Written by Patrick Chavis

Even though Come From Away is set against the tragic backdrop of 9/11, it focuses more on the tension, feelings, and emotions of the time — as opposed to a more strait-laced recap of the period. The characters we see stranded in Canada remind us of the pain felt by all Americans at home and abroad alike. Yet even in tragedy, the characters were about to find a silver lining.

Watching Come From Away at times felt like a toned down Love Actually.  Love Actually was an ensemble romantic comedy film that came out in 2003. Similarly to Love Actually, the play transitions from tragedy to an all out love fest through out the entire story. The big difference between the two are the circumstances, (and Come From Away is a musical) but what stays the same is the schmaltziness.  I don’t get to use the word schmaltziness a lot, and it’s rarely a term worth using, but Come From Away positively bathes in its own schmaltziness.  It’s actually one of its charms, and it will either make you a life long fan or reveal your immunity to schmaltz.

Schmaltziness aside there’s an uplifting message in this musical about humanity’s potential to help those in need when we open our hearts and reject fear. It’s also a great public relations show for Canada. I’m definitely thinking about booking a trip after watching this show.

All the movement by Dance Captain Jane Bunting and Associate Choreographer Richard J. Hinds, whether dancing or simply maneuvering through a scene, is fantastic.  They also integrated the stage into the choreography, creating even more movement with a rotating stage in certain scenes. A good amount of the show is devoted to the characters just waiting in their seats, but the characters aren’t simply standing still. There was always some kind of interesting motion going on.

The cast in this production are all good performers and give strong performances.  I really enjoyed Chamblee Ferguson’s performance of Nick. He was always making the part just a little more interesting to watch.  His storyline with the outspoken Texan Diane played by Christine Toy Johnson is one of my favorite parts of the show.

The Celtic folk music worked great for this show, and the eight piece band keeps you tapping your feet from the beginning until the end – ESPECIALLY at the end!

Come From Away playing now at the Segerstrom Center For the Arts has a unique perspective on a very troubling time in American history. While the plot is unbalanced in the conflict department, this doesn’t detract from the very positive and uplifting message the show succeeds in sending out.

Feb 5- 17, 2019

GOOD SHOW!

Review

8.2 Overall

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Story8

Set & Design9

Entertainment7.5

Acting8.5

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The post Canada Rocks : Come From Away @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

Murder on the Nile is set on a river cruise in Egypt.  Nine characters get on the boat with different reasons for being there and bring their personal dramas aboard the ship.  When the drama unfolds someone is murdered, and the character Canon Pennefather, a priest played by Lawrence Ingalls, investigates before the cops arrive.

We know there will be a murder before we even sit down to watch the show because it’s in the title. So right from the beginning, the audience is like a fly on the wall as we watch each passenger get on the ship. They have conversations, and during the conversations, we learn more about who they are and their motivations for being on the ship.  Each character’s background is unique and by the end of the play, all of the characters are covered.

The set-up : 

What struck me the most about this production (and I think it was much clearer because of the obvious talent on the stage) is that the first act drags and the set up placing the audience into the Egyptian atmosphere isn’t executed very well. Egypt is an important character in this play, but the focus on character drama almost makes this part of the show useless. The play could easily be called Murder in the Restaurant without the intrigue of the locale.   With these types of stories, the set-up is so crucial.  To be fair, it’s also one of the most difficult aspects of a show to pull off. Often what distinguishes a well-thought out production is the time a director takes to make the set up unique while you’re learning about these characters and the audience is slowly or quickly being immersed into the play/story. 

The play follows the first act with a stronger second.

Jessica Taylor Gable who plays Jacqueline de Severac is one of the most engaging actors in this play.  Gable provides a strong performance in each scene. The back and forth between Gable and Lawrence Ingalls (Cannon Pennefather) creates one of the more interesting dynamics in the entire play.  Ingalls’ performance of Pennefather is fantastic and well executed. Jason Cook who plays Simon Mostyn also had a solid performance with energy and sense of purpose in each interaction he has on stage.

January 18th – February 10, 2019 

Average Show! 

Review

7.3 Overall

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Story8

Set & Design6.5

Entertainment6.5

Acting7.5

Costumes8

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The post STAGEStheatre Presents:  Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile in Fullerton – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

 Nov 30 –  Dec 02 , 2018  

Okay!

Review

6.8 Overall

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Story6.5

Set & Design6.5

Entertainment6

Acting7.5

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The post White Nights, Black Paradise @ The Hudson Theatre in Hollywood – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

Nov 10 – Dec 2, 2018

AVERAGE SHOW!

Review

7.1 Overall

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Story6.5

Set & Design7

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Acting8.5

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The post Zoo Theatre Company presents: MY DATE WITH DEATH: A MUSICAL ROMANCE – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

Nov 9th – Dec 8th, 2018

Very Good Show! 

Review

8.3 Overall

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Story9

Set & Design8.5

Entertainment8

Acting7.5

Costumes8.5

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The post Sixty-Six Theatre Company Presents: Blue Surge @ The Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

The Yamaguchis and the Montaños are two immigrant families struggling to provide a future for their American-born children after the Great Depression on the farmland they share. But as their oldest children fall in love—secretly—the attack on Pearl Harbor throws these Mexican and Japanese American families into uncertainty and turmoil. Taken from the website.

GREAT SHOW!

Review

8.8 Overall

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Story8.5

Set & Design9

Entertainment8.5

Acting9

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OCT 30 – DEC 9, 2018

The post VALLEY OF THE HEART @ Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

Written by Patrick Chavis

The human mind is a fascinating place. For all the technical advances we have made as human beings, just how exactly the mind works is still a mystery. This is why we have fields like psychology, philosophy, and other branches of study which are trying to make sense of humanity and why we do the things we do.  These mysteries and truths have been chronicled in stories, plays, and movies for decades.  The Other Placenow playing at the Chance Theatre is one more of these psychological stories — delving into the complexity of the human mind and its effect on our lives in a way that is somehow simultaneously comical and tragic. 

The story of The Other Place centers around neurologist Juliana played by Jacqueline Wright. In this play, the audience watches a variety of painful moments in Juliana’s life mixed in with scenes set at a neurological conference. The mystery of Juliana is revealed, but only to a certain extent–as we soon realize the actual truth of Juliana’s story is a little more complicated than what we are led to believe.

I believe the confusing set-up of the play’s beginning to be intentional.   It’s obvious the writer is trying to lead you down a rabbit hole you don’t really understand. But at the same time when you do go down this rabbit hole,  you’ll probably find that you don’t really care.  You don’t know this lady, and she hasn’t really shown you anything remarkable about herself that makes the audience want to continue this journey with her.   The “mystery” is not a mystery for too long as it’s made blatantly obvious pretty early on what’s taking place.  What you’re left with is a joke that ties into something greater, but the joke isn’t really that funny.  Although there is a moment tying the narrative together, there’s nothing really new learned from this revelation at the end of the play.

The scene that held my attention the most is near the end of the play.  There’s an actual comedic situation we see unfold between a random person (Krystyna Ahlers)  and Juliana that’s quite compelling.  This scene was one of the most captivating parts of the play. In my opinion, the scene could have been the play, but it’s relegated to the near ending.  Without giving away any spoilers, the comedic situation mixed with the convincing emotional acting was funnier and more heartfelt than the forced comedic dialogue we are given for much of the play. Wright is excellent in this moment of the play and it actually made me curious about Juliana’s fate.

The dramatic direction from Matthew McCray is quite solid, and the emotional beats are hit pretty well.

Chance Theatre takes on a challenging play with the help of two strong leads in Jacqueline Wright and Ron Hastings. That being said, the show misses the mark at really creating an intriguing psychological mystery due to missed comedic and dramatic opportunities.

September 21 — October 21, 2018

Average Show!

Review

7.3 Overall

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Story7

Set & Design8

Entertainment7.5

Acting7

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The post The Other Place @ Chance Theatre in Anaheim – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN is a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences—icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock & roll’s greatest legends. Taken from the website.

GOOD SHOW!!

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8 Overall

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September 14 – October 7, 2018

The post A Night With Janis Joplin @ La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

An attorney on the rise and his very pregnant wife couldn’t feel more welcomed by their new neighbors. But when a friendly disagreement about the lay of the land escalates into a backyard brawl, cultures collide and mudslinging ensues…literally. Taken from the website. 

GREAT SHOW!

Review

8.7 Overall

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Story8.5

Set & Design9

Entertainment9

Acting8.5

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September 5 — September 30 , 2018 

The post Native Gardens @ Pasadena Playhouse – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.

(All photos by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio)

Adapted from Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s acclaimed film, and featuring spine-tinglingly beautiful music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family and The Wild Party), Big Fish is a fantastical musical that illustrates the larger-than-life anecdotes of Edward Bloom, a man nearing the end of his life. This fact has compelled his grown son Will to embark on an adventure of his own — to unravel his real dad from the myths of his tall tales. Filled with magic, love, luck, and crazy coincidences, this rollicking fantasy set in the American South is a tribute to the power of dreaming big. Taken from the website. 

Correction:  Misspelled Name : Rachel Oliveros Catalano

June 29 – July 29, 2018 

GREAT SHOW!!

Review

8.6 Overall

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Story8.5

Set & Design9

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Costumes8.5

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The post Big Fish @ Chance Theater in Anaheim – Review appeared first on LA Theatre Bites Podcast.