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I Hope Not!:San Pedro’s scrappy little theatre and Long Beach’s ever amazing opera company are out in front. Way out in Pasadena, the best man for the job is a woman.
The Lion In Winter at Little Fish
William Goldman’s play, a cross between brittle intellectual wit and violent family conflicts, still entertains.
This
production, accurately cast and crisply directed by Ed Cotter, is a
good match for the play’s strengths. There is little lingering over the
arch humor, it stands on its own. The conflicts are played straight
ahead with no lingering over agony, although Suzanne Dean as the
captive queen does give full value to her rage and frustration. As the
King, the master bastard, David Graham, keeps the melodramatic doings
in balance with a keen sense of the ridiculousness to which they all
stoop.
As the royal sons, John Bland is dependably stoic, Cody
Roberts is habitually sly, and Erich Whitaker carries buffoonery to the
absolute limit Art Krisoin has an oddly exotic flavor as the French
king. Sarah Mckenna has her beauty and enough trust, constantly foiled,
in human nature to make her the perfect patsy. The attractive costumes
and castle snippets provide enough atmosphere to get by, It all fits
together unpretentiously.
Through Mar. 15 at 777 Center St. in San Pedro. Tickets and info at LittleFishTheatre.org or (310) 512-6030.
Orpheus and Euridice at Long Beach Opera
Dream-like, with soft splashing and reflections in the water, classical
statues stood by. Languorous, high flying soprano Elizabeth Futral and
clarinetist Todd Palmer made beautiful music together, as composed by
Ricky Ian Gordon, about love and death. Altogether, an otherworldly
experience. Whatever will they think of next? Starting Mar. 14, Michael
York opens in “the haunting tale of thwarted love, Enoch Arden, a
melodrama set to the music of Richard Strauss. Then, in Frankenstein!!,
York, as a singing narrator, portrays comic-strip heroes and familiar
film characters - from Frankenstein to Superman.” I sat in on an open
rehearsal of the latter, with the composer performing, in Santa Fe. Far
out is not bizarre enough to describe it. Info and tickets at
LongBeachOpera.org or (562) 432.5934.
Othello and Otello
A great play (Shakespeare’s Othello) and the great opera (Otello) based
on it, now in Pasadena and the Music Center near you.
In the
play, a sharp, fascinating Iago takes in the audience as she takes in
Othello. She ( LA Women’s Shakespeare’s Lisa Wolpe) shares intimate
winks and nods, takes us into her confidence even as it turns into a
confidence game. Fran Bennett’s elaborate speech makes Othello as a
worldly soldier of great pride and dignity who falls with a thud. A
laconic Desdemona and genteel Cassio complete the picture. Through Mar.
23 at 70 N, Mentor in Pasadena. Tickets and info at BostonCourt.org or
(626) 683-6883.
Verdi’s opera has enormous dramatic impact in
the right hands. But this performance is flat. The leads were
efficient, but not very effective. Iago must drive the drama, but Mark
Delavan was all bluster and sneer, yet neither sought nor found the
labyrinthine evil of “honest” Iago.
Through March 9 at the
Music Center. The concurrently running Recovered Voices is a much
better bet. Tickets and info at LAOpera.com or (213) 972-8001.
The Saint Plays at Cal Rep
An interconnected series of dramatizations relates to saints past and
future- among them Joan of Arc, nuns murdered in El Salvador, and
Barbara. Joan and the nuns have political meanings, although their
deaths, rather than their lives seem to be the point here.
Drab gowns, skeletal skirts, chanting and some singing are used
repetitively. The mood is solemn and earnest. It may work for believers.
Through Mar. 15 at the Armory, 854 E. 7th in Long Beach. Tickets and info at CalRep.org or (562) 985-4500.
Cesar Chavez at Found Theatre
This homey one man show, just closed, combines folksy humor, a thirst
for justice, and inspirational drive that was at the heart of Chavez.
The strongest message was non-violence, a cause that Chavez shared with
Martin Luther King, Jr, a cause that they both felt was not only the
most effective way to forward a moral cause, but the only way to win
out. Worked for Gandhi in winning India's independence from England,
even though the country later splintered into sectarian parts. This is
non-violent inspirational biography—no ranting or heavy sweating, just
a message of hope.
Dorothy Spirus returns to the Found on Mar. 7
for a 4 week rerun of her Children of a Lesser Goddess. Tickets and
info at (562) 433-3363.
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