The High Cost of Living
by Leah Bachar
What makes for a better plot than the actual truth? In The Cost of Living written by Liz Elliot, Damien Midkiff, Eric Westerlund, real people face real everyday problems without any sugarcoating. There are issues of death, resentment, insecurity - all of life’s biggest perks. Only the atmosphere of an intimate theatre like the Actor’s Workout Studio can get you up close and personal with the subject of truth and the consequences that follow. This was a play of three one acts, each dealing with different people and very different emotions - emotions that creep up in all of us, whether we want to admit it or not.

The first two acts intertwine, centering around two brothers and sisters and the death of their father. In the first act, Marcy (Charity Babcock) and Cheryl (Ilyse Mimoun) are the first set of siblings to confront the issue of their father’s death and the feelings that surround it. One sister is serious and reserved, the other free spirited and theatrical. The play between the two opposites is a situation that most people can relate to. This portrayal of two sisters communicating was enjoyable and natural, like real family members having a conversation about their lives.

In the second act, we meet their two brothers, Alex (Damien Midkiff) and Ronnie (Damien’s real life brother, Griff Midkiff). The intensity of this act lies in the feud between these two siblings.

Taking place at their father’s funeral, they are both confronted with the shortcomings that they each have. With their in-your-face acting, you can actually see the emotion course through the bodies of these actors. There is nothing funny about this act, and that there is no happy ending. The last act, titled “An Awfully Big Spotlight,” stars Liz Elliot as Liz, a frustrated cellist and actor, Stacy Ruppel as Megan, her next door neighbor and aspiring actress as well, and finally Paul Eppleston as Jack and the Male Voices.

The comic timing is excellent, mixing human misery with humor. The story revolves around Liz, who is trying to break into acting but is having a hard time because she is overweight. You start to look past the weight issue and begin to see the vulnerability that lies deep within Liz. Reenacting real events, she takes you with her to auditions and brings you home with her after she is constantly let down by the superficiality of Hollywood. This is the act that will make you laugh and cry as friends try their best to keep her sane as they, too, strive to make it in Hollywood.


More Theatre
by Don Grigware

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons gets a first-rate revival at the Actors Co-Op in Hollywood with Kevin R. Kelley directing. Set after WWII, Sons is by no means a happy family drama. Its content matter is unsettling and strikes a nerve with audiences of all ages. I was particularly pleased to see high school students in attendance, hanging on every word and genuinely moved to tears by play’s end. Miller has always been controversial, tuned in to what is topical and crucial to the human condition. In Sons he makes a bold statement about honesty vs. family loyalty. John Allsopp, an actor of tremendous versatility, plays Chris Keller, the last living son, torn to pieces by his personal integrity. Turning his father (David Schall) over to the authorities would be a blessing, as opposed to living with his unforgivable views of practicality. Bonnie Bailey-Reed as Kate displays strength of character that made wives and mothers of the 1940s particularly enviable. Also outstanding are Michelle Allsopp as the fiancée Anne, Durrell Nelson as Anne’s brother George and Marianne Savell as selfish neighbor Sue Bayliss. Truth without compromise reigns triumphant in Miller’s works, especially in this recreation, which I highly recommend. Until June 2 (323)462-8460…

Farces usually sustain interest, but Georges Feydeau’s He Hunts has little to whet the appetite. It is not a comedy with a lot of slamming doors; its one big physical scene of mistaken identity occurs in a bedroom in Act II. It relies on one meager idea – trying to trap one’s mate in the arms of another, thereby proving infidelity – and with all the inherent over-the-top reacting, a unique style in characterization is a must to pull it off well. Carol Kane as the concierge in the Geffen’s current production, directed by David Schweizer and adapted by Philip Littell, is the big winner. Entering the arena with expert comic timing, she gambles, using a mischievous Hermione Gingold accent for her over-the-hill Countess and runs with it. Valarie Pettiford looks lovely, but is unsuitable in the role. To say that Maxwell Caulfield, Stephen Nichols and Daniel Kucan aren’t agile and amusing, would be wrong – they are; they simply act too straightforward, adding no special ingredients to the mix. Cathy Lind Hayes is a hoot as the prim and proper maid, but a few entrances and exits do not a play make. On the plus side, the mismatched stripes and plaids of the men’s costumes by David Zinn provide something fun to look at…

Looking for a floating crap game? Maybe a missionary who is pretty and committed to saving souls? Treat yourself to Guys and Dolls. You’ll find both righteous and wayward behavior flamboyantly on display in Frank Loesser’s flashy musical at the Wilshire Theatre through April. The touring production stars that devil-may-care of tap, Mr. Maurice Hines as Nathan Detroit. He’s never looked better. If only there were more dance numbers for him to do! Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown are played by real life lovebirds Brian and Diane Sutherland, who can really belt out those glorious Loesser tunes. Alexandra Foucard as Miss Adelaide is no Vivian Blaine or Faith Prince for that matter – her accent is forced and inconsistent - yet she proves a real knockout in Paul Tazewell’s vibrant costumes. Clent Bowers moves and grooves with Stubby Kaye’s famous “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Listening closely to “Sue Me” - which is a little play all by itself - really makes you appreciate Frank Loesser’s dramatic talent in song. An overall feel-good evening!


Red River
by J.L. Curtin
I highly recommend the new family country musical Red River - from the pen of multi-talented Sally Wills who wrote music, lyrics and book, as well as directed this enjoyable entertainment at The American Renegade Theatre.

The story begins in Dallas where self-important politician Doug (loosely based on former President Lyndon B. Johnson), played by David Schulz, is winning state political offices with the help of gorgeous campaign manager Katie, powerfully portrayed by real-life wife Heather Schulz.
We soon see their romantic relationship revealed to Doug’s wife Bobbie Jean, a remarkably winning Keira O’Keiff, a petite and vulnerable heroine who immediately steals our hearts as she discovers her husband’s perfidy. She enlists best friend Ethel, loyal powerhouse Kayrin J.B. Nichole, and they sweep up Bobbie Jean’s two children, played by young charmers Kyre Wilcox and Kelsey Lewis, and are off to rural Red River, New Mexico, bravely trying to eke out a living from a mysterious bar-cafe.

Bobbie Jean encounters good guy Carter (accomplished actor, singer and dancer Qyn Hughes) and his jealous sidekick Maggie (the endearing Monica Revel) who send our dauntless crew into the back-country bar where they meet scary bad guys Cass (meany Harrison Ray) and not-so-meany Sam (Timothy Starks) and the intriguingly quiet, steadfast Eagle (played by Mark Luna, who reveals a complex musical and acting persona).

The evening is full of high romance and near melodramatic intrigue (I mean this in a good way as the audience was highly responsive, exploding with spontaneous applause, laughter and tears throughout) which are played and sung out with some spectacular dancing, choreographed and executed by Qyn Hughes and featuring Elizabeth Lambert and other cast members.

Musical Director Bill Schneider and versatile onstage country players Luke Halpin, Mack Dougherty and Harvey Newmark, adeptly playing multiple instruments, are in fine tune and well worth listening to in a splendid overture and rousing transitional music.

The sets, designed by Sinead Thibault, David A. Cox and J.P. Luckenbach and dressed by Eileen
Dietz-Albany are quite impressive in materials and concept, as there are many shifts in locale. Unfortunately, this complexity, which would be easily handled in a large theatre space with a big budget and all kinds of mechanical and electronic scene shift apparatus, creates some slow and awkward scene changes which, unfortunately, slows the story telling. Also, if I may be a little nitpicky, a light gray poncho is set at the top of the stairway of this impressive set with a strong spotlight focused on it which quite unnecessarily distracted my eye. Lighting design by Luke Moyer was otherwise a brave attempt to cover a huge two-story playing space with too small a budget and too few instruments, operators and electronic enhancements.

Costumes by Zale Morris tend to be colorful, fun, amusing and well planned, with the single exception of a murky brownish top which detracts from an otherwise lovely tan buckskin ensemble worn by Billie Jean near the end of the show.

The rest of the enthusiastic ensemble, Danielle Kovacs, Fred Russell, Devin Reeves, Lucian Casselman, Larry Dean and Kathleen Kaufman, do a fine job in their various roles and guises.


More Theatre
by Archie Rothman

50 years after its Broadway opening, Guys and Dolls returns to L.A.’s Wilshire Theatre. Touring productions are not supposed to live up to the original staging, but the version now at the Wilshire for two weeks is, in many ways, more effective and entertaining. Starring Maurice Hines, the emphasis is on dancing with many exciting routines added to the now classic Damon Runyon story, with composer and lyricist Frank Loesser, and book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. The play holds up well and doesn’t seem dated. Though set in the Broadway of the ’40s, the characters are believable and realistic. Detroit wants to find a place for the crap game. With the help of his buddies Nicely-Nicely (Clent Bowers), Harry the Horse (Carlos Lopez), Benny (Darin DePaul), and Rusty (Michael W. Howell), he finds the underground gambling area. Enter Sky Masterson (Brian Sutherland), the money man, Miss Adelaide (Alexander Foucard) a Vivian Blaine-type singer at the Hat Box and Detroit’s “almost married” girlfriend for 12 years, and Sarah Brown (Diane Sutherland), the prim and proper salvation worker who Masterson charms into joining him in Cuba on a bet he makes with Detroit that she won’t go. Under the sharp direction of Charles Randolph-Wright, this talented cast does a great job in making their parts lifelike. And that’s what makes this Guys and Dolls superior to the many productions that have come before - including the inferior Sinatra/ Brando movie.

Tape comes to L.A.’s Coast Playhouse after critical and audience acclaim in many theatres. Tape received rave reviews since opening in New York City and many cities starting in 1999. (The movie adaptation shortly followed, with Ethan Hawke, his wife Uma Thurman, and Robert Sean Leonard.) The producers, Naked Angels, have wisely used the play’s original cast, Dominic Fumusa, Josh Stamberg and Alison West in this production of the play by Stephen Belber, directed by Geoffrey Nauffts. The play concerns two old college friends from a decade ago. Vince (Dominic Fumusa), now a drug dealer, and Jon (Josh Stamberg), a freshly acclaimed filmmaker, find themselves raking over an incident in which it appears the filmmaker date-raped the other’s girlfriend after the senior prom. The girl Amy (Alison West), now a district attorney, joins them in a seedy motel. Tensions mount as the characters recount their own versions of what they believe really happened. Before the night is over, the reunion erupts into an evening of mud-slinging, false accusations and shocking revelations. The performances are excellent and the play is riveting, taut, tense, gripping and thought-provoking. See Tape before it closes May 11 at the Coast in West Hollywood.

A Window Between Worlds
by Michelle Malik


The Women of Hear Me Roar Productions have something to growl about - domestic violence. This ambitious group of bright and talented females, under the guidance of show producer and actress Nikki Braendlin, brings its passion for peace to the heart of Hollywood at the Stella Adler Theatre in A Window Between Worlds, four one-act plays celebrating womanhood. In ”The Role of Della,” two Hollywood hopefuls, the crafty Emma (Megan Hastings) and the eager and innocent Elizabeth (Caroline Fogarty) dual over a highly valued casting card. Margaret Lee also stars and Ingrid Escajeda directs this clever turn of events.

“The Ballerinas” is an unconventional look at the lives of three women who are far removed from the gentility of ballerinas, with their bad vices, drinking, obsessing over food and smoke, and thinking they are becoming what they portray – the endangered swan. Audrey Heaven, Emily Johnson and Isidora Goreshter star and Noa Hegesh directs. Sandrine Kuttlein takes us into intermission with a beautiful French ballad that translates into “Don’t Leave Me” with such wild and expressive emotion that the audience need not speak French to feel its full meaning.

In the second half of the show, Renée De Bevoise and Karleigh Baebin blow us away with their New York tough girl act under Nikki Braendlin’s direction in The Mamet Women. Noa Hegesh performs a clever, heartfelt tune and leads us into the show stopper, “When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet,” a delightful farce that joins the women of Shakespeare’s various productions in a summit to give young Juliet some sound advice about men. It turns out that the young miss can teach them all a thing or two. Nikki Braendlin, Danielle Boudreau, Katie Boyle, Emily Kaiser, Suzanne Shmidt, Ximena Solimano, and Sara Jochums directs. Sandrine Kuttlein closes the show out with her beautiful soprano voice in “You’re Never Alone.”

A Window Between Worlds runs at the Stella Adler Theatre until May 2nd. Don’t miss your chance to see it!

Beach Party by Steve Krieger

Wandering the serpentine corridors of the (newly renovated, I’m told) Stella Adler Theater, with every three feet of wall space playing host to a portrait of the eponymous acting sage in various, electric “pedagogic poses,” I figured I was in for an Evening with Thespians—and, quite frankly, who wants that.

After a cinematic intro employing the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” blood-red lighting and a sexy shadow boxing sequence, Beach Play, written by David Darmstaedter and directed by David Meinecke, got underway as the actors kicked down the fourth wall. Literally.

Bradley Jamesson as Arnie, a strung out, ex-porn star with a Jeff Spicoli vibe and the drooping posture of a man with an extremely heavy head, burst onto stage and knocked over an entire set piece/wall. The actors recovered nicely… I leapt to the edge of my seat… Stella would have been proud…

Phil (played by Scott Hayes) was fiddling with a Colt .45 and having a “to be or not to be” moment before his pal Arnie arrived. Having nothing to lose he decides to befuddle, tease and beat on Arnie, hoping that maybe Arnie will decide to commit suicide, which will in turn liberate Phil so that he can, phoenix-like, rise from the ashes of his own self-slaughter musings— or something…

Hayes, with his stringy, dishwater blond hair and baby blues, bears a striking resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio before Leo got fat. Hair pulled back into a curt samurai ponytail, pacing the stage like a sinewy leopard, Hayes does a lot with a role that has him repeating lines like, “You want it up the ass??”

Jamesson’s Arnie, his So-Cal speech littered with surf-isms, jitters about the stage like a kicked puppy, his mannerisms screaming “Dude, where’s my valium” as he tries to cope with Phil’s bursts of temper.

These two are Malibu’s answer to Vladimir and Estragon as they banter back and forth in something like a sweaty, charged, verbal racquetball match, the tenuous thread of their conversation ricocheting this way and that.

The play closes with wafts of cigarette smoke against the red lights, “Riders on the Storm” tinkling, and Phil’s stony glare suggesting that when he takes Arnie swimming—where all those “broads” that they were talking about earlier are frolicking—Arnie won’t be coming back. Baywatch or Beckett? Beach Party has a little of both, and energy to spare.

Picon Pie
by Archie Rothman

The famous theater in Santa Monica, open since 1964, is now presenting one of their most entertaining musicals in years. It’s called Picon Pie, a cute way to title a musical bio of Molly Picon, one of the most beloved stars of stage, screen, radio, TV, and vaudeville. Surprisingly, this is a rare staging of this legendary performer, written by Rose Leiman Goldenberg, who is the award-winning playwright of many acclaimed plays like The Burning Bed, and stars an amazing Molly Picon look-alike Barbara Minkus, a short bundle of talent with a great voice and engaging personality; and Jack Kutcher, with numerous stage and TV credits, as her lover and husband of over 50 years. This is a saga of show business from the early teens through the ’70s, tracing Molly’s life with dozens of her famous songs and routines form the stage and screen hit “Milk and Honey,” and her unforgettable hits on Second Ave. in NYC (which she toured all over the country, Europe and Israel) and her many appearances on TV and movies (Majority of One, six years as a regular on TV’s Love American Style, the Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin and Danny Kaye TV shows, the film Lady Sings the Blues and as Barbra Streisand’s grandmother in Hide and Seek.) Barbara Minkus recently completed a 14-month run at the Santa Monica Playhouse in the musical Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Grandmother. The director of that hit, and this one, is Chris DeCarlo, who with his co-artistic director wife Evelyn Rudie has been involved in hundreds of award-winning productions for over 40 years. The theatre, centrally located on 4th Street and Wilshire, is a Santa Monica landmark, but it is with great sadness that I learned that the theatre may close if they can’t raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by next year. If you’ve never been to the theater, I urge you to attend now. Not only to see Picon Pie, one of the most delightful and entertaining shows they have ever presented, scheduled to close in September, but to see this charming theater complex with two theaters, many with antiques and memorabilia, a coffee shop, surrounding an outside courtyard and a second floor of rehearsal space and offices. As a regular reviewer and visitor, I would hate to see his treasured playhouse close. Let’s all help to save it!