More Theatre
by Archie Rothman

You can’t judge a show by the theater it plays in. The Ahman-son Theatre decided to book the touring production of Martin Guerre even though it seemed to be faced with many problems. From the creators of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon with music by Claude-Michel Schoenberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil and Stephen Clark, it looked like a sure-fire success. But since its ‘96 London run (where it reportedly lost $8 million when it closed two years later) it has undergone extensive rewrites where 40% of the music and all of the lyrics were replaced. I noticed these changes by hearing the Original London Cast CD and seeing the current Ahmanson version. Reports of negative reviews in Washing-ton, D.C. and Seattle, equally negative reviews by the L.A. Times, and the cancelling of its proposed Broadway run indicated it to be a flop. But I enjoyed it. Though not a Les Mis, it has a great cast, wonderful voices and smart staging and deserved a better reception than it has received (closes Apr 8.) Now the Ahmanson is hoping to fill its many seats with another new musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel. To insure its success they have a gigantic and expensive tv and print-ad campaign months before Pimpernel’s opening in late April. But after that they’re not taking any chances on another new musical and have booked a touring production of that old chestnut Finian’s Rainbow.

Will history repeat itself? The Pasadena Playhouse hopes to have another Pump Boys and Dinettes hit by presenting The People vs. Mona by the same composer-lyricist Jim Wann. Those who think they’ll like the folksy charm of a musical whodunit set in Tippo, Miss. will enjoy this show. The slim plot revolves around Mona Mae Katt, the tramp of Tippo, and whether she killed her cheating rat of a husband. Telling about the trial that ensues are the seven musicians who play and sing the countryish score: Ritt Henn is the clerk and Officer Bell. Maggie Hollinbeck is the prosecutor Mavis Frye. Joe Joyce is the bailiff, coroner, litigator and motel owner. Kelli Maguire is the sexy Mona. Michele Mais is the court recorder, journalist and Reverend Rosetta. William Thomas, Jr. is the Judge and Blind Willie Carter. And they are all wonderful, whether performing or acting, under the direction of Paul Lazarus. Runs through April 16.

The latest edition of Forbidden Broadway (Y2K L.A.) lights up the Tiffany Theatre. Those who’ve seen the previous “Forbidden” shows know what to expect. Take dozens of new and old Broadway musicals (31 in all) add musical legends like Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, Lisa Minnelli, Mandy Patinken, Carol Channing and Barbara Streisand. Then satirize, spoof and shred them to an hilarious turn in 97 minutes of unstoppable laughter. Writer-director-creator Gerard Allesandrini repeats his hit formula of the past 20 years, with a super-talented cast that includes Jason Graee, Susanne Blakeslee, Gerry McIntyre, Christine Pedi and John Randall. Also involved are musical director Brad Ellis, assistant Director Bill Selby, choreographer Phillip George and costume designer Alvin Colt. Rush to see Forbidden Broadway before it closes on May 28.

Even Against the Glass this play doesn’t reveal much that’s interesting. Because of my long friendship with Eileen T’Kaye, when she was an actress and singer, I wanted to like her producing play Against the Glass more than I did. This world premiere of first time playwright Marci Crestani is filled with enough plots, subplots and dialogue for several plays. There’s a thirtyish San Francisco modern art painter (Saxon Trainor), jilted by her married lover, who visits her small-town midwestern grandparents (Joseph G. Medalis and Shannon Welles) who are having infidelity problems after almost 60 years of a troubled marriage, while she resumes an affair with her now-married high school crush. So what’s the point and what else is new? Lots of care in designing a handsome kitchen and a cluttered garage set doesn’t hide the play’s shortcomings. It’s at the Court Theatre on La Cienega Blvd. through Apr 9.

A what-if sequel to Hamlet is imagined in the play Fortinbras. Lee Blessing takes a stab at rewriting a classic play with amusing results. It begins where Hamlet ends, with Fortinbras facing the dead bodies of Hamlet and the Danish royal court in the Castle of Elsinore. Rather then describing the plot that follows I’d rather rave about the excellence of the large cast of 15, especially Brian David Evans as the ghost of Hamlet and Jeff Kerr McGivney as Fortinbras, and the accomplished direction of Alexandra Hoover. It’s all handsomely staged at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood where it plays till April 8.