Category: Los Angeles Living

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Back to the Future, the Musical

Gordon and I went to Back to the Future, the Musical at the Pantages last Wednesday. I didn’t know what to expect. The movie is tech heavy and I had no idea how they’d tell the story. They pulled it off. Some minor points had to be changed, of course, but they stayed true to the story on the main points. The staging was brilliant. Lots of good effects. I still haven’t figured out how they did the flying car at the end but it’s a great effect. Music and lyrics were written by Alan Silvestri, the Hollywood score composer. It worked but it wasn’t memorable. The Huey Lewis tunes from the movie were used so I was happy. The actors were all good and seemed to have fun camping things up. I particularly liked Burke Swanson as George McFly and Ethan Rogers as Biff. Swanson had incredible body movement. He’s either a great dancer or a yogi. Biff is a thankless part but Rogers made him amusing. He’s got a great voice. I’m sure we’ll see him in lots of future stuff.

We were talking to the people behind us at intermission and they pointed out the actress who played the pregnant mother sitting next to them. We all had a nice chat. It was opening night so at the end of the show Bob Gale, the producer of the movie and the musical invited the people who contributed to both productions up on the stage. That included: Frank Marshall (produced the Indiana Jones movies too), Robert Zemeckis (original movie director, also directed Forest Gump), the British director of the musical (don’t know what he was doing in Hollywood, maybe looking for a job), the actress sitting behind us (can’t remember her name), and some other actors from the movie. The crowd went wild. It was a fun night. You’re not going to come to earth-shaking revelations about the universe but it’s an entertaining show and we all need to be entertained these days. Go see it. Lotsa fun.

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Recent Entertainment

We haven’t been out much so it was a pleasant change to have a musical and a concert to attend. We went to Funny Girl at the Ahmanson last Tuesday. It was opening night, I think, and the crowd was enthusiastic. I was a little hesitant about the whole thing. I remember reading that the show got so-so reviews when it came out in the 60s. Streisand saved it, I think, and it made her a star. And I’ve seen the movie a hundred times so I had Streisand’s interpretation firmly fixed in my mind. I felt sorry for any actress trying to make the part her own. Well, I was surprised. The book must have been re-written because it made more sense than the movie did. Nicky Arnstein became a fleshed-out character with motivation instead of just a handsome man in a ruffled shirt. Katerina McCrimmon played Fanny Brice and made the part her own. I could hear echoes of Streisand when she sang the famous songs (People, for instance) but she gave it her own spin. And I think she’s probably a better actress than Streisand. She played it broadly–well, Fanny was a broad, after all–but she was human and funny. She really brought the audience in. Melissa Manchester played Mrs. Brice. I hadn’t seen her since we attended a concert at the Greek Theater years ago. I didn’t know she could act. Well, she can. And she can sing too. The audience loved her. Actually, the whole cast was great. The tap dancers brought the house down. People still like tap dancers. The staging was interesting and the lighting was great. Lots of fun. And there were no politics! I didn’t get pissed off about anything! Wow. Glad to see it. I got so tired of being scolded and shamed and ridiculed I quit the Taper Theater. Who needs to pay for that crap? I’m reading that theaters are closing all over. Maybe if they provided entertainment instead of agi-prop…Okay, rant’s over. But go see it. It’s a good show.

Last Thursday we went to Disney Hall. Simone Young conducted Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, an Elgar cello concerto, and Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 8. I didn’t know any of the pieces, so it was an evening of discovery for me. Gautier Capucon was the cellist for the Elgar piece. I thought he started out a little pitchy. Maybe he was nervous. Or maybe it was me; I always think cellos…celli…whatever, are a little pitchy. Anyway, he finished big. The audience went nuts so he did an encore which I thought was better than the Elgar. It was a pleasant evening. Nobody talked during the music, nobody flashed their phone in my face; I had nothing to be mad about. And that’s a good night in Los Angeles. Oh, I forgot to say anything about Young. She seemed competent enough. Can’t really compare the pieces because they were new to me. I found her gauze tunic and pants a little informal but really, what’s she supposed to wear? Maybe a designer should come up with something specific to women that doesn’t look like it came out of a bazaar. Just a thought.

Both pleasant evenings. Good night to be in Los Angeles.

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Peter Pan Goes Wrong

I just read a review in the L.A. Times that I completely disagree with, so I had to write something. The reviewer objected because it wasn’t “serious” theater. I guess you only have “serious theater” when the audience being lectured and scolded and proselytized about Far Left politics. Apparently, you can’t laugh or enjoy yourself in “serious theater”. Bull****. I enjoyed Peter Pan Goes Wrong tremendously–as did most of the audience. We all laughed and booed Captain Hook which the reviewer thought was terrible because they didn’t share in the humor. IMO, we need more plays like this instead of the crap previously produced at the Music Center theaters–which probably is the reason the Taper is dark for the foreseeable future. I cancelled our subscription because I couldn’t stand the name-calling and abuse of anyone who didn’t share the Left’s extreme worldview. I wasn’t the only one. You want to kill a regional theater? Turn it into a political hobbyhorse. The Left apparently doesn’t buy tickets. And the result is a dark theater. Good job, political extremists.

Anyway, back to Peter Pan Goes Wrong. It’s about an amateur theater group trying to produce Peter Pan. Anyone who’s ever been involved in amateur theatrics can identify with everything that goes wrong. I remember being in The Effect of Gamma Rays in Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds when I was in college. Someone went over my props after I’d checked and moved everything (God knows why). My opening scene started with a phone call and the phone fell off the ledge. Things went downhill from there. The head tech guy didn’t show up. He claimed that he informed everyone that he’d miss the show but nobody remembered him telling anyone. So all the light and sound cues were wrong. Car horns blared in strange places; none of the special spotlights worked, the actors wandered around the stage, hoping for the best. The final miscue was at the end; an atom was supposed to be super-imposed on the actress’s face. There was a corn stalk instead. The director spent the show in the lobby, pulling his hair out. We did our best and the audience was kind. I remember one friend afterward asking me the significance of the cornstalk. I had no good answer. We stayed until one in the morning to train the tech crew on the cues and went on to triumph. I also remember when the girl playing Frumasera in Fiddler on the Roof panicked when one of the lines broke as she flew around ten feet off the stage. She kept waiting for the other line to break but she didn’t lose a beat. Amateur actors are tough. I guess they have to be. But I identified completely with the shenanigans the Peter Pan actors were dealing with. This is an industry town so I know wasn’t alone. It was FUN! I hope the new Director of the Music Center focusses on entertainment instead of pushing his political views. He’ll probably be out of a job if he doesn’t. All the good shows go to the Pantages these days. And the audience pays to see them.

Well, I’ve had my rant. I feel much better.

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Beetlejuice

We skipped our usual burger and wine before going to the Pantages last night. Tired of spending $70 to split a marginal burger and fries and drinking inexpensive wine. Hollywood Blvd. really needs to get more restaurants around the Pantages. I know the pandemic closed a lot of them but it’s time to move back in. The city even cleaned up the worst of the homeless encampments so it’s not as scary as it used to be. Anyway, we went to the Pantages to see Beetlejuice. It’s not great theater, you won’t come out humming the tunes, but it’s lots of fun. What a remarkable change! Entertainment! The sets were original, the actors are all good, and the book worked to support the story. For a good time, call Beetlejuice–three times. Or at least buy a ticket.

One thing I forgot to add: it was opening night last night so the people watching was wonderful. All the pretty models and actresses came dressed to the nines (whatever that means). Gordon almost lost his eyes when a lovely young woman sashayed by in a super short skirt. Well, she had the legs to pull it off. But, boy, did I feel old. That’s life, ain’t it. It was also a big cosplay night. Lots of black & white striped dresses and shirts. I didn’t have any gorgeous guys to ogle. Damn. And I got stuck behind two Shreks so I had to bob and weave to see the show. I should carry a phone book when I go to the theater. I need something to sit on. Of course, nobody has phone books anymore. See above comment about getting old. I’ve got an idea! Why don’t producers book movie theaters? Stadium seating would really help me out.

Onward…

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Into the Woods and Tina

We’ve been royally entertained lately. Last week we went to Into the Woods at the Ahmanson. Wonderful production. It was a touring company, so the sets were fragmented but that worked better than productions I’ve seen with huge sets. When you’re dealing with storybook characters, why not let the imagination run wild? No point in dragging everybody down to earth–unless you’re a giant, then it’s a plot point. Four of the cast members were from the original Broadway cast that won Best Revival (I think). The baker and his wife were a real-life married couple, and they worked wonderfully together. The young man who played the Wolf and Prince Charming was delightful. The Sondheim score is demanding but the cast had no problem with it–and they were all superb comic actors. It’s the best production of Into the Woods I’ve seen (haven’t seen that many but still…). It might be enough to save the Music Center. The Taper is being closed for the near future due to lack of money. The last program director spent all the money on political shows. We finally cancelled our subscription to the Taper because we couldn’t stand the hatred and politicization anymore. I remember a play, starring Mary Louise Parker, that was written by an Englishman. Midpoint in the play, apropos to nothing, Parker screams out, “I hate Republicans!” Don’t think it was in the script, she just adlibbed but that sort of thing became common. In What the Constitution Means to Me, the actor/writer declaims that the electoral college should be abolished because it interferes with Democracy. I guess she never read US history. The rural states would never have ratified the Constitution without the electoral college. They wanted to be protected from the populated states. If the Left is allowed to destroy the electoral college the Red states will have no choice but to seceded for their own protection. But if you believe that you’re bigot or a racist…some sort of ‘ot’ or ‘ist’. When we went for a glass of wine at the Plaza before the show last Wednesday, the signs were blaring that the last four performances of Transparency the Musical had tickets available. I didn’t see a soul around the theater. It looked dead. I guess they couldn’t give tickets away. And when you can’t paper a theater, you have a real problem. Anyway, the new director is searching for money…and plays people want to see, presumably. They’ll have a hard time getting me back. Once bitten, twice shy. I’m tired of paying to be called names and patronized. I’d rather watch I Love Lucy reruns. They’re more entertaining and a lot cheaper.

Last night we saw Tina at the Pantages. It’s a juke box musical about Tina Turner so they used her famous songs. The book was okay, but I liked the movie better. All the singers were great. Either Naomi Rogers or Zurin Villanueva, not sure which, did a nice turn as Tina (turn, get it?). The program lists two women in the part. Maybe they take turns just to save their voices. That would make sense. But whichever woman I saw had a great voice. She belted for two hours. I liked what she did, but I saw Tina perform live. And there’s only one Tina. I imagine the actress will develop her own style–if she hasn’t already. Anyway, it was a pleasant way to spend an evening. I think the show is moving on in a week because we have Beetlejuice tickets next week. So much fun….