ExperienceLA Bloggers experience the diversity of Los Angeles arts and culture, giving insight on their adventures. This blog is in conjunction with ExperienceLA.com - a free public service and online resource for Los Angeles arts and culture.
Ok, I know it's something we see everyday - trash on the side of the road. Here in LA, and everywhere across the country, there's litter. It's a sad reality of the world we live in. But, I don't think I've ever been impacted so greatly as when I was at Balboa Park a couple weekends ago. I think we've all seen those demonstrations of what the bottom of our rivers, lakes and oceans look like with trash. What I saw in real life was unbelievable and unforgettable.
The Stella Adler Theatre is tucked away on the second floor in a small building in the midst of Hollywood's hustle-and-bustle. I had taken the Metro Red Line there to meet my friend Melissa for "Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them". The theatre is practically next door to Hollywood and Highland station, but I still had to walk by the lights and tall white columns of the Hollywood/Highland complex, past the El Capitan's blinking marquee, and the staple street performers and tourists roaming out on a Friday night. So finding myself so immediately in a small theatre space was a little jarring - not in a bad way at all, but in that pleasant way where your headspace is slightly off and you appreciate the best of both worlds because you've somehow just experienced the good of both places at once. "Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them" is kind of like that...messing with your headspace - in a good way - and making you laugh the entire time - even when you wonder if you're supposed to....
The audience follows the confusion of waking up in bed with an absolute stranger. Felicity (portrayed by Rhea Seehorn) hilariously does what most might do - try to escape. Remember this moment, because things will only get absurd from here. Try as she might to escape, the bad keeps on and the audience can't help but laugh on.
Zamir (Sunil Malhotra), who keeps on insisting that he's Irish, reveals that he's had a history of crime, appears fairly violent toward women, and doesn't really like the idea of a job. Felicity also suspects he might be a terrorist. But worse than waking up next to someone you don't remember, Felicity finds she is apparently married to this man and he doesn't believe in divorce.
Felicity then tries to escape to her parents - Luella (Christine Estabrook) and Leonard (Mike Genovese) - but she doesn't seem to escape anywhere but to a place that might just be more quietly dysfunctional. Luella can't help but talk of plays to escape and Leonard has his "butterfly" collection that occupies him for hours. Leonard is an extreme conservative - anti-abortion, pro-Second Amendment, anti-terrorism - and latches on too quickly (and fondly) to the idea that Zamir might be a terrorist.
Christopher Durang's play holds nothing back in political references and jokes at the conservative extreme, nor does he hold back in the amusing portrayal of the lax liberal Reverend Mike (Nicholas Brendon) who makes his living in less-than-holy ways. He successfully adds in the Leonard-fan/follower Hildegarde (Catherine Hicks) and the "voice" Felicity hears (Alec Mapa) to bring the audience to an absurdist reality of misunderstanding and prejudices seen through a comic lens. Even Hooters doesn't look the same in this play.
The cast as a whole is a terrific ensemble and each actor brings their role to the audience well. Seehorn as Felicity keeps the play together as it shifts in and out of one absurd situation into another and Malhotra, as Zamir, gives a character you want to hate, then you're not sure if you should, then you really root for him when the play is at its most intense. Genovese as Leonard is so seriously devoted in his extremism that you can't help but laugh, particularly alongside Estabrook's delivery of Luella's love for plays, rambling crazy facts/assessments about her husband, and flights-of-fancy. Meanwhile, Hicks as Hildegarde, Mapa as the Voice, and Brendon as Reverend Mike shine in their time on stage - from Hicks' comedic portrayal of loving devotion to Leonard to Mapa's random appearances as a narrator to Brendon's hilarious psychedelic Reverend Mike with his philosophy and one-liners.
The play successfully executes "Why Torture..." is right.
WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM by Christopher Durang runs until March 14th. For more details, visit the listing on ExperienceLA.com.
An upcoming partner event this spring (May 22 & 23, in fact) is the Silver Lake Jubilee. This brand new, two-day art and music festival celebrates the cultural offerings of Silver Lake and surrounding neighborhoods. When I first learned of Silver Lake Jubilee, I was excited to help support the event as it seemed a perfect fit for ExperienceLA fans: family-friendly, promotes art and cultural awareness, embraces the community...In speaking with the event organizers to get additional details, I discovered that they were interested in promoting not just a community, but a sustainable community.
This intrigued me. I wondered how a festival of any size can go green beyond providing recycling bins. So the organizers put me in touch with one of their partners, Leslie VanKeuren from Sustain LA. Leslie is working with SLJ to help design a festival that will have "zero waste" when all is said and done, meaning that 90% of waste will be diverted from landfills through recycling, composting, and by designing out the waste.
I was surprised to learn all the various ways waste could be "designed" out of an event. For instance, I never really stopped to think about the water I purchased on those hot summer days attending music festivals. Nor did I think twice about what my food was served in or on. Sure, I was at least aware of putting my water bottle into the recycling bin, and making sure my disposable plates and aluminum foil went into the waste basket. But I never even considered that those items might not be necessary in the first place.
One of the ways SLJ will look to reduce waste is by encouraging the use of reusable beverage containers. Food vendors will also be educated on options for plating and serving that are biodegradable. Solar panels will be brought in to supply energy to the event. And festival goers can do their part by taking Metro or other public transportation, or riding their bikes to Silver Lake Jubilee (bike valets will be available). Volunteers will also be available to provide more information for those interested in learning how to be more effective in reducing your carbon footprint.
Of course, while these are just a few of the ways that SLJ hope to achieve a zero waste and carbon neutral status, the event won't accomplish its green goal simply by design. The biggest challenge is to change how people think about waste. Surely it won't happen overnight, but the effort is a start. At least for me, learning about SLJ's goals and the steps it's taking has made me more aware and conscientous of the waste I produce on a daily basis (shocking!), and adjust some of my behaviors. It will be curious to see whether other festival attendees will be affected in the same way and make a conscious effort to help eliminate waste while they're enjoying the jubilee. It's exciting to think about the possibility of LA one day becoming a leader in sustainable living.
As a side note, check out the calendar listing, or back on our blog for event updates as musical acts are confirmed!
There will be 4 public scoping meetings held this week so that the public can learn more about the proposed project to extend the Gold Line further east. The public can also provide their input at these meetings. Meetings start today (February 22) in Pico Rivera at the Pio Pico Women's Center (6pm-8pm). More meeting information and ways to find info/give feedback after the jump. 2/22/2009 6:00pm-8:00pm
Pio Pico Women's Center
9214 Mines Ave.
Pico Rivera, CA 90660 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=273882251115
(Photo by Michael Lamont: Giselle Wolf, Will Barker and Holly Hawkins in the West Coast Premiere of "Celadine" at the Colony Theatre.)
I was fortunate, on Valentine's Day, to have a husband who was interested in going to the theatre without having to drag him kicking and screaming. We attended a performance of the West Coast premiere of Charles Evered's "Celadine" at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. First of all, I didn't even know there was a theatre next to the Burbank mall. Secondly, I was impressed at how charming and intimate the theatre was. Certainly a change from some of our past theatre experiences at larger venues such as the Ahmanson or Pantages.
Artistic Director Barbara Beckley welcomed the audience and spoke briefly before the show of the wonderful support the community has provided. The Colony Theatre celebrates is 35th anniversary season. Looking around the audience, I speculated that many of the long-time supporters were among the crowd. There was a feeling of pride that this theatre has been able to entertain audiences for so many years.
"Celadine" is a story that takes place in 17th century London. It tells of a woman playwright, Celadine, who may be considered ahead of her time and gets entangled in espionage and a case of treason. While the story itself begged for a little more tension and drama, it had its moments of comedy (warning: mature content that might make you blush and giggle) and emotion. The cast members offer strong and entertaining performances. So much so that when it was over, I hardly noticed that two hours had passed by.
Evered's desire to create a role that allowed a female actor to go beyond being an "ingenue" or a "matron," and Giselle Wolf's performance as Celadine, are both refreshing and appreciated.
Overall, we were pleased with our experience at the Colony Theatre, and we're looking forward to their next production of "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris."
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