It's NOT the end of the world as we know it, says Griffith Observatory Planetarium lecturer Kelley Hazen, just the daze of our lives.

I got an invite last week to come to a media preview of Time’s Up, the Griffith Observatory’s new planetarium show, so in between Good Samaritan Hospital’s never-miss Blessing of the Bikes yesterday morning and a long-overdue physical exam that afternoon, I biked up the hill to one of my favorite places in Los Angeles to take advantage of the Observatory’s hospitality and see how and why they decided to counter the anxiety being produced by those doomsdayers dead-set in their belief that the Mayans predicted the world to end this coming December 21 and that it’s so going to happen.

The answers are with a provocative and eye-popping new program in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium that opens on the beach next to the Santa Monica Pier, serene for a few moments until meteors start raining explosively down upon the westside, a huge tsunami closes in and a rogue planet grows larger as it bears down on its collision course with earth — accompanied by flying monkeys, of course.

Inside joke: Pictured during this doomsday scene is Lifeguard Station No. 5150. Since most of the station IDs are no more than two digits, I’m betting this was done in snarktastic reference to the police code that’s basically short for bugged-out basketcase kRaAzEe.

But just when all seems lost, Planetarium Lecturer Kelley Hazen steps in bearing a beautifully illuminated and illuminating hourglass to put a freezeframe to all the apocalyptic nonsense and go on with a visually stunning and intellectually compelling show that counters folly with fact and explores what time is all about.

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Another new LA-based theater company, Little Candle Productions, is getting all set to do a one-night only production of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” in June. Not only is it a one-time performance, but it will take place at Glendale’s historic Alex Theatre, a beautiful venue with a whopping 1,400 seats.

To help make this possible, Little Candle Productions is having a fundraiser this Monday—Shakespeare’s birthday the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death—at the Colorado Wine Company in Eagle Rock. See the flyer below, and click through to buy tickets.

After writing a post about Three Year Swim Club a few weeks ago, I was contacted by a small new-ish theater group called “Lonesome No More” and invited to come see their production of Sartre’s No Exit. As an English major who toyed with the possibility of declaring a philosophy minor as an undergrad, I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I had never read the French philosopher’s play. (I did read The Age of Reason around the time I finished my BA, so I’m not a complete slacker…)

In any event, while I was interested in seeing the Sartre play and hearing Travis Koplow‘s favorite line (“Hell is other people!”), I was also somewhat intrigued by the Lonesome No More! company. Los Angeles being a city so filled to the brim with aspiring actors and writers, I’m just so damned impressed by folks who are willing to step out and take a risk like starting a new theater company. Read more of what I learned about Lonesome No More! and my thoughts on No Exit after the break.

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Freddy Douglas, (left) and Graham Hamilton duel over the woman they both love in "The Illusion" at A Noise Within. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

It was way back last September when I looked over the collection of productions planned for the acclaimed repertory company A Noise Within’s first season in its brand new Pasadena home. Of those plays set to be staged, the previously unheard of “The Illusion”  — a comedy written way back in the 17th century by Pierre Corneille and adapted by Tony Kushner — interested me the most, especially when I read it was about an estranged father going on a mystical journey to reunite with the son he’d long abandoned. Not to get all TMI or psychoanalytical but the reason it struck a chord is that I’m a son of an abandoning father whom I’ve never met and thus with that kind of baggage I quickly ordered up tickets to see what Corneille and Kushner might have to say on the subject. Then I waited. Six months. Until last night.

Going in, I had no expectations about the play but with many past experiences sitting before A Noise Within’s stage, I had every expectation the company would do an incredible job, and it most certainly did.

“The Illusion” opens with the father, Pridamant (Nick Ullett), venturing into a cave in search of the sorcerer Alcandre (Deborah Strang) to help reconnect him to the son (Graham Hamilton) he selfishly disavowed 15 years earlier. With the help of her servant Amanuensis (Jeff Doba) Alcandre conjures three episodes from the young man’s life. Pridamant watches with each scene finding the boy in a slightly different world where names change and allegiances shift, but only as the strange tale reaches its conclusion does he learn the ultimate truth.

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Last Wednesday evening I had the privilege of attending a production of Lee Tonouchi’s Three Year Swim Club at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo. The good news is that I found it thoroughly enjoyable; the bad news is that if you haven’t seen it yet, you only have until Sunday to make it happen. Get your tickets here or read about my impressions after the break. Read the rest of this entry →

Speaking of having some literary culture, LA’s own Asian-American theater group, East West Players, recently announced winners of their “Faces of the Future” playwriting competition. The competition “explores the reality of multicultural America from an Asian American perspective.” The winning submissions did just that. Find a description of the winning plays and their authors after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

I should begin with the caveat that I have never reviewed a play before.

And while I enjoy going to the theater from time to time, I would hardly consider myself an informed critic.

And now that I’ve gotten my excuses out of the way, I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed the opening night performance of “The Language Archive,” which took place last night at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo.

The play is an exploration of how love, language, meaning, and relationships intersect, all portrayed through a mix of humor, philosophical meanderings, and emotional gravity. The East West Players did a very nice job hitting these various notes through most of the play, with my personal favorites being Ryun Yu as George and Jennifer Chang as Emma. Read the rest of this entry →

A lot will happen in the next five years.  You’ll be an astonishing half a decade older. We’ll have the same or a new president with whom no one will be completely satisfied unless all that hope for change actually translates to more real dollars and a lot more sense. For Cornerstone Theater Company, the next five years will be dedicated to hunger: nine plays, to be exact, that will address the topic from all sides, including nutrition, environment, access, and food equity.

To kick off the series, Cornerstone is hosting “Creative Seeds: An Exploration of Hunger,” a two-week event starting November 7 and stuffed full of panels, discussions, art events, workshops, and demonstrations with Farmers, chefs, artists, performers, and food writers.  On the 10th, for example, popular organic peach farmer David Mas Masumoto will be part of a “Who’s Your Farmer?” roundtable (if you haven’t read his Epitaph for a Peach, go and get it, now), and on the 15th, our homegrown Jonathan Gold will part of a “Food Critics” panel discussing what “different generations of food critics hunger for.”  And, because this is a theater company after all, there will be an evening of one-minute plays for those whose attention lasts as long as their (in)ability to compose an wildly interesting 140-character tweet

The panel discussions are free, and most of the other events request just a modest donation.  See the full schedule here, and reserve your tickets here. And, if you want to start your food drive contributions straight away, you can donate non-perishable food items at all Creative Seeds events.  This looks like a good one, guys.  Go on. Five years will be here and gone before you know it.

2 weeks ago, friend of the blog Jordan Harbinger from The Art of Charm invited me out to see him talk on the Sex Nerd Sandra podcast at NerdMelt. The NerdMelt space is technically in the back of Meltdown Comics on Sunset but the theater is a 3-way collaboration between Meltdown, Chris Hardwick and Geek Chic Daily where they basically film live podcast tapings. As a long time fan of the Nerdist podcast I was excited to go.

The theater is in the back of Meltdown so the first thing I did was put my head down and stare directly at my shoes as I made my way to the back to avoid any impulse buys before I even got to the show. I’m terrible in comics shops and never make it out without my bag being heavier and my wallet extremely lighter. The theater also doubles as an art gallery which is nice since it gives you something to do when you get there too early and desperately don’t want to step foot in the store and spend all your lunch money for the week.

I do have a few complaints about the theater but not many. The damn bathroom door wouldn’t close which some twat had to figure out in the middle of the show by repeatedly slamming the door which was partly the theaters fault for having such a shitty door and the twats fault for being so twatty. There was also no AC or fans which made it a bit too hot. PRO-TIP: Sitting by the door in the back definitely helps. Lastly the chairs were really crappy and after sitting in them for 2 hours straight really put a hurting on the old ass parts. Definitely not enough to keep me from coming back but something they should really fix. Especially that bathroom door!

The podcast taping actually ran for 2 hours total and was a really good time. Besides Sandra and Jordan they were joined by comedian Dave Ross who is a seriously funny guy. You really have to check his stuff out. It was a sex podcast but sadly no one was having any so they just talked about it a lot. As far as podcast tapings go I was a little more sober than I usually am (I’ve only ever been to Diggnation tapings and you tend to never remember those) so it was pretty cool to actually remember the whole thing the next day ;-) The panel shared advice and funny as hell stories that I definitely encourage you to check out. The mix of humor along with the sex and relationship talk make for a great combo. All in all it was a great time and cheaper than a movie. You can check out the episode here and the NerdMelt calendar here. Go grab some tickets and catch a show!

We all know the story for required reading in High School.  To Kill A Mocking bird is set in 1935, the rural south and told from a child’s point of view.  It is about a black man accused of raping a white woman and exposes the racism of the period.  This cast gave a wonderful rendition of the play on their small intimate stage.

What I didn’t know is what a great little venue the Sierra Madre Playhouse is for such a play. It is small enough that you have an up close and personal view of the stage no matter where you are in the room.  The seats are nice and comfy stuffed theatre seats…though they are covered in bright red mouse fur.  Parking is ample and free near the theater.  One caveat, they don’t do assigned seating, rather its by cattle call Ala Southwest so you do need to be in line early in order to get the best seats.

I’ve been here in the SGV for many years and often heard of the Sierra Madre Playhouse, just never had the time to get there until last night for the short trek up the hill to see them.  If To Kill A Mockingbird is an indication of the quality production they do I’ll be back.  More information on Sierra Madre Playhouse’s presentation of To Kill A Mockingbird just pop onto their web link HERE.

Something captivating is happening in Hollywood about a half-block south of Santa Monica Boulevard on Orange Drive, almost midway back from the street along a nondescript business complex. It’s happening at the Art of Acting Studio, which until Saturday night had been unknown to me like so many of the scores upon scores of small theaters throughout greater Los Angeles that live so often under the radar hosting productions week in and week out.

Within the cozy theater on that sold-out night I was to see the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company’s premiere staging of Clifford Odets’ landmark 1935 agit-prop drama “Waiting For Lefty,” directed by Don K. Williams. And what I saw was a brilliant embrace of a classic that was absolute magic.

Consisting of a series of vignettes threaded through the framework of meeting of cab drivers (with the title character being their absent and expected leader), Odets’ masterpiece is what launched the Group Theatre into the minds of the social conscience in the 1930s. “Waiting for Lefty” centers on union members meeting to discuss a possible strike while offering glimpses into their desperate lives as they search for a way out of poverty in a world where greed outweighs the value of human life and the only way to escape was to fight together.

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Glendale’s A Noise Within (ANW) has been the region’s premiere classical repertory theater company for a long time now.  Other than about a year at the end of last century spent at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal Sate Los Angeles, the company’s home has been the landmark Masonic Temple building at 234 S. Brand Boulevard.

But the company is Glendale’s no longer. It’s leaving its home and heading to its own dedicated space in Pasadena, a move that’s been more than five years in the making. And today as one of its final acts in the Jewel City before beginning its life in the Crown city, the company held a rummage sale to clear out its inventory. Everything from lighting equipment and furniture to props to costumes was priced to move.

But instead of looking for bargains, I took the opportunity to go looking around, sneaking backstage and up the stairs to explorie the 1928 building’s upper levels where I found this jaw-droppingly amazing top-floor space in mid-demolition/arrested decay (click to panoramally enlargify and/or check out this rotate-ready version of the image):

UPDATE (8.26): Where’d the picture go? Short-ish story is that a representative of the building’s owners, Frank DiPietro and Sons, contacted me the day after this post went live wanting to discuss the photograph’s publication. After some further consideration, it was politely requested of me today to remove the above image,  for several reasons. First, it was taken and published without their permission. Second, the picture shows the hall in a condition that doesn’t showcase it in the best light. Third, the company is in the midst of submitting plans and obtaining permits for a renovation/remodel of the space and the company is sensitive about photographs and information about the
building being released as that process progresses. So, basically,  I have agreed to honor their request because the simple fact is that it’s their private property and I was there on those upper floors without their knowledge. Since it’s not OK for them to sneak into my house and take pictures and put ‘em up on the internutz, down comes the pic.

I have no idea what the plans are for this hall and the rest of the building. But in the meantime I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that it doesn’t become a gym..

After the jump, a brief bio on the building’s historical significance excerpted from the Glendale Register of Historic Places.

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I’ve spent the past few evenings at the Hollywood Fringe festival, which is happening at theatres and stages all over Hollywood.  Fringe Theatre Festivals have a special place in my heart – I used to be involved in running one when I was in college, and I think the format of Fringe Festivals allows for a lot of innovative and creative work to get staged that might not otherwise be seen.  The other night, I saw Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, which was a cute, funny, if somewhat earnest, musical take on being a Muslim woman in the U.S.  I also saw Of People and Not Things (and in the interests of full disclosure – the writer of this play is a friend, so I am somewhat predisposed to liking it) which takes the idea of a bad breakup being the end of the world to its literal extreme, through two moving, extended monologues from the two involved parties.   And later tonight I’m checking out a late staging of Freakshow Deluxe.  I’ve got tickets for a few shows later this week, as well – Girl Band in the Boys Room and Our Lady of 121^st Street, both of which I’m looking forward to!  And I’ll probably try to squeeze in a few more shows, too – one of the great things about Fringe is that it makes it easy to see lots of shows and performers relatively cheaply.

Some Fringe Freaks, the mascots of the Hollywood Fringe!

Fringe Festivals are, by definition, open and unjudicated, which means anyone with a show can potentially get in and stage their show.  On hand, this is part of the reason why the Fringe can be so exciting and cool; on the other hand, it means that sometimes the shows are a bit hit and miss, and it can be hard to tell from the program what’s worth checking out or not.  So, if you’ve been out to the festival, please let us know in the comments if you’ve seen shows that you recommend!  The performers, who have to absorb a lot of the costs of staging their shows, always appreciate a shout-out.

For info about tickets, shows, venues, and schedules, visit hollywoodfringe.org!

I’m just a bit melancholy this morning. My youngest is finishing up middle school where it seems like I’ve spent an eternity already. Both of my boys were in Drama as their elective. Their fall and spring plays were always punctuated with some corny jokes by their teacher Randy Medina during the intermission.  Last night was my final “Spring Performance” by the Clifton Middle School Drama class and am going to miss those corny, punny jokes of his.

Full disclaimer: I’m not really into dance. Whenever “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Dancing With the Stars” get their DVR playback, I conveniently find a reason to go fix something in the garage.

But, if you’re looking for a cool last-minute gift idea for Mother’s Day that does not involve a spa or Mimosas, take her to see Burn the Floor at Pantages.

20 champion dancers from the hit Broadway show will blow your mind. It’s billed as “ballroom reinvented,” but, it sure didn’t feel like ballroom. It’s a phenomenal show, that makes you want to Patrick Swayze into the aisle.

Did I just type that? Ahem.

It’s a great gift for Mother’s Day, or a great date. And there are only 5 shows left.

Burn the Floor at the Pantages Theatre.

Tonight at 8:00PM
Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, 8:00 PM
Sunday at 1:00 pm, 6:30 PM