Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

It’s sad, somewhat, that I must start out with clarifying that I’m writing about the original live musical on stage, not the movie. We haven’t seen the movie yet. Perhaps Christmas Day.  But I’m leaning towards the Bob Dylan movie. I do wonder what those who have only seen the movie—never read the book, never seen the musical—would make of the stage musical. How would they feel with the direction into which the second act descends? For Wicked, my friends, is not a light and fluffy musical. Like other musicals with staying power, it has much deeper messages. You want light and fluffy. Go see Legally Blonde-The Musical. You can find your pink girl power there.

As you might have guessed, last night we saw Wicked at the Pantages. We rarely see the same production multiple times (and I consider a tour instances to be the same production as other tour instances, as they are the same producing and designing team). We’ve seen Hamilton three times. But normally, there needs to be something novel to make a show worth seeing again. A regional or small theatre mounting (such as 5-Star doing Frozen). An interesting twist in the execution (such as the Deaf West American Idiot). But, for example, Annie (which is also coming to the Pantages)—I have no urge to see it again.

This brings us to Wicked. We saw the tour when it first came to the Pantages in 2005. I think 20 years is a sufficient waiting period, and yes, the show has been on tour that long. No regional productions. No local productions. So it was time. My green friend, you’ve held up well.

Back when I first saw it, I didn’t write a detailed review. I was just getting started with my writeups. Since then, I’ve been doing more analysis. I’ve also read the books — multiple times. But I had forgotten the depth of the show. It’s popularity, of course, comes from the music and the implied girl power and friendship between the two principals: Elphaba and Galinda. There are those who see themselves as the outcast, never accepted, Elphaba. There are those who see themselves in the princess, Galinda. There are those who ache for those two sides to come together.

But watching the show last night, what struck me more was how political the show was, and how increasingly relevant the political heart of Greg Maguire’s book that remained in the show is. For Wicked, at its heart, is an intensely political show. It was written in the heart of the Bush administration, with commentaries on Bush’s treatment of political prisoners and the views against minorities. But in our new political era, it is even more timely. Here we have a story about a talented flim-flam man, who knows how to manipulate public opinion and spread falsehoods for his own power and gain. Here we have a society that has made a literal scapegoat of the Animals (following the book’s convention, Animals are the creatures that have the power of speech, whereas animals do not). They blame the Animals for their economic problems (remember the reference to the Great Drought), and then serve to exclude them and push them from society. Deport them, as you might characterize it. We see those who look different and act different being ostracized, and accepted only for what they can give to those in power. We have celebrities harnessed to spread the message of the flim-flam man, spreading lies and stories they know not to be true. But this has no resemblance to what we have seen in 2024-2025, does it.

And our heroine? She is someone who is rejected who uses her power to speak out for those that literally have lost the voice they used to have. She is able to sway others to her position and eventually sweeps the administration of the political flim-flam man away. He leaves the country, with the people unaware of the extent of his crimes, and his cronies end up in prison.

We need an Elphaba today to start the fight. We need a Glinda, post-Elphaba, to arise and push out the flim-flam man. Perhaps in 2026.

The best musicals reflect their times, and are often not well received when they first come out, although sometimes they are popular. Chicago was a failure when it first came out. But after OJ and the rise of the celebrity trial where we realized it was all showbiz, it was a hit. It has been going strong since then, with a steady stream of Roxies keeping the show going. Wicked was poorly received the season it debuts. Avenue Q was the big hit of that season. But although Avenue Q is still being produced regionally, Wicked remains open on Broadway and on tour. It resonated with audiences. They saw the girl power and the humor, and perhaps they absorbed the political message.

In response to the movie, there are those on the right who are claiming that the movie is “woke” and propaganda. A petition from Million Moms states: ““Of course, the musical contains a tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery, and that content prompts most parents to avoid taking their children to see Wicked. But the film also shows not-so-discrete crossdressing and men crushing on men, which parents may not expect. Instead of an uplifting Broadway musical about friendship and family, talents and resources were used to create a dark movie that also pushes wokeness.” Kristen Chenowith, the original Glinda, has spoken out against this statement. But even more: Wicked has always been political. It has always been “woke”. It was never a musical primarily about friendship and family: it was a musical about the importance of speaking out for those with no voice. It is a musical that makes the point that those whom our leaders purport to be “wicked” may really just be those who are speaking out to power, who are speaking up for truth and justice. Wicked has always been this way, from the original book, to the original musical.

[And, I guess I should note: Those on the other side of the political spectrum may also see their views in this. Sigh. But they are wrong.]

A musical that has been running this long has created a large family of Ephabas and Glindas. One might think a 20 year old tour might be tired, and the performances would be weaker. That clearly seemed to be the position of Charles McNulty of the LA Times, who bemoaned the fact that the tour cast wasn’t near Chenowith and Menzel. I disagree. I don’t think there was a weak performer in the entire tour cast. At worst, some were merely very good.

At our performance, we had some substitutions. The primary tour Ephaba, Lauren Samuels, was out for some reason. We didn’t have one of the other understudies or standbys; instead, the producers brought in a former Elphaba for the role: Olivia Valli. She was out when we saw the Pretty Woman tour, alas. She was outstanding, bringing a wonderful personality to the role. I was just fixated in watching her face. During the curtain call, she broadcast such happiness with being able to perform the role again. It was clear she was broadcasting that happiness during her performance. Had McNulty seen her, perhaps his opinion would have been different.

Our Glinda, Austen Danielle Bohmer, fell into the very good category. She was good in the role, but was more a Laura Bell Bundy as Elle than Kristen Chenowith. She lacked the little extra spark that the role needs. But it wasn’t a bad performance, but when up against Valli’s Ephie, she just couldn’t hold her own.

The other substitution we had was David Kaverman as the Wizard. He was good, but came off as a little too young, with not quite the paternalistic charm required. Was he even old enough to be Elphaba’s father?

Other cast members were very strong, including Kingsley Legg’s Dr. Dillamond, Erica Ito’s Nessarose, and Xavier McKinnon’s Fiyero. The production quality was very high; something my daughter commented upon. The orchestra was also very strong. One might think, after 20 years, the production values would get tired and worn, but the company seems to be doing an excellent job of keeping the quality and production high. This wasn’t a schlocky tour that was dependent on projection.

That leads to another side note: Some shows you know will fade into the history books because of their production demands. Few regional theatres will be able to do Back to the Future: The Musical because they can’t handle the productions and the Delorian. Similarly, could a regional theatre or an intimate theatre or school do Mrs Doubtfire because the the needs of the latex mask? Looking at Wicked from that point of view: It’s doable. Sure you need a flying rig, but that’s known technology from Peter Pan. You don’t need the dragon at the top of the stage, and pretty much everything else is achievable. I think there is the potential, when the tour eventually ends as it must, for Wicked to be a hit on the regional and smaller circuits. I’ll note that will be harder for Hamilton, as some creative thought will be required to rework the staging for venues without double turntables.

Attempting to wrap this up: With the movie now in theatres, should you shell out the bucks to see Wicked on stage. I think so. First, folks rarely sing back at a stage musical (and the ushers will slap them down if they do). At the movie, folks sing back to the screen (one reason I’m hesitant to see the movie). Second, you get to see the whole story. You don’t have to see Act I, and then wait a year for Act II. The musical condenses the story, and in doing so provides a tighter focus on the story. The performances on the tour are strong, and unless you have seen it on stage recently (I think it was out in LA just pre-pandemic), it is worth seeing again. Of course, if you have never seen it, you must see the stage version BEFORE the movie, so you get the whole story. I also strongly recommended reading the Greg Maguire books (and there are four, now five, in the series: Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. The latest in the series, Elphie, just came out. I haven’t read it yet.

Wicked continues at the Pantages through February 3.  You can buy tickets through the Pantages web page.

———

Wicked. Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Winnie Holzman. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Directed by Joe Mantello. Musical Staging by Wayne Cilento.

Cast. Lauren Samuels Olivia Valli Elphaba; Austen Danielle Bohmer Galinda/Glinda; Aymee Garcia Madame Morrible; Blake Hammond David Kaverman The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; Erica Ito Nessarose; Kingsley Leggs Doctor Dillamond; Xavier McKinnon Fiyero; Alex Vinh Boq; Jennifer Mariela Bermeo Ensemble; Anthony Lee Bryant Ensemble; Sean Burns Ensemble; Matt Densky Ensemble; Kelley Dorney Midwife, Ensemble; Kayla Goldsberry Witch’s Mother, Ensemble; Rose Iannaccone Ensemble; Mattie Tucker Joyner Ensemble; Lauren Leach Ensemble; Colin LeMoine Ensemble; Tiffany Rae Mallari Ensemble; Adelina Mitchell Ensemble; Brayden Newby Ensemble; Allsun O’Malley Ensemble; Madison Clair Parks Ensemble; Kat Rodriguez Ensemble; Derek Schiesel Ensemble; Wayne Schroder Witch’s Father, Ozian Official; DJ Smart Chistery; Brett Stoelker Ensemble; Ben Susak Ensemble; Justin Wirick Ensemble. Swings (⇑ indicates swung in): ⇑ Anthony Lee Bryant;  ⇑ Mattie Tucker Joyner; ⇑ David Kaverman; Kelly LaFarga Dance Captain; Marina Lazzaretto; ⇑ Ben Susak Dance Captain. Understudies: Anthony Lee Bryant u/s Chistery; Sean Burns u/s Boq; Matt Densky u/s Boq; Kelley Dorney u/s Madame Morrible; Mattie Tucker Joyner u/s Nessarose; ⇑ David Kaverman u/s Witch’s Father, Ozian Official, The Wizard, Dr. Dillamond; Colin LeMoine u/s Fiyero; Adelina Mitchell u/s Elphaba; Allsun O’Malley u/s Glinda, Nessarose; Madison Claire Parks u/s Glinda; Kat Rodriguez u/s Madame Morrible; Wayne Schroder u/s The Wizard, Dr. Dillamond; Brett Stoelker u/s Fiyero; Ben Susak u/s Chistery.  Standbys: Carly Augenstein Elphaba Standby.

Music Department (^Ł indicates local): William David Brohn Orchestrations Stephen Oremus Music Supervisor; Alex Lacamoire & Stephen Oremus Music Arrangements; Michael Keller Music Coordinator; Faith Seetoo Music Director, Conductor; Derek Shorter Associate Conductor, Keyboard 2; Luke Flood Keyboard 1; Amy Tatum^Ł Piccolo / Flute / Alto Flute / Recorder / Penny Whistle; Michelle Forrest^Ł Oboe / English Horn; Katie Faraudo^Ł French Horn; Jeff Driskill^Ł Soprano Sax/E♭ Clarinet/B♭ Clarinet / Bass Clarinet; Aaron Smith^Ł  Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Nick Daley^Ł  Tenor/Bass Trombone; Michael Valerio^Ł Bass (Acoustic / 5-String Electric / Fretless); Michael Abraham^Ł Guitar (Electric / Nylon String / Steel String / 12-String / Banjo / Mandolin); Chris Jago^Ł  Drums; Bruce Carver^Ł Percussion; Alby Potts^Ł Keyboard 3; Adam McDonald^Ł Keyboard 4; Mary Ekler^Ł Keyboard Sub; Eric Heinley^Ł  Orchestra Contractor.

Production and Creatives: Eugene Lee Set Design; Susan Hilferty Costume Designer; Kenneth Posner Lighting Design; Tony Meola Sound Design; Elaine J. McCarthy Projection Design; Tom Watson Hair and Wig Design; Joe Dulude II Makeup Designer; Jake Bell Technical Supervisor; James Lynn Abbott Dance Arrangements; The Telsey Office Casting; Lisa Leguillou Assoc. Director; Corinne McFadden Herrera Associate Choreographer; Edward Pierce Assoc. Scenic Designer; Chic Silber Special Effects; Dawn Fenton Production Stage Manager; Michelle Dunn Stage Manager; Colleen Danaher Asst. Stage Manager; Joseph Heaton Asst. Stage Manager; 321 Theatrical Management General Management.

Favorite minor credits: Sascha Kaminski Spellbooks; Bob Flanagan Puppets; Michael Durry Design Inc Flatheads and Monkey Wings; although a close second was Bra* Tenders Undergarments and hosiery. 

♦ ♦ ♦

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). We’re a bit light on theatre while my wife is recuperating from her knee replacement.

• December: ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);
• February: ♦ Sondheim’s Old Friends at CTG/Ahmanson;  ♦ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Desperate Measures at ICT Long Beach
• March: ♦ Top Dog/Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Nefesh Mountain at McCabes; ♦ Fake It Until You Make It at CTG/Taper; ♦Drat the Cat at Group Rep; MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder @ TAS

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

When you go to the theatre these days, there’s this sense of déjà vu: that you’ve seen what is up on stage before. Now, I don’t get that, because I always consider the stage show to have come first (and thus, Shakespeare begat Pulp Fiction). But for many, seeing a musical adaption of a film is déjà vu: it is comfort food for the brain; it is a known quantity that folks think will be successful. Sometimes it works, and the stage production has a long life, sometimes even moreso than the original. Productions like Shrek,  Legally Blonde, The Producers, and Hairspray come to mind. Sometimes, they fail miserably, leaving not that much memorable. American Psycho or the more recent Almost Famous. Sometimes, these failed shows have some wonderful songs: One of my favorite songs is The Last Real Record Store on Earth from High Fidelity. But most shows that attempt screen-to-stage end up in this middle ground—entertaining in the moment, one, perhaps two, memorable songs, but ultimately they are “Donuts for Dinner”. If you’re not familiar with that phrase, it comes from [title of show], and refers to an idea that seems satisfying at the time, but an hour later you’re hungry again. We’ve had a lot of donuts up on stage of late: Pretty Woman, Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire. Entertaining, but other than prolonging the life of a property, you wonder why they made the stage production. We saw one such show last week: Back to the Future: The Musical.  Technically astounding, with great performances and humor, but if you were to ask me any of the songs a week later, I could only name one. Ask me in a month, and …

I’ll note that, for me, there’s another category of musicals: Shows for which I have heard the music, but have never seen the show. Some I may never see. I doubt anyone will mount American Psycho or Sweet Smell of Success in Los Angeles. Not even MTG. Occasionally, I luck out, such as Charles Steward Howard Playhouse’s production of Hands on a Hardbody this year, or MTW’s Big Fish in 2014. But there are so many I would like to see for completeness: High Fidelity, Tuck Everlasting, How to Dance in Ohio, Cry Baby. Universe, if you’re listening, put a bug in an artistic director’s ear about this.

These two groups (screen-to-stage musicals and musicals I’ve heard but never seen) led to the show I saw last night. A small theatre company I’d never heard of, Long Beach Landmark, which is a theatre-ministry offshoot of a local long-established church (similar to Actors Co-Op or Troll Players or CSH Playhouse) publicized their current show on some group I’m a member of on Facebook. I thought I wouldn’t be able to squeeze it in, but I ended up booking the penultimate performance. The show? Groundhog Day: The Musical.

Going in, I’ll note that I’ve actually never seen the movie upon which this was based (Groundhog Day, 1993). That said…

To summarize up front: I went in thinking this would be another Back to the Future: cute, but utterly non-memorable. In many ways, it was. But I was ultimately taken by the lead character’s redemption arc (which is what made the original film so significant). I was also taken by the performances, aspects of the staging, and in general how this little company did such a good job with the property.

Let’s start with the story. As I said: I hadn’t seen the movie. Perhaps it is me, but many of the jokes in the story that had the audience roaring had little impact on me. But by the second act, I was taken by how this time loop had changed Phil. I felt there was a wonderful lesson in that: To be successful and move on, we need to be doing good for others, and not be so self-centered. Perhaps this is why this church theatre ministry chose the property: this message of DOING good, not just speaking good or subscribing to the Gospel of Prosperity, is fundamental to the UCC denomination with which they are associated. It was a risky choice for a church group, given the language and sex in the show. But it worked. As always: a good book is a good book, and the folks familiar with THE good book probably recognized that.

Musically, however, there’s not much to write home about. The music and lyrics are by Tim Minchin, who did Matilda (a fun show, but only a few memorable songs). In this show, most of the songs were unmemorable. There were a few standouts, however. “If I Had My Time Again” is a lovely looking forward song; and the final song, “Seeing You” had a catchy melody and some really nice words.

But what set this performance above the typical was the performances and the production. Performances first. Groundhog Day requires a strong Phil, and Jay Dysart was up to the task. He had a very strong voice, and some great comic timing. In short, he was fun to watch. But the performer who was astounding was Lauren McGunigale as Rita. She had an astounding voice, and a playful personality that shone through her characterization. She also had great chemistry with Dysart’s Phil. Some other notable performances were Emily “E.C.” Cipriani, who just shone joy and fun; Amanda Webb, who I was initially unsure about but who shone in the second act; and Joel Steven, who was just having fun with Buster.

The production was great, especially considering what this theatre had to work with. Landmark does its shows in the First Congregational Church of Northridge. They don’t do them in a gussied up social hall (like Troll Payers or CSH Playhouse or Actors Co-Op). They do it in the historic main sanctuary. This means no fly space, the wings are just spaces curtained off, the orchestra is downstage in the choir pit. Lighting likely needs to be removed after each Saturday show for the Sunday morning services and put back. As a result, their scenery was mostly flats and construction pieces that can be moved off to the side. Yet they still made turntables on the side, human powers. But most impressive was a scene in Act 1 that was clearly a projection in the original show, where Phil and two guys from the bar take off on a dangerous road trip. Lacking a projection, instead actors carried stick figures of the cars and the landscape, and moved all around the stage. It worked: yeah, it wasn’t realistic, but this is theatre. It told the story, and was a clever invention to do so. BTTF should pay attention, as this is a way to get around that shows heavy use of projections.

A few nits: The first had a bunch of microphone static, and I think the sound balance was a bit off, with the speakers for the music overshadowing the performers.

So in the pantheon of middle-ground screen-to-stage musicals, where does this fit? Hard to say. It won a lot of awards when it was first produced in 2016, especially in the UK. But there’s no accounting for taste in the UK, as they liked Girl from the North Country. In the US, it won some awards primarily for the lead actor: As I said, the performance of Phil Connors is what makes or breaks this show. I think you’ll see regional or community theatres occasionally do this show, drawn by the creating team (Matilda), the familiarity of the movie, or a desire to do something that isn’t that frequently done but is still familiar. If there’s a local production in your area, certainly go an see it. But I wouldn’t go to the level of getting caught in a time loop to see it again and again.

The last performance of Groundhog Day: The Musical by Long Beach Landmark, in the historical First Congregational Church of Long Beach, is tonight at 7pm. Limited tickets are available through their website. This is a company that is worth following, but that entails going into Long Beach.

And speaking of going into Long Beach, a bit of a rant. The intersection of I-405 and I-710 is really poorly designed. The signage from 405 SB to 710 SB is almost non-existent. I ended up on the ramp for 710 NB by mistake, diverted back to 405, and then had to work surface streets to the 710. Coming home was little better: I almost missed the 405 transition because it is a single lane for both NB and SB 405, with poor signage. That interchange really needs a rebuild. Alas, I know of no plans to do so. The City of LB is no better. You get off the 710 on a city-built freeway along Shoreline Drive. There are signs that Broadway is a left exit, but the actual exit is NOT signed as Broadway. Going home, I ended up going around the block to Ocean, thinking it would take me to the 710. But no — it feeds directly to Route 47 and the Vincent Thomas Bridge, with no signage to 710. I ended up getting off on Pico Ave, and working my way to a 270° loop ramp to the 710. Really, really, poor wayfinding.

———

Groundhog Day: The Musical. Book by Danny Rubin. Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin. Based on the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture and the story by Danny Rubin. Directed and Choreography by Megan O’Toole. Produced by Jay Dysart.

Cast: Jay Dysart Phil Collins; Lauren McGunigale Rita Hanson; Pluto Dysart Larry; Mark Waters Ned Ryerson; Amanda Webb Nancy Taylor; Martha Duncan Mrs. Lancaster; Richie Muhammad Freddie / Healer 2 / Puppeteer; Emily “E.C.” Cipriani Debbie / Puppeteer; Charlie Carlos Ralph / Healer 1 / Bartender Billy / Elder; Joey Krumbein Gus / Groundhog Guy / Elder; Taylor Mobely Doris / Scientologist; Lisa Bode Heard Mrs. Cleveland / Piano Teacher; Mark Bruce-Casares Mr. Cleveland / Ensemble / Townsperson; Doug Emslie Old Jensen / Elder / Radio DJ; Joel-Steven Buster / Radio DJ; Corey Shaw Sheriff; Catherine Ram Deputy / Psychiatric Phamacologist; Jennifer Walquist Naturopath / Storm Chaser / Townsperson; Emily Morgan Joelle / Nurse / AA Person / Director; Jack Millis Storm Chaser / Elder; Tiger Chen Jeff / Ensemble / Puppeteer; Matthew Kopp Jonathan / Priest; Alison Mitchell Ensemble / Townsperson / Puppeteer; Marisa Krumbein Ensemble / Townsperson / Puppeteer. 

Music Department: Curtis Heard Musical Director / Conductor / Keyboard; Ed Peffer Reed 1; Jeff Sisil Reed 2; Eric Messerschmidt Bass; Amanda Duncan Drums; Greg Adamson Cello; Matt Brislawn Violin; Landon Grigsby Trumpet; Nicholas Washburn Trumpet; Paul De La Rosa Trombone; John Ballinger Guitar.

Production and Creatives: Jay Dysart, Nathan Amondson, Megan O’Toole Production Concept; Jay Dysart Producer / Marketing Director; Lily Penner Asst. Director / Producer, Prod. Coordinator, Stage Manager; Nathan Amondson Scenic Designer; Pluto Dysart Asst. Choreographer; Ken Beaupre Sound Designer; Harold Kast Technical Director; James Carhart Costume Designer; Maddie Levy, Jay Dysart Social Media; LJ Curiel Lighting Designer. Megan O’Toole Landmark Artistic Director.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; 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). We’re a bit light on theatre while my wife is recuperating from her knee replacement.

• November: La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse;
• December: ♦ Wicked at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);
• February: ♦ Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends at CTG/Taper; ♦ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ⊕♦ Desperate Measures at ICT Long Beach;
• March: ♦ Top Dog/Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse; ⊕♣ Nefesh Mountain at McCabes; Fake It Until You Make It at CTG/Taper; MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at Temple Beth Tikvah;  ⊕♦ Drat the Cat at Group Rep; MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder at TAS.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as This Seems Vaguely Familiar | "Groundhog Day: The Musical" @ LB Landmark 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.

Time, and the perspective that it gives.

On two-show days, I like to think if there is any theme connecting the shows. For yesterday, the theme turned out to be the perspective of time. As I said: We had two shows yesterday (something I like to avoid), due to the poor subscriber service at CTG, which didn’t tell us the Taper dates until 3 weeks before the show. As a result, we had a 2:30pm Matinee of American Idiot at the Mark Taper Forum (on the same day the Wicked movie was having its 7:00pm premiere at the Dorothy Chandler), and an 8:00pm performance of Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood (Pantages).

What connect American Idiot and BTTF? The answer is time.

We’ll delve into the perspective of time for BTTF in the next writeup. But for American Idiot the perspective of time really leads to a different interpretation of the piece. The original album was written in 2004, at the height of the Iraq war, with the Bush administration in office. As Wikipedia notes: “The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War.”. It was turned into a musical that hit Broadway during the Obama administration. We saw it in a traditional tour presentation at the Ahmanson in 2012. It was hard to fathom the plot from that presentation, other than “Alienation. Anti-war. Love. Perils of war. Perils of drugs. Perils of relationships.”

But time changes perspective. Seeing American Idiot just a few days after the election of Donald Trump to a second, discontinguous term, brings new meaning to the piece. Suddenly the words about a hateful America, an America where the media is lying to us, an America that creates disillusionist view hits home.  The nihilism. The rage. It captured the anger from both sides.

The new presentation aided this view distinctly. The Deaf West approach had the lead performers signing, with “voice of” performers parallel to them singing the words, and (most importantly) all lyrics projected. You could actually understand the words, and see the poetry of Billy Joel Armstrong shine through.

You want a clear example. Just look at the opening number, and think about it in the context of Trump, how the media seemed so numb to Trump’s lies and incoherence:

Don’t wanna be an American idiot
Don’t want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mindfuck America

Welcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
In television dreams of tomorrow

We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argue
Well, maybe I’m the faggot, America
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda
Now everybody, do the propaganda
And sing along to the age of paranoia

Although this was written in the era Bush, anti-Al Quaida sentiment, It truly takes on a different perspective in this era of Trump, this era of hatred, this era of paranoia about immigrants. Time changes our perspective of musical theatre pieces. Some become less relevant and dated. Some find new meaning. There was a reason that Chicago failed when it first opened, and then hit it big in the era of OJ and the celebrity killer. American Idiot is written for the anger and the era of Donald Trump

(Oh, and Back to the Future? Think about how the time change impacts Marty’s perception of his parents. More on that in the next writeup)

It is clear that the impact of Green Day’s album has grown, and is more relevant now than in 2004 when it was first released. I also tend to love the music from it. Instead of being the angry dissonance I expect from punk rock, Green Day brings wonderful melodies beneath the loud; melodies that stick in your head and drive you.

The staging here is also unique. As I noted above, this is a co-production between Deaf-West and CTG.  Deaf/signing actors are the leads, with “voice of” actors trailing behind them. Words are projected on stage, making it easy to understand what is being said. There is poetry of movement, poetry of hands, that go together with the poetry of the words.

Is American Idiot perfect? No. As is pretty much true for any rock album turned into a stage show, there is little connective tissue. There is little expository dialogue. As such, the characters never quite jell as distinct people. They never acquire personalities. You lose the story in the music; the music evokes feelings much more than the performances. As a result, you sit back and let the music wash over you; you read the lyrics, and let the performance supplement all that is evoked by the music and lyrics. This isn’t traditional theatre.

There are remarkable performances from the leads (and we had a number of folks swinging in at our performance). There are remarkable performances from the band, and not just musical ones (watch the folks on the violins).

One other discordant note — not performance related. CTG has gone to a new ticketing system, and it is problematic. The old system allowed you to download your tickets to Apple Wallet, or text them to your phone. The new system supposedly allows download to Apple Wallet (although it never gave me the option on an Android phone). But there is no text option anymore, nor the ability to use Google Wallet. Ticketmaster (which BIH uses) has its flaws, but it at least understands that folks use both Android and Apple. If you are an Android user, you’re stuck using data to go to the CTG website. Poor form. On the plus side, CTG excelled where it always excels: accessibility and parking. The new subscriber parking vouchers worked great, and the Taper was able to accommodate a last-minute need for a seat with legroom so my wife could stretch her leg.

The CTG/Deaf West production of American Idiot is well worth seeing. Alas, by the time you read this it may be too late: the last performances were to be today, but it has been extended one week, now closing on November 16. You can get tickets here. More information on the show here.

Finally: Nobody Likes You / Everyone Left You / They’re All Out Without You / Having Fun

———

Green Day’s American Idiot. Music by Green Day. Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong. Book by Billie Joe Amstrong and Michael Mayer. Directed by Snehal Desai. Choreography by Jennifer Weber.

Cast (All performers are ӕ Actors Equity; underscored performers indicate performers at our performance): Daniel Durant / Giovanni Maucere Johnny; Milo Manheim Voice of Johnny; Otis Jones IV Will; James Olivas Voice of Will; Landen Gonzales Tunny; Brady Fritz / Patrick Ortiz Voice of Tunny; Ali Fumiko Whitney Heather; Mars Storm Ruckner Whatsername; Ty Taylor St Jimmy; Kaia T. Fitzgerald Extraordinary Girl; Jerusha Cavazos / Monika Peña Voice of Extraordinary Girl; Will Branner Favorite Son; Monika Peña / Mia Sempertegui Alysha; Steven-Adam Agdeppa Ensemble, Lark Detweiler Ensemble, Josué Martinez Ensemble, Angel Theory Ensemble; Patrick Ortiz Ensemble/Swing, Mia Sempertegui Ensemble/Swing; Giovanni Maucere Swing.

Music Departments: Tom Kitt Music Arrangements and Orchestrations; David O Music Supervisor, Conductor, Keyboard, Accordion; Justin Smith Guitar 1; Ben Covello Guitar 2, Assoc. Conductor; Carlos Rivera Bass; Alex Bailey Drums; Nicole Garcia Violin; Nikki Shorts Viola; Michelle Rearick Cello; Robert Payne Music Contractor.

Production and Creatives: Takeshi Kata Scenic Design; Lena Sands Costume Design; Karyn D. Lawrence Lighting Design; David Murakami Projection Design; Sheila Dorn Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design; Beth Lipari Casting Director; DJ Kurs Deaf West Theatre Artistic Director; Jeff Perri Deaf West Theatre Managing Director; Colin Analco ASL Choreographer; Amelia Hensley Assoc ASL Choreographer; David S. Franklin Production Stage Manager; Michelle Blair Stage Manager; Sue Karutz Stage Manager; Coproduction of Deaf West Theatre and Center Theatre Group.

Favorite Minor Credit: TBD Loctition. Loctition is the maintenance of dreadlocks. Learn something new every day.

♦ ♦ ♦

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). We’re a bit light on theatre while my wife is recuperating from her knee replacement.

• November: ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre
• December: ♦ Wicked at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Give Me Novacaine | "American Idiot" @ CTG/Mark Taper Forum 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’d wager a guess that almost everyone is familiar with some aspects of the Cyrano de Bergerac story. Perhaps you know it is is story about a man with a really big nose. Perhaps you know instead the story of someone who was incapable of speaking to the opposite sex, so they get a friend to ghost-write their words for them (without secretly knowing that friend had longing for the same person). Perhaps you recall it turns out badly when the truth is found out. Perhaps you recall a moral from the story: Seeing beyond a person’s appearance to true beauty within. These elements have been excerpted for many stories throughout the years.

Perhaps you’ve seen the movie Roxanne with Steve Martin. That’s based on this story. Perhaps you’ve seen or heard of the musical Calvin Berger. Again, same story.  Perhaps you’ve seen The Truth about Cats and Dogs. Again, same story.

Suffice it to say that we’re all familiar with the outlines and basic tropes of the Cyrano story. But most of us probably haven’t seen the original, or something that hews closely to the original. So I was intrigued when the Pasadena Playhouse announced Cyrano de Bergerac as the first show of their 2024-2025 season. By this point, you should be able to guess where we were last night.

First, a slight digression to a different play, about a slightly more modern historical figure: Alexander Hamilton. I must note that last weekend was our first outing to the theatre since my wife’s knee replacement surgery in August. We went to see Hamilton at the Hollywood Pantages. It was my third time seeing the show; my wife’s fourth. I didn’t have the strong urge to do a full write up, as my notes would align with my first viewing thoughts from 2017. I did have four observations on the show that I posted on FB:

• Burr seems almost Trump-like, with his never taking a stand on something. This parallel comes out really strong in the Election of 1800, where Hamilton, like traditional Republicans today, endorses his long-time opponent Jefferson because it was better to support someone with positions than someone who was just in it for himself.
• I wonder how this show will be done in regional theatres, especially when there is no turntable. The turntable is the key to the choreography that moves the show forward.
• Kudos to the Pantages for being able to change where we were sitting at intermission so my wife could be in her wheelchair, as her new knee was still giving her a lot of pain.
• Is it time to have a revival of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, if only to highlight the dangers of populism. Do our Presidential shows highlight how we view the presidency and the nation, running from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to Ben Franklin in Paris to 1776 to Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson to Hamilton to Soft Power?

In any case, let’s return to Cyrano.

As I noted above, we’re all familiar with the story tropes of Cyrano de Bergerac. Guy with big nose, who can write really well. Guy who can’t write gets Cyrano to write love letters for him. Girl falls in love with both guys: the outside of one, the inside (not “insides”, which would be yuk) of the other. But I’ll also willing to bet that most of us aren’t familiar with the original play from 1897 by Edmond Rostand, nor the life of the real Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, upon whom Rostand based his story. I certainly wasn’t. I didn’t know the original was written in lyric poetry; I didn’t know about the military aspects of Cyrano’s story, nor did I recall how it ended. I certainly didn’t know about the real Cyrano and the fact that he was one of the first science fiction authors, having written L’Autre Monde: ou les États et Empires de la Lune (“Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon“, published posthumously, 1657) and Les États et Empires du Soleil (The States and Empires of the Sun, 1662), which are purportedly classics of early modern science fiction.

To be clear, what we saw last night was not Rostand’s original play. Rostand’s story was freely adapted by Martin Crimp in 2019 for the Playhouse Theatre in London; it is that version that was produced by the Pasadena Playhouse. Crimp’s version keeps almost all of the story elements of the original: the setting in France in the 1600s; the original characters; the lyric poetry; the relationships between the characters. It updates the language; it updates some of the mores to reflect the increasing gender fluidity of the times (although not with the primary characters). One might argue that it updates the style of the lyricism: the rhyming sounds less like pre-French-revolution, and more like today’s hip-hop rhythms.  It also moves the action of the play from the traditional proscenium setting and historical dress to one that interacts with the audience more, and the characters in modern style and dress (while still supposedly in France in the 1600s). It updates references: the play Clorise in Act I becomes Hamlet; the proprietor of the Cafe Ragueneau changes from a man to a woman. There is also plenty of commentary added on gender roles, and the datedness of those roles in early France.

The juxtaposition of the 1600s and the early 2000s is jarring, but suspension of belief quickly kicks in and your brain adapts to the dissonance. At least it does for most people; there were some audience members (such as the older folks sitting in front of us) that didn’t return from intermission.

The Pasadena Playhouse version also dispenses with a lot of props and accoutrements of a traditional Cyrano. I’ve already noted that the costuming is mostly modern, with characters in street clothes, and even the military uniforms being more suggestions of uniforms than anything else. They also dispense with the usual prosthetics; indeed, there is no visible evidence that Cyrano is actually disfigured in any way at all (other than being portrayed by a black actor, but I think that is more color-blind casting than intentional for the story). Could Cyrano’s disfigurement be entirely in his mind? That’s never made clear. The play also starts with the actors out in the audience, seemingly sharing space with the playgoers (which does fit better with the first act, which takes place in a theatre).

When the play started — and especially as I’ve never seen the original Cyrano — I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The poetry was coming fast and furious, and it was hard at times to keep up. But the story and characters quickly drew me in. The dissonance, while initially annoying, disappeared into the background and just became another novel aspect of the story. It was helped by the staging of the story by the Pasadena Playhouse, which was very abstract (which emphasized the timelessness of the story and the disconnect from realism of the presentation).

Now that I’ve seen a near-Cyrano, I understand the tropes a lot better. One can also see why the story became a timeless one, constantly being excepted for new adaptions. The divide between the handsome non-talents and the plain talented will always exist. We always wish that those we are attracted to could see the beauty and talent within us, and not fall for the handsome tasteless Wonder Bread™ standing next to us. But they almost always do, and they are the worse for it. The point of Cyrano is the importance of seeing through the bullshit and finding the truth and the talent.

#insert your election observation here. I know who the handsome tasteless Wonder Bread™ is in this election, and I’m sure you know where I stand.

The leads of the show were strong: Chukwudi Iwuji was a believable poet/soldier as Cyrano, and Rosa Salazar was a beautiful Roxanne. Will Hochman was an appropriately handsome non-poet Christian. I also enjoyed the casting of some of the smaller roles: Kimerly Scott’s Madame Rageuneu was delightful, and I grew to like Aaron Costa Ganis’ Le Bret. But the Baby Boomer in me loved seeing Barry Livingston on stage in the small role of Theatre Owner/Priest. Why? C’mon: Barry was Ernie in the classic My Three Sons,  with his brother Stanley playing his older brother Chip. It’s the little things, folks.

By the time this gets posted, the last (or next to last) performance of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Pasadena Playhouse will have started, as this is the closing weekend. You might still be able to get tickets.  There are shows today at 2pm and 7pm.  It is well worth seeing.

———

Cyrando de Bergerac. Written by Edmond Rostand; freely adapted by Martin Crimp. Directed by Mike Donahue. Cyrano de Bergerac in this adaptation was first performed at the Playhouse Theatre, London, on 27 November 2019.

Cast: Chukwudi Iwuji Cyrano; Rosa Salazar Roxane; Will Hochman Christian; Kimberly Scott Madame Ragueneau; Larry Powell Lignière; Jens Austin Astrup Alastair / Act 3 Soldier; Aaron Costa Ganis Le Bret; E. M. Davis Usher / Denise / Medic; Christine Lin Woman Sent by Roxane / Marie-Louise; Barry Livingston Theatre Owner / Priest; Michael Nathanson De Guiche; Kila Packett Fencing Referee / Sentry; Sawyer Patterson Valvert; Jonathan Slavin Montfleury / Armande; John Garet Stoker Annoying Person.

Creative and Production: Afsoon Pajoufar Scenic Design; Carolyn Mazuca Costume Design; Josh Epstein Lighting Design; Edward Hansen Lighting Design; Veronika Vorel Sound Design; Rachel Lee Flesher Fight Director / Intimacy Coordinator; Christine Adaire Voice / Text Coach; Ryan Bernard Tymensky, CSA Casting; Colleen Danaher Stage Manager; Jessica Keasberry-Vnuk Asst. Stage Manager; Kimberly Sanchez Garrido Asst. Stage Manager.

Favorite Credit: John Garet Stoker Annoying Person.  Can you imagine putting that on your resume?

♦ ♦ ♦

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):

• October: ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
• November: ♦ American Idiot  at CTG/Taper; ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre
• December: ♦ Wicked at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Bruce Kimmel will be bringing the rarely done Drat! The Cat! to Lonny Chapman’s Group Rep in March 2025.

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

I’ve always preferred Sleuth. For those unfamiliar, Sleuth is a card game that has a gem deck with all variations of (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green × Single, Pairs, Clusters × Diamonds, Pearls, Opals). One card is removed in secret, and the rest are dealt to the players. Players then take turns asking limited question (How many opals do you have? How many green diamonds?) to try to determine the missing gems. Parker Brothers had a similar game in the classic Clue. I’ve always preferred Sleuth because the mechanics were cleaner.

But there’s one key difference between the games. Someone was clever enough to figure out how create a story and subsequent screenplay for Clue. No one has ever figured out how to do that for Sleuth (the 1972 Sleuth movie has nothing to do with the game). The Clue movie was a success, with a stellar cast and a long life (although, for some reason, my mind always goes to Murder by Death, which you never see anymore). So it wasn’t a surprise that Clue would be adapted for the legitimate stage, especially given the trend in the 1980s and 1990s of trying to milk every dime out of corporate intellectual property (Disney was the expert in this, but game companies also got into the act). It was a bit more of a surprise that the Center Theatre Group would select it for the Ahmanson season, as it wasn’t a classic play nor a musical. But they did, likely because the selection of tours was slim post-COVID. Their choice was our win, as we saw the show yesterday afternoon.

Note that I said this was NOT a musical. There are multiple adaptations, both from the board game itself and from the movie itself. One such adaptation is Clue The Musical, which has gotten mixed reviews. This IS NOT Clue the Musical. This is a non-musical adaptation of the movie that started at the Cleveland Playhouse and Bucks County Playhouse.

The high-level plot is pretty simple: SIx characters are invited to Boddy Mansion on a dark and stormy night. They are given the classic Clue aliases, and the mansion has all of the requisite Clue rooms. They are welcomed to the mansion by butler Wadsworth. They have no idea why they were invited, until Mr. Boddy shows up. He explains the game, how they are all being blackmailed, and gives them all gives of the traditional Clue weapons. He informs them they have to kill the butler to end the blackmail, but before they can do that, the lights go down and then up, and Mr. Boddy is now dead. The game begins, as the six suspects: Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, and Miss Scarlet, together with the butler Wadsworth and the maid Yvette need to figure out who committed the murders. Explaining the subsequent twists and turns would give away the story.

The story is played for the comedy, with the requisite (perhaps overdone) melodramatic sound punctuations. There is the usual overplay and silliness (such as running in place to fake movement). There is a lot of slapstick. There is a lot of stupid jokes. There are the expected misdirections and close calls. But the show isn’t stupid itself: it is just a fun diversion (and especially good on a hot Saturday afternoon). It is the perfect summer trifle. Light, tasty, and sweet, but it won’t ruin your appetite.

The characterizations are not deep; in fact, they are often broadly stereotypical and overdrawn. Think melodrama, and you come close. There is minimal backstory on the characters, other than the reasons for the blackmail, and there is really no character growth. That’s because this really is a board game: the actual characters don’t matter to the story; the characters only matter to the humor. This is really a summer comedy.

The performances are very strong—in particular, Mark Price as Wadsworth, who switches from deadpan to deft comedy timing (including physical comedy). His recap of the story at the end is great. Timing from the cast is strong. It was a fun show.

This isn’t a particularly deep show, and it isn’t a classic. But I think it will have a long life: It doesn’t have complicated projections or graphics. It requires a complex stage build, but that’s doable. It has no orchestra, only music cues that can be rented. It has a limited cast. It is easily done at the regional or school level. It isn’t offensive. It is as if the show was calculated for the road and regional life, as opposed to a Broadway run. And you know what? That’s OK. There area many shows like that that (the Nunsense musicals are a great example). Their life is in their licensing.

One complaint: Sound. This is a show where you really need to hear the words, and at least up in the Mezzanine, the sound was very muddy and you had to strain to hear. This is a tour sound problem, as opposed to a facility problem. The tour setup team needs to take a bit more care in checking the facility out when they move the show in.

But if you want a fun show, with some slapstick and silliness, this is the show for you. It is a great summer show.

———

Clue: Live on Stage! Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. Written by Sandy Rustin. Additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price. Based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture based on the Parker Brothers Hasbro board game Clue. Directed by Casey Hushion.

Cast: Mariah Burks Cook, and others; Mohn Treacy Egan Colonel Mustard; Michelle Elaine Miss Scarlet; Joanna Glushak Mrs. Peacock; Tari Kelly Mrs. White; Mark Price Wadsworth; John Shartzer Mr. Green; Jonathan Spivey Professor Plum; Alex Syiek Mr. Boddy and others; Teddy Trice The Cop and others; Elisabeth Yancey Yvette. Understudies: Greg Balla Fight Captain; Aliason Ewing; Mary McNulty; James Taylor Odom.

Production and Creative: Lee Savage Set Design; Jen Caprio Costume Design; Ryan O’Gara Lighting Design; Jeff Human Sound Design; J. Jared Janas Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design; Michael Holland Original Music and Music Supervision; Robert Westley Fight Director; Steve Bebout Assoc. Director; Pearson Casting CSA CDG Casting; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking, Marketing, & Publicity; Port City Technical Production Management; Margot Whitney Production Stage Manager; Emily Kritzman 1st Asst. Stage Manager; Maria Bella Divittorio 2nd Asst. Stage Manager; Berrit Keller Substitute Asst. Stage Manager; Sarah E. T. Jackson Substitute Asst. Stage Manager; Suzanne Prueter Company Manager.

Favorite Small Print Credit: Nothing particularly stands out.

♦ ♦ ♦

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):

• August: ♦ 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; possibly Randy Newman’s Faust ⊕ at The Soraya
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
• November: ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Patrick Page will be bringing All the Devils Are Here to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in April 2025. Looks interesting.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as The Game's Afoot | "Clue: Live on Stage" @ CTG/Ahmanson 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 do you do when you have a beloved music that has grown increasingly problematic in portions of the story over the years? This is an increasingly common problem for revivals, as dated and stereotypical portrayals of women, minorities, and LGBTQ folks abound. For example, you see few revivals of the musical Thoroughly Modern Mille for that very reason. The whole “white slaver” plot from the movie, which they tried to rework in the musical, is still a major problem. You have a similar problem in Adrift in Macao. Perhaps there is no better example of that than the classic musical Peter Pan, based on stories written in the early 1900s, with the first major stage adaptation in 1954 that had loads of problems even getting to the stage (evidenced by the credits: Myrics by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Comden and Green; Music by Moose Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and a book based on Sir J. M. Barrie’s play adapted by Jerome Robbins).

The 1954 Peter Pan has loads of problems into today’s context. Nevermind the fact that it traditionally tells the story of kids in 1900s London (which kids of today wouldn’t understand—I mean, boys in nightdresses?). There is the dated portrayal of women’s roles solely as mothers and caregivers, doing whatever the men say. But the biggest problems are the Indians (and I use that term specifically, as that’s what they were called in those days). The portrayal uses gibberish language and savage imagery. There are references to an Indian Princess fighting off randy braves with a hatchet. How to fix the underlying timeless story about growing up (and refusing to grow up), save the great music as much as possible, while removing the cringe.

An attempt was made to do this in the 2014 Live TV version of Peter Pan. It had other problems (cough, Christopher Walken Z”L, who seemed to be presaging Joe Biden’s low-energy debate performance). But the reworks were interesting. They added some songs from other Comden/Green/Style shows, notably “Vengence” (reworked from “Ambition” from Do Re Mi), “Wonderful World Without Peter” (reworked from “Somethings Always Happening on the River” from Say Darling). They got rid of the “Mysterious Stranger” song (which never made sense), and brought back in the cut “When I Went Home” to explain why Peter never returned. They reworked the problematic “Ugg-a-wug” into “True Blood Brothers”, using a Wyandotte word instead of the gibberish, while (sigh) retaining the stereotypical music and portrayals. They also increased Captain Hook’s role, and brought back the Mermaids. But the changes made in this rework ultimately failed, and didn’t become part of the Pan Canon.

Last night, at the Pantages, we saw yet another attempt at revising Peter Pan for a new generation. This version features a reword by Larissa Fasthorse, and additional lyrics by Amanda Green, Adolph Green’s daughter. I thought, for the most part, they worked (although they are sure to anger the traditionalists and the crowd that protests anything they perceive as “woke”). Let’s start with the simple, and work our way to the cigar store Indian by the door.

This production used ethnically-diverse casting, and (horror of horrors!) broke the traditional casting of an older white woman as Peter to use a 17-year old guy in the role. The kids were equally diverse (and clearly adopted, which makes the end of the story work much better): A white father and an East-Indian mother adopt a black girl, an asian boy, and a caucasian boy. I had no problem with this, although my wife noted tt Wendy being black created the question of the Mammy stereotype. Well, as they said in The Wiz, “You can’t win”. The casting of the Lost Boys and the Pirates was equally diverse. Notably, they kept the traditional duel casting of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, and moved a wife to a member of the crew. It might have been more interesting (if these changes were being made) to move Mrs. Darling into the Smee role. They also eliminated the Nanny Dog (although it is referenced in the script), and created a babysitter who is too engrossed in cell phones and texting to make a difference in the plot.

Speaking of cell phones: They also updated the setting to the present day, and increased the agency of women. Mrs. Darling has a career in addition to her husband; and Wendy is driven and wants to go to medical school. In the scenes on Neverland, it is clear that Wendy has more agency and is clearly more than a stereotypical mother, fighting Captain Hook alongside the boys. Tinkerbell seems to have a much diminished role, but I don’t recall specifically how big her role was in the original.

I really liked the change in Peter: As a boy, he brings a different energy and playfulness to the role. The songs seem to work better with him, and he comes across as more genuine. They did keep the cut song “When I Went Home” to explain why he didn’t return.

This portrayal of Captain Hook made me think of Christian Bohle, and was generally strong and hammed up appropriately. The interactions with Smee were hilarious. They also added a reprise of “I Won’t Grow Up”, called “We Hate Those Kids” as the Act II, in front of the curtain, opener.

Now to the cigar store Indian in the room: How did they fix the Native American problem. Pretty much by getting rid of the problem. Gone were the Indian stereotypes (no headdresses, no feathers, no peace pipes, no drums). Gone was Ugg-a-wug, replaced by the song “Friends Forever” that used the melody from “Comes Once in a Lifetime” (Subways are for Sleeping). Tiger-Lily was given agency and made an equal of Peter, and each member of her “tribe” represented a different traditional people that had gone to Neverland to avoid extinction of their culture. I thought that worked, and worked well. I liked the stronger Tiger Lilly, and I liked the interplay with Wendy and Tiger Lilly.

What didn’t work? What I would call gratuitous changes to modernize words. One of my favorite exchanges in “Hook’s Waltz” is:  “Though little children love me, I′m told they play at Peter Pan and the strongest always chooses to be Pan. They force the baby to be Hook. The baby. That’s where the canker gnaws. No! By carbonite of soda, no!” But what did they change it to? “No, by Pepto Bismal, no!” WRONG. This was an intentional pun: bicarbonite ➝ by carbonite. The change didn’t work. A friend also noted that they changed “Slightly Soiled” to “Tumble Dry”—perhaps more modern, but less funny. There were also some jarring anachronisms in the updating, especially in the opening nursery scene.

But, overall, I really liked the changes, and I like this production. I think they got a lot of the overall notes right; their changes made things a lot less offensive (although surely they will annoy the traditionalists). It was funny. It was great for kids (although perhaps a bit long, but it was shorter than the original 3-act version). One thing that this tour has going for it is very strong casting. Nolan Almeida is outstanding as Peter (especially considering he is only a high-school junior). Hawa Kamara is great as Wendy, and I loved watching her facial expressions in response to Peter and his outdated attitudes. Raye Zaaragoza was so strong as Tiger Lily that I went out and bought her latest album.  Cody Garcia made a great Hook, playing off the audience, hamming it up, and seeming to channel more Christopher Bohle (as I noted) than Cyril Ritchard. I also liked Shefali Deshpande’s Mrs. Darling, although she faded into the background as a member of the pirate crew.

Special effects had weaknesses and strengths. The flying wires were a bit too visible, distracting from the effect, and it was clear when the cast would go to the side to get them on and off. The flying sequence, when combined with the projection graphics, was very strong for the flying over London scene. I also liked Tinkerbell, and thought I tried to see a wire, I just couldn’t. They did a lot less on the Pirate Ship for some reason; it only appears near the end.

The dancing was strong and athletic, and there were some funny dance scenes. I did enjoy the tap scenes, but I’m a sucker for good tap dancing.

As a side note: The production opened Friday, not Tuesday as scheduled. Our understanding is that this was due to an electrical problem that was created when the previous production moved out. That delayed the ability for the Pan production to move it. They moved in Thursday for the first show on Friday.

So, the ultimate question: Should you see this? If you don’t mind what is traditionally a children’s story: Yes. The changes work for the most part, and the performances are excellent. If you can’t stomach sitting through was is admittedly a show aimed more at the younger set, or if you take offence at changes from the traditional or color-blind casting, then stay home. You’ll be happier. Dredge up the Mary Martin production of Peter Pan on your favorite streaming service.

Peter Pan continues at the Pantages through July 28. Tickets are available through the BIH Website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar Today Tix (although it looks like they only have the show in Orange County).

———

Peter Pan. A musical based on the book by Sir J. M. Barrie, originally adapted by Jerome Robbins, additional book by Larissa Fasthorse. Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh; additional lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Amanda Green. Music by Morris (Moose) Charlap; additional music by Jule Styne. Originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Directed by Lonny Price. Choreography by Lorin Latarro.

Cast (colors indicate performer/roles at our production; serif indicates cultures): Nolan Almeida Peter Pan; Cody Garcia Mr. Darling, Capt. Hook; Hawa Kamara Wendy; Raye Zaragoza Tiger Lily (Hohokam, Yamato); Shefali Deshpande Mrs. Darling, Boa Sr (Bo), Pirate Ensemble; Kurt Perry Smee; Reed Epley / Camden Kwok Michael, Lost Boy (Twin); William Foon / Micah Turner Lee John, Lost Boy (Twin); Zaynn Arora Lost Boys Ensemble; Levi Chrisopulos  Lost Boys Ensemble; Charles Antenen Lost Boys Ensemble; Jonah Barricklo Lost Boys Ensemble; Chrstina Hélène Braa The Croc, Gyo ti (Olmec), Jane, Pirate Ensemble;  Jordan T. DeLeon Bai Bi’a (Gonaqua), Pirate Ensemble; Leo Gallegos Lost Boys Ensemble; Brandon Gille Lost Boys Ensemble; Ryan Perry Marks Nintoku (Yamato), Pirate Ensemble, Co-Fly Captain; Michael Marrero Aiyo (Chorrera), Pirate Ensemble; Kenny Ramos Acoma (Cahokia Mississippian), Pirate Ensemble; Hannah Schmidt Liza, Žemyna (Early Slavs), Pirate Ensemble; Kiara Williams Ife (Nok), Pirate Ensemble. Swings: Tony Collins Asst. Dance & Fight Captain; Bailey Frankenberg Dance, Fight, & Co-Fly Captain; Leo Gallegos; Cheyenne Omani.

Music Department ([Ŀ] indicates local): Jonathan Marro Conductor / Keyboard; Michael Gilden Assoc. Music Director; Victoria Hurlburt Violin; [Ŀ] Jen Choi Fischer Violin; Roman Wood Cello; [Ŀ] Ira Glansbeek Cello; Ryan Claus, Kevin Vu Reeds; [Ŀ] Jeff Driskill Reed 2 (Flute / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet); Sophie Manoloff Trumpet; [Ŀ] Aaron Smith Trumpet 2 (Trumpet / Flugelhorn); Kyle Knepper Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Jon Dowd Trombone; [Ŀ] Danny Lawlor Trombone; Brian Ganch Drums / Percussion; [Ŀ] Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; John Mezzio Music Coordinator; Billy Jay Stein, Chris Petti, Hiro Iida, Benedict Braxton-Smith, and Jason Howland for Strange Cranium Electronic Music Design; Michael Pacifico and Jacob Fjeldheim Music Preparation; Andy Einhorn Music Supervision, Orchestra Adaptation, and Additional Arrangements. David Dabbon New Fight & Dance Music; David Dabbon & Andy Einhorn Fight Music & Dance Arrangements.

Creative and Production Team: Paul Rubin Flying Sequences Choreographer; Anna Louizos Scenic Design; Sarafina Bush Costume Design; Amith Chandrashaker Lighting Design; Kai Harada Sound Design; David Bengali Projection Design; J. Jared Janas Wig, Hair, & Makeup Design; Paul Kieve “Tinker Bell” Design; Matt Coward Assoc. Director; Travis Waldschmidt Assoc. Choreographer; Sordelet Inc. Fight Direction, Intimacy Coordinator; Anastasia LeGendre Intimacy Coordinator; ARC/Duncan Stewart, Patrick Maravilla Casting; Michael Donovan, CSA, Richie Ferris, CSA Additional Casting; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking, Marketing, & Publicity; Gentry & Associates General Management; Megan Belgam Production Stage Manager; Kendall Stevens Assistant Stage Manager; Luke Meyer Company Manager; Royce Matthews Asst Company Manager.

Favorite buried credit: Crocodile Costume built by Randy Carfagno Productions.

♦ ♦ ♦

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):

• July: ♦ 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; possibly Randy Newman’s Faust ⊕ at The Soraya
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
• November: ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Patrick Page will be bringing All the Devils Are Here to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in April 2025. Looks interesting.

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

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)

———

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.

Back when I was in college, an interesting tome was circulating in the UCLA Computer Club: Gödel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstader. In this book, through these three individuals, Hofstadter explored self-reference, mathematics, music, and what would be come to be known as Artificial Intelligence. The book won the Pulitzer, but most folks (including me) read it once or twice, and put it up on the shelf. I mention this book because evidently one of the notions in the book was something called “A Strange Loop”. Hofstader, in a preface to an anniversary edition, stated that one of the questions GEB attempted to answer was “What is a self, and how can a self come out of stuff that is as selfless as a stone or a puddle?” Hofstader expounded on this in a later book, noting “In the end, we are self-perceiving, self-inventing, locked-in mirages that are little miracles of self-reference.” This self-reference was the “Strange Loop”: How our individual concept of self is build from the self-reference of our parents and our environment.  Amazon summarized it as follows: “I Am a Strange Loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the “strange loop”-a special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. The most central and complex symbol in your brain is the one called “I.” The “I” is the nexus in our brain, one of many symbols seeming to have free will and to have gained the paradoxical ability to push particles around, rather than the reverse. How can a mysterious abstraction be real-or is our “I” merely a convenient fiction? ”

I mention this all because today we saw the musical A Strange Loop at the Ahmanson: a musical about a man writing a musical about a man writing a musical called A Strange Loop; said musical being a self introspective musical about the big, black, queer, gay man writing a musical about a big, black, queer, gay man and the self-reference that shaped his life. I’ll note from the outset that this is not a musical for everyone, and we did have some audience members leave during the show not to return. That’s not because this musical is bad. But rather, this musical is in your face about being fat, about being queer, about being black, about being black and queer, about big black queer folks have sex in their buttholes, about racism in the gay community. It is a perfect musical for Pride Month. However, it is not a good musical if you are a white straight musical theatre person expecting Hello Dolly or their last musical Funny Girl. Oh, and it is inappropriate for children and early teens.

But my wife and I are weird. Yes, we’re white and straight, and we’re old, but we’re also accepting. As they put it in the musical Bare: God don’t make no trash. We’ll love you and accept you however, whatever, whoever you are, and whoever you love. [Well, we’re not quite sure if you’re a Trump supporter—you need other strong redeeming qualities. There are some lines, after all.]

Back to A Strange Loop. What is this show about? That’s a good question. On the surface, it is as I said: A story about a big black queer man (Usher) writing a musical about a big black queer man writing a musical. But more so, the show is about how that man’s thoughts (which are portrayed by a group of six actors) shape the man and the show he is writing. This includes his self-loathing; his relationship with his parents and their very “Christian” and anti-Gay attitudes; his views on the shape of the black gay community and white gays vs black gays; about the issues with his inner white girl. It is a story about his screwed up sex drive, and how leads to mental self harm. It is about how his segment of the black community views Tyler Perry, and how Perry targets a particular segment of the black community (“chitlin’ circuit”). It is how Usher deals with viewing himself as a race traitor, and deals with his blackness. Essentially, it is a lot of self-introspection. I saw one critique of this show referring to it as a “woke identity” musical (and hating it). I guess it is “woke identity” and that is why Conservatives would walk out. But to me, the issue is less “woke” and more “identity”. This is a very explicit self-introspective musical of what it is like to be a big black queer man, who doesn’t particularly like himself, what he has become, or his skin.

So where does this all go? By the end of the musical, I won’t say that Usher is happy. But at least he has come to understand himself, and more importantly, to accept himself and to know where he came from. He’s able to finish his musical.

The music in the show is compelling and driven. It is explicit. At times it is strong and driving. But it has a good message. However, none of the songs will really have a life outside the context of this musical. This is likely to become a specialty piece (alas, probably dragged out during Pride Month by gay theatre groups), not a piece that will be regularly revived by community and regional theatres. In the gay theatre pantheon of shows, you’ll be more likely to get La Cage Aux Folles or Fun Home than this show.

The performances were very strong. We had the alternative for Usher (Alvas Green Jr), and he did wonderfully (although he had some mic problems that made him hard to hear). The thoughts behind him were astounding—watch how they are playful and amplify what they are saying through movement and expression. This isn’t a strong dance musical; it is more movement that amplifies expression.

On the scenic side, this was simple. Usher up front; nooks for the thoughts, and occasional different scenes. Not a lot of projections.

So, let’s address the big question: Should you see this? First and foremost, this isn’t a bad show. It certainly isn’t Girl From the North Country. But this is not a musical for everyone. If you are not comfortable with in-your-face queerness, in-your-face sex, in-your-face blackness, or explicit language, then stay home. If you aren’t willing to explore an honest look at segments of the black community, I’d stay home. If you’re looking for a more traditional black musical, go up the street and see Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse. Yet even that musical explores issues of self-doubt and bias in the black community (although in that case, it is Creoles looking down on Plantation Blacks, and Be-Bop Jazz looking down on N’Oleans Jazz).

If you’ve gotten through the above: Congratulations. You should go see A Strange Loop. It is a wonderful exploration of blackness and queerness. I think our dear friend Karen P. would have loved this musical. The music is fun, and I think it has a thought provoking message. Further, if you understand the Hosftader reference, you’ll see how the self-reference here can apply to anyone, seeing how the biases and doubts from our parents and society shape us, and how we need to move past them to break the strange loop.

———

A Strange Loop. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson. Directed by Stephen Brackett. Choreography by Raja Feather Kelly

Cast: Malachi McCaskill alternating with Alvis Green Jr. Usher; Tarra Conner Jones Thought 1; J. Cameron Barnett Thought 2; Avionce Hoyles Thought 3; John-Andrew Morrison Thought 4; Jordan Barbour Thought 5; Carlis Shane Clark Thought 6. Understudies: Dave J. Abrams u/s Thoughts 2/3; Angela Alise u/s Thought 1; Albert Hodge u/s Thought 4; Tristan J. Shuler u/s Thoughts 5/6.

Music Department: Sean Kana Conductor / Keys 1; David Moschler Keys 2 / Guitar / AMD; Willy Yanez Guitar; Alex Bailey Drums; Jennifer Leitham Bass; Sal Lozano Reeds; Tory Dexter and Chris Horvath Keys 2/ Guitar Sub; Robert Payne Contractor; David Moschler Assoc Music Director.

Production and Creative: Arnulfo Maldonado Scenic Designer; Montana Levi Blanco Costume Designer; Jen Schriever Lighting Design; Drew Levy Sound Design; Cookie Jordan Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Design; Chelsea Pace Intimacy Coordinator; The Tesley Company / Destinly Lilly CSA Casting; Katie Craddock Casting; Hailah Harper-Malevaux Assoc. Director; Candace Taylor Assoc. Choreographer; Dave J. Abrams Dance Captain; Aaron Tacy Assoc Lighting Designer; Edmond O’Neal Production Stage Manager; Camella Coopilton Asst. Stage Manager; Julia Formanek Asst. Stage Manager. No tour managers are listed, so this does not appear to be a touring production. Favorite staff credits: Kyla Eveillard Lactation; Dr. Cathia Walters Psychologist.

♦ ♦ ♦

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: ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Come Blow Your Horn at Canyon Theatre Guild; ♦ 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.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as A Strange (but Good) Show | "A Strange Loop" @ CTG/Ahmanson 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.

From one CTG to another, so to speak.

Perhaps I should explain. One of the joys of going to a lot of theatre is the ability to compare and contrast productions of the same show. Seeing how a tiny theatre uses its creativity and limited budget to execute the same show as a major presenting house. Sometimes they can pull it off. Sometimes they can’t. Twenty years from now, could someone figure out how to present Hamilton or Wicked in a regional or intimate theatre production without projections and all the fancy stagecraft? It will be interesting to see.

Just under 5 years ago, we saw the touring production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the BIG CTG: Center Theatre Group. Center Theatre Group is a major theatre in Los Angeles, with a major budget. Last night, we saw “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the little CTG: Canyon Theatre Guild. Canyon Theatre Guild is a a small community theatre up in Santa Clarita. They’ve been in Santa Clarita (Saugus) for 50 years; they use a mix of community member and folks from the acting community of Los Angeles, and they construct their own sets (unlike organizations like 5-Star, which mount their own productions but rent sets and costumes). The big question was: How would this little theatre do with this show?

For those unfamiliar with the show, the conceit is that a tiny theatre company from the outskirts in England is getting a chance to present a big production of their show “The Murder at Haversham Mansion”. But in the production, everything goes wrong. As I described it back in 2019:

The premise of The Play That Goes Wrong is a simple one: an amateur British theatre company, the Cornley University Drama Society, has been afforded the honour through a British-American Cultural Exchange Program of presenting a play on tour in America: The Murder at Haversham Manor, written by Susie H.K. Brideswell. Unfortunately, during the production, everything that can go wrong during the production does. Miscues. Misplaced props. Non-cooperating sets. Bad actors. Technology issues. Trying to summarize the story is pointless — the story exists only to provide a framework for the mayhem, and the mayhem is so rapid-fire that trying to describe it is (a) impossible, and (b) would destroy the humor.

The show is incredibly funny, especially if you are seeing it for the first time and are unfamiliar with the mayhem. If you’ve seen it before, the mayhem isn’t quite as side-splitting, although there are moments, and individual actors bring unique moments and playfulness to the stage.

What makes the show work is precision. The screw-ups have to be precisely choreographed, the sets have to fail on queue. If this were a real failing production, it wouldn’t be funny. It is the precision of everything here that makes it work. So the big question was: Could little CTG pull it off?

I’m pleased to say that they could, and did.

The mayhem starts pre-show, where the stage crew is wandering around looking for a lost dog, and the program is filled with fake ads from the cast and crew (including one from Cornley’s Premiere Yarn Shop, Act 1 Knit Too, for a scarf pattern (you can get yours too)). It continues on stage where they are attempting to repair the stage before the show. The execution of the show was spot on, with precisely timed humor, great characterizations, and much more.

Special acknowledgement (beyond just the listing in the credits) should go to the set design team: Douglas Holiday and John Alexopoulos (Set Design), Claudia Alexopoulos (Properties and Set Decoration). Special acknowledgement also goes to the stage crew: Chloe Brown and Emily Romero, and the stage managers: Sam Kort and Douglas Holiday. WIthout all those folks this production in particular would fall on its face in an uncontrolled bad way, instead of the precisely executed fall on its face that we got.

The acting team was particularly strong. A few that stand out in my mind are Casey Kassal (Max Bennett), for how he played to the crowd; Ashley Taylor (Annie Twilloil), for her ability to protray a stage crew member forced on-stage; Kayleigh Long (Sandra Wilkinson), for her interplay with the other characters, and Tristan-Teja McDaniel, for his adept physical comedy skills. But all of the actors were really strong.

Special credit also goes to Eduardo Arteaga, who together with co-director Linda Thompson pulled together this mayhem, executed it with the requisite precision, and demonstrated that a community theatre can do just as good of a job of screwing up a play as the big boys.

The Play That Goes Wrong continues at Canyon Theatre Guild through June 29, 2024. Tickets are available through the CTG website. It is running in tandem with Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn; it will be interesting to see how they pull that off. But The Play That Goes Wrong is great, and everyone should go see it (even if you’ve seen it before, just to see how creativity and hard work can achieve the same thing as big budgets).

———

The Play That Goes Wrong. Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields. Presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. Directed by Eduardo Arteaga.

Cast: Casey Kassal Max Bennett (Cecil Haversham); Kayleigh Long Sandra Wilkinson (Florence Colleymoore); Spencer Magon Trevor Watson (Lighting & Sound Operator); Brock Markham Jonathan Harris (Charles Haversham); Tristan-Teja McDaniel Robert Grove (Thomas Colleymoore); Tyler Rainer Dennis Tyde (Perkins the Butler); Aaron Ratnayeke Chris Bean (Inspector Carter, Director); Ashley Taylor Annie Twilloil (Stage Manager); Mary Ann Van Sickle Mrs. Belinda Bennett, Producer.

Production and Creative: Linda Thompson Co-Director; Douglas Holiday Co-Set Designer, Asst. Stage Manager; John Alexopoulos Co-Set Designer; Nicole Arteaga Costume Design; Claudia Alexopoulos Properties & Set Decoration; Sam Kort Stage Manager: Brock Markham Fight Choreography / Stunt Coordinator; Chloe Brown & Emily Romero Stage Crew.

Special Notes: Directions © 2013 Mark Bell & Mischief Theatre Ltd; Set Design © 2013 Nigel Hook; Lighting Design © 2013 Ric Mountjoy; Costume Design © 2013 Roberto Surace; Sound Design © 2013 Andy Johnson; Original Compositions © 2013 Rob Falconer.

♦ ♦ ♦

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: ♦ Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Come Blow Your Horn at Canyon Theatre Guild; ♦ 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 are in process: 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.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Controlled Chaos | "The Play That Goes Wrong" @ 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 must confess: I have some guilty pleasures. I’m sure everyone does: little quirks and things you do to have fun. One is my junk TV: I’ve been watching Survivor since it started. Some watch Ancient Aliens, some AGT, some The Amazing Race, but for me it has been Survivor. I like the human drama, I like the stories of the people and watching how they change through endurance, and I like the Diplomacy aspect of it. Another guilty pleasure is getting cast albums of lesser known or failed musicals, hoping that one day I might be able to see them on stage. One of my favorite songs is from such a musical: The Last Real Record Store on Earth from the musical High Fidelity. It flopped on Broadway, and I’ve never seen anyone mount it in Los Angeles. There are a lot of musicals like that on my list, from Big Fish to Tuck Everlasting to Bonnie & Clyde to Groundhog Day to the latest How To Dance in Ohio. C’mon small and regional theatres, do these shows before they are forgotten! I mean, I’m not asking for King Kong or Spiderman: Turn off the Dark (although those would be cool)

But I digress. These guilty pleasures intersected in the musical Hands on a Hardbody, which was based on a 1997 documentary about a real contest in Longview TX, where contestants had to keep their hand flat on a Nissan Truck: Last one standing wins the truck (in fact, when the musical opened on Broadway, they flew out some of the contestants).  In 2013, shortly after the cast album was released, I picked up a copy. The music was interesting, but I always wondered about the show. Fast forward to early 2020. I learn that one of our neighborhood community theatres was actually going to be mounting a production (they’ve done lesser known shows in the past—I loved their production of The Theory of Relativity). In fact, if you were reading my writeups of the time, you would have seen in the “look ahead”:

March starts with Passion at Boston Court (FB) the first weekend. The 2nd weekend brings the MRJ Man of the Year dinner (and possibly The Wild Party at Morgan Wixson). The 3rd brings Marvin’s Room at Actors Co-op (FB) ; and the last weekend brings 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)

Then COVID happened. The last of those shows we saw was Passion. Some were subsequently remounted: Marvin’s Room, The Wild Party. Some were postponed: Mamma Mia, Hamilton, Mean Girls. Some had their tours cancelled: Once on This island, Spongebob (but we were able to see local productions of that). Last night we saw the last of the COVID-time productions to resurface: Hands on a Hardbody at Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse (CSHP). I’ve been waiting a while for this.

As you may have figured out by now, Hardbody has a relatively simple plot and staging: Put a car on stage. Have the endurance contest, introducing the audience to the contestants and their motivations until there is a winner (hmmm, now that I think about it, it is a lot like Putnam County Spelling Bee). Have subplots involving the people running and reporting on the contest. The story comes (as it does in Survivor) from the mix of people that are in this contest. For Hardbody, this mix includes: an unlikeable prior winner, who is a bit racist; the son of an immigrant who wants to be a vet; a USMC vet, an older woman (and her husband as support) who really need the money; a Texas evangelical; a beauty queen; an older man (and his wife as support) who is recovering from a fall from a big rig; and a few other folks. The back story involves the faltering dealership and lack of sales, and some unethical behavior on behalf of some of the staff. Now you might think that the characters created here were fictional, and the story was a “based on”; it turns out reading about the documentary that the character types were the actual folks in the filmed contest.

The story itself works well, and based on the music, was one of the reasons I was drawn to the piece. But how you can stage this at a mid-size professional theatre (La Jolla Playhouse, where it started) or a Broadway theatre is very different than how you stage it in a community theatre, performed in a church social hall. For example, you can’t have a real car; you have to suggest a car with what you can build in the social hall. CSHP did that well. However, it wasn’t perfect. There were aspects of the backstories and character relationships that were described in the synopsis that just didn’t come through in the staging. For example, the scene where Heather (the Beauty Queen) and Mike Farris (the car salesman) makes it seem like the “perk” provided was the Executive Washroom or some implied liaison, when in reality it was time in the air conditioned space. I never picked up on the fact there was an air conditioner in the space.  But overall, CSHP did remarkably well within the limitations of their space.

I’ll note that the story here has some surprisingly deep moments, touching on life at the lower end of the economic spectrum, racism, small-town America, PTSD and Veterans, and the importance of holding on to that which you love.

With the simple staging, what makes a show like this succeed or fail are the performances. As with the staging, there were some extremely strong performances, some very good performances, and some that (shall we say) reflected the community theatre level. Again, that’s not a surprise: this is a community theatre, drawing from a mix of LA’s intimate theatre talent as well as CSHP regulars and community members. The balance here was heavily weighted on the strong side, which was good. I’d like to highlight a few songs and performers:

I’ll start with Allison Sundman (Heather), who caught my eye from the start with her smile, her characterization, and her voice. She was just a load of fun to watch. Viktor Pacheco-Espinoza (Jesus) gave a strong performance in “Born in Laredo”, where he told the story of how as a Hispanic, folks always thought he was an immigrant, even though he was born in America. I was also moved by the performance of Larry Toffler (JD) and Aris Kakkis (Benny) is “Used to Be”, a lament about how the local businesses that made each small town unique have been replaced by the homogenized chain stores and franchises. Both songs were very touching.

Ana Luiza Bourroul (Norma) showed a powerhouse voice in “Joy of the Lord” and its reprise (in fact, the song and its message made me think of the other church-based theatre company we know, Actors Co-Op, and how CSHP is a lot less preachy in its show choices—a plus in my book). Also possessed of a strong voice were Lara Blanco (Cindy) and Keeley Bell (Kelli), which the latter used wonderfully in “I’m Gone”. Georgan George (Virginia) did a lovely job with “Alone With Me”, but where I noticed her more was in the closing number and the characterization of the relationship and affection with JD.

As I write this, it strikes me that all of the cast is worth highlighting for one thing or another, for example, Bryan Windom (Ronald)’s lovely voice on his songs or Carlos Gomez (Chris) song about what he got from the military. But what I listed above are the major things that stick in my mind… well, that, and the closing song “Keep Your Hands on It“. That song really embodies the message of the show: “If you love something, keep your hands on it, don’t let it go.”

P.S.: Floyd King Nissan didn’t become Floyd King Toyota. In reality, Jack Long Nissan became Patterson Nissan, still in Longview.

Hands on a Hardbody has 5 performances left as I write this: May 5, 11, 12, 18, all in Harter Hall on the grounds of the Woodland Hills Community Church. Tickets are available through the CSHP website. The show is beautiful and well worth seeing. I do wish they had a full printed program: I don’t like the trend of a single page or a QR code and an online program. Websites go away and can’t be navigated easily before or during a show; printed programs can, plus they provide memories that can be revisited.

———

Hands on a Hardbody: A Musical. Book by Doug Wright. Lyrics by Amanda Green. Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green. HANDS ON A HARDBODY had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla California on May 12, 2012. The Artistic Director was Christopher Ashley. The Managing Director was Michael S. Rosenberg. HANDS ON A HARDBODY is based on the Documentary Film by S. R. Bindler and Kevin Morris, HOHB Production, LLC.

Cast (contestants unless otherwise noted): Allison Sundman Heather Stovall (May 4 and12); Ana Luiza Bourroul Norma Valverde; Andrew Nava Mike Ferris (dealership) ; Aris Kakkis Benny Perkins; Bryan Windom Ronald McCowan; Carlos Gomez Greg Wilhote; Danica Waitley Heather Stovall  (May 5, 11, 18); Georgan George Virginia Drew (wife of JD); Isaiah Gundermann Graham Chris Alvaro; Keeley Bell Kelli Mangrum; Lara Blanco Cindy Barnes (dealership); Larry Toffler JD Drew; Matt Worland Dr. Stokes; Pat Nye Don Curtis (husband of Janis); Sean Dela Pena Frank Nugent (radio announcer); Tamarah Ashton Janis Curtis; and Viktor Pacheco-Espinoza Jesus Peña.

Production and Creatives: Marshelle Giggles-Mills Director; Larry Collica Musical Direction; Keeley Bell and Danica Waitley Choreography;  Suzanne Ryan Producer; Jessica Worland Production Management and Design; Brittany Joy Sundman Stage Management; Matt Worland Technical Direction and Lighting Design; Aris Kakkis Graphic Design; Doug Mills Transportation Direction.

♦ ♦ ♦

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):

• May: ♦ 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. Lastly, I saw on FB that Chromolume Theatre may be returning in late 2024 or early 2025. They always did some interesting musicals that were rarely staged. Interesting….

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Survivor and Trucks | "Hands on a Hardbody" @ Charles Stewart Howard PH 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.