Theater Review: Looped

 

                
                     Eileen Bowman & Alex Guzman in "Looped"

There are stars in the heavens and stars in Hollywood. In the latter category, several stand out. 

At Scripps Ranch Theatre, Director Phil Johnson gives us a play called “Looped,” about that loony star Talullah Bankhead. I don’t pretend to know anything about her, but Johnson’s Roustabouts Theater Co. gives us an evening of goofiness with Eileen Bowman as Talullah.

The play is structured around three people – Talullah and film editor Danny (played by Alex Guzman), seen onstage, and Steve (Chris Braden), an unseen voice from the control booth. Bowman wants to do whatever she wants, while Guzman the film editor needs to get his project done as quickly as possible.

Much of the first act consists of Talullah and her demands, uttering amusing lines like “I’m bisexual. Buy me something and I’ll be sexual.” But Steve also gets a call he does not like just before the act ends.

In Act Two, Talullah and Danny get closer as Danny fears he will lose his job and Talullah discloses that she once got gonorrhea from Gary Cooper. In this act, she talks of getting emphysema. 

And Danny tells about a guy he once fell in love with and the problems this caused him.

Between them, there is talk of bisexualilty, gonorrhea, emphysema and other unpleasantness.

“I don’t mind dying,” Talullah says. “I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

Danny counters “You’re Blanche du Bois.”

Talullah advises Danny to “take a trip. Take a lover. Make a choice.” 

“Looped” is a strange piece of theater, unlike anything I’ve seen. Fortunately, the fine cast and good direction make it work, though if you’re like me, you’ll get into your car with your head reeling from what you’ve just seen.

Bravi tutti.

“Looped” runs through October 20. Evening shows Oct. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.;

 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 19 and 20.

For tickets: https://www.theroustabouts.org/loopedtix

Theater Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

Theater is a strange place, but even there it doesn’t pay to be gay or to try to throw rotten vegetables at your lover after the performance of a play.

Even worse – if you’re playwright Oscar Wilde and the year is 1895, you just might be (as Wilde was) imprisoned for being something much worse: gay.

But ah, his play “The Importance of Being Earnest” has delighted playgoers ever since.

Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado shows you how in the show that has been running successfully since Sept. 21, but I just managed to get there to see it a few days ago.

You probably know the story, or should I say craziness that reigns during this “trivial comedy for serious people,” as the subtitle has it.

Lamb’s Players is one of the best of San Diego theaters, and they always manage to get the right people for their shows. This production is no exception.

There are several men here, some looking for a lover or future mate, and likewise several young women looking for the same thing. One in particular – Lady Bracknell – is customarily played by a woman. But here it’s everybody’s favorite comic, David McBean, wearing an outrageous costume who not only looks outrageous but will make you guffaw many times.

That’s not to ignore or disparage the other characters – Geno Carr (Merriman), Michael Louis Cusimano (Algernon Moncrieff), Brian Mackey (Jack Worthing) and Lauren King Thompson as the lovely Cecily Cardew.

Nor can I ignore smaller roles, equally wonderfully played: John Rosen as Lane the butler, Brian Salmon a the Chasuble, the redoubtable Deborah Gilmour Smyth as the hilarious Miss Prism and Rachael Van Wormer as Gwendolen Fairfax.

It’s great fun just watching these characters pretend to be wonderful (or at least other and more important than they really are), and also to hear Algernon Moncrieff’s “whimsical interpretation” of Frédéric Chopin’s masterpieces penned by Ben Read.

Kudos also to set designer Sean Fanning, lighting designer Nathan Peirson, costume designer Jeanne Reith, props designer Jessica Couto and sound designers Ben Read and Patrick Duffy.

This show looks, sounds and let’s face it, IS a lovely evening’s entertainment. Don’t miss it.

Theater review: Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors

                      Gimel Jiménez and Drew Droege (I think)

What can I say about a crazy, mixed-up show like The Old Globe’s latest effort?

Well, what would you expect to say about that lunatic Dracula, anyway, and with playwright Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen putting their pens to the story, setting it in the Harvey White in-the-round space and adding outrageous clothes and lines that you never heard Dracula or anybody else say…..get ready to guffaw the whole 90-minute time.

It won’t hurt if you have a nice stiff drink before you sit down, and it won’t matter if you lose track of who’s who when some of the cast members change clothes and personalities so that you’re not quite sure who or what is who. Or what.

Got it? 

Bravi tutti, first to the crazy cast consisting of Actors’ Equity members Drew Droege (Mina, Van Helsing and others), Gimel Jiménez, (Lucy and others), George Krissa (playing the Big D), Linda Mugleston (Dr. Westfeldt, Renfield and others) and Brady Dalton Richards (Harker and others.

The loony costumes designed by Tristan Raines (check that guy with the red hair and goofy dress in the photo) will keep you at least giggling, as will the lighting design (yeah, lights matter to this Dracula gang). 

And oh yeah, the original music by Victoria Deiorio just goes on and…well, you can guess. But better you go and see/hear this 90-minute lunacy in person. Just get ready for strobe lighting, mild language, mild violence and mature themes.

The show opened on Sept. 26 and was extended for a third week before it opened, so I’m not sure exactly  when it’s shutting down, but grab your ticket now just in case.

Remember, this is The Old Globe, so free parking is available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($22 for pre-purchase or $25 for drive-up, evenings only.

The box office (619) 234-5623 is open from Tuesday through Sunday from noon to final curtain.

The performance schedule is this: Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday and 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Other events: Post-Show Forum events will be held on Tuesday, October 1; Tuesday, October 8; and Wednesday, October 9 (evening performance). The LGBTQIA+ Theatre Night is scheduled for Friday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. 

There’s not much more to say except Don’t Miss This Show.

Theater Review: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Oh, no. Not Sweeney Todd. Is he back again?

Yep. This time he’s at San Diego Musical Theatre through Oct. 20. Get ready to spend close to 3 hours in a horrid-looking slum-like place where almost nobody is anywhere near happy, at least not long enough to make the audience smile.

This is the 1979 version with a book by Hugh Wheeler and lots and lots of music by Stephen Sondheim, most of it grimy enough to grate on the ears just as the events you will see do.

“The story is really about obsession,” according to Sondheim. Everybody wants something (or someone) and is willing to do whatever is necessary to get it.

These folks are all victims, mostly of insufficient funds, and are doing whatever they can to get their hands on more money in order to survive.

Deandre Simmons makes his SDMT debut as the demon barber Sweeney Todd in his favorite musical here. He does a smashing (in more ways than one) job of it, though it’s difficult to watch him descend from a fine barber to, well, something less kindly.

Meghan O’Brien Lowery is a delight as the pie-making Mrs. Lovett, who makes the strangest looking “pies” I’ve ever seen. Square? Wrapped in what looks like burlap? Hmm…..

Salima Gangani played in Sweeney Todd at the University of Redlands. There she was Mrs. Lovett, the pie-maker. Here she’s Johanna, the girl every male wants as his girlfriend.

San Diegan Tanner Vydos , a veteran of “Into the Woods” “West Side Story” and other familiar pieces, does an excellent job on everybody’s least favorite character here, Judge Turpin.

Also along for the amusing part of the ride are Ryan Burtanog as Beadle Bamford and Matthew Javier as Tobias,

Sam Castillo does a lot of fine singing as Anthony (and he’s cute to boot), as does Luis Sherlinee as Adolfo Pirelli. 

Congrats to director Jason Blitman for a fine job, and also to the musicians: conductor/keyboardist Richard Dueñez Morrison and instrumentalists Katrina Earl, Patricia Schenelberg, Kiersten Smith and Sharon Taylor. Congratulations to Katie Banville for the fine choreography.

The set (by Mathys Herbert) is suitably ugly, and the lighting and sound design are well done by Michelle Miles and Jordan Gray, respectively.

Sweeney and the gang will be at SDMT through October 20, so you have time to find some buddies and grab some tickets. 

Theater Review: Jersey Boys

                            The Jersey Boys
 

Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Ah, the Jersey Boys, back in the 1960s and 1970s.  Now you’re getting back into my era (should I be so blatant about it?) Okay, I’m old; get over it.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons were big back then, like the Beach Boys and later the Beatles, and they had a sound of their own that was not like those other groups. But boy, it was fun to listen to. Remember “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry”? You will, after you see this show.

Twenty years ago the La Jolla Playhouse premiered this show, and now the famous jukebox musical is back for the oldies like me and the kids who didn’t grow up with it (but they’ll wish they had).

This production is playing through Oct. 6 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. 

This cast has 14 people in it. Four of them play the principals (Nicholas Alexander is Frankie Valli; Noah Archibald is Nick Massi; Anthony Carro is Tommy DeVito and Taubert Nadalini* is Bob Gaudio. The show is structured in seasons, and each member of the band narrates one, adding his perspective. They’re accompanied at appropriate times by an eleven-member orchestra.

This production is terrific, and Nicholas Alexander’s Frankie is fabulous. The guy can sing all night and sound just as good at the end. I’m envious.

The set is in two levels with the orchestra at the back. The set works well, and the lighting and video effects are terrific too.

There are also four girls, who each play several different girls; most of them sing and dance also, and the eleven-member orchestra adds depth to the music.

Get ready for goodies like “Walk Like a Man” and “My Eyes Adored You.” I mean, how can you not love songs like those?

The show ends with a 1990 reunion, with the Four Seasons in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

It’s a terrific show. Don’t miss it.

Theater Review: A View From The Bridge

 

                        A View from the Bridge

Playwright Arthur Miller is back, this time in a splendid if depressing “View from the Bridge” that runs through Oct. 6 at North Coast Repertory Theatre. 

The Tony Award-winning play, set in a tight-knit Italian-American community in 1950s Brooklyn, illustrates how difficult family relationships can be when love, desire and obsession intrude.

Richard Baird* plays Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman married to a perfectly fine lady named Beatrice (Margot White*). They have a niece named Catherine (Marie Zolezzi), of whom Eddie is jealous. He accuses her of “walkin’ wavy,” and she wants to leave home and apply for a job near the Navy Yard.

When two new Italian longshoremen named Marco (Lowell Byers*) and Rodolpho (Coby Rogers) show up, they’re invited to stay, but Eddie will get nervous about that very soon because Rodolpho is blond and takes a liking to Catherine when he sees her. 

The story will get more complicated, but is explained from time to time by the lawyer Alfieri (Frank Corrado*), who lives in the neighborhood and enters the scene now and again to explain it all to us.

Will Catherine eventually get away from the family and find her own life? Will Eddie stop trying to run everybody’s life and become a reasonable husband to his wife?

You’ll have to see the play to find out. NCRT’s David Ellenstein does a fine job of directing this difficult and yes, depressing play. 

Ellenstein is helped by his usual coterie of helpers. Marty Burnett gives us a simple but effective set and Matthew Novotny’s lighting design is effective. Elisa Benzoni* has designed timely-looking costumes, and Ian Scot does a fine job on the sound design. Congratulations also to props designer Kevin Williams and Peter Herman for the hair and wig designs.

“A View From the Bridge” is a tough one to watch, but Arthur Miller has written a gem of a story and North Coast Rep does it proud. Congratulations, tutti.

• The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association/United Scenic Artists

The details

“A View From The Bridge” plays through October 6, 2024 at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach.

Shows Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Added matinees at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 and Wednesday, Oct. 7. A talkback session with the director and cast is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Tickets: (858) 481-1055 or boxoffice.northcoastrep.org

Theater Review: Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

                       Horrors! A dead person!

Ah, Agatha Christie. Can’t get much better than Christie if you’re looking for a great mystery.

Her output: 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections – have sold over two billion copies and been surpassed only by the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. She’s also the most translated author in the world, whose books have been translated into more than 100 languages.

She may be best known for the play “The Mousetrap,” which opened in the West End in 1920,  but she’ll likely be best remembered here for “Murder on the Orient Express,” first published in 1934, and now playing on The Old Globe’s Shiley Stage.

“Murder on the Orient Express” is about those old-fashioned trains that everybody took then. The Orient Express is the name of a train that carries some 13 passengers. They are all different, some richer than others, and going to their destinations together.

They each have a separate room, and each is the size it needs to be for the size of its inhabitant. On this night, there are six women and seven men, though not all the men are passengers.

It’s great fun to watch this gang as the story unfolds. This version has eliminated a few excess characters and changes some of the scenes, but is still a delight to watch.

The train in this case is going from Istanbul to Paris, and when the murder occurs, the famous mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (wonderfully played by Andrew Sellon) is asked to solve the crime.

The set, designed by Paul Tate DePoo III, rotates amazingly and the projections and pre-filmed scenes added to the action onstage almost make it seem like a movie.

Sellon’s Poirot is wonderful, as are some of the real scene-stealing female passengers like Mylinda Hull, who sings (unasked) like the American divorcée she plays.

Other excellent cast members are Ariella Kvashny as the Hungarian countess Andrenyi, Karole Foreman as the Russian princess Dragomiroff; David Breitbarth as Monsieur Bouc, the train company director, and Sam Ashdown as Col. Arbuthnot.

Though the accents aren’t always consistent, it doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that the show is funny and a delight to watch.

The details

“Murder on the Orient Express” plays through Oct. 13 on The Old Globe Theatre’s Shiley Stage, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. 

Shows Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets start at $47 and are available at theoldglobe.org or (619) 234-5623