NEW VILLAGE ARTS “FUN HOME” HAS A POWERFUL IMPACT AND YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS IT!

                                                          

“Fun Home” with music by Jeannie Testori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, (“2.5 Minute Ride”, “Well”) based on the  ‘graphic’ novel by Alison Bechdel is currently playing at New Village Arts through March 3rd.

It’s a comedy, it’s a drama, it’s a musical it’s a coming of age/coming out party for Alison Bechdel, her two brothers, her father and her mother. 

One might not consider the comings and goings of the five Bechdel’s a party or even funny for that matter unless you were one of the family and you were a cartoonist chronicling your life in a large sketch book while looking in as your life unfolded.

Lena Palke, Pryia Richard, Rae Henderson Gray

No one really knows what goes on ‘behind closed doors’, not even all those living within those doors and especially those outside those doors, not unless you are privileged to walk through those doors.  

Bechdel opened those doors when her memoir  “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” came out onto the public domain in 2006 in book form, while her 1983-2008 comic strip “Dykes To Watch Out For” was syndicated in dozens of newspapers and translated in several languages.  

The book was adapted as a musical by Kron and Tesori after several readings at the Ojai Playwrights Conference, then Sundance it opened on Broadway in 2013, to rave reviews. In 2015 it was nominated for 12 Tony’s including Best Musical. 

Lisette Velandia and Pryia Richard

The “Fun Home” is in fact the local communities funeral home, Bechdel Funeral Home, (“Come To The Fun Home”) run by Alison’s father Bruce (Brent Roberts) part time funeral director, who also taught high school English during the day and who went gallivanting to gay bars at night. 

Yes, he was a closeted gay. The two stories intertwine throughout, circling back and forth revolving around Alison’s coming out during her first year at Oberlin College (“Changing My Major”) and reflecting on her father’s best known secret, whose own sexuality was the bane of her mother, Helen’s (Sarah Alida Lecair  giving a  bravura performance, ) existence (“Days And Days”).  The day he stepped in front of a truck while Alison was still in college, four months after she came out. (“Telephone Wire”: ‘”So how does it feel to know that you and I are both”), was a heartstopper. But let's lay it all out on the table.

Rae Henderson Gray, Brent Roberts and Lena Palke

We meet Alison’s alter ego  (Rae Henderson Gray) as she is sorting through a lone box of ‘things’ salvaged and kept throughout the years as she recalls the past, picturing her Dad going through old artifacts he found in the garage while restoring the old Victorian house on Maple Ave. Looking back she reflects on her younger (“It All Comes Back”) self. 

While Gray is ever present and stately, with a range of expressions and emotions on her sleeve as she looks over her shoulders, reflecting on her growing up years, her father’s mood changes, her mother’s being pushed to the background never seeming happy, the fun, the pain and the angst is always ever present . 

Small (younger) Alison (Lena Pelke) is a star in her own right as she belts out “ Ring of Keys”. Pryia Richard is  a standout as the teenage /medium Alison taking us through this narrow path of her coming out when she meets her college roommate Joan (Lisette Velandia) who encourages her to follow her heart. 

Brent Roberts, Bruce is her happy, sad, demonstrative, demanding and moody father, who at the drop of a hat will be wooing a high school student in his office one minute, playing games with his youngsters another or walking his compulsive obsessive behavior through the house in another. Bottom line though, he’s not very nice to be around and he is perfect at what he does.

Cast

With a strong cast in hand, and spot on direction by Kym Pappas’ sentimental oft time funny and all too tragic family dynamics,  Alison's journey is framed in the outline of their Victorian home (Yi-Chen Lee). Furniture is rolled on and the set depicting places and Curtis Mueller’s pinpoint lighting and projections identify places and locations outside the home as well as sketches of Alison’s drawings. Carmen Amo’s  almost matching striped jerseys for each of the Alison’s are a brilliant take especially in the finale when all three Alison’s (“Flying Away”) come together in unison. 

Rounding out the cast are Zayden McHardy and Leo Jones Alison's younger brothers who bring a bit of playfulness into the picture and Kris Rona who plays a multitude of characters. 

Musical direction is by Korrie Yamaok and choreography by Patrick Mayuyu. Unfortunately, the music is not live and in some instances the sound  (Ethan Eldred) overtook the voices; a flaw that can be remedied over time but do not let that keep you from seeing this wonderful production as well as amazing performances.

This is the second time I  have seen this show and I would see it again in a heartbeat. 

Hats off to Kym and New Village Theatre.

See you at the theatre.  

Enjoy. 

“ENGLISH” PLEASE, ENGLISH!

 How do you emphasize enough for someone to speak English when their native tongue is, say Spanish, or Farsi, or Russian, or Hebrew and yours is English only? 

After my two oldest grandsons moved back to San Diego, after having lived eighteen years in Israel,  they lived with me. Both boys were and are bi -lingual, but most of the conversations they had with each other was in Hebrew. My hue and cry was…’English Please, English.'

Joe Joseph and Pooya Mohseni

And, so it is in Sanaz Toossi’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize , Obie Award, and Lucille Lorttel’s award  play currently on stage at the Old Globe’s  Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in the round through Jan 25th, that her new play “English” is so insightful, at least to me,  as one who speaks English only.

Set just outside Tehran in 2008 in a small classroom, four students are preparing for the English proficiency test (TOEFL) in order to get a visa to come to the U.S. Each student has a different reason for leaving the repressive regime in which they live; some more than others. Three of the four are grappling to make this work and fit in to their own lives as English speakers.  The sole male in the class, Omid (Joe Joseph) is already proficient, but feels he is not proficient enough. His is another story in and of itself. However don’t be surprised if you noticed a little love interest between Omid and Marjan, his teacher.

from left) Mary Apick, Ari Derambakhsh, Pooya Mohseni, Tara Grammy, and Joe Joseph

Of the other women,  Roya (Mary Apick) is a grandmother whose main purpose is to speak with her family who now live in Canada. Hers is a most difficult journey because she not only cannot fathom the language, but loves her native tongue.  Goli (Ari Derambakshs) is an enthusiastic 18 year old who is more than happy to take on a new language and Elham (Tara Grammy) has an opportunity to study in Australia , but struggles with the language. Teaching this diverse class is Marjan Pooya Mohseni. She is by the book strict that English only to be spoken. And while she is proficient, she too, struggles. 

Director Arya Shasi moves the actors around in a classroom setting so that each has an opportunity to be facing a different classmate each time they get together. They also practice passing a ball around while repeating words with different beginning sounds. 

(from left) Joe Joseph, Pooya Mohseni, and Mary Apick 

The play, with its short scenes changing about, is funny, honest, oft times disappointing when one or the other struggles and wonders if it’s worth it. As one who has tried to learn a foreign language many times, let alone read it and failed, I can appreciate all of their feelings. 

Scenic design by Sadra Tehrani, lighting design by Amanda Zieve, costumes by Afsaneh Aayani and sound design be Megumi Katayama bring it all together setting the stage and look to be authentic especially, Afsaneh Aayani’s  beautifully colored scarves and head coverings, a basic look for women. in Iran 

(from left) Tara Grammy and Pooya Mohseni

“English” has its highs and lows , funny and serious moments. As noted, learning a new language can be frustrating, emotional, threatening and rewarding. 

For not your run of the mill plays, “English” is worth look see. 

Enjoy. 

See you at the theatre.

(from left) Pooya Mohseni, Tara Grammy, Ari Derambakhsh, Joe Joseph, and Mary Apick 

When:. Opens Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 25. Showtimes, 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays 

Where: Old Globe Theatre’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park 

Tickets: $49 and up 

Phone: (619) 234-5623 

Photo:  Rich Soublet II.

Online: theoldglobe.org

‘LADY DAY’ PACKS A POWERFUL, HEARTBREAKING PUNCH WITH WORDS AND MUSIC

“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill”, Lanie Robertson’s 95 minute play with music that  burns through Cygnet’s sound system as  Karole Foreman becomes Bill Holiday warts and all. Wren T. Brown founder of Ebony Theatre, directs. Ebony Repertory Theatre is a co production with Cygnet.

Set in the small jazz bar, “Emerson’s Bar and Grill” located in South Philly in 1959, a few months before her death, Holiday, nicknamed ‘Lady Day’ by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, is practically carried on to the stage by Jimmy Powers (Damon Carter) her pianist, to perform even though she is visibly not fit for prime time. 

Boosted by drugs and drink, low self -esteem  and racial discrimination, she pulls herself together. She tugs at her  beautiful all white gown (Kimberly DeShazo)and adjusts her long satin gloves, looks around the room, smiles wipes the tears from her face and begins to launch into stories about the men in her life; her lover Joe Guy (he supplied her with the drugs), her mother whom she called “The Duchess” and the unusual treatment she received, as the one black performer with Artie Shaw’s band, who couldn’t eat in the ‘white’ dining room with the rest of the crew, so Shaw paid extra for Billie and the crew to eat in the kitchen. 

Karole Foreman as Lady Day

Foreman’s performance is heartbreaking and revealing as she becomes Holliday’s alter ego. Her story unveils the life of a talented artist used by just about everyone in her world, her managers, her mother, her promoters, the men in her life and the failed system that took her dignity, her innocence and her money. She died four months after this performance at age 44.  

Most of the dozen or so songs you will hear at ‘Emerson Grill’ will not be her most recognizable: What you will hear: “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone”? “Big Foot (And a Bottle of Beer) “Strange Fruit”, “God Bless The Child”, “Somebody’s On My Mind”, “Easy Lovin’”, “Ain’t Nobody’s Business”,” Strange Fruit” and a reprise of “Don’t Explain/What a Little Moonlight Can Do”. (Moonlight is the operative for her booze and drugs)

Karole Foreman with Damon Carter

Scenic design by Edward E. Haynes Jr., Evan Eason, sound design, and Peter Herman’s wigs and makeup all come together to make this one hell of a show.

We must also recognize Musical Director Damon Carter who not only plays a mean piano, but he keeps  Ms. Holiday on her feet during her performances. 

To say that Billie Holiday had tough breaks from the start of her life would be an understatement. More than anything, the system, which we are all grappling under and still needs fixing, failed her bigtime. We don’t know how many more Billie Holiday’s are out there, but it’s time America closed its collective eye to the color of one's skin.

See you at the theatre.

Enjoy!

When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through Feb. 18

Where: Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town State Historic Park

Tickets: $39 and up

Photo:  Karli Cadel Photography

Phone: (619) 337-1525

Online: cygnettheatre.com