Pageant of the Masters 2010

For several years we have attended this festival that is held every summer in Laguna Beach.  We’ve invited several different family members to introduce them to this art form.  It started back in the early 1900’s and has increased in attraction world-wide and the sophistication on how it is presented.  We normally attend on the weekends and it is a sold-out event.

Each year is a different theme and this year it was Eat, Drink and be Merry.  Different art forms relating to the theme range from figurines to sculptures to paintings.  Artwork is recreated using human volunteers who would hold a brief pose for the audience to study.  Introducing the artwork, there is an entertaining narrator explaining the artist and the motivation for the art piece.  Then while the human volunteers pose, the live orchestra plays a short musical piece.

We think the more interesting part of the presentation is when they show how a painting is created.  First there is a frame and the people with makeup and costumes are moving about and put into place.  Then the stage goes pitch black and when the appropriate stage lighting comes back on, there is a stunning re-creation of the painting. 

We have been entertained by this annual event for many years, but it is getting to the point that we are getting bored.  So we are not renewing our membership for next year.  Instead we will take a hiatus for a year or so and attend in the future when the interest arises.        

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Based on the title, I thought this was a play about some branch of the service and it was appropriate for Independence Day.  Then a week before the play, we received a huge brochure in the mail describing the play.  What raised a red flag with me was a section about violence portrayed on stage.  They provided examples in the past such as Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Greek tragedies such as Agamemnon or Oedipus.  So after the episode of sitting through Sophie, a love story about a goat, I told Max that if the play gets out of hand, I’m walking out and will wait for him in the lobby. 

The play is a dark comedy about Northern Ireland’s IRA and their splinter groups.  The opening scene shows two main characters, Donny and Davey standing over a cat lying on the kitchen table. After Davey asks if it is actually dead, Donny picks up the cat and little bloody brains fall on the table.  Strike one.  Both are petrified because the cat, Wee Thomas, is the love of Paddy an IRA rebel who is so crazy, the IRA doesn’t want to have anything to do with him.  So the only other “bloody” scene was when Paddy was torturing a guy who was selling drugs to Catholic kids.  The guy was hanging upside down with a couple of his toe nails torn out, delivering insults to Paddy as if they were drinking in a Pub.  It was a funny scene and Paddy let the guy go. Then it was intermission and I thought it wasn’t that bad. 

Towards the end of the second half, Paddy’s enemies (who admitted they killed Wee Thomas) were killed in a bloody shootout.  Strike two.  The part that tipped the whole thing over the edge was the next scene when Donny and Davey were sawing body parts and blood was dripping off the stage.  I couldn’t look and Max noticed a 3-4 people who got up and walked out. The final irony after so many killings was when the real Wee Thomas came through the hole in the wall and started eating his cat food.  Everyone just cracked up.

I must admit it was funny.  Max said he has not seen anything like it. It is as if Woody Allen and Quentin Tarentino got together to make this. It is a toss up.  I would not see it again.  Max would.

South Pacific

This is a reprise of an old Broadway classic.  Over the years, I’ve heard the old classic tunes that originally came from this musical such as Bali Ha’I, Happy Talk, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair and our personal favorite, Some Enchanted Evening.  That particular song would be our favorite request because Max could dance to that slow, very romantic tune. 

I won’t recap the story since it is a classic, but surprisingly, I’ve never seen the original musical or movie.  I’ve seen short segments of certain songs being performed, but I’ve never seen the whole thing.  First, my only comment about the characters would be regarding Bloody Mary.  She is a special character who sells odd native artifacts as souvenirs such as shrunken heads, but she repelled me.  I would imagine her teeth being sharpened to complete the picture. 

What I thought was interesting was the culture or accepted norms back in the 60’s depicting the wartime era versus today.  Lt. Cable lamented over his newly discovered love, Liat, Bloody Mary’s daughter.  How could he possibly bring her home to meet his family and be accepted?  It was a doomed relationship.

Then there was the scene when Ensign Nellie rejected Emile when she discovers that his late wife was a native.  Hello…he is an older man living on the island for many years.  What did she expect??  She was horrified, but later accepted the situation and lovingly cared for his children.   Okay, I forgave her blind prejudice.

The story was an interesting study of that time of our history in a musical format that entertained. 

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

We knew that this play was going to stretch our imagination.  Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.  Do you mean to tell me that in the midst of all the bombs, war and political upheaval, Baghdad has a zoo?  The opening scene showed a disheveled man within a cage and two American soldiers guarding it.  The man looked like he rolled out of a boxcar.  He begins to speak and we realize he is portraying the Bengal Tiger.  He laments about the lions that escaped during the bombings and as a result, they were shot.  But he was the smart one.  He stayed behind and within his cage.  Of course, since he is a tiger, the soldiers couldn’t understand him and made comments about the Tiger’s constant growling.  

The two soldiers complained about the duty as they guard the zoo.  One soldier, Tom, bragged that he has not only a golden gun in his backpack, but had hidden a golden toilet seat from raiding Saddam Hussein’s palace.  The other soldier Kev, a simple-minded kid from the South is dazzled by that accomplishment.  Suddenly, through stupid decisions, Tom puts his arm in the cage with the tiger and loses his hand.  Kev kills the Bengal Tiger.   Now dead, the Tiger observes the events around him and pontificates throughout the rest of the play about life, death and because he is an atheist, he is wondering why the hell is he still hanging around?  Is he seeking peace?  Is there still a purpose not yet accomplished?  

As the play progresses, we begin to understand that being dead apparently increases awareness, wisdom and knowledge.  Other key figures in the play include a translator and a prostitute. We constantly think about our soldiers in the combat zone, but do we think about the other people in the country, who wind up being collateral damage?  Musa, the translator has demons haunting him.  He was a gardener who created beautiful topiary in the gardens of Saddam’s brother, Uday.  He brings his little sister to see his work, but Uday spies her and winds up raping and beating her to death.  


Later, Kev dies and like the Tiger, begins his wanderings around Baghdad.  His observations of the living people begins to show increased wisdom and at times, profound thought.  He even loses his backcountry accent.  This play is unique, interesting and thought provoking.  Despite the strange concept in one of the modern world’s dilemma, I really enjoyed it and would see it again.

Dreamgirls

We were looking forward to this show despite the fact that we've seen the Academy Award winning movie  at least 2-3 times.  The first time we saw the movie was in a theatre. So we experienced on the big screen, the epic performance by Jennifer Hudson as Ellie and the beauty of Beyonce as Deena.  I remember the applause in the theatre after Jennifer belted out "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"...I got teary eyed because she was so emotional begging Curtis (Jamie Foxx) not to leave her with such a strong set of vocals.  The whole cast including Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy made the movie an excellent musical, well deserving of the nominations and awards the movie collected back in 2006.

So okay, this is going to be interesting because the story and songs were going to be presented in a different format.  Broadway and movies are different medias, so we will be open minded.  We have front row season seats, so while we were waiting, I was observing the staging.  I figure we were in for some great light shows because there was a whole wall of lights, floor to ceiling on either side of the stage besides the normal overhead lighting.  I counted 90-100 spotlights on either side.  Wow.

First, we were so disappointed with the little slip of paper inserted in our programs announcing that Ellie, one of the main characters was being played by a substitute, Patrice Covington.  Oh Great.

But, wow to the show because she packed a wallop with her performance.  Patrice was EXCELLENT!  We don't know how the regular, Moya Angela,  would sound, but how could she be any better?  Her rendition of the same song Jennifer Hudson sang was absolutely wonderful.  I was riveted by her performance.  Remember the old commercial of this guy sitting in an armchair listening to an awesome speaker system?  He sat there gripping the armchair while he was being "blown away" by the sound.  Same here.  We just sat there wondering, how much more wonderful can this person's voice get???

Chester Gregory played Jimmy, Eddie Murphy's role in the movie.  He was excellent as the James Brown soul singer and irreverent dancer.  Syesha Mercado played the role of Deena Jones and she was okay.  She started her career as the second runner-up on American Idol's seventh season.  But I don't remember her in particular.  Chaz Shepard played the other main male role, Curtis.  He was okay too, but in his bio he was on the Billboard charts 3 times in 2009 and his gospel work was nominated for a Grammy in 2009.  So the quality of the cast was top notch.

The main difference between the movie and the theatre presentation was that there was more dancing and the lively dancing to the Detroit soul sound kept everyone mesmerized.  The dazzling 90+ lights were probably causing the electric meters in downtown L.A. to spin out of control as they made the costumes sparkle.  The costumes were not only glamorous, but interesting.  In one scene, Ellie is singing in a casual top and slacks as she auditions for her comeback.  During the same song, the scene is supposed to transition to her singing in a nightclub with a sparkling evening gown.  To make this happen onstage, she is surrounded very briefly by props and people.  I could see her unsnap her blouse at the shoulders and voila, it becomes an evening gown, then with an addition of a disco ball and a candelabra the new scene was complete.  The same innovative way changing costumes was very evident in a scene when the Dreams was supposed to be in several fashion photo shoots.  As they sang and danced amid the change of moving scenery, they threw off layers of clothing to show off different costumes.

So all in all, this is a keeper.  Great show.

The Subject Was Roses

I thought this would be an interesting play with a title that could be a complement to Valentine’s Day, today.   The actors in this play are Martin Sheen (West Wing), Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker), playing a family in the Bronx, 1946. Martin Sheen played  the role of Timmy in 1964 and has returned to play John, the father.

Timmy just returned from the war, unfazed and uninjured, but in no time is caught back up in the competition and fights between his parents about him, over him or about each other.  His mother is disappointed that her husband is the life of the party in public, but doesn’t know how to be close to her in private.  His father had dreams to make it big, but is settling for a middle class life and extramarital affairs.  Timmy loves them both and is always caught in the middle during the tension and drama that has caused him to be upset and frail as a child.  Now a man, he tries to resolve the issues and is finally able to push back and stand up for himself. 

There was a scene in the final act where it hit close to home.  Timmy told his father that one thing he could never get over was that John never told Timmy he loved him.   Standing up as a man with the knowledge of what he wanted for his future and what was the right thing to do, Timmy could tell his father that he loved him.   Both men reached out to each other and hugged.  This hit close to home because Max said his father finally said he loved him shortly before he died.  Maybe it was the type of thing men didn’t do back then, but I’m glad that has changed today.

I think the author listed every human emotion and tried to portray them in this play.  I think it was a job well done.

New Years Eve 2009/2010

One day in October, while we were in L.A., we passed by the Disney Concert Hall.  Max noticed that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (BBVD) was playing New Years Eve.  So we made plans for what is normally a quiet evening, off the streets away from the out of control revelers.

First, we had dinner at Ciudad which is a restaurant in downtown L.A., across the street from the Bonaventure hotel.    The restaurant is owned by the radio personality duo called the Too Hot Tamales, offering recipes and other cooking advice here in L.A.  The food is Mexican with a modern, haute cuisine fare.  The New Year's dinner was a set 5 course menu with a couple of selections for each course.  The meal started with lobster caviar with radish and pomegranate.  For the appetizer, I had an Asian pear salad and saffron risotto.  Well, so far it doesn't sound Mexican, but it is and perhaps it was the way the food was seasoned.  I had Roasted Pasilla Chile Relleno for the main course and Max had the Sirloin Steak.  He said it was ok, but it didn't compare to my pan-seared Rib Eye.

Ciudad offered a limo service to the theatre, but we opted to walk back since it was such a nice evening and we had plenty of time.

What can I say about the concert?  In one word.  Cool.  Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is simply cool.  They have been together since 1989 and play the big band music such as Minnie the Moocher or Calloway Boogie.  If you look on iTunes, you can also find their music under Jazz and considered a contemporary swing band from Ventura, just north of L.A.  I thought after a few songs they would sound alike, but no.  The 2 hour show went by so fast and totally entertaining.  They helped ring in the New Year with a lot of toe tapping, finger snapping, hand clapping cool tunes.