Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph

Hope Luna

 

 

By Joe Straw 

A moment is like a shooting star.  If you catch it, it opens the imaginative world of creativity.                 

 

The one thing that justifies an objective in any play is love.  Love, love, love, love and love. Nothing comes close to love.  Love is the thing that gives an actor an objective, a purpose, and that objective is made up of multiple actions that moves the character to their destination. Love comes, and it comes in many forms.

 

Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph, director by Anna Moskowitz, produced by Drew Woodruff and Andrew Simon, and Executive Produced by Zoe Brown, had a limited 4-performance run at 905 Cole Avenue in Hollywood, California.

 

Kayleen and Doug are eight when they meet.  Possibly a chance meeting in a nurse’s office, possibly not, she with an upset stomach and he with a broken face after riding his bike off the roof of a Catholic school.   Sitting on a couple of cots Kayleen mysteriously says, “There’s an angel on the roof” to which Doug says, “No there’s not.”

 

Thus, a relationship is born, something they will remember the rest of their lives and without thinking about it, a moment that will play an important part in their being. Time is not linear in this play; the moments are a reflection moving back and forth until they reach the age of 38. So, one may suspect the reflections of their lives culminate to the ultimate meeting, however that manifests itself, in their last encounter.

 

There’s a reason a little boy rides his bike off the roof and that is because he wants to impress someone and, in this case, it is a little girl. Relationship don’t always work out like the participants want.  But there is that connection, one of healing, and one of longing, and if someone would only give in to the moment, we might have something.  But they never do, maybe they do, but conflict gets in their way and, they’re too young to know they need each other.  

 

They meet again at 23 years old after Doug’s horrific accident.  Kayleen is there to comfort him, but he crosses the line, her line, for the sake of his pain. She has had too much pain recently and there’s just one more thing to do, one more bridge to cross, one more muddy road to travel, knowing she must get to his side.

 

They encounter each other at the age of 13, an eight-grade dance.  Doug dances into the room.  He has hurt his foot. Kayleen has an upset stomach and Doug wants to help.  He even offers her ginger ale. But even in this situation, there is no meeting of the minds, and Doug tries to physically dance with her to no avail, and then kiss her, no chance but there is that thing of staying in the room next to someone who may be the one, despite being thirteen and all.

 

When Kayleen finally makes a connection at the age of 28, Kayleen throws her heart out to Doug who lies there, in a coma, without the ability to connect. But she is there, his angel, if only he could move and speak, no matter, Doug is listening, and he’ll take whatever makes him feel better and reflect upon it later.  

 

One can listen to Rajiv Joseph’s words and come up will a million possibilities, or ways, the material can manifest itself in this play first produced in 2009 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.  Reflection moves one in a way that time is not linear and important matters are accentuated when thinking about the how you came to be, why you are, and who you are now. The play starts at age 8 and moves back and forth until it ends at age 38. Gruesome Playground Injuries is a brilliant one-act play, with the bitterest of contradictions, and ambiguous enough to give many interpretations to the same play with various directors.

 

Anna Moskowitz, the director, has placed her stamp on the play giving us a very likeable and engaging production given the offbeat location of the performance area. One likens it to a once used editing room of an independent film production company now used as Anthony Meindl’s Actors Workshop and this may be a perfect location for that purpose.  But now, on this night, it is used for a performance space, 43 people enclosed on either size of a long tube-like performance area with the audience on either end of the playing area (stage) and one exit door and that lends itself to some logistic problems of viewing the play. In the moments that mattered, that moved the play forward, seen reactions were blocked.  For example, Kayleen taking the stones out of Doug’s hands and seeing his reaction at his angel.  Also, at times the actors were so far apart that one was moving the head back and forth as though it were a tennis match.  This is a very intimate production, that needed the actors to be center stage and mixing it up especially when moments mattered the most. How intimate can you be when the characters want to be so far from each other is the engaging trick of the play. Also, changing clothes during play presented other problems and requires a little more creativity to keep the audience engaged in their lives during those changes.   Still, it was a very enjoyable night at the theatre.

 

How weird was it that Hope Luna’s character was listed as “Doug” on the program that was scanned via QR Code. One set of someone’s tired eyes. (I get it.)

 

Hope Luna nails the first scene as an eight-year-old student with very expressive eyes and is engaging throughout. There are multiple things in Kayleen’s backstory that plays an important part in creating a fully rounded character.  One is the abandonment of her mother, the other is the non-existent relationship she has with her father who, she still lives with and, who thinks her mother was a better person than she will ever be. Certainly, it plays a part of her not understanding how anyone can love her no matter how much they profess their love.

 

Andrew Simon

 

 

Andrew Simon does well as Doug. Doug does his best to show his love despite not being able find a way to fully engage in a manner that captures her spirit. Every gruesome thing he does is for the capture of his love is lost in something he can’t really grasp. His reactions to winning her love is offbeat (the fireworks), or violence, or saving the angel that she once loved. How many ways do you have to show you love someone before they finally believe you? For Simon to find the levels of engagements requires a deeper level of emotional commitment, one that says you’ve love so much until you can’t give it any longer.  At times one question the choices Simon made, one being the vigorous dancing scene when he has a bad foot.  Each level of injury seems to be for the benefit of engaging with his love and that didn’t really happen in this version of the play. Despite that, Simon is a very creative actor showing flashing of brilliance and has a very strong stage presence. Simon also served as a producer.

 

The only thing resembling a set is the elementary posters on the wall that may have symbolized the place where the characters met.

 

Laura Gonzalez created the character’s look as the Costume Designer and that was effective from age eight to thirty-eight.

 

Low level lighting by Alicia Esparza, Lighting Designer, did not accentuate the cutting marks on Kayleen’s legs and that would have help moved the story along tremendously.  

 

Other members of the crew are as follows:

 

Chelsea M Matthews – Executive Producer

Robin Schultz – Venue Manager

Emily Vanni – Production Assistant

Ally Lardner – Stage & Production Manager

Aubrey Salita – Assistant Director

Spencer Drees – Creative Consultant

Glenn Schuster – Sound Designer

Felicia Cantu – Assistant Stage Manager

 

This show has closed.

 

   

 

   

Picnic by William Inge

 

Monti D. Washington and Mattie Harris Lowe - Photos by Jenny Graham

 

By Joe Straw

 

There is a particular moment in John Formanesh-Bocca’s version of Picnic by William Inge when an audible gasp erupted and stunned the audience.   That sublime moment, on this night, jarred the senses and catapulted a relationship onstage up through the stratosphere.   

 

And yet, there were two perspectives on the outcome of that intimate moment.  One perspective was that the relationship would never work and that the love of these two people would ultimately fail in dramatic disrepair (mine).  While another, the optimist, might dream of the unlimited possibilities these two can create as they move together through life. (not mine)

 

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents Picnic by William Inge, produced in association with Isabel and Harvey Kibel and directed by John Farmanesh-Bocca through May 28^th, 2023.

 

A small, isolated town in Kansas can be the loneliest place on the planet, especially for single women who inhabit the barren aridity of the rural countryside waiting for someone to take them away, away from the flat landscape and into hills and valleys of an adventurous life. The only thing giving them vivacity now is the radio that sits in the window, playing an occasional song that moves people in unexpected ways on this Labor Day weekend. 

 

And it’s all coming from the house of Mrs. Helen Potts (Rosemary Thomas). She has seen better days, but today is a special day for her. As luck would have it, she has just fed a transient Hal Carter (Monti D. Washington). He is a good-looking athletic man who seemingly is down on his luck.  His clothes are stained with road travel and Hal has agreed to do some chores in exchange for something to eat.

 

This is something Mrs. Potts does from time to time, picking up strays deposited from a passing train, but this time she has got a catch. Mrs. Potts is a lonely woman, whose continual job now is to take care of her sickly mother who shouts for help from an upstairs bedroom but is never seen.  

 

(Hal is there for something else but will ride this train until something better comes along.)

 

Mrs. Potts is naturally smitten with the younger Hal and wants to keep him around her country home, feeding him her finest country meal, and if that includes washing the clothes off his back to keep him there longer so be it.

 

Hal moves off to take care of the chores and suddenly, for a moment, the place becomes man less.  

 

Rogelio Douglas III and Symphony Canady

 

 

From the back porch of another house, across the way in the perfect quietude, Millie Owens (Symphony Canady) 14 grabs a beach like chair and decides to take in the warmth of the sun. Add to it a little lotion, a set of cool shades, and she basks in all her summer glory when Bomber (Rogelio Douglas III), delivering newspapers, rides in on his bike. (Note: make the bike a little noisier, put cards in the spokes.)

 

Bomber tries to make himself known to Millie, but she ignores him like the plague. Definitively, he throws the newspaper against her house and makes a terrible racket. Bomber, knowing her arm strength, hops on a bike and flees the scene. Millie takes that paper, winds up like a centerfielder and throws it at him, like throwing a runner out at home plate.

 

Madge Owens (Mattie Harris Lowe) steps out on her back porch. She is radiant, the sunlight catching her finer points, and reflecting her beauty all the way over to Hal who suddenly appears.  

 

Flo Owens (Yolanda Snowball), her mother, sizes up the situation, and wants Hal to keep his distance knowing right away that that man is an augury for no good and besides Madge is already spoken for.  

 

Now, everyone wants to peek at this mysterious man including Rosemary Sydney (Sydney A. Mason) a schoolmarm, and a border in the Flo’s house who teaches typing and shorthand.  Dressed in her finest, she has yet to find a prospect but is hopeful the picnic on this night will solidify matters with her on again off again beau Howard Bevan (Derrick Parker), a man that one, takes delight in the bottle and two, takes marriage with a grain of salt.  

 

And while everyone agrees the transient Hal is not to be completely trusted things change when Alan Seymour (Ahkei Togun), Madge’s boyfriend, recognizes Hal as his fraternity brother from college.

 

John Farmanesh-Bocca’s production of Picnic is brilliant.  It is a subtle slice of Americana told from a different perspective with a beautifully diverse cast.  Its contents breaths human hunger for wants not satiated from the sustenance of a picnic and ends with the socially repugnant and execrable act of treachery.  After a few moments of settling down on this night, the play and this production takes off and soars.  It is beautiful in the way the sunset takes your breath away and moves one toward the warm feelings of anticipating the night.  

 

Symphony Canady is fantastic as Millie Owens a young woman that can do anything better than her sister but vie for the attention of any male within throwing distance. She’s athletic, cooks, is intelligent and is an artist as well. Moving in the direction of being the leading woman of that household has its challenges, but Canady makes some terrific choices that has her character ascends into the night.

 

Rogelio Douglas III does a nice turn as Bomber but needs a stronger objective and choices to get where he needs to go. It’s all there but he needs to make some slight adjustments.

 

Mattie Harris Lowe is striking as Madge and that character can capture men within a fifty-mile radius. It’s unfortunate that the man she wants is 51 miles away so her mind wanders about things that could be. She is not much for cooking.  Peeling one potato is a chore that takes longer than necessary and leaves the skin still intact in some places. She is a woman who is tired of her current surroundings and wants to move on. This is a very grand performance of a woman torn between two lovers.  She must make up her mind and not take into consideration the feelings for her mother and sister.

 

Sydney A. Mason and Derrick Parker

 

 

Sydney A. Mason is wonderful as Rosemary Sydney.  It is a character driven performance that is carefully crafted with so much underlying truth.  From the moment she steps on stage until the curtain call Mason is riveting.

 

The same holds true with Derrick Parker as Howard Bevans, a man who has lived a successful life and doesn’t want that life interrupted with this little thing called marriage. Parker’s craft is excellent as he weaves his way through multiple conflicts on stage.  It is subtle at times, but he has a very commanding stage presence, and the work moves toward perfection.

 

You couldn’t ask for a better Flo Owens than Yolanda Snowball’s performance. She is a mother who lives for her children and wants the best for both.  She guides them through life and tries her best to keep her oldest on track. Not everything goes according to plan, but it is obvious she loves both and would do anything for them.

 

Rosemary Thomas is Mrs. Helen Potts and aside from the opening moments the character grows every moment on stage, and she is wonderful in the role.

 

Ahkei Togun and Monti D. Washington

 

 

One is not too sure about the beard Ahkei Togun has as Alan Seymour for that 1960’s time period, the position he has in the community, and the successful job he has. He is the man that is the opposite of the man who has just arrived. That aside, his work is terrific.  Seymour makes a big mistake before the picnic, trusting everyone, and finds later that working to secure the trust is a job in and of itself, and that mistake was the source of his downfall.  The moment he arrives after the picnic is a heartbreaking moment and he gathers enough courage to say what he needs to say before the arrival of the tempestuous dawn. He shows little of the shamefaced regret stopping at nothing to win at all costs.

 

Monti D. Washington plays Hal Carter who is likeable but has made some very bad choices in life. There is enough ambiguity in William Inge’s play to make Hal the perplexing character that he is. Washington is excellent and, one supposes, that despite the physical beast that he is, he is not the only bad character in this play. But, then again, maybe he is. He appears on stage as a transient only to find that he has other motives in mind and perhaps he is not a reliable reporter of the truth.  

 

 

Erika L. Holmes has some outstanding scenes as Irma Kronkite as well as Caitlin O’Grady as Christine Schoewalder.

 

Frederica Nasciemento, Scenic Designer, has created a beautiful functional set for the actors working their magic.

 

Mylette Nora, Costume Designer, has perfected the look of the characters stepping off into the 1960s.

 

Other members of this delightful crew are as follows:

 

Chu-Hsuan Chang – Lighting Designer

Brianna Price – Co-Choreographer

Jeff Gardner – Co-Sound Designer

Chris Bell – Scenic Artist

Jeanine MacDonald – Properties Designer

Terrance Stewart – Stage Manager

Andrew Blahak – Assistant State Manager

Ron Sossi – Artistic Director

Beth Hogan – Staff Producer

Leonard Felix, Danny Felix, Mikaela Liewer – Master Carpenters

Jason Detamore, Lenny Felix – Set Construction

Danny Felix – Master Electrician

Matthew Duran – Light Crew

Lucy Pollak – Publicist

Photography – Jenny Graham

Peter Simpson Cook – Graphic Designer (The one sheets look terrific!)

 

Run! Run! Run! And see this show. 

 

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

2055 South Sepulveda Blvd. 

Los Angeles, CA  90025

 

Box Office: 310-477-2055

boxoffice@odysseytheatre.com

www.odysseytheatre.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

      

 

 

The Dreamer Examines His Pillow by John Patrick Shanley

Pamela Portnoy and Eric Larson

 

By Joe Straw

      

I arrived at the Odyssey Theatre early. There was plenty of parking, almost no one was there and as I looked around the room I saw a woman with a pleasant smile, returned, thank you. Others started to enter the lobby and after seating, having an amiable conversation with Showbiz Phil, suddenly the place was packed.  Looking around the room one spied to see a lot of curious attendees, students of theatre and Shanley, possibly wanting to see a version of the play they might want to perform one day.  A lot of “Tommys”, less “Donnas” and a few “Dads”.    

 

This play lends itself to a very small black box house with minimal set pieces, a change of scenery, and three actors all in favoring of keeping production costs low. That’s understandable. Actors needs a showcase, and a director needs a venue to showcase her talent.

 

PLP Odyssey Theatre presents The Dreamer Examines His Pillow by John Patrick Shanley and, directed by Anne Kathryn Parma for a very short run through February 26^th, 2023.

 

The opening of this production started in a manner which suggested that the night might be long and tenuous and seemed to eliminate dialogue that is in the version from the Dramatists Play Service.

 

James Liddell

 

 

Tommy (James Liddell) a lithe 27, is a little off kilter. Having little to show he prays to a benign benevolent being, a bug infested beat-up refrigerator filled with a few beers that unnecessarily eliminates a resplendent light.  Rolling around in his mind, and for months if not a year, he mindfully meditates the predicament he is currently in. The year is 1986 in New York City when impressively, in the dump he currently resides, all he must do is sink into his EZ-boy throne, a delipidated cathedra that sits in front of his frig, and majestically drink his beer.  Ah, what a life, but he leaves, one nasty impression, sitting in his dirty white wear waiting for the inevitable to come marching through his door.

 

Far from the inevitable, but she does, Donna (Pamela Portnoy) bangs on the door and enters in a skintight black dress, a large black belt, a few gold necklaces, one holding a key, and an off-color red adorning her nails.  She appears to be off to impress in her accentuated duds, that she pulls on repeatedly to cover her legs, but today she is as mad as a hornet. She demands a beer if only to take the edge off before she expresses a need to get something off her chest, and it’s not going to be pretty.

 

Donna is hearing stuff about her 16-year-old sister Mona (Not seen.) and Tommy.  They’ve been seeing each other for about a month but Tommy figures he is unencumbered, and every ambulatory female now is fair game.  The trouble is Mona is jailbait.

 

“That was just criminal sh*t you did outside the bounds.” – Donna

 

But Tommy is not forthcoming as to what happened.  He says no, then he says yes and if it’s yes, then that is a crime.

 

“How?  How could you do that?  Do you hate me?” – Donna

 

Tommy is the one that left the relationship.  He still says he loves her, but he is in a lot of trouble living in a dump, sleeping with her sister, and feeling slightly bad about robbing his mother. All he has is an awkward self-portrait staring at him with one big eye and the other almost shut.

 

James Liddell and Pamela Portnoy

 

 

Donna upset now; says she must talk to her father.  He lives in The Heights, and she believes he has the answer.

 

“And there may be somethin I want him to do. To you.” – Donna

 

“To me?” – Tommy

 

“That’s right.” – Donna

 

“What would you want him to do to me?” – Tommy

 

“I may want him to beat you up.” – Donna  

 

So off Donna goes to The Heights to find the man with all the answers, her dad (Eric Larson).

 

Living in “The Little Dominican Republic” side of Manhattan Dad lives much in the same way Tommy does.  He rests in his recliner, has a better kind of drink, and a few more pieces of furniture. But things aren’t fine with him. He doesn’t know where his daughter Mona (age 16) is living, and he isn’t living the grand life.  He is an artist that has given up his trade for personal reasons and he sits alone at home, with only one painting to show and money in the bank. Life can’t be all that complicated but it is going to get more complicated when Donna shows up wanting, for God knows, what?

 

John Patrick Shanley, the writer, leaves enough ambiguity in his work to have any actor make creative choices.  The door is open wide for entering Shanley’s world of creativity because the world around these characters is a world of art and these people speak a language of their own. The characters come to the point in a manner that is justifiably clear to them.  They are not succinct, and their obfuscation ultimately drives their objective to a very satisfying conclusion. Still, Shanley leaves room for dramatic interpretation that can even be performed in the extreme. Those choices are up to the director and the actors.

 

One had only slight concerns of the opening of this production particularly the opening scene where Donna storms into the room without giving pause as to what is happening to and around her.  Feel free to take that moment to give us the backstory here because that is critical. It is the anticipated wait before confronting her love. Donna must bring her history to light all in one fell swoop. Her love is most important, her loneliness, her anger, and then recognize what she has come here for. It’s no small task in the few seconds of her opening moments.   

 

That aside Anne Kathryn Parma, the director, presents us with a remarkable presentation fill with so much charm and creativity culminating with Donna sitting on her father’s lap. This one tenderly amiable moment gives us a complete understanding of the type of characters we are dealing with. It is an outstanding moment that fills one with so much joy and love, and it is a moment that propels the characters through to the final resolution.

 

Not to be so obtuse but, artistically, the play and the performances were a French chocolate croissant with a perfect cup of coffee.

 

And, if one must be critical, there are a few moments that were missed, moments that change the relationship and that were not accentuated.   Those extreme dramatic moments in this comedy were few and far between but would only help the production.   

 

James Liddell is outstanding as Tommy. Notwithstanding, conjugal fidelity is not his strong suit. Maybe, sleeping with Donna’s sister is one way of getting her back. And, let’s face it, he wants her back he just doesn’t know it. Or maybe he does. Liddell gives us some impressive work especially when the dad comes for a visit.

 

Pamela Portnoy is exceptional as Donna. Despairing reflections roll around in her mind.  She is bothered by the heinous rumors she wants confirmed if only she could get a straight answer from him.   Still, she wants him back and that’s the reason she is there. Sister or no sister, she is determined.  She may be confused but she wouldn’t be there if she didn’t feel there was a great possibility that they could have a happy life together.  That said, the “extreme pain” doesn’t come hard enough when he confesses and that sends her into a state of confusion to go running off for some answers.  

 

Eric Larson is wonderful as Dad. Arduously melancholy sitting alone in the dark, gruff on the outside as well as the inside, he leaves no stone unturned when dealing with his daughter. Figuring out life can be so simple wearing a red bath robe, a pair of comfortable slippers, and with a strong drink enveloped by his thick hands.   He knows what love is, and he knows how he wants to handle love. This works perfectly for someone that wants to help his daughter as well as someone who discovers something about himself.   

 

Landon Stephen Popadic, Stage Manager and Lighting Design had the actors speaking in shadow stage left at times.

 

There’s more to write but not much time as the show closes at 1:00pm this afternoon.  

 

Other crew members are as follows: 

 

Frances Rainaud - Stage Crew

Maulik Patel - Stage Crew

Michael Parker - Stage Crew

Brandon Norris - Lighting Tech

Andrew Cochran - Lighting Tech

Sean Moore - Photographer

Frances Rainaud - Photographer

Phil Sokoloff - Publicist

 

 

Run! Run! Run!

 

Online ticketing: http://odysseytheatre.com

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground by Richard Hellesen

John Rubinstein - Photos by Pierre Lumiere

 

by Joe Straw

 

I met John Rubinstein about 44 years ago when he walked through the backstage door at The Pantages Theatre.

 

Fresh out of college, I managed to negotiate my way to being the doorman. I greeted everyone, made sure their names were on the list, and then moved them to the wings. Someone else took them onto the stage to sing (usually sixteen bars) before the words…

 

“Thank you!”, were uttered.

 

On this day Rubinstein was auditioning for Oklahoma! a 1979 tryout before its Broadway run.    

 

William Hammerstein the director, and Milton Rosenstock the musical director position themselves in the orchestra seats in front of the stage slightly weary from listening to hundreds of actors on this day.   

 

And when it was his time to start, Rubinstein must have seen the show because, with hands on his hips, he started singing in the off left wings, much in the same way Lawrence Guittard performed as Curly.   

 

“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow. There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow.”

 

From the orchestra seats, I heard Hammerstein shout “Who the devil is singing?!

 

I held back a laugh and walked away.  

 

The shadows of my memory today are not entirely clear but the one thing I remembered – John’s voice - it was a beautiful sonorous sound that filled the cavernous recesses of The Pantages Theatre.  This was a talent to watch, and in hindsight I wasn’t wrong.

 

One usually doesn’t go to a one person show. At least two actors engaged in meaningful dialogue and changing their relationship though the course of a conflicted night always hits the right spot. But, after viewing hundreds of performances of one actor on stage, and not entirely convinced, I wondered how all of this would work.

 

Theatre West & New LA Repertory Company presents the world premiere of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground by Richard Hellesen and directed by Peter Ellenstein at the Hudson Theatre through January 22, 2023.

 

A telephone rings, and rings until Eisenhower (John Rubinstein) manages to wrangle the beast.   

 

Eisenhower answers to find his friend Kevin McCann his former speech writer and the writer of Eisenhower’s biography “Man From Abilene” (1952) discussing an article written by Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. about his ranking of 22 out of 35 presidents. (Pretty low considering.) And Eisenhower’s quick temper has got him steaming under the collar.

 

From his home, looking at the luscious green pastures of his farm in Gettysburg Pennsylvania in 1962, Eisenhower contemplates his biography concerning his presidency. He is under pressure to get the information down on tape and with Mamie, his wife, on an errand and the house to himself he turns on the tape recorder and starts espousing.  

 

That was probably was the best way to go – a steady stream of consciousness – that can be, at the end of the day, manipulated on paper to their satisfaction.  

 

Richard Hellesen, the writer, gives us a self-reflecting man seven years before the end of his life. The contemplation in his private life brings us a man who, at this point in his life, does not want to discuss the war, or his personal life that would bring his emotional life to the forefront.  Rather he would like to talk about the good he has done for the nation, and express his feelings for his adversaries, particularly Schlesinger. All of this is done on tape, speaking volubly so that nothing important is left without record. Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is a remarkable work of art and entrancing from the moment Eisenhower enters to the moment he settles in harmony.

 

 

 

One important moment in Peter Ellenstein direction is the projection of Ida Stover Eisenhower’s wedding photograph. She is Dwight David’s mother and believed to be a woman of mixed race, and all traces of her lineage online have conveniently been omitted. There is a significant story line here that has not been touched. It is an open avenue that may have moved Eisenhower to his policy of desegregation. Giving the character a deeper emotional commitment, his invidious position told from his perspective, and addressing that policy to counter the seditious cries of the angry white Americans.  Also, left off the table (downstage right) is a neglected deck of playing cards symbolic of his love for Bridge and with that his determination for winning. Naytheless, Ellenstein’s direction is flawless, and the play is captivating from the beginning to the end. “I loved my dad.”, is an emotional reflection and is one of the finest moments you will see on any stage in Los Angeles.

 

John Rubinstein, complete with Mid-Western drawl captures the essence of Dwight David Eisenhower.  It is a superb performance of a man now beyond the spotlight and dealing with unseen publishers to get a book finished and there is that time element. But the thing that really gets to the heart of the matter is his confessions in life.  Those memories sting and they also elevate the man who contemplates the decisions he had to make for his sake and for the sake of his country. It makes for a very fine night of theatre, Rubinstein has left an indelible impression, and he is remarkable in the role.   

 

Rubinstein was playing to a standing room only crowd at The Hudson Theatre.  How remarkable is it to have an accomplished actor, a Tony Award Winner (Children of a Lesser God) performing 10 feet in front of you in a small theatre giving his best, night after night. Forty-four years later, his voice is still strong and clear, and the work is still impressive.

 

In Los Angeles no one does it alone.  These are the people who worked to get this production up on its feet.  They are as follows:

 

Joe Huppert – Projection and Sound Design

Pierre Viulleumier – Det Design Concept

Esquire Jauchem – Lighting Design

Ernest McDaniel – Stage Manager

Doug Spesert – Costume Design

Alicia Maccarone – Creative Consultant

Court Rhodes – Stage Manager

Madison Chmielewski – Assistant Stage Manager

Malcolm Wilson – Technical Supervisor

Eugene J. Hutchins - Theatre West Managing Director

Peter Ellenstein – New LA Rep, Producing Artistic Director

Dough Haverty – Graphics

Sandra Kuker – Publicist

Jacks McLaughlin – Social Media Director

Anne Taplin – Property Manager

 

Run! Run! Run! And take a history professor. This always makes for good conversation on your way home.

 

Online Tickets: www.onstage411.com/eisenhower or www.newlarep.org

 

Donations: www.newlarep.org