UNTIL THE FLOOD at the Kirk Douglas

Polonius: "What do you read...?" 

Hamlet: "Words, Words, Words.."  

Highly decorated Dael Orlandersmith's words flow in her one person presentation of "Until The Flood." We hear a recorded police dispatch that may be the actual call between the police dispatcher in Ferguson, Missouri and Darren Wilson, the street officer who is about to shoot and kill Michael Brown, Jr.. The call is underscored with closed caption text. Brown allegedly walked out of a convenience store in Furgeson with "a box of Swisher cigars"  midday, August 9, 2014 without paying. The text of the radio exchange is projected on Takashi Kata's lush, dramatic back drop. And, so we begin.

Dael Orlandosmith photo Ed Kreger

Ms Orlandersmith presents the ethos and pathos of folks' reactions to the events of August, 2014,  when Ferguson, became an epicenter of national attention following the shooting death of Michael Brown.

What's missing here is action. As Orlandersmith, in her first characterization, a retired school teacher, slowly plumps into a worn easy chair, she addresses the audience. Ennui slowly descends.  She goes on to introduce us to a white cop, a hip teen whose rambling banter is difficult to understand: becoming other characters, culminating with the actor as herself down center sincerely addressing the audience:  the cascade of her beautiful braids unfurling.  It's all words.  

The polemic of Orlandersmith's beautifully written stories are, arguably, extremely important in these days of whiplash media: television and the internet slapping the public silly. Certainly now is truly a time to reflect. 

In fairness, it's important to note that the actor's words do, indeed, tell her stories, but the virtual dearth of movement made it difficult to stay politely awake.   Theatre requires action and interaction:   invigorated movement to advance ideas forward.  Had director Neel Keller prompted more robust action: more frequent, even  volatile projections with bursts of sounds to underscore Orlandersmith's text, this important presentation may have been elevated well beyond her words.

Do I recommend this play? Is this writer/performer a dynamic personality? Should we be aware that there's street justice afoot that is sinking our country into an abyss fueled by bigotry? Of course!  But, Please: VOLUME UP!

The impressive set and hundreds of street memorials surrounding the stage,  tributes that we see almost daily in Los Angeles, elevate the piece.  The tragedy of our times must be told.  I would have loved the opportunity to  read this play. 
To have read the words.

 Until The Flood

Written and Performed by 

Dael Orlandersmith

Kirk Douglas Theatre  

9820 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232 

Through February 23, 2020

Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.  

Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.  

Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. 

 No Monday performances.

Sam Shepard's UNSEEN HAND / KILLER'S HEAD

 The Odyssey Theatre, shepherded by Ron Sossi, celebrates its fiftieth anniversary with recollections of the Early Days. Sossi's dedication to 'important' theatre and challenging productions that engage the audience allows us to go beyond an evening of simply being entertained has sustained The Odyssey since its inception in 1969.  

In an interview with Sam Shepard: 

New York in the Early Sixties: 

“On the Lower East Side there was a special sort of culture developing. You were so close to the people going to the plays, there was really no difference between you and them -- your own experience was their experience, so that you began to develop that consciousness of what was happening...

I mean nobody knew what was happening, but there was a sense that something was going on.... a community was being established. It was a very exciting time.” 

-Interview in Theatre Quarterly pg.6-8

Carl Weintraub Photo by Enci Box

The unique voice of Sam Shepard is one of the brightest and most important theatrical voices of the Twentieth Century.  His passion for the words.. the poetry of his characters circles back to finding ways to share his work from the days of experimental contemporary theatre.  

Director Darrell Larson's personal friendship with Shepard and his own avid devotion to 'relevant' theatre informs these two short pieces in a more intimate way than other directors might present them.  Shepard's words and the unusual circumstances in both pieces speak to "modern" audiences of the sixties as well as to audiences here in the 21st Century. 

Featuring  actor Steve Howey, "Killer's Head" opens the evening. Mazon sits in an electric chair. He is blindfolded.  Stark lighting. The actor's ramble  is difficult to understand as he internalizes thoughts pausing on the brink of eternity. Spheres of memory: pick up trucks and horses and cowboy stuff tumble forth. This may be Shepard looking deep into his love of the west or just a tale to test the patience of the audience. Richard Gere played Mazon forty five years ago. It would have been interesting to see his version. Various actors will limn this part through the run.

  "The Unseen Hand" lands us on a grubby roadside probably the old Route 66 Highway that runs through Azusa and Arcadia. Blue (Carl Weintraub) clambers out of the hulk of an old Chevy convertible with a no-strings guitar and other stuff.  He may live there.. if there is a there there. He may be movin' on. He may be stayin'. It may be 1969. It may be the 1880s, 

Odd rumblings and Steven Kent smoke effect produce Willie (Matt Curtin), an alien from another time, another planet, where his race has descended from baboons! The mark of an unseen hand attends his brow. 

Add to the mix the heart of the piece, Andrew Morrison as The Kid from Azuza, who after being chucked from a fast moving car, he bears the stripes of  being beaten soundly by some kids from Arcadia.  He recites with joy the wonderfulness of every landmark in Azusa: a home town tribute. From A to Z in the USA!

We meet Blue's brothers from the Old West, Cisco,  the gunslinger (Jordan Morgan), and smooth and lethal Sycamore (Chris Payne Gilbert). Getting the old gang back together ain't gonna be workin' out the way it used ta.  

In his director's notes, Larson discusses the issue of "toxic masculinity." The boys recall the fun they had "robbin', raping, and killin'". It's an acid trip that the actors launch directly through the fourth wall.  What it all means will emerge somehow to what each member of the audience takes home after this romp back and forth in time and space. 

Song Yi Park's set is perfectly strewn illuminated with Bosco Flannagan's lights bringin' it all in.

Killer's Head goes up with the following actors on the dates listed.

Chris Payne Gilbert (Jan. 31-Feb. 2)

Dermot Mulroney (Feb 7-9, Feb. 14-16)

Magnus Jackson Diehl (Feb. 20-23)

Jeff Kober (Feb. 28-March 1)

Jonathan Medina (March 6-8)

THE UNSEEN HAND/THE KILLER'S HEAD

by Sam Shepard

Directed by Darrell Larson

Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. 

Sundays at 2 p.m. 

Runs through March 8, 2020

Additional weeknight performances  

Wednesday, Feb. 5; Thursday, Feb. 20; and Wednesday, March 4, 2020 all at 8 p.m. 

Reservations and information:

(310) 477-2055  

OdysseyTheatre.com  

NOWHERE ON THE BORDER at the Road / Magnolia

Carlos Lacamara's strong polemic, "Nowhere on the Border," brings us face to face with the troubles that divide not only political factions in  the United States, but also depicts the exploitation of both Mexicans and Americans as we attempt to navigate the murky waters of our troubled times. Though first performed fifteen years ago, this story is a story for today.

Chet Grissom and Jonathan Nichols Photo Credit Brian M. Cole

In short concurrent scenes leaping from the present and then back in time and place,  the saga of Roberto (Jonathan Nichols) and Gary (Chet Grissom) coalesces with an earlier time where we discover a story of longing and hope. Roberto's young daughter, Pilar, (Natalie Llerena) is desperate to come to the United States to reunite with her husband, now three years absent. 

In present time Roberto has made it his business to search along the border for 'the missing' including his stubborn daughter. Overlooking a ravine close to the Mexican border, he stands a respectful vigil, waiting for the Border Patrol to arrive to collect a mutilated body he's discovered.

Opening night energies explode with the introduction of Montoya (Diana DeLaCruz) bursting profane onto the stage, high on adventure and cocaine.  The device of allowing one scene to freeze in place while scenes from aother times and places emerge, mostly works. Guitarist, Mackenzie Redvers Bryce, underscores the transitions.

Is this a 'good' play?    Are the actors 'good'?  Did director, Stuart J. Zully, do a good job? Certainly, the herculean effort that The Road Theatre puts into each of their productions I've seen in the past is undeniably 'good' when it comes to  sincerity. This play is timely and very important as we observe blatant prejudice and the exploitation of human beings by other human beings in our real world of today.  

Natalie Llerena and Jonathan Nichols Photo: Brian M. Cole

Virtually unsung bad guy, Don Rey (Thom Rivera), smoothly and without apology proceeds to bleed Pilar and others who yearn to cross the border.  The bitter undertaste of his assistance threatens harm.

Scenes in the past with Pilar and kindly Jesus (Leandro Cano) progressing as Montoya drives them across the punishing desert play concurrently with Roberto confronted by Gary, the unofficial/self appointed volunteer patrolman with two dimensional motivation until he and Roberto find common ground. The device is effective.  The humanity that the two men come to strikes an uncomfortable contrast as the travelers find their trek to the north fraught with danger. 

Paul Dufresne's scenic design with Nicholas Santiago's projections provide a perfect setting.

NOWHERE ON THE BORDER 

by Carlos Lacamara 

Directed by Stewart J. Zully 

Road Theatre 

10747 Magnolia

North Hollywood, CA 

Through Sunday, March 8, 2020

DISPOSABLE NECESSITIES

Rogue Machine Theatre, holding forth in Venice at The Electric Lodge maintains their intimate romance with productions that challenge not only their audiences, but their teams of artists, as well.  Neil McGowan's World Premiere of Disposable Necessities is no exception. 

Darrett Sanders, Ann Noble, Billy Flynn and Jefferson Reid 

McGowan imagines a future where ... for a price.. one may simply slide the essence of one's self into a new body: a new 'module' and there in lies the tale.  We can almost hear the voice of Rod Serling as the story unfolds. "This is the dimension of imagination. " 

Once one agrees to accept the premise that in the year 2095 or so.. It's unclear exactly how far into the future McGowan has transported us...  Christine Cove Ferro's clever costumes and the conceit that humans may shop at their local Life Forever Industires for new and improved "modules" comes easily to life.  That "modules" may be reactivated to contain essentially the 'soul' of the shopper, we are thrust into a world that stands on the shoulders of the world we live in today.  We identify ourselves to one another with a simple exchange of taps: one hand to another.

Novelist Daniel Totten (excellent Darrett Sanders)

simply taps his temple to activate a projection screen and by 'swiping' with his fingers in the air, he may recall images of past modules: his family in happy times. His implanted hearing device blocks external sounds to enjoy virtually any music at any time. It's the  implanted internet: always on line.

This topsy turvy world turns again when Alice Totten (Billy Flynn) arrives. It's unclear at first  that this man, twenty years Daniel's junior, is actually Daniel's wife. Al is the mother of his children, Chadwick (hilarious Jefferson Reid) and Dee (angry Ann Noble) from years ago when she had a functioning female body, of course.  We learn that Alice has transferred into the body of a young man for professional reasons.  Why Daniel, a successful novelist with a canon of books popular some fifty years ago has agreed to such a switch is enough to make a heterosexual male squrim. Now in his current module,  in his fifties, Daniel, for health reasons, has been forced to go 'on the wagon,' an issue that vaguely becomes a motivation for later events.  Each of McGowan's characters is self contained and with the exception of Dee,  is even blasé when it comes to simply 'youthening' by switching modules. 

Claire Blackwelder and Darrett Sanders

 We meet Philip Faine (sexy  Claire Blackwelder) Daniel's long time male pal stirring the pot with his introduction and announcement that living with a healthy Trust Fund has enabled him take a flyer and spend time living as the opposite sex! He enjoys himself immensely!

The question McGowan poses is, "Who (sic) would you like to be next?"  Director Guillermo Cienfuegos keeps his cast apace: all on the same page. The problem is how to resolve the issues of a troubled daughter, Dee, and to what extent is an 'eternal life' actually a good thing?  The play's attempt to resolve this issue dwindles with late exposition. A troubling 'deus ex machina' is introduced to bring the issue full circle.  In these days of re-examination of gender roles and self identification as male or female;  gay or straight or some other self identity that may even be fluid, the idea of how important youth and power based on one gender role or another deciding when is a good day to die, crash! Then things magically reignite with what becomes, to me,  a compromised conclusion. Should this story be all wrapped up in a neat little package?

Thought provoking and well done for what it is, it's up to the audience to decide if a trip to LFI might be an answer. Whom would you be next?

Photos by John Perrin Flynn

Disposable Necessities 

by Neil McGowan 

Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos

Rogue Machine Theatre

(in the Electric Lodge)

1416 Electric Ave

Venice, CA 90291

Opening at 8pm on December 14, 2019

Sunday 12/15 3pm, 

Monday 12/16 8pm

(No performances 12/20-12/28)

Sunday 12/29 7pm

Monday 12/30 8pm

Schedule 2020: 

Saturday 1/4 8pm, 

Sunday 1/5 7pm, 

Monday 1/6 8pm

Continuing Saturdays at 5pm, 

Sunday at 7pm, 

Mondays at 8pm

(No performance on Monday, 1/13)

Through February 3, 2020 

Tickets and information:

Reservations: 855-585-5185  

http://www.roguemachinetheatre.com

 

EAST WEST SUGAR PLUM

For listeners to KPCC 89.3 FM, the name of Sandra Tsing Loh may be familiar. Her off the wall  commentary, just the sound of her voice, always bring a smile.  

Guess Who?  photo by Jenny Graham

As I thought of clever ways to tout this highly energetic romp, the lyrics of an often relevant  1960s song by The Young Bloods came to mind:

"Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another... "  Right Now!!

No sooner has Sandra Tsing Loh burst upon the venerable East West Players stage than she has the entire audience turning to one another to introduce ourselves.  We are all in this together! There is no escape! So... for goodness sakes let's have a party!  Audience participation and Loh's no holds barred narrative never flag.

With Shannon Holt and Tony Abatemarco (and  Friar McCollister as Frosty, the Snowman who warms up the audience with "Does it smell like carrots in here" jokes)  Loh bounces joyfully through the story of her desire as a little girl to take part in a local production of The Nutcracker. Holt and Abatemarco bring her other characters to life in such a way that if their having a great time is not infectious, there must be some Grinch in your DNA.

 

TonyAbatemarco, Shannon Holt, Sandra Tsing Loh  
 Photo by Jenny Graham

Make no mistake,  this show will include you and get your chestnuts roasting with undeniable energy bringing your Holiday Spirit to Life... Or Else!  

Directed by Bart DeLorenzo with super scenic design by Keith Mitchell and great costumes by Angela Calen, this is an opportunity, thanks to the wit (and wisdom?) of Sandra Tsing Loh, to launch the Season with Joy.  Take the Metro. Walk a block or two through Little Tokyo to save on parking and take in the local flavor of Los Angeles. 

Sugar 

Plum 

Fairy 

by Sandra Tsing Loh

East West Players

120 Judge John Aiso St. 

 Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thursdays through Sundays

Closes December 23, 2019 

Tickets and Information

 www.eastwestplayers.org

(213) 625-7000

UNRAVELED at the Sherry

NoHo hosts a handful of storefront theatres.  Having just lauded the wonderfulness of what these tiny spaces do for art and the theatre community, I was drawn to see a west coast premiere at The Sherry.

Jennifer Blackmer's "Unraveled"  brings reflections of sad stories that almost every person we know may face at one time or another. Time  marches on.  In fact, what may be the "illusion" of time emerges as the theme of the play. Joy (Meg Wallace) is a professor of Physics and Philosophy, an interesting mix that fuels the progress of the story.   Her opening speech turns on the idea that not unlike Billy Pilgrim in Vonnegut's "Slaughter House Five" we may slide back and forth in time, which she actually does,  encountering her mother at different episodes in their lives together. 

 Front: Meg Wallace, Carolyn Crotty  Rear: Kathy Bell Denton, Heidi Shon

Joy's elderly mother, George (Kathy Bell Denten) has been diagnosed with cancer  and suffers from chemotherapy induced dementia. When Joy is drawn back to her childhood we meet Young George: Carolyn Crotty.

As the story advances... and retreats in time, Joy travels  back to significant memories in her life. The closely bonded mother and daughter wind down the ever challenging road to the inevitable. 

Director Steve Jarrard shows great empathy for Blackmer's story.  It's evident that the level of experience of each of the cast members varies considerably.. Anna (Heidi Shon), the nurse caretaker for the elderly George, moves smoothly. More static is Michael, Joy's assistant/lover  (Drew Lee Davis Wheeler).

Unraveled by Jennifer Blackmer

The Sherry Theater

11052 Magnolia Blvd.

North Hollywood, CA 91601

Nov. 15-Dec. 8

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.

Sundays at 7 p.m.

Tickets and Information: 

(323) 860-6569

https://unraveled.bpt.me

 www.collaborativeartistsensemble.com

SALVAGE at The Lounge

There's something to be said for Tim Alderson who, after fifteen years of fermentation,  rounded up some pals and put on a show. By his own admission, he is not a playwright. However, there's the bones of something happening here.

In my recollection, it may have been Hoyt Axton at The Troubadour  who went through a pint  of Southern Comfort while on stage. And, for sure, Janis Joplin was known for her love of that sweet spirit.  It's powerful stuff. When Preacher (David Atkinson) enters from the john, unplugs the juke box where Floyd Whitaker's "Rise from the Ruins" may have been played a hundred times or more in Johnson's dusty bar, he returns to his table where his custom Martin D-45 accompanies a mostly empty bottle of Southern Comfort.  Having watched Hoyt deal with a pint, I wondered how the man managed to stay vertical.  

Leonard Earl Howze, Christopher Fordinal, David Atkinson

There's a beauty of an old Epiphone hanging on the wall.  It may have belonged to the legendary Floyd Whittiaker?  Salvage is a dive bar where Mr. Johnson (over the top Leonard Earl Howze) grumbles in the otherwise empty joint.  Preacher's opening song "I'm So Tired of It All" won't be hitting the charts any time soon, but it is heartfelt, even if shy a notch or two from Kris Kristofferson. 

À la recherche du temps perdu, to coin a phrase, unfolds.  In search of lost times. The past.

The dust and memories of Preacher are brightly interrupted when a kid with a chipboard guitar case, Harley (Christopher Fordinale), literally bursts through the door and asks in a louder voice than either Johnson or Preacher are prepared to handle, "Is this the bar where Floyd Whittaker killed himself!?"   

Thus unfolds a tale of tragedy and hope.  Uninvited, Harley, pulls his more basic Martin out of its modest case and makes an effort to jam with the crusty old Preacher's walkin' blues  lament.  He fails. 

Undaunted, Harley manages to open to the older man and reluctantly, stories begin.  

Harley's wife, Destiny (Nina Herzog)

Christopher Fordinal, Nina Herzog Photos By Ed Krieger

shows up and learns that Harley is on his way to the pawn shop to hock his Martin (that took him three years to save up to buy) in order to be a responsible father.  Depending on your vocabulary, one might mistake Fate for Destiny.  Without making  a big deal out of it, we see that Destiny refers to following one's own pathway while Fate is more simply just what happens. Destiny, Harley's wife, is more than just a gal with whom Harley has chosen to make a life. Destiny is a sign post, the mother of their expected child soon to arrive. The turn of events discloses how the lives of Johnson, Preacher and Harley and Destiny all come together at the crossroads of the Salvage Bar. 

Preacher talks about 'redemption'.. a nickel for an empty Lone Star bottle and maybe the redemption of a soul, though the ending of this play still leaves some questions.  

Imperfect in a perfect way, I'd have moved the action of the entire show back up stage about eight feet.  Sight lines.  Fine performances deserve an audience.  This is a world premiere worth sitting in on. 

SALVAGE by Tim Alderson

A World Premiere
Directed by Damian D. Lewis

The Lounge Theatre 

6201 Santa Monica Blvd 

Los Angeles, CA 90038

Opened Saturday, November 16, 2019

Runs 8pm Fridays & Saturdays

3pm on Sundays 

Closing:December 15, 2019

Tickets and Information:

323-960-7712 

or www.Onstage411.com/Salvage 

 

Great Bad Habits

Shoebox, hat box, store front, sardine can?  All the names of little theatre spaces that have popped up in Los Angeles come to mind as we are shoe horned into the Ruskin at the Santa Monica Airport.  This is the heart of what theatre, to me, is all about.  

Most of what I know about Catholic nuns has been through art and theatre and the movies.  Christopher Durang's "Sister Ignatius Explains it All for You" went up with "The Actor's Nightmare" years ago and that was a revelation. Amy Adams and ever lovin' Meryl Streep cast "Doubt" into the world while Whoopi Goldberg rocked "Sister Act."  The only nun I ever met was Corita Kent after she had left Immaculate Heart and her world of teaching. She may have been a living saint.  In Stephen Mazur's mostly comic play the nuns are real people, each with a story.

 

Alley Mills, Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield, Jacquelynne Fontaine, Mouchette van Helsdingen, Lee Garlington                               Photo by Ed Krieger

When we meet Sister Helga ( Mouchette van Helsdingen), Sister Anthea (Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield), Sister Maggie (Lee Garlington), Sister Claire (Jacquelynne Fontaine) and the Mother Superior (Alley Mills) at St. Cyril's the atmosphere is a bit relaxed (after the business with the snakes or the gas or whatever it was), but the stereotypes still ring true with a twist.  The Sisters are a mixed bag: a little nip, a little drag, a smartypants, a musician living and teaching in  a convent in trouble. 

The elementary school that the nuns maintain is in a dicey part of town.  Planning for a Christmas Pageant is on the docket but the diocese isn't much interested in forking over funds to help keep the school alive. 

In a very episodic trip from the convent to  the office of the spunky old bishop, Father Theodore (if Meryl is "everlovin'" Orson Bean is double that with a twist!) who loves the bread baked by St. Cyril's nuns daily but is not inclined to be of much help. 

Mazur's episodic script includes a few too many short scenes and an intermission. Reducing some of the 'olios' that feature cute character exposition and just getting the story told with no intermission may keep the narrative rolling.

It's a dark and stormy night when Maria (Heaven sent Kelsey Griswold) collapses at the door of the convent and melds into the Christmas plot slightly predictably She has the voice of an angel and becomes the catalyst for dealing with the cranky old bishop. 

With movie and television credits, Mazur's story is apt and fun with audience participation whether we want to or not, which may be a Catholic tradition.  Every character has a personal story to tell and the result is a charming couple of hours with a Christmas surprise.  Of course, heading out to the Santa Monica Airport is worth the journey that will send an audience into the night with a smile and a huge laugh as it all resolves, including the curtain call.

Alley Mills and Orson Bean Photo by Ed Krieger

Full   disclosure. I met Orson Bean years ago and have loved his stories and his hundreds of appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.. and maybe Jay Leno.  With his wife, Alley Mills, the two of them banter like anything as the Mother Superior and Father Theodore lock horns.  This charming couple ignites the evening.
 ******
Friday, February 7, 2020
It is with great sadness that I learned that Orson Bean has died just outside the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice. He was quintessenntially unique, present, funny and kind.  At the age of 91, he and Alley closed this show they helped to produce just two weeks ago.  Sincere condolences to all who knew him.  Flights of Angels..

BAD HABITS by Stephen Mazur

A World Premiere

Directed by Mike Reilly 

Opening at 8pm on Friday, November22, 2019  8PM Fridays and Saturdays 

 2pm on Sundays

Through January 26, 2020

 (No performances Nov 29 & 30; Dec 27 -Dec 29,2019;Jan3 -Jan 5,2020) 

Ruskin Group Theatre

 3000 Airport Avenue

 Santa Monica, CA 90405

Tickets and Information:  

(310) 397 3244 

http://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com