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Humanizing the Maestro: Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein

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By Yuko Kurahashi

Hershey Felder’s Maestro (directed by Joel Zwick), one in a series of solo shows on famous composers, was staged at the San Diego Repertory Theatres’ Lyceum Stage from July 6-17, 2016. Capturing key moments in Leonard Bernstein’s life, Felder offers a truly memorable piece that humanizes the world-famous American conductor and composer. It gives voices to people who influenced Bernstein directly or indirectly, including his parents, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Demitri Mitropoulos, Serge Koussevitzky, and his wife of 27 years Felicia Cohn Montealegre.

Highlighting key events in Bernstein’s life, Hershey focuses on: Bernstein’s Jewish heritage, his encounters and relationships with world-renowned composers and conductors; his marriage to Felicia and homosexuality, his ambitions and successes as a composer, and failures as a composer. He ties these all together to his love of music and life   [Read more…]

Haitian Storytelling: The Last Tiger in Haiti at the La Jolla Playhouse

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By Yuko Kurahashi

The La Jolla Playhouse, in partnership with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presents Jeff Augustin’s The Last Tiger in Haiti, a play about “restavek” (child slavery in Haiti), directed by Joshua Kahan Brody, at the Mandell Weiss Forum through July 24, 2016. The playwright Augustin, of Haitian descent, chose to use the traditions of Haitian storytelling as a vehicle not only to expose child slavery but also question traditional and contemporary “story-telling” and its power.

Augustin depicts child slaves making up stories about their lives in a competitive way, shaping the stories in response to the comments of the listeners. In Haiti, the tradition is that a storyteller says, “krik” if one has a story to tell. Then the “listener” says “krak” if they are willing to listen. Using this set of call and response the stories in the play are comingled with folktales and religious traditions, while they also introduce the audience to the tragic reality of child slavery.   [Read more…]

2016 San Diego International Fringe Festival: Prepare to Be Amazed

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Sunday July 3 Final Day!

Just to make the point that everything is represented at the 2016 San Diego International Fringe Festival and that nothing is censored, along comes a work described as “Deplorable,” “Irredeemable,” and “Misogynistic bullshit.”

These are not my words but could describe The Chronic Single’s Handbook by Randy Ross quite accurately. On the other hand, this man’s “global search for love goes astray in Greece, South Africa, Cambodia, and Boston” could also be described as intelligent adult humor that is well-acted. No one said that you have to agree with everything that comes your way at the Fringe.   [Read more…]

2016 San Diego International Fringe Festival

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By Mukul Khurana

The 2016 San Diego International Fringe Festival arrived a month earlier than last year. There must be good reason, but it wasn’t announced. Almost everything else remains the same. Bi-national shows (San Diego and Tijuana being so close to one another) are now a fact since last year. The venues are pretty similar to last year too. However, this year, there are essentially two “centers.” Downtown has always been a base. Diversionary Theatre in University Heights got added to the mix.

Worth mentioning—the emphasis on nurturing the next generation of artists continues in the form of Family Fringe (7/2/2016 at the City Heights Performance Annex). Emerging Fringe (Competition for grades 7-12) happens the next day—7/3/2016 on The READER’S Spreckels Mainstage. The burst of creativity known as “The Fringe” also means buskers and street performers downtown and in Seaport Village. Enough said about logistics. Now, the creative and imaginative side.   [Read more…]

Circus Collective of San Diego

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By Mukul Khurana

It is important that we nurture and encourage the next generation of artists. The Circus Collective of San Diego pools just that kind of talent (the next generation kind…). Their stated mission is to “blur the lines between circus and theater.” Given their background, that means that the physicality of the circus will prevail over the emotionality of theater, right? How does a circus troupe merge acrobatics, juggling, contortion, and aerial arts with the hyper theatricality of a “noir performance?” Can it be done successfully?

Initially, the set design of Circustantial Evidence: The Crimson Canary was on the sparse side. The music telegraphed a clear message—it was a mystery—a “whodunit…” This is a good time to give credit to the excellent musicians in the piece. Gina Granier (Piano), Aaron Pratts (Trumpet), and David Bramley (Drums/Guitar) gave a consistently great performance. They underlined the mood of the acts perfectly. The cast assembled at the base of a pole. We got a sampling of circus acts to come. And then, the sets were assembled. The dialogue and set up pointed to a noir mystery.   [Read more…]

Joe DiPietro’s “Hollywood” at the La Jolla Playhouse

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By Mukul Khurana

In 1922, a popular Hollywood director was murdered. His name was William Desmond Taylor. Most of us don’t recognize that name, but his murder ushered in a new era—the Hays Era.

The Hays Production Code changed the way business was done in Hollywood—what could be shown or not shown. Except, Taylor’s murder did not directly usher in the Hays Era. That’s known as “artistic license” and has happened since time immemorial.

Be that as it may, Hollywood written by Joe DiPietro and directed by Christopher Ashley is a smart and sexy “Theater Noir” with a true story at its core. Beside the murder, the play delves into censorship issues—and morality. What was Hollywood about and what is it now?   [Read more…]

The Boy Who Danced on Air at Diversionary Theater

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By Mukul Khurana

Now that we are at war with Afghanistan, we are bound to find out a lot more about their culture. It is a cynical commentary on our society, but we don’t tend to acknowledge countries and cultures until we are at war with them—take Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq for instance—for us, they didn’t “exist” until we bombed them.

The dark aspect fascinating us now about Afghan culture is a practice called Bacha Bazi (known as “boy play” – a centuries old tradition wherein older men engage younger boys as dancers, singers, and, sometimes, sexually…). Ask the men who follow the tradition and they will tell you about mentorship and the chance for a good life they provide the young boys.   [Read more…]

Eleanor’s Story: A Book and a Stage Production Not to be Missed

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I met a woman named Eleanor Ramrath Garner early in April at a nice party at a beautiful Del Mar home with a wonderful view on a warm inviting sunny day.

The gathering had everything I like: delicious food; refreshing drinks; interesting witty people, scholars all, practically, filled with colorful stories to tell and they didn’t mind telling them.

Some of them had written doctoral studies and books and essays for professional publications. Eleanor happened to mention that she was an author. She didn’t say what her book was about but something about her made me want to read it. So I looked for it on Amazon.   [Read more…]

Our Lady of Kibeho at the Moxie Theatre

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By Mukul Khurana

Whenever we get the feeling that the world is a bad place and our times are really bad, it is worth remembering that we have been down that road before. The early 90s (otherwise known as the “good Clinton years”) were not so good in other parts of the world—Bosnia and Rwanda being such places. Whereas we got entangled to some degree in Bosnia, Rwanda was a totally different story. We did as little as possible.

Both saw horrific acts of violence on a massive scale. Neighbor turned against neighbor. Atrocities that cannot be described were perpetrated. What happened in the early to mid-90s in Bosnia, happened in 1994 in Rwanda in a more concentrated manner. An estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed between the months of April and July of that year. This genocide was aimed at the Tutsi population and it was carried out by the Hutus (two different ethnic groups that had sort-of coexisted in the “Switzerland of Africa,” as Rwandans liked to speak of their country).   [Read more…]

Feminism is Alive and Well in San Diego . . . but the Fight is Getting Harder

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On Mother’s Day, a group of about 30 women (and a couple men), some of the women mothers and some not, gathered at the Lyceum Theater to celebrate with champagne and listen to a panel of experts discuss “The (True) History of Feminism in San Diego”. The panel, assembled by the Women’s Museum of California, preceded a viewing of “Rapture, Blister, Burn”, a contemporary Pulitzer nominated play by Gina Gionfriddo – a funny and poignant feminist play running for another week that I highly recommend.

The panel, consisting of a politician, a research psychologist, both a professor and a masters student in women’s studies was moderated by Ashley Gardner, the Executive Director of the Women’s Museum.   [Read more…]

Jesse Egan, OB’s Funny Man and Host of “Tonight in San Diego”

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Egan Has Brought Laughs to OB for 16 Years

By South OB Girl / OB Rag

Long time OBcean, Jesse Egan, can be found these days hosting the late night talk show, “Tonight in San Diego”. If you attend a taping, or if you watch the show on-line – you are guaranteed a night filled with a ton of laughs!

You may remember Jesse from running stand up comedy at Winstons. Or as the host of “Think and Drink” trivia night at Winstons. He has been bringing laughs to OB for 16 years. And now via the YouTube based show, those laughs will be coming from people city wide, nation wide, and world wide.   [Read more…]

San Diego Latino Film Festival Highlights from Nicaragua, Argentina and Spain

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By Mukul Khurana

It isn’t often that we get to see films from Nicaragua. So, it makes sense to avail yourself of the opportunity to catch La Pantalla Desnuda (Nicaragua, 93 min. 2015) at the San Diego Latino Film Festival 2016. Part of the Viva Mujeres Showcase, this recent movie directed by Florence Jaugey, tells the story of Octavio and Alex (two friends from opposite ends of the social spectrum).

Octavio comes from a poor background. He is envious of his generous and charismatic friend Max, son of a landowner. The tension goes into drama when Max uses a cell phone to film himself making love to his girlfriend, Esperanza. The video gets leaked…
  [Read more…]

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