BROKEN FENCES …North Hollywood

Steven Simoncic’s play is set in the present where a Yuppie couple move into a newly renovated house in a poor black neighborhood in Chicago. These privileged whites are now in the hood where crack pipes and graffiti soon desecrate their neat little yard. As if from separate planets, they gaze at their neighbors with alarm and timid fellowship while the African American couple next door are equally hesitant as they offer them welcome.

Basic to the story is the need for the black family to cling to their roots in this ramshackle old house once owned by grandparents. Simoncic shows the poignant loss when one’s heritage is being swept away by encroaching gentrification. There are no villains in this story. Poverty has its own rationale and if one day the guy next door is stealing their boxes, the next week they’re sharing a bottle of beer. 

 

Bruce A. Lemon Jr. and Donna Simone Johnson show complex depths of feeling as the shy black neighbors;  Coronado Romero and Mia Fraboni are excellent as the ingenuous white intruders; Kris Frost and Ivy Khan are suburban whites personified; 

Ben Theobald is the racially enigmatic resident punk, while James Holloway is dynamic as the local cynic who knows how to play the race card and win.

 

Smoothly directed by Andre Barron and produced by Donald Russell for Road Theatre Company. At the NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd, NoHo, through April 3. Tickets: 818-761-8838 or visit www.RoadTheatre.org.

Photos by Michele Young.

ALTMAN’S LAST STAND …West Hollywood

We are flies on the wall in this one-man play about an elderly Jewish businessman who, having survived the best and the worst, is faced with an ultimate challenge. Although Charles Dennis’ script leans rather heavily on exposition, the brilliant acting by Michael Laskin soon compensates for any lack of dramatic tension. Set in New York City in the 1990’s, Altman is fighting to save his last refuge – his second-hand shop – from being taken from him. Although fictional, Franz Altman is based on any number of vulnerable men who had to fight for their lives against the crushing powers labeled progress.

The conceit is an interview with an invisible lady reporter but Laskin is quite capable of carrying the action without that prop. Having become a media celebrity through a 60 Minute segment, Altman is galvanized into action. This is a man who has survived tragedies, least of all imprisonment in Auschwitz, and if you think a greedy landlord and his attorney will rout him never fear. This may be Altman’s last stand but how he fights that battle is both amusing and plausible.

Director Charles Haid keeps the action moving with knocks on doors and phones ringing so the sense of reality never lets up. Impressive seedy NYC office set and nostalgic projections are by Yee Eun Nam; sound is by Corwin Evans, lighting by Toranj Noroozi, while Laskin’s evocative 1990’s costume is by Jeffrey Kurland.

At Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood. Tickets: (323) 960-4412 or online at www.plays411.com/altman

Photos by Ellen Giamportone

SAFE AT HOME: AN EVENING WITH ORSON BEAN …in Venice

 

He’s back with his cheery jokes, his magic tricks and his sweetly sardonic comedy, but also to share darker stories from his life. After Broadway shows, multiple TV appearances and drama series, Orson Bean is appearing as himself. Here is the saga of a young boy breaking away from a terrible childhood into the magical world of stand-up comedy. He reveals that what kept him going throughout his life now seems to him a series of miracles.

Handsome as ever and winsome as we knew him best we spend a delightful 90 minutes discovering who he really is. The inner life of a comedian is often shaded with tragedy that is only overcome by humor and optimism. That’s what this show is about and I recommend it unreservedly to all who remember the man and laughed at his gentle view of humanity.

Director Guillermo Cienfuegos sets a languid but intimate mood that draws in audience members to feel as though they are Orson’s special friends. The clever mix of humor, magic & melancholy works admirably throughout. Also, if you sit in the front row you might be lucky enough to be drawn into some amazing magic tricks.

At Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd. in Venice. For tickets call (310) 822-8392 or online at http://www.pacificresidenttheatre.com.
 *Wry Note: In the 1960’s when I was a young Broadway actress I was briefly in a show with Orson but, as often happens with a neophyte and a star, we never personally met. 

Also reviewed in the March issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.  His memoir, Safe At Home, is available on Amazon.

MY SISTER …in West Los Angeles

  

An award winner at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival, this mesmerizing play is about identical twins in Berlin in 1930’s Germany who witness the rise of Nazism. One of the sisters is a cabaret singer, the other, the brilliant one who writes her materiel, is disabled by cerebral palsy. 

We see how Magda must moderate her performances to please the ominous cabaret attendees; while from the shelter of their apartment Matilde realizes the oncoming tumult.  As they endure we are aware of the awful danger they face from the mad Nazi distortion of the science of eugenics.

 

Playwright Janet Schlapkohl wrote the play for identical twins Emily and Elizabeth Hinkler and their extraordinary identification with the relationship brings it vividly to life. There is not a moment that rings false, as we bear witness to their loving connection. 

In her songs Emily (Magda) has a sweet melodious voice and saucy manner, but with her sister she is motherly and anxious. In her isolation Elizabeth (Matilde) writes savage anti-Nazi sketches and dark poems that show her awareness of the evil lurking outside. Although the story is set in tragic circumstances, the spirit of the play is life affirming and heroic.

Odyssey Founder Ron Sossi, who discovered the play at the Fringe, adds his direction to Paul David Story’s, to expand and enrich the staging. Original music is by Christopher Gene Okiishi with lyrics by Schlapkohl, and incidental music by onstage accompanist Barbara Rottman.

 

At Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd, West LA, through March 6. Tickets: (310) 477-2055 or www.OdysseyTheatre.com.

Photos by Enci Box.

Also reviewed in the February issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY. 

DEN OF THIEVES …in Hollywood

Who knew that my favorite US playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis, wrote slapstick comedy! Well, in “Den of Thieves” he certainly succeeds. Here is a hapless crew of safecracking robbers, out to grab a fortune on a caper that their leader says only a bunch of stupid idiots could mess up! Well, guess what! As their plan implodes the play develops into a delightful existential dialogue about the meaning of life. This colloquy will not only have you laughing but also makes a lot of sense. What is your life worth, eh? Think about it, they all do, and not to be a spoiler there’s a happy ending for all – even the one who deserves to die. In the classic mold of caper films of the past, this play begs to be made into a movie.

 

Kudos to the wonderfully over-the-top performers: Alison Quinn is touching as depressed Maggie; Frank Gallegos is bombastic as altruistic Paul; Kevin Hermann is mercurial as loony Flaco; Paulina Gamiz is coquettish as zoftik Boochie; Eric Geller is hilarious as sadistic Sal; Chris Lanehart is petulant as sentimental Little Tuna, and Chris D’Annunzio is imperious as the suavely Machiavellian Big Tuna.

Directed by Eric Augusztiny at a pace and energy that matches Guirgis’ swift changes of mood. Minimalist set and lighting by Nicholas Acciani and Andrew Dunn.  Believable 1990’s costumes by Jessica J’aime. Produced for 2Cents Theatre Group by Kristen Boulé & Roxanna Kaye.

At Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood. Tickets at (323) 960-5770 or online at www.2centstheatre.com or www.plays411.com/denofthieves.

Photos by Daniel J. Sliwa.

Also reviewed in the February issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY. 

BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY …Downtown LA

 In case you missed the novel and the wildly successful film, this is a love story about an Italian war bride stifling in Iowa and a lonely traveling photographer who find each other in a four day passionate affair. 

In this musical version, book writer Marsha Norman manages to bring an honest human dimension to this inherently sentimental tale. By making her husband and children major characters, and by bringing in townspeople who understand the need for something to brighten our lives, the tuneful saga is fully fleshed out.

The national tour cast is headed by Elizabeth Stanley as Francesca and Andrew Samonsky as Robert. Both are powerful singers although, with her operatic range, it was sometimes difficult to understand the lyrics while with Samonsky’s beautiful voice words were crystal clear. 

 

The added dimension of Francesca’s family is fully delineated by Cullen R. Titmas as her kind down-to-earth husband, Caitlin Houlahan as her ingenuous daughter, and Dave Thomas Brown her headstrong son. 

 

Katie Klaus as Robert’s ex-wife gives insight into his character through a lovely solo ballad, and Mary Callanan and David Hess are amusing as Francesca's nosy but friendly neighbors.

Bartlett Sher’s original Broadway direction is recreated admirably by Tyne Rafaeli, and Michael Yeargan’s original set design is adapted wonderfully by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams.

At the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles. For tickets: (213) 972-4400 or the CTG Box Office or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Through January 17.  Photos by Matthew Murphy.

Also reviewed in the January issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.