One of the things I have learned in my 20 years as a solo practice lawyer is that things are “feast or famine.” You have to just roll with the slow times (say, most of 2020…sigh) and hang in there when things get crazy. Sometimes, things are like that when it comes to music - every December during normal years, for example. And that’s the way it goes with lots of things in life.
And that is how I ended up seeing four plays at four different local theaters within nine days.
I am thrilled that our local theaters made it through the covid shutdowns intact, and with plenty of pent-up enthusiasm and great ideas. Since it was so many in a short time, I decided to combine all the reviews in one post, and present them in the order I saw the plays.
The Wizard of Oz
There were two main reasons I went (with two of the kids) to see this one. First, one of my teens’ classmates was in it, and we love watching her. Second, Kevin McDonald was the Wizard of Oz, and he is worth seeing in any role. And, as is the case generally with Stars, I know some members of the live band.
The musical is based on the movie, which is based on the book. I first discovered the book, back in my childhood, before eventually seeing the movie - it was a yearly event on broadcast TV, but my parents preferred the other yearly event, Ben Hur, so I had to make more of an effort to see The Wizard of Oz. The movie is dang long, so the play shortens it just a bit. And naturally, the special effects are a bit less in play, particularly for a theater which doesn’t have a multi-million dollar budget.
It has been a while since I saw the movie, so I am guessing a bit as to what was cut, but it seems that it was mostly special effects scenes and dance sequences. Probably some dialogue too, but all of the most memorable lines seem to be there. It does retain the whole framing story of “the characters in Oz are all real people in Dorothy’s life and she is just dreaming” rather than the going with the plot of the book, which is clear that Oz is a real place…somewhere. (I read several of the books, but nowhere near all 14 of the original series by Baum or any of the later books by other authors.)
Just to mention a few highlights of this production. First, local actor Bella Stine (age 15, but already with an impressive list of voice credits and an IMDB listing), was outstanding as Dorothy. Singing, dancing, acting - she is the whole package, and owned every scene she was in. She also refused to be rattled by the sound issues that plagued the first half, not missing a beat. She is already a total professional.
Matthew Barge (the Tin Man/Hickory) also carried his vocal parts well, and was perfect with the physical acting for the part. Laurie Howlett (The Wicked Witch) and Mark Price (The Cowardly Lion) are married in real life, which led to some fun in-jokes in the program and on Facebook throughout the run. Mark is a local magician, but found himself with a singing part, which meant pulling a Rex Harrison, but with more growling. This was actually really fun, and kept the audience laughing. Laurie has been in productions around town for years, and was deliciously loathsome. The Munchkins were surprisingly young, and well coached. Their singing was spot on, which is not always the case for small kids. And, of course Kevin was fun to watch do the curmudgeon thing once again.
Once
Since it took over the old Spotlight Theater location, Ovation has found its niche with its live music and offbeat musicals. After having a smash hit with Million Dollar Quartet - on the strength of its talented and tight band, they have tried to have at least one event with musicians on stage doing their thing each year. In this case, that play was Once.
As it turns out, I know a bunch of the musicians, so I was glad that I managed to see a show. They had to cancel part of the run due to Omicron, but sold out the last weekend, which has to make everyone happy.
Like The Wizard of Oz, Once is also based on a movie. Set in Dublin, it is an almost love story about a musician who has lost his way and his belief in himself. Filled with eccentric characters, both native Dubliners and Czech immigrants, it bounces between humor and pathos. The key thing for it all to work is that the cast has to sell the story, implausible as it is. That, and since all the instruments are played live on stage, the music had better be good. And it was.
The band was seriously tight and balanced and full of exuberance. Even without the need of a plot, they would be worth watching in concert, but they also seamlessly worked the music into the story, making it feel natural.
Dominic Demay had the lead part this time, after several great turns as humorous supporting characters, and was perfect for the part. He can sell over-the-top emoting like few others, and his singing has really blossomed the last couple of years. Jacqueline Salazar played opposite Demay as “Girl” - the lead is “Guy” - and filled the role of “manic pixie dream girl” so to speak. Not an easy role to play, but she did it admirably. Beyond that, the other characters were fun, and many of the roles were filled by friends - Bakersfield has a great music community, and some wonderfully skilled musicians.
I’ll also mention the amazing set, where they pretty much rebuilt the theater bar onstage, and sold drinks before and after the show, and during intermission. So much love and effort went into this production, and it came off really well.
The Light in the Piazza
I was really looking forward to this one, in large part because it is based on an Elizabeth Spencer novella, and I love her writing. I wasn’t as familiar with the music, although my wife, ever the Broadway nerd, knew all about it. The music is by Adam Guettel, who is the grandson of composer (and Broadway legend) Richard Rodgers, and combines the lush orchestration of classic musicals with a rather modern idiom. Which means: damn hard to sing.
This musical had the most nuanced plot of any of the ones we saw, unsurprising since it came from a Spencer story. As I would have expected, it is centered on ambiguous moral and ethical questions, and ambivalence in relationships.
An American mother and daughter (Margaret and Clara) are touring Florence while their husband/father remains back doing big business things at home (and possibly sleeping around.) Clara had a traumatic brain injury at age 12, and has some developmental issues at age 26. Due to a meet-cute, she falls in love with a younger Italian man, Fabrizio, and her feelings are reciprocated. His family is initially in favor of the match, but Margaret is super protective of her daughter, is determined to “save” her from a relationship.
The ambiguity comes into the story here. Is Clara capable of consent or not? She obviously has some issues reading social cues, but she also quickly picks up a passable amount of Italian. She gets overwhelmed by situations and panics - such as in the case when she tries to sneak out of the hotel for a tryst with Fabrizio. But she also charms his family and earns their respect.
This is actually something that comes into my law practice from time to time. As many elderly people slowly lose parts of their memories or other mental capacities, the question arises as to consent to sexual activity and relationships. I’m not talking about the obviously inappropriate relationship between caretaking staff and patients in a facility, but that between peers. What level of capacity is necessary for consent? It isn’t a bright line, particularly when both parties are at about the same functional level.
There are multiple layers here too. Fabrizio, since he is six years younger (to the horror of his family when they find out Clara’s age), doesn’t seem to be in a position to truly take advantage of Clara, and he seems perfectly sincere. Also, Clara knows her own mind a lot more than her mother realizes, which leads to the question of how much of Clara’s disability is more a matter of sheltering than cognitive ability. Which in turn leads to the issue of how our society tends to condescend to disabled people, often treating them like children. Oh, and because Clara stands to inherit a fortune, is it gold digging, at least on the part of Fabrizio’s family?
And everything is made even murkier because of language barriers, cultural and religious differences, and conflicting family expectations. It’s a mess.
And then there is the subplot, which is the sort of thing that finds itself in so many Elizabeth Spencer stories. Margaret realizes that her feelings toward her husband Roy are a lot more ambiguous than she wants to admit. Her desire to “protect” Clara from heartbreak isn’t just about Clara - maybe not even that much about Clara at all. In a song near the end of the first act, “Dividing Day,” she wonders if the feelings her husband had for her died the day they married.
Dashing as the day we met,
Only there is something I don't recognize.
Though I cannot name it yet, I know it.
Beautiful is what you are,
Only somehow wearing a frightening disguise.
I can see the winter in your eyes, love, telling me:
"Thank you, We're done here, Not much to say.
We are together but I have had Dividing Day."
So when, when was this day?
Was it on the church step?
Suddenly you're out of love.
Does it go creeping slowly?
When was your Dividing Day?
I can see the winter in your eyes, love, telling me:
"Margaret, we did it, You curtseyed, I bowed.
We are together, but no more love, no more love allowed."
When was dividing day?
Was it on the church step?
Did it happen right away?
Were you lying next to me,
Hiding what you couldn't say?
How could I have guessed?
Was my cheek upon your chest?
An ocean away...
When was, when was, when was Dividing Day?
Combined with the gorgeous and haunting music, this was a heart-rending moment, and a turning point for Margaret.
Along with Margaret’s internal drama - and she is really the main character, not Clara or Fabrizio - there are other things going on in the Italian side of the story. Signor and Signora Naccarelli are married, but not exactly happy. Signor is quite the player, with a seemingly endless series of affairs of various levels. Signora “suspects,” as she puts it, and he “suspects she suspects.” But they don’t say anything. Fabrizio’s brother Guiseppe is even more open about his philandering, bringing girls within sight of his furiously jealous wife, Franca. So, you have multiple unhappy people, already cynical about love, making decisions for two young people who seem to still be in the throes of optimism and infatuation.
And that is where Spencer decides to take it. Sometimes you have to risk. You may lose. Or you may win. And the most healthy response isn’t necessarily to treat a disabled child as, well, a child.
The level of musicianship on display in this performance was top notch. As soon as I heard the first notes, I was worried that at some point, someone was going to miss a beat and get hopelessly off of the ever-shifting meter of the backing track, or be unable to place a long note without help from the instrumentation. This was tough music. But, the singing was solid the whole way through. Volume balance - without mics, by the way - was exactly where it should be. Even when the actors moved around the stage, or faced away from us (the theater has seats on three sides of the stage), the lyrics could be clearly heard. According to Michael Crider, the vocal director for this show, they started rehearsing back in October. And the hard work really showed. The whole cast should be proud of themselves for one of the best vocal performances I have heard.
I want to say a bit about the cast. In the lead role of Margaret, Bethany Lahammer was amazing. I don’t think I have seen her in anything local since If/Then back in 2017, so it is nice to see her on stage again. Tessa Ogles and Nick Ono have been regulars in local theater for a number of years, and have tended to play opposites as romantic leads. And no wonder, because they have good chemistry. It has been fun to watch both of them grow in skill over the last several years. I suspect this tough of a show would have been a bit much for them five years ago, but they have put in the many hours of practice to attain this level of ability. Some of the usual suspects took the supporting parts, both singing and non-singing. Steve Evans, David Lollar, Eric Leminen, Arian Garcia, and Fred Cremer have all been around local theater for a while, and were reliably good. I was intrigued by Sherna Armstrong, new to The Empty Space, but a professional-level singer. I could see her killing it in a lead role sometime. I hope to see more of her.
Finally, kudos to TES for requiring vaccination or test, and masking. I know this is a tough town, so I appreciate you staying strong. (Ditto for BCT below…)
The Importance of Being Earnest
(Bakersfield Community Theatre)
This was not my first experience with Earnest, to say the least. I discovered it in high school, read it again a decade ago, and saw a gender-swapped version at CSUB several years back.
For this one, a few friends were either in it, or directing, so it was an easy choice to go check it out. Also, Lillian didn’t remember the last one she saw, and seemed the perfect age to get the jokes.
Earnest never gets old. Every time new witty lines stand out, and it is laugh-out-loud funny. I think it is arguably the best comedy ever written.
I won’t rehash the plot in this post, although I do want to mention a line. It is thoroughly silly, which is the point. It also tends to flip gender expectations, particularly for its era. And it is still a great sendup of societal foibles and prejudices.
“The home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man. And certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate, does he not?”
Fortunately, I am not in much danger of that.
Earnest has a small cast, and really only a handful of major characters. Thus, each of them must be able to sustain the drama - and perform their lines without busting up, which must be harder than it looks.
The two frivolous young males, Jack and Algernon, were played by Perrin Swanson (no relation) and Josh Carruthers, respectively. Josh’s delightful flippancy was perfectly matched by Perrin’s dour annoyance. Lindsay Pearson gave Gwendolen a tightly wound, almost mercenary feel, while Jerusha Crystian played Cecily as naive on the surface but razor sharp underneath.
And then, there is Ronnie Warren, proprietor of our local yarn shop, and a fixture of local theater arts for decades. My wife and I first saw him in stuff at the local community college when she was in school there, and have seen him here there and everywhere since. I’ll give a particular mention of his work in directing and playing the part of Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady at The Empty Space back in 2018. In this production, he was the unforgettable Lady Bracknell. In fact, I might say that he was the platonic form of Lady Bracknell, the sort of Lady Bracknell that you imagine when you read the play first (as I did.) Ron is a big guy, and towered over the other, normal sized actors. And, as Lady Bracknell is wont to do, got in the personal space of those she wished to intimidate, which was mostly everyone. Furthermore, she made the presence of dead birds on her absurdly large and elaborate hats seem appropriate to the situation.
I hardly need to add that we all - kids included - laughed our way through the play. It was hilarious, well performed, and a great way to cap off a run of local theater.
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