CRABS IN A BUCKET AT THE ECHO

dot dot dot.. Or how bitterness killed the fun.

(Critic's comment..  Sometimes I make up my own words and spellings.  In this review, it was pointed out to me that somehow, I spelled 'crabs' 'clams'. well, it's seafood, right?.. Fact is that this energetic romp has ideas and interests well beyond the obvious and I recommend it.  Clams would not have been nearly as interesting as the crabs.. )

 

Do not be fooled by the title of this world premiere play by pinchy Bernardo Cubria. It may sound like lunch or dinner or it may well be an allegory, but the crabs we meet in Crabs in a Bucket present pretty much as .. well:  crabs. (far out set by Amanda Knehans). Blue crab costumes by Lou Cranch rock.

Jordan Hull, Michael Sturgis
Anna LaMadrid and Xochitl Romero
Photo by Cooper Bates

 

I find the use of gender neutral pronouns confusing and even a little unsettling.. but. we are in the land of self diagnosed gender fluid or sis gender or gay or bi or other bits of the current approach to self determination, whether I like it or not, this is Society 2023 and these crabs : crabby and philosophical and thoughtful, remind me of what might happen if in some fantasy land of authors Michael McClure met Franz Kafka who got a text message from Samuel Beckett. Certainly, pinchy Cubria, the author, may have, at least a passing interest in each of these guys. This World Premiere is funny and thought provoking and if you sit in the Crabby Zone:   watch out! 

Amargo (Xochitl Romero) and Pootz (Anna LaMadrid) sit center stage.  They are thirty years of age and have been in the shucking bucket for a long time.  Getting out is a goal, but.. here they sit.

The crabs are blue. Longing to escape.. Pootz and Amargo sit.. longingly. The remnants of other departed crabs litter the stage.

The door marked "The Before" upstage center is a verboten door. Why? Is that where the crabs lived 'before' they found their way to the bucket. Is the Outside really the wonderful next step? 

The ennui of Pootz and Amargo is broken by a fast moving and adorable Beb (Jordan Hull): A sidewalk surfer! who half awakens and mostly annoys the old timers. What the crabs don't need is competition to make it to the rim and the Outside. Competition and flurry and frenzy in the Crabby Zone inevitably zonks the escapees back to the bottom of the bucket.  The story of a pink thing with fingers sometimes reaching in to pluck a crab to the other side seems like a myth. 

Beb is a breath of fresh air who quickly learns that big energy is not all that welcome.  

Fun fact:  Evidently, in real life, one solitary crab in a bucket can usually find its way out easily. But if there's more than one crab in the bucket,  they will fight tooth and nail.. or claw and something like teeth in their stomachs!  to get to the lip of the bucket and on to The Outside and 'freedom.'

  It's the prime directive.. Get Out!! 

Foreshadowing gives us a peek at an escapee, Mamon (Michael Sturgis), whom the detainees recall as one who made it out. "They" were a playcrab who shucked just about every other crab in the bucket!! Earthquake!!  sends the crabs scrambling.. and magically appears Mamon! Mamon who was literally plucked from the bucket by a gigantic pink five legged thing.  They grill him about what's happened and he can only say.. ."it's complicated."

The allegory is not easy for me to follow.. I suspect that those chosen few may wind up at Red Lobster.  Another alarm and the scramble for the top of the bucket puts the audience into the Crabby Zone!  Ow!

If Cubria has reincarnation on his mind.. or Godot? it's hard to tell.  The absurd elements are in place and like Godot, Pootz and Amargo remain. Begin again?   More chit?

 CAST

Amargo:   Xochitl Romero
Pootz:       Anna LaMadrid
Beb:          Jordan Hull
Mamon:    Michael Sturgis

Crabs in a Bucket:
Or how bitterness ruined the fun
by Bernardo Cubria
Directed by Alana Dietze
World Premiere  

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

 Performances: July 15 – August 21
• Wednesday at 8 p.m.: July 12 ONLY (preview)
• Thursday at 8 p.m.: July 13 ONLY (preview)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: July 14 (preview), July 21, July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 11, Aug. 18
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: July 15 (opening night), July 22, July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: July 16, July 23, July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13, Aug. 20
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: July 17, July 24, July 31, Aug. 7, Aug. 14, Aug. 21

 

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

Tickets and Information:
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
(310) 307-3753

 

LAST SUMMER AT BLUE FISH COVE / THE FOUNTAIN

Sarah Scott Davis, Ellen D. Williams,
Stephanie Pardi, Lindsay LaVanchy,
Tamika Katon-Donegal, Ann Sonneville,
Noelle Messier, Stasha Surdyke
Photo by Frank Ishman

Forty years after their very successful run of Last Summer at Bluefish Cove,  the Fountain Theatre remounts the play in the outdoor setting where I used to  park my car!  This idea works...  Mostly. On arrival audience members are given head phones with the promise that the play can be heard. The problem is that all voices come from the devices and because some of the actors' voices are similar, one has to be on the ball to catch who is saying what and to whom.  

There is a strong ensemble bond with this cast. It's a straight play.. Well, it's a lesbian play  presented in a straight forward way.  Some cultural references like David Susskind and Phil Donohue date the era and thus, the various levels of concern  that Kitty and a few of the women fear, some more than others regarding being outed. 

Enter Eva (Lindsay LaVanchy) who, after twelve years of marriage is leaving her husband and winds up renting a summer cabin on Bluefish Cove. She immediatly  discovers Lil (Ann Sonneville) and after a bit of  brief foreplay, the inevetible becomes inevitable. 

With Gay Pride Month now behind us and this, the second play in a week that features a gay(ish) theme, it's important to note that forty years ago the mores of "polite society" came down hard on folks outside the accepted hetero spectrum.  This fictional resort of Bluefish Cove is a safe harbor for women who love women. The sorority of these gals vacationing together has long been a safe abd  secure tradition.

Queen Bee Kitty Cochrane (Sara Scott Davis) writes  books to empower women.  Should the secret of her sexual preference  be revealed, it could mean curtains for her career.  Does the newcomer pose a threat?   The exposition and modest dustups never come to serious blows and the title of the piece is revealed  in a sad denoument. 

Seeing strong dedicated actors delivering the goods and these daughters of Lesbos portrayed as human beings with hardly a single stereotype   in the bunch (mostly..) serves the idea that people are people. They are successful and productive individuals who simply deserve to live their lives.

Desma Murphy's beautiful set works well in this outdoor setting. It's a comfort play for the burgeoning community of everyone: gay, sraight or otherwise,  who truly believes that equality for all is a must.  Kudos to this production.

CAST:

Kitty Cochrane		Sarah Scott Davis*
Swing		Allison Husko*
Rita Sanderson		Tamika Katon-Donegal
Eva Margolis		Lindsay LaVanchy
Annie Joseph		Noelle Messier*
Donna Atterly		Stephanie Pardi
Lillian (Lil) Zalinski		Ann Sonneville*
Sue McMillan		Stasha Surdyke*
Rae		Ellen D. Williams*

 

 *Indicates membership in Actors Equity.

LAST SUMMER AT BLUEFISH COVE

by Jane Chambers

Directed by  Hannah Wolf

The Fountain Theatre

Outdoor Stage
The Fountain Theatre
5060 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles CA 90029
(Fountain at Normandie)  

Performances: June 17 – Aug. 27
• Wednesday at 7 p.m.: June 14 ONLY (preview)
• Thursday at 7 p.m.: June 15 ONLY (preview)
• Fridays at 7 p.m.: June 16 (preview), 23, 30; July 7, 14, 21, 28; Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25
• Saturdays at 7 p.m.: June 17 (opening), 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; 12, 19, 26 (dark Aug. 5)
• Sundays at 7 p.m.: June 18, 25; July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; 13, 20, 27 (dark Aug. 6
• Mondays at 7 p.m.: June 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug. 7, 21 (dark June 19 and Aug. 14)  

Arrive early and note the early curtain time. Parking may be a challenge.  Uber?

Tickets and information:

(323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com

 

 

 

 

ALLA NAZIMOVA IN THE GARDEN OF ALLA WEST COAST PREMIERE

THEATRE WEST, founded in 1962 by a raft of Hollywood illuminaries is the oldest surviving professional theatre company in Los Angeles. Nurturing new theatre, Theatre West is the 'beating heart' of the Dramatic Arts in Hollywood. Providing space for this production of The Garden of Alla reflects its dedication to keeping Hollywood History alive. 

 Romy Nordlinger reaches back a hundred years, surfing the history of the legendary actress, Alla Nazimova (1878-1945).  Alla  declares that she is "not a woman, not a man, not tall, not short, not fat, not thin..." But! as Nazimova, Nordlinger is all woman: dramatically feminine  in perfect proportions.  With the term 'gender fluid' on the lips of hip kids in the 21st century, Alla flows well into the distaff side in her Garden of Alla.  Pre-show trailer gives us an intimate look at the real life Nazimova: actress, director, writer, producer.  A clip of the 1923 silent film " Salomé " features a single card Director credit for Charles Bryant. It is quickly blotted out and Alla Nazimova filled in. In the days when being gay was not only unacceptable in polite society, but could ruin someone's reputation, Bryant outed Nazimova to her demise.

Romy Nordlinger
Photo by David Wayne Fox

Director Lorca Peress gives Nordlinger her head.  Stage pictures are minimal with Alla calling 'Roll Film' and 'CUT!' to include Adam Jesse Burns's excellent videos and graphics. These  accompaied by Score and Sound Design by Nick T. Moore. 

The presentation starts on a high energy note with some tentative business with a martini and unsuccessful cigarette, but warms to the narrative ranging from Nazimova's difficult early childhood in Ukraine, through encounters with Stanislavski and Chekhov;  to New York: fame and fortune, winding up in Hollywood making more dough than Mary Pickford (we detect a smidge of professional jealousy) and building her Garden of Allah on what would become the easterly end of the Sunset Strip.

Today? Heading out Sunset Boulevard where the Garden of Allah once stood, the McDonald's that Nordlinger decries in this production is gone. Dust Devils scuttle on the bare earth at Sunset & Laurel Canyon in anticipation of famed Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry's looming high rise plan  for that corner, the ghosts of early Hollywood, Nazimova among them...   may be waiting to haunt towering skyscraper?   Another sorry monument to blot out the sun setting on Sunset Boulevard? Joni Mitchell now has new fodder: a sad image for the loss of Old Hollywood.

Certainly, holding stage for almost an hour and a half is an impressive tour de force. A raft of glorious reviews notwithstanding, we get the story, but it seemed to me that the soul of Nazimova may be waiting in the wings.  

The  Garden of Alla
• Written and Performed by Romy Nordlinger
• Directed by Lorca Peress
• Video Design by Adam Jesse Burns
• Score and Sound Design by Nick T. Moore

Theatre West
3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West
Los Angeles, CA 90068 

(Between Barham and Lankershim on Cahuemga)

PARKING:
• Metered street parking
• Paid lot ($10 cash only) available across the street from the theater

TICKET PRICES:
• $35 online with advance purchase
• $40 at the door

HOW:
TheatreWest.org.
(323) 851-7977

 July 7 – July 23
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: July 7, July 14, July 21
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: July 8*, July 15*, July 22
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: July 9**, July 16, July 23
*Screenings of Nazimova’s “Salomé” (1923) and “Camille” (1921) follow the performances on Saturday, July 8 and Saturday, July 15 respectively (included in the ticket price; separate admission $5).
**A Q & A with Martin Turnbull, founder of The Alla Nazimova Society and author of the 9-book “Hollywood’s Garden of Allah” series follows the performance on Sunday, July 9.
 

OPEN THE DOORS TO THE MARK TAPER FORUM!

 It occurs to me that even though the readership of my modest critiques of local theatre productions is small compared to the readers of Charles McNulty of the LA Times: a very  eloquent guy!  And,  my scholarship when it comes to the depths of theatre may pale compared to others who write about the local Los Angeles theatre scene, my ideas may be simple but my need to share them  is on me.

The closing of The Mark Taper Forum for the remainder of the 2023 - 2024 season  is a travesty. Money is the culprit.

Every person who ever encountered Gordon Davidson, the Real McCoy when it came to the love of theatre, would testify that his love and ability to gather the community together to create productions that were not only entertaining, but educational and socially relevant was considerable.  When in a chat with Gordon,  you were the only person  in the room.  He was always laser focused and attentive and responsive to every person he encountered. It’s this quality that defines the vision that Gordon had for Center Theatre Group and especially, The Taper.
This is to stand and applaud .. again.. the work that Gordon championed and produced for the many years he led the charge to share good stuff with our community.
This new CTG guy, Snehal Desai, has a strong connection to ‘community’, right?  This is to reach out to him and the powers that be to gather the forces of all of the small theatre energy in Los Angeles, like the company he formerly led, East West Players, who partnered with CTG to put up Sweat Shop  Overloard at the Kirk Douglas.  It may be an idea to  lobby deep pockets Hollywood folks to create an opportunity for work like Antaeus’s The Tempest and The Fountain’s Last Summer at Blue Fish  Cove to come to The Taper?  Other pocket producers like Martha Demson. Chris Fields and Ron Sossi must be invited to meet and discuss ways, through volunteerism,  perhaps? with the cooperation of Actors Equity??  to open the doors to The Taper to bring our Community back to fill the seats and celebrate what Theatre is supposed to do: 

Bring us together!    Community.

michaelsheehan
onstagelosangeles
July 4, 2023

ANTAEUS BRINGS THE TEMPEST

Glendale's Antaeus Theatre Company has always been innovative. Currently, in their intimate Broadway / Glendale space, Antaeus brings to life a favorite Shakespeare play  of mine: The Tempest. Director Nike Doukas splashes the Antaeus stage with the energy of a perfect storm. Read the play, then!!   Come prepared to sing. The magic island doesn't exactly bubble out of the roiling sea, but the bottom line is that it is a 'must see.' 

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-tempest/read/   (Please copy and paste if the link is not working)

Ms Doukas has made some adjustments to the characters that work pretty well. If you love theatre or might like to have an  affair, this is the show to see. 

Peter Van Norden and Ensemble
Photo by Frank Ishman

The audience enters the space in a new way. There's a party going on with music and dancing. John Harvey lays down  a great beat on drums: raising the roof as we immediately get the idea:  It's a play! A performance: High Octane Bard of Avon! 

Scenic Designer Angela Balogh Calin's set is strewn with the stuff of the show: props and sound makers. A winding staircase ascends to the flies and The Tempest comes alive. But! if you don't know the play, it might be a stretch.  Mariners and the lost company are tempest tossed by the magical waves.

  Original music by John Ballinger and the feeling of a 1940s Radio Drama unfolds, complete with sound effects and foley. The actors are at once performers as well as their characters on microphones that bring the text clearly to life.  No one much ever leaves the stage and clever lighting by Lighting Designer Vickie J. Scott moves us from the sea to the island and landed locations in a way that makes this unusual style acceptably  presentational. We believe two things at the same time.  The actors are all spot on.

The exposed brick upstage wall makes sure we know exactly where we are and at the same time in each locale where the Royals land (Bernard K. Addison as Antonio, John Allee as Sebastian, Adrian LaTourelle  as King Alonso  AND with the clowns plays Stephano! and Saundra McClain as Gonzala), as well as Trinkula and Stephano (Erin Pineda and  Adrian LaTourelle) encountering Caliban (excellent JD Cullum).

In Prospero's (Peter Van  Norden)  cel, we come back to  where he plays chess with Miranda (adorable Anja Racić)  and meet King Alonso's  son, Ferdinand (Peter Mendoza). Of course, Ferdy  immediately collapses to the charms of fair maid, Miranda, who has no recollection of seeing a man.. well..  besides her own father. (Caliban played by excellent JD Cullum also rocking electric guitar doesn't count!)

All in all though the emotional depth of Shakespeare's imagination may not be plumbed, the basic foundations of these iconic characters, the story unfolds with music and style. Familiar lines feel right. The device of microphones combines with Julie Keen's perfect costumes. This Antaeus production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest is a pure delight.

The Players

Peter Van Norden   as Prospero,

 Anja Racić as Miranda; 

Peter Mendoza as Ferdinand,  

 Elinor Gunn as Ariel; 

JD Cullum as  Caliban

Bernard K. Addison as Antonio

John Allee as Sebastian, 

Adrian LaTourelle as  Alonso & Stephano

Saundra McClain as Gonzala

 Erin Pineda as  Trincula. 

Musicians: John Allee on piano, JD Cullum on guitar, and John Harvey on percussion.  

The Tempest

by William Shakespeare

Directed by Nike Doukas

Antaeus Theatre Company

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205

June 30 – July 30:
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: June 30, July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28
• Saturdays at 2 p.m & 8 p.m.: July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29 (no matinees on July 1, July 29)
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30
• Mondays at 8 p.m.:  July 10, July 17, July 24

Tickets and information:

www.Antaeus.org
(818) 506-1983
 

 

 

Guardians s of Wonder at McCadden Place in Hollywood

  

Mizuki Kimura, Shio Yamazaki, Rena Kaneta, Stella Takasegawa, Emika Kamieda

Photograph by Bertha Rodriguez

Technical difficulties make the posting of this review almost impossible. However the craft and focus of this show's short run is impressive.  Hopefully it will get an audience. 

Please  see this show. 

I'm vamping now, it's a day later and the show is still a sort of wonderful jumble in my head.  

It's Hollywood Fringe Festival time. This means that every little space anywhere near Theatre Row is booked & double & triple booked for wannbe playwrights, producers, actors. Audiences are flooded with opportunities to see new Theatre.  

"Guardians of Wonder" features five amazing actresses; some rolling screens;  an adorable hostess who translates from Japanese to English.  Gurardians comes from Tokyo.  They'd planned to come a couple of years ago, but the dampanic made a mess of that.  Okay.. what is it? 

Take a bit of Kabuki.. no Noh that I know;  add  Japanese folk lore and   Kurasawa's take on samurai; stir in dangerously beautiful and talented women with weapons of personal destruction.  Factor in swords and knives and a wicked umbrella to faciliate the action. It is a very short program that tells of the metamorphosis of a shy young woman in pigtails who changes. And! There are the women whom you don't want to get upset!!  There is a kiss.

I've longed to see theatre dedicated beyond words.  This one has no words. It works!

The performance is short.  The stunts are studied and formal. The costumes are beautiful and ..well.. formal.. the delivery is delicious. I am unsure that  I could describe the story. It really doesn't matter. The presentation is so unusual, it's as much like visiting an art gallery as watching a show.

   The beauty of Guardians of Wonder is that we arrive at the tiny McCadden with no real expectations except the gorgeous poster art that is part Samurai and part Manga!  Indeed some of the special effects echo panels in manga graphic novels.

The performance is a little wooden, but because we have no idea what's going on, we take that as part of the show.  The actresses are beautiful and skilled in movement, part of a company of players, directed by Hiroshi Hosokawa.

Admission is free and actually very short. We experience the performance and a Q and A. The artists are translated by the lovely hostess all together it runs about an hour. There is an air of something special about the presentation: the individuality of the artists, the costumes (terrific) and the action..  

In the Q & A we meet the artists. They talk about the show and their characters. Each of the five women is unique. When they talk about their experience, even though it's mostly in Japanese, it's clear that the energy for the piece is deep within them. The bottom line is that I was thoroughly charmed by the energy of the evening.

For a completely unique and unexpected step into the East, go see Guardians.. It's a trip.

There will be two more performances. Admission is free, but reservations are necesssary. Tonight's house was full and a crowd was waiting outside for the next performance.   Check the times below and arrive early, as the parking in the neighborhood is a little tough.

Why spend an hour with Guardians? Because it's like nothing you've seen and the residual appreciation for how other cultures approach theatre will stay with you for a long time. 

GUARDIANS OF WONDER

Presented by Alicein Project.  

Produced by Masahiro Suzuki. Directed by Hiroshi Hosokawa. Written by Rena Kaneta. Choreography by Rena Kaneta. Lighting by Daisuke Sakakibara. Video/Sound Effects by Kaworu Asakusa. Photography by Kentaro Yamagishi. Starring: Emika Kamieda, Rena Kaneta, Mizuki Kimura, Stella Takasegawa and Shio Yamazaki.

1157 N. McCadden

Hollywood, CA  90038

Saturday June 3, 2023  8PM

Sunday, June 4, 2023  7:30PM

Friday June 9  6PM

Saturday June 10 9:30PM

TICKETS:  Free Admission reserve tickets @  The Hollywood Fringe Festival - the guardians of wonder

 

 

STARMITES AT THE OPEN FIST

 

The Ensemble
Photo by Jenny Graham

Picture, if you will.. another reality .. (in the voice of Rod Serling?) where the challenges of good and evil lurk in fantastic tunes.  "A moving picture (sic) fantasy?"  "Cosmic Visions (sic)? "

Open Fist in Atwater is full of surprises, not the least of which is this sparkly Broadway Musical: Starmites!  It's a 35 year old sort of high school show with broad characters and some sort of a message that is basically, good overcoming evil and all shall be well. 

The audience loved it on opening night.  

 Scott Peterman directs (and designed the expensive and impressive and workable set housing live musicians and glorious projections that keep the ball in the air.)  The energy for the good guys (The Starmites!) and the bad girls with dangerous hair and jungle talons (The Banshees) has an air of effort that I think the director may intend. We all know that this is a pretty good  show with a pretty good score and some cute numbers. Clearly cut good guys and  bad girls are sort of tongue in cheek and the audience is in on the joke.   

Eleanor (Talia Gloster who also plays Bizarbara and Milady) is addicted to grahic novels: comic books. Her mom Cat Davis (wicked also as Diva, the powerful witch), is fed up with Eleanor's apparent obsession and puts her library collection up on EBay! There's a bidding war!  Eleanor should be doing more with her life. Because of an SOS sent out from Innerspace by the Starmites,  Eleanor is drawn to this Other World as a Super Hero to aid the Starmites in their quest to defeat the Shak Graa (the resident villain and, darn it  whom we don't know plays the part!) to seek out the The Cruelty (a powerful floating guitar) and all shall be well. It's almost classic Joseph Campbell, heavy on the Camp.

There's a lot of exposition in the musical numbers. We meet the mostly lizardly Gollum, Trinkulus (Brendan Mulally), who signs on to guide the gang into a dark scary forest that I forgot the name of  to find The Cruelty.  Trink's headgear was an issue but no one seemed to mind.

Thanks to music director Jan Roper on keyboards in front of  huge projection screens that delineate the settings, the live music carries the day.

Lines like the Banshees singing, "We're workin' up our juices for your tender young cabooses! " and the broad presentational aspect set the tone for some Broadway fun.

Cast of Characters
Eleanor/Bizarbara...Talia Gloster
Mother/Diva ...Cat Davis*
Space Punk ...Bradley Sharper
S’up S’up Sensaboi ...Alex Hogy
Ack Ack Hackerax ...Rieves Bowers
Diggety Razzledazzle ...Jasper Wong
Trinkulus ...Brendan Mulally
Shotzi ...Sophie Oda*
Balbraka ...Lindsey Moore Ford
Canibelle ...Elle Engelman
Hollaback ... Sarah Martellaro
Banshee Swing ... Emily Rafala
Shak Graa  ... ???
Droids ...Jack David Sharpe

The Band

Keys ... Jan Roper

Drums / percussion ... Andrew Crawford

 

STARMITES

 
• Music and Lyrics by Barry Keating
• Book by Stuart Ross and Barry Keating
• Directed by Scott Peterman
• Music Direction by Jan Roper
• Choreography by Becca Sweitzer
• Fight Choreography by Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum

OPEN FIST THEATRE

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

Previews: May 27–June 1

Performances: June 2–July 8
• Thursday at 8 p.m.: June 1 (preview)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: June 2 (opening); June 9; June 16; June 23; June 30; July 7
• Saturdays at 3 p.m.: June 3 and June 24
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 27 (preview); June 10; June 17; July 1; July 8 (no evening performance on June 3 or June 24)
• Sundays at 3 p.m.: May 28 (preview); June 18; June 25; July 2 (no matinee on June 4 or June 11)
• Sundays at 7 p.m.: June 4 (Gala Performance with pre-show reception at 6 p.m.) and June 11

• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

TICKET PRICES:

• All performances except Sunday, June 4 and previews:
  • General Admission: $35
  • Seniors: $30
  • Students/Children: $25
  • Family Pack (2 adults and 2 children): $100
• Opening Weekend Gala Performance (Sunday, June 4): $50 (includes pre-show reception)
• Previews: Pay-What-You-Want (minimum $10)

 
www.openfist.org
(323) 882-6912

“No Place Like Gandersheim” at the Skylight

Editor's Note:

This review is somewhat patchwork, not unlike the backdrop for a play to be produced within the production itself.  Rather than edit for clarity, because there are still questions about this play, please read with a kind eye.  It is intended to shed light on the production, but may look a little like a chicken. 

///////////////////////////

 

“No Place Like Gandersheim”  by Elizabeth Dement .. with apologies to The Rocky Horror Show..  "Let's Do the Time Warp Again.." 

In three or four "scenes" the play becomes an  ambitious take on creativity. The world of theatre meets Show Biz. and then!!  (thanks  to  Buzz Lightyear: )   "To Infinity and Beyond."

Shades of Hildegard von Bingen, a German nun whose interest in music and extraordinary  talent later got her canonized, Sister Roz's (Jamey Hood) satirical play gives an historic bent to where a woman's  place.. especially in a cloistered 10th Century German convent, might be. Von Bingen was a musical prodigy with a  mystical take.  Sister Roz  is a playwright who may have learned Latin and / or Greek from the plays of a thousand years earlier by the liberated Roman slave,Terence.  Roz says that her play is a satire. She hopes to make Mother Superior Berga's (Shannon Holt) big wig Uncle Otto,  The Holy Roman  Emperor, laugh.

Jamey Hood, Lauren Gaw and Shannon Holt

Dement's dialogue flowing at counterpoint to the historical times is creatively anachronistic.    There is a sapphic spin.   Roz likes women... even more than Jesus! Madlen (Lauren Gaw)   resists the idea of playing the lacivious 'pots and pans' guy in Roz's comedy. When Otto exits the performance of Roz's play, I'm still not sure why.. Roz sees this as the imposition of the patriarchy.  "In a world ruled by men, women will never be safe," says Roz to the overly devout Madlen. 

 Theophanu (Charrell Mack)appears with her third baby at her breast and in her hip and casual way extols the virtues of Greek culture. The Greeks use masks!

Then:

Impressive effects by Shannon Barondeau blast us  forward a thousand years.  

Present day: Hollywood.

Roz is a lesbian mom, the mother of fifteen year old Thea (again, Lauren Gaw).  Roz is the showrunner for a popular network television show that may be getting Emmy buzz: "The Order", which is.. Surprise! revolves around nuns in Tenth Century Germany.   The predominance  of people with penises in power is still problematic. In this present day situation, Mallory (Shannon Holt), over the top "Queenpen  to be" of The UBC Television Network, fulfills the stereotypical personality of every network executive.. almost ever. (Tartikoff might have been a mench?) High energy abounds. . Holt does an amazing one eighty from Mother Superior Berga, the abbess of the Gandersheim Abby. Playwright Dement's exposure of how Hollywood "works" is spelled out clearly as the tables turn with secrets exposed that deep six Roz's television series. Oh Well.

 

As we are spun into what seems to be a happily dystopian future,  the issues of where Artificial Intelligence may be headed, especially with recent discussions regarding what Siri and her pals are up to, is chilling. In this future scenario,  the holodeck that entertains the denizens of more than one Star Trek series, the ability to interact with virtually any time, space or person  becomes Roz's final challenge as a writer.  "Have you been uploaded?" Vita (again Ms Mack), wants to know, sporting a great kiester in her 25 year old body. Immortality rocks!? 

 

Propaganda? Preaching to the world? To the choir?

Thomas Berger's "Regiment of Women" posits a world where women have risen to despotic ranks,   , of power, emulating the sterotypically gross male personae, while men are "assigned" to frills and makeup. What happens in this mildly pedantic theatre piece is for the audience to reckon a time when creativity and daring may begin to turn the tide.  Hello Ms Rhimes? Ms Campion? Tina Fey?

Will there be a time when men and women may stand on a level playing field? The good humor of Dement's characters and the lessons, especially from Theophanu (and interestingly, as well as from Kaya & Vita),   that victory may be reserved only for the truly bold. 

We all stand on the shoulders of others. Excellent performances by each actor (dare I say actress?) make the evening worth while. And, like it or not,  we still live in a patriarchy. 

 

In his Opening Night curtain speech, Artistic Director, Gary Grossman applauds, as does the audience, that this production, in development for many years, is produced in all aspects, by  women. A 'forty year marathon' has kept  The Skylight Theatre alive! with goals for forty more years. Right on !

If this show is any example of what strong and dedicated women can do, more power to the distaff. The characters in the 'present day' segment of the play are interesting stereotypes.  Recalcitrant and moody daughter, Thea, named for Tenth Century Theaphenu;  High Energy and crusty Mallory and Roz. the now modern and thoughtful and successful TV showrunner.  Toss in the next generation of successful and hard working women, Roz's excutive assistant Kaya, and we begin to see women responding with strength, as well as women reaching back to show appreciation.  

The next to final scene that spins us psychedelically into the future of being uploaded into a Cyberverse where one is happy all the time is so fraught with message that poor Roz, with the touch of a button, opts to fly  back, back, back to Gandersheim and the love of Berga with the presence of daughter, Thea,  to complete the circle game. 

I am often asked, "Was it a good show?"  

Please? Define good?  We have an excellent  set, lights and effects; erfect costumes; strong dedicated performances thanks to the keen eye of director Randee Trabitz.  The polemic of gender roles and sexual preference?  Clearly, politicized. Theme? What is the theme?  Shoot for the stars? There's no place like home:  Gandersheim? 

So? What good is, is relative.  

Should audiences plan a time to attend this production!?  Absolutely!  

Parking is a bitch, so plan ahead.  "...Gandersheim" is an excellent presentation of ideas that float  upon our patriarchal times with a message. Maybe this medium is the message?

 

Cast:

JAMEY HOOD as Roz
LAUREN GAW as Madlen/Thea  

CHARRELL MACK as Theophanu/Kaya/Vita
SHANNON HOLT as Berga/Mallory

Creative Team:
DeAnne Millais (Scenic Design)
Shannon Barondeau (Lighting/Video Design)
Mylette Nora (Costume Design)
Alma Reyes-Thomas (Sound Design)
 Joyce Hutter (Properties Manager)
Victoria Hoffman (Casting)
Cedes Sifuentes (Production Manager)

“No Place Like Gandersheim”
Written by Elizabeth Dement

 Directed by Randee Trabitz
Skylight Theatre, 

1816 ½ North Vermont, 

Los Angeles, CA 90027
Opening at 8:30pm on Saturday, May 20, 2023 with reception to follow
8:30pm Saturday, 3:00pm Sunday, 7:30pm Monday through June 25, 2023
(No performance on Monday, May 22, 29)

Tickets and information

(213) 761-7061or online at SkylightTix.org

THE BOOK OF WILL / A Noise Within Pasadena

Lauren Gunderson.'s "The Book of Will" at A Noise Within in Pasadena imagines a time that seems incredible to me. Fact is that this production shines almost like no other I've ever seen at the Pasadena venue.  The pristine space, the magnificent set by Frederica Nascimento; enhanced by Ken Booth's lights that almost become another character, make for a standing O for co-directors Geoff Elliott and  Julia Rodriguez-Elliott.  Simply put, it's a wonderful production.  Geoff has again cast himself in a lead, Business Manager of The King's Men, John Heminges. At counterpoint,  Jeremy Rabb plays the less practical  actor Henry Condell.   Heminges, the former actor, out of necessity has become the  company manager of the King's Men. He plays  antagonist to the idea (at first)  to save Shakespeare's ouevre.

From time to time I note that these reviews are about not only the production on the stage, but my entire experience.  During the first act of the play I wondered what the tiny crackling sound was that seemed to be coming from directly behind me? At the interval, I watched a young woman  folding what may have been miniature paper cranes.  Thankfully, crinkling origami did not ruin the performance  nor the beautifully staged choreography as the entire cast sets to: moving props and furniture  to and fro and all around "..this wooden O..."  And!? At the reception,  I served, former exectutive director of the National Repertory Theatre Foundation, Raul Espinoza, a little dumpling!! 

It's been  three years since the Shakespeare's death in 1616, Burbage (excellent Frederick Stuart) and Shakespeare's pals sit drinking in the Globe Tap House: watering hole for The King's Men. These are the actors who within them  reside every shade of Hamlet & Lear; Lady Macbeth & Juliet. Actors!

How the plays of William Shakespeare may have been collected and  saved from oblivion by true love tells the tale.  For scholars, jokes about Pericles abound. I had to look Pericles up.  Yikes!

In Jack Grapes's "Circle of Will" (1989) we examine a roundabout conundrum.  Will and his pal, Christopher Marlowe play an existential  motif.  Gunderson's "The Book of Will" is more practical. Where are the scripts?.. Some of them  are only in the memories of the actors who actually acted in the plays!  Who owns the rights to publish and to perform?? A folio?

Burbage, The Master Thespian, is ready to throttle the 'Boy Hamlet' (Kelvin Morales also rocking the clown:  Marcus!) who opens the show with an embarrassing recitation that will set on edge the teeth of any patrons even vaguely familiar with  Hamlet.  Ouch.. The now exuberant Burbage elevates the tavern with his rendition of To Be.. and Richard III and other familiar characters to spontaneous applause. 

Outstanding Kacey Mahaffy as Crane .. at first dismissed as a simple scribe, turns out to have the project well in hand, literally! showing up with pieces of almost all of the plays that must be preserved. "Love's Labors Lost" however, is lost. Paper is everywhere! Imagining scribes like Crane who hand copied oceans of text is overwhelming, let alone the task of setting into type the copious lines we have come to love these four hundred years later. 

Kelvin Morales, Jeremy Rabb, Geoff Elliott
Photo by Craig Schwartz

Almost everyone plays more than one character.  The women are all excellent.  Deborah Strang steadfast  as Rebecca, the wife of Hemenges (later Anne Hathaway).   Elegant Trish Miller plays Emilia Bassano Lanier (The Dark Lady and former lover of The Bard.)  

Dialed up to Eleven.. as maybe, he ought to be, new to the cast, Alex Morris as Ben Jonson: impatient, bombastic, drunken  Poet Laureate of England,  makes sure that he is heard!  

Angela Balogh Calin's gorgeous costumes  are.. well.. gorgeous! 

Not being prone to superlatives, this will be an exception with a call to see the play. Celebrate the 400th birthday of the First Folio!

CAST:

Henry Condell: Jeremy Rabb*
John Heminges: Geoff Elliott*
Richard Burbage/ William Jaggard / Horatio: Frederick Stuart*
Elizabeth Condell/Emilia Bassano Lanier/
Fruit Seller/Marcellus:  Trisha Miller*
Rebecca Heminges/Anne Hathaway Shakespeare: Deborah Strang*
Ralph Crane/Barman/Compositor/Francisco:  Kasey Mahaffy*
Alice Heminges/Susannah Shakespeare: Nicole Javier*
Ed Knight/Isaac Jaggard :Stanley Andrew Jackson*
Ben Jonson/Barman 2/Sir Edward Dering: Alex Morris*
Marcus/Boy Hamlet/Crier/Bernardo: Kelvin Morales 

Creative Team:

scenic designer Frederica Nascimento

 lighting designer Ken Booth

 sound designer Robert Oriol

 video designer Nicholas Santiago

 costume designer Angela Balogh Calin

 wig and make up designer Shelia Dorn

 dialect coach Andrea Odinov

dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad. 

rehearsal stage manager: Deena Tovar.

THE BOOK OF WILL

by Lauren Gunderson  

Co - directed by Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott

A Noise Within

3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances May 13–June 7
• Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.: May 10* ONLY (Preview)
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: May 11 (Preview); May 25; June 1 (dark May 18)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 12 (Preview); May 19**; May 26**; June 2**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 20; May 27; June 3 (no matinee on May 13)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 13 (Opening Night); May 20; May 27; June 3
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 7 (Preview); May 14; May 21**; May 28; June 4

**Post-performance conversations with the artists every Friday and on Sunday, May 21 (included in ticket price)

Tickets and Information:
www.anoisewithin.org
(626) 356-3100