700 Sundays

700 Sundays
a kate west review
starring Billy Crystal
directed by Des McAnuff
additional content by Alan Zweibel
producers Janice Crystal, Larry Magid
at the Wilshire Theater
8440 Wilshire Blvd, LA 90211
running Jan 6 - February 18,2006
contact www.broadwayla.org or Face Productions

When Comedian Billy Crystal was only fifteen, his father Jack unexpectedly died of a heart attack in 1963. Young Billy was devastated and angry. He finally came to a kind of resolution by pooling his memories into a one-man show called "700 Sundays", referring to the total number of Sundays he actually spent with his dad. Originally on Broadway, Tony Award winner Des McAnuff ("Big River", "Tommy") directs Crystal's opus once again, here in Los Angeles.

We learn many fascinating thing about Crystal's life, including his famous love of baseball and his surprising family involvement in jazz history. Crystal has often mentioned the beauty of baseball in interviews, his first glimpse of the green, green field so different from the picture in black and white television, as well as his experience directing a warm and loving tribute to his idols, Yankee greats Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (HBO's seamless "61"). Ken Burns even captured Crystal's baseball stories on film in his "Baseball" PBS series. And doesn't Crystal don a New York Mets baseball hat in "City Slickers"?

More interesting still is that Crystal's family owned the Commodore Record Label and had their own store in Manhattan for a while, meaning Billy grew up with jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. In fact, Uncle Milt Gabler was the only man brave enough to record Holiday's controversial "Strange Fruit", a mournful jazz ballad reflecting on the unfortunate still prevalent lynchings in the south at the time. An unusual childhood indeed.

Crystal spends much of the show impersonating relatives such as an eccentric aunt ruminating on lesbianism, pointing out the real deal in 8 millimeter home movies and making typical crude one-liners. For the most part, it is a heartfelt love note to his quiet and unassuming father, and, as many one-person shows seem to be, a therapeutic catharsis for the mourner. Jack worked hard for his family and always reserved Sundays to spend with them, no matter what, taking Billy to baseball games and hosting the odd and end jazz legend. We learn a lot about his family along the way and understand how Crystal got into comedy in the first place, so much of it holds audience interest, but the show does run too long.

Scenic Designer David F. Weiner creates a cozy set with a screen door porch, replicating Crystal's Cape Cod cottage, (actually in Long Beach New York), helped out by Lighting Designer David Lee Cuthbert, Projectionist Michael Clark and Sound Designer Steve Canyon Kennedy. Director Des McAnuff creates an interesting stage picture, but Crystal is obviously the focus here and the main creative hand. As when hosting the Oscars, Billy Crystal is funny at first, but grows a little tedious after a while. If you are a Crystal fan, by all means, don't miss the show; otherwise, you may just want to borrow his book in order to cull the meatier bits of the family history, which really are quite absorbing.

Billy's Book:
700 Sundays Read more!

Frida

Frida Kahlo
a kate west review















written & directed by Rubén Amavizca Murúa
with the Grupo de Teatro Sinergia
at the Teatro Frida Kahlo Theater
2332 W. Fourth Street, L.A. 90057
contact (213) 382-8133 or www.fridakahlotheater.org
running December 2005

The colorful and boisterous love affair between famous Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is captured yearly in the Frida Kahlo Theater/Grupo de Teatro Sinergia’s production of “Frida Kahlo”. In keeping with the fascinating culture of the piece, you can choose between either the English or Spanish version; the actors memorize both scripts. The theater itself gives a nice first impression when one walks in, with a painted sunny floor, happy blue walls and Mexican style décor. The fabulous folkloric costumes and jewelry will catch your eye also, all contributing to a vibrant glimpse into a surreal artistic world.

The play is inspired by an essay by Elena Poniatowska, various letters and documents from Kahlo’s life and from Martha Zamora’s book “Frida Kahlo; The Brush of Anguish”. In a short two hours, you are briefly immersed in Frida’s tumultuous life. She lived in pain, both psychically and emotionally. As a child, she contracted polio and as a young adult was in a terrible bus accident which freakishly impaled her on a pole. As a result, she was plagued with spinal operations for the rest of her life. She also met Diego Rivera. As she says in the play, “there were two great accidents in my life: the bus accident and meeting Diego.” And what a wild ride it was.

The intense Minerva Garcia plays Frida, often deep in monologues, with herself, the audience and a puzzling little character called Judas (Edwin Rivera Corcios). There is a Mexican tradition where the people burn straw effigies of a Judas character and as Frida loved dolls, this character comes to life as her artistic consciousness, signifying death a little too. Corcios plays him too effeminately, coming across a bit grating in the first act, though he tones it down in the second. The story would be just fine without this device.

Other than that bizarre touch, the story is fairly straightforward. Frida meets Diego, they fall madly for each other and Diego spends the rest of Frida’s life cheating on her and making her miserable. He almost can’t help it though as he is a grotesque (although immensely talented) man boy and Richard Azurdia plays him with all the necessary extravagant magnificence. Garcia coos over him as Frida, calling him her “baby toad” but the final straw comes when he sleeps with her sister Cristina (Renée Durón). That he also has the gall to introduce her to his many lovers, including a glamorous actress named Paula Goldberg (Cristina Frías), illustrates the ridiculous lengths they will go to eviscerate each other. However, all the pain in her life most likely made Frida the extraordinary artist that she was. If her life had been easier, had she not had both great pain and great love, would her work have been as open and as raw?

The two main characters are wonderfully well versed, matching each other’s passion very well, and the supporting actors are fine. Director Rubén Amavizca Murúa keeps a good pace, with seamlessly blended scene transitions and well-balanced emotions. It is the merest glimpse into a complex life, but you’ll find it’s a fulfilling night out. The audience this particular night sure loved it. Be sure to get precise directions, though, as the theater is a bit hard to find.

Direct from the source:
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait Read more!

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank
directed by Judith Dresch
review by Janice Riese, Los Altos Town Crier
at the Manhattan Playhouse, East Palo Alto, CA
through December 1992

Manhattan Playhouse in Palo Alto is presenting "The Diary of Anne Frank," the moving story of a Jewish family forced into hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. The time frame is from July 1942 through August 1944 with updated scenes in November 1945 opening and closing the play.

Playwrights Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett have adapted the diary left by Frank into a two-act play that became a Broadway hit in the 1950's.

Director Judith Dresch has transformed the theater into an upstairs loft over Mr. Frank's Herb and Spice store. Here, the four Franks (Father, Mother, Margot and Anne), the Van Daans and their son Peter and a Jewish dentist, Mr. Dussel, are to spend the next two years, crowded together, constantly in fear and with never enough food.

Two Dutch people, Miep Gies (Anita Khalat Bari) and Mr. Kraler (Mark Solomon), are their messengers from the outside world, placing themselves in grave danger if they should ever be caught harboring Jews.

The pivotal role is, of course, that of Anne, 15 when we first meet her and 17 when she is forced from the safety of the attic by the Nazi soldiers. She writes in her diary every day, and her reading of what she writes carries the action along.

Natalie Skelton is extremely good as Anne, changing from the outspoken, noisy, not too likable child (she was called "quack-quack" in school) to a quieter, more understanding and quite grown-up young lady. Her diction is excellent, her delivery clear and precise. It is Anne who never gives up hope and keeps the rest going in spite of hardship.

Mr. Frank, warm and sensible, is excellently portrayed by Jack Weissman. Annette Boyenga is the sympathetic wife and mother who loves her family (but does not understand Anne, according to Anne). The role of Margot, the quiet one, always doing what her mother tells her, is well-handled by Amber Land.

William F. Morrison is a loud and thoroughly unlikable Mr. Van Daan; Joanne Eagle is good as the vain but frightened Mrs. Van Daan, Ryan Noto's Peter is sullen and withdrawn at first, but he, too, changes with the months, learning to understand and love Anne and to accept himself as a worthy person.

Dresch has done a sensitive job of directing (she is also general "overseer" of the whole production). This is not an easy play to watch as it brings back the horrors of the holocaust, a time of terror and suffering.

Review by Janice Riese, Los Altos Town Crier Read more!

An Anonymous Review

The Diary of Anne Frank
an anonymous review from a theater patron
directed by Judith Dresch
at The Manhattan Playhouse, East Palo Alto, CA
through December 5, 1992

I attended the opening on Friday, 11/13.

Technically, the production was a shambles. The lighting was poor, the flats were flimsy and noise from "backstage" was clumsily audible. The scene changes took forever, leaving a perplexed audience sitting in the dark, hearing nothing but the sound of stagehands moving props. Several times the lights prematurely came up to reveal stagehands still onstage, awkwardly clunking about, then hysterically fleeing the stage as the lights shone on them.

The acting was horrendous. Various castmembers were blatantly struggling to remember their lines. Their speech lacked rhythm, tempo and volume. Movement was clumsy; I didn't know whether to blame the blocking or the actors for their inept actions, which for the most part lacked motivation and energy. There was no authentic interaction between actors; it was as if everyone were acting in separate plays, indulging in a series of monologues. It wasn't clear to me at all what anyone was feeling at each moment. The lines in the script were easily interpreted to mean something, however the action often went against the grain and blemished the text. There was no subtext provided by the actors; they merely followed directions and robotic ally indicated what they were supposed to be feeling. To say that the actors lacked presence in this production is an understatement.

Clearly, there were some rough parts that could be ironed out with more rehearsal. But some of the faults were inexcusable. When I'm sitting in a full house and I notice that most everyone is yawning and anxiously shifting in their seats, I can't help but suspect that I'm not the only one who's bored. I hold Manhattan Playhouse liable for this theatrical dud because they've managed to reduce this wonderful play about a heroic girl and about the hardships and beauty of community during (in spite of) war, into an emotionally barren wax museum. Rather than feeling enriched following the show, all I noticed was that I had $10 less in my wallet.

The only one who truly showed any life was Natalie Skelton (Anne Frank). She was fabulous. But she was so alone onstage. No one else showed any urgency or grief. She alone showed excitement, fear, caring and charm in her winsome portrayal of a girl rapidly growing into a woman ahead of her time. The best moments in the play are when she is alone, reciting her memoirs as she scribbles them into her diary.

Because I've read and seen the play several times, and I know how it turns out in the end, there is a poignancy that radiates throughout the story, no matter how badly it is presented. Natalie added some of her own gusto as well. If there's any reason for seeing this particular production, it's to see her. Natalie knows how to be interesting; she has presence and she lights up the stage. Now, if only she could be joined by a cast of real actors ....

An Anonymous Theater Patron Read more!

Anne Frank story inspires actors at Palo Alto Playhouse

by Paul Freeman, Jewish Bulletin Correspondent

Now, perhaps more than ever, the world needs to hear the story of Anne Frank.

That became increasingly clear to theater director Judith Dresch during a recent trip to Moscow.

"While there, I began reading in the papers about all the uprising of anti-Semitism, of the desecration of the Jewish cemeteries in Germany, of the neo-Nazi groups and of the denial that the Holocaust ever existed," said Dresch, whose relatives in Poland were persecuted by the Nazis during the war.

"We cannot forget the Holocaust," she says. "We cannot forget Hitler. Future generations must keep all of that in front of them, as an example of the worst that can happen, so it will never happen again."

Dresch's experiences in Russia inspired her to mount a new production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at Palo Alto's Manhattan Playhouse. The show opens tonight.

The play, set in 1942 Nazi-occupied Holland, transforms the Holocaust from numbing statistics into a deeply personal experience. Eight people - two families and a dentist - hide in an attic, trying, against all odds, to escape the concentration camps.

The audience is drawn into the claustrophobic atmosphere, privy to the characters innermost fears, pains and dreams. Humor leavens the proceedings just enough, making the poignant passages even more affecting. What makes the play a classic is its ability to offer an uplifting aura, transcending the tragedy.

Jack Weissman, the Los Altos Hills resident who plays Otto Frank, Anne's father, visited the famous Anne Frank house while visiting Amsterdam; he draws on that experience in his performance. "When I was there, I imagined how I would feel in those circumstances. It was a very emotional thing," he recalls.

"In the final scene of the play, [when] Mr. Frank returns to the place where they had been hidden and reads the diary and thinks about Anne. It's so moving. I'm not a professional actor, but when I read the lines, it makes me want to cry."

Weissman, some of whose relatives in Russia where killed by the Nazis in World War II, believes that audiences are moved by the story even if they have no direct connection to the events.

"You really get lost in this play," he says. "It's so involving. You feel for these people. It has a message that should never be forgotten."

The other Jewish cast member, Mark Solomon of Redwood City - who portrays Mr. Kraler, the Dutchman who hides and feeds the Franks - agrees that the plays impact is wide-ranging.

"It's a story that has meaning perpetually, not just in its own time frame," he says. "It displays hope in time of difficulty. It's an important play not only to the Jewish audience, but for all people. It happens to be about Jews, but it relates to persecution generally."

Anita Khalat Bari of San Jose, a Persian who plays the Dutch secretary Mrs. Miep, is a case in point. "When I saw the movie of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' I was about 10," she recalls. "It made a great impression on me at that age, the way they had to be indoors so long, never seeing daylight. The way Anne always kept track of everything was remarkable. It inspired me to start writing a diary of my own. Her story has always stayed in my mind."

Similarly, 25-year old Natalie Skelton of Sunnyvale, who plays Anne Frank, feels a particular kinship with the character.

"I feel that I know her, that I've gone through some of the things that she went through, not in terms of the Holocaust or the horrors, but in the way that all adolescent girls share similar experiences," she says. "We go through basically the same things, no matter what the country or what the circumstances. I think that's the reason the play has been so popular for so long."

But for Skelton, the play has a relevance that goes far beyond the coming-of-age theme - particularly for young audiences. "To be persecuted for your religious beliefs is absolutely ludicrous," she says. "The play is so important in this day and age, because of all the hate groups that are around now."

"The Diary of Anne Frank" runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through December 5, 1992 at the non-profit Manhattan Playhouse.

by Paul Freeman, Jewish Bulletin Correspondent Read more!