Steven Leigh MorrisHOW DO ACTORS DO IT? As told by Alan Mandell, who was among a dozen or so actors auditioning for the movie This Must Be the Place, starring Sean Penn. The role was for a man 94-years old. Mandell, being in his early 80s, was too young. His friend, Norman Lloyd, who is 96 was also rejected, but for being too old. Lloyd was reputed to have told them, “I can play younger.”
THE LOS ANGELES WOMEN'S THEATRE FESTIVAL is currently accepting submissions for 2011. Those interested in participating in the upcoming Festival may send a DVD of the exact and entire performance under consideration, along with an application. The submission deadline is August 31st. For more information and applications, please visit www.LAWTF.com or call (818) 760-0408.
Check back tomorrow for a listing of shows being reviewed over the weekend.
For COMPLETE THEATER LISTINGS, press the More tab directly below
COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS for August 20-26, 2010
Our critics are Pauline Amadek, Paul Birchall,
Lovell Estell III, Rebecca Haithcoat, Martin Hernandez, Mayank
Keshaviah, Deborah Klugman, Steven Leigh Morris, Amy Nicholson, Tom
Provenzano, Bill Raden, Luis Reyes, Sandra Ross and Neal Weaver. These
listings were compiled by Derek Thomas
Productions are sequenced alphabetically in the
following cagtegories: Opening This Week, Larger Theaters regionwide,
Smaller Theaters in Hollywood, Smaller Theaters in the valleys ,
Smaller Theaters on the Westside and in beach towns. You can also
search for any play by title, using your computer's search engine.
OPENING THIS WEEK
ELIZABETH SHAKESPEARE AND THE ASTUTE DETECTIVE
ABRAHAM Alan Ross' world premiere about who really wrote the Bard's
plays. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica; opens
Aug. 20; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; thru Sept. 26. (310) 394-9779.
GREATER TUNA Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed
Howard's small-town Texas comedy. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; opens Aug. 20; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30
p.m.; thru Sept. 25. (626) 256-3809.
LIFE OF EASE Phillip William Brock's story of an
Oklahoma grandmother and her grandson. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa
Monica Blvd., L.A.; Aug. 26-28, 8 p.m.; Wed., Sept. 1, 8 p.m.; Sat.,
Sept. 4, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 5, 2 p.m.; Thurs., Sept. 9, 8
p.m.; Sun., Sept. 12, 2 p.m.; Sept. 16-8, 8 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 18, 2
& 8 p.m.. (323) 882-6912.
MACBETH Zombie Joe's Underground presents
Shakespeare's tragedy. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North
Hollywood; opens Aug. 20; Fri., 11 p.m.; thru Sept. 10. (818) 202-4120.
MAPPING THE HEAVENS $5. Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 5919 Franklin Ave., L.A.; Mon., Aug. 23, 11 p.m.. (323) 908-8702.
OF GRAPES AND NUTS SeaGlass Theatre presents Doug
Armstrong, Keith Cooper and Tom Willmorth's Steinbeck parody. Victory
Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank; opens Aug. 20;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru Oct. 24. (818) 841-5421.
SAD HAPPY SUCKER Lee Kirk's absurdist study of
anxiety. Lyric-Hyperion Theater, 2106 Hyperion Ave., L.A.; opens Aug.
20; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 10,
sadhappysucker.com…
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Suzan-Lori Parks' dark comedy about
brotherly love and family identity. Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000
Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; opens Aug. 21; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3
p.m.; thru Sept. 18. (866) 811-4111.
A WITHER'S TALE Troubadour Theater Company mixes Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
with soulful tunes by Bill Withers. Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Dr.,
Burbank; opens Aug. 20; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru Sept. 26.
(818) 955-8101.
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN LARGER THEATERS REGIONWIDE
NEW REVIEW GO FREE MAN OF COLOR
Photo by Michael Lamont
A young, well-spoken and highly educated black
man is tapped to become the leader of a nation. But it's not who you
think. The year is 1828, the place is Athens, Ohio, and the man is John
Newton Templeton (Kareem Ferguson), a freed slave whose education is
facilitated by the Rev. Robert Wilson (Frank Ashmore). Wilson, a
strictly principled man, enrolls John in Ohio University. Wilson's
wife, Jane (Kathleen Mary Carthy), initially cold to Templeton when he
comes to live with them, softens over time; however, she plants doubts
in Templeton's head about Wilson's plan to make him the governor of
Liberia. Charles Smith's spare three-character study unfolds through
intimate moments and intellectual discourse, powerfully examining the
issues of its day, as well as questions surrounding citizenship and
belonging, which continue to occupy us. The dialogue is especially
refreshing for its crisp diction, for which the credit goes to both the
cast and director Dan Bonnell. The show also appeals visually, as David
Potts' set, consisting of stark silhouettes, brings to mind both the
popular 18th century portraiture and African woodcuts. Similarly, A.
Jeffrey Schoenberg's authentically plain costumes avoid the dual
pitfalls of theatrical period garb, which is often either too showy or
simply looks fake. The cast is stellar all around, taking us on a
journey that stresses the urgency of fulfilling the promises upon which
our country was built. The Colony Theater, 555 North Third St.,
Burbank; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.;
through September 12. (818) 558-7000, ext. 15; colonytheatre.org
(Mayank Keshaviah)
GRIFFITH PARK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Free performances of Much Ado About Nothing
by the Independent Shakespeare Co. Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs
Dr., L.A.; Thurs.-Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Aug. 29. (323) 913-4688.
HAMLET It's anyone's guess what vision might have
guided director Ellen Geer's fervent but unfocused, Medieval-dress
version of Shakespeare's most baroque and psychologically nuanced
tragedy. There's certainly little hint of the Oedipal undercurrents or
political allegorizing that have been a mainstay of 20th-century
productions. Nor is there much sign of the paralyzing conflict between
faith in purpose and intellectual certainty, which traditionally drives
its hero's famously agonized inaction. In the case of Mike Peebler's
Hamlet, neither his mission nor its justness ever seems in doubt;
Peebler attacks the role with the zeal and righteous wrath of the
recently converted. Even his soliloquies are delivered at the audience
as if from a pulpit. Gertrude (Melora Marshall) in turn appears more
pissed off at her son's increasingly antic disposition than aggrieved
by what it might imply about his sanity. Claudius (Aaron Hendry), by
contrast, comes off as positively good-natured, a guy caught with his
hand in the cookie jar rather than his fingerprints all over a
nefarious regicide. Willow Geer is convincing as a feisty yet
vulnerable Ophelia, though even here the method of her madness seems
more a response to the murder of Polonius (a very broad Carl Palmer)
than any jilting by Hamlet. Director Geer keeps it all moving at a fast
clip, but some exasperatingly eccentric blocking divides the focus of
too many critical turning points — most egregiously in the mousetrap
scene — all but obliterating their dramatic purpose. (Bill Raden).
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga;
Sat., Aug. 21, 4 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 28, 4 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m.;
Sun., Sept. 12, 3:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 18, 4 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 19, 3:30
p.m.; Sat., Sept. 25, 5 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 2, 4 p.m.. (310) 455-3723.
LIFE COULD BE A DREAM Writer-director Roger Bean's
doo-wop jukebox musical. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road,
Laguna Beach; Sat.-Sun., 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Tues.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; thru
Aug. 29. (949) 497-2787.
GO LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE Ilene
Beckerman's book, on which Delia Ephron and Nora Ephron based their
“intimate collection of stories,” is the kind you'd grab from the
display near the register at a Barnes and Nobles, to serve as a dressy
envelope for a birthday check to your goddaughter or an upgraded
Mother's Day card. But if the recipient read it instead of tossing in
onto a pile of similarly gifted minibooks, she'd find a classy little
number, a J. Peterman catalog minus the pretentiousness. With sparse
text and barebones sketches, Beckerman records her history through the
clothes she and her female relatives wore. Director Jenny Sullivan
constructs the stage version in much the same way: The star-studded
ensemble wears black (there's an ode to the color, every woman's old
faithful) while sitting in a straight line; and Carol Kane, who reads
as Beckerman, handles the main prop, a “closet” full of the book's
renderings situated on wire clothes hangers. But this is Nora Ephron,
and chumminess quickly trumps austerity. The scenes themselves are
ruminations on relationships thinly veiled as (mostly) funny riffs on
clothes — Tracee Ellis Ross almost runs away with the show every time
the spotlight's hers but particularly so with “The Shirt.” Kane, who
must be one of the most endearing actors ever, dances her monologues'
transitions so delicately and adroitly you can only marvel. There are a
couple of moments (“The Bathrobe,” “Brides”) during which all but those
with a particularly voracious emotional appetite will find themselves
choking on the syrup. Fortunately, though, the Ephron sisters have
nimbly stitched together the scenes so that there's far more head
nodding than eye rolling. (Rebecca Haithcoat). Geffen Playhouse, 10886
Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Fri., Sun., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8
p.m.; thru Aug. 28. (310) 208-5454.
MASTER CLASS Terrence McNally's story of opera diva
Maria Callas. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon
Blvd., Topanga; Sat., Aug. 21, 8 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Sat.,
Aug. 28, 8 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 4, 8 p.m.; Sat.,
Sept. 11, 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 25, 4 p.m..
(310) 455-3723.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM In rep with Hamlet.
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga;
Thurs., Aug. 26, 8 p.m.; Mon., Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 18, 8
p.m.. (310) 455-3723.
ON THE FRITZ: AN EVENING WITH FRITZ COLEMAN The KNBC
weatherman's comedic observations. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim
Blvd., North Hollywood; Through Aug. 21, 8 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 22, 2 p.m..
(818) 508-0281.
ON THE VERGE Eric Overmyer's story of three
“pre-feminists” on safari. Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St.,
Long Beach; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Sept. 18. (562)
494-1014.
GO THE RENDEZVOUS It's been nearly
20 years since New burlesque emerged from the cauldron of the L.A. and
New York underground rock and dance-club scenes, which now makes it old
enough to be a freshman in women's studies at UCLA and NYU. Director,
choreographer, show creator and lead dancer, Lindsley Allen (Pussycat
Dolls) gives an eye-popping, postgraduate demonstration of the nouvelle
bump and grind as she leads her faculty of Cherry Boom Boom dancers
through a raucous evening of retro-themed, terpsichorean tease. And
what's not to like about sitting in a Hollywood Boulevard nightclub and
watching a chorus of sexy women dressed to the nines in the fetishistic
camp of skimpy, Anne Closs-Farley costumes, while lip-synching,
shimmying and shaking for 75 minutes to rock & roll and exotica
classics on designer Francois-Pierre Couture's seamy-noir set? Extra
credit goes to Kelleia Sheerin's sleight-of-hips strip while gyrating
inside a Hula-hoop; Ruthy Inchaustegui's gravity-defying, aerial sling
dance; and Sharon Ferguson leading a line of corseted dominatrixes
through a B&D whip number, fittingly set to the Cramps' “Queen of
Pain.” Ferguson doubles as the evening's breezy, Texas Guinan-esque
emcee, while Angela Berliner and Brian Kimmet do exemplary narrative
duty in an engaging, bad-date comedy pantomime threaded between the
dance numbers. David Robbins' high-decibel sound and Sean Forrester's
kinetic lights set an appropriately louche, red-light mood. (Bill
Raden). King King, 6555 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Last Thursday of every
month, 9 p.m.; thru Dec. 30. (323) 960-9234.
SMOKE & MIRRORS Will Osborne and Anthony
Herrera's mystery, set on a desert island filming location. Long Beach
Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2
p.m.; thru Aug. 28. (562) 494-1014.
SPEAK OF ME AS I AM It's easy to understand why
singers and dramatic artists would want to portray the legendary Paul
Robeson. Actor, athlete, intellect and man of principle, Robeson
fearlessly battled for justice — and paid the price. This solo show,
featuring opera baritone KB Solomon, meshes some of the highlights of
Robeson's life with renditions of the songs (“Old Man River,” “Going
Home”) for which he's most famous. The (uncredited) script relays
information about Robeson's life in no particular order but repeatedly
returns to his battle with HUAC's hearings and their painful aftermath.
Directed by Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter, Solomon (whose bio lists music
credits but no acting) spins an expository monologue that remains on
the surface and seems most suitable for youthful audiences unfamiliar
with the material. Designer Michael Boucher has crafted a low-budget
but attractive set, and Joyce S. Long's lighting adds professional
sheen. (Deborah Klugman). Barnsdall Gallery Theater, 4800 Hollywood
Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; Through Sept. 5.; thru
Aug. 29. (323) 960-5772.
THE THREE MUSKATEERS Alexandre Dumas' swashbuckler. Will Geer
Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; Fri., 8
p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 26, 7:30
p.m.; Sun., Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m.; thru Sept. 24. (310) 455-3723.
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN HOLLYWOOD, WEST HOLLYWOOD AND THE DOWNTOWN AREAS
AS THE GLOBE WARMS Solo performer Heather Woodbury creates elaborate worlds. For her performance What Ever,
Woodbury elasticized herself into 100 characters for a sprawling
American epic. This follow-up is a semi-political soap opera that will
run a new installment every weekend for three months, and, gauging by
its launch, Woodbury's interested in charting the rise and fall of the
artistic class and the crystallization of the divide between the two
Americas. On the 4th of July 1985, a cowed girl picks up a video camera
and discovers she's an artist; 25 years later, she's dead and her
brother is attempting to describe her archive of tapes to a barbecue of
gentrified Californian creatives who deign to do their own sculpting
rather than hiring interns for the “dirty” work. On the other coast, a
preacher, his shrewish Tea Party wife and their daydreamy teen daughter
fret about the BP oil spill and a species of endangered frogs that
might prevent them from expanding their church's parking lot. Woodbury
has little patience for both blues and reds and loves to skewer the of
hypocrisies of both camps. To help her stay true to her own voice, she
could use a director (none is credited) to help her shape and simplify
her frantic character changes; she has a capable range of accents but
spends scenes shifting wildly around in her chair to make sure we're
following who's who. Besides the chair, the only prop onstage is a
handycam that records each episode for the internet and streams it live
on a screen against the wall. It's unclear yet if the distraction will
prove purposeful, but what's certain from the starting gate is that the
enthusiastic Woodbury has energy for miles (and months). (Amy
Nicholson). Echo Curio, 1519 Sunset Blvd., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; thru
Oct. 2. (213) 977-1279.
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT SUNDAY Jordan Black directs
the Groundlings Sunday Company. Groundling Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave.,
L.A.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.. (323) 934-9700.
CHESS IN CONCERT Music by Benny Anderrson and Bjorn
Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice. MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., L.A.;
Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 29. (323) 960-7735.
EAT THE RUNT A satirical comedy written by Avery
Crozier, where office politics, sexual harassment, religion, political
correctness, and societal and cultural norms are all up for grabs. In
each performance audiences decide what roles the actors will play.
Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., L.A.; Tues.-Thurs..; thru
Sept. 9. (323) 856-8611.
THE EINSTEIN PROJECT Paul d'Andrea and Jon Klein's atomic bomb play. Plus: The Face of Jizo
by Hisashi Inoue. Junction Theatre, Barbarella Neighborhood Bar &
Kitchen, 2609 N. Hyperion Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.;
thru Sept. 4, brownpapertickets.com…
ELEVATOR Michael Leoni's story of seven strangers
stuck in a lift. Hudson Guild Theater, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.;
Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 & 7 p.m.; thru Aug. 22,
plays411.com/elevator. (323) 960-7787.
NEW REVIEW THE EXERCISE
Photo by Wynsolo Photography
Lewis John Carlino's 1968 play centers on a series of
improvisations, conducted by the Actor (Daniel LaPratt, alternating
with Keith Wyffels) and the Actress (Anadel Baughn, alternating with
Susan Hanfield) in an attempt to solve some troubling acting problems.
Initially, it seems they're only casual acquaintances, but as they
work, it becomes clear that they have had a traumatic personal
relationship. Soon, they are at loggerheads in an age-old conflict:
He's concerned with simulating emotion to show the audience, while she
wants to use her acting to explore her own identity and achieve
gut-level emotional truth. He regards her as a self-indulgent emotional
masturbator, and she sees him as a coward who can never allow himself
to lose control. Eventually, she challenges him to meet her on her
terms. Though the premise is a fascinating one, the production doesn't
always work. Baughn is constantly convincing, but it's not until Act 2
that LaPratt achieves the same emotional conviction. And there's
something murky here, whether it's inherent in the script or due to a
lack of clarity in director Kenn Schmidt's production. Nevertheless,
the piece is always interesting to watch, and there's excellent work
from both actors. The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m.; indef. (323) 960-7724,
plays411.com/theexercise. (Neal Weaver)
FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS Schedule at
openfist.org. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Through
Sept. 18. (323) 882-6912.
NEW REVIEW FLAT In a tween's world, having or not having breasts is usually the
first experience of the grass being greener. For every generously
gifted fifth grader covertly and desperately binding her rapidly
blooming chest with an Ace bandage, there's a Judy Blume character
begging God for “something” to fill her training bra. Ellen Clifford
never received that something. Heavily influenced by Eve Ensler's The
Vagina Monologues, Clifford's autobiographical show recounts past and
present episodes, most of which gleefully celebrate her breasts, or
lack thereof. The problems arise less from the subject matter — several
of the monologues could run as essays on the popular sort-of feminist
Web site, Jezebel — than with the adolescent-awkward construction and
execution. She employs accents where none are needed (the “these my ho
boots” bit, confusing in that it's supposed to introduce her struggle
with anorexia, is especially cringe-inducing, bordering on offensive)
and interacts with the audience by passing around the gel inserts from
her push-up bra. Given that this is a show about, well, her, Clifford
seems surprisingly uncomfortable throughout the performance, which is
exacerbated by a clenched-teeth gaiety. Neither do the two unnecessary
performers accompanying her — the precise, talented mime, Mitchel
Evans, and director Lora Ivanova, who only serve to slow the
already-bumpy pace — benefit her. Though some refreshing confessionals
(“I'm a terrible Dolly Parton impersonator,” she says after
lip-synching “9 to 5”) provide a smile here and there, ultimately the
show feels as artificial as a boob job. The Black Box Theater, 12420
Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through August 28. (310)
622-4482. (Rebecca Haithcoat)
GO FOUR PLACES The family outing on
display in Joel Drake Johnson's unsettling comedy resembles a gathering
of ornery, wounded jackals. Siblings Warren (Tim Bagley) and Ellen
(Roxanne Hart) motor to their parents' Chicago home to take their
diminutive, gray-haired mother Peggy (Anne Gee Byrd) out for a what is
presumably a pleasant lunch. At first blush, this seems innocent
enough, but something about Ellen's painful, labored smile as she hugs
the wheel, and Warren's cold, mummified expression, suggest that
something is amiss. It isn't long before the moral underbelly of this
clan emerges along with some ugly revelations. Mom's harmless exterior
drips away with each rum and Coke she knocks back (and every trip to
the bathroom, where she pees blood), and there emerges a subtly vicious
female, a practiced manipulator who delights in tormenting her children
with reminders of their lacerating miseries and failures. But an even
darker secret surfaces concerning Peggy's alcoholic, invalid husband
(who never appears onstage but is a towering presence, nevertheless),
and rumors that she is abusing, and even attempting to murder him. The
manner in which Drake tells this story — blending humor and stark
ugliness, while exploring themes of sibling rivalry, marital infidelity
and even euthanasia — is thoroughly engaging and held in sharp balance
by director Robin Larsen. The characters are fully fleshed out, both in
the writing and the performances, as disturbing for their and their
vulnerabilities as for their anger. Rounding out a superb cast is Lisa
Rothschiller. (Lovell Estell III)., (323) 960-4424. Theatre/Theater,
5041 Pico Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.;
thru Aug. 29. (323) 422-6361.
NEW REVIEW THE GOOD NEGRO
Photo courtesy of the Stella Adler Theatre
A black minister (Phrederic Semaj) stands at his
pulpit, exhorting his congregation to fight racial injustice. A member
of a “citizen's patrol” (Brian E. Smith) brutally beats a black woman
(Theresa Deveaux) for taking her child into the whites-only restroom.
These opening scenes in playwright Tracey Scott Wilson's fictionalized
account of the early civil rights movement are among its most
effective. Williams strives to bring the pages of history into human
focus by portraying the infighting among a group of activists
struggling to organize nonviolent protest in Selma, Alabama, in 1963.
At the center of the effort is the minister, James Lawrence, a
committed and charismatic leader with a beautiful, devoted wife (Numa
Perrier) — and an adulterous penchant for pretty women. Spied upon by
the FBI, the organization is also hampered by contentiousness within
its ranks, with Lawrence's fiery second-in-command (Damon Christopher)
and a new tactical organizer from out of state (Austen Jaye) at each
others' throats. While the play offers a compelling reminder of the
vicious racism in our not-so-distant past, the script's docudrama
flavor and uncomplicated characters require much finessing on the part
of the ensemble. Under Sam Nickens' direction, that hasn't yet
happened, with performances, on opening night, ranging from serviceable
to over-the-top. The exceptions include Perrier, intense and authentic
as Lawrence's betrayed wife; and Deveaux, whose character suffers great
personal loss, and whose portrayal of sorrow ably brings home the
tragedy of events. Stella Adler Theater, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.;
Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m., through September 19. (323)
960-1054,plays411/com/good negro. Upward Bound Productions (Deborah
Klugman)
NEW REVIEW GROUNDLINGS RIVER ADVENTURE
Photo by Shawn Bishop
Despite evidence of comic timing, this
Groundlings sketch comedy-improv show lacks the kind of comedic
distinction that has made the troupe's reputation. Directed by Damon
Jones, this outing is a tepid series of scripted sketches, broken up by
four improvised sequences where an emcee calls on the crowd for cues.
Early on, the audience seemed predisposed to have a good time, judging
by the hysterical laughter that seemed disproportionate to the comic
stylings onstage. Half-baked routines included a sketch depicting a
daffy Stephenie Meyers in drag, which poked fun at the popular author
and her fans, and a familiar bit involving couples playing a guessing
game called “Taboo.” A three-piece band kept the mood vibrant by
playing during the interludes, while the cast slipped into yet another
fright wig or costume. But as the evening wore on, the long musical
breaks between routines provided useful opportunities for people to
check their devices. By the third improv sequence, the emcee was
fielding facetious suggestions from the audience. That, disassembling
improvs, plus some lazy writing, made for a disappointing night.
Groundling Theatre, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.: Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat.,
10 p.m.; through October 2. (323) 934-4747. groundlings.com (Pauline
Adamek)
THE HAPPY HAPPY SHOW April Hava Shenkman hosts this
anything-goes comedy cabaret., free. El Cid, 4212 Sunset Blvd., L.A.;
Thurs., 8 p.m.. (323) 668-0318.
I'M NOT HERE ANYMORE W. Colin McKay has cast his
play in the form of a mystery. Josh (Dayton Knoll) is a former GI who
has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and suffers from
combat trauma upon his return home. He has frightening flashbacks,
which can drive him to violence, and he's haunted by two people (or are
they hallucinations?) from his time in the Gulf. Kim (Casey Fitzgerald)
is a girl who was killed by a roadside bomb, and Eddie (Sal Landi) is
his former buddy, whom he believes aims to kill him if he reveals dark
secrets about his time in the combat zone. There are also two doctors,
Mel (Brian Connors) and David (Dig Wayne), who are at odds about Josh's
treatment. But there are too many mysteries, and too few reliable
“facts” for us to know precisely what's going on. Josh is clearly an
unreliable narrator, the two ghosts/hallucinations have agendas of
their own, and so perhaps do the doctors. We can never be certain
whether Josh is dogged by psychotic fantasies, or telling uncomfortable
truths the army wants to keep under wraps by committing him to a mental
hospital. Good work from the actors and director Al Bonadies, but the
script is perplexing. (Neal Weaver). Pan Andreas Theater, 5125 Melrose
Ave., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 28. 323-468-8062.
JEWTOPIA Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson's story of two
single men: a gentile obsessed with dating Jewish women and a Jew
obsessed with dating gentile girls. Greenway Court Theater, 544 N.
Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3:30
p.m.; thru Sept. 19. (323) 655-7679.
KARMA, THE MUSICAL “The '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s
flash by as an older woman travels back in time to stop her younger
self from making the stupid mistakes that have ruined her life,” by
Susan C. Hunter and Les Oreck. Write Act Theater, 6128 Yucca St., L.A.;
Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 28. (323) 469-3113.
KEEP IT CLEAN Comedy Hosted by JC Coccoli., free.
1739 Public House, 1739 N. Vermont Ave., L.A.; Mon., 9:30 p.m.. (323)
663-1739.
LA TOOL & DIE: LIVE! Stage version of Sean
Abley's 1970s gay porn film. Celebration Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica
Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 10:30 p.m.; thru Sept. 11. (323) 957-1884.
LIVE NUDE BECKETT First off, an answer to the
obvious question raised by directors Harry Kakatsakis and Jordan Davis'
provocative title: Yes, the six-member cast in this selection of short
works by Samuel Beckett are costumed solely in their birthday suits —
that is if you don't count production designer Gary Klavans'
Day-Glo-painted stripes and masks that, under technical director Zane
Cooper's all-ultraviolet lighting, gives the actors the appearance of
wearing garishly fluorescing and (alas!) opaque, stick-figure body
suits. From the program notes, the nudity conceit seems to be nothing
more than a punning afterthought, arising from the production's aim of
“stripping” the pieces “to their 'bare' essence.” While such extreme
departures from the exacting intentions of a playwright so notorious
for being fastidiously protective of his work might seem a sacrilege to
some, the true disservice here is to the ensemble. Such dim and
distorting black light obscures too much of the actors' expressive
faculties, particularly in the evening's mime pieces, in effect forcing
them literally to work in the dark. Still, even in such brutalized
Beckett, occasional glimpses of the maestro's mordant wit and eloquent
anguish shine through, especially via Davis and Amy McKenzie, who give
tantalizing hints of the Beckettian voice both in 1975's Footfalls, as well as (with Natalie Rose) in the 1966, three-character “dramaticule,” Come and Go.
(Bill Raden). Next Stage Theater, 1523 N. La Brea Ave., Second Floor,
L.A.; Sat., 9:45 p.m.; thru Aug. 21. (917) 340-5895 or (818) 720-9651.
MARY LYNN SPREADS HER LEGS Writer-performer Mary
Lynn Rajskub cruises the low road in this raunchy obstreperous
one-woman show about childbirth and motherhood, directed and developed
by Amit Ittelman. Adopting a pugnacious in-your-face persona at the
top, the performer first describes — then graphically illustrates —
how she abandoned her intellectual self to metamorphose into a
fun-loving hottie. An unexpected pregnancy alters her life — though
not her smug irreverence leveled nonstop at doctors, midwives, family
members, producers and fans (all of whom she portrays). When her
colicky child (also depicted by Rajskub) refuses her milk, she's filled
with fantasies of infanticide. Straddling standup, Rajskub's
performance contains a humor that hits home with a strata of her
audience, while irritating or offending others. Her skills are without
question: the expressiveness of her body language or the split-second
changes in countenance convey a shift from one character to the next.
Notwithstanding these qualities and some entertaining moments, there's
not much that's witty or insightful or ribald about this material. It
would be helpful if there were some likable character or sentiment to
counterbalance the story's bitter, hollow message. (Deborah Klugman).,
$20. Steve Allen Theater, at the Center for Inquiry-West, 4773
Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 30. (323) 666-4268.
GO MEDEA Euripides' tragedy
concerning a betrayed woman and her monstrous revenge remains a
timeless examination of humanity's struggle with its darker, primal
urges. With the exception of a misstep at play's end, Travis Terry
brilliantly directs a superb cast, relocating the story to a
contemporary lunatic-asylum setting. The text reveals a few
contemporary words — and ,i>trash — while preserving the antique
language that's so rich with imagery and passion. Adalgiza Chermountd's
Medea is first heard wailing from behind a white paper wall, part of
designer Dionne Poindexter's central set piece of Medea's quarters,
which rotates with ease. “Whipping her grief-tormented heart into a
fury,” Chermountd has a disheveled yet formidable presence, and her
multihued interpretation ranges from coherent and ferocious to
deranged. Her unspeakable deed is chillingly depicted. Commenting in
unison, the chorus of young girl (Shaina Vorspan), mother (Lauren
Wells) and grandmother (Karen Richter) double as asylum orderlies, with
Shaina Vorspan giving an especially expressive performance. There are
some welcome moments of levity in R. Benito Cardenas' playful
interpretation of Aegeus, one of Medea's fellow lunatics. A highlight
is the scene when Medea's duplicitous ex-husband, Jason (Max Horner),
attempts to “correct her exaggeration” with his version of events.
Aside from a tacked-on happy ending that feels utterly false, this
unpretentious production holds many rewards. (Pauline Adamek).
Knightsbridge Theater, 1944 Riverside Dr., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;
Sun., 6 p.m.; thru Aug. 29. (323) 667-0955.
MOTHER Mary-Beth Manning's one-woman show about a
complex mother/daughter relationship. Elephant Theatre Lab, 1078 Lilian
Way, L.A.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 12. (323) 960-7714.
GO THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP It's
been 18 years since this manor mystery was the No. 1-produced play in
America, and it hasn't worn out its welcome. In a dreary, rural house,
the widowed master (Kevin Remington) has brought home a bride (Michael
Lorre), a tremulous blond actress who might not have the wits to
survive the local vampires and werewolves (or the grudging maid and
infatuated stable boy). Charles Ludlam's fleet-footed thriller comedy
is in the key of camp, but this production tampers down the winks and
nudges, staging it as an exercise in theatrical imagination. Lorre's
sparse set design is a model of how to turn a small budget into an
asset. The furniture and decorations are drawn with thin, white lines
on flat, black-painted wood, and the actors set the tone by first
finishing the final touches with chalk. Irma Vep is always staged as a
play for two performers, and Remington and Lorre (who also directs) are
great sports, changing from a bumpkin with a wooden leg to a
bare-breasted Egyptian princess in less time than it takes to tie your
shoes. The actors' physicality is great, but dresser Henry Senecal and
stage manager Akemi Okamura also take deserved bows at the end. (Amy
Nicholson). SPACE916, 916 N. Formosa Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;
Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Sept. 4. (323) 667-1304.
NOT ABOUT HEROES Playwright Stephen MacDonald's 1982
drama about the World War I friendship between British poets Siegfried
Sassoon and Wilfred Owen is an Anglophile's orgy of poetry and irony.
The stage simmers with repressed sexuality and doomed talent — chilled
with that stiff upper lippiness that has boys quoting poetry as they
march off to get slaughtered in the Somme. In 1917, at the Scottish
mental hospital where they have both been committed for shell shock,
wide-eyed novice poet Owen (Robert Hardin) nervously approaches his
idol, celebrated war bard Sassoon (Josh Mann), to ask for his autograph
and to get his opinion of his own verses about the horrors of WWI. The
two men kindle a warm mentor-prodigy relationship that stops an inch
short of a lip-lock — and, even though they never declare their
obvious romantic love, Sassoon is left bereft after Owen returns to his
unit and dies pointlessly in the trenches. MacDonald's drama is
incredibly well-researched — some might say overresearched, as the
piece strives to shoehorn into the text almost every single fact about
its subjects' lives. Yet, director Bill Hemmer's elegant if unevenly
paced production limns the shifting power dynamic between the two
poets, as well as offers a compelling portrait of a war that literally
crushed a whole generation of young men into the mud. Hardin's
delightfully boyish Owen matures and become ravaged by the conflict,
before our eyes — while Mann's subtly arch turn as Sassoon belies the
affection for his prodigy lurking below the surface of his snarky
ironic exterior. Although the play is ultimately perilously overwritten
and a bit static, the production itself recalls the mood and tone of
those fringe British dramas that are frequently staged in the backrooms
of London pubs, in which nothing ever seems more crucial than art and
beauty. (Paul Birchall). Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Aug. 22, plays411.com/heroes.
(323) 960-7744.
GO OPUS Because classical music can
be such a sublime art form, one tends to regard those musicians as
inhabiting a more celestial sphere than the rest of us. Playwright and
classically trained violist Michael Hollinger confutes that notion with
this percipient drama, which examines the political and emotional
fracas within a string quartet. In Hollinger's canny script, the
tensions generated among members of a prominent musical group have been
exacerbated by an affair between two of them: Elliot (Christian
Lebano), a domineering egotist with little tolerance for opposition;
and Dorian (Daniel Blinkoff), a supersensitive artist with a history of
emotional problems. When Dorian up and quits prior to a prestigious gig
at the White House, he is replaced by Grace (Jia Doughman), a
conscientious novice with tremendous talent and the inner aplomb to
withstand Elliot's needling and increasingly truculent demands.
Directed by Simon Levy, the drama begins with a studied manner before
launching into full dynamism, as the particulars of the players'
dilemmas and entanglements come into focus. In a solid ensemble,
Doughman is noteworthy for her character's impeccable truth; likewise
Cooper Thornton is highly effective as Alan, the down-to-earth second
violinist who reacts with growing consternation and dismay to
snowballing events. The performers mime their concerts in admirable
sync (sound design is by Peter Bayne, with input from musical advisers
Roy Tanabe and Larry Sonderling). Complemented by designer Ken Booth's
lighting, Frederica Nascimento's backdrop, with its cubes in autumnal
colors, seems reflective of the quartet's rich but cloistered world.
(Deborah Klugman). Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A.;
Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Sept. 26. (323) 663-1525.
NEW REVIEW GO PARASITE DRAG As screwed-up families go, the one on exhibit in
Mark Roberts' ultra-dark comedy makes a serious run for the top prize.
The first glimpse of Gene (Robert Foster) reveals a sullen man hunched
over a kitchen table, with an ice pad on his eye, as he nurses a shiner
he got from his wife, Joellen (Mim Drew); she sits, staring out of the
door, wryly commenting on the impending tornado about to strike their
tiny Midwestern town. Eight years without sex, and trapped in a
loveless marriage, they are bonded only by the conventions of
small-town propriety, shallow pretense and Gene's fanatical Christian
beliefs. The real twister, however, comes in the form of Gene's
boorish, foul-mouthed brother, Ronnie (the outstanding Boyd Kestner),
and his countrified wife, Susie (Agatha Nowicki), who drop in
unexpectedly. Apparent from the outset is the seething resentment
between Gene and Ronnie, which Roberts' fine script slowly heats to
critical mass, uncovering a dark undercurrent of shared emotional and
psychological mutilation. Sordid revelations emerge about the family's
troubled past, their mother's bloody suicide and the sexual molestation
of a drug-abusing sister, who is now dying of AIDS in a hospital. The
final plot turn is raw and dirty. Notwithstanding the play's bleak
tapestry, Roberts instills plenty of comic relief into his writing. The
characters are well sketched and without a trace or urbanity. David
Fofi delivers spot-on direction and draws very good performances from
his cast, particularly Nowicki, who artfully blends Southern charm and
simplicity with trailer-trash attitude. Elephant Theatre Company, 6322
Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat, 8 p.m.; through September 18.
(213) 614-0556. (Lovell Estell III)
GO POINT BREAK LIVE! Jaime
Keeling's merciless skewering of the 1991 hyper-action flick starring
Keanu Reeves and Gary Busey is loaded with laughs, as well as
surprises, like picking an audience member to play Reeves' role of
Special Agent Johnny Utah. It's damn good fun, cleverly staged by
directors Eve Hars, Thomas Blake and George Spielvogel. (LE3).
Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Fri., 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 8
p.m.. (866) 811-4111.
REDHEAD CUBAN HOUSEFRAU HUSBAND Lucille Ball and
Desi Arnaz were pioneer celebrities who set the standard for clean,
white-bread television comedy. They also were one of Hollywood's
original power couples amassing a fortune from ownership of their own
studios. But in his self-described musical homage to the I Love Lucy
show, writer-director Fletcher Rhoden falls short of telling their
story or of telling any story that's the least bit compelling. The
herky-jerky script contains no semblance of narrative cohesiveness or
flow, though it comes spiced here and there with historic details about
Ms. Ball's life. Performer Joan Elizabeth Kennedy fails to channel Lucy
convincingly, and is consistent only in singing off-key. Ditto for
Derek Rubiano, whose Cuban accent wobbles in a remedial performance.
Rhoden's music and lyrics are competent though without a hint of any
Latin-American origins or influence in the music. Rhoden's direction
does little to shore up the holes in his script. Jodi Skeris and
Michael Anthony Nozzi are presumably standing in for other actors as
the zany neighbors, but that's hard to tell from the program. (Lovell
Estell III). Mount Hollywood Theater, 4607 Prospect Ave., L.A.;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Sept. 4. (323) 667-9113.
SEX, RELATIONSHIP AND SOMETIMES . . . LOVE
Monologues on all of the above, by Joelle Arqueros. Renegade Theatre
(formerly the Actor's Playpen), 1514 N. Gardner St., L.A.; Sun., 6,
7:30 & 9 p.m.; thru Sept. 26. (323) 769-5566.
SHAKE A man named Bill (Jo Egender) and his ex,
Peggy (Alina Phelan), stand eight uneasy feet apart after a chance
encounter in a park. She's homeless; he's a lapsed alcoholic. What
turned their love upside-down? Joshua Fardon's chronological play ticks
backward every month for a year, from August 2002 to September 10,
2001, and unpacks the affairs and betrayals and guilts sprung from
strangers named Matt (Troy Blendell), Julia (Michelle Gardner) and
Robin (Bridgette Campbell). The mystery comes in the reverse momentum.
Told forward, it's a soap opera — going back, a parlor game. We know
this drama traces back to the fall of the towers, but when we get
there, we realize Bill and Peggy's relationship was already headed to
destruction — 9/11 simply changed the route. More catastrophic is the
entrance of Claire (Hiwa Bourne), a femme fatale who uses the disaster
for her own ends, though even she, too, is scrabbling for a purpose.
Kiff Scholl's direction knows that with every scene, the characters
know less and hope more. Under his guidance, Phelan's New York naif is
especially heartbreaking. She's a girl with simple dreams, and within
the year, even those are impossibly far away. (Amy Nicholson). Theatre
of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.;
thru Sept. 5. (323) 856-8611.
SIT 'N' SPIN Storytelling by Jill Soloway, Maggie
Rowe, Jaclyn Lafer and assorted guests of varying hilarity;
www.sitnspin.org., free. COMEDY CENTRAL STAGE, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd.,
L.A.; Every other Thursday, 8 p.m.. (323) 960-5519.
SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT About! $20, seniors $15,
children under 2 free. Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St.,
L.A.; Sat.-Sun., 2:30 p.m.; Tues.-Fri., 10:30 a.m.; thru Sept. 26.
(213) 250-9995.
STILL STANDING Playwright Shyla Martin sets out to
tell the tale of Laura (Venessa Peruda), a Los Angeles woman who
discovers a startling letter while sorting through the belongings of
her deceased father. In it, the writer, Celeste Ellis (Monique
McIntyre), informs Dad that she has borne him a daughter, and asks for
child support. Laura is thunderstruck to discover that she has a
half-sister. Her Aunt Sarah (Eileen T'Kaye) urges her to go to
Katrina-ravaged New Orleans to track down the mysterious sister. But
the meeting with that sister, Tracey (Nichelle Hines), proves awkward
because, though both women had white fathers and African-American
mothers, Laura is ostensibly white and Tracey is recognizably black.
When the two women eventually form a bond, it's threatened by
unforeseen events. The story is potentially interesting, but Martin's
naive dramaturgy dilutes its power. Many short scenes, in different
locales, make for long, debilitating scene changes; plot details emerge
in haphazard, confusing fashion; and there are red herrings: Tracey's
brother (Rondrell McCormick) elaborately hides a mysterious packet,
which is never explained or referred to again. Director Nick Mills has
assembled a capable cast, but the play's fragmentary scenes and
shifting focus defuse their efforts. (Neal Weaver). Theatre Asylum,
6320 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sun..; thru Sept. 12. (323)
960-7863.
GO STREEP TEASE “Meryl Streep, gay
icon?” I asked Google. She's no Judy Garland, but enough affirmative
results returned that, when considered alongside creator Roy Cruz's
all-male review of some of Streep's finest screen scenes, she seems
well on her way. In her roles, she's checked off, among others, driven
activist, “guilty-until-proven-innocent” outsider, and frost-bitten
bitch. In her “real” life, she's eschewed ascribing to Hollywood's
rigid standards of beauty, becoming successful on her own terms. Cruz
and director Ezra Weisz have constructed a well-structured, tight show
that's over almost before you want it to be, even though the theater is
stuffy to the point of sweaty (further proof of their sense of humor —
hand-held fans emblazoned with Streep's face are given as trivia
prizes). In case you lack an “inner Streep,” Cruz prefaces each
monologue with a synopsis of the movie. Mimicking the Academy Awards'
setup, a swell of music sweeps the performer down the aisle and up the
stage, and he poses dramatically as the lights fade. Since the cast
chose their own pieces, they're all well reenacted; naming a favorite
is really more about your own favorite “Meryl moment.” That said, Trent
Walker's scene from Silkwood is white-trashtastic; and Taylor Negron's from Sophie's Choice
coalesces the audience into one being, collectively holding our breaths
and back our tears. The show's great affection for the un-diva is best
revealed in its gentle ribbing, though: Mike Rose's re-creation of a
scene from The River Wild should be included if Ms. Streep
ever gets a roast. (Rebecca Haithcoat). BANG, 457 N. Fairfax Ave.,
L.A.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.; thru Aug. 29. (323) 653-6886.
A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT “Inspired by William Shakespeare's Macbeth.” Presented by Psittacus Productions. Son of Semele, 3301 Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Aug. 29…
[TITLE OF SHOW] “Musical about making a musical.”
Music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, book by Hunter Bell. Celebration
Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3
p.m.; thru Sept. 5. (323) 957-1884.
GO TOPDOG/UNDERDDOG Lincoln and
Booth are bizarre monikers for a pair of siblings. In this solid
revival of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, capably
directed by Martin Papazian, names aren't the only ironic peculiarity
here. Lincoln (A.K Murtadha) and Booth (M.D. Walton) are
African-Americans, named by a neglectful, long-gone father as a joke;
they now cling to one another for survival yet harbor volcanic
resentments toward each other. The play's potency lies in this
attraction-repulsion dynamic and the resultant venomous acrimony, which
Parks so neatly dissects. Lincoln, the oldest, is kicked out by his
wife and forced to move into Booth's sleazy, trash-strewn apartment.
Life isn't unbearably wretched for him; he has a “real” job as an
arcade attraction playing the Great Emancipator — complete with
whiteface, fake beard, stovepipe and trashy overcoat — while patrons
shoot him for recreation. Once a master of the three-card monte street
hustle, he now salves what's left of his dignity with false hopes and
Jack Daniels. His pistol-packing brother, however, dreams of being the
ultimate monte player, seeing the game as his ticket out of poverty and
an affirmation of his manhood. Parks sketches an ugly portrait of
thwarted urban life, sibling rivalry and crippling self-delusion.
Though not much happens in this two-hour comedy, the writing is
thoroughly engaging. Yet it's Walton and Murtadha's rugged, emotionally
charged performances that work the magic. (Lovell Estell III). Lillian
Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2
& 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 12. (323) 960-7719.
GO A WOLF INSIDE THE FENCE “You
can't lose your way in a history class. You can only go backwards,”
says Linus McBride (Arthur Hanket), a history teacher who seems to be
losing his passion, and possibly his marbles. The target of the advice
is Marion McNeely (Charlotte Chanler), a troubled transfer student at
McBride's public Oregon high school. With dark secrets of his own,
Linus cultivates an attachment to Marion. At the same time, Judy
cultivates an interest in the girl, with whom she shares more than she
would care to admit, while losing interest in her boyfriend, Math
teacher Harold Carson (Colin Walker). What develops is an intense
series of events as these wounded animals become entwined in each
other's lives. Playwright Joseph Fisher weaves a rich tapestry of dark
chocolate secrets and twisted desires, pairing it perfectly with a dry
champagne wit that sparkles in the mouths of this talented cast.
Hanket, particularly, wields Fisher's rapier wit with impeccable comic
timing and an understated manner that leads to some devastatingly funny
lines. The credit for this must, of course, be shared with director
Benjamin Burdick, who strikes a fine balance between the piece's humor
and horror. The minimally staged performance is a good reminder that
when fancy sets, lighting and other aspects of modern stagecraft are
put away, the heart of good drama is compelling characters and a
well-crafted text. (Mayank Keshaviah). Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa
Monica Blvd., L.A.; Sat., Aug. 21, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 29, 2
p.m.; Through Sept. 3, 8 p.m.; Through Sept. 11, 8 p.m.. (323) 882-6912.
GO YELLOW Del Shores' family
comedy-drama studies, once more, the mores and traditions of the Deep
South, perhaps the country's most extreme forms of religiosity and
homophobia, which have been haunting the playwright for all these
years. How does one get out alive, with the curses of the underworld
hanging over a believer: change or be changed? Does one run to New York
City, or San Francisco or West Hollywood? Lead a double life? Become a
playwright? Yellow is neither tragedy nor soap opera; its
“disease-of-the-week” dimension surges between the two along a riptide
of sentimentality. That said, Yellowwis a rippingly
entertaining show, thanks largely to Shores' precision-bombing satire
of self-absorbed teenagers and drama clubs. (Steven Leigh Morris).
Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8
p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 5…
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN THE VALLEYS
AMADEUS Written as Theophilus (from the Greek) on
his birth certificate, Mozart's middle name can be interpreted as
either “lover of God” or “loved by God.” Antonio Salieri clearly
believed the latter, and his jealousy of Mozart fuels the drama in
Peter Shaffer's 1979 award-winning play. As court composer, Salieri
(Peter Swander) has the favor of Emperor Joseph II (David Robert May)
and admires Mozart's music — until he meets the young prodigy.
Mozart's (Patrick Stafford) sexuality and vulgarity drive the devout
Catholic wild, and as Salieri can't reconcile the philistine with the
ethereal music he creates, he becomes determined to destroy Mozart. In
that quest, Swander often speaks of passion, yet it rarely feels as if
his character possesses the passion his words suggest. Part of this may
have been director August Viverito's desire for a slow build, even
though it does eventually pay off in Act 2. Stafford's Mozart, on the
contrary, is id perfectly personified, with occasional glimpses of the
genius hiding behind the schoolboy pranks. Danielle Doyen, who plays
his wife, Constanze, pairs well with Stafford, and like the rest of the
cast, is capable. However, her 1980s, Madonna-style outfits, along with
Mozart's gold pants and the emperor's raspberry zoot suit, are
questionable choices by designer Shon LeBlanc. While for Salieri “a
note of music is either right or it's wrong,” for me the show had a
pleasant melody but not one that stuck with me for long. (Mayank
Keshaviah). Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., Valley Village;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Aug. 28. (800) 838-3006.
BECOMING NORMAN Utah native Norman P. Dixon has had
two coming-out parties: first, as a gay man and second as an artist. At
times, he's been one or the other — say, when he graduated with a
drama degree from BYU — but this solo show marks the 45-year-old's
insistence on claiming both after spending the last 15 years toiling in
office work and retail. The first half of the night follows the artist
as pretty blond boy slowly learning that (a) there was a closet, and
(b) he was in it. No quick revelation in Orem, Utah, a town, as Dixon
describes, “where people didn't even think Boy George was gay.” Dixon
is a handsome blond with a theatrical voice, and he powers through his
life story with a blend of self-congratulation and insecurity. This
serves him less well when his autobiography decamps from Salt Lake to
Los Angeles and we hit waves of tales wherein his talents are spotted,
he's offered a semi-big break and he sabotages himself in fear. Dixon's
journey is both topical and familiar — who hasn't moved out to L.A.
with big dreams? — and its only surprises come from his warm support
network. When the former Mormon sent out four dozen letters announcing
he was gay, only two respondents were upset. Between anecdotes, Dixon
belts out songs he wrote about his struggle, built around words like dreams and wings and flying.
We're happy he's happy. Debra De Liso directs. (Amy Nicholson). NoHo
Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;
Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Sept. 12. (800) 595-4849.
NEW REVIEW BOYS' LIFE Watching director Dan Velez's uninspired production, it
might seem hard to believe that Howard Korder's acerbic vignettes of
slackers and their caddish sexcapades was a Pulitzer finalist in 1988.
Which is not to denigrate either the judgment of the Pulitzer committee
or the efforts of a clearly capable cast but merely to question the
vision behind a revival that steamrolls the pathos and ulterior probing
of an astute script into a pancake-flat excuse for sketch-comedy
laughs. Jack (Ben Rovner), Don (David Rispoli) and Phil (Jason Karasev)
are a trio of 30-something buddies stuck on the pot-addled threshold
between perennial adolescence and defining themselves as men. The
group's enabler is the married, albeit savagely cynical Jack, who goads
his bachelor comrades into misadventures with women who invariably
prove more than their equal. Phil is the most plaintively romantic of
the bunch and therefore the most tragically susceptible to Jack's
self-serving manipulations. Only slightly more resilient is Don, who
surmounts a potentially fatal infidelity to finally break free of
Jack's corrupting influence, thanks mainly to the understanding and
maturity of his fiancée (Tori Ayres Oman). Rovner gives a standout
performance, but Jack's underlying strains of fear and despair — the
comedy's critical dramatic ballast — are too often lost in the saucy
surfaces of Velez's staging. Tanya Apuya's costumes lend occasional
wit, but barely perfunctory (and uncredited) lighting and Sarah
Kranin's impoverished set prove more hindrance than help. Crown City
Theatre, 11031 Camarillo St., N.Hlywd.; Thurs. & Sun., 8 p.m.;
through Sept. 12. (818) 745-8527, brownpapertickets.com. (Bill Raden)
THE GOOD BOOK OF PEDANTRY AND WONDER Moby
Pomerance's witty story of a 19th-century editor of the Oxford English
Dictionary. Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 8
p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Aug. 29. (626) 683-6883.
HURRICANE SEASON 2010 Seventh annual
competition/festival of short plays. Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312
Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.;
thru Aug. 22. (818) 508-3003.
IN & OUT: THE U.S. OF ALIENATION World premiere
of David Wally's dramedy about human connection. Whitefire Theater,
13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Tues., 8 p.m.; thru Sept. 14. (866)
811-4111.
IT'S JUST SEX Jeff Gould's comedy takes the
underpinnings of sexual fantasy, fidelity and money and puts all of
those nuances onstage in a contemporary comedy about three married
couples. The wife-swapping plot is straight out of Hugh Hefner's pad,
circa 1975. That the play resonates today, in the ashes of the sexual
revolution, is one indication of how little has changed, despite how
much has changed. (Steven Leigh Morris). Two Roads Theater, 4348
Tujunga Ave., Studio City; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.. (818)
762-2272.
QUICKIES T(h)REE: Comedy al Fresco “Eight brand new,
park-themed, 10-minute plays.”. Whitefire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd.,
Sherman Oaks; Fri., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 27. (818) 627-8425.
SPEECH & DEBATE Stephen Karam's hit 2007
off-Broadway play riffs on the presumed nerdiness of high-schoolers who
opt for forensics over sports. In this case, three outcasts are also
determined to triple their misfit status via drama, the school
newspaper and a “gay-straight-alliance.” The journey through youthful
angst begins as gay Howie (Matt Strunin) trolls online for sex only to
discover, to his major gross-out, that he's sexting with the theater
teacher. Meanwhile, ambitious but untalented would-be coloratura Diwata
(Tiffany Jordan) captures Howie's attention with her “blogalog” about
the same teacher's unjust casting policies. Also pulled into the
electronic circle is aspiring reporter Solomon (Simon Daniel Lees), who
is obsessed with sexual predators. Through a series of scenes,
subtitled with Speech and Debate rules, the three find a mutual
attraction bordering on friendship, which ultimately allows them to
find solace in their eccentricities. Finally they collaborate on a
bizarre musical performance-art piece mixing aspects from the plays of
Arthur Miller and Wicked among several mismatched
ingredients, which is fascinating in its pure awfulness. Though not
quite convincing in terms of youth, the acting of the students is
superb, compassionately exploring the constant pain and few joys the
characters experience. Unfortunately the same is not true of Nina
Donato in a pair of adult roles that fly into caricature — a choice
seemingly pushed by director Jon Cortez to get some laughs, which prove
to be at the expense of the production. Cortez also keeps the pace so
sluggish through clumsy scene breaks, they interfere with the crispness
of his young stars. Mike Rademaekers' clever set easily transforms
between schoolroom and bedrooms, which provide the unfollowed cues for
agile scene transitions. (Tom Provenzano). Secret Rose Theater, 11246
Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru
Aug. 22. (877) 620-7673.
STRING OF PEARLS Four actresses play 27 characters
in Michele Lowe's drama. Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, 10900
Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Sept.
5. (818) 700-4878.
URBAN DEATH Zombie Joe's Underground's horror show.
ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., 11
p.m.; thru Oct. 30. (818) 202-4120.
A WALK IN THE WOODS Lee Blessing's play is set in
Geneva, during a disarmament conference, where two negotiators seek to
construct a treaty acceptable to both sides. Stodgy, naive, idealistic
American John Honeyman (owlish Fox Carney) believes in rationality, and
wants to make the world safe from nuclear holocaust. Andre Botvinnik
(volatile Larry Eisenberg), a canny, cynical Russian with an impish
sense of humor, knows the two powers, the U.S. and Russia, are more
interested in seeming to want a disarmament agreement than in actually
wanting one. He no longer believes in the reality of their mission, and
hopes to make life more palatable by making a friend of Honeyman. He
attempts amusingly frivolous conversation, but Honeyman is incapable of
frivolity, and likes it that way. Their friendship can only bumble
along, with two steps back for every step forward. Their debates are
clever, literate and passionate, and their halting steps toward
friendship are touching and funny. Richard Alan Woody directs with
finesse and draws fine performances from his actors, but he never
manages to convince us that the stakes are particularly high, when they
couldn't be higher. (Neal Weaver). Lonny Chapman Group Repertory
Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 4
p.m.; thru Sept. 4. (818) 700-4878.
NEW REVIEW GO WITCH BALL
Photo by Adam Neubauer
Centuries ago, a Romanian craftsman blew a glass ball for a widow
pestered by a horny, tickling ghost. The blue orb was the size of a
large onion and had ten times as many layers. If a human happened on
it, they'd lose themselves in its dense levels. So, too, would passing
spirits who were quite literally sucked into the witch ball and
trapped. Glass, unless shattered, is destined to outlive its owner. And
so Zombie Joe's efficient, energetic ensemble of eight — Jonica
Patella, Ashton Reese, Alexandra Ozeri, Christopher Goodwin, Andrew
Graves, Nicole Fabbri, Jenny Dylana and Kyle Clare — take us on the
ball's adventure from the Carpathian hills to the Inland Empire with
owners that include a wolf pack, a Salem housewife, a serial murderer
and a white raccoon. Zombie Joe's episodic script has sharply drawn
characters and savage humor, and he frames it as a story about
storytelling, about how every tale (and every life) has a beginning, a
climax and a denouement. (Though some endings linger on after death the
ball watches a corpse slowly decompose.) Directed by Alison Cardoso
with ZJU's unique joie de goofing, it's a tribute to yarn-spinning with
puppets on sticks and simple silver masks asking audiences to imagine
with them in a saga populated by gorillas and lions and demons. Pauline
Noriega and Jeri Batzdorff's playful make-up and costuming round out
the fleet and fantastical show. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim
Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; thru Sept. 11. (818)
202-4120. (Amy Nicholson)
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED ON THE WESTSIDE AND IN BEACH TOWNS
ALIVE THEATER LONG BEACH PLAY FESTIVAL
Eleven new plays in 12 days, presented by Alive Theatre. Hotel
Lafayette, 528 E. Broadway Ave., Long Beach; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru
Sept. 11, alivetheatre.org.
ALL MY SONS Arthur Miller's classic American
drama. Ruskin Group Theater, 3000 Airport Dr., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat.,
8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 2. (310) 397-3244.
GO BECKY'S NEW CAR “When a
woman says she wants a new house, she really wants a new husband. When
she says she wants a new car, she really wants a new life.” In Steven
Dietz's smart if tonally uneven new play, these are the prophetic words
of amiable and grounded Becky Foster (Joanna Daniels), who worries that
she has squandered her best years as an office manager drudge at a car
dealership, while saddled with a lumpen husband (Jon Eric Preston) and
patronizing grad student son (Nick Rogers). A chance for a new life
comes prancing into Becky's dealership, when slightly spacey
billionaire billboard tycoon Walter (Brad Greenquist) randomly chooses
Becky as the sales agent for his mass-purchase of cars for all the
employees at his company. Walter, grieving over the death of his wife,
is inexplicably attracted to the earthy “real world” Becky, whose own
moral compass starts swinging around like a drunken sailor as she
contemplates ditching her family for a life of glamour and wealth.
Dietz's play receives its Los Angeles premiere in director Michael
Rothhaar's whimsical production that comes laced with melancholy. The
play's genesis is worthy of some note: The work was a personal
commission by a Seattle arts patron as a gift for his wife. As such,
the material occasionally tries a little too hard to please, with a
narrative that occasionally emulates the mood of 1930s screwball
comedies — a style that is an uneven alchemical fit with the
underlying tone of midlife despair, in which the work is also deeply
steeped. However, when Dietz is willing to let the play rise to silly
froth, the results are splendid. Scenes in which Daniels' bubbly Becky
repeatedly invites opinions from audience members — some of whom are
roped onstage into helping her with a wonderfully droll costume change
moment — balance charmingly with moments in which she finds herself
swept away by Greenquist's charismatic Walter. Although the
contrivances of the play's final third are too preposterous to sustain
even willing disbelief, the ensemble overall crackles with witty,
sympathetic performances — including Rogers as Becky's goofy son and
by Suzanne Ford's graceful turn as a prickly rival for Walter's
affections. (Paul Birchall). Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice
Blvd., Venice; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Sept. 26. (310)
822-8392.
GO BEDROOM FARCE The title
is apt, since the action occurs in three radically different bedrooms
in a 1975 English suburb. Kate (blond and taffy-voiced Kate
Hollinshead) and Malcolm (buff and playful Jamie Donovan) are having a
party in their new flat. Nick (Scott Roberts) and Jan (Ann Noble) are
invited, but Nick has put his back out and is confined to his bed in
agony — and he's annoyed that Jan is going to the party without him.
Obstreperous and self-obsessed Trevor (Anthony Michael Jones) and his
noisily neurotic wife, Susannah (Regina Peluso), are also invited, but
their tempestuous marriage is rocked by one of its endless crises. When
Trevor makes a pass at former girlfriend Jan, Susannah goes into
massive hysterics, wrecking the party. Trevor descends on bedridden
Nick to “explain” his behavior, while Susannah runs to Trevor's bemused
parents, Ernest (Robert Mandan) and Delia (Maggie Peach), for solace.
Alan Ayckbourn's play plumbs no great depths, but he's unflaggingly
inventive in exploring comic surfaces, and director Ron Bottitta has
assembled a likable and deftly stylish cast to keep the pot boiling on
Darcy Prevost's huge and handsome set. Kathryn Poppen's trendy '70s
costumes add further charm. (Neal Weaver). Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S.
Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Sept.
26. (310) 477-2055.
THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE Presented by Culver
City Public Theatre. Dr. Paul Carlson Memorial Park, Motor Ave. &
Braddock Dr., Culver City; Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Aug. 22. (310)
712-5482.
NEW REVIEW ENGAGEMENT
Photo by Ed Krieger
In writer-director Allen Barton's unexpectedly sour
romantic comedy, you can tell that the love match made in hell between
smart, emotionally withholding Republican, commitment-phobe Mark
(Everette Wallin) and warm, free-spirit liberal Nicole (Audrey Moore)
is careening off the rails when Mark tries to propose to her at a fancy
restaurant but must instead run from the table to vomit. Mark is glib,
funny and negative, while Nicole dreams of a soul mate with whom she
has a deep connection. And, while each partner sees the other's flaws,
they also think that they will be able to change him or her into the
perfect mate — an operation that ends predictably in tears. Barton's
play intends to skewer the notion of modern romance — e.g., the
characters' dealings are interspersed with complaints about Facebook
and Twitter, and the inevitable diminishment of the need for human
contact that these devices bring. However, more than a commentary about
the superficial technical devices that add clutter to our own emotional
confusion, the piece's theme truly explores a more timeless concept:
the emptiness of valuing being clever over feeling. That said, Barton's
writing is not always up to the challenge: The dialogue is talky and
repetitious while sometimes being so stridently mean, we can't
understand why either of the two lovers would stay in the same room
with each other. One problem may be that Barton's coolly ironic, snarky
staging never builds any sense of a love that can so quickly change to
hate — it's just hate that turns into more hate. The show is
double-cast, but on the night reviewed, Wallin's snarky man-boy was
strangely moving while still being thoroughly bilious, and Moore
offered a nicely melancholic turn as the increasingly wearied Nicole.
As her venomously embittered roomie who finds an unexpected lover
herself, Ellie Schwartz delivers the show's most ferocious yet
emotionally nuanced performance. Beverly Hills Playhouse, 254 S.
Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.;
through August 22. (310) 358-9936. Katselas Theatre Company (Paul
Birchall)
FOREVER PLAID Stuart Ross' harmony-group
musical comedy. Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. Sixth St., San Pedro;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; thru Aug. 22. (310) 548-7672.
40 IS THE NEW 15 The Academy for New Musical
Theatre presents Cindy O'Connor and Larry Todd Johnson's world-premiere
musical about former high school chums hitting the big 4-0. NoHo Arts
Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Thurs.-Sun..; thru Aug.
22. (818) 508-7101.
8 MIDSUMMER QUICKIES Eight short plays,
written and directed by Caroline Marshall, Tracy Merrifield, Marnie
Olson and Kyle T. Wilson. Psychic Visions Theatre, 3447 Motor Ave.,
L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Sept. 4. (310) 535-6007.
GO JUST 45 MINUTES FROM
BROADWAY From Broadway Suffused with a near-Chekhovian mix of the
wistful and the melancholy, playwright Henry Jaglom's world premiere
comedy is a delight — an intimate and thoughtful ensemble piece which
is as much a paean to the theater as it is a meditation on the perils
of living entirely by emotion. In a picturesque but run down country
house in upstate New York (realized in Joel Daavid's beautiful detailed
set), a theatrical clan spends what is probably for them a typical fall
weekend of histrionics and melodrama. These are people who have lived
their whole lives for art — which, one might say, means that dinner is
never on time and no one gets up before noon. Elderly thespian George
(Jack Heller) and his beloved wife Vivien (Diane Louise Salinger) are
in the twilight of their careers, but regret nothing about a life spent
on the road performing small plays. Also staying in their home is their
beautiful, unstable daughter Pandora (Tanna Frederick), who is taking a
“rest” from acting after getting over a recent failed romance. The
typically “artsy” family chaos turns even more tumultuous with the
arrival of the family's estranged eldest daughter Betsy (Julie Davis),
who has grown weary of her eccentric family. When Betsy introduces her
lawyer fiance Jimmy (David Garver) to the family, sparks unexpectedly
fly — but the sparks are between Jimmy and free-spirited Pandora. Some
overwritten sequences teeter on self indulgence, yet the piece is also
wise to the follies of human behavior — and director Gary Imhoff's
subtle staging elegantly juxtaposes the warmth and frustration
underscoring the relationships within so many families. The ensemble
work is sensitive, yet comically charged, with Frederick's calculatedly
daffy turn as the ever-performing Pandora smartly offset by Davis'
increasingly angry Betsy. Heller's leonine elderly actor-dad and
Salinger's actress mom, tender and sad, wonderfully craft the sense of
elders who have never truly grown up, and are amazed by what has
happened to their bodies while their minds remain youthful. A Rainbow
Theatre Company production. (Paul Birchall). Edgemar Center for the
Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; thru Sept. 19. (310) 399-3666.
KATIE THE CURST The Actors' Gang's adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew,
a free summer show for all ages. Media Park, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver
City; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.; thru Aug. 29, theactorsgang.com…
GO PROCREATION The plays of
Justin Tanner are like Rice Krispies. They crackle when you pour in the
right actors — and the actors here from his own company are just right
— and then they kind of wash away. Maybe that doesn't matter. That
crackling is the sound of Tanner's satirical barbs directed at the
foibles and delusions of L.A. suburban white-trash types. (His latest
farce is set in Highland Park.) He does for (or to) L.A. what Del
Shores does for (or to) the South. Shores' plays come with more of a
message and smidgen more sentimentality. Tanner brings on a gallery of
types, lets them go until somebody lands on a revelation, or
confession, which may or may not make a jot of difference to the
lunatic world being depicted. Maybe it's apt that a play called Procreation
should have 13 characters. One of them, Ruby (Danielle Kennedy), is a
pregnant grandmother (awaiting octuplets — she's even brought the
sonograms with her) with a sanctimonious gigolo beaux, played
wonderfully cocky by Jonathan Palmer. (They both visit SoCal from
Colorado, and he offers lectures on healthy lifestyle and
self-discipline. He may as well be preaching on the virtues of vitamins
to drug dealers.) Everybody here is in debt. Mom Hope (Melissa Denton)
runs a novelty store called “Wish on a Rainbow,” which smug hubby
Michael (nicely goofy by Michael Halpin) announced must liquidate
immediately. Can they afford to send their corpulent 15-year-old,
bed-wetting son, Gavin (Kody Batchelor), to the fat farm? (He tosses
his urine-drenched blanket at his relatives, for his own amusement. He
will surely grow up to become a playwright.) Hope's sister Deanie
(goggle-eyed Patricia Scanlon) hoards other people's garbage, while her
terminally unemployed, good-natured husband, Bruce (Andy Marshall
Daley), makes a career out of asking his relatives for loans. There are
drug deals, offstage blow jobs and an entire subplot of gay intrigue.
Tanner's satire of behaviors roasts not so much a culture of greed as a
culture of need — derived from the cruelty of snarky jokes and
emotional neglect. One character says, perhaps ironically, “Let's try
to be more mindful of what we say from now on,” as though that would
fix anything. Call it Molière ultralite. Sitcoms like this depend on
the unspoken reactions to the torrent of one-liners. Director David
Schweizer has the cartoons just right, but he drives the play on the
fuel of its quips rather than the comedic agony that lies beneath them.
Which may be why the farce begins to wilt after an hour or so, despite
the effervescence of ongoing amusement. The uncredited costumes are
very witty. (Steven Leigh Morris). Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda
Blvd., L.A.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Aug. 22.
(310) 477-2055.
STOP KISS “Love, prejudice, and women
collide” in Diana Son's play. Garage Theatre, 251 E. Seventh St., Long
Beach; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Aug. 28. (866) 811-4111.
STRIPPED (a comedy about a drama) Who'd have
guessed that the gaudy neon sign around the corner advertising Psychic
Readings could be hiding a theater. There is indeed a tiny space
upstairs for storytelling that is probably more real that the
storytelling going on downstairs. In this case, the story is Kirsten
Severson's tale of the tumultuous end to her five-year relationship
with “The Prince.” Accompanied onstage by two video screens, Severson
describes the good times in their relationship (including the clever
“Peas in a Pod” video montage) before transitioning to the fateful
voice mail that begins her descent into insecurity and heartbreak.
Originally a solo show titled <0x2026> I Think You Went a Little Far With the Herpes Thing …,
the piece has since been developed into a feature film, and now returns
as a half-film/half-staged solo show. The combination of media
unfortunately doesn't gel, and despite some good lines and moments,
director Carlos Velasco's pacing drags in a number of spots and
Severson's stage presence feels halfhearted at times. Instead the video
sequences — which are well lit and crisply edited — are the show's
most engaging aspect. As a short film it could prove visually
arresting; as a piece of theater, however, it's little more than
another love story gone awry. (Mayank Keshaviah). Psychic Visions
Theatre, 3447 Motor Ave., L.A.; Fri., 8:30 p.m.; thru Aug. 27. (310)
535-6007.
GO THE TRUE STORY OF JACK
AND THE BEANSTALK For the past 12 summers, the Culver City Public
Theatre has been staging free plays in cozy Carlson Park for families.
Audiences bring picnics, blankets and chairs and gather under shady
trees for an hour or so of entertainment — generally crowd-pleasing
fare such as popular Shakespeare comedies and kid-friendly classics.
Now playing is an imaginative adaptation (by director Heidi Dotson) of
the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Dotson cleverly blends the
tale of the golden goose with the familiar story of simpleton Jack, who
trades the family cow for a handful of magic beans. Nicely expanded
into two acts that fill an hour, the retooled story presents the
usually terrifying giant (Dean Edward) as a struggling poet with a
devious wife (Ronnie Loaiza), and fashions a thoroughly happy ending.
Beautifully narrated by the cow, Milky White (Rachanee Kitchel) —
whom, hilariously, only the audience can understand — this sweet,
magical play had little kids and adults giggling. Cute sets, costumes
and props, as well as the lovely cast, make this is a delightful,
low-tech production. A Children's Popcorn Theater production. (Pauline
Amadek). Dr. Paul Carlson Memorial Park, Motor Ave. & Braddock Dr.,
Culver City; Sat.-Sun., noon.; thru Aug. 22. (310) 712-5482.
THE WAR CYCLE Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble presents three plays by Tom Burmester: Wounded, Nation of Two, and Gospel According to First Squad. Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 Second St., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Sat..; thru Sept. 11, latensemble.com. (310) 396-3680.
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