Bitter Lemons

25June2009

The Freak is Dead

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: ponderings.

Long live the Freak.

Let’s try to remember him at his best. Enjoy. Rest in peace, Michael.

25June2009

That Bouncing Audience Member

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: ponderings.

Hilariously libidinal and sardonically subconscious post over at Kyle T. Wilson’s blog Frank’s Wild Lunch concerning a particularly annoying audience member at Redcat’s recent Wooster Group Show.

Too damn funny. The “inner thoughts” portion might make a nice monologue for an aspiring actor.

Are actors still “aspiring” these days…?

25June2009

We’re Still Here

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: ponderings.

For those still tuning in. I know it’s hard to tell. Been a bit of a difficult time the last couple weeks and the deal is with a site like this - once you get behind - it’s hard to catch up.

But I’ll try.

Hope to have sorted out our “bad” site status soon as well.

Ugh.

15June2009

The Monday Moment

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: ponderings.

This is a time when American can unite in a creative way to show the Iranian people that we are still “lovers of freedom”.

The cartoon is vivd and says it all. Check it out.

14June2009

Critique of the Week

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: review.

MADNESS IN VALENCIA
by Eve Meadows - Stagehappenings

Although Lope De Vega allegedly wrote over 1,500 plays, sailed with the Armada, ended his life as a priest, and lived at the same time as Shakespeare and Cervantes, judging by this play, he is no match to his illustrious contemporaries. One wonders why this piece was chose to be presented to a present day audience. Here is a quote from the press packet:
Madness in Valencia explores the thin line between sanity and madness in a world where no one is quite who or what they appear to be. Floriano is a man on the run from the law. Erifila is a woman whose lover has stripped her of everything. Both have sought refuge in the infamous Valencia Asylum, the most renowned facility in Europe. Madness indeed ensures when half the occupants fall hard for either the beautiful Erifilia or the witty Floriano, who just want to be alone with each other. Sham marriages, fake fits of hysteria, and mistaken identities abound, leaving us re-evaluating our own private acts of insanity for the sake of love.

Perhaps this play, performed originally almost 500 years ago, in the open air, with peasants and noblemen wandering in and out, flirting, drinking, carousing, sleeping, and making deals of various kinds, in a production that must have contained more music and dance, in an era where semi nudity (Erifila is striped almost naked) was more original, the populace may have tolerated this farce in order to kill an afternoon, but that it is presented today, is a madness in itself.

14June2009

Technical Difficulties

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: ponderings.

For those of you still visiting (than you) and we apologize for the malware technical difficulties. We are addressing them now. Sorry for the inconvenience. Don’t give up on us yet! This too shall be resolved!

12June2009

“Fellowship!”: 100% Sweet

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: review.

SWEET
From Thursday’s sellout crowd’s enthusiastic response to every song, joke, and reference, I’d guess that most of them were diehard Lord Of The Ring fans, and doubtless the more you know, the more you’ll “get” the in-jokes. But even non-LOTR aficionados like myself can have an equally fine time with Frodo and his friends. In fact, I had a Frodo-lightful, Galandriel-icious time!
Steven Stanley - StageSceneLA

SWEET
Whereas J.R.R. Tolkien’s message in his classic book The Lord of the Rings is that friendship and goodwill triumph over prejudice and evil, writers Kelly Holden-Bashar and Joel McCrary’s musical parody stage production injects another message into Tolkien’s masterpiece: Laugh loudly and enjoy yourself! With a romping score by Allen Simpson and funny lyrics by the strength and combined efforts of the comedically gifted cast, this hilarious offering follows Peter Jackson’s mega-hit film version, as told through satire and songs spanning a playful multitude of musical genres. Familiarity with the film version will help with the play’s references but is in no way a prerequisite to enjoyment.
Jon Steely - Backstage

SWEET
With epic satiric irreverence, “Fellowship!” advances its quest for cult greatness at the Falcon Theatre. Kelly Holden-Bashar, Joel McCrary and Allen Simpson’s sublimely silly spoof of “The Fellowship of the Ring” bears all the earmarks — and dancing hairy ankles — of an incipient classic of its genre.
David C. Nichols - LA Times

SWEET
A zany, sillier than silly, fast-moving journey into the world of Tolkien’s fantasy about a special “ring,” complete with elves, dwarfs, wizards and goblins, this “over the top” musical comedy spoof of “The Fellowship of the Ring” is maniacally madcap. For its 2005 premiere run, it earned LA Weekly’s awards for “Best Musical” and “Best Comedy Ensemble.” The entire cast is back to re-birth its mirth… and the insanity runs rampant!
Pat Taylor - Tolucan Times

12June2009

“The Singing Skeleton”: 50% Bitter

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: review.

BITTERSWEET
Sadly, Act 2 disintegrates into cheap sketch, still garnering laughs, but from feeble jokes rather than clever insights. Occasionally the foolishness pauses for a melodramatic moment, but the play never regains the polish and painfully funny beauty of Act 1.
Tom Provenzano - LA Weekly

BITTER
Playwright Stefan Marks is clearly trying to tell a coming-of-age story, but that’s all that’s clear about this work. Marks hasn’t decided what his core theme is or what kind of play he’s writing. The satirical elements are occasionally amusing but not clever enough, and the serious moments don’t probe as deeply as they should. The conflicts are not sufficiently crucial and the stakes are too low.
Iris Mann - Backstage

SWEET
“The Singing Skeleton,” written and directed by Stefan Marks, is a remarkably fresh and original two-hour comedic escape. Extremely well-cast, each actor is superbly showcased in this play within a play.
Beth Temkin - Tolucan Times

12June2009

“Madness in Valencia”: 75% Sweet

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: review.

SWEET
For all the technical details and the abundant merits of Karpinski’s production, one does have the feeling that the play has been more staged than interpreted. The canvas on which the work unfolds contains few striking visual motifs that offer an urgent idea of why this play is being performed — beyond the obvious explanation that a few people sort of liked it. As such, it’s a delightful museum piece that could be much more, with a greater breadth of vision. Terrific performances also by Laura Napoli, Juliette Angeli, Brandon Clark and Paul Byrne, among others.
Steven Leigh Morris - LA Weekly

SWEET
Director Suzanne Karpinski provides a lively and colorful production. Holmes deftly lends a goofball streak to his handsome leading man. The women all offer strong performances: Kerr’s Erifila is a closet spitfire in maidenly clothing. Laura Napoli shines as a woman determined to possess Floriano, and Juliet Angeli is her high-spirited servant and amorous rival. Brandon Clark spouts pompous pedantry as Dr. Verino, Craig Calman is appropriately peppery as the governor of the asylum, and Joseph Beck paints a satiric portrait of a lunatic who thinks he’s Lope De Vega. Paul Byrne lends savoir-faire as a sort of aristocrat ex machina. They receive lively support from a clutch of Zanies.
Neal Weaver - Backstage

BITTER
I am amazed that the interesting synopses just quoted could have been written about the inane dribble of plot, character, and language that was presented to me on this stage. Touted as a new translation, one wonders that anyone could stick long enough with such trivia and superficiality to even read it, let alone translate it.
Eve Meadows - Stagehappenings

SWEET
Though the plot is ingenious, the dialogue is pedestrian and long-winded; not a line of which is worthy of even the deliberately awful Peter Quince/Nick Bottom playlet in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Little matter, though, because Sacred Fool’s new production of “Los Locos de Valencia” is the scaffolding from which the ensemble drapes a madcap frolic worthy of Benny Hill.
Trevor Thomas - EdgeLA

11June2009

“Oleanna”: 100% Sweet

Posted by Colin Mitchell under: review.

SWEET
“Oleanna” still fills me with reservations — artistic as well as political. Yes, the debate is tendentiously rigged. But you can’t argue with a play that retains the power to get theatergoers arguing with each other as they head home.
Charles McNulty - LA Times

BITTERSWEET
The only line of defense against this play’s intrinsic misogyny is the argument that both characters are equally horrible. Pullman’s affability throws that argument right out the window of Neil Patel’s opulent set.
Steven Leigh Morris - LA Weekly

SWEET
It’s rare for a play that seemed highly pertinent and provocative in its time to feel even more galvanizing nearly two decades later. Playwright David Mamet has been categorized by many as a chronicler of the dark and coarse sides of the male psyche, yet in this startling 1992 work, he incisively explored a disastrous communication breakdown between a man and a woman, without assigning definitive blame. From a more global perspective, his play illuminates the dangerous human capacity for allowing emotional reactions to cloud rational thinking. Director Doug Hughes and two consummate actors provide a fresh and mesmerizing take on this seminal Mamet work.
Les Spindle - Backstage

SWEET
In “Oleanna,” pedantic prof John (Bill Pullman) kicks off a student-teacher conference by pontificating, “We can only interpret the behavior of others through the screen we … create.” But when the screen of student Carol (Julia Stiles) insists on interpreting his behavior as sexual harassment or worse, the result is akin to handling nitroglycerin on a potholed road. Brilliant acting and Doug Hughes’ canny helming fully animate David Mamet’s galvanic 1992 two-hander at the Mark Taper Forum.
Bob Verini - Variety

BITTERSWEET
Bill Pullman is an unparalleled actor who nevertheless has a hard time making us believe there is actually someone at the other end of his interminable phone calls. Julia Stiles brings Carol to life with an exacting attention to detail that allows the material, rather than invective, to indict her. Ultimately, their performances are skilled, well choreographed and precise; even the violence is carefully crafted with fight direction provided by Rick Sordelet. What’s missing, at least for me, is a messy sense of outrage.
Leigh Kennicott - Stagehappenings

BITTERSWEET
Director Doug Hughes’ debut at the Mark Taper Theatre is off to a successful start with “Oleanna” along with Fight Director Rick Sordelet’s lively and demanding choreographic sequences. Actor Bill Pullman’s performance as John, a professor on the verge of tenure status, is eerily realistic as his character struggles between his commitment as an educator and his utter hatred of the education system. Julia Stiles is evoking and powerful as Carol, the disillusioned college student that threatens to destroy John in her relentless pursuit to pass his course and to stand-up to what she believes to be just and real. Yet hovering over their dynamic and demanding performance as John and Carol is Mamet’s choppy, fragmented, and falsely conversational dialogue exchange that begs for authenticity. The result is a heightened sense of anticipation in Stiles’ delivery, which contrasts with Pullman’s steadfast pacing.
Jennifer Fordyce - Socal.com

SWEET
This production was good. There was an imposed cadence on the language for several segments that was fairly distracting. However, I assume it was a choice to adhere strictly to the text and there apparently is something distinctly Mametian about the choice that I am unaware of. The play, although far from a feel good story, was classic Mamet in its fast fire language and intellectual density. I only wish the opponents in this story were more evenly matched so there could be some truer depth to the philosophical debate of abuses of power and sexual intimidation. There’s just too much ground to cover in one act.
Keisha7 - LASplash

BITTERSWEET
Despite those drawbacks, Pullman and Stiles, directed by the Tony Award-winning Doug Hughes (Doubt), manage to do a decent job, especially Pullman with his defeated, desperate portrayal of John. However, nothing about the production really stands out… except the play’s half-articulated concept.
Eric Rosen - EdgeLosAngeles

SWEET
David Mamet’s “Oleanna” is a problem play if there ever was one. Short, it packs a lot of uncomfortable material tightly with a resolution that leaves the audience unsatisfied, even angry. It requires star power to draw people in and Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles are names that will bring people. Under the direction of Doug Hughes, the play doesn’t disappoint and it will, as I am sure it was meant to do, raise anxieties.
Jana J. Monji - LAExaminer