Pat Launer on San Diego Theater
By Pat Launer, SDNN
Thursday, October
1, 2009
READ REVIEWS OF: “Sammy,”
“Creditors,” “Man From
The Candy Man
Cometh
THE SHOW:
“Sammy,” a world premiere musical, at the Old Globe
Sammy Davis, Jr., “a 5-foot-two typhoon,” spent 60 of his 64 years in
show business. It seemed he could do anything: sing, dance, act (onstage,
screen and television), play multiple instruments, woo innumerable women. But
did he ever feel satisfied? What really drove him to repeated self-destruction
and self-renewal?
We never find out in the fast-paced, lightweight musical homage penned by
his old pal, Leslie Bricusse who, with the late
Anthony Newley, created some of Sammy’s signature
songs: “What Kind of Fool Am I?,” “Who Can I Turn To?,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Gonna Build a Mountain,” “The Candy Man.”
For this unabashed tribute, the Oscar and Grammy-winning Bricusse included eight previously written numbers (including
all of the above) and added 15 new ones. But none of latest creations can hold
a candle to those singalong show-stoppers,
though Bricusse still has a way with words (he
actually writes lyrics with perfect rhymes… what a concept! Practically
unheard-of in modern songwriting).
The story is all too familiar: mega-talent burns self out on sex, drugs,
infidelity, alcohol, over-spending and over-extending. Picks
self up. Repeats. It’s hard to feel for the
guy. He had everything, repeatedly, and repeatedly threw it away. With all the
seminal events in his life – good and bad – flying by at breakneck speed (the
accident in which he lost his eye, racism in the Army, conversion to Judaism),
we hardly get a chance to catch our collective breath, let alone get under the
skin of the man. And it takes an awfully long time at the outset to engage us
in the narrative.
The show opens with an overture (something you rarely see/hear any more;
one of several elements that make the musical seem old-fashioned). The action begins
at Ciro’s on Sunset, Oscar night, 1951. It ends in
1989, at the
So, it’s a combo platter: part biopic, part jukebox musical, part
through-sung (melo)drama
(most of the story is told in song), part sentimental remembrance. And some of
it works just fine.
For one thing, Obba Babatundé
is terrific. He has all the requisite talent: he can croon, tap, act, and play
a mean drum solo. He’s charming and appealing, but not hyperbolically
larger-than-life like the icon he’s playing. That’s too much to ask or expect.
To everyone’s credit, he’s not trying to impersonate the performer, just give a
feeling of his sensibility and his drive. And that he accomplishes with
panache. The same approach is successfully taken in portraying Frank Sinatra
(Adam James) and Dean Martin (Troy Britton Johnson). Less felicitous are the
attempts at Eddie Cantor (Perry Ojeda), Kim Novak (Mary Ann Hermansen)
and Lola Falana (Keewa Nurullah).
The female ensemble is gorgeous and gifted (lots of long legs, that look great in those Vegas showgirl getups, among
other fabulous costumes by Fabio Toblini). As the
comedy duo that gave Sammy his big boost at age 4 – his father, Sammy Davis,
Sr., and ‘Uncle’ Will, forming The Will Maston Trio -- Ted Louis Levy and
Lance Roberts are delightful, in quips
and dance. As the tough-but-tender Rosa Davis, the grandma who raised Sammy
when his Mama left him behind, Tony winner Ann Duquesnay
is formidable, but seems out of her vocal range at times.
Some of the score feels derivative; “Burlesque” is like “You Gotta Have a Gimmick”; “The House of the Lord,” a Gospel
number, trades on stereotype “Fiddler” moves in the Jewish section; and “Black
Sammy/White Sammy” does similar things in the racial domain. Some of the stronger new numbers are: “Gettin’ My Act Together” (which includes Babatundé’s killer drum solo); “Charlie Charm,” a cute
comic ditty sung by Frank and Sammy; the clever-lyric “Living Large” (“Shopping
till you’re dropping is like stopping every show”); “Singin’
and Swingin’,” a self-explanatory Frank/Dean/Sammy
song. Of the known numbers, generally well woven into the storyline, “Once in a
Lifetime,” “Gonna Build a Mountain” and “The Joker”
work best.
But the tempo, tone and emphasis need re-thinking. Bricusse’s
book and Keith Glover’s direction keep the pace a tad frenetic; we rarely have
time to think.. Keith Young’s choreography is great
fun and effectively establishes time periods (though we’ve certainly seen that
drugged-out psychedelic scene more than a time or two). Chris
Lee’s lighting works wonderfully. There were a few sound problems on
opening night, but the orchestrations (Ned Paul Ginsburg), dance music arrangements
(Rahn Coleman) and Vocal Arrangements (Broadway
veteran Ian Fraser) are excellent.
I think the show has legs, but it needs to dance to a more distinctive,
focused tune.
THE LOCATION: Old Globe
Theatre in
THE DETAILS: Tickets: $54-89.
Tuesday-Wednesday at 7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m.,
Saturday-Sunday at 2 p.m., through November 8.
THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD BET
The
Green-Eyed Monster Reawakens
THE SHOW: “Creditors,” a new adaptation of a Strindberg play,
commissioned by the La Jolla Playhouse
A couple goes on vacation by the sea. An idyllic
location, an elegant hotel. But then a snake slithers into their Edenic refuge. A stranger who
insidiously, systematically undermines their relationship and destroys their
lives.
“Creditors” was created by Swedish playwright August Strindberg (probably
best known for “Miss Julie,” written in the same year, 1888). The La Jolla Playhouse
commissioned a new adaptation by Doug Wright, the gifted writer who won a
Pulitzer Prize for “I Am My Own Wife,” which was workshopped at the Playhouse
in 2001 (under Wright’s direction) and garnered Tony Awards for the playwright
and the stunning star, former San Diegan Jefferson Mays. Wright in turn
commissioned a literal translation from Anders Cato, a fellow writer/director
who’s fluent in Swedish. From that he crafted a timeless tale, set at the turn
of the last century, but linguistically up to the minute.
It’s a psychological thriller, a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse where
the price is immeasurable. In a drama with a monetary title, it’s easy to
conjure fiscal imagery: the high cost of love, the investments we make in each
other, the debts due and payable. Scores will be evened, even if the damages
are moral bankruptcy.
The setting may be a 19th century spa, but the interactions
and machinations are eternal. The power shifts with every scene, as do our
sympathies. From the get-go, there’s something Machiavellian about Gustav (T.
Ryder Smith, with an impeccably trim beard and moustache), who probes and prods
milquetoast Adolf (Omar Metwally), playing Iago to Adolf’s love-besotted Othello. The endless
wheedling and needling break down Adolf’s defenses, opening the door for the
green-eyed monster who, once unleashed, can never be
re-caged.
At first, it seems that Gustav and Adolf are friends. The former has
already, in the course of a day or so, persuaded Adolf to give up painting
(“It’s a dead form”) and take up sculpture (“These days, we want something
tangible, three dimensional”). He seems to have an inside track on Adolf’swife, his marriage, his weaknesses.
But they’ve actually just met, and the relationship is just developing,
however one-sidedly. Gustav is strong, convincing. Adolf is sickly, weak and
suggestible. Gustav’s identity is supposed to be a long-withheld mystery, but
it’s not too hard to figure out, not too far into the play. Still, his
maneuvers and manipulations are something to behold. It becomes clear that he’s
hellbent on undermining Gustav’s marriage. And he
succeeds – in spades.
“She’s the force that sustains me,” Adolf says early on. “Tekla is actually a part of me, of my body… I can’t tell
where she ends and I begin” But Gustav convinces him otherwise: “She took your
manhood, and hid it in her jewelry box.” Hard for a guy to
recover from that. And Gustav doesn’t stop there. He does more, and
worse, to Tekla (Kathryn Meisle).
Wright’s adaptation is rife with delectable turns of phrase (“I was a
broken watch, frozen in time”; “My roots are still in your soil”). The
structure of the drama may feel familiar, the outcome predictable. But the
journey is thrilling, under Wright’s taut direction.
The performances are outstanding. Smith is positively reptilian: smooth
and slick and slithery. Metwally is excellent as the
invertebrate Adolf, who has some contemptible philosophies of women and
marriage, though he really does love his wife, to the best of his limited
ability. Meisle is a force of nature, coy and
flirtatious, dynamic, affectionate and admittedly narcissistic. It’s obvious
why men adore her. She’s the one who surmises the plot, who figures out the
intrigue. But it’s already too late.
These three succulent characters work their wily mutual mischief in an
oversized, elegant set by Robert Brill, a Tony nominee who got his start
locally, as a co-founder of Sledgehammer Theatre. The lighting (Japhy Weideman) is glaring,
appropriate to seashore -- or searchlight. The costumes (by Obie
and Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty) have a dash of
élan and elegance. The music, composed by David Van Tieghem,
is at times overwrought, melodramatically punctuating the action.
It’s a dark, disturbing, intriguing, acerbic and savage little one-act, that gives new meaning to the term ‘desperately in
love.’
THE LOCATION:
THE DETAILS: Tickets:
$30-65. Tuesday-Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.;
Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday at 2 p.m.,
through October 25.
THE BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
Who
Am I?
THE SHOW: Man
from
What if you woke up in the middle of the night and realized that you no
longer believed in anything? In God. In the stars. In everything your life had been predicated
on.
That’s what happens to Ken Carpenter in “Man from
Letts has established himself as a writer of quirky comic dramas, dark
pieces that go deep. Cygnet Theatre produced his creepy-crawly “Bug” (2006) and
Compass Theatre recently introduced us to the murderous trailer-trash of
“Killer Joe” (3/09). Now Cygnet is ready for another round with Letts, tackling
his third play, which premiered in 2003, at his home base,
It comes at you obliquely, quietly. The first few scenes are relatively
silent, mostly mimed. Snapshots of a bored and boring quotidian life: dinner at
a restaurant, riding in a car, attending church, visiting a frail and sickly
mother. It’s every couple’s nightmare (or at least, it’s mine): a long-married
pair, staring past each other, long stretches of time with nothing to say. And
then, there’s that middle-of-the-night, mid-life crisis of faith. And we’re
off.
Cygnet associate artistic director Francis Gercke
has amassed a superb cast, and directed with a skillfully subtle and stylized
approach. Instead of lots of scenery or props, there are a few chairs, moved
deftly on and off by the players, and a couple of brick walls, and projections
of locales (set design by Brian Redfern, projections
coordinated by Dominic Abbenante). We see a house on
a hill, a road sign that beckons: “
It’s a muted and reserved piece of theater (this is the Midwest, after
all, and
At the center, Michael Rich Sears gives a stellar, confident, self-possessed
performance. Though his face reads blank at times, as he stares out at the
audience in a state of total befuddlement, we see that there is so much more
behind the stony silence; most of his acting is internal. Similarly, in the
role of his steadfast and unwavering wife, Robin Christ has few lines, but
emotions play across her face like light dancing on water. She’s beautiful,
even in her unmade-up,
The whole play has a deceptive tranquility, a calm ruffled by all that’s
roiling beneath the surface. This excellent, understated production mines the
philosophical depth, and leaves us awash in our own thoughts.
THE LOCATION: Cygnet’s Old Town Stage,
THE DETAILS: Tickets:
$17-46. Wednesday-Thursday
at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday at 2
p.m.,
through November 1.
THE BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
The
Comic Coming
THE SHOW: The
Theological arguments are a tough sell -- especially in a comedy. But
Evan Smith’s 2007 play bypasses mere comedy and goes straight into sitcom. All
that’s missing is the laugh-track. This insubstantial squabble on religious
grounds pits the evangelicals against the Catholics, a distinction that seems
arcane to those outside the faith, though it might be deadly serious to those
within. Chapter and verse are indeed quoted, and
there’s even a little Latin and Greek thrown in, but this effort feels
decidedly like “The Golden Girls Religious Redux.”
Two Catholic spinsters, Mary and Margaret, go about their lives with
stacks of spiritual tomes surrounding them (clever set design by Deb O), and
church very much a part of their everyday existence. Then the doorbell rings
(there’s also the enigmatic phone message on the answering machine, imploring
someone – we never learn which sister – to come in and see the doctor soon
about some test results. Talk about your McGuffins).
Standing at the door is a perky blonde evangelist missionary, who’s hellbent on saving their souls, and keeping them from
burning in the hell their idol-worshiping heathen ways are bound to provide. So far, so funny, huh? Actually, the Catholics were laughing
hysterically on opening night – especially when the priest finally gives the
pert young thing her comeuppance. Riotous applause ensued.
In this chintz-covered Georgia domicile, Mary is the self-confessed
“mean” one, who loves nothing more than telling everyone precisely how they
should act and exactly where they should get off if they don’t measure up to
her expectations. Margaret is sweet-tempered and soft-hearted; she gives
everyone the benefit of the doubt, and she readily believes what young Melissa
is saying about resurrection, the afterlife and (gasp!) the Pope. Mary is
infuriated when Margaret invites the girl back, and she hatches a plot to
ensnare Melissa in her misconceptions. She invites their parish priest for
dinner and blindsides him with her exhortation to “Crush her! Demolish her!”
Melissa erroneously thinks the padre is Margaret’s husband. After a long
time of holding his tongue (saving it for the banana pudding), the priest
finally admits to having been educated at Seminary. In Valley Girl response,
Melissa shrieks, “Shut up!” When Father Murphy finally does, reluctantly, go
after her with sane arguments (as versus her belief that yoga postures are
satanic), she fears she may have to quit this business and “go back to the
Lancôme counter.” And yet, she has succeeded in shaking the foundations of Mary
and Margaret, and even making the
priest think twice. At the end, all four return to their own corners, licking
wounds, recovering beliefs, and pretty much picking up where they left off. And
Melissa goes on to the next house.
If this sounds like your cup of theater, be my guest. The best I can say
is that it’s a wonderful production of an inconsequential trifle. Under the
direction of Kim Rubenstein (currently on the acting faculty at UCSD), the cast
is splendid. I could see the first-rate Robin Pearson Rose in the role of
Margaret (she had to leave the cast unexpectedly, due to a family emergency),
but
The costumes (Judith Dolan) and lighting (Alan Burrett)
are pitch-perfect, though some of the interstitial music (sound by Paul
Peterson) seems a little too rock-infused for the likes of these folks. Country
would’ve suited them just fine. And a laugh-track, too.
THE LOCATION: The Old Globe’s
temporary arena stage at the
THE DETAILS: Tickets:
$29-62. Tuesday-Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday
at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., through November 1.
Polite
Porter
THE SHOW:
Anything Goes, the classic Cole Porter musical, at
Lyric Opera San Diego
The name of the show (which had changed a number of times) reflected the
desperation with which it was put together in 1934. As goofy and ridiculous as
the plot is, the score is nonpareil; one spectacular Cole Porter song after
another (“I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,”
“Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Friendship” and of course, the title
tune). It was written for Ethel Merman, with a book by comic writer P.G.
Wodehouse (as well as Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russel
Crouse). The humor is of the pun/groan variety, but audiences can still enjoy
the fun of it, and savor those incomparably clever Cole Porter lyrics.
But oh, the story. The mishmash mayhem occurs on an ocean liner bound for
The Lyric Opera production gets off to a sluggish start. The eight-piece
orchestra, under the baton of Chris Thompson, sounds much less than its number.
The costumes (Pam Stompoly-Ericson) look low-budget,
cheesy and decidedly unsexy. Except for one outfit and number,
The whole production is too sanitized and polite. The only one who
completely captures the tone of the piece is J. Sherwood Montgomery, who
stepped in at the last minute (taking over for Jimmy Ferraro, recovering from a
recent surgery) as the wacky mobster, Moonface.
Shirley Giltner is aptly ditsy and squeaky-voiced as
his moll, Bonnie. Jordan Miller (recently seen in Cygnet Theatre’s revival of
“Bed and Sofa”) is thoroughly likable and dramatically malleable as Billy, and
he moves well. But the dancing overall (direction/choreography by
Anthony Ballard’s Sir Evelyn is less foppish and foolish than usual,
which makes it a little easier to believe that
“Anything Goes” is one big, brash musical. There’s nothing in the
slightest subtle about it. Everything should be oversized and overdone. This is
a safe, squeaky-clean production that doesn’t do justice to the spirit of the
goofball, musically marvelous material.
THE LOCATION: Lyric Opera San
Diego at the Birch North Park Theatre,
THE DETAILS: Tickets: $32-52
(half-price for youth age 17 and under).
Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m., through October 11.
NEWS AND VIEWS
… FREE NIGHT
OF THEATER!: The 5th annual, national event is
underway. In more than 120 cities, with 750 participating theater companies and
75,000 tickets being given away. It’s Theatre Communication Group’s Free Night of Theater. The ticket
giveaway, which includes
.. Dibs:
Not only do you get bragging rights; you get a discount. If you saw the world
premiere production of the roof-rattling musical, “Memphis,” at the La Jolla Playhouse last fall, you can get a
discount on the Broadway incarnation of the show that’s in previews now and
opens next week (10/19) at the Shubert Theatre on W. 44th St. If you
use the discount code, $5 per ticket goes back to the Playhouse. Check out info
on the show at www.memphisthemusical.com.
For the discount tix ($62.50-$69.50, regularly
$121.50-$126.50), call (212) 947-8844 or visit broadwayoffers.com and use the
code MELJP0819.
…Festival of
Lights: The second annual community Diwali Festival,
celebrated all over India and the world, will feature arts, a cultural program,
music, a participatory dance (“garba”), Indian food
and beverages provided by local restaurants, family craft activities, henna
artists and a traditional ceremonial lighting of lamps that were made in India
and brought to San Diego for this special event. At sunset, 1008 small lamps,
arranged in graceful patterns, and 50 large brass lamps, some nearly five feet
high, will be lit by distinguished local women and the evening’s guest of
honor, Ambassador Sushmita Thomas, the San
Francisco-based Consul General of India. Diwali,
which celebrates the victory of good over evil, is a public holiday in
… Double Role: Eric Bishop, chair of the theater department at
… Master Class:
… Out of the
mouths of babes: Joey Landwehr, artistic director of the J*Company youth theater, is always
trying to educate his charges. So he planned an entire Rodgers and Hammerstein
season for this year: “South Pacific” (opening on October 15, accompanied by a
20-piece orchestra), “The King and I,” “The Sound of Music” and
“Cinderella.” “In these days of ‘Wicked’
and ‘High School Musical 1, 2, 3 and beyond,” exclaims Landwehr, “many of these young artists don’t know there were musicals before! They are totally
unaware of these amazing shows from the golden age of musical theater.” The
other day, during rehearsal, Landwehr asked his cast, “Why do we sing in a
musical?” A ten year-old piped up with this stirring response (which, the director
confessed, brought a tear to his eye): “Until I started doing this show, I
would have said, ‘Because the orchestra comes in.’ But
now I get it. We start singing in a musical because the emotions are so strong
that we don’t have a choice!” To further enhance the education, enjoyment and
skill-set of local kids, The J*Company is also getting ready for its Fall session of classes, starting in November. Workshops,
geared for ages 7-10 and 11-18, focus on Musical Theater Dance, Acting with an
Accent, Advanced Voice Training, turning fairy tales into Greek Tragedy, and
more. Details at: http://sdcjc.lfjcc.org/jc/classes.aspx
And don’t forget:
… Celebrity Sonnets, brought to us by the San Diego Shakespeare Society and
performed by local actors, dancers and community leaders. Monday,
10/12, at the Old Globe. www.sandiegoshakespearesociety.org
…The reading of “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,”
at the La Jolla Playhouse, one of 100 theaters nationwide revisiting the
influential work that examined the aftermath of the murder of gay student
Matthew Shepard in
PAT’S PICKS: BEST
BETS
“Man from
Cygnet
Theatre, through 11/1
“Creditors” – a brutal ménage à trois, excellently executed
“Sammy” – a promising world premiere
musical, in its earliest incarnation
Old
Globe Theatre, through 11/8
“Side Man” – wonderful, poignant play; fine ensemble work
Bang!
Productions at Diversionary, through 10/11
Read
Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-30/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-side-man-dear-harvey
“Things We Want” – snarky black comedy
about damaged 20-somethings in deep distress; wonderful direction and
performances
Read
Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-23/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-things-plow
“August:
Ahmanson
Theatre,
Read
Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-23/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-things-plow
“I’m Not Rappaport” – outstanding
production of a funny, touching, thought-provoking play
Scripps
Ranch Theatre, through 10/10
Read Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-16/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-rappaport
“Godspell” – inventive, energetic, inspiring
Lamb’s
Players Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, open-ended
Read
Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-22/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-42nd-st-twist
Pat Launer is the
SDNN theater critic.
To read any of
her prior reviews, type ‘Pat Launer’ into the SDNN Search box.