SCR Founders
Plan Their Exit
Last week, on the heels of the Pasadena Playhouse's announcement that it would explore restructuring – which played out as closing its doors – Orange County's South Coast Repertory embedded a more historic announcement in an email to media.
Founded in 40 years before SCR, the Playhouse went bankrupt in 1969, after a 45-year run. It returned in 1985 for its recent quarter century – notably under the leadership of Susan Dietz and for the past decade, Sheldon Epps.
With the retirement of SCR co-Founders and Artistic Directors David Emmes and Martin Benson, more than a single management team, or theater operation for that matter, will pass. Emmes and Benson began their careers at a time when a network of regional theaters were a shiny vision on the horizon. Some had already broken ground, others – like the Guthrie and the Globe – were outposts that would help stake down the new movement.
The announcement claims that the “detailed leadership transition plan . . . is set to culminate later in the year with the naming of a new Artistic Director to join the leadership team.” We shall see. Nevertheless, it is clear that last great pioneers – like Bill Ball, Zelda Fichhandler, Gordon Davidson, and dozens more – are now resigned to leave the stage that they have helped build.
Coming Up
Continuing
PRT's Extended ‘Version’
The Pacific Resident Theatre has extended its revival of Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version, a 1949 drama that dissects a schoolmaster’s marriage as he faces his departure from an English public school after 18 years. More information at the company’s website.
February 13
Odyssey: Puppets, People
Marlene Dietrich returns to the stage as a life-sized puppet in Polish actress/puppeteer Anna Skubik’s Broken Nails: Marlene Dietrich Dialogue. Actress and effigy get caught in a codependent relationship set during the star’s dying days as Skubik’s Bulgarian/American partner Anthony Nikholchev examines the events surrounding his family’s escape from Communist Bulgaria in the 1960s.
The show, which premiered in Torun, has already toured Europe and received the 2008 Grand Prix of the OFTA Solo Performance Festival in Warclaw, Poland as well as 2009’s Most Innovative Puppeteer award at the International Puppet Festival in Prague. It continues, Wednesdays-Sundays, through March 28.
February 20
Writer’s Guild Soaps Up
Fans of daytime TV soaps who’ve been waiting for evening diversion featuring their midday company should line up for the maiden presentation of the Soap Fan Mystery Theatre. A new series of staged readings begins the weekend of February 20 and 21 featuring familiar faces from daytime television presenting rarely performed mysteries by Agatha Christie mysteries. The event takes place at The Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, has announced the expected readers to include Stefanie Powers, Juliet Mills, Maxwell Caulfield, Jacob Young, Adam Mayfield, Robert Newman, David Hedison, Vincent Irizarry, Paull Goldin and Constance Towers.
March 16
Beaty ‘Through the Night’
Obie and Ovation Award winner Daniel Beaty brings a new show Through the Night to the Geffen’s smaller space March 16 to April 4. Charles Randolph-Wright, directs this look at “family, community and the power of possibility.” Beaty plays “six African-American men at different stages of their lives as well as the people who love them.”
Through the Night is a co-production with Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey, where it runs February 11-21.
top of page
Zaks Education: His Life is Good!
In a subject near to our hearts, the announced world premiere of Randy Newman's Harps and Angels, set to conclude next year's Taper Season (November 10 through December 19), now has a director attached. Four-time Tony Award-winning Jerry Zaks will direct the world premiere, which, according to the release, "features the infectious music and lyrics of one of America’s most beloved songwriters." CTG Head Michael Ritchie made the announcement.
Our fondness for Newman oes back as far as the initial release of his lps. In a world then as now choking on comedians, Newman was the surprisngly rare phenomenon of an American humorist. And, what's more, he could compose and perform his songs. If George Gershwin and Will Rogers, or Mark Twain and Scott Joplin, had somehow been fused in an alchemy experiment, there might have been a Randy Nemman decades earlier.
On stage, Newman has been less successful. While his musicals – the revue Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong, launched at the La Jolla Playhouse some 20 years ago, followed by the original musical Faust, aksi developed and premiered in La Jolla and then South Coast Repertory's premiere of The Education of Randy Newman (where we worked with Newman as the theater's publicist) – have all fallen short of Broadway after two or three productions.
Let's hope the Zaks Factor gets this pre-eminent songwriter the same success (without the same cliches) that have produced hits for many, many others.
top of page
Gracie Grows Up
In the first year of La Posada Magica, the central character of Gracie was played by Ruth Livier (below), herself not much older than the teenager. Since then Livier has starred in Resurrection Blvd. and returned to SCR for a nice comic vamp in Bill Rauch’s splendid staging of Lovers and Executioners.
Ruth Livier as Ylse
Currently, the talented Livier is producing and playing the title character in “Ylse.” The “not quite politically correct” Internet comedy features Livier as a female talk show host navigating the sexual politics and showbiz pitfalls of television production. A decidedly Latin spin has won the embrace of Spanglish audiences as well as given many familiar L.A.’s actors a great inn to guest – including Jonathon Nichols, Yvonne Coll and Alex Mendez.
Visit Ylse's website for more info and to see trailers and webisodes.
