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| L - R Sheila Carrasco, Greg Worswick, Michael J. Feldman, Burl Moseley, and Tina Huang - Photos by Jeff Lorch |
By Joe Straw
When my girls were young, I recited a made-up bedtime story that started
something like this.
Once upon a time, in a land, not very far from here, lived Tina, the
tiny bunny. And Tiny was a precocious bunny;
she knew everything there was to know about anything, and what she didn’t know,
she just hopped on her bunny pads to the computer and Googled the answer.
She spoke perfect English and only a few knew how she got like that.
Rapscallion and discerning she was and when things got under Tina’s fur,
her ears started vibrating, her eyes turned green, her teeth began to rattle,
and she would just cut loose.
Billy Bear said she had a mouth like a sailor. This is why Billy is now
outside her tree house looking in, just begging to come inside. – Narrator
Step inside of The Pico Playhouse to witness a few fairy tales. They won't play long but they will stay with you forever.
Fairy Tale Theatre 18 & Over The Musical written by Michael J. Feldman and directed by Annie McVey with music by Jason Currie, and produced by Kim Hamilton and Bernardo Cubría is playing through October 7, 2018.
Fairy Tale Theatre 18 & Over The Musical written by Michael J. Feldman and directed by Annie McVey with music by Jason Currie, and produced by Kim Hamilton and Bernardo Cubría is playing through October 7, 2018.
Noriko Olling Wright,
keyboardist, offstage right, waited patiently, slowly watching with her hands
to her side. Her right leg rested on
something so that her right knee was curved slightly, as she patiently waited
for the multitudes to enter the theatre. She blinked slowly, confident of the
material in front of her, and paid scant attention to the few patrons that
entered.
With only moments before show time, one observed a smallish
crowd in the intimate Pico Playhouse. Not what I imagined given Ammunition Theatre last smash hit A Giant Void In
My Soul by Bernardo Cubría.
And then something quite nice happened; theatre patrons poured
into the theatre. All the seats were suddenly
taken and more seats had to be brought in from the back, black folding chairs
to be precise on this sold out night.
The onlookers waited patiently, some hugs were exchanged, and
as the lights dimmed the narrator (Michael J. Feldman) walked through the red
curtains, a mollycoddled man treated to a kingly chair right next to a chest of treasure. He read from a fairy tale book before
breaking into a song and dance about turning off your – ahem – “motherf**king
phone”.
Yes, this is an adult fairy tale – polychromatic tales of
barbarous amusement that is sure to delight.
One supposes that everyone got the point about the phone and
noise, except the woman sitting next to me with a cup of wine and her audacious
insistence of foraging through her raucous bag of chips.
Michael J. Feldman
has written an anodyne musical, something that relieves the pain of our political
undercurrent, while providing poignant life lessons in a number of comedic sketches. Now in its simplest form it is an exordium of finer things to come. The sketches are topical that touch an emotional chord. So, if you are venturing out to see fairy tales, go for the tales
and leave with the life lessons.
Gone are the Michael J. Feldman locks, (from previous
photos), replaced with a short crop and three-day-old stubble. It is unclear how
that works for this character and for the multitudes of characters he plays,
except perhaps the dog and um maybe the gay cat, but the star? No way.
Amusement aside, there is a tremendous amount here to enjoy
– a big bang for the buck – music by Jason
Currie, Musical Director, adds to the sketches with animals frolicking and
dancing on the stage floor courtesy of Meghann
Lucas choreography for wry actors who can move and nicely costumed by Stephen Rowan’s wonderful creations and
prop designs.
Annie McVey’s
direction gives all of the actors the chance to shine. The puppets were marvelous! But a little more
character work would help this production
Some character choices need focus. For example, the penguin
(Jason Rogel), although incapable of flying, should try to fly throughout the
sketch. He just seems to stand there watching the other characters achieve
their goals. By the way, penguins are Antarctica/Galápagos animals far away
from the likes of Caribou (Matt Cook), Eskimo (Jess McKay), and the Snow Owl (Sheila
Carrasco).
One is not sure how “the silent P” (Sheila Carrasco) works
or how it is connected to the body of the work but it was funny. These are minor quibbles for a show that will
only grow after a few performances. Keep the good; throw out what doesn’t work
and give Carrasco more to do as she lights up the stage.
Writing about the sketches probably gives too much away but
one that I found fascinating was the creation of the universe, with a man dressed
up in the black hole costume (Jason Rogel) looking much like a North Korean
dictator. So, there is an effective and wonderful topical connect. The message was one of good versus evil. What is good and what is evil? Or, is “it”
just what it is? Despite the other silly characters with asteroids on their
heads (the things that actors have to do), this particular sketch was profound in
identifying good and evil and was completely satisfying.
And while some things need work (as all shows do), there is
a sense of kindness that radiates in the work and one that presents a dramatic
truth. The characters personified present a grand realization that touches the
theatregoer to the core and sends us out smiling into the colorful night.
All of the actors, ten of them to be exact, had multiple
roles.
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| Jess McKay, Tina Huang |
Jess McKay (Master
Harold/Eskimo/Groundhog/Ensemble) is funny as the Eskimo wanting to become a
podiatrist. McKay does well and has a nice look on stage.
Tina Huang (Mastress
Denise/Glacier/Rabbitt/Daisy/Gov. Cluster) was a glacier that wants to be more
than a stoic and solid piece of ice. She
has a nice baritone voice.
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| Matt Cook, Jason Rogel, Jess McKay, Tina Huang |
Matt Cook (Master
Peter/Penguin’s Friend/Caribou/Capt.), hiding behind the caribou puppet, is
another appealing actor that slides into all roles effortlessly.
Jason Rogel (Asshole/Penguin/Black
Hole) is the hapless – wanting to fly – penguin that has managed to get himself
up into the artic and he has his moments in other roles.
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| Sheila Carrasco, Greg Worswick, Burl Moseley, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, Jess McKay, Michael J Feldman |
Sheila Carrasco (Snow
Owl/Red Super Giant/Grandma Penguin) is effective in all roles and has a
wonderful presence but one would like to give her more in do in the Service Dog
scene.
Greg Worswick (Unicorn/Francois/Moon)
presents different characters in all of his roles, the unicorn, Francois, the
service dog, and the moon. In all cases,
the work is taken to playful extremes and is exceptional.
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| Sheila Carrasco, Greg Worswick, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, and Burl Moseley |
Burl Moseley (Fox/Straight
Cat/Max Beefy Cluster) is terrific as the Straight Cat, a cat that manages to
blur the line of his sexuality. Moseley is exceptionally comfortable in all of
his roles.
Cloie Wyatt Taylor
(Sparrow/Gale/Red Dwarf) has a terrific voice and maybe one that could be
pushed to another vocal level. We only get a test of her terrific voice in this
outing.
Jason Currie
leaves his Musical Director job to perform as an opera singer and Cpt.
Buttersworth. He has a fine voice.
Kudos to Michael J.
Feldman. He put a lot of work went
into this show, writing, singing, and acting are all a part of a very
successful night of theatre.
Brit Manor, Emerson Collins, Chris Gardner, and Brandon
Scott are understudies who did not perform the night I attended.
Dalmar Montgomery,
Sound Design, came off without a hitch and worked effectively.
There a lot to enjoy from Andrew Schmedake, Lighting Designer and Helton Najera, Asst Lighting Designer work, especially the Universe
Scene.
Spencer Saccoman
was the Stage Manager and with all the costumes and props one would imagine a
very busy person.
Judith Borne was
responsible for the press.
Run! Run! And take an inquisitive new adult!
The Pico Playhouse
10508 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
