Sunday, March 9, 2025

GHOST ROAD PRESENTS THE UNRAVELING AT THE BROADWATER

 

THE UNRAVELING   

Ann Noble and Ensemble Photo Austin Crowley

 

Conceived and Directed by Katharine Noon, Ghost Road invites us to take Homer's epic poem The Odyssey: splash in current culture with on line gaming while Circe is up to old tricks with Odysseus on the controller and up comes a 'pop culture' take on an old, old story.  So much fun!

Susan ( Powerful Ann Noble) is a hard line college professor bent on awakening students to the foundations of learning the classics. It ain't easy.. toss in an on line romance between  Felix (Kelvin Morales) and Penelope (Camila Rozo) as they scrimmage with one old video game and then a new one and the stage is set.  Attempting to expand on the narrative is not easy.   However,  Ghost Road's ensemble creation presents an amazing and funny and poignant piece of Theatre that pretty much defies description.  The actors are all spot on. the wonderful set by David Offner is expensive and almost constantly in motion to reveal one  spectacular effect after another.. Okay.. some are a little corny..but still.  great.. The wide stage of the Broadwater  mostly works for this deliberately ensemble piece. Christine Breihan and Adam Dlugolecki's choreography is intricate. The final effect including movement and technology is Pure Magic!  

For folks who recall the Cohen Brothers'  "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"? references to some of the challenges that Odysseus conquers will find the 'video game'  version familiar..  

I love to be invited to participate in this kind of energy. To the producer's credit!! There s No Curtain Speech. the audience enters. We absorb the set.. Circe's  impressive loom  dominates stage left..  Is Circe weaving the story?  There's a chronoloy involvng an 'incideent' that remains a mystery. 

The fully engaged dedication of every member of the ensemble works to create wonderful special effects. 

Subtle harmonies from the women of the chorus (Christine Breihan, Liz Eldridge & Raven Pinkston) and the well coordinated efforts of the entire ensemble:  all are impressive.

For students who waded through The Golden Bough and The Odyssey  or saw the Cohen Brothers' film..  it will be a blast. 

For others, , it's Theatre with a Big T!

Parking for the theatre can be a challenge.. and the sidewalks up Lillian Way toward Santa Monica Boulevard are literally very dangerous.  Come early and have a care.

It's so much fun to  join an enthusiastic audience, wide eyed at innovative and  evocative Theatre.   It is, at once:

 Phantasmagorical and Fun!

 Cast

Ann Noble:  Susan, 

Kelvin Morales:  Felix, 

Camila Rozo: Pen

Chorus
Christine Breihan
Liz Eldridge
Raven Pinkston
Ensemble
Ronnie Clark
Sika Lonner
Brian Weir

CREATIVE TEAM
Conceived and Directed 
by Katharine Noon
Music Composed by Liz Eldridge
Movement Direction by Christine Breihan and Adam Dlugolecki
Lighting Design by Brandon Baruch
Scenic Design by David Offner
Sound Design by Cricket Myers
Costume Design by Adriana Lambarri
Prop Design by Cate Chapman
Puppet Designer Emory Royston
Associate Puppet Designer Jack Pullman
Technical Direction by Brad Bentz 
Intimacy Coordination by Carly DW Bones
Stage Management by Sam Pribyl
Produced by Mark Seldis, with assistance from Jen Kays
Music Production & Sound Engineering by Scott Cornish
 

Devised in workshop by Christine Breihan, Ronnie Clark, Liz Eldridge, Jen Kays, Sika Lonner, Kelvin Morales, Katharine Noon, Raven Pinkerton, Camila Rozo, Mark Seldis, and Brian Weir

The Broadwater Mainstage
1078 Lillian Way, 
Hollywood 90038
Tickets and information:

Sat March 8 8pm OPENING

Sun March 9 3pm
Mon March 10 8pm
Thurs March 13 8pm
Sat March 15 8pm
Sun March 16 3pm
Mon March 17 8pm
Thurs March 20 8pm
Sat March 22 8pm
Sun March 23 3pm
Mon March 24 8pm
Thurs March 27 8pm
Fri March 28 8pm
Sat March 29 8pm
Sun March 30 3pm CLOSING

 

Sunday, March 2, 2025

OPEN FIST ROCKS BAT BOY at Tehe OPEN FIST BIG OLD BARN

What happens when a spunky little LA theatre company discovers a funky musical from the late 20th Century first produced at The Actors Gang and then off to Bright Lights Big City in 2001 to high acclaim?  A morality tale? Broad characters and a big reveal waiting at the end?

Pat Towne directs.  That he directed Zappa's "Joe's Garage" is great credit!

It's a cast of thousands and an ambitious take on a 1992 super market tabloid feature story. . Bizarre?  You  said it!.

 A doubled edged take on life in a small West Virginia town ..slightly dated with fear and religion bubbling up as we progress with live accompaniment by Sean Paxton. 

   

Grace Soens, Bethany Koulias, Amir Levi,
Ben Raanan and Ensemble
Photo by John Dlugolecki

A terrific set by Brad Bentz becomes sundry and effective locations including the forest primevil  with an encounter with Pan (Amir Leviand a merry band of critters who take stage with a gratuitous  orgy rocking out to make Bat Boy (Ben Raanan) feel less like a freak and unite him with the girl of his dreams, Shelley Parker  (Bethany Koulias) *uh oh..* But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Whatever excited Tim Robbins and The Actors Gang to embrace this bizarre creative prompt is a gift.  Why do it? Because we can! It's an ambitious story and presented with broad strokes ..the subtext of which is a little fuzzy.  Why Doc Parker  (Scott Mosenson) does what he does is a bit vague.. uh oh.. and the final reveal is a little like Hamlet Act Five   Scene Two (I had to look it up..) 

Raanan as the titular  Bat Boy  succeeds with panache.   On Bentz's heavy wooden set, he scampers like Gollum in search of his Precious and brings the tabloid critter to life.   He is a quick study!

There are mysteries lurking in the plot that really don't matter that much. Why a tiny West Virginia  town is stirred by fear turns on religion.. a good goad..and the result is mixed emotions: Christian Charity? Fear of the Unholy/unknown? This we learn in the prequel as we approach the finale. I really liked the shadow play. 

The rag tag chorus over does the unique West Virginia accent, but it works..It's broad and amplfied by musical numbers. The really wonderful choreography is by Jennifer Maples.

The reputation of the play is wide spread and the opportunity to see what can happen with a splashy tabloid story expanded  creatively rocks at THE OPEN FIST. I recommend it.  It ain't Broadway! and appropriately so: less than slick and full of "let's put on a show!" heart. Mickey and Judy in the Open Fist's barn!

The entire cast is on board to  sell it and the audience is down with every number.

Well hidden upstage is The Band!  Excellent!

Mike Flick - Bass
Jim Miller -Drums
Sean Paxton - Keyboards
Kevin Tiernan - Guitar

Lights by Brandon Baruch are wonderful. 

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
CAST
BAT BOY: Ben Raanan
MEREDITH PARKER: Robyn Roth
DR.THOMAS PARKER Scott Mosenson *
SHELLEY PARKER: Bethany Koulias *
SHERIFF REYNOLDS::  Michael Lanahan *
RICK TAYLOR: Ethen Remez-Cott
RON TAYLOR: Isaac Council
RUTHIE TAYLOR: Sandra Kate Burck
MRS TAYLOR: Rebecca Larsen*
MAGGIE: Beth Robbins
REVEREND HIGHTOWER:Chima Rok
PAN:  Amir Levi *
LORRAINE: Grace Soens
BUD: Hutchins Foster
NED: Ziare Rene
DAISY: Carmella Jenkin
s

Crew:

Choreography by Jennifer Maples
Music Direction by Sean Paxtonscenic Scenic designer Brad Bentz; 

Lighting designer Brandon Baruch; 

Sound designer Christopher Moscatiello Mixer Alex Hix; 

Costume designer Michael Mullen; 

Graphic designer D. Morris. 

Produced byAmanda Weier and Christian Lebano co-produce for Open Fist Theatre Company. 

The production stage manager is John Dimitri.

Publicity for Theatre Lucy Pollak

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
STORY & BOOK BY
KEYTHE FARLEY& BRIAN
FLEMMING  MUSIC & LYRICS BY LAURENCE O'KEEFE

Directed by Pat Towne

Presented by Open Fist Theatre Company

Martha Demson, artistic director
 

WHEN:
• Previews: Feb. 22 through Feb. 28
• Performances: March 1 through April 6:

Click here to view the performance schedule, which varies throughout the run.

WHERE:
Atwater Village Theatre

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

TICKETS:
• Previews: PayWhatYouWill starting at $10

• Performances: $26$45

HOW:
www.openfist.org

(323) 882-6912