Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

My Amazon Wish List is big; my music collection is bigger (I lovesssss me my iPod Classic, my precioussssss). Both contain music to shows I have never seen. I mention this because I love to finally see shows I’ve only heard, or shows I know only through a cast album that is highly rated but I’ve neither seen nor heard. So when my LA Theatre RADAR uncovered the fact that “Ordinary Days“, a newish musical whose cast album was on my “Cast Albums after 1990” wish list, was opening at the Victory Theatre Center in Burbank, I jumped at the chance to go see it. I wasn’t disappointed. It was an enjoyable musical, well performed, with a few unexpected surprises. (ETA: I’ll probably get the album on my next Amazon order).

“Ordinary Days” is a new musical by Adam Gwon. It is described on the licensing site as telling “the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life.” That’s a very glossy and slightly misleading description, particularly with respect to the word “intersect”.

“Ordinary Days” tells the story of two pairs of people in New York in what I would surmise to be 2003-ish. The first pair is Warren and Deb. Warren works for an artist who is in jail, handing out slips of paper with sayings this artist once wrote on building, and collecting found things. Deb a a slightly neurotic English literature grad student getting ready for her first thesis meeting with her advisor. One day, she loses her notebook with all her research notes it it, and Warren finds it. He sends her an email, and their friendship begins (it isn’t a “relationship”, for one brief exchange notes that he’s gay). Once they meet, we see them going back and forth trying to find each other’s big picture. Warren’s picture is perhaps the seed thought for the show: being able to see the extraordinary in the ordinary days in New York. Eventually, he teaches Deb about this; Deb teaches him there is more to life.

The second pair is Jason and Claire. As we first meet them, Jason is moving into Claire’s apartment and they are fighting over what stuff to keep and what to pitch. We see that each has their historical baggage they want to keep; Claire’s includes an old sweater that she won’t explain (we presume it belonged to a former boyfriend). As their interactions go on and on, we see the relationship between the two get testier, with Jason unable to tell Claire that he loves her, and Claire unable to accept Jason’s affection. It reaches a boiling point when Jason blurts out a proposal. What happens then is what makes the musical, but I really don’t want to spoil it.

Remember that I said the original description said that the lives of these people “intersect”. That’s misleading. Gwon’s story (which is told entirely through songs — there is no recitative dialog in any scene) keeps alternating between the two pairs of people. There are a few scenes where all four are on stage at the same time, but one pair never directly interacts with the other in a plot-meaningful way. Even near the end of the piece, where the actions of one pair influence the actions of the other, there is never a direct interaction. In fact, except for that one scene, this could be divided into two one-acts, each act focusing on one pair, and the story wouldn’t be hurt. Perhaps that’s a strength; perhaps it is a weakness. However, I do believe that if they were forced to interact, it would seem forced and artificial; perhaps the message is that in the large number of “dots” that is New York City, even the actions of one or two dots can have significant effects on others.

As I noted, the story is told entirely through songs (as Stan Freberg might say, “The music is the book, the book is the music”). Initially this was jarring, but by the end it seemed to work. It reminded me most of another song heavy musical, “The Story of My Life” (which we saw back in 2010). This opened up an interesting post-show debate about when is something a musical vs. a light opera vs. an opera. I opined that musicals focus primarily on the story and less on the emotion of the music. That was certainly the case here — I didn’t walk out humming any particular melody, although the music worked well to carry the story along. The word play was clever (I did appreciate rhyming “dork” with “New York”), and I look forward to getting the cast album. But it wasn’t the sort of music that carried your along with its scope and grandeur as operas do, and I’m not sure it fit the light (i.e., comic) opera or operetta role of a Gilbert & Sullivan piece.

The direction by Angel Creeks (FB) (interview) did a great job of bringing out the character in these characters; that is, helping the actors to inhabit and become the roles. She made the interactions work well on the limited set. However, I didn’t realize this to the end. In particular, the behavior of the second pair seemed somehow off to me throughout most of the show; it wasn’t until the end that I realized there was a reason for that behavior. As always, I’m not sure where in this portrayal how to separate the work of the director from the skills brought by the actors. So let’s turn to the actors.

The first pair we meet are Warren (Reggie De Leon (FB)) and Deb (Katie Kitani (FB)). De Leon wins you over with his first song, “One by One by One” — he is just so joyful as his character it is infectuous. This is a young man who just finds joy in the little things. His performance does something that I enjoy so much — he inhabits his character and it seems to just be natural and exuberant. We see a similar performance from Kitani as Deb — her Deb is neurotic and controlled and nervous and enthusiastic and confused and… just a delight to watch. Again, she nails this with her first song, “Don’t Wanna Be Here”, which establishes not only her character but her quirky personality. With Kitani, I particularly enjoyed watching the nuances of her face and motions as she sang the songs. Again, she just inhabited the character, making it hers and seemingly merging actor and role. Both De Leon and Kitani sang wonderfully and just lit up the stage whenever they were on it. I’ll note that Amir Levi (FB) plays Warren on Friday nights. Based on the picture in the program, I would imagine that Levi would bring a different vibe to the character that would be interesting to contrast with De Leon’s portrayal.

The second pair we meet are Jason (William Martinez (FB)) and Claire (Anne Schroeder/FB). These two are much more cold and brittle, and something in their portrayal bothered me slightly. It turned out to have an explanation (which, being a pivotal plot point, I don’t want to spoil). Still, you don’t find out the reason for those aspects until near the end, so it would have been nice to see some occasional playful nuances. Overall, however, their performance was very good, although I wish that Martinez’s Jason had a bit more joy and excitement — he had found the love of his life, but he was more confused than shouting it to the world. Both sang well, although each had a slightly off point in their opening number. Presumably, that will work itself out in future performances.

The music in the production was under the direction of Alby Potts (FB) and P. Matthew Park. Potts was also onstage playing the sole keyboard (and interacting with the characters as a barista, in one scene). The production worked well with a single piano; it would be interesting to see how this production might change with larger orchestration. It might overpower the piece.

Turning to the technical. The scenic design by Frank Pepito (FB) was very simple: some outlines of buildings, some boxes, some empty frames, and some props. It worked to evoke New York City, but didn’t give a strong sense of place that might have worked better for those less familiar with the city (such as many in Los Angeles). The trick is conveying the unique vibe that is New York City to someone who has never been there, especially when the NYC vibe is often the antithesis of the LA vibe. The sound design by Dayne Donnell/FB was clear and crisp. One could imagine some background sounds to establish place, but these would have worked against the songs. The lighting design by Wynn Zucchero (FB) worked well most of the time; there were some lighting transitions that briefly left the actors a little in the dark. Costumes were coordinated by Cheddar Verna/FB and worked well.  I particularly appreciated the attention to detail demonstrated in Claire’s jewelry, which initially confused me but became clear by the end. Well done! Graphic design by Amy Turner/FB. Linda Griffin (FB) was the assistant director and stage manager, assisted by Max Griffin. “Ordinary Days” was produced by the Victory Theatre Center (FB) and Not So Artful Productions (FB).

“Ordinary Days” (FB) continues at the Victory Theatre Center until September 29. For those that enjoy off-Broadway style smaller musicals, it is well worth seeing — especially for the performances of Reggie De Leon and Katie Kitani. Tickets are available through the VTC Box Office, and may be available through Goldstar.

ETA: [Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.]

Dining Notes. We had dinner before the show at La Maria Restaurant, which is about ½ mile W of the theatre on Victory, right near the Burbank/LA city line. Excellent Columbia and Americas food, with a wonderful salsa. I had their Pollo en Salsa Criolla, and it was just great. I’m going to recommend this place to the So Cal Games Day crowd, as Games Days are held at the church about a block away from VTC.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  I told you our schedule would fill up quickly. Next weekend sees us in Santa Clarita for the Exit 81 production of “The Vagina Monologues” on September 15th at REP East (FB). The fourth weekend in September brings two shows: “bare – A Rock Musical” (FB) at the Hayworth in the Westlake Disttrict on Saturday, and “Carrie That Tune” (great songs from flop musicals) at the Avery Schreiber Playhouse (FB) in North Hollywood on Sunday.  We close September by returning to Santa Clarita and REP East (FB) for “God of Carnage” (September 28). Theatre in October starts on the 5th with “Breath and Imagination” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  The second week of October sees me at the West Coast Premier of “Burnt Street Boys“ at the Third Street Theatre (FB).  The third week of October is being held for the production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but tickets are not yet on sale. October ends with the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB). That will be followed by a visit with Thomas the Tank Engine when we volunteer at OERM over Veterans Day.  The third week will be theatre-ish, as we attend ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23), and “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  December is mostly open, but should bring “The Little Mermaid” at Nobel Middle School, and “Peter and the Starcatcher” at The Ahmanson Theatre. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Vibrators and Sex Toys. What would the world be without them?

No, seriously, what would the world be without them? The play we saw today at the Secret Rose in North Hollywood: The Production Company (FB)’s production of Sarah Ruhl‘s “In The Next Room” (or “The Vibrator Play”) explores that very question.

At the dawn of electricity, women often went to doctors for treatment of hysteria. This play tells the story of one such doctor, Dr. Givings, who has devised a new treatment for hysteria. He has developed an electronic vibrating devices that he administers clinically to eliminate the congestion in the womb that leads to hysteria. The play addresses the treatment of Sabrina Daldry, a woman suffering from hysteria and depressions. Daily administration of the device changes Mrs. Daldry’s mood immensely. The play also concerns the arc of Dr. Givings wife, Catherine. Catherine has just had a baby but has little milk, so she hires Mrs. Daldry’s housekeeper as a wet nurse for the infant. Catherine also forms a relationship with Mrs. Daldry, and becomes curious about what is happening in the next room.  Wikipedia summarizes the plot from there best: Both are excited to have their first orgasms with the machine. Mrs. Daldry is content to continue having clinical treatments with the machine and suffer lifeless, boring sex with her own husband. “I am afraid there is very little sympathy between us.” Catherine Givings wants more. First Mrs. Givings learns from a visiting artist that orgasms detached from love ultimately are unfulfilling and empty, simply surface, without soul, and similar to sex with prostitutes. Then her wet nurse, Elizabeth, reveals to Catherine that she may be able to enjoy the same sensations from the machine with her husband, with whom she is frustrated because of his clinical detachment, but still ultimately loves. Catherine first inspires jealousy and passion in her husband, then convinces Dr. Givings – who had earlier observed that “what men do not perceive because their intellect prevents them from seeing would fill a book” – to make naked snow angels with her and discovers the woman on top sex position, allowing her at last sexual satisfaction while the curtain lowers.

To me, a number of aspects of the story hit home. I saw in Dr. Givings the classic scientist: focused on the clinical, detached from the emotional. It took his wife thumping him on the head (essentially) to move him to a place of passion. It also demonstrated the power of healthy sexual outlets to create a positive mood. I was also impressed with how the story was told with propriety: this wasn’t a focus on the skin or the sex — it was focused on the story and the people, and how a new approach to orgasms affected them.

The Production Company’s production of  “In The Next Room“, under the direction of August Viverito (FB) (assisted by T L Kolman (FB)), did a very good job of telling the story. I’ve been to the Secret Rose for other productions, and this was the nicest set I’ve seen at the facility; this combined with actors that truly came across as their characters resulted in a production that was a delight to watch. The technical and performance elements of this show came together to draw the eye where it should be drawn, and to excite the spirit when it should be excited.

Of course, the top-notch performances didn’t hurt. All of the cast was just a delight to watch, so I’ll say that once and hopefully not repeat it (too much). The leading ladies, Joanna Strapp (FB) as Catherine Givings and Yael Berkovich as Sabrina Daldry, were just so full of passion and energy (especially after the “treatments”) that they were a joy to watch on stage. You really believed that they were their characters, and you couldn’t keep your eyes off of them. The male leads, Michael Oosterom (FB) as Dr. Givings and Michael Zemenick (FB) as Dick Daldry, gave off a different vibe. They came off as personable individuals who cared about their wives, in the same way they cared about anything in their domain. Again, this was a case of the actors inhabiting their roles, for that is the detachment common for men in that area. In other words: wonderful performances from all the leads.

The second tier of roles consisted of Candace Nicholas-Lippman (FB) as Elizabeth (the wet nurse); Elizabeth Southard (FB) as Annie (the doctor’s assistant), and Ben Gillman (FB) as Leo Irving (an male artist also being treated for hysteria — again, with vibrating equipment).  Nicholas-Lippman’s Elizabeth had a wonderful inner beauty that started out reserved and blossomed in her few appearances. Billman’s Irving was exuberant, to the point where you didn’t know if his walking into furniture at times was part of the act or overexcitement. Southard’s Annie was more in the background in the first act, but really shone in her later scenes with Mrs. Daldry later in Act II. Again, all great performances.

As I indicated earlier, the set design (which was by the director, August Viverito (FB)) was spectacular. August Viverito (FB) was also responsible for the sound design (although the program says lighting), which provided appropriate special effect noises. Lighting design was by Matt Richter (FB) assisted by associate lighting designer Caitlin Rucker/FB. The lighting design was particularly notable for the way it focused your attention on one room or the other. Costume designs were by Kelly Graham, and seemed appropriately period (although my wife noted some hems could use touching up).  Scott Fleming/FB was the production stage manager. No credit was given for the house manager.

“In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)” continues at The Production Company (FB) in residence at The Secret Rose in North Hollywood through September 29. It is worth seeing. Tickets are available online and may be available through Goldstar.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  I told you our schedule would fill up quickly. In the last week, I’ve added three shows. So let’s begin. The weekend between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur sees us in Burbank for “Ordinary Days” (FB) at the Victory Theatre Center (FB).  The following weekend sees us in Santa Clarita for the Exit 81 production of “The Vagina Monologues” on September 15th at REP East (FB). The fourth weekend in September brings us back to North Hollywood for “Carrie That Tune” (great songs from flop musicals) at the Avery Schreiber Playhouse (FB) on September 22. We close September by returning to Santa Clarita and REP East (FB) for “God of Carnage” (September 28). Theatre in October starts on the 5th with “Breath and Imagination” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  The second week of October sees me at the West Coast Premier of “Burnt Street Boys“ at the Third Street Theatre (FB).  The third week of October is being held for the production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but tickets are not yet on sale. October ends with the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB). That will be followed by a visit with Thomas the Tank Engine when we volunteer at OERM over Veterans Day.  The third week will be theatre-ish, as we attend ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23), and “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  December is mostly open, but should bring “The Little Mermaid” at Nobel Middle School, and “Peter and the Starcatcher” at The Ahmanson Theatre. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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What’s a weekend without live theatre, right?* So even though we are on vacation, we found some theatre to see. In this case, it was Patio Playhouse‘s production of the Mel Brooks musical “Young Frankenstein” (or, to be precise, “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein“). The production was part of the “Plays in the Park” series, and was held in the amphitheatre at Kit Carson Park in Escondido (although the amphitheatre is 1,200 seats, not the 3,000 seats as claimed by the city). It was billed as the “Southern California Premiere” on the Patio Playhouse website, however, that is not true: The original tour hit Los Angeles in summer 2010, and Moonlight Prodctions in Vista is also doing the show (although the Moonlight version started after Patio’s version, so this could be the “San Diego Premier”). To Patio’s credit, Moonlight also claims it is the “Southern California professional premiere. I’ll note that this could be the Southern California region theatre premier (as the Pantages version was the tour).  [*: Yes, we did see live theatre last weekend, even though I didn't write it up -- we went back to REP East Playhouse to see the closing night of "9 to 5 - The Musical".]

“Young Frankenstein” (with book by Brooks (FB) and Thomas Mehan, and music and lyrics by Brooks) basically tells the same story as the movie version. You can find a writeup of the stage version on the Wiki page. The stage version elongates some scenes and musicalizes others, and does some slight rearrangement of the action. However, essentially, it is the film on stage, with more singing, dancing, and tits (although the tits were smaller (umm, that is, the tits were deemphasized) in Patio’s production). The stage production did not have the critical or box office success that Brooks’ first musical, “The Producers” — this could be because the property was better known and loved by the pubic, or because the stage was tired of Brooks’ humer. The more likely reason has to do with the book — by being faithful to the movie, they ended up with an overly long book (the first act is 90 minutes); and the love and fame for the property as well as Brooks’ involvement as a producer) prevented the stage developers from cutting and tightening the show. Still, the musicalized stage version of “Young Frankenstein” is quite enjoyable when done well. The Escondido audience we saw it with seemed to enjoy it, except for the few that walked out at the first mention of “tits”.

In general, the Patio Playhouse production of “Young Frankenstein” was reasonably good, especially when you consider it was community theatre (the Moonlight version in Vista was using professional actors; Patio had mostly community players). The lead performers were generally excellent, and the supporting ensemble did a good job. There were technical glitches, and the set was far from the standard of quality set by the touring version. Still, the production made for an enjoyable night — I’d tell you to go see it, but we caught the closing night.

One of the things that made the Patio Playhouse production shine was the strong casting of the leads — especially Tyler C. Jiles/FB as the lead. Jiles’ Frederick Frankenstein was an inspired piece of madness. His eyebrows, his facial expression, his movement — all combined to make this young man a strong and funny stage presence. Add to that the fact his strong singing, and Jiles made the part come alive. As I say with every show I right, I love actors that can inhabit their characters, and this man did.

Another strong performer was Sean Doughty/FB as Igor (pronounced “eye-gore”). Īgor was comic madness, with some incredible ad libbing that forced the other actors to work to keep a straight face. This came across best during his comic antics behind Frankenstein’s reading of “How I Did It”, but also shone at numerous other places in the show. You never knew what he was going to do; he seemed to be channeling Marty Feldman with a smaller hump. He also sang quite strongly, but his real forté was his comedy.

As Frankenstein’s comely lab assistant Inga, Jenna Wille was spectacular. She had a very strong singing voice, lovely looks, a wonderful facial expression. In short, she seemed to be having a lot of fun with the role, which (if you are familiar with my write ups) you know that I enjoy. I had two minor complaints with Wille’s performance: First, when dancing, she often painted on this odd smile (this was especially obvious in “Transylvania Mania”) — I’m sure this was the director or choreographer’s instructions, but I would have been much happier to see her real joy come across. [ETA: A comment later clarifies this odd smile was due to pain as she had sprained her ankle the week before... and "the show must go on". Knowing that, I'm even more impressed with her performance, and it reminded me of the actress playing Claudia in the DOMA production of "Nine".] Secondly, and again this is more likely the choice of the costumer than Wille, her outfit needed to emphasize her (to be blunt) tits more. It did a great job with her legs, but Mel Brooks likes to place the emphasis on the tits — and so it would have made the jokes even better. Then again, it looked like Patio is used to drawing the family audience, and the tits may have been toned down to not add insult to an already strong sexual innuendo (or is that inn-u-end-o) in the script).

The second tier was also very strong. As Frau Blücher (#insert <horse-rearing-sound-effect>), Kelli Harless/FB projected a wonderfully stern personality (that appeared not to be there in real life, as demonstrated when she broke character after the curtain call to thank the production staff). Again, a strong comic performance, joy in doing this role, and a strong singing voice (demonstrated in “He Was My Boyfriend”) made her fun to watch. Also strong was Lindsey O’Connor/FB‘s Elizabeth Benning. Although she had a costuming problem similar to Inga (again, in any Mel Brooks show, the tits must be played up), she gave a wonderfully strong comic performance and seemed to be delighting in the role — this was especially true in Act II and her numbers with the Monster. Speaking of the Monster, Donny Bronson/FB was (umm) very strong. He particularly shone in “Putting On The Ritz” and his subsequent interactions.

Turning to the third tier/ensemble, there are a few performances I’d like to comment upon. As Victor Frankenstein and a member of the ensemble, Robert Malave/FB had a look I found fascinating. If Patio Playhouse ever decides to do “The Addams Family – The Musical“, they should cast Malave as Gomez because he has the perfect look (and I’m sure, maniacal behavior). Rick Hernandez/FB gave a great performance as “The Hermit”, but he really needed dark sunglasses to pull off the blind look convincingly (yes, they are stereotypical, but this is Mel Brooks, who loves to play the stereotypes). Steve Bohnstedt’s Inspector Kemp was good but needed a bit more projection, plus the arm effects didn’t work out quite right (affecting the humor). Lastly, as Ziggy (the village idiot), John Rogers/FB had a wonderful idiotic look throughout, and was a delight to watch. Rounding out the cast, in various ensemble and singing positions, were Helen Brehm/FB (dancer/ensemble), Matthew Brehm (dancer/ensemble), Heidi Breuer (octet/ensemble), Candace Carbajal (FB) (dancer/ensemble),  Linda Claudius/FB (octet/ensemble), Josalyn Dietrich/FB (dancer/ensemble), Connie Fischl/FB (octet/ensemble), Matt FitzGerald/FB (dancer/ensemble), Ali Robbins-Goddard/FB (dancer/octet/ensemble), Judy Gonsalves/FB (ensemble), Cathy Pence/FB (octet/ensemble), Jennifer Purviance/FB (octet/ensemble), Curtis Quay (Mr. Hilltop), Michaela Summers/FB (dancer/ensemble), Karen Tavares/FB (ensemble), Stephen Tavares (ensemble), Brenda Townsend/FB (octet/ensemble), Andre Urbano (dancer/ensemble), and Myra Zamora/FB (dancer/ensemble) . In general, the quality of the ensemble was mixed: about ⅔^rds to ¾^ths were strong and inhabited their roles quite well, but there were a few that just seemed to be focusing more on getting the steps right than having fun. [ETA: Again, this is not a complaint -- it was actually quite good for a community production... rather it is more of a goal to work towards.]

The orchestra sat off to the side and provided reasonable sound. It was under the direction of Emily Awkerman (FB) (who was on the keyboards) and Christian Tordahl (conductor). The remaining members of the orchestra were Dan Townsend/FB (Percussion), Mike Mahoney/FB (French Horn), Taylor Ingalls/FB (Clarinet, Accordion), Sabrina Ingalls/FB (Clarinet), Steve Yee (Trumpet I), Ken Carstens (Trumpet II), Marcia Yee (Violin I), Bill Oakes (Trombone), J. D. Noland (Trombone), Debbie Olson (Flute, Piccolo), and Tim Knorr (Bass).

The production was directed by Mary Bright/FB and Richard Brousil/FB.  Given that they were working with community-level performers and what I’m guessing was a low budget, they did a remarkable job. The performances, in general, were strong and believable (well, as much as anything can be believed in this show). Choreography was by Evelyn Lamden/FB, assisted by Candace Carbajal (FB). The dance, in general, was good. A number of the numbers needed a bit more precision (e.g., when tap dancing, the taps should be a single “bang”), but then again, this was community theatre. [ETA: Again, a comment noted that the stage at the Kit Carson was rather beat up, affecting both sound and movement.]  There was also the issue of the painted on smile during dancing — I’d much rather see the dancers internal joy at the movement and fun. But, as I said, it was great for community theatre. Vocal direction was by Emily Awkerman (FB) and Cheryl Hernandez/FB.

Now to the technical. I’m coming to believe that the main distinguishing factor between community theatre and professional theatre is the quality of the sets. Professional theatre either has perfect sets or sets so simple that your imagination gives you the perfection. Community theatre attempts the realistic but doesn’t quite make it. The sets here were mostly flats with a rough-painted wall that worked good enough for the show. They didn’t compare to the quality of the national tour sets, but that’s not a surprise. However, the limitations of the sets did force some compromises based on the synopsis. I do applaud the use of the hidden hydraulic scissors lift to substitute for the lack of fly space. The set design was by Richard Brousil/FB, with props by  Connie Fischl/FB. Georgette Fleuret‘s costume design worked well for the most part, modulo the problem I highlighted above (e.g., the ladies costumes needed to channel Mel Brooks and emphasize the tits). Makeup was by Shawna Greshik.

If there was one area the show had a problem, it was sound. The sound effects worked well, although there were occasional timing glitches. More problematic were the microphones that kept cutting in and out. I don’t know if this was a problem endemic to the facility, but the sound design by David Farlow/FB should have compensated better. The lighting design by Bryan Slothower/FB worked reasonably well. Technical design was by Bruce Blackwell/FB, Chris DeArmond/FB, Dan Townsend/FB, and David Farlow/FB. Mark Lansing was the special effects operator. Jen Ernst/FB was the stage manager. “Young Frankenstein” was produced by Brenda Townsend/FB.

[ETA: Seeing how well this company did with the problems they faced, I'd be intrigued to see one of their productions at their home "black box" stage. Alas, we live in Northridge (San Fernando Valley), and the drive to Escondido is a bit far for most shows (our usual southern extent is Chance Theatre in the Anaheim Hills. Perhaps on another visit to Escondido.]

Two last notes:  First, although there names are not in the program, the two young ladies who did the raffle were delightful in their enthusiasm, stage presence, and general joy. They made losing the raffle worth the price of admission. Second, “boos” to those audience members who could not stay away from their cell phones for a 3 hour show, or who insisted in holding them up, screens lit, to take non-flash pictures. If you are in an audience, please remember that the light from a cellphone screen disturbs not only the actors, but the audience members seated around you. You can live without the phone for a few hours, and pictures are typically contractually prohibited during the show. Find your friends afterwards and take all the pictures you want.

Last night was the final performance of Patio Playhouse (FB)’s “Young Frankenstein“. Their next production is “Almost, Maine“, starting August 30. Based on the quality of this production, I’d recommend their productions to those that live in the area (alas, it is too long of a drive from the San Fernando Valley).

ETA: Lastly, some words about the venue. Kit Carson Park was easy to find and parking was a breeze. However, don’t get it confused with the Moonlight Amphitheatre — there is no real space for picnicing, and the wasps in the area are a bit aggressive (we had one who kept dive bombing us). There’s not much rake to the amphitheatre; we were lucking to get patio chairs upfront, as opposed to the normal benches. Bring a blanket to sit on, and be prepared for it to be a little cool after the sun goes down.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  This afternoon we’re going to another local show, “Coastal City Jazz Band with Andy Martin” in Carlsbad, CA. Theatre-wise, next Sunday brings Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose (FB). After a break for the High Holy Day, theatre resumes with “The Vagina Monologues” on September 15th at REP East (FB), and we return to REP East (FB) for “God of Carnage” (September 28). October 5th brings “Breath and Imagination” at the Colony Theatre (FB), as well as the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” at the end of the month (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB), as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23), and “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but the specific dates have not been announced. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Back in 1982, I was captivated by the performance of Kathi Moss is “Be Italian”, from the musical “Nine“, on the Tony Awards. I quickly went out and got the cast album, and promptly fell in love with the music. I saw it on the Tony’s again in 2003, and have distinct memories of seeing “Getting Tall” somehwere. (I’ve never seen the movie). But I’ve never had the opportunity to see the full musical. So when DOMA Theatre Company (FB) opted to mount “Nine” this summer, I jumped at the opportunity to see it (although I was disappointed this postponed the scheduled “Sweet Charity“, but hopefully that will show up some day). Last night we saw the show at DOMA; here are my thoughts.

“Nine” (book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston) is based upon the movie “8½” by Federico Fellini. It tells the story of Guido Contini, a celebrated Italian director who has just signed a contract to make a new movie. The only problem is — he has no idea what the movie will be about. He goes off to a spa in Venice with his wife, Luisa, to try to find an idea for the movie.  Once at the spa, he continues to juggle women — his wife; his mistress, Carla; his producer, Liliane LaFleur; her assistant, Stephanie Necrophorus; and the ladies of the spa. Further, as his creative block worsens, his past starts to blend with his present, adding his mother to the mix. This includes the memories of Saraghina, the whore, and how he visited her when he was 9. He’s also juggling his cast, including Claudia Nardi, his lead actress, who he wants for the film, but who doesn’t want to keep playing the same role. He eventually comes upon a subject (Casanova) and starts filming, but it ends up being his life, and it ends up collapsing. All the women in his life start to leave him — Carla, Claudia, Luisa, Liliane. This leads him to attempt suicide. He ends up confronting… himself.

The book for this production appears to have been a jumble from the 2003 revival and the movie. I’ve read the synopsis of both the 1982 original and the 2003 revival. This production omitted “The Germans at the Spa”, making it the 2003 revival version. However, the ending fitted neither the 1982 nor 2003 versions. In the DOMA version, Guido just confronts and accepts his 9-year old self at the end. I don’t recall the women returning (sans Luisa), nor do I recall him returning to Luisa. More significantly, they didn’t do “Getting Tall”, which is what makes the point about Guido’s rediscovery of himself at the end. In fact, their musical sections are a bit of a jumble, as they interpolate two songs from the movie: “Cinema Italiano” at the start of Act II (after “The Bells of St. Sebastian”), and “Guarda La Luna” in the “Getting Tall” position just before the closing “Long Ago”. The former works, although it wasn’t where it was in the film; the latter doesn’t and adds to the closing confusion. As a result of these changes, I found myself enjoying much of the musical, but being totally confused at the end. Perhaps that was an homage to Italian Cinema.

I think the fault here belongs with the executive producer / director / musical stager, Marco Gomez. Although he did a wonderful job on bringing out great performances from his actors, a number of his choices just didn’t resonate with me. As I noted above, I found the changes he made in the ending confusing. Additionally, I felt he didn’t bring out sufficient sex and sensuality in the performances. This could just have been a simple fault of the costumes, but rewatching the 1982 segment highlighted the fact that some of it was in the choreography and staging as well. Guido is a man driven by sex and guilt, and that didn’t come across as strong as it should have. Lastly, although I liked the actress and her performance, I felt that Saraghina should have had a different look — larger, earthier, lustier, enjoying life, enjoying sex, enjoying everything. Even casting a smaller women than I saw in my mind, the director should have been able to bring out that lust — but it just didn’t come across.

Modulo that, it was a beautiful production. I just love, love, love some of the music in “Nine“. Songs like “Only With You”, “Unusual Way”, and “Simple” are just so lilting and lovely. Other songs, such as “Folies Bergeres” and “Be Italian”, are great production numbers. The performances told the story well, and some of the performances were simply spectacular. Even with the confusing ending, this is a musical production worth seeing. The movement and dance, staged by Gomez and the Choreographer, Rae Toledo (FB; FB-DIO) is a delight to watch and does what it can to bring out the sex (which is why I think the problem was the costumes). DOMA, once again, demonstrates how a “Broadway” musical can work well, if not better, in the intimate size of an under-99-seat production.

One of the best things about this production is the cast. Going out of order for a minute, I’ll talk about my favorite — the cast with a cast. As Claudia Nardi, Toni Smith (FB; resume) just blew me away. Evidently, she injured her foot at some point, and was dancing with a foot-boot and a cane. These were bejeweled, and she used them to give a wonderful nuance to her character. She demonstrated that one could do conservative movement and still come off as sexy and powerful. Of course, then she opened her mouth and sang. Wow! In her numbers — particularly “Cinema Italiano” and “Unusual Way” — she was just remarkable. This performance is worth seeing for Smith’s performance alone.

Now for the rest of the cast.

Faces. One of the things I noticed about this cast were their faces — expressive, reacting, and demonstrating  (at least to my untrained eye) what acting really is. It is in the small movements that actors connect with their audience. Nowhere was this seen better than in the performance of the lead, David Michael Treviño (FB) as Guido Contini. Watch Treviño’s face during the opening number, or during “I Can’t Make This Movie”. So expressive. This is then topped by a wonderful singing voice that comes across in all of his numbers. Treviño is the center of this show, and he carries it well.

Guido’s heart and solemate — although he doesn’t realize it until too late — is his wife Luisa. Melissa Anjose (FB) is just lovely as Luisa. She has a very strong singing voice, demonstrated in both “My Husband Makes Movies” and “Be On Your Own”, and has a very powerful performance presence. Again, Anjose is someone with a very expressive face that is just a delight to watch as it reacts to the changing situation. The face, to me, is one of those ways I can tell if an actor is living the role vs. playing a part. Anjose is one that seemed to be living her role.

Guido’s mistress, Carla Albanese, was played by Lovlee Carroll (FB), who we last saw as a lead in Xanadu. As with her Kira, initially I was unsure about her based on her look. But again, she gave a performance that was just perfect, especially in songs such as “A Call from the Vatican” and “Simple”.

Guido’s producer, Liliane LaFleur, was portrayed by Emilia Sotelo (FB). She was just a knockout in her production number “Folies Bergeres”, and I also enjoyed her performance at the end as the movie is coming apart. Working with her on the Folies number was Andrea Arvanigian (FB) as Stephanie Necrophorus. Arvanigian got the patter number within “Folies” (“The trouble with Contini…”) and did a very good job with it. I’ll note that Sotelo did what I think was a wonderful ad lib with a 2-year old in the audience about being too young to be at the Folies.

Now we come to Saraghina, who was played by Liza Baron (FB), who we last saw at REP East in “Jewtopia”. For this number, my mind was colored, alas, by the Tony performance. I was expecting someone larger, lustier, and exuding sex. Baron did a great job with what she had — singing well, dancing well, and acting well. Looking back (after a night’s sleep), I think the fault was less the actor and more the staging. Had she been a little more lustily playful with Little Guido, it would have had an entirely different effect. So I enjoyed Baron’s performance, and I’d like to go back and see it again, removing the Tony coloration.

Rounding out the cast were Donovan Baise (Little Guido), Michelle Holmes (FB) (Guido’s Mother), Brittany Rodin (FB) (Our Lady of the Spa), Amy Garbett (FB) (Mama Maddelena), Tania Possick (FB) (Diana), Devin Holliman (FB) (Maria), Ra’Shawn Durell (FB) (Francesco / Cardinal), Victor Mercado (FB) (Renato), and Alex Favela (FB) (Angelo). All were strong — particularly Baise as Little Guido and Holmes as Guido’s mother. As for the rest of the ensemble, they danced, moved, and expressed themselves well (remember, I watch the faces). There were just a few moments with the ensemble where the faces looked more focused on getting the moves right than inhabiting the character; hopefully these will improve as the show is performed more.

Music was provided by an excellent on stage band under the direction of Chris Raymond (FB), who was at the keyboard conducting. Supporting him were Ng Yuhong (FB) (Keyboard 2); Tom Luer (FB) (Reeds 1); Stephen Clothier (Reeds 2); James Blackwell (Trumpet); Antonio Rodrigo (FB) (Bass); and Ben Rose (FB; FB-Fan) (Drums/Percussion).

Turning to the technical. The sound design of David Crawford (FB) was strong and clear, although I was a little unsure why amplification was required. The sound effects worked well, although I was a little confused by some of the background noises. Johnny Ryman (FB)’s lighting design worked well, effectively conveying different moves and highlighting the actors well. The set by Amanda Lawson (FB) worked well given the limitations of the DOMA space — I always enjoy the creativity a black-box theatre forces upon the set designer, making them move from a semi-realistic set that a large theatre with fly-space can accomodate to something that forces the audience to use their imagination to create the place. The set design was supported by the properties work of Hallie Baran (FB). Irvin Jimenez (FB) did the costumes, assisted by Ellie Lynn Follett (FB) [Wardrobe Assistant] and Mayra Jimenez (FB) [Wardrobe Supervisor]. The costumes worked reasonably well, but… I wish they were sexier. Especially when dealing with Italian cinema in the 1960s (the time period of this show), bra straps should not have been visible. There needed to be a little bit more titillation and daring — the most exposing costumes were the bike shorts on the male dancers. I also have the belief that the gift from Guido to Carla should have been sexier — given the dialogue of the song, one expected something extremely risqué, and to get a black dress with a fancy necklace seemed off. This is not to say that the costumes were bad (I particularly enjoyed how Claudia was dressed); rather, I felt that they needed a little something more. Timothy Miller (FB) was the Technical Director, assisted by Steve Mendoza (FB). Danielle DeMasters (FB) was the Production Manager. Nicholas Acciani (FB) was the stage manager, and the house was managed by Edgar Edgerly (FB). Victor Mercado (FB) is the artistic director of DOMA.

“Nine – The Musical” continues at DOMA Theatre Company until August 18, 2013. Tickets are available through the DOMA website. They are also on numerous discount sites: LA Stage Alliance, Plays411, and Goldstar. It is well worth seeing.

Dining Notes.  We had dinner before the show down the street at Rinconcito Guatemalteco. The food was very tasty and the prices were great (as for ambiance … this is a dive). Alas, for the bell pepper sensitive, you have to be careful ordering.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  Next week is the only other ticketed show we have in August: “The Apple Tree” at ELATE/Lincoln Stegman]. I haven’t yet figured out what, if anything, we’re seeing for our wedding anniversary weekend. We may also see a show at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido at the end of the month (depending on price), or at another venue in San Diego (I particularly noted a production of “Young Frankenstein” in the park). September may bring Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose (FB) and “Blue Man Group” at the Hollywood Bowl. The middle of the month may bring “The Vagina Monologues” at REP East (FB), and the end definitely sees us back at REP East (FB) for “God of Carnage” (September 28). October 5th brings “Breath and Imagination” at the Colony Theatre (FB), as well as the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” at the end of the month (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB), as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23), and “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but the specific dates have not been announced. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Movie-to-stage adaptations are interesting beasts, especially when the target is a musical. The notion seems to be: take a familiar property, add music, stir well, and you end up with something entertaining for the audience. Sometimes the transition works spectacularly (“The Producers“), and sometimes it doesn’t (“King of Hearts“). Sometimes the transition is a serious rexploration and musicalization (“Man of No Importance“), sometimes it is a camp romp and parody(“Xanadu“), but most often it is somewhere in the middle. One such translation is the movie “Legally Blonde” (2001), a fun summer flick about a blonde sorority girl chasing her man to law school, and discovering something about herself. The theatrical doppelganger to this confection appeared on Broadway in 2007: “Legally Blonde – The Musical“; it is currently on-stage in Thousand Oaks at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) in an excellent regional/professional production (non-tour). We saw it last night, and here are my thoughts on the show.

“Legally Blonde – The Musical” (book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin), based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the motion picture) is a relatively faithful translation. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a UCLA Delta Nu sorority girl, about to be engaged to Warner Huntington III. When Warner dumps her for someone more serious to advance his law career, Elle makes the decision to follow him to Harvard Law School. She gets in, and initially her “blonde” ways get her rejected both by the other students and a key law professor, Callahan. But the teaching assistant Emmett Forrest, together with a mental greek chorus of her sorority sisters keep her positive. She decides to become a brunette, but the beautician Paulette, who convinces her to stay blonde and keep plugging away. After another setback when she embarrasses herself, Emmett helps Elle reassess her priorities until she realizes it is her obsession with Warner that keeps her from earning his respect. This helps her move forward legally, and win a coveted internship position. During this internship, Elle has to defined fitness queen, Brooke Wyndham, a former Delta Nu. Elle obtains Wyndham’s alibi where no one else could, but never discloses it. Instead, Elle and Emmett use smarts to break the case open. Calahan hits on Elle, and so Elle and Emmett go of on their own, are hired by Wyndham, and subsequently use fashion smarts to prove Wyndham’s innocence. Cue happy ending. [This is a summary - you can find a full synopsis on Wikipedia]

The translation to the stage makes a number of changes from the movie. Some are minor, and others are annoying and nonsensical. Emmett’s involvement is increased into a significant mentorship role (essentially incorporating the role of the female Law School president). This works. The end is also changed from Emmett and Elle dating to Elle proposing to Emmett, which also works well and shows an important change in Elle’s character. What doesn’t work are the changes to Paulette’s role, which is not only expanded in importance, but has a large Irish dance aspect added for no rational reason. These changes annoyed my wife, who is movie purist for this movie; for me, the only annoying change was the Irish stuff. Why, oh why, did they feel the need to add that?

Otherwise, I think this was a relatively successful adaptation — primarily because they played up the sillyness and humor to just the right amount. They lampooned sorority stereotypes and various behaviors without turning into camp, and without turning the production into a parody of the movie (“Silence!“). This, combined with the high energy production as the excellent direction by Tiffany Engen (FB), made this production a joy to watch.

I normally don’t talk much about the direction, for I have difficulty separating what the director brings to the production from what the actors bring to the production. The Cabrillo production was directed and choreographed by Tiffany Engen (FB), with choreography assistance by her sister, Brooke Engen (FB), based on the original Broadway choreography by Jerry Mitchell. These two blondes (the Engen girls, not Mitchell) brought a delightful manic energy and joy to the production — these actors were having fun with the moves, story, and performance, and that joy was transmitted to the audience, making this a fun show. There was a great mix of realism and fantasy, played well. I’m guessing this is the contribution of the director, but it wasn’t so heavy-handed that it wasn’t natural. In other words, so to speak, this was clearly a natural Blonde, not a bleached bottle Blonde that is trying too hard.

Helping this all work together was an excellent acting ensemble, led by Emma Egerstadt* (FB, FB Fan, @DegerstedtEmma). Based solely on her look on the advertising postcards, I wasn’t sure she was right for the part. Then I saw her performance, and… wow! This young women was perfection as Elle — bubbly and determined, playful and sarcastic, and basically just a delight to watch. Hopefully, this is one of those Cabrillo finds that will go far in her career, and I hope to see her more on stage. Stealing the stage from Emma whenever he was on, however, was Frankie, the rescue dog playing Bruiser. Well-training and full of energy, this 7-year Chihuahua barked, jumped, and acted with abandon. Perhaps that’s why he was only on in selected scenes.

The second tier of actors were also excellent. Of particular note were Matt Bauer (FB, Muffookies) as Emmett, who portrayed a wonderful level of comfort and wisdom, as well as being an excellent actor, singer, and dancer. As Paulette, Lowe Taylor* (FB) was also very strong. We saw her back in 2011, in the Blank production of The Cradle Will Rock and we were impressed with her singing then; this show cemented the fact that she is a wonderful performer. Another notable performer was John D. Lemay (FB) as Callahan, who we’ve seen in numerous Cabrillo productions.  Lemay gave off a wonderful sharky-slime vibe, as well as being a great singer. Another supporting performer of particular note was Natalie Storrs (FB) as Vivienne. We were introduced to Storrs in Cabrillo’s You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, where I wasn’t sure about Storrs’ look as Lucy, but was won over by her comic timing and singing skills. Both were put to great effect here, and she just was a delight as Vivienne (which was, inexplicably changed from the movie’s Vivian).  Lastly, Jaycie Dotin (FB) was wonderfully exhausting as Brooke, especially in her dance number that opened Act II.

However, in reality, all the supporting actors and ensemble was strong in their singing, dancing, and performance skills and it is difficult to highlight specific performances. Rounding out the cast were J. D. Driskill (FB, @jddriskill) (Warner); Sheila Karls (FB) (Enid); Veronica Dunne (FB?) (Margot); Kimberly Ann Moore/FB (Pilar); Caitlyn Calfas (FB) (Serena); Ben Bowen (FB) (UPS [Kyle] / Dewey); Ryan Braun (FB) (Aaron Shultz); Rachel Burkert/FB (Whitney / Delta Nu); Nathaniel Flatt (FB) (Nikos / Padamadon); Jay Gamboa/FB (Bailiff); Raquel Jeté (FB) (Judge / Delta Nu); Ashley Jones (FB) (Kate / Chutney); Kurt Kemper (FB) (Kiki); Natalie MacDonald/FB (Lellani / Stenographer / Cat Lady / Delta Nu); Sabrina Olivieri/FB (D.A. Joyce / Delta Nu); Jayson Puls/FB (DJ Chad / Ensemble); Tracy Ray Reynolds (FB) (Elle’s Mom); Kelly Roberts/FB (Elle’s Dad / Winthrop); Alex Sanchez/FB (D.A. Jack); and Lamont Whitaker (FB) (Carlos).

The musical side of the production was excellent.  Darryl Archibald (FB), who we last saw at Next to Normal, was musical director and conducted the wonderful Cabrillo orchestra. He was assisted by Kevin Roland (FB). The orchestra consisted of Darryl Archibald (FB) (Keyboard Synthesizer), Kevin Roland (FB) (Keyboard Synthesizer II), Alby Potts (FB) (Keyboard Synthesizer III), Sharon Cooper (Violin), Ian Dahlberg (FB) (Alto Sax, Oboe, English Horn, Flute, Clarinet, Piccolo), Gary Rautenberg (FB) (Baritone Sax, Clarinet Flute), Stan Hernacki (FB) (Trumpet I, Flugelhorn), Scott Wright (FB) (Trumpet II, Flugelhorn), David Blake (FB) (Tenor and Bass Trombone), Steve Bethers (Electric and Acoustic Guitar), Shane Harry (Double String and Electric Bass), Alan Peck (Set Drums), and Kelly Weaver (Percussion).

Technically, the show was a marvel. Under the technical Direction of Gary Wissmann, people and set pieces were flying everywhere but it was all working out great. The scenery was originally designed by John Patrick for Citrus College Music Theatre workshop, and worked very well. The costumes, designed by Carin Jacobs for FCLO Music Theatre in Fullerton, worked well (although the UCLA costumes weren’t UCLA). Wardrobe supervision was by Christine Gibson. Hair and Makeup was by Cassie Russek.  The lighting by  Christina L. Munich worked very well in establishing the mood and scene, and Jonathan Burke (FB)’s sound, as always, was clear and crisp. Animal Training was by William Berloni.  Allie Roy* (FB) was the production stage manager, and Kirsten D’agostaro Shook (FB) was the assistant stage manager. Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) is under the artistic direction of Lewis Wilkenfeld (FB), who also introduced the show and introduced the stage crew just before Act II when he awarded a stage crew scholarship.

The last performance of “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) is today at 2pm. Tickets are available at the box office. Cabrillo has also announced their 2013-2014 season: Kiss Me Kate (October 18-27, 2013); Forever Plaid (January 31-February 9, 2014); In The Heights (March 28-April 6, 2014); and Bye Bye Birdie (July 18-27, 2014). Prices run from $229 for Orchestra to $100 for balcony, with special kids rates. Contact Cabrillo for more information.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  This afternoon brings “Exposure” from OperaWorks at CSUN (FB). August starts with Nine at DOMA Theatre Ensemble (FB). That will be followed by “The Apple Tree” at ELATE/Lincoln Stegman]. Otherwise, August is currently completely open due to vacation planning, although we may see a show at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido at the end of the month (depending on price), or at another venue in San Diego. September may bring Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose (FB) and “Blue Man Group” at the Hollywood Bowl. The middle of the month may bring “The Vagina Monologues” at REP East (FB), and the end definitely sees us back at REP East (FB) for “God of Carnage” (September 28). October 5th brings “Breath and Imagination” at the Colony Theatre (FB), as well as the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” at the end of the month (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB), as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23), and “Miracle on S. Division Street” at the Colony Theatre (FB).  The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but the specific dates have not been announced. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Life is absurd. You might as well accept the fact and enjoy the humor of life. This seems to be the point of the musical we saw last night at The Odyssey Theatre Group in West Los Angeles: “Ionescopade: A Musical Vaudeville“. Ionescopade is different than most musicals we have seen — there really is no through story (although there is a book); yet the disparate parts combine to give an overall through-line and message, if one is aware enough to see it. It is not for everyone; a number of audience members left during intermission. But for those who stick it out, you’ll have a thoroughly enjoyable evening — even if it is slightly strange. [Note: Musicals in LA posted an album on Facebook with images from the show. As it is public, throughout this post I'll be linking to it. I encourage you to look at the images.]

Ionescopade is a musical that lives up to its subtitle: A Musical Vaudeville. The two-hour musical (with intermission) is a series of individual musical skits, connected only by a non-speaking character referred to only in the initial skit as “The Writer” (Alan Arlow). This character brings props and such on-stage and interacts with the remainder of the troup, yet remains apart from the rest of the actors. In a number of ways, “The Writer” is both a comic and an observer of the absurdity of the action (image).

All of the skits are drawn from the works of Eugene Ionesco, who is perhaps the father of absurdist theatre. Ionesco write a number of absurdist plays that are still produced, such as Rhinocerous. Ionesco dealt with the realities of facism, decay, corruption, and disgust for the tangible by retreating into the absurd. Perhaps this is best captured from the Rhinocerous quote in the program: “There are many sides to reality. Choose the one that’s best for you.” To construct Ionesopade, Robert Allan Ackerman (original concept) and Mildren Kayden (music and lyrics) drew upon Ionesco scenes, short plays, journal passages, conversations, and characters across all of Ionesco’s works. These were assembled into skits developed for a group of 6 actors and augmented with songs. Each skit is humourous in its absurdity, with points of laugh-out-loud funny and others of amazement. As you can guess, it is hard to describe.

Here are some examples. The Cooking Lesson (image) has Joey D’Auria and Alan Abelew  teaching how to cook a hard-boiled egg. There are lots of sight gags and simple sleight-of-hand magic, and the piece is simply enjoyable. The Leader has a number of characters worshipping their leader, and excited about seeing their leader. When the leader is finally seen, the leader is a puppet with no head. One character makes a remark along the lines that many popular leaders are headless. There’s a similar point being made about the absurdity of government in The Peace Conference (image) where the characters are simply arguing with each other without making any point at all.  Perhaps this is because they would rather talk at each other than listen. Sound familiar?

There’s also a chilling monologue in The Killer, where you wonder where the real insanity lies.

There are other skits that are just absurd, such as the one involving vaudeville Bobby Watson and family (all named Bobby Watson) (image), the one involving Mother Peep and her chicks, or the Wipe-out Games (where everyone seems to die).  There’s also a great musical number in Everyone is Like Me, where nothing is as it seems to be.

In short, the production is absurd. The director (who had a great interview in LA Stage Times) perhaps said it best: “watch it and don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out.  Just let it wash over you, concentrating on each object to the next.  Have a good time and think about it later.”

The madness of the production was under the firm directoral (and choreographical) hand of Bill Castellino, assisted directorially by Amanda Rountree/FB and choreographically by Camden Gonzales (FB). They somehow keep the craziness in check, make the characters seem realistic yet absurd, and provide great movement.

This is truly an ensemble piece, with only Alan Abelew* playing a single character throughout. All of the ensemble was great — let me highlight something about each member (I’ve already discussed Abelew). Andrew Abelson* (FB) gave a standout performance in The Killer and in the song Madeline. Joey D’Auria* (FB), a former Bozo-the-clown in Chicago was excellent throughout, but particularly so in Bobby Watson, The Cooking Lesson, in the song Josette, as one of the negotiators in The Peace Conference, and Frenzy for Two. Cristina Gerla (FB), whose performance just drew my eye to her throughout, was spectacular in Ginger Wildcat, Surprising People, and the Mother Peep number [I have this strong feeling that Gerla is either the daughter, or more likely grand-daughter, of my MS Thesis advisor at UCLA, Dr. Mario Gerla]. Kelly Lester* (FB) was great as the Prima Ballerina, Mother Peep, and numerous other roles. Tom Lowe (FB) was strong in Everyone Is Like Me and numerous other roles. Lastly, Jennifer Malenke* (FB) was strong as the Bald Soprano and in other roles.

The production was under the musical direction of Gerald Sternbach (FB), who also was wonderful at the piano. Assisting him on-stage were Hayan Charlston (FB) playing the reeds and Tina Curtis playing all sorts of percussion. They were just a hoot to listen to (and I really wish there was a recording of them doing this show).

Technically, the production was simple. The set by David Potts was simple: angled boxes and abstract clouds. This fit the absurdist nature of the piece. This was augmented by the wonderful props of Katherine S. Hunt (FB), which helped to bring the piece to light. Lighting was by Jeremy Pivnick (FB) and was both effective and creative. Similarly effective and creative were the costumes of Mylette Nora, especially in numbers such as Bobby Watson, Mother Peep, and … hell… the entire things was creatively costumed. The sound design was by Joe Behm/FB and Josie Griffin-Roosth (who also served as the stage manager). Ionescopade was produced by Ron Sossi (FB).

Ionescopade continues at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble through August 11. It is well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the Odyssey Box Office or through Goldstar Events.

http://cahighways.org/wordpress/Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  Next weekend sees us back in Newhall for “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East (FB) on July 14. The following weekend is open for my wife’s birthday, and the end of July brings “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) and (hopefully)  OperaWorks at CSUN (FB). August starts with Nine at DOMA Theatre Ensemble (FB), but otherwise is currently completely open due to vacation planning, although we may see a show at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido at the end of the month (depending on price), or at another venue in San Diego. September may bring Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose (FB) and “Blue Man Group” at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as “God of Carnage” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (September 28). October is mostly open, but should bring the Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB) production of “Kiss Me Kate” at the end of the month (October 26). November will start (hopefully) with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi (FB), as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (FB) (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market — tickets are now on sale). November will conclude with “Play It Again Sam” at REP East (FB) at the end of the month (November 23).  The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” (FB) by Transfer Theatre, but the specific dates have not been announced. We also still haven’t heard anything as to whether the Colony Theatre (FB) will have a 2013-2014 season. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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We don’t always go to the theatre. Point in case: Last night saw us in Santa Monica (which was about 20° cooler than the 103° in Northridge) to see a wonderful singer, Maria Muldaur at McCabes Guitar Shop.

It is hard to categorize Maria Muldaur, other than “good”. She started out singing Jug Band music with her then husband, Geoff Muldaur, in the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. She hit the pop charts in 1974 with “Midnight at the Oasis“, but was part of the folk and jug band scene going back to 1963 and Greenwich Village. She had done 40 albums with a wide variety of musical styles, from New Orleans jazz to Blues to Big Band to Gospel. She was also part of the Grateful Dead as a backing singer (which explains the Deadheads at the show). I was first introduced to her in the 1970s when joined with Peter Yarrow on the song “Tall Pine Trees” on Peter’s first solo album, Peter. I was reintroduced to her when recording folk and blues album for my uncle, who had a few of her solo albums. I’ve since acquired a few more albums, so when I saw that she was going to be at McCabes, I got tickets.

Unlike Elton John, Maria’s performance was very simple. Maria (on tambourine), backed by her Red Hot Bluesiana Band (featuring someone whose name I’ve forgotten on guitar, Chris Burns on keyboards/bass, and Dave Tucker on drums). I didn’t record a formal song set, but here’s what I remember: (I Am) Woman • Me and My Chauffeur Blues • Long as I Can See You Smile • I’m Going Back Home • In My Girlish Days • He Calls That Religion • Don’t You Feel My Leg • Midnight at the Oasis • Please Send Me Someone To Love • It Ain’t The Meat, It’s The Motion • I’ve Done Made It Up In My Mind and Bessie’s Advice. Most of the stuff was from her first two albums and her two most recent albums.

In general, her vocal quality and performance quality was wonderful (although my wife noted that, in Midnight at the Oasis, she couldn’t hit the high notes that she used to be able to hit). Her voice has mellowed into a great blues voice, not as much of the pop voice it once was. Her backing group was great — I particularly enjoyed the keyboardist.

Maria is currently on tour in California: those in the Bay Area can see her on July 6/7 with the Jim Kweskin Jug Bag at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.  She’ll also be in Sacramento.

Dining Notes: Discovered a new restaurant (to us) for when we go to McCabes: Lares Restaurant. Next to the classic Raes, Lares is an excellent Mexican restaurant, in walking distance to McCabes (meaning you only need to park once). We’ll be back the next time we go to McCabes.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:  Tonight bring Man of No Importance“ (Hollywood Fringe) at the Lillian.   July starts with a musical we had originally planned for Fathers Day weekend: “Ionescapade” at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. That will be followed by “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East on July 14, and “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo at the end of the month. July will also (hopefully) see us as OperaWorks at CSUN. August is currently completely open due to vacation planning, although we may see a show at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido at the end of the month (depending on price), or at another venue in San Diego.

Continuing the look ahead: September may bring Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose and “Blue Man Group” at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as “God of Carnage” at REP East. October is open, but should the Cabrillo production of “Kiss Me Kate” somewhere, as well as “Dirty Rotten Soundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi. November will bring “Play It Again Sam” at REP East as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market). The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” by Transfer Theatre. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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Some say that the definition of “insanity” is doing the same thing and expecting different results (others say that that the DSM is wrong and we’re only diagnosing based on symptoms, but that’s later in this post). So, then, are theatre goers insane — we often go and see the same show over and over. Are we expecting different results, or are we just expecting to see the same show?  What do we expect to see in the different versions?

I can’t answer for everyone, but for me, I see different productions of the same show to find nuances, to see particular actors, and to see how different venues approach the material (especially different sized venues). I’m bringing this all up because last night I went to see a musical about mental illness; a musical that I last saw only a few years ago at the end of 2010. The musical is “Next to Normal” (music by Tom Kitt; book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey), and I decided to see it again because (a) I like the show, but more importantly (b) our experiences with the director and a number of cast members led me to conclude that this would be an excellent production. I wasn’t wrong — it wasn’t insanity to see “Next to Normal” again; rather, it was an experience that was well worth the drive (it was out in La Mirada, where we last saw Johnny Guitar in 2006) and provided additional insights.

As I’ve seen the show (and written up the show before), I’ll just repeat the synopsis I wrote up the last time. The story didn’t change from then:

“Next to Normal” tells the story of a dysfunctional family: the mother (Diana) who is falling deeper and deeper into the depths of her mental illness (bipolar); the father (Dan) who is attempting to hold it all together; the daughter Natalie who has been lost in the shuffle, and the son, Gabriel, who is the lynchpin for Diana’s illness. It is the story about how holding on to something too tightly can be just as damaging as not holding it enough… or at all. It is the story of how treating mental illness is not an exact science; although doctors offer a range of treatments from pharmacology to talk therapy to hypnosis to even stronger therapies, it is just throwing spaghetti on the wall. It is the story of Natalie and Henry, and how being in the middle of dysfunction and mental illness can affect a teen relationship… and how one can use substances to attempt to run away from problems, but it doesn’t help. Ultimately, it is the story of family, and that things don’t always work out how you expect them, but hopefully they work out for the best.

“Next to Normal” is such a great musical due to its honest treatment of mental illness. We see there is no cut-and-dried treatment. In “Next to Normal”, the triggering event for Diana is the death of her son at 8 months. She never lets go of the grief; rather, she embraces it and truly keeps her son alive in her mind, to the detriment of everything else. Although initially she could apparently cope (and even had another child shortly after), she began to lose it as her daughter got older. This impacted her daughter, for her mother never drew close to her. Diana’s husband, Dan, reacted in the other direction: he detached from his son, wanting to hide the memories away in a box, and live focused on the present. The latter (as the musical implies) is equally unhealthy, but is more acceptable to society. It also showed the differences in thinking for many men, who make a commitment to be there for the ones we love; good or bad, we hold things together.

(returning to the present) Every time I see this show, I see echoes of my life. I had a brother who died when I was ten; my mother went into a deep depression shortly thereafter that (I believed) colored her life thereafter and ultimately led to behaviors that killed her. Valium was indeed her favorite color. My wife has dealt with depression (successfully), and I’ve seen her mother deal with the inability to let go of grief. As I said the last time I saw this show: “The musical hits home for those that live with depression: the inability to get anything done and how that affects the family. It hits home with those who live with the manic side as well: the up-at-all-hours unpredictability that is equally taxing. This hits home—it is a deeply personal, touching musical.”

I also said last time — and I still agree — that Next to Normal is one of the best examples of a musical that needs the stage. Movies tend to be focused in the real (even if that is an alternative reality). What we see on the screen is realistic. Musicals allow the emotions to come out and be expressed, and Next to Normal is all about emotions. If you can find a production of this near you, it is well worth seeing.

As I wrote in the beginning, the primary reason I wanted to see this particular production was the director and the cast. I wasn’t disappointed. The director for this show was Nick Degruccio (FB), who has done numerous musicals in the Southern California area … all of which have been great. This show was no exception. Nick brought out the raw emotion from the actors, and connected with the audience (I know it brought out the emotion and me, and I heard others audience members saying something similar). If you have the opportunity to see something Nick directs, do it. The odds are good it will be excellent.

The casting for this production was spot on. Back in 2010, I saw the tour with the original Diana, Alice Ripley, in the lead. This production cast Bets Malone (FB) in the lead.  We’ve seen Bets in numerous productions at Cabrillo and throughout Los Angeles, and she is consistently one of the best musical performers in Southern California. She didn’t disappoint here — in fact, I think her performance was stronger than Ripley’s because she somehow made the performance and the character seem real and down-to-earth.

Also attracting us to the production was Tessa Grady as Natalie, Diana’s daughter. Tessa is another actor we see regularly in roles — we’ve seen her at the Colony and Cabrillo, and have always been impressed with her. She was very strong here, and gave a wonderful performance (I’m running out of superlatives) as the daughter.

Diana’s husband, Dan, was also played by Southern California regular, Robert J. Townsend (FB). We saw Townsend in the great production of The Story of My Life at Havok, and in numerous Cabrillo productions. Yet again — wonderful voice, wonderful performances.

Rounding out that cast — again, all with spectacular performances — were Alex Mendoza/FB as Henry, Eddie Egan (FB) as Gabe, and Keith A. Bearden (FB) as Dr. Madden. We’ve seen Mendoza before (Justin Love, Cabrillo) and Bearden (Johnny Guitar), but Egan was new to us. All were strong and a delight to watch.

Musically, the production was very strong, with musical direction by Darryl Archibald (FB) (another Cabrillo alumni). Archibald also conducted the 6 piece band, which included Archibald on piano, Dave Lofti on Percussion, Joe Jewell (FB) on Guitars, Shane Harry on Electric Bass and Acoustic Bass, Claudia Vanderschraaf/FB on Cello, and Tyler Emerson/FB on the odd combination of Violin and Keyboard.

The technical production was also excellent. The scenic design by John Ezell was reminiscent of the set at the Ahmanson, although lacking the eyes. I particularly noted how at points the background was cracked and imperfect. The lighting by Steven Young was also strong and effective, doing a wonderful job of creating the mood. The sound design by Josh Bessom provided clear and crisp sound (better than the production at the Ahmanson, where the orchestra overpowered at times), although there were a few static problems with the mics. The costumes by Kish Finnegan worked well with the characters, and the properties by Terry Hanrahan were effective. The prop/costume package were from the Arizona Theatre Company. David Cruise was the Technical Director. Jill Gold was the production stage manager, assisted by Phil Gold. The executive producers were McCoy Rigby Entertainment.

The last performance of Next to Normal is today, June 23. 2013. You can buy tickets online here.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   Today brings more theatre: “The Taming of the Shrew” at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. The last weekend of June brings a Maria Muldaur concert at McCabes, as well as “Man of No Importance“ (Hollywood Fringe) at the Lillian.   July starts with a musical we had originally planned for Fathers Day weekend: “Ionescapade” at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. That will be followed by “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East in the middle of the month, and “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo at the end of the month. July will also (hopefully) see us as OperaWorks at CSUN. August is currently completely open due to vacation planning, although we may see a show at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido at the end of the month (depending on price), or at another venue in San Diego.

Continuing the look ahead: September may bring Sarah Ruhl’s “In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play“ at the Production Company/Secret Rose and “Blue Man Group” at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as “God of Carnage” at REP East. October is open, but should the Cabrillo production of “Kiss Me Kate” somewhere, as well as “Dirty Rotten Soundrels” at Actors Rep of Simi. November will bring “Play It Again Sam” at REP East as well as ARTS’s Nottingham Village (a one-weekend ren-faire-ish market). The fall should also bring a production of “Carrie – The Musical” by Transfer Theatre. As always, I’m keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013/2014 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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This weekend has been an interesting juxtaposition of theatre with two productions that echo the same theme, but tell the story in different ways and make different points. Saturday night we were in Newhall seeing REP’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird“; last night we were in DTLA seeing CTG’s production of the Kander-Ebb musical, “The Scottsboro Boys“. Both tell the story of black men accused of raping white women in the south in the early 1930s. Both involve trials where the innocence of the black men becomes clear. Both involve a jury going with its prejudices instead of with the truth. Both end up with tragic ends for the defendants, with ultimately important larger realizations. If you can afford to do so, I strongly recommend you see both in close proximity — you’ll find it very moving.  Further, if you can find a production of Jason Robert Brown’s Parade to add to the mix, I strongly suggest you do so. The melding of the three themes will be mind-altering.

Yesterday, I related the story of To Kill a Mockingbird. That story deals with the loss of innocence and the perversion of justice, but does so in a comfortable manner. It uses a traditional courtroom setting and the curiousity of children to bring home its point. Although the point is strong, it is accessible. Scottsboro Boys, on the other hand, is “in your face” uncomfortable from the opening, primarily due to how the authors and composers chose to present the story. More on that in a minute.

Scottsboro Boys tells the story of the Scottsboro 9. The Scottsboro Boys were nine black teenage boys accused of rape in Alabama in 1931. The case included a frameup, an all-white jury, rushed trials, an attempted lynching, an angry mob, and is an example of an overall miscarriage of justice. The short version is this: On March 25, 1931, several people were hoboing on a freight train traveling between Chattanooga and Memphis, Tennessee. Several white boys jumped off the train and reported to the sheriff they had been attacked by a group of black boys. The sheriff deputized a posse, stopped and searched the train. He arrested the black boys, and found two white girls who accused the boys of rape. The case was first heard in Scottsboro, Alabama in three rushed trials, where the defendants received poor legal representation. All but the thirteen-year-old Roy Wright were convicted of rape and sentenced to death, the common sentence in Alabama at the time for black men convicted of raping white women. But with help from the American Communist Party, the case was appealed. The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed seven of the eight convictions, and granted thirteen-year-old Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a juvenile. Chief Justice John C. Anderson dissented however, ruling that the defendants had been denied an impartial jury, fair trial, fair sentencing, and effective counsel. The case was returned to the lower court and the judge allowed a change of venue, moving the retrials to Decatur, Alabama. During the retrials, one of the alleged victims admitted fabricating the rape story and asserted that none of the Scottsboro Boys touched either of the white women. The jury found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and granted a new trial. After a new series of trials, the verdict was the same: guilty. The cases were ultimately tried three times. For the third time a jury—now with one black member—returned a third guilty verdict. Charges were finally dropped for four of the nine defendants. Sentences for the rest ranged from 75 years to death. All but two served prison sentences. One was shot in prison by a guard. Two escaped, were charged with crimes, and were sent back to prison.

John Kander and Fred Ebb (composer and lyricist), together with David Thompson (book), chose to tell this story in a novel fashion. Eschewing the traditional musical style, they chose to tell the story as a minstrel show. This was a style of variety show that has disappeared, and was known for lampooning black people and accentuating stereotypes. As such, the style of the show makes the audience intentionally uncomfortable. It has been said by some that this style is one reason this show died on Broadway; I would tend to agree, and I think this show is (like Chicago before it) intentionally ahead of its time. Despite all of our professed acceptance of racial tolerance, our society is not yet tolerant (as illustrated by the reception of our first black president). Until there is true and deep racial acceptance in society, I don’t think audiences will be comfortable with this show.

In any case, this story is told in the style of a minstrel show. This means that there is a elderly interlocutor who runs the show, two fools (Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo) who buffoonishly provide comic relief, and the rest of the performers (in this case, the nine Scottsboro boys). Through a series of acts, these actors tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys from their initial arrest through the various trials. Repeatedly, the boys emphasize that they want to tell the truth this time — to have the true story come out — and that telling the truth is unlike what had happened before. Lastly, observing this all is an unnamed middle-aged black woman … more on this later.

When the show starts, the boys obligingly do what the interlocutor wants, without question — even if it foolish. As time goes on the insistence to stick with the truth grows and grows. By the time the musical ends, the boys are defiant. No longer subservient to the white interlocutor, they insist on doing things on their terms and sticking with the truth. This mirrors how blacks have grown in society, insisting on their civil rights … insisting on the truth. It is in understanding this that the role of the unnamed women becomes significant.(slight spoiler here) … for the last scene reveals that the women is Rosa Parks, and the courage of the boys insistence to do what is right is one of the inspirations for her not to go to the back of the bus.

As I indicated, this is a musical that makes one uncomfortable. It holds up — to a bright light — the racial stereotypes that were common in the south in the 1930s. It not only makes fun of those stereotypes, it also highlights the antisemitism that was common as well in the South. This is why earlier I mentioned that seeing this musical in the context of JRB’s Parade is so important — Parade tells the story of the Leo Frank trial and subsequent lynching — another travesty of justice where a man was killed because he was Jewish.

Scottsboro Boys is an important musical, but it is not easy to watch. In this, it is much like Caberet or Kiss of the Spider Woman — it attempts to present an uncomfortable subject in a way that calls for discussion afterwards. In doing so, this is theatre at its best — something that challenges and exposes. This isn’t the feel-good musical that leaves you humming (think Oklahoma, Hello Dolly, Hairspray, or Wicked). This is a musical — like South Pacific, Carousel, or Parade — that leaves you thinking about the uncomfortable side of human nature. The truth is sometimes uncomfortable. To put it another way… as we walked out of this show, we found ourselves quoting Urinetown: “But the music, its so pretty.” This line referred to the fact that Urinetown had pretty music, but an uncomfortable subject matter and title. Similarly, Scottsboro Boys has pretty music… but the subject and the point it makes is pretty uncomfortable.

Turning from the subject to the performance, which were spectacular. Framing the Scottsboro Boys minstrel show were Hal Linden as the Interlocutor, Trent Armand Kendall as Mr. Bones, and JC Montgomery as Mr. Tambo. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Linden’s since 1972, when I saw him at the LA Civic Light Opera in The Rothschilds (my first musical). He was a bit weaker as the Interlocutor, but you could still see the old rascal within… and the power and strength. Kendall and Montgomery were both very strong — not only in their comic buffoonery, but in their singing and dancing and acrobatics. Montgomery was particularly good as the S. Leibowitz, the last lawyer for the boys.

The Scottsboro Boys were played by 9 remarkable actors: Gilbert L Bailey II (Ozie Powell), David Bazemore (Olen Montgomery), Christopher James Culberson (Andy Wright), Joshua Henry (Haywood Patterson), Justin Prescott (Willie Roberson), Clinton Roane (Roy Wright), Cedric Sanders (Clarence Norris), Deandre Sevon (Eugene Williams), and Christian Dante White (Charles Weems). All were strong; a few deserve some special discussion. Joshua Henry was just a force of nature as Haywood Patterson. Powerful, emotional, and strong, he provided the center and the heart of the nine boys. His performance was just riveting. Bailey and White doubled as the two female accusers, and carried off that transformation quite well. As for the rest — well, this was such an ensemble it is hard to separate.

Lastly, in what might be the smallest role — but the most emotional — was C. Kelly Wright as the Lady. Standing in as both the mother of the boys — but more importantly as Rosa Parks — she provided the perspective of the silent observer, gaining strength from the boys devotion to holding on to what is right.

The choreography and direction of Susan Stroman (assisted by Associate Director/Choreographer Jeff Whiting) was just remarkable. Energetic dances and creative staging is what makes this musical pop. The direction brought out the raw emotion and nerves this story requires. The show also featured an innovate scenic design by Beowulf Boritt that consisted primarily of steel chairs, planks, and tamborines. These simple items were rearranged and locked together to provide every scene in the musical. The only flying scenic piece was a sign at the end of the show. Given this simple staging, I can easily see this show being done in a small to mid-size theatre with no fly space. It would have an even strong “in your face” nature in a small venue. The sparse scenic elements were enhanced by the lighting design of Ken Billington, which truly emphasized the mood within the piece. The sound design by Jon Weston was also strong, especially sitting near the front where the percussion truly resonated. The costume design by Toni-Leslie James was effective, establishing the tone very well. Fight direction was by Mark B. Simon. Eric Santagata was Assistant Choreographer.  Evangeline Rose Whitlock was the Production Stage Manager, assisted by Ryan C. Durham and Lora K. Powell.

“The Scottsboro Boys” continues at the Ahmanson Theatre through June 30. Tickets are available through the Ahmanson Box Office; discount tickets are available usually through Hottix or sometimes via Goldstar. I strongly recommend you see this in tandem with To Kill a Mockingbird at REP East; the two productions serve to amplify each other (although I doubt the juxtaposition was intentional as it would have been marketed). Alas, JRB’s Parade isn’t in town to compete the trifecta.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   June brings “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages. June will also bring a Maria Muldaur concert at McCabes.  I’m also considering Rent at the Hudson Theatres or A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts in Thousand Oaks. July is currently more open, with “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East in the middle of the month, and “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo at the end of the month. August is currently completely open due to vacation planning. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Richard Rodgers. When one thinks of the composer, one thinks of his lyricists: Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II (yes, there were others, and he did some work on his own, but none were as memorable or successful as the first two). People are very familiar with the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein, but the works of Rodgers and Hart are less familiar. In some ways, this is sad, as at one point the works of Rodgers and Hart filled not only the stages of Broadway, but the American popular song catalog.

Seeing this, the Colony Theatre in Burbank decided to mount a musical centered around the works of Lorenz Hart. Working with playwright Mark Saltzman, the resulting piece — titled Falling for Make Believe: Lorenz Hart,His Life, His Love, His Songs — premiered on April 27, 2013. We just saw the musical today, at what was supposed to be the last performance (it has been extended — more on that later). As for what I thought about it — that is, was it good or not — is hard to put into a single word or two because there are so many different ways to judge it.

Jukebox musicals have a problem. They can go the easy route and be a simple revue of songs. This is what shows such as Smokey Joe’s Cafe does. That creates an enjoyable evening, but it is ultimately not satisfying. They can create a fake plot around the songs in the existing catalog that weren’t designed for a plot — this can sometimes work (e.g., Mamma Mia), but usually doesn’t. They can also take the hard route and select songs and build a story that tells the story of the person at the heart of the catalog. This is what Ain’t Misbehavin’ did so successfully — each song actually provided insight into the characters and the times.

Falling for Make Believe took this latter approach. It created an artificial character — Fletcher Mecklin — and used him (combined with eulogies at the funeral of Lorenz Hart) to tell the story of Hart. This story was primarily centered around Hart’s drinking and Hart’s homosexuality — how it drove his work, and how it ultimately led to his destruction. Most of the reviews of this show center on this story and its impact — and how it was never really told during the life of Hart. Certainly, the world well knew of Hart’s drinking (in fact, it eventually led Rodgers to dump him as a lyricist for Hammerstein). They didn’t know the other side of his life, as contrasted to other other famous Broadway homosexuals, such as Cole Porter or Noel Coward. In general, this aspect of the story worked. Mecklin served as a good vehicle to discuss how homosexuality was viewed during the time period, and how it affected Porter’s life. It provided a good way to show how Hart’s agent, Doc Bender, enabled the behavior, and how the others in Hart’s circles — Rodgers and his wife, Vivian Ross (their regular leading lady) — reacted to it all.

So where was the problem? First, the songs that were chosen from the catalog did not always amplify the chosen story. Often, the songs were chosen (seemingly) because they were popular and well known, not because they might be construed as making any statement. Further, although the show attempted to present the songs in chronological order, it skipped back and forth and back and forth (a good example of this is Blue Moon, which is seemingly referenced before it was written). It also only highlighted a number of shows.

Right now, this show is only about 90 minutes with no intermission. For the show to move to the next level, I believe it needs to figure out how to present the songs and shows in a chronological order. It needs to figure out how to make the selected songs show how Hart was changing over the years, and perhaps discovering both his homosexuality and his love for alcohol. This may require introducing additional characters, especially to cover the early years. In particular, was his homosexuality affected by the number of years he spent in Hollywood working on film songs. In other words: we need to see Hart’s lyrics present a deeper picture of Hart, not the superficial picture we get with the show.

Note that the above is not meant to imply the show is bad — rather, it is more my thoughts on how to improve the book. As it is now, it is still a very enjoyable one-act with great performances and wonderful Rodgers and Hart music.  The direction by Jim Fall and the Choreography by Lisa Hopkins work well to keep the stage alive and engaging, and to bring out realistic performances from the ensemble. This does take some creativity given the stage constraints of the flyspace-less Colony facility — I can imagine a completely different staging were there set pieces that could fly in and out (such as at the Pasadena Playhouse).

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the performances were excellent. In the lead positions were Tyler Milliron as Fletcher Mecklin, Brett Ryback as Richard Rodgers, and Ben. D. Goldberg as Lorenz Hart. Milliron had a lovely tenor voice that was just great to listen to. Character-wise… he was a chorus member. In other words, his character served more to move the story along than to have any depth or substance of his own. The main character in the story — Hart — was portrayed by Goldberg. He also had a pleasing voice and captured the drunk Hart well. I’m not sure how well he captured the homosexual Hart, for it is hard to know homosexual behavior that isn’t just a caricature or a stereotype. More problematic is that there wasn’t a strong demonstration of the behavior — other than chronic lateness or drunkenness — that would lead Rodgers to say what he actually said about working with Hart. Hart was more of a nice gay drunk, and I’m not sure that’s how he really was. More problematic was that he had a very similar look to the actor portraying Rodgers, and this occasionally led to some confusion for me. Ryback’s Rodgers was quite enjoyable — nice voice, nice movement, and nice acting.

The second tier of characters consisted of Megan Moran as Peggy/Dorothy Rodgers/Police Woman, Jeffrey Landman as Doc Bender, and Rebecca Ann Johnson as Vivian Blaine. Here I was smitten by the look and performance of Moran — she was a very strong singer and performer. We haven’t seen her before, but I do hope to see more of her. Johnson was also very strong as Blaine with a great singing voice and very good performance skills — especially in her interactions with Goldberg’s Hart. We saw much less of Landman’s character; he only had one song.

The scenic design by Jeff McLaughlin was relatively simple — a number of levels with a piano and a small bar area. Properties and set dressing were by the resident prop-people, MacAndMe. The lighting by Sohail e. Najafi worked well, although there were at times the attempts to focus the lighting through aluminum foil structures created some odd reflections. The sound design by Drew Dalzell provided good sound. The costumes by Dianne K. Graebner were for the most part good, although I was unsure about the first costume for Vivian Ross (I would have expected something a little more risque for a performance in a speakeasy when the actor wanted to show they could do something more daring — especially in the 1920s).

Musical direction was by Keith Harrison, and the 4 piece orchestra (two keyboards, bass, and percussion) was conducted by Kathryn Lounsbery. The production stage manager was Leesa Freed, and the assistant stage manager was Brian Cordoba.

Falling for Make Believe was scheduled to close today, but an extension has been announced. After a two week hiatus, the show will return on June 6 and continue until June 30 (and there was a hint it could continue after that, if demand is sufficient). Tickets are available through the Colony box office, as well as through the usual discount places. As for the next season at the Colony, the official word from Barbara Beckley, Artistic Director, is that they are working on it. Unofficial word is of a more binary nature — it is likely there will be a season, but when it will start, how many shows there will be,  and what those shows are is all unknown. Likely, it all depends on how long this last show extends and the state of the Colony budget. My guess is that the next season, if there is one, will be a recovery season with shows selected to draw in the audience and new subscribers, with sufficient spacing to extend the shows if demand warrants. So we’re still in a “wait and see”, but I’m not going to give up quite yet.

Upcoming Theatre and Concerts:   The last weekend of May brings “To Kill a Mockingbird” at REP East and The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre. June brings “Priscilla – Queen of the Desert” at the Pantages, and (tentative) Sweet Charity“ at DOMA (although DOMA may be replacing it with “Nine“). June will also bring a Maria Muldaur concert at McCabes.  I’m also considering Rent at the Hudson Theatres or A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts in Thousand Oaks. July is currently more open, with “9 to 5 – The Musical” at REP East in the middle of the month, and “Legally Blonde – The Musical” at Cabrillo at the end of the month. August is currently completely open due to vacation planning. I’m also keeping my eyes open as the various theatres start making their 2013 season announcements. Lastly, what few dates we do have open may be filled by productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411, or discussed in the various LA Stage Blogs I read (I particularly recommend Musicals in LA and LA Stage Times).

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