Sleep with the Angels is a Latino Theater Company production. The playwright is Evelina Fernández and the director is José Luis Valenzuela, who is also the LTC artistic director.

Juana (Esperanza América) is hired by Molly (Elia Saldana) to work as a nanny. Juana’s job is to take care of Molly’s kids, 13-year old Alex (Saul Nieto) and his older teen sister Cindy (Victoria Tamez). Molly’s estranged husband, John (Randy Vasquez), comes back home occasionally to check on the kids. Molly’s mom is Rose (Tina D’Marco) and the family gardener is Pablo (Eduardo Roman), who recommended Juana for the job.

This play contains elements of magical realism, a literary form featured in some of the most memorable works by Latin American writers like García Márquez, Rulfo, Allende, Garro, Pietri, and many others. In Fernandez’ script, she uses this element to emphasize the value and contribution of the Latino culture to the US landscape. Juana just arrived from Mexico, bringing some superpowers that touch the lives of the people around her. Her faith in saints and teas is the solution to mostly everything, finding lost jewelry, curing hiccups, taming big mouths, and making your love interest fall for you. The wind also adds to the magic of the story, as Juana explains: “The wind brought me here”. Using Mexican folklore as part of that magical realism, Juana represents the efforts, sacrifices, and hopes of many immigrants who have come to the US in search of a better life.

The play also delves into the challenges of the LGBT community in its search for acceptance. Alex finds himself at an intersection of choosing his own ways or following the expectations of society and his father. Alex connects with Juana almost instantly, as she has her own story to tell.

Cindy experiences an important transformation as a teenager with anger issues. With the help of Juana, Cindy is able to re-connect with her own heritage and funnel her angst into positive energy that lets her see her own worth.

Molly, the busy attorney trying to make partners at the law firm, is an excellent character who represents something not seen very often in media: Chicanas and their lives and struggles. Molly, at the end of the day, has to be the one making the most important choices for the family.

At a turning point in the story, Molly and Juana, two brave women from both sides of the border, have to make decisions that will change their lives forever, as painful as they might be.

The presence of the guitarist (Robert Revell) as a spectral character throughout the play and linked to Juana as revealed at the end, adds a special touch to the story. The music becomes a character on its own (music by Robert Revell and lyrics by Evelina Fernández and Esperanza América).

The stage of The Los Angeles Theatre Center is pretty spectacular, ample with high ceilings. This allowed for an impressive display of dramatic lighting and special effects (Emily Anne MacDonald & Cameron Jaye Mock, Scenic, Costume, Lighting & Projection Design). The sound effects (John Zalewski, sound design) also created an atmosphere that enhanced the emotional aspects of the story.

Valenzuela’s direction had the actors move in and out of the stage in different directions, offering dynamic performances. The blocking of the telenovela scene was specially creative; the actors upstage and downstage center delivered one of the most hilarious moments in the play, much to the delight of the audience.

Sleep with the Angels is a powerful story that presents harsh realities to reminds us of the challenges of the American dream and the paradox of the immigration system. The play also features some of the cultural contributions of immigrants to this vast tapestry called the United States of America.

Sleep with the Angels

Written by Evelina Fernández, directed by José Luis Valenzuela. Starring Esperanza America, Tina D’Marco, Saul Nieto, Robert Revell, Eduardo Roman, Elia Saldana, Victoria Tamez, Randy Vasquez. Produced by Latino Theater Company

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

Performances: May 27 – June 26
Thursdays at 8 p.m.: June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23
Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 27 (Opening), June 3, June 10, June 17, June 24
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18, June 25
Sundays at 4 p.m.: May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26

Tickets: https://www.latinotheaterco.org/sleep-with-the-angels

The Antaeus Theatre Company brings a new version of Hamlet, playing at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, CA. The play is directed by Elizabeth Swain.

The cast consists of Ramón de Ocampo (Hamlet), Gregg T. Daniel (Claudius/Ghost), Veralyn Jones (Gertrude), Peter Van Norden (Polonius/Gravedigger), Jeanne Syquia (Ophelia/Osric), Michael Kirby (Laertes/Player Queen), Adam J. Smith (Horatio), Sally Hughes (Guildenstern/Voltemand/Reynaldo/Fortinbras), Lloyd Roberson II (Rosencrantz/Barnardo/Player 3&4/Priest/Courtier), and Joel Swetow (Marcellus/First Player/Captain).   

One of the challenges of playing Hamlet is the necessity of portraying his theatricality and inwardness throughout the play. A great deal of knowledge and details of the epoch, not disclosed in the play’s text, is of utmost importance to understand Hamlet’s life and deliver his dialogues accurately. For example, the famous “To be or not to be“ monologue seems to be the result of the leccio, meditatio, and questio, a common scholastic methodology taught in the universities of the time, suggesting that Hamlet was a university student. Ramón De Ocampo seems to be aware of those characteristics when delivering the monologues during his stellar performance. His movements as well as his expressions, both facial and vocal, project the intricacies of Hamlet’s tribulations, doubts, and madness. De Ocampo’s charisma portraying Hamlet is a result of his extensive experience playing Shakespeare’s characters, some of the most challenging in theatre history. 

Also exceptional is the performance of Peter Van Norden, portraying Polonius and the Gravedigger. He contributed to some of the most hilarious passages of the play.  

Swain’s take on Shakespeare’s masterpiece presents a modification to the costumes and characters’ genders. The costumes combine the Renaissance with the contemporary. Also, the original male characters Guildenstern and Fortinbras are played by actress Sally Hughes. These changes are intended to introduce a classic story from the 16th-17th century to a contemporary audience.  

For this production, there was no suggestion of the Freudian Oedipus complex hypothesis. This version advocates for a more typical son-mother relationship with no sexual overtones. 

The lighting (Jared A. Sayeg, Lighting Designer) offers some crucial ambiance to the play. The Ghost is bathed with a bluish hue that adds mystery and coldness to this pivotal character. The warm, white, and other times directional light contributes to tell the story, magnifying the characters and the diversity of their states of mind. The sound (Cricket Myers, Sound Designer) is also a key factor to create the dramatic effect of the story and the characters. Since the beginning, the sound of thunders set the mood of the play. The eerie voice of the Ghost, the actor’s voice projection in some of the most dramatic scenes keep the play even more interesting and the audience more engaged. The mise-en-scène (Stephen Gifford, Scenic Designer) with the dark floor and columns also add to the dramatic effect, as a latent prelude of tragedies to come. Complementing the production are Costume Designer Dianne K. Graebner, Props Designer Shen Heckel, Violence Designer Ned Mochel and Choreographer Liz Lamura (excellent teamwork to create those sword fighting scenes).

Hamlet, a Renaissance play, continues to intrigue and amuse scholars, producers, directors, actors, and audiences all over the world. Directors like Elizabeth Swain contribute to the richness of the story by adding new insights and interpretations to this timeless masterpiece that feels as new and exciting as it did more than 400 years ago. 

Hamlet

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed Elizabeth Swain
Starring Gregg T. Daniel, Ramón de Ocampo, Sally Hughes, Veralyn Jones, Michael Kirby, Lloyd Roberson II, Adam J. Smith, Joel Swetow, Jeanne Syquia, Peter Van Norden
Sponsored in part by Rosemary A. Hernandez
Presented by Antaeus Theatre Company

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

PARKING:
First 90 minutes free, then $2 per hour in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 S. Artsakh Ave. (between Broadway and Harvard)

Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 20 (Opening), May 27, June 3, June 10, June 17
Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18 (no matinee on Saturday, May 21)
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18
Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 15 (preview), May 22, May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19
Mondays at 8 p.m.: June 6, June 13, June 20 (dark May 23 and May 30)

Tickets: https://antaeus.org/productions/hamlet/

Mary Zimmerman‘s Metamorphoses opened Saturday May 14 at the A Noise Within stage in Pasadena. This production is directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. The original Metamorphoses, written by Roman poet Ovid, dates back to the year 8 AD. The poem has inspired countless of influential figures such as Boccaccio, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Cervantes to name a few.

The moment you step into the theatre, you can sense the lavish production you are about to experience. The stage, the pool, and the lighting set the mood for this epic story. For such a literary work and relevant production, Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad consulted as a dramaturg.

The play starts with the concept of Cosmogony, presenting Zeus, Woman by the Water, and Scientist, all of them describing the beginning of humans and the chaos of the universe. What follows is a series of Greek myths, but with a contemporaneity that feels fresh. The story captures the various passages of the human experience, represented by deities and humans alike. Special attention is stressed on the metamorphoses, or transformations, of the characters involved.

In a way, the play presents the idea that no matter what time in history they live in, humans have always had the same ambitions, feelings, passions, and desires. As the concept of eternal life is introduced by Silenus, Midas also embodies a duality seen in many humans, in this case, greed but also the unconditional love of a father for his daughter. After his wish of turning everything he touches into gold is granted by Bacchus, Midas accidentally touches his own daughter, turning her into a statue of gold. Bacchus then tells him that the only way to reverse his action is to find a mystic pool far away that will restore his daughter back to normal. Midas is willing to give up his possessions and start his journey in search of the mystic pool.

A constant in human life is the search for love, characterized by the vignette of Vertumnus and Pomona. As Vertumnus tries unsuccessfully to get Pomona’s attention, he disguises in different costumes to avoid showing himself. In one of his attempts, he tells Pomona the story of Mirrha, who punished by Aphrodite, is cursed with falling in love with her own father, King Cyniras. Overwhelmed by her lust, Mirrha devises a plan to consummate her forbidden passion. The climax of this story within a story, framed by dramatic lighting, sound, water, and excellent acting, creates one of the most intense scenes of the play.

A touching story in the play is when a poor couple, Baucis and Philemon, receive Zeus and Hermes in heir humble house with a feast. As a result, they are granted a wish. Baucis and Philemon only ask for one thing: To die together to avoid the pain of mourning each other. Unconditional, endless love, a continuum in history, poetically portrayed in Metamorphoses.

Many other characters and scenarios are depicted, all showing the dedication of the creative team behind this production. Director Julia Rodriguez Elliott re-creates fantastic worlds such as oceans, rivers, the underworld, voyages, and journeys. She is able to convey the idea that humans’ yearnings, behaviors, and experiences haven’t changed much since the beginning of time. That’s one of the reasons why the audience connects so well with this play, the characters are a reflection of ourselves, one way or another.

As for the actors, the play is a physical demanding production, working around water has many challenges, walking around slippery surfaces without loosing concentration, shits of water temperature over the course of the play, etc., but the cast delivers powerful performances, touching the audience’s fibers with drama, tragedy, and humor. The lighting (Ken Booth, Lighting Designer) became a character on its own, wrapping the actors in stunning hues of reds, blues, greens, and yellows, and combined with water (Françoise-Pierre Couture, Scenic Design) and sound effects (Robert Oriol, Sound Design), created memorable artistic images, perfect for such an epic play.

Metamorphoses

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Written by Mary Zimmerman
Based on the myths of Ovid, from the translation by David R. Slavit
Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
Starring DeJuan Christopher, Geoff Elliott, Rafael Goldstein, Nicole Javier, Kasey Mahaffy, Sydney A. Mason, Trisha Miller, Cassandra Marie Murphy, Erika Soto
Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors

Performances May 14–June 5:
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.: May 11 ONLY (Preview)*
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: May 12 (Preview), May 26, June 2 (dark May 19)
Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 13 (Preview), May 20**, May 27**, June 3**
Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 21, May 28; June 4
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 14 (Opening Night), May 21, May 28; June 4
Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 8 (Preview), May 15, May 22**, May 29; June 5
*Pre-performance symposium with noted scholar at 6:45 p.m. on May 11 (included in ticket price)
**Post-performance conversations with the artists on May 20, May 22, May 27, June 3 (included in ticket price)

In addition, there will be six student matinees at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11; Tuesday, May 17; Wednesday, May 18; Thursday, May 19, Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

For tickets: https://www.anoisewithin.org/play/metamorphoses/

Kids Benjamin and Henry got into a fight at school. Benjamin attacked Henry with a stick, injuring Henry’s teeth. Henry’s parents decide to invite Benjamin’s parents to their house to work thing out in a civilized manner. That was the idea, but…

That’s the premise of God of Carnage, a hilarious play where parents behave more like kids than adults. Michael Novak (Matthew Downs) and his wife Veronica Novak (Lisa LoCicero), Henry’s parents, invite Alan Raleigh (Jack Esformes) and his wife Annette Raleigh (Leilani Smith), Benjamin’s parents, to have a conversation about the incident with their kids and find a zone of possible agreement to clear things up. What seems to be a normal conversation with manners, turns into a train wreck, fueled by glasses (and bottles) of rum. Veronica and Michael insist in painting Henry as a victim of the savagery of Benjamin, only to be reminded by Annette and Alan that Benjamin might have acted in self-defense. The whole finger-pointing conversation was constantly interrupted by Alan’s tendency to answer his cell phone to tend to business.

As the conversation continues, the jobs and personalities of the four parents are revealed. Alan is the lawyer of a pharmaceutical company involved in a legal battle due to the dangerous side effects of its marketed medicine, which is the same medicine used by Michael’s mom. Michael sells hardware and was fed up with Henry’s hamster, so he released it into the street, with little possibilities to survive on its own. Veronica is a photographer and an art lover and her attitude has undertones of cultural appropriation and racism. Annette seems to be the most civilized of the four, until the effects of alcohol kick in. It turns out that rum brings the best and the worst of each of the characters, setting off recriminations in all directions, at times unveiling cracks in the relationships of both marriages, with tulips, cell phones, and pieces of art caught in the middle. 

With God of Carnage, writer Yasmina Reza and director Peter Allas are able to achieve the three fundamental concepts of theatre: Conflict, emotion, and entertainment. The story is a string of situations that lead to hilarious and intense exchanges among the characters that make this play highly enjoyable. The stage direction is excellent. The actors make great use of the stage, adding dynamics to the story.

Lighting Designer Gavan Wyrick and Scenic Designer Tyler Scrivner have created a space with rich details, adding a warm ambiance to the story, perfect for a homely setting. The lighting is a subtle play of hues and intensities that bring up the comedic nature of the play and space.

God of Carnage is a masterful combination of writing, directing, and technical elements that make a delightful night of great theatre in Los Angeles.

God of Carnage

Written by Yasmina Reza, Translated by Christopher Hampton, Directed by Peter Allas, Produced by Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners, Presented by Foursome Productions

A Visiting Production at the
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025

Tickets: https://www.onstage411.com/newsite/show/play_info.asp?show_id=6184 

Wakings! consists of four stories whose characters experience a variety of disruptions to their wakefulness and awareness.

The first story is called Victoria Station, by Harold Pinter. A taxi cab dispatcher (Ron Bottitta) instructs a driver (C. J. O’Toole) to pick up a customer at Victoria Station. However, the driver is in a confused state of mind. He keeps telling the dispatcher that he is next to a park, to later change it to Crystal Palace. He is also in love with the female passenger sitting in the back seat. The conversation between the dispatcher and the driver becomes a hilarious interaction as the dispatcher grows impatient in view of the driver’s inability to think coherently.

The second story is Rip Awake, by Robert Coover. This story is an expansion of Washington Irving’s classical fairytale Rip Van Winkle. Rip (Darrell Larson) wakes up after 30 years to find himself in a world different than the one he knew. Trying to get away from his nagging wife, Rip decides to take a walk up the mountains with his dog and falls asleep after drinking a strange beverage. Once he wakes up, with a long beard, ripped clothes, and a rusted musk, he finds out that the place where he used to hang out has changed it’s name, no one knows him in his town anymore, his wife has passed away, and he missed the American Revolution. Is this a dream? A hallucination? Or has he descended into madness?

Next is another Harold Pinter’s story called A Trip to Alaska. Deborah (Diana Cignoni) has been in a coma for 30 years, She suddenly wakes up, with Hornby (Ron Bottitta) next to her bed. As she regains consciousness, she talks and behaves like the 16 years-old girl she was when she fell into the coma. As her memories come back, her sister Pauline (Kristina Ladeggard) comes to visit and Deborah’s dynamic relationships with her family and Hornby are revealed.

The last piece is called Siddhartha, by German writer Hermann Hesse. This is a piece featuring Siddhartha (C. J. O’Toole), a man that left behind his material possessions to embark in a journey of spiritual awakening. Living by the river and practicing meditation, Siddhartha embraces the teachings of the Buddha and is able to see and experience the completeness of the circle of life. For this section of the play, Cignoni, Ladeggard, Bottitta, and Larson read excerpts from Herman Hesse’s novel.

Wakings! is a trip to the darkest, brightest, and most intriguing states of the human mind, a step into the unknown so fascinating that might motivate director Ron Sossi to explore the possibility of Wakings! Part Two.

Wakings! 

Written by Robert Coover, Hermann Hesse and Harold Pinter
Directed by Ron Sossi, presented by Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Ron Sossi Artistic Director, in association with Isabel and Harvey Kibel

Performances: April 30 – June 5
Wednesdays at 8 p.m.: May 11* and May 25 ONLY
Fridays at 8 p.m.:  May 6, May 13, May 20*, May 27**, June 3
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: April 30 (Opening), May 7, May 14, May 21, May 28, June 4
Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 1, May 8, May 15, May 22, May 29, June 5
*Post-show discussions
^**Wine Night: enjoy complimentary wine and snacks and after the show.

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

Tickets: https://odysseytheatre.com/whats-on/awakings/