In director Daniel Henning's third West Coast unveiling of a musical from trailblazing composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa (following Hello Again and First Lady Suite), he brings us a hair-raisingly edgy tuner bursting with musical brilliance, inspired performances, and sizzling dramatic fireworks. This 2000 Broadway musical is LaChiusa's finest work to date and serves as a watershed achievement for Henning's Blank Theatre Company.
The material has an intriguing history. In 1921 silent-film comic Fatty Arbuckle threw an all-night Hollywood soiree, attended by a colorful cross-section of showbiz eccentrics, has-beens, and opportunists. It resulted in tragedy, scandal, and an abrupt end to Arbuckle's career. It's commonly believed that Joseph Moncure March's famous 1926 narrative poem The Wild Party—on which this musical is based—was inspired by that fateful night of booze, dope, debauchery, and death. In collaboration with co-librettist George C. Wolfe, LaChiusa created a thrillingly audacious musical fable that juxtaposes the carefree revelry of the Jazz Age in Manhattan against the milieu's mythical dark underbelly, awash with emotional and physical violence, depravity, and desperation.
The scintillating score is a dazzling parade of ironic vaudevillian numbers, wonderful torch songs, and Broadway-style ditties, capped off with a Duke Ellington flourish. As minimal dialogue is used, the songs tell the story, introducing the motley characters and their sundry passions and neuroses. As the shimmering star of this ensemble, Valarie Pettiford is a powerhouse. Playing the hedonistic chorine Queenie, she sings, dances, and acts up a storm. A bundle of contradictions, she's sexy yet childlike, predatory yet victimized, thick-skinned yet vulnerable, conniving yet pitiable. Eric Anderson shines in his tour-de-force characterization as her psychotically abusive boyfriend, Burrs. From his mesmerizing blackface burlesque routines to his climactic breakdown, he infuses this role with startling humor and a crackling sense of danger. As Queenie's best friend and fiercest rival, Jane Lanier (who also contributes smashing choreography) is divine; her bitchy catfights with Pettiford are the funniest since those "Bosom Buddies" Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur bared their claws in Mame. Nathan Lee Graham and Daren A. Herbert parlay the lilting duets of two gleeful crooners, the Brothers D'Armano, into blissful showstoppers.
Likewise sublime are Sam Zeller's bisexual leech, Kirsten Benton Chandler's lesbian party girl, Sally Kellerman's washed-up Latina star, James Black's volatile ex-boxer, Julie Dixon Jackson's ditzy showgirl, Michael Kostroff and Peter Van Norden's canny producing team, dulcet-voiced Innis Casey's sexy gigolo, Daisy Eagan's catatonic waif, and Sasha Wexler's naive young virgin. The design elements are stylish and artful: Aaron Francis' set, Dana Peterson's costumes, and Judi Lewin's wigs and makeup. Music director David O leads a magnificent five-man combo.
Some might quibble about the occasional unheard lyric or line or the overlong valley of despair that LaChiusa takes us through at the climax. Yet it's hard to remember so much high-powered talent—onstage and behind-the-scenes—assembled for a local small-scale musical. Henning's risk-taking endeavor is a glittering, breathtaking triumph.
"The Wild Party," presented by the Blank Theatre Company at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Wed.-Thu. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 & 7 p.m. Oct. 15-Dec. 18. $25-40. (323) 661-9827.
FAIR MAID OF
THE WEST, PARTS I AND II
at the Pasadena Playhouse Balcony Theatre
Reviewed by Hoyt Hilsman
The Furious Theatre Company earns its moniker in this wild and woolly adaptation of Thomas Heywood's raucous saga of romance and warfare on the high seas. Heywood, who lived in the early 17th century and wrote more than 200 plays, was the action-adventure playwright of his times, specializing in exotic lands, sea battles, pirates, romance, and lofty ideals.
This adaptation by James C. Leary and Damaso Rodriguez, along with the production by Rodriguez, is a swashbuckling tongue-in-cheek affair, brimming with outrageous plot twists, colorful characters, and frilly declarations of love and honor. It is a barnburner melodrama, circa 1630, and the company attacks it headlong, with almost manic fervor and enthusiasm.
The main plot—and there are many plots—centers on the undying love between Spencer (Shawn Lee) and the barmaid Bess Bridges (Vonessa Martin) who swear undying love and exchange copious tokens of their affection. When their love is interrupted by violence, they set upon an epic series of travails that take them from seedy hellholes to the high seas to a pirate island, where they are at last reunited. Along the way, with their faithful companions Captain Goodlack (James C. Leary) and Clem (Katie Davies), they partake of several street brawls, a sea battle, pirate skirmishes galore, and a whole boatload of violent and improbable encounters.
It's all great fun—lots of storm and fury, with wicked sidelong glances and slapstick pratfalls—all wonderfully choreographed by Rodriguez and sword master Tim Weske. It's nearly impossible to imagine how a dozen or so actors can create such convincing havoc onstage without bumping into one another constantly, but they manage it beautifully. Lots of fine performances add to the festivities. Lee and Martin are terrific in the lead—he the stalwart wide-eyed hero, she the steely, determined heroine. Davies is superb as the cockney barmaid Clem, wrenching every bit of humor out of her street-smart character. Leary is dead-on as the Scottish sidekick, with a perfect pitch and fervor in his delivery. Eric Pargac is terrific as the eager suitor Ruffman. Also outstanding are Richard Hilton as the Pirate King, Kristy Nolen as the Pirate Queen, and Doug Newell in several roles.
While the play has little to say beyond a bucketful of plot lines, the production, with its sense of style and fun, is simply delightful.
"Fair Maid of the West, Parts I and II" presented by Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse Balcony Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7:30 p.m. (Also Sat. 11 a.m. Oct. 22 & 29.) Oct. 15-Nov. 12. $5-24. (626) 356-7529.
THE MIKADO
at the Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre
Reviewed by Rob Stevens
Lyric Opera San Diego gives Gilbert and Sullivan's Japanese-themed operetta a beautiful, colorful production. Lovely sounds emanate from the 30-plus musicians under the baton of Leon Natker. But Natker also stages the show a tad too reverently. The overture seems as if it will never end, and the production's pacing is slow. Luckily the cast is in great voice and performs with much zest.
Gilbert's libretto lampooned the political climate and absurd laws of its time—Victorian England—and it has been gently updated here to include, among other things, mention of a public official and his pronunciation of the word "nuclear." The jokes still work for the most part as a suicidal minstrel gets caught up in the polite political chicanery of a small-town official who must behead someone to save his own head.
Joseph Grienenberger heads the comedy brigade as the inept Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko. Martha Jane Weaver provides a formidable presence as the vengeful love-struck Katisha. Jonathan Michael Knapp and Lisa Archibeque made a beguiling pair of lovers, while Joe Pechota as Pooh-Bah has a lot of fun trying to keep all of his various political offices in check. The individual voices are splendid, and the choral work is grand.
Ryan Palmer's scenic design is minimal, as is Matthew Novotny's lighting design. The town of Titipu exists mostly in our imagination. The production's most sumptuous element is the magnificent costuming, designed by Howard Tsvi Kaplan and executed by Malabar Limited, Toronto.
"The Mikado," presented by Lyric Opera San Diego at the Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave., San Diego. Thu.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Oct. 14-30. $26-40. (619) 239-8836.
AIDA
at Plummer Auditorium
Reviewed by Les Spindle
Minus the original multimillion-dollar accoutrements, and with a tighter focus on the intriguing love story, Fullerton Civic Light Opera's tasteful staging of this Elton John–Tim Rice musical is a pleasant surprise. The plastic assembly-line veneer that marred the original Disney Theatricals show on Broadway has been replaced in this first locally-produced Southern California staging with heartfelt performances, a fine supporting ensemble, and the thoughtful, graceful direction and choreography of Sha Newman. This still isn't a first-rate tuner: The kitschy score is derivative and bland, never more than mildly entertaining. But FCLO parlays the property into something far more palatable than it was in its premiere run.
Loosely based on the classic Verdi opera of the same name, the book (Linda Wolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang) recounts the fable of forbidden love between Aida (Jamila Ajibade), who is the enslaved princess of Nubia, and the morally conflicted Radames (Chris Warren Gilbert), captain of the Egyptian fleet. Though Radames is betrothed to the Egyptian princess Amneris (Kelli Thacker), he falls in love with captive beauty Aida, whom he doesn't know is the daughter of the king of Nubia, also being hunted down by the Egyptian forces. Complications lead to death for the love-struck couple. Think Romeo and Juliet set in ancient Egypt.
What keeps this predictable narrative engrossing are the splendidly acted and superbly sung lead performances of Gilbert and Ajibade, as well as the yeoman efforts of a well-cast ensemble. Ajibade imbues Aida with the perfect balance of likeability and bravery, never lapsing into the maudlin or stereotypical. She's a bona fide human being in the midst of a formulaic romantic tragedy. Gilbert also achieves strong empathy as the somewhat ignoble warrior-with-a-conscience. He's a hunky hero with substance, not just a stick figure singing gooey ballads. Randy Gianetti is properly hissable as Radames' vile, ambitious father, and Thacker sings charmingly and is captivating as the caring if materialistic bride-to-be. In smaller roles, there is fine work from Allen Christopher, Richard Clave, Staci Wilson, and Allan Louis.
Jim Guenther's sets are atmospheric and appealing, and Sharell Martin's costumes have a pleasingly subdued opulence. Both are enhanced by Christina Munich's evocative lighting. Music director–conductor Lee Kreter leads a superb orchestra. This is a show that's about destiny, mysticism, and the afterlife, so it's heartening to discover that a crass, cartoonlike commodity can transcend its mummified origins.
"Aida," presented by Fullerton Civic Light Opera at Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. (Also Sun. 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and Sat. 2 p.m. Oct. 29.) Oct. 14-30. $22-45. (714) 879-1732.
SHRINKS
at the Hudson Backstage Theatre
Reviewed by Dave DePino
In the world premiere of writer-director Maria E. Jenson's seemingly endless "satirical comedy"—nearly two-and-a-half hours, not counting intermission—we have battling live-ins, Harry (Christopher Grossett) and Greta (Julianna Robinson), trying to make sense of their relationship. Each thirtysomething has a personal psychiatric quack. Harry's quack, Dr. Ludevine Shredder (Sarah Lilly), is little more than a pill pusher with all the terminologies necessary for hanging out a shingle. Greta's quack, Dr. Herbert Shredder (Lorin McCraley), is a holistic hippie throwback using therapies of screaming, hugging, standing in a kitty-litter box of sand, and abusing a dummy. The shrinks are mother and son.
Despite an opening-night audience of friends beside themselves with laughter, there's only about a dozen funny lines in the show. Unfortunately, Jenson's promising premise gets smothered in a gush of rapid-fire psychobabble, and after a while, it's just babble. The carnival metaphor and the children-lost-in-the-woods idea mentioned in the program just don't translate from the page to the stage. With due respect, the script is in serious need of a doctor—at the very least, an hour of trimming. Jenson's direction is thankfully brisk. With the exception of notables Patrick O'Sullivan and Erika Winters in minor roles, the acting is uneven at best and the attempts at humor, forced.
The revolving stage with three mediocre sets (Kevan Jenson) would be more effective if there were partial indications of walls to hide the two sets not being used. On the plus side, a dramatically inappropriate dance dream-sequence with the entire cast, totally out of the style of the play, works surprisingly and wonderfully well (choreographer Cindera Che, composer Ron Arnold).
"Shrinks," presented by Kevan Jenson for Visualize This in association with Hudson Theatricals at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Oct. 15-Nov. 20. $15-20. (323) 960-1055.
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
at the William Bristol Auditorium
Reviewed by Les Spindle
This staging of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta has an interesting link with Joseph Papp's campy 1980 Broadway production. Former rock idol Rex Smith starred in the romantic male lead role of Frederic in that freewheeling rendition and in its 1983 British film adaptation, in which Papp's principal cast repeated its stage roles. For this Bellflower community effort, Smith appears as an Equity guest artist, but as he's moved past the youthful leading-man niche, he takes the role of the bungling Pirate King.
Director Kent Johnson's respectable but uninspired staging could use more of the sublime silliness that made Papp's freewheeling take on this chestnut so palatable for modern audiences. Presented in a civic auditorium that's far from an ideal venue for big musicals, Johnson relies on James Patrick's projected scenery to set the scene, achieving a stylized but visually uninteresting cartoon ambience. Though music director–accompanist Mike Walker does a creditable job with the timeless score and Marie Madera's choreography is satisfactory, acoustic problems render too many of the witty lyrics unintelligible. What is a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta without razor-sharp wordplay?
Yet the biggest drawback is the flatness of the characterizations. The show ambles along from one number to another with few comic nuances in the portrayals. Smith's interpretation of his role is surprisingly bland. He appears to be uncomfortable with the part, though he is in good voice. The most successful performance is that of Scott Ratner as the fussbudget Major General, particularly in his spry delivery of that delicious rapid-fire patter song "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General." As the demure heroine Mabel, Maegan McConnell sings superbly, especially in the lovely "Poor Wandering One." Less effective is Alison Mattiza's lackluster take on Frederic's duplicitous guardian. The chorus line of policemen with a Keystone Kops flair provides moments of good fun. This is a mildly commendable but not recommendable endeavor.
"The Pirates of Penzance," presented by Front Row Center Inc. and the Bellflower Theater Company at the William Bristol Auditorium, 16600 Civic Center Dr., Bellflower. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. (Oct. 16 only.) Oct. 14-22. $20-25. (562) 867-3524.