Theater review: Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Who needs billionaires like Bezos and Branson getting richer by sending people into space when you can watch Claude, Berger, Hud and the rest of the 1968 gang “walking in space” on earthbound stuff like marijuana and hashish – and singing while doing it?

The Old Globe Theatre, stopped by the pandemic from producing an indoor version of the old hippie musical “Hair” last year, finally got the show on the boards of its outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Stage last night, which had all the ancient hippie dippies like me in the audience in heaven and singing along (behind our masks). The show has already been extended through Oct. 3, but don’t wait to get those tickets. 

James Vásquez directs a fabulous cast, several new to me but with Broadway, other New York or London credits, joining many of our favorite local performers. The setting, with the park’s trees in the background, actually adds to the pastoral hippie interests of opposition to the Vietnam War, astrology, togetherness and trying to get in touch with nature. Aiding in these adventures, of course, are the mind-blowing effects of the favored drugs of the period.

The cast plays to the audience by running up and down the aisles now and then to sing or point out what’s happening onstage. And to give us a closer look at those fabulous, colorful costumes by David Israel Reynoso. 

One of the major plot points is what the guys will do when those draft notices arrive in their mailboxes. Claude gets the first one. Will he go or burn the draft card?

The political relevance doesn’t stop there. The prevalence of recreational drugs, the attempt to cooperate with (rather than trying to conquer) nature and larger considerations like what really matters in life are all considered here, with humor and sometimes even grace by Galt MacDermot’s music, augmented by the book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado.

It’ll keep your toes tapping, if not your voice humming along beneath that mask.

Kudos to this bravura cast, every one of whom adds to the joy of the celebration going on here. 

Nyla Sostre’s Dionne opens the show with a lovely rendition of “Aquarius,” setting up the astrological interests of the group.

Tyler Hardwick is excellent as Claude, the leader of the tribe, who insists on using a fake British accent and pretending he’s from Manchester, England when he’s really from Flushing, Queens. 

Jaygee Macapugay’s Jeanie just wants a normal life, meaning she wants to marry Claude even though he’s not the father of her soon-to-be-born child.

Alex Joseph Grayson’s Hud is a militant African-American who declares himself to be the “president of the United States of Love.”

Andrew Polec is the free-spirited Berger “looking for my Donna.” Storm Lever’s Sheila is the NYU student and committed activist. 

Angel Lozada’s Woof is the agrarian of the bunch who likes to “grow things” (presumably some of them pharmaceuticals), and young Crissy is looking for a boy named Frank Mills.

Kudos to choreographer Mayte Natalio, who keeps everybody moving to some often-astonishing dance steps.

Bravo also to orchestra conductor Angela Steiner and her seven stalwart musicians, who play from various parts of the stage.

These are all people and situations we’re familiar with. And everybody’s looking for something. If you’re looking for a great night of theater, give “Hair” a try.

“Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” has been extended through October 3, 2021. Prices start at $37. 

Tickets available at www.TheOldGlobe.org 

Film Review: The Meaning of Hitler

If that title sounds like a yawn, rest assured that this film is anything but boring.

Everybody knows something about Hitler, the fanatical hater who ordered and oversaw the extermination of six million Jews before committing suicide with his wife in order to avoid the consequences of his actions.

But what many don’t know is that Hitler was really just another guy (called here by one expert “the original radical loser” who managed to latch onto the malaise of the time and give people what they wanted: someone and/or something to blame/hate. 

For 30 years, historian Martin Amis says, “Hitler was a flop. He had an Oedipus complex and megalomania and no job. He lacked human relationships. Though it is said that he liked his dog, it is also true that he gave the animal cyanide to test the effect. In addition, he was semiliterate, resisted understanding and saw no downside to lying.” And he was a failed artist.

So how did this nobody rise to power? And how can we avoid giving rise to another such “leader?”

Filmmaker Petra Epperlein and writer Michael Tucker start with the 1978 book “The Meaning of Hitler,” by Sebastian Haffner (pseudonym for journalist Raimund Pretzel, who was a witness to the rise of the Nazis).

Then Epperlein and Tucker take us take us on a road trip through the psychology, geography and events that combined to elevate this nobody to the world stage. Along the way, they talk to experts on Hitler and various other contemporary freethinkers.      

One observer says that if you turn on German TV, there’s a good chance you’ll find a documentary about Hitler. Assuming that’s true, is it evidence that the cult isn’t dead or an attempt to understand him?

We visit Braunau, the “Bethlehem of the Third Reich,” where Hitler was born, observe a rowdy meeting of an anti-Islamist group, then go on to Vienna, where he failed twice to get into art school and we are told he lived in a homeless shelter for a time.

In Mazury, Poland, we meet writer and Holocaust denier David Irving, spouting the usual nonsense that Hitler didn’t order the murder of the Jews.

But somewhere along the way, Hitler started spouting the Führer rhetoric for which he is famous. We see a meeting in Munich, the birthplace of Nazism, in which Hitler speaks to thousands of followers in the orderly groups he became known for. He is aided by new microphones of the time which allowed the speaker to move, gesticulate and alter the volume of the voice and still be heard.

“The Meaning of Hitler” is a warning offered by these filmmakers about those of claim to have “the answer” to any political problem. This film (which, in case you were wondering, includes a few shots of Trump) is a must-see.

"The Meaning of Hitler" opens in theaters and on-demand on Aug. 13.

Film Review: Free Guy

 

An admission: I am an old lady who has never played a video game and has little patience for films that depend on violence, crashing cars, ridiculous-looking characters, or monsters (and people) that kill as entertainment. So for me, the best thing about “Free Guy” was getting to escape the unlivable heat in a nice, air-conditioned movie theater that isn’t dangerously overcrowded.

Surprisingly, though, “Free Guy” overcomes the unpromising premise that the film’s star is nothing but an unaware NPC (non-playing character) in a brutal video game by giving us a hero who decides to write his own story.

The titular character in Shawn Levy’s film is Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a mild-mannered, terminally upbeat bank teller who ends every interaction with “Don’t have a good day. Have a great day” and goes home to his goldfish because, as he says, “I have everything I need … except one thing.”

Guy’s best friend is Buddy, played by Lil Rey Howery, a security guard at the bank, also a background player in “Free City” the video game. He is aware of both worlds. 

The game’s star is Molotovgirl (Jodie Comer), British and horrifyingly dressed in black leather, heels, straps, the sort of thing that signals “Don’t mess with me.”

But wait – Molotovgirl is also a pretty blonde video game designer named Millie, and Guy is instantly smitten with her. Could she be interested in him?

The rest of the film depicts the struggle between those two worlds, with plenty of video game elements like monsters, mean people, weird-o critters and the like, balanced by the good, old-fashioned humanity of the Guy/Millie relationship.

What makes it work is a script that is as amusing as it is violent, and excellent actors to bring their characters to life.

Comer and Reynolds, the charming heart and soul of the show, are balanced by Taika Waititi as super bad guy Antwan and his employee Mouser (Utkarsh Ambudkar), a coder for “Free City,” dedicated enough to his boss to wear an outrageous outfit I’ll let you discover.

Kudos to Levy for producing a film that shouldn’t work. It was written by committee, has elements people like me hate, and still I recommend it. Go figure.

Theater Review: 57 Chevy

                                        57 Chevy 

We’ve all heard immigration stories. Many of us even have our own. But I’ll wager you’ve never heard one as jaw-droppingly funny, startling, touching and just plain wonderful as “57 Chevy,” Cris Franco’s one-man play streaming through Aug. 15 from San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Actor Ricardo Salinas performs the magic, providing all of the above elements while playing all the parts, occasionally in a rat-a-tat style you won’t believe.

Franco’s dad, Cristóbal Sr., grew up in Mexico “dirt poor,” but grew up to become a fine car mechanic. He wanted to move his family (three girls and the baby Cris at the time) to the U.S. One day he stopped on the road to help a woman named Mimi Barnes, whose car had broken down. Mimi was extremely thankful, and since she worked for the U.S. embassy, her connections got him papers and a job with an American mechanic in Los Angeles who needed help.

He bought the 57 Chevy and drove to Mexico to get the family and start their own American dream. On the way up, Dad entertained them by singing along with the radio ads of the day, and a popular song of the time: “Qué Será, Será.”

They settled in L.A.’s South Central. It was the perfect place: it was ethnically diverse and easy to fit in. 

But a few years later, the Watts riots leveled South Central, and the family moved closer to the elder Franco’s shop in the San Fernando Valley, where everybody looked the same (Cris called it the “Same Fernando Valley”) and the kids were enrolled in the local Catholic school, “Our Lady of Perpetual Chastity.”

Cris’ dad wants him to be “a doctor, a lawyer or at least an engineer,” to make plenty of money for that other local deity, “Our Lady of Perpetual Tuition,” but Cris has other ideas: he wants to be a writer. How will they work this out?

The story is charming and funny on its own, but what makes the show tick is Salinas’ masterful ability to become dozens of different people, changing genders, ages, speaking styles and hats along the way. It’s a wonder to see.

But the most impressive feat is his story about becoming an altar boy. He decided to serve the first mass, because he would be the only altar boy at that service, and “Jesus didn’t move much, so I was the center of attention.” One morning the priest was in a hurry to get to a golf game. You won’t believe the speed with which Salinas gets through that mass. It’s astonishing.

Technically, this show is great too. Mextly Couzin’s amazingly jam-packed set is a wonder in itself, not to mention Carmen Amon’s wondrous costumes. Matt Lescault-Wood’s sound design, Fred Lanuza’s music, Elizabeth Barrett’s projections and Tim Powell’s cinematography all add depth and humor to the show.

But Salinas is really the show: a magician with a funny, affecting and charming tale to tell. Don’t miss this show.

“57 Chevy” streams through August 15 from San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Tickets at sdrep.org.

Play Review: Beauty and the Beast

                       Beauty and the Beast

Remember the old story about the princess who turned a handsome prince into a horrible, ugly beast because he was so mean and nasty to others?

Neither do I, but there were actually four versions of that story before Disney got hold of it and turned it into one of the world’s most famous (and most popular) animated films of all time: “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Beauty” is back – live and onstage – through August 7 at Vista’s Moonlight Amphitheatre, in a spectacular, colorful and delightful version directed by Jamie Toricelli.

That mean old Beast (Michael Deni) has lost hope of ever being a prince again. So he glowers around his lovely castle, yelling at the servants and wishing things could change.

Meanwhile, Beauty (Jenna Lee Rosen) meets her dad Maurice (Johnny Fletcher), a sweet guy but a failed inventor, who shows Belle his latest invention and tells her he’s on the way to enter it in the local fair, which he hopes to win.

But he gets lost and ends up in the Beast’s castle, where the Beast makes him a prisoner.

The next time she sees Maurice, he’s in the Beast’s jail, and the Beast (who thinks she’s pretty cute) tells her the only way he can get out is if she takes his place.

Miracle of miracles, she agrees – and then the musical really starts.

Mostly, this is a show of volume and action. The cast lists 24 people, the program lists 22 songs excluding orchestral introductions, and Conductor Elan McMahon has her usual boffo orchestra, this time consisting of 11 musicians.

And the cast! This is where the Disney version shines. There’s Gaston, the musclebound jerk who not only thinks he owns the world because he’s strong, but also that Belle (yeah, he thinks she’s cute too) will be thrilled to walk down the aisle with him. As it happens, she’s a bookworm, more interested in brain than brawn. 

Rosen has a special relationship to this show: she was born while her parents were in a road show of “Beauty.” She’s also terrific in the part.

There’s Lefou (Zane Camacho), Gaston’s sidekick who mostly really gets kicked by Gaston. And Lumiere (Michael Paternoster), the candlestick, and Cogsworth (Jerald Vincent) the clock, and Mrs. Potts (Bets Malone), the teapot. And Mrs. Potts’ adorable son Chip (Abraham German), who walks around inside the tea service all night. 

The songs are familiar, the dancing often frenetic and wondrous, the actors terrific and obviously having a wonderful time. What more could you ask?

There’s only one drawback: the show is really long, running at least 2-1/2 hours. That might be a bit much for the kids, but they may be so entranced by the goings-on that they don’t notice how tired they are. 

“Beauty and the Beast” runs Wednesday through Sunday at 8 p.m. through August 7, with two added Tuesday shows on July 27 and August 3.  

For tickets: https://www.moonlightstage.com/shows-tickets

Play Review: Dr. Glas

                            Dr. Glas

                        David Gerroll as "Dr. Glas"

The human animal is capable of wonderful and dreadful things, as anyone who’s seen a recent newscast can attest.

That fact is put into starker (but way more amusing) relief in Jeffrey Hatcher’s “Dr. Glas,” the latest filmed play from North Coast Repertory Theatre. David Ellenstein directs.

Based on a 1905 Swedish novel, Broadway veteran Daniel Gerroll plays Dr. Glas, who is treating both a humorless Protestant pastor and his wife (who is having an extramarital affair). To further complicate things, Dr. Glas (who treats the spouses separately) falls in love with the wife. Playwright Hatcher had his work cut out for him – and succeeded admirably.

The play, like the novel, is in journal form, and the audience gets to watch as Dr. Glas goes through his own twists and turns in treating these two patients while trying to connect sexually with the wife on the side. The not-so-good doctor’s contempt for social conventions like marriage, religion and fidelity (he regards them as evidence of repression) make this possible and set up a fascinating, amusing and timely – if cynical – story.

Gerroll is excellent as the chameleon-like doctor, who tries to tailor his prescriptions to fit both his patient’s needs and his own desires. It requires quick thinking and imagination, with which both Gerroll and his character seem abundantly endowed, and the piece’s sixty minutes seem to fly by.

Kudos to Aaron Rumley, who gets quite a workout, taking care of cinematography and editing as well as projections and lighting. He’s also the stage manager and a camera operator (along with Phil Korth and Chris Williams).

Props to Marty Burnett, the theater’s set designer extraordinaire, and to costume designer Elisa Benzoni. 

North Coast Rep has made a habit of streaming filmed plays during the pandemic, and Ellenstein is quite proficient at it. “Dr. Glas” is the eighth such production, and in fact this is the first worldwide streaming of the play. Congratulations to all.

“Dr. Glas” streams through August 15 at northcoastrep.org.

Film Review: Settlers

                         Settlers

The idea of escape has sounded really good to most of us, especially in the past few pandemic years when the concept was impossible to accomplish safely.

Writer/director Wyatt Rockefeller picks up this theme in his debut film “Settlers,” relocating a family trio of earthlings to Mars, where they hope to find “more.”

Mom Ilsa (Sofia Boutella) and dad Reza (Jonny Lee Miller) don’t specify more what, nor why Mars might be thought to provide it, but when we meet them Reza is pointing out to young daughter Remmy (Brooklynn Prince) the constellations in the night sky – including earth.

Somebody seems to have been to this part of Mars before, because an enclosed garden of the type seen in the 2020 “Spaceship Earth” documentary – in which a group of latter-day hippies built, then sealed themselves into an Arizona dome called Biosphere 2 to see how long they could last – is on this Mars site as well, along with a few other desolate-looking buildings which fit in well with the bleakness of the parched Martian terrain. (This film was made in South Africa’s Namaqualand Desert.)

Remmy befriends two piglets she sees – no, they don’t talk but they are cute, warm and friendly, unlike the huge threatening “LEAVE” that one day shows up scrawled on one of the windows where the family is living. Clearly, Mars is no more welcoming than Earth was. Some of these unpleasant neighbors are also fortified with deadly weapons, and apparently willing to use them.

So what is Remmy to do? With no other kids around, and parents who seem increasingly unhappy with each other, she does what they all do: she invents her own world. 

But this environment seems to require a kill-or-be-killed mentality, and soon Reza is replaced by Jerry (Ismael Cruz Córdova), heavily armed, ambitious and interested in Ilsa. He claims to be a native and says he knows “how to get it back to where it was.” Where can Remmy go now?

Give Rockefeller credit for daring: Here’s an outer-space story without interplanetary war with neither little nor giant green creatures. “Settlers” is an art house film in which there is very little observable action. What happens is mostly interior, and requires audience participation. We watch each character deal with the unfolding situations in his or her own way and try to figure out what they’re going to do next.

It’s bleak, grim and thought-provoking, buoyed by a fine cast and simple but effective visuals. Boutella’s Ilsa plays determined mama bear to Prince’s why-are-we-here Remmy and Miller’s disappointed Reza. The most interesting characters are Córdova’s I-can-fix-this Jerry and Steve, a metal robot who becomes Remmy’s only playmate.

“Settlers” is an odd, difficult but impressive film. I look forward to Rockefeller’s next effort.

“Settlers” opens Friday, July 23 in select theaters and on demand