Design for Living by Noël Coward

L - R Garikayi Mutambirwa, Brooke Bundy, Kyle T. Hester - Photos by Cooper Bates

 

By Joe Straw

“It should be easy, you know.  The actual facts are so simple.  I love you.  You love me.  You love Otto. I love Otto. Otto loves you.  Otto loves me.  There now! Start to unravel from there.” - Leo

Unravel indeed.

She is adorned, in the early morning wearing a tan sleeping gown and nicely layered robe. Gilda (Brooke Bundy), youthful, desirable, possibly whimsical, filled with life’s experience, walks alone with just her thoughts in her lover’s Paris apartment.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents Design For Living written by Noël Coward and directed by Bart DeLorenzo and produced by Beth Hogan and Ron Sossi at the Odyssey through August 25, 2024.

Yes, there’s something on her mind as she stares wistfully out her window.   A ladder visible beyond the window stands with no one on their way up possibly waiting for a man - handy to use it - for some job or another and upwardly mobile.

If only there was a man out there. That would have piqued Gilda’s interest for a moment or two, but one more man is not on her agenda today.  She has other men in her life to think about especially the one man sleeping off that high-spirited evening in her tiny corner bedroom.

What was that? A passionate night or falderal? Was it love with a capital L, or a dalliance? All those thoughts will be categorized, mentally boxed, and pushed to the side for another day. She was always attached to accomplished men that aspired to great things.  

Gilda’s joie de vivre has her men living on the edge as they take up space in her mind and she takes up space in an artist loft.  It’s Otto’s (Garikayi Mutambirwa) apartment. She lives with him in living color and his unfinished works of art, are scattered, without purpose, against whatever darkened space was available. Her decorating skills - diminished upon reflection and somewhat a skewed - but for now she calls it, home?

There is a sudden knock at the door, a familiar knock to her, but she must remove the articles of men’s clothing that litter her surroundings. Incriminating evidence at that and that’s an issue, and a dissembled topic of conversation she just does not want to have once she decides to open the door.

Luckily, it is Ernest Friedman (Andrew Elvis Miller), a family friend, wise beyond his aging years, a perfectly attired, penciled mustached nebbish sort of being that is bringing in a mystery painting à son entrée.  Something that he’s bought, a Matisse, as a personal investment ready to cash in when the time is right and the market sweet.

Ernest tells Gilda to wake up Otto so that he can see it, but Gilda says she doesn’t want to disturb him, that he has a temporary disfiguring disease, neuralgia.

Hmmm.

Andrew Elvis Miller and Brooke Bundy

 

Odd, Ernest, as long as he has known her, hasn’t quite figured Gilda out.   He’s extremely uncomfortable with her wandering hands over his body. And flatly he doesn’t think much of her decorating skills either. He likens her to a jaguar and an ox because of her strength in getting her way.  Jealousy takes over especially when he criticizes Otto’s artwork of her (now unseen) being “so tranquil”.

Ernest playfully confesses that he is fond of Gilda, he says so sedulously, in his own special way, their long ties with her and her mother, now deceased.  But Gilda confesses that she loves Otto and says it loudly into the bedroom so that he will hear it.

Also, Gilda confesses that Leo (Kyle T. Hester), now a rich and famous playwright, is back and is staying at the Hotel George V. And Ernest, surprised, and suspects something that Leo, by now, would have found his way quickly to her apartment. What a nice time to interrupt!

Double hmmm.  

Otto, who was previously perceived to be in the bedroom, comes in through the front door with his suitcase having just arrived in Paris.   After a brief discussion, Gilda hustles both Ernest (who is wised by now) and Otto to visit their friend Leo at Hotel George V.

And after they leave, Leo steps out of the bedroom.

Style, panache, and a sincere openness permeate this production as though one were stepping back in time to 1933 and flipping through a Vogue magazine with static shots of people lounging a normal Vogue lifestyle.  Design For Living is a colorful and character driven play that played well on this night to a perfectly sensible audience.  

Having arrived on opening night there is still more to be had in this production, moments that didn’t quite gel, changes in the relationships that moves a character from one position to another, and a second act with new characters that adds little to the dilemma facing the main characters.

Still, there’s a lot to enjoy in this production directed by Bart DeLorenzo a comfortable flow of characters and witticisms that permeates throughout. Settle down and take it all in and for the most part this is a joyful ride throughout the night.

But can comedy win the night without the pain of tormented love? No character, in this production, seems the least bit upset that Gilda is not interested in them, nor are they upset that she leaves at the drop of a hat. They all tirelessly work to win her love, but when she leaves it’s as though she never left the room, and the two men shrug and find love at their fingertips, with each other.

This slightly truncated Noël Coward’s comedy is ambivalent enough to be played many ways. DeLorenzo prefers to highlight the feeling of love throughout without the heated passion of love’s injustices. They all are, by some accounts, dastardly in the way they secure love.  These educated men find ways to win Gilda and they do it in remarkable and devious ways. Ernest finds Gilda in the arms of the man she is not supposed to be with, twice – each time making a play for himself.  Otto and Leo wait until the other is out of town to make their move.   

Comedy works better when there is more at stake especially when possession is nine tenths of the law and the ultimate prize.   

Act I, scene I, somehow needs to show this is Otto’s apartment, however that can visually manifest itself.  A darkened space, a furniture wrap, some paint splattered against the wrap does not give possession to an unseen character.  We know there’s a man there via the men’s clothing in the apartment, we’re just not sure who it is. Gilda is expected to be there because she is Otto’s girlfriend, and it is his studio.  

Ernest is expecting to see Otto. He’s been there before but makes no move to go to the bedroom to show Otto the Matisse painting. A man is in the bedroom. He knows Gilda is up to something but there’s never a back and forth, two steps forward, one step back until Ernest gives up. All references to Otto should playout as though he were in the bedroom.

Also, in that same scene, when Otto enters his apartment, he treats it as though it were not his own home.  It’s a moment that is visually confusing.  He never comes close to placing the suitcase in his bedroom, or someplace suitable in his apartment, nor does he see the Matisse that is near his bedroom door, take note of it, and or compare it to his own work of art against his rival’s taste in art.

There is a huge predicament in that first scene that Gilda needs to overcome while Ernest is both curious and excited to see how her situation was going to play out. And that predicament needs another level to make it both funny and truthful. 

These are only minor things in a show that is otherwise exceptional and can get better, and funnier as the performances gel.      

Brooke Bundy as Gilda is exciting to watch simply because she thinks on stage, and she is completely unpredictable.  Moving from one man to the next, we rarely see the definitive moment when she decides to change course, turn in her exit keys, and walks off with another lover.  It just seems to happen. Not wanting marriage, she is content to be happy, but doesn’t know what that looks like.  A terrific performance.

Andrew Elvis Miller is outstanding as Ernest Friedman. The character work is first rate and the manner to get what he wants works on a very subtle level.  The Matisse is used as a tool of seduction. It's very subtle though. The tie he picks up in the first scene gets lost behind other actors for a purpose that is not fully conveyed and what he does with that tie is also lost. Ernest always finds the suitable time to interrupt to show that he is the man, always throwing out a subtle love song to get what he wants. And the work is incredible.

Garikayi Mutambirwa work as Otto Sylvus is also incredible.  His mannerism in the drinking scene is something never witnessed before and almost brings the house down with laughter. The first scene needs work especially when taking control of his apartment. Also, being prim and proper, no one in this production ever goes overboard hurt with emotions.

Kyle St. Hester and Sheelagh Cullen

 

Kyle T. Hester is very good as Leo Mercuré a playwright who has suddenly found fame and fortune. And as such, he feels he has carte blanche, willing to take over when his friend is out of town. He must feel somewhat guilty because he doesn’t come out of the bedroom when polite company abounds outside his door.  One is not sure why he ignored the Matisse the moment he comes out – a choice to ignore that doesn’t ring true.

Sheelagh Cullen has dual roles but comes off best as Miss Hodge, the maid always running to answer the phone, doing her best to keep the rich folks happy, and not so opinionated to keep all her thoughts to herself. She also plays Grace Torrence and although successful in character one could not understand anything about her part in that scene.

The same holds true with Max Pescherine as Henry Carver and Shireen Heidari as Helen Carver in the second act – a scene which moves the action forward and gives the moment a definitive mark.

Costume Designer Denise Blasor’s work is first rate and visually very stunning.

John Zalewski, Sound Designer, always excels in his craft.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Frederica Nasciemento – Scenic Designer

Leigh Allen – Lighting Designer

Jennifer Palumbo – Stage Manager

Nicole Arbusto – Casting Director

Michael Lanham and Samantha Occhino – Assistant Directors

The show produced by Beth Hogan and Ron Sossi is exceptional, with incomparable performances, and another feather in The Odyssey’s cap. This show is just one more reason that everyone should go out and support the smaller theatres in Los Angeles.

Tickets: https://odysseytheatre.com/whats-on/

 The Odyssey Theatre

2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. 

Los Angeles, CA. 90025 

Parking is free!!!

Footloose The Musical – Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford

L-R Amanda Rodas, Chase Klein, Devyn Kontur, Michael Inatsugu, Brenton Holbeck, Trae Adair, Nico Fisher, Carter Santos, Adam Derbigny, Sterling Inatsugu, Charli Austin, Maia Goldberg, Eadric Einbinder, and Terrence Robinson

 

By Joe Straw

Ren McCormack (Carter Santos) is a fun-loving guy with the ability to trade quips at the drop of a toe tap, dancing up a storm in his native Chicago hometown but suddenly there is a turn for the worse in his family life.  His mother Ethel McCormack (Lauren Magness) has come upon hard times, the product of a failed marriage, and they must move to Bomont (an undisclosed southwestern town in an unspecific time of late 1990 to 2000s) to live with Ethel’s sister Lulu Warnicker (Aryn Neimiroff) and her over commandeering husband Wes Warnicker (Steve Weber).

Footloose The Musical Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford, Music by Tom Snow, Lyrics by Dean Pitchford, additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman, directed and choreographed by Niko Montelibano, and produced by Philip McBride is now playing at the Morgan-Wixon Theatre through July 28^th, 2024.

Getting acclimated to his surroundings Ren visits a church and listens to Reverend Shaw Moore (Steven Didrick) preach his message of love and control predating the sign of the current times of how to act, what to read, what God to worship, and how not to express your individuality.

Ren catches Ariel’s eyes (Nico Fisher), the preacher’s daughter, who seems unfazed by her father’s message, but she doesn’t want to hang with Ren and runs off to join her controlling boyfriend at the garage Chuck Cranston (Luc Clopton) and his cronies Travis (Joaquin Hosfeld) and Lyle (Adam Derbigny) two little sleezy compadres that joins Chuck in a song “The Girl Gets Around” a song that shows little regard for an independent and creative young woman.   

Meanwhile Ren has other ideas on shaking the mud off these inhabitant’s feet.   On his first day of school, he meets Willard (Trae Adair), a coverall wearing, clod hopping hick from the sticks.  After a brief acrimonious encounter, they strike up a friendship especially after Willard saves Ren from Principal Clark’s (Hannah Willmore) expository clutches for dancing in the hallways.   

Ren is not the devil but likes to open Pandora’s box just a tad to let out what it means to dance freely.  But he must overcome many obstacles especially the ones that are deeply ingrained within the occupants of this tiny town of Bomont.

Up Front: Trae Adair

 

 

There’s a lot of fun to be had in this musical version of Footloose by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford. The film worked on several fronts with nice performances but this musical has a little more work to do.  Finding a way for this to work requires a better book, one that establishes stronger characters managing their way through a chaotic high school life while battling the adults in their lives.

Niko Montelibano, the director has his hands full directing and as the choreographer for this cast of thirty maybe taking on a little too much to get this show up and running in the allotted time. Character work is  needed to define relationships, to capture the significant moments in this musical, and capture the truth in characters, which has only scratched the surface of this production. We move from a dance crazed Chicago to the town of Bomont where kids may not know how to dance in public and have been banned from doing so for five years.   (We don’t see any of that.) We also don’t see students shocked or elated that someone, defying rules and laws, is now dancing in their halls and we don't see the progression of dance as it relates to the community and the students. In this musical the wanting to dance (within the kids minds and appearance) should permeate the production in several magical ways including the city council meeting.  Also, for the most part, all the singers were without mics, and some could have used them. The story is based on a true incident in Oklahoma culminating in banning dancing and the community falling in lockstep with that law.  One might as well ban breathing and see how that goes over without some kind of uprising.

Carter Santos does well as Ren McCormack and has a nice singing voice. More could be made of his transition from big town to small town without being overly omnipotent. He has a view but must make more of the conflict that he has to overcome to reach his objective.

Lauren Magness is stunning as Ethel McCormack especially when she is dressed up. There may be more to add to the character (besides supporting and protecting her son) and that may be keeping her eyes open for any prospective partner.  

Nico Fisher has a grand presence as Ariel Moore, sings, and dances well.  The black eye needs to find a way to work or eliminate it all together because nothing comes of it. The ex-boyfriend isn’t sorry, he doesn’t get any kind of comeuppance, the new friend is slightly concerned but does nothing, and her father doesn’t take the time with his daughter to notice it at all.

Trae Adair plays Willard with a strong deep southern accent (Texan?) that no one else has and may be believable if he had just moved there but, he seems to be a fixture in the school. Also, in this ultra-conservative town he has a ring in his nose and his coveralls are kind of flashy and not the dress of his farmland surroundings. Ultimately, Willard Hewitt’s costumes must work to give the character, someone who has nothing, to someone who has everything because now he can dance.  That aside, Adair has a fine voice, a nice presence, and a very nice physical life on stage.

Luc Clopton plays the bad guy Chuck Cranston.  There’s not a lot to like from this character, which includes, physical violence, and a song that is entirely disrespectful “The Girl Gets Around”. The writer of this character has left off the redeeming attributes to give this man somewhere to go so that he can move his life forward.

Steven Didrick does well as Reverend Shaw Moore. There’s more to be had from this character, a catharsis moving from one way of thinking to another. Singing and playing to the fourth wall does not give the character justice. Love requires searching and discovering everything about his daughter especially when she has a huge bruise below her eye. Also, is it a good choice to ignore the bruise and does it work?

Up front L - R Sarah Marie, Lauren Magness, Aryn Nemiroff, and Steve Weber

 

 

Sarah Marie as Vi Moore looks nothing like her photograph in the program. That aside, her voice is near pitch perfect, and her performance as the loving wife and mother is just marvelous presenting us with her ability to ensure that everyone to take a step back, breath, and think about solving life’s problems. Wonderful work! 

Brenton Holbeck lights up the stage as Coach Dunbar.  Brenton shows a tremendous presence and an exciting sensitivity that will work well in front on the camera. This is an actor to watch and given the luck of the draw shows promising potential for both film and television.

Aryn Nemiroff plays Lulu Warnicker, and this is another roll that requires another level of characterization especially with her sister, one that defines that relationship. Also, she needs to look after her nephew and control her demanding husband in her way and fashion. These are the little things to complete the character and fill in the gaps.  

Steve Weber is another heavy in the Wes Warnicker role.  The role, whether it’s written or not, requires him to hit his nephew without finding out the solution to his problem. The character must find a way for forgiveness. Weber also has a nice turn as Cowboy Bob a man who needs an overexaggerating West Texan accent that celebrates the dance.

Hannah Willmore as Principal Clark must have misgivings about enforcing a law that violates the First Amendment and yet she’s been doing it for 5 years. In the end Principal Clark must find a way to celebrate the change in the rules. Still, Willmore has some very good moments on stage.

Devyn Kontur (Rusty) has a powerful voice when the musical requires it.  Chase Klein (Urleen) has a very pleasant and unusual voice that blends melodically with her friends.  Amanda Rodas (Wendy Jo) has some very nice moments.

Other standouts are Luke Arthur Smith (Bickle), Charli Austin (Ensemble) and Michael Inastsugu who has a very strong presence on stage. Eadric Einbinder (Jeter) also has some very fine moments on stage.

Other cast members who put their heart and soul into this production are Maia Goldberg, Samuel Goldman, Sterling Inatsugu, Lillian Kautz, Amanda Meade-Tatum, Ysabella Padua, Terrence Robinson, Brennan Schmidt, and Tiffany To.

Member of this delightful crew are as follows:

Abby Carlson – Vocal Director

Emily Jolynn Ellis – Production Stage Manager

Kyle Lukas – Assistant Stage Manager

Samantha Jo Jaffray – Costumer

Justin Kelley-Cahill – Scenic Designer

Cici Mao – Lighting Designer

Brandon John – Master Electrician

Ariella Salinas Fiore – Intimacy Director

Shea Glenn – Assistant to the Director/Choreographer

Nico Fisher and Ysabella Padua – Social Media

Devyn Kontur – Vocal Captain

The Morgan-Wixson is a wonderful theatre, parking is plentiful, and is rich in diversity in its casting.

Morgan-Wixson Theatre

2627 Pico Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA. 90404

For Reservations: https://www.morgan-wixson.org

John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower

 

Front Row L - R - Sophia Joy, Sophie Rhiannon Long - 2nd Row: Rosie Quintana, Stella Cricket McSween, Alexis Rosinsky, Renee Ortega, 3rd Row: Justin Roslinda, Nikolas Fawcett, Nolan LeMay

By Joe Straw

I’m about the second grumpiest person I know. These days it’s a physical thing, not feeling quite right, a head thing, my knees ache, my back hurts, I feel a touch of arthritis and my weight weighs on me in unbelievable ways.  There have only been three times in my life that I had forgotten about all those things and felt the best I’ve ever felt in my life, the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, and watching this play was one of those times. – Narrator

It’s just a normal day, in the year of someone's Lord 2018, in a normal small town, at a small 11^th grade high school classroom in a southern Appalachian Georgia town northeast of Atlanta comprised of four girls and two boys studying sex education, choral reading boring text right out of the book instead of just having an honest dialogue.

Most of the students in this small community have probably been together since grade school. Beth Powell (Sophia Joy) is the brains of this outfit answering all the questions with the exuberance of a Jack Terrier puppy. Ivy Watkins (Stella Cricket McSween) Beth’s best friend is sitting alongside of her doing her best to compete.  Nell Shaw (Sophie Rhiannon Long), slightly more sophisticated girl from Atlanta, tries to get in with thoughts of her own and Lee Turner (Nolan LeMay) and Mason Adams (Justin Roslinda) are just trying to make it through a slog of a day, both intelligent but unwilling to make an effort for now.  But, overall, the class is not into the automation of text reading, sex or not! The female classmates, particularly Beth, are moved to get into the discussion of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in honors English class. And Beth can’t get there fast enough.  

Carter Smith (Nikolas Fawcett), a young teacher, will not take the bait, but then, for just a moment, he gives them a taste of The Crucible writing on the board before dropping a piece of chalk on the floor.  

And with that benign miscalculation, or calculation, all things in this classroom start to slowly unravel in unpredictable ways.

Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts Repertory presented John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower directed by Andy Philpot, May 16-18, 2024.

Entering the Severson Theatre, an arena stage for today, the Pacific Conservatory of The Performing Arts one was wondering which side of the stage would provide the best viewing edge.   Sometimes these decisions can be so precarious, sight lines and so on. But in this beautiful theatre and an equally wonderful production there were no viewing tribulations, every seat in this production was a good one.

Andy Philpot has directed a marvelous production of John Proctor Is The Villain filled with so much life and angst that you are on the edge of your seat anticipating the next travesty of outspoken text, or unspoken inner dialogue.  Philpot and his pugnacious instincts have created an epic battle between the characters that are operating sometimes in silent deferential tones where, at the end of the performance, one just does not want to leave the theatre.  The acting was high octane with an invisible and outstanding driving force that propelled the actors to unimaginable heights and ultimately is a testament to the sublime workings of the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

High school is filled with so many variables, and through that scope of unpredictable and faltering events Kimberly Belflower has written a smart and tantalizing play that covers both the external surface of high school dialogue and the inner-workings or teenage angst. The play is a prodigious exploration of humanity, all within the classroom, and surrounded by the darkest fault of one adult intentionally acting horrendously, persevering when he is not held to task. And this is done with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as the backdrop, also rearing its ugly head in the wings. The parallels with the play and even with the current events of the day make this an unbelievable outing.  The staccato dialogue of each of the characters is done in such a way that no one wants to make a mistake, or to offend, or to cause harm, and then regrets when their mouths, ponderously ajar, gets ahead of their minds.  The ominous silence reflecting a great deal of destruction and pain that they all must work through.

This may be the finest and remarkable cast one has ever witnessed.

L - R Alexis Rosinsky and Sophia Joy

 

Sophia Joy as Beth Powell is an obsequious student and she wants life to be all inclusive, starting a feminist club that will include boys. Given what’s been going on in school, there are others who don’t think that it’s a good idea. But Beth is smart and persuasive and usually gets her way. Beth also hasn’t experienced a lot in life and is sometimes naive given the things that are going on around her. Still, she pushes through for the most favorable outcome. Sophia’s work is free, and her physical and emotional work onstage is outstanding as she glides along in her swivel chair finding answers to her questions.  

Nikolas Fawcett, as Carter Smith, the teacher is a character with underlying motives. He moves about pleasantly doing his job before we discover his passion for manipulation and wants.  He is married with a baby on the way but has been caught doing things he should not have been involved in dismissing his accusers with the wave of his hand.  Fawcett’s work grows in increments throughout the course of the play, eyes moistening in pain to gain favor for the chance of one more conquest, and then showing his true self as the play ends.  

Alexis Rosinsky is Shelby Holcomb a young woman who has made a few bad choices getting herself sent to Atlanta for a sabbatical to live with her aunt.  She returns from Atlanta unexpectedly, somewhat as a mystery, grasping the reaction of each student eyeing her homecoming with unanswered yet to be asked questions.  Shelby comes back with a steel resolve, unable or unwilling to articulate her words at first, she manages to gain enough courage and strength to make things right without destroying the community. Rosinsky’s craft is strong, her backstory plays well giving her a grand physical and emotional life.  Her eyes do most of her talking as she moves about getting justice.  This was definitively a superb performance and someone who may have a long career given a lucky draw of the cards.  

Sophie Rhiannon Long is also excellent as Nell Shaw a newbie to the school moving in from Atlanta.  She is out of the loop, for now, but catches up quickly to get the information to fit right in.  Nell is intelligent and has a very nice scene that takes us away from certain harsh realities of high school life. It is a scene that gives long after you have left the theatre.

Stella Cricket McSween has a very nice presence on stage as Ivy Watkins. Ivy is a person who has unconditional love for her father despite the problems he is having in his job and problems with his family life. In this small town those problems are having a devastating effect on her life at school and with her friends. Ivy is suddenly at a crossroads in her life not knowing where to go given the circumstances in her life. McSween has a commanding presence on stage.

Renee Ortega is exceptional as Raelynn Nix, a young lady who is not only having a boyfriend problem (someone she has been seeing since the age of 11) but also her best friend who has problems messing around with her boyfriend. She is being torn between her two friends and has decided on further exploration of her life’s choices.  Ortega is commanding in her choices and is funny on stage despite some serious life’s moments

Justin Roslinda does an extremely nice turn as Mason Adams a young man who doesn’t take high school seriously, basketball was his game and maybe he didn’t take that seriously enough either because they didn’t make the playoffs and now, he’s stuck, trying to catch up to get extra credit any way he can get it. Probably the best thing to happen to him was to join the feminist club to get a deeper understanding of human nature, his and theirs.  The scene with Nell was one the nicest highlights of the show in a show filled with highlights. Roslinada is excellent in his craft.

Nolan LeMay plays Lee Turner a young man caught in a predicament with his girlfriend’s best friend. Although in a lengthy relationship his hormones take over and moves him in ways he doesn’t understand, certainly ways that his former girlfriend doesn’t understand. Lee is an unscrupulous character, a wayward look of unkempt hair, and ill-fitting clothes who believes he is more than he is, and with all that to consider he must come back from a long way down and he needs to do it soon.

Rosie Quintana is Bailey Gallagher, the guidance counselor, new to the job and wants to look after her students. But she is a rules follower and doesn’t want to rock the academic boat. She is willing to give a little leeway so that everyone is happy, teacher and students.  She has a perfect quietude as she explores the relationships around her. Quintana is excellent in the role.

This is a perfect play for college students – not to far removed from high school life – and is an excellent play, an impeccable play with adult themes, and all around the play was a perfect night/day of theatre.

Also doing double duty as crew members – and we will give credit where credit is due:

Cody Soper – Lighting Designer

Andy Philpot – Sound Designer

Nikolas Fawcett, Sophie Long, and Alexis Rosinsky – Dialect Coaches

David Genge – Stage Manager

Sophia Joy, Sophie Long, and Rosie Quintana – Costume Coordinator

Nolan LeMay – Props Coordinator

Paige Lutkus – Light Board Operator

Frankie Jensen – Deck Crew        

If you get the chance run to see this show. 

 

American Mariachi by José Cruz González

 

Ruth Livier and Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez
Photos by Grettel Cortes Photography

By Joe Straw

Majestically, Tía Carmen (Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez) mysteriously enters wearing a huge black embroidered gown into the home of Amalia Morales (Ruth Livier) playing a song on a violin, something remembered between the two.  They were as close as sisters, her tía now gone, drowned, pulled down by the weight of her gown into the murky waters, and now, from a different dimension, she plays the violin while trying to wake Amalia out of her mental slumber. 

Much like a fog Amalia is now in, beset by a list of unimaginable mental setbacks, a clouded tapestry hides her until Tía Carmen pulls the tapestry revealing Amalia’s life, although relatively young, she is not well, but she feels her tía is there and constantly calls for her.

Latino Theater Company presents American Mariachi by José Cruz Gonzalez and directed by José Luis Valenzuela through June 9^th, 2024.   

Lucha (Elia Saldana) Amalia’s caring daughter, folding laundry, speaks to Amalia to let her know that she is beside her, speaking continuously hoping for some sign of enlightenment.

Boli (Esperanza América) Lucha’s cousin drops by with news that she has been fired and might have to go back to the cannery but not before expressing greetings to her Tía Amalia.

Federico (Sal Lopez) Lucha’s father is dressed to the tees in his mariachi wardrobe telling Lucha that he has a job and to stay home and watch after her mother.  Lucha says she has a final examen in nursing school and she must go but Federico will have none of it especially after discovering Amalia’s sweater that has been scorched by the flame from the stove.  

Boli tells Lucha that she will stay and look after Amalia while she is out. In the meantime, while Federico is in another room they put on a song, Amalia’s favorite record, and Amalia seems to come out of her fog before Federico takes the record off the player, a struggle takes place, and the one-of-a-kind record is broken. One more mental setback.

This is a defining moment in this play beautifully written by José Cruz González that truly sets American Mariachi on its lovely course. American Mariachi is not quite a musical, not quite a drama, and not quite a comedy but the play has all the elements of each.

Wonderfully directed by José Luis Valenzuela with a vary ‘70s sparce setting by Maureen Weiss, Scenic Design and most things are symbolic.

The seats on this night were filled to near capacity and judging by the standing ovation everyone enjoyed the night.  Certainly, there was plenty of singing with beautiful and exceptional voices helped by John Zalewski’s wonderful sound design that captured the sounds of this spectacular play.    A lot of work went in the presentation of the mariachis and the forming of a new girl mariachi band and all of it sounded spectacular.

There is no credit for casting director for this show in the program, but it is one of the finest casts ever at LATC.

 

Elia Saldana, Sal López, Ruth Livier,
Esperanza América and Geoffrey Rivas

 

Esperanza América is terrific as Boli although one is not a big fan of expressing to the fourth wall which creates very little truth for moments that should matter. Still, she’s funny and has a great singing voice.

Vaneza Mari Calderón is wonderful as Gabby taking the small moments and creating a visual feast of mischievous expressions on stage. A Latina singer not knowing a speck of Spanish makes up Spanish words as she sings along. She is very funny and leaves an indelible impression.  

Alicia Coca is Isabel Campos a married woman who worries about what her husband will think about her performing in a mariachi band.  So, she does it on the sly telling her husband she is singing in the church choir.  Little does he know that she’s been thrown out because of a dispute with the choir director.  Coca has a beautiful voice and plays a tasty trumpet near the end.

Fidel Gomez is all over the stage playing multiple characters and all the characters were very different.  Gomez is hardly recognizable with his back to the audience, or he is wearing some outlandish costume, or behind some equally outlandish shades, and he is very funny.  Gomez also has a wonderful singing voice and sings to perfection.  

Crissy Guerrero plays a sassy saucy hairdresser Soyla Reyna, and her voice was just wonderful. She also is terrific in multiple roles Sister Manuela, Party Guest, and Female Holy Roller Singer.

Ruth Livier is Amalia Morales in a difficult role of someone losing her ability to think and reason.  She strikes out in anger against her husband for which we find some reasoning near the end of the play. Without giving too much away, there is a lot of angst concerning the broken violin that now triggers certain emotions and cause her to lash out in a violent manner. There may be other ways to express a sense of true loss during the play. Livier also plays Doña Lola a woman who lives to be creative in her space.  Livier takes the opposite of Amalia and gives full life to the character of Doña.  Livier is a wonderful singer, a marvelous actor, and has a beautiful voice.

It's difficult to embrace the feelings Sal Lopez has as Federico, a moral discontent that stretches beyond the bounds of love and with obdurate feelings with his family life.    This Mexican machismo thing we hear about, Federico tries to control everything, his unstable wife, his grown daughter, shutting himself off from his once best friend all in the name of jealousy, or of a suspicion of adultery.   Is this the way to live a life? Curiosity seems to be a better choice rather than recriminations. There are only a couple of moments of sincere love for his wife, his daughter, his niece, and even his other mariachi friends.  And this negative patriarchal view seems to take over the play at times putting a damper on all things fun and creative in this new world. What makes Federico change his mind at the end?   

Geoffrey Rivas is outstanding as Mino Ávila especially when it comes to educating his female students about being a mariachi.  The scene is possibly the backbone of the play. Mino is a mysterious character that is motivated by his heart after first refusing to help.   Why he does a 180-degree turn is a matter of speculation but gives the actor many creative choices. Love, sincerity, and the willingness to build something all play an important part in this character.   

Elia Saldana also does well as Lucha Morales a woman who aspires great things in her life before deciding to become a mariachi.  But suddenly she is caught up in the moment that she believes will save her mother.  It moves her to accomplishing her objective to become a mariachi and finding the people that will ultimately help her and her mother.

Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez as Tía Carmen elevates the play with her beautiful voice and the wonderful sounds of her violin.  She is mysterious and brings a mysticism to the role.     

If you would like to see the play, based on the above, don’t read any further.

American Mariachi has the capacity to move to bigger venues. It’s played in larger houses: The Goodman Theatre, The Alley, Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and The Old Globe and one can see why.  It is delightful and certainly a crowd pleaser. But the move to an even larger house would require minor changes to elevate that move into a full-blown musical.

The broken violin has a huge role in this play, but it seems to be an afterthought in this production.  The broken violin represents Amalia’s dashed hopes.  It is the symbol of love lost and when it is brought back home every character should rejoice because it represents moving forward for all. It is the homecoming scene in everything you’ve ever seen that made you love and cry all over again and all at the same time.    

During the show, one is left with discovering the make-up of the relationships and if those relationship rang a sincere truth.  Best friends gone awry, ghost and niece of a ghost and how that might be better played out. Some relationships are less defined in the initial meeting. With the help of dialogue, one gathers that information. Still, the relationships are somewhat solidified the moment they appear in flashback and after that those emotions don’t go far enough to convince us of their feelings in present time.  

Musical Direction and Original Musical Arrangements by Cynthia Reifler Flores was just wonderful and the Mariachis/Ensemble of Luis Bernal, Manhe Martínez, Oscar Rivas, Joseph Ruvalcava, Juan Miguel Sossa Ropain filled the night with incredible musical numbers.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Maria Catarina Copelli – Costume Design

Pablo Santiago – Lighting Design

Urbanie Lucero – Choreographer/Movement Coordinator

Alexa Wolfe – Stage Manager

Martha Espinoza – Assistant Stage Manager

May Fei – Production Manager

Manee Leija – Costume Design Assistant

Zoya Naqvi – Scenic Assistant

Jeremy Crews – Scenic Assistant

Maribel Chavez – Wig Stylist

Lauren Grace Parra – Wig Stylist

Kim Gomez – Stitcher

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Patron Services: 213.542.7331
tickets@thelatc.org
Administrative Office: 213.489.0994

En Mi Jardín (In My Garden) by various writers

 By Joe Straw 

Casa 0101 Theater presents the inaugural production of En Mi Jardín (In My Garden) healing with our stories – a 10-minute New Works play festival of 13 new plays through May 12^th, 2024.

En Mi Jardín was created as part of a twenty-week writing program created by Lorena M. Ortega, Lorena Ramirez, Kerri K. Ramos and Connie Valencia, PhD as part craft and part of a healing modality.  The exercise of the craft was to write a 10-minute play that allows a character to have a final conversation with someone who is no longer in their life. It is a healthy and much needed exercise for this group of Latino writers to create and showcase their craft and present on the stage at Casa 0101 and leave it to Casa to bring these lives and stories to the forefront.

En Mi Jardín is probably a metaphor for an inner life, a noise within, a story captured hidden deep beyond the visuals of mental gardens, tucked behind the leaves of the Coleus plant, and just waiting to be a part of the sensory explosion within all writers.     

Those who come to witness the performances want to see like-minded people creating and performing their craft.  It is inspirational in scope, and on this night, there was a very sizable crowd enjoying every minute.

Se Queman Los Sopes (The Patties Are Burning) by Christian Gama and directed by Emmanuel Deleage is an exceptional play about a man confessing to his grandmother after her death. Mostly in Spanish both Christian Gama and Raquel Salinas are wonderful in the roles. It is a testament of how something so purely written can bring so much joy. 

L - R Raquel Salina and Itzel Ocampo

 

El Secreto de la Abuela (Grandmother’s Secret) written by Itzel Ocampo and directed by Lorena M. Ortega is also delightful in its simplicity and the way it moves from moment to moment. The performances from Itzel Ocampo as Isel and Raquel Salina as Abuelita are exceptional. Bella Calderon, Lucy Wetzel, and Etienne Deleage contribute with voiceovers.

L - R Karla Ojeda and Vanessa Arias-Herrera

Chillona or Chingona (Screeching or Bad Ass Woman) written by Yvonne Garcia Zaher and directed by Emmanuel Deleage is another winner featuring Itzel Ocampo as Young Blanca, Vanessa Arias-Herrera as the Older Blanca, Christina Gama as Doctor, and Karla Ojeda as Frida Kahlo. This is Vanessa Arias-Herrera’s best performance of the night as she is in many of the plays.  Karla Ojeda is wonderful as Frida Kahlo coming back from the dead in full form.

My Brother’s Dad written by Martin Barrera and directed by Emmanuel Deleage.  This one has its moments featuring Martin Barrera as Martin, Juanita Zavaleta as the Therapist, and Martin Morales as Dad. Martin Morales provides many layers to the character including a man who ultimately lacks sincerity in his confrontation with his son. Getting the truth from the man who lacks that honorific provides a lot of conflict in the scene and it played very well on this night.

The measure of a successful professor is the ability to encourage despite the overflowing student tears that questions her abilities to overcome. The opposite is true in She Believed She Could by Connie Valencia, PhD directed by Lorena M. Ortega where a student Connie (Chrissi Erickson) is discouraged by a counselor (Vanessa Arias-Herrera) at a university.  Connie, although making C’s and B’s, is told those grades won’t make her a doctor but Connie, with the help of her friend Pilar (Bernadette Bolaños) believes in herself and is determined to achieve her dreams.

L - R Vanessa Arias-Herrera and Lorena Ramirez

 

 

Keeping Up With the Maid by Lorena Ramirez and directed by Lorena M. Ortega was the real-life experience of Lorena Ramirez, a maid who was belittled by the Beverly Hills homeowners Mrs. Henderson (Vanessa Arias-Herrera) and Mr. Henderson (Steve Loya Hernandez). Ramirez reaches a breaking point when her employers take her to the limit and her performance struck a very nice and sincere chord.   There is a lot to enjoy about this play especially when it showcases two rich people who are out of touch with humanity and a mother who will never give up on her child.   

Seasick, Yet Still Docked written by Kerri K. Ramos and directed by Lorena M. Ortega is the story of two sisters, one who must make amends to her dying father who really didn’t appreciate what she had become in life. This play needed to solidify the relationships - sisters and father - and move in a way that establishes a verified truth that an audience can relate to. The staging was a bit awkward with the daughter knocking on a projected door, the father coming around a curtain, and then more knocking with the father coming around the curtain again.  Michelle Lopez was Kerri, Chrissi Erickson was Bridget, and Michael Berckart as Red. 

There is something there in When Love Isn’t Enough by Bernadette Bolaños and directed by Emmanuel Deleage, but in this play we haven’t found what the there is. Bernadette (Bernadette Bolaños) gets advice from her deceased mother (Lorena Ramirez) wanting Bernadette to speak with her father (Steve Loya Hernandez).  But there’s been domestic abuse.  What that might be, we never really know.  Her mother thinks that Bernadette speaking to her father might lead to lessening the trauma of those early years, but Bernadette has a hard time reconciling even though her father has been trying for years without success. Also included in this play are Karla Ojeda (Woman with Baby), Michelle Lope as Lucy and Juanita Zavalet as Kat. 

 

L - R Vanessa Arias-Herrera and Martin Morales

 

Arturo Urista wrote Charity and Penance directed by Emmanuel Deleage. Arturoo (Martin Morales comes to pay a visit to Sister Karen Boccajero (Vanessa Arias-Herrera) at Self Help Graphics and Art. Arturoo is revisiting his old haunting grounds to pay respect to the Sister. But the Sister is not having any of his accolades and seems non plussed sitting back and smoking cigarettes listening to Arturoo get to the point. There’s more here than meets the eye.  The sister needs something from him and he, in turn, requires something in her that doesn’t quite happen. The dialogue by Urista is clever, nicely written, moving in ways that cuts directly to the chase, and gets to the matter at hand.  

Itzel Ocampo had a terrific night in all the plays she was in and The One Where Chula Grows Up written by Juanita Zavaleta and directed was no exception. She plays Chulita as a teenager next to her grown up self-Chula (Juanita Zavaleta).  The play is said to be a love letter to her teenage self and in many respects it was.  But theatre is conflict with love in conflict and certainly one can find conflict with your younger self.

Black Sheep, Rainbow Sheep by Martin Olvera and directed by Emmanuel Deleage was different and a lot of fun but I didn’t quite get this one. Michael Berckart as Martin, Karla Ojeda as Leonor, Chrissi Erickson as Sylvia, and Martín Morales as Arturo. 

Also featured on this night was Two Sisters on the Red Road by Doreen Sanchez and directed by Lorena M. Ortega with Bernadette Bolaños as Elena Dominguez Chavez, Raquel Salinas as Sister, Martin Barrera as an Interpersonal Assistant, and Acolmixtli J.T. Ortega as a voiceover.  And, Shattered Bonds by Michelle Lopez directed by Emmanuel Deleage about a father-daughter relationship with Michelle Lopez as Michi and Chrissi Erickson as Little Michi.

While not everything worked, for whatever reasons (performances, written material, directions), there were some fascinating tidbits and performances that excelled on this night and could have another life in some other venue.

A fascinating thing about a couple of the plays were about race and how a person of the same race can treat or look down upon someone of their own race. For example, the Latino Beverly Hills couple and the Latina guidance counselor.

Some physical things need improving particularly the subtitles projected on the screens. Closer, or lower is better. Also, scene changes need to have a flow to move from one play to the next. This can also be a creative act that moves the action, by action, into the flow of the next play.

That aside, this was a terrific night and Casa 0101 is a Los Angeles treasure!

Other members of this fine production team are as follows:

Angelica Ornelas – Stage Manager

La Doreen – Stage Manager

Mari Mercado – Costume Designer/Prop Master

Alejandro Parra – Lighting Designer

Miguel Delgado – Technical Director

Cesar Retana-Holguin – Set Designer

Matthew Sanchez – Sound Designer

Itzel Ocampo – Projection Designer

Al Aguilar – Production Assistant

Steve Moyer – Public Relations

Soap Studio, Inc. – Playbill Design

Casa 0101 Theatre

2102 E. First Street

Los Angeles, CA. 90033

Tickets: www.casa0101.org