LACC WISHING ON A STAR

I had not intended to review this play.  It was a pleasure just to watch.  But.. here we go!

My dear Friend.. Louie Piday is a brilliant woman.  She's gorgeous, a fine professor, an actor beyond compare and with her current production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at a modified (thank goodness) Camino Theater on the LA City College Campus, she shows to be a playwright and a truly imaginative director.  

The wonderful thing about this show is that even though the kids are relatively new to the language of Shakespeare, Louie's take on the play gives them leave to take it as the comedy that it is and let the recitation work on its own.  Culling from Disney versions of Little Golden Books, Professor Piday has sculpted the familiar play with a prologue that reminds of Peter Pan. (In fact, Peter shows up as Puck!)  But, in the prologue penned by Professor Piday..  A mom and her don't wanna go to bed daughter get caught up in some Greek mythology and ... voila.. we're off to Athens and Theseus and Hippolita and the whole gang.  

As usual, the Rustics steal the show, showing up as the Six Dwarves (Dwarfs?) as they plan their production of  Pyramus and Thisbe.  Bottom rocks.  The others, led by Doc, Peter Quince.. come along and it's wonderful.  

These student shows are short lived.  The reduction of the Camino Theater to a horseshoe stage with the audience three rows deep is perfect.  Hermia's acrobatics are worth the price of admission alone.  It took me a while to get Helena's losing her shoe on every exit.  Duh. 

Show goes up today, Saturday at 2 and 8PM and again next week Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Check this link for more information. 

http://www.lacitycollege.edu/calendar/ThisWeek.html 

Today, April 24th marks the 400th Anniversary of the death of the Bard.  I think he'd like this version of his play. Coincidentally, 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of LACC's first production of Midsummer Night's Dream  Head to the Camino and laugh really hard.  

michaelsheehan

A GAMBLER'S GUIDE TO DYING at The Ruskin

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying” continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 29 at the Ruskin Group Theatre, located within the Santa Monica Airport at 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. Free onsite parking. Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) and can be purchased in advance by calling 310-397-3244 or online at www.ruskingrouptheatre.com - See more at: http://www.culvercitynews.org/entertainment/stage-page-a-gambler-s-guide-to-dying-to-make-american-premiere/#sthash.oLAMpyGH.dpuf

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying” continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 29 at the Ruskin Group Theatre, located within the Santa Monica Airport at 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. Free onsite parking. Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) and can be purchased in advance by calling 310-397-3244 or online at www.ruskingrouptheatre.com - See more at: http://www.culvercitynews.org/entertainment/stage-page-a-gambler-s-guide-to-dying-to-make-american-premiere/#sthash.oLAMpyGH.dpuf

A GAMBLER’S GUIDE TO DYING 

by Gary McNair:  A World Premiere 

Maury Sterling Photo by Ed Kriegler

I am not a big fan of one person shows.  Three things can happen:   

One can be trapped for an hour and a half wishing that you were sitting near the door.   

One can listen politely and find moments of revelation with someone who may be a kindred spirit. 

Or, one can be drawn into the sphere, charmed, and before you know it, the knitting’s all been done and you wish that there was more.  With Gary McNair’s finely tuned script as delivered with passion by Maury Sterling  it may be the latter even though it's all about dying: the death of his granddad, Archie Campbell. Archie was a dodgy little Scot, a punter, who placed a bet on the 1966 World Cup and won, much to the ire of his mates in the local pub. And, on we go.

 Sterling presents the essence of Campbell’s grandson as well as a potpourri of others, recounting the adventures of a man who almost beat the odds.  It’s a story after dying… after all.

Employing well honed physical and vocal changes that bring McNair’s characters to life, Sterling, under the experienced hand of director Paul Linke, draws us into the language and accents of our Celtic kin with ease.  Somewhat tentative out of the gate, we're told the tale of a man who was full of stories and may or may not have won a King’s Ransom with his love of gambling.  It unfolds smoothly and surely as we meet the narrator and wend our way to the final curtain.  Will Archie see the new millennium? Big winners again?

Paul Linke and Maury Sterling  Photo Credit Nancy Viemeister

I suggest a Day of Theatre.  Next Saturday or the following one, go early to The Ruskin to see “Time,” Paul Linke’s warm and very personal story of love and loss and love again at 5PM. Off for a bite (The Spitfire Grill is right down the way, but I drove a couple of miles to the wonderfulness of Versailles on Venice Blvd.) and then back to The Ruskin to enjoy A Gambler’s Guide to Dying on Saturday, April 23rd or 30th at 8PM.

3000 Airport Ave

Santa Monica, CA 90405

Tickets and information:

 310 397 3244

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying” continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 29 at the Ruskin Group Theatre, located within the Santa Monica Airport at 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. Free onsite parking. Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) and can be purchased in advance by calling 310-397-3244 or online at www.ruskingrouptheatre.com - See more at: http://www.culvercitynews.org/entertainment/stage-page-a-gambler-s-guide-to-dying-to-make-american-premiere/#sthash.oLAMpyGH.dpuf

PAUL LINKE “TIME”

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There are two more opportunities to see Paul Linke’s beautiful work in progress"Time."

    

I’ve known this actor/director/father for a long time.  After the death of his beautiful wife, Paul took to the stage to work out deep feelings and the issue of becoming a single dad.  His three kids were tiny.  The wound was deep.  

 Success with his first show, “Time Flies When You’re Alive” lead to an HBO special and his career as an actor has blossomed over time.  The man is a raconteur and knows his way with words. He knows the spaces in between them that necessarily must be respected. 

In this “work in progress” edition of what has become a trilogy of monologues, Paul discusses his life in terms that deal with Jim Morrison and The Doors; the death of the mother of his three children, Francesca; a forced march by Kate Mulgrew to discover new love in his life.  He tells the story of his daughter, Rosie, asking one day if they would ever get a new mom. 

"Do you want one?" "YES!" 

 Linke mounts the bare stage with a few family projections and a heart full of love to recount his life… so far.  It is tender and touching.  At one point Paul stops momentarily to edit and admits that there was something that may have gone in that blank space, but with a smile tells us that it’s not going in today. 

The writing is natural and flows easily from comedic moments to one sad ones.  The stories are supplemented by relevant projected images that inform the piece.

The Ruskin is a funky little space with about forty or fifty seats.  The audience on Sunday, a full house, sat rapt by Linke’s easy manner.  I heard someone say, “You made me cry.”  He smiled and said, “That was my intention.”  The piece is a beautiful tribute to his friends, his kids and his wife of almost 25 years, Christine. 

Two more Saturday shows remain at 5PM: April 23 and April 30, 2016  at The Ruskin Theatre at the Santa Monica Airport.  It’s a small space, so reservations are a must.  Make one.

michaelsheehan

CLOUD NINE REDUX: THE BLIGHTERS!

Anteaus Theatre's unusual double casting with the possibility of actually three different casts works.  It works because the members of the company understand what ensemble means and play it with vigor and vitality. 

L to R:Deboarah Putette,Bill Brochtrup,Bo Foxworth, Liza de Weerd, Abigail Marks,  Chad Borden Photo Credit Geoffrey Wade Photography

I particularly wanted to compare today's The Blighters cast of Cloud Nine to The Hotheads because in the past the pleasure of seeing one well honed cast (The Hotheads: please see previous review) usually means that the alternate cast will be equally interesting but for different reasons. 

As the Antaeus Theatre’s run of Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill continues, it only gets better.  The unique situation of two entirely different casts allows working actors to come and go with ease.  This performance, featuring The Blighters cast: Bo Foxworth, Bill Brochtrup, Deboarah Putette, Liza de Weerd, Abigail Marks, David DeSantos and Chad Borden played to a full house at a Sunday matinee taking us in Act I back to 1879 British Colonial Africa.   At a time when the sun never set on the British Empire,  Clive (Foxworth) is on Her Majesty's, Queen Victoria’s, service.  Exactly what he does for Queen and Country is unclear but he makes it known that being in Africa is not supposed to be fun nor comfortable.  Lovely Betty (Brotchtrup) is a loyal… more or less… and faithful ... sort of... wife who is reminded by her mother, Maud, (de Weerd) that a woman’s place and duty is to her husband and family. 

Casey Stangl’s direction creates wonderful stage pictures and the actors all fall in with the broad and exclamatory style the piece demands.  The program is absolutely necessary to tell who is whom as we enter Act II (thirty-five years later in 1979… just go along with us here) bringing forth all of the same actors in totally different roles.  What Churchill’s comment may be regarding the symbolism of this new age and the role and gender reversals (Clive (Foxworth) becomes a new character, Cathy, the daughter of Lin, the lesbian (Marks) who finds herself making moves on Victoria/Vicki  (de Weerd), whom we met in Act I in the form of a rag doll.  Vicki asks Lin (Marks rocking double duty in Act I as Ellen, the governess, as well as the hot to trot Mrs. Saunders, one object of Clive’s affection) if having an affair with another woman is adultery? Indeed every single character in Act I and in Act II is having some sexual thing with someone else.   

Also from The Hotheads, very Caucasian, Mr. Borden limns the black servant, Joshua in Act I and totally transforms in Act II to become the gay hustler, Gerry, who is the on again off again lover of Eddie, played by Ms Puette in Act I and then by Brochtrup in Act II now a gay gardener who longs to become a woman.  In Act I, as Harry, the adventurer, De Santos has encounters with no fewer than four of the other members of the cast, including Joshua!! In Act II DeSantos becomes Martin, the estranged husband of Vicki.

The broad style engendered by the script works. Thanks to Ms Stangl’s crisp direction the cast delivers  a tough and challenging two acts with professional performances all around.  Analysis of the motives of the playwright and these characters might take years in therapy, but the great energy and slick presentation, no matter what it all means, is worth a trip to NoHo for a genuine treat!

CLOUD NINE

By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Casey Stangl

Antaeus Theatre

5112 Lankershim Boulevard

North Hollywood, CA 91601

Performances continue through April 24:

Thursdays and Fridays @ 8 PM

Saturdays @ 2 PM and 8PM

Sundays @ 2 PM
Tickets and information:
 818 506 1983 
www.antaeus.org