Lunch at Sardi's everyday...

One of my FAVORITE things about theater in the Bay Area is getting to know such a tightly knit and wonderful community. In fact, I don't feel comfortable these days unless I see someone I know at an audition. Actors are totally crazy, but the Equity (Union) ones aren't. These are the people who see acting as a profession and keep themselves pretty sane. They don't have anything to prove, they know their shit doesn't stink. And my favorite thing so far this year has been getting to work with more "traditional" companies; making the transition from the experimental theater world doesn't always translate across the board, and I'm glad to have made the crossing rather seamlessly.

But the best thing about getting to know more actors? Getting to see their work up close and personal; it's wonderful to see how much people on stage are so unlike their real life personas and to see the amount of work that they put into a performance. Finally got to see Blondie do her performance of 'the Producers' on Friday at DLOC.



The Producers info on Wikipedia

Another one of Mel Brooks' films that was a film then a musical then a film again (Young Frankenstein); the story of a down on his luck, shyster of a Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Marcus Klinger) and his winsome accountant Leo Bloom (Ryan Drummond) who dreams of becoming a producer. They discover that they can make more money by producing a flop than a hit; so they set out to create the worst show ever. Along the way, they acquire a Reichstag playwright (Danny Cozart), a flaming queen director (Tim Johnson) and a nubile Swedish ingenue (Ginny Wehrmeister).

Probably the most genuinely funny find of the night was Cozart's delightfully macho and brutish Franz Leibkind; the physical comedic actor was knee slap hilarious during the Gutentag Hop Clop and nearly all of his scenes. Of course, Mel Brooks is a damn good writer. Which makes it sad to note that quite a few of the best jokes were overblown. Wehrmeister was WONDERFUL as Ulla - even thought her accent wasn't strictly Swedish. Rather, her Ulla was a wonderful sketch of an eager, hypersexualized and clueless sex kitten. The chemisty between her and Drummond's greenie Leo (himself an incredible singer) was palpable, although it would probably take a blind, gay, parapalegic octogenarian not to appreciate Wehrmeister's charms. Leo and Ulla's combination dance/seduction scene at the beginning of Act II is both sweet and funny.

Tim Johnson as the drag queen cum director has an incredible soaring voice that carries well during the huge show number, "Springtime for Hitler" - and wears a sparkling evening gown with a beaded Chrystler building motif imperially around the stage. I could do with less of the "gay" jokes, and the irony of the showgirl/huge ensemble scenes gets lost amidst the mismanaged direction. This is one of those shows where the actors are doing all of their own work, but aren't cohesive as a cast. There are definite standouts, but it seems as if people are playing the show for the double takes to the audience rather than really listening to one another. It's one of the scariest things that can happen to an ensemble, each one trying to top the other. Drummond and Wehrmeister work well together, and Drummond in general (showing why he won the Men's Best Actor Shellie for 2008) is a superb actor. He matches his comedic timing and excellent vocals with physicality and develops Leo into an upstanding leading man.

Klinger makes a decent Bialystock, but his last swansong, "Betrayed" started and ended at the same level; overly kvetching New York Jew. Zero Mostel and Nathan Lane knew how to take their performances and temper them gently between slick shyster, overbearing producer and genuinely neurotic man. I felt like Klinger was always trying to play catch up to Drummond and some of the best lines in the show were upstaged by long pauses and off timing. The ensemble is rather good including some of the best hoofer/tappers in the Bay Area. They're all incredibly athletic and keep up with the choreography well. And the costuming is gorgeous; Wehrmeister of course gets the best costumes; jewel toned teal, ruby reds, a jewelled black eagle costume of barely nothing. But the showgirls are alos aptly attired in sparkling outfits, patent pleather and tap boots abound.

Even though sets and costumes, lighting and sound take skill and craft, the actors are the ones putting themselves out to be judged every night. DLOC keeps their production values high and their audiences happy with this show. 'the Producers' closes today at the Dean Lesher Center for the Performing Arts in Walnut Creek.

TOMORROW: my review of Thursday Nights at the Academy and Revit class. Oi.

I wanna be a Producer

So I just emailed the director of CounterPULSE to see if she'll let me into this workshop series for the business side of arts administration for less than the actual fee. It is EXACTLY what I have been looking for; smart, informed, basic facts and information about how to be an effective producer (grant-writing, fundraisers, creative marketing etc.). But you know, there's $$ involved and since I just paid for my Revit course at SF State, I am more in the hole now.

It's funny that now that I don't have a full time job, I'm looking for ways to become more job oriented.

And actually sort of liking it.

Cross your fingers!

Be good to your daughters too

Opening night was awesome, we ran into a couple of snags (dropped lines, tambourine shortage) but overall great. House was about 85% full and everyone who saw the show seemed to like it a lot.

Gala afterwards was fine, simple foods and cupcakes.

Ivey Room might be the most ghetto bar ever on San Pablo. There are CHICKS in there I wouldn't want to mess with. Luckily, it was moderately empty by the time the cast showed up - but we were the whitest group in there. I'm not kidding, we looked like we had gotten lost on the way to Marin or Livermore or something. Some shady stuff was also going down - mostly due to handsy guys who had had too many drinks, but nothing that I wouldn't expect at a normal bar.

Dennys in El Cerrito has the nicest waiters - who will serve you with a smile at 3am.

I got home at 4. And my stupid alarm went off.

Note to men: you cannot TEXT message someone you have a sort of date with on a Friday afternoon of OPENING NIGHT at 4;30 pm to tell them you can't come to the show because you are too tired from your work week. #1 - it is shady as hell (what you got another date?) and #2 TACKY and #3 rude. It's sort of the height of douchebaggery.
that is all I have to say.

Holding to the Ground

They say you always remember your first time....

The nervousness, fumbling, trying to remember where one part goes, the other people, bright lights...

WHAT?

I am talking about my first stage experience, I don't know what the rest of you sickos thought I was talking about. heh. For the long time readers of this blog - which may total a number of 3 people (and I'm being optimistic here) - you may remember my excitement then disappointment then nervous hyped up energy of nearly 4 years ago, when I was tagged to understudy SquirrelMonk in 'Falsettoland'. As a lesbian doctor.

Well, the fabulous folks over at Theater Rhino (now the oldest running LGBT based theater in the country) including some ex-Rocky cast mates have restaged a thoughtful, wells-sung and delightful version of this James Lapine/William Finn classic.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story: Yuppie Jewish couple have young son, husband realizes he is gay and leaves wife for lover, wife ends up marrying ex-husband's psychiatrist, son is caught up in all of the hulabaloo, son turns 13 (puberty and all) and has bar mitzvah catered by lesbian kosher caterer from next door, caterer's lesbian lover - internist doctor - discovers more men living with the AIDS virus as they are dying in her ER, lover develops AIDS from his HIV and dies in the middle of son's bar mitzvah at hospital.

Good times.

Originally built as a trio of plays with music (In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland) the Theater Rhino troupe does a true to original version of Falsettoland - which does make the production rather long. but luckily the artists keep the action and scenes moving rapidly. Falsettos was also one of the very first musicals to bring the 80s major conflicts and misunderstandings of homosexuality, the AIDS epidemic and the rise of divorce to the forefront of people's consciousness. Those men and women who lived through the 70s and 80s were just beginning to understand and accept: therapists, dealing with feelings out in the open and non-traditional gender roles. So for many people, Falsettos also represents a revolution much as Pink Floyd's, "The Wall" did for others.

Leanne Borghesi as Trina is spellbinding. Her clear, gorgeous mezzo and belt rings through the black box space clear as a bell and she is the most fascinating to watch as the equally caring and neurotic woman and mother. She is best as a soloist - her earthy voice tinged with emotion during, 'Holding to the Ground' as she cannot define her feelings for Whizzer as she watches him slowly and painfully deteriorate. And also during that incredible tour de force that is, "Breaking Down" - Borghesi's chops as comedic actress don't go overboard while she is flinging chopped pieces of produce around the stage and you can tell she is loving, loving playing this role.

As Marvin, Christian Bohm has a sweet, Irish cover to his voice. In the original versions, Marvin is both conflicted and arrogant; trying to keep his semblance of a tradional 50s nuclear family while lusting after his best friend. Throughout the play, his over-bearing father figure is tempered greatly by his son's wisdom - and eventually, the audience can feel that Marvin finally understands that love is not some definition or but in all it's complexities, the man knows how to love.

Scott Gessford as Whizzer does some of his finest work here. While in Rocky he was only the dumb hottie, he brings warmth, depth and honesty to Whizzer - which was more believable in Act I than II. His gorgeous tenorial voice soars during numbers like 'The Games I Play' and 'What Would I Do'. The love-hate-lust relationship between Gessford's Whizzer and Bohm's 'Marvin' also plays wonderfully on stage and it is during these scenes that Whizzer allows his mask to fall away to reveal gentle emotion.

David Kahawaii as Jason, has a sweetness to him that is made more hilarious by his admissions to the blossoming of puberty. He is a tousled headed voice of reason and is particularly good during both renditions of 'Miracle of Judism'. His preference for Whizzer as father figure frustates and angers both Trina and Marvin - but in the end, Jason proves to be the one who is right as the death of Whizzer brings all ends of the family together.

Additional ensemble members: Christopher Nelson, Amanda Dolan and Laurie Bushman are delightful. Christopher Nelson makes a particularly convincing Mendel the lusty psychiatrist and some of the best couple scenes are between him and Borghesi. His initial attempts to provide fatherhood to Jason are also quite hilarious. and Nelson seamlessly blends acting chops, vocal accumen and physical comedic timing. Dolan, as the kosher catererer Cordelia, is lovingly sketched out - both as clueless eye candy for her more butch partner, Dr. Charlotte - and as a true homemaker trying to come to grips with caring for people the only way she knows how, through food. Her voice is best during the stirring quartet, "Unlikely Lovers"; Dolan also gets a fantastic turn as the self-absorbed, faklempt client of Mendel demarkating the difference between 70s culture and 80s culture.

Bushman does fine as Dr. Charlotte - though many of her big numbers, "Something Bad" and "A Day in Falsettoland" seem to have been sung an octave lower. The relationship between doctor and caterer is nicely sketched out and again, "Unlikely Lovers" is a wonderful group number shared between the two couples. The entire musical is underscored simply by an upright piano in the corner that more than covers the show (double covered by Mark Hanson and Mark O'Brien).

Falsettos runs for two more weeks through Feb. 8th
Theater Rhino
2926 16th Street (btw. Capp and S. VanNess)
San Francisco, CA
www.TheRhino.org

Glick-tastic.

Hey guys, so remember when I wrote this post back in May about how I had a friend made of win cause he had written this rock opera about Beowulf and it was quite possibly my favorite theater event of the entire year?

Well it seems like the world agrees! Malfoy + Banana Bag and Bodice aka Jessica Jeliffe, Rod Hipskind and Jason Craig have just won the Glickman award honoring the best play/theater piece to have originated or had its world debut in the Bay Area! (and the $4000 prize is nice)

BEOWULF ROCK OPERA WINS COVETED GLICKMAN AWARD

They are currently on their way to NYC, so if you are out there, this is not a piece of theater to be missed! (and for some reason, I cannot link to my original post right now, Blogger did something funny to all my entries that I'm going to try to fix. The original post date is 5/19/08)

My original comment on Beowulf?
Overall, I heart this show and it's lusty, no holds barred take on a traditionally dismal classic. It's exciting, high energy and overall-well done. I was envious watching these people play together. It's bringing sexy back.

I still concur.

Nove

in the middle of all this ridiculous chaos, i've actually been doing a show!

Nine is the musical based upon Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 which is based upon a quasi-true version of Fellini's real life. The original (1982) starred Raul Julia and the revival won the Tony award for Antonio Banderas and starred several Broadway and Hollywood hard hitters like: Chita Rivera, Mary Stuart Masterson and Jane Krakowski. The movie is coming out this year, directed by Rob Marshall.
Nine is one of those amazing musicals that features 7 powerhouse roles for women and a killer score, but of course the entire musical focuses on one man and how he affects the relationships that surround him. There's his loving, long-suffering wife, his saintly mother, his lover, his muse, his producer, his first sexual experience and a bevy of groupies. Oh, and um...then there's the part I get to play, the film critic. It's such a DELICIOUS role to play - she's wickedly caustic and snarky and has a killer song. And she has an amazing name; Stephanie Necrophorus. I'm just having fun with this role, since a lot of my blocking...well, it involves me strutting around majestically and sucking on a cancer stick. hee.

Anyway, if you're around, come see it! Like I said, the music is wonderfully addictive and complex. And the show a mix of humor, sophisticated emotion and pathos.