Next to Normal – Music by Tom Kitt, Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey

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Nick Sarando and Isa Briones - Photos by John Dlugolecki

By Joe Straw

Next to Normal music by Tom Kitt and Books & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey was the winner of 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. On Broadway, Next to Normal was awarded the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score.  With these remarkable credentials one could not stay away.

But, in the Pico Playhouse, one wonders about the complexities of staging a full blown musical here, on this tiny stage.   A Broadway show, a rock musical at that, presented in a 99-seat venue in one of the most intimate houses on the Westside.  Three actors is a perfect fit, but with five actors things gets a little crowded.  This show has a cast of six and a five-piece orchestra. How?

Triage Productions presents in Association with Standing Room Only Productions The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award Winning Musical Next To Normal An Original Musical, Music by Tom Kitt, Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey, directed by Thomas James O’Leary, and Produced by Zachary Lutsky, Rory Patterson and Selah Victor through September 25, 2016.  EXTENDED THROUGH 10/08/16!!

Next to Normal is anything but normal. The musical highlights human complexities and lays a character’s misery right at your mental being.  It draws you into the fallen and pulls you into a deep emotional crevasse.  Trying to understand the bitterest contradictions and complexities of a family on the verge of a complete metal breakdown are better left to the professionals. Still, this was one heck of a ride.

And all of this unfolds as the characters are mentally trapped in the cloistered existence of their own home.    

Just an initial observation: If you are the one next to normal, are you the normal one? Or, worst yet, are you the one who is next to normal?  

The Pico Playhouse is very easy to get to on the Westside.  Parking near the theatre, along Pico Boulevard, is free if one gets there early enough.  The staff is incredibly friendly and the theatre is mind-numbingly cool, so bring a layer. Seats are reserved and numbered.

When entering the theatre one suddenly notices how deep the stage has become, upstage appears to go on ad infinitum and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this stage that cavernous. 

Interesting.

And the stage is multi-layered.  On the lower level, center stage, sits a lone table with three chairs surrounding the table. Three.  And stage left there is a singular green chair  - one lone chair, highlighted.  

This is obviously someone’s home.  One can see it in the outline – a wooden façade – a chimney – home.

Upstairs, prominently displayed, is a mirror, a medicine cabinet, outlined by a bathroom light, that puts an unflattering canvas on the present. Light permeates the set, the stairs, hanging lights, and there are luminescent diaphanous cabinets for storage spaces.  Light emanates from every conceivable space, bringing to light mindful ideas, illuminating a connection, and projecting a sane stream of consciousness. All wonderfully created and functional by Jeff Cason, Scenic Design, and Matt Richter, Adam Earle & Andrew Schmedake are all responsible for the Lighting Design.

But with all this light, the set is surprisingly dark, like the feeling one gets in a deep dark state of depression, no matter the time of day, rain or shine, am or pm, brooding and motionless. It is those dark moments in time that accentuates this human misery and highlights the usually mundane day-to-day into a series of alarming choices.

Harrison Meloeny and Michelle Lane

And alone is where Diana (Michelle Lane) is now sitting on the singular chair near the kitchen reading a book waiting for her son Gabe (Harrison Meloeny) to come back from his all-nighter.  She scolds him as he playfully takes it all in stride. But he’s going to do what he wants.  

Dad (Nick Sarando) comes into the living room looking for his morning passion, just missing his son who has moved off into another room.   Diana says, “yes” to his request then scoffs to herself about the discomforting intimacy of the “ten minutes” he’s good for.

In the meantime Natalie (Isa Briones), their daughter, steps into the kitchen and right away worries about being perfect in school.  For her perfection is the key to making sure her day will go right.

Diana makes everyone sandwiches before they leave.  They sing “Just Another Day” as though everything is normal but Diana (Mom) fixes their lunch by sticking a piece of wrapping paper in a paper bag, handing it to them, and then shooing them off to their work. 

But, suddenly, Diana starts playing with the bread like a deck of cards, and throwing the pieces on the table.  Mustard, on the bread, like it or not, and then throwing more pieces of bread on the floor, one by one, a sign of a growing augury of future events.

Dad and Natalie look on incredulously as Dad tells Natalie to go off to school, that what she is seeing is only a blip in her life.

Some blip.

Later, Natalie is in a school band room, practicing her piano, getting lost in her music. Henry (Blaine Miller), a lovable student, interrupts her. He is more interested in her than her music, imparting his wisdom that jazz is less structured, more improvisational, and much more wonderful. 

What this teenager really needs is more structure, but she listens to him anyway.

Meanwhile Diana is visiting Doctor Fine (Randal Miles), oh yes Diana believes he is fine, a rock star as a matter of fact, someone who can send her into the land of benevolent ecstasy, an ineffable seduction with the proper amount of medication, until she feels, completely cured.  

But, now, after all the medication Diana feels nothing and the doctor appears to be a mountebank prescribing the pharmaceutical drugs like rock candy while speaking into his recorder about the progress she is not making.  

Diana observes that Natalie and Henry are falling in love, she see’s their first kiss, and wishes she could feel, something.  So with the help of her son, Diana flushes her medication wanting to be normal, or at least be next to normal.

Glowing from the candles - Diana brings out the birthday cake - for her son - Gabe, whom we now learn died in infancy.  This sends everyone into chaos, turning back the clock, and moving into the life of unforgiving shadows.

I was slightly surprised the singers were mic’d in this intimate space but everyone is doing it these days for various reasons. So. I’ve grown to accept it.  There were minimal problems with the sound, some singers sounding a little tinny, but over all the music was wonderful, the acting superb, and the musicians incredible.

I think “A Rock Musical” is a misnomer although I couldn’t begin to type this musical.  I only know that this was very satisfying and extremely unusual night of theatre. It is a night that stays with you.

Next to Normal is exquisitely brilliant.  The score by Tom Kitt is a mesmerism, songs of metal illness, and one that touches and embraces an emotional chord in your very being.  

Brian Yorkey’s lyrics transports you into the character’s state of mental anguish and for those reason this musical, and this version of the musical is wonderful. You would have to see it to appreciate it, absorb it, and let it live with you.  

Nick Sarando, Isa Briones, Randal Miles, Michelle Lane, Blaine Miller, and Harrison Meloeny

Michelle Lane is funny as Diana.  Well, funny in the way that you can laugh about your bi-polar illness. Lane touches all the right buttons, funny, sad, lonely and loving.  Great work and one that will have you leave the theatre with differing opinions as to why she is the way she is.  

Nick Sarando plays Dan. Dan is an extremely interesting character, somewhat superficial, caring but not caring enough to throw his whole life at his wife’s illness.  He’s got other things to do.  But, I think that deep down, he cannot go on with this relationship, that he has to move on but doesn’t know how to do it, because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone.  Plus, he has never felt right about being helpless while his son dies in his arms. Possibly he feels to blame. Nice work.

Harrison Meloeny plays the dead son Gabe and it’s a role that has a bit of a predicament. Gabe’s adulthood lives in the imagination of his mother’s mental illness, what she believes he would look like. This presents challenges in the way the physical life to his mother is represented.  I believe the relationship with his mother must be stronger, a stronger mother/son relationship, a togetherness, a willingness, until the son, thanks to his mother, starts to turn a conniving corner. At a certain point, Gabe is pure evil. Maybe it’s her medication. Nevertheless, this is great work.

Randal Miles does excellent work as Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine.  I loved the glasses.  Miles vocals were strong and the acting, as clear as a bell. Tremendous work.

Blaine Miller as Henry, the boyfriend, has an excellent look, and as the character fits right into the time and place. His acting skills are top notched, his comedic timing impeccable, and his voice lovely.

There is something very charming about Isa Briones as Natalie as she negotiates her way through teenage angsts. Briones is always in the moment and brings forth a character with a tremendous amount of backstory and rich history. The photograph scene touched a marvelous chord with me - where she decides that showing the pictures is best for her mother’s mental health.   

Other actors who are part of the show but did not perform the night I was there are Andrew Arrow (Dan U/S), Megan Fleming (Natalie U/S), Nick McKenna (U/S Gabe), Danny Potter (U/S Henry), and Selah Victor (U/S Diana). The understudy cast performs Saturday Matinees at 2pm on September 10, 17, and the 24th.

This is a very strong showing for Thomas James O’Leary, the director, and Taylor Stephenson, Musical Direction.  The book is ambiguous enough to allow the imaginative spirit to decide for oneself why Diana goes off the deep end.  It is also a show that tells us that every precious family moment is one that should be treasured despite the heart wrenching moments.    

A lot of hard work went into this production; the producers are to be commended for this outstanding production.  They are Zachary Lutsky, Rory Patterson and Selah Victor.

Other members of this delightful crew are as follows:

Vicki Conrad – Costume Design

Fritz Davis – Sound Design

Shawna Voragen – Stage Manager

Lori Berg – Property Design

Josie Austin – Asst. Stage Manager

This musical is mostly music with very little book and the musicians were incredible. The musicians were not seen but they deservedly should take a bow at curtain call as well.  They are as follows:

Taylor Stephenson – Conductor

Jorge Zuniga – Drums and Percussion

Lois Good – Violin

Nic Gonzales – Bass

Dominic White – Guitar

Run! Run! Run!  And take someone who has just seen “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Tickets:  www.N2NMusicalLA.com

As Straw Before the Wind by Felix Racelis

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By Joe Straw

My daughter named her teddy bear “Purple-Bear” because she was purple.  It was a bold inspirational choice for a two year old to make. 

Purple-Bear went everywhere she went, never left behind for too long, never forgotten on sleepovers and always on her bed when she visited dreamland.

And, at her side, Purple Bear was there through the raging fevers and a myriad of troubled dreams. She had a tender smile, a calming disposition, for those troubling times. But most of all she was there for all the quiet moments.  

And she was never forgotten, because we made special trips to go back and get her.

My daughter’s aunt, a costumer, dressed Purple Bear in the fanciest of clothes on the planet not wanting to see her so unkempt. But, that was long ago.  

Now Purple Bear is a shadow of her former self, her clothes are worn and tattered, her head slightly crooked and not sitting straight on her neck. 

That aside Purple Bear still holds a loving place on my daughter’s bed and a devoted place in all of our hearts. - Narrator

As Straw Before The Wind by Felix Racelis and Directed by Lesley Asistio is playing through September 4, 2016 at the Ruby Theatre, in The Complex, on theatre row in Hollywood.  

This is a play of a Filipina mother, Nene Santos (Tita Pambid) and her daughter, Pilita Santos (Sarnica Lim) who run a small convalescent home out of their home in the San Gabriel Valley. Right now there are only two patients living with them, an older man, Poncing Enrile, Ino (Muni Zano) and an older woman, Mildred Novak (Anita Borcia) in an assisted living situation.

When the play opens Nene is playing gin with the residents but is interrupted momentarily by a phone call from a potential customer.  She is not completely honest to the customer saying that she has plenty of room.  

Nene, a nurse, envisions the opportunities that awaits their business and wants to expand her home to care for more patients - providing the bank will give her a loan.

Unbeknownst to Nene, Pilita’s dreams of getting married are becoming a reality.  But, Pilita has problems getting through to her mother to tell her the simplest of wants, and her reason for being, like getting married.  Nene dismisses her daughter with the wave of her own self-importance.  

In another vein Nene has problems with the way her patients are behaving.  It seems that Poncing won’t keep his hands to himself and Mildred, who is slightly senile, is addicted to cigarettes and wants to smoke them in and around the house. 

There is something really wrong with Nene in the way she treats her clients.  It is sometimes cruel and heartless for psychological reasons which are later revealed in the play. The method she uses to restrain her clients causes her to flashback to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

As Straw Before the Wind is a world premier and really needs some constructive criticism to get it over the hump.  There’s no question that there is something here but moments and ideas need reorganization to move it into a position of a moving play that has more heart and staying power. So, with the idea that Felix Racelis’s play is all there, I will direct my comments mostly to the direction and the acting.

First of all, I’m not a fan of flashbacks in theatre – e.g. Bambi’s mom gets killed in the first few minutes and from then on we know all we need to know why Bambi does what he does – the same holds true for that Shirley Temple’s mom as she gets killed or has died in most of her films – run over by a car, falling out of a plane, you name it but we sympathize with that motherless orphan. – Let’s get the tragic stuff done in the beginning and everything will fall into place including the flashback feelings with the current day character, the banker, etc. 

Well then, do we have a play? 

Yes, and the doll must have a significant role. And the doll must be displayed throughout.

(Spoiler alert – I have to do this to get my point across.)

Desperation comes in many forms and Nene is on the verge of losing everything, her livelihood, and, most importantly, her daughter. She is haunted by the past, the trauma of losing her parents, and the one thing that connects her to them is the doll. The doll stays with her through the traumatic parts of her life.  She has it when the Japanese abuses her.  She brings it with her to the United States.  She still has it many years later.  (I might add, in mint condition.) She should run to that doll in the end, and embrace it from the smoldering ruins

The relationship between the mother and the daughter require strengthening. Each must be in a tug of war fighting for position.

A couple of things about the performance set in 1993, the mother is reaching retirement age and the daughter appears to be in her thirties. Having them closer in age could make them sisters and that might make for a better ending, given the circumstances of the ending.  The finale would be much more dramatic.  Actually, I would prefer the relationship to be one of sisters, until the ending. It makes dramatic sense and one that begs for an explosive ending.

In this kind of space Lesley Asistio, the director, should recognize the space for what it is, a black box.  So, symbolism goes a long way here.  The multiple scene changes to place the audience in a myriad of places works against the audience. So, here are a few suggestions.  One, leave the bed on stage the entire time as a symbolic reference to work, home, the bank, etc. Move the bed around the stage or move the actors around the bed.  Loan Officers often visits work places.  Patients play cards in their rooms and they smoke in their rooms as well. The bed is symbolic for all the play needs including the jungle scenes.

Secondly, the doll should play a major roll. It gives the audience a better understanding of what Nene is all about. (More on this later.)

And lastly, Asistio has the Loan Officer (Doan Nguyen) speaking upstage with his back to most of the audience.  When I see this happening on stage, my thoughts go into ideas that are better left unsaid.  

I got the impression watching Felix Racelis, the writer’s face, when leaving the theatre that things did not go well this night.  But, naytheless, this is a fascinating body of work that needs only a slight reworking of the play - to enhance the moments - to define the moments so they are met with a dramatic tone – and to clarify the structure of the play.  

“The healthy man does not torture others – generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers” – Carl Jung

There is something morally wrong with Nene’s character.  You can see it, at first in small increments, and later it is slightly defined.

If it is necessary to do flashbacks, those moments are to be accentuated, symbolically with lighting, movement, and a creative finished.  The hand gripped tightly in the air, and the arms held back in prone position. However this is painted, the message should be ingrained into our collective consciousness, so that when it happens later we will get a better understanding of Nene’s character. And, do we really need to go back in time to understand this?

Tita Pambid is a fine actress.  Her Nene character is believable.  With minor changes this character could soar. Her objective to create a greater business for her and her daughter is fraught with many conflicts, the daughter, the banker, the patients, and most importantly her memories.  All these things must be negotiated so that, even in the end,  there’s hope. Also, the doll should be with Nene, if not physically, it should be with her mentally. My preference, at least in rehearsal is to have the doll with her physically, so that she knows what drives her objective. Also, she should run to the doll in the smoldering ruins, this is the one thing that connects her to her past.

Muni Zano does a fine job as Poncing Enrile, Ino. He is a man struggling for the finer things in life, like a good pinch. That aside, there is some really good work going on here.

Looking back at Sarnica Lim, I think the role would work better if she were the sister, Pilita Santos, rather than the daughter.  Pilita is rather weak, not forceful enough to get what she needs.  She whimpers to her mother rather than questioning her motives.  She cowers under the weight of a mother daughter relationship and you really can’t have that when you know, in your heart of hearts, that what your mother is doing is morally wrong.  One more thing, Pilita should give the patient a lip lock that immediately sends him into convulsions, without that, the guilty stuff does not work at all.

Rochelle Lozano does a fine job as the daughter, Maria Enrile. Maria is forceful in her ways but seems to be confused about the way her father is treated, practically bound and gagged, but has very little to say about it. There is possibly more layers to this character. Why hasn’t she call the authorities? Why doesn’t she pull her father out of that convalescent home? Why does she takes the information they give her and think it’s alright?  There is something more in her character that will not take action.  What could that be? Maybe she doesn’t have the money to move her father out.   

Anita Borcia does fine work as Mildred Novak, a senile octogenarian with a passion for nicotine.

Doan Nguyen plays the Loan Officer and other characters in the play.  One is not sure why, as the Loan Officer, he was speaking upstage. There is more work needs to be done on the Japanese language which was mostly unrecognizable for his role as the Second Japanese Soldier.  

The same holds true for Gabriel Garcia’s Japanese.  Still, and that aside, Garcia has a strong presence on stage, and his voice is commanding as the Fireman, the Doctor, and Charlie. This actor has strong possibilities.

I wouldn't give up on this production, but there is more to be had in the writing and direction should anyone care to move forward.

I wouldn't give up.

www.strawbeforewind.com

Ajax in Iraq – by Ellen McLaughlin

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Aaron Hendry - Photo Credits:  Sean Deckert

By Joe Straw

I lived in Clarksville, Tennessee back in the 1960s. My neighborhood friends and I were the diminutive sons of the 101^st Airborne Division.

Summarily at various times, orders would thrust our fathers onto the Vietnam stage. And, at the time, it was better not to think about the “what if”.

Living in Clarksville, just across the border from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the seeds of a military vigor were ingrained in our very being.  When our fathers shipped out, we waited for a time, and then we moved on, left to our own devices.

We conducted ourselves as military.  We had rank, the oldest at 11 held the highest rank while the youngest served as buck privates.

I was the general. 

Protection of our home base was the order of the day. And my words were marked that “no one was taking our fort”.

And, moving through the creeks, the fields, and the woods, our scouts took notice of everything, of every opposing fort, of every opportunity to destroy. When we found a fort, we planned and then moved in because destroying their fort was our reason for being.

And in our subdivision that was our way of thinking.    

Born and bred, we were little warriors. – Narrator.

Greenway Court Theatre presents a revival of Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble’s Ajax in Iraq written by Ellen McLaughlin and directed by John Farmaesh-Bocca through August 14, 2016 and nicely produced by Jason Bruffy, Laura Covelli, and Aaron Hendry.

McLaughlin’s Ajax in Iraq is a visceral experience, brutal at times, and quietly dramatic.  McLaughlin is forceful in her unyielding message to project culpability, and to recognize the ultimate failings of an unscrupulous political groundswell working hand in hand with their corporate cronies that in fact destroyed a social political order.   

And, trickling down, in the obnoxious swell are the boots on the ground, soldiers that are not immune to violence which projects the worst traits of humanity when one occupies another nation.  McLaughlin’s message fills the soul with a blood boiling rage, one that wants to join in the fury, and the other that wants to recognize the truth for what it is.  

I was suspicious that dramatic theatre could do this.  

For the sake of combining a figure in Greek Mythology and characters in the play, I present you with this backstory:

Ajax (Aaron Hendry) was a powerful dark killing machine, a man with muscular thighs, as wide as his torso, and thick powerful arms, which could swing a blade and cut a man in half before he could think.  His eyes painted black projected a warrior’s rage and at times presented a vacuous stare.  The ineloquent manner of speaking, his warrior grunts, were not enough to win him the armor of the now deceased Achilles.

Never injured in battle, Ajax killed every living foe. Mythology says he killed twenty-eight men in all, all in the taking of Troy.

But his battle was not just on opposing forces; Ajax oppressed women with an obscure ferocity behind the folding of his tent. A man with this much ferocity was not to be disturbed despite the screams heard from the encampment on the other side.  

Ajax was a warrior who operated in the darkness of bad thoughts, using his blade to end the light emanating from opposing beings, stopping briefly to witness the elegiac gurgling of his victims. Any opposing forces, anything that breath, or pumped blood, were fair game.

Inarticulate, his screams represented his intentions and the blade projected the means by which he carried out his objectives.  So powerful were his profound thrusts in battle that the wretchedness of that region lingers and the cradle of civilization carries on as though little has changed.

Little has changed in Iraq, swayed by the leaders of today, the troops amassed, looked for the weapons of mass destruction, found none, and now the battle is amongst us, within us, and beyond us with no end in sight.  

John Farmanesh-Bocca, the director and choreographer, provides us with a sweeping look of Iraq through the ages, tying the mythological figures to the real life soldiers of the day, while giving us a history lesson as well. How the choreography works to tie the present day phalanx of soldiers to the past works to a lesser degree, push ups, rolling around on the floor, chest slapping, one is not completely sure. Fun to watch, and all part of the Not Man Apart Physical Theatre’s physicality, but how does that connect to the through line of the play?

Aaron Hendry projects Ajax as a warrior, through and through, mindless with the exceptions of his attention only to the destruction of things in his path.  A marvelous choice for Hendry that Ajax becomes disjointed and alive with warm blood on his being. How his fist managed to survive the ordeal of slamming against the hard stage is beyond my comprehension. Still Hendry does a wonderful job.  He is an amazing actor.

Courtney Munch portrays a woman with many layers and much strength as A.J.  Unfortunately A.J. is an abused soldier who is not able to find a solution to the abuse, and who also knows that approaching someone to help will jeopardize her career. It is a no win situation for this character and Munch does a fantastic job in this very dramatic turn.

Joanna Rose Bateman

Joanna Rose Bateman gives us a different flavor of Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage, and inspiration, in that she gives us a goddess as someone who is wry, sardonic and intelligent slightly mocking the misgivings of her human underlings.  It is a role Bateman really latches onto as she utilizes very strategic choices.  Her voice is flawless, her moments powerful, and her singing voice is formidable.  She is captivating.

Alina Bolshakova is Tecmessa, wife of Ajax, mother of Eurysaces. Knowing this provides a better understanding of the relationships than was performed this night. First a slave, later a wife, she is someone who tries desperately to save her husband. In the overall scheme of things, one wonders how this character fits in both Tecmessa’s time and present day.   

Laura Covelli gives us a better understanding of the region as Gertrude Bell, an English woman who helped shape British imperial policy in Iraq and the Middle East. Covelli’s manner is precise in her ability to convey the British policy and the idea of the play.  Bell shows us in a roundabout way that the educated and the mapmakers are the ones who control the world. Covelli gives a marvelous performance.  

Sydney A. Mason as Mangus does well.  She has a very nice natural presence, one suitable for not only theatre but for film as well and has a lovely voice.  

James Bane gives a very credible performance as Sergeant, possibly because of his military experience, and he also has a very believable presence on stage. This particular role has parallels to the character Ajax and Bane should provide a resemblance to that character in manner and deed so that the characters are tied together, repeating history.

Jason Barlaan also does some good work as Teucer.  Barlaan is a former marine and fits well with his role on stage.

Ronin Lee is exceptional as Captain, a man who has come to grips with his war effort, becoming much wiser only after losing his arm in the war. Lee’s voice is strong and his manner is incomparable.

Zach Davidson as Pisoni has a very good look on stage.  It was a very subtle performance but one that really rings true and manages to hit home.

Overall, the acting was superb, and the rest of the supporting cast played major roles.  Their voices were strong and they presented an incredible backstory. It is evident that a lot of work went into making this production.  Also this production was very successful, representing the diverse makeup of our military force.  The remaining supporting casts are Jessica Carlsen as Sickles, Kendall Johnson as Therapist, Jolene Kim as Abrams, Frederick Ramsel Jr. as Charles, and Olivia Trevino as Rebo.

Jones Welsh is the understudy for Ajax but did not perform on this night. Welsh is also the Co-Artistic Director of Not Man Apart and also one of the Producers.    

Other members of this wonderful crew are as follows:

Stage Manager – Niki Armato

Costume Design – Stephanie Dunbar

Stylist – Catherine Baumbardner

Map Design – Courtney Jordan Bindel

Graphic Design – Joel Piazza

Lighting Design – Joey Guthman

Sound Design – John Farmanesh-Bocca w/Adam Phalen

The show closes on the night I am posting.  If you get a chance to see it, in another carnation, run, run, run, and take a vet.

This Evenings Scenes – Various Writers - Directed by Sal Landi

By Joe Straw

The Pan Andreas is a quaint little black box theatre that sits behind a restaurant in Hollywood.  The grit from the traffic on Melrose and Wilton lingers and the people on this particular night represented a large swath of theatregoers from the ever increasing cosmopolis of Hollywood and Los Angeles.

Outside on the patio, patrons waited in the humid air while sitting on park benches. An old motorcycle was for sale.  Three unruly types were conversing in a laden language filled with profanity, mostly about women who had done them wrong, guzzling one beer to the next, leaning back their heads to capture the full throttle of the bottle.  The cars in the parking lot were placed there just for leaning manly accouterment.  

On this hot night, women came dressed in slinky, theatre-going apparel, with long legs and high heels to match. Some came to meet others; hugs were exchanged, long laborious passionate hugs. This was about as diverse a group of patrons as I have ever seen, young, old, black, brown, poor and rich.  No, I take that back, all rich in humanity.

Five dollars a ticket was heavenly.

But this night longed for passion! Passion for the work, and passion in the observation. That’s what we came for and that’s what we got. – Narrator.

Actors should work on their craft in whatever venue possible.  For some, it’s almost impossible to land a role in a 99-seat theatre, given time constraints and the other intangibles. 

And Actors Equity Association is trying to do away with the 99 seat venue altogether. It might all come down to this.

So, the next best thing to do is perform a vignette with the idea of getting the work done, improving the craft, and getting the work seen.  The topping is having a live audience, the feedback that one gets with audience to test the art and the craft. The theatre was packed.

This Evenings Scenes directed by Sal Landi is a satisfying night of theatre at the Pan Andreas theatre in Hollywood Friday July 29^th, 2016.  Theatre in Hollywood was well represented by this heterogeneous group of thespians.

The credits were sparse – budgetary constraints – allowing only the titles, and the actor’s names, but not their character’s name or even giving the writers credit.  Perhaps it is something they want in include the next go round. Also there was little to be had in the way of props and set design, a bar, a box, some glasses, rose color water, and your imagination.  

Seduced – by Sam Shepard

Jay Duncan plays Henry Hackamore, a Howard Hughes character that is dying, going over to the other side, but needing to accomplish one more thing before he shakes off his mortal coil.  One is convincing the ravishing Luna, Ashley Stiles, to give him sex before he drops dead. Right now he has one foot in the grave and is waiting for the final stimulus to pull or push him into heavenly pursuits.     

Luna, is more than willing to provide that service for the price.  She has taken Harry’s jet in.  Henry Hackamore asks if she wants the jet.  She doesn’t.  Scruples.

But there’s a problem with Henry Hackamore.  He hasn’t had sex, well, at least with a woman, in many years and this is something he has to experience once more before he departs these earthly plains.  

While the makeup and mannerism of old age worked well for Jay Duncan, one would have preferred a role nearer to his age to witness the scale or a scope of his acting abilities.  Funny thing though – an older man hitting the floor as he does would not have survived the fall.

Ashleys Stiles does a fine job and is very sexy on stage.  

Eskimo Girl – No author given.

Ashley Liai Coffee, woman, has just awakened after a brief roll in the hay with a soldier, Teroon Kibwe.  The soldier, with his bestial affinities, thinks too much of himself as he believes he has just laid a virgin. But she critiques him that he was too fast and gives the appearance that this was not her first time. I’m not sure how the soldier was mistaken, possibly one of those dark Alaskan nights.

The woman wants more and uses her knife to get it.

More time is needed to construct and define the characters, especially the soldier, the uniform, and also to define the relationship that keeps them together, in this time and space. That aside, both actors have a very nice look.  

Traces of Memory – No author given.

Laura Candioti and Gabriela Micalizaz star in this piece about two misfits, one more of a misfit than the other. The problem is defining who is the worse, the one with the knife or the one who has just killed her family.

“Nobody burns up their kids and dog.”

Credit must be given to Gaby Micalizzi and her use of a knife.  That aside, one would like to see Micalizzi performing scenes from the screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Micalizzi has a terrific look for this type of work and is mesmerizing on stage.  

Laura Candioti has a few moments to shine in this scene.

The Crucible – by Arthur Miller

“I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!” – Abigail

“Abby, that’s a wild thing to say.” – John Proctor

Yosi Barrigas (John Proctor) and Autumn Rush (Abigail) present impressive figure, complete with period costumes, in Arthur Miller’s play about burning witches in Massachusetts.

Barrigas has a commanding presence on stage, releasing his passion in small increments. Rush presents an interesting foil, slightly quirky and offbeat that given time and nuance would add an extra layer to the character. Rush is appealing – squared jaw – and resolved.

Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard

Kritanya Hartunian and Sara Drust tackle Sam Shepard in Lie of the Mind.  Southern accents were nice in this scene but the wig and the blackened teeth did not work effectively especially for a visually stunning Hartunian and an equally appealing Sara Drust.

Hartunian was wheeled on stage and the scene was about a mother and a daughter (in-law?) and a murder that took place. The conflict should be apparent the moment she is wheeled on stage; the relationship needed work and would probably worked better if a smaller part of the scene was defined and refined. In any case, one would love to see both of them again playing to their strengths.

The Dreamers Examines His Pillows – by John Patrick Shanley

“Jesus!  What a sh*t hole.”

Carlos Joseph Echeviarria looks nothing like his picture but he is completely commanding in the role of Dad.  Andre Matarazzo (Tommy) looks exactly like his picture and has a created a quirky character that sounds like he is from New York’s Lower Eastside despite being from Brazil.

Dad has lived this life and wants to get Tommy, his daughter’s lover, onto the right track.  Tommy, a woolgatherer, was dating Donna and now he is moving on to the 16-year-old sister, Mona (not seen).  One is not sure what the scene was about, other than an older man providing life lessons to a younger one but it has to be more than that, and must be filled with creative choices and nagging conflict.   Tommy is a thief and a liar and seems to be losing his mind; all things that Matarazzo can add to this scene.

Echeviarria has charisma and strength in this scene that carries the weight of an experienced actor. Terrific work.

Women in Manhattan – by John Patrick Shanley

“I flirt therefore I am.”

Billie (Veronica Ocasio) and Rhonda Louise (Elena Ghenoiu) are beautiful women who danced their way into this scene.  The actors bring a tremendous energy to the moments; still they need to find the conflict that defines the play. Not only that, Shanley provides information about the characters: “Gerry leaving”, “husband off building buildings somewhere”, “I’m dressed up because you wanted me dressed up”, but the women never catch on or come to the realization as to why they are there on this particular night. There’s more to be had than the elegiac gurgling of two lonely women sans men in Manhattan. Oh, but they were stunning.    

The Family of Mann – by Theresa Rebeck

Belinda (Sally Rae Hamer) and Ren (Bryan Zampella) play a hapless couple that is destroyed by a Hollywood television sitcom she wrote but has now been thrown off the show.  She sits on the couch drinking a bottle of champagne when Ren comes in, all smiles and giggles, because now he is the producer of the show.

Ren says he thinks he is falling in love with her and Belinda talks about going to the La Brea Tar Pits and feeling like the mother mastodon sinking into the pit.

“Clara said Ed asked for a blowjob.” - Belinda

Hollywood ain’t a pretty business. Hollywood is a high stakes game and characters need to take those characters to the extreme to get what they want, and they must want it badly.  There is more at stake here, more conflict to be realized.  

Betrayed by Everyone – by Kenneth Lonigan

Jaq Mackenzie and Evan Grayson play characters who are at the low points of their lives.  They are on drugs and living in a crack house.

“Where is everyone?” – Woman

“They went to get drugs.” – Man

The man, dazed and confused, listens to a woman’s story about a bus driver who waves at her and doesn’t notice the girl that he runs over because he was distracted, waving.  This was possibly the reason the woman is now in the crack house struggling how to forget and to move on with her life. Finding her answers to move on is what she needs from this character.

Death in Motel Rooms – by Daniel Reitz

Carl (John Reno), an aging independent movie star, makes a grand entrance into a hotel room, wearing a skimpy robe, sparsely tied, in blue briefs, pouring himself a drink and walking into the room where Nick Machado sits on a bed watching Carl’s movie, in a scene he’s seen hundreds of times because he wants to talk about it.

Carl has other things on his mind namely the young manly construction worker’s body in front of him.  But, the younger man seems oblivious to it all.  He sits and talks about the scene on the T.V. while Carl is chomping at the bit.

Carl, sensing his vacuous stare, moves on to another ploy – working on his movie scene. The one line the construction worker has that ends with a smirk.  

The younger man’s avoidance does not play too well in this scene when the inner emotional conflict could spear him on to bigger and better things.  We find out later that he has a wife and a little girl at home but somehow we should know that at the beginning, as part of his non-verbal historical backstory.  

Reno’s physical life is impressive as he moves into the direction of the conquest and is looking to add one more notch on his skimpy bathrobe tie.   

Conquistador – No Author Given

A woman (Kelly Park) has a fantasy about a conquistador (Koko Nollasco) and there she has a good physical life on stage.  But one has no clue as to what was happening. The woman has a fantasy life but there was little in the way of conflict or even a relationship with her partner, the conquistador, in his underwear, holding a sword and swinging it around. The scene should not be a matter of abstruse speculations but broken down to the simplest of forms for us to get a better understanding.

Overall I had a grand time and nothing but respect for Sal Landi’s directorial spirit - working with actors who are passionate about the craft. It is the passion for this type of work that eventually fulfills dreams big or small.  

But, and this is the last note I will give: On this particular night, for some actors, the low theatrical voices were drowned out by the sound of silence from this very receptive audience. 

If you want to be hired, you have to be heard.