Category Archives: Theatre

Theatre Review: A Great Wilderness

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Rogue Machine presents A Great Wilderness, written by Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Elina de Santos.

Walt (John Perrin Flynn) has spent his life in a retreat in the wilderness, counseling young men who are sent to his retreat to get cured of their homosexuality. The idea is that through a faith-based approach—prayers, Bible readings, and counseling—these men will change and go back to a heterosexual lifestyle. Walt is getting old with early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s and his ex-wife Abby (Rachel Sorsa), concern about his well-being, wants to send him to Shady Gardens, a retirement home. When Abby and her other ex-husband, Tim (Tony Pasqualini) come to the retreat to visit, they found out that Walt has taken one last youngster, Daniel (Jeffrey Delfin), for his gay conversion therapy. Daniel, however, decides to go out for a walk by himself and goes missing.

Tim, who used to be a counselor in the retreat, goes out to look for Daniel. As time goes by, Walt calls Janet (Tania Verafield), a park ranger, to help in the search. Eventually, Eunice (Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield, Rapunzel Alone), Daniel’s mom, is notified of the situation. When she arrives, she feels guilty for sending Daniel to the retreat. Janet organizes a group of people to extend the search. A helicopter is added to the search mission. Hours pass and still no news of Daniel. A fire breaks out in the forest and the drama intensifies as Janet finds Daniel’s jacket with blood stains. 

Playwright Samuel D. Hunter shows the gay conversion therapy from the eyes of a Christian group that believes in the effectiveness of such practice. But once the characters reveal their struggles and past experiences, the effects of trying to change someone’s attraction to their own sex become more disturbing and less convincing. The play does not try to tell who’s right or wrong, that’s up to the audience, but the facts are laid out for the pendulum to go either way and not to hyperfocus on just one side of the story. The sincerity and the tragic consequences of conservative beliefs that make up a portion of the cultural and religious fabric of America are explored in this story and are perfectly reflected on Walt’s own existential crisis.

Director Elina de Santos‘ interpretation of Walt and Tim’s relationship can make an interesting conversation. Tim is one of the founders of the retreat and is also Abby’s ex-husband. Walt was also married to Abby at one point. Walt and Tim being both counselors of conversion therapy opens up a series of questions that make this play even more intriguing. 

Set Designer Bruce Goodrich, Sound Designer Chris Moscatiello, and Lighting Designer Vicki J. Scott do an excellent job recreating the retreat and the ambiance; the set is full of details and the background sounds of the forest make the story come closer to the audience.           

A Great Wilderness is an accurate reflection of the complexities faced by conservative America, where the interpretation of Christian values might offer more questions that answers.          

A Great Wilderness

Written by Samuel D. Hunter. Directed by Elina de Santos. Cast: Jeffrey Delfin, John Perrin Flynn, Tony Pasqualini, Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield, Rachel Sorsa, and Tania Verafield. Creative team: Bruce Goodrich (Set Design), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design), Elizabeth A. Cox (Costume Design), Vicki J. Scott (Lighting Design), Anna Khaja (Shady Gardens Spokesperson/Voice). Produced by: Guillermo Cienfuegos, and Rebecca Larsen (A Rogue Machine Production).

ROGUE MACHINE (in the Matrix Theatre)
7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Opening 8pm on Saturday, September 24
Schedule: 8pm Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays; 3pm Sundays
Added performance on Thursday, October 20
(No performance October 10)
Closing: October 31, 2022

Tickets: roguemachinetheatre

 

A scene from A Great Wilderness
A Great Wilderness. Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield and Rachel Sorsa.
A scene from A Great Wilderness
A Great Wilderness. Tony Pasqualini and John Perrin Flynn.
A scene from A Great Wilderness
A Great Wilderness. John Perrin Flynn and Jeffrey Delfin.
A Great Wilderness poster
A Great Wilderness

Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body

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Ammunition Theatre Company presents Carla Ching’s new play Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body. Directed by Bernardo Cubría. 

Kat Chan (Tina Huang, Theatre Review: Celestial Events) finds out that her nude pictures were published online without her consent by her ex-husband of 22 years Mac (Nelson Lee) who not only published the pictures, but also tagged all the people they know. Trying to put her reputation together again, Kat now has to face the challenge of deciding whether to hold a grudge or forgive the person she once loved.

The posting of the pictures exposes not only Kat’s body but also the background stories of each of the characters more affected by it and the reactions to the situation. Kat is currently with Elliot (Christopher Larkin), a younger guy who is understanding and supportive. Kat and Mac’s daughter, Nice (Kahyun Kim) is a girl with her own body image insecurities and who is trying to figure out what kind of relationship she has with her father. Betty (Jeanne Sakata), Kat’s mom, is also concerned about her friends seeing Kat’s pictures, exacerbating the already difficult relationship between the two. JJ (Roland Ruiz) is Nice’s classmate who is in love with her and tries to boost her self-esteem. JJ’s own sister had her pictures published without her consent. Mac’s mom, Mia (Jeanne Sakata) is a journalist who is infuriated by her own son doing such a despicable thing. Mia supports Kat and demands Mac to apologize and fix his mistake. Kat then decides to do something unexpected to claim her own body and her own narrative.

Carla Ching wrote the play to represent how painful revenge porn can be on the victims. It would be easier to focus on that. But she takes a step further. She also explores the other side of the story. What could motivate someone to damage the reputation and the relationships of a loved one? In this case, Mac’s actions are a result of his own emotional pain and the sense of loss triggered by his separation from Kat and his strained relationship with his own daughter. This story also highlights how easy is destroy someone’s reputation (both victim’s and perpetrator’s) with the click of a button. In a society so influenced and obsessed with social media, Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body couldn’t be more contemporary. What should be the extend of the ostracism caused by the cancel culture? Should a perpetrator receive a second chance in life? Ching addresses these issues insightfully as open questions. One interesting aspect of the play is how the exposition of the characters was done. Each character delivers a monologue to express their own point of view.

Director Bernardo Cubría translates the rhythm of the script with plenty of action, keeping the humor and drama alive at all times. The lighting (Azra King-Abadi, lighting design, Theatre Review: Apartment Living) and the projections (Yuki Izumihara, projection design) are artistic elements that symbolize the state of mind of the characters and the emotional journey of the protagonists.  

The cast is diverse and is lead by an excellent Tina Huang, who delivers a dramatic and emotional performance that shows the pain and the healing in today’s very public and invasive technological society.

Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body

Written by Carla Ching. Directed by Bernardo Cubría. Cast: Tina Huang, Kahyun Kim, Christopher Larkin, Nelson Lee, Roland Ruiz, and Jeanne Sakata. Producers: Julie Bersani, Karla Mosley, and Brandon Scott. Presented by Ammunition Theatre Company. 

The Pico
10508 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Opening: 8pm on Friday, September 23, 2022 with reception to follow.
Schedule: 8pm Thursdays – Saturdays, 2pm Saturdays, 7pm on Sundays
Closing: October 9, 2022 

Tickets: https://www.ammunitiontheatre.com/

Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body poster
A scene from Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body
A scene from Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body
A scene from Revenge Porn or The Story of a Body

Theatre Review: Valley Song

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Valley Song is presented by International City Theatre and directed and produced by caryn desai [sic]. The playwright is Athol Fugard.

The story develops in the South African region known as the Karoo, a vast semi-desert with sparse vegetation and wildlife and a few isolated farms. The protagonist, Abraam Jonkers (Michael A. Shepperd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), lives in a small pumpkin farm with her granddaughter Veronica (Belle Guillory). They are considered coloured, a term used to refer to people of mixed ancestry. Despite not being the owner of the farm, Abraam is proud of his life—farming and attending church services. Living under the system of the apartheid, he has been conditioned to limit his goals and dreams to the farm, working for the White owner.

The beginning of the play shows a relative peaceful life in the farm. Abraam works the land while Veronica tends to the house. It is when conflict appears in the story that their lives turn upside down. Veronica has a talent for singing. She sings in the house and church. However, she has bigger dreams. She is planning on leaving the farm and try her luck in Johannesburg as a singer. When Abraam finds out, he is reluctant to the idea and is determined to prevent Veronica from following her dreams. Abraam’s concerns reveal the aspirations and final fate of Veronica’s mother. 

Abraam’s opposition to Veronica’s dreams is a consequence of how the system of segregation inflicted many negative ideas to the people of South Africa. For one, it instilled the idea of a superior race to the Whites, giving them access to better education, ownership of land, better jobs, and the control of the country. On the other hand, it suppressed the goals and dreams of a better life to most of the Black people, forcing them to a life of poor education, low-paying jobs, living conditions without basic services like running water, and violent police repression that turned deathly in many cases. For Abraam, the further he can go in life is the perimeter of the farm. Any aspiration of something better is nonexistent. When he finds out that a White man wants to buy the farm he has been working on for the last 40 years, Abraam’s only wish is to beg the White man to let him stay and continue to work on the land. He even intends to ask the White man to let Veronica work for him cleaning his house. But Veronica has other plans.

This is a fascinating story that resumes many of the ongoing issues of South Africa. Abraam represents the old generation of Black South Africans growing up in a segregated society. A generation that finds it difficult to let go of the past, conditioned to live perpetually in servitude. Veronica represents the newer generation of Blacks that feel empowered to dream of a better life. The Author, played also by Michael A. Shepperd, is the playwright himself, Athol Fugard. This character is a representation of those that dreamed and fought to overthrow the policy of apartheid and change the minds and hearts of South Africans to build a more inclusive society.

One of the characteristics of Abraam and The Author is their love for the Karoo, the land where they live and work. Throughout the play, there are references to the strong connection to that land and the farming of it as a generational way of life. The stage design (Yuri Okahana-Benson, set designer and Crystal R. Shomph, lighting designer) shows the colors and elements of the distinctive landscape of the Karoo.    

Fugard is one of the artists that defied the systemic racism of South Africa during the apartheid era. He has been writing about his experiences in multiple of his plays and has received multiple awards worldwide including an Oscar in 2006 for Tsotsi, adapted from his novel of the same title and the Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Tony Award in 2011. 

Valley Song is a play that allows us to experience the textures of a society that is trying to break away from the past in hopes of building a country where justice and equality prevail despite the many challenges still pending today. Any resemblance to America?    

The creative team includes set designer Yuri Okahana-Benson, lighting designer Crystal R. Shomph, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey, prop designer Patty Briles, and hair and wigs designer Anthony Gagliardi. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The production stage manager is Sarah Dawn Lowry.

Valley Song

Written by Athol Fugard. Directed and Produced by caryn desai [sic]. Starring Belle Guillory and Michael A. Shepperd. Presented by International City Theatre.

INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802

Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 1, Sept. 8
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Aug. 26 (Opening Night), Sept. 2, Sept. 9
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Aug. 27, Sept. 3, Sept. 10
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Sept. 11

Tickets: ictlongbeach.org

Valley Song Poster
A scene from Valley Song
A scene from Valley Song
A scene from Valley Song

Theatre Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Open Fist)

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William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is revisited by director/choreographer James Fowler. This time, Open Fist Theatre Company‘s production is set in Athens, Georgia, circa 1855.

It’s the eve of the Civil War in the Black Belt and the cotton plantation is bursting with activity. That’s the scenario where Fowler’s reinterpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place. The Antebellum South becomes the mystic forest where a group of slaves are the fairies and mechanicals, able to love, bewitch, and dream.

It is in that context that a relationship between Shakespeare’s European folklore and the traditions of the African slaves from the South can be perceived. Shakespeare’s fairies are invisible to humans just as Black slaves are practically invisible to their White owners. Also, the Greek theourgia (benevolent magic in the form of Oberon) is very similar to the combination of religion, magic, and witchcraft practiced by the Isangoma (an African healer popular in the slave communities). Just like the mechanicals in Athens Greece were laborers putting up a show for the royals, the Black mechanicals in Athens Georgia are also laborers preparing a play for the White owners of the plantation. The distinction of classes is evident in both renditions of the play.

Shakespeare’s deep understanding of the human condition makes it possible to overlay his plays on different eras. In this case, the story set in the South matches the circumstances and gives a new meaning to the characters, plots, and symbols of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fowler did an excellent job in keeping the original script intact but changing the traditional expectations of the racial composition of the characters.

The excellent cast makes this production a true gem in the theatre scene. Michael A. Shepperd shows his phenomenal comedic skills playing the attention-seeker Bottom. Ann Marie Wilding is delightful playing a hopelessly devoted Helena. Sandra Kate Burck with her voice and physical comedy makes the audience laugh left and right playing Hermia. The mischievous Puck is played by a versatile Monazia Smith (In the Next Room, or the vibrator play). Phillip C. Curry shows off his polished experience playing Oberon; he is one of those actors whose voice makes him an imposing figure on stage.

The lighting (Gavan Wyrick, Lighting Design,(God of Carnage) was a fascinating palette of purples, teals, greens, blues, and pinks. Mylette Nora (Costume Design, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play) created an accurate depiction of the period. Jan Munroe (Scenic Design) and Stephanie Crothers (Scenic Artist) also contributed to re-create a dreamy and pastoral stage with the murals, paintings, and use of natural elements.

Despite the comedic nature of the play, the history of slavery in America makes this story an opportunity to reflect on how much we have advanced in terms of equality and how much our perceptions on race have changed or remained the same. The abolition of slavery—referenced in this production as British Abolitionist Peter Quince (Debba Rofheart)—is a painful remainder of the sufferings many people had to endure to give birth to a new nation. Midsummer is a play of symbols and Fowler added one more that is powerful and still triggers many emotions. Puck turns her back and shows the flogging marks. Are those open wounds, or are they scars? Is America moving backwards, in rehab, or fully recovered?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by James Fowler. An Open Fist Theatre Company production. Martha Demson, artistic director. Actors performing on opening night: Devon Armstrong, Malik Bailey, Bryan Bertone, Sandra Kate Burck, Phillip C. Curry, Erica Mae Mcneal, Heather Mitchell, Debba Rofheart, Ash Saunders, Michael A. Shepperd, Monazia Smith, Azeem Vecchio, Alexander Wells, Ann Marie Wilding, Dylan Wittrock, and Syanne Green.

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Performances: July 2 – August 13
Fridays at 8 p.m.:  July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: July 2 (Opening Night), July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13
Sundays at 7 p.m.: July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, Aug. 7

Tickets: www.openfist.org

Theatre Review: The Beautiful People

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Rogue Machine presents the world premiere of The Beautiful People, a play written by Tim Venable and directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos.

A sleepover takes a sinister turn in the basement of a typical American house. The story is set in the 90s, a period where hate, frustration, and a mental health crisis started to take shape and became a pressure cooker ready to explode.

E (Alexander Neher) hosts the sleepover, where he manipulates, humiliates, and comforts an insecure, depressed, and angry D (Justin Preston). Venable’s play is an exploration of where the new wave of violence started and where we are now. The continuous reference to pop icons is an accurate depiction of some of the root causes of the extreme acts of violence committed by some disillusioned youngsters who have no further expectations of a better life. The references to incels and the devastation caused by social rejection also paints a grim picture of the other factors that are building up in the hearts and minds of the new generation of Americans.

Much has been said about gun control, but that alone will not fix the underlying issues of isolation, loneliness, and mental issues experienced in America. The play digs deep into those elements that are pushing a great number of people to the limit. The intricate web of cause and effect is explored in Venable’s writing, where only two characters project the many issues affecting American society at large. The exposition of the characters’ backgrounds and frustrations poses an uncomfortable question that lingers in the air: Have mass shooters failed society, or has society failed them?

The brave performances of Neher and Preston are a testament of the dedication to their craft; Neher is brilliant as the cold bully and Preston is a tour de force as the vulnerable teenager, imploring compassion, but ready to commit great damage. David Mauer (Production Design) does a great job with the set and lighting to represent not only the basement of a house, but also what is happening underneath American society.

The Beautiful People is a pungent and radical play that will get you out of your comfort zone and place you in the character’s world. A world where survival of the fittest is the only way. The topics presented might make the skin crawl, but the play offers an opportunity to start a conversation that could prevent a tragedy that might be around the corner.

The Beautiful People

Written by Tim Venable. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos. Starring Alex Neher and Justin Preston. Produced by John Flynn, Rebecca Larsen (A Rogue Machine Production).

Rogue Machine 
7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90462

For tickets: https://www.roguemachinetheatre.net/

Theatre Review: The West Side Waltz

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Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum presents the revival of the original play commissioned in 1981. The playwright is Academy Award-winning writer Ernest Thompson and the director is Mary Jo DuPrey.

The story is placed in a New York’s Upper West Side apartment building. Margaret Mary Elderdice (Ellen Geer) is an aging pianist who lives alone and likes to play music with her younger neighbor Cara Varnum (Melora Marshall, The Merry Wives of Windsor), a violinist who, despite her best efforts, plays out of tune at times. The two neighbors are visited occasionally by the building’s super Serge America (Miguel Perez), an immigrant with an affable attitude. Margaret decides to hire a much younger Robin Bird (Willow Geer, The Merry Wives of Windsor ) as a companion, creating some friction with Cara, who wanted to be Margaret’s companion.

As time goes by, Robin reveals that she was married for 7 years, but her husband left her for someone else. She is also an aspiring actress that needs to practice her audition skills. It’s in Margaret’s apartment that the three women fight, laugh, and grow closer together. Three generations with similar and dissimilar views on life, but somehow connected by the same need, the need of human connection.

The story is placed in 1985, when the AIDS epidemic was ravaging the world, specially the gay community. It’s in those circumstances that Robin’s worst fears are exposed. At the same time, Margaret’s ability to walk declines one day at a time. Cara reveals that her beloved cat has died. Margaret reveals the loss of her brother during the Spanish flu. The pain, the memories, and New York’s cold weather, makes Margaret’s apartment a refuge, and the music becomes the medicine to soothe the soul.

With Robin’s surprising engagement to boyfriend Glen Darson (Charles Lin, The Merry Wives of Windsor), and Serge’s surprising firing as the building’s super, Margaret and Cara have to make a decision as what they will do as two lonely women in the twilight of their lives.

Marshall’s performance as a naive and witty Cara is extraordinary. Ellen Geer shows her fantastic skills in this season as both an excellent director (The Merry Wives of Windsor) and a passionate performer. The stage, music, and lighting create a warmth and homely background to depict the center of this drama.

The West Side Waltz

Written by Ernest Thompson. Directed by Mary Jo DuPrey. Presented by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. Starring Ellen Geer, Willow Geer, Melora Marshall, Charles Lin, and Miguel Pérez.

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

For tickets and dates: https://theatricum.com/