Tag Archives: Theatre

Theatre Review: Untitled Baby Play

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Thursday May 26, 2022 was the world premiere of Untitled Baby Play, written by Nina Braddock and directed by Katie Lindsay.

The play tells the story of a group of friends that are organizing a baby shower for a mutual friend called Libby. The email communication going back and forth among the friends becomes a fertile ground for conflict and comedy. Penny (a hilarious Sonal Shah, Celestial Events) decides to become the organizer of the party, but she’s constantly butting heads with Meredith (Laila Ayad). Eden (Sarah Utterback) and Gillian (Courtney Sauls) decide not to get too involved, trying to keep the peace. Natalia (Anna Rose Hopkins) gets some inspiration from ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting” while trying to make it as an actress. Meanwhile, Clara (Jenny Soo) is a busy new mom who tries to keep up with the group.

The baby shower becomes more than just a party to celebrate a mutual friend, it becomes an event to reflect on the choices around motherhood, careers, relationships, and life itself. Penny is a married doctor and is using shots to become pregnant. Meredith is also married and a consultant, trying to avoid pregnancy. Natalia is an actress who seems to have conflicts with her mom. Eden is a journalist, following the case of a woman accused of killing a baby. Gillian is a teacher with a disabled mom. Both Eden and Gillian are ambivalent about motherhood. Clara is a software engineer, worried about her son not being able to sit straight.

Untitled Baby Play elaborates on what pregnancy means in life. Is motherhood a way to calibrate success in life? How about social pressure? Even though Gillian doesn’t want kids, she is also afraid of feeling left behind if she ends up with no kids in her life. Meredith also expresses her concerns of regretting not having kids and being alone later in life.

Eden, afraid she will never be able to experience pregnancy, asks Clara what labor feels like. Downstage center in high key lighting, Clara delivers an emotional, moving, and poetic depiction on the worries, pains, and joys of feeling and seeing her baby for the very first time.

Set designer Cindy Lin creates a stage with interesting details, a poster of Strangers on a Train on Eden’s wall, the book Words with Wings on Gillian’s bookshelf, the image of Jesus on Clara’s wall, etc. Lighting designer Dan Weingarten used illumination to match the pastel color palettes on the walls of each character, bringing out their unique personalities.

With its brilliant writing, directing, and performances, Untitled Baby Play delivers a poignant, funny, and thoughtful look at friendship, motherhood, and life.

Untitled Baby Play

Written by Nina Braddock, directed by Katie Lindsay
Starring Laila Ayad, Anna Rose Hopkins, Courtney Sauls, Sonal Shah, Jenny Soo, Sarah Utterback
Presented by IAMA Theatre Company, Stefanie Black, artistic director

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: May 26 – June 27
• Thursday at 8 p.m.: May 26 ONLY (Opening Night)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 27, 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 3 p.m.: May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27 (dark May 30)

Tickets: https://www.iamatheatre.com/untitled-baby-play

 

Marry Me a Little

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Marry Me a Little is a musical featuring songs by acclaimed songwriter Stephen Sondheim. It was conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René, directed by Kari Hayter, and the musical direction is by Diane King Vann.

Two strangers, played by Katy Tang and Nick Tubbs, live in the same building, although they’ve never met before. However, both spend their time fantasizing about pretty much the same things: Life and love. This is a story about love and loneliness that can go straight to our hearts as most of us can relate to these characters, with their hopes, dreams, and that universal pursue of love and meaning to our existence.

Soprano Katy Tang is a graduate of the Herb Alpert School of Music, UCLA and further training at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Alfred Cortot, a conservatoire in France. Her voice delivers an elegant texture to Sondheim’s lyrics that keeps the audience longing for more. Singing Marry Me a Little from the beautifully staged balcony in a dim light and her shadow on the wall was a sublime moment that added some delicate romanticism to this musical.

Nick Tubbs is an experienced actor who was a production singer onboard Princess Cruises and has experience playing a variety of characters in different stage productions. His voice has the vibe of a classic crooner with a modern twist. His vocal dynamics are a great match to Sondheim’s pieces to portray the playfulness and romance of this hopeful although lonely character.

The musical direction is by Diane King Vann, a masterful pianist with extensive training in both classical piano and musical theatre. The musical is directed by Kari Hayter, a director based in Southern California. She has been nominated for the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award and for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.

Details:

Marry Me a Little
playing at the International City Theatre
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
Performance through Feb 27, 2022
Thursday – Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 2 PM

Get your tickets here:

https://ictlongbeach.org/

Singing Revolution, The Musical

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On January 29, 2022, Hollywood witnessed the world premiere of Singing Revolution, an extraordinary musical created by director Tony Spinosa and playwright James Bearhart. The play captures the events that took place during the movement know as Singing Revolution in the late ’80s in Estonia, a chaotic time that preceded the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Taavi Tamm (James Everts) is an Estonian student who will become one of the leaders of the Estonian resistance. He falls deeply in love with Sofia Solokov (Bella Hicks), daughter of Nikolai Solokov (Michael Scott Harris), a Soviet officer living in Estonia to oversee the Soviet propaganda and involved in the disappearance of some Estonian civilians. Similarly, Taavi’s teacher Leena Rebane (Krista Feallock) falls in love with Viktor Kuznetsov (Lucas Alifano), a Russian professor also living in Estonia. After Taavi’s father strange disappearance, a threat of having his mom disappear as well, and the possibility of loosing Sofia, Taavi is forced to choose between staying true to his believes or surrender under the weight of the Soviet repression.

There are several elements that make this musical worth experiencing. First, there’s the music. The live orchestra adds extra adrenaline to the performance of the actors and energizes the audience to the beat of fantastic European pop.

Then, there’s the lyrics that express the hopes, fears, convictions, and sometimes even the doubts of both sides of the story. Anyone old enough to remember the events of that period either by having lived in the Soviet Union at the time or by watching the reports on TV as they unfolded, will revisit the memories and feelings of those turbulent times through the lyrics. The combination of pop singers like James Everts and opera singers like Michael Scott Harris makes the contrast of the story even more appealing.

The choreography also combines skillfully elements of ballet in some of the numbers that render a delicate picture of strength and gracefulness that truly elevate the musical numbers. It’s always a treat to see dancers in musical theatre with ballet training on display.

The lighting is another element that accentuates the dramatic contrast of the story. The blue and red tones, sometimes even used at the same time, become characters in their own right: Freedom and oppression, hope and danger, past and future, the Soviet Union and Estonia.

The scenic design, including the lighting, the Estonian architecture, the costumes, and the special effects, add extraordinary value to the show. This is a musical that took Tony Spinosa a few years to put together and plenty of research of the actual events, not only here in the US, but also in Estonia where he spent time talking to some of the leaders of the Singing Revolution that are still alive today.

It is great to see theatre coming back to life after a very challenging and long pandemic, and it is even better to see exceptional productions with dedicated and talented people gracing our local stages.

Singing Revolution, The Musical
The Broadwater Theatre, Main Stage
6320 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Theatre Review: Salvage

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Playwright Tim Alderson grew up in Central California, working in the fields that belonged to his family. This influenced his taste in country music, specially what is called the Bakersfield sound, a blend of country and rock music. It’s no surprise that his first musical play, Salvage, pays tribute to this style.

Preacher (David Atkinson) spends most of his time drinking at a bar owned by Johnson (Leonard Earl Howze), playing his guitar and watching the world go by, one drink at a time. This sort of ritual is disrupted when Harley (Sam O’Byrne) shows up unexpectedly on his way to pawn his guitar. Once Harley reveals his admiration to this bar as his music hero Floyd Whitaker died there, he tries to strike a conversation with Preacher. The conversation turns sour, as Preacher is in no mood to revive the underlying issues of his grumpiness, issues that have been haunting him for years.

When Harley’s wife Destiny (Natalie Llerena) goes to the bar looking for him, an even more intriguing conversation develops among Preacher, Johnson, Harley, and Destiny, unveiling secrets that will change the course of the story and will define each character’s lives.

The libretto is an excellent work by Tim Anderson. The way the plot is intertwined with the music allows the characters to get into song seamlessly, making the music a powerful element to capture the main themes of this play: The giving up of one’s dreams, the encouragement, the hope, and the redemption. The voices of singers David, Sam, and Natalie are a very special touch to this musical production, each one providing a wide range of textures and styles. Leonard delivers his lines with a deep voice and extraordinary projection on stage, with a masterful command of dynamics.

Director Damian D. Lewis, a Juilliard School graduate, put together an excellent mixture of cast, lighting, and custom design, all working together to create an intimate experience that will resonate in the audience’s minds as the themes of this play are a reflection of our own lives.

Salvage is currently playing at The Hudson Theatres in Hollywood, CA.
Sep 09 2021 – Nov 14 2021