Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

Recently, I’ve been reading the news and having a bunch of unspeakable (or unpostable) thoughts. Perhaps I should explain. These are thoughts that might be unpopular with the folks that just superficially read the news, who don’t bother to think deeply about the news and consequences, or don’t understand that many issues have deeper complexities than might just be on the surface. Trying to describe these in the short-form post that is FB or other social media doesn’t work well, so I’m turning to my blog. Here are some of these potentially unpopular thoughts:

• Not Everyone Named in the Epstein Files is a Pedophile. What prompted this thought was Lauren Gunderson. Gunderson is playwright and author; she is actually the most produced playwright of the last 3 years, with many feminist and scientific plays out there. Recently, a theatre company in Rhode Island cancelled a production of Gunderson’s play the Revolutionists (see my review of another production) because Gunderson’s name surfaced in the latest batch of publicly released Jeffrey Epstein-related files. Now, Gunderson has never met Epstein and has never had anything to do with him (as she notes in her response). However, her ex-husband knows him well; one reason (I presume) he is an “ex”. I’ve also seen memes going around saying that anyone mentioned in the Epstein files should be prosecuted and treated as guilty even without a trial.

Hopefully, we all agree that pedophilia is bad. But simply being named in the files doesn’t make one guilty of that crime. I write loads of posts and emails that mention Trump; that doesn’t mean I’m guilty of the same crimes. A fundamental notion in the USA is that folks are innocent until proven guilty. The Epstein files should be analyzed, in their unredacted form, to determine those who are likely to have committed crimes. Those crimes should be then investigated to find corroborating evidence, which can then be used by the legal system to bring people to justice. But a simple mention in the files should not be viewed as proof of guilt of the same crimes as Epstein.

And, yes, this means that some guilty men may have finessed the system to suppress sufficient evidence to convince a jury. That’s where the civil courts come in: there’s a lower standard to sue for monetary damages. Remember that OJ was not convicted criminally for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman; he was convicted in civil court. Further, the low moral standards that come from deep involvement with Epstein likely mean there are often other crimes for which there may be more evidence (and prison is still prison). But we must remember that our society presumes innocence, and the mere mention in the Epstein files or a passing association  therein doesn’t mean the individual is guilty of Epstein’s crimes. There needs to be more than a mere mention.

• Our Current Election System is Suitably Strong to Prevent Non-Citizens From Voting. Recently, the SAVE Act has been in the news. On the surface, this seems like a good thing: We don’t want non-citizens voting in local, state, and Federal elections. Who could be against that? Well, I’m against this act, because it is a backdoor way of limiting the citizens that can vote, serving to disenfranchise the poor, minorities, the disabled, and women. This article explains things well. The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship, IN PERSON, at the time one registers. The “in person” is a problem for many, especially the disabled and those who cannot travel or take time away from work. It is a problem for the military. The only acceptable proofs of citizenship are birth certificates and passports, and they must match the name on your ID. The requirement for a passport is a problem: A large percentage of Americans don’t have passports because they don’t travel internationally, or cannot afford the cost of the passport (plus the cost of the pictures and other documents). Birth certificates are also a problem, as some folks simply don’t have them due to home births, or can not obtain or afford them. Plus, if people have changed their names, they then need the extra costs of obtaining the paper trail of the name changes, which might not be acceptable (and remember, each government document will have processing costs). Lastly, all of these takes time.
• More importantly, it isn’t needed. We already have laws that prevent non-citizens from voting, and states already require proof when folks register, and match up information in state databases (for example, they should be able to match up information with the Real ID information which also notes citizenship). Further, despite all the claims by the Trump administration, non-citizen voting is not a problem. Recent research has shown that noncitizen voting occasionally happens but in minuscule numbers, and not in any coordinated way. “Noncitizens are not a large threat to our election system currently,” said David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), which conducted the research. “Even states that are looking everywhere to try to amplify the numbers of noncitizens … when they actually look, they find a surprisingly, shockingly small number.” The fact that there is a “shockingly small number” means that it isn’t sufficient to impact an election — certainly not at the national level, which is what the SAVE Act is worried about.

In reality, the SAVE Act is just an attempt to make it harder for segments of the population that are likely to vote Democratic to be able to register. It is just a poll tax in disguise. But to speak out against requiring an ID to vote sounds like you are saying just anyone can vote, which is something very different.

• Denying Passports Based on Non-Payment of Child Support Is Bad. Another item in the news relates to the State Department denying passports to those who don’t pay child support. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable idea. After all, non-payment of child support is a bad bad thing. But think about this in terms of the requirements of the SAVE Act, and suddenly this seems like a bad idea. After all, the goals of this idea can be met in many other ways: most notably, by simply putting the names on the TSA “no fly” list and watch lists at ground borders.

Here’s why doing this by denying passports is bad: Given the SAVE Act, it can also serve to disenfranchise. Now, we do disenfranchise at the state level for some crimes, notably convicted felons. States could certainly choose to do this for child-support scofflaws. But it should be at the state level. If the Feds could do this by State Department fiat, think of what else they could do. Deny passports to naturalized citizens. Deny passports to people whose parents are citizens. It is just the crack in the door to more voter suppression. This proposal has its hard in the right place, but the implementation is flawed.

So, I’ve said it: Three things that on the surface sound like I’m taking the wrong position. But, when you think about them, you come to realize that the opinions of the “court of public opinion” are often not well thought out.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 📰 Saying the Unspeakable by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Affinity. The desire to be part of a group with similar likes and interests. It is one of the ways that we, as humans, come together to meet people and have fun together. Affinity comes from shared beliefs, shared hobbies, shared interests. My synagogue, Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, has a number of these affinity groups (which we call small groups) to bring people together. One of them is a group of people that love to attend live theatre, which I coordinate.

My belief is that such a group, as it is under synagogue auspices, should attend live performance events that have a Jewish theme. It’s not right for a synagogue group to go see Christian-themed plays (e.g., Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, A Man for All Seasons), nor generally secular plays. I also don’t want it to be all Holocaust, all the time. So I try to find interesting Jewish plays, and along the way, introduce the group to small theatres they may never have seen. So we’ve seen shows such as Sukkot at 6th Street/Skylight Theatre in 2024, Treyf at the Geffen Playhouse in 2022, It Shoulda’ Been You at MTG in 2020;  in 2022; It Shoulda’ Been You at MTG in 2020; Eight Nights at Antaeus in 2019;  and numerous online things during the pandemic: Shared Legacies at JWT;  Stars of David at the Y! I Love Yiddish Fest; Fabulous Fanny Brice; Allan Sherman Unmasked!; and Jews, God, and History (Not Necessarily In That Order). I should also note that, because of these writeups, I’m viewed as a theatre critic by some publicists; as such, I get lots of press release mailings and invitations to shows.

One of those lists is the mailing list for the Santa Monica Playhouse. We were there a long time ago — way back in 2014 — to see Author Author, a play they do on Sholom Aleichem (In fact, they will be doing it again in May 2026). A mailing from them in December 2025 mentioned a play they were doing: Jewish For Dinner:

Santa Monica, CA. December 10, 2025. The Santa Monica Playhouse Jewish Heritage Program is excited to present the WORLD PREMIERE of Lou Borenstein’s play Jewish for Dinner.

Ruth Cohen finally finds the perfect man to love, marry, and above all else, bring home to her Conservative family. But she neglected to ask one, small question: Is he Jewish? Or, can he at least fake it?

The play is based on the short film “Jewish for Lunch,” that won Best Comedy at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival, Best Comedy and Best Actor (Rylie Decocq) at the Mentone Film Festival, and Best Jewish Short Film at the Anatolian Film Festival in Turkey. Written & directed by Lou Borenstein.

This sounded like a perfect outing for our TAS Live Theatre Group. So I sent out a message, and we ended up with a group of 19-22 people at the show (we have 19 in the group photograph, but my RSVP count was 20, and I was told we had one or two more after that who didn’t tell me they were coming). We had a delightful dinner at Fromins Santa Monica beforehand (it’s no Brents (our local deli in Northridge), but there are few like Brents), which has been in Santa Monica for 47 years under family ownership.

So, on to the show itself.

As the Press Release noted, Jewish for Dinner is an expansion and extension of the 2022 13 minute short film, Jewish for Lunch, featuring much of the original cast. You can see the original film on YouTube. The situation in the film (which is still in the play) was expanded with more backstory and context; there was also a resolution added turning this from a filmed situation into a broader story with some deeper questions. The SM Playhouse did a staged reading of this back in August 2025, and now they have mounted the full play.

The basic story ties back to how I opened this writeup: affinity. Shared interests often lead to the desire, as we form relationships, to bring “like” together: people from the same background, the same religion, the same culture. This often reduces friction and provides common touchpoints and language. So this play’s setup is this: Conservative (as in the Conservative Movement in Judaism; not politically) Jewish family. Father, mother, two adult kids. Regular Shabbat dinner. A friend comes over, and is playing with the dating apps on her phone. The daughter comments how hard it is to find a nice Jewish guy. The friend suggests dating out of the faith. She dismisses the idea, giving numerous examples of how her family wouldn’t accept it or how it is doomed to failure. She also kvetches about the synagogue adding a high-holiday service they for which they are charging … something called Tashlich. The family notes this shouldn’t be a surprise: the synagogue is remodeling and needs more money for the remodel. There’s an argument about how she wouldn’t mind donating the money, but doesn’t like the subterfuge of the added service. She decides to go into the synagogue to complain. When she gets there, the Rabbi is in a meeting with a handsome architect, David Green, over some rolled architecture diagrams (that look like a Torah scroll). Insert a meet cute, and the fact that she doesn’t know that David Green is actually not Jewish. They quickly fall in love, and he proposes. Then, as they say in the sitcom world, hijinks ensue. We have family dinners with the usual confusions and problems. We have meetings with the Rabbi. We have fights, and the inevitable reconciliations. C’mon, you don’t really believe they would stay broken up over this?

If you’ve made it this far into the writeup, you’re probably wondering what I thought of the play. There are two ways to look at this, modulo some quibbles I’ll mention in a few.

First and foremost, this is a very funny play. My wife and I were laughing quite a bit, and our temple group also greatly enjoyed the play. There were situations that we recognized, and it captured much of American Jewish culture today, with all of its stereotypes.

That said, it also felt at times like an episode of The Neighborhood. Now, we love that sitcom and find it very funny, but there are times that it telegraphs the train wreck that is about to occur. You get that feeling here. And, as with The Neighborhood, you find the wreck is averted by some little twist or story point that takes things in a redeeming direction. Still a bit of a train wreck, but still very funny.  And the basis of the train wreck is pretty easy to see: Non-Jew trying to blend in as Jewish, and (a) getting everything slightly wrong, and (b) the girlfriend in a panic because of it all.

But even with the gefilte fish out of the bathtub problem, the show has an interesting point to make: What makes someone Jewish? Is it simply an association by birth, even if one doesn’t understand or even know all the rituals (such as how the daughter was unaware of tashlich). Is it belief? Is it a desire to be part of the Jewish people and find meaning, as the boyfriend learns by the end? What is the ultimate problem with intermarriage? It used to be a big issue in the non-Orthodox community (it has always been a shanda in the Orthodox community). Reform started accepting it in the 1980s and it is now very common and accepted. Conservative Judaism used to prohibit such marriages, but even that attitude is changing.  So in raising these questions, I think this show can provide some good discussions about belief, Judaism, and interfaith marriage.

I think my biggest quibble is the setup, but that could easily be rectified by some writing fixes. The main problem: Tashlich is a pretty standard part of Jewish High Holyday practice. I know that it has been done at most Reform congregations I’ve been at (TAS does it at either Limekiln Creek or Lake Balboa). Further, as Tashlich is done off premises, there usually is not an extra charge on top of High Holyday tickets. For those who aren’t Jewish, you might be wondering about the practice of charging for services. For most Shabbats, there is no charge to attend services, except possibly a registration access due to security in these antisemitic times. But for the High Holydays, when even the non-observant Jews come to synagogue, there are often tickets used to ensure sufficient seats. These are typically included with membership, although some congregations charge extra for better (i.e., closer to the bimah) seats; there are also charges for additional tickets. Note that there is often an unticketed family service open to the community; and of course in these post-COVID days, there are often live-streamed services. But back to the play: I’ve never known about an extra charge for a tashlich service.  This easily could be changed to something else for which there is a charge — perhaps a Sukkot-dinner, perhaps some other event. But using tashlich as an excuse took me out of the story.

There were some directorial quibbles. At times, the projections still had the menu bar at the time and the Apple finder at the bottom. For a Conservative Jewish household, they had some mannerisms that were less than Conservative (but, then again, that’s common in Conservative families). During the High Holyday service, they seemed to do the mourner’s kaddish in the middle of the service. The hatza-kaddish (half-kaddish) I could understand, as that separates segments, but the full mourners kaddish is at the end. Some folks in our group indicated they had to stifle the desire to stand up during some of the prayers. But I think these are all minor quibbles, and ones that would be ironed out in a production that ran longer or had a greater budget.

I do have one more major quibble, and it is a common one these days: I absolutely hate having programs that are only available via QR code. You can’t easily look at them during the show; you don’t have a long term record; and most importantly, they have no archival quality because websites change, are reorganized, or disappear. That online program of today will be gone tomorrow. Shows, at minimum, should have a one pager (which, if you fold it and print double-sided, can give you four “pages”). Give the basics about the show and cast. Even if you have to use a tiny-font (8 pt), and print in black and white, there should be something.

The cast was generally strong, which isn’t a surprise as many came from the short film. There seemed to be a few hesitation points, but I’m willing to write that off to this being a small theatre with a small number of runs. Kate Huffman, as Ruth Cohen (the daughter) was very strong, as was Rylie Decocq as the boyfriend. I also liked Daryl Mendelsohn as the Rabbi, as he had the right gravitas. Some of the mannerisms were a bit exaggerated, but that fits with the overall sitcom style. This is a case where a dramaturg might have helped with some fine tuning.

Jewish for Dinner runs until March 1, 2026 at the Santa Monica Playhouse. Tickets are $25 or less, and are available online through Showclix or by calling the box office at 310-394-9779 ext 1. This isn’t a deep show and is a bit sitcomish, but is very very funny and makes some good points. It was great for our theatre group, and would be a great show for synagogue groups.

The Santa Monica Playhouse is recovering from a water pipe break that damaged / destroyed their stage and dressing rooms. The stage is rebuilt; the backstage less so. They are still looking for donations, and did a plea at the end of the show. We supported them. You should to.

Credits

Jewish for Dinner. Written by Lou Stone Boren. Directed by Jeff Jackson.

Cast: Kate Huffman Ruth Cohen; Ryle Decocq Dave Green; Abby Kohl Mollie Green; Gregory Cohen Leo Cohen; Ben Horwitz Gabriel Cohen; Amanda Dolan Sheba; Daryl Mendelsohn Rabbi Rosh.

Production and Creative: Lou Stone Borenstein Playwright; Jeff Jackson Director; George J Vennes III Technical Director; Joseph Perez Playhouse Projects Coordinator; Sandra Zeitzew Public Relations; Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie Artistic Directors. Surprisingly, the program has no credits for sound (and there was sound), lights (and there were lights), projections (and there were projections), and stage management (because there is always stage management). Given the program is being done via QR code and online, those credits should be added to the program.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre ^NEW, and 5-Star Theatricals. We just added Chromolume Theatre as our intimate theatre subscription — we subscribed there pre-pandemic when they were at their West Adams location, but they died back in 2018. They started back up last year (but we had seen all their shows); this year, their season is particularly interesting: The Color Purple, If/Then, Elegies (during Hollywood Fringe), and Roadshow (nee Bounce) [by Steven Sondheim]. Mind you, these are all in the intimate theatre setting, and this will be the first time Roadshow has been done in Los Angeles, to my knowledge. Information on purchasing their 2026 season is here. Our previous intimate theatre, Actors Co-Op, seems to be on hiatus.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• January: ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG (at Broad Stage); ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya; ♣ Mandy Gonzalez in Concert: Broadway and Beyond at Broad Stage.
• March: ✡ MoTAS Brotherhood Seder at Temple Beth Hillel; ♦ The Color Purple at Chromolume; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals;  ♦ Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper; ✡ MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at Temple Beth Hillel; ✡ MoTAS Poker Tournament; ♦ Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.
• April: ♦ Kim’s Convenience Store at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Ride the Cyclone at The Main; ♣ Jeremy Jordan at The Soraya; 🧬 California Science and Engineering Fair at CLU; ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players; ⊕ ♦ Real Women Have Curves at Casa 0101
• May: ♦ Anyone Can Whistle at El Portal Theatre; ♦ The Sound of Music at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Brigadoon at The Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ Hells Kitchen at BIH/Pantages.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Jewish-ish | "Jewish for Dinner" @ Santa Monica Playhouse by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

In October, I kicked a can down the road, but I’m staring at the end of the road with no further ability to kick it. So I need some advice.

My main laptop is an HP Envy 17 purchased in 2018. Here are the specs:

• Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz
• Installed RAM 12.0 GB (11.8 GB usable)
• Storage:
  • C: 238 GB SSD SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDJTNG-8310A,
  • D: 932 GB HDD HGST HTS721010A9E630
• Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (2 GB), Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620 (128 MB)

I’m currently running Windows 10 in Extended Support. I have my documents directory pointing to my D: drive. I absolutely DO NOT want Windows Backup or OneDrive. I don’t want to story my files in the cloud, and I already have a strong backup scheme through Acronis (my D: drive is backed up to the Acronis Cloud daily; I backup to offline USB drives weekly). I have replaced my battery once due to swelling. My current system is suitably fast, and I have loads of software I like. My current system has a CD-ROM (which new systems don’t have), and I have 3 USB-A and 1 USB-C ports (most systems don’t have that many ports these days). I don’t know the health of my current C: drive (SSDs have a fixed lifetime).

Here’s the question: I’m going to have to move to Windows 11. Should I…

1. Upgrade my current system to Windows 11, and then replace my hard drive with a 1 TB SSD. I’d probably get our laptop repair shop to add the new drive. I’m nervous about doing the upgrade — I might get them to do that as well. This is an example of the “devil you know” route, but I’m also upgrading a system that is 7 years old.
2. Purchase a new Windows 11 system. This is a more laborious and expensive route, as I would then want to update a bunch of software as well (WordPerfect, PaintShopPro, Roxio) to current versions, and some software might be unavailable. Things probably will break (including some software I depend upon). I’d no longer have an internal CD-ROM, and I’d have fewer ports. The upside is that the hardware would be new and would likely last longer.

The biggest fear in upgrading is Windows Backup. I’ve been told that Windows 11 turns this on by default. I made that mistake once: Windows Backup then changes your %DOCUMENTS% path to a hidden OneDrive directory on your C: drive, which it then mirrors to the cloud. This is bad if you have a small C: drive, and if you do things wrong, you lose files when you turn it off. Luckily, I had a full backup from that day. I want my files locally, on a separate data drive from my C: drive.  Supposedly, you can turn off OneDrive, and Windows Backup. I’d like to avoid that mess. I have no idea of the upgrade process tries to turn it on. I’m sure a new setup would turn it on; I’d have to turn it off and change the DOCUMENTS path before loading files and more programs.

So, great Internet brain: Should I upgrade or get a new system?

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 💻 Horns of a Dilemma: Upgrade or New / Windows 11 by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Now that 2025 is in the rearview mirror, it’s time for the last highway page update for 2025. This cycle, whose changes are detailed on the December 2025 Change Page with proper formatting, or just pasted below, covers November through December 2025. Enjoy, and as always, “ready, set, discuss”.

Next up: Continuing work on the California Highways: Route by Route Season 4 episodes. The background research is done, and next up is writing the last episodes of the season (the last two episodes on Route 12, Route 13, and Route 14). Episode 4.05, on the Santa Monica Freeway, is recorded and awaiting editing. Look for that episode to be posted at the end of next week.

On to the changelog:

This update covers the rest of October, November, and December 2025. Before we dive into the updates to the California Highways site, an update on the California Highways: Route by Route podcast. As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcaster or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted since the last update in mid-October:

• November | CA RxR 4.02: I-8 and US 80 Between El Cajon and the Arizona Border. This is Episode 4.02, which continues our exploration of Route 8, better known as Interstate 8. In this episode, we focus on the portion of I-8 from La Mesa (just outside of San Diego) to the Arizona border. We look at not only current I-8, but the routing of the predecessor route, US 80. We discuss the communities of La Mesa and El Cajon, Alpine and Descanso, Boulevard, the Mountain Springs Grade, Jacumba, Ocatillo (with a digression on the Imperial Highway), El Centro, Holtville and the Algondenes Dunes (with a digression on the Plank Road), Winterhaven and Yuma. We also briefly talk about the interesting routing of US 80 within Arizona, and how it differs from I-8. We talk about historical routings, projects along the route, and some significant names. In the next episode, we’ll turn our attention to Route 9, which currently runs from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos, but which once ran all the way to Castro Valley. (Spotify for Creators)
• November | CA RxR 4.03: Route 9: Santa Cruz and Saratoga. Episode 4.03 starts a pair of episodes that explore Route 9, which in its post-1964 version runs from Santa Cruz to Saratoga and Los Gatos. Before 1964, Route 9 continued N up to the Mountain View area, and then across to Milpitas, and up to the Castro Valley. This episode (4.03) covers the current Route 9 from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos; the next episode (4.04) covers the remainder of pre-1964 Sign Route 9 through Mountain View, Milpitas, and up through Hayward and the Castro Valley. This episode also explores the 9^th State Route between Peanut and Kuntz (now Mad River), and LRN 9. LRN 9 ran all the way from Ventura to San Bernardino, and was Sign Route 118 from Ventura to Pasadena, and US 66 from Pasadena to San Bernardino. As always, we’ll talk about historical routings, projects along the route, and some significant names. As noted, the next episode explores the remainder of pre-1964 Sign Route 9 from Saratoga through Milpitas to the Castro Valley. (Spotify for Creators)
• December | CA RxR 4.04: Route 9: Pre-1964 – Milpitas to Castro Valley. Episode 4.04 is our second episode exploring Route 9, which in its post-1964 version runs from Santa Cruz to Saratoga and Los Gatos. Before 1964, Route 9 continued N up to the Mountain View area, and then across to Milpitas, and up to the Castro Valley. The previous episode covered post-1964 Route 9 (and the first segment of pre-1964 Sign Route 9) from Santa Cruz to Saratoga and then into Los Gatos, as well as all the 9^th State Route and LRN 9. This episode (4.04) covers the pre-1964 Route 9 portions N of Saratoga: Sign Route 9 through Mountain View, Milpitas, and up through Hayward and the Castro Valley. This portion of Sign Route 9 became Route 85, Route 237, Route 17/I-880/I-680 (in portions) and Route 238. The next pair of episodes will be covering I-10, with episode 4.05 covering the Santa Monica Freeway portion, and episode 4.06 covering the San Bernardino Freeway portion. (Spotify for Creators)

Turning to the updates to the California Highways pages: Updates were made to the following highways, based on my reading of the (virtual) papers and my research for the fourth season of the podcast in October, November, and December 2025 (which are posted to the roadgeeking category at the “Observations Along The Road” and to the California Highways Facebook group) as well as any backed up email changes. I also reviewed the the AAroads forum (Ꜳ). This resulted in changes on the following routes, with credit as indicated [my research^(ℱ), contributions of information or leads (via direct mail or ꜲRoads) from Graham Bakulin⁽²⁾, DTComposer⁽³⁾, Tom Fearer⁽⁴⁾, Metro I-5 North County Enhancements Project⁽⁵⁾, Adrian Ople (City of Brawley)⁽⁶⁾, Mike Palmer⁽⁷⁾, Will Poundstone⁽⁸⁾]: Route 1^(ℱ), Route 2^(ℱ), Route 4^(ℱ,4), I-5^(ℱ,5), US 6^(ℱ), I-15^(ℱ), Route 16⁽⁴⁾, Route 22^(ℱ), Route 24⁽⁴⁾, Route 26^(ℱ), Route 27^(ℱ), Route 33⁽⁴⁾, Route 37^(ℱ), Route 38^(ℱ), Route 39^(ℱ), Route 41^(ℱ), Route 47^(ℱ,7), Route 49^(ℱ), US 50^(ℱ), LRN 50^(ℱ), Route 51^(ℱ), Route 52^(ℱ), Route 57^(ℱ), Route 59⁽⁴⁾, Route 64^(ℱ), Route 70^(ℱ,4), Route 78^(ℱ), I-80^(ℱ), Route 82^(ℱ), Route 84^(ℱ), US 99^(ℱ), Route 99⁽⁴⁾, US 101^(ℱ), Route 110^(ℱ), Route 116^(ℱ), Route 118^(ℱ), Route 120^(ℱ), Route 121^(ℱ), Route 131^(ℱ), Route 134^(ℱ), Route 135^(ℱ), Route 170^(ℱ), Route 180⁽⁴⁾, LRN 183⁽²⁾, Route 185^(ℱ), Route 187^(ℱ), Route 198^(ℱ), Route 217^(ℱ), Route 240^(ℱ), Route 247^(ℱ), Route 258^(ℱ), Route 260⁽⁴⁾, Route 275⁽⁴⁾, I-280^(ℱ), I-380⁽³⁾, US 395^(ℱ), I-405^(ℱ), I-580^(ℱ), I-605^(ℱ), I-680^(ℱ), I-710^(ℱ,8), I-780^(ℱ), County Sign Route J1⁽⁴⁾, County Sign Route J6⁽⁴⁾, County Sign Route J16⁽⁴⁾, County Sign Route J17⁽⁴⁾, County Sign Route S17⁽⁶⁾.
(Source: private email through 1/1/2026, Highway headline posts through and including the December 2025 Headline post, AARoads through 1/1/2026)

Continued work on Season 4 of the Route by Route podcast. Research for and preparation of the episodes for the back half of the season (covering Route 11 through Route 14) resulted in changes and updates to the following routes: Route 12, Route 13, Route 14, Route 24, Route 29, I-110, Route 116, Route 121, LRN 7, LRN 12, LRN 13, LRN 51, LRN 74, LRN 104.

Added an interesting link to the maps page: Old Insurance Maps. This can provide some interesting comparisons of highway routing to redlining.

Reviewed the Pending Legislation page, based on the California Legislature site, for bills through 2025-12-29. As usual, I recommend to every Californian that they visit the legislative website regularly and see what their legis-critters are doing. As many people are unfamiliar with how the legislature operates (and why there are so many “non-substantive changes” and “gut and amend” bills), I’ve added the legislative calendar (updated for 2025) to the end of the Pending Legislation page. Noted the passage of the following bills / resolutions:

• SB 695 (Cortese) Transportation: climate resiliency: projects of statewide and regional significance.
  Existing law establishes the State Transportation Infrastructure Climate Adaptation Program, administered by the Department of Transportation, for purposes of planning, developing, and implementing projects adapting state transportation infrastructure to climate change. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with, among others, the Transportation Agency and the California Transportation Commission, to develop a program of its top priority climate adaptation projects and to submit projects in this program to the commission for adoption. Existing law requires the department, in developing the program of projects, to consider specified criteria, including, but not limited to, the benefits of the project to preserving or enhancing regional or statewide mobility, economy, goods movement, and safety, and other benefits associated with protecting the asset.

  This bill would require the department, in consultation with the commission and the agency, and on or before July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to create a prioritized list of projects of statewide and regional significance, as defined, to better prepare the state for extreme weather-related events, with priority based on specified criteria. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Legislature a report containing the prioritized list of projects.

  10/13/25 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 781, Statutes of 2025.

Reviewed the online agenda of the California Coastal Commission for the November and December meetings. There were no items related to state highways in the reviewed agendas.

There’s an adage that goes something like: Sausage is tasty, but you don’t want to see how it is made. If there is a short summary of “Stereophonic“, which we saw last night at the Hollywood Pantages as part of the Broadway in Hollywood season, that would be it.

Going into this show, I didn’t know what to expect. Coming into the 2024 Tony awards, it had loads of buzz. Loads of Tony nominations. According to Wikipedia: “13 overall nominations at the 77^th Tony Awards, breaking the record previously held by the Jeremy O. Harris play Slave Play (2020) to receive the most nominations for a play in the history of the ceremony; The play proceeded to win five awards: Best Play (which it also won at the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award), Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (for Will Brill; Eli Gelb and Tom Pecinka also received nominations for the award), Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play. Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon both received nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play.”

The Broadway production received excellent reviews. I had gotten the album and was underwhelmed, but then again: This was a play with music, not a musical. So based on the Tony awards, and the performance at the Tony Awards, I was looking forward to the show. But then I started reading the comments when Broadway in Hollywood was posting about the show on Facebook. Comments like:

“Most nominated play in theater? Then theater is dead. Our entire group left at intermission tonight.”.

“I saw some comments before we saw it on Tuesday that the Pantages is too big for this particular show. And after leaving at Intermission (which we’ve NEVER done before), I’d have to agree. 1/4 of the stage was cut off for us and the play was incredibly slow.”

“Was really looking forward to this production. I’ve had season tickets for years here, and have been going to theater my entire life. I have NEVER walked out of a production before. We left at intermission.”

The pre-show buzz was so bad that Broadway in Hollywood felt the need to manage expectations, sending out an email that said to expect “cinematic, almost documentary-style pacing” and “Stereophonic paces in real time with conversations that overlap, spark, and erupt”, noting “Trust the silence. Sometimes the quietest moments are the loudest.”

But, then again, I also saw comments praising the show. So I really didn’t know what to expect going in. Would this be a disaster on the level of “Girl From the North Country”? Would this be spectacular, on the level of “To Kill A Mockingbird” (the last non-musical to play the Pantages)? I just didn’t know. All I really knew is that this was a play based on the making of a record album, supposedly based on Fleetwood Mac and the creation of the 1977 album “Rumours”, and that the Broadway running time of 3 hours, 10 minutes had been cut to 2 hours, 50 minutes.

So, here are my thoughts:

First, I think this was very much a case of a good show in the wrong theatre, with the wrong audience. The Broadway in Hollywood audience has been trained on musicals, with the best reception for spectacular, uplifting musicals. This was a dark (in theme) downer of a show. It wasn’t musical. It had slow pacing, with a documentary style, meaning the story wasn’t spoon fed to the audience. It had a single set that was boxed-in on the stage, meaning that much was lost in the cavern that is the Pantages. In short: This wasn’t playing to an audience that was receptive to the story, and the theatre was so big it swallowed the performances. These were two fatal flaws that doomed the reception of the show for much of the Pantages audience. “Stereophonic” would have been received much better on the Ahmanson stage; it might even have been acclaimed had it be done in one of Los Angeles’ mid-size prestige houses such as the Pasadena Playhouse or the Geffen.

Second, reviews were right in that it was a bit slow in its pacing. Taking a show on tour allows the production team a chance to review and improve the production for its eventual long life. A prime example of this is “The Addams Family”. That show had book and pacing problems on Broadway. It was revisited for the tour, and the result was a production that is now extremely popular and is being done everywhere. The production team of “Stereophonic” wisely cut out 30 minutes in preparing the tour version, as noted in the program. I think they could have tightened the production just a bit more.

Thirdly, this was not a production for everyone. There was strong language, there was reference to sex and drugs and rock and roll. There were fights. There was overtalking. There was silence. This wasn’t a feel-good show. The characters ended the show in a different place than where they started, but it was arguably a much worse place in terms of relationships and the band’s future. Those looking for a light musical would be disappointed. Those looking for a traditional play with a traditional structure and storytelling would be disappointed. This was a play for a more sophisticated audience who were willing to tough it out for a good conclusion.

That said: This wasn’t a “I Caligula: An Insanity Musical” level train-wreck. It wasn’t a “Girl from the North Country” level disaster. It was even better than mediocre. I was interested in the characters, and what happened to them. The story was interesting, and the behind-the-scenes of the making of an album was interesting. It clearly is a pressure cooker, and a good environment for story telling. It could have used a bit more dramatization to clarify the story and heighten interest. It probably had more relevance for those familiar with Fleetwood Mac and the “Rumours” album (I think I might have one Fleetwood Mac album in my library — it is a group I never knowingly listened to).

If I had to rate it, it was on the level of “OK” to “good”. I enjoyed the story, but I don’t really have a desire to see it again. But this clearly is a play not for everyone. I did like the Four Rules for Engineers stated early on in the show: 1. Show up. 2. Pay Attention. 3. Tell the truth. 4. Deal with the consequences

The performances were strong. I particularly liked Jack Barrett’s Grover, Claire Dejean’s Diana, and Denver Milord’s Peter.

“Stereophonic” continues at the Hollywood Pantages until January 2, 2026. You can get tickets through the Pantages website. Be forewarned that this isn’t a show for everyone: There were a number of people that left before and during intermission.

Other December Live Performances

You may have noticed a dearth of reviews during December. Part of that was due to the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference, which was in Waikiki the week of December 8, and prevented us from seeing shows the first and second weekends of December. However, while at the Conference, we did see the Pa’ina Waikiki Luau at Waikiki Beach Marriott. We actually coordinated the attendance of a group of 245 conference attendees at the luau. The luau itself was spectacular, with hulu, island stories, fire dancing, and all other sorts of traditional dances. Of course, the best was when we quietly engineered for our conference chair to join the dancing on stage. I have heard there are videos of this, but I don’t have the links.

After we returned, we saw two live concert performances. I normally don’t review concert performances, but I’m listing them for completeness:

• Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson. I went in expecting this to be mostly Broadway music. Instead, it drew heavily from Ben’s solo albums and songwriting. It was an enjoyable show, and those more familiar with Ben’s music were really rocking out to it.
• Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at the Soraya. This production featured Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, Mariachi Pueblo Viejo from Tucson, and had as a special guest Ximena Sariñana. I didn’t understand much of the words, but the dance was spectacular.

Lastly, the Christmas period concluded as halachicly required, with two movies: “Wicked: For Good” and “Song Sung Blue”. Both were excellent.

Credits

Stereophonic. Written by David Adjmi. Original songs by Will Butler. Directed by Daniel Aukin.

Cast: Jack Barrett Grover; Claire Dejean Diana; Steven Lee Johnson Charlie; Emilie Kouatchou Holly; Cornelius McMoyler Simon; Denver Milord Peter; Christopher Mowod Reg. Understudies: Jake Regensburg u/s Grover, u/s Reg; Quinn Allyn Martin u/s Diana; Andrew Gombas u/s Charlie, u/s Peter; Lauren Wilmore u/s Holly; Eli Bridges u/s Simon.

Production and Creative: David Adjmi Playwright; Will Butler Original Songs and Orchestrations; Daniel Aukin Director; David Zinn Scenic Design; Enver Chakartash Costume Design; Jiyoun Chang Lighting Design; Ryan Rumery Sound Design; Robert Pickens & Katie Gell Hair and Makeup Design; Justin Craig Music Director and Orchestrations; Alldaffer & Donadio Casting Casting; Gigi Buffington Vocal, Text, and Dialect Coach; Dylan Glen General Manager; Brian Decaluwe Company Manager; Geoff Maus Production Stage Manager; Holly Adam Stage Manager; Work Light Productions Production Management; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking, Marketing & Publicity; Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman Production Props Supervisor; Ann James Intimacy Coordinator; Drew Leary Fight Director.

Favorite Minor Credit: Work Light Productions Tax Credit Consultant.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre ^NEW, and 5-Star Theatricals. We just added Chromolume Theatre as our intimate theatre subscription — we subscribed there pre-pandemic when they were at their West Adams location, but they died back in 2018. They started back up last year (but we had seen all their shows); this year, their season is particularly interesting: The Color Purple, If/Then, Elegies (during Hollywood Fringe), and Roadshow (nee Bounce) [by Steven Sondheim]. Mind you, these are all in the intimate theatre setting, and this will be the first time Roadshow has been done in Los Angeles, to my knowledge. Information on purchasing their 2026 season is here. Our previous intimate theatre, Actors Co-Op, seems to be on hiatus.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• January: ♣ New Beginnings: A Chromolume Cabaret! at Chromolume; ♦ The Notebook at BIH/Pantages; ♦ All the Devils Are Here at The Broad; ♦ Jewish for Dinner at the Santa Monica Playhouse; ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG; ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya.
• March: ✡ MoTAS Brotherhood Seder at Temple Beth Hillel; ♦ The Color Purple at Chromolume; ✡ MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at TBD; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals;  ♦ Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper; ✡ MoTAS Poker Tournament; Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.
• April: ♦ Kim’s Convenience Store at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Ride the Cyclone at The Main; ♣ Jeremy Jordan at The Soraya; 🧬 California Science and Engineering Fair at CLU; ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Sausage Making | "Stereophonic" @ BiH/Pantages by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

November is now in the books. This means two things: It is now less than a week away before ACSAC (Annual Computer Security Applications Conference), and holiday movies and music have started. I’m looking forward to the former, for which I’m local arrangements and registration chair (although it is a lot of work); much less so to the latter (because if one doesn’t observe Christmas, the hoopla over the holiday becomes a bit obsessive). That said, whatever holiday you are observing during this month of holidays: I hope it is happy, meaningful, and celebrated with those you love and care about.

I’m continuing to work on podcast episodes. I’ve currently working on writing the first episode on Route 12, leaving two more on Route 12, one on Route 13, and one on Route 14 to go. I’ll be getting back to the last round of updates for 2025 as soon as I get back from the conference.

We’ve started Season 4 of the podcast, and we were able to use new recording software  (Zencaster) for episode. I think it sounds better, and I’m hopeful that the next episode will be even better as I now know how to adjust my microphone input better. Let us know what you think. It looks like the regular audience is between 60-70 folks, and I’d love to get that number up (as of today, we’re at 36 for 4.03, 63 for 4.01 and 4.02 and 70 for 3.15), although the numbers don’t included those who listen directly from the CARouteByRoute website (as I don’t know how to get those stats). You can help. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Share the podcast on Facebook groups, and in your Bluesky and Mastodon communities. For those that hear the early episodes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. If you know sound editing, feel free to give me advice (I use Audacity to edit). As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Creators, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Creators) . The following episode has been posted this month:

• November | CA RxR 4.03: Route 9: Santa Cruz and Saratoga. Episode 4.03 starts a pair of episodes that explore Route 9, which in its post-1964 version runs from Santa Cruz to Saratoga and Los Gatos. Before 1964, Route 9 continued N up to the Mountain View area, and then across to Milpitas, and up to the Castro Valley. This episode (4.03) covers the current Route 9 from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos; the next episode (4.04) covers the remainder of pre-1964 Sign Route 9 through Mountain View, Milpitas, and up through Hayward and the Castro Valley. This episode also explores the 9^th State Route between Peanut and Kuntz (now Mad River), and LRN 9. LRN 9 ran all the way from Ventura to San Bernardino, and was Sign Route 118 from Ventura to Pasadena, and US 66 from Pasadena to San Bernardino. As always, we’ll talk about historical routings, projects along the route, and some significant names. As noted, the next episode explores the remainder of pre-1964 Sign Route 9 from Saratoga through Milpitas to the Castro Valley. (Spotify for Podcasters)
• November | CA RxR 4.02: I-8 and US 80 Between El Cajon and the Arizona Border. This is Episode 4.02, which continues our exploration of Route 8, better known as Interstate 8. In this episode, we focus on the portion of I-8 from La Mesa (just outside of San Diego) to the Arizona border. We look at not only current I-8, but the routing of the predecessor route, US 80. We discuss the communities of La Mesa and El Cajon, Alpine and Descanso, Boulevard, the Mountain Springs Grade, Jacumba, Ocatillo (with a digression on the Imperial Highway), El Centro, Holtville and the Algondenes Dunes (with a digression on the Plank Road), Winterhaven and Yuma. We also briefly talk about the interesting routing of US 80 within Arizona, and how it differs from I-8. We talk about historical routings, projects along the route, and some significant names. In the next episode, we’ll turn our attention to Route 9, which currently runs from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos, but which once ran all the way to Castro Valley. (Spotify for Podcasters)

As a reminder: One of the sources for the highway page updates (and the raison d’etre for for this post) are headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. I collect them in this post, which serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, and so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my highway-obsessed highway-interested readers.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for November.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ☊ indicates an primarily audio article. ↈ indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

• Two Weeks After Anniversary of Fatal Malibu Crash, City Could Reject PCH Safety Improvements (Streetsblog Los Angeles). On Monday, November 3, the Malibu Planning Commission will hold a final hearing on the proposed Caltrans Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Safety Project, a $55 million plan to repave and upgrade the western portion of PCH between Cross Creek Road and the Ventura County line. Find meeting details at the bottom of this article. This PCH project has been in the works for years. Then, after a fatal crash that killed four young women standing along PCH on October 17, 2023, advocates scrambled to get Caltrans to include safety improvements along with the repaving. The project now aims to improve safety and accessibility along the corridor via a range of infrastructure updates. Proposed features include 15 miles of new or upgraded bike lanes, nearly 7,000 linear feet of new sidewalks in high-pedestrian areas including near Pepperdine University, 42 dark-sky compliant light poles, 19 guardrails, 22 curb ramps, three retaining walls, and two realigned intersections. The plan also includes median reconstruction and law enforcement pull-outs at various locations.
• Freeway vs. Highway: Yes, the Difference Matters (Readers Digest). Some road names are regional, but it’s the definitions that matter most. Life is a highway, or so the snappy song by Canadian crooner Tom Cochrane tells us. But what is a highway, exactly? And when it comes to freeways vs. highways, is there a real difference? Living in New York City means I’ve driven on many high-speed roads in the tristate area, from parkways to expressways and everything in between. And I’m here to tell you they are indeed distinct from one another. But don’t take my word for it—I’m no driving expert. (I get more parking tickets than I should and occasionally use the bus lane to pass.) Instead, I’ve tapped Nathan Huynh, PhD, a highway expert and professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, to suss out these thoroughfare subtleties, explain regional name differences and tell us why road terms matter.
• ＄ Caltrans cuts ribbon on 395 Olancha-Cartago widening (Ridgecrest Daily Independent). There are safer travels ahead on U.S. 395 in the Owens Valley with the end of major construction on the Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project. This project constructed 12.5 miles of new pavement, replacing the previous two-lane highway with a split 4-lane expressway designed to eliminate cross-centerline crashes. This is the final stretch of U.S. 395 to be converted into a 4-lane expressway in most of Inyo County. “The Olancha Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project underscores Caltrans’ safety and people-first philosophy,” said Acting District 9 Director Brandon Fitt. “Enhancing safety along this vital roadway improves the quality of life for residents of Olancha and Cartago and provides a better and more efficient travel experience for drivers.”
• Caltrans Commitment to Safety Highlighted in Completion of the Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project (Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News). There are safer travels ahead on U.S. 395 in the Owens Valley with the end of major construction on the Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project. This project constructed 12.5 miles of new pavement, replacing the previous two-lane highway with a split 4-lane expressway designed to eliminate cross-centerline crashes. This is the final stretch of U.S. 395 to be converted into a 4-lane expressway in most of Inyo County. “The Olancha Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project underscores Caltrans’ safety and people-first philosophy,” said Acting District 9 Director Brandon Fitt. “Enhancing safety along this vital roadway improves the quality of life for residents of Olancha and Cartago and provides a better and more efficient travel experience for drivers.” The new lanes on U.S. 395 closed the gap between existing four-lane sections to the north and south. The upgraded facility will meet future transportation demands as vehicle and freight traffic through the region continues to increase.
• Construction continues for Fanny Bridge near Lake Tahoe; nearby construction also scheduled (2 News Nevada). The Fanny Bridge construction continues in Sunnyside, California, along Lake Tahoe while crews add a permanent sewer line scheduled for Friday, November 7. During this project, cars will detour onto Lake Boulevard bypass to access State Route 89 and State Route 28. According to Caltrans, West Lake Boulevard will remain open for business and for transit center access, with only the Fanny Bridge being closed. The walking and bicycle path across the Truckee River Dam will remain open throughout the project.
• Old Woman Springs Road officially designated “High Desert State Scenic Highway” (Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree). State Route 247, known locally as Old Woman Springs Road, now has a new name. The road that connects Yucca Valley to Barstow will now by known as “High Desert State Scenic Highway.” The Homestead Valley Community Council (HVCC) received word from Caltrans that the road was officially dedicated as “scenic” by the state’s road agency on October 4. The HVCC had been campaigning for the highway to be designated as scenic, and was informed of the designation by San Bernardino County’s Land Use Services on Thursday (October 30).
• Goleta’s San Jose Creek Bridge Set for Major Replacement Project (Edhat). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will replace the San Jose Creek Bridge along State Route 217 in Goleta, the agency announced on social media on October 27, 2025. The work will require full overnight closures between Hollister Avenue and Sandspit Road on October 28, 2025, and October 30, 2025, from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. The road closures will allow for the installation of precast girders for the new bridge, the City of Goleta said in a statement. The bicycle lane will remain open during the overnight closures.
• Hwy. 1 slide update: Caltrans installs cable nets to prevent falling rocks (SLO Tribune via MSN). Crews continue making progress in stabilizing Regent’s Slide on Highway 1, Caltrans said Wednesday, giving an update on work at the troublesome cliff face that’s contributed to a nearly three-year closure along the Big Sur Coast. of that stretch of the All-American Road and National Scenic Byway. The state road agency still estimates a spring 2026 reopening for through travel from Cambria to the Monterey Bay area, maybe as early as late March. That timing depends on various influences, of course, the most significant of which is weather, because heavy rains can unleash more slides in the geologically unstable area.
• California’s Iconic, Major Interstate With Renowned Views Has Been Named America’s Busiest Highway (Yahoo! News). Similar to Interstate 95 (I-95), the East Coast’s major highway that’s considered one of America’s deadliest, the West Coast’s own Interstate 5 (I-5) stands out, not for danger, but for its sheer volume of traffic. Recently named America’s busiest highway by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), I-5 is more than just a road; it’s a lifeline connecting some of the country’s most vital regions. This 1,381-mile artery isn’t just about logistics, it’s a journey through the heart of the West Coast — and a scenic one at that. From sun-drenched beaches and bustling metropolises to sprawling farmland and snow-capped peaks, I-5 offers an unmatched visual narrative. Travelers along the Pacific Coast experience a true spectrum of the American landscape, especially between Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Santa Ana — the stretch of area under the spotlight in this recent study.

Perhaps I’m not the audience for this particular show.

After all, I’ve never been all that into horror films. I did regularly attend horror films at the Culver Theatre in Culver City (now the legit Kirk Douglas run by CTG) in my college days, but that was only because my girlfriend at the time loved horror films. They never really scared me; perhaps the occasional startle reflex. These days, I’ll catch them here and there on TV (I seem to always run into the “Becky” franchise), and I don’t find them particularly scary. Horror films these days are particularly formulaic: you know who is going to get it; you pretty much know how; and you know it will be graphicly bloody, if possible. As for suspense? Gone are the days in which terror builds slowly (such as “Rosemary’s Baby” [insert obligatory “Tannis Root. It’s only Tannis Root” in Ruth Gordan’s voice]).

I’m also not a believer in the paranormal. Ghosts are something that were invented for entertainment purposes (cough, “Ghosts”, cough, “Beetlejuice”), or to perhaps assuage guilty minds (cough, the Scottish Play). If you don’t believe in ghosts, you don’t find ghosts all that scary.

Lastly, I have never seen any of the movies in the Paranormal Activity franchise. I think there’s something like 7, 8, 4000. Some larger number. Haven’t seen any of them. So perhaps I wasn’t the best person to be going to a stage instantiation of that franchise. My wife expressed that notion best, comparing this to the recent Harry Potter stage show. That show was light on plot and story (as any time-travel story is), but heavy on the stage magic, and relied far too much on fan service and making the fans happy.

Beyond that, Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think of the play?

This is all a long way of saying that we took time on this blustery and rainy Saturday to trundle down to the Ahmanson Theatre to see the Paranormal Activity play. The good news is that it wasn’t bad — it’s not something that will be a classic, and it isn’t even at the level of well done murder mysteries — but it isn’t heavy fan service and overdone stage magic. The bad news is that it is a clear profit grab by Paramount Pictures: it is not a story that needed to be on the stage. It is a trifle. I also didn’t find it particularly scary, but given what I wrote above, that’s not a surprise. It also isn’t obsessively dark, so you won’t come away from it with nightmares.

The other, perhaps more important, bad news: It is a sonic horror. By that I mean: to unsettle the audience, there is constant subsonic (low-frequency) and hypersonic (high-frequency) noise blasted at a high volume to the audience, from the moment you walk into the theatre. This is noise that is just outside the normal range of hearing, and it is not filtered out by foam earplugs, as bone conduction is involved. If you are sensitive to that range of sound (as my wife is), it will leave you queasy and on the verge of being sick. It may create headaches. For many, it will create unease. As for me, I’ve listened to too much music through headphones — I’ve lost those ranges. But be forewarned.

There are other sound problems that irritated me in other ways. The play takes place in London, and the people in the story have flat with a landline. When that phone rang, it was a single long bell. Folks that have been to the UK know that UK phones have a shorter double ring. They one of the folks had a cell phone that rang the same as a landline. You rarely see modern phones using bells for their ringtone, so that was off. Sloppy sound design.

As for the story itself: It takes place in a single set that consists of a downstairs living room and kitchen, and an upstairs bedroom, third room, and bathroom. This is all on stage in a single structure. Nothing flies in or out; nothing is rolled onto the stage. As such, this is like a situation comedy that takes place generally in a single room — think “All In The Family” or “Roseanne” or even “BIg Bang Theory”. It was, in other words, “situation horror”.

Given that this is a horror story and a suspense story, to describe all the details of the plot would serve to spoil the suspense for those that are into such things. So, suffice it to say that this is the story of a couple that moves from Chicago to London to ostensibly run away from their demons… but as anyone knows, demons have this horrible tendency to follow you and see things through to an appropriate end.

The suspenseful stage magic worked well. Besides the expected writing tricks of surprise entrances and premonition-ary lines, there were a number of stagecraft elements and diversions that worked quite well. There was also a fair amount of humor in the overall piece. It was also fun to listen to the audience reaction, especially the points of surprise. The sound was a little loud for my taste.

More of a problem was the overall story: Although the suspense and horror parts of it worked, when you come out of the show and think about the overall plausibility (setting aside the ghosts), it all starts to fall apart. Some pieces just don’t make sense, such as how some of the characters ended up where they did. But this is “situation horror”, and I guess it doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to serve the franchise.

The performances were strong and well played. I liked the two primary leads: they seemed to inhabit their character well.

“Paranormal Activity” continues through December 7, 2025, at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets are available through the Ahmanson website. Should you go see it? I guess it depends on whether you like horror and suspense and this particular franchise. For me, I get scared enough reading the news everyday about what this administration is doing. No ghost is scarier than that, unless it is the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein confronting Donald Trump. Now that’s a horror story I’d love to see on stage… or in real life!

Thinking even more, we need a version of “A Christmas Carol”, where the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein (past, present, and future) come out to haunt Donald Trump. That would certainly be worth seeing. Who’s up for writing it.

Credits

Paranormal Activity. Written by Levi Holloway. Directed by Felix Barrett. Restaged by Levi Holloway. Based on Paramount Picture’s Paranormal Activity films, first written and directed by Orne Peli and brought to the screen by Blumhouse and Solana Films. ™ and © 2025 Paramount Pictures.

Cast: Cher Álverez Lou; Shannon Cochran Carolanne; Kate Fry Etheline Cotgrave; Patrick Heusinger James. Understudies: Caron Buinis u/s Carolanne / Etheline Cotgrave; Caroline Hendricks u/s Lou; Michael Holding u/s James.

Production and Creative: Levi Holloway Written and Restaged by; Felix Barrett Director; Fly Davis Scenic & Costume Design; Anna Watson Lighting Design; Gareth Fry Sound Design; Luke Halls Video Design; Chris Fisher Illusions; Bob Mason CST Artistic Associate / Casting Director; What If We Productions Co-Production Technical Supervisor; Oren Peli Original Filmmaker; Melting Pot Commercial Producer; Melanie J. Lisby Production Stage Manager; Julie Jachym Stage Manager; Chels Morgan Intimacy/Fight Director.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• November: ♦ Suffs at BIH/Pantages;
• December: ◊ ACSAC Conference; ♣ Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson at CTG/Ahmanson; ♣ Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at The Soraya; ♦ Stereophonic at BIH/Pantages;
• January: ♦ The Notebook at BIH/Pantages; ♦ All the Devils Are Here at The Broad; ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG; ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya.
• March: The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals; Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper; MoTAS Poker Tournament; Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Situation Horror | "Paranormal Activity" @ CTG/Ahmanson Theatre by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Whew! Halloween is over, and the temptation of bags of small pieces of candy around the house is gone. There’s a reason we gave out about 3.6 bags of candy, and not 4, last night.

I’m continuing to work on podcast episodes. I’ve written the episodes on Routes 8 through 10, and made numerous changes to a lot of pages as a result of those changes. I’ve done the deep dive related to Routes 11 and 110, Route 12, Route 13, and Route 14, and should start working on the back half of the season next. The highway page updates for August-September have been uploaded, and I’ve started work on the last round of updates for 2025.

We’ve started Season 4 of the podcast, and we were able to use new recording software  (Zencaster) for episode. I think it sounds better, and I’m hopeful that the next episode will be even better as I now know how to adjust my microphone input better. Let us know what you think. It looks like the regular audience is between 60-70 folks, and I’d love to get that number up (as of today, we’re at 53 for 4.01 and 68 for 3.15), although the numbers don’t included those who listen directly from the CARouteByRoute website (as I don’t know how to get those stats). You can help. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Share the podcast on Facebook groups, and in your Bluesky and Mastodon communities. For those that hear the early episodes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. If you know sound editing, feel free to give me advice (I use Audacity to edit). As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Creators, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Creators) . The following episode has been posted this month:

• CA RxR 4.01: I-8, Former Route 109, Route 209, and US 80 in San Diego. Welcome to Season 4 of CA Highways: Route by Route. Episode 4.01 is the first half of our exploration of Route 8. This episode covers the 8th State Highway, which became LRN 36 and later Route 194. It covers LRN 8, which ran from Ignacio (Novato) to Cordelia via Napa, and became parts of Route 37, Route 121, Route 12, and Route 29. We look at Sign Route 8, which became today’s Route 26. And lastly, we look at I-8 in San Diego, including its historical ancestor US 80. This includes former Route 209 to Point Loma, which was part of LRN 12 and possibly US 80, and former Route 109, which became the portion of Route 8 W of I-5 (and you’ll learn why that is not I-8). Episode 4.02 will pick up the story and explore the rest of I-8/US 80 between San Diego and the Arizona Border, including a discussion of the Imperial Highway. (Spotify for Podcasters)

As a reminder: One of the sources for the highway page updates (and the raison d’etre for for this post) are headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. I collect them in this post, which serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, and so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my highway-obsessed highway-interested readers.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for October.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ☊ indicates an primarily audio article. ↈ indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

• One of Oakland’s most dangerous roadways is getting safety upgrades (Oaklandside). A major new grant announced last week will help Oakland transform one of the city’s most dangerous and neglected thoroughfares into a road where pedestrians, cyclists, and industrial truck drivers can more safely coexist. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees and funds transit projects across the Bay Area, has approved a $30 million grant to redesign Martin Luther King Jr. Way from Jack London Square at 2nd Street to Old Oakland at 14th Street. The Oakland Department of Transportation will construct a two-way cycle track and add intersection infrastructure to make it easier and safer for people to cross the boulevard, such as traffic islands and concrete bulbouts to narrow the roadway, slow down vehicles, and separate big trucks from people. The plan also includes adding streetlights throughout that stretch.
• I Street Bridge to close across the Sacramento River (ABridged). The I Street Bridge, which connects travelers between Sacramento and West Sacramento across the Sacramento River, will close for 10 days starting Monday. At 6 a.m. on Oct. 6, the bridge will close, leaving travelers in both directions to find alternate routes until 6 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. The owner of the bridge, Union Pacific Railroad, will be repairing siding on a bridge building, according to a city of Sacramento news release.
• Sacramento’s I Street Bridge to close for 10 days this month for siding repairs (CBS Sacramento). The I Street Bridge that connects Sacramento and West Sacramento will be closed for 10 days this month for siding repairs on a building on the bridge, the City of Sacramento said. The closure is set to begin on Monday at 6 a.m. to continue through 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. Union Pacific Railroad owns and operates the bridge. It will be completing repairs to the exterior siding of a building on the bridge, the city said.
• I Street Bridge set to close for nearly two weeks for maintenance (KCRA 3). One of the bridges commuters use between Sacramento and West Sacramento is shutting down over several days for maintenance. The I Street Bridge, built in 1911, closed at 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, for Union Pacific Railroad to complete repairs to the exterior siding of a building on the bridge. All travel across the bridge will be paused during the repair period, including drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Caltrans and NCTC workshop on Hwy 49 project (Yubanet). Some fifty people attended an Open House jointly organized by Caltrans and the Nevada County Transportation Commission (NCTC) on Thursday evening at the Rood Center. The proposed Hwy 49 project runs along Hwy 49 from the Hwy 20/49/Uren Street intersection to the Regional Dispatch Center (formerly Nevada County Juvenile Hall) and proposes to enhance safety by constructing two roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, shared-use paths, sidewalks and installing new lighting and signage.
• Ħ Lincoln Highway History (FB/Trey Pitsenberger). There is still confusion as to why the Lincoln Highway Association created two routes through California. The two branches emerged during the Lincoln Highway Association’s (LHA) route scouting in 1913. Since the Sierra Nevada Mountains are a formidable barrier, with high elevations, heavy snowfall (up to 500 inches annually at Donner Pass), and limited passable roads, having only one route could shut down the system during winter. Remember that early automobiles lacked modern snow chains or four-wheel drive, so a single route risked stranding travelers or limiting year-round access.

When you think about the musical Hairspray, what comes to mind? An early 1960s musical, perhaps like “Bye Bye Birdie”, that reflects the exuberance of its times. That’s certainly the most common memory. But when you look at it closely, Hairspray is a musical about rebellion. It is about the fight to integrate television in Baltimore, and it is about the fight for size acceptance. It is, in many ways, a fight FOR things that our current political leadership seems to be very strongly against: integration, more visibility for minorities, acceptance of people that that don’t fit the white thin blonde look, acceptance of trans or cross-dressing women, and most importantly, freedom to speak out for what you believe in. This fight for acceptance of the downtrodden is a common theme in John Waters work (and I still wish that, someday, someone will revive the Cry-Baby musical that failed on Broadway its first time out). So Hairspray is in many ways a timely musical (and its themes seem a bit out of place in Thousand Oaks, a white-bread area of California that leans Republican).

But Hairspray is a bit of an overdone musical, and you tend to forget its strong themes in the memories of the music. When 5-Star Theatrical (a dba of the former Cabrillo Music Theatre)  announced it as part of their 2025 season, I was unsure about seeing the show again. After all, we had recently seen the tour of the show at the Dolby Theatre back in May 2023. It was a good non-equity production. But the 5-Star production had two interesting things going for it (one of which, the director, we didn’t know at the time we renewed): it was in the Scherr Forum, not the Kavli, and it was to be directed by the original Broadway lead, Marissa Jaret Winokur. The first was the primary factor of interest. Everytime we’ve seen Hairspray, it has been in a large theatre. We first saw it in the original tour at the Pantages in 2004; we’ve seen school productions; and of course we’ve seen the movie. Had this production been in the Kavli — the large theatre that does the Broadway tours in T.O — I would have been “meh”. But the Scherr Forum is a small space. It is a 394 seat theatre, with limited fly space and stage space. How would a big production like Hairspray work in the small space? Then the director was announced: Marissa Jaret Winokur. We saw her as the lead back in 2004. How well would she do at directing this show, with the additional challenge of the small space? There are times moving from the stage to directing works: Look at how many times Baayork Lee has directed or choreographed A Chorus Line. There are times it does. All of this made this particular production of Hairspray interesting; so yesterday afternoon, we trudged to Thousand Oaks to get our answers.

[As an aside: I’ll note this was a two-show weekend: Saturday night we saw “Fly Me to the Moon: A Tribute to Quincy Jones“, featuring the Pacific Jazz Orchestra^® (Chris Walden, Conductor), with Special Guests José James & Ms. Lisa Fischer. As a musical concert, this is hard to write up other than listing the playlist. It was a great show, but I’m still disappointed that the Soraya has gone to digital programs only.  You can see the full digital program, including the playlist and artist information, at this link (for as long as the link works). There were a number of songs that I liked quite a bit, and Jose James was quite good. I was less enamored with Lisa Fischer: She had a strong voice, but some of her stylings I was less sure of (although she may just have been following the stylings of the original artists).]

Back to Hairspray. First and foremost: This was a very entertaining show. The casting was very strong, and the production team figured out how to use the Scherr Forum space well. It was a very very enjoyable production, and if you can, you should go see it. If there was one thing I didn’t like, it was the confetti cannon at the end. I’ve gotten tired of confetti and glitter cannons in shows. They don’t do anything for the story; they make a mess for the crew to clean up; and they create loads of trash (and often plastic waste) that is unnecessary. If you’re thinking about using a confetti or glitter cannon in your show … just don’t. Spend your money elsewhere.

So let’s work our way through the show. I presume I don’t need to summarize the story for you — if you need a synopsis, go read the Wikipedia page. First, the question of how the show did in the smaller space. My impression was that the choreography was a bit less expansive, and the sets were a bit smaller. The sets, which were from San Pedro Playhouse in San Antonio TX, worked for the space and were probably less expensive than full-size theatre sets. More significant was the lack of overhead fly space, so stuff came in from the wings. But in general, the show worked well for the space and it enabled the audience to see the performers well.

This takes us to the performers, and I’d like to highlight some performances. As always, I note that I find it hard to separate what the director brings from what the actor brings; in a true collaboration, that should be seemless. But what is clearly director should be more in the blocking and movement and larger stuff.

In the lead was Lexie Martin as Tracy Turnblad. I was unsure about her at first, but I grew to really like her performance. She brought a lot of fun to the performance, and her stature (short — she’s 4’10”) and shape made her a very realistic Tracy. She was always really cute (but I tend to have a bias towards that size/shape, if you’ve met my wife). Strong singing and strong performance. A real joy to watch over the show (and I thought I saw a bit of her real personality shining through in Act II).

I really enjoyed the performances of Ryan O’Conner (Edna Turnblad) and Travis Joe Dixon (Wilbur Turnblad). I was unsure originally about the casting of O’Conner, as he seems a bit thinner than the typical person in the role, but he was able to make the character work with costuming. But what more important was the performance he brought, the humor, and the chemistry he had with Dixon. I think “Timeless to Me” is one of the best love songs out there, reflecting the reality of love (as opposed to the picture-perfect love of the Hallmark Channel). These two were believable as that couple, and their adlibbing was hilarious. They rolled with the punches and played with each other, and it was a delight to watch.

Jennifer Leigh Warren was a knockout as Motormouth Maybelle. A strong voice and a singular stage presence shone whenever she was one the stage. She was great in both “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful” and “I Know Where I’ve Been”.

Garrett Clayton (Corny Collins) was more of a weak point for me, although I don’t know how much of it was direction vs actor. He came off as a bit stiffer-faced; I would have liked to see more expression and playfulness. You would expect that in a teen TV host.

A few additional notes: Hannah Sedlacek (Penny Pingleton) started out a bit stiffer (esp. in “I’m a Big Girl Now”), but really warmed up as things moved into the second act. Her performance is one worth watching. Also worth watching is Alexander Brown (Seaweed), who had a lovely voice and stage presence. Michael Baker (Mr. Pinky, as well as Sphritzer) made me think of my Cousin Les, for some reason.

Looking at the ensemble, I was really impressed by Dara Adedara (Dynamite Judine, and other roles): Her movement, her dance, and her voice were all strong. I particularly enjoyed watching her when she was dancing with Christian Tyler Dorey (short, balding black kid, so I could have the name wrong). Luz Rodriquez had strong movement and voice, but had a problem that is common now with younger actors: tattoos. I understand they are personal expression, but for performances consider a sleeve to hide them, as their presence can be incongruous for that character in that era, just distracting from the character they are so carefully creating.

Overall, this was a very strong production, proving again the value of 5-Star for the Ventura County area. It really is the training ground for actors and production members that enables them to go much further. There are so many significant actors that have been showcased and developed through the 5-Star/Cabrillo team; this is one reason we keep going back to them (even with the outrageous parking fees — $16, unjustified for T.O. — and overdone security checks). There is one more weekend for the production: You can get tickets through Ticketmaster; more information on the show is available through the 5-Star Site. Hairspray continues through October 26, 2025.

Credits

Hairspray: The Broadway Musical. Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters. Directed by Marissa Jaret Winokur. Choreography by Clarice Ordaz.

Cast (^æ indicates Actors Equity): Lexie Martin Tracy Turnblad; Ryan O’Connor^æ Edna Turnblad; Garrett Clayton^æ Corny Collins; Jennifer Leigh Warren^æ Motormouth Maybelle; Becky Lythgoe Velma Von Tussle; Bobby Hogan Link Larkin; Logan Eliza Amber Von Tussle; Alexander J. Brown Seaweed J. Tubbs; Hannah Sedlacek Penny Pingleton; Travis Joe Dixon Wilbur Turnblad; Malia Johnson Little Inez; Rachel McLaughlin Prudy Pingleton; Michael Baker Mr. Pinky; Dara Adedara Dynamite Judine; Luz Rodriguez Dynamite Kamilah; Reiza Landers Dynamite Shayna; Luc Clopton Fender; Amy Smith Brenda; Christian Tyler Dorey Duane; Brody Tarrant Sitton Brad; Charlotte Scally Tammy; Almand Martin Jr. Thad; Wyatt Larrabee Sketch; Irelynn TerraNami Lou Ann; Matthew Smith Gilbert; Madison North Shelly; John Candelaria IQ.

Music Department: Anthony Lucca Music Director and Conductor; Darryl Tanikawa Orchestra Contractor; Gary Rautenberg Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Soprano Sax; Matt Germaine Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax; Bill Barrett Trumpet; June Satton Trombone; Sharon Cooper Violin 1; Laurel Diskin Violin 2; Oliver Walton Cello; Cody Cadena Acoustic & Electric Guitars 1; Dylan Gorenberg Acoustic & Electric Guitars 2; Anthony Lucca Keyboard 1; Sean Alexander Bart Keyboard 2; Chris Kimbler Keyboard 3; Shane Harry Electric Bass; Satoshi Kirasawa Set Drums; Tyler Smith Percussion.

Production and Creative (^æ indicates Actors Equity): Marissa Jaret Winokur Director; Clarice Ordaz Choreographer; Chadd McMillan Associate Director; Mitchell Gerrard Johnson Asst. Director; Camal Pugh Assoc. Choreographer; Vernon Willet^æ Production Stage Manager; Olivia Riddle^æ Assistant Stage Manager; Johnathan A. Burke Sound Design; Julia Pinhey Sound Design; Mia Crocker Sound Mixer; Brandon Baruch Lighting Design; Alex Choate Prop Designer; Taylor Bax-Kuhlmey Props Design; The Theatre Company (Upland CA) Costumes; San Pedro Playhouse (San Antonio TX) Sets; Javier Sanchez Scenic Design; Jacob Holcombe Asst. Prop Design / Crew Chief; Luis Martinez Wig and Hair Design; Tanya Apuya Costume Design; Brian Hashimoto Technical Director; EK Dagenfield Production Manager; David Elzer Publicity; Fresh Interactive Marketing; Michael Donovan CSA and Richie Ferris CSA Casting.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• October: ♦ ha ha ha ha ha ha at Pasadena Playhouse
• November: ♦ Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at CTG/Taper; ♦ Paranormal Activity at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Suffs at BIH/Pantages;
• December: ◊ ACSAC Conference; ♣ Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson at CTG/Ahmanson; ♣ Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at The Soraya; ♦ Stereophonic at BIH/Pantages;
• January: ♦ The Notebook at BIH/Pantages; ♦ All the Devils Are Here at The Broad;

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Resistance and Protest in T. O. | "Hairspray" @ 5-Star Theatricals by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

In 1961, the humorist Stan Freberg issued Volume 1 of The United States of America, a musical telling of the founding of America through the Battle of Yorktown (Volume 2 goes through the end of World War I (“They’ll never be another war…”)). The first scene on Volume 1 relates the story of how the Native Americans discovered Columbus. Although many things have changed since 1961 when this was recorded — Columbus is no longer held in the same regard, the portrayal of the Native American would be very different — there are still points that ring true, especially the exchange:

Columbus: Alright. Hello there. Hello there. We white man. Other side of ocean. My name, Christopher Columbus.
Chief: Oh, you over here on a Fulbright?
Columbus: No, no. I’m over here on an Isabella, as a matter of fact. Which reminds me. I want to take a few of you guys back on the boat to prove I discovered you.
Chief: What you mean discover us? We discover you.
Columbus: You discovered us?
Chief: Certainly, we discover you on beach here. Is all how you look at it.

Over 15 years ago, I started posting this particular scene from The United States of America every year on Indigenous People Day (nee Columbus Day). I do it as a celebration of Stan Freberg, who died in 2015 at age 88, one of the best satirists America has seen. Although it is clearly dated, every time I hear it I find new references and insights. It is always Stan Freberg day for me.  It is a day when we celebrate the story of how Native Americans discovered a Italian sailor, and the world was never the same. Just look at all he brought us: “real food: starches, spaghetti, cholesterol, … all the better things. That’s called progress.” It is a day when we celebrate how the inhabitants of Miami Beach discovered an illegal boat person on their shore, and made the gigantic mistake of offering him and the others on his boat asylum… and look at what happened. It’s a day that highlights the arrogance of Columbus and his party, just taking land and pushing aside the Native Americans. Or, just perhaps, it is a day that celebrates a city in Ohio for reason no one really knows, other than we needed to give bankers a 3-day weekend in October, because we all know they need the respite.

In any case, the banks are still closed.

I present a transcription of the scene, just as it happened. If you would like to listen to it, here’s the YouTube of the track:

NARR: 1492, Madrid. The Queen of Spain grants an audience to an obscure Italian sailor. There, in her chambers, plans are made destined to change the course of history.
COLUMBUS (CC): Alright, we’ll go over it once again. First you hock the jewels, you give me the money and I buy the ships. Then I discover the new world, you dump the king, and I’ll send for you.
QUEEN ISABELLA (QI): You say you’ll send for me, dahling, but will you?
CC: Look, we’ve been all through this before.
QI: I know, but really, you’re such a dreamer. You’ll go out there and sail right off the end of the world.
CC: I will not!
QI: You’re such a charming boy, dahling. Why don’t you forget all this? I’ll set you up with a nice little Fiat agency over in West Barcelona.
CC: I don’t want a Fiat agency!
QI: Then why don’t you go to art school like your friend, Da Vinci? I’ll put you through.
CC: If Lenny wants to starve to death, that’s up to Lenny. Me, I want to discover the new world, carry out my dream. (trumpet fanfare)

ANNOUNCE: His Majesty, King Ferdinand.

QI: (gasp) The King.
CC: Oh, sure, he’ll be at the inquisition all afternoon.
QI: Time just slipped away. Quickly, take the jewels and go, over the balcony. (door opens)
CC: Too late.

QI: Good afternoon dear. How was the inquisition? Amusing?
KING FERDINAND (KF): Dullsville. Same old… say, who’s that?
QI: You remember Christopher Columbus.
KF: You mean old “round, round world”. (laughs). You and your Bohemian friends.
QI: He’s not Bohemian, he’s Italian.
KF: Italian, Bohemian. Look at him in that hat. Is that a crazy sailor?

QI: Crazy? I’ll tell you how crazy. He’s a man with a dream, a vision. A vision of a new world, whose alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears. With purple mountains magestied above the 2 cents plain
CC & KF: (fruited)
QI: Fruited. He holds these griefs to be self-evident, this “round, round world” with Indians and justice for all. Let us then go forward together toward Miami Beach, so that the dream of this crazy Italian boy, indivisible, should not perish from the map. (cheers from crowd)

CC: Is that moving? Was that a great bit?
KF: I always said this girl had a lot of…Wait a minute! I ask a simple question, I get a pageant. Why should Spain sponsor you? Why don’t you go to Portugal?

CC: I did—they bought “The Price is Right”
KF: Oh.

CC: Then I have your permission to sail?
KF: Have you had your shots?
CC: I have.
KF: Permission granted.
CC: Gracias. Areva Derchi
KF: Hasta La Vista
QI: Adios (Mariachi band: Adios Muchachos, Compañareros)

KF: Would you get out of here? (footsteps) Strange, he left by the balcony.
QI: Force of habit I guess.
KF: Yeah, yeah, how’s that again.
QI: Nothing.
KF: Isabella? When are you going to quit fooling around with these nuts?

(on ship) 1st Mate: Admiral Columbus, sir. The men are weary, on the point of madness.
CC: Well, that’s the trouble with labor today. Don’t they realize we’re going to discover the New World?
KF: You’ve been saying that for the last 57 days.
CC: Nobody forced you to come along, your Majesty.
KF: My doctor told me I should go to Florida for the winter.

KF: I still can’t see what you needed three ships for?
CC: I got a better deal on the fleet rate.
KF: I’ll accept that. But we better sight land soon, there’s rumblings of mutiny.
CC: Really?
KF: Come over here and listen

Crew: Rumble. Rumble. Rumble. Mutiny. Mutiny. Mutiny.

CC: I see what you mean. I’ll jump up here on the rigging and speak to them.
KF: You mean on top of everything else this ship is rigged?

CC: Now hear this! This is the Admiral speaking. I know the going has been rough, but if you can just hold out a little while.
Crew: (rumble rumble)
CC: Stop that rumbling down there.
KF: Who can blame them! The whole thing is madness! I don’t like the way the crew is acting!
CC: You’re overplaying it a little bit yourself there.
KF: I tell you the world is flat, and that’s that!
CC: It’s round as your hat!
KF: It’s flat as your head!
CC: It’s round!
KF: It’s flat!

CC: It’s a round, round world
It’s a round, round world

I contend it’s round,
and it’s gonna be found
When all the results are in
It’s a round world now and it’s always been

KF: Flat Flat world
It’s a flat, flat world
I insist it’s flat as a welcoming mat
And he’s sailing off the end
How about our crazy Itralian friend?

CC: Friend, Get hip
Would I climb aboard this ship
If I didn’t have odds the earth was highly spherical

KF: It’s a miracle if it is

CC: Square, square king
You’re a square, square king
If you don’t believe
You’re gonna receive
The shock of your royal life
When the ship pulls in at Miami…

Crew: Yo, ho, ho and a Dramamine
We are loyal subjects of the king and queen
But what kind of nut would you have to be
To borrow a ship and put out to sea
When you don’t know what’s on the other side

[Simultaneously:]

KF: All week long on a hardtack bun
Brother, who said getting there is half the fun
Give up my throne for one Navy Bean
No wonder I’m turning three shades of green
How could I go on such a loony trip

CC: Round, round world
It’s a round, round world
I contend it’s round
And it’s gonna be found
When all the results are in
It’s a round world now
And it’s always been

[Simultaneously:]

Crew: Crazy kind of scheme
It’s a cockamamie dream
If we don’t sight land we’re gonna scream

CC: Get hip
Would I climb aboard this ship
If I didn’t have odds
The earth was highly spherical

KF: It’s a miracle if it is

[Simultaneously:]

Crew: Yo, ho, ho through the wind and rain
There’s a typhoon coming up
But where’s John Wayne?

CC: Square, square crew
You’re a square, square crew

[Simultaneously:]

CC: If you don’t believe
You’re gonna receive
The shock of your salty lives
When I take command in the name of…

KF: I feel like a red witch having a wake
How much of the ocean bit do you think I can take
Claim that land in the name of…

CC: Isabella and Ferdinand
KF: That’s Ferdinand and Isabella:

Both: New rulers of this round, round world
Crew: Crazy kind of scheme, It’s a cockamamie dream, but we hope that’s its a round, round world.

KF: Well, for all our sakes, I hope that…
Lookout: Land Ho! (horn fanfare)

KF: What was that?
CC: French horns.
KF: No, before that.
CC: It was the lookout, he sighted land.

Crew: Hurray

CC: Quickly, hand me the glass.
KF: Alright.
CC: No, no, the other one.
KF: Oh? (pause) Oh. (sound of wine pouring)
CC: To the New World!
KF: Likewise (clink)

KF: Alright, alright, give the kid top billing.
CC: I claim this land in the name of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.
Chief: How?
CC: Well, first I stick the flag in the sand, and then I…
KF: Watch yourself Admiral. Natives. They may be hostile.
CC: Well, we’re all a little hostile now and then. Some of us are able to sublimate. Others can’t adjust. You know how it is.
KF: I know, but you better try to talk to him.
CC: Alright. Hello there. Hello there. We white man. Other side of ocean. My name, Christopher Columbus.
Chief: Oh, you over here on a Fulbright?
CC: No, no. I’m over here on an Isabella, as a matter of fact. Which reminds me. I want to take a few of you guys back on the boat to prove I discovered you.
Chief: What you mean discover us? We discover you.
CC: You discovered us?
Chief: Certainly, we discover you on beach here. Is all how you look at it.
CC: Yeah, I suppose. (pause) Well, my men and I were wondering if you could spare a little food.
Chief: What kind num-nums you want?
CC: What is that strange looking plant you’re holding there, with the little yellow kernels?
Chief: You mean this? (trumpet fanfare)
CC: Yes, what is that?
Chief: French horns.

CC: No, no, what you’re holding in your hand.
Chief: Oh, corn.
CC: That’s what I thought it was. What else you got to eat around here?
Chief: Berries, herbs, natural fruits, and organically grown vegetables.
CC: Just as I suspected. What kind of a diet is that! That’s why I’ve come here, to fulfill my dream.

Chief: You have a dream?
CC: Yes I do.
Chief: Would you like to talk about it?
CC: I certainly would. My dream is to open the first Italian restaurant in your country. Give you some real
food: starches, spaghetti, cholesterol, … all the better things. That’s called progress.
Chief: Hmmm.

CC: Now right here would be a good location for the restaurant, ocean view and all that. Is there room for a parking lot?
Chief: You kidding? Whole country is parking lot.

CC: I suppose. Well, I’d like to put a little deposit down on the property, here…
Chief: OK
CC: …I only have a few dubloons on me, so if you direct me to the nearest bank, I’ll get a check cashed.

Chief: You out of luck today. Banks closed.
CC: Oh, why?
Chief: Columbus Day.
CC: Oh, yeah. (pauses) We going out on that joke?
Chief: No, we do reprise of song, that help.
CC & IC: But not much… no…

Simultaneously:

CC: Round, round world
It’s a new found world
And the land looks good
Like a continent should
Complete with a flag unfurled

Native Americans: Yo, ho, ho and a buckskin sleeve
Now the white man’s here I guess
It’s time to leave
But why go to war and fight like a jerk
Perhaps we can pick up some kind of work

Native Americans: In an Indian extravaganza
Wyatt Earp or Bonanza

CC: Please don’t call us, we’ll call you

KF: Step aside pal, meet the new
Both: Big cheeses of this round, round world!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as It’s Stan Freberg Day, and the Banks are Closed by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.