Theater Reviews: Hot Pants, Cold Feet, Liberty Inn, Side by Side by Sondheim

Also, Rock 'n Ridicule, The Story of My Life, Tales of an Urban Indian and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Thursday, Mar 18 2010

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MEN OF TORTUGA Jason Wells' behind-the-scenes examination of a corporate assassination plot takes us into the executive suite (nicely detailed by set designer Sara Ryung Clement), where power brokers Jeff King (Alan Brooks) and Tom Avery (William Salyers) discuss with hired gun Taggart (Robert Pescovitz) the trajectory of a proposed bullet through a glass window, in forensics-level specifics. As their discussion, monitored by senior group member Kit Maxwell (Dana J. Kelly Jr.), continues, we come to learn of a business deal gone sour and of a revenge plot to rectify it. The spanner in the works, however, is Kit's decision to take young idealist Allan Fletcher (Michael Matthys) under his wing. The Bourne-style plot by this corporate cabal that begins promisingly in medias res at the top of the show unfortunately doesn't pay off as expected. Alexis Chamow's direction is partially responsible, as it lacks the dynamism and menacing energy necessary to create suspense, but Wells' writing, especially in the second scene, is equally weighed down by stretches of dialogue that stagnate in a discussion of ideas instead of a dramatic execution of them. The cast is capable, and Doug Newell's Mission Impossible–style music is a nice touch, but neither can rescue the interest of the audience, who end up being the plot's true victims. Carrie Hamilton Theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.; through March 28. (626) 356-7529. A Furious Theatre Company Production. (Mayank Keshaviah)

GO ROCK 'N RIDICULE The country might be flat broke 'n broken, but we have an embarrassment of riches in material for political and social satire, which this new show by Acme Comedy Theatre cleverly demonstrates. Howard Bennett and the four member Rock N' Ridicule Band are showstoppers, spinning off jazz, blues and R&B tunes with the utmost precision, and also providing some well-timed sound effects. Nicholas Zill's book and lyrics are equally impressive, as is the nine-member cast who prove themselves remarkably versatile under Robert Otey's direction. With few exceptions, the 24 skits are very funny, mixing song-and-dance routines that are humorously blended with just the right mix of physical comedy. No sacred cows here: El Presidente takes it on the chin more than a few times. "We Will Barack You" (sung to the tune of Queen's "We Will Rock You"), is a hilarious ditty performed by the entire company, while in "Barack A Bye Baby," the Commander In Chief (a hilarious Derek Reid, who also does a great take on Tiger Woods), is smitten with insomnia and resorts to some unusual remedies. Natascha Corrigan is a hoot in several turns as Sarah Palin, the funniest being a golf lesson she gets from Reid. Louie Sadd steals the show with his clueless stare, eyes-blinking, language-contorting take on (almost) everybody's favorite foil and punch line. George W. Acme Comedy Theatre 135 N. LaBrea Ave., L.A.; Sun., 8 p.m.; through April 25. (323) 525-0202. (Lovell Estell III)

PHOTO BY JOHN DEMITA

Liberty Inn

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SALAM SHALOM Saleem's story of a Palestinian PhD candidate housed with an Israeli graduate student at UCLA. Greenway Court Theater, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 & 7 p.m.; through April 16, SalamShalomThePlay.com. (323) 655-7679. See Theater feature.

GO SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM Stephen Sondheim has graced the musical theater landscape with wry urbanity for more than 50 years. This 1976 revue of the composer and lyricist's work will delight devotees and features songs from a vast cross section of his work, some familiar and some obscure, all rendered in fine fashion. Brian Shipper has designed an understated set consisting of a large, framed black-and-white photo of a Broadway venue, flanked by bar stools and two panels displaying a collage of smaller pictures of the Great White Way. Coupled with this small venue's intimacy, it creates a cabaret-style atmosphere that accents many of the songs' delicacies and of the composer's devilishly witty lyrics. Director Dane Whitlock has assembled a splendid quintet of performers (Jenny Ashman, Jennifer Blake, Joe Donohoe, Morgan Duke, Nick Sarando), who sing and dance their way through 30 of Sondheim's songs without one dropped note, sometimes prefacing the selections with interesting historical information about the productions. Also featured is music by Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers and Julie Styne, all of whom Sondheim collaborated with on many shows. (The songs are drawn from West Side Story, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Gypsy, Company, Sweeney Todd and others, as well as lesser-known productions like The Seven Percent Solution and Evening Primrose.) Musical Director Richard Berent provides stellar accompaniment on the piano. Attic Theatre and Film Center, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., L.A., Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through April 17. (323) 525-0661. (Lovell Estell III)

THE STORY OF MY LIFE Neil Bartram and Brian Hill's nostalgic musical about two childhood best friends, Alvin (Chad Borden) and Thomas (Robert J. Townsend), is set among packed bookshelves stretching nearly 15 feet high. They represent both the bookstore where Alvin spent his entire life and the memories the two boys made together — each typed, bound and filed away. On one occasion, Alvin urged Thomas to pick a memory and write it down; he did, and promptly left Alvin behind in their small, rural town for big-city fame. Now, Thomas is back in the bookstore/memory bank and pressed to write Alvin's eulogy, a grim task continually derailed by his former best friend's sunny ghost, who flits around forgivingly to remind him of moments that mattered — touchstones like snow angels, butterflies and It's a Wonderful Life, which were for them mutual obsessions and are for us heavy-handed metaphors. Directed by Nick DeGruccio, the likable production never gels; like the feckless Thomas, it never commits. Even postmortem, Alvin is so selflessly sweet that their seismic tensions register as inconsequential tremors. A few intense cheek kisses ask, "Were the lifelong bachelors in love love?" — a question this staging is unsure how to answer. Musical director Michael Paternostro guides the duo through an amiable evening of songs, the standouts being "1876" (Thomas' ode to his influence, Mark Twain), and "People Carry On" (Alvin's farewell to his dead mother's bathrobe and to the tangibles that slowly usurp the memories they represent, and the people who created them — not unlike the books of Tom Buderwitz's set.) Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood: Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through April 4. havoktheatre.com. (Amy Nicholson)