BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE
THEATER REVIEWS Los Angeles
Published & Edited by Joshua TRILIEGI
exclusively for
www.BUREAUofARTSandCULTURE.com
Table of Contents
1
PITY THE PROUD ONES Written by Kurt Dana MAXEY
Directed by Ben GUILLORY at Robey Theater Company / LATC
2
JUAN and JOHN By ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH
at LATC Downtown Los Angeles
3
JANE FONDA in the COURT of PUBLIC OPINION
Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica CA USA
4
Garbo' s Cuban Lover A Play at
Macha Theater in West Hollywood
5
Roger Guenveur Smith & Marc Anthony Thompson
TWENTY 20 : A Multi Media Performance Presentation
at The Hammer Museum in Westwood
THEATER REVIEWS L.A.
PITY The PROUD ONES
Written by Kurt Dana MAXEY
Directed by Ben GUILLORY
at Robey Theater Company / LATC
Runs through to mid Nov 2011 Review by Joshua TRILIEGI
Pity the Proud Ones currently playing at The Robey Theatre Company
at LATC Downtown is a complicated story to relay. It is the fourth
play to be produced directly from their writers workshop which develops
and assists writers in the creation of new works. For a play that takes
place in a House of ill repute, it is rather tame. Presented with a
formality
fitting for it's period. The subjects of sex, opium, slavery, and
politics
are handled almost as if we are watching a play that was written and
performed at the time this play is set : 1915. There is much talk of
history, the Cuban skirmishes of 1898 with Buffalo Soldiers, The
impending
war in Europe ( WWI ), the sinking of the Lucitania, Irish Slaves of
1649 and
the Seminole Indians. But at its core, this is an old fashioned story
about
family, secrets, inheritance and manhood. Loyalty, money and racial
history
mix together and the weather always plays a part in the moods.
Estranged family members reunite under arduous conditions, in this case,
the eye of a Hurricane. Although the location is set in Florida, it
could
be New Orleans, Cuba, maybe even Jamaica, early Australia or other
territory
where poor whites, enslaved and newly freed blacks come together, fall
in
love, go into business, have children and settle together. Protecting
one's
secrets, playing the society game, breaking the codes and getting ones
due
all come together in this five person ensemble that is tightly produced
and
interesting to watch. Martin O'Grady returns to the outback while a
storm
is brewing on the horizon. He was once a reluctant second generation
pimp
whom fell in love with his employee and had a son with another woman
years
ago. His son is an emancipated young man just a few shades darker than
his
irish blooded father. Apparently there is money owed and secrets afloat.
While Martin enjoys his drink and reveling in history, his son James is
set
on getting paid and taking to the road with Ella Mae whom works the
books
for the local Madame that just happens to be his Dad's ex employee and
lover,
Elizabeth Marie. Whom also shares business and pleasure with Pettigrew,
the
barkeep and somewhat of a mystery man in this tale. Elizabeth enjoys
her pipe
and is somewhat stuck between her past and everyone else's future.
Although
this is certainly an ensemble work of literature, the stand out
performance
when it comes to tone, period and personification is by Actor Dorian
Christian
Baucum playing James, who nails the style and body language in a way
that
allows us to truly believe where we are and that this is another time,
another
place. These are historical characters, but there is a mythical aspect
to them.
James struts and guffaws as if his best friend is the horse he rode on
to get here.
With a vocal stylization and stage presence that is both commanding and
endearing,
we want him to get his money, pay the Madame and get free. Although his
father
is reluctant to do so, he too would like to see his ' boy ' become a
man and by
the time things are wrapped up, we witness this act. But not before we
learn a
few things about Martin's history," Family is more than just blood ",
Elizabeth's
journey ," Were all owned by something or someone. " and James's
dilemma,
" Don't call me boy anymore."
Act two is energized by a Hurricane as well as an inspired performance
by
Ben Jurrand whom plays Pettigrew,a physically challenged character whom
has been damaged by history in a way that we hope Jamie does not have
to be.
A price that earlier generations paid, so young bucks like James could
go out
and kick some ass, as we hear about in the opening scene. Halfway
through the
play, Pettigrew repeats the line " I was thinking about discretion,
privacy
and the K.K.K. " As if James has not learned of these facts. Although
there
is talk of an uncle Pat whom was a priest and a Widow Fernandez whom
cooks
up a spicy paella, the play stays within its five person ensemble in a
traditionally structured style and set piece. The work is presented not
quite,
' in the round ', but perhaps as a two sided experience with the
audience on
either side of, and above the players, an interesting choice by the set
designer,
Miguel Montalvo, with costumes by Naila Aladdin Sanders. This is a
spirited
production which uses its space and ideas smartly and economically.
Caroline Morahan as Elizabeth Marie gives an emotional performance
which is
striking, raw and spent, in that her character's passion was used up
long ago,
although she is clearly young, lovely and lovable, we see the price she
paid
to get this far. One thinks of previous Madame's in famous literature
such as,
Steinbeck' s East of Eden or Nelson Algren' s , Walk on the Wild Side
and here
we see something completely different. A limbo state where being in
power is
powerless and " Being in love is too costly ". She tells us early on.
Ella Mae
is played by Staci Mitchell with a quiet reserve. Ella Mae is a
business woman
to be, but we get the sense that she will never run a house of ill
repute. With
eyes on Jamee or Jamie to her, she could supply him with enough
security so that
they may create a family of their own someday. This is a play written
with a heavy
past and a certain future for its characters, when it comes to the now
moments, there
aren't many. The Hurricane comes and goes, the characters resolve their
differences
but the damage done remains. We are left thinking about pasts, presents
and uncertain
futures after viewing this work. An interesting piece that conjures
history, taboos
and family secrets in an up close and intimate nature. We suggest this
Production.
I may even see this play again, later in its run, as director Ben
Guillory was present
and taking extensive notes, one gets the sense that this cast is just
warming up.
www.RobeyTheaterCompany.com
www.TheLATC.org
Review by Joshua TRILIEGI Tues OCT 25th
BUREAUofARTSandCULTURE
THEATER REVIEWS L.A.
JUAN and JOHN
Written & Performed by ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH
at The Los Angeles
Theater Center 514 S. Spring St. L.A. CA 90013
Review by Joshua A. TRILIEGI
Through to mid NOV 2011
In the Summer of 1965, a fight between two men on a baseball
field symbolized a planet in turmoil. A world grappling with War,
Racism and divisive Cultures. The Watts riots, the invasion of
the Dominican Republic, and the brawl at Candlestick Park as well
as biographical points in Roger Guenveur Smith's life collide to
create a quilt of ideas in this one person Theater work currently
playing at LATC.
The sounds of baseball crowds and the Beach Boys are the
backdrop for this scenario and memory plays a key roll in
all of this. Mr Smith confesses early on, " I have a war
inside my head / Yo tengo un guerra en mi cabesa " . So
does society & life is the cost. We learn about Baseball,
as well as Mr Smith' s look back at childhood, the summer
of '65 and the way in which black & brown politics has
completely devastated both groups to a degree that has
hurt both African Americans, Latin Americans and Sports
in general. How a war, a riot, race and competitive sports
boil into a young man's mind to create a fever dream that
evolves into a sort of Jeckyl & Hide experience which
starts and ends withhim burning a baseball card while the
radio D J' s repeat the mantra, " Burn Baby Burn ".
Roger flashes forward and back between his own experience as
a spectator and his personification of both John Roseboro,
the African American Catcher for the L.A. Dodgers and Juan Marichal
the Dominican - born San Francisco Giants' Pitcher. So you have young
Roger, the baseball fan whom knows nothing of Malcolm X and very
little of Martin Luther King, the adult Roger whom is going through
a separation of his own which is estranging to his daughter Luna.
You have John played with accents and body language and Juan, also
played via accent and rhythmic interpretation. Roger shifts from
each time and place at will, allowing us little time to catch up, he's
pitching fast and hard here. " Hey batter, batter , batter, hey batter,
Swing ! " Employing images of grade school photos, postcards from his
parents real life Motel, baseball imagery as well as war photographs of
the period sets the tone of this whirlwind experience and resolution of
the initial event which took some 20 or so years to finally resolve.
For some it may never be resolved, for Juan and John it was resolved
in the early nineteen eighties. Setting the backdrop for this skirmish,
Roger shares his own family's journey, commenting on the neighborhood
of Baldwin Hills where many of the streets begin with the prefix : Don.
" My mom lives on the corner of Don Cornelious and Don King ". Roger
has you laughing even when the streets are on fire.
Mr Smith's catholic childhood as well as his daughter's passing interest
of both this religion and the musical artist, Peaches are brought to the
fore in humorous vignettes that reveal life in all its unresolved
details.
Walter O' Malley, Chavez Ravine, Dodger History and Sandy Kofax' s
career highlights careen into a pastiche or gumbo of sorts that Roger
serves up spicy and in abundance. Apparently Kofax sat out for Yom
Kippur that season. Four months earlier, troops are on the ground in
Vietnam, while Martin Luther King states , " I strongly deplore the
violence and equally deplore the war in Vietnam ". Both Juan and John
have been oriented as soldiers. Roger tells us of brave men in the
sixties whom went to Washington D.C and self immolated ( burned
themselves)
for peace, while he went to Washington DC ( years later) to star in
films for
HBO, a kind of self depreciating biographical comparison that explains
how
different we all seem to be when compared to the heady and political
heroes
we often claim to emulate today. Hinting that Nobel Peace prizes are for
those whom stop war.
The actual event between Juan and John is central and secondary to this
overall
arching story. It all started when Dodger's Catcher John Roseboro
nicked Juan
Marichal while throwing the ball back to his pitcher Sandy Kofax. In
response,
Juan struck John Roseboro with a baseball bat. Both teams entered the
field
and a full on baseball ' riot ' took place. Marichal was suspended for
9 games,
fined & later ignored for years by the baseball Hall of Fame.
Surprisingly,
and as a testament to forgiveness, friendship and the human ability to
make
positive changes with our history, Roseboro visits Marichal some twenty
years
later in the Dominican Republic and resets the perceptions of this
divisive
period in our culture. The two men, their families and countries use
this meeting
as a symbol of forgiveness and transcendence of the past. A remarkable
fact indeed.
But not before we experience Roger's hilarious upbringing here in L.A.
with
moments in his parents Motel where Martin Luther King forgot to pay the
bill,
his mother dresses him as a saint and Bishop's are quick to slap him
around.
Personifying Roseboro, he tells us about his training with Roy
Campanella,
his Boy Scout experience as the only black kid in Ashland, Ohio and the
phone
calls which led to he and Marichal moving ahead from this incident. As
Marichal,
we learn that these two men had much more in common than either may have
understood at the time and both were manipulated by an atmosphere of
machismo,
competition and self hatred. Later, each man autographed photos of that
day.
Meanwhile, grown up Roger is separating with the mother of his daughter
Luna,
watching the modern day Dodgers deflect another recent violent event
where
two men are accused of attacking a fan of the San Francisco Giants on
opening
day at Dodger Stadium and resolving these issues through dialogue. By
the time
this show is over, we have witnessed a split personality ( Latin /
African) fused
into one. Juan and John become friends, Roger' s daughter forgives him
and we
realize that everyday events like this one, large and small do effects
us all.
Wars, headlines, public events and personal stories have a way of
prejudicing
our views of things, ultimately hurting us, hurting others and hurting
children
in the balance. Young Roger burns his Base Ball Cards in 1965, while an
adult
Roger watches his city burn to the ground, for a second time, for a
whole other
reason, although this fact is only intimated, as the play ends Roger
takes out
a match and lights it. We get the sense that there will be more fires
in the future.
But for now, this chapter is resolved. What will society throw at us
next time ?
Will we be manipulated ? This work of history, personal and public
gives us
something to think about regarding race, sports, politics and healing
through
forgiveness. It speaks directly to the aftermath of such events. Mr.
Juan Marichal
plans to attend the final matinee performance of this show in person,
that says a lot.
Marc Anthony Thompson provides imagery and musical aspects and co -
director
Patricia Mc Gregor both assist in creating a cohesive experience which
is both
educational & enlightening. For those unaware of Mr Smith's body of
work, Roger
is a Spike Lee regular, a student of the Yale School of Drama, he is
currently
teaching at Cal Arts and has worked with a number of Award winning Film
Directors.
He received an Obie for his Huey P. Newton Show which was later made
into a telefilm
on PBS. There is a discounted entry fee of ten dollars on Thursday
evenings at LATC .
This Play was originally a workshop Production - Joseph Papp Public
Theater in 2009.
It sold out performances at the West Coast Premiere - Kirk Douglas
Theater in 2011.
www.TheLATC.org (866)811-4111 514 S. Spring St. L.A. CA 90013
(between 5th & 6th)
BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE
THEATER IN L.A.
JANE FONDA in the COURT of PUBLIC OPINION
starring Anne Archer as Jane Fonda
Written & Directed by Terry Jastrow / Co - Director Michelle Danner
Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica CA USA
Review by Joshua TRILIEGI
Jane Fonda has been on trial for decades ( by public opinion)
ever since standing up for peace against the Vietnam War. Writer &
Director Terry Jastrow has crafted an interesting document which
describes the events that led up to Jane Fonda' s involvement in
the Peace movement of that incredibly divisive era in our History.
As well as a look back at that period via her confrontation with a
group of Veterans during a film shoot in Connecticut , June of 1988.
Mr Jastrow interviewed Ms Fonda as well as the veterans of this real
life meeting and travelled to Vietnam, even stayed at the same Hotel.
The set is St. Michael's Episcopal Church. A giant television set
towers above the players which conveniently displays actual television
newscasts and raw footage of this the first televised war, maybe even
the last one as well.
The Play is not only a history lesson, but also a cautionary tale.
It could be titled, " Six Angry Men Vs. Jane Fonda " with the pastor
of this church as the reluctant referee. Early on, Anne Archer as Jane
exclaims, " I am an American, just as much as any of you ". Sentiments
that the peace movement to this day seems to repeat to those on the
front lines of war, making this a very relevant conversation and an
engaging work of Theater. Through the TV, President Johnson tirades
in his trademark Texas drawl that, " We wage a War on Tyranny and
Aggression " . Sound familiar ? The parallels of repeating history
are startling to anyone paying attention. Hollow statements that make
no sense are echoed.The very act of war and aggression are tyranny
ultimately, and Vietnam is the worst example.
Jane works her explanations slow and deliberate while the soldiers
spew expletives that would make any other Lady of society wilt in
comparison. Understandably, these soldiers feel betrayed by the
stances of Fonda and her peace-nik pals which included Tom Hayden.
Jane : We shouldn't have been there. Soldier : Oh, Fuck you. Many
of the rumors, lies and outright propaganda of the sixties and
seventies have been solidified into exacting hate and vitriol by
the time ' Hanoi Jane' is filming in their state, here in 1988
during the height of the Regan era in America. Wearing pink toe
nail polish and blouse to match, Ms. Fonda attempts to dismantle
these opinions as she explains herself one event at a time, starting
with the draft ( 500 servicemen deserted daily ) and leading up to
Nixon's escalation of the war and the tragedy's and deaths at Kent
State University and on into her famous speech in Washington D.C.
and finally her appearance and photo session while visiting Vietnam
on top of Vietcong weaponry that was used against our own troops.
We see how this articulate and concerned young actress is used as
an agitprop and demonized by the press on both sides of the war.
To the point where her own father ( whom served in World War II )
receives death threats. When he requests that the FBI assist the
family, Jane' s reply is one in which she views her famous father
Henry being duped by the Feds: at this point, no one is trusted
wholeheartedly.
We learn through Jane' s confrontation's with the six soldiers,
five from 'Nam and one a World War II vet that, " 70% of US
Citizens were against the war in Vietnam ". By the time Jane
goes to Washington DC, she is backed by 100,000 marchers for
peace and has already toured the U.S. researching how people
feel about this extremely unpopular war. By the end of act I,
the vets are fighting among themselves. Real life vets are
shown on TV expressing their jaded acts of war.We are shown
footage of shootings, devastation and several presidents
exclaiming absurd strategies. The cast of players understand
that Jane is in a pressure cooker and the soldiers are suppliers
of this steam, although she loses several pounds in this atmosphere,
we never quite see her sweat. She has already been through the
events of this era and is here to put the record straight.
This is a wiser Jane having fallen long ago.Our referee/ pastor
is reluctant to break up the rounds, leaving Jane on the ropes
throughout.
There are strong performances by everyone in this ensemble.
Anne Archer's performance is solid, reserved and delicate,
in that she does not mimic, impersonate or affect to be Jane
Fonda as much as personify a professional woman under pressure
to explain herself, her views and ultimately apologize for some
of the mistakes, missteps and misgivings that were used against
her then and for some, to this day. Which makes this play even
more needed and full of tension than it might otherwise be.
With two wars and a questionable policy on wire taps, harassment
and surveillance of private as well as public persons whom have
stood up against these wars : Tim Robbins for instance. This is
a piece which could mean quite a lot to us as Americans at this
time. One thinks of the Frost / Nixon work that was later made
into a film as an example. There is a lot to write about here as
this is an extremely well researched work of Theater. All puns
intended. War is often described as ' theater ' , a grossly
inaccurate understatement that has always seemed to me a weak
way of belittling the consequences.
To the soldiers credit, whom begin to slowly cool out by quoting
John Lennon and Shakespeare, ultimately they too see Jane's view
and although this is no love letter, it is a kind of reconciliation .
Somehow Jane is able to prove that she too was on the front lines,
stood up for something and indeed also payed a mean price for doing so.
We see as an audience that fighting for peace is just as brave,
dangerous
and damaging as fighting for war. Who knew we all had so much in common?
Not every soldier agrees while Jane exclaims the famous Gandhi statement
that, " An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind ". Though, near
the
end of this energetic and thoughtful, heartfelt play, the World War II
Veteran, played here by Terrence Beasor makes the definitive tough guy
statement which sums up their view of Jane after this tumultuous
meeting,
" Jane, You've got some balls , Lady ". After viewing this work of
finely
crafted Theater, we agree whole heartedly. The final line of any play
has
always interested me, in this case, it says it all : " We all just
moved on ".
Spending 600 Billion Dollars on a war only to ' move on ' is a tragedy.
It is a good thing that Terry Jastrow, his cast and crew as well as the
brave programmers at Edgemar Center for the Arts, including Michelle
Danner,
their Artistic Director have not moved on. This is a great look back at
a
controversial era that to this day haunts us. We highly suggest this
play
which runs a limited engagement throughout November and early December
of
this year. Anne Archer has been nominated for an Academy Award and Terry
Jastrow has received seven Emmy Awards. James Giordano gives an
especially
jolted performance as one of the six soldiers as does Don Swayze whose
rage
and frustration eventually flow into something new. Chris Stone has
designed
an inspired set that is symbolic of the very war machine we all live in
to
this very day.
Reservations & Info ( 3 1 0 ) 3 9 2 -7 3 2 7
On Line Ticketing : www.
edgemarcenter.org
2437 Main Street in Santa Monica CA 90405
Review by Joshua TRILIEGI October 16th 2011 for BUREAU of ARTS and
CULTURE
All Rights Reserved International Intellectual Copyrights Apply Los
Angeles CALIF USA
BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE
THEATER IN L.A.
Garbo' s Cuban Lover
A Play at Macha Theater
Starring Lina HALL as GARBO
A Play at Macha Theater
www.machatheatre.org
Two words : Girl Power. When you think of a play called,
" Garbo' s Cuban Lover ", what comes to mind ? Well, what
comes to my mind is a kind of Che Guevera sort of character.
A strong male latin lover type, unshaven, outspoken, fiery,
bold. Ok, all the signs were there. The theater is called
Macha, as opposed to Macho.It is located in the very tony
section of West Hollywood. Uh, get where this is headed ?
If so, your sharper than me. I was surprised to discover
that Garbo' s Cuban lover, was a woman . Not necessarily
in real life, per se, for this play is a fictionalized
version imagined by the star, writer, co - director, the
theaters owner and producer of the play : Odalys Nanin.
Ms. Nanin has pieced together a kind of campy, bio romp,
with broad humor and the occasional film fact, address,
contract detail, hollywood gossip column and more than
anything a fun evening that flips the expectation of
mainstream audiences & film fans.The humor is not as
broad as say, " Women behind Bars " , which we caught
some years ago at The Roxy with Sally Kellerman in the
lead. Those familiar with Girl Theatre such as mainstays
like, " Last Summer at Blue Fish Cove " will enjoy this
show immensely.
Its bio - lite, relying mostly on the love story aspects,
the dynamics between the title character Mercedes de Acosta,
whom was a writer and poet contracted by MGM during the
golden years of Hollywood. Her friendships included Greta
Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Isadora Duncan & Pola Negri . In
this play, Nanin focuses on Greta Garbo & Marlene Dietrich
as well as the challenges of women whom were proud to be out
in the open, and those whom preferred to stay, uhm, inside.
Hollywood's 1930's sex secrets may seem old hat for today's
audiences, so Nanin and her cast take an approach that is almost
musical, when it comes to tone. One is expecting the cast to
step up and belt a tune or two. The shows unequivocal star is
Lina Hall as Garbo, whose stillness, dry humor and deadpan
deliveries make the most of each moment. Lina's reserve, focus
and other worldly energy put her in a category which definitely
takes you somewhere. There is a very clear meditative quality to
some actors and actresses that will transport you outside of the
theater and into the very place they are ' thinking about ' & we
go there with them. The look in the eyes tells us that we are not
sitting in a room in West Hollywood on a saturday night, but are
on an island with Garbo in another time and place. Hall does this
in spades and we too fall in love with her & Garbo.
The supporting cast includes Lisa Merkin whom finds many nice
moments as the consiglieri to Lina Hall's Garbo and ultimately
nemisis to Odalys Nanin' s Mercedes de Acosta whom dons the
famous tuxedo that Marlene Dietrich was famous for wearing
throughout hollywood during those golden years. John Nagle
brings a bold verve and satirical tone to the male characters
in the play which include Thalberg and other Hollywood types
within the genre's notions of the Hollywood Studios to this day.
Erin Holt plays a muse-like pixie and confidant to the title
character, with a kind of tinkerbell energy. She strings the
scenes and lighter tones together with a fun and outright sexually
liberated aspect. Adding an element of whimsy, a kind of living
female version of an Oscar statue.Elusive, flighty, ephemeral and
although she is playing Isadora Duncan here, a muse is more like it.
The politics of Love, Girls and Old Hollywood mix to show the
struggles of a Cuban female writer whom was talented, charismatic
and a bit of an innocent and small fish in a very small pond surrounded
by rather big fish. Laura Butler, co - director and cheerleader of
sorts
to this small but mighty Theater obviously cares deeply about her cast
and there is a strong sense of unity because of her. Shon LeBlanc does
an outstanding job with costumes. This is a 10th Anniversary reprise of
the play which runs through till October 30th, 2011 & Travels to London
England in the Spring of 2012.
www.machatheatre.org
BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE
THEATER IN L.A.
Roger Guenveur Smith & Marc Anthony Thompson
TWENTY 20 : A Multi Media Performance
The HAMMER Museum presented in conjunction with
Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980
A Pacific Standard Time Participant
Within minutes of entering the stage, Mr Smith utters the phrase,
" The future is now, and it is odd ". Anyone whose been aware of
politics, film, art or just life in America lately, would have to agree.
Roger Guenveur Smith and Marc Anthony Thompson have been
making groundbreaking Theatrical Presentations for Twenty Years.
The works have been engaging, personal, transformative and mono a
mono, in that Mr Smith lays out the performance alone while Mr Thompson
throws down the audio. Thompson other collaborators include Phillip
Glass.
Most famously they collaborated on A Huey P. Newton Story which won an
Obie Award & later adapted for the screen by Smith & directed by Spike
Lee , shown on PBS and is available on Netflix. Last year they unveiled
The Watts Tower Project here at The Hammer and it was one of the
tightest
and transfixing performances of the year. A personal look at The Watts
Towers through the eyes and ears of Mr Smith's own history here in L.A.
Twenty 20 is a different type of work altogether, so comparisons wont
really help describe it. Though, we could say that the Watts Tower piece
is a kind of Love song played by John Coltrane, whereas Twenty 20 is
more
of a working out type of Solo by Ornette Coleman, a difficult piece and
challenging work that addresses the hurt, the pain, the frustration of
images used against the black community. The work is meant to decipher
what has happened to, around and from within the black Los Angeles based
experience from 1960 to 1980, as a kind of companion piece to the
exhibition
currently at the Hammer Museum through to January 8, 2012.
We see no pictures of Malcolm or Martin. But the feeling of loss is
everywhere.
There is a hip, Shakespeare - Narrator - like quality to Mr Smiths
performance
here. A slow and methodical pace that eases us into his world, before
entirely
blasting us. In Gil Scott Heron's song, " The Revolution will not be
televised " ,
there is a lyric that says, " We will see no pictures of pigs shooting
down
brothers in the instant replay .. " or something to that effect.
Well, this piece
could be called, " The Revolution will be televised ", as Mr Smith
relies heavily,
more than usual, on video imagery, mostly culled from media :
Television Shows,
News Reports,Surveillance Video & Sit coms. As if to say , this is what
you
think of us, well this aint whom we are M*ther F*ckers . Its a serious
work that
had me in tears mid way.
The sight of slave ship schematics, repetitive word dynamics, distorted
images
of a beautiful culture misinterpreted by a white west coast media for
so many
years has led to some serious blasphemizing (new word) of that beauty
ever since
this whole experience began. The video we see is purposely distorted,
Soul Train
dancers twist into globs of motion, images of smiling TV characters
that once made
us laugh with lines like," What You Talkin' bout Willis ?" or that
famous catch
phrase " Dyyyyynnnnooooooomiiite ! " Thompson and Smith are giving us
a chance
to revision what it was like for the black community in Los Angeles to
be black
and deal with 1960 - 1980. Yes, there were some advances as the lady
with the
questions after the performance exclaimed. But this is not a
celebration of all
things black, per se, this is a chance for whitey , ( me and some of
you, too)
to feel what it would be like to deal with this period. One senses that
this
piece, like a Classical Composer or Architect or Oil Painter is a
intermediary
step toward several new works that will bloom into major works for both
Mr Smith
& Mr Thompson. The drawings and sketchbooks that lead to a whole other
period,
the sonata that leads to the fifth symphony or the house that leads to
the castle.
If Jackie Robinson ran it home after every single hit, would we still
be watching ?
This is like a complicated sculptural painting of the American Flag by
Thornton Dial.
These are artists and Twenty 20 is their,'Hardcore' Rap, if you will.
This is
their NWA as Mr Smith hints at in the opening monologue. It was an
entirely
sobering work, unlike some of the intoxicating pieces like Watts Tower,
Huey P.
Newton & others. Breaking expectation, shocking your audience,
startling tradition,
is the artists role. Especially here at the Hammer, which prides itself
on cutting
edge programming, thoughtful survey and groundbreaking works of art
that make us
think about and see life in a new and interesting way. Uh, mission
accomplished.
That is not to say that Twenty 20 was humorless or tragic, the whole
first section
was laced with that special blend of comedy Mr Smith is famous for.
Audience
members could be heard laughing up a storm at many of the in jokes and
stylistic
radio DJ like personalities that Mr Smith personified in this deep and
in your
face experimental work, but when the jokes stopped flowing and the
imagery switched
to show us another side, the audience was hushed and Roger had us on
the ground
arms above our head, sirens roaring and lights flashing, 'you are under
arrest'.
This was more of an education than an entertainment or what do they say
?
Edutainment. Another new word. Who says we cant make up new words ? We
just did.
We can safely say that the spirit of folks like Gil Scott Heron, Huey,
and the
edgier of the African American side of Art, Music and Politics were
smiling in
on this one. As for the kind lady from Alabama, whom came to see the
celebration
of these years, well, excuse me for quoting the man in the lobby after
the gig,
and he was quoting the late great blacklisted singer and activist, Nina
Simone ,
" Every body knows about Mississippi , God Damn ". Its a song lyric
people,
just a song. But one that changed the way I think of things the first
time I
heard it. Twenty 20 just did the same. That is what effective
performance does.
Changes you plenty.
Another collaboration between Roger Guenveur Smith and Marc Anthony
Thompson
entitled, " Juan and John " opens at Los Angeles Theater Center on
October 20, 2011.
Mr Thompson will also be on the road with his band, Chocolate Genius
Incorporated.
For Tickets to Juan and John at LATC :
www.thelatc.org
For a Complete Calendar of Hammer Events :
http://hammer.ucla.edu/calendar/calendar
http://bureauofartsandculturelosangeles.blogspot.com/p/theater-in-
la.html
All Rights Reserved Intellectual Copyrights Apply to Joshua A. TRILIEGI
Los Angeles CA USA
