TASTE

If life begins at the end of your comfort zone, then The Sacred Fools Theatre Company's new undertaking TASTE is chock full of Iife.

'Based on an infamous true story TASTE follows two men who meet online and make a unique arrangement: one man will kill, cook and eat the other. Over the course of the evening, secrets are revealed, boundaries are tested and a strange but beautiful relationship unfolds.'

But as macabre as this sounds, it's not just Grand Guignol blood-letting, there's sad, deep universal truths in the writing.

Impeccably acted by the wonderful Donal Thomas-Cappello and Chris L. McKenna as men desperately struggling to 'feel'.  If you didn't totally believe the actors then none of this would work, but it does beautifully.

The truth can set you free but getting to it can be a painful but cathartic process.  You may squirm and squeal but you'll be glad you endured the journey.

Sandra Bernhard: I Love Being Me, Don't You?

Was at Sandra Bernhard's new show I Love Being Me, Don't You? last night at the REDCAT, now I am a huge Sandra fan, I've seen her be everything from amazing to God awful (her rock show at House Of Blues where she got into a fight with the audience) but I don't ever think I've ever seen a show that was such a mess as last night! Domesticity has defanged her, like your super cool friends that are now parents and are now bores, I don't want to hear about your kids and what you think is interesting is BORING. Her material was irrelevant. if you take the biting edge away from Sandra there's not much left. And it was so not rehearsed she needed a script next to her at all times and used lyric sheets and the cues with the band were way off really, if being a working mother is too much and you can't rehearse then don't charge people for a show that's not ready. That was just the show, the audience was even worse, even she said, 'My God all the freaks are here tonight' and they were, she said "L.A. people, you need so much attention!' There was a guy right in front of me in the front row who should've been thrown out, I've never seen anyone disrupt a show like this. Maybe he was drunk but I don't think so just obnoxious to the point that I had to restrain myself from punching him in the face! He was front row center with his legs stretched far onto the stage just begging for attention from her, she wisely tried valiantly to ignore him but no one could. She just said "we're gonna just have to work around this" and he was so loud laughing hysterically at EVERY word she said, talking to people loudly during the show, yelling things at her, then after the first 15 min he decided to get up and go to the bathroom but because there was no room he disrupted everyone & her having to climb on the stage. She was like "WTF?! Why did he have to come opening night?" Then during her last number (before the encore) he decided to leave saying goodbyes to everyone around him during her song, he got up and had to cross across stage to leave but realized he forgot his hat so had to come back across stage and get it while Sandra was trying to sing around him. Unfucking believable! I kept thinking she would stop the show and have him removed he was so disruptive throughout, that's what I would've done. I sent the REDCAT an email saying they' should've thrown him out, they have a responsibility to people's conduct in their theatre. I've never seen anything like it. Sandra was annoyed and everyone around him wanted to kill him! It took everything I had to not do anything because he was the type that was begging for it and would've made things worse but I really expected the theatre's security to deal with it. Not a fun evening!

FRANKENSTEIN

NT Live continues it’s fantastic showing of live performances from the National Theatre in London with Danny Boyle’s spectacular haunting production of Frankenstein. The play, unlike the monster horror movies, lets the Creature speak, revealing his inner torture and questions societies morality. From the first toll of the bell to the last erie second, this production is captivating and a tour de force for the two actors who alternate playing the Creature. I saw Benedict Cumberbatch, whose masterful use of body & language conveyed every human emoion we’ve gone through from infancy, awkward growing pains, to adult moral dilemas. It’s a production not to be missed. The only quibble I have is that these showing are now falling into the trap of movies, using artsy camera angles, constant editing & far too much close up distracting from the play not enhancing it. Theatre is a different beast, perspective & fluidity is required, less is more, some close up is good, but we want to see the stage views, they’re directed for this not for total close up and far less editing please, just watch the beauty & fluidity of figure skating, would it be as beautiful if it were constantly jump cut edited, we get to see the beauty of the choregraphy. But I am still very gratful to be able to see these productions and I look forward to them ALL in the future.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

William Finn said he would spend no more than 30 minutes at a time composing the score to the new musical Little MIss Sunshine, having it’s premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse, so the score wouldn’t be too complicated, I don’t think you’d ever hear Sondheim say that and for good reason, that’s the main problem of this musical laced with inherent problems. The score just simply isn’t good enough and Finn is a far more capable composer, he needs to spend much more time on it. There are a few readily identifiable Finn moments that show a glimpse of a fun idea.

Any show that takes place in a van on a road trip has it’s obvious problems for staging, director James Lapine is a smart & inventive man and keeps things constantly moving but when you’re trapped within a vehicle there’s only so much you can do.

Another inherent problem when musicalizing a movie is that you must cut out many scenes to make room for the songs, that is a major problem here, gaps that lead to incoherence and if you know the movie leaves you wanting certain scenes that aren’t there.

The capable but uneventful cast lead by Hunter Foster just doesn’t equal the quirkiness of the fine movie cast. Even the always wonderful Dick Latessa can’t equal Alan Arkin’s Oscar winning performance. Georgi James as Olive, the lead young actress just isn’t a strong enough actress or singer and borderlines being cloying. The only character who gets a chance to delve into character with the music is the son who doesn’t speak until 3/4 of the show when his rage erupts into a heart felt song (the strongest moment of the show) and Taylor Trensch shines with it.

The pivotal beauty pageant & Olive’s dance that the whole show builds to is wanting here. The show needs much more work but could be quirky fun. Little Miss Sunshine isn’t bad but it it just isn’t good yet.

DANGEROUS BEAUTY

Among the many things missing from the ew musical Dangerous Beauty, premiering at The Pasadena Plahouse, is danger or beauty. The mess that is onstage is a bad omen as the 1st production for the revived playhouse. This show about courtisans lacks any eroticism. The actors seem uncomfortable with sexuality. The highlight of the show is the set of Venice and the costumes, the good news ends tehre. The musical staging is a mess, the choreography is laughable, the acting is of community thetare caliber (led by Broadway actors Jenny powers & James Synder), their ability to speak the prose is amateurish. The score lacks sexuality or passion & misses depth of feeling and the book is a bore. I admit I haven’t seen the movie it was based on but if the board that chooses shows and directors for the Pasadena Playhouse doesn’t make far better choices it will disappear again quickly!

EMMA

Trapped within the garden maze that is the set of Emma, the new musical at The Old Globe in San Diego, is a charming musical but director Jeff Calhoun isn't talented enough to find it.  Every once in a while one of the actots tries something and the show glimmers despite of Calhoun's uninventive staging.  I admit I am not a fan of his and as usual he does nothing here, like most of his staging he just has people stand and sing, constricting any real action or emotion.  Most of the actors are very capable and have some moments but are kept down by the lack of creative directing.  There is so much upstaging & distraction onstage I don't know how he keeps working!  The music has some pretty melodies but the structure of the songs never go anywhere keeping it from ever soaring.  With a real director Emma could be a funny romantic show.

SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK

A colossal bore. I thought if anyone had the imagination to pull off a Spider-Man musical it would be Julie Taymor. I trusted she would do it in a way that we hadn’t even thought of that would blow our minds, like she did with The Lion King, but I’m sad to say Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark is everything we were afraid it would be, obvious, like every spoof done of it, hip-hop dancing Spidey & swinging him around the theatre on ropes. Really? That’s what you put up for $70 million?!!!! There’s better flying in American Idiot. The book is incoherent and a complete bore. I could list all the stupidity in the show but it would go on forever. The show just looks cheap. I am embarrassed for her, we deserve better! Notice I didn’t mention the music because there’s nothing to say. Save your money, see something, anything else!