PERICLES ROCKS BOSTON COURT IN PASADENA

 

          Photo crecit Brian Hashimoto / Ensemble

Pericles!! 
You can’t tell the players without a program.. 

Please!  Go see this ‘translation’ of Shakespeare’s Pericles.. Read the program and follow the trail of a guy on the run with a little Tempest Tossed and a pinch of Magic and then.. Pay attention!
Here’s what happens:
The Boston Court  is under a thunder cloud. We hear the maelstrom as we wait for the curtain.  Then, the back door of the stage opens with a mixed bag of drenched refugees vying for the assembled cots to wait out the storm. Cell phones are not working. Things happen..  Then. to light the gym because the power's gone out, one intensee electric lantern  that for the first ten minutes of the show shone directly into eyes of  the audience was blinding.  Just a glitch  but hopefully the tech aspect of the show will find a way to fix it 

A disparate crew has come in and .. and..
Thank goodness for our narrator:  Gower! Miguel Perez is the mordant that solidifies this ambitious romp on stage at Pasadena’s Boston Court Theatre.
One thing for sure, Boston Court has taken pains to push the envelope of creativity for small theatre in Southern California.  Pericles is a stretch that crackles louder than the person behind me with a bag of chips!  Factor in an excellent ensemble cast and Margaret Shigeko Starbuck’s  deft direction to bring to life the twists and turns of happenstance  and coincidence thrusting Prince Pericles story upon us.
“Translator”, Ellen McLaughlin’s ‘reworking’ of Shakespeare’s Pericles may bring a quibble from purists.  I think of Marcel Duchamp who sparked trouble in the art world by .. among other things.. drawing a mustache on post card featuring the Mona Lisa…
We  hear Shakespeare with new ears and the beauty of this production is that we see it with new eyes.    It’s a trip.
      
As one of the Bard’s lesser known dramas (to me, anyway) what McLaughlin has done.. we are gven to understand.. is to make the ’sound’ of the language more agreeable to the modern ear and give the actors fewer tongue twisters. Indeed the ‘feeling’ of the original text ..ie. the movement of the plot is still here.  The challenges of the passage of time and numerous location changes are all pretty much  explained with Gower’s narration. 

I would suggest a more casual approach with the couplets. It’s an artistic  choice.   
 

An odd shift occurs with the introduction of  Pander (Adam J. Smith), Bolt (Rio Rasch) and the Bawd (Julanne Chidi Hill) who seem to converse in more ‘modern’    English. The Bard gifted the groundlings with the clowns and this crew is delightfuly broad.
But, I get ahead of myself..
Pericles (Radolph Thompson) has gotten himself in hot water foolishly trying to solve an insoluble riddle to win the hand of  the daughter of the not so nice King Antiochus.  Failing,  Pericles opts to set sail.. and here in lies the tale.
Michele Joo’s set assisted by You Chen Zhang presents  a high school gymnasium  laid out for refugees from the storm. At rise, it is over crowded by a diverse bunch of locals now evacuated because of the storm.  What makes this show a good one is the tight ensemble. Read a synopsis to stay on track. The lobby video shows Pericles journeys in animation and the program pretty much spells out the steps and ..spoiler alert.. the happy ending.  
What McLaughlin and director Margaret Shigeko Starbuck  have done in this West Coast Premiere, according to notes, is to find ways to pull the plot together.  It needs it.. and yes.. Gower is the guy.  Thank you!
 Research posits that Shakespere may have co-written the play with  George Wilkins.  Pericles was not included in the First Folio. “Tempest Tossed..” may be the only memorable line?
Simply put, Poor old Pericles has some real troubles: ship wrecks;  disappointments and sadness and crap thrust upon him.   Diverse casting works for this show that meets the challenge of  a laundry list of characters covered by ten fine actors.  It’s funny. It’s over the top. It’s got some terrific movement and  action! Jousts!
Sundry locations and beautufilly staged roiling seas eventually bring us back to Gower and his poetic summation.It is not the Queen's Shakspeare!  But, it IS  a romp worthy of a hip and happening audience. 

I would ask the show to consider a tambourine and please fix that lantern in our eyes! Then.  everyone?   

Buckle your seat belts for full houses.
Support new ideas and come to Boston Court early for free on-sight parking.

   
Percles by William Shakespeare translated by Ellen MacLaughlin
Boston Court Theatre
70 Mentor Avenue
Pasadena, California 91105

Opening Night: August 29, 2026.

Closing Date: September 27, 2026.

Special Event: LA Theatre Night is scheduled for Monday, September 14, 202
Tickets and information:

https://bostoncourtpasadena.org/events/pericles/

CAST:
Randolph Thompson as Pericles
Miguel Perez as Gower
Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson as Marina
Nicole Javier as Thaisa
Julanne Chidi Hill as Helicanus/Bawd
Desirée Mee Jung as Dionyza/Cerimon
Adam J. Smith as Cleon/Pander
Alexander Matos as Lysimachus & Others
Jamie Gallo as Thaliard/Leonine & Others
Rio Rasch as Bolt & Others 

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Margaret Shigeko Starbuck – Director

Ellen McLaughlin – Playwright

Michelle Joo – Set Designer

Nala Zinngrabe – Costume Designer

Pablo Santiago – Lighting Designer

John Ballinger – Sound Designer, Composer, & Music Director

Rye Mandel – Props Designer

Estela Garcia – Movement Director

Nicole Arbusto – Casting Director

Yaesol Jeong – Stage Manager

Grace Wilkerson – Assistant Director

You Chen Zhang – Associate Set Designer

Jennifer Gonzalez – Associate Lighting Designer

Jaclyn Gehringer – Assistant Stage Manager/Workshop SM

Jenny Cohn  Press Relations

ANN NOBLE IS AT IT AGAIN!! DEAD MAN AT THE ECHO

  

Christian Haines, Robin McDonald, Ann Noble
Photo by Carolina Rodriguez

 Ann Noble’s “DEAD MAN”  catches another breath after  a very successful run at the 2026 Hollywood Fringe. 

Opening night at the Echo in the Atwater Theatre Complex was lively with an enthusiastic and  responsive audience.  
Okay.. it's a weird show, to say the least but it works. The guy sitting next to me was shaning his head.. and smilijg as the cast, Christian Haines, Jeffrey Johnson, Robin McDonald and Ann Noble took their bows. 

This time Ann did not have to sprint off the stage to  go to work in the now closed Antaeus production of Antigone.
Do we need challenging  art.  all forms.. to guide us to new ideas and new horizons?  Of course..  It's when dedicated artists opt to take a chance and to move forward that we break through, that  we  come up with  new ideas  and ceate some challenges and have some fun..     There are clown noses to puzzle over.

In my previous review of Noble’s Absurd meets Noir project I mentioned that Ionesco and Beckett don’t have much to worry about ..  at least not for now. but this work is solid, self referential and a little silly .. all in a good way.   I'm not a fan of authors directing their own work, but Noble's choices :  timing and choreography are dedicated to her  story.. Whatever it was!!  It mostly made sense and was fun.
Two more performances at the Echo.  

Take a break from the ordinary and see this show.  F**KING STRANGERS  is current in the same space.. Also, highly recommended.

The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts present Dead Man
• Written and Directed by Ann Noble
• Starring Christian Haines, Jeffrey Johnson, Robin McDonald, Ann Noble
• Produced by The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts

WHEN:
Tuesdays Only  at 8 p.m.: July 21, July 28, Aug. 4

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater

TICKETS:
$20
(a $1.75 fee will be added if purchasing with a credit card.)

HOW:
EchoTheaterCompany.com
(747) 350-8066

ECHO THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS F**ING STRANGERS

 

Tasha Ames and James Tupper
Photo by Cooper Bates

 

 Wow! 

 Eric Patterson’s world premiere productuon of “F**king Strangers” lays down the F bomb with such ease that  I wonder what the current generation yells when they stub a toe?     We can say the word to ourselves, but we still use asterisks in text.        
Chris Fields’ Echo Theatre’s  new show examines a microcosm  of our society that emerges more into full bloom every day..
We meet Julianne, Mick, Ru and Dylan .  In a way they remind us of Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde”.
  “La Ronde” is not exactly  a template for F**king Strangers, but there are a few similarities ..  
 On Amanda Knehans’ abstract bare bones  set we meet Ru. He is stuck on the 605.  We meet Julianne, an aspiring actress who does deep massage. Dylan is an on line fantasy fulfilment sex worker   and Mick presents with a little middle aged crazy.
Fields’ choice to bring this idea to the stage is brave. F**king brave.   Because the subject matter has to do with sexual activity and on line pay for sex shenanigans, it’s a world of porn that must exist but is so far out, I imagine that it’ll be a new experience for most folks.  
And.. You must go!  
As the story unfolds, we are taken to multiple amorphous locations where sex flows freely.   No holds barred.  Arm chair psychoanalysts will relish this world premiere and have fodder  for discussion of what transpires as transpersonal and transactional  relationships unfold in both the cyber world and the world of flesh and blood.. The story may fall to Jung’s ideas about archetypes or Freud’s take on early childhood trauma.
It all emerges in a sort of chambered nautilus spiral of sometimes very graphic experiences.  It’s funny and uncomfortable and sexy and touching.  
 Patterson’s development of these characters transpires graphically as it dawns on us who these people really are. The exposition, especially from Julianne (extraordinary Tasha Ames), whom we meet absently rubbing a massage client while extolling her true calling: the stage: Show Business!  Acting! Her chatty monologue tells her hopes to work at an actress (Menopausal Woman Number Three?) is natural and a little sad.
The on  line aspect of sex for hire is illuminated by the opening chat room back and forths between Dylan (hunky  Sean Luc Rogers) and Ru ( Michael Sturgis less hunky ) who has been holed up in his room for years.  Mick (James Tupper) is sexually conflicted and has difficulty fine tuning his role as a father.
The flow of the story works, thanks to Fields’s keen direction.
To discuss the plot would be unfair, but the situations and the extraordinary  exposition as the story unfolds results in genuine laughter and appreciation in the opening night audience.
We abandon our disbelief as the simple settings become locations that serve.   

 I liked the Whole Foods episode!.
 

Regardless of your sexual orientation, the story of humans being human is laid out in successful strokes.  Excellent casting shows in credible performances from each actor.
Be the first to see what may become a play that finds a broader audience.   F**king Strangers examines the essence of ‘the heart wants what the heart wants.’
Highly recommended.

CAST:

Tasha Ames           Julianne

 Sean Luc Rogers  Dylan

 Michael Sturgis    Ru

James Tupper       Mick

 CREW

Scenic designer Amanda Knehans, Lighting designer Matt Richter,

Sund designer M. Glenn Shuster, 

Costume designer Dianne K Graebner Fight choreographer Tristan Waldron. Jasmine Leung serves as production stage manager.

Publicity:  Lucy Pollak

F**King Strangers, 

A WORLD PREMIERE

by Erik Patterson. 

• Directed by Chris Fields
• Starring Tasha Ames, Sean Luc Rogers, Michael Sturgis, James Tupper
• Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
July 15-Aug. 24
• Previews: Wednesday, July 15, Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m.
• Performances: July 18 through Aug. 24: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m.

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

The Great Clown Bank Show premieres at Open Fist Theatre Company

  The Great Clown Bank Show
premieres at Open Fist Theatre Company• 

Hank Jacobs and Ensemble
Photo by John Dlugolecki

 

The Great Clown  Bank Show! 

The vocabulary of a theatre critic who heads to the venue with the idea that he’ll get a nice seat and will politely sit to see what’s what goes out the window. up the spout and into the clear blue sky  with the current offering at Open Fist Theatre in Atwater.. 

Wear a cup. Find a seat out of the splash zone.. or not.  Am I Speechles!  Over whelmed? Yes.
Clown Bank, I’ve been reminded.. may be attempting to reflect the long standing San Francisco Mime Troupe.  The SFMT’s goal has always been to tweek the noses of the Establishment  and boost the idea of ‘this land is your land..’
In broad strokes playwright Hank Jacobs (who also directs and plays the ringmaster)  and his company with song and dance and repartee and guest artists bring to light what many of us may have suspected all along.  Capitalism is a very beneficial thing… for the rich!! And! The Family Greedy, whose lives we share in  this bizarre  and windy hodge podge of politics and skewering...  succeeds. mostly..It is a supreme effort..
Harkening back to the days of traveling carnivals and circuses with side shows. we are invited to play games and have some popcorn!  After a musical greeting by the Ringmaqster, we  meet the Greedy Family  ready to fleece you at every turn.     

Attempting to describe this show is one of the most challenging  assignments I have ever had. The woman sitting next to me was psychic and that added to the jaw dropping business of Hank Jacobs’s show.  Jacobs  plays the ringmaster with basso profundo that would impress Don La Fontaine.  
It’s difficult to tell the players without a program.. and with doubling and guest artists?  Nigh impossible.   

Why am  I vamping?  It’s because this is a truly ‘must see’ event.. the preshow.. the drop dead gorgeous ten foot woman, the games and prizes (I won a ring!)..  and the incredible energy generated by a cast of thousands (I’m guessing about thirteen?) whether the polemic of the ills of capitalism and greed  don’t land .. well it’s not for the lack of trying! The cast being totally dedicated and immersed in the splashy shenanigans makes it all worh while. Please forgive me for seeming to hedge my remarks.  For a Sunday with an early curtain, the audience  was on board. The raunchy parts..were selectively raunchy and the message all boils down to something about just getting going!
Outstanding performances with Jacobs deep into his own production left me .. essentially flabbergasted.. The overuse of the term ‘awsome’ is not wasted here.  Awesome costumes and spectacular  dance routines set a fast pace that sends the audience into the night having been radicalized in a way that LennyBruce would applaud.   Over kill?  You tell me!

Please..  Go and see this thing. There’s popcorn .. enthusiastic vendors and don’t forget your Clown Bucks to play the games.
Highly recommend.. Come prepared to play.  Unabashed nonsense.. with a through line of a radical take on how capitalism  will rob you blind!
I’m  still reeling from the experience, the psychic seat mate and an over the top  knock down, get back up again couple of hours you won’t forget!

The GREAT CLOWN BANK SHOW 

Written and Directed by Hank Jacobs
• Music Direction by Robby Good
• Choreography by Raquis Petree
• Circus Music composed by Stephen Jacobs
• Original Songs composed by Michael Messer
• Lyrics by Hank Jacobs and Michael Messer
• Immersive Experience Design by DJ Handcrank
• Starring Tambrie Allsup, Davis Barber, Kevin M. Brennan, Amiée Conn, Elle Engelman,   Matthew Goodrich, Hank Jacobs, Carmella Jenkins, Torrin Kelly, Bethany Koulias, Avery Shannon Lynch, Clara York
• Featuring aerialist Avery Lynch and a different guest circus performer every week

July 3 – Aug. 1, 2026
• Fridays at 9 p.m.
• Saturdays at 8 p.m. 
• Sundays at 7 p.m.

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Content warning: risqué language and situations; parental guidance is advised for children under 13.

TICKETS:
$26-$40

HOW:
www.openfist.org
(323) 882-6912

 

 

ANN NOBLE'S "DEAD MAN" AT THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE

I AM AN UNABASHED  FAN.. of Ann Noble.

Today's matinee by the seat of her pants and her stage pals, a slippity slap all good fun at a matinee was .. at once.. a Clowinish Trip and a taste of 1940s Noir...

DEAD MAN

Written and directed by Ann Noble

Featuring

Jeffrey Johnson as Hopper

Robin McDonald as Dinah 

Christian Haines as The Dead Man

Ann Noble as Biscuit

Produced by Theatre Ghosts / Michael Perlmutter & Carolina Rodriguez

Photography by Carolina Rodriguez

Stage Managed by Rebecca Shoenberg

 

 

These  four actors are very skilled; though Sam Beckett has nothing immediately to worry about. This slightly absurd romp is a good trip into a Dark and Stormy Night .. Detective Jones  types his short story effort..   I helped.

The slinky Biscuit (Noble)  nicely balanced with the dead guy and Hopper Jones and Dinah, the secretary dance a wonky dance that blossoms in the tiny space with a full house! .

A commentary on dream life?  A short play on odd  circumstances?  

The whole of Noble's Dead Man   is the clever effort to toss ideas up into the air and see what happens. 

The energy of the acotrs and accessible  text...  drew lots of laughs and a standing ovation as after a brief curtain call, Ms Noble quickly excused herself to head to Glendale to play Eruydike (the translation changed some spelling) in the Antaeus production of  Sophocles's Antigone.. also recommended

This is not your standard vanity romp. These are dedicated professionals .

Highlyy recommended

DEAD MAN 

by Ann Noble

Two shows left at the Broadwater Black Box on Santa Monica Boulevard.

DEAD MAN

Written and directed by Ann Noble

Featuring

Jeffrey Johnson as Hopper

Robin McDonald as Dinah 

Christian Haines as The Dead Man

Ann Noble as Biscuit

Produced by Theatre Ghosts / Michael Perlmutter & Carolina Rodriguez

Photography by Carolina Rodriguez

Stage Managed by Rebecca Shoenberg

6322 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038 

8:00 PM Thursday June 18, 2026, 

3:30 PM Sunday June 21. 2026

 8:30 PM Friday  June 26. 2026

Parking is tough!  Leave time to find a space.. more time than usual..

Tickeets and information

 https://support.hollywoodfringe.org/hc/en-us/articles/115000016331-ALL-ABOUT-TICKETS

 

WORLD PREMIERE!! "CASSATT" AT THEATRE WEST

 

CASSATT  : a world premiere, opens at the revered Theatre West. Founded in 1962 by actors working in movies and television, seeing a need to keep their chops up by working.. opened at 3333 Caheunga just over the hill from Hollywood. What TW does and does often with success is to devlop a World Premiere.  In this case, CASSATT  written and directed by Arden Teresa Lewis.  CASSATT is a very ambitious production with cinematic scene changes that trace the life of the American born artist Mary Cassatt. (Samantha Gregory).

This old playhouse echoes with the literally hundreds of productions that have come and gone:  voices and applause.  Audiences still love TW at the age of sixty four! 

 

The production is a chronicle of the life of the artist with spectacular video projections that announce the  locations  and dates that factor into the life of the artist. When the technical aspects of any show are so well done, it's up to the director and thc cast to step up and be counted.   Gabrieal Griego's video creations, especially a wonderful rendition of a horse running at full gallop as Mary seems to be riding along is very impressive.   Another impressive video project is the creation of  her portarit of a black servant who was leaving to be married. Impressive.  The use of turning four sided periaktoi worked well for many many scene changes.

Michelle Afradi's period costumes circa 19th Century are worthy of comment.

Better suited for a film than the stage, "Cassatt" as a biographical unfolding takes its time.  All the good intentions of each member of the cast and crew and volunteers who create this unique  theatre are met to the best of their ability. The legacy of Theatre West will always rise to the occasion.

I've never thought it a good idea for an author to direct their own work. Theatre is a collaboration at the highest level.. so to that I would wish that a more objective eye might have tightened the prooduction, with the possibility of a full length productio in one act a possibility.

The cast list below tells the tale of a variety of acting styles and approaches to their characters. Each contributes in a unique way.

Fans of Impressioist Art should see this show..

CAST

Samantha Gregory :  Cassatt

Cecil Jennings:  Degas/Eakins

Caroline Quigley: Lydia Cassatt

 Saratoga Ballantine: Katherine Cassatt

Kathie Barnes:   Mathilde)

Brianna Burnside:  Eliza Haldeman/Louisine

Lily Cadot: Suzanna/Child Model

Alexandria Sander Servant/Berthe Morisot

Walter Rodriguez: Vollard/Howard Roberts

Daniel Korth:  Camille/Harry

 Crew:

Assistant to the Director: Elise Walters

Production Consultant: Elyse Ashton

Set Design: Jeff G. Rack

Costume Design: Michelle Afradi

Graphic & Projection Design: Gabrieal Griego

Stage Manager: Sarah Acuna

PR: Philip Sokoloff

Social Media: Briana Burnside  

 

CASSATT written and directed by Arden  Theresa Lewis

Theatre West

3333 Caheunga

Los Angeles,CA 90068

Runs May 29 through June 28, 2026  Performances take place every Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door.

ANTIGONE.. At Antaeus in Glen dale

ANTIGONE

Ann Noble, Peter Mendoza, John Apicella and Kaci Hamilton (Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography)

 

Written by: Sophokles (nee Sophocles)

Newly translated and adapted by: Kenneth Cavander   Directed by Andy Wolk: ANTIGONE  continues to appreciative audiences at Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, California. 

Seventy eight seats of eighty filled for  a Sunday Matinee in the shamk of a run counts for something. Word of mouth or patrons who subscribe are in  the house. Do good reviews help?

As I have been  recently eliminated from the Antaeus Theatre Invited Critic's List, I came to the matinee with a bit of an attitude.  

Suffice it to say that Kenneth Cavander must have created Kreon's wife,  Euridike,  with Ann Noble in mind.  A brilliant move. Eurdike takes on a lion's share of the information traditionally shared by The Chorus. Noble commands stage with fluid moves and is obviously the power behind the throne.

Diversity casting is often a problem for me as the adjustment to see siblings and others played  by various ethnicities is a situation that works.. but it's an effort.Antaeus has often led the move to forget the need for a single ethnicity to create characters in many of their productions. By the time everyone is introduced, they usually do become simply the characteers in the play.

In Cavender's adaptation / translation of this bloody story, the polemic of how power corrupts  is spelled out in no uncertain terms. We are still at Thebes but Kreon (Tony Amendola) instead of king presents  a military strong man. He  literally steps through the fourth wall to glad hand the audience.   One blatant "remark" is on the stage left wall .. a dripping yellow stain that sure looks like a map of the good old USA.

The argument in this version of the story turns   on Antigone's (Linda Park) placing  the respectful burial of her brother based on the laws not of the 'gods' but of Moral Responsibility that may be essentially the same thing. It is above Kreon's..  'man's law' that Kreon metes out at his own pleasure.. and eventual demise.

We finds some humor with The Sentry (John Apicella) and  his side kick (Kaci Hamilton)   who lighten the heavy drama now and then.We meet Hamilton again as Teiresias  shaking the stage with bad juju.

Director Andy Wolk's staging smoothly engages the story to flow from the palace to a jail cell and other locales  as well. 

Someimes the acting shows and for purists, this version may be appreciated by abandoning the stiff and sticky way that the Greeks laid out a story.   It's modern and .. thankfully, coms in  in one  ninety minute act.

I'm still not a fan of curtain speeches, but Artistic Director , Nike Doukas, is charming regardless of my bias.  The set is okay. The lights and some special effects are fine.  On the heels of the last Antaeus production of ALL MY SONS, this is  another polemic for these rocky times our world faces.  

What is Justice, anyway? Who doles it out? When is fair fair or the 'law' is bound by itself regardless of what the quality of mercy must bring?

In the original script The Chorus speaks for Sophocled thus  of a leader:  " If he treats his country’s laws with due respect
and honours justice by swearing on the gods,he wins high honours in his city.         But when he grows bold and turns to          evil, then he has no city. A man like that—
let him not share my home or know my mind."

If you know the story of Antigone and then come to see this vbersion and tell a friend? Tell them that I sent you! 

Michael Sheehan

onstagelosangeles