Curtains Rises at Camarillo Playhouse
by Shirley Lorraine

Curtains, now onstage at the Camarillo Skyway Playhouse through November 20, is a send-up of backstage murder mystery musicals set in 1959 Boston.  Music and lyrics are by John Kander and Fred Ebb of Cabaret and Chicago fame.

In Curtains the ultimate bad omen occurs on opening night of a Broadway-bound musical– the murder of the much disliked, talentless leading lady.  Enter detective Frank Cioffi (William Carmichael), a part-time thespian himself, who quarantines the cast and questions the players, all of whom may have had ample motive to do the deed.  Producer Carmen Bernstein (Aileen-Marie Scott) tries to keep the show on track despite numerous setbacks, including another murder or two.

Subplots include the detective being smitten by a member of the ensemble, an unscrupulous Boston Globe reporter, and a sparring songwriting team.

The performance of the miscast and doomed Robbin’ Hood is directed by a flamboyant Christopher Belling, played to the hilt by Bill Sweeney. Apparently given free reign by Curtains director Rick Steinberg, Sweeney camps it up thoroughly throughout.

In excellent comedy fashion, the play within the play is clearly not Broadway material. However, some of the individual characters do shine in the surrounding play. Olivia Heulitt as the lead’s understudy Niki gives a particularly fine performance, both in acting and singing. She is well matched with Carmichael, who has a smooth, easy-going sound.  Another standout is Dawn Notagiacomo as Bambi, the stereotypical chorine whose bimbo persona masks some true talent.  Kyle Johnson gives a solid performance as Bobby Pepper, the lead player. Aileen-Marie Scott is a vocal force to be sure, although at times her brassiness overwhelms the lyrics.

The tempo of the show on opening weekend was uneven and a few technical glitches were still being refined.   Several of the songs had weak, lackluster endings.  Although a big Kander and Ebb fan, I would place this show on their B-list of memorable musical offerings.  Many of the songs contain familiar phrasing reminiscent of numerous other Kander and Ebb shows.  The score is pleasant yet unmemorable.

Curtains is a lightweight musical overall. Action moves back and forth between the show being put on by the players and the show the audience is watching. In that premise lies inherent inconsistency with both musical styles and cast performances which, in my opinion, kept the script from being fully realized.

Choreography by Miriam Durrie-Kirsch is ambitious and high energy although executed well by most of the large cast.   There are many “insider” references that anyone who has been on a stage will appreciate.  It is gratifying to experience a musical production that is less well known and to see a theater company expand its horizons beyond the standards.

Curtains runs Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m. through Nov. 20.

Camarillo Skyway Playhouse
330 Skyway Drive, Camarillo
Camarillo Airport
  388-5716 or  [email protected]
Adults $20, Students, seniors and military, $15, Under 12, $10

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children/2 ½ Palm Trees
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a return to form for director Tim Burton. It’s not anything particularly new, but it’s what he does best – gothic mystery that finds its affection and beauty amidst tragedy. Burton, above all, has always been about embracing oddities and outcasts, with characters who simply don’t belong in a world that fears what they don’t understand. Ransom Riggs’ original novel was obviously inspired by Burton’s earlier work, and now the director picks up where the book left off, translating its lyrical poetry into arresting imagery, telling a poignant story about the confusion of growing up and finding the strength to move past misfortune.

After the mysterious death of his grandfather, Abe (Terrence Stamp), Jacob (Asa Butterfield) is left with a series of cryptic clues. He thinks he might’ve seen a terrifying creature fleeing the scene of Abe’s death, and his grandfather’s final words mentioned something about finding a bird, a loop and an island. After months of failed therapy, Jacob gets a birthday present, an old book of Abe’s with a postcard from someone named Alma Peregrine (Eva Green). Dated only a few years back, and from an island close to Wales, he coerces his father to take him there under the guise of a summer vacation. What he finds on the island are more clues which lead him to Miss Peregrine, a kind, yet eccentric caretaker for a group of orphans with peculiar powers and abilities. This discovery, which defies the laws of nature and even time, shatters Jacob’s perception of reality, putting him on an irreversible path towards an extraordinary destiny.

The performances are another endearing aspect of the film. Leading the entire thing is Eva Green’s as the children’s caretaker, Alma Peregrine. Though she isn’t the story’s central character, she owns the film, with Green’s piercing stare and bird-like mannerisms (the character can also turn into a peregrine falcon) finding a rapturous eccentricity that we can’t look away from. You’ve also gotta love the statuesque silhouette that Atwood’s costume gives her as well – it’s slick, literally sharp, giving the character a mythical aura. The second best performance here is Ella Purnell’s Emma, a headstrong girl who is lighter than air, and has shared a past with Jake’s grandfather, Abe.

Though her character looks like a young girl, she’s actually really old, and Purnell has a maturity that sells the roll, as well as a charm and poignancy that really embodies the peculiars’ unique situation. She’s definitely a talent, and there’s no doubt she could carry an entire film on her own. Sadly, as Jake, Asa Butterfield has been better. He doesn’t go beyond what the role needs and feels a little wooden initially, but he grows into the character as the film progresses.

Though the other kids have smaller roles, each one is pretty distinctive aside from their powers, making the overall ensemble a really fun one to watch. Lastly, Samuel L. Jackson is relishing his role as the villainous Mr. Barron, chasing the kids through time itself – you can’t wait to see him return to the screen each time he disappears.

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children isn’t perfect, but Burton’s imagination is inspiring, and the film’s message is one that’s sincere. The plot juggles a lot of story, inheriting some of the book’s faults, but Goldman and Burton have made changes for the better, punching up the emotion while making the ending feel like more of a complete story – it could continue, or serve as a fitting endcap. As a film about the pains and confusion of growing up, or a fantastic adventure that traverses time and grief, Burton’s latest is a wonderful portrait about saying goodbye to the past and embracing an uncertain future with open arms.

Rated PG-13. 127 minutes. Now Playing at Cinemark Downtown 10.

The Magnificent Seven
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

It was only a matter of time before Akira Kurosawa’s action masterpiece Seven Samurai was updated for a modern generation. Only this time around, the filmmakers have chosen to stick to the Western genre and use that format to bring the story to life once more in a re-telling of the John Sturges ensemble film The Magnificent Seven. That film, released in 1960, told the story of seven hired guns who upon protecting a village of poor farmers for virtually no money learn that they are not fighting for the inhabitants, but instead for something far greater than themselves. This time around Antoine Fuqua brings his fast, slick spin to the West with Denzel Washington playing Sam Chisolm, a man in black who is tasked with assembling seven guns once more for the same premise.

Joining Chisum is Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a smooth talking and charismatic face who is also good with a pistol. Jack Hunter (Vincent D’Onofrio) is an eccentric and expert tracker and Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) is a legendary marksman who is struggling with his violent past. The film is excellently cast Vaszquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), and Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) round out the cast and bring an authenticity to their characters even with little screen time for some. They are brought together by Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), a widow seeking revenge for the death of her husband and to stop Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) from destroying their lives and their homes.

If you’re familiar with the original film, you’ll notice recycled elements from the first two; everything from set pieces to specific lines of dialogue. Sturges’ film has a runtime of 128 minutes and fits in an impressive amount of exposition, action, and story in that time. Clocking in at 132 minutes Fuqua’s Seven seems extremely rushed, with a few characters getting shoddy introductions (sorry Red Harvest, but your intro didn’t make a lot of sense), strange character development that doesn’t lead anywhere, and a mustache twirling villain whose evil plan isn’t very evil or for that matter, coherent.

On that note, the film’s cast shines and brings characters to life that would otherwise prove dull on the page. Hawke’s Robicheaux is a man suffering from a legacy of violence and death, one that has finally taken its toll on his ability to be able to fire a weapon at another human being. With his eyes telegraphing the struggle, he doesn’t need to say much in order for us to know what he’s feeling. Washington is perfectly cast as the man in black, this time named Chisolm (probably a nod to the John Wayne western classic Chisum). Although the film is a little too referential (the opening is almost beat for beat out of Django Unchained), the film finds its footing in the modern action genre with its astonishing final battle between a hundred men against seven.

The film’s final set piece uses actual stunt riders on horse back as opposed to having to rely on CGI to create acrobatics that were once done practically. It is big and goes on for a long time, but it is without a doubt some of the most exciting action put on screen this year. Film score nerds will also recognize a very familiar rhythm played by the percussion in the film’s score, that’s right, it is a quote of Elmer Bernstein’s iconic score to the original film.

Though not necessarily very politically correct, Kurosawa and Sturges burden the audience with the farmer’s poverty more so than to let us know. These people were on the point of desperation, no longer knowing what to do. My main problem the film is that this is a tale of revenge. There is no realization that these men have to do what is right. In the third act, it’s revealed that the intentions of defending the people of the town go beyond standing up for what is right and are actually a plan for revenge. That said, it seems to fit perfectly well in this gritty update to The Magnificent Seven, yet somehow doesn’t feel right.

Now playing at Cinemark Downtown 10. 128 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Rubicon Theatre Company presents Return To The Forbidden Planet, a fabulously campy send up of “Forbidden Planet” and other sci-fi film and TV shows from the 1950s, loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Set on a space ship sometime in the future, the show features a galaxy of 1950’s and 1960’s rock and roll classics, including “Wipe Out,” “Good Vibrations,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “All Shook Up,” “Monster Mast,” and “We Gotta Get Out of this Place.”

Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Musical, Return To The Forbidden Planet follows the adventures of dashing spaceship Captain Tempest and his crew, who hit a meteor shower and then are mysteriously drawn off course to the mysterious planet of D’Illyria. There, they discover a mad scientist Dr. Prospero, his beautiful daughter Miranda, and the robot Ariel. As romance develops between Captain Tempest and Miranda, a monster threatens the spaceship, and a sacrifice must be made to ensure everyone’s safety.

The show runs Wednesdays through Sundays through November 13. Low-priced previews are Halloween week – Wednesday, October 26 at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 27 at 8 p.m. and Friday, October 28 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, October 29, at 7 p.m. with a post-show party hosted by Skating Plus. For tickets and dates, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call  667-2900. Regular tickets range from $35 to $64 plus a $4 service fee, depending on day of the week and time. Opening night is a benefit performance, with tickets at $95 (price includes a tax-deductible contribution).

The 2015-16 Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Musical Concert Series at Rubicon Theatre Company concludes with the concert reading of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along.  Directed by award-winner Bonnie Hellman, who helmed the first long-run hit version of the award-winning show in Los Angeles, the cast includes Broadway stars Jason Graae (Grand Night for Singing and Falsettos), Kate Reinders (Wicked and Gypsy), Ventura native Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific and The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Beverly Ward (Epic Proportions).

Winner of the Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for Best Musical, this moving and eloquent story about friendship moves backwards in time and offers a snapshot of the relationships between Franklin, Charley, and Mary, whose hopes and dreams change dramatically over 20 years. Songs include “Our Time,” “Not a Day Goes By” and “Good Thing Going.” This rarely performed concert version of the musical merrily rolls into Ventura for three-performances-only: Saturday, October 1 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 2 at 2 p.m.

Rubicon Theatre Company has been described as “the rising star of the Southern California cultural constellation.” A not-for-profit professional regional theatre, Rubicon serves area residents and visitors with innovative productions of classic and contemporary plays, as well as a wide array of educational programs and events. The company has been acclaimed by critics and industry professionals (the company has received the L.A. Drama Critics Margaret Harford Special Award for “Sustained Excellence,” a Drama Desk Award for the Off-Broadway production of The Best is Yet To Come, and has won more than 20 Ovation Awards from the L.A. Stage Alliance.

3 Performances Only!
Saturday, October 2 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 2 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 3 at 2 p.m.

General Admission $69.50
Students with Valid ID $30
Active Military/Equity $25

Box Office  667-2900
Hours: Mon-Sun Noon – 6:00 p.m.
www.rubicontheatre.org

The Magnificent Seven/3 Palm Trees
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

It was only a matter of time before Akira Kurosawa’s action masterpiece Seven Samurai was updated for a modern generation. Only this time around, the filmmakers have chosen to stick to the Western genre and use that format to bring the story to life once more in a re-telling of the John Sturges ensemble film The Magnificent Seven. That film, released in 1960, told the story of seven hired guns who upon protecting a village of poor farmers for virtually no money learn that they are not fighting for the inhabitants, but instead for something far greater than themselves. This time around Antoine Fuqua brings his fast, slick spin to the West with Denzel Washington playing Sam Chisolm, a man in black who is tasked with assembling seven guns once more for the same premise.

Joining Chisum is Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a smooth talking and charismatic face who is also good with a pistol. Jack Hunter (Vincent D’Onofrio) is an eccentric and expert tracker and Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) is a legendary marksman who is struggling with his violent past. The film is excellently cast Vaszquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), and Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) round out the cast and bring an authenticity to their characters even with little screen time for some. They are brought together by Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), a widow seeking revenge for the death of her husband and to stop Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) from destroying their lives and their homes.

If you’re familiar with the original film, you’ll notice recycled elements from the first two; everything from set pieces to specific lines of dialogue. Sturges’ film has a runtime of 128 minutes and fits in an impressive amount of exposition, action, and story in that time. Clocking in at 132 minutes Fuqua’s Seven seems extremely rushed, with a few characters getting shoddy introductions (sorry Red Harvest, but your intro didn’t make a lot of sense), strange character development that doesn’t lead anywhere, and a mustache twirling villain whose evil plan isn’t very evil or for that matter, coherent.

On that note, the film’s cast shines and brings characters to life that would otherwise prove dull on the page. Hawke’s Robicheaux is a man suffering from a legacy of violence and death, one that has finally taken its toll on his ability to be able to fire a weapon at another human being. With his eyes telegraphing the struggle, he doesn’t need to say much in order for us to know what he’s feeling. Washington is perfectly cast as the man in black, this time named Chisolm (probably a nod to the John Wayne western classic Chisum). Although the film is a little too referential (the opening is almost beat for beat out of Django Unchained), the film finds its footing in the modern action genre with its astonishing final battle between a hundred men against seven.

The film’s final set piece uses actual stunt riders on horseback as opposed to having to rely on CGI to create acrobatics that were once done practically. It is big and goes on for a long time, but it is without a doubt some of the most exciting action put on screen this year. Film score nerds will also recognize a very familiar rhythm played by the percussion in the film’s score, that’s right, it is a quote of Elmer Bernstein’s iconic score to the original film.

Though not necessarily very politically correct, Kurosawa and Sturges burden the audience with the farmer’s poverty more so than to let us know. These people were on the point of desperation, no longer knowing what to do. My main problem the film is that this is a tale of revenge. There is no realization that these men have to do what is right. In the third act, it’s revealed that the intentions of defending the people of the town go beyond standing up for what is right and are actually a plan for revenge. That said, it seems to fit perfectly well in this gritty update to The Magnificent Seven, yet somehow doesn’t feel right.

Now playing at Cinemark Downtown 10. 128 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Hell or High Water / 4 Palm Trees
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

Hell or High Water is a film about characters, who, for the most part, have been marginalized and forgotten by the system, each finding different ways to survive amidst the fringes of society. The film captures how violence is a permanent stain that marks us and our families for generations, each exploring the cost of crime and a dog-eat-dog mentality that perpetuates a cycle of self-destruction. It is a modern western that confronts head-on a broken financial system meant to keep people forever in debt.

A divorced dad named Toby (Chris Pine) and his ex-con brother, Tanner (Ben Foster). After the death of their mother, the two are desperate to save their family’s ranch, attempting a focused blitz on the small chain of banks threatening to foreclose on their land. The stakes are personal, with Toby trying to secure a future for his family, while Tanner relishes the thrill of it all, welcoming the chance to do right by his brother. After setting their plan into motion, a fierce Texas Ranger named Marcus (Jeff Bridges) and his partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) set the brothers in their sights, with director David Mackenzie finding accessibility through some unexpected humor and a hypnotic pace. The performances are easily career highs from everyone involved.

There’s a lot going on in Mackenzie’s film, which takes a simple premise and adds sharp moral and cultural complexities. Mackenzie’s characters meet in the middle, united by their fight against time. Toby is looking towards his legacy while Tanner is trying to make up for lost time. Marcus is facing mandatory retirement while Alberto is forced to protect a way of life which didn’t spare his ancestors.

Mackenzie (armed with an economical script from Taylor Sheridan) really finds his footing by celebrating the moments between the frames – quiet, introspective scenes before the gun fights or moments of violent retribution. The film finds unbearable tension through this restraint, building up to the torrent of chaos we know is coming by investing us in the lives that hang in the balance.

It’s through this that the film feels totally lived in, with cinematographer Giles Nuttgens’ photography contrasting intimate conversations with Texas’ vast, barren landscapes. As the film assuredly builds to an explosive conclusion, Mackenzie uses modern social context to highlight the diminishing cost of a life amidst capitalist America. Hell or High Water is one of the year’s absolute best, with searing chemistry from Ben Foster and Chris Pine bringing a critical look at a problem with no immediate solution.

Rated R. 116 minutes. Now playing at Cinemark downtown 10.

Night Alive is luminescent at SPTC
by Jim Spencer & Shirley Lorraine

Once again the Santa Paula Theater Center (SPTC) brings a new level of theater to Ventura County with its current production of The Night Alive, a New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award winning play for 2013-14.

Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s gripping and surprisingly amusing tale of the intertwining lives of five imperfect Irish people holds the audience in suspension for nearly two hours without an intermission. To have had one would have broken the spell and the flow for both actors and audience.

Veteran director and SPTC Artistic Director David Ralphe cites McPherson as one of his favorite playwrights, for his insights and soul-searching characters.

The members of the immensely talented cast consisting of Taylor Kasch (Tommy), Jessi May Stevenson (Aimee), Ron Feltner (Doc), Brian Harris (Ken) and Cecil Sutton (Maurice) pour their souls into the piece, interpreting McPherson’s words, as their characters mentally stumble about seeking an order in their chaotic lives that they never quite achieve as situations continue to change.

The ensemble highlights isolated zones of idiosyncrasies, each character existing in the same physical space but on a different mental plane. Each is splintered by personal circumstances that ebb and flow at a moment’s notice. Somehow they amplify the tenuous nature that is daily life.

Kasch leads the action as Tommy, a divorced, down-and-out handyman. He sets the tone with his Irish phrasing which gives even the abundant cursing a certain pleasing lilt to the ear. The piece is fraught with wording uncommon to us, although seemingly natural to the actors.

Kasch’s interactions with the slightly disadvantaged Doc, played to perfection by Ron Feltner, are a study in tenderness, friendship and loyalty. Doc is a disheveled character, both inside and out, who struggles to maintain a semblance of normality.

Through a random occurrence, their lives are changed by Aimee (Stevenson) in many ways.  Adrift and needy as the others, Aimee’s broken existence becomes just one more piece of the group’s puzzling dynamics.

Upstairs lives Maurice (Sutton), Tommy’s crusty uncle who himself is seeking some kind of peace and order. Under his seemingly sour facade he harbors a soft center that shines through in the end.

The stone in the gears that move these lives forward comes in the form of Ken (Harris), a threatening force whose brief intrusion is akin to a fast-moving tornado, leaving destruction and confusion in his wake. His presence causes momentary damage that is ultimately easily dismissed as if it never happened.  Life goes on.

While the piece itself presents only a minimally satisfying resolution, the exemplary staging and performances throughout are simply mesmerizing. Each of the actors, individually and as an ensemble, make this a powerful piece of theater. Kudos to SPTC and David Ralphe for expanding the awareness of Ventura County audiences.

The Night Alive plays Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through October 2, 2016. Santa Paula Theatre Center, 125 S. Seventh Street, Santa Paula. Reservations are recommended. 525-9840 or www.santapaulatheatercenter.org. Adults $20, Seniors and Students $18. Mature themes and strong language.