Birdland Blue by Randy Ross Ph.D.

L to R - Eddie Goines, Damon Rutledge, Michael D. Ricks, Marcus Clark Oliver, Rogelio Douglas III, Jermaine Alexander - Photos Ian Foxx

By Joe Straw

“ Will you ever get married again?” – Harry Reasoner

“To who?” – Miles Davis

“To anybody.” – Harry

“ I know there’s a couple of guys I’ve been looking at but, never a woman again.” – Miles

There is a surprise upon entering the intimate theatre space. It is a club, with small round tables and a dark atmosphere with an invasion of shades of light. Take a seat, high or low, and listen to the beautiful sounds of the trio in the balcony, a percussionist (Ricardo Mowatt), a saxophonist (Randy Ross also the writer of the play), a stand up bassist (Marion Newton), soul jazz, and suddenly one is lost in the music.

They came, this date night, shoulder-to-shoulder, and dressed to the hilt, happy and spoke to greet, handclasps, and shoulder bumps, introductions, and self-salutations as the patrons rhythmically dripped into their seats and settled.

The Robey Theatre Company in association with the Los Angeles Theatre Center present Birdland Blue by Randy Ross PhD and directed by Ben Guillory through May 12, 2019.

Miles Dewey Davis (Marcus Clark Oliver) sat on the piano bench, the weight of the world on his shoulders, circles under his eyes, weathered, bent with sadness, holding his trumpet between his legs, in his dressing room now, and away from the prying eyes. The interruptions that will come from behind the wall is something he doesn’t need now.

Right now, Paul Chambers (Rogellio Douglas III), sleeps on a couch, although not an official slumber, sleeping off drugs. And, his standup bass? Man, that’s nowhere in sight. What good is a sextet without the bass? That will have to be addressed in the later state of his consciousness.  

For now, they wait for the night, to get on, and listen, yearning for the wrong note that will lead to the next right one. Not going on is not an option – always scratch – a necessity to fill the void and feed the family.

Silently with background music, the others make their way, dark suits, down from the balcony, through the seats in the club and on to their instruments, smooth in the way to that dark spot, and eventually into the light.

Jermaine Alexander, Rogelio Douglas III, Michael D. Ricks, Damon Rutledge, Eddie Goines, Marcus Clark Oliver

Birdland Blue, in its world premier, is an exquisite play that carries with it the poetic swirling sounds of one-to-one. In short, Ross’s play is superb.  In execution, the dialogue elevates in improvisation, it eliminates time, and the interchange between parties is spoken pointillism creating patterns of electrifying discourse. Framed by an outline, the improvisation carries the set, which finally gives structure to their arrangement and produces light from the darkness.

In its simplest form, Birdland Blue, through one’s imaginative spirit, is the story of Miles Davis recruiting band members for the makeup of The Miles Davis jazz sextet.

But a more complex look would be Miles Davis screaming for identity, fighting for a specific sounds, telling those who would listen, friend or foe, and fighting without question for money to feed those that have come along for the journey. 

That said, there are observations that will come later.

Mo Goldman (Charles Isen), the manager of the current club establishment, takes it upon himself, to try to swindle money from Miles Davis. Moe, himself being fleeced by Detective O’Brian (Darrell Phillip), wants Davis to play five sets but paid for only four sets. Davis wants five payments for five shows.  If Moe wants the fifth, he has to pay for it.

“Don’t f**k with my money, Moe.” – Miles Davis.

Davis then finds out that Paul Chambers, upon gaining consciousness, has hocked his double bass for drug money. Davis gives him money to bring the bass back.

Lucinda Holmes (Tiffany Coty) from Upbeat Magazine maneuvers to get an interview with Miles Davis, his journey that got him there to that night.  But, Miles wants to play, not really believing that a reporter can remember everything without taking notes or carrying a recorder.

And so she gets her story.

Telling more would give too many moments away.

Marcus Clark-Oliver is superb as Miles Davis. Torn and tattered, Clark-Oliver gives weight and incredible emotional depth to the character and strength to an emotionally drained Davis. Beyond the background of his life, he finds the wherewithal to use his métier to negotiate and get his way.  Clark-Oliver uses his instrument with sincere intelligence as Miles to convert 1959 America to move in his direction. This is a wonderful must see performance by Clark-Oliver and surely one not to miss.  

Damon Rutledge is also incredible as Julian “Cannonball” Adderly a man who has lived many lives to get to the point of his current position. The dialogue between Adderly and Miles is pure poetry and is a highlight in the show. Rutledge is smooth in all of his interactions on stage and his enthusiasm in the last scene is emotionally uplifting.

Jermaine Alexander plays Tenor Saxophonist John Coltrane aka “Trane” the man who would not stop practicing his horn despite the problems with his teeth. Coltrane has a nice interaction with Miles who offers money for medical treatment. There is more to add to this character in the manner that is Trane.  

Tiffany Coty plays Upbeat Magazine reporter Lucinda Holmes, possibly a fictional character in this world of live characters, and seems to withstand the barrage of men coming on to her throughout.  Her naiveté plays well in these circumstances because she is there for the story and she gets her story along with a solo to boot. Coty is an intelligent actor, very instinctual, and fun to watch.

Rogelio Douglas III has a very nice presence as Paul Chambers the bass player.  There is a moment in the play where he has a solo after he has retrieved his bass from the pawnshop. The character has a serious drug problem and the scene needed want to explore the reality of his predicament.  What does he love the most? And, what does he want out of this moment? The inherent conflict is embedded from what he wants the most, what he loves the most, his bass or, his drugs?  Or, is he caught in this dilemma forever?

Eddie Goines is amazing as Wynton Kelly, a Jamaican American complete with accent. Goines, as the piano player, brings a lot of style and class with his portrayal.  It is a smooth performance as smooth as though he were playing the piano.

Charles Isen is successful as Mo Goldman, the manager of the jazz club. More needs to be made of his relationship with Miles Davis.  Now it appears that Mo is a little uneasy, very tentative, as though he were walking on eggshells.  Possibly there a little more strength to be found in the character.

Darrell Phillip is Detective O’Brian a cop who steals and plays havoc with the manager of the jazz club.  The scene near the end needs work and must have a purpose whether it be poetic or purposeful.  The scene cries for a strong resolution.

Micheal David Ricks plays Jimmy Cobb and like all drummers seems to be the quiet one in the background.  A little more writing of this character should help the actor mesh with other characters on stage.  One is not sure if this character is fully developed. 

Kudos goes to Ben Guillory, the director and producer, for pushing this original work of art through workshop to production.  Guillory manages to showcase the actors playing musicians without playing a note.  The work is excellent, filled with life, vitreous glitter, unfathomable shadows, and in a manner that gives life to these musicians that rings a truthful chord. The opening is brilliant and the ending needs works and everything in between is remarkable jazz.

Shaw Jones and Jason Mimms are alternates that did not perform the night I attended.

Naila Aladdin Sanders, Costume Designer, gives life to the period.  The costumes were magnificent!

There is live music and that is an extra-added bonus! Randy Ross the Musical Director makes this night soar.

Other members of this remarkable crew are as follows:

Di Smith – Associate Producer

Ernest Gardner – Set Designer

Micheal D. Ricks – Lighting Designer

Sorlie Reeves – Production Stage Manager

Eric Taylor – Assistant Stage Manager

Jason Mimms – Graphic Artist

Curt Romany – Prop Master

Shawn Michael Warren – Set Painter

Run! Run! Run! And take a jazz aficionado, someone who has an unquenchable thirst for jazz.

www.robeytheatrecompany.org

The Robey Theater

514 S. Spring St.

Los Angeles, CA  90013

213-489-7402

Instagram: @robeytheatrecompany

Youtube: @robeyconnect

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There and Back by Raul Garza

Liza Fernandez

By Joe Straw

The Company of Angels has moved from its downtown Spring Street address to 1350 San Pablo St., Los Angeles, California.  The location has plenty of free parking and their new home is an intimate theatre and an incredible space for you to venture out to see.

There and Back written by Raul Garza and directed by Michelle Bossy is now playing at the Company of Angels through April 21^st, 2019.

Immigrants, especially those from the south of the United States, have been consistently treated unfairly throughout my lifetime. But, human beings move for a reason, for a better life.  And despite the injustices put upon them, they endure living here.  They are very dependable, extremely loyal, and work with so much ferocity knowing their lives depend on it.

Raul Garza has written a beautiful play about the struggles of an immigrant family living in the United States from the 1960’s up to the present. The dialogue rings a sincere truth, and an honest perspective of the human struggle.  

Gloria (Liza Fernandez) has arrived from Mexico to be with her husband, Victor (Bernardo Cubria), a farm laborer.  But she soon discovers that their home is nothing more than a smelly converted chicken coup.

Anna Lamadrid and Liza Fernandez

Gloria lights a Virgen de Guadalupe scented candle to rid the living space of the smell only to have Guadalupe (Anna Lamadrid) appear.  The saint and the sinner agree to speak English to get acclimated to the United States.

But this Guadalupe, rather than offer hope and inspiration, is rather saucy and cynical in the way she brings freedom to the enslaved Gloria, who has at this point in her life nowhere to go.

“You don’t have a choice.”  Guadalupe

Liza Fernandez and Bernardo Cubria

In Garza’s play, there are no do-overs as Gloria struggles day-to-day to make a better life for herself and her husband.  But there’s a problem, mostly her womanizing husband who never has time to come home and help with their life struggles.

Gloria has a moment, with suitcase in hand; either walk out of her current predicament, or stay.  She chooses the latter rather than listen to her heart. And, ever the optimist, in the back of her mind, she feels that she is smart enough to do better for the both of them.  

Because of that decision, she struggles with her marriage, her pregnancy, her conservative son, Rey (Bernando Cubria), and then her grandson, Max (also Bernardo Cubria).

There is a lot to like in Liza Fernandez’s performance as Gloria.  Mostly it is her strength in that character that guides her through her life and throughout her performance. Fernandez creates a character that never gives up no matter who she has to fight. In the end, she has lost some battles and they weigh her down terribly but she never gives up. This is a performance to watch multiple times in order to fully grasp the nuance. Her accent is spectacular and her actions on stage are fluid!

Anna Lamadrid is Guadalupe, a different type of Guadalupe, a spicy one with an eye on fashion of the day.  A woman not fixed on wearing robe but one who likes the finer things in life with a shot of tequila. This is the second show that I’ve seen in as many weeks that featured the Virgen de Guadalupe. And the question that keeps coming up in this character is, why is she there? What is she there to give other than solicitude?  What is the unholy impetus that moves her into a focused drive, an objective? And how does that carry us into the future? Ambiguity is nice in a character, leaving us with some unanswered questions, but the character has to move in a certain direction to give us hope, and an idea of finality.  That said, there is much to enjoy in Lamadrid’s performance and the manner in which she gives life to the character.  

Bernardo Cubria plays Victor (the husband), Rey (the son), and Max (the grandson). While they have similarities, Cubria gives each character a unique and well-defined physical life. Sadly, they are all the heavies.  There’s not much to like of the three characters since they all have conservative ideas on how the world should work.  For instance, Victor is a man who loves his freedom more than a committed relationship. He is a misogamist unfocused in his commitment to his wife and an obscurantist when explaining his whereabouts.  How do these characters move Gloria to her final destination? The ways in which they move her have to be significant moments that change the direction of the character. Those reactions must be absorbed, and then defined before moving on.  

Michelle Bossy, the director, does a find job with the material.  The actors find a way to be natural within the period of the times, the sixties, seventies, and eighties, through today.  The title of the play is There and Back and one would suggest the play is finding the way back, the through line that gets her there.  Gloria seems to get there with the help of the Virgen but the ambiguous ending is not clear on how that transpired.

Raul Garza has written a terrific play and certainly one with a lot of heart.  The characters are honest, funny, and without question all living their own lives, in dramatic form and justification.

Special notice to Lowell Bartholomee, Sound Designer, and Alina Goodman, Additional Sound Design, who did marvelous work with the radio sounds.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Alina Goodman – Stage Manager

Justin Huen – Lighting Design

Audra Ihlenfeld – Fight Choreographer

There’s more to be said but time is running short as this play has a limited run and ends this weekend.

Run! Run! Run!  And take a parent or grandparent who immigrated to the United States. 

www.companyofangels.org

 

The Mother of Henry by Evelina Fernández

Xavi Moreno and Cheryl Umaña - Photos by Andrew Vasquez

By Joe Straw

Henry had his own special spot in this home, a bedside photo, a young man revered and cared for by a very strong woman.  But now he is grown and off to see the world, via the Navy and Vietnam.

So, throughout the course of this play, Henry is not physically there. But he seems to be nearby both emotionally and spiritually.  It is a safe assumption as to why the title of the play is called The Mother of Henry, because she’s present, all the time, and he is not.  - Narrator

The Latino Theater Company Presents The Mother of Henry written by Evelina Fernández and directed by José Luis Valenzuela through April 20^th 2019.

Upon entering the theatre Yee Eun Nam, Projection Designer, slips the audience comfortably into the 1960’s with projections on the walls of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy.   The Scenic & Lighting Design by Emily Anne MacDonald & Cameron Jaye Mock effectively placed pipes gives symbolic shape to form of the Sears Tower building in downtown 1960’s Los Angeles.   The bars also form an elevator that is put to good use.

Connie (Cheryl Umaña) doesn’t have a problem with her name, Concepcion. Although others constantly mispronounce her name, she shortens it to Connie, an Americanized version from/for/of the place she calls home. She is the mother of Henry and also takes care of her Mamá (Esperanza America) a wildly puerile cantankerous woman - wheel chair bound - wrapped in colorful woolen scarves who takes no guff from anyone including her daughter, Henry’s mother.   

Gary Patent and Cheryl Umaña

 

On the first day of the job Connie is hustled to the upstairs offices of the Sears Tower.  She doesn’t think much of her abilities as Herb (Gary Patent) from Human Resources elevates her to the floor and then moves her to her desk of the returns department.  She muses out loud that she should be working the basement rather than in the office upstairs.

But now Connie will try to make the best of it as she meets her co-workers Olga (Mary-Beth Manning) a straight, white, Canadian motherless being, and Loretta (Ella Saldana North) who takes pride in her constant complaints.

They are supervised by Manny (Xavi Moreno) a married man, ambiguously separated, and very much on the prowl with the three ladies in his department.  When he is there, if there is a heaven for Manny, the office must be that place.

On the face of things Connie’s life is looking up, but now she has to worry about her son in the military, her mother, and Manny who won’t take no for an answer.

In the privacy of her own bedroom later that night, she asks for help from the Virgen de Guadalupe (Esperanza America) and her prayers are answered, well sort of, and with an accompaniment of an angel (Robert Revell) on electric guitar to boot.  

There is a lot to enjoy from Evelina Fernández’s play of The Mother of Henry, which is funny, magical and always inventive. What is remarkable are the relationships between family and friends, between the spiritual and human, and the harsh realities of everyday life played out in mortal silence. What seems to be missing is the end for each character, the destination, and a realization of resolution. (In some ways the ending has a Casablanca feel. “Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”) Does life have a resolution? Or, does it slip into the next chapter?

This is Connie’s journey presented in a vivid colorful life, and exercised in an imaginative time  - a colorful crossing into the unknown, a death, and a welcoming back after grieving.  A lot of what you’d expect in José Luis Valenzuela’s direction, a definitive style, of comedy and drama mixed with a dash of cumin, cayenne, and crushed chilies.

The acting is top notched. One worries by coming early that the best days are ahead of the actor, with much more life, backstory, connection, and meaning.  Fernández’s play has wonderful opportunities for actors to stretch and fill in the backstory.

Esperanza America

Esperanza America (La Virgin/Mamá) timing is impeccable and her voice melts. Being a deity of sorts it is almost impossible to imagine why she presents herself. But, she must have a reason other than her perspicacity. One figures it must be for love, but love for a reason.  The only thing missing was the Heiligenschein.

L - R Mary-Beth Manning and Ella Saldana North 

Mary-Beth Manning is Olga, a woman who knows what she wants but when she gets it she doesn’t know what to do with it, how to behave, and how she moves forward from there.  That all plays well but, how has her character changed in relationship with the other two women? And, how is that resolved in the relationships with the women as well as the men?  How does she find the answer to what she is looking for?

Xavi Moreno is Manny, a married man that goes after anyone he can get including his co-workers.  Manny is not mean but appears to be slightly confused about what he really wants. He is not smart, and easily found out in many situations, but he is likeable. His vainglorious attempts at female conquest have its limitations. Moreno must find a resolution to the character, a defining moment that changes him in a significant way.  

Ella Saldana North is terrifically funny as Loretta who knows everything about everyone’s business.  She appears to be single, wears a ring, doesn’t have a significant attachment, or one she speaks little of, but she’s in everyone’s business all the time 24/7/365. She thinks she is right about everything she says. There must be a reason why everyone loves her.

Gary Patent is Herb, a closeted gay man, alone in the world of the Sears tower. He manages to come out only because of a moment and to only one person. He wants to belong but conflicted by discovery. Is there an opportunity to bond with his male counterpoint?

Robert J. Revell

Robert J. Revell seems so comfortable as Angel, an angel with a mean guitar. Revell has an incredible presence on stage. There’s room here for dialogue in the play if only for short sonorous bursts.

Cheryl Umaña is Connie, Henry’s mother and one believes Umaña loses sight of her son, possibly the backstory that she should never forget. One gets the feeling the actor should carry her son throughout the play in however that manifest itself, a military hat, a letter, whatever works to keep the son next to her throughout. Symbolism goes a long way to give Connie courage after the death of a loved one.  Also, moments are missed that could move the play along in a significant way, her discovery of the Virgen, finding out a character is gay, she seems to reflect a level of stoicism, and an unreadable stare (from my vantage point), that didn’t move the character along.  Umaña is pleasant enough and has her moments but another level is needed, to give substance to the character and life.

And just as a matter of observation, Connie’s introduction to the Virgen is lost because the Virgen is bathed in the light and we are drawn away for Connie’s reaction.  This is an important moment for both characters. We must have a reason they are both in the room and the relationship must be solid to carry forward.  Also, it helps to make the comedy work later in the play.

Also, Connie’s kiss requires a bit more attention in whatever physical and emotional output is necessary to carry their relationship forward.  The nadir of Connie’s character is a death, she lashes out, but there are other choices to get the other characters to her side.

One more thing, Connie’s relationship to the angel must carry some weight, a remembrance, the slight turn of the head, reminding her of her son in a distant land.  The angel is there for a reason and Connie must see that.

 John Zalewski, Sound Design, does an incredible job including the typewriters coming in from the other room.

Moving the desks on and off the stage required a dance of sorts compliments of Urbanie Lucero, Movement Coordinator and Choreography, but was not sure about the slow motion movements downstage and how that moves the play along.   

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Michelle A. Prudente – Production Stage Manager

Maricela Sahagun – Assistant Stage Manager

Michelle Tapia – Production Assistant

Evan Nichols – Production Coordinator

Run! Run! Run! And take a believer! No, take a true believer!

The Los Angeles Theatre Center

213-489-0994

TheLATC.org

Canyon by Jonathan Caren

Adam Shapiro and Christine Woods Photos by Dean Cechvala

By Joe Straw

The deck was not large enough to see the canyon in its entirety. – Narrator

IAMA Theatre Company in association with The Latino Theater Company presents Canyon by Jonathan Caren, a world premier play directed by Whitney White and produced by Patti Anne Miller through March 24, 2019.

On this night, an eclectic crowd, young/old, rich/poor, black/white/brown, a.k.a. theatre patrons filled the seats surrounding three quarters of a thrush stage – the deck – an intimate night, dressed in black, and in a passionate setting.

Canyon by Jonathan Caren is an impressive work of art that highlights the lives of ordinary compassionate human beings caught in a nightmare of their own creation. How far will human beings go to protect their self-interests?

There was something about the two cans of diet root beer that Jake (Adam Shapiro) brought out and placed near the lounge chair on his deck, outside his house, and in his area that struck me as both odd and significant.

Notwithstanding the backstory, those two items, quick grabs at a local market, were now what he didn’t want.  And, what sane person drinks diet root beer?

But, fortunately, progressive as he was, he couldn’t just discard the diet drink. Instead, he offered it to someone less fortunate than he, like the Mexican contractor, just to make a sincere point.  

But Eduardo (Geoffrey Rivas) had an ice chest with drinks to suit his purpose and an apple to keep him both fed and hydrated. A diet root beer was not for him.

Luca Oriel and Geoffrey Rivas

 

Today Eduardo’s helper was off doing other things so Eduardo brought his son, Rodrigo (Luca Oriel), to assist.  Rodrigo, soon heading off to college, was not impressed by his father’s situation.  And he was rebellious and vocal about how his father was being treated, working for slave wages in order to satisfy the wants of a successful young rich white guy with a beautiful home off a canyon road in Los Angeles.

It was 2016 and we were all God’s beautiful creations back then.  

Still, Eduardo had the work and had to work to pay for Rodrigo’s college. But one extra job was convincing Jake to make up his mind about extending the deck while he hung around doing odds and ends waiting for the ultimate answer and the cold hard cash.  

Rodrigo couldn’t know all this, spirited as he was looking out for his father’s behalf.  Picking up an arrowhead, the father soothes the temporal beast within his son’s being by explaining that they have been here a lot longer.

 “Know what you are looking for.” – Eduardo

So, Eduardo hangs around Jake’s home in hopes that Jake can convince his wife, Beth (Christine Woods), a physician and breadwinner, that they need an extension on the deck.  Of course this is something Jake and Eduardo want to keep to themselves until the deal is done.

Meanwhile Beth, in scrubs, arrives home after a hard day.  A few months pregnant, she nurtures their home, loves relaxing at home with her husband, and spending time on their beautiful deck. 

Jake, taking the opportunity of massaging Beth’s feet, has scenic thoughts of expansion.

Stefanie Black and Brandon Scott

A short time later, Will (Brandon Scott), Jake’s college friend and now public defender and his wife Dahlia (Stefanie Black), arrives from back east. They are an interracial couple and are clearly having problems in their relationship.

In the meantime, Dahlia enjoys a brief respite from their two children and immediately sets herself relaxing on the deck with a few glasses of wine as Beth holds the bottle.   

Later, Will confides to Jake that he wants out of the marriage, that their son has autism, and the tension between them and their unpleasant reflections has them discussing matters with a marriage counselor.  But, he’s definite, he wants out.

Without getting into details, the secret confessions are released.  And those secrets, not whispered in the night, bounce off the canyon walls, and find their mark.

The next morning is filled with tension and survival is broken down to its rustic simplicity on the deck.  Never ending love suddenly becomes a battle of survival.

And then someone gets hurt; bodies are now thrown off the deck and lives roll metaphorically down the steep canyon walls.

Jonathan Caren has written an exquisite play.  His words are masterfully relevant at time before the world turned ugly. (2016) The play is a sincere look at polite and ostensibly progressive human beings who turn when dramatic tensions have them fighting for their own best interest and bitterness usurps the eloquence once prevalent.  When tragedy strikes, a torrent of race hating falls like rain. And to that end their unaccountable indifference finally becomes accountable causing unfathomable pain. The suffering is self-inflicted, humans being hypocritical, and the progressiveness seems to be a facade easily crumbled. And one character breaks most of the principles of being a Unitarian Universalists. It ends when forgiveness becomes the only viable option.

Whitney White, the director, moves the actors in a way that paying attention is critical. She gives you enough of the relationship to question its authenticity. And then questions your involvement when taking sides in the critical moments. The blame game becomes one of acute observations in this intimate space  – almost as if the director has pulled focus away from significant events on and off stage to take the audience for a mental ride. And for those reasons, it is a wonderful achievement and worth seeing again and again.

The acting is well above par and it moves along in a fast clip, sometimes too fast as the pain in moments have little time to make their mark.

Adam Shapiro is terrific as Jake, a man who is engulfed in his own self sacrifice, giving up his life to live off the sacrifices of others, his dad and his wife.  Listening to others and accepting the information is his downfall.  But, throughout it all, his action is the saving grace. Shapiro gives a fine performance, natural and nuanced.

Christine Woods is Beth, the breadwinner in the family.  She, on the outside, is willing to have a stay-at-home husband, but when push comes to shove, she blames her only love for making unwise decisions about their lives. Beth has other underlying issues, dabbing in anti-anxiety drugs while pregnant, discussed but not witnessed. One wished to scrutinize her actions with a little more intensity.  She is wearing scrubs but we find out later that she is a physician as if the writer wanted us slightly confused. Woods is very good under the lights.

Brandon Scott is Will, a man now in fantods, has succumbed to the pitfalls of married and family life and believes there are better ways.  But, the answers to his prayers come at the misfortunes of his friend and maybe that is his way out.  Will obviously has other dreams that may not be manifested in Scott’s objective.

Stefanie Black is Dahlia, a woman who professes to be progressive because she is in a dramatic interracial relationship.  She being the more dramatic of the two. Her life is staying at home and taking care of the two children who are getting older. She seems unaware of the pressures of a one-income family and is willing to let her husband carry the burden in his low-paying public defender job. Dahlia is the Pandora’s box letting out one misfortune after another.  Black’s work is excellent.

Geoffrey Rivas is terrific as Eduardo.  He obviously knows what he is doing as the contractor but his actions are slightly ambiguous in the ways he goes about to earn more money. We get bits of information on his life, his drinking problem, and his ways of manipulation. We never see what gets him into trouble or what he does to get his son into more trouble, so during the course of the night, one is suspicious.  

Luca Oriel is Rodrigo a young man determined to help his father through these tough times no matter what price he has to pay.  And maybe he does pay a price near the end as the police come rushing up to the canyon road. Oriel is young and still learning and there is more to add to the performance, still, he has a great look and is very agreeable in the role.

Other members of the remarkable crew are as follows:

Colleen Labella – Associate Director

Holiday Kinard – Associate Producer

Robert Mahaffie – Co-Stage Manager

Lucy Houlihan – Co-Stage Manager

R.S. Buck – Lighting Designer

Michael O’Hara – Props

Melissa Trn – Costume Designer

Jeff Gardner – Sound Designer

Daniel Soule – Scenic Designer

Ryan Wilbat – Asst Scenic Designer

Red Colgrove – Set Build

Kis Knekt – Scenic Charge

Lucy Pollak – Publicity

Also, the understudies who did not perform the night I attended are: Christine Woods, Aynsley Bubbico, J. Claude Deering, Chris Gardner, Ray Oriel, Alexandra Wright, and Matt Yepez.

Run! Run! Run! And take a Unitarian Universalist with you.  You’ll have some interesting things to discuss on your deck at home.   

Los Angeles Theatre Center

Avalos Theatre

514 S. Spring Street 

Los Angeles, CA 90013

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1003865

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Born to Win by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock

L - R Drew Droege, Matt Wilkas - Photos by Matthew Brian Denman

By Joe Straw

There is a striking resemblance between this play and Dixie’s Tupperware Party by Ken Anderson. – Narrator

Celebration Theatre presents Born to Win by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock, directed by Michael Matthews, and produced by Rebecca Eisenberg, Nathan Frizzel, and Michael O’Hara at the Lex Theatre in Hollywood through March 31, 2019.

Well, let’s see.

Born to Win was previously titled Pageant Play when it premiered in July 2008 at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.   On this particular night, it played to a sold-out house at The Lex Theatre. The audience was mostly men with, one supposes, an eccentric fascination for child beauty pageants, or for the people who participate in it.  Because, beauty pageants just ain’t about the glitz and glamour.

The theatrical setting is in Texas reminiscent of a weary storefront, basement, or storm shelter with wig mannequins sitting on shelves and layered against glittered walls, that are also layered with small frilly dresses.  Beyond the presentation stage, is seminar seating (us the audience) compliments the space. A clothesline stretches from one end of the space to the other and is used effectively and creatively throughout the night – compliments of Stephen Gifford, Scenic Designer.

In this space, our two main characters promote their business to potential clients who will pay big fees to take their classes and are hopefully guaranteed a winner.  And like racehorses, they have no use for place or show.   

Bobby (Drew Droege) and Bob (Matt Wilkas) run this operation.  Bobby is the voluble one of this enterprise, the one with the clear and concise message about your daughters not being that pretty, but pretty enough to win with their help.  Bob does the makeup, hair, and has the acumen for business and numbers, but for now is willing to give Bobby the run of the show.

Their five-letter acronym SHEIT are their tools for success – smile, hair, eyes, illusion, and tenacity.  One would suggest they aren’t terribly bright to let this acronym pass, or maybe they’re just Texans.

Marge (Daiva Deupree) is the new mom entering her daughter Puddles (represented by a blue green dress) in a pageant. Puddles manages to win with the help of only her mother! In pageant circles, that just ain’t right.

Dejected onlooker, Pinky (Julanne Chidi Hill), has other plans for Puddles. Pinky’s daughter, Chevolet (represented by a pink dress), has been consistently winning contests.  But now, because of Puddles, Chevolet finishes in second place. Pinky’s animus then kicks into second gear and that just ain’t right.  

No matter, Pinky wants to help Marge and Puddles so she sends them to Bobby and Bob. The cost to manage Puddles, including hair, makeup, choreography, etc., will be around $7,000.  Marge says she can’t afford it so Pinky, married to a rich local toothpick manufacturer, says she will foot the bill.

Reluctantly, Marge accepts Pinky’s help. Later they come to blows as termagant women.

Even in this theatre of the absurd, there are some very serious issues going on in the play.  Just the little things like kidnapping and domestic abuse, which are not really funny but work within the construct of Wilkas and Setlock’s play.   

Love and desperation are words that play well with each character but, in retrospect, the love is not deep enough, and the desperation seems to fall short of their objectives.    

That said, Bobby and Bob’s relationship doesn’t progress in a satisfying way.  It seems to happen only because the words move us in that direction.  

But there is one moment, when Bobby compliments Bob on his choreography, that the relationship takes a leap forward.  The revelation should be dramatic – a moment that patches the strained relationship. It should tell us where these two characters are headed as they move from business associates into something more.    

This leads us to desperation.  The chase scene in the end, although comical, would play better if those characters desperately want each other and want each other forever.

Michael Matthew, the director, gives the show a rousing interpretation filled with surprises including exceptional performances by all.  The chase scene has funny moments but goes on long beyond its purpose.

There is a lot to enjoy from Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock’s play. Some moments ring a sincere truth about the makeup of people but then there are other moments that take us into the absurd and out of reality. Can a production be both?  It there something we are to learn? Or maybe we go for the fun of it?

L - R Daiva Deupree, Julanne Chidi Hill

Daiva Deupree gives the character Marge a lot of backstory, always hiding from someone about something, a crime, and an abusive partner.  There is a tremendous amount to enjoy of her character work and the simple things that move the character throughout the story.  It was terrific work.

Drew Droege plays Bobby, a grown man who thinks he knows what is right for every little girl entering a beauty pageant.  He is the idea man who finds out later that maybe his ideas were a little off base. Looking for his partner near the end needs that desperation of a love lost never to be found.  Droege also plays the abusive husband, a completely different character and completely unrecognizable in a very nice turn.  One is not sure how he escaped and found the house in the last chase scene.

Julanne Chidi Hill has her moments as Pinky, someone who is loving and notorious all in the same breath. Stabbing the mannequin to cozen her opponent goes a little too far in her quest for what she wants.  The moment turns her into an antagonistic behemoth. It is not funny and one wonders if there are better choices for this character at that moment. We have to know that she is doing these things out of love for her daughter. Still, there is much to enjoy from Hill’s performance and overall she is excellent in her craft.

L - R Julanne Chidi Hill, Matt Wilkas

Matt Wilkas hits all the right notes as Bob the partner who is treated as an underling. Wilkas is funny as Bob who accepts a lot of information and acts accordingly.  And, what is Bob thinking? Is it the situation?  Or, is it his relationship?  Wilkas is also Gunnar, the toothpick manufacturer who doesn’t understand his wife. (Join the club.) He is a man so entrenched with his job that a cinnamon flavored toothpick sends him over the edge. It is another wonderful character for Wilkas.

The Lex Theatre is a wonderful place to view a show and the Celebration Theatre’s production crew and support staff are second to none!

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Tom DeTrinis – Assistant Director

Estey DeMerchant – Production Stage Manager

Trevor Lee – Assistant Stage Manager

Matthew Brian Denman – Lighting Designer

Allison Dillard – Costume Designer

Rebecca Kessin – Sound Designer

Michael O’Hara – Props Designer/Producer/Managing Director

Sondra Mayer – Fight Director

Tuffet Schmelzle – Dialect Coach

Janet Roston – Choreography Consultant

Michael C. Kricfalusi – Executive Director/Executive Producer

Michael A. Shepperd – Artistic Director/Executive Producer

Rebecca Eisenberg – Producer

Nathan Frizzell – Producer

Mark Giberson – Associate Producer

David Tran – Associate Producer

Jami Rudofsky – Casting Director

David Elzer/Demand PR – Marketing/PR/Publicity 

Run! Run! And take a former beauty pageant contestant.  You'll have the time of your life. 

Celebration Theatre

6760 Lexington Ave.

Los Angeles, CA, 90038

For tickets, please call (323) 957-1884 - or visit  www.celebrationtheatre.com to purchase tickets online or to view a complete schedule!

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The Last Straw Awards 2018

By Joe Straw

 

Art breaks your heart. – narrator

 

The Last Straw Awards 2018, for now, is a virtual award; there are no plaques, or statuettes that you can pawn off to pay for medical bills.  In short, it is an award based on merit and something you can carry with you forever without the clutter.    

 

First, the writers, for without them there would be no play.

Writers:

Julio Vera – Alik

Quiara Alegría Hudes – The Happiest Song Plays Last

Bernardo Cubría – The Giant Void in My Soul

Christian Levatino – …meantime at HoJo’s

Luis Valdez – Valley of the Heart

 

Also, it is with great pleasure that I announce the actors who are recipients of this award.   Their performance stays with me long after I have left the theatre.  Making the most of a moment is what counts. And sometimes those moments can be profound or subtle. One loves a treacherously delivered line.  In most cases, it is the fruition of hard work, reflecting a supreme simplicity, and coming to a demonstrative peak on a given night.   

 

(I make it a point to cover actors and you can read about their performances in this blog.  Type the name of the production in the blog window top left to find.)  

 

Actors:

 

Small Mouth Sounds by Bess Wohl – at The Broad

 

Brenna Palughi – Alicia

Orville Mendoza – Teacher

 

A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegría Hudes – at Kirk Douglas

 

Rubén Garfias – Grandpop

 

Alik by Julio Vera – at AmVet Post 2 House

 

Lauren Fordinal – Marina

Justin Powell – Alik

Sam Flemming – Pavel

Monica Ross – Rimma

Colleen Greenhalgh – Larissa

 

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee –Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rachel Sheinkin, Additional Material by Jay Reiss at Culver City High School

Jaylen Rosado – Leaf Coneybear

Aidan Van den Broeck – Vice Principal Doug Panch

Kacey Oschack – Marcy Park

Joey O’Neal – William Barfée

Sophia Martin-Straw – Various Roles

Nice Fish by Mark Rylance & Louis Jenkins – at Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles

Tamika Simpkins – DNR Officer

Kristen Egermeier – Flo

The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes – at Latino Theatre Company  

Elisa Bocanegra – Yaz

Al Rodrigo – Agustín

John Seda-Pitre – Lefty

Kamal Marayati – Ali

Evangeline, The Queen of Make-Believe by Theresa Chavez and Rose Portillo, Story by Theresa Chavez, Louis Pérez and Rose Portillo – The Plaza de la Raza

Blanca Araceli – Alicia Ibarra

Mr. Pim Passes By by A. A Milne – at Theatre 40

John Wallace Combs – George Marden

Roslyn Cohn – Olivia Marden

The Giant Void in My Soul by Bernardo Cubría – Pico Playhouse

Karla Mosley – Fool 1

Kim Hamilton – Fool 2

Claudia Doumit – Various Roles

Liza Fernandez – Various roles

SOLO MUST DIE: A Musical Parody Book by Jordan and Ari Stidham Music and Lyrics by Hughie Stone Fish and Ari Stidham – at Hudson Backstage Theatre

Selorm Kploanyi – Galaxia

Michelle Wicklas – Various Roles

The Intimacy Effect by Jeff Tabnick – at the Lounge Theatre

Toni Christopher – Amy Appel

Jordana Oberman – Merrily Appel.

Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes – at The Mark Taper

Sean Carvajal – Elliot

Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang – at The Beverly Hills Playhouse

Jennifer Vo Le – Leah Anne Cho

Dennis Nollette – Various Roles

Jon Pendergast – NWOAOC (Name Withheld On Advice of Counsel)

Lisagaye Tomlinson – Various roles

  

…meantime at HoJo’s by Christian Levatino – at The Flight Theatre

Patrick Flanagan – Macho Barker

Leo Olivia – Rolando Martinez

Hector Hugo – Villo Gonzalez

LQ Victor – G. Gordon Liddy

Fairy Tale Theatre 18 & Over: The Musical by Michael J. Feldman Music by Jason Currie – at Pico Playhouse

Sheila Carrasco – Various roles

Valley of the Heart by Luis Valdez – at The Mark Taper

Rose Portillo – Paula Montaño

Scott Keiji Takeda – Calvin Sakamoto

Daniel Valdez – Cayetano Montaño

Bus Stop by William Inge – at Theatre 40

Kaitlin Huwe – Cherie

Mani Yarosh – Elma

These are the directors that made the list – because the work was remarkable - and all for different reasons.

Directors:

Cassandra Ambe – Alik

Felix Solis – The Giant Void in My Soul

Robert Zimmerman – Yellow Face

Edward Torres – The Happiest Song Plays Last

Christian Levatino – …meantime at HoJo’s

Luis Valdez – Valley of the Heart

 The Ortiz Award 2018 is given to the play that showcases an outstanding presentation of diversity and art in a theatrical presentation.  This award is named in honor of Vilma Ortiz, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at UCLA and a champion of diversity in the arts and in her academic field of study. This year the recipient is:

Valley of the Heart – Written and directed by Luis Valdez

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