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.

The play centers on an incredibly intelligent linguist whose marriage is falling apart because he doesn’t know how to express his feelings to her. And yet, she also seems to be unable to tell him what it is that she wants from him. Full disclosure: I have an MA in English and my first (and only) wife left due in large part to strained communications. So, you know, I’ve gotta back George a little bit on this one. His wife, Mary (Kimiko Gelman), plays games like leaving notes hinting at her unhappiness, but refuses to admit she’s left the notes or discuss her expectations openly with him.

The play takes its name from George’s work, the language archive, which involves cataloging and recording samples of dying languages. I particularly enjoyed Cho’s juxtaposition of dying languages and strained relationships, especially as it is illustrated through the relationship of Resten and Alta (Nelson Mashita and Jeanne Sakata), whose native language Elloway will die with them. Alta explains that the death of a language is simply the final breath of a dying culture: “Our world is already gone. No amount of talk talk talk will ever bring it back.” This observation not only evokes the idea of an ever-increasing level of homogeneity among world cultures—an enduring concern for Asian American communities, among many others—but it also reflects back on the failing marriage between George and Mary, whose inability to communicate may have more to do with their lack of a common culture than with their difficulties speaking to one another in a common language. George’s culture is that of a devoted linguist, and Mary is, as we come to learn later, unsure of what the hell she wants to do with herself.

There were a few things about the play that, while humorous, didn’t seem entirely necessary. In the opening lines of the play, for example, George is addressing the audience directly, and then Mary stops him and explains, “I’m right here. I can hear you.” While this unexpected break in form was certainly a good laugh, it didn’t seem to add anything substantial to the play, and didn’t return at any point beyond that first instance. Little moments such as this didn’t necessarily detract from the play, but they did have a cumulative effect of making the play feel as though it may be trying too hard to be cute and funny.

At other moments, the play felt as though it was about to cross the line from sentiment into sentimentality, or from pensive to overly philosophical. These moments seemed to be concentrated in the soliloquys delivered by Mary and Emma, speeches that seem almost to spell out motivations and conclusions for the audience that the writer might have feared wouldn’t fully be captured by the audience. Still, as close as Cho seems to come to crossing the line in these moments, for the most part the writing manages to stop just short of committing these types of literary sins. And when Ryun, Kimiko, and Jennifer delivered some of their more emotionally evocative lines of soliloquy, I thought they hit the mark quite well.

I imagine if we studied this play in one of the literary theory courses I took, we would probably spend at least a little bit of time talking about how feminist theory might view this play. The play opens with Mary performing the duties of the “traditional housewife,” and her escape to true happiness involves cooking—becoming a baker, taking on responsibility for Mr. Baker’s “seed” dough. Alta’s sense of security in her marriage to Resten is tied up inextricably with his appreciation for her cooking: “She would strap an oven to her back if she could.” Emma’s love of George is all tied up in her role as his lab assistant, her devotion to ensuring that everything in the lab is always set up just how he needs it to be. But my literary theory class is long over with, so I suppose I don’t have to linger on that point too long.

The set was very interesting and elaborate, but not to the point of being over the top or a distraction from the play itself. The music and sound effects were quite effective and seemed only to add to the play’s strengths. This was my first time visiting the David Henry Hwang Theater, and I found it to be a comfortable and relaxing environment for the play. All in all, I really enjoyed this play. Here are details from the press release:

All performances of THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE will be staged at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE opens Wednesday, November 9, 2011 and closes on Sunday, December 4, 2011. Opening night will be accompanied by a pre-performance cocktail reception and a post-show reception with the cast and creative team. Performances are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Previews are Thursday–Saturday November 3–5, at 8pm and Sunday, November 6 at 2pm. The Pay-What-You-Can Performance will be held Wednesday, November 23 at 8 pm with a suggested $5 minimum donation.

General Admission Tickets range from $3 I – $41. Preview tickets are $20 for all seats. Please call theatre for opening night ticket availability and special event pricing. For ticket purchases or more information, please call East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or visit www.eastwestplayers.org. Senior, student and group discounts are available. Dates, prices, and details are subject to change.

And here are photos of the cast in action, courtesy of Michael Lamont, via the East West Players’ press kit:

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.

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!

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.

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.

Though written in the midst of the Great Depression, given the suffering of so many through the ongoing bleak economic conditions effecting the country today, “Waiting For Lefty” speaks just as clearly and powerfully and poignantly in building to its angry and defiant crescendo as it did to audiences more than three-quarters of a century ago.

It does so in this exquisitely staged production because it’s passionately delivered without restraint or reservation from every last committed member of the large ensemble cast (with a special nod to the entirely riveting Darren Keefe who holds nothing back in the role of Agate) — all of them no doubt skilfully guided by Williams’ adept direction and understanding of the enduring relevance of Odets’ creation.

In the program it states that the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theatre Company’s mission “is to produce theater committed to the standards and ideals set out by Stella Adler, Harold Clurman and the Group Theatre.” With “Waiting For Lefty” the company has completely and extraordinarily succeeded in that mission.

Where: Art of Acting Studio, 1017 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles, 90038
What: “Waiting For Lefty,” by Clifford Odets
When: Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., through October 8
Tickets: $15 (available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets)
Photo gallery info (from top left to bottom right): Jacque Freydont (left) and David Lengel; Dan Evans (left) and J. Claude Deering; Adam Bitterman; Jesse Steccato and Katharine Brandt; Chase Fein and Emily Jackson; (left to right) Dan Evans, Jesse Steccato, Darren Keefe, and David Lengel.

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.

The first beginnings of the Masonic Order in Glendale occurred in 1905. On March 15, 1905 Unity Lodge No. 368 was organized by residents with the name Unity chosen because the
membership was almost evenly distributed between Glendale and Tropico.

It was not until 1910 that the Lodge had its own permanent home at 232 S. Brand Blvd. At this location a two-story brick Masonic Temple was erected by Unity Lodge No. 368 which served as a meeting place for the Masons until 1928. Due to the increasing number of organizations using the premises such as the Order of the Eastern Star, Royal Arch Masons, Knights of Templar, White Shrine of Jerusalem, Order of de Molay, and the Shrine Club, plans were begun in the early 1920s to construct a building which would accommodate all the Masonic organizations.

The architect commissioned to design this grand new structure on S. Brand was Arthuy Lindley. It was not until 1928, however, through the combined assets of the various Masonic organizations that the structure was built. The Masonic groups remained as tenants until 1952 when the Glendale Masonic Temple Association was organized and authorized to purchase property at the southeast corner of N. Maryland Ave and E. California.

The Temple suffered from the excessive optimism of its planners. Containing five full floors and five partial floors, the structure sat nearly vacant for almost four decades after the construction of the newer, smaller facility. Historically, however, it represents one of the most ambitious building endeavors in the City’s past. In 1992 a live theater company, A Noise Within, found success there and rapidly expanded its use of several floors of the building.

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.

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

There’s film folk and then there’s theater folk, and then there are just folks who will see whatever looks good.  That last group is me, and this upcoming play looks great: tonight, Cornerstone Theater, in association with Watts Village Theater Company, will start previews of its new play, The Unrequited (Between Two Worlds).  The play’s official opening night is on May 4.

The play is based on The Dybbuk, a 1914 play by author and playwright S. Ansky, about a bride possessed – possessed! – by a terrible spirit on the night before her wedding.  Cornerstone’s version re-locates the play in time and space: to a 1930s-era Watts neighborhood.  In the theater’s long-running tradition of incorporating community actors and sourcing creative spaces for their productions, the production actually will be held in Watts at a local high school auditorium.

Tickets are based on a $5 to $20 sliding scale online, and will be pay-what-you-can at the door.  That’s right, no need to wait in the student rush line the 5 minutes before doors open.

The Unrequited (Between Two Worlds)
Thursdays through Sundays, plus a few Wednesdays here and there, April 28 – May 22
At the Youth Opportunities High School, Mafundi Auditorium, 1827 E. 103rd St in Watts.
Tickets here.