stage Manager) and Allie Roy (Assistant Stage Manager). I had hoped to be able to stop by at the stage door afterwards and say “hi” to Lindsay (who we last saw at “The Story of My Life”), but the rest of our party wanted to get home. Ah, the perils of Saturday night, especially the week before the AP Stats exam :-).

The last performance of “Little Shop of Horrors” at Cabrillo is this evening. You can purchase tickets through their website.

Season Announcement: As I mentioned a few days ago, Cabrillo has announced their 2010-2011 season, which my daughter characterized as “The 1950s and Nazis”: “Happy Days: The Musical” (October 22-31, 2010); “The Marvelous Wonderettes” (February 4-13, 2011); “The Producers” (April 8-17, 2011); and “The Sound of Music” (July 22-31, 2011), with an optional holiday show running December 26-30, 2010. Happy Days really isn’t as bad as it might appear: I’ve heard the music and it is quite good (which is unexpected for a sitcom transfer). I’m unsure how they are going to do Wonderettes: I’m just imagining the prom voting in a 3,000 seat theatre! I’m also surprised they aren’t doing Winter Wonderettes, but perhaps that will be their holiday show. The production of the The Producers should be good: they are using the sets, costumes, and props from the National tour, which combined with Cabrillo’s powerful casting and dance should be great. As for Sound of Music, this is always a crowd pleaser, and they can build upon their last performance in the 2000-2001 season. Season pricing is quite good, from $263/season for premium orchestra to $54/season for balcony seats (actually, that’s $108/season with a “Buy 1 Get 1” deal—something that cannot be beat!).

Upcoming Theatre. This afternoon, Karen and Erin are off to Newhall for “12 Angry Men” at Reperatory East Playhouse, while I get ready for a Games Night at Temple that I’m running. The weekend of May 8 sees Karen and me at the So Cal Ren Faire on Saturday. The weekend of May 15 sees the CDF Conference for Karen and Erin, followed by “The 39 Steps” at the Ahmanson at 8pm. The next weekend takes Erin to the Ren Faire, while we see the May installment of “Meeting of Minds” at the Steve Allen Theatre (May 16). The casting for that was just announced: Joe Bologna as St. Augustine of Hippo, Hayley DuMond as Empress Theodora, Keith Carradine as Thomas Jefferson, T. B. Announced as Bertrand Russell, and Gary Cole as Steve Allen). The fourth weekend in May brings the Spring Dance Show at Van Nuys HS (May 20-22). The last weekend in May brings the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend, as well as “The Wedding Singer” at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall (May 30 @ 2pm). June so far is mostly open, although I’m expecting that we’ll see “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson on June 13, and the June “Meeting of Minds” on June 20. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3. The next weekend (July 10 @ 8pm) is the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie”. That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). July will also bring ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); a possible July “Meeting of Minds, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 24. Plus July will also likely bring some ventures out to the Hollywood Bowl.

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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Pasadena Playhouse News

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Because I’m sorta obsessed on this, being a subscriber who’s been treated poorly:

  • From the “So Why Couldn’t You Give Me That Donation Letter…” Department: It looks like the Playhouse is moving closer to filing for bankruptcy (nice to keep the subscribers informed… oh, you didn’t). What’s interesting here is the bit about how they only want large donors: “Eric Andrist, co-founder of the Musical Theatre Guild, is one of those who stepped forward to help raise money for the Playhouse, setting up a Facebook account and raising what he said was $18,000 in pledges. Now he’s suspended fundraising and has called off plans for an online auction, critical of what he called “hurdles” put in his way. Andrist said he and others believe the playhouse is snubbing small-scale supporters and is unwilling to try anything new, including his idea for online links allowing people to donate with credit and debit cards. When the playhouse closed, Eich [the Executive Director] said they were touched by many offers of help, but small- scale fundraising wouldn’t solve the problem.” As for the subscribers, Eich said, “We’ll find some way to take care of the subscribers who gave us their loyalty and confidence … and I’m pretty sure they won’t be disappointed.” Hint: This subscriber already is, due to the lack of communication, and has subscribed elsewhere.
  • From the “So What is Sheldon Doing?” Department: What originally prompted this post was an article in Playbill today about Sheldon Epps mounting a Ray Charles musical on Broadway (the one that had disappointing reviews when it played the Playhouse in 2007). Now, the Playhouse has done some great new musicals over its years. Some came close to Broadway (“Vanities”), some have gone to London but surprisingly not to Broadway (“Sister Act”), and some should have gone to Broadway but didn’t (“Mask”). But the last thing Broadway needs is another jukebox musical.
  • From the “And What About The Building?” Department: At least the building is getting some use. The facility itself is being rented out for some performing arts events, but bringing in precious little to the Playhouse itself. At least the restaurant there (“Elements”) got a good review.
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Cabrillo Season Announcement

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As I’ve been passing on announcements of theatre seasons, here’s the one for Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks. I don’t know if they are continuing the pricing from last year, but if they do, this is a bargain that can’t be beat: 2-for-1 balacony seats, meaning subscriptions were incredibly affordable. In any case, the season is:

  • HAPPY DAYS: THE MUSICAL – October 22-31, 2010
  • THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES – February 4-13, 2011
  • THE PRODUCERS – April 8-17, 2011
  • THE SOUND OF MUSIC – July 22-31, 2011
  • *SPECIAL HOLIDAY SHOW TBA

My thoughts: I’m pleased to see Happy Days: I’ve got the CD, and it has nice music and is supposedly quite good. I’ve seen the other three. It is interesting their Winter musical is again a Roger Bean import—it will be interesting to see who they cast (and who I know in the cast). The Spring and Fall musicals I’ve seen before, but Erin hasn’t… so that’s good (plus the Spring musical misses the AP exams). I’ll note we last saw Sound of Music during our first season at Cabrillo in 2000-2001. The other shows are all new to Cabrillo.

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What Jury Duty Should Be

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“You are summoned by the Superior Court for service as a trial juror.” These are words that strike terror (or at least annoyance) in the hearts of many, because we don’t want the hassle of jury duty. We don’t want the time lost to the juror assembly area; we don’t want the time lost to the trial; and we don’t want the risk of a long deliberation. But where does our image of what is involved with jury duty come from? For many of us, it was shaped by a 1954 teleplay originally called “12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose, originally broadcast in September 1954. Do you remember watching it on Studio One? It was later adapted for the screen in 1957 (starring many major actors) and 1997. A stage version was written in 1955, but didn’t make it to Broadway until 2004.

Even if you didn’t see it, “12 Angry Men” has shaped your view of jury service. We’re all familiar with the basic premise of the story: Twelve jurors go into a room as the trial phase of a murder trial ends to debate the evidence. They need to decide whether the plaintiff is to be sent to the electric chair, and a unanamous voite is required. Some jurors don’t want to be there: they need to get back to work, they have tickets for the game that evening, they want to get on with their life. Most seem to believe it is an open-and-shut case: the plaintiff, a minority teen, clearly stabbed his father and left him to die. A quick vote is taken: 11 guilty, 1 not-guilty. And so the debate begins: why does that one juror believe there is reasonable doubt. Evidence is examined, scenes replayed, timelines revisited. Tempers flare, and underlying hatreds and prejudices reveals. Slowly, one by one, the doubt is exposed until at the end, the verdict is unanamous. “12 Angry Men” is how we want our jury system to work: people from all walks of life attempting to do an honest job of sifting through the evidence, using their native intelligence and experience to protect the innocent. Does our system work that way? You tell me: how do you feel when you read those words of summoning? Are you willing to debate a case with your fellow jurors for as long as it takes, or do you just want to get home.

I’m writing so much about “12 Angry Men” because I saw it last night the first production in Reperatory East Playhouse’s 81 Series. The 81 Series is a set of three short-run plays with more adult themes. Due to the short run, they have shorter rehearsal times andsimpler sets and costumes. The subsequent plays in the 81 Series this year are “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” (July 9-July 24) and “Sideman” (August 13-August 28).

As I was saying, last night I saw “12 Angry Men at REP East. This was the third performance (Thursday was the preview, and Friday was opening night). They did their usual excellent job (although due to short rehearsal period and the intensity of the dialogue, there were a few line hesitations and restarts). The cast of twelve (c’mon, you expected a different number?) was great—in order by juror number: 1Dave Forster, 2Chuck Franklinæ, 3Michael Collins, 4Frank Rock, 5Erik Klein, 6Jeff Johnson, 7Harry Bennettæ, 8Michael Bruce, 9John Morris, 10Blair Bessæ, 11Barry Agin, and 12Daniel Wolfe. Certain performances were standouts: I particularly liked Bruce’s Juror Number 8, who is the first non-guilty vote. This performance continued Bruce’s streak of powerful characters: he was Lenny in “Of Mice and Men” and Chief Bromden in “Cuckoo’s Nest”. Bruce came across as the strong type who stands by his convictions—someone you want on your side. I also enjoyed Chuck Franklin’s Juror Number 2: he came across as appropriately nerdish; you know that if the story was reset to the modern age, he’d be the one who was web-connected. I also enjoyed the performances of Juror Number 3 (Collins), especially at the end of the play; and Juror Number 10 (Blair Bess). But as I said, all were strong. [I’ll note that in this play, it is difficult to remember which character is which: they are referred to only by juror number, and do not sit at the table in sequential order.]

The technical aspects were handled by the usual REP team: Stephan “Nanook” Burkholder doing sound, Tim Christianson doing lights, and Jeff Hyde (assisted by his daughter, Sally) doing sets. The set was simple: a semi-circular table so that actors could face the audience and a water cooler (which, alas, wasn’t fully period). Lighting was equally simple, as befits a juror assembly room. However, complexity or even perfect period authenticity isn’t required for this play: it stands on the words and the acting, which was brought out under the strong directorial team of Johnny Schwinn (shining outside of his normal stage management role), assisted by Michael Levine. Katie Mitchell served as stage manager. The production was produced by the newlywed Mikee Schwinn and the birthday boy, Ovington Michael Owston.

“12 Angry Men” runs one more weekend at the REP, with performances on May 1 and 2. You can get tickets through the REP Online Box Office or by calling REP at 661-288-0000; they may also be available through Goldstar (although you should be forewarned that REP shows regularly are sold out). The next production at REP East is “The Wedding Singer”, running May 21-June 19, 2010.

Upcoming Theatre. As for us, what’s upcoming on the theatre calendar? Next weekend brings “Little Shop of Horrors at Cabrillo Music Theatre (May 1), and “12 Angry Men” for Karen and Erin on May 2 @ 2pm (while I get ready for a Games Night at Temple that I’m running). The weekend of May 8 sees Karen and me at the So Cal Ren Faire on Saturday. The weekend of May 15 sees the CDF Conference for Karen and Erin, followed by “The 39 Steps” at the Ahmanson at 8pm. The next weekend takes Erin to the Ren Faire, while we see the May installment of “Meeting of Minds” at the Steve Allen Theatre (May 16). The fourth weekend in May brings the Spring Dance Show at Van Nuys HS (May 20-22). The last weekend in May brings the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend, as well as “The Wedding Singer” at Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall (May 30 @ 2pm). June so far is mostly open, although I’m expecting that we’ll see “South Pacific” at the Ahmanson on June 13, and the June “Meeting of Minds” on June 20. As for July, the month starts with “In The Heights” at the Pantages on July 3. The next weekend I’m holding upon for the first show of the 2010-2011 Colony season, “Grace & Glorie” (likely July 10). That weekend may also bring “It’s Top Secret”, a musical that is part of the Festival of New American Musicals, running Jun 19-July 18 at the NoHo Arts Center (likely July 11). July will also bring ; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at REP East on July 17 (pending ticketing); a possible July “Meeting of Minds, and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on July 31 24 (likely moved due to a birthday party).

As always: live theatre is a gift and a unique experience, unlike a movie. It is vitally important in these times that you support your local arts institutions. If you can afford to go to the movies, you can afford to go to theatre. If you need help finding ways, just drop me a note and I’ll teach you some tricks. Lastly, I’ll note that nobody paid me anything to write this review. In fact, I receive no remuneration for any reviews I write.

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