Performances Magazine December 2015

DECEMBER 2015

GIL CATES THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

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JUDY KAYE UCLA ’66 - ’71 Tony Award-Winning Actress, Singer

GEORGE TAKEI Class of ’60, ‘64 Actor, Author, Human Rights Activist

KENNY BURRELL Professor of Jazz Studies, Legendary Jazz Guitarist, Composer

NAYSAYERS ARE GREAT… TO PROVE WRONG. Whether on stage or in the crowd, life is a performance. And everyone faces barriers when they dare to try something new. But we’re Optimists. We ignore the critics.

We move forward. Raise the bar. And inspire the world to do the same.

How will you flip the script?

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⁄⁄⁄⁄ DECEMBER 2015

CONTENTS 16 UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Cabaret shines an intimate spotlight on performers.

Holiday programming in Southern California, traditional and otherwise.

26 LIGHT MAGIC

Projections in opera and dance are now important performance tools.

33 PROGRAM

Cast, who’s who, director’s notes, chairman’s letter and donors.

6 IN THE WINGS

A new adaptation of 1984 at the Broad stage; Matthias Pintscher leads the L.A. Chamber Orchestra.

12 DATELINE

74

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Broadway musical; San Francisco Opera’s Fall of the House of Usher.

62 BOOKS

74 TRAVEL

50 SHOPPING

64 DINING

80 BACK PAGE

56 HOME

72 WINE

Anil Arjandas Jewels at Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood.

Furniture designer Ryan Saghian’s “classic designs with modern flair.”

Roberto Bolle: Voyage Into Beauty follows the ballerino through Italy.

New Alexander’s Steakhouse in Pasadena offers precious cuts of beef.

Three of North America’s finest dessert wines for the holidays.

The top 10 eye-catching train stations around the world.

Los Angeles Zoo.

GRAND CENTRAL STATION, COURTESY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORIT Y OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

22 UKULELES, ANYONE?

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EVENTS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ EXHIBITS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ PERFORMANCES

INTHEWINGS

The U.K.’s acclaimed Headlong theater company makes its U.S. debut with George Orwell’s 1984, beginning a nationwide tour Jan. 8-Feb. 6 at the Broad stage in Santa Monica. The new adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan transforms Orwell’s groundbreaking novel about the destructive powers of Big Brother into a visceral experience that comes terrifyingly close to his dystopian vision. Direct from its run on London’s West End—where The Guardian called it “pitilessly brilliant” and “a superbly handled multimedia speculation on the nature of truth that never lets the audience off the hook”—the radical staging blurs the line between past and present, fiction and reality, and brings the issues and debates of surveillance, identity and privacy full circle.

1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310.434.3200, thebroadstage.com

MANUEL HARLAN

Headlong theater company, George Orwell’s 1984

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COURTESY MATTHIAS PINTSCHER. MOCA, Fredrik Nilsen

Matthias Pintscher, MUSIC music director of the Paris-based Ensemble Intercontemporain, leads the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in a pair of concerts, Feb. 20 at Alex Theatre in Glendale and Feb. 21 at UCLA Royce Hall.

Pintscher’s programs include Ravel’s Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose), originally written as a piano duet for children, here presented in its full-length orchestral version; Fauré’s

Pavane, Op. 50; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F; and Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 2, completed in Los Angeles in 1939. Pintscher, a composer of note himself, has been lauded for his talent on the podium “for making the creative process behind music come to life.” Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, 818.243.7700 Ext. 123; Royce Hall, UCLA campus, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood; 213.622.7001, laco.org

Installation view, Matthew Barney: River of Fundament

Matthias Pintscher

Matthew Barney: River of Fundament, through Jan. 18 at the ART Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, is Barney’s first major solo museum exhibition in Los Angeles. River of Fundament (2014) is one of Barney’s most ambitious projects and his largest filmic undertaking since the renowned, five-part Cremaster film cycle (1994-2002). The presentation at MOCA comprises an epic operatic film and some 85 works —including large-scale sculptures weighing up to 25 tons, drawings, photographs and storyboards— inspired by or made in conjunction with it; they intertwine history and mythology with the contemplation of fundamental drives such as sex, violence and power. The film screens every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. 152 N. Central Ave., downtown, 213.625.4390, moca.org PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE 7

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EVENTS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ EXHIBITS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ PERFORMANCES

The Los Angeles County Museum EXHIBITION of Art presents Living for the Moment: Japanese Prints From the Barbara S. Bowman Collection. The show features more than 100 prints of promised gifts to the museum, representing the work of 32 artists.

Included are rare early prints of the ukiyo-e genre (pictures of the floating world); works from the golden age of ukiyo-e at the end of the 18th century by Suzuki Harunobu, Kitagawa Utamaro and Katsukawa Shunsho; and 19th-century prints by masters such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Kuniyoshi. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org

Y.C. Hong: MUSEUM Advocate for ChineseAmerican Inclusion, opening Nov. 21 at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, tells the story of the prominent Los Angeles immigration attorney and civic leader. The name You Chung (“Y.C.”) Hong (1898-1977) still elicits respect and pride among longtime residents of Chinatown. One of the first Chinese Americans

to pass the California bar, Hong was a major figure in the Chinese community, notably during the period of the Chinese Exclusion Act; he was a founding member of the “new” Chinatown and a proponent of equal rights for Chinese Americans, lobbying and befriending United States senators and California governors to fight for Chinese inclusion. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 626.405.2100, huntington.org

COURTESY MUSEUM ASSOCIATES/LACMA. HONG, COURTESY THE HUNTINGTON

Y.C. Hong in New Chinatown in the 1950s

Katsushika Hokusai, Salt Shells (Shio-gai). 1821

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EVENTS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ EXHIBITS ⁄⁄⁄⁄ PERFORMANCES

Los Angeles Ballet, now celebrating its 10th anniversary DANCE season, sets the holiday family favorite The Nutcracker in 1913 Los Angeles. Join Clara, her Uncle Drosselmeyer and the Nutcracker in the Land of Snow and the Palace of the Dolls. Performances take place Dec. 5-6 at the Alex Theatre (216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale); Dec. 8-9 at the Valley Performing Arts Center (18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge); Dec. 12-13 at the Dolby Theatre (6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood); Dec. 18-20 at Royce Hall; and Dec. 26-27 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach). 310.998.7782, losangelesballet.org Julia Cinquemani and Alexander Castillo in Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker

BALLET, REED HUTCHINSON

Frans Lantingma, Flower Hat Jelly at Monterey Bay Aquarium

LIFE: A Journey Through Time, at EXHIBIT Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, is a photographic interpretation of life on Earth from the Big Bang to its present diversity by acclaimed National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting. The exhibit, featuring images that evoke the complex wonder of nature, is based on Lanting’s epic, multiyear project and features more than 70 images with texts and stories about the works as well as an innovative timeline. Exclusive to the traveling exhibition’s presentation at the Annenberg are an original documentary short film and four short videos that explore the human connection to life around us. 2000 Avenue of the Stars, L.A., 213.403.3000, annenbergphotospace.org

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⁄⁄⁄⁄ SHOWS ELSEWHERE

DATELINE

It’s the end of the year and time to make some noise—exactly what composer Andrew Lloyd Webber does in School of Rock, his first new NEW YORK musical on Broadway in 10 years. Based on the 2003 movie and with a book

by Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, the show follows a substitute teacher (read: rocker manqué) who turns his too-cool-for-private-school students into a kick-ass band. Classes begin Dec. 6 at the Winter Garden Theatre. Michael Feinstein—that prince of the Steinway and guardian of the Great American Songbook— toasts the holidays with a new nightclub act at the eponymous Feinstein’s/54 Below, Dec. 20-30. And what would New Year’s in New York be without incendiary comedian and vocalist Sandra Bernhard sounding off at Joe’s Pub, Dec. 26-31?

COURTESY SCHOOL OF ROCK

Alex Brightman and the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical

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⁄⁄⁄⁄ SHOWS ELSEWHERE

Anne-Marie Duff in Husbands & Sons at the National Theatre

San Francisco Opera presents two takes on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher

Anne-Marie Duff LONDON takes to the National stage to play the lead role of Lizzie Holroyd in D.H. Lawrence’s gritty drama Husbands & Sons. It’s the tale of the women of the village of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire, who struggle to bring up their families while the men work at the Brinsley pit. Hangmen, with its gripping plot about the abolition of hanging, pleased reviewers and audiences earlier this year at the Royal Court Theatre; now its grim, explosive scenes unfold on the West End at the Wyndham’s. As for the festive season, Jim Broadbent takes the role of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, opening Dec. 9 and running through January at the Noël Coward Theatre.

THE WEST, STEPHEN CUMMISKEY / WELSH NATIONAL OPERA

The Fall of the House of Usher is an innovative double bill of Gordon Getty’s THE WEST Usher House and Claude Debussy’s La Chute de la Maison Usher, both inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling 1839 short story and providing, says director David Pountney, contrasting takes on “one of the most transformed pieces of literature ever created.”

San Francisco Opera offers four performances Dec. 8-13 at the War Memorial Opera House. Baritone Brian Mulligan takes on the roles of Roderick Usher in both interpretations. Tenor Jason Bridges makes his company debut as Poe in Getty’s Usher House, which receives its U.S. premiere; he created the role in the 2014 world stage premiere at the Welsh National Opera led by Lawrence Foster, who conducts here as well. Tenor Joel Sorensen is Le Médecin (the Doctor) in Debussy’s opera.

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL CABARET SHINES AN INTIMATE SPOTLIGHT ON MUSICAL PERFORMERS. BY LIBBY SLATE SINGER-SONGWRITER AMANDA MCBROOM became internationally renowned when Bette Midler recorded her song “The Rose,” for the end credits of the 1979 movie of the same name. But there is another song McBroom wrote and performs that many fans like even more: “Errol Flynn,” a love song about her father, an actor who appeared in films with the swashbuckling star.

Tender and reflective, the song tells her father’s story and exhorts other fathers and daughters, sons and mothers, to love each other, as time is fleeting, and stand beside each other. Filled with details—the storyteller grew up in Reseda, for instance—the song strikes a universal chord with listeners.

Telling such personal stories in a way that touches audiences is the hallmark of cabaret, one of the most intimate of the performing arts. Even familiar material, such as that from the Great American Songbook or Broadway musicals, takes on new meaning for its emotional resonance to the singer’s own life. Performers also recount personal

anecdotes, some dramatic, some humorous. ”You have to reveal your soul,” says McBroom.

“Cabaret is personal musical theater. You’re not a character. You don’t have a role to hide behind.

You’re being you. You have to walk a line between being personal without being tedious. And you have to tell the truth.

“It’s a team sport,” she Telling personal stories in a way that touches continues. “The audience audiences is cabaret's has to give back. You are so hallmark. The Wallis Annenberg Center for breaking the fourth wall. the Arts presents seven I’m reaching into their inner cabaret artists, among them Jeff Goldblum and being; they have to feed on Amanda McBroom. it and then give back.”

McBroom performs her show Let’s Fall in Love Dec. 9 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; she’s the first of seven cabaret artists who present their own shows through Dec. 19. The others are Christine Andreas, Alice Ripley, Freda Payne, Melissa Manchester, Ute Lemper and Jeff Goldblum. Christine Ebersole performs Jan. 25-28.

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More commonly associated with New York night life, cabaret long ago amassed devoted followers in Southern California. The genre is now on the rosters of larger venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown and the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, and is a mainstay of smaller L.A.area locales such as the Catalina Bar and Grill, the Gardenia, Rockwell Table & Stage, Sterling’s Upstairs at the Federal and the E Spot Lounge above Vitello’s restaurant.

Performances are intimate even in the larger houses: Generally, cabaret shows consist of one singer backed by a pianist or a piano-bass-drums ensemble. “People know what type of show to do at Disney Hall,” says Brian Grohl, program manager for pops at the L.A. Phil, which presents cabaret artists on its Songbook series. “They’re not bringing a rock show with 40 backup singers.”

Songbook began during the Phil’s second season at Disney Hall, 2004-05, when the new venue allowed for calendar openings not possible when the orchestra was sharing the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with other companies. The first year’s artists were cabaret icon Barbara Cook, pop-country singer k.d. lang and jazz singer-pianist Peter Cincotti. This season’s performers are musical theater stars Kristin Chenoweth, who performed last month, Brian Stokes Mitchell (Feb. 6) and singer-guitarist José González (March 11).

“We don’t focus solely on the Great American Songbook,” says Grohl, “but leave it open as a singer-songwriter series. We’ve had Randy Newman, Burt Bacharach, Rosanne Cash, Judy Collins.” Songbook performer Michael Feinstein is widely credited, along with Andrea Marcovicci, for the resurgence of cabaret in the 1980s.

The Phil won’t book artists without first seeing them perform live. For another cabaret icon, the late Elaine Stritch, Grohl flew to New York, had tea with her at the Carlyle Hotel, where she performed

and resided, and discussed her needs. While Stritch had a reputation for being prickly, Grohl says that he “was very impressed that she asked what we would expect of her.... She was definitely collaborative. She’d just done a Sondheim show, and she asked if that would be good. [I thought] that would be a dream.” She performed the show in 2012.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts has had a cabaret series since 1997, says its senior director of music programming, Aaron Egigian, who saw it as a way for audiences to see Broadway headliners locally.

“That was the landscape then,” Egigian says.

“Now there’s a market where these artists can be booked with symphony or pops orchestras.

They’ve been able to adapt from [the Segerstrom’s] intimate Samueli Theater, where the standard is a piano or trio, to the larger halls.”

Indeed, this season only two of the five shows were booked into the Samueli: the recent musical send-up Forbidden Broadway and the 1920s-30s40s-themed jazz ensemble the Hot Sardines (Feb. 11-14). Kristin Chenoweth performs in Segerstrom Hall March 12. Lea Salonga plays the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall April 2, as did Cheyenne Jackson last month.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic presents musical theater star Brian Stokes Mitchell on its Songbook series Feb. 6 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

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seating, with tables and chairs, refreshments, a wait staff and Art Deco chandeliers. People loved it. It’s a setting that’s festive and full of fun.”

Each artist brings his or her own style to the show; audiences have come to expect that each show has a theme. McBroom’s Let’s Fall in Love is, she says, “love songs for grown-ups. But that’s not necessarily romantic.”

When crafting her shows, which McBroom does with her musical director, Michele Brourman, she primarily performs her own work, a mix of familiar and lesser-known material, in a formula that has come to work for her, including ballads, sad songs, 11 o’clock numbers and funny songs. “And,” she says, “you want songs that tell a story.”

Strong opening and closing numbers should also be elements, says Los Angeles musical theater director David Galligan, who last year conceived and directed a cabaret series to benefit the Actors Fund; the second annual series played last month.

Having directed shows for Donna McKechnie, Valarie Pettiford, Tyne Daly, Stefanie Powers and, most recently, Carole Cook, he researches songs and composers to add anecdotal tidbits and often chooses the songs and their running order.

“I’ll spend a couple of hours interviewing the person,” he says. “I might say, ‘Remember when you told me about the first time you fell in love? Tell me how you felt.’ The performer might say, ‘That was between us.’ And I’ll say, ‘No it’s not. I want to know. Did you feel goofy? Did you feel, “I’m completely stunned that it could be love?”’ There are so many choices.”

Galligan enjoys what he calls the “heightened theatricality” of cabaret. The audience, he says, “is right on top of the [artist]. It’s such a private conversation between you and the audience. The immediacy—I find it thrilling.”

Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa presents the 1920s30s-40s-themed jazz ensemble the Hot Sardines in its intimate Samueli Theater Feb. 11-14.

Egigian enjoys hosting lesser-known artists such as the Hot Sardines along with such audience pleasers as Barbara Cook and Betty Buckley. He has also programmed concerts with composers such as Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Jerry Herman and the late Cy Coleman. “I felt that the creators should be part of a comprehensive look at musical theater,” he says.

He calls performers “courageous” for venturing out onstage as themselves. “When we step out of our roles, our costumes, it’s that kind of connection that we all aspire to,” he says. “In its intimacy, that magic is amplified. I sit in the back of the auditorium and listen, and see the audience sitting up straight, attentive, engaged. Rather than being pushed back in your seat by the force of what’s going on onstage, you lean in. You want to catch every nuance.”

It’s the atmosphere created by the intimate seating that in part means cabaret to Patricia Wolff, director of programming at the Wallis, who created this month’s cabaret series at the smaller of its two venues, the Lovelace Studio Theater.

“We started thinking about our first season, when we had Love, Noël [about Noël Coward] there,” Wolff says. “It was the first time we had cabaret 20 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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UKULELES, ANYONE? HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS TRADITIONAL— WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS. BY LIBBY SLATE EVEN THOUGH THE 1954 MUSICAL WHITE Christmas premiered in October, it became that year’s highest-grossing film. For decades, Bing Crosby’s title-song recording was the best-selling single of all time. Those statistics bode well for a new event on the L.A. Phil’s “Deck the Hall” holiday season calendar: the White Christmas Sing-Along, Dec. 22 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

“There’s a beautiful timelessness about the movie,” Brian Grohl, L.A. Phil program manager for pops, says of the hall’s first-ever movie singalong. “We’ve found, over the many years, that the performances people seem to enjoy going to the most are the traditional, familiar, ‘comfort food’ type of music—this is not the time for an avantgarde performance art piece.” L.A. Phil presents a number of other holiday events as well.

The L.A. Master Chorale offers six Disney Hall concerts, which also provide a different sort of holiday cheer to the organization. Holiday programming, says Chorale marketing director Patrick

Brown, “brings in about 60 percent of our revenue for tickets. A lot of people learn about the Master Chorale when they come to a holiday concert—it’s an inroad for people who have never experienced the Chorale.” Fifty-three percent The L.A. Phil presents of those who buy Chorale tickets A Chanticleer for the first time do so for a holiChristmas, Dec.18 at Walt Disney day concert; of those, 10 percent Concert Hall, on return for a subsequent concert, its Deck the Hall series. a total of almost 400 people.

The Chorale has just released Festival of Carols, its first recording in almost 20 years. The Carol Bus, a double-decker open-rooftop red bus, also debuted, carrying Chorale singers to various locales around the city for free concerts. This month, two-hour, ticketed Carol Bus tours for the public make stops in West Hollywood (Dec. 3 and 11) and downtown (Dec. 5 and 12). The Carol Bus was Brown’s inspiration. “We want this to be a community sing,” he says. “We want you to put down your phones ... although we do want you to take pictures!”

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Pasadena Playhouse again presents Panto at the Playhouse, English holiday pantomime shows tailored to American tastes. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell—A Pirates Christmas runs Dec. 9-Jan. 3.

They are produced by Lythgoe Family Productions, the company name referring both to the Lythgoe family, headed by Nigel Lythgoe of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, and to the fact that the events are intended for the entire family.

Son Kris Lythgoe wrote the show and produces with wife Becky Baeling Lythgoe; his mother, Bonnie Lythgoe, directs.

“The shows are interactive—you boo the bad guys and cheer the good guys,” Becky says. There is also a pre-show Winter Wonderland in the Playhouse courtyard, with crafts, other activities and, preChristmas, photos with Santa. And, says Becky, “we make it snow—outside and inside the theater!”

Moving from snow to shore, the Broad Stage in Santa Monica often programs artists not overtly associated with the holidays but who offer some holiday context. Israeli guitarist David Broza’s program East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem on Dec. 19, for instance, is a collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian musicians that has a holiday-appropriate message of peace.

Looking to the future, new Broad Stage artistic and executive director Wiley Hausam says he is “looking for fresh, nontraditional ways, that are very inclusive, to acknowledge the holidays, and the diversity” of the community, “racially, socioeconomically, faith, people who are not part of a faith.” One possibility: a show by Basil Twist, a New York puppeteer recently awarded a “genius grant” by the MacArthur Fellowship. And, Hausam says, “I’d love to reflect that this is a beach town.”

Hmmm. Nontraditional programming … the beach … holidays.… Ukuleles, anyone?

The Music Center presets its free Holiday Sing-Along Dec. 18. Also free, and also outside on the plaza, is the Ukulele Christmas Orchestra Dec. 11.

The Music Center presents its own Holiday SingAlong (Dec. 18) and perhaps the season’s most unusual offering, the Ukulele Christmas Orchestra (Dec. 11), which encourages ukulele musicians at all levels to bring their instruments and play and sing.

Both events are free and take place on the plaza.

Last year’s ukulele program drew several hundred players, performing numbers such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” “I didn’t know there was such a huge ukulele community in Southern California!” Ming Ng, interim vice president of programming for the Music Center, says with a laugh.

For the third year, 40- to 50,000 people will gather Dec. 31 for the Music Center’s N.Y.E. LA, a free event at Grand Park with music, dancing, art installations and video projections onto civic buildings and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. “This is L.A.’s Times Square—with better weather,” Ng says.

The Pavilion hosts the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration on Christmas Eve. The 56th annual free program runs for three hours in the afternoon and showcases 20 choral, dance and musical ensembles, among them Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, Mostly Kosher and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. The show airs live on PBS SoCal and is 24 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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LIGHT MAGIC

IN A SCENE IN L.A. OPERA’S 2007 PRODUCTION OF Fidelio, a guard descended a prison staircase. Or so it seemed. In fact, the staircase and descent were virtual, created by projection and lighting.

L.A. Opera rented a projector for that production, then purchased a multi-piece projection system for its 2010 Ring cycle and subsequent shows. During last month’s Moby-Dick at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, audiences witnessed high seas and starry skies without ever leaving their seats.

This season also sees the return of the 2013 version of The Magic Flute (Feb. 13-March 6), which features fanciful, silent-movie-inspired animation, and La Bohème (May 14-June 12), this time enhanced with projected clouds and other scenic atmosphere.

Projections have become increasingly common in the performing arts, replacing scenic backdrops

for cost-cutting or artistic purposes, or augmenting productions with special effects. “[Our] productions can use from two to up to 10 projectors,” says Rupert Hemmings, L.A. Opera’s senior director of producCloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan tion. “Magic Flute would presents Rice by Lin be two—a single image Hwai-min, its founderartistic director, on the stage with a second at Dorothy Chandler projector onstage used as Pavilion. The work is inspired by the seasonal a backup. The Ring cycle cycle of rice paddies. and The Ghosts of Versailles had eight projectors. We mounted them in multiple positions. Magic Flute was at the front of the stage; for Ghosts of Versailles we also had rear projection, onto the floor and the scenery.” Even the performers aren’t exempt from being projection surfaces: For Flute, the principals wore white facial makeup so that images could better play over them.

GIA TO

PROJECTIONS HAVE BECOME AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN TELLING PERFORMANCE STORIES. BY LIBBY SLATE

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For its Los Angeles premiere, Moby-Dick used projections designed by Elaine J. McCarthy for the production. For productions where L.A. Opera has a greater say, its artistic team works with the director to establish the overall tone of the opera and involves the projection designer early on.

“It’s imperative to establish what the projection surfaces will be,” Hemmings says, adding that projections “can be complex videos or cross fade-in scenes [equivalent to a film or television dissolve] or static images.”

The projections themselves are stored and delivered in simple digital files small enough to fit on a flash drive, but, says L.A. Opera technical director Jeff Kleeman, “the software and media servers on which to play them back is highly complicated. Our media operator, Michael Ohsann, trained for years before he came to us.”

The base of operations is a booth at the back of the Pavilion’s orchestra-level seating section.

“That room looks like the cockpit of a space shuttle,” Kleeman says.

Opera’s large scale allows for leeway as to projections’ size and scope—there are some 1,000 cues in The Magic Flute, Hemmings says—but there’s also a greater danger of losing synchronization; the projected images have to be constantly aligned with the music. “The same production for us could vary by 90 seconds an hour, which is a huge amount of time,” he notes. “With a play, which has fewer performers, you can just slow

down or speed up the video. But here, you might have 50 performers.”

Using projections for the sole purpose of saving money is an artistic no-no, Hemmings believes. “If you just want to replace scenery with projections, it won’t work well—it will be quite clear you’re going that route. It has to be a specific design decision to use projections.”

No one can say that Lin Hwai-min, founderartistic director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, is falling back on projections to save some cash. His 70-minute contemporary dance Rice, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Jan. 29-31, was inspired by a trip to Taiwan’s Chihshang Township in the Huadong Valley, known as the “hometown of rice,” where he viewed centuries-old fields of the grain.

“The landscape was so beautiful—just acres and acres of fields, and the woods, and the clouds,” recalls Lin, a Taiwan native who earned an MFA from the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop and studied modern dance in New York.

Initially, he just wanted to show people images of the area; eventually, he knew he had to choreograph to those images.

Lin hired videographer Chang Hao-yan, who spent two years off and on capturing images of the rice paddies in one particular field and its environs, in sun, wind, rainstorms and fire; paddies are burned after the harvest.

ROBERT MILLARD

A scene from L.A. Opera’s 2013 production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The spectacularly imaginative production returns to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Feb. 13-Mar. 6

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The choreographer devised his dancers’ movements and the film to attain a balance between the two. “It should be a dialogue,” he says. “They should go together. The worst nightmare would be to have this beautiful production get upstaged and no one watches the dance.”

Projections and performers team for a delightful symbiosis in the new Cirque du Soleil show Kurios, at Dodger Stadium Dec. 10-Feb. 7.

In the “Theater of Hands” segment, Spaniard Nico Baixas enacts various scenes using hand and finger puppetry and a few props, in full view of the audience; his scenes are projected in real time onto a hovering hot-air balloon, which serves as a 14-foot-diameter screen. The projected jumble of fingers and props becomes a series of tableaux: a dance, an aquarium interior, a parachute. The finale involves interaction with an unsuspecting audience member.

Kurios writer-director Michel Laprise, who’d remembered the performer from an earlier audition, says he conceived the idea for the act because he feels it’s important “that the audience sees the making of the magic as well as the results.... You see the backstage of the act.”

Laprise and Baixas honed the four-minute act over the period of a month, beginning with multiple cameras but ultimately deciding to use only one camera so as to decrease audience distraction and boost involvement and emotion.

Nine minutes of virtual-reality footage precede the introduction of the hot-air balloon.

Other Cirque shows have made greater use of projections. Says Laprise, “There were projections in almost every scene of Totem,” among them images of volcanoes, lakes and swamps. “It’s a tool. Projection is a way to change the set and tell the story.”

In one segment of Cirque du Soleil’s new show Kurios, Dec. 10-Feb. 7 at Dodger Stadium, scenes using hand and finger puppetry are projected in real time onto a hovering hot-air balloon.

His recording of the seasonal cycle became a metaphor for the cycle of human life, as depicted in Lin’s dance. “He came back with tons of footage,” Lin says. “I spent 200 hours ... choosing images with the projection designer, Ethan Wang.”

Lin premiered the dance in 2013 in the actual field and even had his dancers work with the farmers for a time.

In the theater setting, there is one camera upstage and another overhead. “We keep it very quiet. The changes are very subtle,” Lin says. “In order to make the film visible to people in the orchestra, we have a raked [tilted] stage.”

He uses two portable floor layers; dancers peel back the top black floor surface to reveal a white floor, on which the overhead projector casts its images. On tour, the company travels with its own technicians.

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WELCOME TO THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

Photo by Jeff Lorch Photography

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TWENTY YEARS AGO, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE OPENED its doors with Four Dogs and a Bone, a play by none other than John Patrick Shanley. We are journeying back into our own heritage by bringing you another of John’s creations in this anniversary season, and Outside Mullingar is also a pilgrimage of sorts for John. He says it is a play that takes him into a rich Irish family history never before explored in his work.

While Outside Mullingar is very much rooted in how things get passed down from generation to generation, whether it be land, family feuds or good ol’ Irish sarcasm, its story is, in fact, about what changes over time. The cyclical nature of farm life is the perfect backdrop for John to reflect on life’s opportunities grasped and those forgone. As two elderly parents seek to leave thriving farms, their adult children discover a need to turn the pages of their lives to something new while maintaining the history so deeply embedded in them and the Irish countryside. This wonderfully quiet story muses both on the passage of time and the great need to embrace it before it’s gone.

As always, I have the great good fortune of working with a team of wonderful designers who were tasked with creating not one farm but two. The richness of time and place that this team brings to this production, creating the Ireland that John has written with great detail, allows the setting to be its own character.

As we joyfully welcome John back to the Geffen, we also welcome you.

The richness of the Geffen history is based on your participation in it, and we are glad to have you here for Outside Mullingar.

Enjoy the show!

Randall Arney ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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LETTER FROM THE CO-CHAIRS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MARTHA HENDERSON CO-CHAIR

PAMELA ROBINSON CO-CHAIR PATRICIA KIERNAN APPLEGATE RANDALL ARNEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

BETH BEHRS DR. GENE D. BLOCK HAROLD A. BROWN GIL CATES, JR. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Photo by Bobby Quillard

MICHAEL CENTENO MARY ANN CLOYD DR. BRAD EDGERTON MARK FLEISCHER HERBERT M. GELFAND CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

MARTHA HENDERSON

PAMELA ROBINSON

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS HOLIDAY SEASON for Outside Mullingar, written by Pulitzer, Tony and Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley and directed by our very own Randall Arney.

After a successful Broadway run in 2014, we hope this heartwarming romantic comedy will delight Los Angeles audiences during this holiday season filled with family, friends and gratitude.

We are grateful that you are part of the Geffen Playhouse family and that you have chosen to support the theater by being here today. This fall, we have expanded our Geffen Playhouse family to include a select group of veterans who have been participating in our first-ever Veterans Writing & Performance Workshop. This four-month pilot project began in August and culminates in a final performance of monologues in our Gil Cates Theater on Monday, December 7. If you’d like to learn more about this new initiative or are interested in attending the culminating performance on December 7, please contact Regina Miller, Chief Development Officer, at 310.208.6500 ext. 112 or reginam@geffenplayhouse.com.

As our 20th Anniversary season progresses, we would like to thank the many subscribers, donors, Board members and artists who have shared their Geffen stories with us thus far. Please continue to send us your favorite memories of how you fell in love with theater or the Geffen Playhouse to anniversarystories@geffenplayhouse.com.

Our sincere thanks to all of you for joining us for today’s performance and for being part of our Geffen Playhouse family. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones! We look forward to seeing you at the theater in 2016.

Enjoy the show!

Martha Henderson

Pamela Robinson

CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

PATRICIA L. GLASER SAM GORES ADI GREENBERG ARTHUR GREENBERG JOAN KALOUSTIAN GLORYA KAUFMAN LORETTA EVERETT KAUFMAN DR. GERALD S. LEVEY CARLA MALDEN SUSAN MALLORY GINNY MANCINI BARRY MEYER SCOTT MINERD STEVEN A. OLSEN HOLLY RICE LOREN ROTHSCHILD LINDA BERNSTEIN RUBIN TERI SCHWARTZ RICHARD SHERMAN FRED SPECKTOR LORRAINE SPURGE CYNTHIA P. STAFFORD HOWARD TENENBAUM VICE CHAIRMAN

FOUNDING TRUSTEES KIRSTEN COMBS ROBERT A. DALY DAVID GEFFEN QUINCY JONES JEFFREY KATZENBERG FRANK G. MANCUSO CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

RON MEYER LESLIE MOONVES JERRY MOSS JERRY PERENCHIO BRUCE M. RAMER FOUNDING CHAIRMAN

VICTORIA MANN SIMMS ANDY SPAHN STEVEN SPIELBERG STEVE TISCH DR. CHARLES E. YOUNG CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

IN MEMORIAM GILBERT CATES FOUNDER

MARCIA ISRAEL-CURLEY AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS CHARLES KENIS KARL MALDEN EDIE WASSERMAN LEW WASSERMAN PETER ROSEN LEGAL COUNSEL, LATHAM & WATKINS LLP

P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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“A CLASSY NEW SHOW!” — Chicago Tribune

Written by VANESSA CLAIRE STEWART TAYLOR HACKFORD & JAKE BRODER Directed by TAYLOR HACKFORD Features Tony Award Winner ANTHONY CRIVELLO as Louis Prima & VANESSA CLAIRE STEWART as Keely Smith

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT DECEMBER 30 – JANUARY 17 GIL CATES THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

#LOUISANDKEELY

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JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY ON HIS IRISHNESS AND OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

BY JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

I NEVER WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT THE IRISH. When I got out of the Marine Corps in 1972, I was invited to a lunch of Irish-American writers. At a table of perhaps 10, I was conspicuously underaccomplished. I’d been brought along by my old professor Terry Moran (he was perhaps 37), because I was a poet. At the table, among others, were James T. Farrell and Jimmy Breslin. Farrell had 50 books to his credit, including, most famously, the Studs Lonigan trilogy. Breslin had reinvented blue-collar New York and maybe journalism.

I had a good time. Breslin held forth about Nixon.

Around dessert, Farrell, who had downed several brandies, burst into tears, pointed at me, and said, “He’s the one we should be helping.” I tried to look less in need.

A waiter appeared. There was a call. It was my then wife, Joan. I’d just gotten an acceptance letter. Two of my poems were going to be published. I was 22.

Heading home on the F train to Brooklyn, I thought about what I wanted to do, big picture. And I decided right

Photo by Monique Carboni

TURNS OUT HIS BLOOD RUNS GREEN

then, I didn’t want to be helped, and I didn’t want to be labeled an Irish-American writer. I wanted to be a writer.

I wanted to write about everybody. And for the next 30 years I did. I became a playwright and screenwriter.

Italian-Americans were my particular specialty. I liked the way they talked. There was something free in it.

This attraction resulted in plays and films with titles like Italian American Reconciliation and Moonstruck, and not a lot of jobs for Irish-American actors.

I always knew I’d have to come home eventually.

I’m Irish as hell: Kelly on one side, Shanley on the other. My father had been born on a farm in the Irish Midlands. He and his brothers had been shepherds there, cattle and sheep, back in the early 1920s. I grew up surrounded by brogues and Irish music, but stayed away from the old country till I was over 40. I just couldn’t own being Irish.

Something in me hated being confined by an ethnic identity, by any family. In addition, I have often found procrastination to be an enriching exercise. Not saying increases what I have to say. Not writing about the Irish was building up a hell of a lot of pressure to do just that.

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TURNS OUT HIS BLOOD RUNS GREEN When I finally went to Ireland, I had to go. It was 1993. My father was finally too old to travel alone, and he asked me to take him home. When an old man asks you to take him home, you have to do it.

When I sat with my father in that farm kitchen, the one that he had grown up in, and listened to my Irish family talk, I recognized that this was my Atlantis, the lost and beautiful world of my poet’s heart. There was no way to write about the farm, yet I had to write about it. I listened to the amazing language these folks were speaking as if it were normal conversation, and I knew this was my territory. But it was new to me. It was a time to listen, not to write.

It took about 20 years. When I turned 60 and flipped out (the number, the guy in the mirror with gray hair), I felt I had nothing left to say or do. I wanted to go on vacation some place warm for the rest of my life. I was miserable, dead barren and solitary. I moved to an apartment in Williamsburg where I could see the sun and the river. My parents were dead now. It was just me and the river and the sun and time. A year went by. One quiet day, I sat down without a thought in my head and wrote a play about the farm.

The farm had become a place in my imagination where I had stored up so many things. My love for my father was there. Feelings of grief. My romantic hunger, my frustration with this unpoetic world. I had held back much for a long time, and I kind of erupted with language. I felt free suddenly, free to be Irish. Family stories, family names, changed by dreaming, mixed with my own long longings for love, and impossible happiness unfurled across the page. I had turned 60, and the knife at my throat woke me to the beauty of my own people, the fleeting opportunities of life, the farce of caution. I wanted to write a love story. I wanted to find all the words I had not been able to find because what I have been unable to express has caused me anguish, even as what I have given adequate voice has lent me peace.

I found a strange relief in the play. I called it Outside Mullingar, a prosaic title perhaps to balance the poetry it contained. The script was a refuge and a consolation for me. Manhattan Theater Club signed on to do it, and we put a team together.

I decided to return to the farm and bring my son Nick.

He drove me, as I had driven my father. He was taking me home now. And then the director, Doug Hughes, said, “I’m going to Ireland, too.” And the designer, John Lee Beatty, said, “I’m coming as well, and bringing my partner.” I announced I would make a documentary. (I

always go too far.) My son, who’s a photography major at Parsons, was drafted as cinematographer. And, of course, we never got around to that, but that’s O.K. My cousin Anthony was not perfectly delighted that I had written a play set on his farm and that the main character was named Anthony. And he was openly terrified when all these theater folk piled out of a couple of cars to photograph his home and him. But his good manners got the best of him, and he made us tea. Doug, exhibiting his considerable social skills, talked Anthony into a state of relative comfort, and we had a good chat. After, we went into the fields where my father had grown to manhood among the cattle, in the quietly overwhelming green fields.

I knew I was imposing. That is the artist’s way. We take the real and refashion it to our purpose. The desire is strong, and reality must give way. Anthony, me, my father, the farm, all of these things, my Uncle Tony, my Aunt Mary, all things animate and otherwise, existed only as materials for my use. I had a home being born in me, and I had to build it before the dream faded. I had written the play, but now, being on the farm, I held the script like tracing paper over the real and looked for gold in the differences. There was gold.

It was a strange week. Nothing was real to me, not the play nor this world as it is. I stumbled forward with a kind of double vision. The Irish side of my family is a patient lot and endured my interviews with grace. They trusted me, and they didn’t. They knew I wouldn’t be telling the truth about them. I’d be telling my own truth, using them. They watched as my designers photographed their stoves and sheds, their cattle and mangers.

I came back to New York and went into rehearsal.

As the actors and director took the play, I watched the world I’d created leave me and felt the supreme loneliness of that. For a moment though, through the spell of storytelling, I had a home. I was Irish. And then the moment faded. That’s how it is with writers. We keep getting evicted from our own imaginations. We are wanderers, dreaming, and then our dreams become real and push us out.

The play opens in New York shortly. The lights will rise on a farmhouse kitchen in rural Ireland. If things go well, my longtime traveling companions, the audience, will share with me something of my Uncle Tony, my Aunt Mary and my cousin Anthony. I’m glad.

Reprinted with permission from The New York Times (January 9, 2014).

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THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF

Written by

John Patrick Shanley

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Anthony T. Fanning

Lighting Designer

David Kay Mickelsen

Sound Designer

Daniel Ionazzi

Jonathan Burke

Production Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager

Young Ji

Amy Ramsdell

Composer

Peter Golub

Casting Director

Phyllis Schuringa, CSA

Directed by

Randall Arney Recipient of the 2014 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award Originally commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) with funds provided by U.S. Trust, and received its world premiere there on January 3, 2014 Outside Mullingar is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CIRCLE MEMBERS

Laurie & Bill Benenson • Martha Henderson • Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert Hollander Loretta Everett Kaufman & Victor Kaufman • Gail & Andrew Roth Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin • Miranda & Brett Tollman

Opening Night: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSOR

P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

CAST OF CHARACTERS (In alphabetical order)

Rosemary Muldoon ................................................................................................................... Jessica Collins Tony Reilly .................................................................................................................................... Jarlath Conroy Anthony Reilly ............................................................................................................................... Dan Donohue Aoife Muldoon ................................................................................................................ Robin Pearson Rose

UNDERSTUDIES (In alphabetical order)

Rosemary Muldoon ................................................................................................................. Donnla Hughes Tony Reilly ................................................................................................................................ Don Oscar Smith Aoife Muldoon ............................................................................................................................... Eileen T’Kaye Anthony Reilly .............................................................................................................................. Jay Whittaker

SETTING/TIME Killucan, Ireland, 2008 – 2013 RUNNING TIME Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes There will be no intermission.

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PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES

JESSICA COLLINS (Rosemary Muldoon) Jessica Collins made her Broadway debut alongside Laura Linney in Les Liasons Dangereuses, for which she was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. Off-Broadway Jessica was seen in We Live Here (Manhattan Theatre Club), Manic Flight Reaction (Playwrights Horizons) and King Lear (Shakespeare in the Park). On television, she has had starring roles in AMC’s Rubicon and ABC’s The Nine, and numerous appearances on House, Revolution, Law & Order, The Good Wife and CSI. On the film side, Jessica will next be seen in the independent So B. It, and Free State of Jones alongside Matthew McConaughey and Keri Russell.

She was last seen in the Academy Award-nominated Zero Dark Thirty. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

JARLATH CONROY (Tony Reilly) Broadway: The Seagull with Kristin Scott Thomas; The Weir; The Iceman Cometh; On The Waterfront; Ghetto; Philadelphia, Here I Come!; The Visit; Comedians. Off-Broadway: Loot, The Coward, Finn, A Man of No Importance, Our Lady of Sligo, A Life, Gardenia,

Translations, The Matchmaker.

Regional: Annie Baker’s The Last of the Little Hours at Sundance Theatre Lab; The Homecoming; Catchpenny Twist; The Steward of Christendom (Barrymore Award); Juno and the Paycock (Helen Hayes Award); Henry V (Helen Hayes Award nomination); Faith Healer; Twelfth Night; Ah, Wilderness!; Inherit the Wind; A Christmas Carol. Internationally he has appeared at The Royal Court, London in Cromwell and Hamlet; The White Devil at The Old Vic and numerous plays at Nottingham Rep. Film and TV: Putzel, True Grit, Day of the Dead, Across the Universe, Kinsey, Stay, Day of the Dead, Heaven’s Gate, The Art of Getting By, Law & Order, Law and Order SVU, NYPD Blue, Summer. His directing credits include True West and Human Resources.

DAN DONOHUE (Anthony Reilly) Broadway: Scar in The Lion King. Regionally: The Night Alive and Radiance (Geffen Playhouse); One Man, Two Guvnors (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and South Coast Rep).

Dan has been a fixture at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 1994, performing in over 30 productions in such roles as Hamlet, Mercutio, Caliban, Iago, Henry V, Richard III and Dvornichek (Rough Crossing).

Other credits include The Triumph of Love (Long Wharf Theatre), The Game of Love and Chance (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Servant of Two Masters (Intiman Theatre) and roles at Arizona Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, Asolo Rep and elsewhere.

Dan was an inaugural recipient of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship and a 2012 Grammy Award Nominee (Best Spoken Word — HAMLET). Film/TV credits include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scream Queens, The Mentalist, Shameless, Return to Zero, Water & Power and The Closer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

ROBIN PEARSON ROSE (Aoife Muldoon) Theater: Broadway: Holiday, The Visit (Hal Prince, Director).

Regional: Old Globe Theatre: Other Desert Cities, Good People, August Osage County, Vincent in Brixton, Da, All My Sons (San Diego Critics Circle Award), Voir Dire, Dancing at Lughanasa, Wonderful Tennessee, Remembrance.

Roundabout Theatre: Summer and Smoke. Rubicon Theatre: Doubt (Ovation Award nomination), You Can’t Take It With You, All My Sons (Ovation nomination), Happy Days.

Southcoast Repertory Theatre: The Carpetbagger’s Children, Dragon Lady. Center Repertory Theatre: Amy’s View. American Conservatory Theatre: Juno & The Paycock. Pasadena Playhouse: Joined at the Head.

Film: Annabelle, Something’s Gotta Give, What Women Want, Speechless, Fearless (Peter Weir, Director), An Enemy of the People (opposite Steve McQueen). Television: Mad Men, NCIS, Enlightened, Life, Vanished, The Nine, Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal, Cold Case Files, Without a Trace, Boston Public. Associate Artist, The Old Globe Theatre. MFA, Yale School of Drama.

JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY (Playwright) John Patrick Shanley is from The Bronx. His plays include Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Savage in Limbo, Italian-American Reconciliation, Welcome to the Moon, Four Dogs and a Bone, Dirty Story, Defiance and Beggars in the House of Plenty. His theatrical work is performed extensively across the United States and around the world. For his play Doubt, he received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

In the arena of screenwriting, he has nine films to his credit, most recently Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis; Doubt, directed by Mr. Shanley, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Other films include Five Corners (Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival), Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano (which he also directed) and Live From Baghdad for HBO (Emmy nomination). For his script of Moonstruck he received both the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for best original screenplay. In 2009, The Writers Guild of America awarded Mr. Shanley the Lifetime Achievement In Writing.

RANDALL ARNEY (Director / Artistic Director) Randall Arney has been a theater professional for over 30 years and has served as Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse since 1999.

In addition to his artistic programming and oversight at the Geffen, Arney has helmed

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PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES

ANTHONY T. FANNING (Scenic Designer) Broadway: August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. National Tour: The Who’s Tommy directed by Victoria Bussert. Regional: The Guthrie, South Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Ahmanson Theatre, San Diego Opera and

the Geffen Playhouse. As an Art Director for film, Tony has had the privilege of working with Steven Spielberg (Lincoln, Munich, War of the Worlds, Amistad), Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, What Lies Beneath), Sam Raimi (SpiderMan), Steven Soderberg (Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen), Nancy Meyers (What Women Want) and Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) Film and Television Production Design include: Jim Sheridan’s Brothers, Rod Lurie’s remake of Strawdogs, Jim Field Smith’s Butter, Ryan Murphy’s The New Normal, Chris Carter’s The After and Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s Better Call Saul.

Tony won an Emmy for his Art Direction on the pilot episode of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing.

DAVID KAY MICKELSEN (Costume Designer) Mr. Mickelsen returns to the Geffen Playhouse having previously designed The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty, The Female of the Species, All My Sons and Paint Your Wagon.

He has designed over 300 productions at many regional theaters across the country.

Companies include South Coast Repertory; Pasadena Playhouse; The Old Globe; Laguna Playhouse; The Guthrie Theater; Ford’s Theatre; Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Seattle Repertory Theatre; Denver Center Theatre Company; Northlight Theatre Company; The Oregon, Colorado, Illinois and Utah Shakespeare Festivals; Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Arizona, Pioneer, and Geva Theatre Companies; Tennessee, San Diego, New Mexico, Missouri, and St. Louis Repertory Theatres; Williamstown and Sundance Theatre Festivals; and the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis. Originally from Canby, Oregon, Mr. Mickelsen now makes his home in Long Beach, California.

DANIEL IONAZZI (Lighting Designer) Recent designs for the Geffen Playhouse include The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty; Ruth Draper’s Monologues; Slowgirl; Build; Yes, Prime Minister; American Buffalo; The Jacksonian; Radiance; Red Hot Patriot; and Superior Donuts. His work has also been seen at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, and Denver Center Theatre Company. His design for the New York production of The Jacksonian garnered a Lucille Lortel nomination. He designed the lighting installation for Teatro alla Moda for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Trajectoire and Catapult for the dance company Diavolo. His design work can also be seen in the 4-D cinematic experience, Beyond all Boundaries, at the National World War II Museum. Daniel is Production Manager for the Geffen Playhouse, a member of the faculty of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and Director of Production for the Department of Theater.

He is the author of The Stage Management Handbook and The Stagecraft Handbook.

JONATHAN BURKE (Sound Designer) Off-Broadway: Lonesome Traveler, The Best is Yet to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman (59E59). Regional: Heroes, You Can’t Take It With You, Cookin’ at the Cookery, He Hunts, The Weir (Geffen Playhouse), Avenue X, Beast on the Moon, If We are Women, Jack and Jill and Molly Sweeney (City Theatre Company), My Fair Lady, Last Five Years (Ovation Nomination), Hello! My Baby, Daddy Long Legs (Ovation Nomination), The Best is Yet to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman, Fiddler on the Roof, A Delicate Balance, Man of La Mancha, Lonesome Traveler,

Food Confessions, Our Town (Rubicon Theatre Company).

Jonathan has been the Resident Sound Designer for Cabrillo Music Theatre (Ovation Nominations for Singin’ in the Rain and The Sound of Music) since 2003 and has worked on productions for the LA Opera, Mark Taper Forum, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Hollywood Bowl. In addition to designing, Jonathan is the Academic Coordinator and Lecturer for UCLA’s School of Theater and owner of JABWORKS, a theatrical sound rental and recording company. jonathanburkesounddesign.com

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

more than 10 productions for the theater, most recently The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty, Slowgirl, American Buffalo, Superior Donuts, The Female of the Species, The Seafarer, Speed-the-Plow and All My Sons. Arney is an ensemble member and former Artistic Director of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where his directing credits include: Slowgirl, The Seafarer, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Death and the Maiden, Curse of the Starving Class, Killers and The Geography of Luck, among others. Arney also directed Steppenwolf’s world premiere of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, as well as the subsequent national and international acclaimed productions. Mr. Arney’s acting credits with Steppenwolf include Born Yesterday, Ghost in the Machine, The Homecoming, Frank’s Wild Years, You Can’t Take it with You, Fool for Love, True West, Balm in Gilead and Coyote Ugly. As the Artistic Director for Steppenwolf from 1987 to 1995, he oversaw the creation of a new stateof-the-art theater which is Steppenwolf’s current home.

Broadway transfers under his leadership include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Song of Jacob Zulu (six Tony Award nominations) and The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award, Best Play). Mr. Arney has an MFA degree in Acting from Illinois State University and has taught master classes and workshops at UCLA, Steppenwolf, around the U.S. and in Tokyo.

PETER GOLUB (Composer) Geffen Playhouse: The Country House, Time Stands Still, Mizlansky/Zilinsky, He Hunts. Broadway: The Country House, The Heiress, Time Stands Still, Hedda Gabler, Come Back Little Sheba.

Off-Broadway: The Laramie Cycle (BAM), Suddenly Last Summer (Roundabout Theatre Company), numerous scores for Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Scores for Delacorte, Public Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mark Taper Forum, Playwrights Horizons, Huntington Theatre Company, La MaMa, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, others. Film scores: Songs My Brothers Taught Me, All Work All Play, These Amazing Shadows, Frozen River, The Great Debaters, The Laramie Project, Wordplay, Countdown to Zero. Recent concert works: Garden Paths (Debussy Trio), Sleepwalking (cello concerto for Matt Haimovitz); Dark Carols (song cycle at the Mark Taper Library); Suite from These Amazing Shadows (Chattanooga Symphony); Boxes, Buckets and Bags (Liederabend Festival at The Kitchen). He has written

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PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES four ballets and has a DMA from the Yale School of Music; composition teachers include Toru Takemitsu, Jacob Druckman and Henry Brant.

He has been Director of the Sundance Film Music Program since 2000 and currently teaches at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music.

YOUNG JI (Production Stage Manager) Geffen Playhouse: The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty; The Country House; Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen; The Pianist of Willesden Lane; Play Dead; Rapture, Blister, Burn; Yes, Prime Minister; American Buffalo; Nothing to Hide; Build; The Exorcist; The Jacksonian; Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Extraordinary Chambers; In Mother Words; Love Loss & What I Wore; Ricky Jay: A Rogue’s Gallery; Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara.

NYC: The Jacksonian; Assistant Director (The New Group).

Other Regional: Center Theatre Group: The Cherry Orchard (Taper); Wrecks, Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Pyrenees, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings (Kirk Douglas Theatre).

Other Los Angeles: Cousin Bette, King Lear, The Autumn Garden (Producer); La Ronde, The Glass Menagerie (Director); Tonight at 8:30, Phaedra (Getty Villa), Mother Courage and Her Children, Pera Palas, Chekhov X 4. Married to actress/director Jeanie Hackett.

AMY RAMSDELL (Assistant Stage Manager) Past Geffen Playhouse credits include Bad Jews, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Choir Boy, The Country House, Slowgirl. First Date: The Musical, Billy Elliot (McCoy Rigby Entertainment), Immediate Family (Center Theatre Group), Joffrey Ballet West. Additional credits include Once: First National Tour (Production

Assistant), The Awakening of Angel DeLuna (New York Musical Theatre Festival), American Night (La Jolla Playhouse), As You Like It, Inherit the Wind, Richard III, Broadway Bound and Brighton Beach Memoirs (The Old Globe), The Sound of Music, Love Changes Everything, Jekyll & Hyde and Jesus Christ Superstar (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera). Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA (Casting) Phyllis has been the casting director at Geffen Playhouse for 12 years and now is also the Artistic Associate. Recent plays at the Geffen include Bad Jews; The Night Alive; Switzerland; The Country House; Wait Until Dark and American Buffalo.

Before joining the team at the Geffen, she was the casting director for Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago where her favorites include Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre in London, and Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Play), the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including Westwood Playhouse and Briar Street Theater in Chicago), Austin Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow and Charles L. Mee’s Time to Burn. Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival) and The Song of Jacob Zulu. She teaches auditioning at Steppenwolf West and is a member of the Casting Society of America.

GIL CATES, JR. (Executive Director) Gil Cates, Jr. has proudly served on the Geffen Playhouse Board since 2012 and has years of producing and directing experience in theater, film, and television. Gil’s theater credits include the award winning Names (Matrix Theatre) starring Dixie Carter and Greg Mullavey, The Night I Knocked Out Joe Frazer and Lost 90 Pounds (Gardner Stage Theater), as well as Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage). Gil’s film credits include The Surface (starring Sean Astin and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Chris Mulkey), Jobs (starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, as well as Geffen Playhouse alumni Matthew Modine and Ron Eldard) and the 2011 feature film Lucky (starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, AnnMargret and recent Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Tambor).

In addition, Gil produced and directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which won best documentary at the Phoenix Film Festival and later had its premiere Christmas Eve on Showtime. His other films include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning), The Mesmerist (starring Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris), and the critically acclaimed independent film Order of Chaos. Gil also made his TV directorial debut with an episode of the NBC comedy, Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a BFA in Drama from Syracuse University in 1991.

REGINA MILLER (Chief Development Officer) Regina has been a development professional for over 18 years, working with non-profit institutions, foundations and corporations on strategy, analysis and fundraising. She has worked for Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Clinton Foundation, Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, Hank Azaria’s Determined to Succeed, Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project, Water.org, Codenow. org among others. Prior to the Geffen, Regina served as the Director of Partnerships for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire where she led strategic planning and development while executing policies that advanced the organization’s visibility and growth. Regina also has a strong passion for teaching.

After graduating from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she taught in preschools and kindergartens in New York.

From the age of 13, Regina worked as a professional dancer on Broadway as well as with a number of prominent modern dance ensembles. Fusing two of her interests, she created a highly successful program which incorporated dance therapy and creative movement into an early childhood curriculum as well as wrote and produced a television show based on this concept. In addition to being a published author and photographer with Tallfellow Press and Prometheus Books, Regina has taught and lectured at numerous schools in New York, Los Angeles and abroad.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE

PRODUCTION STAFF FOR OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

ADDRESS

Assistant Set Designer May Mitchell Light Board Operator Ramine Ameli Wardrobe Supervisor Lisa Leonhardt Rehearsal Production Assistant Dana Lundblad Production Assistant Cat Sowa Automation Operator/Stage Crew Kirsten Monson Stage Crew Alex Norkus Stage Crew Jack Herndon Properties Artisan Cami Viand Properties Artisan Devin Lennon-Davey Properties Artisan Lillian Bartenstein

Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 Administrative Offices ... 310.208.6500 Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm Box Office Phone Line ... 310.208.5454 Daily ............................ 7:00 am — 6:00 pm Subscriber Hotline . ......... 310.208.2028 Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm Sat & Sun ................ 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm Please visit geffenplayhouse.com for hours, parking and more information

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Set provided by Scenic Highlights Lighting Equipment provided by Entertainment Lighting Services Sound Equipment provided by Jon Sound Inc. Production Photographer Michael Lamont Media Filming Four Leaf Media Key Art Stockholm Design SPECIAL THANKS UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Scene, Prop, Sound and Costume Shops; London Cleaners UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION Geffen Playhouse is affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles, specifically the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Geffen Playhouse values its role as an important educational resource by providing students with master classes, workshops and internships. Students are also able to work and learn from distinguished visiting Geffen artists such as Alan Ayckbourn, Jon Robin Baitz, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, David Ives, Neil LaBute, David Mamet, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, John Rando and Kathleen Turner in areas of directing, playwriting, acting, design, dramaturgy, management and production. Geffen Playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the university to enhance the theater’s programs and research.

TICKET SERVICES BOX OFFICE WINDOW When shows are not in performance, the box office window is open: Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm Sat & Sun ................ 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm During the run of a show, the window will be open until curtain. Please note: the box office is unable to process exchanges and future sales one hour prior to curtain time on any performance day.

ACCESS

ASL

ACCESSIBLE ACCOMMODATION Geffen Playhouse is fully committed to ensuring a satisfying theater experience for our patrons with special needs or disabilities. Please contact the box office or an usher to discuss your needs.

AT THE THEATER

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.

LATE SEATING Should you arrive late to the theater or vacate your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate pause in the action on-stage. To minimize disturbance to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available location by the house staff even if different from your assigned seat. Be advised that some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating.

The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented

by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

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SCENE AT THE GEFFEN

The cast of These Paper Bullets! with playwright Rolin Jones and director Jackson Gay

Opening Night of These Paper Bullets!

Playwright Rolin Jones with These Paper Bullets! songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong

Geffen donors Jim, Manuela and David Goren get into the ‘60s theme with The Quartos

Geffen donors Donna McKenna and Flynn Chernos in front of the newly renamed Geffen Playhouse bar

Geffen donors Jonathan and Mara Blum have fun with the ‘60s theme

UCLA Center X Teacher Leaders for the Geffen Playhouse Literacy Project with Director of Education & Community Engagement Jennifer Zakkai and their guests

Photos by Jordan Strauss Photography and Jeff Lorch Photography

Sponsored by Audi of America, Inc., Guitar Center, Hint Water, Los Angeles magazine, Malibu Family Wines, Napa Valley Grille and Richard Ruskell Pastries

BE A PART OF THE SCENE AT THE GEFFEN AND ATTEND OUR OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATIONS CALL THE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AT 310.208.6500 EXT. 128

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SCENE AT THE GEFFEN OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

Merle Dandridge joins Gil Cates, Jr. and Randall Arney to tell her story and have some fun

Gil Cates, Jr. and Randall Arney speak to the crowd

20th Anniversary Open House On Saturday, October 10, 20 years after the curtain first went up on the theater’s very first production, Four Dogs and a Bone, Geffen Playhouse celebrated with a 20th anniversary open house.

Guests enjoyed bagels, coffee, donuts and mimosas prior to Randall Arney and Gil Cates, Jr. taking the stage to talk about 20 seasons of memories and the current season of shows.

Geffen Playhouse patrons David and Sydelle

Geffen Playhouse artist Merle Dandridge joined Randy and Gil to share her favorite Geffen Playhouse stories and her love for the Geffen.

It was a wonderful morning for all who were able to attend!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Photos by Jeff Lorch Photography and Vivian Frerichs

Some of the Geffen Playhouse staff ready for a wonderful open house

Geffen Playhouse patrons Emily and Rob Bishop

20-year Geffen Playhouse subscriber Arlene poses in front of the Geffen Playhouse

Geffen Playhouse patrons showing some love

JOIN THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE FAMILY VISIT GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.COM/SUPPORT

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SOCIALIZE #PAPERBULLETS

@GL1T3R

These Paper Bullets! was perfect!

Shakespeare redone by Rolin Jones and The Beatles respun by @BJAofficial.

Don’t miss!! #PAPERBULLETS GARY CLARK

Shakespeare meets The Beatles! Incredible, witty, fun, cool music — takes you back to 1964. Never a dull moment with music by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day fame. @CHIARAGILLETTE

#PAPERBULLETS

SYRIE JAMES

#PAPERBULLETS

I LOVED it! Fun script, fab costumes, great performances, and how awesome is it to rip off (pay tribute to?) Shakespeare and The Beatles all in the same show! #PAPERBULLETS @SUGARJONZE

Shakespeare-Beatles mashup These Paper Bullets! @GeffenPlayhouse is fantastically entertaining.

Funny, rowdy, sharp, great music. #PAPERBULLETS #PAPERBULLETS

@LAARTSONLINE

@SPADEMONROE

Going to see These Paper Bullets! at the @GeffenPlayhouse again.

I’m in love. It’s amazing. #PAPERBULLETS

ENGAGE WITH THE GEFFEN! Post, tweet and share during your next visit! @YAGOTTAHAVEAHOBBY

@GEFFENPLAYHOUSE #OUTSIDEMULLINGAR

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“It has been a long time since a new work has challenged the very core of existence.”

— The Philadelphia Inquirer

Written by BESS WOHL Directed by TRIP CULLMAN When a young American tourist has a wild night out with an elegant Spaniard, what begins as a drunken fling becomes a searing and seductive look at two lost souls seeking solace in each other. Bess Wohl’s biting humor uncovers the individual tragedies and triumphs that build us up as well as tear us down.

WEST COAST PREMIERE BEGINS FEBRUARY 2 GIL CATES THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

#BARCELONA

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SHARE YOUR STORY IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEN A MEMORY MUST BE PRICELESS. This season, after 20 amazing years of storytelling from the stage, it’s time to hear your stories from the audience! What first inspired you to come to the Geffen Playhouse? What keeps you coming back? This is your time to shine! Please email your stories to anniversarystories@ geffenplayhouse.com.

For this installment, we celebrate the early days of the Geffen with stories from long-time subscribers Corrinne Mann Kempinsky & Louis Kempinsky, as well as a true Geffen love story between actors Vanessa & French Stewart.

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE SUBSCRIBERS

CORRINNE MANN KEMPINSKY & LOUIS KEMPINSKY How long have you been subscribing to the Geffen Playhouse?

Louis Kempinsky: For 20 years, since the beginning!

What keeps you coming back year after year?

LK: The art. We like to think of ourselves as open-minded, and we love the variety of offerings at the Geffen.

Corrinne Mann Kempinsky: Even though we may not love everything we see, we value the artistic quality at all times. I also enjoy hearing other audience members’ conversations about the plays. It’s always interesting to hear how different people are affected by the same material. You learn a lot about the art from the dialogue it inspires in the audience.

LK: And onstage! Years ago, I remember bringing my daughter, who was then a teenager, to see Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking. It had not been a great fatherdaughter bonding day, and she sat down in our front row seats intent to watch the show with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Early in the first act, though, Carrie, having observed her, walked over and said, “You really don’t want to be here, do you?” They then had a brief exchange, and my daughter immediately cheered up. I couldn’t believe it! I learned then and there that the actors can definitely see the audience from the stage!

What a fun show — and experience.

What other fun memories or Geffen stories would you like to share with us?

CMK: We really do feel like this is our neighborhood

theater. It has such a comfortable, warm feel to it when you walk in the building, an authentic quality we appreciate. And the staff is wonderful — always helpful.

LK: There was a time years ago where we were traveling for work a lot and had to exchange our season tickets frequently. We almost didn’t renew our subscription around that time, but the lovely ticketing staff was so supportive and fantastic that they encouraged us to continue subscribing … and here we are, after 20 years!

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GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE ARTISTS

FRENCH STEWART & VANESSA STEWART In what ways has being a Geffen artist added value to your life?

Vanessa Stewart: Our show Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara opened originally at Sacred Fools Theater. Gil Cates, Sr. helped us move it to the Geffen back then, and I’ve had a career ever since. As an artist, it was a dream to get a start here. It really validated me as both a writer and performer.

French Stewart: I’ve been fortunate to work in multiple capacities at the Geffen. Be it on stage, fundraisers, readings, Story Pirates for kids, or new play workshops.

It’s an extremely warm and productive community. I’ve always walked away feeling the enrichment of building something: large, small, or just helpful.

What is your favorite memory (backstage/onstage) of being at the Geffen Playhouse?

FS: I was doing a play with the wonderful Matthew Modine when I saw a stunning actress walking down the hall in a nurse’s outfit. I said “Hello, nurse.” She said: “You better take your medicine.” Matt saw my face and said “Well, that’s that.” The nurse and myself are now happily married with a two-year-old daughter.

VS: It was a green room romance. He had to introduce himself to me twice because I looked completely different out of the Keely wig. The Geffen gave me more than my career. The Geffen gave me my husband and daughter.

Photos by Jeff Lorch Photography

In your mind, what is unique or special about the Geffen?

VS: The Geffen feels like a family that really cares about the artists that come through its doors. I remember being schooled by Gil Cates about how to make my show better. And every time I see Randall Arney, I feel included in this lovely way that makes me want to keep telling stories here.

FS: Location. It’s smack dab in the middle of Westwood and the UCLA campus. There’s a youthful energy that’s an irresistible reminder to have fun. Walking to rehearsal from your parking spot can be like a really good cup of coffee.

Why do you choose to give your talent to this theater in particular?

VS: I’m inspired by the people I see coming in and out of the doors. Not just the incredible actors, writers and directors. It’s also the backstage crew, the staff, the people running the joint: everyone has such a passion for what they do. It’s this infectious energy and love that spills out of the offices and into the rehearsal experience when you come to work.

FS: Passion, craftsmanship and care. As an actor that regularly works in 99 seat theater, I deeply appreciate the Geffen’s cultivation of local artists. Truly encouraging.

Is there anything else you would like to say about the Geffen?

FS: Yes. The next time I walk through the lobby, you can forget the gracious greeting or marvelous entertainment and place a 103 degree double latte into my greedy little hand. Up your game already.

VS: Actually, the beautiful glass of wine from Malibu Family Wines suits him just fine.

FS: Fair enough.

FS & VS: We love you, Geffen Playhouse.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORIES AND MEMORIES OF THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE EMAIL ANNIVERSARYSTORIES@GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.COM

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DID YOU KNOW?

To gear up for 2009’s Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas, Geffen Playhouse founder Gil Cates led staff on “Save the Alpacas” marches throughout Westwood. “You know what would be great?” he said one day, a rhetorical query that always signaled to the staff that they were in for something wild. “If we had live alpacas!” Sure enough, alpacas joined one of the marches and made an appearance at Opening Night!

You can thank founding Board member Ginny Mancini for cutting down those lines to the ladies’ room! In 2003, she generously funded and redesigned the Ginny Mancini Women’s Lounge which doubled its previous size. The men’s room also received its own Mancini makeover — it was renamed the Moon River Men’s Lounge and relocated from the mezzanine level to the lobby for convenience.

Photo by Jeff Lorch Photography

Photo by Jeff Lorch Photography

In 1995, founder Gil Cates named the theater “Geffen Playhouse” in honor of entertainment mogul David Geffen’s generous founding gift.

Since then, the nonprofit has relied on generous donations from the Geffen Playhouse family — a community of foundations, corporations and individuals (including you!).

Geffen Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Ticket sales cover only 60% of the cost of a production. Its mission to enrich the cultural life of Los Angeles through plays and educational programs that inform, entertain and inspire would not be possible without donations from generous supporters like you.

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ANNUAL DONORS

In appreciation, donors enjoy a host of special benefits including house seats, complimentary drinks, receptions and much more.

For more information, please call Jamie Mikelich at 310.208.6500 ext. 128.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin

$50,000+

Richard & Barbara Sherman

Anonymous Audi of America, Inc Ben/Joyce Eisenberg Foundation Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block Claudia & Kevin Bright City National Bank Elizabeth Lacey & Gilbert Cates, Jr. Mary Ann Cloyd David Geffen Foundation Edgerton Foundation Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer & Melvin Keefer Herbert M. & Beverly J. Gelfand In Memory of Alice Ghostley & Felice Orlandi Sam Gores The Adi & Jerry Greenberg Foundation Guggenheim Partners Investment Management Holdings, LLC Carole & Bill Haber Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Martha Henderson Rabbi Uri D. Herscher & Dr. Myrna Herscher Cindy & Alan Horn HSBC Private Bank USA Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg Glorya Kaufman Loretta Everett Kaufman & Victor Kaufman Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation Keyes Automotive Group Robert K. Kraft Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald L&N Andreas Foundation Latham & Watkins LLP The Lauder Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Jason & Yvonne Lee Susan & David Leveton George Lucas Family Foundation Ginny Mancini Fay & Frank Mancuso John McCrite & Juan Lopez Donna McKenna & Flynn Chernos Kelly & Ron Meyer Scott Minerd Ann & Jerry Moss Moss Foundation Paradigm Talent Agency Ralph M. Parsons Foundation PricewaterhouseCoopers Madeline & Bruce Ramer Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert Hollander

Shubert Foundation Skirball Foundation Karen & Vic Smith Cynthia P. Stafford Jodi & Howard Tenenbaum UCLA The Walt Disney Company Ken Willner & Jim Stine Elaine Wynn Family Foundation Judy & Chancellor Charles E. Young Dirk & Natasha Ziff

ARTISTIC CIRCLE $25,000 - $49,999 Anonymous Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Aegon Transamerica Foundation Patricia Kiernan Applegate Aria Resort & Spa Ariel Investments Robert C. Baral Stephanie & Jonathan Carson Valarie De La Garza & Michael Centeno CenterStaging Kathy & Mitch Clark Classic Party Rentals Clay Lacy Aviation DreamWorks Animation Dwight Stuart Youth Fund The Edward A. & Ai O. Shay Family Foundation Fox Entertainment Group Carol & Paul Frimmer Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc. Jim & Ann Gianopulos Goldman Sachs Andy & Carlo Brandon-Gordon Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association Mellody Hobson The Lear Family Foundation Los Angeles County Arts Commission Los Angeles magazine Marcia Israel Foundation, Inc. Sandra E. Milken Napa Valley Grille Judith & Bruce Stern Shel & Cynthia Stone Warner Bros. Entertainment Samantha & John Williams Anthony P. Zinge

PRODUCER $10,000 - $24,999 Anonymous Beth Behrs Laurie & Bill Benenson Charles A. Black, Jr. Board of Supervisors County of Los Angeles Heather Thomas & Skip Brittenham Brotman Foundation of California Amanda Brown & Justin Chang Eileen & Harold Brown Bulgari Corporation of America Roma Downey & Mark Burnett The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation The Chatwal City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Carole Bayer Sager & Robert A. Daly Edward Avedis Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg Susan & Mark Fleischer The Friedman Group Sarinda & Gian Fulgoni Gagosian Gallery, Inc Dr. Hilary Garland Ghurka The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Foundation Patty Glaser & Sam Mudie Manuela & James Goren Arthur Greenberg C. Curtis Grisham In Memory of Morris A. Hazan HBO Samantha & Eric Heer Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark Vicki Iovine & David Coiro Joseph Drown Foundation Joan Kaloustian Fred Latsko Janine & Peter Lowy Carla Malden Mona Malden Malibu Family Wines Susan & Peter Mallory Nancy & Michael McClelland Wendy & Barry Meyer MOCA Foundation Marcia & Brett Molotsky Leslie Moonves & Julie Chen James L. Nederlander & Margo MacNabb Nederlander

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund and Backstage at the Geffen. Donors are listed at the Associate level and higher for gifts made between August 20, 2014 and October 20, 2015.

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ANNUAL DONORS Northern Trust, NA Laurie MacDonald & Walter Parkes Popland Studios Rollin Ransom & Chris Lacroix Judith Reichman, MD Holly Rice Gail & Andrew Roth Richard Ruskell Pastries The Richenthal Foundation Ronen Levy Events Loren Rothschild & Hon. Frances Rothschild The Simms/Mann Family Foundation Fred Specktor & Nancy Heller Sugarfish Steve Tisch Miranda & Brett Tollman U.S. Bank Union Bank Well Done Catering Westfield Group William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Linda Yellin Ruth Ziegler Richard & Mae Ziman

DIRECTOR $5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous Jehan F. Agrama & Dwora Fried AMC Amgen Foundation Hilary & Jack Angelo The Alec Baldwin Foundation AVID The Baxter International Foundation Ruth & Jake Bloom Annette Blum Mara & Jonathan Blum The Eli & Edythe L. Broad Foundation Glenn & Lynn Cardoso Marcy Carsey Comcast | NBC Universal Debra Davis Dream Warrior Group Fielding Edlow & Larry Clarke Jo & Larry Feldman Lawrence N. Field Eric Flamholtz & Yvonne Randle Susan & Eric Fleishman Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Kiki & David Gindler Priscila Giraldo Gloria & Peter Gold Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort Leo S. Guthman Fund

Bucky Hazan, Teles Properties Gail & Stanley Hollander Bernice & Wendell Jeffrey Yvonne & Damien Jordan Marvin Jubas & Janet Wald Mannon Kaplan Sally & Dr. Manny J. Karbelnig Julie & David Kavner Wendy Kurtzman La Valencia Alan & Cindra Ladd Eileen & Kase Lawal Drs. Gerald & Barbara Levey Padma & Rao Makineni Merle & Jerry Measer Judy Zaban Miller & Lester Miller Kate Moran & Mikki Rosenberg Liza & Conan O’Brien Christine Marie Ofiesh Mo Ostin Pure Cheesecakes Kay & Bob Rehme Gary Reisman | LEAP Media Investments Joyce Rey Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer Howard Rose Rikki Rosen Thomas L. Safran Sheri Salata Hon. Nicole A. Avant & Ted Sarandos Judi & Bruce Schindler Jody & Arthur Schmid Ken & Carol Schultz Foundation Steve & Paula Mae Schwartz Helen & Martin Scorsese Sidley Austin LLP The Simon-Strauss Foundation Singer Family Foundation Sondheimer Foundation Lorraine Spurge & Patrick Mitchell Susan & Don Starr Arnold Stiefel Eric Stonestreet Tanino Ristorante Tanzy Restaurant Barbara & Larry Tenan Lynda Thomas Thomas Safran & Associates Janet & Michael Schwartz Karen Zoller, MD & David Tillman, MD The Travel Corporation Alice & Norman Tulchin Jennifer von Schneidau Deborah & Michael E. Walsh West LA Poker Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks Karen & Rick Wolfen Paula Wolff, Ph.D. & Wayne W. Whalen Jennifer Young & Katrina Nason

Gail Zappa Leslie & Robert Zemeckis Ruth & Stan Zicklin In Loving Memory of Herman Ziegler Ellen & Ken Ziffren Ziffren Brittenham LLP

SPONSOR $3,000 – $4,999 Janis Adams & John Lyons Pat & Sandy Adams Shelly & Libby Bergen Susan Booth & Christopher Wadden Robert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoff Dr. Fanya Carter, PhD Scott, Susan & Joshua Corwin Mica Ertegun Perry Goldberg Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt Dora & Neil Kadisha Barbara & Ronnie Kahn Thea & Neal Koss Renee & Meyer Luskin Vicki Fisher Magasinn Sherry Martin Rio & Frank Morse Benedicta & Geoffry Oblath Judi & Tim Ritchie Sue Rosenwasser Lori & David Rousso Judy & Mike Sapir Leigh Silverton Allen Blue & Kira Snyder Karen & William Timberlake Vernon, Barry & Dale Tyerman In Honor of Ruth Tyerman Lentz Uniworld River Cruises Inc The Waterman Family Foundation Leslie White & Al Limon Lynn & Mark Williams Patricia Youngman

PARTNER $1,500 - $2,999 Anonymous (3) Miriam Aguiar Olga S. Alderson Margaret & Howard Arvey Aversano Family Trust Robert E. & Maria H. Barron Richard Bautzer & David McDowell Laurel & Aaron Clark Linda & John Coleman David Conney, M.D. Shelley Wike Cranley Phil Davis Susan & Jonathan Dolgen Victoria Dummer Kitzia & Richard Goodman The Guerin Foundation

Michael Parks & Judith Hayward Alan & Michelle Heilpern Mel & Faith Henkin Roger & Linda Howard Carrie Johnson Janis B. McEldowney Richard Milling Lisa Pierozzi Herbert & Marilyn Piken Joseph & Cynthia Rodriguez Dominique Shelton Rita & Jose Sigal Snyder Family Foundation Bruce & Patti Springsteen Mitch & Sherry Stein Paul & Margaret Stein Audri & Stan Tendler Paul Tetreault Daniel Tongbai Susan & Peter Van Haften Roberta Weintraub Gelena & Seth Weissman Barbara & Stanley Zax Marcie & Howard Zelikow Ellen & Arnold Zetcher David Zuckerman & Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman

EDUCATION ADVOCATE $1,000 - $1,499 Anonymous (3) Harry & Gay Abrams/Abrams Artists Agency Dr. Richard Ackerman & Miriam Shakter Laura & Harvey Alpert Charitable Foundation Merryl & David A. Alpert Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum AudioQuest Carol Ann & D.C. Bakeman Richard & Shelley Bayer Jerry Beckman Peter & Barbara Benedek Patricia & Mark Benjamin Paula & Bruce Bennett Wendy & John Bergquist John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey Joe Blackstone & Jamie Mohn The Bordy & Leibovic Families Brenda & Alan Borstein Helen Breitwieser & James Jacks Dr. Wallace P. Brithinee Wendy & David Brotman The Busch-Schifino Family Chancellor Albert Carnesale & Mrs. Robin Carnesale Scott Carter David Cates & Christine Vavak

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ANNUAL DONORS Karney Guren Family Foundation In Honor of Judi Kaufman Sabrina Kay Charitable Foundation Lenny & David Kelton Barbara & Stuart Klabin Kent Klavens & Judy Vourlas Leslie & Norman Koplof Carol Krause Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta Bethany Joy Lenz Lydia & Chuck Levy John Liebes Steven & Nancy Lippman Judith Locke & Dennis Massie London Cleaners Karen & Frederick Lorig The Jennifer and Greg Malins Foundation Eric G.C. Mark Sue McHugh & Herb Seese Joel & Sheila Mendelsohn The Miles Family Craig & Catherine Miller Andrew & Laura Mintzer Joanne & Joel Mogy Lon Morse & Toni Hollander Morse Joan & Fred Nicholas Albert & Barbara Nichols John Nickoll Deborah & Stacey Olliff Michael R. Oppenheim Ornest Family Foundation Anne Osberg Gia Paladino & Michael Wise Carol Parry & John Fox Philip & Leslie Paton Amanda Crick & Glenn Pfeffer Craig Piligian In Memory of Michael Piller Berta & Lou Pitt Ruth Popkin Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman Harvey & Joyce Reichard Rabbi Steven & Didi Carr Reuben Donald B. & Susan F. Rice In Memory of Frances Esther & Howard Richmond Beth Roberts & Warren Smith Richard Roberts Craig E. Rogers Brad & Nancy Rosenberg David A. & Karen Richards Sachs Mark San Filippo Nancy & Ted Sanborn Savitsky Satin & Bacon Lizbeth Schiff Toni & John Schulman Joanna & Jonathan Schwartz Susan Schwarz Berton In Memory of Diane Barnett-Shapiro

John & Lori Shaw Michael & Glenda Shaw Phyllis & Martin Shephard Doris & Michael Sherman Holly & Larry Shulman Steven Siegel & Lily Carey Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross Joan & Jerry Snyder Drs. Matthew & Marion Solomon The Somaini Family Marcella, Joy & Grant Stanley Susan Stockel Jordan Strauss Photography David & Katherine Stritzinger Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis Katy Sweet The Tatasciore Family John Teeples & Nicolas Martinez, Jr. Joyce & Josh Trabulus Catherine Unger Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela Alan Van Vliet Peter & Denise Walsh Julie & Peter Weil Doris Weinberg Joanne & Ken Weinman Alison Whalen & Steven Marenberg Marcia Williams & Gene Lucero Cherie Wrigley Anna & Stephen Yallourakis

ARTISTIC ADVOCATE $500 - $999 Anonymous (3) Laurence & Ilene Abramson Sylvia Almstadt Patti & Harlan Amstutz Nancy Antoniou Ares Management LLC Janet & Irwin Barnet Alan Belinkoff Joanne & Miles Benickes Jim & Diane Berliner Black Market Gelato Janet & Mark Brown Lee & Shelby Chaden William & Patricia Chin Elsbeth Collins & James Greene Ted Cordes Donald & Zoe Cosgrove Morgan Dameron Geraldine Darrow Daniel & Gayle Devin The Milton L. & Betty J. Dranow Family Foundation Roni & Ethan Eller David & Joyce Evans Marjorie & Arthur Fine Sydney M. Finegold, M.D. The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Fund Michael & Lynne Flynn Myrna Forest Burt & Nanette Forester

Lois & Gerald Gallop Sharlene & Sol Galper The Gewecke Family Benita & Bert Ginsberg Dr. Diane & Michael Glazer Annie & Tom Goepel Louis & Linda Goldsman Abner & Roz Goldstine Lori & Robert Goodman Roger Gordon Diana & Ronald Granit Marcy & Edgar Gross Madeline Gussman Carolyn & Bernie Hamilton Kay Harrington Richard Hart Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson Kelley M. Hogan Gerald Isenberg Terry & Marc J. Jacoby Robert Jones Drs. Elaine & Jeff Kamil Mr. & Mrs. Bernard Kamine Patricia Keating Donald Kottler Jeffrey Kramer Tam & David Lachoff Eleanor & Mark Lainer Joan & Christopher Larkin Jeanne & Christopher Lavagnino Sandi Lawless Joyce Lederer Brenda & Warren Lincoln Wendy Lindley Neil L. & Ora D. Macfarlane George Manet Elizabeth Marcellino Allan M. Mohrman Jr. Paula Moseley, EdD Sandra Moss Erika & James Muhlfeld Sherri & Arnold Nelson Chris & Richard Newman Shelby Notkin Donna & Paul Pekar Amy Richards Linda & Manny Rider Dolores Rogers Ronda & Fred Rose Blanche & Bruce Joel Rubin Nancy & Steven Schneider David & Margaret Schwanke Dr. Daniel Schwartz Traci Shelton Robin & Robert Sills Martin & Leah Sklar Trudy Sokol Sold Out Crowd Dr. Jerry E. Spicer & W. Todd Stevens Alec Sulkin Mr. & Mrs. David Tann Nancy Thomas Marcia & Dr. Charles Wasserman Connie & John Weston Geoffrey & Susan Wharton Philip & Judith Winik Jay Weinstein & Lori Woldar Debra Zavala

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

Jane Cates Jonathan & Elena Cates Melissa Cates & Roger Claman Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo Martha Chase Sachiko T. Cochran MD & Joseph T. Araki Janine Cristiano Ruth Daugherty Deluscious Cookies Carolyn Dirks/Brett Dougherty Dennis & Jeralyn Doty Jan & Thea Drayer Gerald & Sally Ducot William Duncan Marilyn P. Dunn Dr. & Mrs. William M Duxler Colleen M. Ellis Terri & David Elston The English Language Center Carl & Courtenay Enright Carol & J.B. Esterkin Michael & Lynne Feldman Donnovan Field Barbara Fodor Steve Freedman Ben & Susan Friedman G2 Graphic Service, Inc. Pat & Sandy Gage Kathleen Garfield Jeanne & Arnold Geffner Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Geoffrion Diane & Bruce Gewertz Charlotte Gold Dr. Irene Goldenberg Marion Goldenfeld Helene Gordon Adrienne Grant & Paul Jennings Jack Grossbart & Marc Schwartz Sunny & Alvin Grossblatt Michael Grunwald Monty & Marilyn Hall Salli Harris Murray & Gail Heltzer Lynda Klein & Neal Hersh David Coleman & Jean Himmelstein Coleman Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox In Honor of Development Tamara Horwich & Gerry Lipshutz Toni Hoyt Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob Brian Irving & Dayna Cussler Nancy & Len Jacoby Linda Janger Joseph B. Gould Foundation Linda & David Kagel Joyce & Don Kaiserman Marcy Kaplan & Eric Gold

PERFORMANCES  MAGAZINE P21

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ANNUAL DONORS ASSOCIATE $250 - $499 Anonymous (7) Norman & Toshka Abrams Terry & Richard Abrams Anne Adair & Steve Ganzberg Barbara Adams Elaine & Michael Agran AKW Charles & Annick Allen Paul Alter Robert C. Anderson Philip Angerhofer & Stephen A. Jones Eloise & Mark Appel Mark Archer Steven D. Arias Bonnie Arnold Barbara & Ethan Aronoff Marc & Elizabeth Axelrod Lynne & Lee Babbitt Deborah Baine Aimee Bakhshandehpour Linda Barnett Irene Baron Randy Bayard Dawn & Marshall Bein Marshall Bell Joel Berger Yvette Bergeron Karen Berko-Gibson Barbara Berkowitz Marsha C. Berkowitz Ellen Bienenfeld Beverly Bierer William Bigelow & Bridget Karlin Claudia & Ronald Bitzer Marjorie Blatt Pamela & Bill Bohnert Michael J. Bordy Toby Bornstein Judge & Mrs. Anthony Borwick Deanne Bosnak Burt Boyar Carol J. Bradshaw Paula Brand John & Debbie Brincko Leah Lynn Broidy Mitchell Brown David & Kathy Burke Colin Campbell Laura D. Campbell Marlene & David Capell Andrew Carlberg Phil Carlin Tia Carrere Miss Irene Castaldo Barry Charles Diane Chernansky Nancy Clark Mike Clements Ken Coelho Donell Cohen Ginger Conrad Ivan Contreras Gail Cottingham Norman & Nancy Cravens Valerie & Donald Cravitz Ingrid Curtiss, MD Ames Cushing In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert

Muriel Dance & Alvin Martin Beverly D’Angelo Col. Tony, Donna & Taylor Daniell Hedva & Dr. Dudley Danoff Bonnie & Brian Davidoff Jeffrey S. Davidson Ruth B. Davis & Pearl Schultz Suzanne & Bruce Dodds Carol Jean Doehring Penelope Donnelly Fred & Marilyn Dorer Sandy Dorfman Daryl & Paul F. Doucette Paul Dowling Helina Dreicer Jacki & Murray Drechsler Michael East Larry & Elke Ereshefsky Ellen Farwell Janet Fattal Aleyne Larner Fawcett Mimi Alpert Feldman Judy & Jerry Felsenthal Abby & Malcolm Field Donna Finley Margaret Flanders William & Elisabeth Fleischman Edward Flores Rosella Forte Sandy & Mitch Francis Dolores Franco Gilbert & Marilyn Frank Fran Fredella & Scott Rubin Donald & Sandy French Kenneth J. Friedman & Marilynn J. Friedman Family Foundation Laurelle Frome Gina Furth Lori Galin Lee Gardenswartz Larry & Judith Garshofsky Russell Gersten Linda M Gibbs Andrew Glassman & Pilar Frausto-Glassman Richard & Lori Glucksman Hannah Godwin Mark & Molly Goldberg Marshall & Patti Goldberg and Family Francine Golden & Marvin Schlossman Dr. Peter Goldman Julie Clayton Goldsmith Dina Goldstein Mae Goodson Jo-Ann Gordon David Goren Liz Gottainer & David Sadkin Joan Green Paul & Louise Greenberg Randi & Jerome Greenberg Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson Roberta L. Haft Kambiz Hakim Mary & Alan Halkett Jane Hall Susan Hallman Roberta Hamilton Katherine Hardie Tess Harper

Eugene Harris Sheila & Chester Hasday Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Haveson Allan Heinberg Carla & Alan A. Herd Matthew Herrmann Jim Hliboki & Hildi Snodgrass Cina Hodges Mr. & Mrs. Rob Hollman Dale & John Hopmans Lynn & David Horowitz Jonathan Howard Mr. & Mrs. John Huber Jackie & Warren Jackson Frederic A. & Nancy Jacobus Barbara & Buford James Martha Jones & Paul Zerella Carolyn & Dan Jordan Jerry Joseph Trudy & Albert Kallis Pat & Stan Kandel Jean Kaplan Jo Ann & Charles Kaplan Owen Kato Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly William & Renee Kendall Irwin Kishner Annette & Charles Kleeman Donna & Jeffrey Klein Dr. Phyllis Klein Laurie & Milton Klorman Dolph Kornblum & Florence Robins Corie & Michael Koss John & Kimberly Kruse Doctors Mark & Lena Labowe Lynne Lainer Bruce Landau Carol D. Lande Elizabeth Lande Jill & Michael Lasky Helene & Arthur Laub Ginger Leibovitz Ann Leland Charles Letzgus Steve & Valerie Lev Ron & Marcia Levenson Donna Levi Marla E. Levine Suzann Levine Beth Levy & Lloyd Bookman Rick & Vivian Levy Lawrin & Linda Lewin Lee & Therese Linden Victor & Madeline Lindenheim Cynthia Llaca Leslie & Adam Lobel Mireya Lund Marilyn Luneberg Anne L. Lynch Dr. Linda Maeder Carol & Doug Mancino Stewart Mayeda Tracy & Noah Maze David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone Douglas Mcavoy, Jr.

Jim & Kathryn McCaffery Cheryl McCormick Patrick W. McDivitt Maria McDowell Marlene McRae & Terry Winter In Memory of Gil Cates Eileen & Paul Meshekow Reed & Linda Metzger Norma & Larry Meyers Philip & Joan Miller Teddie J. Milner Peter Minarik & Sharon Vera Farbod Mirfakhrai Matlin & Robert Mirman Howard Morris Carol & Jerry Muchin Bill Mullins My-Petite Alex Levine & Catherine Nameth Murray & Lenore Neidorf Mark & Diane Neubauer Tom Nevermann Robert & Anita Nitta Roberta Novick Adrienne & Arthur Omansky Dr. Ronald & Iris Onkin Mr. & Mrs. Irving Ostrow Cynthia & Todd Palm Edward Parker Joanne Patten Kathy & Jeff Perkins Rebecca Perlow Naidu & Jane Permaul Zazi Pope Michael & Rose Porterfield Diane & Michael Poryes Sarah & Christopher Priore Philip Pritchett Neil & Lisa Greer Quateman Joyce S. Rich James Richards Carlene Ringer Lindy Robbins Charles Robertson Maria Rodriguez & Victoria Bullock Barbara & David Rognlien Janis & Avi Rojany Robert Rosania Barry Rosen & Neil Bokal Adrienne Rosenthal Beverly & Melvin Rosenthal Joyce & Deane Ross Lawrence Ross & Linda Nussbaum Georgina & Alan Rothenberg Bert Royal Tyler Rubin Penny Grosz Salomon & Eugene Korney Tawny & Gerry Sanders Nan Sarno Susan & Kenneth Sarno Ellen Sassa Maxine Savitz Clifford Schaffer Laurie Schechter Joel & Sonia Schneider

Gary & Karen Schneider Elaine Carey & Vincent J. Schodolski Jane & Bill Schopf Susan & Peter Schwab John H. Scott Michele & Peter Serchuk Andrea Sexton Scott Shagrin Annette & Leonard Shapiro Sasha & Eugenia Shapiro Steven & Annabelle Shulman Melinda & Yossi Sidikaro Seymour & Dorothy Siegel Nancy & Bruce Silverman Adam Singer Evelyne & Joel Smason Diane Good & Frank Smith Barbara Meissner & Hal Smith James Smith & Loreen Ayer Dr. Jerry & Marci Smith Jimmie Smith & Tommy Garceau Marcia L. & Mark J. Smith Jean Smith-Moore Karen Smits Debra Spector Lynette Sperber Roger K. Stewart William Stringer Kathryn & Mark Sullivan Mr. Kayser Sume & Dr. Renee Sabshin Ann Sunderland Katherine Sung Keith & Judy Swayne Lance & Maureen Tan Phyllis & Franklin Tell Robyn Tenenbaum Troy Thompson Jay & Courtney Tobin Brigitta Troy Beryl Turner Leon & Stephanie Vahn Anthony Vasek Bobette Vikan Arnold & Carol Vinstein Carole Wagner-Vallianos & Peter Vallianos Dr. & Mrs. William Walsh Marvin Wasserman Seth Freeman & Julie Waxman Ben & Rose Weinstein Marsha & Steven Weiss Terri Weiss Pat West Haskell & Rita Wexler Rae Jeane Williams Patrick Wilson Bruce & Marci Wiseman Marc Wishingrad Jess Womack Diana Lynn Woods Karen & Frank Wurtzel The Yarkins Gerald Yoshitomi Harriet Zaretsky Sandy Zwirn

HAVE WE MADE AN ERROR? To report a misspelling or omission in these listings, please contact the Development Department at 310.208.6500 ext. 128

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Martin Short and Brendan Fraser in Four Dogs and a Bone. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

TIMELINE

FOUR DOGS AND A BONE In October of 1995, Gil Cates embraced the idea of a theater opening in the heart of a movie town and selected John Patrick Shanley’s Four Dogs and a Bone, a Hollywood satire, to launch the newly minted Geffen Playhouse. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Perkins, Parker Posey and Martin Short, this play set 20 seasons into motion.

OCTOBER 1995

EXPERIENCE 20 UNFORGETTABLE SEASONS OF GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTIONS ONLINE AT GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.COM/TIMELINE

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GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE STAFF Randall Arney Artistic Director ARTISTIC

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director MARKETING & SALES

Amy Levinson Phyllis Schuringa Young Ji

Rachel Wiegardt-Egel Rebecca Birstock

Artistic Associate / Literary Director Artistic Associate / Casting Director Artistic Coordinator / Company Manager Literary Associate Artistic Intern

DEVELOPMENT Regina Miller Ellen Catania Jessica Brusilow Rollins

Jamie Mikelich

Kristen Smith Eshaya

Scott Kriloff

Clay Dzygun Ava Bogle Taylor Dearden Justin Baer

Chief Development Officer Senior Vice President, Development Director of Education Partnerships & Donor Relations Associate Director of Individual Giving & Spotlight Manager Development & Education Programs Coordinator Development Associate & Donor Database Administrator Development Associate Development Coordinator Development Assistant Development Intern

Joseph Yoshitomi Director of Marketing &

Communications Director of Advertising & Karen Gutierrez

Sponsorships Graphic Design Manager Brian Dunning Kevin O’Brien Marketing & Graphics Coordinator Ticket Services Director & Mark San Filippo

Database Administrator Audience Services Manager Stephanie Strand Janice Bernal Box Office Manager Bryan Martin Box Office Manager Box Office Assistant Manager Zack Hamra Korie Benavidez, Kaitlin Huwe, Richard Martinez, Cameron Reck, Celia Rivera, Christine Rivera, Celeste Russi, Box Office Staff Alyssa Tyson

COMMUNICATIONS Katy Sweet, Pam Giangregorio, Carly Yates Katy Sweet & Associates

Public Relations Consultant, September Media Sue Fleishman Rebecca Haithcoat Communications Editor

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

EDUCATION Jennifer Zakkai Director of Education &

Community Engagement Carolyn Marie Wright Manager of Education & Community Engagement

Corky Dominguez, David Guerra, Kristina Leach, Juan Rivera, Teaching Artists Connor White

ADMINISTRATION Behnaz Ataee Frankie Ocasio Peter Banachowski Diana Chang Marguerite Harris

Chief Financial Officer Executive Assistant Accounting and Payroll Manager Accounts Payable Receptionist

PRODUCTION Daniel Ionazzi Jill Barnes

Sam Craven-Griffiths Evan Friedman Rich Gilles James Grabowski Darren Rezowalli

Production Manager Associate Production Manager / Company Manager Technical Director Assistant Technical Director Properties Master House Sound Supervisor Lighting & Video Supervisor

Karim Bouzzit

System Administrator

FRONT OF HOUSE Jeni Pearsons Director of Special Events David Gerhardt Supervising House Manager Deputy Supervising House Manager Jane Phillips Harper Josiah Davis, Amy Farkas, Caroline Harrison Kohler Roxana Meyers House Managers Ally Aberrotman, Rebecca Birstock, Kailey Bray, Christopher Caron, Taylor Cerny, Vianney Cossyleon, Taylor Dearden, Brett Donaldson, Megan Fitzgerald, Mariel Higuera, Netta Lee Joseph, Nathaniel Meek, Keith Mitchell, Aaron Newman, JoJo Nwoko, Shannon O’Hara, James Porter, Luis Ruiz, Jonathan Schwartz, Oliver Vaughn, Dennis Woullard Ushers Rob Mersola Bar Manager and Mixologist Manuel Mayorga Weekend Bar Manager Adam Carr, Brenda Davidson, Mariel Higuera, Lyndsi LaRose, Kimberly Legg Bartenders

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Miguel del Castillo Mario Santillan-Perez Juan Carlos Umaña

Facility Manager Custodial Cleaning Custodial

Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

This project was also funded in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

Geffen Playhouse, a nont-for-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles.

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L to R: Jeremy Johnson, Kate Hurster, Rodney Gardiner & Robin Goodrin. Photo by Jenny Graham.

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“BIG FUN! Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s production of Guys and Dolls makes the golden-age musical sparkle.” – THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

CABARET @

THE WALLIS

BASED ON A STORY & CHARACTERS OF DAMON RUNYON MUSIC & LYRICS BY FRANK LOESSER BOOK BY JO SWERLING & ABE BURROWS DIRECTED BY MARY ZIMMERMAN

A Musical Fable of Broadway DECEMBER 1–20, 2015

Amanda McBroom: Let’s Fall in Love December 9, 2015

Alice Ripley: All Sondheim December 11, 2015

Melissa Manchester: Joy December 16, 2015

Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra December 19, 2015

Christine Andreas: Love is Good December 10, 2015

Freda Payne: A Tribute to the Great American Jazz Songbook December 12, 2015

Ute Lemper: Last Tango in Berlin December 17, 2015

Christine Ebersole: Big Noise From Winnetka January 25-28, 2016

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SKULLS AND DIAMONDS ANIL ARJANDAS JEWELS AT SUNSET PLAZA AFTER LAUNCHING SEVERAL glitzy stores in Europe, Spanish jewelry designer Anil Arjandas selected West Hollywood for his first American boutique. He’s known for an edgy yet sophisticated approach—for every spiked bracelet or skull ring there’s an elegant pair of diamond-framed teardrop earrings—and his products have found a niche: an eclectic celebrity following including Jennifer Lopez, actress Emmanuelle Chriqui and boxer Floyd Mayweather.

At Sunset Plaza, where famous faces shop at equally

trendy establishments such as H. Lorenzo and Calypso St. Barth, or drop into Le Petit Four for a bite, the Anil Arjandas store is an intimate, flamboyantly appointed space.

Like its boutiques in Spain and London, dark wood, gilded mirrors, a dramatic crystal chandelier, and baroque chairs in purple suede play a large role in an elegant, splashy environment for the designer’s collection.

“I always felt very passionate about interior design, and my personal touch is present in every store,” says Arjandas, whose concept for the

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boutiques was inspired by the work of Jacques Garcia, the French architect/interior designer whose imprint is on a number of Parisian hotels.

“My primary intention was to create a cozy ambiance for clients, to make them feel relaxed and pleased to be in the store.”

An elliptically shaped 18karat-gold lady’s ring ($11,000), encrusted with brown diamonds and bordered with white diamonds, is among the designer’s more conservative, yet still showy, pieces. A black silver ring with smoky dark diamonds ($3,900) is part of a line of baroque designs that also includes a pair of rose-gold earrings with brown diamonds.

Bracelets include a stunning oxidized silver cuff ($6,650) with an ornamental centerpiece encrusted with rose-cut icy and black diamonds for a shimmering effect that works as well with jeans as with a black cocktail dress. A casual, elastic bracelet ($1,380) features volcanic black lava balls with a silver-gray diamond-clad connecting ball and various charms covered in brown or black diamonds.

Because of their dark masculine colors, these pieces appeal to men as well as to women.

One of many macramé bracelets features 15 white-agate

Oval ring with rose-cut brown diamonds and white diamond bezel

stoppers on a white rope, interspersed with five rosegold stoppers lined with brown diamonds ($2,100).

“Among my favorite materials to work with are oxidized silver and rose gold, which most of my collections are based on,” says Arjandas.

His use of black or brown diamonds for embellishment is a signature. “It’s magical, because silver degrades with time. By oxidizing it, you immediately degrade the silver to its worst condition.

Then, with use, it becomes more beautiful, changing back to its original qualities—kind of a reverse process.”

Pendants are colorful and quirky in the hands of Arjandas. He crafts a playful beetle ($1,750) from pink agate, oxidized silver and black diamonds; he also makes a greenhued version of the insect from chrysoprase and a black

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The skull reappears in a flamboyant, masculine ring ($18,000) in oxidized silver that is entirely encrusted with black diamonds.

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“[the play] never lets the audience off the hook” —The Guardian

BY GEORGE ORWELL A new adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan

Theater at The Broad Stage made possible in part by a generous gift from Laurie and Bill Benenson.

“…reconsiders a classic with a such steely power that it chills brain, blood and bone.”

1984 at The Broad Stage made possible in part by a generous gift from Linda and Michael Keston.

— The Times of London

thebroadstage.com/1984 Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center

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H HOM OME E

CLASSIC TO MOD RYAN SAGHIAN HOME ON ROBERTSON BOULEVARD JUST SOUTH OF THE perennially hip boutiques on Robertson Boulevard, where places such as Kitson, Intermix and Ted Baker draw a celebrity crowd, the emphasis turns from clothing to home furnishings. Antique Persian rugs at Y&B Bolour, modern furniture at Graye and kitchens as sleek as sports cars at Bulthaup accommodate high-end designers while their clients lunch up the street at the Ivy. Amid all of this is the showroom of furniture manufacturer J. Alexander, which carries the work of interior designer Ryan Saghian.

After working closely with the manufacturer, customizing pieces for his clients, the young designer was offered by the company a line of his own, Ryan Saghian Home, now featured in the showroom with J. Alexanderbranded furniture and the Meridith Baer collection.

The showroom has a polished, somewhat conservative vibe, with thoughtfully composed vignettes showcasing a slightly dramatic, occasionally flamboyant, brand of modernism. Artworks line the walls, and contemporary crystal chandeliers hang from

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H OME

the ceiling, their light reflected in the brass and lacquer craftsmanship of Saghian’s distinctive line.

“I believe in designing for your lifestyle and age,” says Saghian, who is drawn to contemporary architecture and decor but recognizes that an individual’s tastes evolve. “My ideal home would be a modernist estate in the Hollywood Hills with Meridiani and Minotti furnishings throughout. That said, I know I want to end up living in a traditional, French Provincial home.”

Indeed, it is that constant evolution of personal styles in L.A. that keeps an army of luxury real estate agents and interior designers busy.

Saghian has been influenced by an eclectic group of designers. “I love the maximalist sass of Dorothy Draper, the timeless elegance of Paul Williams, the glamour of William Haines, and the modernism of Aldo Rossi,” he says. For his eponymous furniture collection, he concedes being inspired by the vintage Art Deco pieces found while shopping for his clients.

“I love recreating classic designs with modern flair,” says the young designer. “The first thing I learned in design school was that everything that needs to be designed already has been, so it’s your

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job to reimagine them with your own creative mind-set.”

The influence of Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Italian postmodernist designers whose sleek luxury furniture has permeated showrooms and museums for half a century, can clearly be seen in some of Saghian’s work.

Saghian particularly enjoys working with brass. “It gives sheen, texture and so much glam,” he says, adding with a smile, “I always say brass is the new black.” One piece that reflects that passion is his Parker coffee table ($3,250), a glass disk supported by latticed brass that suggests an Art Deco influence. Similarly, his glamorous Portia dining table ($7,500) features an arched, three-pronged polished-brass base upon which a high-gloss lacquered sycamore top rests.

In the Portia cocktail table ($8,700), Saghian juxtaposes

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that refined brass elegance with a rustic yet alluring slab of richly grained claro walnut.

The walnut’s rugged features reinforce the vibrancy of the gleaming support structure. In the Theodore console ($3,200), a nearly black lacquered sycamore surface rises from a bronze Deco base. The Swanson chair, a vintage form with polished-brass legs, is upholstered in Mongolian fur to give it an over-the-top Hollywood Regency look.

Another item with Art Deco roots is a chrome-finished bar cart with square bottle holders and tinted glass shelves. Like the entire Saghian collection, this piece is manufactured in L.A.; finishes are customizable for those willing to wait up to eight weeks for delivery.

The J. Alexander Showroom also offers the products of Meridith Baer Home. That collection, authored by a former Hollywood screenwriter who has built a celebrity-favored home staging and design firm, includes an extensive line of furniture and accessories that complement those from Saghian. —Roger Grody Ryan Saghian Interiors J. Alexander Showroom 319 S. Robertson Blvd., L.A. 310.247.0100, ryansaghian.com

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BO O K S

PHOTOS EN POINTE ROBERTO BOLLE: VOYAGE INTO BEAUTY

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ROBERTO BOLLE, A PRINCIPAL dancer of American Ballet Theatre in New York and a star of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala Ballet in his native Italy, recently came to town as a dancer and guest artistic director of BalletNow, a gathering of international dance stars at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Bolle recently appeared at the Music Center, dancing in Stravinsky’s Apollo with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Fans can also revel in a new book that depicts the exquisitely sculpted star in various locales throughout Italy.

Roberto Bolle: Voyage Into Beauty chronicles two types

of beauty: poses by the dancer in the ruins of Pompeii and a more travel-centric view of Bolle and other artists participating in his annual fundraising event, Gala Roberto Bolle and Friends, from 2008 to 2014. The settings are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Pompeii photos, the first third of the 160-page coffeetable book, are by Fabrizio Ferri.

Their beauty is dark, befitting the remains of a city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Bolle is portrayed primarily in sepia against backdrops whose photographic graininess suggests the ash that once covered the city. Bolle is static, sometimes

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Fabrizio Ferri photos focus on ballet star Roberto Bolle

illuminated by a striking chiaroscuro effect, occasionally nude. In one shot he’s reflective, a la Rodin’s “The Thinker.”

In others he looks as if he’s preparing to throw a discus or bolt off of runners’ starting blocks. There’s even a closeup of his calves and perfectly arched feet against the ruins.

Things brighten up considerably in photos by Luciano Romano at the Colosseum in Rome, the Cathedral in Milan, La Certosa Monastery on Capri, Florence’s Boboli Garden and elsewhere. Bolle performs exultant grand jetés, soaring stag leaps, scissor-like cabrioles, primarily in solo shots and sometimes with partners.

The photographs capture the sweeping immensity of the monuments and plazas; the modern-day stage, rigging, screen and chair setups amid the ancient amphitheater seating make for eye-catching juxtapositions. Curtain-call views, with thousands of enthralled fans as close as permitted to the stage, provide a glimpse into superstardom.

The minimal text is by Valeria Crippa. Robert Wilson, who in 2010 recorded 36 video portraits of Bolle, provides a fanciful introduction.

—Julia Vicente

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Pasadena’s new Alexander’s Steakhouse showcases precious cuts of beef. In the shadows of Pasadena City Hall in the Plaza Las Fuentes—the space was formerly home to a McCormick & Schmick’s—Alexander’s is

a handsome contemporary steakhouse. It eschews the mahogany-and-brass traditions of old-school beef palaces but retains a sense of elegance with candlelit white-linendraped tables and service that veers slightly formal.

Modern lighting fixtures hang from a vaulted ceiling; streamlined taupe booths replace yesteryear’s green leather.

Alexander’s is a branch of a small Bay Area restaurant chain whose menus are characterized by Asian influences and a dedication to high-quality beef, whether from rural Illinois or the

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equally snowy plains of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Such quality has a price: With caviar service and Japanese wagyu steaks priced at 3-ounce increments, a visit here can easily result in one of the highest tabs around.

Starters range from a riff on the iceberg lettuce wedge, with grated lop xeong sausage instead of bacon, green-tea leaves and miniature radishes dressed in a citrusy calamansi/ egg-yolk dressing that mimics blue cheese. Fun hamachi shooters, available individually or in a “six-pack,” combine yellowtail with dashi, chilies, avocado cream, ginger and arare (Japanese rice cracker) for a surprisingly harmonious mélange of flavors and textures. Though burnt honey-glazed pork belly may sound like a heavy prelude to a porterhouse, its ephemeral pear espuma lightens the dish.

For a clever egg theme, a piece of soft tomago sushi is layered with egg salad, uni and delicate fingerling potato chips.

Steaks from several appellations include Black Angus from the Heartland that you can find at many respectable steakhouses. The attraction here is the pricy wagyu beef, which under the best of conditions can rival the richness of foie gras. The most heavily

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marbled, melt-on-your-tongue steaks are cut from Japanese wagyu, and Alexander’s offers several varieties with the highest A5 grading. Among them is the so-called “snow beef” originating in Hokkaido, where cattle eat voraciously to combat the frigid temperatures.

Non-domestic wagyu beef needs minimal seasoning, but diners are presented six salts from around the world with which to experiment. Lovers of traditional French béarnaise sauce may be disappointed in the lighter consistency of the rendition at Alexander’s, but a harissa-spiced chimichurri incorporating carrot greens and a sesame/brown-butter Korean barbecue sauce are worth discovering. A light beet sauce that’s poured into a bowl with short ribs adds elegance, color and dimension to an oldfashioned comfort food.

Side dishes at Alexander’s tend to be upscale versions of what you’d find at a traditional American steakhouse, such as 68 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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a lighter, less gluey version of mac-and-cheese made with udon noodles and topped with truffled panko. More of an acquired taste are creamed taro leaves with coconut milk, cured beef and familiar taro chips.

With numerous bottles in the $40s and $50s, the wine list at Alexander’s is considerably more approachable than the menu, but you can also find a pricy Château Lafite, Bryant Family cab or Domaine Romanée-Conti to pair with equally precious slabs of pampered Kobe beef.

For dessert, consider a study in chocolate plated with marrow caramel and Maldonsea-salt sherbet or a soufflé 1:23 PM teamed with ice cream sandwiches. An intriguing celebration of grapes consists of a hazelnut cake with Concord grapes, grape-leaf yogurt, a delicate frozen sphere of grape soda, port wine and verjus sorbet.

The region has plenty of steakhouses, from one ensconced in an old railroad car to another designed by celebrity architect Richard Meier. But Alexander’s stands out in the crowded field. —Roger Grody Alexander’s Steakhouse 111 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena, 626.486.1111 alexanderssteakhouse.com PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 69

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HAMBURG: Strauss' Daphne; La Fanciulla del West (Haveman; Cura); Hamburg Philharmonic Concert (works of Strauss, Chabrier, Chin).

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VIENNA: Manon Lescaut (Netrebko; Giordani): Le Nozze di Figaro; Don Pasquale (Maestri); and Vienna's Nureyev Gala Ballet.

MUNICH: Tosca (Harteros; Kaufman, Terfel); Lohengrin (Schwanewilms; FlorianVogt); La Juive (Opolais; Alagna, Anger); Turandot (Stemme; Botha); La Boheme (Yoncheva); plus Premiere of Srinka's new South Pole (Villazon; Hampson).

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VENICE: La Fenice: Martinu's Mirandolina; and La Fenice Orchestra Concert/Valcuha (Webern's Passacaglia and Bruckner's 9th Symphony).

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HITTING THE SWEET SPOT DESSERT WINES FOR THE HOLIDAYS THERE IS A WIDELY QUOTED statistic that about 75 percent of Champagne consumption in the U.S. occurs in the final two months of the year, over the prolonged holiday season.

But dessert wines, aka stickies, are even more of a holiday novelty. Americans don’t give them much love until the season of feasts is upon us.

Three of North America’s finest dessert wines include an unusual one from Virginia: the Barboursville Vineyards Paxxito, a passito-style wine made from Moscato Ottonel and Vidal grapes.

The passito method, which involves drying harvested grapes on racks, is common in Italy but almost unheard of in the United States. The process of drying the grapes concentrates the sugars and produces remarkably intense aromas and flavors. The 2010 Barboursville Paxxito retails for $32 for a 375-milliliter bottle; it’s worth every penny and can be cellared for decades.

Dolce is America’s answer to the fabled dessert wines of France’s Sauternes and Barsac, Bordeaux regions that produce the botrytis mold, or “noble rot,” that concentrates the

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Napa Valley's Dolce, America's finest dessert wine

sugars and gives those wines their distinctive flavor profile of apricot, peach and honeycomb.

Dolce imitates their blend of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon but does not strive for botrytis, opting for a more predictable late-harvest style. Dolce is America’s finest dessert wine.

The 2009 Dolce in 375-milliliter bottle retails for $85.

Dolce is rivaled in quality and intensity by the Icewine of Inniskillin, produced from frozen grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, Canada. The process of making wine from frozen grapes originated in Germany but is a specialty of the Canadian wine industry. Allowing the grapes to freeze before picking dehydrates the fruit and concentrates the sugars and flavors.

Inniskillin’s 2013 Vidal Icewine in 375-milliliter bottle retails for $55 a bottle.

The Inniskillin 2013 Gold Vidal Icewine runs $85 for a 375milliliter bottle.

What these stickies have in common, besides impressive concentration and sweetness, is exquisite balance; each has enough acidity to prevent the wines from developing the cloying character that puts off many wine enthusiasts from sweet wines. —Robert Whitley

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where BEC A US E YOU’ V E A RR I V ED

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 73

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West Coast Premiere

TR AVE L

2015-2016 Season

Gare du Nord, Paris

JANUARY 28-31, 2016 LaBute skewers sex and celluloid in this cutting satire.

The Money Shot

Written & directed by Neil LaBute Starring Gia Crovatin, Jenna Fischer, and Jennifer Westfeldt COMING LIVE AT UCLA’S JAMES BRIDGES THEATER

Fathers and Sons 3/10-13 As You Like It 4/14-17 The Mountaintop 5/19-22 God of Carnage 6/23-26 UPCLOSE & PERSONAL

L.A. Theatre Works has entertained the world for over 40 years with our signature radio theatre format.

No costumes, no sets, just great performances.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

LATW.org | 310.827.0889

STATIONS OF BEAUTY THE WORLD’S TOP 10 EYE-CATCHING TRAIN STATIONS WHEN YOU THINK OF TRAIN stations, you’re most likely considering a way to get from point A to point B. But there’s more to some railway stations than transportation. Many are works of art themselves, featuring breathtaking architecture and design that make them really stand out. Here are cheapflight. com’s choices for the top 10 eye-catching train stations from around the world.

Madrid Atocha railway station, Madrid, Spain Madrid’s largest train station is home to a beautiful tropical garden, which makes waiting for your

train much less of a chore.

The concourse is lined with enough lush greenery to make you feel as if you’ve stumbled upon a mini rainforest.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, India This terminus, which serves an astonishing 3 million passengers every day, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The former Victoria Terminus Station took more than 10 years to build. Its real beauty lies in its melding of cultures: British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to incorporate the latter’s architectural traditions.

JAN RAMROTH

JENNA FISCHER

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ARTBOUND

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Madrid Atocha Railway Station

Kanazawa Station, Kanazawa, Japan This railway station had a major face-lift 10 years ago; its entrance became the Motenashi (Welcome) Dome, a giant glass structure that looks like a huge ethereal umbrella. A wooden gate symbolizes the Japanese hand drums called tsuzumi.

São Bento railway station, Porto, Portugal Amazing tile work makes this station a standout. The walls are covered with 20,000 azulejo tin-glazed ceramic tiles that create a breathtaking floor-to-ceiling display. Artist Jorge Colaço took 11 years (1905-16) to complete the work, which depicts scenes of everyday life in Porto as well as its history.

Gare du Nord, Paris, France Europe’s busiest railway station is also one of its most beautiful. The neoclassicalstyle station serves 180 million passengers each year. The 23 statues adorning its facade

represent the destinations served by the station when it first opened. Nine larger statues represent eight international destinations plus Paris; 14 smaller statues represent the French cities and towns originally served. The interior is just as beautiful as the exterior.

Grand Central Terminal, New York, New York, United States The landmark is a tourist attraction itself, thanks to countless design features that catch your eye no matter where you look.

Bronze and stone carvings, marble floors, a beautifully painted blue and gold domed ceiling and an ornately sculpted façade are just some of the features that make it so remarkable.

Kuala Lumpur railway station, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The white and cream castle-like building, dating to 1910, is Moorish, with domecapped pavilions along the roofline and minarets. Before

the Petronas Twin Towers were built, this railway station was one of the most famous symbols of the city.

Milano Centrale, Milan, Italy Milano Centrale, opened in 1931, is Italy’s second largest train station, after Rome’s Stazione Termini. The original Beaux Art design was expanded to include elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and the photo-worthy terminal features 118,00 square feet of marble flooring. You’ll also find sculptures, lots of natural light and ornate design features inside.

St. Pancras International, London, England The Victorian Gothic station, with its red brick facade, took 20 years to build; when it opened in 1868, it immediately became a London landmark. St. Pancras, home to many shops, restaurants and bars, recently underwent a large-scale restoration.

Antwerp Central station, Antwerp, Belgium This opulent train station in Antwerp contains more than 20 types of marble and stone. Completed in 1905, the station incorporates several distinct architectural styles—the result being a look all its own. More than 50,000 travelers pass through Antwerp Central daily; light streams in through arched windows, skylights and a vaulted iron and glass roof. —Jessica Padykula

FELIPE GABALDON

T RAV EL

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LADINING MATTEO’S RESTAURANT Frequented in its early days by celebs including Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, Matteo’s Restaurant has redefined its look and cuisine while maintaining its status as the epitome of classic cool. Now in its 50th year, Matteo’s continues to offer unique seasonal fare in a homey and hip setting. Executive chef Antonio Orlando’s menu features sumptuous, cosmopolitan Italian fare like veal tartufato, lamb and weekly game specials. Happy hour specials Tuesday through Friday and on Sunday include half-off drinks and a $7-and-under bar menu.

Gluten-free and vegetarian options also available. For lunch, visit adjacent cafe Hoboken, open weekdays. D (Tu-Su).

2321 Westwood Blvd., L.A. 310.475.4521 • matteosla.com

NAPA VALLEY GRILLE Get a taste of West Coast living at Napa Valley Grille, where executive chef Andrew Bice’s rustic-yet-refined dishes, including salads, harvest platters, prime cuts and seafood, emphasize seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The signature California cuisine is complemented by an impressive selection of regional wines, many of which are offered by the glass during the popular daily happy hour. Located in the heart of Westwood and one of 14 brands operated by Tavistock Restaurant Collection, the restaurant features vineyard-inspired decor, a rustic communal table and a welcoming patio that reflect the hospitable spirit of the Napa Valley wine region. Br (Sa-Su), L (M-F), D (nightly).

1100 Glendon Ave., L.A. 310.824.3322 • napavalleygrille.com

208 RODEO Set atop the “Spanish steps” of Beverly Hills’ Via Rodeo, 208 Rodeo serves seasonal cuisine with California, pan-Asian and French flair. The restaurant’s proximity to such luxury retailers as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel makes it a celebrity hot spot as well as convenient stop for a post-shopping repast.

Share a meal in its warm and modern Hollywood Regency-style dining room, or take a seat on the romantic patio overlooking the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (setting of the film Pretty Woman). Beautifully presented and imaginatively prepared dishes include a signature 28-ounce tomahawk rib-eye steak and a 1.5-pound lobster tail, and a children’s menu, a full bar and tempting desserts such as gelato round out the offerings. B, L, D (daily).

208 Via Rodeo, Beverly Hills 310.275.2428 • 208rodeo.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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WINTER HIGHLIGHTS In Royce Hall Kid Koala’s Nufonia Must Fall

Tigran Hamasyan Luys i Luso

Roz Chast Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

CONTRA-TIEMPO Agua Furiosa

featuring members of the

Yerevan State Chamber Choir

Booker T. Jones and Black Joe Lewis

EXPLORE ENGAGE EXPERIENCE

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BACK PAGE ⁄⁄⁄⁄ LOS ANGELES ZOO ⁄⁄⁄⁄ PHOTO BY JAMIE PHAM

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