Photo Courtesy: AUSTIN BAUMAN
Written by Erin Tobin
School may be out, but there are still a lot of life lessons to be learned at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton. That’s where you’ll find Avenue Q. This Sesame Street parody won Tony Awards on Broadway for dealing out the harsh truths of the real world via whimsical songs, colorful puppets, and an unapologetic lack of political correctness. Continue Reading
Written by Daniella Litvak
Photographer ONE MORE PRODUCTIONS
Next to Normal is the gripping story of an American woman named Diana Goodman and her family’s struggle with her bipolar disorder. In rock n’ roll fashion, we are treated to the various effects the disorder has on herself and the people around her. In both tone and message, the show fits in with other rock musicals/operas like The Who’s Tommy or Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Some of the larger differences between the shows have to do with the fact that Tommy and The Wall can give their audiences comfort in that the horrors visited upon their protagonists are so absurd, so surreal, they feel unlikely to happen in real life. What makes Next To Normal so dark? The tragedies feel like they could happen to anyone.
The show tries to end as optimistically as possible. However, one still leaves feeling emotionally exhausted. So if you are looking for a light-hearted romp or an escapist fantasy, this isn’t the show to see. On the other hand, don’t let the fear of angst make you miss out on a good show. Continue Reading
Written by Scotty Keister
Having already seen and loved Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone earlier this year, I was well prepared for this 2010 Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominated play “In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play).” However, as currently staged at the Camino Real Playhouse’s Stage II, this production doesn’t live up to the more cerebral demands of Ruhl’s works. Her plays are heady treatises on the folly of human endeavor that manage to find hope amidst the shards of love and relationships. They are populated by humans at odds with the world around them, where a central female character struggles against both people and events to find some harmony and truth. They’re also damn funny.
Directed by Rick Kerrigan, this rather timid production plays more like an English drawing-room comedy, in that it manages to capture the story’s humor. But it fails to mine the deeper depths that lay within Ruhl’s characters. The story takes place in the 1880’s New York era and concerns a Dr. Givings. He is experimenting with a certain kind of electrical stimulation meant to treat women for “hysteria” – basically depression due to sexual frustration, not a condition that society would ever recognize in that era. Dr. Givings is essentially using a homemade vibrator on his female patients to produce orgasms (or paroxysms, as Dr. Givings indifferently calls them), which is something they’ve never experienced before. Miraculously, they suddenly feel much, much better. Coincidentally Dr. Givings’ wife Catherine is herself depressed due to her inability to produce enough milk to breast feed her newborn. Catherine’s own nature is, however, lost on her husband, who sees women only as experimental subjects. The doctor does have resounding success with his new patient, Sabrina Daldry, who becomes rather addicted to the treatment, and who encourages Catherine to try it on herself. Continue Reading
Written by Patrick Chavis
When you talk about a war not lacking in coverage, WW2 might be the most covered war in America’s history (no actual research on this). Because of 
this serious saturation of media, we are all very familiar with this period– Nazis were vicious, Hitler was a huge prick, and there was, of course, a serious loss of life in the infamous death camps, which are now the standard by which many people measure humanity’s capacity for evil. They are vitally important stories, but since they are told so often, I don’t usually jump at the chance to see another one of these shows. And it occurs to me, do I need to see another WW2 show? Maybe Schindler’s List got it right the first time.
It turns out the answer to my question is yes. After watching Ingrid Garner, granddaughter to author Eleanor Garner, act out a play based on Eleanor’s life story, the answer is a resounding yes. The space brings with it the realization that this story I have heard over and over again was not that long ago. It is still very relevant and worthy of attention. All alone, Ingrid Garner tells us a passionate and youthful story about the dangers of war and its destructive power on everything it touches. This story is taken from the perspective of a young Eleanor, who was very much a child when her family made the mistake of moving to Germany during WW2. While watching this play, we grow up with Eleanor as she learns how to adapt to Nazi Germany and experiences a life vastly different from her American one. Continue Reading
Written by Daniella Litvak
Photo Courtesy: Jennifer Owens
After a long workweek, there is nothing like escaping to the theatre and watching people complain about their jobs on stage. In this play, 9 to 5, at the Attic Theatre, we meet three people. Judy (Allison C. McGuire) recently entered the workforce for the first time because of her divorce. Violet (Maggie Ikerd) was passed over for a promotion. Everyone thinks Doralee (Nicole Gerardi) is sleeping with the boss. The person responsible for all this misery is Franklin Hart – a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” and CEO of Consolidated Companies. Judy, Violet, and Doralee fantasize about taking Hart down, not realizing their dreams are about to come true.
Going into the show, I knew 9 to 5 had been adapted from a pretty successful 80s movie I had never watched about disgruntled employees exacting revenge on their boss. Knowing that, I was surprised how much the show indulged in spectacle: a gangster movie sequence, a chorus line dressed precisely like the secondary antagonist, animated animals, and I could go on. Continue Reading
June 4 – June 28
Tune in every Friday to http://www.kuci.org/or if you’re in the areas of Santa Ana, Irvine or Tustin turn your radio receiver to 88.9FM @ 4pm – 5pm for the AMB Theatre show in partnership with the Orange Curtain Review.
