Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

One of the things I love to do is see shows that's I've only seen in Broadway-level tours remounted in significantly different contexts. Whether it is a mid-size professional theatre like the Pasadena Playhouse; a large regional semi-Professional theatre ("semi" = mix of AEA and non-AEA actors) such as 5-Star, MTW, or La Mirada; a regional Community theatre such as Canyon Theatre Guide or Simi Rep; or an intimate (under 99 seat) theatre such as Chromolume, Group Rep, or Olive Branch — it is fascinating to see how these companies adapt the material and make it work on their different stages. Sometimes in works well. Sometimes it doesn't. But it is always interesting how time and budget forces more creativity.

We saw that last week, when Olive Branch Theatricals mounted Come From Away. We saw it in the Colony Theatre production of Catch Me If You Can. We certainly saw it in the Chromolume production of "The Color Purpose" in an 80-something seat black box. We saw it again last night when 5-Star theatricals attempted an ambitious mounting of Les Misérables, in what I think is the largest production in their history (certainly since we started attending their shows way back in 2000. We walked out of the theatre together saying that they nailed it. 5-Star had an excellent production, with exceptional singing, a wonderful staging, and great performances. About the only technical issue I had was my usual one about visible tattoos, although in this case it appears the actress (the one playing Fantene) did attempt to cover them us; it's just that the makeup only faded them under the lights. But that is truly a minor minor complaint.

The last time we saw Les Misérables on stage was back in 2019, when the Broadway touring company was at the Pantages. The time before that was in 2011 at the Ahmanson, when I wrote:

Back in 1985, a musical juggernaut was created: Les Misérables, the musical version of the Victor Hugo novel. It hit Los Angeles in 1988, opening at a rejuivenated Shubert Theatre in Century City, where it ran for fourteen months. It returned to Los Angeles numerous times since then under Broadway/LA’s banner (2004, 2006). However, it wasn’t until the current 25^th anniversary production at the Ahmanson Theatre that I finally saw the show. As my wife said as it ended last night, “Wow!”.

“Les Misérables” (the musical) tells the story of Jean Valjean, also known as prisoner 24601, and his adopted daughter, Cosette. It is based on the Victor Hugo of the same name, but does cut a few elements of the story. The story, which covers 17 years, is so complicated that a synopsis needed to be published in the program (seemingly, a bad sign). Given that, I’m not going to attempt to repeat it here. You can read it yourself in the Wikipedia Page on the show. Suffice it to say that the show condenses the 1,200 page, five volume novel into two acts of 90 minutes and 65 minutes respectively. The first act covers Jean Valjean’s release from prison and the interaction with the Bishop at Digne, the mayoral years at Montreiil-Sur-Mer where Valjean meets Fantine and takes responsibility for Cosette, the visit to Montfermeil where Valjean obtains Cosette from the Thénardiers, and the years in Paris where the student revolt begins and Marius and Cosette fall in love… all of this while the police officer Javert is chasing Valjean. The second act is solely in Paris and covers the student revolt, its failure, the subsequent growth of the relationship between Marius and Cosette, the final confrontations of Valjean and Javert, and the final redemption of Valjean. That’s a lot of material to cover—trying to cover so much material and so much time is the reason many great novels, such as Gone With The Wind, never make it to the Broadway stage. It is a testament to the original authors Claude-Michel Schönberg (music) and Alain Boublil (a French-language libretto) that they were able to take the beast of a novel and turn it into something understandable (although, arguably, this is really a full opera presented in the guise of a “musical”—at times, the lines between the two blurs). It is also a testament to the English language adapters, Herbert Kretzmer who developed the English language libretto, and Cameron Mackintosh, the original producer, who discovered the French production in 1982 and has sheparded it ever since (I’ll note Mackintosh’s full bio in the program was: “Produces musicals.”). The production was adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn and John Caird.

The translation does have its weak parts, however, primarily in how manipulative it is for the audience. By this, I mean the show in engineered to be a pleaser, with music that builds and leaves the toes tapping; with moments designed to permit the actors to shine; and with act-ending finales designed to stir the soul. In that sense, it is truly operatic as opposed to dramatic. It it also, at times, emotionally overwrought—again, a hallmark of the more operatic side. To some that is a fatal flaw that reduces the worth of the show, but I do enjoy the general effect.

Sadly to say, that production in 2019 at the Pantages was decidedly mixed: "The performances were soaring, and the direction and choreography made the best use of what they had to work with. Voices were remarkable, and the audience was excited. But production decisions mad the ultimate effort hard to embrace. At the Ahmanson, the tour was designed to use the entire stage, which is needed for the company to express the broadness and scope of the production. At the Pantages, the set artificially constrained the stage space, cutting the width of the Pantages stage by an estimated one-sixth on each side (that’s a one-third cut overall, for those math challenged). This limited movement, and obscured sight lines from the side. Further, the lighting was dark dark dark, and then smoke and fog effects were added. This made it hard to see. I recall that the Ahmanson staging was better lit and you could see the actors from a distance. The constrained stage and the lighting served to tone down the show."

5-Star, on the other hand, hit it out of the park. The performances were strong and the voices were soaring. The staging was not dependent on projections, although at times was a bit sparser on the scenery. It didn't hurt the show. The lighting wasn't overdone. In short, it was one of the best production we've seen from 5-Star in years (and they generally do strong productions). Now on to some specific highlights.

The leads were OUTSTANDING, most notably Payton Crim as Javert, who had this wonderful deep voice that made his songs just delightful. He paired with Richard Bermudez as Jean Valjean. I was initially unsure about Bermudez, but then he hit is stride and his wonderful tenor kicked in. They were both very strong in the portrayals of their characters.

Fantene is like the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot: She really is only in the first act, and then gets a cameo followup near the end. Still, Emma Hunton did a great job with the characters and with Fantene's numbers in the first act. Fantene has proven to be a character that has given many an actress a great start; hopefully, that will be the case with Hunton.

Danica Coscino did a great job with the Young Cosette numbers, especially for someone who is so young. As the older Cosette, Jena Allen was just wonderful to listen to.

As you can see, I liked this cast

Joey Richter and Francesca Barletta played the Thénardiers. Richter had the comic performance chops; I was less into his voice. Barletta is a 5-Star regular, and she was wonderful as Madame Thénardier.

A few other notables: Jefflorenz Garrido was strong as Marius. Richard R. Rosales was just spectacular as the Bishop of Digne. He really just had one scene, but his voice shone in that scene and was distinctive and memorable. Maile Masako Brady had a haunting voice for the older Eponine, and Julian Comeau was a strong ENjoiras.

The real summary is that this is one of the best productions 5-Star has done. Visit the 5-Star Website and get tickets. Depending on when you read this, there is one more performance this weekend (Sunday matinee); it also runs the weekend of Oct 16-18, 2026.

Credits

Les Misérables. A mulsical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Based on a novel by Victor Hugo. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French Text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Additional material by James Fenton. Direction and Musical Staging by Doug Kreeger.

Cast [^æ indicates members of Actors Equity]: Richard Bermudez^æ Jean Valjean; Peyton Crim^æ Javert; Emma Hunton^æ Fantine; Joey Richter Thénardier; Francesca Barletta Madame Thénardier; Jenna Allen Cosette; Jefflorenz Garrido Marius; Maile Masako Brady Eponine; Julian Comeau^æ Enjolras; Santiago Rodriguez Gavroche; Brodie Mae Clevenger Young Eponine; Danica Coscino Young Cosette; Richard R. Rosales Bishop of Digne; Aaron Gibbs Grantaire, Ensemble; Amanda Lopez Ensemble; Alex Mohajer Innkeeper, Sailor, Montparnasse, Army Officer, Ensemble; Andrew Diego Claquesous, Major Domo, Ensemble; Andrew Diffenderfer Jean Prouvaire, Ensemble; Angelica Roqué Ensemble; Chloe Stavis Ensemble; Coby Rogers Combeferre, Ensemble; Elayne Cowden Child, Youth Ensemble; Emma Lord Ensemble; Ethan Drew Constable, Feuilly, Ensemble; James Beardsley Farmer, Sailor, Joly, Ensemble; Jóhann Schram Reed Factory Foreman, Brujon, Ensemble; Jonas Ford Petit Gervais, Youth Ensemble; Kahlil Leneus Laborer, Sailor, Fauchelevent, Lesgles, Ensemble; Katie Lee Factory Girl, Ensemble Lauren Han Ensemble; Mady McGrew Old Woman, Ensemble; Mikki Pagdonsolan Ensemble; Natalie Vatcher Ensemble; Nikki Elena Spies Innkeeper's Wife, Wigmaker, Ensemble; Tessa Hemphill Ensemble; Tervor Elzey Constable, Courfeyrac, Ensemble; Troy Dailey Bamatabois, Babet, Ensemble;

Music Department: Claude-Michel Schönberg Music; Herbert Kretzmer Lyrics; Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke, and Stephen Booker Orchestrations; John Cameron Original Orchestrations; Anthony Lucca Music Director, Conductor; Darryl Tanikawa Orchestra Contractor, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, E♭ (Flat) Clarinet, Tenor Recorder; Rhondda Dayton Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Alto Recorder; Ian Dahlberg Oboe, English Horn; Chris Maurer Trumpet, Flugelhorn; June Satton Trombone, Bass Trombone; Melissa Hendrickson Horn; Jennifer Bliman Horn II; Sharon Cooper Violin (Concertmaster); Laurel Diskin Viola; Stephen Green Cello; Chris Kimbler Keyboard 1; Antonius Nazareth Keyboard 2; Shane Harry Bass; Tyler Smith Percussion.

Production and Creative: Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Book; Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel Original French Text; James Fenton Additional Material; Victor Hugo Original Novel; Doug Kreeger Director, Musical Staging; Trevor Nunn and John Caird Adaptation and Original Direction; Jonathan A. Burke Sound Design; Julia Pinhey Asst Sound Designer, Sound Mixer; Brandon Baruch Lighting Design; Luis Martinez Hair/Wig/Makeup Design; Alex Choate Prop Design; Maine State Music Theatre and Studio 17 Costumes; Gateway Set Rentals Scenery; Gail Garon and Heidi Aden Wardrobe Coordinators; Jack Allaway Technical Director; EK Dagenfield Production Manager; Megan Crockett^æ Production Stage Manager; Olivia Riddle^æ Asst Stage Manager; Allison Bibicoff Intimacy Director; Aaron Michael Camitses Fight Director; David Elzer/Demand PR Press Representative; Fresh Interactive Marketing Agency; Michael Donovan CSA and Richie Ferris CSA Casting; Jacob Holcombe Deck Captain.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• October: 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.


• November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭🎫 Every Brilliant Thing at Olive Branch Theatricals;  🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.


• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.


• January: Right now, January is open. I’m interested in Brian Stokes Mitchell at Broad Stage, but the tickets available currently are too expensive.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road as 🎭 And The Hit Sails Over the Barricade | “Les Misérables” @ 5-Star 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.

Here in California (and in Los Angeles in particular), we have an election coming up. You know what that means: Every election, I do a detailed ballot analysis of my sample ballot. This is where I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk.  Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting this analysis into a few chunks (note: links may not be available until all segments are posted):

1. State and National Offices (excluding judges)
2. County and City (Los Angeles) Local Offices (excluding judges)
3. Measures / Propositions
4. Judicial Offices (County and State)
5. Summary

Note: This analysis is NOT presented in the same order as the Sample Ballot (the ballot order makes no sense). I’ve attempted instead to present things in more logical order.

Note: Please read the introductory post (Part I). There is a discussion there of a number of topics related to the election: Israel, Single Payer Health Care, the SB1 Gas Tax, High Speed Rail, PAC Donations, and “When California Was Best” that apply to all candidates. Further, the introductory post covers reuse of the analysis from the primary: generally, candidates don’t change their spots, and my primary positions hold into the general. When my favored candidate didn’t move forward or significant new information surfaced, then I reexamine positions.

This part covers all the judgeships on the ballot. Note that for the California (state-level) offices, the vote is just a “do we retain this justice”.

• Judge of the Superior Court: Office № 64 ❦  № 65 ❦  № 87 ❦  № 131
• California Supreme Court: Two associate judges
• California Court of Appeals: Eighteen appeals court judges

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Here in California (and in Los Angeles in particular), we have an election coming up. You know what that means: Every election, I do a detailed ballot analysis of my sample ballot. This is where I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk.  Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting this analysis into a few chunks (note: links may not be available until all segments are posted):

1. State and National Offices (excluding judges)
2. County and City (Los Angeles) Local Offices (excluding judges)
3. Measures / Propositions
4. Judicial Offices (County and State)
5. Summary

Note: This analysis is NOT presented in the same order as the Sample Ballot (the ballot order makes no sense). I’ve attempted instead to present things in more logical order.

This part covers the Federal and State races:

• Statewide Offices: Governor ❦  Lt. Governor ❦ Secretary of State ❦  Attorney General ❦ Insurance Commissioner ❦  Controller ❦ Board of Equalization, 3rd District ❦ Supt. of Public Instruction ❦ Treasurer
• Federal (Legislative): US Representative, 32^nd District
• State (Legislative): State Assembly 40^th District

Before we start, a few introductory “general” comments:

• Israel. Although this is a state election, the DSA (Democratic Socialist faction of the Democratic party) has introduced the subject of Israel into the discussion. There are no problems with disagreeing with the behavior of the Netanyahu government; that’s equivalent to disagreeing  with what Trump does. It is also perfectly fine to call for Palestinian self-determination and a Palestinian led government in Gaza and the West Bank (without Hamas). Lastly, it is fine to call what the settlers are doing on the West Bank to Palestinians as wrong. HOWEVER: To move from there to arguments that Israel is committing genocide, to move from there to arguments that Hamas is justified, to move from there to anti-Zionism or arguing that the Nation of Israel should not exist … that’s moving into the area of antisemitism. See my post 😱 Words Hurt, and Words Destroy. Given a choice between a candidate taking these positions and an equivalent candidate, I’m going for the candidate that supports the existence of Israel. However, I will not support a Trump-supporting candidate solely because of their position on Israel.
• Single Payer Health Care. The phrase “single payer health care” does not mean free healthcare. Remember that folks on Medicare pay premiums (often it is deducted from Social Security checks); those who earn more money can pay much more in premiums (look up IRMAA). If you are Medicare Part C, you may also pay different premiums based on the quality of your plan. Where Single Payer saves money is by having a single administrative apparatus to handle claim processing and payments, and a single set of rules regard payment for procedures and such. This saves a lot of overhead money (which reduces costs), and makes lives easier for the medical community because they have one set of rules. Additionally, if the government or a non-profit runs the single payer, costs are less because they don’t have to return profit to the shareholders. However, single-payer also makes it easier for the government to deny procedures and medicines they don’t like.
• SB1 Gas Tax. With the high price of gas, people like to complain about the gas tax. They blame the gas tax for the high price of gas in California. That’s not entirely true. As of July 1, 2025, the California SB 1 (Road Repair and Accountability Act) gasoline excise tax is 61.2 cents per gallon. This rate is adjusted annually every July 1^st based on the California Consumer Price Index to account for inflation.  Note that it is a fixed amount: That means that through all of the Iranian “Conflict”, it hasn’t changed. The gas tax has not made California gas more expensive, and the cost it adds to California gas is much less than folks think (there is also Federal Gas Tax). The Gas Tax goes to road repair and transit. It’s allocation is controlled by the California Transportation Commission (read my pages for more details), and there is transparency on how it is spent. There is an excellent website detailing transportation spending, and there is a specific map showing projects.  Two additional notes: (1) The SB1 Gas Tax does not go towards High Speed Rail; (2) the VMT is a separate proposed tax and currently electrics and hybrids also support the road through a specific fee on their registration. The VMT is a proposed tax for electric and hybrid vehicles only (different rates) that is based on miles driven; it is necessary because such vehicles do not pay into the SB1 funds.
• High Speed Rail. There are lots of complaints about High Speed Rail and its costs. Most folks don’t understand what has led to the high costs and delays, and it is important to understand what is happening (as it is common in many major projects). First, NEPA and CEQA (the Federal and State Environmental approval processes) add to costs simply because they require lots of public reviews and approvals. Those approvals were less in the Central Valley, which is where they started building the line, but are significant for other parts of the route, such as crossing the passes and mountains into Southern California. There are also major design issues related to the soil composition and utilities. Utilities are a big issue, and construction of the line means moving existing rail lines and power utilities (owned by private entities, who balk and delay at moving their lines). There is also the need to move existing roads and cross existing roads, which means involvement with city, county, and state construction projects and authorities. I know (for example) there was major rerouting of Route 99 in Fresno. There have been problems with HSR, and the reports are all available from the State Auditor. There have been financial problems, yes, but all large government construction problems have some level of those problems, and the eventual end result is worth it. That’s true of HSR as well: Having a fast HSR system between LA and the Bay Area will remove a lot of vehicles from the road, and provide significant environmental benefits and benefits to business.
• PAC Donations. A lot of folks are up in arms about PAC donations. I look at it another ways: Are the donations causing the candidate to change their position (is he serving the donors), or are the donations in alignment with the candidate’s position, and are those positions in alignment with the people they represent? So, for example, if a candidate is pro-choice and makes that clear, and receives donations from Planned Parenthood or a pro-choice PAC, then there should be no problem: things are in alignment. But if, for example, a candidate and their district was pro-alternative energy and solar, and then they receive donations from oil companies, and after those donations the candidate changes their position, then there’s a problem. Just accepting a donation isn’t a problem when they are legal donations and are publicly known isn’t a problem, and those who attempt to imply otherwise are virtue signaling. Better than a candidate saying “I don’t accept PAC donations or corporate donations” is a candidate saying “I serve only my constituents, and promote those positions I believe in and that are Constitutions; I don’t change my positions to please my donors.” Additionally, I don’t “tar and feather” a candidate solely because they may receive money from AIPAC.
• When Was California At Its Best. A number of the Republican candidates are pining for the “good old days”, and believe that the days of prosperity were under Ronald Reagan. They should check their history. What brought California prosperity was the administration of the strong Democrat “Pat” Brown, Jerry Brown’s father, who left office in 1966. It was under Brown that the UC system achieved its excellence, and it was under Brown that the Freeway system was constructed and numerous homes were constructed. Reagan’s administration started the destruction of that system. Jerry Brown (in his first go around) tried to recover the budget through austerity. Governors since then have just been trying to recover things. As always, I highly recommend this book: “The Last Days of the Late, Great, State of California” by Curt Gentry. It explains well the pivotal election of 1966 that brought us the Republican party of today.

Lastly: Much of my candidate election analysis is based on the analysis I did for the primaries. It is unlikely that changes in a candidate’s positions between June and November are changes that will really stick. However, when my favored candidate didn’t move past the primary, I’ll do a deeper reexamination of the candidates positions to make a new selection. So expect to see a lot of the links you saw in the primary analysis.

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There are some shows you instantly love; the recent Water for Elephants is a great example of that. There are others that just never hit right, and you think about leaving; Girl From the North Country was one of those for us. The Outsiders, which we saw last night at Broadway in Hollywood/Hollywood Pantages, was—for us—a big “meh”.

I’m not saying that the show was bad, for it wasn’t. It won Best Musical, although I do think there were other shows in the season that were better. It drew an active and interested younger audience, which is great for the theatre. One could follow the story, which was dark and dramatic. It had loads and loads and loads of teen angst. The performances were very strong. There were a few catchy songs.

But it just wasn’t our thing. My wife left and sat in the lobby before intermission: the story was way to dark for her. I sat through the whole thing, but the story never drew me in. It’s not a musical I would care to see again: there are only a few catchy songs, and really one one (“Stay Gold”) that I think was a very strong song. This wasn’t a song and dance show. It was dark, with violence, death, sexual violence, domestic violence, gang violence, and borderline racism. There are ways to handle that: just look at Carousel. But this just didn’t grab me. Perhaps it would be different if I had seen the movie.

There’s a long detailed synopsis of the story on Wikipedia. I asked Gemini to summarize it. [Note that there are SPOILERS for Act II. I’ve tried to make Act II harder to read; highlight it if you want the spoilers]:

Act I introduces Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year-old growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1967. He navigates a fractured world divided by socioeconomic status, where his working-class gang, the Greasers, faces a violent rivalry with the wealthy Socs. After Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs, tensions steadily escalate. He and his best friend, Johnny Cade, meet a Soc girl named Cherry Valance at a drive-in, sparking mutual understanding but provoking a fierce confrontation with her drunk boyfriend, Bob. Later that evening, after a heated argument with his oldest brother and guardian, Darrel, Ponyboy runs away with Johnny. The two are cornered in a park by Bob and his gang, who attempt to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. To save his friend, Johnny stabs and kills Bob, forcing both boys to flee the city and hide in an abandoned church with the help of their hardened friend, Dally.

Act II follows the fallout of Bob’s death as the Socs declare an all-out war on the Greasers. While hiding out, Johnny decides he wants to return home and turn himself in, but tragedy strikes when the church catches fire. Johnny and Ponyboy bravely rush inside to save a group of children trapped inside, cementing themselves as local heroes. However, Johnny is severely injured by a falling beam, leaving him paralyzed in the hospital. Seeking retribution, the Greasers engage the Socs in a brutal rumble in the pouring rain and emerge victorious, but the triumph is short-lived as Johnny dies from his injuries shortly after. Driven mad by grief, Dally intentionally gets hit by a train and dies, leaving Ponyboy utterly distraught. Ultimately, Ponyboy finds a path forward after reading a heartfelt letter Johnny left behind. He reconciles with his brothers and begins writing down their collective story, which is revealed to be the opening lines of The Outsiders novel.

As you can see, a very dark story. Not your typical musical. Not our cup of tea. But I’m not saying it was bad; it just wasn’t something we would choose to see, or that we would particularly want to see again.

Before I go into the strengths of the show, I want to highlight one other problem—and this one isn’t show related, it is theatre related. For the first time that I can recall at the Pantages, there was tremendous bass music bleedthrough from the venue next to the Pantages (Audience Left, Stage Right). This bass—especially strong during the second, most dramatic act—was distracting and annoying. I’ve never had that happen before, and the Pantages staff needs to talk to the Frolic Room about the noise. Hopefully, it was a one-time thing.

That said, the staging was very strong. There were a number of things that struck me. First, the lighting design by Brian MacDevitt was very strong. It created the right mood, especially in the second act. I particularly noted the lighting during the fighting in the rain in the second act. Second, and again this relates to the fighting scene: The rain was very effective, and it is a difficulty and messy effect to have on the stage. Most shows avoid the problem by using projected rain. This was using real water, and when you combine that with the strange sand-like substance on the stage, it was really effective. Overall, the scenic design was interesting, with a dark junkyard feel and abandoned cars and tires. Very effective.

Performances were strong. At our performance, we had a swing understudy on for Ponyboy (Jordan Deandre Williams), and he was spectacular. Tyler Jordan Wesley was also very strong as Dallas, and Emma Hearn was great as Cherry Valance. A few other notables: Gabriel White Marín was strong as Bob, and Delaney Dias was a very strong dancer as Ace.

I’ve talked about the story and the performances. Turning to the music. Most of it was equally dark and, truthfully, didn’t catch my eye. I liked the opening and closing numbers, “Tulsa 1967”, as well as the gentle number “Stay Gold”. The rest, although they served the show, weren’t particularly memorable.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, this wasn’t the show for me. It wasn’t a bad show—it just wasn’t a show I liked. Our show today should be much better, as it is one of our favorites (Come From Away). But the real question is not us, but you. Should YOU see The Outsiders?

I think the answer is a definite maybe. If you are triggered by the subject matter of the show: domestic violence, suicide, sexual violence, racism—I’d avoid the show. If you don’t like really dark themes—avoid the show. Do not go in expecting a song and dance spectacular like Boop. This is much darker than the violence in Water for Elephants. It doesn’t have light numbers. It is definitely a PG-13 or R rated audience show for the themes.

If given all that doesn’t bother you, then go see the show. The performances are spectacular, and the staging is wonderful. Tickets are available through the Pantages website.

A last note for those reading this on my blog: I’m still working on the election analysis posts. Some of the work is easy for those offices still on the ballot from the Primary. But there are lots of Propositions at the state, city, and county level; there’s a whole new set of state-level judges, and there are LACCD trustees. Combine that with the upcoming show schedule, and I’d look for the ballot deep dive in 7-10 days, perhaps sooner. You can look for the Come From Away writeup sometime tomorrow, and perhaps a new podcast episode near the end of the week (if I get the editing done).

Credits

The Outsiders. Book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine. Music and Lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine. Based on the novel by S. E. Hudson and the movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Directed by Danya Taylor. Choreography by Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]:  Nolan White Jordan Deandre Williams Ponyboy Curtis; Bonale Fambrini Johnny Cade; Tyler Jordan Wesley Dallas Winston; Travis Roy Rogers Darrel Curtis; Corbin Drew Ross Jackson Reagin Sodapop Curtis; Emma Hearn Cherry Valance; Jaydon Nget Two-Bit; Gabriel White Marín Bob / Cop; Dante D’antonio Paul; Seth Ajani Guiseppe Little Ensemble; Christian Arredondo Tommy Kaiser Ensemble; Kevin Avila Brill, Ensemble; Delaney Diaz Ace; Gina Gagiano Ensemble; Will Hastreiter Brian Ho Pui Cheung Ensemble; Katie Riedel Marcia; Luke Sabracos Hayden Rivas Trip; Eli Talley Ensemble; Johnathan Tanner Tyson Hill Chet; Rodney Thompson Jr Steve; Alyssa Villareal Beverly; Swings: ↑ Brian Ho Pui Cheung, ↑ Tyson Hill, Hannah Jennens, ↑ Tommy Kaiser, ↑ Hayden Rivas Dance Captain; ↑ Jordan Deandre Williams, ↑ Guiseppe Little.

Music Department (🌴 indicates local): Justin Levine Music & Lyrics, Music Supervision, Arrangements, Orchestrations; Jamestown Revival Music & Lyrics; Matt Hinkley Music Supervision; Remy Kurs Music Director, Conductor; Adam Dorfman Assoc Conductor, Keyboard; Jackson Dunkin, Andrew Shield Guitars; Anthony Scandora Drums; Bella Amada Bass; Justin Brown Reeds; Anna Nordmoe Violin; E. Renée Gamez Asst Conductor, Keyboard Cover; 🌴 Ira Glansbeek Cello; 🌴 Jeff Driskill Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, Clarinet; 🌴 Michael Abraham Guitar 2 (Electric/Steel-String Acoustic); 🌴 Dan Lutz Bass (Acoustic/5-String Electric/Fretless); 🌴 Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; Kristy Norter Music Coordinator; Emily Grishman Music Copying; Alden Terry Music Preparation; Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programmer; Enrico de Trizio Ableton Programmer; Andrea Yohe Assoc Music Supervisor; Ed Benrock, Jamie Eblen, Mark G. Meadows, and Justin Smith Additional Arrangements.

Production and Creative: S. E. (Susie) Hinton Author; Adam Rapp Book; Justin Levine Book; Danya Taymor Director; Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman Choreography; AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian Scenography; Sarafina Bush Costume Design; Brian Macdevitt Lighting Design; Cody Spencer Sound Design; Hana S. Kim Projection Design; Jeremy Chernick & Lillis Meeh Special Effects Design; Alberto “Albee” Alvarado Hair & Wig Design; Tishonna Ferguson Makeup Design; Taylor Bense Sound Effects Specialist; Jack Viertel Creative Consultant; Miranda Cornell Assoc & Resident Director; Autumn Angelettie Assoc Director; Kristen Carcone Assoc Choreographer; Nancy Renee Braun Choreography Supervisor; Gigi Buffington Speech Text & Dialect Coach; Beverly Jenkins Production Supervisor; Edmond O’Neal Production Stage Manager; Travis Blackwell Stage Manager; Julia Formanek Asst Stage Manager; The TRC Company Casting; Allied Global Marketing Tour Marketing & Press; The Road Company Tour Booking; Juniper Street Productions Production Management; 321 Theatrical Management General Manager.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Sadly, we recently lost one of my favorite theatrical venues due to fire: the historical building housing Newhall Refinery, Care/Tucker Design, The Main, and El Troc was destroyed by a 3-alarm fire. Luckily, Canyon Theatre Guild next door was spared. I’ve been attending “The Main”, and it’s previous incarnation, Rep East Playhouse, since all the way back in 2006. Twenty years. Let’s pour a glass for the art and artists of Rep East/The Main, and hope that small and vital venues like The Main return to Santa Clarita soon. While you’re at it, contribute to support the artists of The Main who lost all their gear (they were in the middle of a show run). Do what you can to support theatre in Santa Clarita. I am: Our outing today for Come From Away is to the Olive Branch Theatricals production, in the Valencia Town Center. The leaders there got their start through REP and CTG.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• October: 🎭 Come From Away at Olive Branch Theatricals;  🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 📚 LA as Subject Archives Bazaar at Cal State LA; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
• November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 A Tulsa Story: 67 not 66 | "The Outsiders" @ 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.

And with the turning of a calendar page, we’ll be moving into October. The last quarter of the year. Halloween and Pumpkin Spice (yuk!). With marketing what it is, that means Christmas ads should be starting up any day now (sigh—a royal annoyance for those of us that aren’t Christian). As I wrote last month, leaves should be starting to fall, but instead we have hurricane humidity and moisture. That will likely be followed by Santa Ana winds, but who knows with the Super El Nino in play. For me, it also means the final stages of getting ready for ACSAC in December (registration is open), as well as the fall theatre season.

As always, we start with updates on the California Highways: Route by Route podcast: Season 5 is written through 5.07; I’m taking a break from writing to do the California Highways Webpage updates (those should be completed after I process this headline post). After that, I’ll do my general election ballot deep-dive, and then get back to writing. We’ve recorded the first two episodes of Season 5, and posted 5.01. Episode 5.02 was recorded last night, so I’ll be editing it later this week. Zencaster is working well for recording the podcast, and I hope we’ve solved the microphone problems. I also got some more editing tips visiting a high school friend who has worked in terrestrial and internet radio, which I’ll try when I edit Season 5. Please let us know if it sounds better.

As a reminder: You can help our listening audience grow. 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. Leave a review, and tell us about it. For those that hear the early episodes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. 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 episodes have been posted this month:

• September | CA RxR 5.01: I-15 (Part 1): South of Temecula. Welcome to Season 5. We start the season with three episodes covering Route 15. The first (this episode), covers LRN 15, Sign Route 15, and today’s Route 15 between San Diego and Temecula. LRN 15 ran from what is now Route 1 near Fort Bragg to what is today’s I-80 near Emigrant Gap; it is today’s Route 20. Sign Route 15 is what became Route 7 and later I-710, and is today’s Long Beach Freeway. We have some interesting exploration of the ends of Sign Route 15 in Pasadena and Long Beach. We then turn to the main focus of the episode: Route 15, which runs from San Diego to the Nevada border, and has a complicated history. So complicated, in fact, that this episode focuses only on the portion between San Diego and Temecula, exploring both former Route 103 and US 395, as well as the transition from US 395 to today’s I-15 routing. Episode 5.02 will cover Temecula to Devore, and explore the history of I-15, I-15E, I-215, Route 71, US 91, US 395, and Route 194. Lastly, Episode 5.03 will cover Devore to Nevada, including I-15, US 395, US 66, US 91, and US 466 (with a bit of Route 195 and US 95 thrown in). (Spotify for Creators)

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 September 2026:

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions, such as demanding your email in order to display the article. 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. Using archive.ph usually works for these sites. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ＄＄ paywalls are even more annoying. Archive.ph doesn’t work, and you may not be able to get the full details. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. 🎩 indicates hat/tip to someone for finding this article. ✔ indicates that the article was processed as part of the recent “Updates to California Highways” cycle. ]

Highway Headlines

• Richmond-San Rafael Bridge turns 70 (The Bay Link Blog) The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened to the public 70 years ago this week. It was on Aug. 31, 1956, when Gov. Goodwin Knight dedicated the bridge. The next day, Sept. 1, the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge – as it has been officially known since 1981 – opened for traffic. McCarthy was a state senator from Marin between 1950 and 1970 and a former Republican Senate majority leader who sponsored the bill authorizing the construction. There had long been talk of a bridge linking Marin and the East Bay, but the real impetus for the span came after a two-month ferry strike in 1947, followed by a second five-month walkout in 1949.
• California Invests 2.7 Billion Dollars to Improve Highway Safety, Enhance Transit Options and Prepare for a Changing Climate (Caltrans) The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved $2.7 billion in funding for more than 150 new projects designed to improve travel times, increase multimodal options and strengthen the state’s transportation assets against severe weather and other climate-related threats. These investments align with Governor Gavin Newsom’s build more, faster agenda, delivering critical infrastructure upgrades and creating thousands of jobs across the state. Of the combined total, nearly $1.6 billion is funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and another $542 million from California’s Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. […] This month’s list of approved projects includes:
• Security Paving Begins Caltrans SR 91 Sign Rehab Work (Construction Equipment Guide | 🎩 Plutonic Panda) Following several months of site preparation and preconstruction activity, including the placement of protective K-rail barriers, Security Paving Co. Inc. has begun active operations on the California Department of Transportation’s $34 million State Route 91 Sign Rehabilitation Project. The three-year asset-management initiative spans a 14.7-mi. corridor of SR 91 in Los Angeles County, stretching from Vermont Avenue in Gardena east to postmile 20.7 at the Orange County line in Cerritos. The highway segment, constructed between 1970 and 1985, features five traffic lanes in each direction and carries up to 284,000 vehicles daily, according to 2024 Caltrans traffic census data.
• ＄ A $276 million project will be Caldecott Tunnel’s biggest upgrade since 2013. Here’s what it will do. (The Mercury News | 🎩 gonealookin) The Caldecott Tunnel, a major thoroughfare between Contra Costa and Alameda counties, is poised for a major renovation backed by $267 million in federal and state funding, state officials recently announced. The project will be the most extensive investment in the tunnel since the addition of the fourth bore, completed in 2013, which exposed just how much of an upgrade the other three tunnels needed, said former Orinda Mayor Amy Worth, who served as chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and was a key player in getting the fourth tunnel built in the early 2000s. Locator map of the Caldecott Tunnel“The Caldecott Tunnel has always been a very critical, vital transportation link between Contra Costa County and the rest of the Bay Area,” Worth said. “I am really grateful for Caltrans. We’ve been talking about the need to upgrade the tunnels and it is joyous news that this is in the budget and will be moving forward.” (Archived)
• Pine Valley Creek Bridge (FB/San Diego Uncovered) Thousands of people cross a national engineering first every day on the way to Yuma and have no idea. 🌉 The Pine Valley Creek Bridge carries Interstate 8 across a canyon in the Cleveland National Forest, about 450 feet above the creek bed. Its twin spans run roughly 1,700 feet each. Opened in 1974, it was the first bridge in the United States built using the cast-in-place segmental balanced cantilever method — concrete segments poured in place and extended outward from each pier, arm by arm, until the arms met in the middle over empty air. No falsework rising from the canyon floor. No scaffolding in a watershed nobody wanted to disturb.
• California Forever project to bring shipbuilding to Collinsville put on hold – for now (Vallejo Sun | 🎩 bing101) The Solano County Board of Supervisors voted 3 – 2 to postpone approval of legislation backed by California Forever related to shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing development in Collinsville, pending further review and clarification. Supervisor Monica Brown and Supervisor John M. Vasquez voted no. The board plans to revisit the issue well before the legislature opens again in January. Collinsville is a small unincorporated community at the mouth of the Sacramento River — a deep water ship channel — about 14 miles south of Travis Air Force Base and eight miles southwest of Rio Vista. California Forever owns or controls 69,000 acres of land in the area and has been pushing for the development of a sdhipyard at the site.
• ＄ State rolls out $330 million in Highway 37 project grants (Daily Republic) The California Transportation Commission on Thursday approved more than $330 million in grants toward the Highway 37 rehabilitation project. The funding includes $220 million in State Highway Operation and Protection Program and state General Fund money for the Novato Creek Bridge replacement project plus another $14.1 million for related environmental and storm water mitigation work as well as $62.7 million through the state Transportation Improvement Program and the Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program. Another $32.3 million in SHOPP funds for Phase 1 of the Sears Point-to-Mare Island Improvement Project also was approved. (Archived)
• Lankershim Blvd Opens (Metro Primary Resources) Lankershim Boulevard opens to traffic under a newly completed Hollywood Freeway overpass as part of the “Barham-to-Vineland” segment of US-101. (The first section of the freeway opened on June 15, 1940).
• L.A. County’s 60 Freeway faces a 2-mile overnight shutdown this Labor Day weekend ahead of a $441M interchange overhaul (Secret Los Angeles) Drivers heading through the San Gabriel Valley this weekend should plan around a major overnight freeway closure: all westbound lanes of the 60 Freeway will be closed in Diamond Bar. The full closure is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday mornings as crews continue work on the massive 57/60 Confluence Project, a long-term effort aimed at improving safety, traffic flow, and congestion at one of the region’s busiest freeway interchanges, NBC Los Angeles reports.
• ＄ L.A. freeways, roads to be closed to general traffic for 2028 Olympics. How will it hit your commute? (Los Angeles Times) Hundreds of miles of freeways and streets across Southern California will be turned into restricted roadways for exclusive use by permit holders during the 2028 Olympics under a plan to ensure smooth travel for visitors, athletes and staff in a region notorious for heavy traffic, according to reports and drafts of the project reviewed by The Times. The restricted lanes are expected to include major freeways that cut across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and connect game venues with the Olympic villages, where athletes and coaches will stay. Instead of navigating congested freeways and roads, those granted exclusive permits would be allowed to cut through traffic under what is known as the 2028 Olympic’s “Games Route Network.”
• 🎥 Sacramento region says goodbye to call boxes after more than 30 years – YouTube (CBS News Sacramento) They’re a piece of Sacramento-area history, call boxes that once served as a lifeline for drivers before cellphones became commonplace. Now, the Sacramento region is hanging up the phone.
• California county ‘resistant to change’ reckons with new main street (SF Gate) In a distant corner of California, the beating red heart of Modoc County is a set of traffic signals where two major highways intersect. Located on four corners in Alturas, where Highway 395 T-bones into Highway 299, the only traffic lights in the entire county are perhaps the most symbolic stop signs in the state. This far-removed frontier resists the temptations of change, as many in Modoc pride themselves on a dignified defiance to urban living and values. Its roughly 8,700 residents live among nearly 4,000 square miles, a perfectly square land mass that’s almost as big as Los Angeles County and that’s largely composed of an unfettered, federal forest.
• Glendale-Hyperion Complex of Bridges Project (FB/City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering) The Glendale-Hyperion Complex of Bridges Project is advancing work to realign the I-5 Glendale Boulevard off-ramp. This improvement is designed to enhance traffic safety and improve traffic flow. This important upgrade will help create a safer and more efficient roadway for everyone who travels through the corridor.
• NDOT meeting to discuss I-15 improvements along Nevada, California line (ABC 13 KTNV Las Vegas) The I-15 corridor at the Nevada and California state line is a vital connector between the Las Vegas Metro area and Southern California. During peak travel times over holiday weekends, the area can see traffic backups for several miles. Now, NDOT wanted to hear from you about how the stretch can be improved. They’re asking for public input in order to identify the long term needs of the area. That feedback, they said, will help identify issues that may not appear in technical data but affect people’s daily lives. It will also help them understand local priorities.

( Read more... )

What would you do for money? What would you do for the right amount of money? To what extent does the reason behind the action allow you to justify the action you choose to take?

Let’s make it more concrete:

• In this environment where there is hatred toward the government of Israel and those running Gaza: If someone offered you a billion to kill Netanyahu or the Hamas leadership, would you do it?
• If someone offered you a billion to off the leader of a nation that clearly was corrupt and dishonest, and could arguably be argued to be leading that that nation into ruin, would you do it?
• If you were living in a city that was on the manufacturing downturn, would you accept a billion to kill a civic leader who had committed a crime in his or her past?

This, at its heart, is the question in the play The Visit, currently running at the Pasadena Playhouse (for about one more week). We saw the show Saturday night, but it was a busy weekend and I’m just getting to the writeup.

The play, written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, premiered in 1956. A musical version was written in 2001 for Angela Lansbury, but it didn’t make it Broadway until 2015 (where it didn’t do so hot, as is often the case with Kander-Ebb musicals that are ahead of their time in term of subject matter—Chicago being a primary case-in-point). Pasadena Playhouse is doing the 1956 original play. I do hope someone does the musical version in Southern California some day.

The play tells the story of the fictional impoverished Swiss town of Güllen. The towns main industries have dried up, and everyone is living moment to moment on the government dole. The town has pinned its hopes on Claire Zachanassian. Claire, formerly Clara, left town when she was 17, and through a succession of husbands, acquired enormous wealth and has been very generous with it. Learning she is coming to town, the town leaders pull out all the stop. They even enlist a former paramour of Clara’s, Anton Schill, to take her around town. Although initially things are cordial, she soon relates the reason for her visit: She will give the town a billion—500 million for the town itself, and 500 million to be divided among the citizens of the town—if they kill Anton Schill. The reason? A simple case of “he done her wrong and used male privilege to come out smelling like a rose, while she left in disgrace”. I’ll leave the details to the show.

The town initially says “No way.” It’s immoral and unethical, after all. But then, people start buying things on credit. New shoes. Fine food. Cars. But when that bill comes due, what do they do? Town leaders go so far as to plead with Claire to not impose the condition. But she ends up revealing that it was she who bought the factories and closed them down, and that (in fact) she owns almost all the land in the town. She set up the condition that would force the town to accept her condition, and let human nature do the rest.

That, in essence, is the show. It is very much a tragicomedy: A comedy (with many laugh-out-loud moments),  but with a really dark undertone. The play was originally written as an allegory for the Marshall Plan. In the aftermath of WWII, the Marshall Plan offered the nations of Western Europe almost $14 billion dollars, but with conditions. Instead of the Federal government granting money directly to Europe, American businesses would provide technology, expertise, and materials to Europe as a strategic partner, and in exchange, the Federal government would purchase stock in the US businesses to reimburse them. In this way, Europe would receive the aid it needed, American businesses would receive capital investment, and the federal government would make a profit when the stock was sold. For the nations of Europe, was it ultimately a good deal? Did they sell their soul for the money?

Today, that allegory is far in the past. Yet the corrupting power of money, and the corrupting power of the desire for revenge, remains. We need only look at the Trump administration, which is bent on using its money and power to get revenge on those whom it thinks has harmed it. It withholds or promises money to institutions to get them to behave the way it wants, and to take revenge on those it doesn’t like. Is it moral? Is it right? Does the end justify the means? These are questions that this play raises.

If you walk out of the play asking yourself those questions, then arguably the play has done its job.

The original play was adapted Maurice Valency; his adaptation also was the basis for the musical (he also did the adaptation of The Madwoman of Chaillot that became Dear World). The play has been updated to somewhat modern times: they start with landlines and train travel; by the end, they have cellphones and 24-hour news cycles with laptops and flatscreens. It is unclear if these updates are due to Valency or the director, Darko Tresnjak. They are a bit jarring, but this is a fantasy world and so belief is suspended.

The staging was interesting. There was primarily a shabby train station, which opened up to provide three settings on a turntable. These settings served as the Shill store, the local tavern, and an office that served various purposes. Costumes were of varying periods: they started out old, and evolved into the very modern. My wife noted that the costumes used for Claire were very expensive (she noted something about a pump with red bottoms, the cheapest of which is over $1,000).

Performances were very strong, notably Jefferson Mays as Anton Schill and Melinda Page Hamilton as Claire Zachanassian. But I also liked Jennifer Chang as the Shopkeeper, Mark Jacobson as the Station Master, and John Lavelle as the Burgomeister.

One additional thought: As I’m writing this up, I’m listening to the 2025 revival of Bat Boy: The Musical. Both Bat Boy and The Visit are interesting explorations of the humanity of a town (or the lack thereof), against something that mob beliefs want you to believe is evil. Is Anton Schill evil? When he was younger, he did vile things to Claire; but in his subsequent life, he was more exemplary. Does his later life absolve him of his earlier behavior? To what extent does early behavior taint us for life? [and this is certainly relevant: Think about the whole #metoo and cancel attitudes]. In the case of Bat Boy: Does the mere fact that someone is different doom them? Can culture and subsequent education overcome origin and difference?

This is what theatre is supposed to do: Raise questions like this that make one think. Through settings and story, create situations that parallel today’s life, forcing us to look at our behavior. What makes someone evil? What makes them worth saving? What is the power of money in the equation? Can money make a morally reprehensible act acceptable?

And with this, we come to the key question of any writeup: Should you see this show? I think the answer is obvious now: Yes. This show is a reflection of today’s society. It will make you think about the question of whether a bargain with the devil is worth it, and where is the evil in the world.

The Visit continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through October 4. Tickets are available through the Playhouse website.

Credits

The Visit. Written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Adapted by Maurice Valency. Directed by Darko Tresnjak.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]:  Christian Barillas Teacher; Kenajuan Bentley Ryan W. Garcia Bobby; Jennifer Chang Shopkeeper / Frau Schill; Ricardo Chavira Policeman; Danny Cron Max; Matthew Patrick Davis Pastor; Melinda Page Hamilton Claire Zachanassian; Matthew Henerson Doctor; Mark Jacobson Station Master; Adrian Latourelle Painter; John Lavelle Burgomeister; Jake Levy Conductor / Kobby / Hermine / Karl / Reporter; Jefferson Mays Anton Schill; Ian Joseph Paget Pedro / Truck Driver / Reporter / Movement; Will Pellegrini Mike; Hilary Ward Innkeeper / Frau Burgomeister; Lauren Worsham Lobby / Adolphine / Ottilie / Reporter.

Production and Creative: Friedrich Dürrenmatt Playwright; Maurice Valency Adaptor; Darko Tresnjak Director; Alexander Dodge Scenic Designer; Charlotte Devaux Costumes; Matthew Richards Lighting Designer; Jonathan A. Burke Sound Designer; Aaron Rhyne Projection Design; Alberto “Albee” Alvarado Hair / Wig / Makeup Design; Rocio Mendez Fight Coordinator; Miranda Johnson-Haddad Dramaturg; David Nevell Dialect Coach; Ryan Bernard Tymensky Casting for the role of Claire; Ian Joseph Paget Movement; Brad Enlow Technical Direction / Production Supervisor; Bonnie McHeffey General Manager; Jenny Slattery Assoc Artistic Director; Davidson & Choy Publicity Press Representative; David S. Franklin Production Stage Manager; Alyssa Escalante Asst Stage Manager; Sue Karutz Asst Stage Manager.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Sadly, we recently lost one of my favorite theatrical venues due to fire: the historical building housing Newhall Refinery, Care/Tucker Design, The Main, and El Troc was destroyed by a 3-alarm fire. Luckily, Canyon Theatre Guild next door was spared. I’ve been attending “The Main”, and it’s previous incarnation, Rep East Playhouse, since all the way back in 2006. Twenty years. Let’s pour a glass for the art and artists of Rep East/The Main, and hope that small and vital venues like The Main return to Santa Clarita soon. While you’re at it, contribute to support the artists of The Main who lost all their gear (they were in the middle of a show run). Do what you can to support theatre in Santa Clarita. I am: Our outing next weekend for Come From Away is to the Olive Branch Theatricals production, in the Valencia Town Center. The leaders there got their start through REP and CTG.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• September:  🎭 Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; 
• October: 🎭 The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; 🎭 Come From Away at Olive Branch Theatricals;  🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
• November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 What Would You Do For Money? | "The Visit" @ Pas 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.

Think about it. How many musicals about circuses (circii?) do you know? Of course, there’s Barnum. There’s the upcoming stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman in 2027. And there’s … there’s … Bronco Billy The Musical? No, that’s about a Wild West Show. There’s the song “Where Does An Elephant Go?“, but that’s not about a circus.

The point is: That for as entertaining and theatrical the spectacle of a big top is, it hasn’t led to all that many stage adaptions of the form. The latest one of grace the stage is Water for Elephants, an adaptation of 2011 film of the same name., which we saw last night at the Hollywood Pantages.

Reading through the movie’s synopsis, there are some slight changes from that story, but the essential beats are there.  The essence is that the story is being told by an older Jacob Jankowski when he is visiting a local circus. It seems that, as a young man, after losing his parents to a car accident and his home to the depression, he jumps a circus train. He jumps the train of a down and out circus, and joins as their vet. They acquire an elephant, and he starts to fall in love with her trainer/performer. The problem is: She’s the wife of the ringmaster, and he has a cruel streak. I think you can take it from there, but suffice it to say that elephants never forget how they are treated, be it with kindness or cruelty.

I’ll note that I’d only seen snippets of the movie going in, and had heard the cast album, so I knew basic story beats but not the details. I really enjoyed this show, and there were a number of things that made this show stand out for me.

First (and one rarely says this) there was the pre-show music. It was some of the best New Orleans Jazz I’ve heard in a long time. I walked down during intermission and spoke to the conductor. She indicated it was pre-recorded, but would need to look up the details. I emailed subscriber services and will hopefully get them, but it was just wonderful.

Second was the music. The folks behind the music and lyrics for this show, Pigpen Theatre Company, are a surprising folk music group that does theatrical music. I won’t say all songs were hits for me, but some are just spectacular. Songs like “Zostań” or “The Road Don’t Make You Young” or “The Lion Has Got No Teeth” are just spectacular. When I got home, I jumped onto Amazon and picked up the group’s first album.

Third was the puppetry. This show makes an interesting combination of actors in costume and puppetry for the menagerie of animals, and the puppetry aspect is wonderful. From simple effects to create Silver Star, the horse; to the suggestive aspects to create the lion, to the substantial effects used to create Rosie the Elephant: it was all wonderful. This was combined with a great lighting design that utilized shadows to create even stronger allusions.

Fourth was the acrobatics. We all know theatre song and dance, which for the most part is earthbound. This show brought in strong acrobatics of the Cirque Du Soleil variety: aerial swoops and juggling and tricks and all sorts of wonderous magic. It is unlike what you see in other shows (except perhaps some of the cheers in Bring It On).

Fifth was the staging. Unlike the show that just bussed out of the Pantages, Beauty and the Beast, this was not a show built on projections. It was built on suggestions and theatrical magic, of the conventional, not Disney^® kind. Rolling scaffolding became circus trains. Animals were puppets and shadows. The focus was on people and performances, not technology. This was theatre.

Lastly, but not leastly, was the performances. We had circus performers (read the credits) doing a wonderful job with stage and scripted performances on top of their acrobatics. We had leads (Zachary Keller as Jacob and Helen Krushinski as Marlena) with a strong chemistry (which evidently wasn’t the case in the movie).  Connor Sullivan was strong as the ringmaster August. I loved Javier Garcia’s Camel and Tyler West’s Walter. I also appreciated that the casting team didn’t cast with the typical slender showgirl mold in mind. The shapes were realistic, and that also made the performances a joy to watch. Just a really really strong cast.

What was weak about the show? I think the story might not be to everyone’s taste, especially with the domestic violence aspects of it. Those that do evil do get what they deserve, but people you grow to like die, and people are hurt. That’s a downer for some.

Would I recommend that you see the show? Yes. Forget the Disney magic of projects and Lion King puppets. This is the real thing: An enjoyable 2 hours and 2 minutes of theatrical magic that will leave you smiling through the show. Bring a sweater, it’s cold in the Pantages. For more information and tickets, see the Broadway in Hollywood Water for Elephants page.

Credits

Water for Elephants. Book by Rick Elice. Music and Lyrics by Pigpen Theatre Co. Based on the novel by Sara Gruen. Original Direction by Jessica Stone.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]:  Zachary Keller Jacob Jankowski; Helen Krushinski Marlena / June; Connor Sullivan August / Charlie; Robert Tully Older Jacob Jankowski; Javier Garcia Camel; Ruby Gibbs Barbara; Grant Huneycutt Wade, Rosie (an elephant); Tyler West Walter; Yves Artières Silver Star (a horse) / Kinker & Roust; Gabriela Diaz Agnes (an orangutan) / Kinker & Roust; Adam Fullick Rex (a lion) / Kinker & Roust; Ella Huestis ↑ Summer Severin Rosie (an elephant) / Nurse Rosemary / Kinker & Roust; Zakeyia Lacey Vera / Kinker & Roust; Jose Martinez Kinker & Roust; John Neurohr Caretaker / Rosie (an elephant) / Kinker & Roust; Bradley Parrish Sal / Rosie (an elephant) / Worker / Kinker & Roust; Carl Robinett Rosie (an elephant) / Orderly / Kinker & Roust; Serafina Walker Kinker & Roust, Circus Captain; Yemie Woo Sue / Kinker & Roust; Kayden Woodrige Kinker & Roust. Swings: Chris Carsten, Glenn Doyle, Andrew Meier Fight Captain, Marina Mendoza Circus Captain, ↑ Summer Severin Dance Captain.

Music Department (🌴 indicates local): Pigpen Theatre Co. Music and Lyrics; Benedict Braxton-Smith Music Supervisor, Co-Arranger & Co-Orchestrator; Daryl Waters Co-Orchestrator; August Eriksmoen Co-Orchestrator; Mary-Mitchell Campbell Co-Arranger; Sarah Pool Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard 1, Harmonica; Cameron Edmiston Assoc Conductor, Keyboard 2; Hope Chernesky Violin, Concert Master; Tristan Shafran Reeds; Cort Baussmann Trumpet; Millisa Henderson Guitars; Bakari Williams Acoustic/Electric Bass; Spencer Inch Drums, Percussion; 🌴 Jeff Driskill Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Bari Sax; 🌴 Aaron Smith Trumpet, Flugelhorn; 🌴 Dan Lutz Acoustic Bass, 5-String Electric Bass; 🌴 Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor;  John Mezzio Music Coordinator;  Randy Cohen / Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programming; Sam Starobin, Drew Nichols, Nick, Schenkel, Tim Crook Associate Keyboard Programmers; Julianne B. Merrill, Patchmaster Productions Playback Engineer; Lexi Vollero, PatchMaster Productions Assoc Playback Engineer; Emily Grishman Music Perparation/Adriana Grace Music Copying.

Production and Creative: Rick Elice Book; Pigpen Theatre Co Music & Lyrics; Sara Gruen Novelist; Jessica Stone Original Director; Shana Carroll Circus Designer & Co-Choreographer; Jesse Robb Co-Choreographer; Ryan Emmons Tour Director; Paige Parkhill Assoc. Choreographer; Antoine Boissereau Assoc Circus Designer; Takeshi Kata Scenic Designer; David I. Reynoso Costume Designer; Bradley King Lighting Designer; Walter Trarbach Sound Designer; David Bengali Projection Designer; Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates Hair, Wig, & Makeup Designer; Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman Props and Puppetry Designer; Camille Labarre Puppetry Designer; Joshua Holden Puppet Director; Cha Ramos Fight Director; The TRC Company Casting; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking; Kathleen Carragee Production Stage Manager; Riley Gibson Stage Manager; Élianne Desilets-Dubé Asst Stage Manager; Stan Barile Circus Assistant Stage Manager; Greg Bawdon Company Manager; Jose Amengual Asst Company Manager; Gentry & Associates General Management.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Sadly, since my last theatre outing in August, we’ve lost one of my favorite theatrical venues due to fire: the historical building housing Newhall Refinery, Care/Tucker Design, The Main, and El Troc was destroyed by a 3-alarm fire. Luckily, Canyon Theatre Guild next door was spared. I’ve been attending “The Main”, and it’s previous incarnation, Rep East Playhouse, since all the way back in 2006. Twenty years. Let’s pour a glass for the art and artists of Rep East/The Main, and hope that small and vital venues like The Main return to Santa Clarita soon. While you’re at it, contribute to support the artists of The Main who lost all their gear (they were in the middle of a show run).

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• September:  🎼 Sutton Foster at The Soraya; 🎭 The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; 
• October: 🎭 The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; 🎭 Come From Away at Olive Branch Theatricals;  🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
• November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Elephants Never Forget | "Water for Elephants" @ 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.

On Sunday, August 30, 2026, I was up at Camp Hess Kramer for a 75^th Anniversary Tree Planting. This was the first time I had been on camp grounds since the 2018 Woolsey Fire; that fire destroyed 90% or more of Camp Hess Kramer and its sibling camp, Gindling Hilltop Camp. While walking around camp after the song session, I was talking to Aaron Wolf, Rabbi Wolf’s grandson, about a documentary he was working on regarding the camps and their rebirth. I suggested that he needed to include the pre-history of the camp; that is, what was on the land before Wilshire Blvd Temple purchased the property.

During the week since the planting, camp has been on my mind: both the future and the past.

The Future

The fire, and the subsequent rework of the camp facilities, will be erasing most of the traces of the past from the landscape. Almost all buildings that survived at CHK will be completely remodeled (both the Irmas Dining Hall, which dates to the late 1980s or 1990s, and the staff housing (now called “The Browns”), which dates to the late 1950s, have been taken down to studs. The new conference center and housing that replaced the old Sages building survived and appears to be one of the few survivors that isn’t being reworked. The concrete amphitheatre survived and isn’t changing.

During the event, they posted a map of the future camp. I did a Facebook post where I posted more pictures, including closer detail of the map. To summarize what is being done:

Camp is being rebuilt in three phases, for loads of reasons (including the fact that it took them 5 years to get the entitlements to rebuild with all the agencies involved, and the state funding for rebuilding were about to expire). Phase 1 is rebuilding lower CHK, pretty much up to the pool area. This allows them to reopen the camp for retreats and usages year round, but not for summer camp. Phase 2 completes the rebuild of CHK and allows opening as a summer camp. Phase 3, which is farther in the future, will reopen Hilltop. The Phase 1 camp should reopen in 2027. Phase 2 is a few years further off, and requires a LOT of funding^*, and regrowth of the summer program which lost campers during the pandemic years. Phase 3 is even further off.
————————
^*: This is where I should put the funding plug: They are not at the point where they are looking for capital donations for Phase 2 yet. That will come. Right now, they need operational funding: To rebuild the full camp requires restoring the financial foundation of the camps, which is hard when you are renting a facility. This means that currently, they run a deficit, supported by Wilshire’s endowments. They need operational funding to support the current camp. See their giving page for more information.

The rework of the camp will drastically rethink the camp flow. The Tennis Courts next to PCH will become a parking structure to keep vehicles out of the heart of camp. The former caretakers house space will become a welcome center, next to a new Fine Arts center. There will be a new multipurpose building where Gildred Hall was. Baruh will be replaced by a pool building and a gymnasium, separated by a plaza so that the amphitheatre looks into open space. In Phase 2, the cabin area will be centered around 2-story cabins mostly in the old girls cabin area, facing central plaza to build communities from groups of cabins. I found a page from the architects that shows pictures of the new conception. I also found the architects from an earlier iteration, which included a map of that earlier iteration. That earlier map is interesting, because although supposedly post-fire, it shows many of the buildings that were destroyed in the fire, including Baruh and the full cabin areas. But it also shows a drastic working of todays “The Browns”, as well as additional facilities across Yerba Buena Road.

Basically, the point here is that camp evolves. The camp from the era when I attended (1969-1979) is drastically different than the original camp from the 1950s and early 1960s. What camp became in the 1990s and 2000s was drastically different than my era. Camp in the “combined wandering camp” era is different than the in-Malibu era. Camps when Malibu reopens will be different, and will establish its own traditions. Camp changes.

The Past

( Read more... )

There are shows out there that rapidly become retreads. You know the shows. You see them all the time. They seem to be endlessly done by regional theatres and community groups, and there always seems to be a tour of the show going somewhere. These shows are reliable money-making engines for the theatres that host them. You know them—shows such as The Music Man (soon to be at Center Theatre Group), The Sound of Music (recently at Broadway in Hollywood (BIH)), and the subject of this write-up, Beauty and the Beast, which we saw last at BIH/Hollywood Pantages).

According to my notes, we most recently saw Beauty and the Beast in an excellent production at 5-Star Theatricals in 2018, starring the original Broadway Belle, Susan Egan, in the lead. Having an older woman playing Belle instead of a 18-19 year old characterization beings whole new layers of meaning to that role, and it really changed the impression of the show for the better. I recommend folks read that writeup for some interesting observations regarding Belle and her agency, Gaston and the behavior of men (and viewing Gaston in the era of Donald Trump), and how society’s changing view of consent has changed how we see the Beast’s and Belle’s relationship. You can find the writeup here.

But that, of course, wasn’t the first time we’ve seen it. We saw the “Jr.” version in 2011 at Nobel Middle School. Although I couldn’t find the Playbill for it, I surely saw it the first time it came through Los Angeles on tour, likely at the Pantages. I’ve known and memorized the cast album. So I know the show well-enough.

So we come to the 2025-2026 Broadway in Hollywood Season, and Beauty and the Beast is the closing show. Sigh. I wasn’t that excited to see it again, but it’s been almost 10 years since the last time, so… well… OK. But this was tempered by some posts I saw on reddit, in particular this post about the cheapness of the new National Tour, and this post with worries about this new National Tour going on to Broadway.  I was curious. Was it really as bad as the redditors were saying? So after a lovely SoCalGamesDay,  we toddled over to the Pantages to see the show. My verdict? The show is not the train wreck Reddit made it out to be. In fact, the Reddit posts got many facts about this particular tour wrong (likely clouded by the nostalgia of memory). But there were some problematic aspects and changed that I didn’t particularly like, and those I’ll blame on the creatives (director, choreography, and scenic designer).

I presume that after all this time, I don’t need to give a synopsis of the show. If you really need one, toddle over to Wikipedia and you can find it. If I was to try to summarize it, bookish young woman (Belle) in 1800s village in France catches the eye of a narcissist man (Gaston) who won’t leave her alone and insists that she must marry him. She refuses, which pisses him off. Her father (Maurice) gets lost in a forest and ends up in an enchanted castle with a beast (Beast) and enchanted objects and is imprisoned. Belle takes his place, raising the hopes of the objects in the castle that the spell might be broken. Things start out rough between Belle and Beast, but some dance numbers and touching moments change the relationship. Maurice returns to the village, tells of the Beast, and Gaston tries to prove him crazy. But when Maurice shows the Beast is real, Gaston leads a mob to kill him, thinking it will win him Belle. Of course, this being Disney, Gaston falls off a parapet and dies, true love wins out in the end, and the enchantment is broken.

So what did I think of the show?

First, you must admire the marketing machine that is Disney. From a special digital photo-taking station in the lobby (at something like $40 per), to an extreme amount of merch, to special tickets that gave you more merch, to having staffers hawking all this stuff in the lobby: It is clear that Disney knows how to market and sell, sell, sell. No wonder they want this back on Broadway. Of course, the Disney FAN-atics eat it up, and combine it with the trend these days to cosplay at the theatre… it was a bit of a circus. At least folks weren’t singing along. There were loads of kids in the audience. Reasonably well behaved, and hopefully this will serve to introduce them to live theatre and get them hooked on the art form.

Next: The songs. One of the complaints in the reddit post was about the cutting of songs, in particular “Maison De Lune” and “No Matter What” (there was also a short song called “How Long Must This Go On” cut, but as it was less than a minute, no one remembers that). However, these cuts aren’t new. According to Wikipedia, «The libretto was revised by the original creative team for the 2021 UK tour. Most of the changes (except for the new reduced orchestration, which isn’t available for licensing), were added to the official licensed script in June 2021. Some of the changes include the removal of “Maison des Lunes” and “The Battle”, optional cuts to dance breaks and making “No Matter What” an optional song. The “Silly Girls” were renamed “Les Filles de la Ville”.»  As for the removal of those songs, I think there is still underscoring for “No Matter What” present, but the show can tolerate that removal (although I think the song should remain to show the depth of relationship between Belle and Maurice). “Maison De Lune” is a bigger problem; its removal creates confusion regarding the whole “lock up Maurice as insane” subplot in the second act. The asylum owner comes out of nowhere. The song is necessary to establish that subplot, so if the song is removed more book rework is required.

I’ll also note that one of the songs seemed new to me (“A Change in Me”), but it turns out that song isn’t new. It just isn’t on the cast album because it was added after the album was recorded—it was added in 1998 for Toni Braxton and has been part of the show since. It apparently is on one of Susan Egan’s albums.

Another complaint in the reddit posts was that the songs were supposedly cut to allow lengthening of the dance breaks. Although they were wrong about when and why the songs were cut, there is a dance break problem in the show. The are basically too long. It is as if the choreographer saw the success of the long dance breaks in Aladdin, and thought “Well, if it worked there…”. This is particularly noticeable in the “Gaston” number, as well as in “Be Our Guest”. Further, why oh why does every show these days need a confetti cannon? I’ve complained about this before. It adds unneeded trash to the waste stream, and does nothing to advance the plot. Further, the type of cannon used in BITB creates a massive trip hazard in the aisle.

In terms of other book changes: I could swear that there was a scenes where the household objects in the castle attacked the intruders while Gaston hunted for the Beast. But rereading Wikipedia, this also appears to have been cut as part of the 2021 UK changes. I think it is a loss. But, again, that could just be a nostalgia aspect coming into play.

The other major complaints from the reddit posts were regarding the use of projections and the simplification of costumes. These design aspects were less of a problem. Shows have increasingly moved towards projections instead of actual scenery, as they are cheaper to tour. Anastasia is one big screen. Whether the projections make it to the new rumored Broadway production is unknown. There were also complaints about the rococo used to echo the castle instead of real set pieces and flats. I can understand the economics and logistics of why this was done on tour; but I do believe that a stronger echo could have been created. It’s not that hard to have stairs and walls be created that could support the projections better.

The costumes were generally quite good, although I do seem to remember more magical objects dancing during “Be Our Guest”. But the current approach is entertaining, and I had no problem with the costume simplification. Well, except for one: I kept seeing Belle as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz; perhaps this is because we saw Wizard of Oz at 5-Star theatricals quite recently. But then, I also felt echoes of Phantom of the Opera in the Beast’s scene with the fog machines at the end of Act I.

I did have some design issues with the show, however. I don’t recall Maurice’s invention being a fancy electric motorized scooter; that seems really anachronistic and takes one out of the timeline. Similarly, the large plug that Belle reinstalls during “Be Our Guest” seems wrong for an 18th Century French Castle.

The Disney magic is still there. I’m still trying to figure out the specifics of the Chip illusion (I’m thinking small kid plus mirrors), and I’ve never been able to figure out the Beast’s transformation on stage. I watched closely with binoculars. I couldn’t see it.

This brings us to the performances. At our show, we had the understudy, Melaina Rairamo, playing Belle. She was spectacular, channeling Susan Egan in her humor and voice. A real delight to watch and hear, and I hope we see her again in more shows. It was clear she was delighted to be on stage, and her joy just shone through. Fergie L. Philippe provided a strong Beast; I really enjoyed his playfullness and expression during the library scene. Stephan Mark Lukas was having fun with Gaston (although he needed more hair). Javier Ignacio made an interesting Cogsworth, but he kept making me think of John Oliver on stage.

Speaking of Gaston: It wasn’t until last night that I realized how little Gaston has to do in the second act. Once the love story starts, Gaston disappears. It’s almost as if you could remove Gaston from the story and bring in a realistic village fear about the beast and a subsequent attack, and it would work just as well (and eliminate some of the problematic aspects related to sexual power dynamics).

My only real performance complaint was with Harry Francis’ Lafou: He was far too cartoonish. This could have been the fault of the director, but in general the scenes with Lafou felt like a cartoon on stage, and it distracted from the real story. Lafou is a comic foil, but as this is a stage production there needs to be a bit more grounding in reality.

The orchestra provided great sound for such a small number of musicians.

So should you see this production of Beauty and the Beast? Is this production worth seeing? Should the tour version go to Broadway?

Three distinctly different questions. We’ll start with the middle: Is this production worth seeing? That depends on whether you want to line the pocketbooks of the Disney machine. There will be good regional productions that will be less expensive, and aren’t money grabs. Should you see this production? A touring version hasn’t come around in quite a few years, so if you want to see an Equity cast doing the show with the real Disney magic, it is worth it (but you don’t need center Orchestra; we do side Orchestra and we’re just fine).

Should this version go to Broadway? That’s a different question. The cast certainly should. Malania Rairamo certainly deserves the exposure and the stepping stone it would provide to a larger career on stage and in concerts. I think they should consider revising the book again to tone down the dance numbers a little, de-cartoon Lafou, and bring back “Maison De Lune”. Oh, and get rid of the confetti canon.

Beauty and the Beast continues at BIH/Hollywood Pantages through September 6, 2026. More information on the show is here, and visit this link for tickets.

Credits

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Music by Alan Menkin. Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Directed and choreographed by Matt West.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Angela Lansbury Prologue Narrator Voice; Kyra Belle Johnson Melaina Rairamo Belle; Fergie L. Philippe Beast; Stephan Mark Lukas Gaston; Danny Gardner Lumiere; Christina Rose Hall Mrs. Potts; Javier Ignacio Cogsworth; Harry Francis Lefou; Aaron Kaburick Maurice; Holly Ann Butler Madame; Cameron Monroe Thomas Babette; Beatrice Goddard Beggs | Levi Blaise Coleman | Kanoa Edgar Chip. Ensemble: Benjamin Cheno, Spencer Dean Monsieur D’Arque, Julian Marcus DeGuzman, Michael Dikegoros, Masumi Iwai, Darrell T. Joe, Emily Larger Asst Dance Captain, Melaina Rairamo ↑ Lena Matthews Village Lass, Grace Marie Rusnice, Ben Sears Bookseller, Jasmine Pearl Villaroel Village Lass, Kate Wesler Enchantress, Village Lass. Swings: Vinny Andaloro, Leigh Ann Esty, ↑ Lena Matthews, Caleb McArthur, Ellen Roberts, Michael Seltzer Dance Captain, Fight Captain. Vacation Standby: Devin Archer Beast/Gaston. Vacation Swings: Brianna Ascione, Kristen Smith Davis, Matthew Marvin, Carson Hampton Palmer.

Music Department (🌴 indicates local): Michael Kosarin Music Supervision and Arrangements; Danny Troob Orchestrator; David Chase Dance Music Arrangements; Christoph Buskies Electronic Music Programming; Michael Aarons (M-Squared Music) Music Coordinator; David Andrew Rogers Music Director, Conductor; Connor Doran and Michael Hopewell Assoc. Conductors, Keyboards;  🌴 Jen Choi Fischer Violin; Dane Andersen Flute / Piccolo / Alto Flute; 🌴 Sean Franz Clarinet / Flute / Bass Clarinet; 🌴 Aaron Smith Trumpet / Flugelhorn / Piccolo Trumpet; 🌴 Emily Pesavento French Horn; 🌴 Nick Daley Trombone / Bass Trombone; Gary Seligson Drums / Percussion; Sam Groisser Music Associate / Keyboard Swing; Anja Wood (M-Squared Music) Assoc Music Coordinator; Anixter Rice Music Services Music Preparation; 🌴 Eric Heinly Local Music Contractor.

Production and Creative: Linda Woolverton Book; Alan Menken Composer; Howard Ashman Lyrics; Tim Rice Lyrics; Matt West Director, Choreographer; Stanley A. Meyer Scenic Design; Ann Hould-Ward Costume Design; Natasha Katz Lighting Design; John Shivers Sound Design; Rob Roth Production Conception; Darrel Maloney Video & Projection Design; David H. Lawrence Hair & Make-Up Design; Jim Steinmeyer Illusion Design; Lorenzo Pisoni Movement Coordinator; Sam Scalamoni Assoc Director; Steve Bebout Supervising Resident Director; Jenn Rias Assoc Choreographer; Erin N. Moore Assoc Choreographer; The TRC Company Casting; Neuro Tour Physical Therapy; Jason Trubitt Production Supervisor; Andrew Bacigalupo Production Stage Manager; Malashia Carter Asst Stage Manager; Kelley Lynne Moncrief Asst Stage Manager.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• September: 🎭 Water for Elephants at BIH/Pantages; 🎼 Sutton Foster at The Soraya; 🎭 The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭Every Brilliant Thing at The Main;  🎭🎫 Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; 
• October: 🎭 The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; 🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
• November: 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎼🎫 Go Jazz at The Main (Tent. Date); 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 A Tale Seemingly As Old As Time | "Beauty and the Beast" @ 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.

Last night, we were down in Hollywood / West Hollywood to see the second mainstage musical in Chromolume‘s 2026 season of Identity and Expression. Chromolume is an interesting theatre company—one that takes very ambitious swings on a shoestring budget. With Chromolume, you will see shows you rarely see elsewhere, done in a constrained environment where creativity is required. I think the best example of this was a show in their previous location, where they managed to stage Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures in a tiny black-box space, with no wings, overhead, or scenery space. We’ve seen such a wide variety of shows we’ve never seen there, from Zanna Don’t to Dessa Rose to Prez. In their last mainstage show, they managed to stage the full musical The Color Purple in a 73 seat black box.

For their second mainstage show this season, Chromolume has mounted If/Then, a musical we last saw on tour at the Pantages back in 2015, with much of the original cast, including Idena Menzel, Anthony Rapp, and LaChanze.

First and foremost: My friend James Umbach should see this musical. It is rare to find a musical centered around a city urban planner.  [To explain, James, in addition to being a road person, is a city planner for the city of Fernley, NV]

As for the story itself, I’d like to take advantage of the synopsis and observations I wrote when we saw the show for the first time, as those comments still hold:

Science has a theory that every time anyone makes a decision, the universe splits. Each reality reflects the timeline from the decision point, following what would have happened for each way the decision could have gone. This creates an infinite number of alternate realities, reflecting all possible decisions. Many may be dead and lifeless; many may be almost identical. Each is self contained, with no way to know that the other realities exist.

If/Then shows the path of two of those realities as they apply to the life of Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan, an urban planner recently returned to New York City after the end of her college marriage. Both paths revolve around the interaction of Elizabeth and her friends: Lucas (a college friend and housing activist); Kate (a lesbian kindergarten teacher who lives across the hall from Elizabeth); Stephen (another college friend and an urban planner with the City of New York); and Josh (an Army doctor just returned from a tour of duty, who meets Elizabeth in the park).

Let’s pause at this point. Alternate realities are “in”. As I write this, a Big Bang Theory spinoff (“Stuart Fails to Save the Universe”) has just premiered on HBO Max that is centered on alternate realities. We’ve had loads of Spiderman movies based on alternate realities. It’s a popular theme, and a great basis for the exploration of the question “What If?” (in fact, that’s the starting and ending song of this show). So as the basic premise for a show it is a promising idea. Back to my 2015 synopsis:

In one path (the “Liz” path, so-called because Elizabeth is called “Liz” in this path), Liz follows the advice of Kate: she makes the wild choices. She goes into academia, starts dating the man she just met (Josh), and works to build a family and friends.

In the other path (the “Beth” path), Beth follows the advice of Lucas: she accepts a job doing urban planning for the city, and dedicates her life not to love but to work, moving up the urban planning life, working for Stephen.

In both cases, the “ideal” life goes in an uncertain direction in the second act, concluding with Beth/Liz getting the opportunity to start over. You can find a more detailed summary with the various plot twists over on Wikipedia.

The presentation of the alternate realities keeps intertwining the two timelines: songs often keep going back and forth from one line to the other during the song.  Contrast this with The Last 5 Years, which also has two timelines, but keeps them separate except for one meeting point. How do you keep track of which line you are in?  By what characters are around, their demeanor, and by what Elizabeth is called.

In reading the reviews before the show, I’ve seen critics all over the map regarding the story (an original story by Brian Yorkey) and the music/lyrics (music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey). Some like it; some find it “meh”. I actually enjoyed the story and seeing the multiple lines. If I had one quibble story-wise, it is that the show is far too New York City centric. I understand that to New Yorkers and to those who work on Broadway, New York City is the center of the universe — but it really isn’t. The 33 square miles of Manhattan is just a drop compared to most megalopolises.  The constant dropping of references to New York communities and institutions is confusing to the non-New York audiences, and the New York specific references in the projects provide no meaning or clues to those that know not New York. But the worst part is: none of them are necessary. The story would work just the same in any other major city (with some joke adjustments). This makes the New York attitude come off with a sense of “we’re better and cooler than you” — which will play great on Broadway, but lands with a thud elsewhere, thankyouverymuch.

Let’s pause again at this point. By the time a show moves out of the original production and the original tour, the story is effectively cast in stone. Regional, local, intimate theatre, etc. remountings are constrained by the story’s problems (and often, by the original’s design and constraints—I was just reading a post on Reddit about how some productions of Mamma Mia are constrained in how they can advertise the show). What this means is that we can’t really blame Chromolume for basic plot or music problems: their only involvement was choosing the show for the season, and their subsequent execution of the show. So in terms of the show itself, the choice was reasonable: This show hasn’t been mounted in Los Angeles since the original tour 10 years ago; the venue and budget is so different that the ambition of this attempt is to be applauded independent of any inherent problems in the show itself.

That said, back to the last paragraph of the quoted comment. This show is far too New York centric. New Yorkers seem to love shows centered in New York; they think there city is the best in the world. Los Angeles would beg to differ on that point. But more importantly, unless New York is a vital element to the plot and story, it should not be the centering. In such cases, the centering is clearly pandering to a Broadway audience who wants to worship their city. But when the show has its subsequent productions out of NYC, it helps it fall flat. In this case, there are really only two New York specific things to the story: a meet-cute in the subway, and using the Mets/Yankees for a distinction in a song. Well, city planning takes place in many many cities; many cities have urban transportation systems and multiple sports teams. This could have been in Chicago or St. Louis or even San Francisco, and it would have worked.

Moving past that rant (as you might have guessed, I’m native Los Angeles, and have no desire to live in New York—and that applies to Broadway as well, for Los Angeles has its own vibrant theatre community that I’d match with any city). This show itself has other problems. Here’s more of what I wrote in 2015:

This brings us to the music of the show. Going in, I had heard the album — in fact, I had heard the album with this cast (which is now something rare to get in Los Angeles (ah, for the days when the LACLO usually brought in the Broadway stars)). I had actually liked the music quite a bit — if I look in my iTunes, 60% of the songs are starred as favorites. Some songs are particularly cute — such as “What the Fuck?”; others are very touching. I particularly liked “You Learn to Live Without”, which is a lovely counterpoint to “Who Gave You Permission?” from Ballroom. Both looked at dealing with the aftermath of death: one with acceptance and moving forward, the other with anger. About my only problem with the music was volume — at times, it tended to overpower the voices.

Ten years lager, and about the only song that I remember from the show is “What the Fuck?”. The music, simply put, is pretty unmemorable. Kitt and Yorkey can do memorable songs; just look at Next to Normal. This show comes across as a less memorable effort.

The story has one other major problem. As noted, the basic question is the story is: What path should Elizabeth take to make her life complete? But none of the choices involve Elizabeth being a success without dependence on a relationship. Why is it that a man can find happiness and success in a career, but a woman requires a relationship to be successful? Elizabeth has strong friends, a great career as an urban planner, in (to quote Hamilton ) “the greatest city in the world”. So what (or who) is Elizabeth, independent of any romantic relationship with a man? I’m not sure the book of this show has an answer.

We’ve talked about some weaknesses of the show. What are some of the strengths? First and foremost, centering a story about a female technical professional is a great thing. I noted this back in 2015, saying “This is a wonderful role model for the girls in the audience, and deserves extra applause.” The show also shows somewhat realistic same-sex relationships: not just male-male, but female-female. This was on the edge back in 2014 when the show was on Broadway (same-sex marriage was a new thing then); it is still good to see such relationships portrayed without a lot of stereotypes.

The show also raises some good questions. There are far too many folks these days who get stymied by decision paralysis. Games know this well: In trying to decide your next move, you get stuck analyzing the possibilities and payoffs. If there’s a point to this show, it is: Don’t overthink, just do. Take that chance. That’s a reasonable point to make.

Let’s now turn from the show itself to this particular production. As many reviewers have noticed, this show suffered from the same problem I noted on tour: “About my only problem with the music was volume — at times, it tended to overpower the voices.” The same was true here, and especially so as the performers had no amplification. The volume on the music needed to be turned down where possible: the amp on the keyboard and the bass in particular. The director also needed to emphasize to the actors to project their voices so that they could be heard clearly throughout the small space. There were segments and dialogue that could not be heard where we were sitting—and we were in the second row on stage left. I think actors today are trained to speak as if they were amplified (and this is certainly true for actors who work predominantly in TV and films); it is a different skill to learn to perform without amplified voices, and directors in unamplified venues need to remind their performers of this.

Other than the volume of the voices, the performances themselves were strong. Renee Cohen (who, looking back, once posted a comment my review of Hands on a Hardbody inviting her to see her in Cabaret) gave a great performance as Elizabeth / Liz / Beth. She had a bit of a Rock-y (as in Rock Music) singing voice with points of tenderness, and brought the character to life well. Normally, her tattoos would have bothered me (as I find they make me think of the actor as the actor, not their character), but they seemed to fit the age and character, so I was able to ignore them. Also strong was Jon Armijo as Josh. He had a strong voice and personality, and seemed to have chemistry with Cohen’s Liz.

Other notable main cast members were Danielle Johnson’s Kate, who brought a strong personality and singing voice to the character, as well as strong chemistry with Stephanie Saunders’ Anne. I also liked Judd York’s Lucas, who brought a nice playfulness to the stage. Lastly, we think we’ve seen Keenan Carver (who played Stephen) before, but he’s not coming up on a search.

Of the ensemble, standouts include Shaheen Kapambwe and Nadia Salina Salvia. Kapambwe had a number of small roles, but I think I detected between them a strong singing voice. Salvia also gave glimpses of her voice; I wonder what she could have done with the role of Elizabeth.

In terms of other aspects of the execution: It was hard to keep track of the various timeline threads  based on character interactions alone. There were no real set clues, and although I think they tried to use costumes, it wasn’t really clear. The set itself was a podium, three black scenic boxes, and a bench; the back was some sort of hand-drawn graphic with the show’s name and some references to New York. One of the reviews reminded me that the tour used colored lights to show timelines. That might have helped here, but something was needed.

As for costumes: I think the memo was: wear something black or grey. Other than that, it seemed to be mostly street clothes, with some accessories to hint at profession: a doctor’s coat, a camouflage cap, a teacher’s (umm) cardigan. Chromolume does work on a minimal budget (and they lose money on each show, and can use more donations), so simple sets and costumes are not a surprise. However, design-wise, something stronger was needed to distinguish timelines.

Sound-wise, in addition to the volume problem of the music, there were some aural discongruities. A baby (prop) would be held on stage, and would supposedly cry, but the cry would come from offstage. Similarly, cell phones would be held but would ring offstage. These problems wouldn’t be noticed in a large theatre like the Pantages or Ahmanson. In a small theatre, sound location is, well, amplified. You can easily tell where the sound is coming from. Having some form of mid-stage speaker would have helped quite a bit here, and might have been patchable into the music sound system.

In terms of dance and movement: The space was covered well. There were no particular dance numbers that stand out in my memory.

So let’s do the bottom line, well, at the bottom. Should you go see If/Then at Chromolume? First, if you do, be quick. There’s one more performance this evening, so get your quickits tick, umm, tickets quick, if you decide to do so.

But should you go? Story and music wise, this isn’t a classic. It’s not as forgettable as some, but isn’t top tier either. The questions it raises are good one, and it does center a female professional. What is notable and worthy here is the execution: Yet again Chromolume attempts a show that has only been done on large stages, and stages it, with reasonable success, in a small black box theatre. Chromolume also does it with a show that is rarely done, and swings to see if a lesser known show can be successful. These efforts must be applauded and supported and encouraged. In a world of theatres doing remountings of The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music and Mamma Mia—all crowd pleasers but all overdone, be a Chromolum and do If/Then. Be a Pasadena Playhouse and do Brigadoon. Be a Group Rep and do Applause.  Be a Conundrum and do Big Fish.

So, yes, if you can catch it, go see If/Then at Chromolume (at the Zephyr in Hollywood). The story isn’t perfect and there are some sound problems. But shows like this must be encouraged. While you’re at it, grab some great Uzbek food at Zira two doors down from the theatre.

Next up at Chromolume (in November): Stephen Sondheim’s Roadshow. Chromolume always does one Sondheim show per season, and this is another ambitious swing. The show hasn’t had a production in Los Angeles before; indeed, most folks forget about the show when they list Sondheim shows (or they think of it under its pre-Broadway name, Bounce). That, too, will be worth seeing.

Credits

If/Then. Music by Tom Kitt. Lyrics and book by Brian Yorkey. Directed by Brayden Hade. Choreography by Ellie Rodriguez.

Cast : Jon Armijo Josh; Ryan Axberg Ensemble; Keenan Carver Stephen; Renee Cohen Elizabeth / Liz / Beth; Quin Domalaon Ensemble; Danielle Johnson Kate; Shaheen Kapambwe Ensemble; Joelle Lewis Elena; Natalie Luna Ensemble; Nadia Salina Salvia Ensemble; Stephanie Saunders Anne; Christopher Jewell Valentin Ensemble; Michael Vandie David; Judd Yort Lucas. Understudies: Amy Melendrez u/s Elizabeth / Liz / Beth; Jason Rivera u/s Josh.

Music Department: Isaac Schanno Johnson Music Direction, Piano; Gage Getz Bass; Trinidad Rojas Drums.

Production and Creative: Brayden Hade Director, Scenic Design, Costume Design; Ellie Rodriguez Asst Director, Choreographer; Mary Zastrow Intimacy Director; Devin Harris Lighting Design; James Esposito Sound Design, VP Operations (Chromolume); Ashia Coleman Costume Design; Mara Aguilar Production Stage Manager; Deziree White-Virk Asst Stage Manager; Ken Werther Publicity. For Chromolume: James Esposito VP Operations; Bonnie Sludikoff Artist Coordinator; Nike Montelibano Marketing; Veronica Vasquez Casting Associate; Michael Angel Social Media Manager; Lizeth Olguin Moore Box Office Coordinator; Brianne Lopez-Cole House Manager; Christopher D. Baker Youth Program Director; Ken Werther Press Agent.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired 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, and 5-Star Theatricals.

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. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

• August: 🎭 Beauty and the Beast at BIH/Pantages;
• September: 🎭 Water for Elephants at BIH/Pantages; 🎼 Sutton Foster at The Soraya; 🎭 The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭Every Brilliant Thing at The Main;  🎭🎫 Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; 
• October: 🎭 The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; 🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
• November: 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
• December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎼🎫 Go Jazz at The Main (Tent. Date); 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Decision Paralysis | "If/Then" @ Chromolume 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.