The Empire Strips Back

Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Montalbán Theatre
Through Jan. 8

RECOMMENDED

Ranging from the hypnotic to the hilarious, the sublime to the silly, director Russell S. Beattie’s loving burlesque lampoon of the Star Wars movie canon offers up a bevy of ecdysiasts displaying a different way of The Force. Depicting various classic characters, the show highlights the balletic and gymnastic talent of these gorgeous gals – and the few guys – but also offers some of that traditional bump and grind endemic to the fine art of strip tease. It is great fun for the whole family – if the family is 18 and over.

The proverbial rolling screen credits start the show, informing us that Luke, Leia, and the rest of the rebels have escaped the Evil Empire and high-tailed it to a more suitable star system. After the screen fades to black, a mysterious helmeted Rebel Alliance fighter enters from the shadows astride an exhausted tauntaun. After she dismounts and starts her racy routine, her disabled steed expires. Well, what’s a poor girl to do after she has stripped down to her skivvies on the frozen planet Hoth?  Happy entrails to you.

We then meet emcee Eric Calrissian (Eric Newton), a last-minute replacement for his uncle Lando, who is out shooting a Colt 45 commercial. He may not be as suave as his elder relative, but Eric is a whole lot funnier. Introducing each act with quick wit and risqué repartee to pump up the boisterous crowd, Eric keeps the show going at its energetic pace.

There is a novel spin involving Luke’s beloved speeder from the first – or is it the IVth? – movie, Boba Fett shedding a jet pack – and more – to a fitting “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, and, apparently inspired by Busby Berkeley, Mel Brooks, and Ice Capades, the precision goose-stepping of some sexy Storm Troopers. A statuesque Darth Vader makes an alluring appearance and not as Luke’s daddy, a robed Jedi gracefully disrobes all while exhibiting entrancing light saber skills, and Han Solo’s and Chewbacca’s breakdancing chops are a revelation in more ways than one. Even Emperor Palpatine gets into the act with a side-splitting display of “the raw power of the force.”   

There are tender moments as well, such as skull-tendrilled twin Twi’leks and their mesmerizing pas de dux, with their sinuous intertwining of arms and legs mirroring each other’s sultry moves and crafting an erotic tension between them. To the rapturous strains of Rhianna’s “Diamonds,” the white-clad Princess Leia moves with gymnastic poise, enchanting a loyal R2D2 who accompanies her and who ultimately shows his appreciation in true strip show fashion.

Choreographers Lisa Toyer and James Barry do laudable work with a gifted team of dancers and background performers. Prior to the show and during intermission we are treated to amusing uncredited video ads for various intergalactic commodities, with one showing a cute little Ewok in some enchanting situations. You don’t want to miss them.

Beattie’s starry production elements, psychedelic strobe and stage lights, and strategic song selections befitting many a strip club, enhance the overall audacity of the event. And while there is no show program to credit the cast and crew, suffice to say that all involved – from performers to designers and everyone in between – deliver a work that boldly goes . . . oh, that’s from that other franchise . . . is out of the galaxy far, far away.

Montalbán Theatre, 1614 Vine St., Hollywood.; Thurs-Fri.; 8 p.m.; Sat., 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.; Sun.; 7 p.m., through Jan. 8.; NOTE: 18 and over. https://feverup.com/m/119016  Running time 2 hours, including 15 min. intermission.

Invincible

Reviewed by Taylor Kass
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Through Dec. 18

 RECOMMENDED

In its world premiere production at The Wallis Annenberg directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, Romeo and Juliet is told through the lens of another legendary duo: 80’s rock legend Pat Benatar and her husband and guitarist Neil Giraldo. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have been making music together for decades, inspiring Invincible book writer Bradley Bredeweg to find parallels between their hit songs and the plot of Romeo and Juliet. While Benatar and Giraldo’s songs are excellently performed with the necessary dynamism to make this jukebox musical a hit, they don’t provide a new or necessary interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.

In Invincible’s dystopian Verona, Lords Capulet and Montague have both been killed in a civil war for control of the city, leaving Paris in charge. The Capulets have seized power and the Montagues are reduced to second class citizens protesting in the streets. There are so many alterations, both minor and major, to the original plot of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that Invincible seems held back by its source material. Invincible compresses or skips over key moments in the story (like the lovers’ first encounter, the balcony scene, Romeo’s clash with Paris, and the final moments in the Capulet crypt) in favor of incorporating more songs. Ultimately, the book’s discordant blend of present-day language and Shakespeare’s original text clash with the show’s most engaging element – the show stopping musical numbers sung by a cast of incredible vocalists.

Khamary Rose and Kay Sibal as Romeo and Juliet respectively are pop-rock perfection, nailing Benatar’s signature belty sound while incorporating a musical theatre-style sweetness. Sibal in particular stands out in her ability to sing an incredibly demanding score while acting through every moment – a true accomplishment in a jukebox musical. In fact, the entire cast is stacked with some of the best singers one can find on an LA stage, creating an unforgettable and powerful wall of sound. Galen Hooks’ athletic yet precise choreography adds ‘80’s flair and keeps the energy high.

Benatar and Giraldo have been personally involved with Invincible since its inception – they actually sent a cease and desist to the first workshop (which conflicted with another theatre piece they were developing) before changing their minds and blessing the project. If anything, Invincible’s greatest weakness may be in its stellar and faithful execution of Benatar and Giraldo’s music – the show leans more toward concert than musical and has little in common with Romeo and Juliet except for its pair of star-crossed lovers. However, it’s so fun that even the most faithful Shakespeare fans will forgive.

Bram Goldsmith Theatre at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Tues. – Sun. 7:30 p.m.; Sat. – Sun. 7 p.m.; through Dec. 18. https://thewallis.org/love or 310.746.4000. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission.

Winter Wishes

Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
Theatre West
Through Dec. 11

RECOMMENDED

A dozen skilled performers romp through some 30 holiday-themed and mostly traditional ditties in this seasonal cabaret, thoughtfully staged by Victoria Lavan Liberty. I have to admit to a certain squeamishness at hearing Richard Berent’s “A Kids Forever” and “Wihla Hutson and Alfred Burt’s “Some Children See Him.” The former is nicely crooned by Cody Kelepolo; the latter by Amanda Boutaud, Scottie Nevil, Zoe Miner and Alyssa Rupert: These are songs in which children commit to believing in Santa, despite evidence to the contrary. Not sure that in our era of QAnon, that celebrating — almost defiantly — fact-free realities is the best lesson, but that’s probably over-thinking things.

There are several star turns in this show, but the shiniest stars have to be sound designer David P. Johnson, and musical director Paul Cady who leads (on keyboard) a five piece band (Bill van Ravensberg, on bass; Pete Snell on guitar; Jim Varley on bass and Mara Wells on harmonica) with impeccable sensitivity to musical balance and intonation. 

The group vocal dynamics are gorgeous. And for the solos, several of the performers open with personal stories (Tessa Bell is credited as writing consultant.) To demonstrate at least some religious diversity, Stella Grimaldi, Boutaud and Nevil serve up a moving rendition of Steve Young and Stephen Schwartz’s “The Chanukah Song (We Are Light),” while the full ensemble bounces through Debbie Friedman’s irredeemably silly “The Latke Song.”

Harleigh Ford brings things down to Earth with a richly-toned interpretation of David Foster and Linda Thompson Jenner’s “Grown Up Christmas List” — world peace and human kindness being on that list. Constance Mellors (with Boutaud, Nevil and Zoe Miner) headlines a sassy rendition of Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer’s “Santa Baby.” Luis Anduaga does an effective Travolta-turn in Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” while Van Duzer brings crooner gravitas to Robert Wells’s and Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” (”Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”). 

Things get more textured in Act 2, with songs about longing and loneliness — particularly with Leonard Cohen’s bittersweet “Hallelujah,” tenderly wrought by Kelepolo, Anduaga, Van Duzer and Robert W. Laur. For me, the show’s high point is Joni Mitchell’s lament, “River,” interpreted by Grimaldi with pinpoint artistry. 

That river keeps rolling along — to paraphrase another song — and it would be dishonest to celebrate yet another holiday season without peppering some regret into the otherwise buoyant seasonal nostalgia. It’s an unspoken truth, a kind of pact that this company honors.

Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West; LA; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm; thru Dec. 11. https://theatrewest.org. Running time, 2 hours with an intermission.  

A Patsy Cline Holiday Concert

Reviewed by Dana Martin
Sierra Madre Playhouse
Through December 23

RECOMMENDED

Cori Cable Kidder is channeling the star power of country music icon Patsy Cline at the Sierra Madre Playhouse this holiday season. A Patsy Cline Holiday Concert promises the most wholesome two hours of country music crooning this side of anywhere.

Music director San Paxton weaves in a decent amount of Christmas music without detracting from Cline’s signature tunes. The show is lengthy; 26 songs on the set list. The first act is long but lively, subtly suggesting Patsy’s younger years. The second act finds a more subdued and mature aspect of her persona. The band — Sean Paxton (piano), Mike Flick (Bass), Jim Miller (drums) and Kevin Tiernan (guitar) — work well together to bring the honky-tonk to us. There are some rocky transitions that will no doubt smooth over time.

Cori Cable Kidder is the embodiment of the iconic late singer — a sweet spitfire with incredible vocal ability. She emulates the richness and nuance of Cline’s delivery, with plenty of yodeling, vocal slides and twangy country crooning. Like Cline, she emotionally connects to the songs she sings. Kidder finds pleasant-if-timid banter with the audience that loosens up over the course of the evening. She finds fleeting moments of Cline’s brashness with the band and keeps the evening moving swiftly and sweetly, throwing in facts and quips about Cline’s life between torch songs and Christmas carols. Kidder properly wins over the audience with her innate Southern charm, her inviting presence and especially her commanding vocals.

Orlando de la Paz’ set design is a satisfying blend of holiday coziness and country music concert. The band takes up most of the stage, backlit by a star drop. The proscenium is bordered with painted holly and gives off vintage vibes. The sides of the stage are set for Cline to sit and croon by the fire or the radio, reminiscent of an old-time television special. Derek Jones’ lighting design adds richness and movement to the festive mood.

Sound engineer David Peters does his best to keep the vocals front and center. The sound is mostly well-mixed, though it does get a bit messy in the livelier songs when the drums are at full volume. There’s audible feedback coming from one of the speakers — a constant hiss that’s distracting to say the least.  It’s indecipherable when the music is playing but competes with the performer in quieter moments.

Patsy Cline, the self-taught, self-made crooning queen of country music had several hits throughout her short career, including “Crazy” by a young Willie Nelson, “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “I Fall to Pieces”. She died tragically in a plane crash on the way home from a performance in Kansas City, Missouri in 1963. A Patsy Cline Holiday Concert starring Cori Cable Kidder properly rings in the holiday season, and celebrates Patsy Cline as a loveable, larger-than-life persona with formidable talent and a lasting legacy.

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Fri.- Sat.; 8 p.m., Sun., 2:30 p.m.; thru Dec. 23. (626) 355-4318 or sierramadreplayhouse.org. Running time: two hours with one 15-minute intermission.

All Is True, or Henry VIII

Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
Porters of Hellsgate
Through Dec. 5

RECOMMENDED

Confession: In all my years of reviewing theater, this is the first production I’ve ever seen of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII originally titled All is True, co-written (somebody thinks, who knows?) with Shakespeare’s peer, John Fletcher. It’s the last history play penned or co-penned by the Bard, and it’s a bit of a mess, structurally, which is likely the reason it’s staged so rarely.

The play contrasts reckless and relentless ambition with the brand of conscience that embodies compassion. In this it echoes the same themes lodged within Macbeth, Measure for Measure, Richard III, Henry V and As You Like It.

Porters of Hellsgate stages the play in a modern dress, remedial yet powerful fashion in one of the small theaters of the Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center in North Hollywood. Director Will Block’s set contains white silky drapes hanging from the sky around a single throne.

I admit to a certain trepidation about risking the time on a three-hour production of a little-known Elizabethan history play, particularly if, say, the actors don’t know their way around the challenging language or the style.

The prologue is delivered by Brittany Pirozzoli (who also plays the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cranmer). After hearing her first lines, and watching her comportment, my anxiety subsided a bit with the underlying faith that, maybe, just maybe, these people know what they are doing.  

For the full review, see Theater Feature

Porters of Hellsgate at the Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center, 11006 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood; in rep; through Dec. 5. https://brownpapertickets.com/event/5587541, Running time three hours with one intermission  

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
Theatre 40 at Greystone Mansion
Through January 22 

RECOMMENDED

When two parents (who also happen to be White progressives) are blindsided when their daughter brings home her Black fiancé, they are put to the ultimate test. The story itself is familiar for a few reasons. One being that it is adapted from William Rose’s screenplay of the 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier. Secondly, it is still timely as this brand of subterranean bigotry still exists. Written by Todd Kreidler, the play captures the social and cultural gap between Black and White Americans in an honest way. It is so honest that at times it can feel uncomfortable as the reality is right in your face. Matt Drayton (Larry Eisenberg) imagines what would happen to his daughter, Joanna (Abigail Stewart), if she were to marry Dr. John Prentice (Marc Antonio Pritchett) and be seen in public with him. He fears that she would be harmed due to her husband being a Black man. He uses this belief to support his reasons for being hesitant to give the relationship his blessing. Just as he does this, Dr. John Prentice’s family share their concerns as well.

One thing that stands out in this production, capably staged by Cate Caplin,  is just how well the opposing sides are developed. The Drayton family doesn’t want them to marry just as much as the Prentice family. Because the sides are so clear, the unfortunate truth of racism, and what can happen as a result, is often at the center of the show. For instance, John Prentice Sr. (Frederick Dawson) does a great job of showing just how disappointed and fearful he is for his son and what could happen to him if he were to marry a White woman. When seeing this show, it reminds me how much race plays a role in so many areas of our lives. Whether it be facing judgment of who you fall in love with or even what job you’re expected to hold; judgment solely based on your skin tone has been a part of the world since the beginning of time. The play itself has a kind of brutal candor with just enough humor sprinkled in to carry you through.

Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills. Opens Sat., Jan. 14; Sat., 7 pm, Sun., 2 pm, Thurs., Jan 19., 7 pm; thru Jan. 22. https://theatre40.org

The Brothers Paranormal

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
East West Players
Through December 11

RECOMMENDED

Everyone knows that a good ghost story needs to be scary, but to be a great ghost story, it needs to move its audience as well. Where would The Sixth Sense be without the Bruce Willis character slowly realizing his fate or The Haunting of Hill House be without poor, doomed Eleanor? There have to be emotional stakes for the viewers to walk out of the theater haunted. Playwright Prince Gomolvilas understands this, and his play The Brothers Paranormal is as affecting as it is spooky. The L.A. premiere of the show at East West Players is superb, and expertly delivers all the scares and surprises that the bigger budgeted and more advertised supernatural production currently at the Ahmanson, 2:22, attempts but can’t quite achieve.

Brothers Max (David Huynh) and Visarut (Roy Vongtama) are sharing a home with their mother, Tasanee (Emily Kuroda), the latter two getting over mental issues or substance abuse. In an attempt to fix the family’s financial problems, Max has started a paranormal business with his sibling, purporting to debunk or solve any ghost-related difficulties. The fact that Max doesn’t believe in ghosts isn’t an issue; Visarut does and is the technical expert. They get their first paying job when Delia (Tamika Simpkins) and her husband Felix (Jasper Howard) hire them to get rid of a female Asian ghost that only Delia sees in their apartment. Max feels slightly guilty taking advantage of someone he’s sure is just delusional, but soon realizes he’s adrift in deeper, more treacherous waters than he ever imagined.

Huynh is convincing and amusing in portraying Max’s façade of smartass disbelief, but he’s even better at conveying moments of powerful revelation. Vongtama brings a feeling of quiet dignity to the less vocal Visarut, and his handling of a scene in which he gently encourages someone in crisis is very effective. Kuroda is charming as Tasanee, chiding but always supporting Max. Simpkins has a lot of the heavy lifting to do, acting-wise, as the one person who sees the ghost, but she manifestly has the talent to pull it off, demonstrating the sheer terror her character is experiencing. Finally, Howard is terrific as Felix, just as good in monologues about jazz performances as he is when passionately defending his wife.

Director Jeff Liu does an impressive job of balancing the dramatic needs of the play with the visceral requirements for a ghost story, and he has at least a couple of theatrical set pieces in which he pulls out all the stops in very satisfying fashion. John Iacovelli’s scenic design is ingenious in ways I can’t go into here, ably abetted by Brian Gale’s lighting and Da Xu’s sound designs. One of the wonders of Gomolvilas’s play is that it would still be compelling and interesting if you removed the supernatural element from it, which is a rare feat that only films such as Hereditary could claim. His dialogue is sharp and funny, his characters are vivid and complex, and when the paranormal makes its presence known, nobody in the play remains unchanged.

 David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso Street., Los Angeles; Thurs.-Fri.  8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; through December 11. www.eastwestplayers.org. Running time: two hours with one intermission.

Broken Story

Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Sherry Theater
Through Nov. 27

RECOMMENDED

In the summer of 1971, the wife of wealthy Manhattan real estate developer Johnny Klein mysteriously disappeared. Jane Hartman (Lynn Adrianna Freedman), a potboiler novelist and daughter of a Mob boss, was Johnny’s best friend and a stalwart defender of him during the fiasco, which went far in keeping Johnny from being indicted. Tabloid fodder at the time, the case made a lasting impression on Jane’s fan, Jess (Lindsay Danielle Gitter), since for years it was the subject of many a cocktail party conversation at her parents’ Upper East Side home while she was growing up. Jess has always felt an odd kinship for Jane, obsessively absorbing her books and any information on her.

Now, it’s the late 1990s, and as the original case has been reopened, Jane has been murdered, one gunshot to the back of the head in her Beverly Canyon home – on Christmas Eve no less. A botched robbery? A Mob hit? An even richer Johnny? Jess, now an intrepid journalist, of course hops on the first flight to Los Angeles. Thus begins the unraveling of a decades’ old mystery, based on serial killer Robert Durst and writer Susan Berman, with the requisite twists, suspects, and secrets, in playwright Cyndy A. Marion’s engaging reflection on love, jealousy, and mass media manipulation. 

Jess finds the door to Jane’s shambolic house unlocked and she is soon joined by Jane’s manager Kip (a suitably skittish David Hunter, Jr.) and best friend Darby (Liana Aráuz exhibiting comedic aplomb). As Jess questions the dodgy duo and they her, the reporter begins piecing the puzzle together, aided by the spectre of Jane. With Jess’s editor (a stoic Rod Sweitzer) being another fly in the ointment, it is all for Jess to keep herself together as she wades through the increasing morass.

Marion lays out her plot through noirish flashbacks and dream sequences, as well as Jess’s reality and imagination. While some of Marion’s storytelling gets confusing and far-fetched – LAPD can be derelict in duty, but one would think locking a crime scene door and window would be SOP – director Tamara Ruppart and her cast make it more plausible by their commitment to their roles and material, especially Freedman and Gitter.

Katelyn Braymer’s lighting design helps, as Jess’s reality as well as Kip’s and Darby’s flashbacks are brightly lit, and Jess’s imaginings and dreams are dimmer. The back walls of Andis Gjoni’s set are plastered with varied-sized plywood triangles that accentuate the shattered lives of all involved. A small stage can be challenging for staging, but Ruppart efforts are inventive and her actors, for the most part, nimbly maneuver the cozy mise en scène.

The Sherry Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hollywood; Fri.-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Nov. 27. www.onstage411.com. Running time 85 minutes with no intermission.

PODCAST: Stages of Our City: Episode 23: “The Inheritance,” at the Geffen; “2:22 – A Ghost Story” at the Ahmanson; and a pair of immersive shows

Produced by Julia Stier

In Issue 23, Dana Martin and Socks Whitmore talk about “The Inheritance” at the Geffen; 2:22 – A Ghost Story” at the Ahmanson and two immersive shows, one of them featuring Socks as a performer

In Issue 22, Socks Whitmore and Steven Leigh Morris discuss Jagged Little Pill at the Pantages, Oklahoma! at the Ahmanson, and 13 (Panic Productions at the Simi Valley Performing Arts Center)

In Issue 21, California State Senator Anthony Portantino, (D) 25th District, discusses why he authored State Senate Bill 1116, the latest legislative attempt to aid small args orgs in the wake of the pandemic and AB5, and he hopes to “get it across the finish line.”

Issue 20 returns to the Ahmanson for Julia Stier’s take on “Dear Evan Hansen”; coverage of two theaters on Melrose Avenue — Amanda L. Andrei saw the SheLA Festival at the Zephyr, while Steven Leigh Morris saw “The Beautiful People” produced by Rogue Machine at the Matrix; Julia was at the opening of “Freestyle Love Supreme” at the Pasadena Playhouse, and also caught a Fringe Festival exended show “Di Lady Di” at the Broadwater (which continues at the Broadwater July 22-23).

In Issue 19, Socks Whitmore takes a deep dive into the waters of “Dear Even Hansen” (currently at the Ahmanson), and the polarized reactions to the Broadway musical as well as the feature film. They also look back on “To T or Not to T” at the Kirk Douglas.

In Part 2 of Episode 18, Joseph and Dana review “Pain in My Aspergers,” “What About Dad?” “Vincero: The Italian Opera Experience,” “Toughest Man in Chicago,” “Cassandra,” “My Names is Thileepan,” and “The Great Satan Speaks”

In Part 1 of Episode 18, Inger and Socks review “Dead Skin (A Queer Australian Play)”, “Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)” “Battle Song of Boudica,” “Your Own Crown,” “Something in the Air” and “Mr. Malcolm’s Music Factory”

Correction to Part 1: “Battle Song of Boudica” was written, directed and had a production design by Christopher William Johnson, not by Jen Albert as stated in the podcast.

In Part 2 of Episode 17, Inger, Taylor and Dana review the following shows: “Shoobop-Dubay-Had,” “The Pale Gypsies Traveling Musical Revue,” “Tree,” “Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy,” “Teaching a Robot to Love”, “Mr Chonkers,” “Steps of Glory,” and “Abortion Weekend”

In Part 1 of Episode 17, Socks, Julia and Steven review: “asexuality, the solo musical!”, “Who’s Afraid of David Lynch?”, “Dismissed,” “Grief: A One Man ShitShow,” “Tales of the Transcestors,” “Housewife ’52,” “Sunday Night at Jane’s,” “4 Seasons Total Sh!tshow” and more

In Pat 2 of Episode 16, Dana and Julyza talk about “The Ramón Show: Spirtual Cheerleading,” “Tommy Cooper, I didn’t Let You Down Did I?,” “Signals,” “Dog,” “Hot Stuff,” “Noone Will Be Immune,” “Not That Illegal,” and “Made in America”

In Part 1 of Epiosde 16, Socks and Joseph Discuss the following Fringe shows: “A Dream at the End of Time,” The Bearer of Bad News,” “Buskers Ball,” “Love Chicken,” “The Legend of D.C. Colorado,” “Authentic Self,” “Becoming Austin Nation,” and “Flamencodanza”

In Episode 15, Socks and Amanda talk about “Man of God” (Geffen Playhouse), “Hamlet” (Antaeus) and Taper-bound “King James,” which Amanda saw at Steppenwolf in Chicago.

In Episode 14, Inger, Terry and Steven go back-and-forth on “King Lear” at the Wallis, “Tambo & Bones” at the Kirk Douglas, and “Mama, Mama, Can’t You See” (Coin & Ghost)

In Episode 13, Julyza and Dana discuss “Hadestown” at the Ahmanson, “Live at the Purple Lounge” (about female standups at the Beverly Hills Playhouse), and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (Geffen)

In Episode 12: Julia Socks and Steven discuss “Hadestown” at the Ahmanson; “Blues for an Alabama Sky (just closed at the Taper), “A Death Defying Escape” at the Hudson; “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at the Geffen; “Bright Half Life” at the Road; and “Three Tables (Padua Playwrights at the Zephyr)

In Episode 11, comedian, Tony Award-winning and Drama Desk Award recipient Paul Sand — now entering his 10th decade in life — has written a play (“The Pilot Who Crashed the Party”) and is directing a workshop production at the Odyssey Theatre, April 29-May 1 only! He discusses the play with Steven Leigh Morris, and how the theater and TV have changed since he appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore show in the 1970s.

In Episode 10, Katie, Joseph and Steven Leigh Morris discuss: L.A. productions of “A Heated Discussion” (Robey Theatre Company), “The Unsackable Man” (Zombie Joe’s Underground), “A Doll’s House, Part 2” (International City Theatre), AND, out of town, Lady Gaga at the Dolby Theatre/MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and “A Strange Loop” (Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington D.C., now on Broadway)

In Episode 9, Inger and Martin discuss Blues for an Alabama Sky (Mark Taper Forum), a workshop production of a new musical, Stalled (Pacific Resident Theatre), The Play You Want (Road Theatre Company), On the Other Hand, We’re Happy (Rogue Machine), The Concrete Jungle (Loft Ensemble) and L.A. Now and Then (Group Rep)

Note: The podcast reportage on On the Other Hand, We’re Happy at Rogue Machine claims that the show has closed. However, it’s has been extended through May 8. 

In Episode 8, Amanda and Julyza on Blues for an Alabama Sky (Mark Taper Forum)  In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play (Open Fist Theatre), On the Other Hand, We’re Happy (Rogue Machine), Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies (Echo Theater Company), Bridging the Gap (Black Creators Collaborative), and Bangin’ It (La Jolla Playhouse)

In Episode 7, Dana and V discuss  In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play (Open Fist Theatre), Can’t Pay? Don’t Pay! (The Actors’ Gang), The Path to Catherine (Write Act Rep), The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience (Biltmore Millennium), Trayf (Geffen Playhouse), Death to Realism (Tyler Nacho)

In Episode 6, Julia and Iris discuss “Ann” (Pasadena Playhouse), “The Lehman Trilogy” (Ahmanson), “Silent Sky” (Theatre 40), “At Jenna Fischer” (Hyperion Theatre,” “On the Other Hand, We’re Happy” (Rogue Machine), plus SLM on “Can’t Pay? Don’t Pay! at Actors’ Gang.

In Episode 5, Martin and Terry discuss “Detained” “Endgame,” “The Play You Want,” “Little Parts,” “In the Next Room,” and Steven comments on “The Hall of Final Ruin.”

In Epiode 4, Socks, Joseph and Steven discuss Caligari’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Bronwell and the Brontes, A Little Night Music, Jonathan Livingston Seagull,and more . . .

In Episode 3, Ryan and Dana discuss “Abbale,” “Cages,” “What I Learned in Paris,” and more . . .

In Episode 2, Inger and Julia discuss All’s Well That Ends Well at A Noise Within, Slave Play at the Taper, and more . . .

In Episode 1, Julyza Commodore and Terry Morgan discuss Slave Play at the Mark Taper Forum; Umoja, Black Creators Collective at the Will Agee Playhouse (Inglewood); Power of Sail at the Geffen Playhouse; and How We Got On at Sacred Fools Theatre

The Penelopiad

Reviewed by Amanda L. Andrei
City Garage Theatre
Through Dec. 18

RECOMMENDED

What is the duty of a queen to protect her realm? What are the consequences of sacrificing others to protect yourself?

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, adapted from her 2005 novella of the same name, provides the perspective of Penelope, queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus, as she reflects in Hades over the execution of 12 beloved maidservants upon her husband’s return—the dire price for keeping invasive suitors at bay.

More of a spinoff than an adaptation, the play is ambitious and messy (much like The Odyssey itself), feeling more like collaged narration until the second act, when Odysseus (played by the staunch Emily Asher Kellis) arrives home. While this structure is intentional (the novella itself takes inspiration from Greek dramatic structure, with Penelope monologuing while the Chorus interrupts her through different musical genres), the heroine’s language sounds more literary, describing past actions and interiority instead of present conflict, leading to a lulled pace that picks up either when the Chorus transforms into beautiful stage images, or Odysseus’s arrival puts an end to the kingdom’s chaos.

And the Chorus is beautiful. To see a cast of 13 women onstage is a delight, and to see 11 of them (Emily Asher Kellis, Courtney Brechemin, Marie Paquim, Angela Beyer, Kat Johnston, Marissa Ruiz, Léa De Carmo, Loosema Hakverdian, Mary Egan, Devin Davis-Lorton, Lindsey Plake) metamorphose into a raft of ducks, a ship, a group of weavers, a pair of sacrificial animals, and more — feels like a modern yet anciently rooted Chorus at its best and is a credit to Frédérique Michel’s choreography and direction. Occasionally they burst into song (arranged by Devin Davis-Lorton, Marissa Ruiz, and Kat Johnston), which feels tonally jarring with a rap number, but otherwise alternating between mournful, mocking, and melancholy lullabies and ballads.

Watching and moving among this sea of women are the Penelope narrators: Peggy Flood as a deadpan and sardonic spirit, pressed into her coolly bitter state after twenty years of abandonment and waiting, observing Younger Penelope (Lindsey Plake) as the memory of a naïve and hopeful teen bride. Younger Penelope faces frustration with her lascivious cousin, Helen (Marie Paquim), that woman with the face that launched a thousand ships, and Eurycleia (Geraldine Fuentes), the loyal yet patronizing nursemaid of Odysseus.

The collateral damage adds up. In Homer’s version, Odysseus orders the execution of 12 maidservants for their debauchery with the suitors. In Atwood’s version, the rationale for their behavior comes from Penelope’s orders for the maids to keep the suitors at bay with “enticing arts” and any means necessary to allow her to weave and unweave a funerary shroud. Upon completion of the shroud on a spiderweb-shaped loom (cleverly designed by Charles Duncombe, giving homage to the myth of Arachne and Athena), she signals her availability as a marriageable commodity, hence her cunning plot to unravel it each night. Unfortunately, her mandate to the maids leads to a disturbingly stylized group assault scene, after which Penelope asks her maids to “bear it a little longer.”

At this point, I lost respect and sympathy for the Ithacan queen and deeply questioned the politics of this play. Perhaps I am biased by my exposure to The Handmaid’s Tale as both novel and television series, feeling too saturated by Atwood’s particular recurring motifs of violence to receive this image on stage instead of a page or screen. While I believe that theater at its best should trigger catharsis, the live performance of such an act and subsequent (lack of) aftermath or victims’ voices leads me to ask: Is this subversive or gratuitous? Is this depiction a message about the cruelty of women to each other within decades of senseless patriarchal war and waiting? If so, does it oust empathy and solidarity for shocking sexual violence, or does it have the effect of spurring the audience to question injustice and double standards?

Perhaps similar questions haunt Atwood’s Penelope as well. Whether queen or ghost, she shows us that (in)action has consequences, and mere contemplation on atrocities can only take us so far.

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