Category Archives: Theatre

Theatre Review: The Wisdom of Eve

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Margot (Dahlia Waingort Guigui) and her entourage are captivated by Eve (Esther Guigui), an ingenue who portrays herself as Margot’s biggest fan. But below her sweet demeanor, Eve’s ambition has no limits. Director Bryan Rasmussen extracts the best elements of Mary Caswell Orr‘s script to present an amusing play that delivers drama and comedy in the best possible way.

Combining the elegance and excitement of the 1950s, Rasmussen infuses the play with the effervescence of the Golden Age of Broadway and the glitz and glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Paying homage to the stars who performed in the original film released in 1950, the cast in The Whitefire production convey a halo of sophistication and allure typical of the 50s’ productions.

Dahlia Waingort Guigui hits the right notes when portraying the duality of megalomania and carelessness of Margot. Likewise, Esther Guigui does a fantastic job playing the convincing ingenue and the heartless Machiavellian. Bringing order and reason to Margot’s hectic world is her husband Clement (John Mese), who can see through Eve’s excessive ambition right from the get-go. Also supporting Margot’s career is Lloyd (Eric Keitel), the playwright who writes to fit Margot’s personality, but can’t seem to find the right character to fit Margot’s age; she’s now 45 playing a 22-year-old.

To complement the talent and also shining bright on stage are two fabulous actors. Michael Mullen, playing Margot’s dresser Leila and the unscrupulous journalist Tally Ho, is quirky and funny, creating a compelling character and a perfect contrast to the darker tones of the story. More of him would be even better. The other actor is Barry Brisco, playing Karen. He delivers a tremendous performance, combining fluidly both drama and comedy. There are tears in his eyes when he cries, showing his level of commitment. 

The story ends up linking Broadway and Hollywood. Whether in New York or Los Angeles, the play delves into ageism, especially for women, and how difficult it is to find trustworthy friends in a hyper-competitive industry that promotes a cutthroat environment. Eve’s ambition keeps the intrigue going till the end. When you think of the magnanimity of forgiveness, a twist happens that throws off your assumptions, and you end up debating whether to sympathize with some of the characters or not. This exercise highlights the brilliance of Orr’s writing.            

This is another win for The Whitefire Theatre, an example of resilience despite the challenges and an example of dedication to the production of  quality theatre in Los Angeles.

The Wisdom of Eve

The Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

October 12th through November 24th

Performances are Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, with a show added Sunday evening, November 24th at 7:00pm.

(Due to a schedule conflict there is No Show October 26). 

Tickets: www.whitefiretheatre.com

Written by Mary Caswell Orr. Directed by Bryan Rasmussen. Produced by Dahlia Waingort Guigui.

Cast: Cayla Black (Vera), Barry Brisco (Karen), Brady Gentry (Harvey), Dahlia Waingort Guigui (Margot), Esther Guigui (Eve), Mitch Hara (Shared Roles – Tally-Ho & Leila – 10/12, 10/19, 11/16 & 11/23), Eric Keitel (Lloyd), John Mese (Clement), Michael Mullen (Shared Roles – Tally Ho/Leila – Performs 11/2, 11/9 & 11/24, Mitch Rosander (Bert Hinkle).

Creative team: Jeff Rack (Set Design), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Design), Michael Mullen (Costume Design), and Mitch Rosander (Sound/Projection Design).

Theatre Review: Antíkoni

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Antíkoni reimagines Sophocles’s Greek tragedy to adapt it to a Native American narrative. It’s a story of family conflict and the continuous struggle of the Natives to preserve their legacy. The story stresses the topics of law, gender, and tradition in the historical context of the marvelous world of the Nez Perce Nation (The Nimiipuu people).

Playwright Beth Piatote explores the Nez Perce’s history and challenges through a series of characters that reflect the urgency of the Tribe to continue the fight for their rights in a time of uncertainty. Set in the near future, Antíkoni tells the story of a museum that is endangered by the rise of a Nationalist Party. Directing the museum, Kreon (Frank Henry Katasse) is able to bring back some of the ancestors’ remains that were in the hands of private European collectors. However, Kreon’s niece Antíkoni (Erin Xáalnook Tripp) opposes the idea of keeping the remains in the museum. Defying Kreon, she wants to bury them respectfully, so she tries to get the help of her fiancé Haemon (Kholan Studi) and sister Ismene (Isabella Madrigal) to carry out the risky operation. In this play, The Chorus are the Aunties, who try to guide them in the right direction. And just like in Sophocles’ play, there’s also Tairasias (Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa), the wise blind prophet who attempts to reason with Kreon.

Piatote questions the role of the museums in caring for the dead. Several museums exhibit objects and remains of Natives, while dismissing their humanity at the same time, an arrogant symbol of their historical looting. In the play, Kreon does whatever he can to track down some of the remains of the Native ancestors held in Europe to bring them to the museum he directs. This becomes a contentious issue between him and Antíkoni. Both think they’re right and this leads to an intrafamilial conflict.

In this extraordinary display of eloquent defiance against assimilation, Piatote and Director Madeline Sayet deconstruct the Western vision of museums and literature that has attempted to silence and disregard the rich and vast culture of the Native nations over the years. No matter the forced relocations, ethnic cleansing, or Trail of Tears, the new generations of Native Americans continue to fight invisibility while demanding the return of what belongs to them (check out the message on Antíkoni’s jacket).

Antíkoni accentuates the mastery of the Nez Perce as storytellers. Throughout the play, there are several stories about the origins of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Storytelling is a central aspect of Indigenous epistemology. It is through oral tradition that parents pass down important lessons to their kids, based on knowledge and experience. Piatote and Sayet invite the audience to be mesmerized by this ancient rubric, setting up the seats in a circle, as though sitting around a fire.

The structure of this play brings a refreshing take on the traditional stories we are so accustomed to read and see. Thanks to organizations like Native Voices, playwrights like Piatote have the opportunity to revisit the past to rescue and disseminate the richness and sublimity of the millennial Nations, inviting us to compare, question, and challenge our own perceptions of the world. The talents of Piatote, Sayet, and the passionate thespians of Antíkoni allow us to dream.

Antíkoni

Southwest Campus
234 Museum Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90065

November 8-24, 2024
Opening: November 8, 8 p.m.
Thursdays and Fridays: 8 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays: 2 p.m.
Student Matinees: November 15 and 22, 11 a.m.

Tickets: theautry.org/events/native-voices

Written by Beth Piatote (Nez Perce). Directed by Madeline Sayet (Mohegan).

Cast: Frank Henry Katasse (Tlingit), Erin Xáalnook Tripp (Lingít), Isabella Madrigal (Cahuilla/Turtle Mountain Ojibwe), Kholan Studi (Cherokee), Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa (Hopi-Tewa, Mohave, Chemehuevi), Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), GiGi Buddie (Tongva and Mescalero Apache),  Dawn Lura (Diné), and Nathan Woodworth (Karuk).

Creative team: Courtney Mohler (dramaturg) and Jennifer Bobiwash (assistant director).

Theatre Review: A View from the Bridge

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Surrounded by the danger and somberness of Red Hook, Arthur Miller created a gripping drama, relating the hardships of working-class Italian immigrants and the tragic consequences of a forbidden love.

The tight community of Italian immigrants serves as the background for one of the most iconic plays in American theatre. Eddie (Richard Baird), a longshoreman, lives with his wife Beatrice (Margot White) and his orphaned 17-year-old niece Catherine (Marie Zolezzi). Eddie is going through a middle age crisis, exacerbated by the bedroom issues with his wife and the disturbing sexual attraction towards his niece. As a good Italian man, he welcomes Beatrice’s cousins Marco (Lowell Byers) and Rodolpho (Coby Rogers). But the flirting between Catherine and Rodolpho triggers Eddie’s rage, building tension and conflict by the day.

Alfieri (Frank Corrado), a lawyer serving as a narrator in the play, tries to convince Eddie to get Catherine out of his mind and bless her relationship with Rodolpho. Eddie, however, is reaching the point of no return, his eyes like tunnels, lost in his madness. A presage of an unstoppable tragedy.

The illusions of the first love, the honorability within a tight community, and the hopes of a new life in America are shattered by Eddie’s perception of a challenge to his authority and his inability to control his emotions. The characters soon find out that these issues will become a hindrance to their happiness and a rupture of their mutual trust.

On stage, the cast and the experienced direction of David Ellenstein create a pulsating staging that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Ellenstein builds up the suspense scene after scene, invigorating the action to reach a dynamic and captivating climax. The actors explore the layers of emotions and conflicts that make this play such a rich ground on themes of sexuality, migrants experience, and the complexities of human relations.

At the epicenter of this memorable production is Richard Bair. His portrayal of Eddie is electrifying. Baird excels in exteriorizing the agony and devastation of a man who is about to violate the sacrosanct omertà, destroying everything and everyone around him, blinded by his uncontrollable passion. Baird goes all in, achieving a triumphant presentation, elating an audience absorbed by his riveting performance.

The lighting with the blue hues and the brownish tones of the set design highlight the intensity and roughness of life on the waterfront, an accurate depiction of the hardships of immigrants and their efforts to survive in New York in the 1950s.

This production succeeds in capturing the emotional distress of a character falling prey to his own demons, risking his reputation, his family, and his place in the world.

A View from the Bridge

Laguna Playhouse
606 Laguna Canyon Rd. Laguna Beach, CA

Runs: Sunday, November 3 – Sunday, November 17, 2024
Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Fridays at 7:30pm;
Saturdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm.
There will be no performance on Sunday, November 3 at 1:00pm or Sunday,
November 17 at 5:30pm.
There will be a post-show talkback following the Friday, November 8
performance.

Tickets: lagunaplayhouse.com

Written by Arthur Miller. Directed by David Ellenstein.

Cast: Richard Baird, Lowell Byers, Frank Corrado, Steve Froehlich, Coby Rogers, Matthew Salazar-Thompson, Margot White, and Marie Zolezzi.

Creative team: Scenic design by Marty Burnett; lighting design by Matthew Novotny; sound design by Ian Scot; costume design by Elisa Benzoni; hair and wigs design by Peter Herman; props design by Kevin Williams; fight coordinator is Christopher M. Williams. The Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.

COMMITTED? at Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre

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Suicide Story Transforms Tragedy To Recovery
Because Who Wants to Talk About Death?
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Join us this weekend for the world premiere of Rogue Machine’s
COMMITTED?
Written and performed by Lisa Robins / Directed by Mitch Levine
8pm Fri Nov 1; 3pm Sun. Nov 3; 8pm Fri Nov 8; 2pm Sat Nov 9
Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Post-Show Talkbacks After Each Performance

Let’s face it: Suicide Sucks. And no one knows how to handle it. How do you transform the worst thing that’s ever happened to you…?

WHAT: “Committed?”
Written and performed by Lisa Robins
Director: Mitch Levine
Dramaturg: Justin Tanner
Produced by Elina de Santos
A Rogue Machine Production
Recommended for ages 14+

DESCRIPTION: Let’s face it: Suicide Sucks. And no one knows how to handle it. How do you transform the worst thing that’s ever happened to you…? With humor as a shield and community as her anchor, Lisa uses raw honesty and biting wit to share a “Ritual for Robbie.”

WHERE: Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre

7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(Street parking)

WHEN: Opening at 8pm on Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Schedule: Fri. Nov. 1; 3pm Sun. Nov. 3; 8pm Fri Nov 8; 2pm Sat Nov 9
Closing: November 9, 2024

TALKBACKS FOLLOWING EACH PERFORMANCE:

11/1, Friday at 8: All Saints Day related program (the day when the veil between the living and dead is the most fragile).

11/3, 11/8, 11/9: guests TBA

HOW: For reservations call 855-585-5185 or https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org/committed

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $45 (Students $25 / Seniors $35)

‘La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin’ at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

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NEWS RELEASE

 Latino Theater Company’s free, annual holiday pageant
‘La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin’ is back in 2024

WHAT:
Latino Theater Company returns with La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin, the company’s signature holiday pageant that has been a Los Angeles holiday tradition since 2002. Join the tens of thousands who have become transfixed by the story of Juan Diego, a simple peasant to whom the Virgin Mary appeared on four occasions in the mountains of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531. Starring Esperanza América as the Virgin Mary and Sal Lopez as Juan Diego, the cast features over 100 actors, singers and indigenous Aztec dancers as well as children and seniors from the community. The City’s largest theatrical holiday pageant, La Virgen has been covered by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles HOY, Univision and Fox News among many others. Performed in Spanish with English supertitles.

WHO:
• Adapted for the stage by Evelina Fernández from the mid-16th Century text The Nican Mopohua
• Directed by José Luis Valenzuela
• Starring Esperanza América as the Virgin, Sal Lopez as Juan Diego, and featuring over 100 actors, singers and indigenous Aztec dancers, as well as children and seniors from the Los Angeles community
• Presented by El Gallo Giro
• Produced by The Latino Theater Company in association with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

WHEN:
• Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.

WHERE:
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
555 W. Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

TICKET PRICE:
• General admission: FREE
• Premium seating: $45

HOW:
www.latinotheaterco.org
(213) 489-0994

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

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To Life! To Life! L’Chaim!
 
Family, love, faith and tradition! A Broadway classic!  Overflowing with musical hits you know and love, including “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “To Life (L’Chaim!),” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is the heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and life, love, and laughter.  An all-new beautiful production will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration which raises its cup to joy!  To love! To life!

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Book by JOSEPH STEIN
Music by JERRY BOCK
Lyrics by SHELDON HARNICK
Original Broadway production directed and choreographed
by JEROME ROBBINS
Originally produced on the New York stage by HAROLD PRINCE
Musical Direction by ALBY POTTS
Choreography by LEE MARTINO
Direction by LONNY PRICE

OPENS: Saturday, November 9 at 8 pm (Press Opening)
and runs through Sunday, November 13 at 6:30 pm
PREVIEWS: Friday, November 8 at 8 pm & Saturday, November 9 at 2 pm
PERFORMANCES: Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm;
Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm
There is no performance on Sunday, November 10 at 6:30 pm. The regular
Thursday performance on November 28 (Thanksgiving) has been moved to
Wednesday, November 27. There will be an added performance on Wednesday,
November 20 at 7:30 pm.
There will be an Open-Captioned performance on Saturday, November 23
at 2:00 pm.
Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Thursday, November 14 at
7:30 pm and Wednesday, November 27 at 7:30 pm.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada, CA 90638.

Arrive Early to Find Best Parking — It's Free!
Tickets range from $34 – $109 (prices subject to change).
50% off student tickets are available in select sections.
Children under 3 will not be admitted into the theatre.
For tickets, please call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310 or buy online at
LaMiradaTheatre.com.  Group and military discounts are available.

Theatre Review: Stone Heart

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In a style resembling Latin American literature, Playwright Georgina Escobar presents a story set in the bordertown of Juárez in the late 80s, where drugs, alcohol, addiction, and suicide corrode the cohesiveness of a family facing the ravaging effects of the drug trade.

Hector Zermanis (Markuz Rodriguez) is reluctant to accept money from narcos to buy his ranch. His wife Birdie (Valeria Vega) is experiencing mental issues. His daughter JoJo (Vanessa Flores Cabrera) is in a bitter relationship with her cheating husband. His other daughter, Mage (Adriana Cuba Cuentas), is getting addicted to Quads. Witnessing the tension is Samara (Lourdes Arteaga), a native exchange student staying at the Zermanis’ home.

The Zermanis belong to the upper class, so their attitudes toward Samara reflect the pervasive opinions on race and class. As the money runs out, Hector faces the pressure to accept money from the narcos. Their economic tribulations are especially hard on the family, as they are used to a privileged position. Despite her elitist perspective, Birdie starts to develop an intense attraction to Samara, who gets caught up in the intrafamilial drama.

One of the most intriguing symbols of the story is the relationship between the Zermanis and the Mesoamerican figure of Chac Mool, a representation of the rain spirit which holds a container believed to be used to place human hearts in it. Escobar connects the human sacrifice aspect of the ancient rituals with the brutal bleeding of Mexican society as a result of the turf war among the various cartels vying for the control of the lucrative drug corridor of Juárez-El Paso.

Stone Heart also explores the role of women in the family and society. The women in the play experience the tragic consequences of the Zermanis’ implosion. This is significant in the context of the multiple rapes and murders of women in the border region. Unnerving and devastating, those cases served as an example of the moral decay of a society left to cope with the violence and impunity of the criminal organizations running the region.

Birdie’s mental decline and her family’s deterioration represents the decadence of the social fabric of a city as a result of the drug trade.

Persecution, forbidden love, drugs, alcohol, suicide, addiction, and curses are effectively displayed in this production helmed by Director Daniel Jáquez. For this staging, he used non-professionals actors from the San Diego-Tijuana area. Even though they’re amateurs, Jáquez manages to bring the best of them to capture the tension and sense of danger implied in the script.

Stone Heart is presented as part of the Encuentro 2024: We Are Here – Presente!, a theatre festival presented by the Latino Theater Company.

Stone Heart

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Oct 25 – Nov 9, 2024 ( see link below for schedule)

Tickets: latinotheaterco.org

Written and translated by Georgina Escobar. Directed by Daniel Jáquez.

Cast: Valeria Vega (Birdie), Lourdes Arteaga (Samara), Vanessa Flores Cabrera (Josefina aka JoJo), Adriana Cuba Cuentas (Magdalena aka Mage), Markuz Rodriguez (Hector), Lester Isariuz (Cowboy/Ricardo), Andrea Agosto (Voice Over Narrator).

Creative team: Original sound design Salvador Zamora, Co-sound designer Estefania Ricalde, Lighting designer Elba Emicente, PSM/Co-sound designer/Video designer Estefania Ricalde, Assistant director/Company manager Laura Reynoso Jimenez.

Theatre Review: Four Top

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In a mostly linear style, except for scene 3, Playwright Michael B. Kaplan presents the romantic lives of five characters who are charming, insecure, and can’t seem to figure out the meaning of life.

If you like romantic movies and dating shows, then seeing Four Top should be in your to-do-list. Brian (Jack Menzies) and Liz (Jackie Shearn) engage in an intense hookup, meet puke included, only to break up the same day. A year later, Brian has moved on and is in a relationship with Megan (Rosie Byrne), whose work husband is Tony (Luke Rampersad). Tony is now dating Liz. Brian is suspicious about the platonic relationship between Megan and Tony. Megan doesn’t know about Brian’s hook up with Liz a year prior. The four meet for food and drinks, but insecurities, jealousy, and the feeling of missed connections make the two couples rethink their respective relationships. While this is happening, the server (Cassidy LeClair), an aspiring writer, introduces her own story to the audience. The server is a motif throughout the play, interacting with the couples and instigating discord among them to amuse her creative bent as a writer.

The couples navigate their love lives going back and forth, hooking up, breaking up, and just trying to find themselves while experiencing the thrill of romance and the challenges of adulthood. Nihilism? Could be. Projection? Maybe. Alternate reality? It’s possible. Therapy might help. But it’s expensive. Just be careful with the ferret. 

The play analyzes the ups and downs of romantic relationships and the desperate search for deeper and more meaningful connections. To translate those engaging themes on stage, Director Kathleen R. Delaney adds sexiness and physical comedy to the production, adding dynamism to the story and pushing the characters out of their comfort zone for an effective comedy effect. Her five actors are engaging and they all deliver their lines with excellent timing, highlighting the cleverness and hilarity of the script. 

Love always triggers an interesting conversation. If you add heartbreaks and comedy, then you have a winning combination. This play’s production is not extravagant, but it’s probably that simplicity that makes Four Top a hit with the audience. The only drawback is that it feels too short. But, hey, with a younger audience’s attention span, shorter might be better.    

Four Top

Lonny Chapman Theatre – Upstairs Stage (Second Floor)
10900 Burbank Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601

October 17 – November 17, 2024
Thursdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 4pm and Sundays at 7pm
“After the Show Talkbacks with cast, author and staff” Sundays 10/20 and 10/27

Tickets: thegrouprep.com

Written by Michael B. Kaplan. Directed by Kathleen R. Delaney. Produced by Denise Downer.

Cast: Rosie Byrne (Megan), Cassidy LeClair (Server), Jack Menzies (Brian), Luke Rampersad (Tony) and Jackie Shearn (Liz).

Creative team: Daisy Staedler (Set Designer), Nick Foran (Lighting & Sound Designer), Clara Rodríguez (Scenic Painter), Caleb Aaron (Assistant to the Director), Karla Menjivar (Stage Manager).

Theatre Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

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Oscar Wilde‘s The Importance of Being Earnest is a captivating comedy and a clever social commentary. Bunburying around town, John (Alex Barlas) and Algernon (Jay Lee) use a fictitious name, Earnest, to hide their real identities in an attempt to avoid social responsibilities. But falling in love is complicated, and fake identities just make things worse.

The characters reflect Victorian England, a transformative period when the upper class saw their status challenged by the expansion of education and the possibility of a revolution. In that respect, Director Gigi Bermingham turns the stage into a faithful representation of the English aristocracy and the pressing issues afflicting them. The actors nail their roles and create a delightful expression of tea time with the characteristic wit of British comedy.

Lee and Barlas are a terrific duo that add depth and dynamism to their characters. Barlas as the gentle aristocrat John Worthing and Lee as the charming dandy Algernon Moncrieff. Their female counterparts, Jules Willcox as Gwendolen Fairfax and Alessandra Mañón as Cecily Cardew infuse vivacity to their charming and bitchy frenmity. The supporting cast also do a great job capturing the conflicting social norms prevalent during Wilde’s life. Bo Foxworth plays Rev. Canon Chasuble, a man who tries to uphold British morality while suppressing his own romantic feelings for Miss Prism (Julia Fletcher). And to satirize Victorian society even more, Wilde uses Lady Bracknell as the figure that represents the selfishness of the upper class. Anne Gee Byrd plays the role with hilarious wickedness, an attribute that complements the heart of the play and Wilde’s biting animosity towards a vain and conservative society.

The sumptuous costumes and creative set design are in themselves an attraction to enjoy. The tailored Victorian dresses and the elegant suits add an air of sophistication to the production that match perfectly with the decoration of the set design. The china sets reveal the attention to detail, a characteristic of real professionals.

With attractive visual elements, a group of extraordinary actors, and excellent direction, this production honors the conflicting feelings of a playwright who defied conventions and advocated for free will in a time when doing so would result in ostracism and the loss of freedom.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Antaeus Theatre Company
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.)

Oct 13, 2024 – Nov 18, 2024

Tickets: antaeus.org

Written by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Gigi Bermingham.

Cast: Alex Barlas, Anne Gee Byrd, Julia Fletcher, Bo Foxworth, Jay Lee, Alessandra Mañón, Jules Willcox, and Michael Yapujian.

Creative team: Scenic Designer Angela Balogh Calin. Lighting Designer Ken Booth. Properties Designer John McElveney. Dialect Coach Paul Wagar. Production Dramaturg Rachel Berney Needleman. Costume Designer Julie Keen. Sound Designer Salvador C Zamora. Intimacy Director Jen Albert. Production Stage Manager Talya Camras. Assistant Stage Manager Casey Collaso.

Theatre Review: Heading Into Night

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Boxing and unboxing your brain, one memory at a time. Daniel Passer delves into the onset of dementia using the figure of a clown.

With music, projections, and pantomime, Passer symbolizes the disruptive changes in a person’s brain when the sense of time and space start to fade. There are repetitive behaviours, memories that come and go in a matter of seconds, and the usual risks associated with mental decline. For God’s sake, don’t forget the popcorn in the microwave!

Synapse loss leads to hoarding, sleep disturbance, and withdrawal into a world of confusion and fantasy. And yet, there is joy in that world. The forgetness of misery, the hopeful sympathy of the people around, the realization that is time to go, with flashes of childhood and loved ones. The memories are still there, just disorganized. Heading Into Night is a visit to that mysterious space, it’s a journey to the final destination, bumping into objects, humanizing the demise.

Inspired by the Hogeweyk model of dementia care villages in some countries, Passer explores the intersection between clowning and dementia. As irrational as it might sound, clowning is about repetition, a common behaviour of people living with dementia, thus the connection. But it’s also a confirmation that, sometimes, humor comes from a place of pain. Despite the challenges, Passer validates the sense of joy triggered by the cherished memories that come back in sporadic moments of lucidity. In the Hogeweyk model, the patients enjoy a more compassionate care in a community that emphasizes a more independent lifestyle, while keeping them safe in the hands of relatives and professional caregivers.

Passer and Director Beth F. Milles communicate the intricacies of a devastating medical condition with cleverness, removing the stigmatization associated with dementia and allowing the audience to see the character as a human being rather than an obstacle.

The play is abstract with little words. It’s a unique style to tell a story, relying mainly in Passer’s ability for pantomime and the emotional atmosphere provided by the music and the projections. In that sense, this production feels more like a silent film. There is poignancy in the simplicity when talent and conviction express a serious subject matter with comedy and the musicality of movement.

Heading Into Night

Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025

Performances: Oct. 5 – Nov. 17

Wednesdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 16 and Nov. 6 ONLY
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 18, Oct. 25; Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 15
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 5 (opening), Oct. 19, Oct. 26; Nov. 2, Nov.  9, Nov. 16
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Oct. 27; Nov. 3, Nov. 10, Nov. 17

Tickets: odysseytheatre.com

Devised by Beth F. Milles and Daniel Passer. Directed by Beth F. Milles. Produced for the Odyssey by Beth Hogan. Presented by the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. Ron Sossi, Artistic Director.

Cast:  Daniel Passer, Peter Mark, and German Schauss.

Creative team: Costume designer Márion Talán de la Rosa; lighting designer Jackson Funke; projection designer Gabrieal Griego; video designer (Amazing Race segment) Wei-Fang Chang; aerial designer and rigger Bianca Sapetto; sound designer (additional sound) Christopher Moscatiello; production coordinator Jenine MacDonald; technical consultant Pierre Clavel; and graphics designer Luba Lukova. The assistant directors are Taylor Bazos and Samantha Occhino, and the stage manager is Katie Chabot.