Hamlet The Rock Musial

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
El Portal Theatre
Through February 23

Hamlet The Rock Musical has had a few iterations since it debuted in 1973 with the title Kronberg 1582. It was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where it was part of a larger radio program. In 1976, it ran on Broadway for seven shows as Rockabye Hamlet, and played here at the Odyssey Theatre in 1981 for 18 months as Somethin’ Rockin’ in Denmark. Now retooled, the tale of Danish Prince Hamlet’s quest to avenge the death of his father is gracing the stage at the El Portal for a limited run.

The music and lyrics are by Cliff Jones, with additional music, lyrics and orchestrations by Craig Fair. Bill Castellino helms a cast of 16 that for the most part do a good job with a very hefty line-up of songs. But the production does have its fault lines. With this much singing, there are segments where the vocals aren’t all they should be. In fact, at times the singing is downright flat, while the music all but eclipses the narrative and gravitas of the story (this is Shakespeare, after all!). On balance, however, the ensemble does a good job. The best singing of the evening is done by Fatima El Bashir as Ophelia, who sings like an angel, and Carly Thomas Smith, who plays Gertrude. Also worthy of mention in this regard is Payson Lewis as Hamlet.

The music by the live orchestra is steadfastly superb under music director and conductor Doug Oberhamer, who teams up on keyboards with Anthony Lucca. Other members are Rachel Coosaia (Cello), John Fumo (trumpet), Danielle Ondarza (French horn), Ido Meshulam (trombone), Rich Shaw (bass guitar), Justin Smith (acoustic/electric guitar) and Mark Converse (drums).

Scenic and video design, terrifically done, is by Nick Iwaskow, particularly his highly functional castle façade. Iwaskow teams up with Joan A. Garofalo for an equally fine lighting schema. Credit Leon Rothenberg and Jonathan A. Burke with a very effective sound design. Mylette Nora’s imaginative variety of costumes nicely complements the production.

El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Wed.-Sun., 8 p.m.; through Feb. 23. (818) 508-4200 or https://www.HamletTheRockMusical.com. Running time: two hours with one intermission.

Unraveled

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Sherry Theater
Through December 8

There is no shortage of plays and movies that tackle the subject of a sick and/or aging parent or parents who fall into the care of their adult children. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that is too common nowadays. In Unraveled, Jennifer Blackmer mines this all too familiar ground with an imperfect story about the disintegrating relationship between a mother and daughter brought on by illness.

We meet Joy Gallagher (Meg Wallace) in the opening moments when she delivers an obtuse monologue about the possibility of time travel. Joy is an accomplished, well-regarded professor of physics and philosophy. Simultaneously, we see her mother, Old George (Kathy Bell Denton), garbed in a nightgown and accompanied by her caretaker Heidi (Anna Day), digging in her garden. We know something is wrong when Old George runs off screaming to flash her boobs at a neighbor. Shortly thereafter, we learn that she is suffering from cancer and that chemotherapy has brought on an irreversible state of dementia.

The theme of time travel awkwardly resonates throughout this 90-minute play which is structured and narrated via a series of flashbacks. We see interactions between Joy and Young George (Carolyn Crotty) in happier days and in various stages of life: Joy as a young school girl; as an awkward teen anxious about her upcoming prom; Young George as a single mom going on a date, then attempting to launch a career as a writer; Joy as a professor romantically involved with her T.A., a doctoral student named Michael (Jake Jenson) — this last bit doesn’t add much to the story, and in fact is drearily melodramatic. The lack of focus here is glaring. The constant shifts in time, in conjunction with the awkward “split screen,” are often confusing, and they fail to convincingly or effectively advance a coherent narrative.

In spite of the play’s serious structural problems, what is made apparent is that Joy is a woman who is desperately struggling with personal and career issues, and that the distance between the woman she knew and loved as her mother, and the woman who has now disappeared into the fog of dementia is painfully untraversable.

Cast performances under the direction of Steve Jarrad are all satisfactory.

The Sherry Theater, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Dec. 8. (323) 860-6569 or https://unraveled.bpt.me. Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Defenders

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Broadwater Black Box
Through December 8

On May 10, 1940, Iceland was invaded by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines because the British government feared the possible Nazi takeover of the country. A little over a year later, defense of the country was transferred to the United States. Against this backdrop, Cailin Maureen Harrison tells a story about three U.S. soldiers on a classified mission who are confronted by the powers of nature and myth.

The setting is a small village on the island of Hrísey, off the Icelandic coast, where a ferocious storm is raging. Into a decrepit church arrive Sergeant Frank McKinley (Tavis Doucette), Private Fred LeFleur (Spencer Martin) and Lieutenant Marcus Jansen (Bryan Porter). They are cold, wet, disoriented and, unfortunately, saddled with a broken radio and a machine gun that doesn’t work, all other supplies having been lost in the storm.
Their classified mission requires that they remain on the island. A former Wall Street exec, Jansen, the leader, is all business. McKinley is typical in his proclivity for strictly obeying the orders of superiors, but he also hopes that going along will nudge Jansen to get him a job on Wall Street after the war. Meanwhile, the teenaged LeFleur is from simple Cajun stock; his stated motive for enlisting was to get payback for wounds his father suffered during World War I. He spends nearly all his time trying to fix the broken machine gun.

Soon after, they are visited by islanders Geir Styrsson (John P. Connolly) the local pastor, and his daughter Vigdis (Una Eggerts). This first encounter is bursting with suspicion and violent tension, but as the story progresses, the inhabitants accommodate these “guests” with food, drink, and counsel.

From Styrsson we hear tales about the island’s mysterious past — of pirates who met tragic fates, and the story of the old church, which was once a site of pagan worship. This latter fact presages much of what transpires during the play, as one by one the soldiers experience the inexplicable, and learn that the Nazis — and themselves — aren’t all they are fighting.

There is much to admire about this play, but it is far from effective. The script is burdened with a lot of purposeless dialogue, while the tension that is so artfully established at the outset by director Reena Dutt gradually goes into a deep wane, and the supernatural goings-on which transpire throughout are not all utilized to good outcome. Performances, on balance, are good (Connolly is exceptional). Jesse Mandapat’s sound design is very effective, as is Dominik Krzanowski’s lighting schema.

The Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; Mon., 8 p.m.; through Dec. 8. www.Onstage411.com/defenders or (323) 960-5770. Running time: one hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.

In Circles

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
Through November 10

Gertrude Stein was a poet, novelist, essayist and playwright who is generally regarded as one of the more influential female writers of the 20th century. Her style was anything but conventional, and we have her to thank for such pithy expressions as “a rose is a rose is a rose” and “there is no there there.”

The Obie Award–winning In Circles first premiered in New York in 1967 and was adapted from Stein’s 1920 composition A Circular Play: A Play in Circles by Al Carmines who composed the music for Stein’s libretto.

Like her other dramatic works (which the author preferred to call “landscapes”), it’s an eccentric piece that might not appeal to everyone. Stein is cryptic and nonsensical, and the volley of words, expressions, puns and allusions that seem to come out of nowhere can make for frustrating listening. But for those who are familiar with her work, it offers entertainment and laughs, augmented by the buzzing energy and imagination of veteran director David Schweizer.

In Circles is structured as a series dance and musical vignettes looped into each other — but which don’t seem have any connection. Each is, well, like a complete circle — a batch of enigmatic parcels as quirky as the author herself.

As the play opens, Stein (Jacque Lynn Colton) is seated center stage, alternating between periods of quiet reflection and turning the pages of a book while a character named Dole (musical director Kenneth J. Grimes) plays the piano. She is soon joined onstage by seven barefoot performers: P.T. Mahoney, Chloe Haven, Shelby Corley, Henry Arber, Ashlee Dutson, Aaron Jung, and Kyle G. Fuller. They are all attired in white, the women in dresses, and the men in a variety of pants and coat combinations (simple, but attractive costuming by Ann Cross-Farley). This makes for a visually striking contrast with a stage painted completely red.

Accompanied by Grimes on the piano, they sing and dance their way through songs with such odd titles as “Papa Dozes…Mama Blows her Noses,” “Messages are Received,” “Believe Me to Be an Offender” and “Writing to a Girl.” Grimes doesn’t miss a note during this 80-minute piece, which showcases a variety of music and dance styles. The ensemble is quite good, their performance augmented by the slick choreography (Kate Coleman). Equally impressive is Chu-Hsuan Chang’s lighting schema.

Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Sawtelle; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 16 & 23, 8 p.m.; Thurs., Sep. 26, 8 p.m.; through Nov. 10. (310) 477-2055, ext. 2 or www.OdysseyTheatre.com. Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission.

Our Lady Of 121^st Street

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Loft Ensemble
Through September 15

Stephen Adly Guirgis has a knack for scripting characters that “stick” with you, and a keen ear for dialogue that is, by turns, wrenching and humorous. In this dramedy, Guigis creates a gallery of raucous misfits who are brought together by the death of a beloved (and feared) mentor, teacher and friend.

The story takes place in an urban New York City funeral home and its surrounding environs, with the deceased being the beloved Sister Rose. The problem for the mourners is that someone has absconded with the nun’s body, and apparently also stolen the pants off Vic (Marc LeClerc), who is first seen on stage in gaudy-colored underwear, raving like a madman to Balthazar (Ela Castillo), an alcoholic cop who has arrived to investigate the crime. Of course, the funeral is delayed until the corpse can be recovered, which provides the opportunity for reminiscing and emotional confrontations among those who have gathered for the service.

These include Rooftop (Chris Oliver), a deejay who comes across as more of a veteran street hustler; his emotionally damaged ex-wife Inez (Nandi Chapman); Flip (LA’Vel Stacy), a closeted lawyer, and his actor/lover Gail, who’s a flaming queen (Ignacio Navarro); Marcia (Nora Yessayan), sister Rose’s frail niece; Norca (Zenarra James), a lesbian with a planet-sized bad attitude; the diminutive Sonia (Paige Gallagher); Lady Father Lux (Barbera Ann Howard), a burned out cleric who is confined to a wheelchair; Edwin (Noah Copfer); and Pinky (Ben Anderson), his brain-damaged brother whom he cares for.

Guirgis tells this story using a series of vignettes driven by gritty, sometimes profanity-laced dialogue. Most of them are funny and compelling. We learn about lives, past and present, and animosities and secrets — but we don’t really learn a lot about Rose’s impact on these characters. In fact, the “whodunit” element of the plot recedes into the background, and never really gets resolved, while the finale is somewhat of an aborted catharsis. But it isn’t until the short second act that things start to wear thin, and the static nature of the play makes itself felt.

One of the funniest vignettes is when Rooftop visits the confessional (after a 15-year lapse), lights up a blunt, and hilariously parleys with Lady Father Lux (who, when visiting a bar, says of God, “He spends more time here than he does next door.” Another knee-slapping segment builds around Flip and Gail’s attempt to negotiate the boundaries and proprieties of their relationship.

The production showcases some good performances. Director Adam Chambers infuses a palpable and compelling hip-hop aesthetic via dance and music, and it all nimbly unfolds on Madilyn Durrie’s simple yet effective urban-inspired set, accentuated with red brick, graffiti, and street signs.

Loft Ensemble, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Sep. 15. www.loftensemble.org or (818) 452-3153. Running time: two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.