Radio Golf

Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
A Noise Within
Thru November 13

RECOMMENDED

What’s the price of progress? August Wilson’s 2005 Radio Golf asks this question, as the final installment of his Century Cycle, representing cultural changes in Pittsburgh during the 1990s. With Harmond Wilks (Christian Telesmar) campaigning to become Mayor and having his own personal aspirations, he is quickly met with conflict when Elder Joseph Barlow (Alex Morris) comes to his office with a complaint regarding his house that Harmond just may be able to solve, but not without having his integrity tested.

Wilson’s plays remain strikingly relevant. Directed by Gregg T. Daniel, this production does a wonderful job of emphasizing the timeless conflict between the newer generation of Black Americans and the older generation who see “progress” as two very different things. The argument is presented through the characters of Mame Wilks (Sydney A.Mason) and Roosevelt Hicks (DeJuan Christopher), ambitious, and wanting a piece of the American Dream as it has been sold to them through the lens of gentrification. On the other hand, there is Elder Joe Barlow and Sterling Johnson (Matt Orduña) who are trying to preserve the past. In the middle of this all is the political candidate, Harmond Wilks. What to do when Barlow’s house stands in the way of a new high rise development?

There are many great things about this production. What really stands out is the cast and director Daniel’s ability to keep the show moving; the rhythm feels natural, neither rushed nor lethargic.  A Noise Within is the perfect venue for this play, as the space provides just enough intimacy to capture the cultural and economic issues that are so close to these characters’ hearts.

A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena; Fri.-Sat., 8pm, Sat.-Sun., 2 pm; thru Nov. 13. https://www.anoisewithin.org

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground

Reviewed by Iris Mann
New LA Repertory at the Hudson Theatre
Through Jan. 22

RECOMMENDED

Tony Award winner John Rubinstein virtually becomes Dwight D. Eisenhower in this tour de force solo performance of Richard Hellesen’s play, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground. The 34^th President of the United States, Eisenhower is also known for having been the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces who directed the invasion of Normandy on D-Day during World War II.

The play is presented in association with New Los Angeles Repertory Company as part of its “plays for peace” series. The aim of the series is to examine the reasons for going to war, the means by which people engage in wars, those whom war affects, and the leaders who manage to avoid it. Although this is a work of fiction, it is informed by Eisenhower’s memoirs, correspondence and speeches.

The action takes place on his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Hellesen has us imagine that Eisenhower is speaking into a recording machine, reminiscing about his life and his philosophy in preparation for a book. From the beginning, he is visibly upset, having just read in the New York Times Magazine that a poll of 75 historians rating US presidents have placed him at number 22 out of 31. These poll contributors describe him as “a great American, not a great president” — with some “near great” votes, but many more in the “below average” and “failure” categories.

As he reviews his life, Eisenhower talks of his family’s struggles when he was a child, his acceptance to West Point, his subsequent military career, his marriage to Mamie, his agonizing over the risks to the troops on D-Day and his presidency as a Republican. Attaining the rank of general was, in his eyes, his crowning achievement. “I worked most of my life to be general,” he says, “and that title means more to me than anything. But our military is defending a way of life, not just territory.”

Among other things, Eisenhower became known for warning against what he called “the military-industrial complex.” At one point, he insists, “…take on the fools who think war should be the first resort, not the last — and then add the fellas for whom bombs and guns are their paycheck – — that military-industrial complex will come down on you like a sledgehammer.”

This production could have devolved into a pedantic history lesson laced with a fair amount of preaching, but for Rubinstein’s dynamic and at times, quietly moving, performance; he commands the audience’s attention throughout. The actor’s energy and passion never wane under the unobtrusive, smooth direction of Peter Ellenstein.

The drama is further enhanced by the photos and scenes from Eisenhower’s life (sound and projection designer Joe Huppert) projected onto the back wall.

Helleson also leavens the narrative by injecting just the right amount of humor, as Eisenhower comments on the people and events in his life, including Douglas MacArthur. Of him, Eisenhower says, “I learned a lot from General MacArthur – had the greatest regard for his military achievements. But that was nothing compared to the regard he had for ‘em.”

Many of the issues brought up in the play are still with us today, with a prescient Eisenhower warning of “extremists just masquerading as conservatives.” He emerges from this portrayal as a man of moderation, who believed in compromise, conciliation and persuasion. By 2022, he had risen in the rankings of U.S. presidents from number 22 in 1962 to number five.

New LA Repertory at the The Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 3 pm; thru Jan. 22. www.onstage411.com/eisenhower

To Kill a Mockingbird 

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
The Pantages Theatre
Through Nov. 27

RECOMMENDED

 Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, while the movie — based on Harper’s novel and starring Gregory Peck as a white lawyer defending a black man accused of rape — came out in 1962. Both the book and the film depicted the racist South through the eyes of a child, its scenario predating the March on Washington in 1963 and the televised police assaults on the civil rights marchers that electrified the country that same year. 

Nearly 60 years later, in December 2018, Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation opened on Broadway. In interviews, Sorkin has spoken of the departures he made from the original in order to update the play to the perspective of 21^st century audiences. Chief among them is a bend in the dramatic arc away from Scout, Atticus Finch’s daughter and the pivotal character in the novel, to Atticus himself — making the lawyer less of a white savior and more of a flawed hero, with his idealistic illusions tempered by play’s end. Sorkin has also altered the perspective of the black folks in town, from an audience grateful for Atticus’s efforts — in court, in the movie, they stand respectfully as he passes, even though he’s lost the case — to people with a voice that will be heard. The playwright accomplishes this by expanding the role of Calpurnia, the Finch household’s Black housekeeper, from a supportive servant who takes good care of the kids to someone who, in addition to being a great nurturer, is also an articulate advocate for change, impatient with Atticus’s unwavering faith in the eventual triumph of justice. (if only we’re patient enough!).

Played by Jeff Daniels in the Broadway premiere (and subsequently by Ed Harris and Greg Kinnear), Atticus, in the current touring production, is depicted by Richard Thomas, in a winning portrayal of a good man who must ultimately confront the limitations of his courage and his beliefs.

Notwithstanding its shift in perspective, Sorkin’s adaptation largely preserves the characters and events in the novel, including the three young people under Atticus’s tutelage: his 8-year-old daughter, the irrepressible Scout (Melanie Moore), her older brother Jem (Justin Mark), who evolves to young manhood in the course of events, and the kid from out of town, Dill (Steven Lee Johnson), their playmate, who’s “different” — and also wise beyond his years in his observations of what is going down in this small racist town.

The kids’ benign mischief-making and the various characters they interact with form the tableaux for the gripping drama at the heart of the play: An innocent Black man, Tom Robinson (Yaegel T. Welch), is brought to trial for a crime he did not — and indeed, could not — have committed. His accuser, Bob Ewell (Joey Collins), the father of the woman Tom allegedly assaulted, is a vicious drunk who spews hate like a geyser and regards Atticus as a traitor to his race for stepping up to defend him.

Ewell is as villainous and despicable as Atticus is principled and caring, and as played by Collins as dangerous and explosive as a Molotov cocktail. The character’s dark evil energy fairly pulsates beyond the stage and out into the audience. Still, the high-minded Atticus refuses to deny Ewell’s humanity, claiming you can’t judge a person unless you’ve been inside their skin. It’s here where Calpurnia (Jacqueline Williams), a Black woman whose people have suffered centuries of brutality and injustice perpetrated by the Ewells of this world, angrily challenges her longtime employer for the myopia of his illusions.

Directed by Brad Sher (who also directed the original on Broadway) the production benefits from a skilled ensemble, whose assured performances act as buffer against the melodrama. Besides Thomas and Collins, several are notable. Ewell’s abused daughter Mayella (Arianna Gayle Stucki), it turns out, is as venomous as her dad, and Stucki’s near frothing-at-the-mouth scene in the witness box is formidably realized. The fully-fleshed-out performances of Williams as Calpurnia and Welch as the honorable Tom lend breadth and substance to the latter’s tragedy, as Sorkin intended.

At over two and a half hours, the show does run long; the scenes with the kids, played by adults, aren’t nearly as involving as those having to do with the trial, Tom’s fate and the threat to Atticus himself (at one point he singlehandedly holds a mob at bay). 

That said, the power of the production lies in how painfully it mirrors the terribleness of our own time, as Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and white nationalists of all stripes burrow deep into our system, murdering innocent people of color. Meanwhile, journalists write articles about the psychology of MAGA true believers, while too many of us committed to respecting the rights of others hedge our response.

It bears mention that, near the end, several of the town’s White honchos, including Atticus, conspire to protect another White man from the law by circumventing it. The person being protected is weak and vulnerable, so this isn’t an act of villainy exactly. Still, there was no such meeting of minds when the life of a person of color was at stake.

Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Tues.-Fri. 8 pm, Sat, 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm; thru Nov. 27. www.hollywoodpantages.com Running time: approximately two hours and 35 minutes with an intermission.

WET: A DACAmented Journey

Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Greenway Court Theatre
Through November 13

RECOMMENDED

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is the Orwellian term for the Obama-era policy that, under certain conditions, currently shields over 600,000 undocumented persons from deportation. Brought to the U.S. as children and now mostly adults, some did not even know their history till they were grownups. Those who chose to participate had to register their “illegal” status with, and occasionally report to, the same Migra mandated to hunt them down and keep them out.

Dubbed DREAMers by the media, they are American except with no “papers,” and have known no other country as home, with many having long established careers and families. Writer-performer Alex Alpharaoh vividly depicts this state of limbo — ni de aqui, ni de alla/neither from here nor from there — in his searing autobiographical solo show portraying his beleaguered life under our country’s racist and schizophrenic immigration policy.

“I am the mirror of our divided nations,” proclaims Anner Alexander Alfaro Cividanis (Alpharaoh’s government name), whose teenage mother carried him, just an infant, from Guatemala to Los Angeles over thirty years ago.  Later, he and his mother are joined by his father, and younger siblings follow.  But while they, born in the U.S., automatically become citizens, Anner does not. Teased about this by other kids, Anner constantly asks why he can’t get his “papers.” “We don’t need papers from a country that doesn’t want us,” is the indignant response of his father, a man with dreams of a professional career in his homeland but that are an impossible dreams in the U.S. His mother pleads with Anner to keep his head down, instilling in him the constant fear that governs the lives of undocumented folks, relegating them to psychological turmoil as well as substandard jobs, housing, and health care — if they can even get any.

Overjoyed at DACA’s 2012 authorization, Anner applies and qualifies. In 2017, however, he faces a decision that could kill any chance of his remaining in the U.S. This is the crux of his story, which is filled with bureaucratic nightmares, divided family loyalties, and a daughter’s entertaining sarcasm.

Alpharaoh has a lot to tell, much of it harrowing but some comical, notably in his dealings with Guatemalan and American red tape. Bouncing from past to present under Daphnie Sicre’s sturdy and fluid direction, Anner expertly portrays a plethora of characters: the teasing kids of his youth; his anguished and fallible mother; his moody yet sanguine father; his flippant but wise daughter and more — Alpharaoh portrays them all with skill, wit and humanity.

Designer Christopher Scott Murillo’s innovative set places Alpharaoh on a raised platform with a large Mayan calendar painted on the floor, and while on either side of the stage are large gray monoliths that could easily represent courthouse walls or a Meso-American pyramid. Center stage is a plywood likeness of a framed but shattered mirror, fragmented like the lives of the undocumented, which designer Azra King-Abadi lights to suit Alpharaoh’s moods and, in key moments, with red, white, and blue hues. Sound and video designer Omar Ramos’ screen projections, showing Guatemalan and U.S. locales and actions, help set each setting a scene’s tone and place. Director Sicre’s laser focus keeps Alpharaoh homed in on the key points of Anner’s his heroic tale, though a bit about his dad’s domestic abuse, fueled by frustration and alcohol, Alpharaoh drops as quickly as he raises it.

At times Alpharaoh dons a baseball cap, spitting caustic spoken word and hip-hop poetry that decry his position and that of his peers at the hands of the U.S. government. He makes the government’s hypocrisy of his situation clear when he suggests that this nation’s immigration policy can just as easily accommodate paperless people like him who have jumped through decades of hoops with the same open arms with which it has accepted newly arrived Ukrainian war refugees. It all just depends on one’s skin tone.

Greenway Arts Alliance at The Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; Spanish language perf., Sat., Nov. 5, 3 p.m.; Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission. https://greenwaycourttheatre.org/

House of Spirits: The Tale of Vaughan Hall

Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Meyer2Meyer at Casa Vertigo
Through October 31

RECOMMENDED

 A skeletal creature made of branches chitters at you from the corner. A veiled woman with empty eye sockets walks the halls with her arms outstretched. A humanoid owl solemnly hands you a burning torch and gestures for you to follow. The ghosts of Vaughan Hall have awoken at this year’s Angelino iteration of House of Spirits – A Haunted Cocktail Soirée, bringing the nights before Halloween alive with the whims of the undead.

Produced by Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, House of Spirits is a 21+, spooky season-exclusive immersive adventure sprawling the floors of the eccentric Los Angeles landmark, Casa Vertigo. From their first step up the stairs, guests of the manor are transported into the “eerie, elegantly macabre” rooms of the show’s setting, Vaughan Hall, and greeted by spooky specters at every turn. Dressing up for the event is highly encouraged and most attendees take the instruction to heart, wearing everything from period fashion to bloody costumes of their own making. The whole spectacle revolves around the tragic tale of the Vaughan Clan, loosely inspired by the haunting of Loftus Hall in Ireland and featuring a selection of characters from Irish folklore. Part of the event’s intrigue is the secret nature of the narrative; audience members will discover the lore in bits and pieces by engaging with the various activities around the venue, and extra information may be revealed by interacting with the character actors who wander the halls. And one mustn’t forget that every ticket comes with a select number of House specialty miniature cocktails complete with delicious individual truffle pairings, alongside access to other offerings available throughout the night at the cash bar in the main lounge.

Theatregoers are just one of this event’s many potential audiences —the House of Spirits contains many forms of entertainment, from ritualistic burlesque to a jump scare-ridden maze to Cirque du Soleil-flavored acts underscored by live musicians in monstrous attire. The maze and scavenger hunt activities are fun but not difficult, and are far more about enjoying the creature design and scenic ambience than being challenged. These elements of the design shine throughout the experience as intelligently crafted, bringing a world of beauty and horror to life while also responding gracefully to the high-traffic nature of the event.

Populating the different spaces of Vaughan Hall are reportedly 32 actors, though it’s hard to say if you can meet them all in a single visit. The most stunning offerings are actually from the non-verbal performers; the slow, silent creatures come off as otherworldly, and the circus artists execute mesmerizing movements with both grace and fervor. The roaming spirits such as the gorgeously gaunt crow goddess Morrígan are bewitching to look at, but any amount of success in eliciting interesting conversation is not guaranteed; some characters seem to be terse or repetitive, while others are simply hard to pin down. In theory, however, if one of them takes a liking to you, you may be escorted off to another room for a private story-based experience with them. (This critic unfortunately failed to orchestrate such an invitation, despite several efforts.)

Another opportunity for audience participation is in the Theatre of Grand Guignol room, where several “puppets” re-enact the two major beats of the Vaughan Hall backstory. Spoofed versions of Punch and Judy deliver a comedic anthology, followed by a chilling live rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” underscoring a monstrous dance duet. The story laid out on stage is unfortunately hard to understand due to a poor acoustics that muddy the dialogue, but it can also be uncovered via a scavenger hunt downstairs — a far more effective way of granting audiences access to the full lore, provided you have access to a device that can read QR codes. Each session grants audiences two hours of access to the House’s myriad of dreadful delights, and while it’s just the right amount of time to explore thoroughly without getting bored, it certainly leaves you wanting more.

Casa Vertigo, 1828 Oak St., Los Angeles; Monday 31^st, 6:15 p.m. & 9:15 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 6:30 p.m. & 9:15 p.m.; Saturdays, 4:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.; Sundays, 3:15 p.m., 6:00 p.m. & 8:45 p.m. https://houseofspiritssoiree.com/los-angeles/ Running time: 2 hours

The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2

Reviewed by Dana Martin
Geffen Playhouse
Through November 27

RECOMMENDED

Matthew López’s sprawling saga, The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2, is an artistically refined and emotionally raw examination of modern gay life in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic. The Geffen’s season opener has seismic power that won’t be soon forgotten.

A languishing assembly of young minds are entangled in the wistful beginnings of storytelling. This group of bourgeois young men is led by Morgan (Bill Brochtrup), in the spirit of E.M. Forster. “One may as well begin with Toby’s voicemails to his boyfriend,” Morgan quips, a simple enough beginning and a nod to the famous first line of E.M. Forster’s seminal novel, “Howard’s End,” upon which the play is inspired.

Up-and-coming playwright and party boy Toby Darling (Juan Castano) finds himself at a luxurious party at the Hamptons home of billionaire businessman Henry Wilcox (Tuc Watkins) and his partner Walter Poole (also Brochtrup) and beckons his boyfriend Eric Glass (Adam Kantor) to crash the party. Before Eric can catch a bus out of town, Toby returns to the city, lamenting a booze-soaked night with a rather regrettable outcome. Eric is acquainted with power couple Walter and Henry and calls to clean up Toby’s mess.

Eric later encounters Walter and the two strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over a mutual loneliness while their respective partners are out of town. Eric discovers Walter’s quiet heroism; he had provided a safe house and a dignified death for hundreds of gay men suffering with AIDS during the height of the AIDS epidemic at his beloved upstate farmhouse — much to the resentment of his partner, Henry; a rift they could never overcome. Walter beckons Eric to his beloved farmhouse but is diverted by his smarmy stepsons, Charles Wilcox (Eddie Lopez) and Paul Wilcox (Kasey Mahaffy).

Eric views himself as painfully ordinary, especially in comparison to Toby’s brilliance and his friend’s significant achievements. He’s being evicted from his rent-controlled Upper West Side apartment, news that rocks him to the core. He impetuously proposes to his boyfriend Toby, who gladly accepts. But Toby’s newfound Broadway acclaim causes his personal life to spiral. He breaks his engagement to Eric and plunges into addiction, drug-fueled partying and frequent, dangerous sexual encounters. When Walter dies a few months later, a heartbroken Eric strikes up an unconventional-if-mutually-convenient relationship with Walter’s late partner, Henry.

The play’s action takes place between 2015 and 2018, a highly fraught time in the U.S., with the election of Donald Trump evoking a collectively traumatic response within the gay community: his ascension to power recalled a time when fear and uncertainty were the status quo, thus adding a thick layer of volatility to the story. López weaves the play’s themes tightly together while allowing the action plenty of room to unfold — conjuring an intense emotional reckoning.

Part 1 illustrates the number of missing souls to powerful dramatic effect. Part 2 grapples with the residual aftermath those losses have on those left behind, meandering through various characters’ points of view and breaking many of the play’s previously established storytelling conventions — sometimes veering into soap opera-like dramatics.

The top-notch cast peels each layer back carefully and confidently. Lopez’s storytelling glides between action and descriptive prose, giving it the sense of a novel come to life. The play is fast-paced but unfolds slowly, so the story has room to breathe and the characters have time to evolve. Director Mike Donahue’s outstanding work is nuanced and imaginative, with a focus on stylized, tightly choreographed ensemble-driven action. Donahue sustains the play’s focus and tension for the entire expanse of the story. Jaimie Todd’s set design (original set design by Bob Crowley) is restrained and subtly powerful. It’s a blank white page, a large communal table with a host of well imagined locales. Josh Epstein’s lighting design in Part 1 is rich and warm, while Part 2 is brooding and dramatic. Veronika Vorel’s sound design is well measured, and Paul Englishby’s compositions punctuate and elevate the story overall.

Adam Kantor’s poignant performance as Eric Glass anchors the play. He’s as fascinating as he is dependable and handles the enormity of his role with ease and precision. Juan Castano’s Toby Darling is as flagrant and reckless as he is loveable; Castano’s performance is complex and intense. Tuc Watkin’s Henry has a billionaire’s swagger and an inherent sense of entitlement. When pushed to the edge, Watkin’s articulates the rage and profound sadness of a generation lost. Bradley James’ Trejeda oscillates with dexterity and specificity between the privileged Adam and the tortured and susceptible Leo. Tantoo Cardinal’s nuanced, vulnerable appearance as Margaret Avery brings such fresh energy and perspective that the impact of her performance is especially impactful.

The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2 examines what this generation of gay men stand to inherit from previous generations: a collective trauma, loss, hope, love and community, while brilliantly holding space for the queer community grappling with compounded past and present crises. López emphasizes the importance of personal connection — the deep desire for being wanted and cared for, as expressed by every character in the play. But The Inheritance’s staying power exists in the balance López finds between mourning the lives snuffed out too soon, honoring the predecessors who made the hard-won rights enjoyed in modern gay life possible, and uplifting those in the community who continue to carry the mantle.

Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles; Tues.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat.- Sun., 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.; through November 27^th. (310) 208-5454 or geffenplayhouse.org.; Running time: Part 1: 3 hours and 15 minutes with two intermissions; Part 2: 3 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission and one brief pause.

(Un)Documents

Reviewed by Joseph Klink
Latino Theater Company – The Los Angeles Theatre Center
Through November 20th

RECOMMENDED

 There is a responsibility in understanding the value of our freedom; yet, why are we still allowing systems that fail immigrants to decide the cost of theirs? Every day, I hear stories filled with heartbreak and resilience that do not seem to reach the ears of the powers that be. I have faith in this country because with these stories I also see change in the people that are telling them. These people, their stories, are greater than themselves. They are heritage, they are solidarity, they are understanding and they are the solution.

(Un)Documents is an intimate, personal story of being torn back and forth across two sides of a river, and the many painful memories that a family has endured to find peace. Jesús I. Valles is the playwright- performer, and they nearly bare it all. Directed by Rudy Ramirez, Valles takes the audience on a lyrical journey through their relationships with their family, exploring queer identity, and an unyielding demand to assimilate. The language is poetry, and set amongst projected images of their family and past, Valles really takes you there. Perhaps most importantly, through moments that reflect the many sides of their identity, this work is accessible for everyone. We may not have had these experiences, or perhaps you or someone you care about has, but Valles shows us that our hearts cannot be deafened by virtue of our freedom. This show is raw and it speaks a truth that we all need to hear.

Latino Theater Company, performing at The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013; Runs October 14 through November 20, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 4:00 pm. Running time: one hour with no intermission. 
www.latinotheaterco.org/undocuments

Mother Sisters 

Reviewed by Taylor Kass
The Echo Theatre Company
Through October 27

RECOMMENDED

You never forget your firsts. Playwright Makaela Vogel has curated her unique family story into a “docu-play” featuring the oral histories of each of her eight aunts who grew up in a Catholic family in New Mexico. It’s a simple, straightforward series of direct-address monologues with minimal staging by director Sky Paley, each woman answering the off-stage prompt “Tell me about the first time you left home.” The result is an emotionally-rich collection of wonderfully specific storytelling which paints a vivid portrait of an exceptional family while tapping into universal experiences of womanhood and growing up.

The play is structured around seemingly-verbatim interviews of Vogel’s now middle-aged and elderly aunts reflecting on events of the 1960’s and 70’s, creating a unique challenge in perspective for a cast primarily in their twenties. However, they all successfully achieve that delicate balance of retelling their characters’ stories with the objectivity of experience but without sacrificing a sense of immediacy. While the roles are double-cast, standouts from the performance I attended included Gloria Ines as an idealistic nun fighting for reform and Marti Skoler reflecting on her teen years trapped in marriage and motherhood much too young. Sami Cavestani also expertly portrays the vulnerability of a girl learning to set boundaries in a chaotic world, while layering in the more mature perspective of a woman with affecting tenderness for her younger self.

One character who is absent from the stage yet vividly present in each of the sisters’ stories is the titular mother of the family. She emerges as a complicated figure, somewhat emotionally distant, clearly overwhelmed with the burden of caring for 12 children, yet fiercely loved by each of them. And, as the eighth sister concedes, the children gave their mother a lot to contend with – including teen pregnancies, international moves, and a hitchhiking hippie. There are many paths to take in the search to be “at home with [one]self,” as the young nun puts it. But first, you have to leave home.

Echo Theatre Company, 3269 Casitas Ave, Atwater; Wed. – Thurs. 8 p.m.; through October 27. www.EchoTheaterCompany.com or 310-307-3753. Running time: 1 hour with no intermission.

Inconceivable 

Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
Hudson Guild Theatre
Thru Dec. 12

RECOMMENDED

Inconceivable, a “totally true one-woman semi-fertile quasi-musical” show offers a candid look into the struggle to conceive that one in five women can relate to.  (According to studies, 20 percent of women of child-bearing age are unable to become pregnant.) The show is written and performed by Meirav Zur, who intersperses her experience of infertility with comedy from the very beginning, which certainly renders such a sensitive topic less clinical and harsh than it might otherwise be.

At the top of the show, she encourages the audience to emote — whether that be to laugh along or even cry. With the intimacy of the theater space itself and Zur’s portrayal of multiple characters with raw honesty, plus a few songs, the performances is completely engaging.

Though this is a tough subject, Zur’s confessional is inspiring thanks largely to her candor about a significant part of her life. It also offers a kind of life-line of empathy for other women who share her struggle — millions of people across the country — reminding them that they are not alone, though they may certainly feel that way. 

Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, Mon., 8 pm; thru Dec. 12 https://www.hudsontheatre.com

The Mousetrap

Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
Group Repertory
Thru November 13

RECOMMENDED

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world, is a tremendously successful whodunnit for a reason—perhaps you can crack the case? A story of seven strangers stranded by a blizzard in a hotel and informed by a detective that a murderer hellbent on revenge is in their midst, it has all the familiar elements of an old-fashioned murder mystery; red herrings and tweed jackets abound. The Group Rep’s production, directed by Jules Aaron, is a faithful, often campy rendition that turns out to be much more comical than it is dark and suspenseful. Although the pace can feel sluggish at times and the faltering English accents a little distracting, it’s still worth seeing for its classically structured plot and cozily nostalgic appeal.

Tavish Grade plays the young hotelkeeper and main character, Mollie Ralston, with a charming earnestness. An audience proxy of sorts, she is often nervous and befuddled by the events in her hotel, yet is also sympathetic to her guests in a way that her husband, Giles, absolutely isn’t. Todd Andrew Ball plays Giles as a prim, buttoned-up sort of man with a bone-dry drawl, constantly exasperated by the strange people he’s forced to serve. This inexperienced and newly married couple is entirely unprepared for the group that arrives at their brand-new establishment, struggling to deal with their odd personalities and to meet their many needs as the roads get blocked by snow.

The first guest to arrive is a young architect aptly named Christopher Wren, played by Peter Henry Bussian, who is one of the great highlights of this cast. Bussian brings a mischievous, impish sort of energy to a play filled with conservative, English character archetypes. Lareen Faye, as the much-loathed Mrs. Boyle, is also hilarious as the grumpy, officious and ever-complaining “Karen” character. Others include a wry, mysterious young woman named Leslie Casewell (Anica Petrovic), a flamboyant, rather creepy foreigner named Mr. Paravacini (Hisato Masuyama), and a cartoonishly intimidating police detective named Sergeant Trotter (Alec Helton). All of them converge on a meticulously conceived 1950s-period stage with a glowing fire and a snowy window; set designer Mareli Mitchel-Shields has clearly followed Agatha Christie’s detailed design notes to a tee.

Christie’s characters can unfortunately feel quite flat and clichéd at times, their internal and external lives beyond the small world of this hotel mystery difficult to imagine. They are simply there to service the higher purpose of the plot; while some beats feel repetitive and unnecessary, the story has a surprisingly satisfying ending that will make you nod knowingly and think that you should have seen it coming. Sometimes, that might be all you want from a couple of hours in a dark theater.

Presented by the Group Repertory at Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8pm, Sun., 2pm thru Nov. 13. Running time is two hours with one 10-minute intermission. https://thegrouprep.com/