in the spotlight
Reviews
Photo courtesy of theatre at Granite Bay
Hollywood magic by Bev SykeS
Photo courtesy of the Woodland oPera house
everyone knows that 5.0 is the new 4.0.
Testing the limits
Is there anything more glamorous than being a chorus girl? No. There isn’t.
42nd Street
5
fri 7:30pm, sat 7:30pm, sun 2pm. through 4/14; $7-$25; Woodland opera house, 340 2nd street in Woodland; (530) 666-9617; woodlandoperahouse.org.
If you’re a fan of all those old MGM musicals, or if you just like exciting theater, The Woodland Opera House production of 42nd Street, directed by Robert Cooner, is just the thing for you. From the moment the curtain rises—half way, showing a stage filled with tapping feet—through to the finale, it’s simply spectacular. The plot is silly and formulaic, about a Depressionera girl convinced she has enough talent to make it on Broadway. Because she’s in the right place at the right time, she’s cast by the director (Scott Martin as Julian Marsh) to be in the chorus of his latest production. The ins and outs of her becoming the star of the show with only a day to learn all the dialogue, songs and dance numbers are right out of a lot of those old musicals, but the plot is entirely incidental to the production itself. The dancing is fabulous—and who doesn’t love tap dancing? The cast of 22 is led by Ernestine Balisi, as the ingenue Peggy Sawyer; Michael David Smith plays Billy Lawlor, the tenor of the show-within-ashow. Smith is a huge bundle of talent who sings, acts and dances up a storm. Lenore Sebastian and Gil Sebastian are the two songwriters, who offer comic relief throughout. If you ever wanted an excuse to cross the causeway to see what theater is like in Woodland, you’ll never have a better opportunity than this production.
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Well-done
04.04.19
suBliMe don’t Miss
4 Blast to the past
Both the storyline and the production elements of Failure: A Love Story instantly transport the audience into the Roaring Twenties—complete with ’20s slang, music, costumes and sets. It’s a strange, sad and very silly story by playwright Philip Dawkins about the overly dramatic deaths of the fictional Fail family. It’s appropriate that Errant Phoenix Productions stages Failure at the Geery Theater— an old, turn-of-the-century Victorian in Midtown. Add period costumes, the strains of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” a shadow-box backdrop with old clocks, photos, teddy bears and dial radio, and you’re transported into time and place. But it quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t a romantic ode to the past, as it starts off with dour and droll comedic notes, including when the parents and three Fail sisters all die in separate, tragic accidents. It’s not only the “how” of each death that piques your interest, but also the fact that the dialogue and plot is seeped in dark humor and creative theatrics. At times, the story comes across as too precious, trying a bit too hard to be quirky, clever and cute, and some of the performances need a bit more smoothing. But the cohesive Errant team works together to make it a fun adventure with the feel of a traveling theater company who’s hard at work making everything entertaining. —Patti RobeRts
failure: a love story: friday 8pm, saturday 8pm, sunday 2pm; through 4/14; $15-$19; errant Phoenix Productions at William J. Geery theater, 2130 l street; (415) 963-2442; errantphoenix.com.
When we think of cutting edge, politically incisive theatre, one might think of Hamilton’s success on Broadway, or new works coming up through the indie scene of Chicago, Ashland or San Francisco. You probably don’t think of Granite Bay—but an original musical from local duo David Taylor Gomes and Kyle Holmes brings a national scandal right back where it began: The ’burbs. If you weren’t living under a rock last month, you probably heard about the college admissions scandal that has (so far) led to more than 50 indictments. Holmes and Gomes’ new show Ranked is a satire that takes aim at this hyper-competitive (and sometimes seedy) world of student academic achievement. The play gives a glimpse into an eerily familiar school where your class rank is a caste system that determines your social life, your future and your worth. Holmes has been the director of Theatre Arts at Granite Bay High School since 2012, and Gomes serves as the school’s musical director. Holmes had previously collaborated with Gomes on the serial musical Boxed Up, and the two were motivated to write a musical for their students when they found there simply weren’t enough good scripts for high schools. After passing news articles back and forth about teachers arrested in Atlanta for altering students’ standardized tests, about a system in China that allowed students to take “loans” from a point bank to improve their scores and their own observations of Granite Bay students’ mental health struggles, Holmes wondered, “Why do we see these instances of corruption in the modern education institution? Why are the stakes so high that we are breaking the law for something that is supposed to be a public good?” The pair took their observations of cheating, anxiety and GPA-obsession and debuted one song, which was an instant hit. They then invited students to a series of workshops and talks to give them a voice as the show took shape. More than 50 students showed up to the first session, which lasted more than three hours. Student involvement has not only made the show relatable, but it also taught students about collaboration and storytelling. “When you’re a teenager, you’re always seeking validation, but collaborating and creating isn’t about validation.” says Gomes. “We’re teaching them to create, and they learn more than if they were just acting.” Ranked promises to be something like The Putnam County Spelling Bee meets The Hunger Games, but as the recent news has shown, it’s not at all far-fetched. Holmes explains, “We wanted parents to walk out and say to their kids: ‘That would be so crazy if that were real,’ and for kids to say: ‘That is real. That is my life.’” Thu 4/4, 7pm; Fri 4/5, 7pm; Sat 4/6, 7pm; Through 4/13; $10$12; Granite Bay High School, 1 Grizzly Way in Granite Bay; (916) 786-8676; theatreatgranitebay.org.
—sawyeR KemP