A spooky, horror magic show, Todd Robbins' and Teller's Play Dead at Geffen Playhouse, is this week's Pick. A good review also for In the Heights presented by Teatro Nuevo Horizontes and Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights. For all the latest reviews and comprehensive theater listings, see below. The theater feature returns next week.
NEW THEATER REVIEWS, scheduled for publication November 27, 2013:
CHRISTMAS 2
What if Jesus never got around to his public ministry — what if the King of Kings instead remained an underachieving mensch with a hot wife and an overbearing mother, living in a rundown shack in Bethlehem? That's the half-clever premise of this double-cast, world-premiere play, written and directed by Jeff Goode, which marries a loose Christmas Carol plot structure with sitcom sensibilities. Despite a boozy, gyrating angel and Madonna/whore jokes aplenty, the story winds up neither as edgy nor as funny as it tries to be. The show's strongest moments involve the appealingly milquetoast Jesus (Nathan Wellman) and his firebrand cousin John (Anthony Backman), and some soul-searching by a morally compromised Roman centurion (Brett Koontz). But original humor and topical zingers get buried in the oppressively long, domesticated script. By the umpteenth “Did you look under the manger for your [fill in the blank]?” joke, it feels like an interminable episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. SkyPilot Theatre at T.U. Studios, 10943 Camarillo St., N. Hlywd.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 6 & 13, 8 p.m.; through Dec. 22. (818) 600-1759, skypilottheatre.com. (Jenny Lower)
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS
Suitable for the kindergarten set, writer Scott Martin's benign adaptation of the classic children's story features Caitlin Gallogly as a friendly and cherished little girl, whose mom (Bonnie Kalisher) just isn't a good cook. Searching for adventure, the tyke stumbles upon the three bears' habitat and, after sampling their food and furniture, makes off with the recipe for Mama Bear's delicious porridge. She's tracked down (with the help of the audience) by Teddy Bear (Jason Galloway); the two meet, find they have much in common, then teach their parents (both sets are played by Kalisher and Anthony Gruppuso) to be unafraid and respectful of each other. Composer Richard Berent's tunes are simple but catchy, as are some of the lyrics (credited to Martin and Rob Meurer). The performers are veterans of this larger-than-life storytelling style; Gallogly is especially endearing and easy to relate to. Lloyd J. Schwartz and Barbara Mallory Schwartz co-direct. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. W., L.A.; Sat., 1 p.m.; through March 1. (323) 851-7977, theatrewest.org. (Deborah Klugman)
GO: IN THE HEIGHTS
If ever there was a critic-proof musical, it is Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes' exuberant, irresistible and almost risibly sanitized 2007 paean to community and immigrant aspiration. Almost, because — even if the Washington Heights depicted by Hudes' cloyingly wholesome libretto and Marco De Leon's grit-free, storybook-barrio set looks more like Sesame Street than any known avenue above Manhattan's 131st Street — once Miranda's high-octane Latin hip-hop opener kicks in, and Michael Torrenueva (as the Dominican bodega owner Usnavi) literally sings the neighborhood to life, any qualms melt away in the sheer warmth of this immensely likable company's embrace. Powered by choreographer Daniel Lazareno De Dios' electrifying production numbers, director Rigo Tejeda's staging (a reprise of his 2012 production) expertly weaves Miranda's salsa and merengue rhythms with Hudes' limpid conflicts into a driving and seductive Technicolor fantasy. Standouts include vocal powerhouse Veronica Rosa as Nina, the Puerto Rican Stanford dropout who returns to the 'hood to face the disappointment of her striver parents (Martica De Cardenas and Luis Marquez); James Oronoz as her forbidden (i.e., non-Hispanic) love interest; Vivian Lamolli as brassy gossip Daniella; and Anastasia Silva as the matriarchal neighborhood eminence grise who almost mystically ties up all the plot strands to deliver the evening's celebratory ending. Teatro Nuevo Horizontes and Casa 0101, 2102 E. First St., Boyle Heights; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; through Dec. 22. (323) 263-7684, casa0101.org. (Bill Raden)
LIGHT UP THE SKY
Moss Hart's 1940s comedy about a group of theater luvvies awaiting opening night — and then suffering the aftermath — gets an amusing if straightforward staging in director David McClendon's mostly engaging production. Newbie playwright Peter (Nick Denning) anticipates the opening of his first major play, an avant-garde production that has attracted the participation of gorgeous diva actress Irene (Stephanie Erb), a flamboyant director (David Hunt Stafford) and a boorish money man (Arthur Hanket), all of whom gush over the young man's talent and passion. However, when it looks like the show's a flop, the same fawners turn on the writer, who is forced to learn some sobering truth about the Business they call Show. Director McClendon executes Hart's droll testament to (and critique of) the theatrical world at a crackling pace, though the grotesqueries of the play's stereotypes are sometimes more tired than scintillating, and McClendon's orthodox staging never quite manages to fully enliven it. Still, nice turns are offered by Erb's shrill star, Denning's callow playwright and Martin Thompson as an elder playwright who becomes Peter's mentor. Theatre 40, Reuben Corova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills; Thurs.- Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (no perfs Nov. 28-29); through Dec. 22. (310) 364-0535, theatre40.org. (Paul Birchall)
LIVE! FROM THE LAST NIGHT OF MY LIFE A despondent fellow, Doug (Pete Caslavka), is disillusioned by how he has ended up, stuck in a depressingly menial job working the graveyard shift at a gas station's convenience store. Packing a handgun, he decides to end it all at the conclusion of his shift at dawn. Throughout the night, Doug pontificates at length, recalling key episodes in his past, while playing to the security camera that his oppressive manager had installed. In between interacting with mundane customers — some moronic, most obnoxious — Doug is visited by his hostile, screaming parents, his first girlfriend and later his college sweetheart, plus Danny Zuko and John Travolta. With its broadly drawn characters and fantasy elements, sad sack Doug remains this play's naturalistic, fixed point. Playwright Wayne Rawley has done a great job balancing the tone, even throwing in a couple of fun dance routines. But at close to three hours, Doug's last night feels as if it will never be over. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Drive, E. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Thurs., Dec. 5 & 12, 8 p.m.; through Dec. 21. (310) 281-8337, sacredfools.org. (Pauline Adamek)
PICK OF THE WEEK: PLAY DEAD
Sitting through a performance of the Geffen Playhouse's delightful spook show Play Dead resurrects memories of a long-gone time when such shows were truly scary — and scads of fun. Performed by Todd Robbins, who co-wrote the show with director Teller (of the magician duo Penn & Teller), Play Dead is a tongue-in-cheek, loving homage to the spectacle and hocus-pocus of the carnie era, when 25 cents would buy a ticket and hot dogs were a nickel. It's also very much a blunt-force display of that curious human fascination with bloodshed, gore, death and the afterlife. Clad in a natty white suit, Robbins makes an ideal host for the proceedings, melding a parlous demeanor with a carnival barker's sturdy voice and the polished delivery of a master magician. Tom Buderwitz's impressive set is loaded with trade items, props and macabre bric-à-brac (a neon “Jesus Saves” sign is situated opposite John Dillinger in a cell). Robbins makes artful use of the many onstage “coffin boxes,” wherein lie the restless remains of notorious folks such as serial killer and eater of children Albert Fish. The assorted tricks and illusions are astonishing for their artistry and variety. The final feat of magic is a tour de force. In deference to Robbins' wishes not to give away the tricks, no more can be said other than that the show is a blast from start to finish. (The Geffen warns that the production contains some disturbing images and brief moments of nudity, so material may be inappropriate for children.) Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Wstwd.; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m. (no perf Nov. 28) ; through Dec. 22. (310) 208-5454, geffenplayhouse.com (Lovell Estell III)
ONGOING SHOWS REGION-WIDE:
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