Brea Improv Provides Laughs and Points to Ponder

What constitutes entertainment? It’s kinda like going to Vegas: you invest some money hoping to get a big return. Brea Improv will give good odds for a winning night out on the town.

If you haven’t been to Downtown Brea, you should check it out. It’s got that quaint/urban feel to it with apartment lofts nestled over boutique stores, restaurants, theaters, and The Improv, which hosts headliners who’ve been on all the late night talk shows. You don’t have to drive all the way up to Los Angeles to see comedic talent. We’ve got it right in our own OC and it’s a fun night.

Friday night’s warm up act, Jason Jones, had the perfect mixture of naughty and nice. His boy-next-door face and impish smile let him get away with tequila laced zingers that had the house in stitches, even if I did have to go back to my college days to relate. Loved his homeless man talking on a cell phone joke…just how hard is it to get out of these cell phone contracts?

I was looking forward to the night’s headliner, Michael McDonald, who reached fame with his tenure writing, producing and starting on Madtv as Stuart Larkin. McDonald grew up in Fullerton, attending OC Catholic schools, St. Juliana’s and Servite High School. Me being a Catholic girl attending Marywood High School in Villa Park, I felt a childhood kinship for the man I never met.

He started his set saying he was trying out new material, which frankly I feel should be saved for week night gigs. Friday and Saturday stand up should be your best set, not a dress rehearsal. That being said, McDonald tells a great story with comedic timing. He’s at his best when his physical comedy is given room to roam.

McDonald closed his set by commenting on today’s ever lowering standard of reality tv, calling it a Circus of the Horrible. I completely agree, and let me add my two cents about the recent increase in people videotaping anything to get clicks, views and instant internet infamy. Burger King bikini assaults and Teen Mom front yard fist fights leave me shell shocked and in tears for what our society now sees as instant entertainment. We have a freakishly morbid curiosity to watch train wrecks and these internet clips have become the new freak show in the Circus of the Horrible. I hope an internet renaissance is on the horizon, because I don’t think I can stomach anything lower than what our so called news stations are choosing to offer up as food for our brains and souls.

Andy Worhol said everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, this is becoming a reality and people now look for the easiest way to get noticed. How can this trend be turned around? I don’t know, but I’m open to discovering answers.

Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach

This is the summer of the Staycation.  Finances are tight so I'm doing day trips around Southern California for our family summer fun.  One of the events I've been waiting years to do with my son is Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach.  It sounds strange to describe on paper, but it's magical to witness first hand.  Originally entitled The Living Pictures in 1932, the tableaus were created by vaudevillain Lolita Perine for the Laguna Festivals of Arts.  She dressed local residents in costumes and seated them behind a makeshift frame, creating a life size tableau.  The models within the frame would freeze in their tableau, fascinating viewers of all ages.

It was the summer of 1983 when I became a volunteer model at the pageant. I worked at the famous La Brisas restaurant on the cliffs of Laguna, overlooking the Pacific during the day and would perform in the pageant each night.  It was the 50th anniversary of the pageant and my painting was entitled Empress Eugenie and the Ladies of her Court. I've looked all over for the actual slide of our tableau. It's somewhere in my garage full of memorabilia and I'm sure it will turn up someday.  Here's a look at the painting we honored:

(I portrayed the lady-in-waiting in the blue gown touching the flowers)

Many years have passed and now I'm attending the pageant once more; not as a model, but as an audience member thrilled to be sharing this live art experience with my son. We had dinner at my old haunt, Las Brisas, then took the free trolly to the pageant entrance.

  
My son's a bit of an artist (he creates his own comic books) so I basked in the glow of his persuing the children' artwork gracing the festival courtyard.

 The secret here is to save your POM ticket.  It will gain you admittance to the festival courtyard all summer long for viewing the artwork and listening to the concerts on the grass. Bring your picnic basket of wine and cheese, lawn chairs and enjoy.

We had a few minutes before the lights went down.  I snapped a photo of the amphitheatre as we were sitting down and an usher immediately came and informed me that photography in the amphitheater was forbidden (Perhaps they don't want people to know about all the ghosts haunting the grounds.  Look closely at the photo...see the orbs? Ghost hunters say these are supernatural energies.  With so much history on these grounds, it makes sense for lost souls to dwell in such a magical place).

The lights go down and the audience settles under the open air.  Music and stars fill the night as the Narrator weaves a spell of the year's theme: Eat, Drink & Be Merry.  My son was mesmerized as paintings, tapestries and sculptures were revealed under the evening stars. I hope he remembers this night forever. I know I will.  

Pageant of the Masters - where art comes to life is an internationally acclaimed 'living pictures' production that combines the worlds of theater and art. Under the guidance of an experienced and talented staff, volunteers are magically transformed into life-sized re-creations of classical and contemporary painting, sculptures and other works of art.  Presentations are accompanied by the music of a full orchestra and live narration in a beautiful starlit amphitheater in Laguna Beach. Eat, Drink & Be Merry, the 2010 Pageant of the Masters will devote its uniquely theatrical celebration of the art of tableaux vivants to share that sense of exuberant joy reflected in breathtaking re-creations of inspirational artworks.  Performances are held nightly at 8:30 p.m. through August 31, 2010. Tickets for Pageant of the Masters are $15-$100.  Pageant of the Masters ticket holders can present their stub at The Festival of Arts front gate for free admission all summer long. For general information, call 949-494-1145 or visit the website at www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org.  The event is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA.  Proceeds support the arts and art education in and about Laguna Beach.

Two Nostalgic Date Night HITS and one big MISS for July

Lately I’ve been searching out theaters I’ve never visited to learn more about all OC theater has to offer. Here are two hole in the wall venues, both offering up a bit of nostalgia for your entertainment:

If you know anything about being a Baby Boomer, Boomers, produced by the American Coast Theater Company at the Lyceum Theater on the Vanguard University Campus in Costa Mesa will take you down memory lane. You may not be a Boomer, but maybe your crazy Aunt Dolores was a hippy who always smelled funky in an herbal sorta way …or maybe you’re like me: a tail end Boomer, prone to wearing corporate casual and stuck in corporate bondage. Boomers is a musical medley which weaves together television theme songs and top 40 hits from the past 50 years, illustrating the journey of the Baby Boomer generation. Even if you’re a whipper-snapper in your 30’s, you’ll still get a kick out of the musical journey of our past decades set to music. 

Television hits like Glee and American Idol with overproduced musical soundboard mixing might make the musical quality of Boomers seem a bit thin, but there’s quality to be found in the script and the ensemble cast, especially Tameca DeVant’s ability to belt out some soulful riffs. A bit young to be a boomer, she was definitely cast for her strong singing chops and not her birth year. Take your Signif Other, take your Mom or Dad. You’ll have a good time. Boomers gets a nice warm fuzzy HIT from Drama Momma.  Shows run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through July 18.  Check Vanguard University's website for ticket information.

Stages Theater in Fullerton has another trip into the past with a late-night 10pm adaptation of The Twilight Zone television show that’s worth the drive over to Fullerton for a unique date night night-cap. Getting back past midnight too late for you and the babysitter? Tell your son to take his hot date there. He’ll thank you in the morning. Several Twilight Zone episodes rotate performances and you’ll be treated to two episodes with no intermission. I saw Five Characters in Search of an Exit and Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? Both had excellent ensemble casts and the adaptations remained true to the original tv scripts, if memory serves. I was taken back in time to when I was a little kid sitting in front of my family’s black & white Zenith, where I really was afraid to touch that dial as the announcer said my tv had been taken into another dimension. Stages gets a Drama Momma HIT for their Twilight Zone adaptations. I hope they keep doing more TZ adaptations as an ongoing late night offering. It’s like  going back to a favorite restaurant over and over for the most awesome desserts.

I also saw Stages’ 8pm show, Spring's Awakening, which would be considered their main course on the menu. Suffice to say if it was a meal, I’d send it back. Stages Theatre leans towards theater pieces not normally part of the OC fare, and I pride them for their experimental nature, but when choosing pieces for their season this adaptation of the 1890’s German play should have been skipped. What was a controversial and shocking play in the late 1800’s bears no relevance in today’s society. Productions of Shakespeare’s works are still successful today because the scripts hold a depth of human truth that still ring true and directors can use their individual visions, tweaking Shakespeare’s concepts to help it speak to today’s audiences. Stages’ Spring's Awakening isn’t a world famous piece and even though I researched the historical aspects of the script I still felt like I needed my old high school Cliff’s Notes to understand the symbolism being used. The Ingénue, Wendla, is the only character who’s in her thigh high pantaloons with layers of slips and skirts being pantomimed. At first I thought we were witnessing a costume malfunction, which is every actor’s nightmare: being on stage in one’s underwear. Call me stoopid, but if a theater is going to do an obscure experimental adaptation, I think it would be wise to use some space in the program for the director to share his vision and give the audience a bit of a heads up. Is it to be a modern piece, perhaps with today's insane teen sexual pressures and cutting, like the promo picture implies or a period piece as the on stage mixed bag of costumes suggest? None of it gelled into a cohesive product. I was left confused and frustrated (Not sexually. Theatrically).

I must give kudos to three young actors who successfully tread through a horrendous script. Samantha Aneson successfully gave Wendla the naiveté and sweetness of a pure spirit trying to understand the complexities of life while being kept in the dark. Aneson’s Wendla truly was the little lamb being offered up to the lion. Adam Evans’ Moriz Stiefel was a joy to watch. He gave 110% commitment to his character and I became invested in watching his journey into oblivion. Ashley Bravo as Mrs. Gabor, although miscast in age to play a mother, had commitment of character to successfully pull the audience along the precarious path of the play’s story line. If nothing else, Stages’ Spring Awakening gave some experimental stage time to young performers working on their craft, which is never a bad thing. 

Drama Momma rates Stages Theater's Spring's Awakening as a MISS, but still recommends you visit them for their Twilight Zone late night shows. I’ll be interested to see how this theater group handles an iconic piece of American theater, Our Town, opening in August. I bet I can leave my Cliff's Notes at home.

Free Movie Mondays @ OCPAC

Orange County of the Performing Arts Center

kicks off 

FREE MOVIE MONDAY

JULY 12

WIZARD OF OZ

Guests encouraged to dress as their favorite character; prizes will be given for the best costumes

WHAT

The Orange County Performing Arts Center’s enormously popular FREE Movie Mondays on the community plaza returns this summer beginning July 12 with the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.

    The Center will again hold fun and entertaining pre-performance theme contests for this summer’s film screenings. For The Wizard of Oz, guests are invited to dress as their favorite character from the film. The best costumes will win prizes such as tickets to the Orange County Fair, goodies from Broadway shows scheduled to appear in the Center’s 2010-11 season and other fun-filled prizes. The contest is open to all moviegoers and will start at approximately 7:30 p.m.

    The alfresco film series is held on the Center’s community plaza with the films projected on the side of Segerstrom Hall. Guests are encouraged to bring beach chairs or other easily portable seating items. Set-up begins at 5:30 p.m. with the movie starting at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.). Guests may bring their own snacks and picnic suppers. Barbecues and similar food preparation will not be permitted.

    The rest of the summer’s Movie Mondays line-up includes:

July 19 - Some Like it Hot 

July 26  - Oliver!
    August 2 - Dirty Dancing
    August 9 - Mad Hot Ballroom
  

WHERE

Orange County Performing Arts Center community plaza

600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa 92626

                  

WHEN

Monday, July 12, 2010
        Set-up begins at 5:30 with the contest scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
        Movie starts at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.)

The Circus is Coming to Town!

When I was a child I dreamed of being one of those lovely ladies in a pink ballet outfit standing on the back of a silvery gray circus pony, both of us wearing fluffy pink marabou feathers atop our heads. We’d prance and leap, with me pointing my ballet slippered toes with long pink ribbons crisscrossed up my legs.

Some people love the elephants, or the tigers, or the stunt motorcycles that whirl in circles within a huge metal ball. Me, my favorite circus act will always be the ponies. I'd imagine myself with beautiful hair, makeup and performing the most graceful of tricks that would win the audience's applause and adoration. It’s a fantasy I’ll still have in my head when I take my son to the circus for the very first time, and I can’t wait to see which circus star he’ll become in his dreams.

Coming to the OC and LA this Summer:

The World Famous Barnum and Baily Circus!

MOM Ticket Discount!!!

Get a very special MOM discount: There's a Four-Pack Offer on select performances or $4 off single ticket prices on select shows. The discount can be redeemed online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000 . To redeem, use the discount code “MOM” .

Los Angeles - Staples Center: Wednesday, July 14 – Sunday, July 18
1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles 90015
- Wednesday, July 14 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 15 – 12:00pm; 7:30pm
- Friday, July 16 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 17 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, July 18 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

Inland Empire - Citizens Business Bank Arena: Wednesday, July 21 – Sunday, July 25
4000 Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764
- Wednesday, July 21 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 22 – 7:30pm
- Friday, July 23 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 24 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, July 25 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

Orange County - Honda Center: Wednesday, July 28 – Sunday, August 8
2695 E. Katella, Anaheim, CA 92806
- Wednesday, July 28 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 29 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Friday, July 30 – 10:30am; 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 31 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, August 1 – 1:30pm; 5:30pm
- Tuesday, August 3 – 7:30pm
- Wednesday, August 4 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Thursday, August 5 - 10:30am; 7:30pm
- Friday, August 6 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Saturday, August 7 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, August 8 – 1:30pm; 5:30pm

Enjoy the circus with your family.

It's another wonderful way to create memories and inspire dreams.

 

My Take on Tanaka Farms

Last weekend my boy and I spent a few hours with the OCFamily.com bloggers getting all natury at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We were invited to come check out their new Cookout Tours, and I've gotta say, I had a blast. maybe even more than the kids. i think it goes back....way back to my ancestry...or my roots, if you get my farming drift. I'm from hearty, big boned Scottish farmers who immigrated to America (legally) just a few generations ago (think of the young Mel Gibson or Collin Farrel wearing a Scottish kilt. Go ahead. I'll wait.)

So, there's a big part of me that's very comfortable out in the garden and I was kinda in heaven being on an actual working farm. We got to take a short tracker ride out to the farm where we were given lots of farming trivia and instructions on how to harvest our veggies. the kids were itching to run out to the fields and pick their veggies (chard, zucchini and sun golden tomatoes)

After picking the veggies that were to become our lunch, we took a short hike past rows and rows of corn, a humongous Agave plant (just now getting into the 'Agave syrup instead of sugar' craze) and some avocado trees where we weren't supposed to do any harvesting, we were in the dining camp. Yep, it's basic, so don't be expecting it to be like dining alfresco at Fashion Island. There's shade, water, a makeshift kitchen prep area and lots of tables & chairs for relaxing with your bountiful harvest.

There are also port-a-potties. Tip: go to the bathroom before your daytrip and careful how much you pre-hydrate. The port-a-potties were clean, but who wants to have to use one?

Once your veggies with added tofu have been steamed on the open Bar-B-Q, you get to relax and enjoy your meal. Me, I loved it, since I've been trying to buy more fresh veggies and eat healthier these days. The boy was game for eating most of his lunch (passed on the tofu) and went off to play with the other kids on the bails of hay.

After lunch, we got to harvest our dessert straight from the strawberry fields. Now this was fun! We were given a luxurious 15 minutes to pick out the most succulent orbs of the crop, fill our little strawberry basket and eat as many juicy berries as we could stuff into our bellies. You've never seen so many kids with strawberry stained faces, shirts and pants!

 We got back into our limo (tracker haul) for another short ride back to civilization that is OC. The boy's review: thumbs up. My two cents: the day wasn't suited for families with babies or folks who aren't prepared to do some walking, but if you want to get your kids out of the urban sprawl and have a couple of hours to kill before heading off to the beach, then Tanaka Farms is definitely for you. let your kids pick the veggies and watch them actually enjoy eating them. Who knows, maybe you'll go all green and plant some veggies in your own backyard.

Our Big Night Out seeing Disney’s The Lion King @OCPAC

I took my own little cub to see Disney’s The Lion King this weekend. Planning a Big Night Out with my little boy to go see the national touring company in our very own Orange County Performing Arts Center had me excited all week long, telling coworkers, neighbors and even tweeting to perfect strangers of our big plans.

Being a native OC gal, I have a strong sense of loyalty to my favorite OC places and I’ve considered Disneyland part of my backyard playground ever since I was kid, so seeing The Lion King live on stage at one of my favorite OC theater venues had me very excited (no bumper-to-bumper freeway drive up to LA = a big YAY for this OC rooted mom). Our tickets were for Friday night, so I left work a tiny bit early to pick up Son after school and got home to put on our fancy Big Night Out clothes. Son wasn’t super thrilled about wearing his suit and tie, but his grumbling stopped as soon as I put on The Lion King CD and we were both singing Hakuna Matata as we got gussied up. We were starting to run a bit late, so as soon as Son was dressed in his suit and his hair was gelled to his liking, I told him to run put on his shoes and get in the car while I did a few last minute things around the house.

We had dinner reservations at Scott’s, my favorite restaurant for pre-theater dining at OCPAC and South Coast Rep shows. Why, you ask? It has inexpensive valet parking and it’s a beautiful walk through the shaded trees to get to the theater - much nicer than using the parking structures. Scott’s is fine dining done right (with the best calamari in OC), even if you’re with kids and especially if you're on a theater timetable.

When we got out of the car, the first thing I noticed as Son skipped to the door were the junkiest tennies - ripped toes and dried mud – peeking out from under his pristine suit pants. This mom did the standard head slap and gasped, “Son! Those are the shoes you chose to wear with your suit?” He looked down and seemed surprised to see them on his feet. I guess being in a hurry and leaving that last little detail un-mom-micromanaged left room for some kid sense to liven up our evening. I immediately debated about spending the evening looking at his impeccable suit paired with his grunge shoes, or being type A mom and fixing what I saw to be a problem. I chose TypeA.

As we sat down to our table topped with pristine white starched table linens, I called Sears across the street at South Coast Plaza and bought a pair of dress shoes over the phone from the Operator. Amazingly easy. Then the real magic happened. I asked my waiter, Don, to see if someone on their staff could help save the day and drive across the street to pick up the shoes. Scott’s staff made it happen. Simple as that.

While Son and I split a juicy filet mignon and sipped our drinks (Milk for Son, Lemon Drop Martini for me) the hostess staff took care of making my Type-A anxiety go away. The Lemon Drop helped a bit, too. The shoes were personally delivered by a savior hostess, Son dutifully put them on and all was well and order had returned to my Drama Momma world. If you've never been to Scott’s, please go there on your next date night. Do dinner and a play. You’ll love it and you can thank me later.

After our dinner at Scott’s we strolled on the path winding through majestically tall trees which let the sunlight slip through leaves. It’s a beautiful transition from dining to the OC Performing Arts Center. The building itself is an architectural work of art to be enjoyed as you approach. Can you see Son with arms raised in the hedge maze? It reminded me a little bit of little Simba chasing Nala through the Pride Lands. You can put a boy in a suit but you can’t take out his playfulness.

We get to our seats and as we settle in Son and I can both feel the energy in the room. Everyone’s excited to see the show. The lights go down, the score swells from the orchestra pit, as well as the two full percussion areas set up on either side of the stage to emphasize the importance of the tribal beat in the African Pridelands. The opening number is the famous The Circle of Life featuring shaman Rafiki and all the animals of Africa. What a chill producing opening it is! Wild animals fill the hall migrating down the aisles toward the stage. Zebra, hippo, flocks of birds … it’s an amazing spectacle and as I looked around at the audience, everyone’s face glowed with awe. Young and old were spellbound by this majestically graceful opening number.

The score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from the animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice and additional musical material by South African Lebo M and others. The music immediately sweeps the audience out of OC and into the Pridelands ruled by Mufasa, and his little cub, Simba.

As if you haven’t heard, The Lion King is a coming of age parable set among animals of the African savanna, telling the tale of Simba, the lion cub who rises to be the King of the jungle. Simba’s struggle brings to life the moral of facing one’s responsibilities, even if doing so causes fear and vulnerability. When fear is overcome, maturity is born. I asked Son if there were any good lessons to be learned and he said, “Not really.” Ah, well. Perhaps it’s best the lessons are so well woven into the storyline they remain hidden as a great tale and can be relied upon in the future, when Son’s need for strength and virtue are in order.

Using stylized African masks, puppets the animals of The Lion King become bigger than life on stage. With resemblance to both the masks of the Greek Tragedies and historic African art, they help define the character, set the mood and create a visual impact that defies description, but your heart will understand. My favorite use of masks happened as the lionesses pulled out long, blue silk ribbons of tears from the eyes of the masks, grieving at the death of their King, Mufasa. Very Greek Tragedy and I loved it. Another great thing is the use of masks and puppets makes everything bigger and bolder, so the actors are not tiny specs to be seen through binoculars from the balcony seats.

The use of silhouettes throughout the show offers a visual feast for the eyes, with gigantic sunsets and muscle-bound dancers wearing tall grass headdresses depicting the grassy plains through which puppets Nala and Simba frolic. The puppets are used to show depth and distance, and the live actors appear downstage to capture our attention as the story progresses.

One of my favorite bits of choreography was watching the intricate gymnastic moves of Nala and Simba when they reunite in the jungle. Nala pounces on Simba with leaps with joy. Simba playfully pushes her leaps away in mid air and they continue their intertwined pivots, twirls and leaps as they rediscover their friendship. I could see it had to be precise, using their grace and strength to make it look effortless. The next morning, as Son was watching our Lion King DVD, he said, “you know they really didn’t have any dancing like Beauty and the Beast” and I knew what he was saying was accurate; it was a dance of life, seamlessly intertwined with the storyline. Beautiful.

Not too long ago, Son was in his very first school play, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Son was in the chorus and performed in the big number, Be Our Guest. It made me think of how Disney just does everything to perfection, taking classic tales and turning them into cartoon movie features, books, stage performances for adults and even adapting them for junior productions. I am a fan. In fact, I’m going to be getting out my calendar to make sure I save a date for taking Son to see Disney’s Mary Poppins, coming to the OCPAC in July 2011. Momma and Son will create more memories at our next Big Night Out. It’s a date, thanks to Scott's, OCPAC and Disney.

Things Son said:

During the part where Simba cries over his dead father: “Momma, I’m not crying. I have something in my eye.”

The next morning: “Momma, can we go again tonight?”

Every time we get in the car: “Can we listen to Hakuna Matata? It’s #11”

In Orange County, THE LION KING will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 1 p.m. and a Thursday matinee on May 27 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices start as low as $23.25. Additionally, Premium Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available. Tickets are available online at OCPAC.org, by calling 714.556.2787 or at the Center’s Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling the Group Services office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746. The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, June 12 will be sign-language interpreted.

photo credit Joan Marcus THE LION KING National Tour (c) Disney.