Scripps Ranch Theatre “Loves and Hours” charms.

There was a time when Stephen Metcalfe was the talk of town when it came to mounting plays at The Old Globe especially with Jack O’Brien at the helm. Consider “Emily”, “Strange Snow”, “White Men Dancing” and “Vikings” to name a few yours truly had seen. In 2003 Metcalfe’s romantic comedy, “Loves and Hours” was in a world premiere production on the main stage of The Globe and was given a top-notch airing. 

It’s been a while since his name has popped up, but fear not, Scripps Ranch Theatre in Scripps Ranch is launching  “Loves and Hours” through July 2^nd and it’s easy summer fare. This one is about mid life crisis in older men (give me a break in their late 40’s) being seduced by or seducing younger women.

Taylor Henderson and Francis Gercke

The story line jigs and jags back and forth from location to location and from relationship to relationship, some predictable others not so much. Bob Suttleworth designed the detailed but sparse set designating the locations of each couple/person/and place. San Diego landmarks in signs and  posters are everywhere. Metcalfe lives in La Jolla and is familiar with the local landscape.  

Giving Metcalfe a leg up, he touches on love and marriage, divorce, affairs of the mind, the heart, single, older, gay and otherwise. He gives the audience something to think about every time the lead character Dan (a convincing Francis Gercke, who also directs) breaks the forth wall and talks to the audience while trying to explain his life, good, bad or otherwise.

Francis Ggercke as Dan Tilney in "Loves and Hours"

The beleaguered divorcee Dan, always the bridesmaid and never the bride, is trying to get on with his life. He’s at a loss. When we first meet up with him at his best friend Harold’s wedding he’s looking for an escape route but is the best man carrying the wedding ring.

He hates weddings and especially wedding receptions: “I hate wedding receptions. You’re always running into people. They ask you questions you don’t feel like answering…”

Harold (Paul Maley), Dan’s best friend, he's 49, took himself a trophy bride  (“ a hood ornament of God”). Andrea (Sofia Sassone fits the bill) twenty years his junior has him on an exercise and diet regimen that might some day kill him. She’s 24 about Dan’s son’s age.

Sofia Sassone and Paul Maley

At the same wedding reception we also get to meet the other players: Dan’s son, Dan, Jr. (a very handsome and buff Jake Rosko) is a student at Georgetown College, Dan’s daughter Rebecca (Beth Gallagher) is doing an internship in Los Angeles, his ex wife Linda (an always excellent Dana Hooley), came out after years of being married to Dan and now has a wife, former next door neighbors Sara and Tom (DeNae Steele and William Stone Parker), who pass like strangers in the night and have zip of a marraige and long time friend Julia (a pensive and laid back Tori King Rice) Harold’s sister who has had a crush on Dan since they were in school together. He was clueless.     

Dan’s life takes a sharp turn when he is audited by the IRS and lo and behold, the IRS guy turns out to be a beautiful young woman, (think Dan’s daughter’s age) who finds an attractive father figure in Dan and plays him like a violin.

Francis Gercke and Taylor Henderson

Charlotte (Taylor Henderson is adorable and alluring) seduces Dan with a few strokes of kindness, a youthful enthusiasm and voila, Dan is hooked…line and sinker. For the first time in a long time Dan Feels alive and on track with his heart and his life as he ignores all the little signs that nag at him. No one in Dan’s circle can convince him he’s making a mistake. He’s in love!

And the beat goes on. Dan and Charlotte continue to meet, they have their little fling, he attends all her ‘concerts’, he loves what she loves and he is in a state of bliss, (“She did all the talking. All I had to do was smile and listen”).

Jake Rosko as Dan JR. and DeNae Steele as Sara

But when Dan’s daughter tells her father that she is in love with and older man, about Dan’s age, and Dan, JR is schtupping neighbor Sara right under his nose, (read at Dan’s own home) the you know what hit’s the fan.  

Gercke’s direction is crisp and he keeps the players moving at a fine pace with about 20 scenes to take us through.  It plays like a good movie, something Metcalfe, an accomplished screenwriter is most noted for, i.e., “Pretty Women” in his list of accomplishments.

The acting is a bit uneven but overall we are drawn into Dan’s world of the ‘mystery of love’ for another examination of ‘What makes the world go ‘round”.

Dan to audience after all is said and done: “I’m crazy about weddings…As I’ve gotten older and the hours seem to pass so quickly that’s what’s so important to me- spending fine time with people important to me.”

Adding to the overall experience of spending the evening with Dan and his family, Steve Murdock’s sounds of planes and helicopters are attention getters, Michael Simkovsky lighting pinpoints to the locations and places on Bob Shuttleworth’s San Diego based set.

See you at the theatre.

Dates: Through July 2nd

Organization: Scripps Ranch Theater

Phone: 858.578.7728

Production Type: Comedy

Where: 9783 Avenue of Nations, San Diego, CA 92131

Ticket Prices: Start at $31.00

Web: scrippsranchtheatre.org

Venue: Legler Benbough Theatre/ Alliant International University

Photo: Ken Jacques

“Escape To Margaritaville The Musical” in world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse.

“Some people say that there’s a woman to blame, but I know it’s my own damn fault.” That’s about it folks. Yup, that’s the extent of the words to the Jimmy Buffett hit “Margaritaville” that I can proudly say are still in my memory bank.

“Escape to Margaritaville” The Musical now in a pretty splashy world premiere production at the La Jolla Playhouse through (as of now) July 9^th captures the essence of Buffett’s hit song. I must get with the program because the more than 20 odd musical numbers, while not that popular (to me) still resonated to the vast majority of theatre goers in the audience as the music rang out and the play played on.

I took my niece, who claims not to be a Parrothead, (Buffett’s ardent and committed fans), just a fan but I could hear her singing along with others in the audience on opening night the tunes he’s most noted for. For this show he wrote a few new ones to be in sync with the moveable parts of the story line.

Alison Luff as Rachel and Lisa Howard as Tammy

Buffett, according to all I’ve seen and read, has been hanging around La Jolla and the beach areas lately and relishing all the attention heaped upon him by way of interviews and just being seen. He’s quite his own P.R. person even showing up at the end of his musical to join the youthful and enthusiastic cast, and to the delight of the opening night gathering, in the singing of (you guessed it) “Margaritaville”.

The story with book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, music and lyrics Jimmy Buffett and choreographed by Kelly Devine are all in good hands with director Christopher Ashley. One has to admit that Ashley has a great batting average with new plays; consider “Come From Away” and “Indecent”.  

Truth be told, the story/plot in  “Margaritaville, The Musical” boils down to your typical boy meets girl or boys meet girls on vacation somewhere on an island where drinks flow from morning to night and romances last from hotel sign in to rolling suitcases leaving the island for the next group of weekender’s.

Don Sparks as J.D and Rema Webb as Marley

The island regulars keep the guests and themselves busy with the standard drink sharing, temporary company sharing and plenty of familiar repartee among them giving the impression they have been and will be permanent fixtures there, wherever ‘there’ is.

There’s not much trouble in “Margaritaville” except ‘stuff’ gets in the way between one of the two couples, Tully and Rachel (Paul Alexander Nolan and Alison Luff). Both look great together, sing well together, but Nolan has the chops, the charm, accent, most of the tunes and the charisma to pull a Jimmy Buffet supposed to be.  Luff is no slouch either. Her voice is in perfect shape and she can match him notr for note. Theirs is an on again off again relationship and you don’t have to be Perry Mason or Colombo to figure the ending.

Rachel and Tammy (Lisa Howard) are there on a bachelorette get a way weekend from Tammy’s bully and misogynistic boyfriend Chadd (Alex Michael Stoll). Rachel is a sort of chaperone but finds herself almost involved with Tully from the start, except she’s too busy trying to promote her own business. 

Allisom Luff and Paul Alexander Nolan as Tully

Speaking of busy, there is a lot of busy stuff going on on this escape island. There’s a volcano about to erupt, a pilot J.D. (a wonderful old Old Globe blast from the past Don Sparks whose deep base voice is marvelously infectious) whose drinking habits have him grounded by another regular islander from another island, Marley (an outstanding Rema Webb).

They play a cat and mouse game about a saltshaker that gets a bit worn after a while as does the calling of another fellow traveler and regular islander Jesus (Justin Mortelliti) as he insists his name is pronounced ‘Hay soos’.

It’s mostly fun and games, if you don’t count the shtick about Tammy and her weight problem. They are brought to the fore by her lazy SOB fiancé who insists she go on a starvation diet of carrot juice and sunflower seeds so she can look svelte in her wedding dress, which by the way he had taken in after she had a fitting. Don’t make my blood boil. Her pairing up with Brick (a fun Charlie Pollock) the island’s bartender is the best thing that happened to her on this get-a-way.

Suffice it to say the Buffet ballads hold their own: “Why Don’t We Get Drunk”, ”Volcano”, “”Grapefruit- Juicy Fruit”, “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus”, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk?”  “Son of a Son of a Sailor”, Cheeseburger Paradise” and “He Went To Paris”. You get the picture. 

It’s the look of the production that draws attention more than the story. Walt Spangler’s island set is surrounded by blue skies, Tiki Huts, grass topped trees, a café playing area where the barbs fly and the drinks flow.

Paul Alexander Nolan (on chair) and cast.

In the background a raised stage for the band/orchestra under the baton of Christopher Jahnke to keep us entertained with… the Buffett cache.  At the volcano there are about eight grey suited from the dead insurance salesmen zombies that tap, soft shoe and simply show off their moves (Kelly Devine). They, as legend has it, got caught in the last volcano eruption. I must say I love the tap dancing.

Paul Tazewell’s costumes are custom -made island wear that never ends, Howard Binkley’s lighting makes everything look good and Brian Ronan’s sound, well… it’s Buffett. 

In case you gave your island ware T shirts or silk shirts away or need something to identify you as a true Parrothead, there should be a grass covered booth where someone will be glad to oblige you with either one or all of the souvenirs on hand.

Enjoy!

See you at the theatre.

Dates: Through July 9th

Organization: La Jolla Playhouse

Phone: 858.550.1010

Production Type: Musical

Where: 2910 La Jolla Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037

Ticket Prices: Start at $97.00

Web: lajollaplayhouse.org

Venue: Mandell Weiss Theatre

Photo: Matthew Murphy

“The Revolutionists”: Women Power on the Rise (again) at Moxie!

In Lauren Gunderson’s “The Revolutionists” now in a well polished, and delightful production at Moxie Theatre through June 25^th, the four women in her play are characterized as ‘badasses’.

It’s a good way of getting our attention right off the bat! Who doesn’t want a badass willing to fight for ‘Liberté, Égalite and Fraternité?  Who else is going to dig in and speak out for the rights of women other than…well other women?  “The symbol of the revolution is a woman.”

Keeping in mind that the play is set in Paris, France during the ‘Reign of Terror’ (1793).  That was then. Today in 2017 women are still fighting for their rights. Think ‘Women’s March on Washington’.

Just recently Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado mounted a stunning production of Gunderson’s  “Silent Sky” about little known astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt. A bit further back in 2016, New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad mounted “Emilie La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight”. To say that she is a defender of women’s rights would be an understatement of great magnitude.

In “The Revolutionists” we are introduced to four different women who are willing to die (well?) for their cause: Olympe De Gouges, Marianne Angelle, former Queen, Marie Antoinette and Charlotte Corday.

Lisel Gorell-Getz, JoAnne Gloer, Cashae Monya and Samantha Ginn

De Gouges (Jo Anne Glover) is a badass playwright who wants to write a play to “show the boys how a revolution is done.” History will vouch for three of the women mentioned.

Ms. Glover’s Olympe is witty and bright but not altogether sure about just how hard she wants to write this play. “Should it be a musical, a play within a play, a play for the ages? “We are in a singular moment in history, it’s our revolution now…” “I’m thinking a passionate socialpolitical comedy about women’s rights and-.”

The play opens with Olympe at her desk rewriting history. She has just fallen under the guillotine. “Well that’s not a way to start. Or end. And what idiot starts a comedy with an execution. Cut the guillotine. Oh the irony. Start again.”

But De Gouges is suffering from writers block. As France’s famous and most zealous feminist, her 1791 ‘Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen” she is in the forefront of a women’s movement, especially in the minds of the male population. Now she is at a loss for words.

Marianne is her trusted friend and ally as well as a free black woman who is pushing for support for the slaves and colonial independence in Haiti where her husband is now living.

Marianne Angelle (Cashae Monya) is a figment of Gunderson’s imagination but has an important role to play as the most grounded, most logical and the most sensible of the four.

Cashae’s Marianne is low keyed and speaks to the realities of the plight of slaves in the colonies. She is also the one character to keep Olympe on the straight and narrow when it comes to ideas about her writing this newly minted play about the revolution, which may or may not become a reality.

Corday, (the angel of assassination) is a badass country girl who breaks into Olympe’s salon by demanding that she needs a writer; “Where do they keep writers, I need a line.”

And to that we must add, she did have a final word at her trial: “I killed one man to save 100,000.”

Charlotte Corday (Samantha Ginn) knows she will die for her act of courage. She plans to kill Jean Paul Marat and makes no bones about it. She wants to make sure she is remembered and a needs someone worthy to write her last words before the guillotine comes down.

Samantha Ginn as Charlotte Corday

“I’m going to kill Jean Paul Marat by stabbing because he’s awful.” “He’s a terribly rashy little man that’s caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people with no tool as brave as a sword, no he uses words.”

Ginn, in keeping with her effervescence, comes to table with an abundance of energy almost too much, but nonetheless a showstopper when she actually pulls off the assassination.

The last but certainly not the least to break on to the scene is ex-queen Marie Antoinette (Lisel Gorell-Getz). “I’m not even a “highness” anymore, the jerks.” “Who wants a citizen for a queen?” “I’m here for a rewrite.”

Lisel Gorell-Getz as Marie Antoinette

Gorell-Gets is simply delicious as the ex-queen who doesn’t seem to understand why ‘one day she woke up in a palace and went to sleep in a prison-not exactly a prison-it was one of the lesser bedrooms’.

“The whole country would celebrate my birthday. How did it all turn into this rudeness and murder?” Her depiction of Marie is right on target and it’s fascinating to watch her facial expressions as she tries to understand her predicament.  She just doesn’t get it.

Gunderson’s “The Revolutionists” is playful and good-humored, up to date, innovative, and with enough theatre references to give every theatre lover a chuckle. Her “Tramedy” Olympe’s words) is about three very real and courageous women.

The resilience, activism and tragic endings of those and others living through the “Reign of Terror” in France and wanted to make a difference are right on the radar range of current events. 

Cashae Monya, JoAnne Glover, Lisel Gorell-Getz and Samantha Ginn

Missy Bradstreet’s wigs are one for the century, Jennifer Brawn Gittings costumes are perfect period, Sherrice Mojgani is credited for the effective lighting, Emily Small’s set suggests small guillotine’s in every patch of wood and Rachel LeVine’s sound design gives a sense of crowds in the background. No credit is given for the masks, but they are pretty frightening.

The production itself under the direction of co founding mother Jennifer Eve Thorn puts four very talented and yes, on target women at the forefront and gives them wings to fly.  

There’s so much more to learn about these women in this playfully cooked up historical comedy, but do see it for yourselves and enjoy.

Samantha Ginn, Lisel Gorell-Getz, JoAnne Glover and Cashae Monya

See you at the theatre.

Dates: Through June 25th

Organization: Moxie Theatre

Phone: 858.598.7620

Production Type: ‘Trademy’

Where: 6663 University Ave. Ste. N. San Diego, CA 92115

Ticket Prices: $30.00

Web: moxietheatre.com

Photo: Daren Scott