And God Created Great Whales at REDCAT

                                                                                             Photo by Caleb Wertenbaker

And God Created Great Whales
Composed and Written by Rinde Eckert

REDCAT
(631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles 90012)

Date of reviewed performance: January 25, 2012

Cast
Nathan - Rinde Eckert
Olivia - Nora Cole

Originally staged 12 years ago in New York, And God Created Great Whales began a limited run on Wednesday night that lasts only through the weekend. Created, composed, and performed by Rinde Eckert, this suitcase musical highlights Mr. Eckert’s strong vocals, piano and even ukulele skills. Aided onstage by the ethereal Nora Cole, the piece documents the struggle of Nathan, a composer with aggressive memory loss, as he completes his opera about Moby Dick. Amid a sea of post-it notes and antiquated cassette players, Nathan works against time, himself and occasionally his own muse.

Nathan is kept focused by a series of cassette tapes. One to remind himself of how far along he is in his work and what he must do to continue, one to record his thoughts, one to record his music, one to remind him of how his system of reminders works and so on...

Even though it sounds depressing, there are actually moments of funny – particularly early on. There’s some smart-crowd humor in the droll instructions coming from the ever present cassette players and some broad physical comedy in Nathan’s lumbering attempts at dance.  As Nathan’s muse, Olivia, Nora Cole works just as hard onstage and is often more captivating. She is Nathan’s cheerleader, taskmaster and the last connection he has to his memories. However, quite late in the play Olivia begins to have her own agenda, desires and feelings – separate from Nathan. This is a bizarre and disruptive moment in the show because she is a product of Nathan’s imagination and her behavior isn’t organic to what’s come before. Frankly, it feels included just to give Ms. Cole her own solo. The song is lovely and Ms. Cole is an amazing singer but the whole scene is out of place.

While the concept is great and the show starts off strong, the songs start to sound the same after awhile and the production loses steam. Mr. Eckert jumps from song to song to song, displaying more of Nathan’s time in Herman Melville’s world than his own. There’s little concentration on the deterioration of the man himself and, thus, the emotional connection the audience expects to have by the finale never materializes.

And God Created Great Whales runs through January 28th at 8:30pm with an additional performance on January 29th at 3:00pm. Tickets runs between $20-$25 (Students $16) and can be purchased at the box office or through REDCAT's website. For more information, the box office can be reached at 213-237-2800.

Directed by David Schweizer
Produced by Susan Endrizzi Morris
Lighting Design by John Torres
Costume Design by Clint Ramos
Production Stage Manager: Scott Pegg

Troilus & Cressida at The Whitmore-Lindley Theatre

                  Photo by Rob Cunliffe                                                 

Troilus & Cressida
Written by William Shakespeare

The Whitmore-Lindley Theatre
(110006 Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood 91601)



Date of reviewed performance: January 14, 2012

Cast
Diomedes - Adam Schroeder
Thersites - Gus Krieger
Helenus, Ensemble, Thersites U/S - Sean Faye
Cassandra - Kate O'Toole
Troilus - Alex Parker
Hector - Napoleon Tavale
Patroclus - Frederik Hamel
Achilles - Matt Calloway
Paris - Jesse James Thomas
Cressida - Taylor Fisher
Agamemnon - Andrew Herrera
Ulysses - Thomas Bigley
Menelaus - Eddie Castuera
Aeneas - Timothy Portnoy
Nestor - John Moskal
Ajax - Dylan Vigus
Andromache - Dana DeRuyck
Helen - Eliza Kiss
Pandarus - Jacques Freydont
Ensemble, Cressida U/S - Christina MacKinnon

The Porters of Hellsgate have chosen the rarely staged Troilus & Cressida as its sixth season opener. This Shakespearean tragedy is often characterized as a problem play because of its inability to fit perfectly into the same boxes as the Bard’s other works and because of the rather unsatisfying ending to the love story of the title characters.

The play takes place as Troy and Greece go to war over Helen, the lovely launcher of countless ships. As back-story, Helen, wife to Menelaus (a Greek), has been abducted by Prince Paris (son of the king of Troy) because of her tremendous beauty. Greece demands her return, but Helen has fallen in love with Paris and refuses to leave. As the play opens, seven years of warfare have gone by and there has been death on both sides. Troilus, a brother to Paris, soon falls in love with Cressida, the daughter of Calchus, a priest who has deserted Troy for the Greeks. Cressida's uncle Pandarus arranges the lovers’ union in the midst of the war.

In an effort to stem further bloodshed, Hector, another brother to Paris and Troilus, challenges the Greeks to send their best man to fight him. This is Achilles, but he is too proud and refuses. They send Ajax in his stead. The fight is a draw as Hector refuses to kill Ajax, his cousin. Eventually, Achilles gives in and agrees to fight Hector, setting up the major battle.

Meanwhile, Agamemnon, the general commander of the Greeks, strikes a deal to exchange a prisoner of war for Cressida, summarily ending her new love affair with Troilus. She and Troilus exchange tokens of each others love and promise to be true as she is taken to her father by Diomedes. Later, Troilus witnesses Cressida agreeing to be Diomedes' mistress and, enraged, vows to defeat him.

Gus Krieger is the standout in this production. He portrays the creepy and repugnant Thersites, a Greek slave and Shakespeare's designated fool. He is sharp-tongued, sarcastic and cruel but completely on point with his observations. Mr. Krieger owns the stage at every entrance and his snarky asides make willing accomplices of the audience.

Other highlights are Eliza Kiss as Helen, Napoleon Tavale as Hector and Matt Calloway as Achilles. Mr. Tavale and Mr. Calloway each cap off formidable performances with a battle sequence containing  the most exciting fight choreography you’ll see in a production of Shakespeare.  Ms. Kiss is perfectly cast as the luminous Helen of Troy, navigating waters from burdened figurehead to giddy lover with a delicate grace and charm.

The play has an abrupt ending, some unanswered questions and characters with whom it is difficult to sympathize. Yet The Porters have handled “the problem play” with aplomb, making Troilus & Cressida the newest notch in their lengthy list of successes.


Troilus & Cressida runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm now through February 19, 2012. Tickets are $20 cash only at the door ($15 for students/seniors). Reservations may be made through Bown Paper Tickets, by phone (818-325-2055) or email (PortersOf Hellsgate@gmail.com).

Directed by Charles Pasternak
Produced by Nick Neidorf, Alex Parker, Thomas Bigley, Gus Krieger, Charles Pasternak
Original music by Nick Neidorf
Costume Designer: Jessica Pasternak
Lighting Design by Sterling Hall
Sound Design by Nick Neidorf
Fight Choreography by Charles Pasternak

The Most Fun Funeral at Westside Comedy Theater

The Most Fun Funeral
Written by Anne Brashier

Westside Comedy Theater
(1323-A 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 90401)

Date of reviewed performance: January 11, 2012

Cast
Anne Brashier

For two nights Anne Brashier remounted her one-woman show (seen most recently at the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival) in an quiet little alleyway comedy club that butts up against the buskers and bustle of the 3^rd Street Promenade. If the venue itself is a study in contradiction, I imagine the bubbly Ms. Brashier felt right at home as she took the stage as the Spectre of Death.

The Most Fun Funeral wears the costume of a game show, hosted by a Death who could just as easily be your Avon lady. With the help of audience interaction, the purpose of Death’s game is to award life’s final moment to a lucky “contestant”. In truth, the contestant is really who this play is about - and Death’s show is far from fun and games. Bit by bit, old wounds break open - and ultimately it is the Reaper who must face the music.

Ms. Brashier is engaging and peppy as Death. She’s great at involving the audience and, on this night, the whole house was with her every step of the way. On occasion she takes a break from the Reaper long enough to play another character, Ophelia (who, one speculates, is far more autobiographical in nature). Watching Ms. Brashier’s characters transition is mesmerizing. It is in the angry, vulnerable Ophelia that she shows her chops as an actress.

The Most Fun Funeral is a tragicomedy stew. It is touching and fun (and funny!). It also needs some fine-tuning. Its main flaw is that the game show set up loses steam once the established story is clearly about Ophelia. I’ll not spoil the ending by going into detail about it here, but (as clever as it is in tying everything together) it leaves the audience a bit bewildered and unsure if the performance is over. Some of that may also be due to the brevity of the piece – at just over 40 minutes long, it feels like it’s over just as it’s beginning.

It’s an intriguing concept with entertaining pieces, performed by a talented actress. It has not yet tapped its full potential, but the promise is definitely there.


The Most Fun Funeral has ended its brief Los Angeles re-staging. For more information about the show and where you may see her next, please visit Ms. Brashier's website: http://annebrashier.com/

Directed by Rendel Leatherman
Produced by Anne Brashier

Bob Cratchit & Mr. Tightwad at Secret Rose Theatre

                                                  Photo by David Sprague

Bob Cratchit & Mr. Tightwad
Book, Music & Lyrics by Katrina Wood

Based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

Secret Rose Theatre
(11246 Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood)

Date of reviewed performance: December 10, 2011

Cast
Ebenezer Scrooge - Chas Mitchell
Bob Cratchit - Foster Walker
Nell - Emily Bridges
Marley's Ghost - Jim Cox
Ghost of Christmas Past, Mr. Fezzywig - Billy Giampaolo
Ghost of Christmas Past, Norman the Ragpicker - Robert Keasler
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Mrs. Fezziwig - Jennifer Potell
Tiny Tim, Young Ebenezer Scrooge - Zachary Rice
Ghost of Christmas Present, Gladys the Ragpicker - Athena Rose
Mrs. Cratchit - Claudia Wit

Charles Dickens's classic fable has been “re-imagined” dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the years by everyone from church congregations to the Muppets. Every holiday season for the past 100 years, you can be sure that someone has promised a twist on the story of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his overnight change of heart.  So it is with this new musical version penned and produced by Katrina Wood. However, the promised “twists” in this incarnation are either barely identifiable or ridiculously absurd. Even the most familiar elements of the show fall somewhere between cringe-worthy and just plain dull.

The mostly-in-period production is narrated by Bob Cratchit (Foster Walker) and he promises us early on that though we’ve heard the tale many times, this time we’ll be getting his point of view.  It turns out that Cratchit’s point of view is exactly like everyone else’s except that his “Ghost of Christmas Present” is inexplicably an 80’s punk rock chick from Liverpool (Athena Rose). The only other difference from this and every other “Christmas Carol” you’ve ever seen is that it is full of new music written specifically for this production. The songs aren’t great or memorable; many vocals are labored or difficult to hear period over the canned music.

The cast performs as if they are aware the show isn’t ready to be up yet. Claudia Wit is the lone stand-out with her solo late in the play as the angry and vengeful Mrs. Cratchit. Her focused and powerful rendering of a woman coming unhinged is the perfect illustration of what is missing from the rest of the show. Dickens was writing about loneliness, cruelty, torment and the power of redemption. It’s a message that gets lost amidst attempts at being clever here.

Bob Cratchit & Mr. Tightwad runs Frdays at 7:30pm December 16, 23 and 30, Saturday at 3:00pm December 17, Saturdays at 2:00pm December 24 and 31, Saturday at 7:30pm December 17, Sunday at 11:00am and 3:00pm December 18 and Thursdays at 7:30pm on December 22 and 29. Tickets are $20 (Seniors $15, Children under 13 $12). Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at www.cratchitmusical.com. For reservations and additional information call 800-838-3006.

Directed by Trace Oakley
Executive Producers: Katrina Wood and Art Wood
Artistic Producer: Barney D. Neeley
Musicial Director: Art Wood
Art Director: Aaron Glazer
Choreography by Colette Brandenburg
Stage Managers: Molly Hale, Joel Johnson and Stephanie Brown
Costume Designer: Taylor Moten

Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) at Sacred Fools Theater

Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)
by Sheila Callaghan


Sacred Fools Theater
(660 N. Heliotrope Drive Los Angeles 90004)


Date of reviewed performance: November 18, 2011


Cast
The Apartment - Brendan Hunt
Mother - Carrie Keranen
Janice - Kate Wronowski
Father, Justin Timberlake, Harrison Ford - John Halbach
Barbara - Alyssa Preston

A one-act play lasting just over an hour, Crumble draws a portrait of a mother and daughter‘s fragmented relationship and mental state in the wake of a tragedy; their deteriorating home serving as a less-than-subtle reflection of their lives.  And while the ladies can only see the differences between themselves, the audience is let in on something the two have in common: fantasy relationships with male celebrities. Enter Justin Timberlake.

Crumble fits as much offbeat oddity as it can into one act. The set is built with slatted walls, draped plastic and torn wallpaper.  Imaginary celebrity love interests notwithstanding, we have a girl exiting her tweens (Kate Wronowski) who is more interested in bombs than in boys, a mother (Carrie Keranen) with a cooking addiction and an aunt (Alyssa Preston) who compensates for the chip on her shoulder by hoarding cats.

Then there is the Apartment (Brendan Hunt).  The Apartment languidly recounts his favorite things about his previous lady tenants one moment and warns the audience that he is about to take necessary (and fatal) action against his current residents the next.  The Apartment is caring and creepy, desperate for companionship yet sociopathic. But what The Apartment wants most is to thrive – and it is this desperation for healing and wholeness that is the play’s overreaching theme.

The women have arrived at their fractured state as a result of losing the husband/father. The reveal of the hows and whys of such loss is the meat of the mother and daughter’s plot so you’ll get no spoilers here.  The Apartment however, with a discernable goal and obstacle, is the only character in the play with a satisfying story arc. None of the characters in this play really do anything, but at least The Apartment tries. The rest of the show is quirky for quirkiness’s sake, which is fun and entertaining at first, but becomes disappointing when the realization hits that nothing is going anywhere.

Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) runs Fridays and Saturdays now through December 17th at 8pm. There is also one remaining Sunday performance on December 18 at 7pm. Tickets are $20 General Admission (Students/Seniors $16). For reservations or additional information, please call 310.281.8337 or visit their website. 


Directed by Jeremy Aluma
Set Design by Staci Walters
Lighting Design by Doug Gabrielle
Sound Design by Daniel Hoal
Costume Design by Chrisy Hauptman
Props Design by Lisa Anne Nicolai