Joe Straw #9

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Nicole Steinwedell and Ryan Surratt

By Joe Straw

The Moth Theatre is a surprising venue. The work is thought provoking and unique. A theatrical night at the Moth always invokes serious discussion afterwards.

John Markland’s studio of creative thought, his coterie of thespians, and the thorough emotional work from the actors give balance to this art, especially when the actors bleed a passionate uniqueness to their roles.

Moth Theatre Company in association with Rydemption Entertainment present the opening of a new play “Mine” by Ryan Surratt and directed by Justin Huen through April 16^th, 2016. Produced by Ryan Surratt and Justin Huen.

Set Designer: Justin Huen

Justin Huen is also the Set Designer. So, many hats were worn by so few, and given the climate of small theatre something has to give. The modest apartment is nicely designed, long and narrow, thin and confining, barely enough for two, and cramped for three, making one think there would be problems with artists performing upstage and downstage. Huen, the director, manages the space effectively.

As the play begins, Joseph (Ryan Surratt) hurriedly enters from another room, a bedroom of a two-bedroom apartment. He throws the books he is carrying onto the coffee table. These books are law books. He is agitated for reasons that are not entirely clear.

And finding a quiet space to study is what Joseph wants. But there is always a distraction. The wide screen, a thick bulky television set is rattling political noise and creating a disturbance. All of that noise is easily dismissed with the flick of a remote.

Looking at a piece of paper, Joseph, sets it on fire, only briefly before he smoothers the flames. What could he be thinking with this big round charred hole in the middle of the study papers? Life’s pressures have gotten the best of him.

Then, the phone rings.

“Hey, …nothing.” - Joseph

She doesn’t have a name. “Babe” is a generic one for now. Still, over the phone, she’s a loving tease, and cajoles him into singing “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews, a song the heartiest of singers can’t sing in tune. Joseph fails miserably but gives it his best.

“Melanie” (Nicole Steinwedell), aka “Babe” wants to go skiing. But Joseph doesn’t have any money and he needs to study. The phone call ends.

Ah, a moment of quiet solitude. Suddenly his roommate Shane (James Oliver) rushes in through the front door. He runs past Joseph with a tan canvas bag in tow and takes it into his bedroom. Frantically, it only takes seconds for him to come back into the room.

“Do you have a gun?” – Shane

“No.” - Joseph

A thing to point out - Shane is acting rather oddly.

“Some days are just right.” – Shane

L. Ryan Surratt and James Oliver

Shane has a secret to divulge but he needs to take care of his body and while he is sitting on the toilet, Shane yells to Joseph to read to him, it helps him, concentrate. Law materials are fine.

Now upon discovery Shane realizes there’s no more toilet paper on the roll, something he had repeatedly been told to get at the store. Shane tells Joseph to get him a paper towel from the kitchen.

Afterwards Shane tentatively walks into the living room and turns on the television.

Joseph is working and does not want the TV on and it’s his TV. But Shane offers to buy it for $800.00 and put it in his room. The trouble is that Shane doesn’t have and has never had money. He still owes Joseph for the three months of his portion of the rent.

Their relationship, at this point, is terse.

Suddenly, Shane doles out the money from his pocket. He has a lot of money, in fact, for lots of things.

But before Joseph can figure out about the money, Melanie comes in with groceries bags for the dinner she is going to make; she has gotten all of the ingredients but forgot the cheese. There is a little time for canoodling on the couch, Joseph studying all the while rubbing her feet. But there’s a bickering edge in their conversation about love and work, and working to love, and having enough, and their relationship.

“What if I had sex with Tom Cruise?” Melanie

Interesting comment but at the present, nothing is getting accomplished and Joseph goes out for the cheese that Melanie forgot.

The thing that makes Surratt’s play fascinating is the ability to see more than the page provides, the subtext, a deeper level of emotional commitment. The play is approximately 70 minutes and I think I have to give some things away to express an opinion. Yes, it’s just an opinion.

Ryan Surratt(Joseph) does fine work as an actor. It is always good when Surratt is expressing a viable truth. Curiosity is a genuine ingredient in his character and adding more of this to the character will help. Pick the moments where action requires getting out of control and find the answers by being supremely curious and reacting to the answers. Also, find the moment that defines the relationship with the significant other and with the best friend.

James Oliver (Shane) reminds me of a young Glen Ford and you can’t go wrong with that look. There are a number of choices one can work with this character. Defining the relationships without projecting would really help the character. Don’t give too much away, and pick your moments.

Nicole Steinwedell(Melanie) is an amaranthine creature of charm and she has her moments. Melanie is steadfast in her resolve in wanting only one thing, Joseph. She is a ticking time bomb and her biological clock is turning fast. However things would be a lot livelier if she wanted three things – Joseph, Shane, and the money. Melanie takes the money at first, giving away a bit of her character. But why not go for more?

The program’s graphics makes it look like there are two men coming out of a mine and is slightly illusory.

This is a show that deals mainly with relationships and “what is mine”. Who belongs to whom? What’s mine is not yours. What’s yours is not ours and can never be ours. The program notes that it is also and “a weight triggered explosive device”. Yes, that’s true. It is also the thing that initiates the end of a relationship.

The main ideal of the play is about processions; “mine” and can conceivably work without the phone calls. Having the three on stage during the course of the play would increase the benefits appreciably. Because, in reality, this is a relationship play, and defining the relationship on stage would help the actors develop the moments into a significant piece. What you don’t want is to have character ambiguity. Trying to understand “crazy” is too time consuming. Defining the characters and their relationships would heighten the tensions until the dramatic conclusion is reached.

In Huen’s direction, the actions on stage are telegraphed before the relationships are fully developed. For example, the extremely agitated Joseph slamming down the books, the crazy acting Shane after he has retrieved the bag, and Shane’s telegraphed relationship with Melanie.

The scene in the bathroom takes us nowhere and its relationship to “mine” is a mystery. (Not that I’ve thought about it too much, but I’ve never known anyone have trouble using the bathroom and not being able to concentrate unless being read to. Running water, yes. Reading, no. Possibly, I’ve led a sheltered life.)

Melanie must have feelings for Shane to heighten the relationship with Joseph. This makes the reason for leaving the cheese at the store all the more interesting. The moving of the TV must be done with the idea of getting Shane and Melanie closer together, and must be provocative. They both have much to lose if found out.

These are just slight adjustments that would make this production soar. Keep the dialogue that works and throw out the dialogue that does not progress the through line of the play, mine. Generally the audience will tell you what works and what does not work.

Lastly, all three characters should be on stage for the final scene, each fighting for what is theirs (mine) until the final conclusion.

There enough humor in Surratt’s first play to offset the drama, the ending. The night is extremely enjoyable for this new play. Could there be room for improvement? Yes, there could.

Lauren Kelly is the Stage Manager and Ken Wertherdid the publicity for the show.

Run! And take a take a friend that loves ambiguity in relationships.

AT 8PM

TICKETS

picatic.com/mine

Phone: (213) 249-2062

The Moth Theatre

4359 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90029

✯The entrance is behind the theatre on Heliotrope. ✯

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Lily Nicksay - Photos: Anne McGrath

By Joe Straw

Sometimes when I exit the theatre, I want to stop the first person I see and say “You must see this show!”

But, along theatre row on Santa Monica Boulevard, everyone is so busy with their lives, in globular fashion, smoking cigarettes and connecting.

Wanting to break in past this odorous nauseating waft in the night air, through the circular odoriferous private human gathering, it’s almost impossible to connect to share the exciting news.

The sidewalk, on theatre row, is possibly is not the right forum. - Narrator

In Aliza Goldstein’s play A Singular They, everyone connects deeply; no matter how uncomfortable the subject may be, they connect. This wonderful new play explores the intimate details of teenage anathemas. It is, at times, deeply introspective. It is also enlightening, provocative, and opens up the mysterious personal life of the teenage mind.

The Blank Theatre presents the world premiere of A Singular They (a gender-neutral singular personal pronoun) by Aliza Goldstein and directed by Christopher J. Raymond. Produced by Sarah Allyn Bauer, Daniel Henning, and Noah Wyle through May 1^st, 2016.

The play opens as Dierdre (Hannah Prichard) sits on top of a desk, looking like an SNL sketch character. More than slightly pregnant; she works on an assignment after school while her teacher, Mr. Mazer (Nick Ballard), grades papers.

Burbank (Lily Nicksay) 17, saunters into the room, and shows her new haircut.

“You look like a lesbian.”- Dierdre

This is not really a cruel dig; they have been friends for a long time. Still, the remark hits home for Burbank.

Unbeknownst to Burbank, she is about as normal as one can be, but she is still fighting through some things as all teenagers do. Okay, well maybe a few more things, as she takes a seat on the table, looking more than slightly ambiguous.

Nick Ballard

Mr. Mazer, polite to obsequiousness, wants them to finish and leave.

“Do I really look like a lesbian?” – Burbank

Later, at the mall, Burbank and Dierdre are having a typical teenage conversation. Burbank recounts the story of her birth, coming out of the delivery room where it was determined that “they” was neither a boy or a girl. And at this time in they life, Burbank refuses to take the drugs that will change they to one-way or the other.

A flat chested boyish Burbank stares at the state of Dierdre’s fully developed and swollen breasts. It is a moment of inquisitiveness about the late of stages of pregnancy.

Oddly enough, that’s when curiosity gets the best of Dierdre.

“What have you got down there?” – Dierdre

The best way that Burbank can describe it is to draw it, so Dierdre hands over a paper napkins and Burbank meticulously delineates the particulars in question. Curiosity settled, they move onto other things.

And moments later, their attention is diverted to Mr. Mazer who is strolling around in the mall with a friend, possibly boyfriend. They hide so they are not seen.

Burbank addresses the fourth wall about wanting a relationship, and most importantly human contact, masturbation is not cutting it for her. And in her ineffable expressions all that she can come up with about masturbation is “It’s weird…revolting”.

Alone, in a high school classroom, Burbank obliquely prowls the handsome Mr. Mazer and solicits information about his personal life. Is he going on his skiing trip with his girlfriend? Boyfriend? Slightly bewildered Mr. Mazer feels the questions are a little too intrusive.

“Stop it.” – Mr. Mazer

Mr. Mazer is the teacher in this relationship. Still, however solemn, there is movement, a tremulous glow.

“Can you call me ‘they’?” – Burbank

For Burbank, the predicament, the exigencies of the moment, and the elevating hormones get out of hand. Later Dierdre, passing a joint between them, says that she has hooked up “they” with Tommy (Will you let me?) Poletti (not seen). Dierdre hands the licentious Burbank a condom. Burbank can’t get pregnant, but still there are STD’s and especially chlamydia.

What are friends for?

Lily Nicksay

Burbank’s insalubrity encounter with Tommy Poletti turns out to be a disaster and so Burbank, in a confession, sets her sights on someone else.

The fascinating thing about Aliza Goldstein’s play is that it presents us with situations that until recently were not undertaken in a public forum – teen pregnancy, masturbation, gender identity, bisexuality, sexual fantasies, and statutory rape.

And, there is also an inherent uneasiness throughout the play that, at any given moment, these situations can get completely out of control. One is left on a precipice, anomalous feelings, of waiting for a particular character to turn, or for someone to intrude at an inopportune moment. The feelings are both exciting, and nerve racking. Ultimately, this makes for a wonderful intimate night of theatre, and a reason for running to see this production.

Nick Ballard is fantastic as Mr. Mazer. Ballard is perhaps a little understated for the character. Mazer is a character that has the most to lose by revealing the tremendous emotional conflict from within, and more so playing upon his fantasies. That aside, there were some incredible moments in Ballard’s performance where the words rang a simple solid truth and that wins him a lot of bonus points. But, is there more to be had in the opening scene, a hint, or a stronger objective to carry him onward?

One of the fascinating things about Lily Nicksay’s performance as Burbank is her ability to stay grounded in the moment. Nicksay’s concentration is superb. Dare I say it, she has an indefinable quality, the craft is hers, and her work is persevering. She is also a stunning creature. This is a performance not to miss.

Hannah Prichard

Hannah Pricharddoes some solid work as Dierdre. This character goes off at times, possibly because of her raging hormones, and it is not really clear if she has destroyed her relationship with her best friend. Dierdre seems nonplus about giving her baby away and one wonders if there could have been other choices to add to the performance? The reaction to the information she receives, near the end, is a complete surprise. Overall, Prichard’s performance hits the mark and she is charming in her resolve.

The alternates are Montana Roesch (Dierdre), Erin Sullivan(Burbank) and Andy Wagner (Mr. Mazer), who did not perform the night I was there.

Christopher J. Raymond, the director, effectively uses The Blank Theatre’s black box space. His work with the actors gives us perhaps, a little more than we bargain for. There is a rigorous simplicity to his effort where the moments are clearly defined and are mesmerizing. Raymond presents us with a pleasing canvas of a young person throwing metaphorical paint and at the same time battling her demons.

Kudos to Daniel Henning, Artistic Director, who is navigating his way in this the 25^thseason of The Blank Theatre!

Other members of this fine institution and crewmembers are:

Noah Wyle– Artistic Producer

Sarah Allyn Bauer – Producer

Heather Provost – Producing Director

Nic Dressel – Stage Manager

Aaron Lyons – Set Designer

Donny Jackson – Lighting Designer

Allison Dillard – Costume Designer

Rebecca Kessin – Sound Designer – And I have to make mention the sound added another element to this production. It was unexpected and superb.

Michael O-Hara – Properties Master

Victoria Esquer – Associate Producer

Jennifer Kim – Associate Producer

Isabel Smith – Associate Producer

Ken Werther Publicity – Public Relations

Katherine Hunter-Blyden – Marketing Director

Erica Silverman Bream – Casting Director – A great job!

Cara Chute Rosenbaum – Casting Director – Also, A great job!

Run! Run! Run! And take a gender-neutral friend. You’ll have a lot to talk about on your ride home.

Tickets: www.theblank.com

Or: 323-661-9821

2^nd Stage Theatre

6500 Santa Monica Boulevard

Hollywood, CA 90038

Bryonn Bain

By Joe Straw

Theatre can’t get anymore beautiful than this, so indulge me for breaking a few rules. – Narrator

Bryonn (pronounced Bree on) has a lovely voice, smooth, soothing to the core, a voice to meditate to, with, and by. His mellifluous declaration filled the spacious UCLA Freud Playhouse Theatre with lyrics and songs on the night of March 4^th, 2016.

And when Bryonn’s voice dies and the stark black and white pictures fade, the message lingers. It is a voice worn from repetition but strong in its resolve that, although the battle against injustice may make one weary, is nevertheless a battle that must be won.

“Marcus Garvey Boulevard” is a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and also a song of the same title. The voice that Bryonn sings, while taking a stand, is lonely, crying out for righteousness on the road against racism, hate, and oppression. The lyrics and music would lift any soul from the emotional scars of the past. Naytheless, from him, the tone is sincere and his fight is justified.

In the artwork projected on screen, a light pole stands, casting no light on to a darkened street, slightly relieving the fear of being alone on Marcus Garvey Boulevard and alone in the dark. And in the image, the creator of the painting, appears to be etching the line to make the apartment building stretch city blocks, and yet the light is not resilient, the building fades in the dark, the streets are opaque, the sidewalk uneven, and of the tune of a softly sung song about a body on Marcus Garvey Boulevard.

What body? I’m not quite sure.

But for now, he sits solemnly in a jail cell beyond the rising scrim. Bryonn recreates a life, his life from the past now standing alone, in black, wearing a uniform, this hoodie, and white sneakers.

Byronn is short, buffed, too much time in the gym, or not enough, depending on how one looks at these things. But his voice is clear, head protruding toward the sky like a repressed songbird, but warning you about life, that for some is not so smooth – all in vocalized poetry.

Images, songs, and videos emanates from all directions – the first arrest, dismissed, and then trouble, big trouble. After a 60 Minutes interview – with Mike Wallace, there is retribution. It is a concerted effort that has no end point in an effort to discredit his life. He is a man from Harvard with a voice that others think must be silenced.

The activism is real. And, theatre by definition is activism.

What night is so right and so cleverly defined?

Gina Belafonte, the director, sends us out into the night, absorbing the visuals and peacefully humming the songs. The message is not one of anger but a measured speak, a peaceful parting of how much we have to learn. Belafonte chooses a direction that speaks not of violence, but in a calm persuasive tone to make change.

The musicians added to the brilliant night. They were Aaron Shaw, Saxophone and Flute, Click, Beatbox and Chains, Isaiah Gage, Cello and Beatbox, and Jachary Beats, Bass and Guitar.

Stevie Wonder was there on this night, absorbing what they offered. And Rob Reiner was there as well.

The art projected on screen is real, compliments of Sankofa.org – “a social justice organization that enlists the support of today’s most celebrated artists and influential individuals in collaboration with grassroots partners to elevate the voices of the disenfranchised, and promote peace and equality” – a mouth full to say to be sure.

The layers of injustice are clear to those watching. And when the lines of injustice are layered, everyone loses, until we lose sight and thoughts become a festering pile of antipathy.

“Definitions are for the defined.” - Bryonn Bain

Embrace humanity.

When Lyrics from Lockdown comes your way, run to see this production. And, take a friend, who has witnessed injustice and now has a calling.

Sal Lopez - Photo: Grettel Cortes

By Joe Straw

He said the seats had my name on them and that they would be pre-seating me.

Well, I went in – turned a few circles, spied a few names, mostly theatrical celebrities on this opening night – then I got to the stage. When I turned around I noticed three or four hundred seats, all with names on them.

Rather than reading “War and Piece” I asked the usher, “Where are my seats?”

“Maybe you can sit with that lonely man over there – the one with the press packet.”

He looked none too happy, alone.

I trudged over to his area, far stage left, looked at the stage, and I noticed a huge wall separating me from viewing most of stage right.

Watching, from this vantage point, could be problematic. If I were going to make a move it would have to be now.

Suddenly, patrons blocked me in, moments passed, and by this time the other seats were being filled. Still, I was not resigned to stay in my seat. Standing, I tried to figure out if any remaining white piece of paper – that I couldn’t read – had my name on it.

But, as the lights dimmed, I realized, I had great seats, as is every seat in the house – Narrator

Yee Eun Nam - Set Designer

The wall in the middle of the set was a huge symbolic vertical sacrificial stone that served a purpose. Ancient smoke encircled the ruins and a pleasant odor drift out into the theatre. I was glad to see the same stonewall, in question, was not a permanent fixture. All of this was beautifully designed by Set & Projection Designer Yee Eun Nam.

The Latino Theater Company present the World Premiere of La Olla written by Evelina Fernández and directed by José Luis Valenzuela, adapted from the Roman Comedy The Pot by Plautus through April 24, 2016 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center

La Olla is a very funny comedy with solid performance by a remarkable cast, some more remarkable than others. This is all said in jest, as the whole show is a solid outing for the Latino Theater Company and almost something for the whole adult family.

One of the interesting things about José Luis Valenzuela’s direction is the manner in which he introduces the characters, at first it is a slow dance, measured on and off stage, each in a specific character, moving, watching each other, some garbed in spy coats - ala Spy vs. Spy – all involved with their specific trait. The actors leave the stage, move upstage (backstage at La Olla) and get undress, appearing almost naked in unitards, changing from one costume into another. The impression, in a myriad of ideas, is that the characters will be frolicking in various roles. And then, during the course of the play, Valenzuela has them coming in and out like the Marx Brothers, or The Three Stooges, through every door, beyond the walls, in and out, in a tumultuous display of non-stop hilarity.

La Olla means pot, or the pot. La Olla is an adaptation from Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus’ Aulularia.

(Unbeknownst to Cesar and his knife carrying lot, the Romans were very funny, yes they were.)

La Olla is also a nightclub for which Sobersides (Gástulo Guerra) is the master of ceremonies. Sobersides is a mystical person of sorts who lets us in on the characters in the show, their history, and unimpressive talent, and he also introduces the cabaret attendees, to the performing acts.

One such act is La Diva (Esperanza America) a ne’er-do-well who is at the end of her professional career. Finishing her career now at this once promising but now rundown 1950’s cabaret club, La Olla.

One night, after her performance, La Diva is rolling around in a fit, in her large frame, on the floor. La Diva is ready to be institutionalized. She is replaced by Phaedria (also Esperanza America) who steps in and, at first, is not sounding good but then warms up to the audience and suddenly becomes the up and coming star.

While this is going on three nefarious men Eel (Sam Glozari), Mack (Fidel Gomez), and Chon (Xavi Moreno) have robbed someone and are running from the authorities. They hop into the La Olla nightclub and stash the money in one pot, in a dressing room filled with the many pots.

Eulclio (Sal Lopez) discovers the money and hides it, telling his wife Staphyla (Evelina Fernández) not to let anyone in to their dressing room where the money resides. Of course, he doesn’t tell her why.

“You asshole.” - Staphyla

Megadorus (Geoffrey Rivas), the sexually ambiguous nightclub owner, sees the value of the up and coming star, Phaedria, and wants to marry her. A serious discussion with his confidant, sister, or lover Eunomia (Xavi Moreno) confirms the choice of marriage.

But Phaedria has been secretly hiding her pregnancy and has various reasons why she doesn’t want to be with Megadorus. First, she is in love with Lyconides (Sam Golzari), the father of her child, and second, Megadorus is twice her age, gay, and is badly attired. And, as a side note, Megadorus is Lyconides’ Uncle.

There’s another problem: the not-so-smart Eulclio, with gold carefully stashed away, has promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to Megadorus. Megadorus has money. Why should Eulclio spend his pot of gold for his daughter’s marriage?

Truth be told, Eulclio gets a little wacky about the money, imagining that others are trying to steal his newfound money. One thing’s for sure, he is not giving it back.

Esperanza America and Sam Golzari - Photo: Grettel Cortes

Esperanza Americais outstanding, and totally unrecognizable, as La Diva (in wonderful costumes by Naila Aladdin-Sanders). America is extremely funny as Phaedria a ne’er-do-well who has done well at least once. Gangly, pregnant, and walking nimbly on two crooked feet Phaedria becomes the beautiful diva on the strength of her voice. America is wonderful in characters and these roles are one performance not to miss.

Evelina Fernándezplays Staphyla and actor, wife and nightclub performer who is fed up with everyone and this life. She plays through the necessities of life on stage with a forgotten cigarette between her lips as she performs by rote. One has seen this character before but it never gets tiring.

Sam Golzari is also impressive as Lyconides, Sam and Eel. Golzari has a wonderful cabaret voice and has a very funny presence on stage. The sight gag on stage for one of the last scenes plays to perfection.

Fidel Gomez is fine as St. Genesius, Strobilus and Mack. One is not really sure about the accent that Gomez uses as Mack, or the region for which the voice serves a purpose in the play. It gave him another character, vocally, tough guy, but how does this work in the context of the play? That aside, Gomez is very funny.

Cástulo Guerra - Photo: Grettel Cortes

Cástulo Guerra is extremely impressive as Sobersides. His choices were clear, his motives defined, and the emotional life was well beyond remarkable. This is one actor that productions should find a space for. Wow! Excellent work! Don’t miss his performance!

Sal Lopez is Euclio and brings forth another funny performance. Eculio is a man, husband, and father who is none too bright, but smart enough to know that he is in a lot of trouble. (But, seriously, we’ve got to do something about the sweeping up on stage. Sweep until you finish, have a dustpan, sweep it under the rug, offstage into the audience, and/or dispose the waste, in character of course, but just, finish.) Lopez does well with eyes scrunched barking his way to reach his objective. His movements are precise and the gold is real.

Xavi Moreno is an incredible actor. His characters are well defined, and very peculiar in an astonishing and very interesting way. His physical manner on stage for each character is flawless and this is also a performance not to miss. He is seen as Eunomia, Hank, and Chon.

Geoffrey Rivas is splendid as Megadorus (sounds like a dinosaur), a gay man who convinces himself the show would be better off if he married to the up and coming star. Rivas performance reminds one of La Cage aux Folles and is very funny and charming in many ways.

Evelina Fernández’swork as the writer gets better with each new play. The dialogue is snappy, the situations are flamboyant, and underneath it all has a mystical quality, a time in space focused and personified. You can’t really write this off as an adaptation: Aulularia, is a work lost which has not been completely found – those funny Romans and their storage capabilities. This is Fernández at her finest.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Urbanie Lucero– Choreographer & Movement Coordinator

Pablo Santiago– Lights & Projection Design

John Zalewski– Sound Design – The sound elements were extremely impressive and add another layer to the show. One is always fascinated by Zalewski’s work and the manner in which the work progresses the show.

Naila Aladdin-Sanders– Costume Design – While the time frame is ambigious, the costumes kept the players rooted in the same period. Aladdin-Sanders’ work provides just one more layer to the overall show.

Camille Villanueva– Puppet Design – Loved the puppets!

Rosino Serrano– Musical Director – They are in a cabaret and the music worked wonderfully.

Lauren Hadnot– Assistant Stage Manager

Henry “Heno” Fernandez– Stage Manager

Run! Run! Run! And take someone who loves Buster Keaton!

Reservations: (866) 811-4111.

Online Ticketing: www.thelatc.org

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Sammie Wayne IV and Meghan Renee Lang - Photo: Niketa Caleme Harris

By Joe Straw

“The theatre, he contended, served for railing at prejudices, and, beneath a mask of pleasure, taught virtue.” – Gustave Flaubert, – Madame Bovary

I’ve heard this from time to time. You are the company you keep. It’s cliché – and kind of true – well, something that makes sense. And it fits with the play No Place to Be Somebody. Because, if you wanted to be somebody then Johnny’s Bar is not the place you want to be. And, almost everybody wants to be somebody. Don’t they?

The Pulitzer Prize winning play, No Place to Be Somebodyby Charles Gordone and directed by Ben Guillory, is presented by the Robey Theatre Company at the Los Angeles Theatre Center through May 8^th, 2016.

No Place to be Somebody is a thoroughly gratifying show. Finesse and dedicated actors work their craft to bring light to the Robey stage. This is a show about extremely unusual characters that have a found a niche. But they are itching for more out of life than hanging around a bar with endemic friends with less than stellar reputations.

The lights are lonely dimmed as Gabriel (Leith Burke) sits at a table in Johnny’s bar, front and center, pulls out a joint, and lights up. He taps away at the Royal typewriter, like he’s a writer or something, which he ain’t, cause if he was he wouldn’t be there. It’s 1969, late at night, and you can’t hear the turmoil of the war demonstrations or the Civil Rights marches in the bar, down the street, or across the Brooklyn Bridge. He is just a man getting his thoughts together.

Gabriel’s now got to introduce himself and say why he is here.

“Don’t want you goin’ out’a here with the idea what you see happenin’ is all a figment of my grassy imagination. ‘Cause it ain’t!” - Gabriel

Shanty (Ben Landmesser), laboring, an employee of Johnny’s bar, carries the drumsticks in his back pocket pulling them out to practice on everything that’s drumable, the jukebox, the chairs, and the bar. Things along the bar have little “beat marks” on them something Johnny (Sammie Wayne IV) doesn’t like too much and Johnny would rather have him cleaning up than pounding on things in his bar.

Yes, Shanty said he done it. Played with some of the biggest jazz names. Those names are figments of that dream-making machine inside Shanty’s head.

“One if these days I’m gonna have me a boss set’a drums. - Shanty

(Why anyone would call his kid, Shanty, is beyond me. His parents might as well call him poor white trash from the get-go just to cement a life that moves in that direction.)

Evie (Saadiqa Kamille) and Dee (Allison Blaize) enter the bar with stories to tell about a night gone wrong, specially with some Texas john using the “N” word ‘til he lost breath. Well, actually it was Evie who got tired of it all. It was she who bashed his head open with that lamp – the lamp that a happy customer, a Senator, gave them. And he brought it all the way from Russia, just for these two darlings.

“Sure hated to lose that lamp.” – Evie

Johnny don’t like the girls scaring away the customers. And he’s always into their stuff rummaging through their purse for money, until he finds the baby shoes in Dee’s mess, paraphernalia that he immediately dumps into the trash: that just about pushed Dee’s last button.

Breaking up matters, Cora (Kacie Rogers) runs in to get out of the rain and to see her boyfriend, Shanty. And right away, Cora and Evie get into it with Evie pulling a razor. Johnny, emotionally elevated, wants no blood in his bar and positions himself betwixt the two.

Martini poured, Cora sits at the bar, tells Johnny that she was willing to help him after he got out of reform school but Sweets (Hawthorne James) got to him first and ruined him.

Melvin (Matt Jennings), fresh out of dance class, hurries in but is late for work – couldn’t get a cab – white folks couldn’t get one neither in this weather. Johnny says he outta get paid for throwing around his tukus for free.

And happy as a clam, Gabe steps in and has them pour him a drink. He’s all exultant because of his audition with hundreds of his closest friends - for a musical about slavery.

Johnny just shakes his head, pulls out some money, and throws it on the table, trying to get him to join his team.

Gabe’s not havin’ any of it.

“Okay, Hollywood! Keep knockin’ on doors with yo’ jeans at half-mast! Sellin’ yo’-self like some cheap-ass whore! If I know one thing about you, you ain’t that good’a actor! Whitey knows right away you can’t even stan’ to look at him!” – Johnny

Time passes, days and nights, weeks like yesterdays.

Shanty and Cora are two different sides of the coin, they can hardly communicate - each off in their own world, being nobodies and having no one, having a discussion, smokin’ weed, talkin’ about their previous mates. She’s thinking this white man in Johnny’s bar would be good for her. He’s thinkin’ that a white woman is someone he should take a broomstick to. Neither one can see that the other’s not someone to establish a long-term relation with.

“I’d like a daiquiri, please – “ – Mary Lou Bolton

Mary Lou (Meghan Lang), straight off the streets demanding Civil Rights for union workers, walks in with her high fallutin’ self, wanting to make something out of this nothing bar, Johnny’s Bar. Her friend, Ellen (also Allison Blaize), wants her to get out of there and wonders why she’s always doing what she does.

Johnny has taken a liking to Mary Lou, straight out of Elmira College, and he gives her a quick lesson, something to study while he’s at it and this scares her off for the time being.

L - R Gianluca Malacrino, Hawthorne James, Sammie Wayne IV - Photo: Niketa Caleme HarrisL

But, you know, Johnny is waiting on Sweets, waiting for Sweets to get out of prison so they can claim what’s rightfully theirs, the streets, but when Sweets arrive it’s one more story in this place to be somebody, or not.

This is another strong Robey outing and Ben Guillory, the director, is responsible for the fine details on stage, the intangibles that give the characters added dimensions that is projected out beyond the fourth wall. The characters lives stay with you long after the lights have dimmed.

There are a few things that need addressing, a moment, and objective but for the most part, No Place to Be Somebody is as smooth as the best drink you every put into our mouth and tasty too. And, it will only get better with age and more performances under their belt.

Allison Blaizedoes a fine job as Dee, a hustler, who works for and is in love in the Johnny. Dee, try as she might to have solid relationship, knows she is in a bad situation. Interesting thing about the baby shoes is that she probably wants one and I think she is moving in this direction. But she seems to lose sight of the objective that could carry her through to the end. Still, some wonderful work.

Leith Burke is Gabe Gabriel, the poet, writer, actor, a man of mixed race, is on a mission with no place to go. The writing’s not working, the acting work is dismal, and hanging around the bar is just too much for his sensibilities. Near the end he is certainly way over his head and probably wishes he had never met Johnny. Burke rises to the occasion in this play. But, is the character’s objective to absorb the inner workings of life at the bar? If so, why isn’t he taking notes?

Ray Dennis plays Machine Dog, a figment of Gabe’s imagination. I didn’t get the wrench and one day I will get this role, the objective, and his reason for being.

Hawthorn James is delightful as Sweets Crane, a huge man, sickly, and a man who loves macaroni salad. In all seriousness, there is a lot of good work going on here. And the humorous moments in his portrayal along with his dangerous side adds up to a complete character. James’ craft is his road traveled, mysterious, seethingly treacherous and at times provocative. All that makes for a wonderful performance.

Matt Jenningsplays Melvin Smeltz, a dancer with a nice body but little dancing skills. He is lost in the studio and lost as a short order cook that can barely peel a potato. (Jennings has to work on peeling a potato.) Also, it is not clear if the character knows the difference between a sautés, jeté, cabrioles, or assembles, as the dance moves seem less than exquisite. Why is he there in the bar? It’s hard to tell. Jennings has to find a reason to be there. It’s not the pay, nor the girls, so what else could it be? There has to be more in his relationship with Johnny.

Saadiqa Kamilleis quite ideal in the role of Evie Ames a strong woman who wants more than what Johnny has to offer. She’s fed up with the life and wants to move on. Kamille’s performance is fantastic, oh yes it is!

Ben Landmesserhas some really good moments as Shanty Mulligan, an Irish mutt of a man with not much talent as a drummer; it’s just a dream, because people have got to have dreams. Still, that doesn’t stop him from carrying around the sticks to practice every waking moment. He cuts himself peeling a lemon, ruining his drumming fingers, but oddly that didn’t play into that particular scene. Still, there were a lot of nice moments coming from this actor. Landmesser has a very strong stage presence, a very strong craft, and does well in the role.

Meghan Lang does enormously well as Mary Lou Boulton, a college woman, who wants to taste the racier side of life. Born to trouble, Mary Lou wants to get more out of her existence and will do anything to get what she wants. Lang gives a tantalizing performance that, once in costume, fits with the time and the place. Lang is bold and baiting in one swell swoop.

Gianluca Malacrinois also impressive as Mike Maffucci a small time hood who wants to take over, no matter what it takes. The moment with the macaroni salad is filled with so much life, a lot of fun, and hits with a very strong truth that one thoroughly enjoys in theatre.

Monty Montgomeryplays Sergeant Cappaletti and has a face that you think you’ve seen on TV thousands of times. In other words, it is a good face for TV. Cappaletti is a muscle man and uses his girth, badge, and gun to suppress dissention.

Suave, sophisticated, and sleazy is what you would describe as Judge Bolton played by Darrell Philip a man who gets what he wants when he wants it. A man whose voice projects barely above a whisper, and with slightest manipulation of his finger he moves man and machine to his desired effect. He is dastardly, in a very nice job.

Kacie Rogersplays Cora Beasley as a woman who would like to have things her way but misses the signals that would suggest that she should stay away from bar she frequents right down to the man she has chosen. But maybe there’s more to be had here in the character and in the way she’s not picking up the signals. What kind of person would let herself be completely abused without something not clicking? Does compassionate love override those signals?

Seeing Sammie Wayne IV in various roles at the Robey Theatre this is probably his best performance to date as Johnny Williams. Johnny has a need for people men and women coming around the bar. There is a hint that Johnny is bisexual because of his interactions with people who frequent the bar. Handing out money to men, and molesting women. It is a very interesting performance, one that again has Wayne searching for the words (maybe that is an affectation) and losing sight of the objective from time to time. Still, it is a very good performance.

Charles Gordone’splay is significant in the way it opened a visionary door. It is the verbal interaction of whites and African Americans, in rustic volubility. The language is harsh, the physical interaction intense, and the crimes committed are not from one segment of the population. In the overall play, the beauty is not only found in the words from the sententious poet, but it is found in the body of the work, and that is what carries the night.

Tom Meleck, Scenic Design, has created an impressive set for which the actors can create their magic. It is magical, fully functional, and a place one would find in 1969 New York.

Michael D. Ricks’ wonderful Lighting Design highlights the beautiful set.

Naila Aladdin Sandersis responsible for the glorious Costume Design of the characters. Each provided another element of character, a visual accouterment to an actor wanting to perfectly define the character. Marvelous work!

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Tamir Elbassir– Production Stage Manager

Melvin Ishmael Johnson– Assistant Stage Manager/Veteran Intern/Prop Master

Julio Hanson– Music/Sound Design

Kiana Lyons– Assistant Stage Manager/Prop Master

Jason Mimms – Graphic Design

Niketa Calame-Harris – Production Photographer

Philip Sokoloff– Publicist

Judith Bowman– Development Director

Chris Carneli – Webmaster

Run! Run! Run! And take someone who devours the word change.

RESERVATIONS: (866) 811-4111.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.thelatc.org

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By Joe Straw

“Oh! We’re doing that kind of acting!” – Nicholas Cage to John Travolta in rehearsals for the film Face/Off

The Junction Theatre presents The West Coast Premiere of Red Velvet written by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Benjamin Pohlmeier through April 30, 2016 at the Atwater Playhouse.

I enjoyed this remarkable show for the potential of the play, the writing, and some very interesting actors showcasing their talent. Certainly, if you wanted to know anything about the great Ira Aldridge, this is the show to see!

Love does strange things and it is no different when Polish newspaper journalist, Halina Wozniak (Kailena Mai), sneaks into an important artist’s dressing room with a newly acquainted friend, Casimir (Sean C Dwyer).

The time is in the summer of 1867. The place is the dressing room in a fancy theatre in Lódź, Poland.

Halina really wants nothing to do with Casimir. He is a rather clumsy young lad, not knowing the first thing about where to place his hands on a young lady. And as an aside, he would like nothing better than to have his way with her in a dark corner. But, she is a dedicated young journalist who, despite Casimir’s pawing, will stop at nothing to get her story.

Moment later, they are caught by Terence (Adam Chacon) who wants the girl out of his employers’ dressing room. Halina will not leave despite both men wanting to physically run her out of the room.

Halina is determined.

Suddenly Ira Aldridge (Paul Outlaw) steps into the room. He is an aging, and very accomplished actor at this point in his career. At sixty years old, he has little physical energy with which to throw the journalist out so through vocal prowess, he enlists his employees to remove her from the room, immediately.

But Halina is not giving up so easily, and finally Aldridge relents and allows her to do her job.

(Wikipedia has Aldridge active years stopping at 1862, five years before this scene.)

Immediately, Aldridge sees that Halina is a rank amateur but continues with the interview as we travel back in time, the spring of 1833 to be precise.

Edmund Kean (not seen), a handsome and celebrated Shakespearean actor of his day, has died suddenly at the ripe old age of forty-five. And now, the company has no one to play Othello.

But lo, the company hovers around his son, Charles Kean (Ben Warner), age 22, expecting he will step into the role of Othello. (In real life, he is a pugnacious wart of a man and really not suited for the role.)

And in the company of his peers, his one good quality is being arrogant, other than that his disposition lacks refinement. He assumes he will take over the role of Othello with no problems at all. All the while, he grieves, oh, so, silently, and waits.

But the producer, Pierre Laporte (Colin Campbell), lacks confidence in Charles’ ability to play the role of Othello.

Laporte has another plan. That is to have a newcomer, Aldridge, a black man to play Othello. Surely that was unheard of in that day, in Anglo London England. The one person happy about the developments is Connie (Dee Dee Stephens), a maid and a black woman.

The rest of the cast has different points of view about the matter. Of course, Charles Kean, is against it, wanting the role of Othello for himself. Betty Lovell (Amanda Charney) seems ambivalent, as does Bernard Warde (Adam Chacon). Henry Forrester (Sean C Dwyer) and Ellen Tree (Nicola Bertram) are excited about the idea, Forrester has seen Aldrich in a production, and Tree is progressively open-minded.

Nicola Bertram is impressive as Ellen Tree. Her sultry demeanor lights up the stage with her presence and craft – making every moment count. There is not one false note in her performance. The interruption in the dressing room scene worked to perfection. It was delightful to witness the manner in which she manages one predicament to the next with so much life and a rich backstory. This is a performance not to miss.

Sean C Dwyer is exceptional as Henry Forrester. Tall and handsome with a charming personality he also manages to convey a life lived in the theatre. In addition to that role, he plays Casimir, a Polish stagehand.

Lolita Chakrabarti’splay has some issues in the manner of progression. While most of the work is exceptional, there are moments when the play becomes something else, partially because of the writing, and partially under Benjamin Pohlmeier’s direction.

At times we move away from the Ira Aldridge story, that of a black actor overcoming obstacles to reach the pinnacle of his career, to a story that becomes, at times, trite. For example, take the acting lesson scene leading up to the performance of Othello. It is funny and an inside joke to actors but it takes away from Chakrabarti’s ambitious project.

And speaking of that scene in particular, and under Pohlmeier’s direction, there is not enough interplay between the actors center stage (Aldrich and Tree) and the other actors watching the rehearsal. More needs to made of those moments. Aldrich’s greeting to Desdemona is stilted, forced, and not in the manner for which Aldrich would have approved, and this happens three or four times in this particular scene.

Aldrich has to establish himself as the ultimate thespian, a man first and foremost dedicated to the truth, and to show the others, he is capable of playing Othello, and playing it differently. The others in this scene must form camps, relationships, for and against. The conflict in this scene must be greater than what was witnessed.

There must be more to the character of Ira Aldridge than what was given in the performance by Paul Outlaw. The intangibles must become tangible to create a character that commands the room, in his way about the stage, and in the strength of his voice. Losing the middle age pouch would help. An actor must be masterful in his own dressing room. The first scene needs more work to give Aldridge, the actor, definition with his relationship to the others. (He must be God at this point in his career.) And the relationship between Terrance and Aldridge - to remove the newspaper reporter in the first scene - needs defining to bring out the humor of the scene.

And while I’m speaking on the first scene Kailena Mai’s work as Halina Wozniak was excellent. Mai is a stunning actor with a very nice Polish accent. There’s something to be said of her strength in that scene and the way she manages to stay in the room. All in all it was superior work for this Seattle native.

Also in the writing one would have never guessed that Ellen Tree would one day be married to Charles Kean or that she even cared for him. Tree, at this point in her life, would be exploring her sexual options and the development of a relationship between Tree, Kean and Aldridge might help. One saw a great deal of this in Bertram’s performance but adding more in the writing would help considerably.

Colin Campbell did well as Pierre Laporte on this night. Laporte has a lot on his plate, hiring Aldridge, serving as a producer, keeping the investors happy, and lastly having the actors jump on board. It is not an easy life for Laporte. After the reviews come in Laporte has a lengthy discussion with Aldridge, and one that may not have progressed the play. This is a bridging scene and one that sends the talent to the opposite side of the bridge never to return. It also answers the question of why Aldridge never went back to England. Rather than having an ending, here and now, the scene should play as a battle to stay together.

There’s not a lot for Amanda Charney to do as Betty Lovell. One is not sure of her objective or where she was going. Certainly there’s more to create with the relationship on stage, how she felt about Aldridge, and who she could enlist to join her side (whatever that might be) to favor one actor over the other. There’s more to think about here.

Dee Dee Stephenshad her moments as Connie, the black maid, to everyone else on stage. There were some nice touches to the role, especially with the interactions of the actors, however brief, and then to Aldridge. Still there is some very nice work going on.

Erin Elizabeth Reedhas a commanding presence on stage. She is lovely to watch, tall, and her craft is subtle and remarkable. But, the one thing Margaret Aldridge, or any girlfriend should not do is to leave her future husband in a room alone with another actress. That is just courting disaster! Reed was fun to watch and the reason I go to theatre - to see the gems.

Adam Chacon does well as Terrence and Bernard Warde. There is more work to be done, especially one that defines a physical relationship with a superior, and also one that defines an objective that moves the play along.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Dee Dee Stephens– Associate Producer

Douglas Gabrielle– Lighting Designer

Kiley Hannon– Scenic Artist

James Ferrero– Sound Designer

Kristina A. Moore– Costume Designer – The costumes were excellent.

Kenny Zhou– Assistant Costume Designer

Christina Olson, David Iker Sanchez– Stitchers

Mel Raymundo– Graphic Designer

Jerry Blackburn– Production Stage Manager

Maya Martinez– Assistant Stage Manager

Steve Moyer Public Relations– Press Representative

Ed Krieger– Production Photographer

Erin Elizabeth Reed– Box Office Manager – And delightful actor

Run! Run! And take someone who loves to step back in time.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m.,
March 26 – April 30, 2016
ATWATER PLAYHOUSE
3191 CASITAS AVENUE, #100
LOS ANGELES, CA 90039
Brown PaperTickets 24/7 at 1-800-838-3006, or online at http://redvelvet.brownpapertickets.com.

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Jones Welsh

By Joe Straw

“The play is a dream I once had.” – Aaron Hendry

That’s the problem with dreams. They usually start in the middle and end at the most inopportune time - breaking up before all questions are answered.

This dream is one of beauty, darkness, frustration, befuddlement, and love from Aaron Hendry, an artist that remembers the details, the colors, and the sounds of his dreams and then decides to ride the wind of change and create performance art. - Narrator

NMA Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble present The SuperHero and his Charming Wife written and directed by Aaron Hendry at The Highways Theatre through May 15, 2016.

Performance art has a dream like quality, you make of it what you will, gathering the impressions, and hope at the end of the night, a moment has made an aesthetically pleasing or significant changed in oneself.

This dream has a lot of colors, superhero colors, except for that single white box.That white box is for those of you who have a dreadful curiosity. Lifting the lid will answer all of your questions – and possibly be the answer to your dream. But, opening the box will also have ramifications that may break your enigmatic tranquility if you thought about such things.

Dreams, and performance art, are always open to interpretation, so here goes.

There is blackness, a dark side, of someone (a villain) in need of the contents in a white box. Some will let it lie (SuperHero), and not break the lid. Curiosity is not one of SuperHero’s super strengths.

The Demon (Paul Turbiak) tells us what’s in the white box and the answers may be combinations of things. Peek into the inter contents of the white box for your own special nightmare, or bliss.

How are you feeling right now? And how will you feel after you open the box?

The dancing begins, movement from one scene to the next. (Cue action music.) Pretty girls in dreams dancing, moving, bouncing, forcing an idea, beautifully choreographed by Michelle Broussard. (In fact all of the dance numbers were wonderfully executed and gave lift to this flyless flummoxed SuperHero.) The dancers are humans living a cloistered existence in the city. All are in the need of saving.

SuperHero (Jones Welsh) runs outside in his pajama shorts, looking like an everyday man, except with muscles. He also has the ability to catch a newspaper with one hand, eyes half closed, with little light, in the early morning.

But, now someone needs help in another apartment, a The Dirty Evil Witch (Jessica Carlsen) a woman screaming, sounding like someone is knocking her senseless and yet SuperHero is powerless to help her. He does not have the ability to fly, his sense of super hearing is nil, and he doesn’t have the mental capacity to understand human emotions. Scratch all of that super hero stuff.

What planet is he from?

His wife Julie (Joanna Bateman) closes the door on him for which he does not have the capacity to break in. No laser vision, or even a pick to jimmy the lock.

Being a SuperHero and unable to open the door in any fashion would do a number on anyone’s masculinity. When the Charming Wife (Joanna Bateman) (who is not so charming) lets him into the apartment, she is not too concern about the screaming from the apartment next door (wives!).

Hero shuts the door in a state of befuddlement. No, wait a minute, he is always in a constant state of befuddlement and things get worse when his wife leaves the room and comes back another person. Not quite the same blue nightgown she was wearing but the same Julie (in name only) just a different looking Julie (Laura Covelli).

SuperHero, in his state, doesn’t recognize Julie, in her state. After sorting it out, or not sorting it out SuperHero goes out to save the world. But, he has to take the subway because Julie needs the car.

Alina Bolshakova-Roldan and Jones Welsh

And now, leaping over rooftops, jumping over building The Master Criminal (Alina Bolshakova-Roldan) jumps on a subway and rides the rest of the way to her destination. SuperHero takes his seat on the subway and doesn’t know that she’s a master criminal; he doesn’t have the slightest whiff. He’s just really ashamed that, well, the only reason he’s there is that he doesn’t have the car today, to fight crime, and to buy groceries, etc.,

The Master Criminal has problems of her own.

“My wife took my car once…drove off a bridge….out onto a trash boat. I love my car.” – The Master Criminal

Back at home The Dark Creeper (Anne-Marie Talmadge) breaks into SuperHero’s apartment and looks for the box. They battle it out in the apartment SuperHero gets the best of The Dark Creeper (Another exceptional battle scene by Michelle Broussard!) and that’s when Julie comes home and sees The Dark Creeper hidden near the bed, and, thinking the worse, leaves in disgust.

Generally Santa Monica is cool at night. The Highway Theatre has two fans, stage right. If it is hot, sit low and stage right, because it is very hot in the theatre.

Jessica Carlsen and Courtney Munch

One doesn’t generally speak about he second act but the opening number is mind blowing. It is the story of The Waitress (Sydney Mason) who takes out the trash behind the restaurant. She spills a little bit on the side of her leg, wipes it off, throws the trash into the bin, and that is when the trash comes alive. Wow! Well worth the price of admission.

Yes, it was a satisfying night of theatre, performance art, not really something you’d expect to have a beginning, middle and an end. Aaron Hendry, the director, tries to make it a cohesive whole but when the real Julie (spoiler alert) comes out and says something to the contrary that leaves us in a state of abstruse speculations!

And so we have it.

The writing, the book, may not be for everyone. Smartly written by Hendry, but the SuperHero is a constant stage of befuddlement and never really comes out of it. If you like conflict resolutions, then you may not get a clear picture of that. But, if you see this as performance art then you will get whatever you want, and that’s all right.

Paul Turbaik was The Demon and did very well in a monologue that could have been cut in half and gotten the same point across.

Jones Welsh was Hero who couldn’t fly, and didn’t have laser vision but managed to physically handle the villains around him. But boy, was he in a constant state of confusion, never breaking out, until maybe the last moment. This is a role where you really want to character to change, and have some sort of resolution. Nice fight scenes.

Joanna Batemanwas Julie (well one of three). Actually the only one who got credit for being Julie.

Laura Covelliplayed The Changed.

Alina Bolshakova-Roldan was The Master Criminal and had a very nice number before getting on the subway.

Anne-Marie Talmadgewas the Dark Creeper. I don't think I ever saw her face. But, there was an incredible fight sequence.

Sydney Mason did a fine job as the Waitress – really not sure where that character was going.

Courtney Munchwas The Hunted and has an extremely good look, slightly rough and rugged, but very photogenic. Her manner on stage was specific and her objective focused.

Jessica Carlsen and Jones Welch

Jessica Carlsenwas the Evil Dirty Witch and one hasn't a clue as to what the character was all about - possibly the sound in a dream, that's loud, that you don't quite get. Still, there was a lot of emotional angst in her scenes.

Nicely produced by Aaron Hendry, Jones Welsh, and Laura Covelli.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Ashton Williams– Stage Manager

Emily Zehr– Costume Design

Matt Mikulka– Lighting Design

Kyle Jackson– Sound Design/Composer

Hannah Beavers– Video Design

Josh Worth– Poster Art

Darren Carter– Technical Director

Susan Gordon– Publicist

Paige Elson– Production Intern

Christine Costanza– Graphic Design

Ashley Ekstrum, Caitlin McLaughlin, and Steven Schilling– Additional Art

Run! And take someone that likes Spiderman, a super hero that has emotional problems.

Highways Performance Space
@18^th Street Arts Center
1651 18^th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
½ block north of Olympic Blvd.

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By Joe Straw

“…when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. “ – Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland

First of all, right off the blinded bat, there is exceptional talent in The Story of Alice, Book & Lyrics by Michael Cormier, with the music by Scott Hiltzik, through May 29^th, 2016 at The Matrix Theatre.

Emily King Brown, Nikki D’Amico, Nic Hodges, Emily Barnett, and Justin W. Yu are four of the reasons why you should run to see this production!

Not four you say! Five? Well in that case, if you must count, choose any one or all of the five to nourish your hearty theatrical flavorings.

Mylette Nora, Costume Designer, brought a marvelous life to this production, giving each character, beyond the rabbit hole, a very specific look. I have more to say on the look of Alice, later.

Oh my! Caveat! Don’t read any further! I must say some things. I know, sometimes one can be very naughty, the naughty things one says. But things must be said, for the record, in judgment of said musical. Hold your boos, hiss, or applause until the very end. And, take a moment to unwrap your candies.

And while you are immersed in you’re reading, on whatever magical reading devices you may have, avoid stepping on the rolling hedgehogs. They make an awful racket!

Something was indeed missingin this version of The Story of Alice; perhaps it was the mise, mise, mise en scéne, and the peculiarity and slightly disturbing interactions among the highly identifiable characters from Lewis Carrolls’ Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, or Through the Looking Glass.

But hold your reference to those two books! The Story of Alice, a musical with a book, or a book with music must stand on its tiny little feet. To understand completely, drink the correct potion and don’t shed a salty tear.

Still, something was missing, missing, missing - something one couldn’t quite place one’s finger on. And perhaps I’m making too much of muchness.

So what in the blue blazes was wrong? Well, not wrong, wrong. Slightly wrong. Minutely wrong. Okay, they were like slight disagreeable moments arranged on a salty platter that needed additional seasoning.

From the beginning, that’s where we must start. The Cheshire Cat (Santino Tomasetti) pretended to play a lute and he didn’t have a really really, really big smile. Charming one would say, smirking others would say, but definitely not a big smile. Could that have made a difference?

Maybe. The Cheshire Cat sets us off on a course, not strangely enough, but the book by Michael Cormier does not make it specifically mystical enough, nonsensical enough, doesn’t paint enough of a absurd picture, does not guide us to our next adventure which is of the two sisters. The light of his smile as he disappears does not create a mysterious relationship or set a mood. So, for the sake of clarity, place the said Cheshire Cat in the middle of the two girls as he mysteriously disappears into the said forest, or fog, or whatever as the sisters continue on with their lives.

A stunning older sister Simone (Emily Barnett) smokes a vape pipe (the Blue Caterpillar). She is older and wiser, and makes fun of her petulant sister, Alice (Jessamyn Arnstein). No she won’t give her a drag on the pipe or hang out with her, just as all horrid big sisters won’t do, but she is curious about Alice’s mental state.

Interesting now that Alice sings the song, If I Had Wings (The Caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly?), a song of wanting to be somewhere else in a happier place. This song really needs to connect to the relationship with her sister before the White Rabbit (Justin W. Yu) enters the picture.

The dream takes her down the rabbit hole, the last bit of conscious reality before her sleeping mind takes her into a deep, deep, a very deep sleep.

So, so, what am I to make of this show? For the most part, it is a very enjoyable night of entertainment, with wonderful costumes, a live four-piece orchestra. Dwight Rivera: Keys 2, Sam Morgan: Woodwinds/E-Wi, Dave Johnstone: Drums/Percussion highlight the beautiful voices on stage.

Well, let’s highlight.

Emily Barnett, as Simone, does triple duties playing a number of characters, each in their own way, very charming. Barnett is a gorgeous creature and has very appealing look on stage, giving each character their very own brand of uniqueness. There is a lot to enjoy in this actor’s performance.

Brooke Brewer is fantastic as Weasel. It is a perfect role for her athletic frame, very weasel like as she moves about the stage. Loved the nose and the costume.

Nikki D’Amico was enjoyable from start to finish. The Dodo character was impeccable fluttering from here to there, with a wave and a wing under her arm. She also has a very charming voice. Tweedle Dum was also very funny. It was a joy watching her performance and one relishes her complete characterization of those roles, her remarkable skills, and her wonderful craft.

Nic Hodges was smarmy as the King, deliciously detestable, and marvelously naughty. He was also great as Tweedle Dee. King is naughty, fooling around with the Duchess and cheating on the Queen. Hodges has an incredible voice and he gives it his all in some very funny moments on stage.

Emily King Brownwas fantastic as the Queen with the hair that gave her the appearance that she was 14 feet tall! Brown has an astonishing voice and great comic timing. The looking glass moments worked perfectly. Can’t say enough about this actress! She is very, very scrumptious.

Justin W. Yu was the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit takes some time (pun intended) getting used to running around in circles, claiming he’s late, and avoiding the Queen at all costs for reasons that are not entirely clear. (Could it be the Queen loves rabbit stew?) This character, although perfectly enjoyable, needs defining, specifically to smooth about the rough edges, about who he is, where he is going, and how all of it ties in to the progression of the play.

Jolie Adamson is the Mock Turtle who really has to sell the heck out of turtle loving a knave and the reasons that may happen. She is a turtle in love and no one notices anything about or comments how unnatural that may be. Someone has to figure out how this is all going to work. Adamson also plays the Duchess holding the pig and asking for more pepper. (One would have liked to have seen this scene with no less than a thousands sneezes.) Still, Adamson gave the Duchess a very clear character and some very nice touches.

Jessamyn Arnstein, who has a strong resemblance to Tina Fey, plays Alice. Arnstein has a lovely voice but it is a character that is not completely developed. “If I had Wings” is a song that takes her to another land in the way that “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” takes Dorothy to another place. But after the song, we don’t see how she is transported, only that she has. And as Alice goes down the hole, first and foremost, she should be filled with extreme curiosity. And that curiosity should play into her fear, gratefulness, and then stubbornness, until she finds the moment, that precise moment of wanting to get home. The overall objective is to get back home but there is much for Alice to learn before she gets back. Also, while everyone was in a delightful costume, Alice looked like she stepped right off of Melrose. A better costume would give her more character and more time to prink as she defines whom and what she is was, and what she will be. It will also give her the appearance of a girl and someone we can have great sympathy for when she finds herself in a lot of trouble.

Bradley Cashmanplays the Knave and the Mad Hatter. The Knave must have love oozing out of his ears and the Mad Hatter must be completely mad! Still, Cashman has some very fine moments in this musical.

Liam Roberts was fine as the Commander and has a large presence on stage. One is not really sure how the other soldiers to his side works to create an effective character.

Santino Tomasettiplayed the Cheshire Cat and needs more to give the cat clarification, who he is, why he is there, what does he want, and how this all fits into the musical. Mysterious should be the term that best identifies the character. That aside, Tomasetti has a wonderful look on stage.

Gary Lee Reed, the director, did a fine job. The show needs a grandeur beginning in the way the book jolts the reader. The Cheshire Cat comes off as a common house cat. The opening should be absurd, nonsensical, and filled with the as much complexity as a disappearing smiling Cheshire Cat brings. Also, the show would do fine with the elimination of three songs in the first act. The second act ran a little smoother. One doesn’t know why but I particularly liked the song “Bananas & Cabbage”. The show really fits the bill for folks less than 15 years, and under it’s present condition, they should find middle schoolers to see the show. Naytheless, the show has incredible potential but must be fine-tuned to fit both children as well as adults. The Duchess’ death puts a damper on this show; we must find a way to make it work with the Mock Turtle on stage. The improvisation beyond the fourth wall probably plays well to middle schoolers, and the improvisational reference to the Mary Tyler Moore Show doesn’t work at all, and doesn’t progress the play. Little things will only add grand moments to the musical.

Michael Cormier, Book and Lyrics, has a very good feel. The story lines that work the best are the Duchess and the King, the Queen’s desire to be the best at what she does, and strangely enough, the sisters Alice and Simone and their relationship with each other and their mother (not seen) and the mother’s boyfriends.

A lot of time and effort went into this production. Other members of the delightful crew are as follows:

Nicholas Petrillo- Music Director, Arranger

Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners – Producer

Victoria Watson, theatre Planners – Associate Producer

Marjo Majdi– Executive Producer

Cassie Crump– Choreographer who designed some very pleasant numbers for the show. Those numbers will put a smile on your face.

Matt Richter– Lighting Designer

Kiff Scholl, ARK Design – Graphic Designer

Katherine S. Hunt– Props Designer

Raul Clayton Staggs– Casting Director

Marissa Drammissi– Production Stage Manager

Run! Run! And take someone who loves Alice. In fact, dress up and go!

www.plasys411.net/alice

A guest production at The Matrix Theatre

7657 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90046

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L - R Paige Herschell, Matt Kirkwood, Madelynn Fattibene, and Katie May Porter

Guns kill over thirty thousand people a year. Shsss! Don’t tell anyone. - Narrator

In the play Weaponsby Chris Collins, everyone had access to that firearm which, by happenstance, was casually left on the mantle above the fireplace. Before the night was through, the service revolver, a residual accouterment of a police force job, was first in the hands of former officer, Paul (Cris D’Annunzio), who almost kills his brother, Bill (Matt Kirkwood). Second, Sarah, a recalcitrant daughter (Paige Herschell), points it at her father. Third, the youngest sister, Lara (Jodi Wofford), appears ready to participate in some kind of glorified shootout.

Fogbank Production presented the world premiere of Weaponswritten by Chris Collins, directed by Kiff Scholl, and produced by Racquel Lehrman at The Lounge Theatre which ended its run May 8, 2016.

Despite the constant display of the weapon, one gets the impression that this show wasn’t about a gun. A gun represents the end of all things and they are not quite there, yet.

This is the story of a San Francisco working class family in refined grimness caught defining their existence through their rustic volubility.

What does this mean?

Well, one doesn’t need a gun to inflict pain, especially emotional pain. Words are a form of battery here, and generally, the damage is done before the final breathless word is uttered. These words are a knife that pierces deep into the demonstrative being, leaving an exposed festering gash that never heals.

Human interaction – the sources for great love and pain. And this is where one finds a refulgent setting; who thought that theatre could be this interesting!

The San Francisco Bay is the source of the tugboat’s long horn. The creeping searchlight, slow and measured at night, moves past the shaded window. The night casts a long ghostly silhouette that sails across the walls of the home. This is a home that has seen better days wonderfully created by Pete Hickok, Set Designer.

And as that house, near the bay settles, a noise rattles the occupants. Paul, in the darkness, takes out his gun. It is an overly extreme measure to find the source, which could be an intruder, or an apparition from a not too distant past. Or, he takes it out because ultimately he has nothing to lose. May (Madelynn Fattiene), his girlfriend, steps out of the bedroom, wondering where he is but she hears a noise at the front door and retreats back into the bedroom.

The front door rattles at first, then a key, until the door opens. Bill quietly steps in, sits on the couch, and lays down to sleep.

Meanwhile Paul comes back into the room, sees the dark figure on the couch, and almost fires into his brother’s body.

“What the hell?” - Bill

Paul says he was expecting Bill earlier and he doesn’t have to sleep on the couch; he can sleep in Sarah’s room.

Sarah left unexpectedly, after her mother died, for unexplained reasons.

Paul doesn’t seem too broken up over his wife’s death a year ago. He confides to Bill that he has been seeing and hearing things. But now he is more concerned for his daughters, especially his youngest daughter, Lara, who has confidence issues following the loss of her mother.

Paul tells Bill that he is retired from the force and the bar he owns is doing okay. Bill is skeptical about things he’s hearing; after all there’s the bounced check Paul sent him. Something is not right with his older brother Paul and it’s hard to believe anything he says nowadays.

“Sarah blames me for something.” – Paul

This is possibly the reason Sarah left although the reason is only clear to her.

Paul says he went to confession for the first time in thirty years. (This is actually an important moment that gets little attention.) Why he went or, what he needed to confess at this time in his life, is only evident to him, the priest, and his creator, and he’s not telling Bill anything.

Paul says the confession reminded of the time in the eighth grade when he would get aroused at confession. Then he would confess while staring at Patricia Faulker’s body (not seen), the girl who died. They continue to reminisce.

Bill wakes in the early morning to the sound of May. May gives him an awkward hug and exchanges pleasantries. Laura then sees her uncle, Bill; she shares that there is something wrong with her dad and she doesn’t know what it is. There is no money and he is broke and sadder.

When Paul returns from his morning walk, Bill confesses that things aren’t going well in his life. His world is on the rocks, he’s single, and even worse, he’s broke. He is a TV actor who is not getting the roles he once got and the $30 residual check is just not cutting it anymore.

“Linda left me.” – Bill

And for that bit of confession, Paul pushes Bill down to the floor and Paul is rather surprised that Bill went down so fast. (Another extremely important moment that should take us to another level in their relationship.) Bill says it’s his knee but, let’s face it, Paul is built like he goes to the gym at least three times a week.

(I’m not sure how a character that drinks that much, looks like that.)

In any case, Paul says he ran into Ellen Yang (Katie May Porter) at the bar and she will be joining them for dinners sometime later.

Chris Collins’play was interesting on many levels. First and foremost were the characters, who were mostly confused about their place in life, and who probably didn’t have an idea of where they were going. One always waits for the “Ah ha” moment in a play, the moment that gives a definitive stamp to the production, and that just never came. Certainly in real life, those things ring true, but for the stage something has to happen, it has to be clear, and we need to get a better understanding of the why. A number of moments worked in this production. Still, character motivation is key here to put a definitive stamp on the through line.

There is a lot to like about Cris D’Annunzio’s Paul. D’ Annunzio brings a historical richness to the character, a man one could believe, cares and loves his children, and wants the best for them. But as the character, Paul is having multiple problems. Simply put, Paul is going through hell. He is hearing things at night. He revels in the gun even though he’s not thinking clearly. There’s too much on his mind, the bar is not doing well, the sexual harassment charges linger, and worse he has been fired from the force without his pension after 27 years. There is a lot to think about, so what does he want? What is that specific thing pulling him into depths of hades? What crises is he trying to solve acting in a manner unbefitting his character? Why does he do it? Also, this is a character that is hard to understand because he never tells the truth, and he never comes clean. No, the sexual harassment was a misunderstanding. The bar is going well. I don’t’ know why Sarah left. At this point in his life, he is not a reliable reporter, and this all makes for a deeply fascinating character, but with issues that are never resolved.

Madelynn Fattibeneprovides solid support for the character May. May is the girlfriend who sees this relationship as her only hope of being a wife and a mother to Paul’s child. Fattibene creates a carefully nuanced character, one that is aware of every minute detail of the things going on around her, with the exception of her boyfriend’s motivation. When she doesn’t get what she came for she decides, rather forcefully, to leave the relationship. Wonderful work.

Paige Herschellplays Sarah who suffers from emotional issues and alcohol addiction. This was the most confusing character of the lot. She leaves home, comes home; she’s getting married, she’s not getting married; she tells her sister that she has been accepted to law school while taking hits from the Jack Daniels bottle in her pocket. And she does this all under the influence. Herschell does not provide enough life into a character that is going to law school, or that she is even capable of it. Why does she pull the gun on her father? What is her objective? It’s not enough to be unsatisfied with your life and wallow in your misery - that doesn’t take a character anywhere. Instead, creative choices serve a character when the objective is clear and when it is clear the actions ring true.

Matt Kirkwoodcomes in and tries to save the day as Bill but ends up not getting the answers he’s came for. His brother is constantly giving him money, in check form, but those checks never clear the bank. Bill is curious about his brother’s condition but never really gets to the root of the problem. If he is there to save him and the girls, he should do so in a timely manner. He is not sufficiently curious as his brother does some outlandish things; passing those things off does not progress the scene or the play. Their relationship should come to a dramatic resolution. He possibly comes as the savior, but in reality, he is worse off than the people he has come to save. Kirkwood does some very fine character work here and more things are needed to pull this character off.

Katie May Porter does some outstanding work as Ellen. Most interesting thing about her is she seems oblivious of the relationships around her; she is oblivious that Paul, who is hanging all over her, and who is currently living with May. Ellen has been in and out of relationships, and although she has a heart of gold, ideally she wants May out of the way. Ellen’s objective may be subtle, maybe too subtle, but she definitely wants more. Porter does some outstanding work.

Jodi Wofford is Lara and can get away with playing a younger character because of her size. Wofford has a quirky blend of mannerisms that can easily switch from comedy to drama. This plays well to her strengths on stage, of understanding her motives, and her physical self. It is a wonderful performance.

All right now this comes down to Kiff Scholl’s direction. There were many nice moments in the play. But, there were also moments that were not clear. Moments that had had the actors speaking across the stage from each, without action, or cause. The scene of the two brothers, on opposite sides of the stage, did not progress the scene, or the play. Clearly something was happening, but it was hard to decipher what. The subtle action during the dialogue was, at times, not specific and didn’t lead us anywhere. Some had to do with the writing, which needed conflict resolution, focus and editing. There were a couple of examples where Paul’s deceased wife (not seen) had a major role but it led nowhere. Another example is when Paul comes home after he had cut his hand telling everyone, the police were coming, but not really saying why until far too much later in the play. Moments like this also happened throughout the play. A clearer understanding of the characters motivation would shed light on what characters were hiding and why.

The Lounge Theatre is the perfect setting for this type of play. It is very intimate outing and the other crew members which were responsible in making this a successful night are as follows:

Victoria Watson, Theatre Planners– Associate Producer

Donny Jackson– Lighting Designer

David Harling– Sound Design – Loved the sound of the bay.

Wendell C. Carmichael– Costume Designer

Donnie Bailey Reed– Props Designer

Jessica Aquila Cymerman– Stage Manager

This production has finished its run. If you have the opportunity run to see this production. And take your adult daughter.

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L - R Frankie Ingrassia, Chad Brannon, Jossara Jinaro - Photos by Nora Graseck

By Joe Straw

Once they were a happy family. The boys came first and then a little girl. And then things started falling apart in the family, I don’t know if it was the structure, the backbone, or individual family members, they just started in on each other, playing favorites, and what not. They were a family. They are a family. Loving some, fighting lots, and hating more. But loving, loving. – Narrator

LB Production presents the West Coast Premiere of Blood From a Stone written by Tommy Nohilly and directed by Thomas C. Dunn through May 22, 2016 at The Electric Lodge in Venice, California.

In short, Blood From a Stone is a wonderful play by Tommy Nohilly about the stormy vicissitudes of a blue-color family struggling to make sense of their predicament. The play is filled with pleasing surprises and exceptional moments. First performed by Ethan Hawke Off Broadway in 2011, this West Coast Premier version is the best new play I’ve seen in years. I am breathless, or out of breath, I don’t know which.

Director Thomas C. Dunn brilliantly executes all of this in an amazing night of theatre with a precision one rarely sees in this type of venue. He guides the stunning and creative cast with so much creative life that you will relive those moments the moment you leave the theatre!

One can only appreciate the antics of this family by just taking a deep breath, to not pass judgment in the characters, and then to let the visceral excitement of this comedy carry you away.

Wait a minute. Was this a comedy, or a drama?

Travis (Chad Brannon) has got to leave. Home is not sitting right with him in New Britain, Connecticut, so it’s best for him to cut ties, as he leaves for the West Coast. But first it’s one long last goodbye.

Margaret (Joanne Baron), Travis’s mom, now folding laundry on the messy kitchen table, is happy to see him. She’s got lots to tell him before he leaves. And as a kicker she wants to give him money, including whatever money she can scrape up out of the bottom of her purse. She instructs Travis that he should also get gas money from his penny-pinching father, Bill (Gareth Williams), before he departs.

Travis reaches for prescription bottle on top of the dilapidated refrigerator, and twists off the top, for something to take the edge off, something he needs.

Margaret, living under this dripping roof, has got an edge in her voice about everything in her life. She doesn’t particularly like her youngest son, Matt (Ryan Lahetta), who lies and steals, oh yes he does.

“What does your brother want?” – Margaret

This is something Travis cannot answer. No matter, Margaret’s got something to say about everything including her husband Bill who indiscriminately replaced four tiles in the kitchen. The white looking tiles, four of them, glow white in separate spots on the kitchen floor against the paler original grey looking ones.

And now the glow Margaret once had for her husband Bill is a flickering light, from a wick-less candle, on an old stick.

Suddenly it became clear that everything in the house, in this home, is in shambles, walls not finished, broken windows, false ceiling coming down, no kitchen cabinets, and a paint job that has been started everywhere but not finished anywhere. This is a home neglected - inhabited by a neglecting family. (Set beautifully designed by Pete Hickok, Set Designer. )

Travis stares out the broken kitchen window and notices the beautiful house next door, the kids playing in the yard.

“Those kids should have been yours.” – Margaret

Margaret wants grand-kids. Travis ignores her, staring out the window, coveting that married someone, that someone next door.

Margaret gives him something to do – take the buckets out because it’s going to rain. Her hip is telling her. Funny thing is that Travis, almost rote like, knows the exact spot to place the buckets. This has been an ongoing problem with no solution in sight.

And as they work together we notice Margaret and Travis’ relationship is an oenomel, something that seems possible given what we learn about the family’s dynamics.

Meanwhile Margaret confides to Travis that if anything should happen to her, she’s got the Purple Heart and his Bronze Heart in a box. Travis doesn’t like her talking like that, the she’s going somewhere, if something should happen to her, etc.,

The phone rings – Jerry (not seen) is on the line. It’s obvious that Margaret loves him. The smile on her face lights up the room as they schedule a rendezvous.

Outside, a car passing the house has the loud Mexican, Latino, Hispanics, music blaring through its doors.

Bill, a man who toils wearily on other’s homes, but a cunctator on the upkeep of his own, arrives on the scene, angrily voices his opinions about those Mexicans, drug dealers, rapists, always stopping next door, making a pickup, and selling crack to his kids, noticing the buckets as if for the first time.

“What’s that?” - Bill

“Buckets for rain.” – Travis

Bill says that he wants Travis to go out with him and Debra (not seen) for a foot long and a banana black cherry soda at that place on the Bronx, before he goes off on a rant about drug dealers. Who, by the way, should all the taken to Baghdad, along with the terrorists, dragged naked through the streets before being nuked.

Bill has issues.

Joanne Baron and Gareth Williams

Margaret, a nurse, and fed up with Bill for the time being, leaves for work.

Later that night, Travis finds comfort in the arms of Yvette (Jossara Jinaro), the Puerto Rican married woman living next door. Wearing only red bra and red panties, she joins him in domestic bliss, a tremulous glow, on the couch before real life creeps in. Further amatory speculations of this relationship suggests that it ends at arms length.

Yvette tells Travis that Matt has been hanging around with the West End Boys. She just lets that slip, about Matt, before mentioning lunch on Tuesday at Chili’s.

Travis affected by her words turns on her in a manner befitting his father.

“You’re like your father. You’re mean.” – Yvette

A tile from the drop ceiling falls exacerbating the heated discussion they are having. Travis doesn’t have good words for her drug-dealing husband, Hector.

“You know what Hector does.” – Travis

“I’m not happy.” – Yvette

Sarah, Travis’ sister, appears in the driveway and Travis does his best to hand Yvette her clothes and send her up the dilapidated stairs to temporarily disappear. Sarah, in a nurse’s uniform, plots herself down on the couch and rubs her feet. Sarah has much to say and she is not leaving, much to Yvette’s dismay.

It doesn’t take Sarah long to notice that Travis has taken two pain pills.

“I can see you took two of them.” – Sarah

Sarah hands Travis an envelop of money for their brother Matt (Ryan Lahetta) before she discovers a smell on the blankets and knows that Yvette is in the house.

“Ho.” – Sarah

Sarah opens the backdoor for Yvette. And Yvette, without apology, ties her dress for all to see and admire before she struts herself out the door.

Sarah’s has seen it all and she is not impressed. But she’s got important news about their brother, her husband, her pregnancy, and other news.

What makes Thomas C. Dunn's theatrical presentation a work of art is the precision of the actors. Each actor takes the time to create and develop a moment. And the actions on stage move so fluidly that one appreciates the dramatic interpretation, the delightful surprises, and the ineffable joy from the presentation.

And whose idea was it to throw a garden gnome through the window?

I went to this show to get a better understanding of domestic violence. Tommy Nohilly's language is sometime coarse; the violence tells us that violence begets violence, handed down from generation to generation. (This deplorably insane family will probably take me years to understand. I may need additional therapy.) But overall I came away thinking this was a very unusual comedy, and certainly the startled sold out audience loved the show as well. The writing was superb! The play ultimately shows us the inherent exquisite nature of the good and bad in all human beings all dramatized by this one family.

Joanne Baron is amazing as Margaret. It is a wonderful tour de force. Hatred comes in many forms but love is constant and this is something that permeates Margaret’s character. Margaret loves her firstborn son. (One can only imagine if she sees the younger Bill in Travis.) She distrusts her youngest son, hates her husband with a passion, but manages to love them all during the course of the play. This is a testament to Baron’s creativity and her craft. This is a role, where her life begins in the middle, and as increments of information slip, we get the full scope of her character and her life.

Chad Brannon is also wonderful as Travis. It’s funny how he is so much like his father. This violent being thing does not fall far from the tree. But this is not a life he wants, fighting with his father, not trusting his brother, not wanting to settle down. He recognizes his life is in shambles and although he thinks he can control others around him, in reality, he cannot.

Loved Frankie Ingrassia’s performance as Sarah! Sarah has to impart a lot of information in this one scene she is in but does it magnificently. Ingrassia’s style is grounded in a very solid caring character. She is the one who seems the most normal. She wants to have a normal life, with a normal family, and a quiet religious exploration. And she is the central figure for all that is love in this family. She is the one who takes care of all except the neighbor. Sarah is there for two reasons, to keep the peace and to keep her brother from moving away.

Jossara Jinarodoes yeoman (F) work as Yvette, a hot-blooded stubborn Latina that will not take no for an answer. She’s also not embarrassed to let everyone know that she is sleeping with the one she loves. Not all Puerto Rican women throw things but this one does throw pillows and not her fist. Glad to see that this time around she lets her words and her physical momentum do all the talking. And it is all great work.

L - R - Ray Lahetta, Chad Brannon, Gareth Williams

Ryan Lahetta is Matt, the ne’r do well brother, a liar, thief, gambler, and oddly enough a nurse. Caught in his sublime puerilities, he is a character that will never grow up. He is smart, but not smart enough to hang Christmas lights on a tree, or maybe he’s got other things on his mind. And he is not smart enough to avoid being caught by his family, or to the thugs to which he owes money. He’s married, trying to get divorced, but already has a fiancée. He wants to move back in with his parents, his life is in shambles, and his mother hates him. Well, not really. Not really. What is really fascinating with Lahetta’s performance is in the way he convinces himself that he is telling the truth, but “liar” beams from his forehead like a Las Vegas neon light. And, not to let the cat out of the bag, this is a terrific performance.

Gareth Williamsbrings a remarkable likeness to the role despite all of the things that makes Bill so hateful. Bill tries, not hard, but he tries. He’s got emotional problems, hates a lot of people and things. But there are moments in Williams’s portrayal that speaks volumes of this man. One was bringing in the shovel; the other was moving the cabinet into the kitchen, and still another buying a new phone. This is a man who despite everything, we know that he cares, even if he only shows it in small increments. This was another wonderful performance.

Terry Kovac plays Bill and Gabrielle Salinger plays Sarah/Yvette in understudy roles. They did not perform the night I was there.

Rachquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners and Victoria Watson, Theatre Planners always work magic as Producer and Associate Producer respectively.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Donny Jackson– Lighting Designer

Aaron Lyons– Sound Designer

Mia Rabinowitz– Costume Designer

Mike Mahaffey– Fight Director

Jennifer Palumbo– Stage Manager

Run! Run! Run! And take your thievin’ connivin’ brother and make him pay while you’re at it.

RESERVATIONS: (323) 960-7788.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.Plays411.com/stone

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By Joe Straw

Thump—thumpthump, thump—thumpthump, thump—thumpthump. (Can you hear it?)

There is a lot going on in this uplifting musical, Eastside Heartbeats, and it is not just the music. Surely this musical has the potential to move to another and bigger venue. Yes, there’s enough here for a future life. And Eastside Heartbeats has got all of Los Angeles as potential patrons – beyond the east-side sold-out houses at Casa 0101. There is the west-side, the south-side, the north-side of Los Angeles, more room for dancing in the street, and beyond.

Thump—thumpthump.

One can hardly write when the music is mentally playing in the background, so I will turn it off, for now, if I can.

The music in Eastside Heartbeats is good, really good. Listening, one can hear the febrile pulsations and the reverberant clangor of the 1960’s – songs that send a delicious shiver down a slippin’ backbone with the sounds that drove Americans and the world absolutely nuts. And, with the exception of La Bamba, Eastside Hearbeats is all new music. Absorbed this night was the flavor of Smokey Robinson, a taste of Cannibal and The Headhunters, the bottom tips of The Four Tops, and also a treat, the Merseybeat.

I can't help myself.

A lot of money went into the production of this musical. It is apparent on stage with the costumes, props, and music, but, there was something that required attention, something that missed the mark, that didn’t quite hit the nail on the head, and needs to be fixed.

What the heck was it?

The book. The book. The book. I believe that it was the book by Tom Waldman.

Stand by me.

At times, the book was desultory. And to that end, I will direct my comments. But, and this is a big BUT, it was also a remarkable job for Waldman’s first play outing.

There are musicals that get along fine without a book, but this musical necessitates a strong book to set the time and move the motion. The interesting moments are the ones that take a serious look at Latino musicians, changing their looks, and presenting their sound as white. These moments, and the rich Latino heritage, need a second look, a deeper look.

Brown Fist Production in Association with Casa 0101 presents Eastside Heartbeats – Book by Tom Waldman, Music & Lyrics by James Holvay, Additional Music & Lyrics by David Reyes, Rudy Salas, and Tom Waldman. Eastside Heartbeats was directed by Steve E. Feinberg and produced by Maria Elena Yepes, Tom Waldman, Steve E. Feinberg, and David Reyes. Eastside Heartbeats complete its run at Casa 0101 on May 29^th, 2016 in Boyle Heights.

Essentially the play is a story about a young Latino man, living on the eastside, who wants to become a rock and roll star.

Those dreams seem a galaxy away for Jimmy Ramirez (Kenneth Miles Ellington Lopez) and the Eastside Heartbeats knowing very little about how this is all going to happen. The group Mario (Marco Infante), Andy (Jesse Maldonado Salgado), and Ronnie (Matthew Ramos) all try to find a way. So, in the summer of 1965 these four forlorn young men look to climb to the top – “the toppermost of the poppermost” – all before 1966.

Their dreams do come in small increments as the band moves to find its way to having a number one hit, despite the conflicts they have with family and business partners.

So, I’ve got a few notes.

Papa’s got a brand new bag.

Dad, Carlos Ramirez (Gabriel Gonzalez) needs a job. He is a big part of the conflict, the infectious melancholy injected into the lives of his surrounding family members. He is the message, the struggle that is resolved in the end. Carlos respects tradition and traditional Mexican music. He is a mechanic by trade, but we never see him working, oily, with grease on his face, his hands, clothes, or singing under the hood of his work. Symbolism goes a long way here. He fights with his son, Jimmy, his daughter, Lydia (Angel Marie Galvan), and a little with his wife, Sonia (Isabel Serrano). But, why? Later we find out why, but we really don’t see the progression in this character, what he gave up, and what makes him so angry until the end of the musical.

Lydia Ramirez, younger sister to Jimmy Ramirez, must have a stronger relationship with her brother. It is not enough to be supportive of him; we must really find a connection, an adamantine bond that locks them arm in arm. She might even be a future sociologist.

Love makes the world go round.

The same holds true with Sonia Ramirez, the matriarch of the family. She is a character that needs the strong objective of holding the family together while finding a way to make sure his son achieves his dream. It’s not that far flung to have Sonia make Jimmy, with no job, a cheese and mayonnaise sandwich to keep his strength while he’s rehearsing. (I say this in jest, but again, a little symbolism goes a long way.) All in the name of love.

Be my baby.

Hal Fisher (Jordan Charles) is a manager, a no nonsense, you got one hour to get it done or you’re out the door, kind of guy with a girlfriend, Teresa Gomez (Vanessa Benavente), who has got a really nice head on her shoulders. But their relationship doesn’t grow, and really doesn’t have a resolution. Their relationship ties into the boy’s success and it kind of does, but there isn’t a big amorous connection in the end. Fisher throughout has a take it or leave it attitude when it comes to love, and that ain’t love, baby, that ain’t love.

There’s a really interesting scene in the record store before the guys “make it”. Jimmy is hip to Teresa but really wants to get to Hal Fisher, for maybe more than representation. But this action isn’t realized on stage as a pursuit. It’s more or less singing a song, “It’s all Good”. A good song, by the way, but does little in the way for the actors reaching their objectives. The introduction, the pursuit, the capture, success or failure, are all things we should see in this number.

Reach out. I’ll be there.

Eddie Mitchell (Jahmaul Bakare) has got enough talent for all, and he shares it to those who are really looking for it, the ride, the big ride. The show needs Bakare’s voice in it, because you can’t have the sixties without the soul, period. But, what are we to make of Mitchell’s relationship with Jimmy, beside one of teacher. Jimmy shows up one day at Mitchell’s house, they do a number, “”Bad Dads”, and Jimmy leaves. Hmmm, got to, got to, got to have more than that. We’ve really got to have more of a relationship that later ties into the destruction from the Watts riots.

Also, one is not really sure why Jimmy was there alone, taking lessons. Is he there because he is the front man and needs that extra added advantage? Or, is he there to take back those lessons to teach to the other guys? Also, the book really needs to define Jimmy as the front-man and whether this by their choice or by the manager’s design.

Steve E. Feinberg, the director, does an admirable job. There are enough moments in the musical that keep you bouncing in your chair. The execution is almost flawless. But the momentum is stalled during set changes. Feinberg must find a way to keep living room set and all the other set changes to a minimum, and make those changes inventive in keeping with the musical. There are also the relationship problems inherent in the story that could be strengthened. All small notes, but, for the most part, Eastside Heartbeats is exceptional.

Dance Captain Katie Kitani did a remarkable job with the ensemble. The energy on stage was just tremendous. Members of the ensemble were Taleen Shrikian, April Sheets who also played the lovely Bride, Andrew Joseph Perez who was also the Groom, Sebastian Gonzales, also rounded out the ensemble.

Benjamin Perezwas the understudy for Hal Fisher who did not perform the night I was there. Bernardita Nassar played Teresa Gomez and also did not perform on this night.

Kenneth Miles Ellington Lopez (that’s a mouthful) plays front man Jimmy Ramirez. Lopez has a great voice and a natural appeal and could easily do this for a living.

Marco Infantealso has a wonderful voice as Mario. He turns red when belting out the numbers and has a lot of energy on stage.

Jesse Maldonado Salgado plays Andy and really looks nothing like his picture in the program. Salgado has an interesting looks, kind of quirky on stage, and manages to hold his own with the rest of the group.

Matthew Ramosdoes a fine job as Ronnie and fills out the quartet with a remarkable sound.

Gabriel Gonzalesplays the Dad Carlos Ramirez but doesn’t look anything like his picture in the program. Must be the mustache that throws me off. Carlos needs a song about his dreams and that song should include his son. “I Had My Say” does the opposite.

Angel Marie Galvandid a nice job as Lydia Ramirez, the sister, but more could be made of her character.

Jordan Charleshas got a very nice look as Hal Fisher. Fisher has got problems looking for the next big thing. He doesn’t give second chances but other than that we know little of his outside life, if he has one. He has no romantic proclivities and that doesn’t bode well for a musical that is essentially, a romantic outing. Fisher needs more of a backstory, in job, and in love. That said, Charles has an astonishing presence on stage.

Jahmaul Bakarehas got a remarkable voice as Eddie Mitchell. Mitchell is a supporting character but something really has to happen to him. (Could it be during the Watts riots?) Mitchell, as it is now, just disappears and we really don’t get a sense of what happened to the character and how this all fits in the musical.

Vanessa Benavente, usually an understudy, played Teresa on this night. Benavente gave a solid performance and one admires the strength she brought to the character. While not everything worked, her performance was exceptional.

Isabel Serranoplayed Sonia on this night and was also exceptional. Serrano, an understudy, went on this night and there were no major glitches.

One feels like I’ve stepped back into the 60’s with Julius Bronola costume design. The same hold true for Urbanie Lucero’s choreography which kept us dancing well into the night.

The handling of the instrumental chores is the off-stage band. The band is great. Great! Gary St. Germain (Musical Director, Keyboards & Guitar), the legendary James Holvay (Rhythm Guitar), Christopher Diaz-Infante (Guitar), Christian Burrolla (Bass), and Peter A. Zavala(Drums) play to their hearts content and the music alone is worth the price of admission.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Jerry Blackburn– Production Stage Manager

JP Torres– Stage Manager

Cesar Holguin– Set Designer

Jose Lopez– Lighting Designer

Joey Guthman– Production Designer & Associate Lighting Designer

Vincent Sanchez– Sound Designer

Melodee Fernandez– Vocal Director, Assistant Music Director

Katie Kitani– Dance Captain

Angel Gutierrez– Assistant Director

Jorge Villanueva– Light and Sound Board Operator

Rooster Cabrera– Assistant Stage Manager

Miguel Carachure– Sound Mixer

Steve Moyer– Publicist

Ed Krieger– Photographer

Soap Studio Inc.– Graphic Design

When you get the chance – Run! Run! Run! And take a friend that really loves the music of the sixties.

Center: Gedde Watanabe, & Cagelles L - R: Christopher Aguilar, Jonathan Kim, Alex-Sanchez, Carlos Chang, D. T. Matias - Photos by Michael Lamont

By Joe Straw

There is a lot of road construction near the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center of the Arts. (120 Judge John Aiso Street, in Los Angeles.) So, allow time for traffic disruptions. Parking is behind the theatre at a reasonable rate of $7.00. Get there early and you will find dancing and lots of fun stuff both outside and inside the theatre.

Also, for the caffeine addicts, there’s a Starbucks nearby, north of Little Tokyo.

Little Tokyo is quaint but, right now, it's St. Tropez, France. – Narrator

La Cage Aux Folles is an exceptional show filled with brilliant moments that stay with you long after you leave the theatre. It was so incomparable and dazzling in execution that I did not want it to end.

La Cage Aux Folles’limited run is playing to sell-out houses. Pick up the phone, or get online, to order tickets. Everyone should run to see this production for many, many reasons. Run! Run! Run! Because life’s happier moments, as in all things, must come to an end.

Celebrating 50 years, the East West Players Partners with the Los Angeles LBGT and with a generous support from the S. Mark Taper Foundation Endowment presents La Cage Aux Folles, book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on a book by Jean Poiret, directed by Tim Dang at the David Henry Hwang Theatre through June 26, 2016.

One can only imagine the summers in St. Tropez. Taking the time to view scantily clad bodies frolicking in the surf. And then, after taking a long afternoon nap, enjoying what San Tropez has to offer in the way of nightlife to cap off the day.

“Here we are at the pride of St. Tropez, the envy of the cabaret world, the jewel of the Riviera. What legend has told and rumour has promised we shall do our utmost to deliver.” – Georges

Ahhhh!

Georges (Jon Jon Briones), a slight man with tasteful affectations, constructs an overview of the night’s presentations. Beyond the long red metallic curtains, the cabaret band is on top, and when the curtains open the Cagelles are on the bottom.

The Cagelles enter, men dressed as women, all strapped in, athletic, and wearing gold unitards. Backside facing the cabaret patrons, each with grand golden wings now spread as they, in high heels, nimbly step back toward the audience.

“We are what we are

And what we are

Is an Illusion” - Cagelles

Georges, the master of ceremonies, takes a moment after the song to introduce the members of the Cagelles.

Chantal (DT Matias) gives her all to sing a colorful coloratura and then proceeds to flit off to regions unknown.

Next is Hanna (Carlos Chang), from Hamburg, manages to control the stage with that nasty bullwhip that fails to “pop” with the first thrust of her arm. Slightly perturbed, she manages to control the crowd with two quick “cracks” that silences the room.

Cagelle Phoedra (Christopher Aguilar) is an enigma – which is actually her tongue – as she whips it out and waggles it with such rapidity to make grown men blush. Followed by Mercedes (Alex Sanchez).

The Cagelle finish singing the song that introduces Zaza (Gedde Watanabe) who, at this time, is nowhere to be found.

Francis (Cesar Cipriano), the stage manager, is in panic mode. He rushes to get the Cagelles back onstage for an encore to bide time until they find Zaza. The actors are none too thrilled (typical actors). They run to Zaza’s door only to find Jacob (Allen Lucky Weaver) in full drag ready to take her first steps to becoming the next big star, since Zaza.

Georges, who has seen it all, thinks Jacob is cute.

“But this season we are not featuring butlers in the revue.” – Georges

“I am no one’s butler. I am the maid!” - Jacob

There’s some slight confusion, a slight gender bending, over a butler or a maid nomenclature. But finally the maid confesses to Georges that Albin is upstairs in repose.

When Georges gets there, Albin is upset; well more like an uneasy indignation, that Georges has missed lunch and accuses him of finding another man, one who makes a mockery of their marriage vows.

“It’s all my fault for falling in love with a younger man.” - Albin

“Darling, please. I’m only eight years younger.” – Georges

“Five years.” – Albin

“Actually, sixteen.” – Georges

“Alright, eight.” - Albin

Georges sees through his trickery and accuses Albin of wanting to bring out that old rag of a show Salome. With time running short, Georges will promise anything to get Albin back on stage, and so reluctantly, he gives in to Albin on Salome.

Taking a moment, and in the bitterest of contradictions, knowing the show must go on, Albin creates the character Zaza carefully as he takes his time to have the makeup just right.

Zaza makes her entrance – seven minutes late – naytheless this is actually a good time for Albin with his history of peculiarities.

Georges, for the moment, has tranquility, a respite until the next troublesome event. While the show is going on, Jacob, now wearing a pink panther trench coat and sunglasses says he’s got that special visitor stashed in another room.

A young man, Jean-Michel (Jinwoo Jung) steps into the room with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. Jean-Michel, presented as a lover, is actually Georges’ son, the product of a dalliance he had with a showgirl twenty something years ago.

Jean-Michel tells Georges that he’s engaged to marry Anne (Audrey Cain). Her family is coming to visit for cocktails the following night and will stay the night. Because Anne’s father, Edouard Dindon (Michael Hagiwara), is Deputy General of the T.F.M. Party (The Tradition, Family, and Morality Party), Jean-Michel wants to invite his estranged mother, Sybil (not seen) and not have Albin attend.

Jean-Michel pleads for a normal family, at least for this one time. He devises a plan to clean up their home of their overtly cloistered gay existence, the gay statues and what not. He charms his father Georges, to tell Albin to leave for a short while, while they perpetrate the ruse. In the meantime, Jean-Michel dreams for some normalcy to make way for the special guests.

Tim Dang, the director, is masterful in his last directorial stint for the East West Players; he is stepping down after 23 years with this fine organization. This surprising production successfully combines acting talent, music direction by Marc Macalintal, and Choreography by Reggie Lee. Dang moves the action with indescribable grandeur. There are also subtle, yet heart wrenching moments that move the story. Wasting no time and space, Dang also includes some very inventive scene changes. The estaminet scene is beautifully set and feels so French. In short, La Cage Aux Folles has the audience laughing, crying, and singing the delightful songs by Jerry Herman on the way out at the end of the night.

Jon Jon Briones

Jon Jon Brionesas Georges is one of the finest actors working in America today. The character’s action is subtle at times but manages to grow giving the character a strong emotional core that pushes all the poignant buttons. The one thing you can say about this character, despite his predicaments, is that he is all love. Love for his theatre, his actors, especially for his son and his companion. This is a performance you do not want to miss.

Gedde Watanabe

There was a silent moment where Gedde Watanabe as Albin had his wig on crooked. He sat silently on a cube, and watched the action on stage. And in that precious moment, I couldn’t stop laughing. It was the look, a funny one from this marvelous actor, and a highlight of an overall wonderful performance. Watanabe has a fine voice and, in the opening number, he takes his time to put on mascara in a scene that is natural and very inventive. Watanabe gives life to many characters on this night man, woman, and John Wayne. This is also an exceptional performance.

Jinwoo Jung is also marvelous as Jean-Michel. His exquisite singing voice hits home and also hits all the right emotional buttons. There may be more to add with moving his other dad out of the house and seeking forgiveness later on but overall a very touching performance.

Allen Lucky Weaveris very funny as the butler, maid, or whatever the nomenclature. His performance is surprising, deafly surprising, for an actor who appears out of nowhere to make a remarkable impressions on a Los Angeles stage.

Audrey Cain is as graceful as she is beautiful as Anne. Anne brings the truly feminine being to this cast of mostly males. She is an interesting character that hints that life and love will be all right no matter your persuasion.

Michael Hagiwaraas Edouard Dindon and Sharline Liu as Marie Dindon make a perfect husband and wife team as they try to negotiate their way through the mess they’ve got themselves into. The final scenes between them will send you home with a smile on your face. And I believe they played M. Renaud and Mme. Renaud but were not given credit in the program.

The Cagelles play a lot of interesting roles in this production, singers, dancers, statutes, and neglected actors who feel they are being abused. The work is outstanding for these supporting roles. The Cagelles are Christopher Aguilar as Phaedra, Carlos Chang as Hanna, Jonathan Kim as Bitelle, DT Matias as Chantal, and Alex Sanchez as Mercedes.

Grace Yoo does a delightful turn as Jacqueline, the restaurant owner. Yoo has a marvelous powerful voice and is graceful in the execution of the musical numbers she sings. She also plays an old girlfriend to Jean-Michel, someone he doesn’t want to see at this particular moment. Jacqueline is with her “cousin” Etienne, played by Reuben Uy.

Preshow: Cesar Cipriano, Allen Lucky Weaver, Reuben Uy

Reuben Uy and Cesar Cipriano play the beach ball dancers. Cipriano is also Francis, the stage manager and Tabarro.

Victoria Petrovich wonderfully creates the Scenic Design. Anthony Tran, Costume Designer, creates an Asian setting in the heart of St. Tropez, France with breathtaking costumes.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Karyn D. Lawrence– Lighting Design

Cricket S. Myers– Sound Design

Ken Takemoto– Prop Master

Ondina V. Dominguez - Stage Manager

The band was fantastic on this night. They are comprised of Marc Macalintal, Conductor/Keyboard, Richie Gonzaga, Trumpet, Robert Todd, Trombone, Adrienne Geffen, Clarinet, Victor Vedoy, Saxophone and Michael “Weeble” Boerum, Percussion.

This production of La Cage Aux Folles is like a budding flower, awakening, spirited with morning sprinklers, happy to see you on your daybreak walk. She is a dream of a life, that moment, waiting for you, an old so beautiful memory of times past and times together, a welcoming of the past and present, and in softly rolled petals presented to you live and with love.

Run! Run! Run! And take someone you love obsequiously.

Reservations: 213-625-7000

www.eastwestplayers.org

Laraine Newman

By Joe Straw

There are many reasons I see plays. One main reason is to watch actors create a relationship that is honest and represents a truth, all the while reaching for a strong creative objective – what characters want from each other.

Charlotte’s Shorts by Charlotte Dean directed by Tracy Newman and Charlotte Dean playing at The Actors Company (Let Live Theater), 916 N. Formosa, through June 26^th, is a series of vignettes, of smidgeons of life, brought together, one actor at a time, to read from the podium.

It is funny, somewhat crass, raucous, and includes flashes that are outstanding and poignant. Certainly Dean’s approach to writing is heuristic in nature and presents a natural way of improving her craft.

The night had moments that lifted my eyes from the notepad. I can best describe it as “character turn” – when a character says something that strikes at the heart and changes the relationship with the audience. I don’t remember the specific moments, but I know they hit home. Let me think about them for a few minutes. I’ll get back to you.

It is tough to create a relationship when the other person is absent. Each actor acts alone at the podium. Still, the actors do their best to produce another being by their stead. And for the most part, they do. There are wonderful moments, of critical pause, of a nervous reaction from an imaginary action, all told in grand story time fashion.

I know the actors can act - Andrew Friedman was brilliant in Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones (see write up on this blog). Who can forget living legend Laraine Newman, an original cast member of Saturday Night Live– a slyboots if ever there was one. I still remember lines she said back in the seventies; I often repeat them to anyone who needs a smile.

But was it enough? Well, for me, yes. The night flew by quickly; everyone had a good time catching that spark of originality and that is half the battle.

She’s just a Texas country girl, sitting by the side of the creek with one foot wading in the water, holding a book, wearing her straw hat, and looking at someone, under a starry night. Well, that’s the image on the one sheet. How that relates to the play, I don’t know but I can guess. Let me get back to you on that one.

Charlotte Dean and Tracy Newman, the directors, effectively manages the actors and one can only imagine what direction is given when accomplished actors are reading from the podium. Still, effectively done.

I want to write about the actors. I am uncertain about how this is going to go over as a write up but writing is all about breaking rules.

Andrew Friedman

Andrew Friedmanwas the first up – the one to start the show. Funny but he looks like an Uncle Bob with that mustache. I don’t have an Uncle Bob, maybe you do. I got the impression he was playing a young man in Primitive Survival Skills, able to kill a snake and make a fire. But where was this was going? Well, I haven’t a clue. In Little Dwarfy he was incarcerated (prison) and had all these grand ideas about what he was going to do when he got out although, truth be told, I didn’t think he would ever get out. In Zero Latinas, Friedman used a prop baby (I wasn’t aware that props were permitted in this forum.). Anyway, he was married and unhappy and living in Cleveland. What a supremely delightful combination.

Tim Bagley

Tim Bagley, appeared tall on stage, he is white and makes funny voices. His tongue was twisted in Christmas Letter where he plays a little boy, who doesn’t like his sister or his mom’s boyfriend, and writes to Santa about his predicament. These moments hit home. Later, Bagley plays a girl, an introspective one at that, who says things and then thinks about the verbal crimes she has just committed, often dismissing them with a twist of her head. This was hilarious and these are things you love to see actors do, think in character on stage. Still, later, Bagley reads raucous like no other in the short, Isabel.

Anastacia McPhersonhas hands and she uses them. Up here, down there, they have a life of their own. Her hands are like roller coasters, rising, giggling, and with a certain amount of g-forces. It’s not so much what she is saying because my eyes were following her fingers. Oh, and she’s pretty too, dark, a lovely completion. What did she say in Vodka Tonics, Shortest Giraffe, and Mustache Bitch? Whatever her hands told me.

Bridget Sienna

Bridget Siennaloves love. Finishing a Chili’s meat product and on her way out, obliquely prowling for human companionship, she meets the most wonderful man who, at this moment, is eating short ribs. Forget that he is with someone else. A smile passed between them and she runs home and spills her guts on Facebook “I met the man of my dreams”. Oh, this is a dark fantasy. That male person would look happier if he was with her, not his wife. “Finding a soul mate is hard.” Later in Roommate Wanted, she turns to the dark side and seeks a black man in a personal ad: “Not black, please don’t respond.”

Laraine Newmandoes what she does so well. Funny little girl voice in I Want the Backpack. It’s about a birthday party that got cancelled because one of the girls had lice. That backpack gift was themed Elsa from Frozen. Now in her possession, she wants it. In The Proposal, she wishes her intended to know that if he were dead she would eat him before he rots. Not inclined to just throw him on the grill, she would cook him with special herbs and spices. It is a macabre love story that proposes honorable intentions of his remains. She says it with a smile, of course. One would rethink getting into that relationship.

Jordan Blackplays a man named Donald Bigbelow, a gaucherie writer who pens pulp sexual mysteries. Off the top of my head, when I first heard, especially the way he pronounced, the name Bigbelow, I thought wow, that’s an unusual name. I wondered if it was French, certainly not English, and definitely not African. After he read passages from his book, I got the reference. It is a self-aggrandizement, promoting his literary acumen, as well as, the overwhelming immensity of his natural God-given girth. Black is certainly locked into this character, Bigbelow, in The Playboy Mansion, Martin Luther King Day, and Who’s Booty is That? And certainly this is a character he can ride for a while. When he sat down, I saw someone who was having the time of his life.

Oh my Gosh. I almost forgot about Hanna Einbinder an actor who pushes some serious button with her style. A strong voice, a very nice presence and interesting characterizations in No Mom, Dear Karen, Best Sellers.

Lynne Marie Stewart, H. Michael Croner, Navaris Darson and Lisa Schurga are also in the cast but did not perform the night I was there.

Charlotte’s Shorts by Charlotte Dean is a tasty treat, a vanilla cone at Foster Freeze. And the shorts are the jarring brain freeze moments of delight. But what worked best for me were the characters that remained the same throughout – Donald Bigbelow and the Bridget Sienna character. It actually gave me enough time to figure out the characters, their foibles, and witness them expose their deep selves, inside the cones.

While the other actors, in different characters, stand alone on a hideous precipice. They take the supreme risk of having their work succeed or take an imaginary step forward. But, either way, good or not so good, it's all about the actor's journey.

Run! Run! And take someone who likes yogurt with more sprinkles, fruits, and candies than yogurt.

Times vary. Check Hollywoodfringe.org for tickets.

Honk! – Book by Anthony Drewe, Music by George Stiles, and Lyrics by Anthony Drewe based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling

I speak to my daughter about the craft, about what she should be doing on stage, conflict, objective, and characterization. She listens but I don’t think she gets it. That comes in time, when moments click, giving one a better understanding of being focused on stage. – Narrator

In the meantime, there is the dee-Lightful program, where children from 8 to 14 years old gather together to make sense of a new and exciting craft, that of musical theatre. It is a chance to learn to sing and dance on stage as a stepping point to the craft of acting.

Dolores Aguanno’s heart is in her craft as she directs most productions giving focus to new minds first steps in creative tasks, and, well it’s all about the picture, and picturesque actions on stage.

So, take a breath and step inside the land of enchantment, a farm.

Honk! – A slight prequel.

Well into the first days of spring, almost into the summer months, the cicadas sing a lovely song as I tread down a well-traveled road to the farmhouse.

A comforting stroll, just listening to the jostling sounds of gravel clacking against each other gives me solace in my stroll. And embracing life experiences I use the sense of sight, smell, touch, and sound to experience nature, the farm, the farm, as I know it.

To my left is the pig trough - would only be considered a cover now – old, wilted, not much left of the lumber used to construct it, the pigs are long since gone, too much work for those aged out of that settled life.

A sudden gust of wind catches the open leaves, a susurrus of songs – the moving sound of ecstatic dancing greens.

The barbed wire fence on my right encloses a few cattle that masticate fallen apples from under the apple trees. Above, the bees circle the trees, and dance on the last remaining blossoms. As the apple tree stretches to the sky, the tree limbs project apple dumpling pies just waiting for the country table.

The road traveled forks into a dirt road to the left, and down the dirt road is the chicken house clamoring with hundreds in fowl conversation. Below that house is the green reflecting pond where hot cattle lift their tails to make cool waves ripple in in the midday sun.

The farmhouse is up the small hill, just beyond the gravel road.

To the left is a nice garden, beyond the garden a pasture littered with brown cow pies. The crib and the barn are to the right.

Eyes lifted – the blue sky hugs the horizon and stops at the lumbering pines.

But for now, we move toward the farmhouse shaded with trees encircling the house.

A red cardinal jumps from limb to limb and nearby an angry blue jays wards off all comers with a leaf in his beak slamming it on the porch near that ball of fur. This is the place where something is always happening. – The Traveler.

Honk! - The musical.

The gluttonous cat half asleep on the front porch keeps one eye open for the blue jay, the other on the eggs. She twists her whiskers, slowly stretching her back as she gingerly steps around the nest of unhatched duck eggs.

But the eggs are guarded in its enclosure, and by mother duck, Ida, who sits diligently near her eggs while Drake, nearby, shuffles his webbed feet to gather sustenance – corn kernels dropping – humans better left unseen! Still, Drake waits, but not so diligently, as he says he’s got much to do.

Both keep a watchful eye on the cat.

Maureen comes by to catch up on the latest gossip and sing about The Joy of Motherhood and in that entire beautiful ruckus the ducklings hatch – all except the black egg.

Drake, man duck that he is, provides the new born ducklings with the overprotecting flotation devices and off they go to the nearest pond for their first lessons of survival – wading – while Ida waits for that last remaining egg to hatch.

Yellow is the family color, yellow like the daffodil, or the roses near the front porch, their color for many generations, but suddenly out pops Ugly, a brown feathery stubbled-colored different kind of duck, with a different kind of waddle. And then Ugly surprises Ida with a loud HONK! Ida thinks it’s peculiar, a vocal impediment of some kind, but Ida is endeared to Ugly’s being.

With little spare time before the ducklings come back, Ida teaches Ugly to swim. And Ugly proves to be masterful in the way she negotiates the lake.

So beautiful in the way Ugly experiences the lake, in her baby-like being, she comes back to the rest of her family, only to be castigated by her siblings for being different. Look at her they sing pointing fingers, and scowling.

Baby ducks can be so cruel. So cruel they won’t let Ugly have bread.

And that leaves an opening for Cat to take Ugly away, first in the hopes of having a nice meal. But she finds that it is a difficult process because Ugly is not understanding anything, including being eaten. After a ball is thrown at cat, Ugly makes a quick getaway.

Ida, noticing that Ugly is missing, implores Jaybird from Britain’s Most Feathered, and her audience to help her find Ugly and then leaves home to try and find her.

There are always things to admire about Dolores Aguanno’s direction and Allegra Williams’s choreography. Shine is the term when I think of for an Aguanno production because everyone gets the opportunity to deliver in that one lasting moment. And if one were looking (Casting Directors), they would find a few small acting gems in this production. Certainly Mirabel Armstrong, and Katelyn Coon are standouts as Ida, as well as Cali Kimura as Ugly. Also, Ella Kendall shines in a beautiful and haunting rendition of The Blizzard.

And the rest of the actors also did remarkable work. There was much joy in seeing the hatchling hatch, and watching Greylag perform her duties in fine British military manner, “wot!”

I enjoyed it so much I saw it three times! What’s not to love about children learning and growing?

The cast listed below is divided into two distinctive casts.

Character Yellow Feathers Cast Orange Beaks Cast

Ugly Brooke Rosenbloom Cali Kimura

Ida Katelyn Coon Mirabel Armstrong

Drake Keaton Asma Joe Call

Cat Jules Henderson Malia Reiss

Ducklings & Froglets

Beaky Cambria Boulanger-Jewell Cambria Boulanger-Jewell

Billy Mia Story Mia Story

Fluff Ella Kendall Ella Kendall

Downy Ava Allred Ava Allred

Ensemble Ducklings: Aili Poinsett-Yoshida, Hope Sato, Ian Warfield

Maureen Sophia Martin-Straw Charlotte Ceugniet

Henrietta Sophia Falk Sophia Falk

The Turkey Evyn Armstrong Ian Warfield

Grace Charlotte Ceugniet Sophia Martin-Straw

Greylag Ben Sanderson Sophia Falk

Dot Elizabeth Forman Camille Ceugniet

Barnacle Sophia Falk Ben Sanderson

Snowy Aili Poinsett-Yoshida Ian Warfield

Pinkfoot Hope Sato Camryn Walker

Bullfrog Ian Warfield Evyn Armstrong

Mrs. Bullfrog Camryn Walker Olivia Andrews

Penny Camryn Walker Aili Poinsett-Yoshida

Father Swan Ben Sanderson Ben Sanderson

Mother Swan Charlotte Ceugniet Jules Henderson

Bewick Elizabeth Foreman Hope Sato

Jane Bird Olivia Andrews Piper Samuels

Farmer Joe Call Keaton Asma

Snow Soloists: Elizabeth Foreman, Ella Kendall, Piper Samuels, Ben Sanderson

Snow Dancer: Hope Sato

Yellow Feathers Ensemble: Mirabel Armstrong, Camille Ceugniet, Cali Kimura, Piper Samuels

Orange Beaks Ensemble: Katelyn Coon, Elizabeth Foreman, Brooke Rosenbloom

Honk! ran from May 19-21, 2016 at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, California. Run! Run! Run! to see the next production Shrek July 14th, 15^th, and 16^th.

www.dee-lightful.org

Bert Emmett and Jennifer Laks - Photos by Doug Engalla

By Joe Straw

“A man must identify himself with something more tangible than his own personality…” – Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent

War

War is greedy caliginous want

Turn, turn, turn

The impious partakers

into poetic figures

because you hunger for an elegiac truth

the consequence from war is not poetic

nor is death poetic in nature

Military occupation

is offensive

If you are out of sight

we are out of mind

Out of mind

out of sight

Sightless

Mindless war

– Narrator

The Armadillo Necktie by Gus Krieger is a poetic wonderfully absurd examination of military occupation and is also wonderfully directed by Drina Durazo who gives us an exquisite madness from the desert.

Sorry, I have to stop.

The Group Rep presents The Armadillo Necktie by Gus Krieger, directed by Drina Durazo, and produced by Troy Whitaker – June 17, 2016 through July 31, 2016 at The Lonny Chapman Theatre.

Buckley Dunham (Matt Calloway), an African American soldier with no apparent military rank, probably a grunt, wheels in a prisoner whose arms and legs are strapped to a chair.

A burlap bag is over the detainee’s face like that of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. But, this is not Abu Ghraib, this place is different – “somewhere between Khanaquin and Mandali” near where, in 1980s, Saddam Hussein ordered chemical weapons to be fired on opposing forces. (Which might explain the behavior of those living in the region.)

But now, Dunham needs to get information, from this prisoner, and by any means necessary. So, ever so sweetly, out comes the box with the battery and the cables. Dunham attaches the cable to the battery, walks over the cable, and then touches the jumper cable clamps to create sparks much to the muffled cries of the person gaged under the mask.

Dunham disconnects the jumper cables from the battery.

The phone rings.

“What’s up mother f**ker?... chillin’…occupyin’…talked to my little…nuts to the car battery…no you my nigga….peace out Senator.” – Dunham

Duhnam takes off the prisoner’s hood, and lo and behold, it’s Bruce Walker (Morgan Lauff), who definitely is not Middle Eastern.

“I’m not a mercenary. I am a cameraman!” – Walker

A likely story as Duhnam scoffs at his insincerity, walks over with the instrument, undoes his belt, and then attaches the jumper cable clamps to Walker’s scrotum.

“Buckley needs to zap your nuts.” – Dunham

Dunham accuses Walker of being a mercenary and demands information. Dunham had earlier heard about a mercenary heading his way. And he wants answers from Walker.

Walker, in pain from the attached clamps, doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the steel door. It’s Madeline Sainz (Jennifer Laks), a NY Times reporter. After peeking through the window, Dunham brings her in and frisks her. When she sees Walker, she is horrified at his condition, battered and bruised with cables attached to his genitals.

“Boss man does not want to see untouched nuts.” – Dunham

Madeline demands to see the commanding officer and, as Dunham goes to fetch his boss, Walker confesses to Sainz that he is a mercenary sent to kill. Sainz realizes that she is a part of something for which she wants no part.

Suddenly, Dunham introduces the man of the hour, Ulysses S. Armadillo (Bert Emmett). He is an indecorous spectacle, wearing a tee, with a robe open in the front, blue jockey shorts, white socks with a red stripe, dog tags, earing in the left ear, and an army belt wrapped around his waist to make his appearance official.

Dunham wheels Walker out of the room so that Armadillo and Sainz can speak.

Armadillo offers Sainz coffee and toast, and tells her to go ahead with the interview. But as the interview begins, Sainz believes Armadillo is off his rocker.

“Vietnam ended 6 months before we invaded Iraq.” “Whales started the revolutionary war.” – Armadillo

“None of this makes any sense.” – Sainz

“I don’t give a f*ck.” – Armadillo

Sainz wants to know why Armadillo is still there since everyone knows he’s not supposed to be there.

“Conviction is 9/10^th of the law.” – Armadillo

Moments later, Aminah Abdul-Haleem Ali (Shanti Ashanti), a local Iraqi woman, enters the enclosure wanting help from Armadillo. Someone has taken her brother and they are the same people who are responsible for killing Armadillo’s wife.

The Armadillo Necktie by Gus Krieger has to be seen to be believed. The writing is superb and the acting mesmerizing. Drina Durazo, the director, keeps the action moving at a wonderful pace.

But, I have some thoughts that should help tie up loose ends and connect to the historical background.

Armadillo Necktie refers to a process whereby one is disembowel, cut from belly button to breastplate, and then hung by the neck with his own steaming entrails. Ultimately, it is a charming finish for one who is guilty of behaving badly.

L - R Morgan Lauff, Buckley Dunham, Jennifer Laks, Shanti Ashanti, and Bert Emmett

First of all, Bert Emmett, Ulysses S. Armadillo, gave a commanding performance with as much emotional depth and layers as you will find in Los Angeles. This is definitely a tour de force performance that cements his acting persona in Los Angeles. Armadillo is an interesting character in that he believes the impossible is possible, right or wrong, they are his convictions. But, he has some problems. Number one, he is Kurtz, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and everyone is coming for him because he just won’t leave. His objective is to destroy the men who killed his wife no matter what it takes and to keep an eye on his distractors before going completely mad. Everyone should run to see this brilliant performance.

Jennifer Laks is exceptional as Madeline Sainz. Laks is a stunning woman that lets the words play out in the comedy. She is an actress that provides many layers and also projects a rugged sense of her athletic self. Sainz, although appearing grounded, is conflicted and in an emotional mess as she overcomes betrayal on many ends. But where is that emotional moment where she decides to give herself? How does that work out?

Matt Calloway is also terrific as crudely jocular Buckley Dunham. Torture is not his thing. That’s the stuff white people do to each other. But Dunham was sent there on a mission and it is not complete. Someone appears to be pushing his buttons from the outside to get the job done and I think that should be added in his initial conversation with the Senator (not seen). It’s part of the conflict he must add. Also, there must be a reason why he so ingratiates himself to Armadillo. What keeps him hanging on? And why is he on Armadillo’s side? After all, he has young kids and needs to get back home. He needs to work on both his “attention” and “at ease” – gotta get that right baby, gotta get that right. That aside, Calloway has a terrific way on stage. His voice is strong and his movements are specific.

Morgan Lauff as Bruce Walker made a bomb and set the timer on infinity, at least it is not set to go off in the near future. Walker is a mercenary, and not a good one at that. He is lost and confused and those are his good qualities. How could the suits have sent such a bungler? That aside, he has to figure out how to get out of the predicament that he is in. First, he must convince his torturer that he is not a mercenary. Secondly, he must convince the reporter, that he is the mercenary, and that he is going to do in Armadillo. Quick, clean kills, and then out. But that doesn’t happen, because of his bungling personality, which gets into the way of his objective. To add that into his body of work would help make his objective stronger – without the absurd comic facial expression – that should also add to the character.

Shanti Ashanti is a stunning creature as Aminah Abdul-Haleem Ali. Ashanti’s voice is clear and her movements are exact. But, Ali is a devious character who tries to get Armadillo to kill her brother’s attackers by accusing them of killing Armadillo’s wife. But that puts her in a various perilous situation, not only with the occupiers but also, with her countrymen. Whose side is she on? This may be something she wants to add to her already marvelous performance.

Larry Eisenbergunderstudies Ulysses S. Armadillo but did not perform the night I was there.

One can only fall in love with Gus Kreiger’s words in this marvelous play, a remontant rose that has no end, stuck in a time that repeats itself with minor variations. The play also touches on a number of subjects, war, time, and impotent despair. But, not everything works; one could go with one or two less, “I’m just joking with ya.” This is a strong relationship play, so the relationships must play to perfection. One character, for reasons unknown, was sent up the river to get “Kurtz” – that didn’t work. The second man is sent but bungles with each attempt. Also, it is unclear if the bomb was attached correctly, timed correctly, etc.; Armadillo looks at it as though it were a joke. And no one is concerned that it will go off at any time, which if it were would demand a greater sense of urgency in the characters. It is as if no one cares about the ticking time bomb. (Just throw it into the cabinet, hope for the best). Also, time passes oddly in this play, it rounds to the nearest 5^th year, Armadillo claims he is 85, then 105, and then again 135, and when Sainz checks her watch, it sends her into her future. At times, Armadillo speaks in the third person, describing moments that work marvelously. That said, despite the nefarious nature of war, this is a beautifully written work of art.

Drina Durazo, the director, does some fantastic work. It was an amazing opening that will only get better as time passes and actors get more performances under their belt. There is more to add, and moments to clarify. Certainly some characters require a deeper historical backstory, something that moves with their objectives. But overall, the play is an emotional rollercoaster; a play that digs deep and that touches a deep emotional button in me on the futility of war.

J. Kent Inasy, Scenic & Light Designs, has created a marvelous set; a trailer on wheels, armored and elevated, a great place for actors to do their magic.

Other members of this marvelous crew are as follows:

William Hickman– Fight Choreographer

Lauren Peterson– Assistant Director

Chris Winfield– Assistant Scenic Design

Angela M. Eads– Costume Design

Gabrielle Sciabbarrasi– Costume Assistant

Todd Andrew Ball & Hisato Masuyama– Prop Design

Drina Durazo– Sound Design

Alicia Patterson– Stage Manager

Nora Feldman– Public Relations

Joe Chang– Original Art Work

Dough Haverty + Art & Soul Design– Graphic Design

Drina Durazo - Program

Run! Run! Run! And take a veteran.

Reservations: 818-763-5990

www.thegrouprep.com

L - R Mike Mahaffey, Jennifer C. DeRosa, Monica Greene, Pete Caslavka, Lauren Van Kurin, Eric Giancoli, Carrie Keranen - Photos Blake Gardner

By Joe Straw

“…and two, you dropped a 150 grand on a f*nkin’ education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at a public library.” – Will in Good Will Hunting

In her mind, her story had the appearance of being preposterous. She couldn’t believe it herself. The questioner’s inquiries to the questioned, under the bright spotlight, received responses that were hardly acceptable. Still, she had to be interrogated.

She was presumed to be the assassin, this librarian, and now was the time for answers. But, in order to get to the now we must go back to the beginning.

The Establishment presents All the Best Killers are Librarians by Bob DeRosa, directed by Alicia Conway Rock, and produced by Jennifer C. DeRosa at The Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood, California as part of The Hollywood Fringe Friday July 1, 2015.

Margo (Lauren Van Kurin), a librarian, didn’t like working in the library. It was better for her to stay in the back reading everything she could get her hands on. Moving the books from the shelves required a lot of heavy lifting, and reading. And placing the books back onto the shelves was a glute and quadriceps-tical experience - a little physical and disconcerting all in one fell exertion. Also, there was the mind over matter thing - reading, exercising the eyes and moving fingers like an Evelyn Wood speed-reader providing her with the learned fundamentals of whatever fundamentals she required in her next unknown big job.

But there was this pesky head librarian, Eleanor (Jennifer C. DeRosa), with a strong north eastern accent, New Yawk, who was always on her about doing her job, collecting late fees, and working with ugly patrons of the library who, truth be said, were not the cleanest lot of a civilized society. Bottom line – Eleanor didn’t like it either.

And because Eleanor was the head librarian she got more money than Margo, a dollar and some change more, ergo, she was the supervisor, and bossy too. Eleanor was the manager, and Margo was the complaining worker.

One is not completely sure how Lancaster (Eric Giancoli) knew Margo had the stuff. I mean, how could he tell that she was a killer, and had the capacity? It was probably a matter of his historical perspective. One would imagine that Lancaster knew a killer librarian when he saw one and Margo looked like one, what with her arms, her legs, the killer stockings with the black stripes, and the way she blew at her tasseled hair when it fell onto her face - killer!

So, Lancaster approached Margo, casually in the library, and said, ever so non-discreetly, that there were a couple of hired killers, behind her, staring blankly at the books. And they were coming to get her.

Lancaster said that Margo needed to kill them before they killed her. There was no way out.

l - R Pete Caslavka, Lauren Van Kurin, Mike Mahaffey

Margo, in the most discreet way possible, flipped out. Seeing two assassins coming for her she prepared herself for the inevitable death – hers - either way it was going to be a tourbillion of physical activity for the next few moments.

And they came, the knives flew, and Margo was the last one standing.

Lancaster, the supposed genius of the bunch, and the leader of The Establishment, now convinces Margo to come to training camp and work out with people who have the capacity to take her out in a flash – kill her. After a few setbacks Margo realizes there’s a lot of learning to be done.

“You kill when you are in mortal danger.” – Lancaster

“I want to build libraries.” Margo

Margo wants to quit but instead is lifted onto a C-130 airplane, parachute attached. This is something she’s not too thrill with, as she jumps into enemy territory and quickly dispatches three terrorists. There, to clean up the bodies, is Henry (Pete Caslavka) with a gallon of acid to get rid of the fallen figures.

Maybe it was the fumes from the acid, the chemical imbalance that affected their brains, but Henry and Margo suddenly fall madly in love even before they put on their gas masks.

Pete Caslavka, Lauren Van Kurin

Meanwhile, off in a secure site, Lancaster believes that Margo is in love with him. Who could resist someone as wonderful as him, but Margo has other ideas, she wants to leave her job to become a librarian, which eventually gets her into a lot of trouble.

There is a lot to like in Bob DeRosa fast moving play, which has a running time of just over 1 hour. Despite all the killings, Killer Librarians is a comedy. The fight choreography by Mike Mahaffey was very inventive and kept knives flying into various body parts, and once the knives found their target the bodies flew in innumerable directions all night long.

Alicia Conway Rock’sdirection left no human carcass unturned as all bodies were discarded in very inventive ways. That said, Rock needs to find a way to turn Lancaster into a superhuman, in the way he thinks, and in the way he is persuasive. Having Lancaster off stage on the phone could easily be done on stage under a spotlight without losing anything.

Lauren Van Kurinplays Margo and is a wonderful actor with exceptional facial expressions that keep her in the moment. There is also a richness in her character, a flawless backstory, and uniqueness in her manner. Her craft is exceptional and the work is superb.

An interesting thing about Eric Giancoli as Lancaster is that he appears out of nowhere to give Margo the job of assassin. Lancaster has thoughts that Margo is not going to make it as a killer and also has this weird idea that Margo has fallen in love with him. (This is possibly what all spies think.) But Lancaster is no James Bond and one is not even sure if The Establishment is a legitimate spy organization judging by the ending. There is more for Giancoli to add to the character of Lancaster and his way of the world.

Pete Caslavkaplays the love interest Henry. Henry is one of identical triplets, two of which no longer reside on this earthly plain, and that is also part of the conflict in his relationship with Margo. That aside, Henry has little to do, sweep up and look adoringly at his mate, not much there, which is why there may be more to add to the character to give him flavor, to give the relationship a nicer touch, a deeper meaning.

Jennifer C. DeRosahas a nice role as Eleanor, the head librarian. There is more to this character that we find out later, something about the nature of true killer librarians, but I will not give the secret away. The fight scenes were amazing and DeRosa mixes it up with the best of them.

Carrie Keranenplays Crane and Mrs. White and provides character for those two roles. Crane’s relationships work well when the characters are nearer rather than across a long table. Naytheless, Keranen does a good job and presents solid, powerful, and amusing characters.

Mike Mahaffeyplays a number of Killers and Belinda, who is a cold war outcast, a ne’er to well from Moscow, or a miscreant from the Kremlin, and beautifully disguised with a babushka over his/her head.

Monica Greenrounds out the cast as Sally and another Killer. Greene is petite and does a lot of physical and magnificent work on stage.

The killers come and they go, well, actually they are killed. They must have been a killer on another night, but on this night they were all killed. Oh, but they all died so magnificently.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Matthew Richter– Lighting Design

Ben Rock– Sound Design

Rachel Manheimer– Stage Manager

Blake Gardner– Photographer

The next time it is around Run! Run! And take a ninja, or two.

By Joe Straw

The Pan Andreas is a quaint little black box theatre that sits behind a restaurant in Hollywood. The grit from the traffic on Melrose and Wilton lingers and the people on this particular night represented a large swath of theatregoers from the ever increasing cosmopolis of Hollywood and Los Angeles.

Outside on the patio, patrons waited in the humid air while sitting on park benches. An old motorcycle was for sale. Three unruly types were conversing in a laden language filled with profanity, mostly about women who had done them wrong, guzzling one beer to the next, leaning back their heads to capture the full throttle of the bottle. The cars in the parking lot were placed there just for leaning manly accouterment.

On this hot night, women came dressed in slinky, theatre-going apparel, with long legs and high heels to match. Some came to meet others; hugs were exchanged, long laborious passionate hugs. This was about as diverse a group of patrons as I have ever seen, young, old, black, brown, poor and rich. No, I take that back, all rich in humanity.

Five dollars a ticket was heavenly.

But this night longed for passion! Passion for the work, and passion in the observation. That’s what we came for and that’s what we got. – Narrator.

Actors should work on their craft in whatever venue possible. For some, it’s almost impossible to land a role in a 99-seat theatre, given time constraints and the other intangibles.

And Actors Equity Association is trying to do away with the 99 seat venue altogether. It might all come down to this.

So, the next best thing to do is perform a vignette with the idea of getting the work done, improving the craft, and getting the work seen. The topping is having a live audience, the feedback that one gets with audience to test the art and the craft. The theatre was packed.

This Evenings Scenesdirected by Sal Landi is a satisfying night of theatre at the Pan Andreas theatre in Hollywood Friday July 29^th, 2016. Theatre in Hollywood was well represented by this heterogeneous group of thespians.

The credits were sparse – budgetary constraints – allowing only the titles, and the actor’s names, but not their character’s name or even giving the writers credit. Perhaps it is something they want in include the next go round. Also there was little to be had in the way of props and set design, a bar, a box, some glasses, rose color water, and your imagination.

Seduced – by Sam Shepard

Jay Duncan plays Henry Hackamore, a Howard Hughes character that is dying, going over to the other side, but needing to accomplish one more thing before he shakes off his mortal coil. One is convincing the ravishing Luna, Ashley Stiles, to give him sex before he drops dead. Right now he has one foot in the grave and is waiting for the final stimulus to pull or push him into heavenly pursuits.

Luna, is more than willing to provide that service for the price. She has taken Harry’s jet in. Henry Hackamore asks if she wants the jet. She doesn’t. Scruples.

But there’s a problem with Henry Hackamore. He hasn’t had sex, well, at least with a woman, in many years and this is something he has to experience once more before he departs these earthly plains.

While the makeup and mannerism of old age worked well for Jay Duncan, one would have preferred a role nearer to his age to witness the scale or a scope of his acting abilities. Funny thing though – an older man hitting the floor as he does would not have survived the fall.

Ashleys Stiles does a fine job and is very sexy on stage.

Eskimo Girl – No author given.

Ashley Liai Coffee, woman, has just awakened after a brief roll in the hay with a soldier, Teroon Kibwe. The soldier, with his bestial affinities, thinks too much of himself as he believes he has just laid a virgin. But she critiques him that he was too fast and gives the appearance that this was not her first time. I’m not sure how the soldier was mistaken, possibly one of those dark Alaskan nights.

The woman wants more and uses her knife to get it.

More time is needed to construct and define the characters, especially the soldier, the uniform, and also to define the relationship that keeps them together, in this time and space. That aside, both actors have a very nice look.

Traces of Memory – No author given.

Laura Candioti and Gabriela Micalizaz star in this piece about two misfits, one more of a misfit than the other. The problem is defining who is the worse, the one with the knife or the one who has just killed her family.

“Nobody burns up their kids and dog.”

Credit must be given to Gaby Micalizzi and her use of a knife. That aside, one would like to see Micalizzi performing scenes from the screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Micalizzi has a terrific look for this type of work and is mesmerizing on stage.

Laura Candioti has a few moments to shine in this scene.

The Crucible – by Arthur Miller

“I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!” – Abigail

“Abby, that’s a wild thing to say.” – John Proctor

Yosi Barrigas (John Proctor) and Autumn Rush (Abigail) present impressive figure, complete with period costumes, in Arthur Miller’s play about burning witches in Massachusetts.

Barrigas has a commanding presence on stage, releasing his passion in small increments. Rush presents an interesting foil, slightly quirky and offbeat that given time and nuance would add an extra layer to the character. Rush is appealing – squared jaw – and resolved.

Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard

Kritanya Hartunianand Sara Drust tackle Sam Shepard in Lie of the Mind. Southern accents were nice in this scene but the wig and the blackened teeth did not work effectively especially for a visually stunning Hartunian and an equally appealing Sara Drust.

Hartunian was wheeled on stage and the scene was about a mother and a daughter (in-law?) and a murder that took place. The conflict should be apparent the moment she is wheeled on stage; the relationship needed work and would probably worked better if a smaller part of the scene was defined and refined. In any case, one would love to see both of them again playing to their strengths.

The Dreamers Examines His Pillows – by John Patrick Shanley

“Jesus! What a sh*t hole.”

Carlos Joseph Echeviarria looks nothing like his picture but he is completely commanding in the role of Dad. Andre Matarazzo (Tommy) looks exactly like his picture and has a created a quirky character that sounds like he is from New York’s Lower Eastside despite being from Brazil.

Dad has lived this life and wants to get Tommy, his daughter’s lover, onto the right track. Tommy, a woolgatherer, was dating Donna and now he is moving on to the 16-year-old sister, Mona (not seen). One is not sure what the scene was about, other than an older man providing life lessons to a younger one but it has to be more than that, and must be filled with creative choices and nagging conflict. Tommy is a thief and a liar and seems to be losing his mind; all things that Matarazzo can add to this scene.

Echeviarria has charisma and strength in this scene that carries the weight of an experienced actor. Terrific work.

Women in Manhattan– by John Patrick Shanley

“I flirt therefore I am.”

Billie (Veronica Ocasio) and Rhonda Louise (Elena Ghenoiu) are beautiful women who danced their way into this scene. The actors bring a tremendous energy to the moments; still they need to find the conflict that defines the play. Not only that, Shanley provides information about the characters: “Gerry leaving”, “husband off building buildings somewhere”, “I’m dressed up because you wanted me dressed up”, but the women never catch on or come to the realization as to why they are there on this particular night. There’s more to be had than the elegiac gurgling of two lonely women sans men in Manhattan. Oh, but they were stunning.

The Family of Mann – by Theresa Rebeck

Belinda (Sally Rae Hamer) andRen (Bryan Zampella) play a hapless couple that is destroyed by a Hollywood television sitcom she wrote but has now been thrown off the show. She sits on the couch drinking a bottle of champagne when Ren comes in, all smiles and giggles, because now he is the producer of the show.

Ren says he thinks he is falling in love with her and Belinda talks about going to the La Brea Tar Pits and feeling like the mother mastodon sinking into the pit.

“Clara said Ed asked for a blowjob.” - Belinda

Hollywood ain’t a pretty business. Hollywood is a high stakes game and characters need to take those characters to the extreme to get what they want, and they must want it badly. There is more at stake here, more conflict to be realized.

Betrayed by Everyone – by Kenneth Lonigan

Jaq Mackenzie and Evan Grayson play characters who are at the low points of their lives. They are on drugs and living in a crack house.

“Where is everyone?” – Woman

“They went to get drugs.” – Man

The man, dazed and confused, listens to a woman’s story about a bus driver who waves at her and doesn’t notice the girl that he runs over because he was distracted, waving. This was possibly the reason the woman is now in the crack house struggling how to forget and to move on with her life. Finding her answers to move on is what she needs from this character.

Death in Motel Rooms – by Daniel Reitz

Carl (John Reno), an aging independent movie star, makes a grand entrance into a hotel room, wearing a skimpy robe, sparsely tied, in blue briefs, pouring himself a drink and walking into the room where Nick Machado sits on a bed watching Carl’s movie, in a scene he’s seen hundreds of times because he wants to talk about it.

Carl has other things on his mind namely the young manly construction worker’s body in front of him. But, the younger man seems oblivious to it all. He sits and talks about the scene on the T.V. while Carl is chomping at the bit.

Carl, sensing his vacuous stare, moves on to another ploy – working on his movie scene. The one line the construction worker has that ends with a smirk.

The younger man’s avoidance does not play too well in this scene when the inner emotional conflict could spear him on to bigger and better things. We find out later that he has a wife and a little girl at home but somehow we should know that at the beginning, as part of his non-verbal historical backstory.

Reno’s physical life is impressive as he moves into the direction of the conquest and is looking to add one more notch on his skimpy bathrobe tie.

Conquistador – No Author Given

A woman (Kelly Park) has a fantasy about a conquistador (Koko Nollasco) and there she has a good physical life on stage. But one has no clue as to what was happening. The woman has a fantasy life but there was little in the way of conflict or even a relationship with her partner, the conquistador, in his underwear, holding a sword and swinging it around. The scene should not be a matter of abstruse speculations but broken down to the simplest of forms for us to get a better understanding.

Overall I had a grand time and nothing but respect for Sal Landi’s directorial spirit - working with actors who are passionate about the craft. It is the passion for this type of work that eventually fulfills dreams big or small.

But, and this is the last note I will give: On this particular night, for some actors, the low theatrical voices were drowned out by the sound of silence from this very receptive audience.

If you want to be hired, you have to be heard.

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Aaron Hendry - Photo Credits: Sean Deckert

By Joe Straw

I lived in Clarksville, Tennessee back in the 1960s. My neighborhood friends and I were the diminutive sons of the 101^st Airborne Division.

Summarily at various times, orders would thrust our fathers onto the Vietnam stage. And, at the time, it was better not to think about the “what if”.

Living in Clarksville, just across the border from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the seeds of a military vigor were ingrained in our very being. When our fathers shipped out, we waited for a time, and then we moved on, left to our own devices.

We conducted ourselves as military. We had rank, the oldest at 11 held the highest rank while the youngest served as buck privates.

I was the general.

Protection of our home base was the order of the day. And my words were marked that “no one was taking our fort”.

And, moving through the creeks, the fields, and the woods, our scouts took notice of everything, of every opposing fort, of every opportunity to destroy. When we found a fort, we planned and then moved in because destroying their fort was our reason for being.

And in our subdivision that was our way of thinking.

Born and bred, we were little warriors. – Narrator.

Greenway Court Theatre presents a revival of Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble’s Ajax in Iraq written by Ellen McLaughlin and directed by John Farmaesh-Bocca through August 14, 2016 and nicely produced by Jason Bruffy, Laura Covelli, and Aaron Hendry.

McLaughlin’s Ajax in Iraq is a visceral experience, brutal at times, and quietly dramatic. McLaughlin is forceful in her unyielding message to project culpability, and to recognize the ultimate failings of an unscrupulous political groundswell working hand in hand with their corporate cronies that in fact destroyed a social political order.

And, trickling down, in the obnoxious swell are the boots on the ground, soldiers that are not immune to violence which projects the worst traits of humanity when one occupies another nation. McLaughlin’s message fills the soul with a blood boiling rage, one that wants to join in the fury, and the other that wants to recognize the truth for what it is.

I was suspicious that dramatic theatre could do this.

For the sake of combining a figure in Greek Mythology and characters in the play, I present you with this backstory:

Ajax (Aaron Hendry) was a powerful dark killing machine, a man with muscular thighs, as wide as his torso, and thick powerful arms, which could swing a blade and cut a man in half before he could think. His eyes painted black projected a warrior’s rage and at times presented a vacuous stare. The ineloquent manner of speaking, his warrior grunts, were not enough to win him the armor of the now deceased Achilles.

Never injured in battle, Ajax killed every living foe. Mythology says he killed twenty-eight men in all, all in the taking of Troy.

But his battle was not just on opposing forces; Ajax oppressed women with an obscure ferocity behind the folding of his tent. A man with this much ferocity was not to be disturbed despite the screams heard from the encampment on the other side.

Ajax was a warrior who operated in the darkness of bad thoughts, using his blade to end the light emanating from opposing beings, stopping briefly to witness the elegiac gurgling of his victims. Any opposing forces, anything that breath, or pumped blood, were fair game.

Inarticulate, his screams represented his intentions and the blade projected the means by which he carried out his objectives. So powerful were his profound thrusts in battle that the wretchedness of that region lingers and the cradle of civilization carries on as though little has changed.

Little has changed in Iraq, swayed by the leaders of today, the troops amassed, looked for the weapons of mass destruction, found none, and now the battle is amongst us, within us, and beyond us with no end in sight.

John Farmanesh-Bocca, the director and choreographer, provides us with a sweeping look of Iraq through the ages, tying the mythological figures to the real life soldiers of the day, while giving us a history lesson as well. How the choreography works to tie the present day soldiers to the past works to a lesser degree, push ups, rolling around on the floor, chest slapping, one is not completely sure. Fun to watch, and all part of the Not Man Apart Physical Theatre’s physicality, but how does that connect to the through line of the play?

Aaron Hendryprojects Ajax as a warrior, through and through, mindless with the exceptions of his attention only to the destruction of things in his path. A marvelous choice for Hendry that Ajax becomes disjointed and alive with warm blood on his being. How his fist managed to survive the ordeal of slamming against the hard stage is beyond my comprehension. Still Hendry does a wonderful job. He is an amazing actor.

Courtney Munchportrays a woman with many layers and much strength as A.J. Unfortunately A.J. is an abused soldier who is not able to find a solution to the abuse, and who also knows that approaching someone to help will jeopardize her career. It is a no win situation for this character and Munch does a fantastic job in this very dramatic turn.

Joanna Rose Bateman

Joanna Rose Bateman gives us a different flavor of Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage, and inspiration, in that she gives us a goddess as someone who is wry, sardonic and intelligent slightly mocking the misgivings of her human underlings. It is a role Bateman really latches onto as she utilizes very strategic choices. Her voice is flawless, her moments powerful, and her singing voice is formidable. She is captivating.

Alina Bolshakovais Tecmessa, wife of Ajax, mother of Eurysaces. Knowing this provides a better understanding of the relationships than was performed this night. First a slave, later a wife, she is someone who tries desperately to save her husband. In the overall scheme of things, one wonders how this character fits in both Tecmessa’s time and present day.

Laura Covelligives us a better understanding of the region as Gertrude Bell, an English woman who helped shape British imperial policy in Iraq and the Middle East. Covelli’s manner is precise in her ability to convey the British policy and the idea of the play. Bell shows us in a roundabout way that the educated and the mapmakers are the ones who control the world. Covelli gives a marvelous performance.

Sydney A. Mason as Mangus does well. She has a very nice natural presence, one suitable for not only theatre but for film as well and has a lovely voice.

James Bane gives a very credible performance as Sergeant, possibly because of his military experience, and he also has a very believable presence on stage. This particular role has parallels to the character Ajax and Bane should provide a resemblance to that character in manner and deed so that the characters are tied together, repeating history.

Jason Barlaanalso does some good work as Teucer. Barlaan is a former marine and fits well with his role on stage.

Ronin Lee is exceptional as Captain, a man who has come to grips with his war effort, becoming much wiser only after losing his arm in the war. Lee’s voice is strong and his manner is incomparable.

Zach Davidson as Pisoni has a very good look on stage. It was a very subtle performance but one that really rings true and manages to hit home.

Overall, the acting was superb, and the rest of the supporting cast played major roles. Their voices were strong and they presented an incredible backstory. It is evident that a lot of work went into making this production. Also this production was very successful, representing the diverse makeup of our military force. The remaining supporting casts are Jessica Carlsen as Sickles, Kendall Johnson as Therapist, Jolene Kim as Abrams, Frederick Ramsel Jr. as Charles, and Olivia Trevino as Rebo.

Jones Welsh is the understudy for Ajax but did not perform on this night. Welsh is also the Co-Artistic Director of Not Man Apart and also one of the Producers.

Other members of this wonderful crew are as follows:

Stage Manager – Niki Armato

Costume Design – Stephanie Dunbar

Stylist – Catherine Baumbardner

Map Design – Courtney Jordan Bindel

Graphic Design – Joel Piazza

Lighting Design – Joey Guthman

Sound Design – John Farmanesh-Bocca w/Adam Phalen

The show closes on the night I am posting. If you get a chance to see it, in another carnation, run, run, run, and take a vet.

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By Joe Straw

My daughter named her teddy bear “Purple-Bear” because she was purple. It was a bold inspirational choice for a two year old to make.

Purple-Bear went everywhere she went, never left behind for too long, never forgotten on sleepovers and always on her bed when she visited dreamland.

And, at her side, Purple Bear was there through the raging fevers and a myriad of troubled dreams. She had a tender smile, a calming disposition, for those troubling times. But most of all she was there for all the quiet moments.

And she was never forgotten, because we made special trips to go back and get her.

My daughter’s aunt, a costumer, dressed Purple Bear in the fanciest of clothes on the planet not wanting to see her so unkempt. But, that was long ago.

Now Purple Bear is a shadow of her former self, her clothes are worn and tattered, her head slightly crooked and not sitting straight on her neck.

That aside Purple Bear still holds a loving place on my daughter’s bed and a devoted place in all of our hearts. - Narrator

As Straw Before The Wind by Felix Racelis and Directed by Lesley Asistio is playing through September 4, 2016 at the Ruby Theatre, in The Complex, on theatre row in Hollywood.

This is a play of a Filipina mother, Nene Santos (Tita Pambid) and her daughter, Pilita Santos (Sarnica Lim) who run a small convalescent home out of their home in the San Gabriel Valley. Right now there are only two patients living with them, an older man, Poncing Enrile, Ino (Muni Zano) and an older woman, Mildred Novak (Anita Borcia) in an assisted living situation.

When the play opens Nene is playing gin with the residents but is interrupted momentarily by a phone call from a potential customer. She is not completely honest to the customer saying that she has plenty of room.

Nene, a nurse, envisions the opportunities that awaits their business and wants to expand her home to care for more patients - providing the bank will give her a loan.

Unbeknownst to Nene, Pilita’s dreams of getting married are becoming a reality. But, Pilita has problems getting through to her mother to tell her the simplest of wants, and her reason for being, like getting married. Nene dismisses her daughter with the wave of her own self-importance.

In another vein Nene has problems with the way her patients are behaving. It seems that Poncing won’t keep his hands to himself and Mildred, who is slightly senile, is addicted to cigarettes and wants to smoke them in and around the house.

There is something really wrong with Nene in the way she treats her clients. It is sometimes cruel and heartless for psychological reasons which are later revealed in the play. The method she uses to restrain her clients causes her to flashback to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

As Straw Before the Wind is a world premier and really needs some constructive criticism to get it over the hump. There’s no question that there is something here but moments and ideas need reorganization to move it into a position of a moving play that has more heart and staying power. So, with the idea that Felix Racelis’s play is all there, I will direct my comments mostly to the direction and the acting.

First of all, I’m not a fan of flashbacks in theatre – e.g. Bambi’s mom gets killed in the first few minutes and from then on we know all we need to know why Bambi does what he does – the same holds true for that Shirley Temple’s mom as she gets killed or has died in most of her films – run over by a car, falling out of a plane, you name it but we sympathize with that motherless orphan. – Let’s get the tragic stuff done in the beginning and everything will fall into place including the flashback feelings with the current day character, the banker, etc.

Well then, do we have a play?

Yes, and the doll must have a significant role. And the doll must be displayed throughout.

(Spoiler alert – I have to do this to get my point across.)

Desperation comes in many forms and Nene is on the verge of losing everything, her livelihood, and, most importantly, her daughter. She is haunted by the past, the trauma of losing her parents, and the one thing that connects her to them is the doll. The doll stays with her through the traumatic parts of her life. She has it when the Japanese abuses her. She brings it with her to the United States. She still has it many years later. (I might add, in mint condition.) She should run to that doll in the end, and embrace it from the smoldering ruins

The relationship between the mother and the daughter require strengthening. Each must be in a tug of war fighting for position.

A couple of things about the performance set in 1993, the mother is reaching retirement age and the daughter appears to be in her thirties. Having them closer in age could make them sisters and that might make for a better ending, given the circumstances of the ending. The finale would be much more dramatic. Actually, I would prefer the relationship to be one of sisters, until the ending. It makes dramatic sense and one that begs for an explosive ending.

In this kind of space Lesley Asistio, the director, should recognize the space for what it is, a black box. So, symbolism goes a long way here. The multiple scene changes to place the audience in a myriad of places works against the audience. So, here are a few suggestions. One, leave the bed on stage the entire time as a symbolic reference to work, home, the bank, etc. Move the bed around the stage or move the actors around the bed. Loan Officers often visits work places. Patients play cards in their rooms and they smoke in their rooms as well. The bed is symbolic for all the play needs including the jungle scenes.

Secondly, the doll should play a major roll. It gives the audience a better understanding of what Nene is all about. (More on this later.)

And lastly, Asistio has the Loan Officer (Doan Nguyen) speaking upstage with his back to most of the audience. When I see this happening on stage, my thoughts go into ideas that are better left unsaid.

I got the impression watching Felix Racelis, the writer’s face, when leaving the theatre that things did not go well this night. But, naytheless, this is a fascinating body of work that needs only a slight reworking of the play - to enhance the moments - to define the moments so they are met with a dramatic tone – and to clarify the structure of the play.

“The healthy man does not torture others – generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers” – Carl Jung

There is something morally wrong with Nene’s character. You can see it, at first in small increments, and later it is slightly defined.

If it is necessary to do flashbacks, those moments are to be accentuated, symbolically with lighting, movement, and a creative finished. The hand gripped tightly in the air, and the arms held back in prone position. However this is painted, the message should be ingrained into our collective consciousness, so that when it happens later we will get a better understanding of Nene’s character. And, do we really need to go back in time to understand this?

Tita Pambid is a fine actress. Her Nene character is believable. With minor changes this character could soar. Her objective to create a greater business for her and her daughter is fraught with many conflicts, the daughter, the banker, the patients, and most importantly her memories. All these things must be negotiated so that, even in the end, there’s hope. Also, the doll should be with Nene, if not physically, it should be with her mentally. My preference, at least in rehearsal is to have the doll with her physically, so that she knows what drives her objective. Also, she should run to the doll in the smoldering ruins, this is the one thing that connects her to her past.

Muni Zano does a fine job as Poncing Enrile, Ino. He is a man struggling for the finer things in life, like a good pinch. That aside, there is some really good work going on here.

Looking back at Sarnica Lim, I think the role would work better if she were the sister, Pilita Santos, rather than the daughter. Pilita is rather weak, not forceful enough to get what she needs. She whimpers to her mother rather than questioning her motives. She cowers under the weight of a mother daughter relationship and you really can’t have that when you know, in your heart of hearts, that what your mother is doing is morally wrong. One more thing, Pilita should give the patient a lip lock that immediately sends him into convulsions, without that, the guilty stuff does not work at all.

Rochelle Lozano does a fine job as the daughter, Maria Enrile. Maria is forceful in her ways but seems to be confused about the way her father is treated, practically bound and gagged, but has very little to say about it. There is possibly more layers to this character. Why hasn’t she call the authorities? Why doesn’t she pull her father out of that convalescent home? Why does she takes the information they give her and think it’s alright? There is something more in her character that will not take action. What could that be? Maybe she doesn’t have the money to move her father out.

Anita Borcia does fine work as Mildred Novak, a senile octogenarian with a passion for nicotine.

Doan Nguyen plays the Loan Officer and other characters in the play. One is not sure why, as the Loan Officer, he was speaking upstage. There is more work needs to be done on the Japanese language which was mostly unrecognizable for his role as the Second Japanese Soldier.

The same holds true for Gabriel Garcia’sJapanese. Still, and that aside, Garcia has a strong presence on stage, and his voice is commanding as the Fireman, the Doctor, and Charlie. This actor has strong possibilities.

I wouldn't give up on this production, but there is more to be had in the writing and direction should anyone care to move forward.

I wouldn't give up.

www.strawbeforewind.com

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Nick Sarando and Isa Briones - Photos by John Dlugolecki

By Joe Straw

Next to Normalmusic by Tom Kitt and Books & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey was the winner of 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. On Broadway, Next to Normal was awarded the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score. With these remarkable credentials one could not stay away.

But, in the Pico Playhouse, one wonders about the complexities of staging a full blown musical here, on this tiny stage. A Broadway show, a rock musical at that, presented in a 99-seat venue in one of the most intimate houses on the Westside. Three actors is a perfect fit, but with five actors things gets a little crowded. This show has a cast of six and a five-piece orchestra. How?

Triage Productions presents in Association with Standing Room Only Productions The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award Winning Musical Next To Normal An Original Musical, Music by Tom Kitt, Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey, directed by Thomas James O’Leary, and Produced by Zachary Lutsky, Rory Patterson and Selah Victor through September 25, 2016.

Next to Normal is anything but normal. The musical highlights human complexities and lays a character’s misery right at your mental being. It draws you into the fallen and pulls you into a deep emotional crevasse. Trying to understand the bitterest contradictions and complexities of a family on the verge of a complete metal breakdown are better left to the professionals. Still, this was one heck of a ride.

And all of this unfolds as the characters are mentally trapped in the cloistered existence of their own home.

Just an initial observation: If you are the one next to normal, are you the normal one? Or, worst yet, are you the one who is next to normal?

The Pico Playhouse is very easy to get to on the Westside. Parking near the theatre, along Pico Boulevard, is free if one gets there early enough. The staff is incredibly friendly and the theatre is mind-numbingly cool, so bring a layer. Seats are reserved and numbered.

When entering the theatre one suddenly notices how deep the stage has become, upstage appears to go on ad infinitum and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this stage that cavernous.

Interesting.

And the stage is multi-layered. On the lower level, center stage, sits a lone table with three chairs surrounding the table. Three. And stage left there is a singular green chair - one lone chair, highlighted.

This is obviously someone’s home. One can see it in the outline – a wooden façade – a chimney – home.

Upstairs, prominently displayed, is a mirror, a medicine cabinet, outlined by a bathroom light, that puts an unflattering canvas on the present. Light permeates the set, the stairs, hanging lights, and there are luminescent diaphanous cabinets for storage spaces. Light emanates from every conceivable space, bringing to light mindful ideas, illuminating a connection, and projecting a sane stream of consciousness. All wonderfully created and functional by Jeff Cason, Scenic Design, and Matt Richter, Adam Earle& Andrew Schmedake are all responsible for the Lighting Design.

But with all this light, the set is surprisingly dark, like the feeling one gets in a deep dark state of depression, no matter the time of day, rain or shine, am or pm, brooding and motionless. It is those dark moments in time that accentuates this human misery and highlights the usually mundane day-to-day into a series of alarming choices.

Harrison Meloeny and Michelle Lane

And alone is where Diana (Michelle Lane) is now sitting on the singular chair near the kitchen reading a book waiting for her son Gabe (Harrison Meloeny) to come back from his all-nighter. She scolds him as he playfully takes it all in stride. But he’s going to do what he wants.

Dad (Nick Sarando) comes into the living room looking for his morning passion, just missing his son who has moved off into another room. Diana says, “yes” to his request then scoffs to herself about the discomforting intimacy of the “ten minutes” he’s good for.

In the meantime Natalie (Isa Briones), their daughter, steps into the kitchen and right away worries about being perfect in school. For her perfection is the key to making sure her day will go right.

Diana makes everyone sandwiches before they leave. They sing “Just Another Day” as though everything is normal but Diana (Mom) fixes their lunch by sticking a piece of wrapping paper in a paper bag, handing it to them, and then shooing them off to their work.

But, suddenly, Diana starts playing with the bread like a deck of cards, and throwing the pieces on the table. Mustard, on the bread, like it or not, and then throwing more pieces of bread on the floor, one by one, a sign of a growing augury of future events.

Dad and Natalie look on incredulously as Dad tells Natalie to go off to school, that what she is seeing is only a blip in her life.

Some blip.

Later, Natalie is in a school band room, practicing her piano, getting lost in her music. Henry (Blaine Miller), a lovable student, interrupts her. He is more interested in her than her music, imparting his wisdom that jazz is less structured, more improvisational, and much more wonderful.

What this teenager really needs is more structure, but she listens to him anyway.

Meanwhile Diana is visiting Doctor Fine (Randal Miles), oh yes Diana believes he is fine, a rock star as a matter of fact, someone who can send her into the land of benevolent ecstasy, an ineffable seduction with the proper amount of medication, until she feels, completely cured.

But, now, after all the medication Diana feels nothing and the doctor appears to be a mountebank prescribing the pharmaceutical drugs like rock candy while speaking into his recorder about the progress she is not making.

Diana observes that Natalie and Henry are falling in love, she see’s their first kiss, and wishes she could feel, something. So with the help of her son, Diana flushes her medication wanting to be normal, or at least be next to normal.

Glowing from the candles - Diana brings out the birthday cake - for her son - Gabe, whom we now learn died in infancy. This sends everyone into chaos, turning back the clock, and moving into the life of unforgiving shadows.

I was slightly surprised the singers were mic’d in this intimate space but everyone is doing it these days for various reasons. So. I’ve grown to accept it. There were minimal problems with the sound, some singers sounding a little tinny, but over all the music was wonderful, the acting superb, and the musicians incredible.

I think “A Rock Musical” is a misnomer although I couldn’t begin to type this musical. I only know that this was very satisfying and extremely unusual night of theatre. It is a night that stays with you.

Next to Normal is exquisitely brilliant. The score by Tom Kitt is a mesmerism, songs of metal illness, and one that touches and embraces an emotional chord in your very being.

Brian Yorkey’slyrics transports you into the character’s state of mental anguish and for those reason this musical, and this version of the musical is wonderful. You would have to see it to appreciate it, absorb it, and let it live with you.

Nick Sarando, Isa Briones, Randal Miles, Michelle Lane, Blaine Miller, and Harrison Meloeny

Michelle Lane is funny as Diana. Well, funny in the way that you can laugh about your bi-polar illness. Lane touches all the right buttons, funny, sad, lonely and loving. Great work and one that will have you leave the theatre with differing opinions as to why she is the way she is.

Nick Sarandoplays Dan. Dan is an extremely interesting character, somewhat superficial, caring but not caring enough to throw his whole life at his wife’s illness. He’s got other things to do. But, I think that deep down, he cannot go on with this relationship, that he has to move on but doesn’t know how to do it, because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Plus, he has never felt right about being helpless while his son dies in his arms. Possibly he feels to blame. Nice work.

Harrison Meloenyplays the dead son Gabe and it’s a role that has a bit of a predicament. Gabe’s adulthood lives in the imagination of his mother’s mental illness, what she believes he would look like. This presents challenges in the way the physical life to his mother is represented. I believe the relationship with his mother must be stronger, a stronger mother/son relationship, a togetherness, a willingness, until the son, thanks to his mother, starts to turn a conniving corner. At a certain point, Gabe is pure evil. Maybe it’s her medication. Nevertheless, this is great work.

Randal Miles does excellent work as Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine. I loved the glasses. Miles vocals were strong and the acting, as clear as a bell. Tremendous work.

Blaine Miller as Henry, the boyfriend, has an excellent look, and as the character fits right into the time and place. His acting skills are top notched, his comedic timing impeccable, and his voice lovely.

There is something very charming about Isa Briones as Natalie as she negotiates her way through teenage angsts. Briones is always in the moment and brings forth a character with a tremendous amount of backstory and rich history. The photograph scene touched a marvelous chord with me - where she decides that showing the pictures is best for her mother’s mental health.

Other actors who are part of the show but did not perform the night I was there are Andrew Arrow(Dan U/S), Megan Fleming (Natalie U/S), Nick McKenna (U/S Gabe), Danny Potter (U/S Henry), and Selah Victor (U/S Diana). The understudy cast performs Saturday Matinees at 2pm on September 10, 17, and the 24th.

This is a very strong showing for Thomas James O’Leary, the director, and Taylor Stephenson, Musical Direction. The book is ambiguous enough to allow the imaginative spirit to decide for oneself why Diana goes off the deep end. It is also a show that tells us that every precious family moment is one that should be treasured despite the heart wrenching moments.

A lot of hard work went into this production; the producers are to be commended for this outstanding production. They are Zachary Lutsky, Rory Patterson and Selah Victor.

Other members of this delightful crew are as follows:

Vicki Conrad– Costume Design

Fritz Davis– Sound Design

Shawna Voragen– Stage Manager

Lori Berg– Property Design

Josie Austin– Asst. Stage Manager

This musical is mostly music with very little book and the musicians were incredible. The musicians were not seen but they deservedly should take a bow at curtain call as well. They are as follows:

Taylor Stephenson– Conductor

Jorge Zuniga– Drums and Percussion

Lois Good– Violin

Nic Gonzales– Bass

Dominic White– Guitar

Run! Run! Run! And take someone who has just seen “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Tickets: www.N2NMusicalLA.com

Mine by Ryan Surratt

A Singular They by Aliza Goldstein

Lyrics From Lockdown by Bryonn Bain

La Olla by Evelina Fernández

No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone

Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti

The SuperHero and his Charming Wife by Aaron Hendry

The Story of Alice – Book & Lyrics by Michael Cormier, Music by Scott Hiltzik

Weapons by Chris Collins

Blood From A Stone by Tommy Nohilly

Eastside Heartbeats – Book by Tom Waldman, Music & Lyrics by James Holvay, Additional Music & Lyrics by David Reyes, Rudy Salas, Tom Waldman

La Cage Aux Folles – Book by Harvey Fierstein, Lyrics by Jerry Herman

Charlotte’s Shorts – by Charlotte Dean

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The Armadillo Necktie by Gus Krieger

All the Best Killers are Librarians – by Bob DeRosa

This Evenings Scenes – Various Writers - Directed by Sal Landi

Ajax in Iraq – by Ellen McLaughlin

As Straw Before the Wind by Felix Racelis

Next to Normal – Music by Tom Kitt, Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey