{"id":14501,"date":"2018-07-15T12:23:45","date_gmt":"2018-07-15T19:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=14501"},"modified":"2018-07-22T11:34:16","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T18:34:16","slug":"rolling-the-dice-on-a-staged-reading-tabletop-charles-stuart-howard-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=14501","title":{"rendered":"🎭 Rolling the Dice on a Staged Reading | “Tabletop” @ Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tabletop\"\"Last night, we were supposed to be seeing\u00a0Jane Eyre: The Musical\u00a0<\/em>at the\u00a0Chromolume Theatre<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). But, alas, Chromolume has become a\u00a0\u00a0a dead parrot<\/a>\u00a0⚰🐦, its artistic director seemingly disappeared, and after an email of a potential resurrection, … nothing. So we scheduled something else: the first staged reading of a new musical called\u00a0Tabletop<\/em> about Role-Playing Gaming, at\u00a0the\u00a0Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) in Woodland Hills. The musical, which I believe is a first work from the authors, features music and book by Chad Sundman<\/a>, and lyrics and book by Race Benaglio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a staged reading, there was no costumes or sets. Music was prerecorded, and sung by different performers. Actors had the scripts in their hands. There was a talkback session after the show to give the authors, and the director, Brittany Sundman<\/a>, feedback on the show to help move it forward.<\/p>\n

The story of a show, in a broad sense, was about a group of friends playing a tabletop RPG — essentially some version of Dungeons and Dragons. As the story progresses, some of the strengths they reveal in the game help them deal with their personal lives.<\/p>\n

As this was a staged reading of a first performance, I’m going to not review or provide critiques here. We discussed the show last night with the authors. I will say that I found it a very promising work, and one whose story captured my attention and held it through the show. I’ve never been an RPGer, for the same reason I’m not up on the stage: I’m a professional audience. I’ve never had the ability to role-play in any capacity: be it at the gaming table or on the stage. That doesn’t mean I’m not an avid gamer; it is just in the realm of boardgames and strategy gaming<\/a>. I’ve known many RPGer through the years — including some RPG authors<\/a>. I recognized the characters; I liked the characters; I liked the growth. I hope this musical continues on and has a successful life; I’d be intrigued to see it at a future point in its life.<\/p>\n

The performances were very strong. The cast consisted of Axel Knight<\/a> (Luke), Brandon Kemmer<\/a> (Brandon), Caitlyn Rose Massey<\/a> (Emily, Ensemble), Canon Hamlin<\/a> (Mayor, Doctor, Ensemble), David Mark Beraru<\/a> (Korrow, Ensemble), Erin Goulet<\/a> (Sarah), Justin Huff<\/a> (Ken), Katie Lynn Mapel<\/a> (Karen), Mackayla Hill<\/a> (Lyla, Ensemble), Matt DeNoto<\/a> (Eric), and Natalie Swanner<\/a> (Valerie). I’d like to particularly call out a few of these folks.\u00a0 Katie Lynn Mapel nailed it with her sardonic delivery as Karen. I truly enjoyed watching Natalie Swanner — she had a very expressive face, and was putting some lovely energy into her character that came across to the audience in the little movements and expressions. Erin Goulet was truly kick-ass with her fighting moves. Matt DeNoto’s Eric was quite strong, serving well both as the DM and exhibiting great growth in his story line. Also strong were Axel Knight’s Luke, especially in the 2nd act, and Justin Huff’s Ken in the stealth number.<\/p>\n

On the whole, we’re glad we braved the heat to see this show. It has a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to see where it goes.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ob. Disclaimer<\/strong>: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I\u2019ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I\u2019ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I\u2019m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at\u00a05 Star Theatricals<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) [the company formerly known as\u00a0Cabrillo Music Theatre<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>)], the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>),\u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), the\u00a0Chromolume Theatre<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>)\u00a0\u05d6\u05f4\u05dc<\/a>, a mini-subscription at\u00a0the Soraya [nee\u00a0<\/i>the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)]<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), and the\u00a0Ahmanson Theatre<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children\u2019s production, I focus on the positive \u2014 one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Shows<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Next weekend, brings a Bat Mitzvah in Victorville, and\u00a0Beauty and The Beast\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a05 Star Theatricals<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) that evening on Saturday, and the\u00a0OperaWorks<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) production “Golden Lasso” at CSUN on Sunday. The last weekend is currently open; it turns out the\u00a0Muse\/ique<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) show is not that interesting. August starts with\u00a0Waitress\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) on Saturday, and the Actors Co-Op Too! production of\u00a0Always Andrews: A Musical Tribute to the Andrews Sisters<\/em>\u00a0on Sunday at\u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). The next weekend brings the last Actors Co-Op Too! production,\u00a0Twelfth Night, or What You Will\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). There may also be a production of\u00a0The Most Happy Fella\u00a0<\/em>at MTW \u2014 I\u2019m not sure about it, but the hold date is on the calendar.<\/p>\n

As always, I\u2019m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as\u00a0Better-Lemons<\/a>,\u00a0Musicals in LA<\/a>,\u00a0@ This Stage<\/a>,\u00a0Footlights<\/a>, as well as productions I see on\u00a0Goldstar<\/a>,\u00a0LA Stage Tix<\/a>,\u00a0Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves<\/a>. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on\u00a0How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last night, we were supposed to be seeing\u00a0Jane Eyre: The Musical\u00a0at the\u00a0Chromolume Theatre\u00a0(FB). But, alas, Chromolume has become a\u00a0\u00a0a dead parrot\u00a0⚰🐦, its artistic director seemingly disappeared, and after an email of a potential resurrection, … nothing. So we scheduled something else: the first staged reading of a new musical called\u00a0Tabletop about Role-Playing Gaming, at\u00a0the\u00a0Charles Stewart Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,28],"tags":[497,505,493],"class_list":["post-14501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-theatre","tag-charles-stewart-howard-ph","tag-reviews-2018","tag-theatre-2018"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14501"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14510,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14501\/revisions\/14510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}