Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

If you mention the name Neil Simon to the post-Boomer generation, you might get a blank stare. But Neil Simon was, in his time, one of the most prolific and popular playwrights around. In the theatre field, he had hit after hit: Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Little Me (1962), Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), Sweet Charity (1966), The Star-Spangled Girl (1966), Plaza Suite (1968), Promises, Promises (1968), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), The Gingerbread Lady (1970), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971), The Sunshine Boys (1972), The Good Doctor (1973), God’s Favorite (1974), California Suite (1976), Chapter Two (1977), They’re Playing Our Song (1979), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980), Fools (1981), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1985), Broadway Bound (1986), Rumors (1988), Lost in Yonkers (1991), Jake’s Women (1992), The Goodbye Girl (1993), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), London Suite (1995), Proposals (1997), The Dinner Party (2000), 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001), and Rose’s Dilemma (2003). He got his start writing for folks like Sid Caesar, working with folks like Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. But today, you don’t see his shows around as much. Perhaps his style has gone out of style. That’s too bad, because his plays are really really funny (although definitely a product of their times).

Canyon Theatre Guild made the interest choice of producing his first successful play, Come Blow Your Horn, this summer (in parallel with The Play That Goes Wrong, which we saw a few weeks ago) . Given that I’m in the process of reading a collection of Simon plays that includes Come Blow Your Horn, we added this show to our schedule (skipping You Can’t Take It With You, at Group Rep), which alas we can’t fit in now). Last night, we went out to Santa Clarita to see it.

CBYH tells the story of two brothers, both working at their father’s wax fruit business. One brother, Alan (age 30) moved into a bachelor apartment a few years ago. The play starts when his younger brother, Buddy (age 21) escapes the family and shows up on Alan’s doorstep. I won’t go into a lot more details, except that the play had a very sitcom feel to it. Not a surprise, given the times. Remember that before television, plays and films were the sitcoms of their day. Put people in a situation, let comedy ensure. We weren’t anywhere near peak TV. I think the theatrical comedy has evolved some, but it is still at its heart a sitcom. Characters often fit into broad categories: the business-driven Jewish father, the meddling Jewish mother, the partying bachelor, the neophyte younger brother. This makes is easier to get into the story. I think characters today are more nuanced, not as broad.

Being written in 1961, there are elements that are cringeworthy today. The opening scene, with Alan pawing his date from upstairs, seemingly refusing her protestations, had that tinge of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and had consent issue. Similarly with inventing characters to get someone laid, or sending girls to a business client to party. These were 1960s attitudes; I’m not sure they would fly today. We must understand this play is a product of the late 1950s and its mores—and some of those mores are eschewed today. This is likely worth mentioning, just as the director had to describe the concepts of rotary phones and physical mail to the audience.

The play also brought forward another realization: Being straightforward isn’t funny. Being passive-aggressive and scared is. Simon gets a lot of humor from the passive-aggressive parents, as well as from the fear the two sons have of them. Juggling lots of different things and dropping one or two of them is also funny. Again, that’s a common theme of this play.

So is this play funny? Yes. Not quite as funny as The Play That Goes Wrong, but it is funny. It’s also worth noting the different quality of the humor. Goes Wrong is very much slapstick and visual humor that is basic. CBYH is a truer sitcom: the humor comes from the situation and the people, and how they react. If this was being filmed, you would have reaction shots.

Director Barry Agin has assembled a talented cast, all of whom work well in their roles. I was initially unsure about Davern Wright (Alan), as he as a very unique vocal quality, but his performance won me over. They were a very strong ensemble.

Come Blow Your Horn continues at Canyon Theatre Guild through June 29. Tickets are available through the CTG Website. It has one more weekend, and is well worth seeing. CTG has announced their 2024-2025 season: The Little Mermaid at COC, The Rat Pack Lounge, Things My Mother Taught Me, Southern Fried Nuptials, A Christmas Carol, West Side Story, Cats, and two shows to be announed. Not much catches my eye, given my tastes in shows and what else is out there, although I’ll see what the TBAs are. Now, if they could do Cats in the style of the just opened Cats: The Jellicle Ball, I’d be up there in an instant. That sounds like a wonderful reimaging of an overdone dance show. I’d also love it if CTG could do A Mulholland Christmas Carol; the original version is overdone, and this musical version is so appropriate for Santa Clarita (and hasn’t been done in the Los Angeles area since 2012)

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Come Blow Your Horn. Written by Neil Simon. Directed by Barry Agin. 

Cast: Jacob Boscarino Buddy; Chandra Bond Connie; Courtney Beaver Peggy; Michael Collins Mr. Baker; Laurie Morgan Mrs. Baker/alternate (at our performance); Linda Sklov Mrs Baker; Davern Wright Alan. I’m guessing whichever actress isn’t on for Mrs. Baker is on for Aunt Gussie. The dog is still missing in action.

Production and Creatives: John Alexopoulos Co-Set Design; Eduardo Arteaga Set / Sound / Light Design; Margo Caruso Asst. Director; Douglas Holiday Co-Set Design; Sandra Salvatori Floruti Props / Set Dressings; Keri Pierson Stage Manager.

♦ ♦ ♦

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

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

• June: ♦ Radium Girls at Stage Left Productions (Surprise AZ).


• July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;


• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.


• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac ⊕ at Pasadena Playhouse;


• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Season renewals time: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; and Pasadena Playhouse are all renewed. We’re looking to see what Chromolume Theatre (which is returning) and Canyon Theatre Guild are planning. Other than that, Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Morgan-Wixson will be doing Bat Boy: The Musical in September, but I don’t think we’ll be able to fit it in.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Humor of its Time | "Come Blow Your Horn" @ Canyon Theatre Guild 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.

It is very interesting to compare and contrast different productions of shows. How does a director take a show that was designed for the large Broadway stage, and adapt it for a regional theatre production, or an intimate theatre production, or a community theatre production. Each has different resources, different fly spaces, different actor quality, and certainly, different budgets. When I saw earlier this year that Canyon Theatre Guild was doing Xanadu: The Musical, I was intrigued. I had last seen it in 2012 at a tiny black box theatre in Hollywood, back when Doma was a theatre company (it is currently an “Arts Complex“, with theatre “coming soon”). I had been coming off a series of camp musicals, having just seen Silence: The Musical the week before. So I was curious: How would a community theatre company tackle this admittedly camp piece. Train wreck or a success? So I placed a hold on my calendar waiting for tickets to go on sale. Then I learned that an actor-friend from REP days was cast in the show (George Chavez). George is great in anything he does, so this was a two-fer: I’d get to see a different adaptation of a show, and I’d get to see a show with George in it. Win-win.

As I noted last week, seeing a show for a second time awards me the luxury of not having to write the synopsis, or my thoughts on the book, unless they are different. The following is cribbed from the 2012 review; only the links and a couple of minor things have been changed to reflect changes in the times:

The 1980s were an interesting time. I know — I was there, in college, at UCLA. Olivia Newton John was at the top of the pop charts, and was coming off her success in the film version of the musical “Grease“. Her next film, however, was a box office disaster (although the album went double platinum): “Xanadu“. Xanadu, which also starred Gene Kelly in his last non-documentary performance, told the improbable story of Sonny,  a record jacket artist. Sonny thinks his art is going nowhere and is about to give up when he is to paint an album cover for a group called The Nine Sisters. The cover features a beautiful woman passing in front of an art deco auditorium; this same woman collided with him earlier that day, kissed him, then roller-skated away, and Malone becomes obsessed with finding her. He finds her at the same (but now abandoned) auditorium. The woman is Kira, and she inspires him to revive the theatre and turn it into a roller disco. Kira is, in reality, Terpsichore, a greek muse, come to Earth disguised with roller skates and an Australian accent. She also inspired Danny Maguire, who originally built the threatre. The story goes on from there — you can read the full synopsis on Wikipedia — but it gets sillier. The only redeeming aspect of the movie was the music — all Olivia Newton John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). For the stage production, the music is credited to Jeff Lynne (who wrote the ELO songs) and John Farrar (who wrote the Newton-John songs). There were a few additional songs interpolated into the stage production.

In the mid-2000s, original producer Rob Ahrens came to book-writer Douglas Carter Beane with an idea.. an idea to take the film Xanadu and put it on stage. After a number of drafts and rewritings (all detailed in the liner notes to the CD) they came up with a book that kept the basic plot of the movie, but added elements of Clash of the Titans and more Greek mythology. The end result was a story whose goal was just to have fun: it could be self-referential and break the fourth wall; it could be a commentary on the state of the arts in the 1980s (a year that saw Barnum and Evita nominated as the best musicals), as well as a commentary on the state of society. In other words, it was fluff that knew it was fluff, and decided that since it was fluff, it was going to have fun.

The end story was as follows (edited down from Wikipedia): Chalk artist Sonny Malone is dissatisfied with his sidewalk mural of the Greek Muses and determines to kill himself. On Mount Olympus, Clio (the muse of history) convinces her eight sisters to travel to Venice Beach (rising out of the sidewalk mural) to inspire Sonny. Zeus’s rules require that Muses must always be disguised from mortals, so Clio wears roller skates and leg warmers, sports an Australian accent, and changes her name to Kira. Kira inspires Sonny to combine all the arts and “something athletic” all into one spectacular entertainment: a roller disco. Two of Clio’s sisters, Melpomene (the oldest sister, and the muse of tragedy) and Calliope (the muse of epics), are jealous that Clio is the leader of the Muses and that Zeus had promised “Xanadu” to her. . So they plot to discredit Clio and cause her banishment by tricking her into breaking one of Zeus’s rules: a Muse must not fall in love with a mortal, so they will curse “Kira” and Sonny to fall in love. Sonny finds a good location for the roller disco–a long-abandoned theater in Los Angeles called “Xanadu.” Inspired to locate the owner, he sets up a meeting with real estate mogul Danny Maguire. At the meeting, Sonny tries to convince Danny to donate the theater for the roller disco, because it would bring the arts to the district and drive up real estate values (yeah, like theatre does good things for a neighborhood :-)). But Danny scoffs, even though he had plans to open the theater himself, once upon a time, when he was inspired by an old love and dance partner of his, who looked suspiciously like “Kira,” named Kitty. But a flashback convinces him to redeem himself now by opening the roller disco with Sonny. Danny finds Sonny and tells him that if he can get the disco up and running in one day, he’ll give him 25% of the take from the Disco. Sonny finds “Kira” and tells her the good news. She is not impressed with the deal that he has cut. The evil sisters work their curse, and the winged Eros, along with “Mama Cupid”, shoots “Kira” and Sonny with the arrows of love. “Kira” is soon overwhelmed with guilt over her loving feelings and of having created her own art (a hand-drawn picture) alongside Sonny – both violations of Zeus’s restrictions on the Muses. With the help of some of the muses, “Kira” and Sonny fix up the old theater, and Danny agrees to go ahead with the opening. Clio realizes that she is falling in love with Sonny and tells him that she must leave. To make it worse for Clio, the evil sisters offer Danny piles of money if he will tear down the theater and build condos. Danny can’t resist and tells Sonny that the deal is off. “Kira” comes back to tell Sonny that she loves him, but the evil sisters tell her that she has broken Zeus’s rules, and that she must tell Sonny the truth. So “Kira” reveals all to Sonny, including that her name is Clio, but he does not believe her and is upset. He suggests that she is a crackpot. He also doubts that she really loves him, and she is angry and hurt. The evil sisters have triumphed, and Kira sets off for Mount Olympus to receive her punishment from Zeus. Meanwhile, Sonny and Danny discuss “Kira” and after seeing her in the sky, it all makes sense. Danny tells Sonny not to let go of his muse because of foolish pride as he once did back in the 1940s. Sonny, realizing that he really loves “Kira,” decides to find her – even if it means climbing Mount Olympus. I’ll leave the actual end open.

A silly story. As you can see, there were a number of changes from the movie. The mural aspect was brought back and the record album cover stuff was dropped (along with some stupid subplots). The Greek mythology aspects were strengthened, and the notion of evil sisters wanting to get even (common in Greek stories) was brought in.  [The book allowed the director to expand] on this a bit more, adding in references to current Los Angeles and the current weather, as well as amping up the commentary on the state of the theatre. It worked, and worked well. The story itself ended up being a fun-filled romp.

At the opening of the Canyon Theatre Guide production, the director noted that attendees tended to fall into 3, perhaps 4 camps: (1) those who loved the movie and Olivia Newton John (and yes, there were a number of those there); (2) those that hated the movie and wanted to make fun of it (she called those “Xanadon’t”, but I must note that Zanna Don’t is a completely different, and excellent, musical); (3) those who are saying “Xanawhat?”; and (4) those who are there because of their subscription or they know someone in the cast. We fell into that latter category (although we are thinking about becoming subscribers; this would replace our “small theatre” subscription, as the little theatres tend not to do that model anymore, with some exceptions (GRT, Odyssey, Anteaus).

This raises the next question: How did CTG execute the show? Well, this is community theatre. There were some strong performances (the leads). There were some outstanding performances. There were some where you could see the counting in the head. There were a few where the casting was focused more on getting the right talent than 100% the right look. There were sound problems. Bra straps were visible, distracting from the costumes. But on the whole, it was an enjoyable production. Yeah, the story was camp (and knew it). Yeah, I still don’t like ELO ballads. But the cast brought a great energy and joy to the production, and that can help overcome the weaknesses of the underlying book. Plus, this is a show that is rarely done—this puts it in the category of “see if you are a show collector”. I also enjoy the camp and self-referential aspects of the show.

There were some outstanding performances. George Chavez, who played Sonny at our performance (he alternates with another actor) was great. George gets his energy from the audience, and enjoys roles where he can amp up the silliness, and this role played to those strengths. Jaran Real, as Little Sammy/Street Dancer, was just spectacular with his dance moves and tapping; this is a kid with talent that will go far some day. I’m not sure which lead we had as Kira, but whomever it was, she had a very strong voice. Overall, the singing was very strong, the dancing was a bit more mixed. Characterization was good.

So, should you see this show? I could echo the director, but I won’t. If you look fondly on the 1980s, see this. If you liked the movie Xanadu , then see this (I’m looking at both of you that liked it). If you like to see rarely produced musicals, see this. If you like camp and self-referential musical, see this. If you want to see something silly, see this.

On the other hand, if you want a book that makes sense, say home. If you don’t like (or can’t at least tolerate) ELO, you should probably stay home.

We enjoyed it. But if a production of Xanadu: The Musical came around again, we’d probably pass. Twice is enough. Then again, if George is in that show… we might change our minds.

Xanadu: The Musical runs at Canyon Theatre Guide through April 28. Tickets are available at the Canyon Theatre Box Office. Next up at CTG: The Play That Goes Wrong. Again, it will be interesting to see how a regional theatre company (the level of company that is actually spoofed in the production) does with the show, compared to the Broadway tour we saw at the Ahmanson.

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Xanadu: The Musical. Book by Douglas Carter Beane; Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures film. Screenplay by Richard Danus & Marc Rubel.

Cast: Erica Brauer / Tasha Taylor Kira (Clio); George Chavez / Zachary Santolaya Sonny Malone; Ted Tobin Danny Maguire; Jaran Real Young Danny, Street Dancer; Abi Bowling Melpomene; Jenise Spiteri Calliope; Rachel Logan Erato; Sophia Bellefeuille Euterpe, Andrew Sister; KiSea Katikka Terpsichore; Miranda Grace Massey Thalia; Lewis E. Powell III Hermes, Greek Chorus; Anna Dawahare Cupid, Greek Chorus; Matthew Gatewood Zeus; Michael Davies Zeus (Alternate); Sandra Salvatori Hera, Greek Chorus; Donna Marie Sergi Thetis, Greek Chorus; Faith Violet Aphrodite, Andrew Sister, Greek Chorus; Jack Matson Centaur, Greek Chorus; Brian Mann Centaur, Greek Chorus; Felicia Grady Medusa, Greek Chorus; Jacqueline (Jack) Rich Aglaope, Andrew Sister, Greek Chorus; Kelly Tomlin Molpe, Urania, Greek Chorus; Patty Assiante Polyhymnia, Peisone, Greek Chorus.

Production and Creative: Ingrid Boydston Director; Claudia Alexopoulos Asst. Director, Properties; John Alexopoulos Co-Set Designer; Carla Bellefeuille Vocal Director; Candra Bond Co-Costumer; Kasmira Buchanan Choreographer; Doug Holiday Co-Set Designer; Sam Kort Asst Choreographer; Michael T. Smith Co-Lighting Designer; Joe Swartz Stage Manager, Co-Lighting Designer; Clinton Kyles Guest Tap Choreographer; Patti Assaiante Roller Skate Consultant.

♦ ♦ ♦

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

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

• April: ♦ Spongebob Squarepants – The Musical at CSUN Theatre; ♣ Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band at BofA/Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.
• May: ♦ Hands on a Hardbody at Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse; ♦ Girl from the North Country at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at Canyon Theatre Guild (⊕)
• June: ♦ Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ You Can’t Take It With You (⊕) at Group Rep; and potentially some ♦ Hollywood Fringe Festival shows, although June is pretty well booked already.
• July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages;

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.  I also just learned that Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Interesting….

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Leg Warmers and Roller Skates, Again | "Xanadu" @ Canyon Theatre Guild 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.

I’m not a big fan of Christmas media: movies, music, plays, musicals. On the surface, that’s not a big surprise as I’m Jewish and Christmas is not my holiday. From the day after Holloween nowadays, we’re saturated with the commercial and sentimental message of the holiday, with its underlying message of buy, buy, buy. Perhaps Stan Freberg and Tom Lehrer had it right after all … but I digress.

Still, there are a few properties in each media category that I like. I’m enamored of Peter Paul and Mary’s Christmas Dinner, because I think that’s the message of the day. I love A Mulholland Christmas Carol and wish it would be done again. But much of what is out there is sentimental claptrap or remountings of classics (such as the recent production of Miracle on 34th Street at Actors Co-Op). Recently, two musicals have emerged as Christmas perennials. One we saw in 2017: A Christmas Story. The other is Elf: The Musical, with book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, Music by Matthew Sklar, and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, based on the 2003 movie written by David Berenbaum. I could easily see Elf becoming one of those holiday musicals I actually like, as it is a whole lot of fun, has great music, and a wonderful non-religious and non-commercial message.

Elf basically tells the story of Buddy the Elf. As an infant, after his single mother died, he crawled into Santa’s bag and was taken by mistake to the North Pole. He was raised by the elves to be one of them, even after he grew to be six feet tall. One day, he learns he is human and journeys to New York City to meet his dad, who has no Christmas spirit. He does, and as they say, hijinks ensure. He gets a job as an elf at Macy*s, and falls in love with a cynical “elf” Jovie. He destroys his dad’s office. But this is all done with childish joy and innocence, as Buddy has never really grown up and is the embodiment of a child’s Christmas spirit and belief. When Santa gets stranded in NYC due to the lack of Christmas spirit, of course it is Buddy to the rescue. Cue the closures of the story lines and the happy ending that is required.

Although there are numerous productions of Elf in Southern California this time of year, we saw the production at Canyon Theatre Guild in Santa Clarita/Newhall. To understand CTG, you need to understand the tiers of theatres in So Cal. There are the big boys that have the tours and are typically all Equity (although the Pantages does some non-Equity tours). There are the mid-size houses that are all Equity. There are the intimate theatres, some of whom use Equity contracts and some Equity actors (as REP was, down the street from CTG, when it was in existance); there are others that eschew Equity’s BS and use only non-Equity actors (who are typically rising actors, or actors from film/TV (SAG/AFTRA)). Community theatre is a step below that: theatre performed by a mix of community members who just love to act, and in SoCal, actors from the cadre of non-Equity and film/TV actors who like to exercise their craft on stage. As a result, the quality of the performances at CTG can be mixed: you have some performers who are seasoned vets who bring their “A” game to the show, and you have the teacher, printer, or student that may flub a line, miss a step, or be focused too much on getting the moves right to inhabit or create a background character. But you know, going in, these folks are up on the stage because they love it, and they are giving all their heart.

With this mix, the directing team (in this case, Barry Agin (FB) and Timben Boydston (FB)) had their hands full. They had to come up with the overall design of the production. They had to work with the actors to bring out and shape the characters — and with community theatre actors that can be a bit more work. They had to ensure the evenness of the performances and ensure that the characters created were true to what was on the written page. Lastly, they had to do this while ensuring that everyone was having fun, because you’re not in community theatre to make the tens and tens of dollars that those big-time actors in LA’s intimate theatres make. I’m pleased to say that Barry and Timben achieved these goals: this was a fun production with easily overlooked imperfections, with actors that generally did a great job.

But there is one primary reason for the success of this show — and that reason is the same reason we chose this production out of all the productions of Elf in Southern California that we could see: George Chavez (FB). We’ve seen George in numerous productions throughout the years at REP, when it existed up the street; in Simi Valley; and at other theatres in LA. He brings a wonderful enthusiasm and manic energy to his roles; a tender craziness. George wasn’t just playing Buddy the Elf — George was Buddy the Elf. He brought a child’s wonder and sense of playfulness to the role, he brought the manic energy of an elf, as well as the innocence. He made you believe in the Christmas spirit through that energy. If you know George in real life, you know that he is also a teacher — and his performance here made it clear why his students must love love him, and why he finds joy in that other aspect of his life. This enthusiasm for whatever he does — whatever role or profession he is in — can’t be faked. He is successful as a teacher because he loves that. He is successful as an actor because he loves that. And, as this performance demonstrated, he was successful as Buddy the Elf because he brings the love for anything Christmas that is inside Buddy to the stage, beams it out to the audience, and literally becomes that character while on stage. His enthusiasm and joy was such that it raised up all the other actors, and smoothed over the rough edges that community theatre might have. I’m sure this joy was also broadcast backstage and set the tone for the entire company.

But George’s Buddy wasn’t the only impressive talent on the CTG stage. I was also impressed with Christina Afetian (FB) Jovie. Afetian brought some wonderful character to the role, had a winning smile, and most importantly: a winning voice. She did a spectacular job on “A Christmas Song”, and was just a joy to watch.

Buddy’s human family was also very strong, in particular Ally Loprete (FB) Emily Hobbs and Jack Anderson Michael Hobbs. Loprete brought a great personality and a very strong voice to her role; Anderson was strong as the brother and handled the character well. Jeff Vincent (FB) Walter Hobbs was strong performance-wise as the father, bringing just the right sense of Christmas indifference to the role. However, at our performance, his voice was a bit tired by the end of the evening — if I had to guess, he had an ill-timed cold. Happens to all of us, and I wish we could have seen him in stronger form.

In terms of the other characters, Anna Rast (FB) Deb had a strong voice and brought a unique personality to the character. Also bringing a strong voice and some standout personality was Noemi Vaca (FB) Charlotte in her various ensemble roles.

Rounding out the cast were: Eduardo Arteaga (FB) Santa Claus, Jackson Caruso (FB) Matthews / Ensemble; Peyton Copley Ensemble; Erin Davis (FB) Sara / Ensemble; Kaitlyn Davis Ensemble; Molly Davis Ensemble; Greyson Foster (⭐FB) Charlie / Ensemble; Ellen Guinn Ensemble; Calvin Hayward Ensemble; Doug Holiday (FB) Vinny the Policeman / Ensemble; Harmony Jefferson Ensemble; La’a Jefferson (FB) Ensemble; Haileigh Johnson Ensemble; Kelly Johnson Mrs. Claus / Ensemble; Jefferson Lanz (FB) Sam / Ensemble; Hannah May LEPoidevin (FB) Ensemble; Sam Kort (FB) Ensemble; Jeff Lucas (FB) Bad Santa / Ensemble; John Morris (FB) Ensemble; Grace Morrison Ensemble; Katrina Negrete (FB) Ensemble; Christopher Passalacqua (FB) Chadwick / Ensemble; Cora Pengelly Ensemble; Eva Pengelly Ensemble; Christopher Robbin Mr. Greenway; Emma Shean Ensemble; Owen Shean Ensemble; Griffin Siroky (FB) Ensemble; Katelyn Taylor Tiara / Ensemble; and Jeremiah True (FB) Manager.

The music, alas, was recorded.

Choreography was by Melanie Lee (FB), who did a great job considering the range of dance talent she had to work with.

Turning to the production and creative side: The set design by Doug Holiday (FB) and John Alexopoulos (FB) wasn’t fancy, but worked well for the CTG stage (especially considering the limited budget CTG has to work with). Long-time REP regular Steven “Nanook” Burkholder (FB) provided sound design and appropriate sound effects. Mike Davis (FB) and Michael T. Smith (FB)’s lighting design did a satisfactory job of establishing place and time. The costume design by Jean Paletz (FB) and Jill McGlynn (FB) was appropriately Christmas-y; the elf costumes were cute. Rounding out the credits: Margo Caruso (FB) Asst. Director; Carla Bellefeuille (FB) Vocal Director; Michael T. Smith (FB) Props / Set Dresser; Keri Pierson (FB) Stage Manager; Nicole Arteaga (FB) Props / Set Dresser. Timben Boydston (FB) is the Executive and Artistic Director of CTG.

Alas, Monday was the last performance of Elf at CTG. Perhaps George will do it at a future venue.

🎭

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 Soraya/VPAC (FB), 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:

We have no more live theatre scheduled in 2019. We will be seeing a movie on Christmas Day.

Looking to early 2020: most of the January is currently quiet, but the middle of the month is busy, with What The Constitution Means To Me at the Mark Taper Forum, and Frozen at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) the third weekend, and Cirque Éloize at  the Soraya/VPAC (FB) the last weekend. Things start heating up in February, with The Last Ship (with Sting) at the Ahmanson Theatre the first weekend; A Body of Water at Actors Co-op (FB) and It Shoulda Been You at Musical Theatre Guild (FB) the third weekend; and (whew!)  The Simon and Garfunkel Story at the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Escape to Margaritaville at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB), and Step Afrika at the Soraya/VPAC (FB) the fourth weekend. Yes, that is the Pantages and the Dolby the same day — that’s what I get for not entering season tickets on my calendar before ticketing a bonus show. March comes in like a lamb, with the first two weekends (2/29 and 3/7) being quiet… but goes out like a Lion. The 2nd weekend brings the MRJ Man of the Year dinner (and possibly The Wild Party at Morgan Wixson); the 3rd Morris’ Room at Actors Co-op (FB) ; and the last bringing Spongebob Squarepants at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB) and the MoTAS/TBH Seder. April is similarly busy: the 1st weekend is Mamma Mia at 5 Star Theatricals (FB); the 2nd is during Pesach and is open (but has Count Basie at the Soraya/VPAC (FB) the Thursday before); the 3rd is Once on This Island at the Ahmanson Theatre; the last is Hamilton at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) (and possibly Hands on a Hardbody at the Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse (FB)), and the first weekend of May is Mean Girls at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (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 🎭 But He Won't Fit on the Shelf | "Elf" @ Canyon Theatre Guild 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.