Tag: theatre-2013

Timing is Everything

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Run For Your Wife (Canyon Theatre Guild)userpic=theatre_ticketsMy first introduction to the unique theatrical form that is farce — at least that I recognized as farce — was in 1982 in New York, when I saw the Michael Frayn play “Noises Off” in its first run on Broadway. Since then I’ve seen farce off and on — a revival of “Noises Off” at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2003, “Don’t Dress for Dinner” at REP in 2006, “Is He Dead?” at ICT in 2009, “The 39 Steps” at the Ahmanson in 2010, various Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward farces, and numerous others — but I haven’t sought them out. I’ve typically seen them as part of a season, with a few exceptions. Yesterday afternoon was one of those exceptions, as some good friends invited us to join them for the Canyon Theatre Guild (FB) production of Ray Cooney‘s “Run for your Wife” in Newhall.

“Run for your Wife” is a 1983 farce that was extremely popular in the UK, and is a favorite of regional and small theatre companies, as it works well and tends to be popular with audiences. It doesn’t appear to be as popular on the big screen: a theatrical version opened this week, and appears to be getting very poor reviews (UK Independent: “Biggest Turkey Ever Filmed“; UK Guardian: “woefully dated“). In general, theatrical farce doesn’t work on the screen, because all the timing risks are gone.

In general, timing is at the heart of farce. Usually, farce depends on split second timing, word play, sexual humor, quick entries and exits, and reactions. Combine this with a British accent, and you’re off and running. Run for your Wife is no exception. At the heart of Run for your Wife is a timing problem. John Smith is a taxi driver who has a balancing problem. He has one wife, Mary, in Wimbledon who he sees after his afternoon shift… and another wife, Barbara, in Streatham (4½ minutes away), who he sees after his morning shift. John is very precise in his schedule. So when John fails to materialize at the expected time, each wife rings the local police to report him missing. When John surfaces at Mary’s flat, it is after being in hospital with a head injury received fending off muggers. This not only gets him in the news, but confused him enough that he gave both addresses to the hospital. And this sets everything in action. Soon the mix is joined with detective sergeants from both the Wimbleton and Streatham police stations attempting to find out what happened to John. Of course, John isn’t helped by his upstairs neighbor in Wimbleton, Stanley Gardner, to whom he confides his secret. That’s the basic setup, so you can now imagine how the confusion grows as Stanley and John attempt to protect their secret by building lies upon fake identities and running back and forth between flats. There’s one last fly in the ointment: Bobby Franklin, a flaming gay interior designer who lives with his boyfriend in the flat above Mary Smith, and who has spilled some cans of red paint that are dripping into the bathroom. Lastly, I should note that Run for your Wife  typically is staged in a single room that represents both flats, split in half with one flat predominately in one side in one color, and the other flat on the other side. Ready. Set. Go. Laugh.

For the most part this works well, but the book is a little dated. Especially in the second act, the play tends to take the typical British 1980s stereotypical view of homosexuals. Formally setting the play in the 1980s helps a little to excuse this, but it is still grating to today’s sensibilities. This is something a director needs to be sensitive about — it is a problem many plays and musicals face when they get revived (look at the controversies over the revival of Showboat in 1993). It didn’t seem to affect that CTG audience at our performance, but that is likely because the humor is so broad and slapstick it was just ignored. Another reason could very well be that in the theatre, for farce, one tends to write off any plot specifics anyway. Farce plots are convoluted and far-fetched to begin with. This sets up the humor, and enables it to continue at the frantic pace that farce requires. If you insist that a theatrical farce have a realistic plot — or even one whose twists can be easily described — then you are just wasting your time. [I’ll note that this is often not true for cinema unless you are dealing with animation; if you film it realistically, the audience expects the story to be realistic.]

Run for your Wife depends on accurate timing, on lots of dialogue said correctly, and on great reactions from the actors as the farce builds. Luckily, the director of Run for your Wife, Mike Davies/FB, assisted by Heidi Meiseles/FB, did a very good job of getting this out of his team. Their timing was, for the most part, spot on. Their lines were, for the most part, delivered well and with good accents. The reaction shots were very funny, and they seemed to be enjoying their characters and going with the flow. This is a good thing; when actors have fun with what they are doing, that fun is communicated to the audience and everything builds.

rfyw-lund-bradfordThe ensemble for Run for your Wife was also very strong. In the lead positions were Tom Lund (FB) as John Smith and Wade Bradford (FB) as Stanley Gardner (pictured to the right — image snarfed from Facebook). Lund (who we’ve seen before in the REP productions of Journey’s End and Laramie Project) played the harried taxi driver very well, and very strong in his reaction shots. He had a casual easygoing nature, but seemed quick on his feet. Still, it was difficult to see what both of his beautiful “wives” saw in him, but that seems to be a common problem with productions of this show :-). Bradford also did very well, comfortably switching between accents and voices, and playing the different personas he had to project very well. My only problem with Bradford’s character was his makeup — the facial hair just seemed off and odd to me. But that’s a minor complaint — he had great timing, great reactions, and was just having fun.

Also having fun were the two wives. As the Wimbleton wife, Mary Smith, Kamber Grace Moen/FB was a joy to watch, and not just because she’s very pretty. As with the rest of the ensemble, she had great timing and comic reactions, and interacted well with the other characters. The Streadham wife, Barbara Smith, was played by Bea Schreiber/FB. Schreiber had a very different look than Moen — both beautiful, but with a different build and different facial reactions. Again, as with the rest of the ensemble, Schreiber had great timing and comic reaction. According to the write-ups of this play that I have seen, Mary was supposed to be more straight-laced, and Barbara more sexually charged. Looking at the actresses, I wonder how the humor would have changed had the actresses been swapped in the two roles, raising the question of how looks might influence our perceptions of characters. Ah, well, this is farce. I shouldn’t try to think too much, should I?

Rounding out the cast were the two detective sergeants, Troughton from Wimbleton (Davie Wisehart/FB) and Porterhouse from Streadham (Michael Keane/FB). Both were very good. Lastly, D.J. Hersch/FB played the flaming Streadham upstairs neighbor, Bobby Franklin.  Again, good timing and reactions.

The set for Run for your Wife was designed by Brian Maly and Doug Holiday/FB. The set worked well enough, although it could have used a stronger differentiating colour scheme between the two flats. The sound design by William Davies/FB worked well with good sound effects. The lighting by Brian Maly was also reasonably good. Caroline Morgan/FB was the stage manager.

As I noted early on, this production was at the Canyon Theatre Guild (FB Group) in Newhall… so I’d like to say few words about the Canyon Theatre Guild itself, as this was our first time there. CTG is at the other end of the block from one of our favorite theatres, REP East Playhouse. The two are different in a number of ways. REP productions use predominately Equity, SAG, and other actors who work in theatre, and take place in an 81-seat “black box”. CTG is formally more at the “community theatre” level — they draw from skilled amateurs combined with aspiring professionals, with a house that is significantly larger (I’d guess 3 times larger). Luckily, CTG has been doing theatre in Santa Clarita for a long time (42 years, in fact), and has a great pool of talent from which to draw (in fact, many actors perform at both REP and CTG). Although the basic CTG facility is very nice, the seating at CTG looks to be former movie theater seating, including the drink holders in the armrests and the plastic seatbacks, and the rake of the seating flattened out near the roof (reducing sight lines). Canyon Theatre Guild does an interesting mix of shows — primarily popular musicals and plays. I’ll keep an eye on them, and we may be back for a future production.

There is one more weekend for Run For Your Wife and its co-production, Suessical – The Musical. Tickets are available from the CTG box office at (661) 799-2702. Run has two performances left: Friday 2/22 and Saturday 2/23 at 8pm; Suessical has one performance left on Saturday 2/23 at 2pm. CTG often puts their shows up on Goldstar, although I don’t believe there are offers active for these shows currently. Upcoming at CTG is the musical “Hairspray”, running Mar 23rd 2013 to Apr 27th 2013, the comedy “The Fox on the Fairway” running May 24 – June 22, 2013, and a new version of “The Little Mermaid” running May 25-June 23, 2013. CTG will also be producing the regional premiere of Les Miserables at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center running July 20, 2013 – August 11, 2013. CTG also has an extensive education program.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Next weekend brings  “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). Karen (but not me) will be seeing “When You’re In Love The Whole World is Jewish” at the Greenway Court Theatre on Feburary 21. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. The following weekend sees us in North Hollywood for “Company” at the Crown City Theatre. The third week of March takes us to the Pantages and Hollywood for  “Catch Me If You Can”on March 16. The fourth week of March brings “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire , “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

 

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A Strip Show at the Cabrillo

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

You're A Good Man, Charlie BrownCabrillo UserpicComic strips — especially those regularly published in the newspapers — are interesting things. At one level they are aimed for children, but at another level they are something completely different. One of my favorite examples of this is the webcomic “Garfield minus Garfield“, which takes the regular Garfield comic and simply subtracts Garfield. This turns what is often a childish strip into a wonderful portrait of existential angst, sadness, and loneliness. I got to thinking about Garfield last night at Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks, while we were attending their latest production, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown“.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” (henceforth, YAGMCB) is a simple piece — a series of vignettes (very much like a series of comic strips) that illustrate incidents from the Peanuts comic strip written by Charles Shultz, where most of the vignettes are punctuated with simple musical novelty numbers. I’ll note it isn’t the only stage show about Charlie Brown; there is also “Snoopy! The Musical” (which I’ve heard but never seen), and the unauthorized “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” (which visits the characters (or close facsimiles thereof) as teens, which we saw in 2010). It features only six characters: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally Brown, and Snoopy. It’s inherent simplicity and small cast make it work wonderfully off-Broadway (where it ran for over 1,500 performances in early 1970) and in smaller theatres; that is also what works against it in larger Broadway venues (as demonstrated by the first Broadway run, which lasted only 32 performances, or the revival, which ran longer at 149 performances). This size problem is one thing that works against the show in the Cabrillo production — the show is simply dwarfed by the cavernous Kavli stage and theatre space. The inherent smallness and beauty of the piece is lost. This is no fault of the actors, writers, or directors, but of the producers. YAGMCB is simply not an appropriate piece for large theatres.

As I noted at the beginning, YAGMCB is a series of vignettes, with original book, music, and lyrics by Clark M. Gesner. The Cabrillo production is based on the 1999 revival, which replaced the original Patty with Sally Brown, and featured additional dialogue by Michael Mayer  and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. The vignette approach mirrors the comic strip nature very well, but it also means that it inherits another characteristic of many comic strips that make them bad for the stage: no through story. In the Peanuts strip, the characters never age, they never grow, they never learn. They never have crises to overcome along the path. That works well for gag-a-day strips; however, it works poorly for much live theatre. In the theatre, such productions are often enjoyable but ultimately empty, marshmallows that are sweet going down but mostly empty. What YAGMCB does have for depth — if you are looking for any — is the ultimate angst and depression (and yet continuing optimism, which will be torn asunder in his teens) of Charlie Brown when faced with the characters around him. You see these character traits (which were magnified and amplified in the unauthorized and aforementioned Dog Sees God) well in this show. With the adult side of your mind, they are fun to watch.

With the kid side of your mind, however, you see the simple strip. Here is where YAGMCB works quite well. It does bring the nature of the strips to the stage well. The universal humor, featuring situations we’ve all faced, works well. The director, Lewis Wilenfeld, does a great job of bringing out the kid in the adult actors. Although initially jarring, the fact that these are adults playing kids eventually fades  away, and you are left seeing the characters you love so well. The situations present reflect the best moments of the comic strip: Linus and his blanket, Schroeder and his piano, Charlie Brown and his kite, Snoopy and his food, Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel, Snoopy and his birds, Lucy and her crabbiness, and so on. The songs in the production, for the most part, are not deep. They are amusing and they often tell the story, but they don’t have complexity. There is one exception — the standout song from the show: “Happiness”. This is the closing song of the show, and it touches on everything it means to be a child, to be a friend, and it cements the relationships between these comic strip characters.

So let’s look at the characters… and the actors, who performed them very well. Although the production may have been dwarfed by the Kavli stage, the performances did a great job of filling the theatre.

As Charlie Brown, Dane Biren (FB) is appropriately youthful, but didn’t fully strike me as Charlie Brown. Still, especially as the show went on, he worked quite well. He had a delightful singing voice, and was particularly notable — both in performance and acting — in his numbers “The Kite” and “T.E.A.M.” (The Baseball Game). I also enjoyed him in the closing finale of “Happiness”.

Cabrillo - Lucy and Charlie BrownLucy, as portrayed by Natalie Storrs (FB), was more problematic. For me, her look was off — she looked too old for the character, and her costuming was off (I never recall Lucy wearing bloomers in the strip, and this production put both Lucy and Sally in bloomers, as seen in the image to the right). However, her comic timing was wonderful, her performance was very strong, and her singing was great (and very much like the cast album). Storr particularly shone with her comic performance in “Schroeder” and “The Doctor is In”, and her vignette about crabbiness. Ultimately, I was won over by Storr’s Lucy despite the problems, and truly enjoyed her performance.

Linux, Lucy’s younger brother, was well played by Jeffrey Scott Parsons* (FB). Linus represents the philosophical viewpoint (he becomes a pothead in Dog Meets God), and Parsons portrayed that well. He was exceptional in “My Blanket and Me”, and touching in the aforementioned crabbiness vignette. In the 1999 revival, Linux was cast (for whatever reason) as Asian. I’m not sure how this would have affected the character’s reception.

Schroeder was cast with a black actor, following the model of the revival. As Schroeder, Todrick Hall* (FB) worked reasonably well. He sang a bit softer than I expected, but performed quite well. He also gave off — to me — a gay vibe to the character. It was just something in the mannerisms and vocal style. This aspect of Schroeder has been picked up by others (and is a major plot point in Dog Meets God, although it turns out there’s something darker, which is the conceit of Dog Meets God). In YAGMCB, however, it was a little odd. Hall was particularly great in Beethoven Day, one of the new numbers introduced for the revival, as well has his interactions with the other characters.

Sally Brown is a character that was new to the revival. Her character replaced the original Patty of the strip (not Peppermint Patty). Reba Buhr (FB) did a great job with her, channeling Kristen Chenowith, the original Sally Brown, quite well. Buhr moved well and sang well, and was a standout in her number “My New Philosophy”. She also captured Sally’s mood swings very well. She was very fun to watch.

Lastly, we have Snoopy, as portrayed by Zachary Ford* (FB). As any Peanuts reader knows, although Charlie Brown is the center of the strip, Snoopy is the star and lead character. That definitely comes across in this show. Although costumed somewhat poorly (a white jumpsuit with no indications of dog), Ford still came across as a dog pretty well, especially in numbers such as “Suppertime”. He was also great in his acting, as shown in the Red Baron number, and his comic performances (as seen during the rabbit chase).

Tessa Grady and Bear Maneschalchi/FB were the understudies.

YAGMCB was directed by the aforementioned Lewis Wilkenfeld, who did a good job bringing out the “kid” in the performances, although some of the movements seemed out of place. Choreography was by Kirsten Chandler, and for the most part was very good, although there were a few spots where it didn’t seem kid-like. Chandler was hindered by the very large Kavli stage and the lack of significant set pieces, providing very little for her to choreograph against. Dean Mora did a wonderful job of music direction and led the spectacular Cabrillo orchestra.

For this production, Cabrillo used the sets by Off-Broadway West, LLC, with additional props by Anna Grijalva/FB. These sets worked, but they were dwarfed by the facility. I did appreciate the fact that they attempted to use perspective to make the actors look like children — extra large props, sofas, pianos, and other set pieces made the actors seem smaller. Sound design was by resident Cabrillo designer Jonathan Burke (FB), and was particularly notable in the high quality of sound effects used. The lighting by Coby Chasman-Beck also worked quite well in establishing the mood, which was supplemented by the excellent projections of Kaitlyn Pietras. Costumes were provided by The Theatre Company in Upland, and worked well for Charlie Brown, Schroeder, and Linus, less so for the Lucy, Sally, and Snoopy. Tim Schroepfer (FB) was the technical director. Allie Roy* (FB) was the production stage manager, assisted by Taylor Ruge. Cabrillo Music Theatre is under the artistic direction of Lewis Wilkenfeld.

One of the things I like about Cabrillo is their family nature. Last nights show included a raffle to have the Kabrillo Kids serenade your sweetie before the second act (which was cute), interactions with local dog rescue organizations, and their usual wonderful support of the Naval Base in Ventura County. This is what makes Cabrillo a very special organization.

The last performance of Cabrillo’s “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is today at 2pm. Tickets are available at the box office. There are two productions left in the Cabrillo 2012-2013 season: “Grease” on April 12-21, 2013, and the regional premiere of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” (July 19-28, 2013). There will also be a fundraising singalong to Grease-The Movie at Movico Theater in Thousand Oaks. Information on the Cabrillo Website. Cabrillo has also announced their 2013-2014 season: Kiss Me Kate, October 18-27, 2013; Forever Plaid, January 31-February 9, 2014; In The Heights, March 28-April 6, 2014; and Bye, Bye, Birdie, July 18-27, 2014.

As for us…

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Today brings a British sex farce, “Run for your Wife” at Canyon Theatre Guild. The last weekend of February is “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). Karen (but not me) will be seeing “When You’re In Love The Whole World is Jewish” at the Greenway Court Theatre on Feburary 21. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. The following weekend sees us in North Hollywood for “Company” at the Crown City Theatre. The third week of March takes us to the Pantages and Hollywood for  “Catch Me If You Can”on March 16. The fourth week of March brings “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire , “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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A Visit to a Dark Smokey Rock and Roll Club

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

backbeatuserpic=ahmansonLast night we went to a rock club. Specifically, we went to rock club located in a large building, in a central part of town, in a dark (and smoky) room, surrounded by a lot of people (between 1600 and 2000,  to be precise), all of whom had paid a lot of money to get in. If that phrase didn’t clue you in, then perhaps I should clarify: last night, we went to the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles to see “Backbeat“, a musical re-telling of the story of the formation of the Beatles. “Backbeat” primarily takes place at the rock club in Hamburg Germany, and throughout the show the characters are chain smoking (clove cigarettes), plus the theatre is filled with theatrical smoke and fog. And music. Very very loud rock music.

“Backbeat“, which is based on the 1994 movie of the same name, purports to tell the story of the early days of the Beatles — specifically, the days when the band was first forming up as the Beatles, and when it consisted of 5 Liverpool blocks: the familiar John, Paul, and George, plus Pete Best on drums and Stuart Sutcliffe on bass. Yes, I said “5” — the Beatles was originally a quintet. Note that I also said “purportedly”, as “Backbeat” takes liberties with the Beatles chronology for the sake of story telling.

You may have noticed that I haven’t called Backbeat a musical. That’s because it isn’t, either in the traditional book musical sense or even a jukebox musical sense. The music in Backbeat does not serve to propel or tell the story; very occasionally, it may echo something that was happening at the time. Backbeat is also not the traditional jukebox musical, with no real story to tell and covering the music of the selected artist over their career. You want a jukebox musical, go see Rain. If anything, Backbeat (except for the end, where it is a concert) is a play with lots of music; a play that tells the backstory of the Beatles with their performances front and center.

The focus of Backbeat, however, is not the Beatles. It is Stuart Sutcliffe. John Lennon met Sutcliffe in the mid-1950s at art school, and convinced him to join the band he had with Paul McCartney and George Harrison (then called The Quarrymen) playing bass (which Stucliffe did not know how to play). Later they added Pete Best, and went off to Hamburg to play a gig in a dive that consisted of 6-8 hour sets. This gig is where they honed their musical style and original bad-boy image (yes, back in these days the Beatles didn’t have the mop-top look, but were a hard rock and roll band in boots and leather jackets). This gig is also where Sutcliffe met Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer, and fell in love. Backbeat also tells the story of this love and Kirchherr’s influence on Sutcliffe and the band, leading to Sutcliffe eventually quitting the Beatles, proposing to Kirchherr, and dying of a brain hemmorage. Lastly, Backbeat tells the story of the formation of the final Beatles configuration: how Brian Epstein became involved as the first manager of the Beatles, and how Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey). The story mostly sticks to the truth, although at times it plays loose with the chronology, and even portrays some characters different than in real life.

It is in the presentation of this story that Backbeat suffers from its main problem: language. Backbeat has a problem very similar to Billy Elliott: the northern England accents that the principal characters have make it very difficult for an American audience to follow the show. This is something this production is going to need to adjust if it is going to succeed in the colonies, for it has really only played in London and Toronto. There’s also a fair bit of German, which American audiences do not understand. Combine these accents and foreign languages with very fast and angry talking, and the story become quite difficult to follow. In fact, I found myself wanting to see a number of traditional book musical songs — in the style of the Beatles — to exhibit inner thoughts and focus the story better. Alas, I never got them, and I found myself working hard to figure out everything that was happening. I think, if this eventually moves to Broadway, some book songs would be great (perhaps they could get Sir Paul to write them).

There are two other warnings that anyone attending this show needs to know. First, it is loud. I mean, it is Loud. No, I really mean IT IS LOUD. In fact, I would venture to say that the real Beatles never played this loud. We walked out of this production with our ears ringing, and needing quiet for an hour or two to let them recover. It is also very smoky. The lead characters — hell, all characters — are constantly smoking cigarettes (thankfully, clove). That, combined with theatrical smoke and fog, turned the Ahmanson into a venue with limited visibility, where people were running outside during intermission just to get fresh air. I think both of these aspects need to be adjusted if this show is to be a success.

The other observation I’d like to make before going into the cast is a chromatic one. The show is very black and white. By this, I’m not just referring to the story (which presents a particular picture), but the staging and presentation. In general, the lighting, the set, the costumes are all very monochromatic — black, white, grey. There is a little color here and there, but black and white predominate. This makes the feeling be one of “old”, harkening back to the black and white pictures on the early Beatles album covers.

Were the performances black and white? Initially, I didn’t think so. Initially, I thought the production was well played, with the actors bringing a remarkable intensity to their roles. However, the ending of the show convinced me that although they brought the intensity, they didn’t bring the fun. This is because, after the curtain call, the show turned into a rock concert with the leads (essentially, at this point, an early Beatles tribute band) inviting the audience to rock out with them and the cast in a series of 5-6 Beatles songs. It was at this point you saw the cast finally letting down their hair and having fun with the roles — and here is where the show was a pure blast of fun. Why couldn’t this fun be one the stage during the earlier and darker portions? Perhaps this is the fault of the director, David Leveaux, for focusing the main part of the musical on the anger and the history, and not the fun. Then again, perhaps that was the point of Hamburg — the Beatles needed to get past the anger to find the fun; it is the fun that made the Beatles succeed, not the anger.

The musical performances, however, were top notch. The original Beatles consisted of Andrew Knott (John Lennon, guitar); Daniel Healy (Paul McCartney, guitar, bass); Nick Blood (Stuart Sutcliffe, bass), Daniel Westwick (George Harrison, guitar), and Oliver Bennett (Pete Best, drums). All of these young men gave strong musical performances. Acting-wise, the focus was primarily on Knott (Lennon), Healy (McCartney) and Blood (Sutcliffe). The other two had much smaller roles and you learned a lot less about their characters. These young men also didn’t look that much like the originals (although the originals didn’t always look like the originals either); luckily, they sounded like them. As for the acting of the primary band members, it was reasonably good. A major problem (which I noted before) was understanding the heavy accents; I think this is something that requires adjustment for the American audience.

There was one additional principal cast member: Leanne Best as Astrid Kirchherr. It is hard to assess this role. Best came off to be as cold and stiff, but that could just be the German nature of the original character. Certainly you got to see her loosen up quite a bit more during the closing jam session. But in general I enjoyed her performance, although I found her voice a bit husky.

The remainder of the cast created various small roles (this included Ringo Starr) and formed the various shifting members of the ensemble. As such, it was often difficult to single them out for particular notice (although it was quite a bit of fun to watch the female members of the ensemble dancing and playing in character in the background). The remainder of the cast consisted of: Edward Clarke (Bruno Koschmider, Ensemble), Josie Dunn (Ensemble), Sam Ford (Ensemble), Mark Hammersley (Brian Epstein, MC, Ensemble), Perry Ojeda (Swing), Charlotte Palmer (Rosa, Ensemble), Phil Pritchard (Arthur Ballard, Inspector, Ensemble), Dominic Rouse (Klaus Voormann, Ensemble), Louise Shuttleworth (Mrs. Moores, Lecturer 2, Ensemble), Adam Sopp (Tony Sheridan, Ringo Starr, Lecturer 1, Doctor, Ensemble), Charles Swift (Bert Kaempfert, Ensemble), James Wallace (George Martin, Eduard Paolozzi, Mr. Moores, Ensemble), and Miranda Wilford (Dance Captain, Swing). I will note that many of these performers also were playing instruments during the show; there was no separate orchestra pit.
[All actors appear with the permission of Actors Equity. Note that I didn’t say they were Equity members, which likely means this is a British cast with special dispensation to perform in America]

Turning to the creative side: The show was written by Iain Softly and Stephen Jeffreys. It was originally directed by Softly, but this production was directed by the aforementioned David Leveaux. Jason Lawson was associate director. Music supervision was by Paul Stacey. There are no credits for choreography or music; but then again, remember this isn’t a musical.

On the technical side, the large back and white Hamburg nightclub set, which doubles as all the other locales, was designed by Andrew D. Edwards. The sound design, which was VERY LOUD, was designed by Richard Brooker, assisted by Poti Martin.  The lighting, by David Holmes, was very stark but was effective for what it was. The projections were designed by Timothy Bird and Nina Dunn for Knifedge. Ray Gin was the production stage manager, with Lora K. Powell and Michelle Blair serving as stage managers.

“Backbeat” continues at the Ahmanson Theatre through March 1. Tickets are available through the online Ahmanson box office. Given how empty our show was, you may very likely still find Hottix available.

Dining Notes: We found a new place to eat before the show, and it was… yum. The Parks Finest BBQ, at 1267 W Temple near Edgeware, was a wonderful fusion of Filipino and BBQ. Their meat was divine, with a dry rub that didn’t need sauce, moist, meaty and tender. The also have great vegetables: we had the Elote, which is a combination of smoked corn off the cob, with mayo, parmesian cheese, and cayenne. Their veggie medley (which we had without the peppers), was also excellent. One hint: parking is hard to find; your best best is to make a left from Temple onto Edgeware, and find parking on Edgeware.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Next weekend brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Saturday, and “Run for your Wife” at Canyon Theatre Guild on Sunday. The last weekend of February is “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). Karen (but not me) will be seeing “When You’re In Love The Whole World is Jewish” at the Greenway Court Theatre on Feburary 21. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire , “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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Your Word is Redux

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Putnam-County-(REP)userpic=repeastCan you give me a definition?

To bring back, to revisit.

Can you use it in a sentence?

“Bobby, there used to be ducks on the mantle but they’re gone. Shit. Now I’m going to have to redux it.”

Last night we went to the “Parent-Teacher Conference” (i.e., “adults-only”) version of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at REP East. As we were just there on Saturday night, I’m not going to do a full re-review. Rather, I’m just going to give a few additional observations:

  • We were sitting in a different location in the audience, which afforded a good view of the cast on the bleachers. It was quite interesting to watch them and their reactions to the other spellers.
  • The adults-only version wasn’t that risque, or perhaps we’re just not shocked by that much. A few cuss words thrown around, a number of sexual terms given to people to spell, and some mildly adult definitions and introductions. Then again, to go to a more “adult” (skin) version would have been creepy — after all, the spellers are supposed to be in elementary school… and this isn’t Carson.
  • What was more interesting, however, was the reaction of the other students when the sexual terms came out. They were totally confused by the words. Good playing there.
  • I did notice that some of the song references to India were changed to refer to Tom Cruise and Scientology. This created in me the totally odd thought: What if the REP mounted “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant“. Yes, there is such a musical — I even have the cast album!
  • My wife was particularly enamored of Jason J. Lewis (FB) [Mitch Mahoney]’s vocal performance at this production — he was in particuarly fine form. We also enjoyed meeting and talking to Jason and his lovely wife Annie Ramsey Lewis/FB [Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre] after the show. Jason recommended we look into Glendale Center Theatre (which is near a great used bookstore). We haven’t been there before, but I’ll add them to my Goldstar watch list.

As I’ve noted before, this is a great production — one you should really go see if you can figure out how to get to Santa Clarita. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues through February 23 at REP East Playhouse. Tickets are available through the REP Online Box Office, and are usually available on Goldstar.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   This weekend, on February 9, is “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson. February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Saturday, and “Run for your Wife” at Canyon Theatre Guild on Sunday. The last weekend of February is “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). Karen (but not me) will be seeing “When You’re In Love The Whole World is Jewish” at the Greenway Court Theatre on Feburary 21. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire , “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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After All, It Is An ANNUAL Spelling Bee

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Putnam-County-(REP)userpic=repeastThere are some shows you never get tired of seeing (and others for which one performance is more than enough). One of the shows high on my repeat list is “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (although you think by now is would be past number 25–I think although they can spell, they can’t do math!), which we saw last night at the Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall, CA. This is our third time seeing the show: the first was in 2007 with the original Broadway cast at the Wadsworth Theatre; the second was in 2009 at LA Valley College with a student cast. I’m pleased to say the REP cast was equal to if not better than both those casts. REP also made some interesting casting choices which made you look at the show a little differently.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman), tells the story of six mitsfits at a local Spelling Bee, and their quest to win the Bee. However, these six aren’t the only participants in the Bee: there are also four audience members drawn at random (based on interviews held before the show), who sink or swim on their own. In the first half of the Bee, you clearly know who will win (the cast members) and who will lose — the fun part is learning the back-stories for the competitors, and seeing the crazy introductions the writers have — both for the cast members and the audience participants. The words given to the audience participants differ every show, and the audience members are encouraged to play along by asking for definitions and sentence use. The resulting answers are often some of the funniest moments in the show. The second half of the show is the serious competition, with the final five contestants being winnowed down. During this part you learn more about the kids and see how they grow — and what is really inside of them.

The six real contestants in the Bee are:

  1. Marcy Park, an overachiever, who knows five six languages, excels in sports (and everything else), and who is driven to win the bee.
  2. Leaf Coneybear, a second-runner up who got to the competition because the kids in front of him had to attend a Bat Mitzvah. Comes from a hippie family, in this show, from Topanga Canyon (hmmm, he was from Topanga Canyon in the 2007 production as well).
  3. William Barfée, an eccentric character who spells words before saying them with his “magic foot”, who is allergic to peanuts and everything else, and who is probably like someone you knew in your high school.
  4. Olive Ostrovsky, an isolated newcomer to the Bee, whose parents seem to be taking out their agressions through her, and so she finds the dictionary a safe place to hide.
  5. Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, the product of two dads who are pushing her to succeed… however she can.
  6. Chip Tolentino, last year’s winner, a fierce competitor… until other problems rise up to distract him.

Rounding this out are Rona Lisa Peretti, the mistress of ceremonies and the #1 realtor in Putnam County; Douglas Panch , the vice-principle serving as judge, and Mitch Mahoney, who is doing his community service by comforting kids when they lose. The story itself is the competition of the Spelling Bee and the interaction of the contestants, working its way up to the final winner.

What makes Putnam County succeed or fail is its cast (well, and the direction, but I still have trouble separating direction from performance). REP’s cast was excellent; they didn’t have that long-in-the-tooth problem that the Broadway cast had, and were still able to bring youthful exuberance to the production. As I noted before, the director (Mark Kaplan/FB) made some interesting casting choices that injected a little difference into the show — in a good way. So let’s meet the team:

As Marcy Park, Kelly Bader/FB was a departure from the typical casting. Normally, Marcy is cast with an Asian actress, bringing out the stereotypical over-achieving Asian. Bader gave off a more parochial schoolgirl vibe, making her more the blonde overachiever you hate. This make you look at the role and the character quite differently. Bader’s performance was strong, especially her movement and dance.

As Leaf Coneybear, Lucas Moore/FB brought a wonderful spirit and energy to an offbeat character. He struck me as that slight-autistic or Aspberger’s kid you  knew in school — in his own world and quite happy there, but with a magical power to excel in selected areas. He also did a great job of portraying one of Logainne’s two dads. He was a delight to watch.

As William Barfée, Kevin Rhedin/FB did a wonderful job.  Every Barfée I’ve seen has been very different. The original, Dan Fogler, had this manic energy to the character. At LAVC, Paul Dietz brought a different vibe with a look and foot I initially didn’t like. Rhedin’s Barfée was a disheveled outcast focused on winning, but you could see that inside the character was a scared boy. Rhedin did a great job of portraying the transformation that came over Barfée when he was able to spell a word without the foot: you could see a visible confidence grow. This is great acting.

As Olive Ostrovsky, Mary Grace Wilson/FB was perhaps my favorite performer in the piece. A strong singer, a beautiful face, and great movement and comic timing made Wilson just a delight to watch. You could see, in her performance, that there was a very strong girl under the initially unsure character. Wilson is evidently in a relationship with Rhedin, and brought a wonderful chemistry and unspoken connection between Wilson’s Ostrovsky and Rhedin’s Barfée.

As Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, Annie Ramsey Lewis/FB brought a bunch of fun to the role. I was initially unsure about Lewis, as the speech impediment of the character was a bit strong, making it hard to understand what she was saying. But her performance was great, saying in character, with the impediment, not only through the spoken parts but through the sung parts as well. Again, fun to watch, but in a different way. She was also part of the other couple in the cast, although I didn’t notice any unspoken interplay with her spouse.

As the last student, Chip Tolentino, K. C. Lindley/FB conveyed the Boy Scout notion of wanting to be the best well, which made it all the more effective when he lost. I was a bit worried, however, at the start of Act II when he was lobbying candy at the audience; it gave a different meaning to “you could put an eye out with that thing!”.

Rounding out the cast were Sarah Krieg (FB) as Rona Perretti, Richard Van Slyke (FB) as Douglas Panch, and Jason J. Lewis (FB) as Mitch Mahoney. Krieg was amazing (and not for being the first cast member so far to actually have her own webpage). Normally Rona is a role you don’t notice that much, but Krieg had such a wonderful singing voice and presence that you were just drawn to her performance. Well done! Van Slyke’s performance has Panch was the typical VP you never liked, which worked well. I’ve always wondered about that character’s backstory. Lastly, as Mitch Mahoney, Jason Lewis (the other Lewis in the cast) was a departure from the traditional Mahoney casting. Traditionally, Mahoney is cast as black to build upon the stereotype of the menacing black ex-con. Lewis’s Mahoney was more hoodlum; a powerful angry man you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. This brought a different vibe to the character, but worked well.

In addition to Mark Kaplan/FB‘s direction, Leslie Berra (FB) served as vocal coach and assistant director. Berra deserves compliments–the singing of this cast was excellent. Nancy Alterman provided the choreography, which was effective in the small space. The music for the show was pre-recorded; alas, the REP does not have sufficient space for live music in productions.

Turning to the technical. There was no specific credit for the scenic design, although Madi Orgill/FB, Mikee Schwinn/FB, and Ovington Michael Owston/FB constructed the set. The set was a more cartoon-ish gym (as opposed to the realistic gym of the Wadsworth or the suggestive gym of LAVC), but it worked quite well. Tim Christianson/FB did the effective lighting design, and Steven “Nanook” Burkholder/FB handled the sound with his usual expertise. Christina Aguilar/FB was the theatre manager and stage manger, with Marie-Claire Erdynast/FB serving as the assistant stage manager (it was fun to watch her dancing to the music as she set and cleaned up for each act).

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues through February 23 at REP East Playhouse. Tickets are available through the REP Online Box Office, and are usually available on Goldstar. Note that REP shows often sell out quickly, and that there will be a special “parent-teacher conference” performance (adult-only) on Thursday, February 7.  REP has announced their 2013 season, and it is a good one: Putnam County (Jan 25-Feb 23), Boeing, Boeing (Mar 15-Apr 13), To Kill a Mockingbird (May 10-Jun 15), 9 to 5–The Musical (Jul 12-Aug 17), God of Carnage (Sep 20-Oct 19), and Woody Allen’s “Play It Again Sam” (Nov 15-Dec 14). Subscriptions start at $110, and are well worth it — especially for the family you get as part of the deal, as the REP staff, cast, and crew are truly a wonderful family to be a part of. Click here to learn more about REP Season Tickets.

Dining Note: Dinner was at Spumoni‘s, where I had an Italian Sausage pasta dish. After all, what better way to celebrate Groundhog Day than be eating ground hog. (We go out on that joke) (No, we do reprise of song, that help) (But not much).

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Our next theatre is at the REP again, when we have a scheduled parent-student conference for the adult-only version of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on February 7. Next weekend, on February 9, is “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson. February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and the last weekend of February is “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). Karen (but not me) will be seeing “When You’re In Love The Whole World is Jewish” at the Greenway Court Theatre on Feburary 21. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire , “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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Singing and Dancing Velociraptors… What Could Go Wrong?

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triassic_parquserpic=theatre_ticketsI’m always on the lookout for new and offbeat musicals. Many years ago, this led me to the hills of Anaheim (~64 miles away) to the Chance Theatre for their production of “Brain from Planet X“, a delightfully-kooky science fiction musical. Since then, there have been a number of productions that have intrigued me at the Chance (Jerry Springer-The Opera, Rooms: A Rock Romance, Anne of Green Gables), but either timing or the distance has led me to miss them. So when I read last November that Chance was bringing out “Triassic Parq: The Musical“, I started monitoring Goldstar Events for discount tickets. Luckily, some performances did show up, and even luckier, the first preview performances were the weekend after my birthday. So it was off to the Hills of Anaheim… and I must say, it was well worth the drive!

“Triassic Parq: The Musical” falls into the category of quasi-parody musical. It isn’t a true parody musical like “Silence!” or “Toxic Avenger: The Musical” that follow the original storyline closely, exaggerating the humor. But it also isn’t a serious musical as one sees on the Broadway stage, with a deep storyline and earnest seriousness behind it.  It is a musical that uses the theatrical Jurassic Park as a starting point (similar to the way Brain from Planet X used Plan 9 from Outer Space) to have a good time and perhaps make a point or two along the way. Luckily, Triassic Parq has grown since its first outing at the NY Fringe Festival; it has moved from a collection of sketches to a reasonable storyline with good character growth. In fact, one might say that unexpected growth is a main point of the story.

Triassic Parq (book by Marshall Pailet (FB), Bryce Norbitz (FB), and Steve Wargo (FB); music by Marshall Pailet) tells (roughly) the story of Jurassic Park… from the point of view of the dinosaurs. After a singing and dancing rollcall opening, the background exposition is provided by Morgan Freeman, who relates the story of the island of the dinosaurs, how the dinosaurs were created from prehistoric DNA of an insect mixed with a little DNA of a frog, and how the population is kept under control by being all female. Freeman also notes that the frog used for the splicing has the capability to change genders when necessary to keep the community alive, but indicates that fact isn’t important. Freeman’s character is quickly dispatched afterwards, and we’re left with our primary characters — T-Rex 1 (Kaitlyn), T-Rex 2, the Velociraptor of Innocence, and the Mime-a-saurus — all female. The two T-Rexes are best friends, and Innocence (the lead protagonist) is, well, innocent and curious.  When the lab provides the food for the day (a cute baby goat, wonderfully portrayed through puppetry), the Velociraptor of Faith has a prayer service to give thanks to the great Lab for their food. This celebration is interrupted by changes happening to T-Rex 2. She is having these funny feelings, and there is this strange growth in her body. Faith, recognizing it for what it is, expels her to beyond the electric fence, just like the previously expelled Velociraptor of Science. This provokes Innocence into action: she decides to go beyond the fence to find Science, and learn the true story of what is happening. Innocence goes on her quest, together with her cuddly cow companion, and eventually finds Science. Science knows well what is happening to T-Rex 2, and gives Innocence a book on Human Anatomy. This is where Innocence learns about the Dinosaur-Stick that T-Rex 2 is growing. Later, when T-Rex 2 comes across Innocence in the forest, she learns what is used for. Unfortunately, T-Rex 1 discovers them, and goes mad. This leads to the inevitable conclusion.

This story has hints of the original Jurassic Park story: you can see it in how the Dinos were created, through occasional touch points in the story, and how they go crazy at the end. During the discussion after the show, one of the authors pointed out that the closest parallel is Wicked — using the basic characters as a framework to tell a slightly different backstory from a different point of view. For Triassic Parq, when you strip away all the stereotypical jokes about men and their behavior, what you have is a story about family, the importance of survival, and how families will do what is needed to survive. We see this in the growth of Innocence, who moves from a young girlsaur to being a leader, as well as in the growth of the other dinos, who learn to accept their sexuality. What the story lacks (and perhaps what keeps it in the quasi-parody camp, although it doesn’t hurt the fun) is a depth of character: we see the lead characters as more broad archetypes as opposed to deeply realistic characters with which we identify.  This may improve as the show continues — we saw the 2nd preview and changes were still being made… on top of the large number of changes since the recent off-Broadway staging and the extensive changes from the original version. Translation: it keeps getting better and better. [ETA: Note that this also means that the Triassic Parq cast album may not agree with the show; the authors should consider doing a Kickstarter for an updated cast album, as they did with Now. Here. This.]

The staging of the show is very creative. The dinosaur aspects are conveyed through hints of costuming (as can be seen in these photos). Puppets are used to good effect, and the dancing uses the stage space well. I also liked the creative use of the electric fence. The score was a rock score and was enjoyable; I would need a few more listens to determine how well it holds up. Another creative aspect was the gender bending — all of the male characters were portrayed by females, and the female characters were mostly played by men. This allowed the audience to not bring in external stereotypes to their interpretation of the characters. However, there was another bending problem in the show: my mind couldn’t grok the species-bending aspects of T-Rexes mating with Velociraptors. Oh well, I guess all dinosaurs look alike in the sack.

Under the direction of the author, Marshall Pailet (assisted by Christopher Renfro/FB), the performances were great. In the lead position was Keaton Williams (FB) as the Velociraptor of Innocence. Williams brought a delightful (shall I say girlish :-)) energy to the ensemble: he danced well and sang wonderfully. Playing off of Williams were the two T-Rexes: 1 and 2. T-Rex 1 (Kaitlyn) was played by Micaela Martinez (resumé, FB) , and T-Rex 2 was played by Kellie Spill (resumé, FB). Both were strong singers and dancers, and Spill had some wonderful gender-bending scenes. The two also had a lovely duet.

Leading the dinosaur group was the Velociraptor of Faith, Jackson Tobiska (FB).  Tobiska had a bit more of a malevolent presence, for some reason — you weren’t quite sure of his motivations or why, but there was something he was hiding in his actions (note: I’m never sure what pronouns to use here, for you had male actors playing female characters). This was the mark of a good performance. Rounding out the cast were Alex Bueno (resumé, FB) as Mime-a-saurus and Camryn Zelinger (FB) as Morgan Freeman, the Velociraptor of Science, and various unnamed dinosaurs.  Bueno performed well, although (a) I couldn’t figure out why there was a particular dinosaur that was a mime, and (b) I couldn’t always figure out what she was miming. Other than that (which was more of a book flaw), Bueno was fun to watch on stage, especially in her final scenes. Zelinger was also fun. This was especially true in her Freeman introductory exposition, as well as her wonderful rap number with Innocence.

Movement and music-wise, the production was excellent. The production was choreographed by Kelly Todd (FB), who designed  creative dances that used the stage — including the fences and the poles — to good effect. Musical direction was by Taylor Stephenson (FB), who also led (as Pianosaurus) the three-piece band consisting of Stephenson on keyboard, Ryan Navales (FB) (Guitarodactyl) on guitar, and Jorge Zuniga (FB) (Percussodon) on percussion. The band provided great sound (I’ve always liked the live music at the Chance), and I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Pianosaurus and the remainder of the cast.

Turning to the technical (and I’ll note there were a few glitches I’ve written off to it being a preview performance): The scenic design by Joe Holbrook (FB) [assisted by Karrah Marie Spitznagel/FB] was relatively simple: a cave-like structure, some electrified fencing, with the musicians at the top of the structure. It worked well, although I couldn’t figure out the purpose of the ropes at various places. Lighting was by Matt Schleicher (FB) was very effective — it made good use of what I think were scrollers, as well as a number of LED lights and conventional lights. The sound design by Ryan Brokdin (FB) worked well, modulo the preview glitches. I particularly liked the deep-bass dinosaur roars. I’ll also note that Ryan worked on one of my recent faves, A Mulholland Christmas Carol, although he didn’t list it in his bio.  The costumes, which I’ve previously mentioned (and you can see here), were designed by Anthony Tran.  We’ve seen Tran’s work previously at the Colony for Year Zero. He did a great job here, with costumes that provided the suggestion of saur-i-ness without being overly limiting. Stage (or should I say Satge) Management was by Christopher Ramirez (FB), assisted by Jules Fugett/FB. The Executive Producer of Triassic Parq – The Musicalwas Mary Kay Fyda-Mar (FB).

“Triassic Parq-The Musical” continues at The Chance Theatre through February 24. It is well worth seeing, whereever you live in Southern California.  Tickets are available through Ovation-Tix, and may be available through Goldstar and LA Stage Tix. Chance has an interesting season this year with good pricing (as low as $45 for all 4 mainstage shows); alas,  they are a bit far away for us to subscribe). Their 2013 season consists of Triassic Parq (1/25-2/24), The Laramie Project/The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later (4/18-5/19), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (7/5/8/4)*, and Time Stands Still (9/27-10/20). The Holiday series is The Secret Garden-The Musical (11/15-12/29) and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (11/25-12/23). [*: Note: BBAJ was just announced the 2013 season of DOMA, running 10/18-11/24, if you don’t want to drive]. As for us…

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Next week sees us back at REP East for the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee“.  February 9 is “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson. February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and the last weekend of February is “The Snake Can” at the Odyssey Theatre (based on an ad that caught Karen’s eye in the latest Footlights). March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire (huzzah for the $15 Holidazzle sale), “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and a winetasting at Temple Ahavat Shalom. May is also busy, with two concerts — Elton John in Las Vegas on May 4, and (tentative) Michael Feinstein at VPAC on May 11. May may also bring “Falling for Make Believe” at The Colony Theatre, “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. Lastly, continuing the look ahead, June will bring (tenative) “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre, “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, (tentative), Sweet Charity“ at DOMA, and the Western Corps Connection at the end of the month. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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A Rare Roast, Seasoned Just Right

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bill-quinnuserpic=repeastHow do you celebrate a milestone friend on a milestone birthday? This was the question that was answered by the pop-up production we saw last night at REP East Playhouse in Santa Clarita: “50k @ 50: The Roast of Bill Quinn“. Alas, it was a one-night-only show, although I’m sure you could still buy tickets.

50k@50 tells the story of a young boy who grew up in a refrigerator plastic box, who went on to become a Physician’s Assistant,  an actor, a director, a member of the REP Board of Directors, and most importantly, a good friend to those around him. The story was presented in a disjointed fashion, much like the Laramie Project. This made the plot hard to follow, but as the evening wore on (aside: “The evening wore on.” That’s a very nice expression isn’t it. With your permission I’ll say it again. “The evening wore on.”)… as I was saying, as the evening wore on, we learned through laughter and love how much this man has touched not only his family and friends, but a community. And I mean touch in a good sense.

In all seriousness, last night the REP celebrated the 50th Birthday of Bill Quinn, the past President of the REP Board of Directors and a long-time actor and director at the institution. This celebration was in the form of a roast, which is why the previous paragraph was written the way it was. Bill actually conceived the evening as the way of establishing a lasting legacy for the theatre: a base of contributions that would be a sustaining center for the theatre. We were lucky enough to be permitted to join in the celebration, and it was just a delightful evening. Throughout the roast, which was helmed by REP artistic directors Ovington Michael Owston and Mikee Schwinn, we learned about all the hard work that Bill does — both in his day job and for the REP. We also learned how much Bill’s larger family — both those related by blood and those related by sweat — care about him. Roasts and testamonials were presented by member’s of Bills family (his niece and sister), as well as by actors, directors, and staff with whom Bill has worked. The evening also included a few musical numbers. Through raucous laughter and stories, the evening served as a testament to how one person, through hard work, can do good for a community.

The evening also demonstrated why the REP is one of the most unique theatre companies around, at least to us. REP is much more than a black box where you pay money to see a story performed in the dark, surrounded by a whole bunch of other people, all of whom have paid a modest amount of money to be there. REP is truly a family–a family consisting not only of the REP staff and the REP artists, but the subscribers and patrons of the REP, who come together to nourish their souls through performance, friendship, and I must admit a little liquid lubrication as well. This is something you don’t see that much at the mid-size and larger theatres; you might find it at other Equity-waiver houses (99 seats and under), but I haven’t encountered it. These other houses, when fundraising, put up celebrity performers or present other special performance events. REP is family helping family. We are proud, as patrons, to consider the REP family of staff and artists as friends. If you haven’t been to REP before, I urge you to go there (their next performance is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, starting January 25 — you can order tickets here). See why the place is special… and who knows, you might even run into Bill.

sheriffjohnNow, my birthday tradition is to sing a song (well, actually, to have Sheriff John sing a song, for you really don’t want me to sing — there’s a reason I’m in the audience and not on the stage). So let’s all sing together for Bill…

I’d rather be dead–I’d rather be dead
I’d rather be dead than wet my bed
I’d rather be dead–I’d rather be dead
I said dead than wet my bed

Oh, I’d rather be gone–Than carry on
I’d rather go away–Than feel this way
Oh, I’d rather be there–Where you haven’t got a care
And you’re better off dead–Though it doesn’t seem fair

Wait, that’s not the right song. Let’s try again:

So when you find it in your mailbox for the first time my friend
You can tell that you getting older, you’re turning grey
It’s a first sign of decline, it’s a start of the end
When your wrinkles out number your hairs
then it’s headed your way

Chorus: Modern Maturity, means you’re getting old
When you get the magazine
that you hide from your friends
Once it was Rolling Stone, it was thrill after thrill
Now Modern Maturity means over the hill

That’s not it either. Oh, here it is:

Put another candle on my birthday cake
We’re gonna bake a birthday cake
Put another candle on my birthday cake
I’m another year old today

I’m gonna have a party with my birthday cake
Come on and take some birthday cake
Put another candle on my birthday cake
I’m another year old today.

We’ll have some pie and sandwiches
And chocolate ice cream too
We’ll sing and play the day away
And one more thing I’m gonna do

I’ll blow out the candles on my birthday cake
And when I do, a wish I’ll make
Put another candle on my birthday cake
I’m another year old today

Happy Birthday to You
You’re another year old today.

Thank you, Bill, for all you do for the community of Santa Clarita and REP East… and thank you to the folks at REP East for letting us be part of the celebration.

“50k @ 50: The Roast of Bill Quinn” was a one-night production, but you can still make donations to REP East in honor of Bill’s 50th birthday (or my birthday, on Monday). ETA: You can also see the videos of the evening here.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   January 26 take us to Orange County for Triassic Parq–The Musical at the Chance Theatre (Goldstar). February will start with the first play of the REP season, “Putnam County Spelling Bee“.  February 9 might be “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson, but I’m unsure about the show, and Karen is getting theatre-ed out (is that possible?). February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and the last weekend of February is currently open. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire (huzzah for the $15 Holidazzle sale), “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

 

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Art Imitating Life, Sibling Edition

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

One_November_Yankeeuserpic=theatre_ticketsLast year at this time, a little play was running at the Pasadena Playhouse that asked the question, “What is art, and why do we consider it art?” The art in question then was a painting that consisted of a white background, upon which there are some faint white diagonal lines. Last night at the NoHo Arts Center the play “One November Yankee” (1NY) by Joshua Ravetch asked a similar question. The difference is that in “Art“, the focus was on the reaction to the artwork.  In 1NY, the focus is more on the history behind the artwork, and the relationship between brothers and sisters. We enjoyed the production, and it was a nice change of pace from the musicals we usually see. Alas, you won’t be able to see it, as last night was the final performance 🙁 ; but the good news is that the film rights have been acquired, so you might see it on the big screen.

1NY tells the story of an aircraft, a bright-yellow Piper Cub with tail number N241NY. The play opens at the Museum of Modern Art, where Ralph has been commissioned by his sister, Maggie (a museum board member) to produce an art installation. His result is a reproduction of the hypothesized nose-first crash of N241NY. He based the work on the story of a brother and sister pair that had such a crash five years earlier. Their story of that brother and sister  appealed to Ralph because it paralleled his relationship to his sister. In that story, the brother was a novelist and the sister was a librarian; in the real world, Ralph was the artist, and his sister acquired and arranged the installations of art. Upon seeing the installation, Maggie was disappointed and upset because she thought that a crashed Piper wasn’t art, even if the artist saw it as a metaphor for the crashing of society into destruction and ruin.

The second scene paralleled the first by telling the story of the real crash five years earlier. Margo and Harry were on their way from New Hampshire to their father’s wedding in Florida. Only Margo was going through a divorce and forgot to ensure the fuel tank was full. Shortly after leaving the airport, the airplane took a nose dive into the woods. Harry was injured and unable to walk out. Their discussion after the crash explored the relationship of these two siblings  — their childhood growing up, their hopes and desires, the relationship with their parent. As the scene ended we knew that Harry would not make it out of there alive, and Margo was determined to stay with her brother.

The third scene occurred shortly before the art installation. Another pair of brother and sister hikers, Mia and Ronnie, are hiking in the woods when they come across the wreckage of N241NY. The hike was a way of restoring their relationship after the loss of their older brother, Daniel, in an airplane crash upon takeoff 22 years earlier. Upon discovering the wreckage, Mia and Ronnie start to piece together the story of the crash. Findings include Margo’s wallet, Harry’s remains, books, glasses, watches, etc. Simultaneously to discovering Margo and Harry, they are telling their own story and their relationship to their deceased older brother. As with the previous two scenes, there are loads and loads of parallels between the stories of the siblings. I also had a problem with this scene: namely, would random hikers start taking things from the wreckage and moving it around (including human remains), or would they preserve the scene and just report it to authorities? They did the former, which seems odd to me.

As the play ends, the last scene returns us to the art museum, where the preview has ended and the critical reaction is coming in. Ralph and Maggie are ecstatic, as the reaction has been very positive and the critics saw the meaning Ralph intended. Further, the report of the hikers has come in, and this has magnified interest in the exhibit of the aircraft sculpture. Suddenly there is no question that this is art… but then Ralph discovers a final review that takes the contrary view, lamenting that anyone can throw anything on exhibit, slap a label on it, and call it art. As the play closes and Ralph is turning the lights off on the display, we see Margo enter from stage left, and look wistfully at the play. Is this Margo in real life or Margo as a ghost? We never find out, and the lights go out.

As you can see, this is an interesting story (and perhaps an odd subject for a comedy). At points the writing was rough and unrealistic, and I found the continual parallels between the three pairs of siblings to be a little forced and overdone. Still, I liked the basic story and the rough parallels, and thought the numeric assessment of Bitter Lemons was quantitatively correct–this was a mostly positive production with a few rough spots. It will be interesting to see how this translates into a screenplay.

What made this play work (and what made me originally want to see it) was the acting team. This was a two-hander performed by stage and screen veterans Harry Hamlin and Loretta Swit. These two possessed a wonderful ability to make the three siblings distinctly different characters — from middle ages hikers full of energy, to crash victims, to art student and art buyer. Their performances transcended their age (as did their looks: Hamlin is still as ruggedly handsome as he was in the days of LA Law, and Swit looks nowhere near her actual age of 75 — she looked closer to her late 40s). The two were a joy to watch, and raised the story well above the pedestrian.

Basically, you believe these actors were the characters they were portraying. This was likely helped by the direction provided by the playwright, Joshua Ravetch, who also served as director. However, this may also have been what hurt the play, for the playwright being the director also leads to the situation where it is unlikely the rehearsal and mounting process will results in cuts, trims, and modifications that will improve the show. It didn’t affect the great performances, but did result in the end script probably not been as good as it could have been.

The set design by Dana Moran Williams was simple: a Piper Cub nose-down into the set. I couldn’t tell if it was a fabricated Cub or a real aircraft, which I guess was a good sign. The program made you think it was real, telling the story of how the author and production designer stood on the tarmac at the Santa Paula airport looking at a yellow Piper Cut, and that it was delivered to the theatre on November 1. If real, (a) I wonder how the hell they got it into the NoHo Arts Center; (b) N241NY is not the registration, as N241NY is a Cessna. Surrounding the plane were a few black cubes, augmented by various props. Near the end of the production, I found myself imagining the Pasadena Playhouse producing this and seeing (in my head) how the Playhouse would have set the stage. I mention this because I was surprised to learn while writing this review that this play originated at the Pasadena Playhouse in the Hothouse series. Set construction was by Red Colegrove, with properties coordinated by Janet Fontaine. The lighting design by Colony regular Luke Moyer was also very strong; I particularly liked the oranges and golds in in the Mia and Ronnie scene, and the effective projection background for the Margo and Harry scene. Costumes were by Kate Bergh; they were effective and conveyed the characters very well. Jeff Gardner‘s sound was also noteworthy — not only the flight-themed inter-act music, but the background sounds during the actual crash scenes. The one thing I didn’t get was the odd “pinging” that was playing before the production.  Diana Copeland was the production stage manager. 1NY was produced by Jay Willick and Kevin Bailey. The artistic director for the NoHo Arts Center is James Mellon.

Alas, you can’t get tickets to “One November Yankee“, as last night was the last performance, and there is another production scheduled for the space (“As The World Goes Round”, a Kander/Ebb jukebox musical). It may pop up at another theatre in the future or as a movie.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  Next week is open, and we’re likely taking a break for a week. January 26 take us to Orange County for Triassic Parq–The Musical at the Chance Theatre (Goldstar). February will start with the first play of the REP season, “Putnam County Spelling Bee“.  February 9 might be “Backbeat” at the Ahmanson, but I’m unsure about the show, and Karen is getting theatre-ed out (is that possible?). February 16 brings “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and the last weekend of February is currently open. March starts with “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” at the Colony. After a break for Fogcon (although I may do something here), theatre picks up with “Catch Me If You Can” at Broadway LA/Pantages on March 16 and “Boeing Boeing” at REP East on March 23. March may also bring “End of the Rainbow” at the Ahmanson, most likely on March 30. April will bring the Southern California Renaissance Faire (huzzah for the $15 Holidazzle sale), “Grease” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

 

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