Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

The penultimate day of the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) (I do like that word). Three shows, that again show the breadth of Fringe. From clowns playing around on a stage, to an inscrutable one-person show, and finally a well-realized new adaptation of a book. This is Fringe in the full range of strange and glory.

Many years ago we saw an intriguing production of Hamlet, done by the Four Clowns theatre company. Now, when you think clowns, do think of clowns in the noun form, ala Bozo or Chuckles or those numerous TV hosts. Think clown as the verb: people who revel in clowning around and having fun, and you have the basis of Four Clowns. This is an extremely inventive company that like to have fun with everything. You need to like their style (I do), and be in the right mood to be receptive for it (I always am, my wife wasn’t).

So when we learned that Four Clowns was doing a show at Fringe, we were in. Our first show Saturday was that Four Clowns show: Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur.

The basic outline of Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur is simple, and almost borders on the melodramatic: Papa Maynard has died, and has left the Dusty Spur Saloon to his eldest and only son, Ike Maynard, bypassing the smarter older daughter Marybeth, and leaving only a little to the youngest daughter Maybelline. The villains, Dallas Devereaux and his assistant Logan Lesserman, plot to get the saloon so they can burn it to the ground and fulfill a promise. They do this by swindling Ike, so the children arrange to get “the good buy” Colt “The Corpse” McCoy to fight their battle. But he lives up to his name, and they need to figure out what to do next to get their bar back.

There was plenty of audience participation (if you don’t like that stuff, don’t sit in the first row). There was loads of improvising. The general attitude was that of fun and improvisation — clowning around, as one might say.

Under the direction of Joe DeSoto (FB), artistic director of Four Clowns, all of the performances were strong. The cast consisted of Tommy Fleming (FB) Dallas Devereaux; Turner Frankosky Ike Maynard; Elisabeth Hower Marybeth Maynard; Benji Kaufman (FB) Logan Lesserman; Liz Morgan (FB) Maybelline Maynard; and Jason Poston (FB) Colt “The Corpse” McCoy. Of these, my favorites were Kaufman and Morgan, who were quite a lot of fun to watch.

Other production credits: Harim Sanchez (FB) Asst. Director / Stage Manager; Jax Ball (FB) Set Design; Aaron Lyons Sound Design; Erin Colleran (FB) Costume Design; Sam Schweikert (FB) Poster Design. A whole bunch of people contributed to the script, including most of the cast. Produced by Joe DeSoto (FB), Julia Davis (FB), and Harim Sanchez (FB).

As the official Fringe Festival has ended, you’ll need to check the Fringe Website to see if the show has been extended. Currently, it looks like there are two extension performances: Fri 7/5 at 9pm, and Sun 7/7 at 10:30pm. I found this to be a really funny somewhat improvised show, with lots of clowning around. Depending on your love of clowning (independent of the traditional notion of clowns), YMMV.

The second show we saw on Saturday was A Time Travelers Guide to the Present. This show held such promise. The show description was:

With humanity’s fate on the line, a secret society of astronomers recruits volunteers for the world’s first time travel flight. We follow one traveler as he is catapulted on a journey through the cosmos. What begins as exploration of the mechanics of spacetime travel turns into a desperate hunt for connection. This is a one man show that mixes science, sci-fi, music, and storytelling to explore what it means to be worthy of love.

The show, which was written, performed, produced, and composed by Doug Harvey (FB), turned out to be a bit more incomprehensible. A message is received from the future, and so someone is recruited to go forward in time to stop it. Our intrepid hero is the selectee, and what then follows is the mission, with lots of time travel back and forth, reminiscent of the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and about at times as incomprehensible.

On the positive side, the music was great and relaxing.

The production was directed by Jake Elitzer (FB), and Rebecca Schoenberg (FB) was the Production Stage Manager. Other producers were Annie Chang (FB) and Kristina Mueller (FB). Poster art by Estevan Guzman (FB).

As the official Fringe Festival has ended, you’ll need to check the Fringe Website to see if there are any extensions. Right now, there are none shown. We found the show confusing, but the music was great.

The last show we saw on Saturday was one of the best and most humorous shows of all the shows we saw. It was Wigfield, adapted by Pamela Eberhardt (FB) from the satirical novel Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not written by Amy Sedaris (FB), Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert. The best description I found of the novel was from this site:

Wigfield (officially known as “Proposed Super Fund Site 554”) is an ephemeral hodgepodge of shanties, porno shops, strip clubs, and used auto parts yards. When a state politician, Representative William J. Farber, proposes the demolition of the Senator Alfonse T. Bulkwaller Memorial Dam (constructed in 1931), Wigfield is faced with destruction. The dam is located just up Fresh Springs Creek from this sleepy little, glow-in-the-dark, Podunk burg and it’s the only thing keeping Wigfield from becoming a part of the creek.

In order to prevent the dam’s removal, the residents will have to prove that they’re not just a bunch of itinerant squatters and that Wigfield is indeed an actual town. Fortunately for them, “journalist” Russell Hokes arrives in “town” to get material for a book he’s supposed to be writing about the “brave lives of small-town residents… that celebrates what is best in America by showing the indomitable human spirit in times of crisis”. Hokes unwittingly ends up chronicling the Wigfield citizenry’s last days of living life as they’d known it for so long. He also learns a lot about life, love, and the ecdysiastic arts.

The stage version, as written by Eberhardt, sticks with this pretty closely. We meet Hokes at the beginning, as he gets an advance to chronicle a small town. He discovers Wigfield, and the game (and strangeness) is on. We meet the town inhabitants, each stranger and more off-beat than the next, and begin to learn of the dilemma … and the game, for the notion seems to be that if they can become a town, then they can get relocation payments due to eminent domain. But the resolution becomes more of a “be careful what you wish for”.

In the end, this becomes a cleverly disguised commentary on the weirdness of small towns and how they accept the off-beat; the whole process of eminent domain, and finally, the idiocy of FEMA.

I found the production extremely funny and extremely well done. I originally went to see it because we knew someone in the cast from our days subscribing at REP East in Santa Clarita. I left thoroughly entertained.

The cast consisted of: Joe Hernandez-Kolski (⭐FB; FB) Player A / Hollinger; Pam Quinn (FB) Player B / Cinnamon / Prune; Connor Pratt (FB) Player C / Dillard / Julian; Eric Curtis Johnson (FB) Player D / Udell / Sawyer; Heather Marie Roberts (FB) Player E / Eleanore / Lenare; Meghan Parks (FB) Player F / Hoyt / Dottie; Bedjou Jean (FB) Player G / Farber / Raven; Emily Clark (FB) Player H / Mae Ella / Carla / Judge; Jeff Scot Carey (FB) Player I / Donnie / Halstead; and Scott Golden (FB) Russell Hokes. All were strong. I particularly liked the warm that Golden had, but each was great in their own wacky way.

Understudies were: Jarad Kopciak (FB) Player D / Udell / Sawyer on June 23/30; Pam Quinn (FB) Player E / Eleanore / Lenare on June 30; and Henry Kaiser (FB) Player I / Donnie / Halstead on June 22.

The production staff included: Arlo Sanders (FB) Director, Lighting Design; John Reza Allison Executive Producer. It was produced by The Unknown Artists (FB) and Ruckus Rockwell (FB).

As the official Fringe Festival has ended, you’ll need to check the Fringe Website to see if there are any extensions. Right now, there are none shown.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road and As You Like It at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB). In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 HFF19 #16, #17, #18: "Shakedown at the Dusty Spur" / "Time Traveler's Guide" / Wigfield by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

With the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB), you see a lot of shows. On top of the four shows (#10, #11, #12, #13) we saw on Saturday, we saw two more on Sunday. These shows continued the trend of Saturday, demonstrating the breadth of the types of shows you see at Fringe, as well as the varied reasons shows are put on. This time, what we had was a wonderful piece of performance art, and a real typical Fringe music, where the authors ask “What if?”, and then run with it.

Chrysalis was an interesting piece. I was invited to the show by one of the producers, and I had no idea what to expect. The description was intriguing, and a bit inscrutable:

A deep exploration of the transitory state of life from a femme-identifying perspective. Self-written, self-thought, self-taught… Chrysalis showcases a collection of personal journeys through the different phases of self growth, and discovery. “She emerged from the chrysalis of self-conscious adolescence”

What Chrysalis turned out to be was what I could best characterize as a performance art piece: it was a collection of women sharing their personal stories of how they moved through the cocoon of adolescence and young adulthood to come out the other end with their own sense of self. The stories varied widely, from a woman who dealt with Plan B at Oral Roberts, to someone who traveled the world to find themselves, to families remembering recipes,  to … well, I can’t remember them all.  There was humor; there was sadness; there were stories; there was poetry. There was even a little song.

I also don’t feel qualified to assess the content of the piece, other than to say that I found it enlightening and entertaining. I was transfixed listening to the stories, and watching the faces and the bodies as the stories were expressed not only through words but through motion. But I am a guy, and a white guy at that. There were simply experiences in these stories that I could only empathize with from the outside; I could not assess the experience. So I’ll do what any smart guy does: turns to his wife. The following is her assessment:

It’s hard to sum up this piece, because many of the stories left me shell-shocked, and close to tears…In some ways,  I was sad that not much has changed over the last 30 to 40 years in the treatment of young women by those around them. The stories they were telling were way too similar to my stories (and my friends’ stories) of surviving the 1970’s. The difference is that these women found their way through to the other side, and found the freedom that comes with getting through to the other side.

The stories and the performers were: Kym Allen (FB) — “A Love Story“;  Clare Almand (FB) — “Feelings“; Chasten Harmon (⭐FB) — “Chrysalis“;  Khyelle Anthony (FB) — “A Message from Your Higher Self“; Cat Davidson (FB) — “You“; Diane Gaeta (FB) — “Fever Dream or Divorce“; Megan Hendricks (FB) — “Living the Dre(NIGHTMARE)am” and “Hallmark Magic“; Jana Krumholtz (FB) — “Eclipse“; Amanda Mercedes (FB) — “Plan B“; Marley Ralph (FB) — “Intuition“; Dolores Reynals (FB) — “Landing“; and Kelsey Scott (FB) — “Recipe“.

The production was directed by Sara Tomko (⭐FB), with tech by Sara Tomko (⭐FB) and Kevin Keppy (FB). It was produced by Kym Allen (FB), Clare Almand (FB), and Chasten Harmon (⭐FB).

Overall, I found this a very moving and touching performance — and I’m sure it would have been even more meaningful were I, shall I say, in closer alignment :-). My wife found it extremely meaningful. I think we both highly recommend it. There are two more performances: Thu 6/27 @ 700pm and Sat 6/29 @ 230pm. Tickets are available through the Fringe website.

Our last show on Sunday, Public Domain: The Musical, was — in a sense — a perfect Fringe show.  It was clear that someone was sitting around going: what could we do at Fringe for fun. I have an idea. Let’s do a musical, but to avoid copyright and having to license a property, let’s do what D***** does: find a public domain property and milk the hell out of it. Hey, why not have public domain characters audition for a space in our musical! Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Out of less was a show born.

And so Sam Pasternack (FB) got busy. He wrote words. He wrote music. He wrote lyrics. He held auditions. The result was a a really cute Fringe show.

The basic conceit of the show: Two industry professionals (played by puppets) are holding auditions for a new public domain character to star in a story. A wide variety of characters audition: Rosie the Riveter, The Pea from Princess and the Pea, Potato Mussolini, the Monkey’s Paw, Oedipus. But in the end, they find their star at home.

The songs are all cute, but at times tastelessly cute. The performances are mixed, but your mileage may vary as the show is double cast. But you will be entertained, and in and out quick.

The cast of the show was as follows (the performers we saw are indicated with ⁂): ⁂ Codi Coates (FB) / Erika Cruz (FB) Rosie; Ember Everett (FB) / ⁂ Nathalia Coppa (FB) Pea;  Kayley Stallings (FB) / ⁂ Erika Cruz (FB) Princess; Alyssa Sabo (⭐FB) / ⁂ Ben Cassil (FB) Potato Mussolini; Spencer Frankenberger (FB) / ⁂ Max Ash  The Monkey’s Paw; Oliver Rotunno (⭐FB; FB) / ⁂ Max Mahle (FB) Oedipus; Sam Pasternack (FB) / ⁂ Michael Kraus and Max Mahle (FB) / ⁂ Sam Pasternack (FB)The Two Producers; Ember Everett (FB) / ⁂ Evelyn-Rose Whitlock (FB) Margaret.

Turning to the production side: Ember Everett (FB) designed the clever costumes. There is no credit for the puppets. Isaac Alter provided music direction and orchestrations. The production was produced by Sam Pasternack (FB), Jason Merrin (FB), and Rachel Liu (FB).

There are two more performances of Public Domain: The Musical: Sat 6/28 at 230pm and 330pm. It’s a really cute show and a clever Fringe musical.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• ✔ Sat, June 8: 10a-3p ✔ ^⊕Gluten Free Expo (Pasadena Convention Center) 🍪 ✔ 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 ✔ 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• ✔ Sun, June 9: ✔ 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 ✔ 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)  🎭 ✔630p °2 for 1(Complex/OMR)  🎭 ✔ 830p °Moral Fixation (Studio C)
• ✔ Sat, Jun 15: ✔ 330p °Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden) 🎭 ✔ 830p ^⊕Bronco Billy – The Musical (Skylight Theatre (FB))
• ✔ Sun, June 16: ✔ 345p °Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 ✔ 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• ✔ Sat, June 22: ✔ 200p °Silver Bullet (Underground Annex) 🎭 ✔ 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 ✔ 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)  🎭 ✔ 830p °Neighborhood Watch (Underground Annex)
• ✔ Sun, June 23: ✔ 430p °Chrysalis (Thymele Arts) 🎭  ✔ 8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Fri, June 28: 8p ^⊕Indecent (Ahmanson Theatre (FB))
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
  🛑 Note: The LA Cultural Festival is today. Do not attempt to cross Hollywood Blvd, in either direction, until the early evening.
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

Key: ^⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 HFF19 #14/#15: "Chrysalis" / "Public Domain: The Musical" by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Why does someone invest their time and money to do a show at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB)? It really varies by show, but the four shows that we saw on Saturday truly demonstrated that wide range of reasons: from starting a play onto what will hopefully be a long life, to showcasing an established actress, to showcasing a set of students and actors, to putting on a one-woman show to spread a message. All are reasons artists take the time to be at Fringe. But artists are nothing without an audience to hear and see them, and Saturday’s shows demonstrated that as well: the importance of folks like you and me being that audience.

Silver Bullet was one of those projects that is just beginning its life. It was a world premiere of a play by Jesse Feldberg (FB), and of the many routes a new play could take, was traversing the route of the Fringe Festival to shape its development.  Some plays work with companies (such as the reading we saw a few weeks ago); some find backers and go through workshops; this play decided to brave the dark alleys of the Fringe Festival. Appropriate. I learned about the play a few weeks ago when the author contacted me and invited me to see it. The description sounded interesting, and so I coordinated tickets:

A film noir inspired drama in which an upper class business woman must control the investigation into the death of her best friend’s husband while the detective must use his charm and intellect to uncover the truth, navigate class politics, and avoid the wailing siren of the femme fatale.

My top level assessment after seeing the show?  There’s potential there, but it does need some work (which isn’t a bad thing). It didn’t have a Fringe-y feel to it: the story felt put together, and the performances were reasonably good. Yes, there were some staging and performance notes, but those are correctable. More significant was the story: there is potential there, but some more shaping is needed to bring it to that next level.

The story itself is much like the “Law” side of a “Law and Order” episode: we see a murder take place between two people we don’t know. Apparently, a police officer was shot by some woman on his day off. We then see the investigation into that murder by an Det. Mathieu North, with the discusssions revolving around the victim’s wife, Angelina Mulroney, and her employer, Lila Caine. North, complicating the matter, develops feelings for Caine from the get-go while also considering her his prime suspect, which annoys his boss, Capt. Beverly McKennon, no end.

The basic notion of the story is fine, but there are a number of story aspects that serve only to distract or confuse. For example, at the end of the show we learn that Angelina was beat up by her husband supposedly the morning of the murder and Lila saw that. Yet the detective at the beginning didn’t notice or comment on the bruises — a beating that the Captain indicated landed Angelina in the hospital. This timeline makes no sense. Either there needs to be sufficient time for bruises to heal and not be visible, or the detective needs to see the bruises. Second, at some point the Detective and Lila go out for dinner, and she makes the comment when the main dish was brought that she was starving and hadn’t had anything to eat. That’s distracting, as they ordered both soup and salad, and the soup would have been brought before the main dish — in a finer restaurant in the 30s, with bread. Either the dialogue or the order of the meal needs correction. There was also a comment about print not being dead when a character is reading a paper. That’s not something that would have been said in the 30s and 40s, when print news was in its heyday (newsreels and radio were a far 2nd), and television news hadn’t even started.

There are some larger issues. Although I’m not a writer (except of comments on government documents), I do know that good stories move a character from one place in their life to another, with some change along the way triggered by some catalyst in the story. Det. North seems to be the only character in this play that changed at all. But what was the precipitating reason? A pretty girl. It’s unlikely that one girl would be sufficient, so it needs to be clearer what about Lila or this situation triggers the change in North. Why does he move from where he is at the beginning to where he is at the end?

Lastly, story-wise, somethings my wife noted. First and foremost, in the era in which this supposedly taking place, there would not be a female Captain of Detectives. In that era, women were just not in those positions in the Police Department. Either change the nature of the character to some other position, or have some justification as to why she was promoted from the Meter Maids of the era. Secondly, there was mention of USF, Jesuits, and lots of use of Yiddish. My wife went to Santa Clara University in the 70s, and knew the Jesuits. At the time, they didn’t know Yiddish — she had to teach it to them. They knew Hebrew. So that creates another jarring distraction.

All of these are correctable, and the basic story itself was interesting.

Moving to the staging aspects of the show, under the direction of Jesse Feldberg (FB): This supposedly was in the film noir style — a style characterized by pessimism, fatalism, and menace, by heightened sexual undertones, by a grittiness, a darkness, and a cynicism. There was also a strong emphasis on the dark underbelly of the urban experience. The sex came across, as did the cynicism … but the grittiness was replaced by darker lighting. If noir is the style desired, there needs to be a stronger way to convey the overall menace of this taking place in the big city — and perhaps why this particular detective stands above it all. It needs to embrace the Raymond Chandler, but not duplicate it (and especially not duplicate it to the form of parody of a Gary K Wolf). Hampering the staging was a subdued performance from the acting team. Not bad, mind you. My wife thought they came off as not invested in their roles. I don’t think it was that, but they were clearly at some lower energy state (or most of them were). There needed to be more snap and vitality under the surface. Again: This is something correctable. Lastly (and this is something only someone of my generation would pick up): They need to learn to dial a rotary phone.

Speaking of performance, the acting team was: Katherine Kimball (FB) Lila Caine; Taylor Mack (FB) Capt. Beverly McKennon; Mark Piller (FB) Det. Mathieu North; Eden Rubinpour (FB) Angelina Mulroney; Raul Tapia (FB) Michael Mulroney, other male roles. A few notes here. I liked Kimball’s performance — much of the time she had the right energy and did a great job of exuding sexiness.  Piller needs to work a bit on his enunciation: it wasn’t until I started writing this post that I learned his name was “North”; from the show, I thought it was “Norf”. His performance was generally good, but needed a bit more energy and grittiness behind it. Rubinpour seemed to express the right amount of grief, but needed to work a bit more on capturing the subtext of why she was behaving the way she does — picking up mannerisms of a battered wife. We’ve noted the problems of a female captain before, but modulo that, Mack was good. Her costuming was more problematic: would a female detective wear that to the workplace (or go out with seams that weren’t absolutely straight).

Turning to the production side. There are no credits for scenic, costume, sound, or lighting. Other production credits: Venus Zamora Stage Manager; Steven Nelson (FB) Casting; Taylor Mack (FB) and Katherine Kimball (FB) Producers; Jesse Feldberg (FB) and Steven Nelson (FB) Executive Producers.

There are two more performances of Silver Bullet: Sun 6/23 at 8pm, and Fri 6/28 at 7:30pm, at the Asylum Underground Theatre on Wilton near Fountain. Tickets are available through their Fringe web page. This was pretty good for the first outing of a script. It needed some work, but we enjoyed it.

If there is a lesson to be learned from our second show on Saturday, Shirley Valentine, it was the importance of marketing and an audience. I say this because we were the only audience. Well, the audience was us, the director, and the young lady who was taking tickets. This was an out of town director who was new to the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and it demonstrated the value of the Fringe social events, the postcards, the ads on the Fringe website and Better Lemons, and the promotion through the various bloggers, writers, and such. Sometimes a great show and a great title is not enough… even if it has been at previous festivals.

So why did we go? The simple answer is that I knew the title, and remembered the 1989 movie. I was curious about the original one-hander play that led to it, by Willy Russell. I knew the subject matter would be fun for my wife. So I went and got tickets. I’m so glad that I did.

For those unfamiliar with Shirley Valentine (which is apparently more people than I thought), Wikipedia describes it thusly:

Wondering what has happened to her youth and feeling stagnant and in a rut, Shirley finds herself regularly alone and talking to the wall while preparing an evening meal of egg and chips for her emotionally distant husband. When her best friend offers to pay for a trip-for-two to Greece, she packs her bags, leaves a note on the cupboard door in the kitchen, and heads for a fortnight of rest and relaxation. In Greece, with just a little effort on her part, she rediscovers everything she had been missing about her existence in England. She finds so much happiness, in fact, that when the vacation is over she decides not to return, ditching her friend at the airport and going back to the hotel where she’d been staying to ask for a job and to live a newly self-confident life in which she is at last true to herself.

This is a wonderful story of finding yourself, deciding to live life for your self, and doing what is right for you. Although the movie might make one think this is a larger story, the original play is a one-woman show loaded with British-isms. Be forewarned, forearmed, and bring your travelogues for the fortnight.

Side note: In researching this production (i.e., trying to find artist webpages), I discovered the show has been done previously at the United Solo Festival in NYC, and the artists are involved with the Hastings Fringe Festival in the UK.

Although she was performing for a tiny audience, Heather Alexander (FB) didn’t behave like it. Modulo a minor startup problem I’ll attribute to jet lag and this being the first performance at Fringe, the show was great. Alexander did a great job of becoming the character and making you believe the change occurring in her. I’m sure she looked younger and happier at the end than at the beginning, and that’s with no time for makeup or other changes. About the only problem was understanding the British-isms in the script, especially early on in the show when they were coming fast and furious.

The only other production credit was for Steve Scott, presumably the producer.

This was just a real fun and enjoyable show, and I wish there was a greater audience for it. Shows are nothing without an audience, so get off your butts, and go get tickets to see shows!

This production of Shirley Valentine was a great one-woman execution of a very funny show.  We really enjoyed it.

There are four more performances of Shirley Valentine: Sun 6/23 @ 6pm; Wed 6/26 @ 830pm; Fri 6/28 @ 1030pm; and Sat 6/29 @ 830pm. This is a really funny show, and you should go get tickets, which are available through the Fringe website, or for $10/£9 at the door.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• ✔ Sat, June 8: 10a-3p ✔ ^⊕Gluten Free Expo (Pasadena Convention Center) 🍪 ✔ 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 ✔ 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• ✔ Sun, June 9: ✔ 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 ✔ 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)  🎭 ✔630p °2 for 1(Complex/OMR)  🎭 ✔ 830p °Moral Fixation (Studio C)
• ✔ Sat, Jun 15: ✔ 330p °Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden) 🎭 ✔ 830p ^⊕Bronco Billy – The Musical (Skylight Theatre (FB))
• ✔ Sun, June 16: ✔ 345p °Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 ✔ 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• ✔ Sat, June 22: ✔ 200p °Silver Bullet (Underground Annex) 🎭 ✔ 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)  🎭 830p °Neighborhood Watch (Underground Annex)
• Sun, June 23: 430p °Chrysalis (Thymele Arts) 🎭  8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Fri, June 28: 8p ^⊕Indecent (Ahmanson Theatre (FB))
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
  🛑 Note: The LA Cultural Festival is today. Do not attempt to cross Hollywood Blvd, in either direction, until the early evening.
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

Key: ^⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 HFF #10/#11: "Silver Bullet" / "Shirley Valentine" by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Yesterday was a quieter Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) day: only one HFF19 show, followed by an evening of traditional theatre, seeing a show for a second time. There were some common themes, as both shows were Westerns, and to do with women … but that was about it.

Our Fringe show was Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (HFF19, WWW, FB) at the McCadden Theatre. This show was advertised with the simple line:

In the style of Gilbert and Sullivan, “Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon” is an irreverent musical comedy set in the Old Wild West.

I’m not sure I’d go quite as far as Mssr. Gilbert and Sullivan. It was a great Fringe show, and would have been a perfect headliner at the Tumbleweed Festival, a “wild-west” equivalent of the Renaissance Faire. However, the show was not ready for prime time — “prime time” being the traditional Opera or Operetta stage. For that, it needs some work and to decide what it wants to be when it grows up. But as a Fringe show, it was strong.

The show takes place at a saloon at some unspecified location in the old West. The downstairs saloon is run by Floyd; the upstairs “girls” are managed by Nettie. One of the girls — and the singing headliner — is the redhead Hope, who is currently engaged the the sheriff of the town, Sheriff Sunday. One day, a stranger named Chance wanders into the saloon. Chance is looking for a girl he knew in the nun’s orphanage; a girl he promised to save himself for and eventually marry. A red-headed girl named Hope. Off all the bars in the world, and all that rot.

You can predict much of what happens at that point. They try to hide Hope’s past from Chance. Hope’s behavior is filled with clues to give it away, but Chance is clueless and sees none of it. The Sheriff arrives and eventually realizes what is going on and a gunfight ensues. But some improbably circumstances conspire to end the gunfight and resolve the ending.

The show was written by Brooke deRosa (FB), who also did the music and lyrics. For a Fringe show, the story is strong, and the music is entertaining (although a bit operatic, which isn’t a surprise given the performance and the background of the author). The staging is cleverly realized, and the performances strong.

But if the show is intended for a longer life, it needs to figure out what it wants to be — and needs some dramaturgy. Right now, the show is a little bit campy and a bit serious. A bit operetta and opera, as it were. But that doesn’t work. If it is to be a serious opera — which the music sometimes seems to want — it needs to embrace the operatic tropes. If the push is for the humor and the Gilbert and Sullivan style, it needs to embrace that. It needs to up the tempo and the playfulness. It needs to play to the camp, so to speak.

But the show also needs some dramaturgy. When looking at the main characters — Chance and Hope — a simple question is: do they change from the beginning of the play to the end? I didn’t see a strong change. Circumstances happened around them, but they never really changed or grew or transformed in any way. The people around them needs to serve as the catalyst — humorous or not — for that change. Were they? Yes, there was a revelation that subverted the fight and provided the backstory; however, that revelation was deus ex machina, defined by Wikipedia as “a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and seemingly unlikely occurrence, typically so much as to seem contrived.” Yes, that happens in Gilbert and Sullivan, but it is also typically foreshadowed (and it today’s modern musicals, is terribly old-fashioned).

There are some other characterizations, beyond the fact that the well-touted redhead is brunette. In the ensemble, Francine’s character keeps making asides about how essentially she doesn’t want to be there. But these asides come out of nowhere — and more importantly, they lead nowhere. The behavior of that character, which separates her from the other ensemble girls, is seemingly for no purpose.

However, as I noted, this is Fringe. It is rare that a show is fully realized — especially a new show, as opposed to a Fringe presentation of an established play or musical. When looking at this as a Fringe show: it is executed well, has fun songs, loads of humor, and quite fun to watch. There’s lots of laughter. That’s really all you can ask for in a Fringe show: a safe and fun ride without a train wreck. This clearly meets that goal, which explains the sold-out run.

Under the direction of Jennifer Clymer (FB), with choreography by Julie Bermel (FB), the production holds the audience’s interest and the actors bring reasonable characterizations (if not slight over-characterizations, but that’s the nature of G&S camp) to their characters.

In the lead positions are Jonathan Matthews (FB) as Chance and Jade Bates (FB) as Hope. Matthews had a lovely voice, and captured the clueless nature of the character well. Bates had a face that reminded me of a young Shirley Jones for some reason, which combined with a lovely singing voice to make her a delight to watch.

Operating the saloon were Christopher Anderson-West (FB) as Floyd and Nandani Sinha (⭐FB, FB) as Netty. Both had strong voices and were having fun with their characterizations; we had seen Sinha before in the 5-Star Beauty and the Beast.

The Sheriff was portrayed by Phil Meyer (FB). He brings a great playfulness to the role, as well as a great voice.

Creating was is essentially the background ensemble is Monica Allan (FB) Lucille; Jason Chacon (FB) Abe; Rosa Evangelina (FB) Francine; Spencer Frankeberger (FB) Gabe; Jessie Massoudi (FB) Janine; and Anthony Moresi (FB) Wyatt.  In general, the ensemble was strong, and I enjoyed watching their background characterizations during a number of scenes. There were a few points where their faces seemed disinterested and out of character, but I’ll write that off to Fringe as they seemed to be quite into character at other times.

No design credits were indicated. Other production credits: Jenna Jacobson (FB) Stage Manager; Constance von Briesen (FB) Costumes. Gunfight at the Non-So-OK Saloon was produced by Trial Run Productions (FB).

Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (HFF19, WWW, FB) has three more performances at Fringe: 6/21 @ 10pm, 6/23 @ 830pm, and 6/29 @ 5pm. All are supposedly sold out, but tickets may be available through the Fringe website.

After our one Fringe Show of the day, we paid a return visit to Bronco Billy – The Musical at the Skylight Theatre (FB). I’m not going to write up the show again — you can read my original writeup for my thoughts on the show. I’ll note that it was as good on the second viewing as it was on the first: just a fun evening with great music and great performances. I did learn that the show has been extended to July 21, so ignore what you see on the poster, and visit the Skylight Theatre (FB) to go and see the show after Fringe is over.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• ✔ Sat, June 8: 10a-3p ✔ ^⊕Gluten Free Expo (Pasadena Convention Center) 🍪 ✔ 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 ✔ 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• ✔ Sun, June 9: ✔ 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 ✔ 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)  🎭 ✔630p °2 for 1(Complex/OMR)  🎭 ✔ 830p °Moral Fixation (Studio C)
• Sat, Jun 15: ✔ 330p °Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden) 🎭 ✔ 830p ^⊕Bronco Billy – The Musical (Skylight Theatre (FB))
• Sun, June 16: 345p °Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• Sat, June 22: 200p °Silver Bullet (Underground Annex) 🎭 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)  🎭 830p °Neighborhood Watch (Underground Annex)
• Sun, June 23: 430p °Chrysalis (Thymele Arts) 🎭  8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Fri, June 28: 8p ^⊕Indecent (Ahmanson Theatre (FB))
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
  🛑 Note: The LA Cultural Festival is today. Do not attempt to cross Hollywood Blvd, in either direction, until the early evening.
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

Key: ^⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 HFF19 A Wild West Day: "Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon" by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

And the Fringing continues: Yesterday we saw four more shows (6 out of a current 20 down). The first was about a rapping ape; the second was about a girl who wished for different parents… and got them.

The idea behind Hamilkong (HFF19, WWW, Playbill, FB) was a potentially interesting one: tell the story of King Kong, using the music from the juggernaut that is the musical Hamilton.  The execution, at least at our preview performance, was fatally flawed in a number of ways. First and foremost, they committed the cardinal sin of a Fringe show: Thou shalt not run over your time slot. This show was scheduled for our hour; we walked out at almost the ninety minute mark because we had another show to make, and they had three songs still to go. We did receive an email from Adam Korenman (FB), the producer (and author, and lyricist) this morning that said: “We know that the show ran a bit longer than intended, and we want to apologize if you had to leave early to make your next play. When ambition and reality collide, you can end up running over a few minutes. HAMILKONG will be cutting some pieces in order to tighten up to 60 minutes. That means that you, as the Preview Crowd, saw an exclusive DIRECTOR’S CUT! Congratulations!”

Making lemonade and all that rot, I guess.

Yes, songs need to be cut. But I believe the problem with this show runs a bit deeper than that. Simply put, it is monotonous. There’s a reason that Lin Manuel had the variety of songs that he did — and in particular, why he had the more pop style songs for the King. Breaking up the style of the songs makes the show aurally interesting — it provides the necessary variety for the ears. In its current incarnation, Hamilkong is too much of the same. Look at the song list. How many times can you hear the lyric: “I’m just like a monkey; I’m flexible and funky”? So not only is cutting required, but improving the mix and the storytelling is needed.

Although I haven’t seen it, I can 100% guarantee that the version of King Kong on Broadway adapted the story and is not the Peter Jackson movie on stage. For this to work, the story details need to be worked down a bit a bit more to the essence, and the characters need to be clearer. The idea is good, the execution needs work.

Under the direction of Adam Korenman (FB), and with choreography by Marlee Delia (FB), the staging was effective for a fringe show: meaning minimal costumes and effects. The performances were, for the most part, strong — although with these lyrics, the cast really needs to make sure that they enunciate clearly so the audience can hear all the worlds.

Notable cast members were Geri Courtney-Austein (FB) as the king himself, Hamilkong;  Asia Ring (FB) as Ann Darrow, and Sashaaa (FB) as Carl Denham. These three had lovely voices, and did the best they could with the characters they had (after all, this is a parody, meaning the characters weren’t that fleshed out). In more supporting roles, but also with good voices, were Francesca Reggio (FB) as Carol Preston / T-Rex and Olga Desyatnik (FB) as Jack Driscoll. I’ll note that Reggio was particularly cute as T-Rex.

Rounding out the cast were: Nate Leykam (FB) Bruce Baxter / King Lobster / Eisenhower / Agent; Adam Korenman (FB) Captain Engelhorn / New King; Jeanne Lau (FB) Chief Akko / Ensemble; Genna Weinstein (FB) Queen Squid / Ensemble; Jeremy Klein (FB) Cop / Ensemble; and Kyle Reese Klein (FB) Sailor / Ensemble.

The production was inspired by the play Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the character of King Kong by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper. Music direction by Francesca Reggio (FB), Olga Desyatnik (FB), and Asia Ring (FB). Piano Accompaniment by Nate Leykam (FB). Graphic Design by Joey Korenman. Nick Foran (FB) was the stage manager and technical director.

Hamilkong (HFF19, WWW, Playbill, FB) has three more performances: June 16 @ 630p, June 21 @ 1030p, and June 29 at 1030p. Hopefully, they will get the show cut down to the advertised Fringe length. Tickets are available through the Fringe Website. The show was an ambitious idea and had good performances, but our preview performance ran way long — a cardinal sin for Fringe.

We escaped the machinations of King Kong in order to run over to the Broadwater for what was our best show of the night: Supportive White Parents (HFF19, FB). The premise of this show, which was written by Joy Regullano (FB), with music by The Sam and Tony Show (FB) and Lyrics by Joy Regullano (FB), was simple:

When an Asian girl tells her parents she doesn’t want to be a doctor anymore, she wishes on a shooting star for supportive white parents.

The show, which is structured with a few musical numbers, has Joy telling her Filipino parents that she has decided to change her major from Molecular Biology to Theatre and East Asian Studies, with predictable response. She wishes she had parents that would support her whatever she does, and so wishes on a star for supportive white parents. The stars grant her wish, and suddenly all the things that made up her identity: her drive, years and years of study, etc., have been replaced with the stereotypes of white parents that love you and hug you even if you slack off and talk back. It is a great parody of what parents have become these days. Of course, in the end she decides that her original parents are what she wanted.

The show is extremely funny, with entertaining music and great performances. Perhaps it leaned into the stereotypes a bit, but comedy has the ability to do that and get away with it. It was one of our favorite shows of the night.

In the lead position was  Joy Regullano (FB), who not only sang and told the story, but played a mean violin. She was just delightfully fun to watch.

As her Filipino parents were Giselle “G” Tongi (FB) Maria Elena [Joan Almedilla (FB) plays the role on 6/26 and 6/28] and Earl Baylon (FB) Jose, Guitar. Although I’m not an expert on Filipino parents, they seemed to capture what I would expect from that role well.

The Supportive White Parents were played by Gina D’Accario (FB) Carol and Scott Palmason (FB) Jim, with Greg Smith (FB) as the rebelling brother Garrett. They captured the “mayonnaise” perfectly: the parents that love you no matter what you do. Gee, I hope we weren’t like that.

In terms of production credits: The show was directed by Frank Caeti (FB), with music direction by Tony Gonzalez (FB) and Choreography by Ally Vega (FB).

Supportive White Parents has four more performances: Sun 6/16 @ 930p, Wed 6/23 @ 10pm, Fri 6/28 @ 5pm, and Sun 6/30 @ 11am. This is a very funny show that is well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the show’s Fringe page.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) has started. If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• ✔ Sat, June 8: 10a-3p ✔ ^⊕Gluten Free Expo (Pasadena Convention Center) 🍪 ✔ 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 ✔ 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• ✔ Sun, June 9: ✔ 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 ✔ 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)  🎭 630p °2 for 1(Complex/OMR)  🎭 830p °Moral Fixation (Studio C)
  🛑 Note: LA Pride Festival is this weekend in WeHo. Avoid Santa Monica W of Fairfax.
• Sat, Jun 15: 330p °Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden) 🎭 830p ^⊕Bronco Billy – The Musical (Skylight Theatre (FB))
• Sun, June 16: 345p °Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• Sat, June 22: 200p °Silver Bullet (Underground Annex) 🎭 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)  🎭 830p °Neighborhood Watch (Underground Annex)
• Sun, June 23: 430p °Chrysalis (Thymele Arts) 🎭  8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Fri, June 28: 8p ^⊕Indecent (Ahmanson Theatre (FB))
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
  🛑 Note: The LA Cultural Festival is today. Do not attempt to cross Hollywood Blvd, in either direction, until the early evening.
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

Key: ^⊕: Non-Fringe Show/Event; °: Producer/Publicist Arranged Comp or Discount

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). August ends with Mother Road at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (FB), and we might do rush tickets for Alice in Wonderland as well. In between those points, August is mostly open.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 HFF19 #3/#4: 🐵 "Hamilkong" | "Supportive White Parents" by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

A few weeks ago, I saw a little musical at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) called Falsettos. That musical was promoted as being about family; and more importantly, being about the family that you make with the people around you. Well, folks, that musical has nothing on the musical I just saw, which truly is about the fact that the family that you make — and that cares about you — is much more family than the one created by birth or by marriage.

So what did I saw that make me say this? What musical did I enjoy so much that I’m thinking about getting tickets to see it again (something I rarely do; I think the last time was Astro Boy and the God of Comics at Sacred Fools)? The answer:  Bronco Billy – The Musical at the Skylight Theatre (FB).

Going in, I had no idea what this show was about. I don’t go to movies; I had no knowledge of — and certainly hadn’t seen — the 1980 Clint Eastwood movie. All I had was an email from the publicist describing the show thusly:

The country’s going crazy; partisan politics, civil rights threatened, technology exploding. That’s right, it’s 1979! Somewhere in America’s heartland, with more heart than sense, Bronco Billy struggles to keep his traveling Wild West show alive. But when Billy and his ragtag troupe of misfits meet Antoinette, a Manhattan heiress on-the-run, the ride gets even wilder as she turns Billy’s world upside down. 

For some reason, that description drew me in. That, and the following words from the book writer, Dennis Hackin (FB), who also did the original screenplay:

The show is about living your passion. About being part of a family even if you have to create your own. With some unexpected turns through love, villainy, show business, and lots of humor, Chip, John, and Michele have beautifully honored the book and enlightened the characters with their magical musical influences. All this, during a time when everyone could use a new upbeat musical.

“Chip, John, and Michele” refer to Chip Rosenbloom (FB), John Torres (⭐FB, FB), and Michele Brourman (⭐FB). Chip and John did the music and lyrics for the show; Michele did some additional lyrics.

As I said, going in I knew nothing about the movie. When I got home, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Other than some basic structure of the story, it appears that the musical did a fair amount of story adaptation for the stage. The movie actually sounds less interesting that the story in the musical. So kudos to the writing team for the rework: it resulted in an extremely enjoyable show.

By this point, you’re probaby wondering about the plot. It is the late 1970s, and Bronco Billy McCoy is a western entertainer barely surviving with a “Wild West Troupe” going from county fair to county fair. This troupe includes Doc, Lorraine and her husband Chief Big Eagle, Two Gun Lefty Lebow, and Lasso Leonard James. The group is hoping they can make it to Hollywood to get their big break by auditioning for a producer. Parallel to this, the founder of the Ollie the Owl Candy Bar Company dies. In a revised will, he leaves all his money to his daughter, Antoinette Lilly, pissing off his second wife, Constance. But the lawyer, Lipton, points out that there’s a loophole: If she doesn’t survive for 30 days, the bequest goes to the stepwife. After a failed attempt by Antoinette’s husband, John Arlington, to off her, Antoinette runs off into hiding — with Bronco Billy’s troupe. Still wanting the money, Constance and the Lawyer hire Sinclair St. Clair to do the “hit”. You can take it from there, with subsequent backstory reveals and the formation of a family with the Bronco BIlly troupe.

As I said, the plot is different in a number of key ways from the movie. I was glad that I hadn’t seen it beforehand.

This is a new musical, so some examination of these book and music is in order. The book is … a musical book. That means that some characters have their characterizations exaggerated for the stage. The description of the movie comes across as dark. This is light and fun. One or two jokes may be a bit strained (in particular, the recurring gag on the hit man’s name), but overall it is enjoyable. Don’t go in expecting a deep social commentary — this isn’t Dear Evan Hansen. Rather, go in expect to have fun with a story that is a bit more old fashioned: think Addams Family – The Musical or Hairspray.  I think — in terms of the underlying message — this musical creates a family in a stronger, more “extended” way than Falsettos did. The real point of the story here is that family is built by those who care about each other and what happens to them. It make the point that your past is in the past; family is what you make today, going forward. And that’s a real good point to be making in this day and age, when families are being torn apart due to politics. Perhaps that’s why this show has a new resonance.

I found the music and lyrics to be strong. There were a lot of great upbeat numbers that made me long for a cast album. The opening number “Ride With Us” really sets the tone, as do numbers like “Our Time Is Now”, or “It’s Gonna Be Great”, or “Whopper of a Song”. But the ballads are very nice as well. But I just know what I like to listen to; I can’t judge whether those who obsess about rhyme or composition would be happy. I just enjoyed it and found myself humming the tunes as I left (which is rare). A testament to this show, and how much I liked the music, was that I just went and bought tickets to see it again. Directly from the theatre (albeit with a discount code). I’m squeezing it in during the Fringe Festival. That’s how much I enjoyed the book and the music of this show.

I think the key factor in assessing this show is this: not once did I have the urge to look at my program to see when an act was going to end. In fact, the end came too soon; I was enjoying it that much.

Under Hunter Bird (FB)’s direction, the cast was clearly having fun, and the brisk was pace… pace was brisk. The acting team seemed to be really into their inhabiting characters and bringing out the joy within. I’m never sure — hey, I’m just an audience member — what part is the director and what is the actor, but I do know the director can help make the magic happen. Even more significantly, it is the director that brings the vision to the show — and the artistic vision with the wooden boxes that miraculously unfolded to become the different pieces and places was just astounding. About the only directoral complaint I might have relates to the fight sequences, especially in the Musical Showdown. I don’t know the extent to which this was direction, vs Matt Franta (FB)’s fight choreography, but a number of the fight sequences were a bit too “stagey or fake” — they needed a bit more realism to make them “hit” (so to speak). Improved sound effects to augment them would help, but there needs to be more smacks in the smackeroos. But this, mind you, is a minor complaint.

This brings us to the performance team. In the lead positions were Eric B. Anthony (⭐FB) as Bronco Billy McCoy, and Amanda Leigh Jerry (FB) as Antoinette Lilly.  Anthony was wonderful as Billy — personable, relatable, with a lovely lighter singing voice that is just beautiful in songs like “Just a Dance” and “Everything I Needed”. For those expecting a hard Clint Eastwood type, expect to have your mind blown. Think more of a Ben Vereen, which fits much more with what the West really was. I should note I’ve seen Anthony sing before — although not listed in his bio, I saw him in Five Guys Named Moe at Ebony Rep in 2017. Great then, great now. The real knockout, however, was Jerry. She had a personality and internal oomph that she broadcast to the back of the theatre, with a winning look and super strong singing voice. All of her numbers were great, especially “Get Me Out of Here” and her “Be Strong” numbers.

Billy’s troupe consisted of Benai Boyd (FB) as Doc; Fatima El-Bashir (FB) as Lorraine; Michael Uribes (FB) as Chief Big Eagle; Randy Charleville (FB) as Two Gun Lefty Lebow, and Kyle Frattini (FB) as Lasso Leonard James.  I’d seen Boyd before in the Actors Co-Op production of Violet, and she blew me away then. She was even stronger here as Doc: she opens the show, she holds everything together, she has a knockout singing voice, and she is just fantastic to watch.  Also strong was El-Basher (who I had seen in Empire) as Lorraine. Together with Boyd, they made a delightful duo opening the show, plus she is wonderful in “Look in the Mirror”. Further, she tap dances. I just love a good tap dance :-). Uribes (who, you guessed it, we saw before in Robber Bridegroom) was more of a taciturn character, although he did have a wonderful number in the opening of the second act. Charleville was strong as the clown, Lefty; and Frattini did a wonderful job of playing up the comic as Lasso Leonard. [Yes, and before you ask, we did see Frattini in Shrek at 5-Star, as well as in Beatniks at last year’s Fringe].

There’s a reason I mention this repeat talent: We have, here in Los Angeles, a remarkable talent pool. Actors who love the craft, and who are just astounding in what they do. Some are primarily stage actors, some are working their way there. Some work in TV and film. But they are all incredible talents, and it is just a joy to see the best of them pop up in shows at different venues throughout this great theatre city.

This brings us to the villains of the piece: Michelle Azar (⭐FB, FB) as Constance the Step-Mother; Marc Cardiff as the Lawyer Lipton, Chris M. Kauffmann (⭐FB, FB) as Antoinette’s husband, John Arlington, and Pat Towne (FB) as the hit-man Sinclair St. Clair. All were written as broadly comical roles, and all were played as broadly comical. Think of the hencemen in Kiss Me Kate or The Drowsy Chaperone. As such, for how they were written, they were played very well. Azar had the lead on a number of different numbers and had a lovely voice.

Rounding out the cast in smaller character roles and ensemble parts were: Bella Hicks (FB) – Mitzi, Female Ensemble; Anthony Marciona (⭐FB, FB) – Sam, Gas Station Attendant, Disco Guy, Stage Manager; Jamie Mills (FB) – Dee Dee, Ensemble. All were great. I noticed Mills first, as she was out before the show working the crowd with a wonderful personality (and a tiny little hat). Hicks caught my eye when she came out as Mitzi; in later roles, her personality just lit up and she was a delight to watch. Marciona had a face that kept making me think of a good friend from our synagogue’s mens club; he clearly had fun playing a large number of different parts – and was funny in his last role as stage manager, staying in role even after the bows.

Understudies who were not on stage were Richie Ferris (FB), Molly Livingston (FB) and James Olivas (FB). We’d see the latter two before in Steel Pier at UCLA; alas, we didn’t seem them at our performance.

Music was provided by an on-stage band conducted by Anthony Lucca (FB) – Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard. Other band members were: Austin Chanu (FB) – Woodwinds, Percussion; Jeff Frantom (FB) – Guitars; Cyrus Elia (FB) – Electric and Upright Bass; and Ryan McDiarmid (FB) – Drums, Percussion. The band had a great sound, and even had one chance to interact with the actors. Other musical credits: David O (FB) – Arrangements and Orchestrations.

The Choreography was by Janet Roston (FB), who brought some wonderful dances to the small space that is the Skylight. As the world premiere of a new musical, it is always worth asking whether this can scale to bigger and better venues. Dance is a large part of that. The dances in this show were expressive and fun, and I believe that they could scale to the larger stage of a Geffen or the Pasadena Playhouse, if not even bigger houses. There was a mix of the Western styles including what appeared to be some line dancing, as well as broader ballet and pop styles.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative side: The director worked with well-known LA scenic designer John Iacovelli (FB) worked with Properties Designer Kevin Williams (FB) and Projection Designer David Murakami (FB) to create a masterpiece of boxes that folded and unfolded to create all the different locations and locales and set pieces, blending overall design with properties, and occasionally with projections on the sides of the boxes. The magic of it reminded me a bit of Astro Boy with the overall creativity show for the space. As I write this, I hearken back to Falsettos again with the creative use of the stage pieces. Theatre need not always be strongly realistic; imagination on stage does wonders. Brian Gale‘s lighting design established time and place well; I particularly noted the heavy use of moving mirrors that were required in the space. That’s an unforgiving technology, and it worked well. Cricket S. Myers (FB) and Daniel S. Tator (FB) did the sound design, and it works reasonably well except for a few microphone crackles, and either some cell-phone interference or a mis-timed sound board queue. Sound effects were good, but could use improvement in the fight scene. Ann Closs Farley (FB)’s costume designs worked well, bringing in modern Western design, a touch of both the ridiculous and sublime, and just some nice looking outfits. Other production credits: Matt Franta (FB) – Fight Coordinator; Christopher Hoffman – Production Stage Manager; Ben Altman (FB) – Stage Manager; Garrett Crouch (FB) – Stage Manager; Michael Donovan CSA – Casting Director; Patty Onagan Consulting – Marketing; Guillermo Perez – Graphic Design; Gary Grossman (FB) and Tony Abatemarco (FB) – Producers.

Bronco Billy – The Musical continues at the Skylight Theatre (FB) until June 30. I liked it enough that I’m squeezing it in during Fringe to bring my wife to see it again. Translation: Yes, you should see this. Tickets are available through the Skylight Online Box Office; the code BILLY20 works at selected performances for 20% off. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2018-2019 season], and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

June is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• Sat, June 8: 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• Sun, June 9: 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)  🎭 630p °2 for 1(Complex/OMR)
• Sat, Jun 15: 330p °Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden) 🎭 830p Bronco Billy – The Musical (Skylight Theatre (FB)) [Non-Fringe]
• Sun, June 16: 345p °Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• Sat, June 22: 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)
• Sun, June 23: 8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first Saturday of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday], but something else might pop up. Fringe previews start the next week. We’re squeezing in a return to Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB) on June 15. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. The first weekend of the month is still open. The second weekend brings An Intimate Evening with Kristen Chenowith at,The Hollywood Bowl (FB).  The third weekend of July brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

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

Yesterday, I wrote about Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre, and how the death at the end of that show closed the show on a down note, leaving with the audience impressed with the performances, but an ultimate “eh” for the overall feeling. Contrast that with the death that occurs at the end of Les Misérables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB): almost the entire company on stage, marching and singing and celebrating the life and glory. You walk out humming an uplifting anthem, with a completely different feeling. Now that’s how you do death!

Also as with Falsettos, this is the second time we’ve seen the show. The first was also in 2011 when it was at the Ahmanson. This was also the year we first saw Falsettos. Back then I wrote about the show:

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

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

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

[Some story credits I missed including the first time: Claude-Michel Schönberg Music; Herbert Kretzmer English Lyrics; James Fenton Additional material]

It is now 8 years since I saw that production. What has changed, other than Cameron Mackintosh now having a full bio? Does the new touring production reach the same heights? After all, the story hasn’t changed at all.

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

This is not to say that the production was bad or poorly executed: only that it could have been better. The performances themselves were stunning. The comic bits with the Thénardiers were hilarious (in particular, Mme. Thénardiers reprise to “Master of the House” with the bread), and there were some remarkable sustained high notes. The voices were phenominal, and the music for this show is just a delight. You can just float away on that alone. It just didn’t have the impact of the first time we saw the show.

Some of the problems with this production — at least design wise — may be the results of decisions by the directoral team of Laurence Connor and James Powell. But they did do a great job with their performers about bringing out effective and strong performances that conveyed both the story and the emotions of the characters. They helped their acting team inhabit their characters and tracks, and generally made the performances the strongest part of this show.

In the lead position of this story was Nick Cartell (⭐FB, FB) at Jan Valjean. Cartell had soaring vocals in songs such as “Bring Him Home”, and captured the angst and torment of the character well, Opposing him throughout much of the story was Josh Davis (⭐FB, FB) as Javert. Davis also had soaring vocals in songs like “Stars” and his Soliloquy — a common trait in this cast — and provided solid opposition.

This brings us to the adult women in the cast: Mary Kate Moore (FB) as Fantine; Jillian Butler (FB) as the adult Cosette; and Paige Smallwood (FB) as the adult Éponine. All were beautiful and spectacular and sang like angels — Moore in “I Dreamed a Dream”, Butler in “A Hear Full of Love”, and Smallwood in “On My Own”. They made the same casting decision that was done in the 2011 production that required a bit of suspension of disbelief (little white girl turns into stunning black singer), but this is a stage fantasy, so who really cares.

Then there are the kids: Cate Elefante (FB) as Little Cosette (alternating with Aubin Bradley), Aubin Bradley as Young Éponine (alternating with Cate Elefante (FB)), and Parker Weathersbee as Petit Gervais / Gavroche (alternating with Parker Dzuba, who came in for Jonah Mussolino (⭐FB) in August 2018, when Jonah moved to Falsettos). Elefante was spectacular in her opening scene singing “Castle on a Cloud”, and Weathersbee was strong as Gavroche in the second act in all of his numbers. All were astonishingly cute.

Joshua Grosso (⭐FB) made a strong Marius, whom we see as Cosette’s love interesting and a leader of the students in the second act.  He has a touching rendition of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”, and a lovely duet with Éponine in “A Little Fall of Rain”.

Lastly, in terms of the major characters in the story, there is the comic relief duo of J. Anthony Crane (⭐FB, FB) as Thénardier and Allison Guinn (⭐FB, FB) as Mme. Thénadier. We don’t meet the characters until the wonderful “Master of the House”, and then they keep reappearing in funny situations throughout the story. The actors play off each other well and are having fun with their roles, and that comes across to the audience well.

All of the other characters are in smaller roles, often not well named on stage, or in ensemble positions: John Ambrosino (FB) – Bamatabois, Claquesous; Felipe Barbosa Bombonato (FB) – Grantaire (at our performance), Farmer, Babet (normally); Olivia Dei Cicchi (FB) – Innkeeper’s Wife; Kelsey Denae (FB) – Wigmaker; Caitlin Finnie (FB) – Ensemble; Monté J. Howell (FB) – Innkeeper, Combeferre; Stavros Koumbaros (FB) – Joly; Andrew Love (FB) – Champmathieu, Brujon; Andrew Maughan (FB) – Bishop of Digne, Lesgles, Loud Hailer; Maggie Elizabeth May (FB) – Old Woman; Darrell Morris, Jr. (FB) – Constable, Montparnasse; Ashley Dawn Mortensen (FB) – Factory Girl; Bree Murphy (FB) – Ensemble; Domonique Paton (FB) – Ensemble; Talia Simone Robinson (FB) – Ensemble; Patrick Rooney (FB) – Constable, Fauchelevent, Jean Prouvaire; Mike Schwitter (FB) – Laborer, Feuilly; Matt Shingledecker (FB) – Enjolras; Brett Stoelker (FB) – Swinging in to Babet, Major Domo (at our performance); Addison Takefman  – Ensemble; and Christopher Viljoen (FB) – Factory Foreman, Courfeyrac. Matt Hill – Normally, Grantaire, Major Domo was out at our performance.

Swings were Julia Ellen Carter (FB); Jillian Gray; Tim Quartier (FB); Brett Stoelker (FB); and Kyle Timson (FB).  Understudy allocations are not shown.

This show isn’t a dance show per se, but there is lots of movement. The musical staging was by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt (FB). Kyle Timson (FB) was both the Dance Captain and the Fight Captain. Given the small stage space, the movement was very effective in utilizing that space and doing its best to create the illusion of a larger space. Still, this resulted in a lot of people going in a lot of circles.

The orchestra (under the Musical Direction of Brian Eads (FB)) was larger than the typical touring orchestra, and had that wonderful large orchestral sound that this show needs. No indication was provided as to who was local and who was not, but I recognize a number of names, so my educated guess as to locals is indicated with 🌴. The orchestra consisted of: Brian Eads (FB) – Conductor; Eric Ebbenga (FB) – Assoc. Conductor, Keyboards; Tim Lenihan (FB) – Asst. Conductor, Keyboards; Danielle Giulini (FB) – Violin, Concertmaster; Karen Elaine (FB) – Viola; 🌴 Ira Glansbeek – Cello; 🌴 Michael Valerio (FB) – Double Bass; 🌴 Amy Tatum (FB) – Flute, Piccolo, Alto Flute, Recorder; 🌴 Richard Mitchell – B Flat Clarinet, E Flat Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Recorder; 🌴 Laura Brenes (FB) – French Horn 1; 🌴 Allen Fogle (FB) – French Horn 2; 🌴 John Fumo (FB) – Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet; Phil Keen (FB) – Bass Trombone, Tuba; Jared Soldivero (FB) – Drums, Percussion, Mallets, Timpani; Mary Ekler (⭐FB) – Keyboard Sub; Stuart Andrews – Keyboard Programming; Jean Bellefeuille – Asst. keyboard Programming. Other Orchestral credits: 🌴 Eric Heinly (FB) – Orchestra Contractor; John Cameron – Original Orchestrations; Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe, and Stephen Brooker [UK] – New Orchestrations; Stephen Brooker [UK] and James Moore (FB)  [US] – Musical Supervision; and John Miller – Musical Coordinator.

Lastly, turning to the production and creative aspects: I’ve already mentioned the constrained stage space and the problems with the darkness of Paule Constable (FB)’s lighting design. Setting that aside, the rest of the production worked well. Matt Kinley‘s set and image design used a balcony on one side and archways on the other to create a wide variety of spaces, using a combination of rolled on, flown in, and projected set pieces. Some were extraordinarily effective, such as the catacomb effect in the sewers in the second act. Credit also goes to 59 Productions for the projection design, which also used images inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This was also augmented by the Costume Design of Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland, which seemed both appropriately poor and rich depending on the scene, and seemed to fit the characters and their stations well. The wig and hair design of Campbell Young Associates also worked well. Mick Potter‘s sound design generally worked well, although there were points that it was muddled in the cavernous space that is the Pantages. Other production credits: Corey Agnew – Assoc. Director; Richard Barth (FB) – Resident Director; Tara Rubin CSA (FB), Kaitlin Shaw, CSA – Casting; Ryan Parliment – Company Manager; Jack McLeod (FB) – Production Stage Manager; Jess Gouker (FB) – Stage Manager; Joseph Heaton (FB) – Asst. Stage Manager; Broadway Booking Office NYC – Tour Booking &c; NETworks Presentations – Production Management. 

Les Misérables continues at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) through June 2, 2019. If you haven’t seen the show before, it is worth seeing. If you have seen the show before and love the show, you’ll certainly enjoy this outing. If you have seen the show and are looking for a new take, this might be hit or miss with the darker lit staging. Tickets are available through the Pantages box office.  Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar or through TodayTix.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Tonight brings another tour: Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). If you are unfamilar with Fringe, there are around 380 shows taking place over the month of June, mostly in the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd between 1 bl W of La Brea to 1 bl E of Vine, but all generally in Hollywood. On a first pass, there were lots I was interested in, 30 I could fit on a calendar, but even less that I could afford. Here is my current Fringe schedule as of the date of this writeup. [Here’s my post with all shows of interest — which also shows my most current HFF19 schedule. Note: unlike my normal policy, offers of comps or discounts are entertained, but I have to be able to work them into the schedule with the limitations noted in my HFF19 post]:

• Sat, June 8: 8p She Kills Monsters (Hobgoblin) 🎭 10pm The 2nd Annual Trump Family Special (Hobgoblin)
• Sun, June 9: 4p Hamilkong (Complex/OMR) 🎭 530p Supportive White Parents (Broadwater/2nd)
• Sat, Jun 15: 330p Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon (McCadden)
• Sun, June 16: 345p Johnny ’81 (Complex/Ruby) 🎭 6p Town Brawl (Thymele Arts)
• Sat, June 22: 330p Shirley Valentine (Underground Annex) 🎭 630p A Night Out by Harold Pinter (Complex/Flight)
• Sun, June 23: 8p Public Domain: The Musical (Actors Company/LLT)
• Sat, June 29: 130p Four Clowns Present: Shakedown at the Dusty Spur (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 3p A Time Travelers Guide to the Present (Broadwater/BB) 🎭 630p Wigfield (Hudson/Backstage)
• Sun, June 30: 1p [Title of Show] (Actors Company/LLT) 🎭 3p Earth to Karen (Broadwater/BB)

In terms of non-Fringe theatre (which, yes, does exist): Currently, the first weekend of June is open, although I’m thinking about Ready Set Yeti Go at Rogue Machine Theatre (FB) [if the publicist contacts me or I see it on Goldstar for Saturday]. Fringe previews start the next week. The end of June also brings Indecent at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) on June 28, just before the busy last weekend of Fringe.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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

In the song “It’s a Business” in the musical Curtains there is the following exchange:

Actor: “… to me the theatre is a temple.”
Producer: “What? So it should only be filled on Shabbat?”

I was thinking about that exchange as I mused about last night’s production of Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB). I’ll circle back to why this exchange resonates so in a moment, so just keep it in mind….

Last Saturday, I wrote about my seeing In The Heights at LAPC. I noted that one reason for seeing a show multiple times is to see how the show has changed over time, and to particularly see it in a different sized venue. I also noted that the LAPC performace was the third time I saw seeing Heights. This weekend is very similar. This is my third time seeing Sister Act: back in 2006, I saw the original, pre-Broadway production at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB); just over two years ago (in 2017) I saw the regional premiere of the show at Cabrillo Music Theatre, now 5 Star Theatricals (FB). Both of those were large theatres. The Casa 0101 production was our third time, and here’s why: (1) this was a chance to see the show in a significantly smaller, intimate theatre setting; (2) we love the theatrical work of Casa 0101, going back to the first show we saw there, a bilingual version of Aladdin; (3) we love what Casa 0101 is doing with its local community (actually on a par with what 5-Star does with its community). In many ways, this perhaps was the best of the three.

For those unfamiliar with Sister Act (music by Alan Menken (FB); lyrics by Glenn Slater (FB); and book by Cheri Steinkellner (FB) and Bill Steinkellner (FB), with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane (based on the Touchstone Picture “Sister Act” written by Paul Rudnick under the pseudonym Joseph Howard)), here’s the synopsis I wrote in 2017:

Black jive lounge singer witnesses a murder and turns police informant, and needs to go in hiding from her crime gang boyfriend. The police decide to hide her in a fading Catholic Church, amidst a superfluity (gee, and I thought the term was gaggle) of nuns. Mostly white nuns. Yeah, she won’t stand out at all. In any case, the Mother Superior objects and the two clash like oil and water. But this of course is the movies (and later, the theatre), so they must learn to love and appreciate each other. In this case, it happens by our nun-in-hiding taking over as choir director, and teaching the other nuns to repurpose 1950s and 1960s pop songs as Catholic anthems (and which, since that can’t be done in the theatre, to develop new songs that sound like 1950s and 1960s pop anthems but are not). These new songs bring new people into the church and save the church from being sold and the nuns disbursed. They also bring the spotlight to the church, leading the gangster boyfriend and his, umm, gang to figure out where the nun-in-hiding is hiding. A chase then ensues, which in the movie takes place in Las Vegas, but since the Las Vegas set was stolen by the gang from Honeymoon in Vegas, the theatre chase takes place in the nunnery itself. But in the end, everything comes together: the convent is saved, the Mother Superior and the nun-in-hiding grow to appreciate each other, the nun-in-hiding falls in love with the cop-who-hid-her (who had a crush on her in high school — fancy that!), and the gangsters, as in any show, turn into song-and-dance-men.

So that brings us back to how I started this: Theatre being a temple, and how (so to speak) to get its worshippers to fill the pews so the doors don’t close. Casa 0101 is a community theatre; a vital beating homegrown heart in the community of Boyle Heights (so much so that, at our performance, we had the monsignor and a few nuns from the local Catholic church seeing the show). It went through hard times quite recently, and almost closed its doors. What kept it alive were donors that believed its mission and purpose, as well as musicals like this. Just like Deloris Van Cartier’s music brought the people into Queen of Angels church and saved it, musicals like this, cast to reflect the diversity of the Boyle Heights community, had this theatre packed to the rafters. From what I understand, it was similar for 0101’s recent Beauty and the Beast, and we certainly saw it in the recent Remembering Boyle Heights. No, there are no actors hiding in the theatre from the police across the street (that we know of), but wonderful music is drawing them in and saving a temple to the arts.

Casa 0101’s production of this was distinctly different that other productions I’ve seen. The Pasadena Playhouse had the funding to do a production with elaborate sets. Cabrillo/5-Star had less funds, but prides itself on doing Broadway caliber regional productions. This production was much more shoestring and worn (at least in terms of sets), just like one imagines Queen of Angels to be: A basic quasi-gothic church set, heavy use of projections to adapt that set as locations change, and basic theatrical props (boxes, tables, benches) do the rest. The glitz in this production comes not from the set, but from the costumes (with heavy use of sequins and glitter) and the performances (which were stunning). The intimate theatre setting of Casa 0101 (under 99 seats) means that you are upclose with the actors, permitting you to watch their faces and performances closely, and to observe not just the lead characters but to see the performances of the nuns in the background. What you’ll see is not just strong leads, but a strong overall cast who have become one with their characters (credit here goes not just to the actors, but to the director Rigo Tejeda (FB)).

The closeness that comes with intimate theatre also changes the emphasis. When you sit back at a significant distance: as you typically do at the Playhouse or the Kavli (5-Star’s home) or at the Pantages (if you saw the touring production), you focus on the big picture — and this makes the flaws in the story stand out. At the intimate level, the actors and performances take center stage (so to speak), and there is so much additional humor in the facial expressions and movements of the actors that the distances of the big theatres filter out. Affording yourself the opportunity to see a big production in a small venue is a treat, and something to remember.

Another thing that struck us about this production was the quality of performance. This is something we’ve seen again and again at this theatre, and it is one of the reasons we’re really growing to like Casa 0101 as a venue. They are doing shows about the community, as well as musicals we like (I’d like to have more musicals I haven’t seen, but that’s getting harder). For the last two seasons we had subscribed at Chromolume Theatre in the West Adams district — another historically underserved area. Chromolume closed their doors for good back in May (their final production was The Story of My Life for HFF18), and we have been debating where we might subscribe instead. Casa 0101 is on the short list of candidates (esp. as the mission of our other small theatre subscription is increasingly uncomfortable, even though they do good work). Theatre should inspire, and it is important to have venues that do that for the community, as well as for the actors in the company.

Lastly, despite the stereotypes and tropes in the plot (which is not the most intellectual), this is a very very funny story. This was my third time seeing it — and I’ve seen the movie even more — and I was still laughing at how this cast executed the well-known story. They brought out additional levels of humor from the story — yet again a reason to see this production in an intimate theatre setting.

Under the direction of Rigo Tejeda (FB), with choreography by Tania Possick (FB), the production scintillates. This team has helped each actor inhabit their characters and become playful with the character in ways that fit the character. That means one sister is extra giggly, the other perhaps more demure. The movement was reasonably complex and appeared to fit the time period (although, admittedly, I wasn’t out dancing back then … or even now).

In the lead position was Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (FB) as Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence. Schofield was clearly having fun with the role, and handled all aspects — performance, movement and singing — well. She captured well both the outsized personality that was Deloris before, as well as the changes that convent life brought to her. She was also able to capture both the outsize and tender aspects of the songs as well.

Playing against her, as Mother Superior, was Beverly Crain (FB). Crain gets less of the outsized numbers, but does have some tender songs. What was fun to watch with Crain was her face and reactions when Mary Clarence was doing some of her more outrageous activities. They were hilarous, and made clear that she was doing more than just reading lines — she was living the role.

Deloris’ non-spiritual savior (and eventual love interest) was Caleb Green (FB) as Det. Eddie Souther. Green captured the timidity of the character well and had some good comic — as well as some good touching — moments. However, he was plagued with a microphone that kept changing amplification levels, and this translated to some problems with his songs and vocals.

The bad guys (who were more comic relief than truly threatening) were portrayed by Marco Infante (⭐FB, FB) Curtis Jackson; Matthew Noah (FB) T. J.; Jason Biyo (⭐FB, FB) Joey; and Gil Garcia (FB) Pablo. All were great with the humor, and Infante was strong in “When I Find My Girl”. My wife pointed out that Infante had a costuming problem: back in the 1970s, one would have worn either a tie or chains with an open shirt, but not both a tie and chains. I particularly enjoyed the comic interplay between Noah, Biyo, and Garcia (although the fight sequence could have used a bit more fight choreography during the chase). Noah, in particular, was really funny as T.J.

This brings us to the main contingent of nuns, who it is sometimes hard to tell apart. The extremely bubbly nun was Sister Mary Patrick, played by Briana Bonilla (⭐FB, FB). The older sardonic nun was Sister Mary Lazarus, played by Dorrie Braun (FB). The oldest nun was Sister Mary Theresa, played by Megan Frances (⭐FB, FB). The younger nun, lost in her own world, was Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours, played by Sarah J. Garcia (FB). Lastly, of the named nuns, the novitiate was Sister Mary Robert, played by Samantha M. Lawrence (⭐FB, FB). All of the nuns were strong singers and performers, and did an excellent job of embodying their characters. Particularly strong was Bonilla’s bubbly Mary Patrick, the exceptional singing voice of Lawrence, and the humorous deadpan of Braun’s Mary Lazarus. Of course, Frances’s rap wasn’t bad either. They were all very strong.

Omar Mata (FB) captured the authority of Monsignor O’Hara quite well, although he needs to work on his Irish 😁.

Rounding out the cast, in multiple smaller ensemble roles, were Chrissi Erickson (FB) Tina, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Laura Altenor (⭐FB; FB) Michelle, Nun, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Michael Gallardo (FB) Ernie, Drag Queen, Ensemble, Homeless, Cab Driver, Fantasy Dancer; Alejandro Lechuga (FB) Cop, Reporter, Ensemble, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer; Shanelle Garcia (FB) Nun, Hooker; Daniela Santi (FB) Nun, Hooker, Homeless, Bar Waitress, Fantasy Dancer; and Leilah Telon (FB) Nun, Bar Patron, Homeless, Fantasy Dancer. Of these folks, I’d like to highlight a few. Altenor’s facial expressions were wonderful in reaction, especially when there were lines commenting on Delores’ ethnicity. She also sang and moved well. Santi was another ensemble standout: there was just something about her look, her face, and the fun she was having that was great to watch. Lastly, Gallardo and Lechuga were hilarious as the clearly gay choir boys — yes, a bit stereotypical, but funny none-the-less.

Music direction was by Gabrielle Maldonado (FB), although the remainder of the orchestra was not credited in the program. Tsk, tsk.

Lastly, we turn to the production and creative side of the equation. The set designs and projections were by Effy Yang (FB). The sets worked well for an intimate theatre: doors and stairs designed for projections. The problem was with the focus of the projections, which ended up with double and blurry images. Focused, they would have been great. Angel Estrada (FB)’s properties supported the design well, and were creative within the limited budget of intimate theatre. Marielena Covarrubias (FB)’s costumes were, from a distance, good. For those who knew the details, they were a bit more problematic: my wife noted that Curtis Jackson would not have worn both a tie and chains; she also noted (and this is coming from a Jewish girl, who grew up in Tucson) that the wimples needed to be folded correctly, and the nuns other than the novitiate needed wedding rings (they are figuratively married to Christ). The lighting by Kevyn Vasquez (FB) captured the time and mood well, and Joshua Cardenas (FB)’s sound, modulo the one microphone problem, worked well. Other production credits: Jerry Blackburn (FB) Production Stage Manager; Andrew Ortega (FB) Stage Manager; Genesis Miramontes (FB) Prod. Asst / Asst Stage Manager; JP (John Paul) Torres (FB) Asst Stage Manager; Michael Gallardo (FB) Dance Captain; Hiram Lopez (FB) Sound Mixer; Jorge Villanueva (FB) Relief Board Operator; Sujey Gonzalez (FB) Wardrobe Supervisor; Dazhane Demus (FB) Stagehand; Ed Krieger (FB) Production Photos; Steve Moyer Public Relations Publicity; Conrado Terrazas (FB) Executive Producer.

Sister Act: The Musical continues at Casa 0101 (FB) for two more weekends, until May 19, 2019. The show is a lot of fun with a really talented cast. Tickets are available through the Casa 0101 website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

The second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. The last weekend of May will see me at Bronco Billy – The Musical at Skylight Theatre (FB).

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). I’m just starting to wade through the list of 343 shows, but I already see some I want to see. Right now, I’ve got about 30 shows in the schedule, so I expect to pair things down as I see ticket prices and the schedule shapes up. If you are producing or in a show and you want me to see it, now is the time to get me your information — especially any discount codes. I hope to post a preliminary schedule in the next week or so.

As for July, it is already filling up. Although the front of the month is currently open, July 20 brings Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), followed by A Comedy of Errors from Shakespeare by the Sea (FB)/Little Fish Theatre(FB). The last weekend of July brings West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). August starts with an alumni Shabbat at camp, and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Heavenly Glitz for a Community Institution | "Sister Act" @ Casa 0101 by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Why does one go to see different productions the same show?^* After all, the story itself usually doesn’t change (although, often, changes do occur between the Broadway production and the Touring production, and then sometimes between the Touring production and the subsequent licensing). But the performances do change. The audiences change. The venues change. The times and context change. This results in the production having a different feel and a different reception.
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(^*: I’m still not sure why people go see the same production multiple times, although it does allow you to focus your attention on different actions on stage, such as the ensemble, or miss portions of the story you miss. That is, unless you are a fan-critter and obsessed with the show. Same thing with movies… and they are the same everytime, unlike shows. But I digress…)

Last night, I saw In The Heights, with music, lyrics, and conception by Lin-Manuel Miranda (FB) and book by Quiara Allegría Hudes (FB), for the third time. I had previously seen the original tour (with Lin-Manuel himself) at the Pantages, and the regional premiere of the show at Cabrillo/5-Star in Thousand Oaks. So why this show, now?

First and foremost, an actress in the cast, who I had seen back in 2015 in Jesus Christ Superstar at REP East in Santa Clarita (ז״ל), let me know she was in the show. Those who knew REP East as audience or performers have a special bond, so that was part of it. But I also wanted to see how In The Heights fared in a smaller venue: the Pantages is huge, and the Kavli is huge, and the LAPC Theatre is … less so, but not at the intimate theatre level. Lastly, I like In The Heights and the music, so I didn’t mind seeing it again (unlike, say, Book of Mormon, where once was enough).

This time I was going into the show with a very different context as well. I first saw it in 2010, when Obama was President and things were good and positive. Donald Trump was just a wealthy developer in New York. The second time I saw it was in 2014 — again, with Obama. But now? I’ve had my awareness raised on the issue of gentrification in places such as Boyle Heights and Watts, where long time populations of minorities are being pushed out by white folks looking to change neighborhood character and color. I had just finished reading a chapter in “Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles” on the Dodgers move to Chavez Ravine, and the impact on the hispanic community that lived there. Lastly, I was seeing it in the context of the era of Donald Trump, where there is hatred and distrust of hispanics from the highest offices in our nation. In The Heights is the story of immigrants whose status is not always clear. Their situation would be much more precarious today.

If you are unfamiliar with In The Heights, here’s what I wrote before: In The Heights is primarily the story of Usnavi, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who runs a bodega in Washington Heights, a barrio in New York. Usnavi is not the only character: it is the story of Usnavi’s assistant; the story of the Rosario family who run a taxi service, and whose daughter, Nina, has just dropped out of Stanford; and the story the salon next to the bodega: the owner Daniela, her friend Vanessa. It is also the story of Abuela Claudia, who immigrated from Cuba and has served as grandmother to Usnavi. When Abuela wins $96,000 in the lottery, we see how the money affects the life of this community. The website for the show describes this generally as follows: In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. If you read the full synopsis, you’ll see this is a complicated interwoven story.

One of the key themes of In The Heights is change to the community (in some ways similar to Fiddler on the Roof, which we saw the previous weekend, and to which the director alluded to in her notes). In this case, people are moving out of the community for financial reasons: Daniela is selling her shop and moving to Brooklyn; the Rosarios are selling their car service, and Usnavi wants to sell the bodega and go back to the DR. Where does this leave a community, its character, and its history and culture when the touchstones of the community leave? If one viewed Fiddler as the first stage where people were forced out of the “old country” due to circumstances and moved to America, In The Heights is that second stage: the immigrant community in America in its first location, on the verge of breaking up and moving out to the next phase. How does that change the community? How did the moving of the Jews to the suburbs change the character of Boyle Heights? The questions raised in that context are relevant ones, and worthy of consideration.

So I think the argument of seeing this show, at this time, has been made. In that context, how did this production fare?

I think it fared reasonably well. There were problems, but they were primarily technical (and in one case, casting, but not performance, related). So let’s get the problems out of the way first.

This production was plagued by the same issue that hurt the original tour at the Pantages: Sound. Usnavi must be heard, and heard clearly. His hip-hop patter comes fast and tells the bulk of the story, but it has to be heard to be seen. Usnavi’s amplification in this production was muffled and muted, and it made it very difficult to hear the actor clearly. Given that other actors were heard clearly, this was clearly a sound application problem for this actor in particular. There were also lighting problems: not in the overall lighting plot, but in the follow-spot, which was often late, mis-aimed, or too small — leaving the actors in darkness. This is a technical issue that should have been worked out in rehearsal, and proved to be distracting.

The last problem area was casting, and specifically the casting of Benny. One of the key points in the plot is the resistance of Nina’s parents to her relationship with Benny. In the original casting, the reason is clear: Benny is black; Nina is Hispanic (Cuban-descent). The second level of racism highlights the issues and how the two minority communities have had difficulty working together. In this production, Benny appeared to be of similar ethnicity to the bulk of the cast, making the resistance to Benny from the Rosario parents to be seemingly more economic — and making some of the lines less effective. The performance of the actor playing Benny was strong — no problems there; rather, it was just that the color-blind casting impacted the story in a perhaps unexpected way.

Other than that, performances of the cast, under the direction of Shaheen Vaaz (FB) and the choreography of Brian Moe (FB), was strong. Vaaz helped the student members of the cast create believable characters and inhabit them; Moe’s dances were energetic and fun to watch, and executed with presence and fun. I’ll note that some roles in the production were dual cast, although the program does not make clear which actors are at which performance. So as the person we know was the 2nd listed actor for her role, I’m assuming all the 2nd listed actors were at our performance.

In the lead position at our performance was Sonny Lira (FB) at Usnavi, alternating with Alex Balderas (FB). Lira did a good job with the hip-hop dialogue and capturing the personality of Usnavi. He was plagued with a muffled sound system that made his words difficult to hear even in the 2nd row; to the extent that it was an enunciation problem, he can work on that for future performances (after all, this is a student production, and everyone can improve). But modulo that, I think he did a good job with the role and was fun to watch. He did have the look of a younger Lin-Manuel, which is a good thing.

Usnavi was assisted at the bodega by his cousin, Sonny (Nicolas Escalante (FB)). Escalante was strong in his performance, interacting well with both Usnavi and one of the dancers, “Graffiti”.

In the store front next to Usnavi’s bodega was the beauty salon, run by Daniela (Claudia Rosario Olvera (FB)), with Vanessa (Tara Cox (FB) at our performance, alternating with April Lam (FB)) and Carla (Bottara Khan Nabaie (FB) at our performance, alternating with Asia Herbison (FB)). Olvera was strong in performance, singing, and dance, especially in the “Carnival del Barrio” number, although she was plagued with sound problems in “No Me Diga” that made her hard to hear. Cox, who we saw previously at REP, continued to be strong here as Vanessa with strong singing and dance, especially in “It Won’t Be Long Now” and the “Champagne” number. Nabaie’s Carla was also fun to watch, especially in the 2nd act in the Carnaval number.

The other center of the story was the Rosario family: Julianne Sillona (⭐FB, FB) (at our performance, alternating with Amy G. Solano (FB)) as Nina, Jeremy Lee (FB) as her father Kevin, and Kristina Jhing Sillona (⭐FB, FB) (at our performance, alternating with Brenda Garcia (⭐FB, FB)) as her mother, Camila. Both Julianne and Kristina Jhing Sillona were strong singers; that’s not a surprise, once you look up their backgrounds. Julianne did a remarkable job as Nina in in all her numbers; and Kristina Jhing was strong in “Siempre” and “Enough”. They also were very strong on the performance since. Lee was great as her father and was a strong singer.

Jarod Aro Caitlin (⭐FB, FB) (at our performance, alternating with Trevor Alkazian (FB)), modulo the story-based casting item mentioned above, was very good as Benny, the assistance to the Rosarios who was in love with Nina. The two believably established a relationship; he sung and moved well.

At the heart of the show was Christine Avila (FB) as Abuela Claudia.  She handled the role with ease and confidence, and brought a strong center to the story — and a wonderful voice to “Paciencia Y Fe”.

Lastly, there are the smaller character roles and the ensemble. Vincent Macias (FB) was wonderful as the Piragua Guy, with a lovely voice. Janel “JJ” Javier (FB) had some extremely strong dance moves as “Graffiti”, a role that is much more dance than anything else. The ensemble was mostly focused on dance, and dance they did. They were fun to watch, and seemed to be enjoying being their characters as opposed to visibly thinking about the dance itself. The ensemble consisted of: Dominique Alburo (FB), Destiny Cable (FB), Melanie Garcia (FB), Javier Lopez (FB), Nicholas La Salle (FB), Eddie Rios (FB), Eric Rodriguez (FB), Patricia Ruiz (FB), Joyanne Tracy (FB) and Jacob Villapano (FB). I’ll note this is the first time I haven’t been able to find any FB pages or web references for actors/dancers in the ensemble. Any. They were great dancers, but obviously need to promote themselves better.

Music was provided by the Pierce College Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Wendy Mazon (FB). The orchestra consisted of Lance Merrill (FB) Keyboard 1; Ryan Espinosa (FB) Keyboard 2; Maudi Cameron (FB) Piccolo, Flute; Ross Jacocks (FB) Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bari Sax; Josh Gomez-Santizo (FB) Trumpet 1; Lindsay Gonor (FB) Trumpet 2, Clarinet; Karl Anguiano (FB) Trombone; Nathan Gonzalez (FB) Electric Guitar; Marco Bohler (FB) Electric Bass; Anna Goldenberg (FB) Percussion; and Matt Forsyth (⭐FB, FB) Drumset.

Finally, turning to the production and creative aspects. The scenic design was by Gene Putnam (FB), and was similar to the design I’ve seen in other productions: a car service counter and stoop for Abuela’s apartmnet to stage right, and the bodega and beauty shop on stage left, with an upstairs for both. This was effective and worked well. There was a projection to the back, presumably of the George Washington Bridge. Eileen Gizienski (FB)’s costume design worked well and seemed reasonably period appropriate. I’ve mentioned the problems with the sound before; I don’t know how much of that was due to DJ Medina (FB)’s sound design, and how much was just poor microphone placement. Other aspects of sound worked reasonably well, although the balance between performers and the orchestra was a bit off. The basic lighting design of Michael Gend (FB) worked well; the main problem was with the follow spot operators and keeping the follow spots on the performers. Other production credits: Michelle Sanchez (FB) Stage Manager; Michael Gend (FB) Technical Director; Bryan Rojas (FB) Asst. Director; Tomas Ciriaco (FB) Asst. Stage Manager; Arcelia Gomez (FB) Costume Maker.

In The Heights continues at the LA Pierce College Theatre through May 5, 2019. Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets.

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Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Next weekend is interesting, as my wife is having a small procedure during the week. Looking to May, the month starts out with Be More Chill at Cesar Chavez Learning Academies/ARTES Magnet on Friday (rights to the show were obtained before it went to Broadway), and  Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB) in Boyle Heights on Saturday (because we love the work of this theatre, and we want to see how a small theatre tackles this big show). The second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. Who know what the weekend will bring!

June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). I’m just starting to wade through the list of 343 shows, but I already see some I want to see, including The Seven Year Itch, [title of show], and the return of Tabletop: The Musical. Right now, I’ve got about 30 shows in the schedule, so I expect to pair things down as I see ticket prices and the schedule shapes up. If you are producing or in a show and you want me to see it, now is the time to get me your information — especially any discount codes. I hope to post a preliminary schedule in the next week or so.

As for July, it is already starting to fill, with Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) and West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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

What distinguishes live theatre from the movies, when all is said and done? Think about the question closely. Go beyond the fact that movies are projected images, the same every time you view them. Both tell stories. Both have characters that grow. But movies — even animated movies — are realistic. They show you everything; they leave nothing to the imagination. Close up or far, what they present — if not real — is realistic.

But the stage. The stage. The stage is a home of real imagination. Shall we say, pure imagination. Go to any intimate theatre, and look at the worlds they create with just a few boxes and props. Even in the larger theatres, the sets are mere suggestions of realism. The world that is created is one that is in your imagination. Even  when you take a property that was once on the screen and move it to the stage, you need to adapt it for that change from a world of realism to a world of imagination. Cinema magic isn’t the same as stage magic. They are different beasts, and the story must often adapt for that change in worlds.

Keep that in mind when you read reviews, for some reviewers don’t get that fundamental aspects of the stage. Even theatre reviewers forget it.

The children’s author Roald Dahl understood imagination well. His books centered on imagination, and understood that kids don’t fear the scary or gross — they embrace it. Three of his stories have been adapted into musicals (to my knowledge), and as of last Thursday, we’ve seen all three.  The first of his stories we saw on stage was Matilda, which we saw back in 2015, and again a few weeks ago. Many compared Matilda to the movie: there were changes from the movie to the stage, and the movie was not a musical. The approach to the story was a bit different, and the stage depended much more on imagination. Then there was James and the Giant Peach, which we saw a little over a year ago. There is an animated version of the story, which I’ve never seen. I throughly enjoyed the stage version, which was much more oriented towards children, but still harnessed significant imagination in making the characters come to life with human actors. The music of Pasek and Paul didn’t hurt.

Then there’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which we saw Thursday night. The problem here is that the original 1971 movie is both iconic and a musical. Gene Wilder stamped himself on that role, and most people can’t separate his portrayal from how they imagine the story. There’s also a 2003 version with Johnny Depp, but it never achieved quite the same iconic nature, is downright creepy, and is best forgotten.  But the Wilder version: that’s so iconic that when the stage musical (with songs by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; and book by David Grieg) was transferred from London’s West End to Broadway, they had to interpolate songs from the movie, written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, into the stage musical in order for it to be accepted. In many ways that’s too bad: I have only heard the London Cast Album, and enjoy it quite a lot.

So many people come into the stage musical expecting to see the equivalent of the Wilder movie on stage, and they don’t get it. I believe this is why many reviewers have walked out of this show disappointed: they don’t see the magic of the movie on stage. Well, GET OVER IT. This is a stage musical, and must be viewed on its own. Changes are made as the story is adapted to the stage; characters are updated so that children of today can related to them. The story must be designed to talk to adults (who can afford to pay for the tickets) as well as the children. Most of all, the imagination that is on stage must be uniquely theatrical.

If you can set aside your preconceived notions from the 1971 movie and watch this version of Charlie on its own terms, I think you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. There is loads of creativity in the show. There’s lots of song and dance, and both the children in the audience and the children in the adults will entertained. There are sufficient references back to the 1971 movie to provide that modicum of comfort and familiarity, and there isn’t a single trace of Johnny Depp.

I probably don’t need to go in detail into the story. You’ve quite likely seen either or both of the movies. Basically, reclusive chocolate manufacturer and creator Willy Wonka decides to reopen his factory to five children who have found golden tickets hidden in Wonka bars. Four of them meet horrible death or injury due to repulsive habits, but the one who is pure of heart wins the grand prize: the factory. It’s just like a horror movie, but with kids.

So what has changed in this version. Let’s start with the kids: none appear to be British. Augustus is the least changed from what he was in the movie. Veruca is Russian, and the same spoiled brat she always was — except she does ballet. Violet Beauregarde still chews gum, but is now black and hip-hop-ish and from Los Angeles. Mike Tevee is more spoiled teen videogamer who hacks computer systems, vs. the TV watching kid he was. Charlie is essentially the same, except he went from having two parents in the movie, to having just a father in the London version, to having just a mother in the Broadway version. Oh, and the character of Slugworth and the whole notion of kid’s spying is gone.

Instead, there’s a new framing device added that changes the tone of the piece — a framing necessary by the theatrical demands of having your most entertaining character be on stage for both acts. This is because the first act, due to the demands of exposition, must introduce you to each of the children, and provide the background on their characters, their faults, and their ambitions. That’s a story that — if you recall the movie — is absent Willy Wonka. In the movie, Wonka doesn’t show up until the start of the factory tour. But that cannot work on stage: you want to see Wonka. So the story now opens with Wonka on-stage, explaining that he has decided it is time to pass the factory down. He then transforms into the owner of the candy shop that now sells Wonka products, and starts interacting with Charlie, encouraging him to buy a bar. He keeps encouraging him throughout the first act, as each ticket is found, being disappointed that Charlie cannot afford to buy the bar that the candy shop owner so clearly wants him to buy (and, with the audience in on the secret of who the candy shop owner is — they know Wonka really wants Charlie to get a ticket). In desperation, after the 4th ticket is found, Wonka closes the shop claiming to be sold out, but leaves a dollar on the floor for Charlie to find … and plants the bar where Charlie can purchase it. Random chance of Charlie getting the ticket? Doesn’t pass the sniff test, with the framing device.

Most reviews I have read do not like this change. Most reviews I have read complain about the first act taking so much time to introduce the characters. But the story just doesn’t work with any other structure. The framing device changes the story, yes, but in a way that works for the stage, and lets the audience in on a secret that the characters on stage don’t know. I’ll note that reviewers also complain that the only child on stage is the actor playing Charlie. All the other kids are portrayed by adults. Again, these are the demands of the stage (children, for example, can’t do that much on-pointe dancing), but the suspension of belief of the stage makes it work.

When Wonka returns to the stage as Wonka, the energy and the imagination ramps up. This is hinted at in the closing number of the first act, but even more so as the second act opens and the tour begins. The stage cannot duplicate the film, but does imagination in its own way. How they handle the fates of the children is both more violent than the movie, and much more imaginative. Violet explodes on stage. Veruca is torn limb from limb. MIke becomes an animated puppet. But I think the best sequence is before Mike’s demise: when they must walk across the marshmallows, make a u-turn into the wind tunnel, and then walk across the field of flying frying pans. Mind you: there is nothing on the stage. They are doing this with pure pantomime and sound effects, and it is magical. Pure stage magic. For me, this was the scene that made the entire show magic. No projections. No props. An empty stage with pure performance and imagination magic.

Then there are the Oompa-Loompas. When they make their entrance, the audience goes wild. They are a combination of puppetry and dance, and are magic in the imagination displayed. They are indescribably funny, and they are such a creative use of the ensemble.

Through a combination of projection effects, puppetry, and performance, this production creates a new level of stage imagination. It is different than the movie, and to compare the two is to invite disappointment. They are different, and must be judged separately. The stage Wonka provides a different type of lunacy than Wilder brought to the role, although there is a modium of the deadpan WIlder aspects that cannot stop the children from their natures.

So, yes, I enjoyed it.

Kudos to the director, Jack O’Brien (and the London director, Sam Mendes), and the choreographer, Joshua Bergasse (and the London choreographer, Peter Darling) for the creativity and movement they brought to this production.

Let’s now turn to the performance aspect of the piece.

Willy Wonka is created on stage by Noah Weisberg (FB). Weisberg does not have the same demented deadpan nature as Wilder, but he does make the role his own in his own way. Watch the joy of the character in the first act as he portrays the shop owner. Then see how his nature changes in the second act as the lunacy and the foreknowledge kicks in. He knows who the bad kids are, and knows that nothing he will do will stop them. In many ways, he is much more knowingly leading them to their demise, putting just the temptation in front of them that will pull to the problems in their nature. Note that he does this with Charlie at the end as well, but the temptation is of a different nature and in a different direction, and it is that different direction that allows Charlie to succeed. Weisberg’s Wonka succeeds well in pulling off the character. Just watch his face closely in the opening numbers, and you can see that he is making clear that his character is much more … omniscient … than perhaps he is saying with his words. He sings well, dances well, and handles the comedy spectacularly.

Charlie Bucket is played by the only children on stage — and three young men divide the role. At our performance, we had Rueby Wood (IG); the other performers are Henry Boshart (IG) and Collin Jeffery (FB, IG).  Wood captured the character well. I initially was unsure about his voice, but it got stronger throughout the evening and worked well. He was able to capture the right range of emotion and wonder for the character, and sang and moved well for someone so young.

Turning to Charlie’s family next: three of the four grandparents were mostly comic relief and played more as part of the ensemble. We’ll cover them there. The standalone family members were Amanda Rose (FB) as Mrs. Bucket and James Young (FB) as Grandpa Joe.  Rose’s mom was sweet and caring; you knew she knew she had a special child that she had to nurture in a hard world (and one can, perhaps, understand why they changed it from just the dad in London). She sang beautifully in her main number. Young’s Joe (I want to say Mighty Joe Young) was much more of a comic character. Unlike the movie’s Jack Albertson who was just sweet and old, this Joe had an imagination equal to young Charlie, as demonstrated by the story telling. He sang well and performed well; his character was less pushed into the dance aspects.

This brings us to the other “children”, all of whom were played by adults. Most of these performances were limited by book to be somewhat broad and stereotypical. In the required fat suit was Matt Wood (FB) as Augustus Gloop.  Wood’s Gloop was perhaps the least characterized of the kids: food gluttony is easy to portray on stage, and he didn’t do much more than stereotypically go after his food. His mother, played by Claire Neumann^◊ (FB),  was less rounded as Augustus, but more rounded as a character. She captured well the mom that couldn’t say no to her children in terms of food.

[Hmmm, as an aside, one wonders if this is a cautionary tale more for the parents than the children, for all the parents of the problematic children had one thing in common — they could not say no to their children … whereas Charlie’s parent was the only one that said “no” and stood by that decision. Would that the parents of the child in the White House have learned that lesson, and taught the meaning of “no” … but I digress]

Anyway, back to Neumann’s Mrs. Gloop. She played his mother well, and had a strong voice in her number introducing Gloop. The second child was Veruca Salt, played by Jessica Cohen (FB). She certainly had the demanding aspects of the performance down well, both in the “I want it now and my way” aspects, but even more so in the continual ballet pointe dancing. Naturally, she moved well and had a good singing voice. Her father, played by Nathanial Hackmann (FB), was a much more stereotypical Russian portrayal. It worked, for what it was. This brings us to our third child, Violet Beauregarde, played by Brynn Williams (FB). When she came on stage, I turned to my wife and said, “that girl has a voice!” She sings strongly and powerfully, and had great dance moves and was fun to watch. Again, her father on stage was much more stereotypical “professional hood dad” — for which I fault the writing — but David Samuel handled it well. Our last “child” as Daniel Quadrino (FB)’s Mike Tevee. His role was more teen brat, but he did remarkable in the wind-tunnel scene, and had a wonderful interaction with Wonka over his cell phone. It was a lesson I wished the audience members took to heart. Stealing her scenes, however, was Jennifer Jill Malenke^◊ (FB) as Mrs. Tevee. Her wonderful knowing looks and interactions with Wonka over alcohol were just priceless and delightful to watch.

This brings us, at last, to the very talented ensemble. They got to not only be dancing and acting as characters in the background, but became the Oompa Loompas in the second act. In those roles, they shone. They covered the lesser grandparents and the reporters, and made the magic happen behind the characters. They consisted of (additional named roles as noted): Sarah Bowden (FB, FB) also Cherry Sundae; Alex Dreschke (FB); Jess Fry (FB); David R. Gordon (FB); Chavon Hampton (FB); Sabrina Harper^◊ (FB); Benjamin Howes (FB) also Grandpa George; Karen Hyland^◊ (FB) also Grandma Josephine; Lily Kaufmann (FB); David Paul Kidder (FB); Joe Moeller (FB); Tanisha Moore (FB); Joel Newsome (FB) also Jerry Jubilee; Kristin Piro^◊ (FB) also Grandma Georgina; Clyde Voce (FB) also Mrs. Green; and Borris Anthony York (FB). Of particular note here were Voce’s Mrs. Green, who was hilarious,  and Howes’s Grandpa, who got some wonderfully comic lines.
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[^◊ indicates performers swung up from the ensemble or as swings]

Swings who weren’t swinging were: Colin Bradbury (FB); Elijah Dillehay (FB); Kevin Nietzel (FB); and Armando Yearwood Jr. (FB). Normal performers who weren’t on at our performance were: Madeleine Doherty (FB) normally Mrs. Teveee; Kathy Fitzgerald (FB) normally Mrs. Gloop; and Caylie Rose Newcom (FB) normally Ensemble.

Music direction was by Charlie Alterman (FB), who conducted the Pantages orchestra (with John Yun (FB) [Assoc. Conductor]). The orchestra consisted of (🌴indicates local): Charlie Alterman (FB) Keyboards; John Yun (FB) Keyboards; Kelly Thomas (FB) Keyboards; Greg Germann (FB) Drums / Percussion; David White (FB) Bass; Jen Choi Fisher (FB) 🌴 Violins; Ira Glansbeek 🌴 Concertmaster, Cello; Richard Mitchell 🌴 Reed 1 (Flute / Piccolo / Alto Sax / Clarinet); Jeff Driskill (FB) 🌴 Reed 2 (Clarinet / Soprano Sax / Tenor Sax / Bass Clarinet); John Fumo (FB) 🌴 Trumpet / Piccolo Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Charlie Morillas (FB) 🌴 Trombone; Mike Abraham (FB)  🌴 Guitar (Solid Body Electric, Jazz Electric, Banjo, Nylon Acoustic, Steel Acoustic); Alby Potts (FB) 🌴 Synth Sub. Other music support: Eric Heinly (FB) 🌴 Orchestra Contractor;  Doug Besterman (FB) Orchestrations; Marc Shaiman (FB) Arrangements; John Miller (FB) Music Coordinator; Nicholas Skilbeck (FB) Music Supervisor; Michael Starobin (FB) Additional Orchestrations; Phij Adams (FB) Music Technology; JoAnn Kane Music Service / Russell Bartmus, Mark Graham, Josie Bearden, Charlies Savage Music Copying.

Finally, turning to the production, creative, and support side of the equation. Mark Thompson‘s scenic and costume design worked well. The main set pieces: the Wonka factory, the Chocolate Store, the Bucket Residence, and the various pieces in the factory itself — were suitably creating and worked well for the story. Similarly, the costumes worked well to establish each character in broad strokes with their personality. This was supported extensively by Jeff Sugg‘s video and projection design, which provided the amplification of the imagination. It will be interesting to see how regional productions of this adapt without the heavy video usage. More imagination, I guess. Basil Twist (FB)’s Puppetry Design was spectacularly — not only for the Oompa Loompas, but for the miniaturized Mike Tevee who was believably shrunk. Also supporting these on-stage design aspects was Campbell Young Associates‘s hair and makeup design, as Buist Buckley (FB)’s production properties. Andrew Keister (FB)’s sound was reasonably clear and had good sound effects; Japhy Weideman‘s lighting established place, time, and mood well. Other creative and support were: Kristin Piro (FB) Dance Captain; Kevin Nietzel (FB) Asst. Dance Captain; Matt Lenz (FB) Assoc. Director; Alison Solomon (FB) Assoc Choreographer; Andrew Bacigalupo (FB) Prod. Stage Manager; Alan D. Knight (FB) Stage Manager; Cate Agis Asst. Stage Manager;  Telsey + Company (FB) Casting; Juniper Street Productions Production Manager; Foresight Theatrical General Management.

Due to our having to shift seeing this production due to a wedding, we saw it much later in the run than normal. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory closes at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) on Sunday, April 14. If you can get tickets, go see it.

***

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts 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 (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), and the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Tonight brings us to the Hollywood Pantages (FB) for our rescheduled performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The next weekend brings the annual visit to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire (FB). The third weekend of April will bring Fiddler on the Roof at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The fourth weekend of April is interesting, as my wife is having a small procedure during the week. Thursday may bring Chris McBride’s Big Band at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB), but this is looking less likely. Saturday will bring In The Heights at the LA Pierce College Theater (FB) (featuring a performer we saw at REP), but for me alone. Looking to May, the month starts out with Sister Act at Casa 0101 (FB) in Boyle Heights, simply because we love the work of this theatre, and we want to see how a small theatre tackles this big show. The second weekend of May brings  Falsettos at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Les Miserables at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). The third weekend of May brings The Universe (101) at The Main (FB) in Santa Clarita (we loved it at HFF18), as well as The Christians at Actors Co-op (FB).  May closes with two concerts: Lea Salonga at the Saroya [nee the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB) and Noel Paul Stookey at McCabes (FB) … and that’s not even the weekend. Who know what the weekend will bring! June, as always, is reserved for the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB). I’m just starting to wade through the list of 306 shows, but I already see some I want to see, including The Seven Year Itch, [title of show], and the return of Tabletop: The Musical. As for July, it is already starting to fill, with Miss Saigon at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) and West Side Story at 5 Star Theatricals (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

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