Review - "THE CHILDREN" - Hollywood

In this futuristic drama, two married scientists who once worked on a nuclear reactor are hiding out in a house in the country after the nearby reactor has imploded. The risk of radioactivity hangs over their lives as they attempt to carry on as normal. Then a visitor, a former colleague and friend, turns up with a shocking proposal. They may be safe, but the danger they think they are hiding from is an illusion and those who created this danger should help to disentangle it. It isn’t fair for the young people, the children, to have to risk their lives for the sins of their elders. It's a brilliant premise but, to my chagrin, the question of the play is never really answered.

Director Simon Levy has laid the question out well, stating “What I love about the play, is that it tackles these enormously important contemporary issues about our responsibility to the planet, to each other, to future generations, and grounds them in funny, complex, identifiable characters grappling with a moral dilemma….” To add impact to the theme, there is a discussion of these issues after each performance.

Lily Knight and Ron Bottitta are superb as the couple determined to continue in their lives as if danger is an illusion. Elizabeth Elias Huffman has the more difficult task of challenging their reality while her own life is in chaos. No stranger to controversy, playwright Lucy Kirkwood is writer in residence at Clean Break a British theatre company that performs the hidden stories of women in prison.

Produced by Stephen Sachs and James Bennett, with executive producer Karen Kondazian. At The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave, LA. Tkts: (323) 663-1525 or www.info@fountaintheatre.com

 

REVIEW: "A PERFECT GANESH" - West Los Angeles

When Terrence McNally's play opened in New York in 1993 it received mixed reviews before becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His work always centered on the urgent need for human connection between disparate people and this play deals with many conflicting ideas and is certainly overlong. Then inspired by the ongoing AIDS crisis it resounds today during the Covid-19 epidemic. Ironically, the fact that McNally died in March 2020 from complications from Covid-19 brings it full circle as its theme of loss and unresolved grief rings especially true today.

For this critic it served as an emotional reminder that no matter how bravely you face life, and how far you travel, you can never escape your past. When two upper class American women vacation in India they come face to face with the bitter memories they believed were buried too deep to any longer cause pain. There to confront their blindness is Ganesha, the Hindu god of "wisdom, prudence, acceptance and love." Under his omnipresence they relive the deepest sorrow of their lives and yet are saved when they learn that what we have now are the people we are still able to love!

Heading the excellent cast is Mueen Jahan as Ganesh, perfect as a mercurial god whose wisdom is balanced by his sense of humor; Kathleen Gray as Katherine captures the hyper-enthusiast manner of a woman determined to be fun and friendly in the face of hidden tragedy; Mary Allwright as Margaret gets us to be really fed up with her imperious demands before revealing the vulnerability she covers so well. Judd Yort is deeply moving as Walter, a gay man who dies bravely and despised; Cameron Gregg and Delio Eswar shine as various characters interacting with the women as they journey, and Svetlana Tulasi and Pavia Sidhu are luminous dancers as well as various modern or historic women.

Directed with sensitivity and humor by David W. Callander and produced by his own Campus Cabaret. At the Pico (Playhouse), 10508 W. Pico Blvd. As the theme is adult no one under 12 will be admitted. All Covid protocols - vaccination cards and masks - are required. 

Reservations at: http://onstage411.com/ganesh