Theater Review: The October Night of Johnny Zero

Things are a little weird in the ’burbs of Delaware Valley on the eastern seaboard. There we find the Pinnolinis – Franky and his mom Barbara – living about as apart as people can be when they share a house.

Franky (Geoffrey Ulysses Geissinger) is a high schooler, seemingly unusually diffident, even reticent. Barbara (Jessica John) is a disturbed person who talks a lot and drinks more. It’s 1981 and dad is not to be seen. Maybe. Franky and his mom seem to communicate mostly by shouting between floors: Barbara is often upstairs. Franky seems to hang out in the kitchen.

This is a three-story place, with an apparently spooky downstairs that holds (among other things) the fridge and a freezer where mom stashes the milk (you read that right) and other things normally defrosted before consumed.

Franky’s classmate Johnny (Marcel Ferrin) comes over to ask for help with a book report so he can be done with it and get to the basketball game tonight. (He wears a Celtics t-shirt, so we assume he’s on the team.) His mom forgot to pick him up, and unfortunately Franky’s phone isn’t working. So Johnny’s stuck with these strange folks for a while.

Franky wants to type something, but can’t find the typewriter. That’s because mom has put it in a cupboard in the kitchen. Go figure.

Where’s Franky’s dad? He might be the hulking presence that shows up every now and then in the darkness. Or he might just be out of the picture entirely.

Franky seems to have had a brother named Danny, who it seems chose to live in the cellar under the staircase. What happened to him is not explained.

John seems to be having a wonderful time with her disturbed character, and she is always, to be sure, a joy to watch. She gets the smart-alecky comments that make the show occasionally fun to watch.

Geissinger and Ferrin play well off each other, even seem to need each other, the more intellectual Franky complementing the less brainy athlete. Both are excellent actors I’d be happy to see onstage again.

Yi-Chien Lee’s set works well, and the occasionally spooky sounds and lighting are well handled by Kate Rose Reynolds and Kevin Anthenill. 

But the script itself needs work. The playwright calls it “magical,” but it doesn’t seem so to this viewer. It seems to become more and more abusive, both to Franky and the audience. And the final scene (I’ll spare you a description), is inexcusably grim and seemingly pointless, sending the audience home depressed. 

The details

“The October Night of Johnny Zero” plays through Dec. 10, 2022 at Backyard Renaissance Theatre at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 Tenth Ave. in San Diego.

Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.

Tickets: (960) 975-7189 or online at backyardrenaissance.com

 

Theater Review: Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG San Diego Christmas Show

Scrooge, etc.

You remember that famous Scrooge guy, who says endearing things like "A friend is merely an enemy you haven't known long enough."

Guess what, he’s back at The Old Globe again, to amuse, horrify and fascinate    you for a very fast, extremely funny 70 minutes of misanthropy and Christmas cheer. The novella’s time frame has been moved up not quite two centuries so we can hear comments like “Tell the Padres they came close. They could do it this year.”

Playwrights Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen started the whole thing in 2017 in Pennsylvania. The Globe’s Artistic Director Barry Edelstein saw it there and asked if they could tailor it to San Diego, et voilà.

Bill Buell plays the old geezer, busy grousing around as usual when his clerk Bob Cratchit (Christopher M. Ramirez) timidly asks to be allowed to leave a few hours early on Christmas Eve.

“We work till 8:45 every day, Bob,” is the answer.

Five actors – four playing multiple roles and Bill Buell playing Scrooge – illustrate the story of the grouch who goes home, eats meagerly and gets ready for bed (wait till you see this!) and crawls in. When Marley’s ghost shows up, a click is heard, and a disembodied voice says “bed chamber secured.”  Eek.

The ghosts of Christmases past, present and flitter in and out, and Scrooge is forced to see his unhappy past, when his school picked a chair instead of him for the cricket team. 

On the other hand, he worked for Mr. Fezzi, who made great wigs. That wasn’t an awful experience. But then he loses his true love Lavinia, who sails off to America without him. 

Only when he finally gets the message, and sends a passing boy to buy a huge turkey to give away, do things start to get better. And when the Palo Altos quartet starts to sing, things almost get jolly.

The story is familiar, but the presentation is definitely not, and that’s the reason to see this production. The actors are excellent and about as versatile a group as I’ve ever seen. The props and costumes are great, and everybody gets to leave singing a song.

Can’t get much better than that. 

The details

“Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show” plays through Dec. 24, 2022 at The Old Globe’s Sheryl & Harvey White Theatre.

Show schedule: Tuesday through Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Tickets: www.TheOldGlobe.org or (619) 234-5623

 

Theater Review: As You Like It

                       The cast of "As You Like It"

Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” is a comedy about finding yourself, being yourself and learning to like yourself as you are. Here, after royal brothers argue about who should be boss in court, the daughter of one (Rosalind) is banished. She takes her cousin Celia (daughter of the other) with her and they escape the bickering by moving to the Forest of Eden, where anybody can be anything and rules are meant to be broken. Or maybe there are no rules.

But what happens then? La Jolla Playhouse and Diversionary Theatre are co-producing a a new, “gender-full” version that explores all the possibilities of love, gender and self-discovery. 

The show is co-directed by LJP’s Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Will Davis, associate professor in the John Wells Directing Program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. Davis is transgender, and the cast of trans, non-binary and queer performers offer an updated version of Will’s 16th century play, first published and performed in 1623.

Oh, the original characters are there. The brothers Oliver (TaiReikca L.A.) and Orlando (Esco Jouley), more or less pitted against each other at court, can relax a bit in the wild and just be bros together. 

The Shakespearean clown Touchstone (Cody Sloan) is playfully there, and he starts by dragging in Rosalind and Celia’s suitcases. That’s a touch.

The professional wrestler Charles (UCSD MFA candidate Taiwo Sokan) asks Oliver to watch out when he fights poor, weak little Orlando. Until something more interesting happens.

And Jaques (Rami Margron), the Shakespearean melancholic, brings attitude.

Rosalind is played with relish by Peter Smith, and Jen Richards’ Celia proves charming and supportive of her cousin.

David Greenspan is effective as Rosalind’s father Duke Senior and as Adam, the court’s loyal elderly former servant.

And we mustn’t forget the shepherds: Phoebe (Alanna Darby), a terrific singer who falls in love with Rosalind but is pursued by a hopelessly smitten shepherd named Silvius (Jess Barbagallo). And the other country characters, goatherd Audrey (See Anzoátegui and country boy William (Allison Husko), who pursues her. And Rachel Crowl plays three roles: the shepherd Corin, the villain Duke Frederick and the bass player in the onstage band.

It’s a busy, crazy time, updated by contemporary pop songs by the likes of Tracy Chapman (“Fast Car”) and Queen (“Somebody to Love Me”).

The technical aspects of the show are simple and effective. Emmie Finckel’s scenic design allows the cast to easily move parts that need to be elsewhere. The forest set is particularly lush with greenery.

Mel Ng’s costumes range from standard male attire to eye-popping drag gowns and Cha See’s lighting highlights the right things at the right times.

Shakespeare is universal, and this production illustrates that updating social norms is one that even the Bard might have enjoyed.

The details

“As You Like It” plays through December 11, 2022 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla.

Shows Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Tickets: lajollaplayhouse.org or (858) 550-1010

Theater Review: Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

                     The cast of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

There’s something about a redemption tale that always makes me misty. And there’s no better for the season than Dr. Seuss’ story about that mean old Grinch who “hated Christmas and all the Whos down in Whoville.”

The Old Globe Theatre is back with the 25th incarnation of the saga about the return of the Grinch’s now-retired faithful old dog Max (Steve Gunderson), who comes back to say hello and farewell to the Grinch, the current dog Max and all the Whos he liked so much.

The new Young Max – Tyrone Davis, Jr.  – is a wonderful addition, with a lovely voice and charming acting style. The Maxes quickly make friends, and Old Max relates the whole story to the new dog in a show just as charming now as it was the first time around.

The world seems to get getting Grinchier by the day, but this one – played by returnee Andrew Polec in a seemingly rattier and grungier green suit than I recall – looks even worse. No wonder he’s in such a bad mood.

The Grinch’s attitude worsens as Christmas approaches – he simply can’t fathom what’s to be jolly about. How can he stop it? Then he comes up with an “awful, wonderful” idea – to stop Christmas from coming. 

He figures that since the holiday seems to be about shopping, all he has to do is disrupt the gift-giving and that dinner with the “traditional roastbeest.” 

He tries to do that, but no matter how mean he is, the Whos still offer friendship and good cheer. How can any self-respecting meanie deal with that?

You know the answer, but you’ll love seeing it onstage for the first or 25th time, because it’s just fun.

The cast is great, many of them repeaters, and the kids are double-cast. I saw the Red Team, adorable as always, and this Cindy-Lou Who (Issa Ally) manages to melt the Grinch’s heart without much effort. Between her and Young Max, the old grump doesn’t stand a chance.

Many of the adults Whos are returnees, and they welcome the fine Kevin Solis as Papa Who.

Director James Vásquez adds just the right touches, and Elan McMahan officiates again in the orchestra pit. She and her orchestra of eight keep the by-now famous 10 songs (by Timothy Mason and Mel Marvin) percolating along.

It’s hard not to walk out humming some of the songs and thinking about how nice it is to be nice. What a great holiday present.

The details

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” plays through December 31, 2022 on the Globe’s Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage.

Performance schedule varies; please visit TheOldGlobe.org for a full schedule, call the box office (619) 234-5623) or visit the Globe’s box office in person.

    

    

                            Cindy-Lou Who (Ally Issa) and the Grinch (Andrew Polec)

 

Film Review: She Said

 

It had to happen. In 1976, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford exposed the Watergate scandal that brought down an American president.

Now, 40-some years and the #MeToo Movement later, we have “She Said,” detailing how two New York Times reporters exposed film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s repulsive activities requiring sexual services of young actresses looking for jobs.

This time, the reporters are Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, playing New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who doggedly pursued young female victims in an attempt to get them “on the record.”

Twohey and Kantor were not surprised that many of the victims were willing to describe their experiences, nor that almost all of them said they were afraid of Weinstein and would only talk “off the record.”

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan

But they kept working until they finally found someone willing to talk on the record. That opened the floodgate for others. 

Mulligan and Kazan are magnificent as the investigators, who keep at it despite the “off the record” responses. It must have been extremely frustrating, but these two kept at without giving in to annoyance in the process. 

It was worth the effort, because it brought to public consciousness what women have known for eons. 

Weinstein was convicted on two of the five charges brought against him and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He appealed the conviction, which was upheld in court. He is currently serving in California, where he faces other sexual assault charges from five women over the course of a decade.

“She Said” should be seen by everyone.

Theater Review: The Children

 

Vanessa Dinning, Neil McDonald and Catalina Maynard in Moxie Theatre's "The Children." (photo by Daren Scott)

It’s a funny title, considering there are no children in the cast. But they get top billing for other reasons in Lucy Kirkwood’s strange and unsettling “The Children,” playing through Dec. 4 at Moxie Theatre.

Nothing is quite right in this dystopian world. The action takes place in a cottage in which three retired nuclear engineers who have survived a nuclear disaster in England find themselves reunited for one evening. 

Robin (Neil McDonald) and Hazel (Vanessa Dinning), 65ish and married, live on the edge of the sea in England. A tsunami threatens (among other things) to envelop the coast the cottage is built on, not to mention cause havoc to the nuclear power station that supplies the area with energy.

A third, much younger scientist named Rose (Catalina Maynard) – also part of the original triumvirate at the power station – comes to visit.

Life isn’t what it once was (Can we identify?). Power is rationed and expensive, no one knows what horror may befall at any moment, and as Rose puts it, it was all their own fault because “We built a nuclear reactor next to the sea, then put the emergency generators in the basement.”

The only thing they have left? Their children (which were also “rationed,” if one can say that rationally. Robin and Hazel have not just kids but grandkids. 

A daughter named Lauren (now 38) flits through the conversation, confusing things even more.

Rose? Well, that’s another edgy part of the story. It seems that Rose and Robin have (had?) a relationship that Hazel has tried to ignore, difficult as it is.

Sooner or later, Rose and Robin dance to steps created by Hazel and Robin decides to return to the power plant.

“The Children” is a strange and disturbing piece that will send you home pondering what our individual responsibility is to the universe, the human species and those close to us. Not to mention whether we should be using nuclear power at all, given the dangers it raises.

The actors are universally excellent. Vanessa Dinning, usually known as Moxie’s voice and dialect coach, is excellent as Hazel, the scientist who tries to settle her fears by working out on her yoga mat.

Neil McDonald is convincing in his Moxie debut as Robin, struggling to make peace among the three scientists, especially with wife Hazel.

Catalina Maynard’s Rose has the scientific answers and the youth of the trio, along with the will to try to make things work both in science and human relationships.

Julie Lorenz’s set (mostly Robin and Hazel’s flat on the edge of the water) and Carmen Amon’s costumes are both convincing, as are Ally Wood’s lighting and Maeann Ross’ occasionally scary sound designs.

With this show, the original Moxie Ladies bow out and leave the theater to the next generation. Stay tuned. And give “The Children” a try. You’ll have an experience unlike any other.

Theater review: Hamilton

                           Cast of "Hamilton"

2015 was a watershed year for American musicals. That’s the year Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” a hip-hop/rap version of “America then, as told by America now,” premiered off-Broadway

It’s been a smash hit ever since, and it’s back in San Diego through Nov. 20 at the Civic Theatre.

Last night’s opening, wildly applauded by a huge audience, boasts a fine singing cast and outstanding choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler. Deaundre’ Woods is excellent as Alexander Hamilton, a young politically savvy man who says he’s “not throwing away my shot.” He wants to get involved in the establishment of a new country, and will collaborate with three college buddies with similar goals: Aaron Burr (Donald Webber Jr.), John Laurens (Andy Tofa), the Marquis de Lafayette (Paris Nix) and Hercules Mulligan (Brandon Louis Armstrong). They will “raise a glass to freedom” and say with conviction that though there are “only four of us, tomorrow there will be more of us.”

Hamilton will get somewhat sidetracked by the charming Schuyler sisters – Eliza, Angelica and Peggy – and will in fact marry Eliza (Morgan Anita Wood), who will in the near future have their first child, Philip (Manuel Stark Santos).

But the American Revolution looms, headed by George Washington, played tonight by Tré Frazier. Illness or other circumstances forced four other casting changes as well: Alex Larson as King George; Ellis C. Dawson III as Aaron Burr, Charlotte Mary Wen as Angelica Schuyler and Christopher Henry Young as Charles Lee.

There's tragedy, comedy, romance, confusion, ecotism, horror and too much death. But that's the history of war.  

The cast changes are likely partially responsible for the not-quite-ready vibe I got from this performance, which seemed to need a few more run-throughs and better control of the speedy pace of the piece, which all too often left me wondering what those words were and why the orchestra seemed to be drowning out the singers so often.

But the voices were uniformly excellent, the text alternately moving and funny, and as I said the choreography outstanding.

U.S. history, sung in hip-hop? It’s difficult to resist.

The details

“Hamilton” plays through Nov. 20, 2022 at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue, downtown.

Shows Tuesday through Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: Buy at the box office or online at eventticketscenter.com

 

Film Review: The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Tragedy and comedy don’t often mix well, but Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” offers a rare and wondrous fine exception.

Here we get a male breakup story that confuses, shocks, depresses and amuses (yes, all four), and leads to a story that can’t help but captivate.

On the fictional island of Inisherin off the west coast of Ireland, the sounds of the Irish civil war can be heard. It’s 1923, and war or no, life goes on in this remote place where going to the pub is what the men look forward to most.

Every day at 2 p.m., dairy farmer Pádraic (Colin Farrell) stops at the house of buddy Colm (Brendan Gleeson) for the walk to the pub. Pádraic is a young, simple man, who allows his animals (notably a donkey) free range in the house, much to his sister Siobhan’s disgust.

But this day Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a much older man who writes music, plays the fiddle and feels his age, does not answer. Instead, he just sits in his chair, smoking.

Pádraic leaves, puzzled, and heads for the pub, where he finds Colm, who gets up and goes outside when he sees Pádraic.

Siobhan (Kerry Condon) offers a reason: “Maybe he just don’t like you no more.” (She knows more than she tells him: Colm has told her he just finds Pádraic “dull,” and that he’s tired of his “aimless chatting.”)

There’s another young man, Dominic (Barry Keoghan), who wants to escape his brutish father and has designs on Siobhan.

But when Pádraic won’t take no for an answer, Colm gives a grisly ultimatum: He will cut off one of his fingers every time Pádraic tries to talk to him – and proves it when Pádraic does just that.

Now that’s upping the ante a bit more than anyone expected, but if McDonagh knows anything, it’s how to write, especially for these two stars, who reunite for the first time since “In Bruges.”

McDonagh’s rather gruesome story is more than a bromance gone wrong. The title itself indicates a link to Gaelic folklore and a female spirit warning of impending death, and the other-worldly music fits right in. Gleeson illustrates the very real fear of being forgotten after you’re gone.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is a strange but wonderful film, which got a 15-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. It is likely to be nominated for major awards.