by Shirley Lorraine

“Deer” Delves Deep in Ojai

Prepare to be amazed, analyzed and shocked at the current offering of the Ojai Art Center Theater. Deer, by Aaron Mark, directed by David Henderson is billed as “A bloody comedy where love and hate collide.” It is a journey many will identify with, shed tears over, laugh about, cheer on and be repelled by all at once. It is quite a full evening and well worth it. This one pulls out all the stops and then some.

The play opens with a couple who have been married a long time out on a journey to their cabin in the mountains for a week of respite and rediscovery. Their daughter has recently moved along with her life, leaving them alone. What should be a relaxing week away at their hideaway in the Poconos quickly becomes the stuff of nightmares.

The drive to the cabin is filled with a steady stream of chatter from husband Ken (Taylor Kasch) which is received by resolute and angry blank stares by wife Cynthia (Cynthia Killion). They are each coping with the grief of an empty house and facing a future of potentially meaningless existence.

In the dark of night on the lonely country road, driver Cyn hits a deer. Convinced that the poor (clearly dead) animal can be revived, she insists on taking it to the cabin to nurse it back to health. Ken knows this is a pipe dream but is unable to sway Cyn in her desire to nurture something.

What follows is emotional combat at its best that highlights the mostly unstated, repressed underlying resentments and desires of the couple. It sounds devastating, but in the hands of these two highly skilled actors, it is a seething black comedy that will captivate you.

The story line has some twists and turns that may catch you off guard. Just when you think one thing may happen, there is an abrupt veer you did not see coming. Therein lies part of the fun. Just sit back and watch the action unfold.

The script is raw (definitely not recommended for children) which allows true feelings to come to the surface. It is quite a ride. The deer becomes an integral third-party player in this battle, prodding the couple to cope with down deep issues that come bubbling to the surface like hot lava. The deer (lovingly called Doe-Doe) even gets biographical credit as a cast member, as well she should.

John Mirk’s set design of the cabin interior is beautiful and functional. My mind could not help but connect symbolisms in the A-frame interior and the pointedness of the characters’ conflicts.

Bravo to the OACT for producing this brave work. Bravo to director David Henderson. Bravo to Cynthia Killion and Taylor Kasch who each gave a performance to be remembered.

There is only one more weekend to catch this extraordinary production. Make a reservation now for this Friday, Saturday or Sunday. www.ojaiact.org/ 805-640-8797.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Greatest Hits – Hulu

Many people have the experience of hearing a song that takes them back to the past, but for Harriet (Lucy Boynton) this became her reality. Since the death of her boyfriend Max two years earlier, every time Harriet heard a song relating to their relationship she literally traveled back in time where she tried desperately but unsuccessfully to change the events that led to his death. When triggered Harriet would fall unconscious, so had to wear headphones when out in public.

Harriet’s friend Morris (Austin Crute) worked at a record store where Harriet could safely search through albums looking to find the song that would allow her to save Max in the past. To help cope with the tragic loss of her boyfriend from a car accident they were both in, Harriet was attending a grief support group but was generally just as an observer. A new guy named David (Justin Min) joined the group and Harriet gave him an invite to a fundraiser for Morris’ record store.

David did show and when chatting with Harriet looking over album covers he said “I love how music can pull you back to some moment in time” which was the sentiment Harriet was actually living. David found an album to buy, but Harriet also wanted it so they jokingly agreed to joint custody of the record with David agreeing to call her for details if she would give him her number. Then Harriet returned to her apartment to continue listening to albums in search of rescuing Max.

David called and asked Harriet to meet for coffee and she shared she needed to wear headphones due to a medical issue. She explained she lost her boyfriend and just couldn’t seem to get herself back together. David’s parents passed months apart, but unfortunately when sharing the music from her headphones Harriet heard familiar music from the street and slipped into the past. She retreated to the bathroom for a bit to recover, then walked out while David sat confused.

Harriet called David and asked if she could make up for the coffee shop by inviting him to a dance party hosted by Morris. Harriet knew it would be a safe place where she could have her headphones off because Morris was sensitive to the songs that triggered her time travel. When David asked how she could only be without headphones at record store fundraisers and drag queen dance parties, she simply said she was just haunted by music.

At the next grief support meeting, David invited Harriet out for a drive in his convertible but a song came on the radio and she had an episode. Once she recovered Harriet explained she got a traumatic brain injury leaving her in a coma for a week after the accident, and after waking she found she traveled to the past whenever hearing a song related to her boyfriend. She told David the whole situation, but it all seemed too much for him and he left.

Harriet reached out to David who gave things another try by surprising Harriet by taking her to a silent rave on the top of a building in the middle of the city. Afterwards David decided to share some of his life by bringing Harriet to the family thrift store. As it turns out, Harriet had seen David before, the day of the car accident at the thrift store they visited just before, though she didn’t have any interaction with him, just observed a brief conversation between David and his mother.

In a stack of records in the shop Harriet found the one she was looking for that was playing the day of the accident. David said he didn’t believe the time travel stuff, but Harriet was actually able to prove to him she saw him the day of the accident. This reality brought the opportunity for Harriet to save Max, but it would mean erasing her past with Max and her present with David.

Runtime: 1h 34m

by Shirley Lorraine

The Shroud Raises Questions at Elite

Some questions are meant to be posed repeatedly throughout time, the answers to which may never come. This is the basis for The Shroud, now playing on the main stage at the Elite Theater in Oxnard.

Written by Michael Kassin and directed by Brian Robert Harris, the play presents a stirring experience as the capable cast wrestles with theories, religion, possible explanations and flat-out mysteries. For more than 700 years, historians and scientists have battled for superiority over the linen cloth espoused to have covered Jesus after his crucifixion. Is it fact or fiction? Or perhaps a little of both? The biggest question remains unanswered.

In this play, Dr. Laura Gibson (Theresa Secor) is presenting a symposium on the “facts” of the shroud. Attending the presentation are two colleagues from Los Alamos National Laboratory of New Mexico. One of them, Red Broida (Brad Strickland), makes his intense skepticism known, causing quick a ruckus. As a steadfast atheist who had worked on the development of the atomic bomb, Red needs more proof than faith can provide. After some confrontation, he is invited to become part of a scientific team to further investigate the shroud by applying modern testing techniques.

During this team’s exploration, Red’s mental strength is repeatedly challenged by his memories of personal failure, his colleague, John (Lawrence Gund), a faith healer with demons of her own (Cas Weisberg) and another gentleman from Los Alamos (Ronald Rezac). Erin De Horta appears briefly as Meg, Red’s former wife.

In a revealing talk-back with the author after the performance I attended, Mr. Kassin related that his goal in writing this piece was to capture the release and growth one might experience of inner transformation. One way was allowing the audience to follow Red in his spiritual journey when he comes to grips with the absolute faith some hold than can be healing even without proof, to his realization that the invention of the atomic bomb may have had a deleterious effect world-wide and that he was a major factor in that outcome. Other characters experience transformations they need to move forward. Each one carries a revelation.

The play causes one to reflect on many different levels. Even though the shroud itself is a focal point, the play is about much more than that. It is about inner struggles, faith versus fear, and coming to know yourself and what you believe in. It is about dealing with choices made and the resulting consequences.

The cast manages the weighty material well. Cas Weisberg delivers a strong and compelling performance. She brings her own identity as an Indigenous Two-Spirit actor into the already complex character of Laura with a knowing eye. The blend works especially well in the context of this multi-layered piece.

Theresa Secor, a familiar persona in Ventura County theaters also portrays her character with ease and a bit of humor.

The Shroud runs through April 20. www.theElite.org or 805-483-5118

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
3 Body Problem – Netflix

“3 Body Problem” begins during the 1960 Cultural Revolution in China, when Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) watched her father beaten to death in the public square merely for being a notable scientist during the Chinese class warfare. Due to her background as an astrophysicist, Ye was sent to the work camps and after nearly dying was eventually brought to a large radio telescope station nearby to serve the rest of her time. Ye was given limited tasks but quickly came to the conclusion that what they were working on was not a weapon but a communication device.

Ye learned it was designed to communicate with alien life and devised a plan to magnify the signal using the sun, though one of the guards took credit. Ye waited for the right opportunity to be alone to launch the signal and shockingly got a reply repeatedly saying “Do Not Answer” and that she was lucky a pacifist on the other end received her message from a world that would conquer Earth without hesitation. Ignoring this warning Ye replied “Come. We cannot save ourselves. I will help you conquer this world.“ forever changing the course of history on Earth.

Fast forward to current day in the UK where renowned Oxford scientist Vera Ye (Vidette Lim) (daughter of Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Cho) and Mike Evans, who met in China) led a group of researchers, all former physics students at Oxford, until recent unexplained suicide that coincided with a rash of intentional deaths of scientists around the globe. The students were a very close group of friends: Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzalez) who was working on nanofiber tech that she worked closely on with Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) along with Jin Chen (Jess Honog) and wealthy entrepreneur and former member of the Oxford physics lab Jack Rooney (John Bradley).

Around the time of Vera’s death, Auggie started seeing a countdown and was given a message to quit work on her nanofiber project. Then a strange woman approached her asking “Has the universe ever winked at you?” telling her to be outside at midnight. Auggie told Saul about the interaction and asked him to be with her at midnight. Sure enough, all the stars in the sky started blinking in what Saul thought seemed to be a code that exactly matched Auggie countdown. The next day Auggie performed the scheduled and much anticipated test on her nanofiber project, but immediately shut it down after the text which did make the countdown clock disappear.

Jin visited Ye for answers to Vera’s death and Ye said she was constantly playing a video game, giving Jin a strange headset to take with her. It appeared to be a game where Jin had to save the world from some sort of climate catastrophe and after her initial hesitation, played the game to level 3. Jin discovered the problem was that there were 3 suns, not just one, affecting the climate and causing it to become unstable. Jin went to talk to Jack about the headset, but when he tried it on a woman immediately appeared saying you don’t belong here and chopped off his head with a Samurai sword. The next day a box with his name showed up at Jack’s door with a headset.

British investigator Clarence “Da” Shi (Benedict Wong) was investigating the multiple scientist suicides and discovered several of them possessed the same headset. Ye and Mike Evans knew that it was not a game, but as Jin and Jack eventually realized it was actually a portal to another planet repeatedly experiencing the same climate crisis that was looking for solutions through Earth’s scientists. The aliens were also working with Mike and Ye who were gathering allies and supplies around the world in anticipation of the alien race’s arrival. Through Mike’s arrogance and ignorance, he caused the aliens to not trust humans and the aliens sent a message to every device on Earth saying “YOU ARE BUGS” and related they were on their way to conquer Earth.

Runtime: 8 – 1h episodes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
American Fiction – MGM & Rent or Buy

“American Fiction” is the story of well-educated black college professor and author Monk Ellison (Jeffery Wright) who was frustrated and challenged by a world around him that continued to support the outrageous stereotypes of black culture in American. Even the books he had written were shelved in the African American section of the bookstore, though the only black thing about most of them was the ink. Following a couple of incidents where Monk crushed the sensitivities of some students in his class of Literature of the American South, he was given some mandatory time off and through a string of unexpected events became the popular center of all he despised.

During Monk’s time off, he had already been scheduled to attend a writers conference in Boston, where he was part of a panel of authors that was meagerly attended due to the presence of another black author Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), who had just written a bestseller called “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto” filled with black stereotypes and ethnic language. Boston was also where his family resided and though Monk didn’t generally spend much time with them he took advantage of connecting with them while he was there.

Unfortunately, his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) had a heart attack while they were at lunch and passed away shortly thereafter in the hospital. Lisa had tried to tell Monk that their mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams) was suffering from memory loss, and the point was driven home after Lisa’s funeral when their mom flooded the house while sitting in front of a bathtub of running water. Monk took his mom in for tests that revealed she had medical indications of early Alzheimer and that her situation would only deteriorate, recommending that the family seek a care facility soon.

With his sister gone and his brother on the verge of divorce, it was up to Monk to find and finance his mother’s care. Due to his mounting family issues and seeming frustration over Sintara’s success, Monk had a few strong drinks and decided to write his own book of black stereotypes filled with drugs, guns, deadbeat dads and gang violence, and called it “My Pafology” under the pen name Stagg R. Leigh. He sent it to his manager who said it would never get published, but Monk said he wrote it as a joke and didn’t care and wanted it submitted to publishers.

To both their shock and surprise not only did a reputable publisher want to publish the book, they wanted to offer Monk $750,000 believing that it would definitely be a bestseller. To see how far he could push the publishers, he insisted that the book be renamed to “F**K”, to which they excitedly agreed. “F**K” became a bestseller and Monk didn’t disclose to anyone that he was actually Stagg R. Leigh, not his girlfriend or any family, and was eventually chosen to be a judge for the annual Literary Award for which “F**K” was in consideration for though Monk did not support it.

Monk was again shocked that three out of the five judges voted for “F**K”, leaving Monk and Sintara on the losing side, and so it was decided by popular vote that the book won. Side stories were being circulated that Stagg was a wanted fugitive and the FBI even contacted Monk’s manager, though he didn’t reveal the true details. Riding on the wave of bestselling success and constant publicity, Monk was eventually offered millions to make a movie from the book. At this point, all Monk could do was concede to the tremendous success of what he considered a joke.

“American Fiction” received five Academy Award Nominations, including for Best Picture and for Best Actor-Jeffrey Wright, and ended up winning one Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Runtime: 1h 57m

Eisenhower: this Piece of Ground

by Patrcia Schallert and Yana Khiyod

“A perfectly cast John Rubinstein, brings our 34th president back to life in a drama filled with timely political lessons from a leader who put country over party.”

Los Angeles Times

Introducing “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground”! Prepare to be captivated and provoked by this remarkable theater production that delves into the life and achievements of the iconic Dwight D. Eisenhower. With meticulous research, author Richard Hellesen has crafted a truly engaging narrative, bringing to life the incredible journey of this renowned Presidential figure.

Through vivid storytelling, Eisenhower, takes a transformative journey from military general to President and the lasting impact he had on the nation. Tony award winning, Broadway and Hollywood star, John Rubinstein is a fascinating and charismatic actor, with perfect comedic timing. John Rubinstein’s portrayal of Eisenhower is nothing short of a masterpiece. His uncanny comedic tempo combined with his captivating presence, truly brings this historical figure to life on stage. As he delves into the life and achievements of the iconic Dwight D. Eisenhower. his performance was both stimulating and thought provoking.

Set in 1962, one year after Eisenhower’s presidency, the show depicts him diligently working on his memoirs at home, while stinging under the recent low presidential ranking given to him by historians in New York Magazine. He intimately shares with the audience, the great and small moments of his life, the things he is immensely proud of (creating NASA, signing Civil Rights legislation, balancing the budget, leading the Cold War, and modernizing US transportation by creating the Interstate Highway System), the things he is conflicted about (all the soldiers who died under his command in the Normandy invasion on D-Day), and his most painful moments (the guilt he feels over the death of his three year old son).

Doug Halter, Councilman from District 2 said, “This masterpiece performance is thought provoking and timely to today issues and not to be missed and it is hoped that Eisenhower’s legacy will continue to inspire generations.”

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground brings us vibrantly into the past while commenting and gaining insights into current issues today. This performance runs through March 10th at the Rubicon Theater in Ventura.

Catch this sensational performance, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground at the Rubicon Theater is running through March 10th. Don’t miss out!

by Shirley Lorraine

Santa Paula Lets it Rip!

Santa Paula Theater Center has opened its 2024 season of all comedies with Ripcord by David Lindsay-Abaire. Directed by Taylor Kasch, the play takes place in Bristol Place, a senior living facility. If you have had any contact with people in such a setting, you will immediately see the humor and the pathos in familiar situations.

Abby (Cynthia Killion) has been living at the facility for some time and is quite set in her ways and preferences. For reasons that later become apparent, she has trouble making peace with having to have a roommate. Marilyn (Sindy McKay) is the newest assignee to the second bed in Abby’s domain. Abby’s grumpy, pessimistic nature clashes with Marilyn’s continually sunshine-esque countenance. The two are as different as oil and water.

Scott Blanchard plays the role of Scotty, the incredibly patient attendant, who tries to placate the two women, and still maintain facility standards.

The ladies eventually agree to disagree and make a bet of sorts. Marilyn attempts to get a smile out of Abby to “win” the right to stay in the room and move into the bed by the window. At the same time, Abby asserts that she can make Marilyn lose her cool, thus maintaining her coveted view and possibly gaining the room all to herself. It is a battle of wits and actions as the two try their best to force each other to concede. They both go to extraordinary lengths to gain the upper hand, to the utter exasperation of Scotty and others.

Ron Feltner and Karen Denny embody the roles of Derek and Colleen, Marilyn’s son-in-law and daughter, who assist in some of the shenanigans until they have just had enough and beg them to call a truce. Brooks Hope makes an appearance as Abby’s estranged son, adding another insight into her deeply rooted downer demeanor.

The play certainly has many moments of humor as the two ladies grapple with much more than the often-frustrating challenges of aging. There are also sentimental moments and realities of facility living that cause one to evaluate one’s own outlook.

The SPTC cast is a solid blend of talent and proficiency. However, I couldn’t help wondering if perhaps the material might be more humorous to persons with no personal contact with facility living. Because some of the irritations and complaints are all too real (personal experience with facility settings), I found it challenging to sympathize with both leading characters at times. Abby seemed to be not just grumpy, but mean, which did not win her any empathy points. The relentless positivity of McKay’s Marilyn was wearing as well.

There are countless areas of daily humor when dealing with foibles of the elderly. They can be inadvertently funny in mundane situations. Apparently, the author felt being outrageous in how the two ladies try to one-up each other would be funnier. I agree to disagree, and all bets are off.

Ripcord continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through March 3, 2024. www.santapaulatheatercenter.org

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Holdovers – Peacock & Rent or Buy

The Holdovers is set in winter 1970 at Barton Academy, an exclusive all-boys boarding school in New England where classics professor Paul Hunham (Palu Giamatti) was saddled with the responsibility of looking after the few students that have nowhere to go during the Christmas break. Originally Hunham thought he would be there with the school’s cafeteria manager and four boys, but as Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) waited on the steps with his bags packed ready to go he received a call from his mother that she and her new husband were taking their overdue honeymoon during the holidays and that he would have to remain at school during the break.

The other four boys didn’t know each other and were from various ages and backgrounds, but included Teddy Kountze (Brady Hepner), Angus’s enemy that he had just belittled about being left behind before finding himself in the same situation. Though the boys all thought they would be having a kick-back vacation, Hunham had other plans including regularly studying and exercising as if school was still in session. Also staying for the break was cafeteria manager Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who recently lost her son Curtis who attended Barton and joined the military to pay for college, but was killed in the Vietnam War.

Hunham’s general attitude was that the students at Barton were very spoiled and entitled, and felt it was his responsibility to not only educate them, but to help shape their moral character to help them grow up to be men of worth in the world. Due to the fact that many of the boys came from rich families with few boundaries, this was a huge task Hunham sought to accomplish through a strict attitude, causing him to not be liked by basically everyone in the school. Though Angus did well with his grades in Hunham’s class, he was constantly trying Hunham’s will and patience and this bad attitude only grew now that Angus unexpectedly had to spend the break with Hunham.

After six days, the father of one of the boys arrived in his private helicopter, inviting the other four boys to join them on a ski trip for the break. Hunham contacted the headmaster for authorization and then contacted the parents for permission, but unfortunately he was unable to reach Angus’ parents. This left just Hunham, Mary and Angus at the school until after the new year which made Angus even more angry and rebellious. During an act of defiance, Angus injured his shoulder in the gym, requiring Hunham to take him to the hospital. Hunham was concerned for his job, but to his surprise Angus covered for him and they kept the situation just between the two “Barton men”.

Hunham had a heart-felt moment at their shared Christmas dinner and offered to do whatever he could to make Angus’ or Mary’s holiday break better. Angus asked to go to Boston and Hunham initially said no, but eventually agreed after clearing it as a field trip with the headmaster. Angus had always told everyone his father died, but he was actually in a mental hospital in Boston, which unknown to Hunham was the true reason for his request. They traveled to Boston and went to a theater where Angus tried to sneak out during the movie, but when Hunham caught him and discovered the truth, he agreed to go with Angus to visit his father. Neither knew what major future implications this would create, putting their credo of “Barton men” to the test again.

The perfectly timed, clever, comedic dialog between the main characters keeps viewers laughing throughout the film, while also at other times brilliantly lightens the burden of some difficult scenarios. The film has won two awards for Supporting Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph at the Golden Globe and British Academy Film Awards. For the 96th Academy Awards, “The Holdovers” received five nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

Runtime: 2h 13m