Center Theatre Group Blog

Mike Sablone is CTG’s Literary Associate, starting left fielder and third-string shortstop for Dark Monday, the CTG softball team.

I told myself like I always do: it will be a quick weekend of shows in New York. I’ll go in, catch BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON at the Public, see two more shows, then fly back, refreshed.

Per usual, that plan got thrown out immediately once I looked at what else was playing.

The thought process went something like this:

“Jesus! CORALINE is in previews?!?! David Greenspan, Stephin Merritt, Neil Gaiman AND Leigh Silverman? Did they design this show specifically for me? I have to see this. Right away. In fact I’ll land Friday at 5, go directly to the theater and then my trip will be off to a great start (which proved to be true)…”

And then it’s:

“Jenny Mudge! I’ve got to see her in THE PHILANTHROPIST! I’ve known her forever! We go way back! I can catch a Saturday matinee of that show…”

Which was then chased by:

“Wait, I can see all three of Tarell McCraney’s plays at the McCarter under the title THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS on Sunday? His plays are hauntingly beautiful and I can only hope that the productions do his vision justice (I was not let down. They are gorgeous productions of stunning plays, especially IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER.)…”

Which was quickly followed by:

“Wait, they added a Monday evening performance for 33 VARIATIONS? Written and directed by Moisés Kaufman, featuring much of the design team for our BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO? Regardless of all of that (which was enough for me to see the show), it has an old friend of mine, Scott Barrow, in an ensemble track. I mean he was my roommate for two years in New York. We shared a one bedroom apartment that had a shower in the living room which was also the kitchen. And two years earlier I had to go on for him in a show I was stage managing when he sliced his knee open on tour. Why would I not see this show? Plus if I go on Monday I can tell them about the (justifiably) good reviews for BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO…”

And then it’s Tuesday and I’m seeing JACKSON for the second time. Five days. 8 shows. Not sleeping. But seeing talented people in wonderful shows back to back to back to back to…well you get it.

Which equals me arriving back in Los Angeles this past Wednesday. Satiated, but frigging exhausted.

It was completely worth it.

Next week I devote an entire blog entry to BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON: THE CONCERT VERSION.

Here’s a sneak preview: it’s frigging awesome.

Mike Sablone is CTG’s Literary Associate, starting left fielder and third-string shortstop for Dark Monday, the CTG softball team.

I was working on a blog posting of the favorite rap and hip-hop tracks/videos from the creative team of VENICE, but along that way got distracted by various YouTube videos. I mean, how could I not watch the extended “Fight The Power” video over and over again?

But it wasn’t just old Public Enemy videos that got me excited. It was a handful of remixes. That I shall share with you.

Just because. Stop asking so many questions. Jeez.

I start, first, with the Auto-Tune The News guys, Michael and Andrew Gregory. Their newest: Obama Flashback, is pretty great, but to me nothing matches “Auto-Tune the News 2: Pirates. Drugs. Gay Marriage.” Good god I love this video.

Before you watch, a warning: It’s insanely catchy. Seriously, I’ve had it in my head for the past two weeks. Mostly because Katie Couric is a genius. The other parts are great, but better once you understand the lyrics. Helpful hint: download the mp3, specifically for that Angry Gorilla section which is unintelligible in the video.

I’m thinking about telling the guys for VENICE that if we need more laughs, we kick up the auto-tune. Because, frankly, everything does sound funnier with auto-tune.

Case in point. Who doesn’t love Vince Shlomi? Who is Vince Shlomi, you ask? Do the words ShamWow and Slap-Chop mean anything to you? They don’t to me. But you know what does mean something to me? Rap Chop.

Side note, if anyone knows where the kid is that shows up 1:18 into the video wearing the Nike sweatshirt, please tell me. I need him to teach me his sick dance moves.

You know what the songs in VENICE are not like? This Domino’s Pasta commercial:

Dominos Pasta DUDE!

The best thing about this is not the terrible, terrible “rapping pasta” but the families justifiably frightened response to a rapping piece of pasta. It’s like the ad execs had an idea, then were so mortified by it that they had two of the people in the ad revolt. Good work Domino’s, good work.

This last one isn’t auto-tuned, or rap, but the spirit of cutting and pasting and remixing is brought to another level with “Thru You: Mother of All Funk Chords”:

What Kutiman (the artist) does here and in seven or so other videos available on YouTube is phenomenal. Sampling, remixing, cutting and mashing-up these video and audio snippets to make not only his own song, but a clever video as well, is a rare talent.

I’ll have more hip-hop postings soon, but those will have to wait a bit. I’m heading to New York next weekend to see BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON and need my brain to switch from hip-hop to post-punk power-pop.

I’m hoping this mashup will help me put the nail in the coffin of the bastardization of the rap/rock genre by creating JUDGEMENT NIGHT: THE MUSICAL.

Caitie Hannon is the Grants Associate for Center Theatre Group

Three exciting things happened last Thursday - I got to hang out in the Douglas lobby with a group of young professionals talking about what kind of theatre they love; I got to see a really exciting and promising workshop of a hip-hop musical; and I ate dinner at Chipotle.  All in all, a very exciting evening.  Let me break it down for you.

We’re planning to start a Young Professionals group at CTG and thought we’d talk to people from our target age range (22-35) to get feedback.  So we told some of our corporate donors to spread the word that we were looking for young professionals to survey, expecting 25 or so to show up.  We ended up getting 50 RSVPs, which is how I became involved - we had only been planning on having two staff members, and since that wasn’t going to be sufficient, I was asked to come along.  I was thrilled, as much of what I do involves sitting at a computer and writing grant applications … I definitely enjoy writing, but human to human contact is always a nice change.

The discussion was great - my group had a lot of good ideas, and was very excited about all of the possible benefits we discussed.  If I didn’t already work here, I’d totally join - who wouldn’t want to meet lots of young, fun L.A. folks and see some good theatre?

So after the discussion, the focus group members went to Rush Street for dinner and drinks, and I met up with my brother at Chipotle.  More on that in the last paragraph…

After dinner, we all met back at the Douglas to see a workshop of Venice, the aforementioned hip-hop musical.  Having seen Clay last season at the Douglas (which was written by the same folks that wrote Venice - Matt Sax and Eric Rosen), I was really looking forward to this sneak peek at their latest adventure.  They had invested a lot in this piece already, and their passion definitely showed.  The performance was a blast - the cast was incredibly talented, some of the music and lyrics were stuck in my head all night (in a good way - an “I want the soundtrack” way, not an “I can’t get that song from Annie out of my head” way), and it was great to see a new side of Matt and Eric’s writing.  The talkback with Matt and the cast afterward was fascinating and we got to hear all about their process (they learned their roles over a few weeks amidst constant re-writes - and yet most of the cast members were impressively off-book).

And finally, Chipotle was delicious, and I had leftovers that I wanted to save for later, so before the show started I went backstage to put them in the fridge - and ran into Matt in the hallway.  Man, I hate it when I get star struck.  It’s embarrassing, I mean, this is a normal guy who just happens to be incredibly talented.  I was too speechless to say or do anything other than smile shyly and look down while bee lining for the fridge.  After we left the green room, I nervously turned to my brother and asked, “Did I play it cool?  Was it totally obvious that I’m a ridiculous fan of his?”  He reassured me that Matt probably hadn’t even noticed I was there, and I breathed a sigh of relief … and, of course, after the show I completely forgot that my Chipotle was in the fridge and left without it.  Sigh.  Oh well, hopefully the cast got to eat it.

Kelly Karbacz and Bryan Terrell Clark (front) and the company of “Venice” by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen in a workshop presentation in DouglasPlus at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.  Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Actor Glenn Davis plays Tom, an American soldier, in the upcoming Kirk Douglas Theatre world premiere production of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Moisés Kaufman. He will be contributing to the CTG blog periodically as the show gets ready for the stage.

So we’re rehearsing on a Saturday afternoon and it is absolutely thrilling. Moisés just got back from NYC. He was there to speak at an event.  Jimmy, his asst., led rehearsal yesterday. We had a run- through of the show and it was great.

This play is extremely satisfying in every sense. It’s exhilarating for everyone in the room it seems. I was telling Arian, who plays Musa, just how pleasing it is to come to work every day and feel like you are a part of something. It never feels like work actually. Every once in a while, an actor is handed a script that you just can’t put down until you finish reading. I must have read it 5 times before we started.

We’re all ready to jump into tech. We just saw the set and the cage for the tiger. It’s pretty amazing. The lighting looks great. Everything is just coming together nicely. The more they tell us not to get onto the stage the more everyone wants to get up there. Moisés tells us his techs are notoriously brutal so I’m sure we will get our fix fairly quickly.

So says Kirk Douglas, the star of our current sold-out hit, Before I Forget, running through this weekend at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.  (A cancellation line begins forming one hour before each show…good luck.)

Mr. Douglas, 92, received universal praise for his performance in the one man-show, which he also wrote.   If you have been in theatre as long as some of us have, you will agree that it’s a very rare thing when critics come together like this.  Perhaps we should send Mr. Douglas to Capitol Hill…we’d have universal health care before you can say “Spartacus.”

Los Angeles Times review
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/03/before-i-forget.html

Los Angeles Times Culture Monster – Opening night coverage
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/03/catherine-zeta.html

Variety review
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939826.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

Hollywood Reporter review
http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSTRE52819J20090309

Orange County Register review
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/douglas-kirk-lancaster-2327857-burt-michael

L.A. Weekly review
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/stage-news/stage-raw-before-kirk-douglas

L.A. Splash – review
http://www.lasplash.com/publish/Los_Angeles_Performances_116/Kirk_Douglas_One_Man_Show_Review.php

E! Online – opening night coverage
http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/71568/index.html

Check out the audience reaction to Danny Hoch’s Taking Over and the vibe from the opening night party last Friday night at the Kirk Douglas Theatre!

Danny Hoch discusses his new show Taking Over, currently playing to rave reviews at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

“VIBRANT THEATRICAL JOURNEY… reaches out to audiences in a capacious, 21st century Whitmanesque embrace.”
- Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times

THIS JUST IN! – Backstage Pass has learned that Danny Hoch (world-renowned hip hop artist, theatre-maker and star of Taking Over soon opening at the Kirk Douglas Theatre) will be appearing live at the LA Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium on January 15 for a conversation about gentrification.

Poet and solo artist Jerry Quickley moderates this fascinating discussion, part of the Library’s ALOUD series. Details and reservation information can be found by clicking here.

You can’t beat the price - tickets are FREE but reservations are required. And please note this is not the Mark Taper Forum on the Music Center campus but at the OTHER Taper Auditorium here in downtown…

Photo by Joan Marcus