Steven Leigh MorrisINTERVIEW with Medea's director, Lenka Udovicki, and UCLA's David Sefton
NATIONAL THEATRE ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
NT's All Well's That Ends Well Photo courtesy of National Theatre of Great Britain
The National Theatre of Great Britain, or a digital incarnation of them, comes to the Mann Chinese Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., for a taped broadcast of its acclaimed production of All's Well That Ends Well. Marianna Elliott's staging includes Oliver Ford Davies and Clare Higgins. Tickets here.
The is part of the theater's National Live program, which sells its broadcasts around the world. Current bookings, beyond the U.S.A., include Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxenbourg, Malta, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. So the sun doesn't set on the British Empire after all.
A complete list of U.S. venues and schedules can be found here
Other National Live productions include Nation, adapted by Mark Ravenhill from Terry Pratchett's novel; and and Alan Bennett's new play, The Habit of Art
For Complete Listings, press the Continue Reading tab directly below.
COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS for Oct. 1-7, 2009
(The weekend's NEW REVIEWS are embedded in “Continuing Performances” below.
You may also be able to search for them by title using your computer's
search program.)
Our
critics are Paul Birchall, Lovell Estell III,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
OPENING THIS WEEK
CREDITORS August Strindberg's psychological thriller, adapted by Doug Wright. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla; opens Oct. 4; Sun., Oct. 4, 2 p.m.; Tues.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 25. (858) 550-1010.
ELECTIONS & ERECTIONS South African satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys' one-man show. (Also at REDCAT, Oct. 9, & the Renberg, Oct. 10-11.). UCLA Glorya Kaufman Hall, 120 Westwood Plaza, L.A.; Oct. 3-4, 7 p.m.. (310) 825-2101.
PARADE The Tony Award-winning musical, book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.; opens Oct. 4; Sun., Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m.; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; thru Nov. 15. (213) 628-2772.
RICHARD III Shakespeare's history play. (In rep, call for schedule.). A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; opens Oct. 3; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Dec. 12. (818) 240-0910.
VOICES OF AMERICA IN STORY AND SONG Americana poetry, dialogue, music and songs. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; Sun., Oct. 4, 1 p.m.. (310) 455-3723.
BOBBY BENDON GETS BY Brian Soika's heavy metal romantic comedy., bluehousereservations@gmail.com. Studio/Stage, 520 N. Western Ave., L.A.; opens Oct. 2; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; thru Oct. 25, bluehousereservations@gmail.com. (323) 320-0127.
CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE: LOVE, LUST AND OTHER HUMAN ODDDITIES Naomi Grossman's solo comedy. Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave., Hollywood; opens Oct. 4; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Nov. 8, www.plays411.com/carnivalknowledge. (323) 930-1804.
A CAT WROTE THIS PLAY! Padraic Duffy's feline fairy tale. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A.; Oct. 7-8, 8 p.m.. (310) 281-8337.
THE DOCTOR DESPITE HIMSELF Moli<0x00E8>re's 1666 satire, translated by Clara Bellar. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; opens Oct. 2; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Nov. 8. (310) 306-1854.
JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOUNG LADY? Aliza Murrieta presents performances by “ambitious women who want to change the world, not talk about their children.”. BANG, 457 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Thurs., Oct. 8, 8 p.m.; Thurs., Oct. 22, 8 p.m.. (323) 653-6886.
LA POSADA MAGICA FUND-RAISER Benefit for the Odyssey's upcoming production of Octavio Solis' Christmas classic. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.; Sun., Oct. 4, 6 p.m.. (818) 763-6865.
LOVE SCENES Moe Bertran stars in David Pumo's study of gay New Yorkers. Cavern Club Theater at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A.; opens Oct. 2; Fri.-Sat., 9 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 25, www.plays411.com/lovescenes. (323) 969-2530.
MEETING OF MINDS Working Stage Theatre presents Gary Cole as Steve Allen, Dan Lauria as Ulysses S. Grant, Meeghan Coloway as Marie Antoinette, Bruce Davison as Sir Thomas More and Ed Asner as Karl Marx. Steve Allen Theater, at the Center for Inquiry-West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Mon., Oct. 5, 8 p.m., www.workingstage.com. (310) 210-1860.
MEMOIRE Benefit for Sunshine Hearts and Hands, with performances by Sharmagne Leland-St. John, Smokey Miles and Michael Pliskin. MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., L.A.; Sat., Oct. 3, 7 p.m., www.plays411.com/memoire. (323) 960-7714.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NUTHIN Shakespeare's comedy, transported to 1940s Tennessee. Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; opens Oct. 2; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Nov. 21, www.arktheatre.org. (323) 969-1707.
NEVERLAND Phyllis Nagy's South of France love story. Theatre/Theater, 5041 Pico Blvd., L.A.; opens Oct. 8; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Nov. 15, www.roguemachinetheatre.com. (323) 960-7774.
STORIES BY HEART John Lithgow's meditation on storytelling. Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice; Sat., Oct. 3, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 4, 3 p.m.. (310) 822-8392.
THAT PERFECT MOMENT Aging baby boomers hang out in the Valley in Charles Bartlett and Jack Cooper's comedy. NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; opens Oct. 3; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 8, www.plays411.com/perfect. (323) 960-7745.
VINNIE: THE DEATH & AFTERLIFE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH Peter Abbay's portrait of the artist as a dead man. Pan Andreas Theater, 5125 Melrose Ave., L.A.; opens Oct. 2; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 25, www.eventbrite.com/org/281608557…
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN LARGER THEATERS REGIONWIDE
AN EVENING WITHOUT MONTY PYTHON Ricardo Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St., L.A.; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 4. (323) 463-0089.
ART Yasmina Reza's comedy, translated by Christopher Hampton, about three friends' differing definitions of art. East West Players, 120 N. Judge John Aiso St., L.A.; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (213) 625-7000.
GO AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Tracy Letts' 2007 Great American Family Drama, or so we'd believe from the national press, four Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, has pulled in at last to the Ahmanson Theatre in a Steppenwolf Theatre Company production, handily staged by Anna D. Shapiro. (Steppenwolf was the company that commissioned the work.) The drama, set in Oklahoma, consists of almost four hours of revelations about a truly fucked-up family, liberally peppered with dashes of Gothic humor. Oh we love our gothic family epics. Pulitzer Prizes have gone to Crimes of the Heart, The Kentucky Cycle, and now this. We meet Beverly Weston (Jon DeVries), a crusty, hard-drinking T.S. Eliot-quoting member of literati pontificating to his newly hired Cheyenne Indian housekeeper (DeLanna Studi) about the point and pointlessness of existence. (She will eventually be seen sitting cross-legged on a bed, perched at the pinnacle of Todd Rosenthal's three-tier set, as a kind of metaphor of the stoic, silent and dignified tribe these resident clowns superseded.) He's hiring the sweet-natured woman to care for his cancer-afflicted spouse (Estelle Parsons), who wanders between cogency and unconsciousness, between staggering forward and lying prone, from all the pills she's imbibing. The next thing we know, Beverly has disappeared, along with his boat, and this can't be good. What follows is a gathering of the clan, and what a clan. Imagine a cross between Long Day's Journey Into Night and Del Shore's Comedy, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will? It has some of the gravitas of O'Neill's classic and much of Shore's brand of sitcom humor. This very combination, on the four-hour boiler, results in, well, a very funny, and finely performed potboiler. Compared to O'Neill, it's a mere shadow, but compared to the gloss of so many family dramas on our stages, Letts is at least reaching for a suggestion that his clan represents the state of America in the world. “This country was always a whorehouse,” is how a character recalls Beverly's conviction. “At least it had promise. But now it's just a shit hole.” The reach is a bit of a strain – present a nutty, masochistic family onstage and then say, hey this is the U.S.A., and as funny as much of the farce may be, the play feels as long as it is largely because the power of subtext, of the unspoken, keeps getting punctured by the jokes. It doesn't dig deep enough to justify its length, but when it does make that subterranean plunge, and lays off the one-liners for a span or two, the power of the drama, and of these terrific actors, rumbles through the theater with exquisite grandeur. Ahmanson Theater, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Tues.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; through October 18. (213) 972-4400. (Steven Leigh Morris)
DISCOVER LOVE Belarus Free Theatre's drama based on the true story of a political dissident. In Russian with English supertitles. REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., L.A.; Through Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m.. (213) 237-2800.
NEW REVIEW ECLIPSED
Photo by Craig Schwartz
Playwright Danai Gurira powerfully dramatizes the ugly realities of
women caught up in the Liberian Civil War. The action unfolds circa
2003, inside a derelict jungle compound occupied by the kidnapped
“wives” of a guerrilla commander. Bahni Turpin, Edwina Findley and
Miriam Glover pass the time chatting, grooming hair, scrounging for
food, and, offstage, mechanically satisfying the sexual needs of the
General. The wives are known simply as numbers, bluntly emphasizing
their lack of autonomy and dehumanized condition. Turpin (No. 1) is by
turns sweet and caustic, a comforter and authority figure to the
younger girls. Findley, pregnant with the General's child, possesses an
infectious sense of humor, while Glover (No. 4), is a study in
childlike naiveté. The dynamics change when a former captive turned
fighter (Kelly M. Jenrette) convinces Glover to join the cause, which
puts them at odds with a government peacekeeper (Michael Hyatt), whose
own daughter was kidnapped. Cast performances are quite good, even
though it is difficult at times to understand the dialogue through the
affected West African accents. Sibyl Wickersheimer's jungle set piece
is stunning, and Robert O'Hara provides sensitive direction for this
production, which in spite of its dearth of action and bleak subject
matter, conveys the resilience of the human spirit. Kirk Douglas
Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat. 2
& 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; through October 18. (213)
628-2772. (Lovell Estell III)
LOL! LATINA ON THE LOOSE Mina Olivera's solo performance. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (213) 489-0994.
LOUIS & KEELY: LIVE AT THE SAHARA I haven't seen this musical study of '50s lounge-act crooners Louis Prima and Keely Smith since its transcendent premiere at Sacred Fools Theatre last year, and oh, is it different. Documentary and Oscar-nominated film maker Taylor Hackford has been busy misguiding writer-performers Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith's musical. Taylor took over from director Jeremy Aldridge, who brought it to life in east Hollywood. Smith and Broder have drafted an entirely new book, added onstage characters – including Frank Sinatra (Nick Cagle) who, along with Broder and Smith, croons a ditty. (As though Cagle can compete with Sinatra's voice, so embedded into the pop culture.) They've also added Prima's mother (Erin Matthews) and other people who populated the lives of the pair. The result is just a little heartbreaking: The essence of what made it so rare at Sacred Fools has been re-vamped and muddied into a comparatively generic bio musical, like Stormy Weather(about Lena Horne) or Ella(about Ella Fitzgerald). The good news is the terrific musicianship, the musical direction originally by Dennis Kaye and now shared by Broder and Paul Litteral, remains as sharp as ever, as are the title performances. Broder's lunatic edge and Bobby Darin singing style has huge appeal, while Vanessa Claire Smith has grown ever more comfortable in the guise and vocal stylings of Keely Smith. It was the music that originally sold this show, and should continue to do so. With luck, perhaps Broder and Smith haven't thrown out their original script. (SLM) Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 3:30 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 1. (310) 208-54545.
MATTHEW MODINE SAVES THE ALPACAS Matthew Modine stars as a fictionalized version of himself in Blair Singer's world-premiere comedy. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 18. (310) 208-5454.
NEW REVIEW GO MEDEA
Photo by Michael Lamont
There's admirable ambition in David Sefton's first effort producing a
spectacle from the ground up, for UCLA Live. And director Lenka
Udovocki's lucid and visually astute rendition is right on track for
the scale and substance of such an undertaking. She stages the play on
a floor of sand against the rude concrete back wall of the palace
beyond, with a corrugated steel door and shed (set by Richard Hoover).
There's also a visual motif of power lines that crackle and short-
circuit, and the play is accompanied by a chorus of Cal Arts and UCLA
students, who sing much of their dialogue in unison while the Lian
ensemble underscores scenes with musical riffs played live onstage with
Persian instruments. This is an elegant and elegiac production. The
challenge of this and, we hope, future endeavors like it, is to
overcome the time constraints that mitigate against the military
precision of movement and the vocal dexterity and comfort levels of
ensembles that have been performing together for years. In the title
role, Annette Bening reveals intelligence and raw emotional honesty but
not the range so essential for this Herculean role — compared to say
Yukiko Saito's Elektra (for Tadashi Suzuki) whose voice transforms from
the gravel pits to the that of a songbird in an instant; or Maude
Mitchell's Amazonian Nora in the Mabou Mines Dollhouse. Bening's Medea
and her Jason (Angus Macfadyen) play out their respective agonies with
unwavering conviction, which includes some evocatively harrowing
tenderness, but this epic still dwarfs them. UCLA, Freud Playhouse;
Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through October 18. (310) 825-2101.
See Theater feature.
THE NIGHT IS A CHILD A suburban kid in Brookline, Massachusetts – a good kid, a fine student, a personable young man — goes on a killing spree at his local school, leaving dozens of children and teachers dying in pools of blood. Charles Randolph Wright's play studies the family of the teenage killer who took his own life in the bloodbath, concentrating years later on the mother, a widow named Harriet (JoBeth Williams). On the anniversary of the rampage, Harriet goes AWOL to Rio de Janeiro, thereby mystifying her concerned adult son and daughter (Tyler Pierce and Monette Magrath) as to her whereabouts. She arrives not speaking a word of Portugese, yet she stumbles upon a vivacious, native guide named Bia (Sybyl Walker), whose sweet energy, and that of an inexplicably accommodating hotel owner named Joel (Maceo Oliver) lands her a room on the otherwise overbooked Ipanema beachfront. Joel must have had a reason for canceling somebody else's reservation in order to make room for Harriet. If he was charmed by her befuddlement being in a foreign country, for which she'd taken no pains to prepare by learning even the rudiments of the language spoken there, it was a charm I missed. Why Joel would randomly cancel the reservation of one guest in order to make space for this tourist-in-distress is the first in a series of improbabilities that form the glue of Randolph-Wright's Post-It note of a play. (Steven Leigh Morris) Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 4 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; through Oct. 4. (626) 356-7529.
OKLAHOMA! Civic Light Opera South Bay Cities presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach; Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 4. (310) 937-6607.
GO PEACE If you don't like your walking peace symbol to be a slightly bewildered pot-smoking goofball (John Fleck) who, during an entirely gratuitous interlude, leads the crowd in a ditty that literally sings the praises of masturbation (“It felt so nice, I did it twice”), look elsewhere. Low comedy doesn't come any lower than this: huge balloon phalluses poking out from tunics, or bashing audience members as the characters parade through the crowd. We're talking Aristophanes here – the child prodigy class-clown playwright of ancient Greece (the “class” may be overstated) who loathed corrupt authority figures almost as much as Molière would a couple of millennia later. We're also talking Culture Clash, the Latino sketch comedy trio (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza) – The trio penned this adaptation of Aristophanes' Peace with John Glore. Culture Clash sprung from Bay Area standup clubs with a then unique brand of politically charged humor, a much ruder, cruder prelude to Jon Stewart, both politically correct and incorrect in the same breath, filled with indignation over rudimentary violations of civil rights and civil liberties. The blending of ruthless parody with self-confident and at times simple interpretations of Right and Wrong has proven to be a rare, sustaining formula, and it's on full display here, under Bill Rauch's animated and often whimsical staging. Trygaeus, or Ty Dye (Fleck), ventures to heaven on a “dung beetle” to free Peace (a statue) from lockup in Heaven. A noise neighbor diva (Amy Hill) turns in a very big cameo. Montoya, in one of Shigeru Yaji's many stunning costumes and Lynn Jeffries' puppet masks that somehow re-proportion the human body) plays the war machine, a thug who tries to stifle Ty Dye's efforts at every pass. Heaven is, of course, the Getty Villa Museum, directly behind the amphitheater stage, also decorated with free-rolling Yoga balls, and a huge portable mound of pop culture (or poop culture) detritus referred to as a “shit pile.” (Set by Christopher Acebo). There's a joke for every corner of the region, from Montebello to Malibu, and Montoyoa has reconfigured the play's finale so that Aristophanes' happy ending with a marriage gets tossed for the visit of a sweet, silent child, who faces down War. The update is a fine idea, particularly as the sheer energy of the hijinx start to wear down. Yet it takes us no further than the classic Vietnam War photograph of a female Hippie protestor facing down a National Guard bayonet with a daisy. And that was at least four American wars ago. If war is so bad, why do we love it so much? To trace the warring impulse to father issues, as this adaptation does, keeps the show enshrined in the same pop psychology that it mocks so well throughout. The production is beautifully accompanied by the femme-trio mariachi band, Las Colibri. Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through October 3. (310) 440-7300. (Steven Leigh Morris)
PUTTING IT TOGETHER Cocktail party musical, songs by Stephen Sondheim. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Sat., 2:30 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Tues.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (714) 708-5555.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Children's musical, book by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Hope Juber, lyrics and music by Hope and Lawrence Juber. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, L.A.; Sat., 1 p.m.; thru Feb. 27. (323) 851-7977.
SOLITUDE Inspired by Octavio Paz's collection of essays, The Labyrinth of Solitude, Evelina Fernández's drama with music attempts to explore core issues of family, love, death and cultural identity, but the result fails to make much of an impression. On the occasion of his mother's funeral, an emotionally distraught Gabriel (Geoffrey Rivas) invites a small group of friends who attended the ceremony to his luxurious penthouse for an after-party. Present are a character simply called The Man (Robert Beltran), Johnny (Sal López), Angel (Fidel Gomez), Ramona (Fernández) and Gabriel's wife Sonia (Lucy Rodríguez). Amidst the revelry, the sad story of Gabriel's relationship with his mother slowly emerges. She was a woman he abandoned years before her death because he was ashamed by her poverty. Other secrets come to the fore during the long evening that reveal startling connections between the guests, and forces them to confront the painful realities of their past and present. Fernandez is adept at writing with cheeky humor, but is less so at exploring the substance and soul of her characters. Much of what transpires appears as narrative convenience or airy contrivance, particularly the lead-heavy emotional finale, which features a moving song by Lopez in Spanish. Urbanie Lucero's choreography is attractive, but the colorful Mexican dancing is sometimes layed on too thick by director Jose Luis Valenzuela. The performances are quite good, however, particularly Beltran who has a formidable stage presence. Semyon Kobialka's cello accompaniment is flawless, and Francois-Pierre Couture's skewed picture-frame scenic design effectively suggests how we're skewed by our experiences. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru. October 3. (213) 489-0994. (Lovell Estell III)
GO NEVERMORE Poor Edgar. In Dennis Paoli's one-man play, beautifully directed by Stuart Gordon, Jeffrey Combs portrays the bedraggled Southern poet, Poe, in a staged reading. He's a bundle of idiosyncrasies ― tremors and a hesitation to complete sentences. The man is ill with fevers and despondent over the recent death of his wife, yet from the twinkle in Combs' eye, it's clear he rather enjoys the attention of strangers, and is deeply proud of his masterwork, “The Raven,” which he'll recite when he gets around to it. His concentration, and his ability to perform, are steadily more impeded by the after effects of a bottle of whiskey, which he clutches at the inside of his suit. Fortunately, he recites “The Tell-Tale Heart” while still lucid, and what an absurd, showoff-y, macabre display it is ― pure Victorian melodrama, in the style of Chekhov's one-act, one-man show: “On the Harmfulness of Tobacco,” also about man making a presentation ostensibly for one purpose, while undone by another. Chekhov's character is persecuted by his wife, or by his imaginings of her. Edgar is torn by the presence of his fiancée, who is assessing whether her groom-to-be can stay on the wagon. The harrowing answer becomes self-evident as, in one scene, he goes off on a spontaneous rant against Longfellow; and in another, as he's leaping around to a poem about bells, he abruptly falls off the stage into the orchestra pit. It's an almost unbelievably hammy turn, as mannered as the style of the era he's depciting, a gorgeous rendition of a tragic clown whose heart has been cleaved open by loss and regret. His rendition of “The Raven” is clearly an homage to his late wife, and how any hope of her return is forbidden by the reprise of this show's title. (SLM) Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m.; through Oct. 31. (323) 666-4268.
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN HOLLYWOOD, WEST HOLLYWOOD AND THE DOWNTOWN AREAS
ACME SATURDAY NIGHT ACME's flagship sketch show, with celebrity guest hosts each week., $15. Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.. (323) 525-0202.
GO ANITA BRYANT DIED FOR YOUR SINS The title of Brian Christopher Williams play suggests a slick, sassy gay comedy, and so it is–but it is much more than that, something far richer. Growing up during the Nixon era, deeply closeted 11-year-old gay boy Horace (a terrific Wyatt Fenner) develops a monstrous crush on his hunky gym teacher (Nick Ballard). Horace and his family weather the Vietnam War, and big brother Chaz (Nick Niven) flees to Canada to escape the draft. In the recession of the 1970s, Dad (Tony Pandolfo) has economic reverses, and Mom (Jan Sheldrick) loses her job. And when Anita Bryant (Madelynn Fattibene) launches her militant campaign against gay rights, Horace learns that there are people who will hate him for who he is. He must come out to his loving but irascible parents, and he's overcome by jealousy when he realizes his adored teacher is having an affair with a neighbor (Sara J. Stuckey). He retaliates by betraying the teacher, in a way he knows is shameful. Williams' play becomes a funny and touching family saga as well as the tale of a bright gay kid striving to grow up. Richard Israel provides wonderfully nuanced direction, and the entire cast is splendid. (Neal Weaver)El Centro Theatre, 800 N. El Centro Ave., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., through Nov. 1. (323) 460-4443 or tix.com. A West Coast Ensemble production.
ART EXPLAINED! Dr. Maxley's “Whole-Body Lecture Performance.”. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A.; Mon., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 5. (310) 281-8337.
BIG RIVER: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN Actors Co-op presents Mark Twain's classic, music and lyrics by Roger Miller, book by William Hauptman. Crossley Terrace Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; thru Nov. 1. (323) 462-8460.
GO BLACKBIRD Adam Rapp's 2001 romance unfolds on a rented room in NYC's Canal Street in the late 1990s, where a young woman named Froggy (Jade Dornfeld), dressed in woolen cap and layers of sweats, emerges from within the closet, at the beckoning of her roommate and support system, Baylis (Johnny Clark). Despite the minor plot and dialect quibbles, Ron Klier directs an absorbing production, laden with attention to the sweet relationship in a bitter world. (Steven Leigh Morris) Elephant Theatre Lab, 6324 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through Oct. 3. (323) 860-4283. A VS Theatre Company production
BLOCK NINE Tom Stanczyk's play, “an unapologetically same-sex, retro noir 1930's gangster homage,” is performed in two alternating versions ― one with an all-male cast, reviewed here, and the other all-female. It's less comedy of manners than comedy of the mannered, suggesting the novels of Jean Genet re-played as farce. Though the characters are cops and gangsters, like Genet's pimps and hustlers, they're more concerned with their images and gestures than their professional careers. Cop Phil (Kenny Suarez) persuades his skittish, vulnerable partner/lover Hank (Jeremy Glazer) to go undercover on Cellblock 9 to get the goods on tough mobster Lips (Matt Rimmer). Then one torrid kiss from Lips turns Hank to jello, and leaves him wallowing in a hilarious orgy of would-be submission, longing to be violated. Instead, Lips passes him along to eccentric blond muscle-man and mob-boss Cody (Max Williams), who keeps two minions on tap: naïve young Johnny (Josh Breeding), and foppish pseudo-Frenchman Armand (Louis Douglas Jacobs). Despite the pervasive haze of homoeroticism, Cody's more inclined to shoot them than to fuck them. While director Pete Uribe has assembled a highly attractive and accomplished cast, and deploys them with flair and wit, ultimately the play seems like a comic sexual tease that never quite delivers. (Neal Weaver) Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood; in rotating rep through Oct. 3; call theatre for schedule. (323) 960-4410.
DON JUAN TENORIO By Jose Zorrilla. Bilingual Foundation of Arts, 421 N. Avenue 19, L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 8. (323) 225-4044.
18TH ANNUAL DENISE RAGAN WIESENMEYER ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL Four new one-act plays: Cross Purposes by Frank Cossa, Bethany/Bakol by Wendy Graf, Lessons & Carols by Demetra Kareman, Jon and Mary Go to Pluto by Matthew Tucker. The Attic Theatre and Film Center, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 3. (323) 525-0600.
EVEN YET, ITS MIGHTY DARING SINGS Interactive exploration of the current economic recession by Caitlin Moon, Harvey Granville Barker, and X Repertory Theatre. XRT, 1581 Industrial St., L.A.; Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (213) 536-4331.
FAKE RADIO Old-time radio dramas performed live: Meet Me in St. Louis (Thursdays), The Lone Ranger (Fridays), The Philadelphia Story (Saturdays). Lost Studio, 130 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 24, www.fakeradio.net. (877) 460-9774.
GO F*CKING MEN Ah, the late 1980s, the halcyon days of male nudity, where the promise of on stage gay promiscuity and frontal views were surefire ticket sellers throughout the world of waiver – well those days are back in Joe DiPietro's all-male rendition of Arthur Schnitzler's classic 1900 play of sexual mores, La Ronde. Ten scenes pair two strangers becoming intimate, with one of the duo moving on to the next scene until the circle is completed. DiPietro keeps to his generally middle-of-the-road style of dialogue (well known from oft produced Over the River and Through the Woods and I Love You You're Perfect, Now Change) which actually brings a subtle reality to the more sordid moments of gay indiscretions. Director Calvin Remsberg has gathered a fine ensemble, mostly perfectly cast from the nearly infantile, stoned sexiness of college boy Kyle (Michael Rachlis) to the nervous, violent energy of GI Steve (Johnny Kostrey). Only the fine Chad Borden is miscast as a closeted action movie-star – his characterization is just so obviously gay. Tom Buderwitz's scene design concept with moving screens and furniture pieces is initially fascinating, but becomes quite clumsy and distracting. However sound by Lindsay Jones, lighting by Jeremy Pivnick and costumes by Daavid Hawkins are all sharp and collaborative. Celebration Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Oct. 25. (323) 957-1884. (Tom Provenzano)
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE That's weekly sketch comedy done by some of the best in the sketch biz. Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Fri., 8 p.m.. (323) 525-0202.
GO FRIENDS LIKE THESE Playwright Gregory Crafts' drama is billed as a show about teen violence, conjuring up images of gangs with guns or distraught loners firing wildly into a crowd of peers. In fact, while the latter event eventually finds its way into Crafts' story, that's not its central focus.Instead, the play is mostly about some of the pernicious perils of adolescence – specifically the targeting of geeks by jocks, and the painful experience of the outcast in a teen community worshipful of its own rigid standard of “coolness.” At the heart of the plot is the blossoming friendship between Garrett (Matthew Scott Montgomery), a sullen geeky kid, and Nicole (Sarah Smick), a pretty cheerleader who's just called it quits with her boyfriend Jesse (Alex Yee). Disgusted with Jesse's arrogance and infidelity, Nicole finds herself drawn in by Garrett's candidness and unassuming manner. To the surprise of all, and the chagrin of some, their relationship blooms. Especially disturbed are Jesse – stunned that Garrett has become his rival, and Diz (Sari Sanchez), Garrett's former girl chum, who believes him to be her soul mate and now seethes with jealousy. Understated from the top, Montgomery's performance deepens and expands as his character gradually undergoes changes. Smick is likewise layered and sympathetic, and Sanchez plays her one note role exceptionally well. Yee and Ryan J. Hill as everyone's buddy are also effective. Designer Andrew Moore's visually grating and incongruent backdrop needs rethinking. Sean Fitzgerald and Vance Roi Reyes co-direct. The Sherry Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 17. (818) 849-4039. A Theatre Unleashed production. (Deborah Klugman)
NEW REVIEW GOGOL PROJECT
Photo by Bobby Brown
Director Sean T. Cawalti's production of playwright Kitty Felde's
adaptation of three short stories by Russian Absurdist Nikolai Gogol is
a whirligig of ferocious creativity. In “The Nose,” a pompous
small-town politician (Tom Ashworth) wakes up to discover that his nose
has decided to go AWOL, and he's frustrated when the wandering member
transforms into an enormous schnoz capable of rescuing dogs from wells
and romancing local lovelies. “Diary of a Madman” shows a low-level
drone of a civil servant (Ben Messmer, wonderfully bug-eyed) spurned in
love and going insane, imagining he hears local dogs sending each other
love letters. In “The Overcoat,” a mild-mannered postal clerk
(Kristopher Lee Bicknell, sweetly channeling Charlie Chaplin) buys a
new overcoat, which ultimately brings him nothing but tragedy.
Performers caparisoned in Pat Rubio's stunning Commedia-style masks
interact with the dazzling puppets designed by the production's
six-person mask crew in a manner that often suggests a spooky Russian
tragic version of Mister Roger's Neighborhood. The astonishing, Big
Bird-sized nose puppet, snorting up Danishes provided by the town
baker, is a particular delight. Elsewhere, the show's imagination is
best showcased in details, from the sequence in which a murderous
barber's fantasies of killing his client are projected in shadow puppet
form on the wall behind him, to the scenes involving the talking dogs,
whose beautiful puppet forms are manipulated Bunraku-style with masked
puppeteers. Ultimately, though, Felde's workmanlike script is so broad
and perfunctory, we feel little emotional connection to the characters
or the situations, and the production's admittedly gorgeous artifice
essentially upstages the storytelling. The end result is an experience
that is undeniably provocative but also assaultive and occasionally
hyperactive. Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Fridays and
Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 3 p.m. Call theater for additional
performances; through November 1. (800) 838-3006 or rogueartists.org. A
Rogue Artists Ensemble Production. (Paul Birchall)
GO THE GOLDEN GAYS Even non-fans of The Golden Girls will be amused by John Patrick Trapper's uproarious play with music, which simultaneously spoofs the TV series and the neuroses of aging gay men. Diagnosed with Sitcom Affective Disorder by the unconventional Dr. Leche (Aaron Barerra), four gay men turn to drag in order to work out their identification with characters from The Golden Girls. Samuel (David Romano) identifies with the acid-tongued tongued Sophia, mother of the imperious Dorothy, who's impersonated by Damien (John W. McLaughlin). Promiscuous Blanche is played by the equally promiscuous Blaine (John Downey III), and Roger (Irwin Moskowitz) rounds out the quartet as the ditzy Rose. The plot is secondary to the reprise of various scenes from the much-beloved TV show. The uncredited costumes are hilarious, particularly Dr. Leche's get ups, with additional kudos for dragographer ChaCha Cache. Trapper's lyrics make the musical numbers equally hilarious, thanks in part to musical director Robert Glen Decker. Lori J. Ness Quinn's over-the-top direction matches perfectly with the outrageous material, which includes lots of Bea Arthur jokes. The actors turn in superior performances, with a special nod to McLaughlin's Dorothy. Cavern Club Theater at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake; Thurs.-Sat., 9 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 10. https://plays411.com/thegoldengays. (323) 969-2530. Wild Stance Productions. (Sandra Ross)
GO GROUNDLINGS SPACE CAMP Just when you thought it was safe to swear off laughing forever, the Groundlings have unleashed another solid show. Under Mikey Day's direction, the best bits are weighted toward the beginning: John Connor's sidekick meets his own protective Terminator, an 18-inch dancing robot; two octogenarian '70s sitcom stars radiate diva 'tude while fumbling through a commercial for the AARP; and, my favorite, a post-championship rally for the Lakers where a fan opens up to Kobe Bryant via the news, looking into the camera and vowing, “You could make me learn to trust again.” Director Day keeps things at a nice clip, staying on top of five funny improv exercises, despite loud insistence from a tipsy audience member (who wanted more of her suggestions used) that everyone else in the crowd was a plant. In a uniformly good cast, Jeremy Rowley's Kobe obsessive stands out, as do both ladies, Stephanie Courtney and Charlotte Newhouse, the latter of whom braved an instantly-embarrassed theatergoer's improv prompt that she speak “Asian.” (Amy Nicholson) Groundlings Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.; thru Oct. 3. (323) 934-9700.
HEYDRICH/HITLER/HOLOCAUST An apostle of the Holocaust and, with Himmler, a chief engineer of the Final Solution, Reinhard Heydrich has been depicted in numerous books and films. Assassinated in 1942, this ambitious villain kept files on fellow Nazis as well as on suspected enemies of the Reich – one reason, perhaps, for the persistent rumors about his “Jewish blood.” Playwright Cornelius Schnauber has seized upon this aspect of his biography to construct a muddled and implausible play in which Heydrich (Oliver Finn) is portrayed politicking around these insinuations. Another element in the fantastical plot is this virulent anti-Semite's confrontational dialectic with a Jewish maid named Anna (Jessica Sherman), who has somehow maintained gainful employment at Nazi headquarters. Spokesperson for humanity, Anna implores Heydrich to recognize that Jews are human beings, promising to save his life if he helps rescue some of them. (Heydrich's real-life brother actually did abandon Nazism to help save some Jews, before committing suicide.) Later, Anna is brought before Hitler (Don Paul, whose Fuehrer struck me as a deluded insane asylum inmate) – whom she challenges with bravado, yet survives. Stilted and declaimed with dreadful German accents, the play rolls out like a cartoonish nightmare, with much dialogue devoted to airing Nazi ideas, as if we didn't understand these already. Under L. Flint Esquerra's direction, little attempt is made to get beyond posturing — except for Sherman who, against tremendous odds, manages a credible performance. (Deborah Klugman) MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hlywd; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Oct. 11; (323) 957-1152.
THE HIGH Teen-drama parody, “from OMG to LOL.”. ComedySportz, 733 Seward St., L.A.; Fri., 10:30 p.m.. (323) 871-1193.
HOT SHORTS Seven new short plays by the Lyric Hyperion Writers Workout. Lyric-Hyperion Theater, 2106 Hyperion Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 3. (800) 838-3006.
HOW KATRINA PLAYS Judi Ann Mason's multimedia “docu-play” of Hurricane Karina. Write Act Theater, 6128 Yucca St., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 24, www.howkatrinaplays.org. (323) 469-3113.
THE ILLUSION Pierre Corneille's Baroque classic. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 21. (323) 882-6912.
GO KILL ME DEADLY Few literary figures seem as blatantly ripe for satire as the gumshoe detective. Playwright Bill Robens ably answers the call, with an entertaining spoof about an obtuse private dick named Charlie Nichols (Dean Lemont) and his obsession for a witless scarlet-clad siren named Mona (Kirsten Vangsness). Called in to forestall the murder of a wealthy dowager, Lady Clairmont (the comically skillful Kathleen Mary Carthy), he's soon embroiled with the usual parade of tough-guy gangsters, dumb cops and seductive debutantes. Obstacles confront Charlie everywhere ― his client soon ends up dead ― but none prove as treacherous as his buxom, doe-eyed lady love, whose predilection for homicide he myopically ignores. Savvily staged by director Kiff Scholl (with fight choreography by Caleb Terray and videography by Darrett Sanders), the script successfully parodies the genre's multiple clichés and evocative parlance, even as it lacks the razor-sharp edge of a top-notch farce. (The show goes on a bit too long.) Still the adroit supporting ensemble makes the most of the piece's convoluted subplots ― among them Nicholas S. Williams as Lady Clairmont's effete son Clive, Phinneas Kiyomura as an eyewitness to her murder and Ezra Buzzington as her suspiciously implicated butler. As the hero, Lemont demonstrates facileness. With her pouty lips and batting eyelids, Vangsness' outrageous Mona becomes the show's star. (DK) Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; through Oct. 3. (323) 856-8611.
GO LIFE COULD BE A DREAM This affectionate doo-wop juke-box musical by writer-director Roger Bean (The Marvelous Wonderettes), with clever choreography by Lee Martino, handsome set by Tom Buderwitz, and spectacular lighting by Luke Moyer, is designed to incorporate hit songs of the 1960s, ranging from the goofy “Sh Boom” and “Rama Lama Ding Dong” to anthems like “Earth Angel,” “Unchained Melody,” “The Great Pretender,” and “The Glory of Love.” In small-town Springfield, the local radio station is sponsoring a rock-and-roll contest, and go-getter Denny (Daniel Tatar) is convinced he can win and become a star. He enlists his klutzy, nerdish, endearing friend Eugene (Jim Holdridge) and church-choir singer Wally (Ryan Castellino) to join him. Needing a sponsor to provide the $50 entrance fee for the contest, they apply to the proprietor of the local auto chain. He sends his top mechanic, handsome, hunky Skip (Doug Carpenter), and his pretty daughter Lois (Jessica Keenan Wynn), to audition the guys, and by the end they're incorporated in the new group, Denny and the Dreamers. This is pure fluff, and the terrific ensemble makes every note count in this rousing good-time musical. (Neal Weaver) Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m., Sat., 3 & 8 p.m., and Sun., 3 p.m.; indef. (323) 960-4412.
LIQUID Directed and designed by Chris Covics, Brenda Varda's farce benefits from superb technical arrangements. From Susannah Mitchell's original costumes to Paul Bertin's sound design, the artistry of this production is clearly on display. Most particularly, Perry Hoberman's video and visuals are creatively delightful–and downright scary in other places. Covics' over-the-top direction is well-suited to the material, but not all the actors are up to the task at hand. A bigger problem is the writing: Varda's winsome ecological fable is undercut by stilted dialogue. The plot concerns a scientist, Nevah (Daniella Dahmen), who is looking to save the planet the planet from global warming through the creation of CO2 eating algae. Nevah is set to marry Odam (Kyle Ingleman), but the terrorist Chaet (Craig Johnson) interrupts the ceremony, intent on stealing the scientific formula. He's thwarted when a tsunami hits the island. Nevah, Odam and Chaet survive the tsunami, but wash up in different places. These vignettes take them from an island made of trash to an oil rig to a pirate ship to a floating retirement home filled with cannibals. Varda takes potshots at multinational corporations, oil companies and refuse disposal, but much of the writing seems off-the-cuff. Shirley Anderson puts in a nice turn as a designer healer for tourists who becomes a blind seer, and Bruce Adel shines in several different roles. (Sandra Ross) Unknown Theater, 1110 N. Seward St., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; thru Oct. 4. (323) 466-7781.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Hard-core, exploitation-cinema auteurists have probably still not forgiven Howard Ashman (book & lyrics) or Alan Menken (score) for their 1982 musical burlesque of Roger Corman's immortal, low-budget horror allegory about the moral price of success. And, judging by director Jaz Davison's somewhat awkward staging on John Paul De Leonardis' clumsy, turnstile set, final absolution won't be forthcoming. By transforming Seymour (Mark Petrie), the green-thumbed shop assistant at Mushnik's Skid Row Florists, from the serial-killing schnook of the Corman original to merely a passive-aggressive facilitator of the botanical puppet monster Audrey II (the voice of Pamela Taylor) and her homicidal appetites, Ashman blunts Corman's edgy black comedy into a kind of anodyne Merry Melody. Of course, it is precisely Menken's melodies — his crowd-pleasing takeoffs of doo-wop and early Motown rock classics — that have always been this show's irresistible soul, and under Debbie Lawrence's capable music direction, that remains the case here. Leslie Duke, as Seymour's Brooklyn-honking love interest, Audrey, elevates every number she sings, particularly in her sweetly funny rendition of “Somewhere That's Green” and her soulful turn in the duet, “Suddenly, Seymour.” Taylor rocks the house with her rousing Audrey II solo, “Mean Green Mother.” But the production's outstanding pipes belong to vocal powerhouse Cloie Wyatt Taylor, whose incandescent gospel stylings are all but wasted in the supporting, choral role of Chiffon. (Bill Raden) Knightsbridge Theater, 1944 Riverside Dr., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (323) 667-0955.
LOST IN RADIOLAND World premiere of Ryan Paul James and Denny Siegel's 1940s-era comedy. Theatre 68, 5419 Sunset Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 17. (323) 467-6688.
MANish BOY Writer-actor-comedian Ralph Harris is a clever writer, and a very funny man. His eloquent and affectionate portrait of his feisty 94-year-old grandfather is a comic gem, strongly rooted in reality: This is not merely stand-up comedy, but fine, richly detailed acting through which he conjures his African-American family. He also presents sketches of his “devil dad” father, and a drug-saturated uncle. But there's a dis-connect between his individual sketches, and the framing device he chose. He begins his tale with a phone call from a girl-friend of 20 years ago, informing him that she thinks her son is his child. She wants him to come back to Philadelphia to take a DNA test. He must face the possibility that he has a 20-year-old son. He returns to South Philly, and his mother's basement, where he dredges up memories of his past. The possible son is a red herring, not organically connected to his other stories, so the performance seems contrived. This is unfortunate because, though his best material is really wonderful, the shape of this production, broken up by many unnecessary blackouts, is awkward and distracting. Director Mark E. Swinton serves Harris well when he leaves him free to perform his character portraits, but he allows too many distractions to impede the flow. (Neal Weaver) Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood; Wed., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 7. (323) 960-1056 or www.plays411.com/manishboy.
MANUSCRIPT Paul Grellong's 2005 play is impossible to describe without ruining its many intricate plot turns. Let's just say it involves three recent Ivy League college chums settling into a party in a Brooklyn Heights home owned by the family of Harvard student, David (Adam Shapiro). At the start, childhood friends David and Chris (Patrick J. Adams) appear jittery over the visit of Chris' new girlfriend, Elizabeth (Katharine Brandt). But nothing in this play is what it seems. (Steven Leigh Morris) Elephant Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through October 3. (323) 960-5774. Tall Blonde Productions and Elephant Stageworks.
MIX TAPE: TAKING FLIGHT Six original one-acts by Little Bird Productions. Elephant Stageworks, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 17. (323) 960-7770.
SUNDAY OF THE DEAD All-new sketch and improv by the Sunday Company. Groundling Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.. (323) 934-9700.
MOTHER Mary-Beth Manning's one-woman show. Imagined Life Theater, 5615 San Vicente Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 3. (866) 811-4111.
NEW REVIEW GO THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP Photo courtesy of Deconstructed Productions
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. WeHo
Church, 916 N. Formosa Ave., Hlywd; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.;
through Oct. 11. (323) 667-1304. A Deconstructed Productions
production. (Amy Nicholson)
NEW REVIEW GO NAKED BOYS SINGING
Photo by Michael Lamont
When this musical, conceived and directed by Robert Schrock, debuted at
the Celebration Theatre in 1998, it was the first show to acknowledge
candidly that it featured nudity for its own sake, without explanation,
justification or apologies. (The opening number was, and is, called
“Gratuitous Nudity.”) Some audiences were astonished to discover that,
when the actors are relaxed, uninhibited and enjoying the situation,
nudity is remarkably unshocking. The show has achieved enduring
worldwide success, though a brief L.A. revival a couple of years ago
was decidedly lackluster. One wondered if the show would hold up, now
that the novelty is gone. Not to worry. This new production, featuring
eight talented and very naked men (Eric B. Anthony, Jeffrey A. Johns,
Jack Harding, Timothy Hearl, Marco Infante, Tony Melson, Daniel Rivera,
and Victor Tang), proves that when performed with wit, insouciance and
skill, the show still has the capacity to charm. It's exuberant, and
full of joie de vivre, and when the actors are having fun, the audience
has fun. Though not all the voices are strong, the cast are all
engaging, Schrock's direction is crisp and fast-paced, and the songs
offer ample wit and humor. Gerald Sternbach provides excellent musical
direction. Macha Theatre, 1107 Kings Road, W. Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8
p.m., Sun., 7 p.m., through November 22. (323) 960-4424. (Neal Weaver)
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.
RUBY, TRAGICALLY ROTUND The theater-in-the-round set for Boni B. Alvarez's dramedy about a Filipina college student named Ruby (Ellen D. Williams, in a great performance) puts its actress on a center pedestal and encourages the audience to take in a 360-degree view of a self-described “fat girl” as she tries to wriggle into her tightest jeans. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera confronts the audience head on with Williams' weight: She strips, straddles her boyfriend (Kacy-Earl David) and above all, stands with confidence, daring us to deny her sex appeal – and it's hard to deny when she struts her vamp walk. Her mother Edwina (Fran De Leon), however, disagrees. A former Miss Manila, she'd rather hide Ruby away like a fairy tale beast while she presses her more timid daughter Jemmalyn (Marc Pelina) to practice around the clock for first prize in the Miss Sunnyvale pageant. Backed by her sassy chorus of junk food-loving friends (Angel Felix, Alison M. De La Cruz, and Regan Carrington), Ruby vows to take the crown herself, even if her imposed group diet turns her posse into the Lord of the Fries. Alvarez's play has an up-with-Ruby cheer that undermines its call for equality and empowerment: Ruby's quest for the crown reveals her care only about the swimsuit, not the talent or the interview, and Jemmalyn's legit argument that she alone has put in the effort to win gets dismissed by the playwright as being petulant. A subplot where Edwina betrays her husband Jepoy (Robert Almodovar) with wealthy white neighbor Kline (Mark Doerr) hints that beautiful women are limited by their reliance on looks, but largely seems designed only to give the gorgeous villain more stage time. Alvarez and Rivera's climax obliges in a Grand Guignol finale that turns this into a play about child abuse, not fat pride. Though riveting and well-acted, the alternately chipper and dark play feels as bipolar as the undiagnosed Edwina herself. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (213) 489-0994. A Playwrights Arena production (Amy Nicholson)
GO SAVIN' UP FOR SATURDAY NIGHT A thunder'n'lightinin' romance between ex-spouses crackling around a restraining order lies in the vain heart of Jeff Goode (book) and Richard Levinson's (songs) new musical, set in an undisclosed locale that sounds a whole lot like west Texas. And though this is a countrified variation on Erin Kamler's urban and urbane Divorce! The Musical, that played at the Coast Playhouse earlier this year, director Jeremy Aldridge does double-duty to seduce us into an environment, as he did with last year's hit at this same theater, Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara. David Knutson's set transforms the theater into small town canteen/gas station, with plastic L.P records and American flags pinned to the wall. Jaimie Froemming's Texas costumes can make you feel a tad out of place for leaving that shirt with the fringe and the cowboy boots in the closet. And there are other striking similarities between Savin' Up and Louis & Keely: a marriage on the rocks, an onstage band (honky-tonk rather than jazz, consisting of musical director/guitarist John Groover McDuffie, who's also on Pedal Steel; Peter Freiberger on bass; Dave Fraser on piano; John Palmer on drums; and Al Bonhomme, alternating on guitar). Levinson's songs are a throwback to early Elton John, when he was working with Bernie Taupin, with a twist of Randy Newman's harmonic grandeur. Each of the two acts opens with a ballad accompanied just by piano (“Dr. Bartender” and “Small Town”) that have simple yet haunting harmonic progressions from John's earliest albums, and the shit-kicking Act 2 “Gotta Lotta Rockin' To Do” is a musical nod to John's “Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting).” Also echoing Louis & Keely is a dimension that makes this show just right for L.A. — a prevalent tension between narcissism and the capacity to give of oneself, that's perfectly embodied in the delusions of Eldridge, Jr. (Brendan Hunt), a local homophobe who believes he possesses the charisma and style of Elvis Presley. In fact, he has a slight speech impediment and a deranged glint in his eye. His singing act dominates the bar, with his name in lights as a backdrop. (A number of the bulbs tellingly need replacing, like in his own emotional circuitry.) Can he win back his ex, Lucinda (the vivacious Natascha Corrigan) – a woman of machine-gun wit and fury who works double time to penetrate the impenetrable veneer of Eldridge's ego? Things get touchy, when Eldridge's long time friend, bartender Doc (the bear-like Bryan Krasner) finally has the guts to make a move of Lucinda, while sweet Patsy (Courtney DeCosky) cares for Eldridge – but not that much. It's a thin entertainment, enhanced by Allison Bibicoff's sashaying choreography, but an entertainment nonetheless. Its tone of sentimentality sprinkled with metaphysics is embodied in the song “Here,” beautifully rendered by Rachel Howe, who plays a daffy waitress. The place and people can make you so insane, you want to flee, she croons: “And I know someday/We're all just gonna disappear/So I want to take the time right now to say/I really love it here.” Sacred Fools Theatre, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct 4 & 11, 7 p.m.; through Oct. 24. (310) 281-8337. (Steven Leigh Morris)
SHHH … QUIET AS KEPT Brandi Burks uncovers the truth. Stage 52 Theatre, 5299 W. Washington Blvd., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (323) 600-7402.
NEW REVIEW GO SHINING CITY Photo by Ed Krieger
Conor
McPherson's pristine study in urban loneliness, first produced in 2004,
unfolds in a Dublin walkup where a sexually confused therapist, Ian
(William Dennis Hurley), listens, and listens, and listens some more to
the half completed sentences spewed by his despondent client, John
(Morlan Higgins), who keeps bursting into paroxysms of sobbing over the
loss of his wife, killed in an auto accident. Making matters worse, the
couple were estranged at the time, and what will eventually unfold is
John's story of his blazingly pathetic and unconsumed adultery with
someone he met at a party — his blunderings, his selfishness, and his
need not so much for sex but for the validation that comes from human
contact, which his now-late wife couldn't provide to his satisfaction.
John is haunted by her ghost, and Ian must ever so gently tell him that
what he saw or heard was real, but ghosts simply aren't. (That gently
yet smugly articulated theory will be challenged, along with every
other pretense of what's real, and what isn't.) While listening to his
forlorn client, and answering with such kindness and sensitivity, Ian
is himself going through hell: A former priest, he must now explain to
his flummoxed partner (Kerrie Blaisdell, imagine the multiple reactions
of a cat that's just been thrown out a window) that he's leaving her,
and their child, though he will move mountains to continue to support
them financially. Ian's plight becomes a tad clearer with the visit of
a male prostitute (Benjamin Keepers) in yet another pathetic and almost
farcical endeavor to connect with another human being. Director Stephen
Sachs' meticulous attention to detail manifests itself in the
specificity with which Ian places his chair, in the sounds of offstage
footsteps on the almost abandoned building's stairwell (sound design by
Peter Bayne), in the ebbs and flows of verbiage and silence, in
Higgins' hulking tenderness, and in the palate of emotions reflected in
the slender Hurley's withering facial reactions. This is a moving
portrait, in every sense: delicate, comical, desolate and profoundly
humane. It's probably a bit too long, the denouement lingers to margins
of indulgence, but that's a quibble in a production of such rare
beauty. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8
p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through December 19. (323) 663-1525. (Steven Leigh
Morris)
SOMEONE'S SOMEBODY Regina Louise's monodrama centers on her role as a black child in search of a family. She was abandoned by both her mother and father. Over the years she was sent to more than 30 foster homes, most of which she fled. A counselor in a children's home where she was sent loved her and wanted to adopt her — but the authorities forbid it, since the counselor was white, and they insisted that she needed a black upbringing. She desperately wanted to be with someone who cared about her, but that didn't concern the bureaucrats. It's a fascinating rags-to-riches tale (she eventually wrote and sold a successful autobiography), but there's something slightly schizophrenic about the way she tells it. She talks about her utter powerlessness to control her own destiny, yet she emerges as a highly confident, competent, and savvy young woman. Would be nice to know how she got there. She tells us she has a son, but we never learn the circumstances of his birth, or the identity of the father. Louise is a deft writer-actor and singer who threads songs through her narrative. But I kept ruminating on the story's crucial aspects that she left out. Lee Sankowich directs. The Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 5. (323) 960-7738 or http:/plays411.com/someone'ssomebody” (Neal Weaver)
NEW REVIEW GO THE SOMETHING – NOTHING
Photo by Ed Krieger
An excessively late start, covered by pounding, annoying club music led
this reviewer to notice only the flaws in the first part of this outing
— but Fielding Edlow's smart script and the fine acting eventually
prevailed. Three solipsistic New Yorkers nearing 30 pride themselves on
their cynical worldliness while simultaneously hiding their desperate
loneliness and fear of intimacy. Liza (Annika Marks) awkwardly uses the
most complicated words in conversation, which is ironically laced with
the youthful crutch of “like” several times per sentence. She persists
in trying to keep up with those she secretly believes are her
intellectual superiors. She is alternately adored and scorned by her
near-psychotic lesbian roommate Luna (a delightfully grotesque
performance by Robyn Cohen) as well as by her love interest, a
narcissistic would-be writer (played with sexual zeal and emotional
vacancy by Michael Rubenstone). The three characters spiral down into
self-pity, lifted occasionally by some moments of genuine human contact
— generally shut down by the receiving party. Edlow's dialogue bounces
between razor-sharp and languid, creating a weird uneasiness. She ends
the second act with a character shouting, “This is not a Neil LaBute
play” — a remarkable insight, as the play does feel like a female
response to LaBute's constant woman-baiting. Director Kiff Scholl
smartly allows his hand to disappear, giving over the storytelling to
the richly textured, sad characters. Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica
Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; (323) 960-7721. (Tom Provenzano)
THY KINGDOM COME In his theatrical debut, playwright Jarad Sanchez explores a little known corner of Mexican history, dramatizing how the inhabitants of the village of Yanga overthrew their colonial masters and became the first free town in the Americas. While the African slave Yanga (Joel Virgil), for whom the town was named, primarily orchestrated the battle against Spain, a fierce Aztec slave named Santiago (Ryan De Mesa) becomes the focus of the play's action when he is forced to care for the infant of a colonial master who is killed during a revolt. Despite the rich source material, and the important story, the heavy-handed exposition and the lack of depth in both the dialogue and character relationships fail to mask the fact that Sanchez initially wrote this for the screen. Elizabeth Otero's direction similarly doesn't theatricalize the material effectively, with her brisk pacing of the short scenes leaving one hungry for higher stakes and fuller character exploration, as well as greater use of nonverbal nuance. Tony Carranza's costumes, however, are both aesthetically appealing and appear historically accurate. As always, CASA 0101 fulfills an important role in the community and should be applauded for presenting a story that, with some adjustments, has the potential to powerfully dramatize the intersection of African and Latino colonial history. CASA 0101, 2009 E. First St., East L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru October 4. (323) 263-7684. (Mayank Keshaviah)
THE TOMORROW SHOW Late-night variety show created by Craig Anton, Ron Lynch and Brendon Small. Steve Allen Theater, at the Center for Inquiry-West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Sat., midnight. (323) 960-7785.
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN THE VALLEYS
A BIG GAY NORTH HOLLYWOOD WEDDING Interactive homo-nuptials, by William A. Reilly and Ben Rovner. Crown City Theatre, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 25. (818) 745-8527.
BOSTON MARRIAGE David Mamet's Victorian comedy. Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Sun., Oct. 4, 3 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 10, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 17, 3 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 23, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 25, 7 p.m.; Thurs., Oct. 29, 8 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 1, 3 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 7, 8 p.m.. (818) 700-4878.
BOY'S LIFE Howard Korder's comic vignettes on the male ego. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; thru Oct. 3. (310) 308-8262.
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD Mark Medoff's story of a romance between a deaf student and her teacher. Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (866) 811-4111.
GO THE CROSSING Whatever might be meant by a “Scottish national voice,” say something between the Romantic lyricism of Robert Burns and the sentimental whimsy of filmmaker Bill Forsyth, writer-performer Rachel Ogilvy certainly speaks it fluently. Her hour-long, first-person, dramatic monologue fairly bristles with the saccharine-dipped eccentrics and evocative local colors of her story's Edinburgh setting. Chiefly, though, it echoes in the melodious burr of her hard-nosed, high-strung heroine, Rose. A young, substitute math instructor who finds herself thrust into the stress-torquing environs of a new job among hostile, teacher-eating 14-year-olds, Rose is not what one would call a “people person.” Blame a severe, emotionally distant mother and the childhood trauma of her loving, half-remembered father's mysterious suicide, which has left her a haunted, withdrawn outsider primed for a nervous breakdown. Rather than heading for the nearest psychoanalyst's couch, Rose embarks on the somewhat quixotic pursuit of winning over her disinterested students by turning to her late father's obsession for the Golden Gate Bridge as the centerpiece of an elaborate lesson plan in analytic geometry. The effort quickly turns into a harrowing journey of relived memories that takes her to Edinburgh's Forth Rail Bridge — the site of her father's fatal leap and a perilous emotional precipice of unresolved guilt which she must cross to survive. Ogilvy uplifts her potentially weighty tale with brittle humor and a sweetly affective performance in a production benefited by Paul Christie's fluid, economical direction. Sidewalk Studio Theatre, 4150 Riverside Dr., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; (added perfs Thurs., 24, 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 27, 2 p.m.); thru Oct. 3. (818) 558-5702. (Bill Raden)
FINDING NEO Original one-acts by Denise Devin, Alex Dremann, Michael Erger, David Garry, Mark Harvey Levine, David Lewison, Marina Palmier, Donaco Smyth, and Ralph Tropf. Secret Rose Theater, 11246 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 29. (877) 620-7673.
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS World-premiere play with music by Laurie Stevens and Ronald Jacobs. Secret Rose Theater, 11246 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 31. (877) 620-7673.
GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE There's wonderful irony in the fact that, though Oscar Wilde's enemies succeeded in branding him a sodomist, and sentencing him to two years hard labor, they accidently conferred upon him a kind of posthumous glory, fame and historical importance that he probably wouldn't have achieved otherwise. Writer Moises Kaufman captures the tale's ironies and complexities by taking an objective, documentary approach, and constructing his play as a mosaic of primary sources: court records, personal letters, autobiographies, memoirs, and newspaper accounts. Susan Lee directs with brisk, efficient clarity, and Kerr Seth Lordygan contributes a serviceable if slightly colorless portrait of Wilde. Though Wilde's friend and lover, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, was an obnoxious egotist, he must have had considerable charm and glamour to have captured Wilde's love and loyalty, but Joshua Grant plays him as charmless, petulant and prissy. Andrew Hagan is persuasive as Wilde's nemesis, the malicious, paranoid Marquess of Queensbury, and Darrell Philip and Dean Farrell Bruggeman score as the rival attorneys. The notion of casting women (Casey Kramer, Allie Costa, Beth Ricketson, and JC Henning) as Oscar's “rent boys” seemed initially perverse, but they provide deft characterizations and sly comedy. (Neal Weaver) The Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, N. Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 7 p.m., thru Oct. 11. (818) 508-3003.
GO THE MATCHMAKER When playwright Thornton Wilder lifted the character Frosine from Molière's The Miser, and transplanted her in his adaptation of a 19th Century Viennese farce by Johan Nestroy, he can't have realized that he was launching her as one of the most enduringly popular characters in 20th Century American theatre. Renamed Dolly Gallagher Levi, she became the formidable protagonist of both The Matchmaker and the Jerry Herman musical version, Hello, Dolly! The play remains a delicious piece of faux Americana, which doesn't need the songs to be a zany theatrical warhorse. Dolly (Amanda Carlin) is playing matchmaker for wealthy Yonkers merchant Horace Vandergelder (James Gleason), but she's actually out to capture him for herself. When Horace heads for Manhattan to woo widowed Mrs. Molloy (Alyss Henderson), his two clerks, Cornelius (Patrick Rafferty) and Barnaby (Colin Thomas Jennings), take advantage of his absence to run off for a Manhattan adventure of their own. Comic confusions, mistaken identities, and multiple romances result. Director Dave Florek's production is sturdy rather than brilliant, but he elicits plenty of charm from his large, engaging cast. Particularly noteworthy are Don Fischer and James Greene in goofy featured roles. Jeff McLaughlin's sets and Sherry Linnell's costumes capture the period flavor. The Victory Theatre Center, 3326 West Victory Boulevard, Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 4 p.m., thru Oct. 18. Produced by Interact Theatre Company. (818) 765-8732. (Neal Weaver)
MOM'S THE WORD Mom writers write about motherhood. By Linda A. Carson, Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard, and Deborah Williams. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 8. (818) 508-0281.
PULP GRAVEYARD Theatre Unleashed takes on “comic books, pulp fiction and dime-store novels,” old-time live radio drama style. Sherry Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., 10:30 p.m.; thru Oct. 17, www.theatreunleashed.com…
REP*A*TROIS Three plays in rotating rep: Heroes by Gerard Sibleyras, Painting Churches by Tina Howe, and Boston Marriage by David Mamet. (Call for schedule.). Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Thurs.-Sun..; thru Nov. 7. (818) 700-4878.
NEW REVIEW SCARECROW
Photo courtesy of Ice2Sand Productions
Playwright Don Nigro's Midwestern Gothic makes for an uneasy fit on a
legitimate stage. Perhaps that's because the one-act psychological
horror began life as the script for a 1979 experimental video shot at
the Iowa Writer's Workshop, in which the cinematic, windswept vistas of
Iowan corn fields stood in for the roiling subconscious of Nigro's
sexually frustrated young heroine, Cally (Linda Tomassone). In director
Antony Berrios' production, those fields are necessarily pruned to a
dozen, desiccated stalks (on designer Vincent Albo's farmhouse set),
thereby diminishing the figurative effect and throwing the poetic onus
onto Nigro's humorless, derivative text. The tale deals with the
troubled, claustrophobic relationship between 18-year-old Cally and her
reclusive, repressive, evil-obsessed mother, Rose (Deborah Lemen) —
think Carrie and Margaret White, albeit without Stephen King's
telekinetic fireworks. Their chief contention is over boys and sex,
both of which Rose considers ultimate threats to be kept apart from her
virginal daughter with a shotgun. Rose's vigilance cannot extend into
the adjacent corn fields, however, into which Cally daily disappears to
rendezvous with the mysterious Nick (Ian Jerrell), a beguiling drifter
who may either be a figment of her romantic fantasies or the malevolent
incarnation of Rose's worst fears. Both Tomassone and Lemen acquit
themselves well in the melodramatic clinches (though Cally appears more
salon-groomed than corn-fed), and while Jerrell delivers a measure of
dash, he misses the menace that might stoke Nigro's otherwise
suspense-starved story. Avery Schreiber Theatre, 11050 Magnolia Blvd.,
N.Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through October 17. (818) 859-3160.
Ice2Sand Productions (Bill Raden)
SECRETS OF A SOCCER MOM Kathleen Clark's story of three mothers. Stillspeaking Theatre, 2560 Huntington Dr., San Marino; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Oct. 18. (626) 292-2081.
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical thriller. Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., Valley Village; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 22, www.theprodco.com. (800) 838-3006.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel. Missing Piece Theatre, 2811 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 25, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/74143. (800) 838-3006.
NEW REVIEW UNDERGROUND WOMAN
Photo by Jeff Robinson
Very loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground,
Victoria E. Thompson's dark comedy focuses on a cynical woman who just
wants to be left alone. Thompson performs as Delia Donovan, a woman who
desires only to drink herself to death. Her dysfunctional family has
other plans, however. Led by therapist Elise Rosen (Maaren Edvard), her
family stages an intervention. Self-mutilating daughter Rachel (Maegan
McConnell) can barely hide her resentment as she tells her mother she
loves her. Newly sober son David (Chris Kerrigan) is illiterate, unable
to read the letter penned by the therapist to his mother. Bitter adult
sister Harriet (Hilarie Thompson) resurrects old grudges and blames her
older sister for her not becoming a cheerleader in high school. Delia's
husband, Don (James Loren), writes a convincing enough intervention
love letter — until it's revealed that he's having an affair with the
therapist. Director Anita Khanzadian elicits superior performances from
Thompson and Edvard, but some of the supporting players are a bit
overblown, bordering on shrill. Two exceptions: Adam Sherman does an
excellent job as Delia's equally cynical nephew, and director
Khanzadian is fine as Delia's mother. Victoria Profitt's homey set adds
to the persuasiveness of the play. The Michael Chekhov Studio in
association with Theatre Unlimited, 10943 Camarillo Ave., N.Hlywd.;
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through October 18. (818) 238-0501.
(Sandra Ross)
WONDER OF THE WORLD David Lindsy-Abaire's divorce comedy. Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru Nov. 1. (818) 841-5421.
THE WONDERFUL ICE CREAM SUIT Ray Bradbury's fantastical comedy. Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Nov. 14, www.plays411.com/raybradbury. (323) 960-4451.
CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED ON THE WESTSIDE AND IN BEACH TOWNS
CINDERELLA: THE MUSICAL I attended writer-director Chris De Carlo & Evelyn Rudie<0x2019>s musical adaptation of the timeless fairy tale with my 9-year-old niece, Rachel. Rachel said she really liked the stepsisters and Cinderella (Melissa Gentry) but wished somebody had been more cruel, as in the story. Everybody here was just so nice, and Rachel was aching for something meaner or weirder. I concur. (SLM). Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica; Sat.-Sun., 12:30 & 3 p.m.; thru Dec. 27. (310) 394-9779.
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED Douglas Carter Beane's look at Hollywood dealmaking. Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 17. (310) 828-7519.
NEW REVIEW GO THE NEED TO KNOW In a much-evolved solo show that she
first presented at Burbank's tiny Sidewalk Studio Theatre seven years
ago, and which she's been touring ever since, April Fitzsimmons has
grown into the role. Given that her show is autobiographical, this is a
bit like saying she's grown into herself, which is also probably true.
Perhaps the show has taught her more about the complexities of life,
but it's also taught her how to act. Her impersonations of family and
friends, her vocal range, her physical dexterity and her comedic timing
are now more fully accomplished, and a scene referring to Obama has
been added. What starts as a domestic romp from her childhood in
Montana and her fling with a man engaged to somebody else, slides into
an adventure monitoring Russia and the Middle East as part of a U.S.
Air Force intelligence team. Partly to spite her father and her
family's Navy heritage (her father refused to support her wish to
pursue an acting career in L.A.), she joined the Air Force, and found
herself in the south of Italy, working as an intelligence analyst. Even
then, she had a raw morality that simply bristled at evidence of
nuclear materials being illegally trafficked across foreign lands,
evidence that never made it into the press, because the “need-to-know”
standard, and U.S. relations with those foreign governments, prevailed
against it. That bristling was also the germinal fuel of Fitzsimmons'
eventual antiwar activism: It's not wars that protect our freedom, it's
the Bill of Rights, she tells a heckler at a beachfront, antiwar
ceremony honoring U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. Having marched with an
M-16, and been privy to the byzantine workings of the
military-intelligence network, Fitzsimmons' has earned the right to
stage an agitprop performance. She describes being a teenager in the
south of Italy, living on the estate of an older Mafioso as refuge from
her barracks. He sidles up to her and complains of his “tensseeon,”
that the cure is “amoooree.” Yet Fitzsimmons flips this cheesy pickup
line into poetry, when, at show's end, she speaks of the tensions in
the world, and how the only cure is amore. Steven Anderson directs.
Actors Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City; Thurs., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2
p.m.; through October 24. (310) 838-4264. (Steven Leigh Morris)
THE NERD Larry Shue's comedy about a nerd. Theater Palisades' Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 11. (310) 454-1970.
THE RECEPTIONIST If there is a premise behind playwright Adam Bock's superficial political satire, it might be the notion that even Adolf Eichmann had a beloved mother, and, no doubt, an efficient receptionist too. It is in the latter's domain of a generic, office waiting room (in Chris Covics' appropriately bland-moderne set) that Bock places his comic cautionary study in the mindless, bureaucratic surrender of moral judgment to the dictates of duty ― what Hannah Arendt meant by “the banality of evil.” And there are few duties more banal than Beverly Wilkins' (Megan Mullally of NBC's Will & Grace). Holding down the front desk of the innocuous-sounding “Northeast Office,” the veteran employee sorts the mail, makes the coffee and screens the incoming calls for her harried boss, Mr. Raymond (Jeff Perry), at least when she isn't gossiping on the phone or giving relationship advice to Mr. Raymond's flighty, love-hungry assistant, Lorraine (Jennifer Finnigan). It is only with the surprise visit of the Central Office's affable Martin Dart (Chris L. McKenna) and Mr. Raymond's inexplicable absence that Beverly's comfortable routine begins to unravel and the horrific nature of the Northeast Office's “services” is finally brought to light. Though Mullally nails the officious manner and mercurial pettiness of the practiced office functionary, Bart DeLorenzo's detail-mired direction ultimately proves unable to bridge the miscalculated disconnect between Bock's cobweb-thin characterizations and the discordant heft of his message. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., W.L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru November 23. (310) 477-2055. (Bill Raden) An Evidence Room/Odyssey Theatre Ensemble production.
RICHARD III Shakespeare's history play. Garage Theatre, 251 E. Seventh St., Long Beach; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Oct. 24. (866) 811-4111.
SOCK & SHOE The “Sock” portion of this pair of clown and puppet acts features former Cirque du Soleil maestro Daisuke Tsuji in the latest incarnation of the nouveau pantomimist's quest to take clowning out of the circus and onto the performance-art stage. Call it clowning for those who hate clowns. “Death and Giggles” (co-created by Tsuji and puppeteer Cristina Bercovitz) eschews the Cirque's more egregious audience pandering and slapstick grotesquerie for an often lyrical and richly metaphoric exploration into the metaphysics of dying. Framed by an ocean-surf drowning, the narrative has Tsuji, who is made up in simple whiteface and dressed in a sports coat and tie, on a balloon-strewn stage, improvising and miming his way through a series of life memories, ranging from a petulant, hyper-active child being called to dinner, to a school cafeteria food fight, to the sexual awakening of adolescence, through adult experiences of love, marriage and loss. Each scene is punctuated by the wit and vivid atmospherics of composer Jonathan Snipes' striking sound design which, in what may be the show's cleverest conceit, is cued by Tsuji's bursting of successive balloons as each, drowning breath is released. The evening's curtain-raiser, “Sole Mate,” an ingratiatingly cute exercise in close foot puppetry, has Bercovitz's sneaker sing the titular, romantic ballad (music by Snipes, lyrics by Snipes, Bercovitz & Jessica Erskine) as it searches through Erskine's mismatching footwear for its missing mate. Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City; Fri., 9 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m., Sept. 26 & Oct. 10; thru Oct. 23. (310) 838-4264. (Bill Raden)
THREE SISTERS Anton Chekhov's provincial Russian tale. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Oct. 31. (310) 477-2055.
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