Curtains Cast at San Pedro Playhouse

UPDATED 7/29 at 5:17pm
Thank you to my friends Jillian and Amy for this! (And by the way, congratulations to both of you!)

The San Pedro Playhouse has been shooting its proverbial casting wad the past couple of weeks with its 2009-2010 season audition announcements. With a high profile season coming up (Evita, A Christmas Carol [again], Beehive, Curtains, Boeing-Boeing, and The Music Man), San Antonio theater peeps have been anxious for any further announcements concerning casting.

I was given the cast list of Curtains a couple of weeks ago but hadn't posted anything on it. It was still early in the process and people were still needing to accept roles. Now that some time has passed, I've decided to go ahead and post what I believe to be the final casting of the Spring 2010 production of Kander and Ebb's backtage-murder-comedy musical.

The cast will include Ben Gamble as Lt. Frank Cioffi, Annela Keys as Jessica Crenshaw, Anna Gangai as Carmen Bernstein, Jillian Cox as Georgia Hendricks, Jason Mosher as Aaron Fox, Paige Blend as Niki Harris, Lizel Sandoval as Bambi Bernet, Chris Berry as Bobby Pepper, Byrd Bonner as Christopher Belling, Taylor Maddox as Johnny Harmon, Mark Hicks as Oscar Shapiro, and Greg Hinojosa as Sidney Bernstein. The ensemble will feature Chris Rodriguez, Petra Pearce, David Davila, Ashley Mitchell, Mike Duggan, Amy Sloan, Rita Duggan, Robby Vance, Shane Noel, Constanza Roeder, Kate Miller, Alyx Gonzalez, Kenny Patterson, Jim Frazier, Julianne Snyder, David Stautzenburger, Amy Dullnig, and Dave Watts.

Congratulations to all my close friends and past castmates Ben Gamble (The Pajama Game), Jillian Cox (Man of la Mancha), Jason Mosher (Man of la Mancha), Paige Blend (Side Show, The Pajama Game), Lizel Sandoval (PJ Game), Chris Berry (Xmas Carol, Frankenstein in Love, PJ Game), Byrd Bonner (Urinetown, Xmas Carol), Taylor Maddox (PJ Game), Mark Hicks (Urinetown, Vexed), Chris Rodriguez (Thouroughly Modern Millie, Sound of Music), Petra Pearce (Beauty and the Beast, High School Musical, Jekyll and Hyde, Bye Bye Birdie, Xmas Carol), David Davila (Millie, Hair), Ashley Mitchell (Xmas Carol, PJ Game), Amy Sloan (Rimers of Eldritch, la Mancha), Robby Vance (Sound of Music), Shane Noel (PJ Game), Kate Miller (PJ Game), Alyx Gonazalez (Xmas Carol, PJ Game), Jim Frazier (Xmas Carol), David Stautzenburger (B&B, Jekyll and Hyde, BBB), Amy Dullnig (Xmas Carol, PJ Game), and Dave Watts (Frankenstein in Love).

Judging from the cast list, it seems like it's gonna be a fantastic production and a fun cast! Curtains is scheduled to open March 26 (my birthday) and close April 25, 2010.

Boeing-Boeing at San Pedro Playhouse Cast List

My friend and stage manager of San Pedro Playhouse's 2010 production of Boeing-Boeing, Amy Dullnig announced the full cast list today for the super fun and sexy play written by Marc Camoletti.

The cast will feature Brad Adams (Bernard), Joel Crabtree (Robert), Haley Burnside (Janet), Rainya Mosher (Judith), Emily Spicer (Jacqueline), and Gloria Sanchez (Bertha).

The show will start performances May 21, 2010 and end its 5 week run on June, 20. From what I gather either Frank Latson or Kevin Murray (that could be very wrong) will be directing. I'll know more in a couple of days.

The Matthew Warchus-directed revival of Marc Camoletti's comedy was a London hit before the American production on Broadway was put together. The staging at the Longacre Theatre starred Mark Rylance, a holdover from London, who won the Tony as Best Actor in a Play for his daffy turn as a Wisconsinite caught in the middle of his pal's threeway infidelity. The production also won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.

Take Me Out tonight at the San Pedro Playhouse's Cellar Theater

Tonight I'll be taking in the San Pedro Playhouse's production of Take Me Out in the Cellar Theater. The original play, written by Richard Greenberg, debuted on Broadway February 27, 2003 at the Walter Kerr Theatre and closed on January 4, 2004. The show had a successful run and even won 2003 Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Direction for Joe Mantello, and Best Featured Actor in a Play for Denis O'Hare.

The play is a well written piece commenting on social stigmas of homosexuality and America's favorite pastime, baseball. San Pedro Playhouse's Cellar Theater website offers this description:

This Pulitzer Prize nominated play took the nation by storm with its story of one superstar's coming out and the explosive repercussions which shook him, his teammates and "the great American pastime" to their very core. A shocker for its locker-room language, on-stage shower scenes and violence, it is nevertheless the most brilliant and frank exploration of the personal destruction of living a lie in a homophobic "don't ask, don't tell" world, the fallout from coming clean and the discovery that honor, integrity and true worth must be the benchmarks by which we live.

The Playhouse production cast includes Mark D. Hicks (Kippy Sunderstrom), Butch Anderson (Darren Lemming), Rob Barron (Shane Mungitt), John O'Neill (The Skipper), Rhys Sanchez (Toddy Koovitz), Ryan Ramirez (Jason Chenier), Ian Bunn (Rodriguez), Miguel Diaz (Martinez), Jonathan G. Itchon (Takeshi Kawabata), Vincent Contrell (Davey Battle), and Andrew Thornton (Mason Marzac)with direction by Frank Latson.

Mark Hicks, Rob Barron, and Ryan Ramirez are friends of mine and I'm looking forward to seeing their work. I had a chance to meet Butch Anderson recently after opening night at the champagne opening (which I totally crashed) and subsequently at a San Antonio theatre peeps party hosted by God himself, Steven Bull. Anderson is a newcomer to the cast apparently, but has been getting very good press for his performance. Also getting good reviews is Andrew Thornton as Marzac (but that could be because Marzac is by far the best written character in the show).

The San Antonio Express News and the SA Current have offered up positive reviews and tickets are apparently selling out fast. This is the final weekend for performances, so please get yourself downtown to catch the production ASAP.

I'll be there tonight and afterward I'll be upstairs catching some bubbly enjoying opening night celebrations of Sound of Music. Break a leg tonight to both casts!!!

Cast Announced for Psycho Beach Party at the Cameo in San Antonio

The Cameo Theatre of San Antonio has been home to some stellar productions in the area. Particularly well done was their 2007 production of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret. That production had the benefit of two strong lead performances by Anne Gerber as Sally Bowles and Rick Sanchez as the Emcee.

Rick has become an acquaintance of mine in recent months (we've even had the opportunity to party it up - a welcome pastime of mine). I have yet to actually work with Rick on a show (I had opportunities for the upcoming production of Sound of Music at San Pedro Playhouse and the recently closed Man of La Mancha. Unfortunately both shows I was unable to commit to because of work), however that hasn't stopped us from still being friends (we did go see Transformers 2 at a midnight showing along with other friends - thank God for alcohol.).

Now Rick will soon be directing a production of Psycho Beach Party at the Cameo Theatre due to open I think on August 14 (dates have been somewhat up in the air and sources still are conflicting a bit. I'll update as soon as I know for sure.). The movie and the original Off-Broadway play that it's based on are send ups of 1950s and 60s beach movies with a nod to 70s slasher films. The Cameo's website offers this description:

Summer, 1962. Malibu Beach. Imagine ‘Gidget’ crossed with ‘The Three Faces of Eve’ and ‘Mommie Dearest’. Sun, surf, sand, and ‘Chicklet’ Forrest wants nothing more than to learn to ‘shoot the curl’. Ride the waves. And who better to study under than the Great Kanaka? The macho king of the surfers, who rode the killer wave off the coast of Bali... handcuffed....But something isn't right...People are turning up shaved from head to toe by a mysterious assailant. The star of “Sex-Kittens Go To Outer Space” has disappeared from the set of her latest film. Surfers are coming out of the closet. And who, exactly, is Ann Bowman, the dominatrix who has risen to claim her birthright: World Domination? The big luau is only days away. Will our heroes thwart her evil scheme in time? Will Chicklet learn to surf? Will they still have time to prepare the finger foods? Will any of these questions be answered? Come see this bizarre hybrid of the best the Sixties had to offer: beach movies, bikinis, psychological melodramas, bikinis, surf guitar, bikinis, laughter, and... surfing. Not to mention the bikinis!

The movie is entertaining enough with the always fantastic Lauren Ambrose (Exit the King) cast as Chicklet. Rick has cast the show true to playwright Charles Busch's original intentions; that is to say he has cast major roles in drag.

My good friend Walter Songer - the Jeffy to my Hunter - (Side Show, The Pajama Game, and Vexed are the 3 shows we've worked on together) has been cast as the central female role of Chicklet. Other friends of mine cast include Chris Berry (A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein in Love, The Pajama Game) as Kanaka, fellow New Braunfels native Kate Miller as Marvel Ann, Chris Rodriguez as Yo-Yo, Paige Hansel as Bettina Barnes, and Cassie Moczygemba (who I worked with originally in Bye Bye Birdie and later Frankenstein in Love at the Overtime Theater).

The rest of the cast includes some people I don't know and a few others that I've seen in other productions. Judging from the production team and cast list alone, the show is gonna be a blast; at least it'll be fun for the actors. Lots of friends working together can amount to a lot of fun (it's also been known to cause lots of drama too, but I don't see that happening). I have a small regret of not auditioning; unfortunately work has gotten in the way of my Summer acting.

But nonetheless, with so many productions coming up, at least my Summer viewing will be plentiful. This Friday I'm stopping in at the San Pedro Playhouse to catch a final weekend performance of Take Me Out (with my soon to be going away to NYC buddy Ryan Ramirez) in the Cellar Theater with a brief stop upstairs in the Russell Hill Rogers Theater to catch the opening night celebrations of Sound of Music (gotta love champagne); hopefully by Saturday night I'll be able to get over my hangover and catch Cal Collins original revue titled Broadway's Best at the Brauntex Theater in New Braunfels; next weekend I'm looking forward to productions of Buddha Swings! at the Overtime Theater and the previously mentioned Sound of Music; and somewhere in there I'll squeeze in Seussical at Circle Arts Theatre in New Bruanfels, the Cameo's current production of I Hate Hamlet, and AtticRep's Blackbird.

Yay for local theater!

More of the Critic Debate - Now from Down Under

From Alison Croggon's (blogger of theatre notes) review of Jersey Boys in Australia:

"On the morning of the Australian premiere of Jersey Boys, I had an appointment with an osteopath to deal with the Gordian knots in my shoulders.

"My osteo is a young woman from Taylor's Lakes with the hands of a ministering angel. While she was busy with the medical equivalent of breaking rocks, she asked me if I was doing anything special that weekend. With a sigh, I said that I had to see Jersey Boys. Musicals, I explained, are just not my bag. And me, I'd prefer to stay home with a DVD, wearing my fluffiest bed socks.

"She clasped her hands to her breast. "Oh!" she said. "I'd love to see Jersey Boys! I wish I could afford to go! You're so lucky!"

"I felt properly chastened. The privileges of a critic shouldn't, after all, blind me to the naive pleasures of seeing a show."

It's an interesting way to start what turns out to be a positive, if not glowing, review of the production. You may find the exchange concerning her tone and critical assessment in her review (original article taken from The Australian) on Alison's blog to be quite engaging.

Taken from Avi's first comment on the blog:

"I've freely admitted how much I admire you as a reviewer but I cringed when I read the first paragraph of your Jersey Boys review in The Australian. If musicals are "just not your bag", why review them? Surely you're going to be watching music theatre shows with a bias that prevents you from being really objective about the piece?

"The fact that you gave Jersey Boys a favourable review doesn't change the fact that you opened the article by stating that you don't like musicals. Therefore, your review is tainted with your disdain for the form, and no amount of glitzy costumes and showy numbers is going to change that."

Avi goes on to mention her frustrations concerning a stigma against the musical theater art form in Australia among legit theater and artistic communities.

Alison chimes in respectfully. Here's a snippet:

"Aside from having a little fun at my own expense (and hopefully amusing one or two readers, rather than as is my wont enraging them)... there is a serious subtext to my playing about. Yes, I wasn't especially looking forward to it. Yes, I was coming from a place of privilege, and that little conversation made me realise that I was wrong to do so. Do you think that there isn't a divide between a reviewer who gets free tickets and goes to the swisho opening nights, and the punter who just loves musicals and saves up for the ticket? Isn't it better to acknowledge that gap (most reviewers don't but that doesn't mean that it's not operating), and to be reminded that there's a lot of point to what I said were the naive pleasures of seeing a show?"

The rest of the exchange is spirited and reminds me of that ever ongoing debate of the critic's role (see Chris' post What Are Critics Good For?). Thoughts readers?

See the entire theatre notes exchange here.

Note: Commentator Avi owns a blog called Life Upon the Wicked Stage which is invite only. I don't have access to it, but I am curious if any of my readers do.

Sarah Palin Photo Caption Contest!!

First an excercise in critical interpretation:

Let's get the brain warmed up this morning with a little bit of creative analysis. Given Palin's political views, ethical and moral standing, and her employment history (Matthew Freeman over at On Theatre and Politics posted her resignation speech and this unfortunate quote on quitting her job -

"A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket... and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can WIN. And I'm doing that - keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities - smaller government, energy independence, national security, freedom! And I know when it's time to pass the ball - for victory."

Reminds me of when I posted the Katie Couric interviews during the election and the subsequent SNL sketch with Tina Fey.)... taking all that into account, I offer up this pic above (click to enlarge) taken by Brian Adams from a spread in Runner's World magazine. Take a gander. Ponder on it. It represents an awesome splash of patriotic and political symbolism ripe for parody. What are your views.

And since theatre people are my favorite people, I ask for your own creative caption to underscore the potential laughs. And therein lies my motivation behind this post. Yes, it may be selfish, but I really want some entertainment.

My favorite caption will win something of non-monetary value (something akin to blogger love). And if you can tie it in to something theatre related, extra bonus kudos. So write friends! Together we can make for a better country.

I've also included these next to pics which I find hilariously self-deprecating.


They too remind me of her election campaign, specifically her use of props (of the main 3 in the campaign [ugly baby, boobs, and gun] only her gun isn't represented here).


This second pic is my new favorite of my life. Thanks to Jim Emerson.

If you have more thoughts and funny captions, please leave in the comments section. Let the games begin! Off to the races! (Rupert Holmes shoutout).

Hair 2009 Revival cast album review

Great Recording, Good Score, Sucky Package

I was wanting to go in depth with my review of the new Hair cast album, but there really isn't any need to. The score by Galt McDermot (music), Gerome Ragni and James Rado (lyrics) is superb (well for the most part – act 2 does get bogged down a bit). The cast sounds fantastic (especially Gavin Creel, Will Swenson, and Sasha Allen). Plus, there are a large number of tracks available here all on one disc. Overall the disc really is great.

The packaging blows hard. No lyrics, a flimsy imitation cardboard case (no jewel case here), and some boring essays. Meh.

The original cast recording still packs a wallop but this version is just as memorable. It's worth mentioning that I like about 75-80% of the score from Hair. The rest of the filler is probably enjoyed much more under the influence of purple haze.

Or if drugs aren't your thing, from what I hear the actual live show is freakin' awesome. I was lucky enough to catch the Public's mounting in the park last summer with Jonathan Groff. Loved it then. Apparently it's better now. And check out the Tony award performance or the David Letterman show performance for some electrifying staging. Woot woot.

***1/2 (out of ****)

Persepolis film review

Affirmation of Eastern Civilization

If you, like me, are one of the many who were intrigued by the Iranian protests that started in June, than you will find the film Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical film based on her graphic novels about growing up during the Iranian protests of the 1970s, to be a formidable piece of world education and an enthralling dramatic entertainment.

The format of the film is a bit unusual for such heavy-handed material: the most unusual characteristic is not that the film is in black and white, nor the fact that it's based on a French graphic novel – but that the film is animated. The liberty animation provides for film is well suited for this story and its directors' vision.

When Marjane's parents (voiced by Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarian) tell her of the history of the shah, the Vaudevillian presentation allows for an accurate, if somewhat simplistic, retelling of the past. Even the silhouetted bodies of protesters and soldiers provides an eerie aura about the proceedings. The simple facial expressions of Marjane's world offer clear and concise embodiments. Further evidence of the strength of animation in this film is made when Satrapi and her co-director Vincent Paronnaud travel into the realms of surrealism: the cascading jasmine falling from Marjane's grandmother's bosom is wonderfully beautiful and young Marjane's conversations with God have an emotional impact.

This is a smart film about an intelligent girl growing up under dire circumstances. Marjane is infinitely more interesting than most Western girls growing up in films. Marjane idolizes her mesmerizing Uncle Anouche (François Jerosme), who has been in prison and hiding, but offers up a greater vision of the world; she listens to Iron Maiden as a form of rebellion to the government; she moves to Europe where she discovers all the landmarks of adolescence and adulthood (education, artistry, puberty, love, sex, drugs, and yes – even more rock and roll). Marjane travels back home only to find a country that is as foreign to her as anything in Europe. Her journey to find her place in the world is an engaging one and is marked by more violence and tragedy.

And once again, animation is key. The scenes of torture and depression are not bogged down by melodramatic touches that would have been inescapable in a live-action film. And the whole film benefits from a touch of humor and surrealism that gives a bit of a lightness to the complex and dramatic material at hand which elevates the film.

The middle section of the film, while still highly effective, is a bit of a drag compared to the bookending Iranian segments of the film. Marjane's adventures in Vienna are familiar territory in anyone's growing adulthood. However, Satrapi and Paronnaud illustrate it with wit and energy, still finding value and purpose for Marjane's journey.

The story is a large one and at a slim 98 minutes, the film accomplishes to bring it to a decipherable level. It's powerful, smart, and tender. The film has immense heart and is very entertaining. Enjoy.

***1/2 (out of ****)

Note: make sure and watch the original French version with English subtitles. The voice casting in uniformly great. The English dubbed version is not a bad second choice though, with featured voices by Sean Penn and Gena Rowlands.