Cabrillo Music Theatre brings stories of miracles
By Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

Created in the early 1970s, formally incorporated in 1988 and the resident musical theatre company at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza since 1994, the Cabrillo Music Theatre (CMT) has been presenting big Broadway musicals in Ventura County for over 40 years.

So, many were deeply concerned when the CMT announced it was suspending production of its next season of shows.

Happily, CMT revealed this week that changed circumstances have permitted it to cancel its prior action.  CMT Board Chair Bart Leininger explained the genesis for the turnaround came from intensive and creative Board action, operational restructuring, cooperation from the City of Thousand Oaks and anonymous financial support.

As a result, CMT will be proceeding full-tilt with its block buster, three show season for 2016-17.

This proves that miracles do happen – a messaged mirrored in CMT’s current delightful musical, Children of Eden. It plays through Sunday, April 17, 2016 in the Kavli Auditorium at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

With words and music by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell) and a script by John Caird (Les Miserables co-director), Children of Eden emphasizes the dynamics among the family members in the  Biblical stories of Adam and Eve (Act 1) and Noah, the Arc builder (Act 2).

Director Lewis Wilkenfeld, who is also CMT’s Artist Director, and his creative team pull out all the stops to fill the stage to overflowing with rich visual images, fresh and delightful dance numbers and exceptional production values, including a live orchestra.

In addition to the marvelous voices of the principal leads, Norman Large, Misty Cotton and Kevin McMahon, a standout vocal performance is turned in by Ryan J. Driscoll in the dual roles of Cain and Noah’s son, Japheth. The lead storytellers, Katie Porter and Kenneth Mosley, are also on the roster of vocally memorable cast members.

The adult ensemble boasts depth, experience and, like a good cup of coffee, a superb blend. And, as if back-up is needed, there is an off stage choir.

One of the joys of the piece is the reoccurring appearances of some 20 members from CMT’s famous youth outreach programs – the Kabrillo Kids (students 8-14) and the Cabrillo Teen Project. Participants receive free instruction in the various theater arts, plus opportunities to perform with professional actors. In this show there is a contingent over 20 members strong from the programs. Joyfully they sing, they dance, and they portray all sorts of animals – from penguins to snails, and big cats to elephants.

Undergirding the successful efforts of the entire cast, which numbers about 50, are the unsung costume designers, dressers, wardrobe assistants, make-up artists and wig wranglers.

The result is an opportunity to experience a live Broadway musical presented with Cabrillo Music Theatre’s trademark style and panache. A tradition that now promises to continue.

Performances of Children of Eden are Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets: $35-$75. Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000.

An Oops at An Open Table
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

Ventura’s Flying H Group Theatre Company is well known for presenting unusual and edgy works not often seen this side of Los Angeles.  Its current offering, An Open Table, is no exception.

Billed as a world premiere, the piece is performed in a single act. It is set inside an upscale Chicago area restaurant and purports to follow the actions of a disgruntled group of servers (waiters, to the general public) who want to make a statement about disrespectful and ungrateful patrons in a most socially unacceptable manner.

The set is impeccable and elegant. Director extraordinaire Taylor Kasch has once again given the cast full rein to pull out all stops, and they do. Actors James James, Eric Mello, Javiera Torres, Shelby Maloney and Marques Williams play the deranged restaurant crew. All give superbly tight performances within the limitations of the script.  Maloney even performs on roller skates, no small feat in the intimate setting full of tables, chairs, and……more.  Brenda Evans’ role as the sole living restaurant patron is unique – performed almost entirely bound, gagged and lying on the concrete floor.

In dramatic criticism perception is everything.  From our perspective the script of An Open Table is a big “Oops” because it is based on the acceptability of urban terrorism and the killing of innocent people as a means of making a statement over perceived slights…and the remorseless mastermind gets away free.

Here’s the premise of the script that is characterized as a “dark comedy.”  Unhappy servers methodically plan and actually carry out the cold blooded murders of ten innocent restaurant patrons and then put their bodies in a wood chipper to make a statement. Some of eatery staff are machine-gunned by police, but the primary killer and mastermind gets away scot free with his girlfriend.

We see little difference between the play’s plot line and the urban terrorism scenarios experienced in the random massacre of journalists at a Paris newspaper by those who disagreed with its editorial policy; or the bombing of a hotel full of tourists; or the killing of innocents awaiting an airplane in Brussels.

We don’t find such human slaughter, mutilation, and the promotion of urban terrorism for revenge as being lightly or darkly funny, as being justified, or in any way edifying or instructive as art. In our view, it is simply not entertaining.

Although the playwright reportedly has extensive academic, performance and writing credits, none of the characters have any redeeming qualities. Their actions are cloaked with an abundance of “adult” language which often, as in this case, covers the fact they have nothing to say that tickles the intellect, shares a truism or insight, or justifies their existence.

In this instance we feel the Flying H Group Theatre Company made a play selection error that falls short of its past successes.

An Open Table continues for adult only audiences until April 9 at 6368 Bristol Rd (Montalvo area), Ventura. Curtain: Thursday (4/7 only), Fridays and Saturdays – 8 p.m.  Sunday-4 p.m. Reservations recommended. Tickets: $15. On line: www.anopentable.brownpapertickets.com. or cash or check at the door.  901-0005

Batman v. Superman/1 Palm Tree
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

The DC Cinematic Universe is proving to be a tired experiment by only the second film, the awkwardly titled Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. In a sea of undeveloped ideas, poorly written characters, and a general lack of respect toward source material are some truly wonderful seeds for what could have been a towering standard of the superhero genre. Director Zack Snyder delivers plenty of eye candy and lets wonderful performances take center stage in a film with a lackluster script by Chris Terrio and David Goyer.

18 months after the leveling of Metropolis by Superman and General Zod (Michael Shannon), Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) searches for a mysterious “White Portuguese,” who he believe holds a mineral that can be used to incapacitate or cripple Superman, who he views as a threat to world security. Haunted by the death and destruction of everyone killed in his company’s building, he will take no chances against the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill). Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) also see Superman as a threat and seek to destroy him.

For a film with “Superman” in the title, Snyder and Goyer spend the length of their entire film completely misunderstanding and, dare I say it, slapping the character around to the point of painting him as a terrorist. The film brilliantly sets up how the world would react if an almighty figure of his type were to appear. However, the opposite side is never explored. Never once does the film bother to paint superman as a heroic figure other than on the surface

The biggest crime caused by the film is the terrible script by Goyer and Terrio. The destruction of Metropolis is never touched on after the film’s opening. The most we get is a memorial for the victims that has a giant Superman statue, however Luthor, who is controlling the media, is painting Superman as a terrorist with the world seemingly agreeing with him. It’s these types of inconsistencies that plague the film from start to finish. Never once are motives explored other than for the Batman character.

The films brilliant scenes featuring Jeremy Irons as Alfred acting opposite Affleck are cut way too short, something that will hopefully be explored in the upcoming film The Batman. In the darkest incarnation yet (very close to Frank Miller’s interpretation), Alfred paints the picture that the Dark Knight has lost it, coming very close to the villains he aimed to stop for so many years. Snyder is a great visual director, but unfortunately, none of the visuals matter when a vague story and characterizations of beloved characters act in ways that simply don’t make sense.

Batman’s side of the film was handled well, for the most part. Ben Affleck paints a troubled, disturbed, and angry portrait of a man who has seen one too many people he cares about die. Carrying over from Man of Steel, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams have absolutely no on-screen chemistry together. To round out the leads, Jesse Eisenberg is so over-the-top and miscast as Luthor, it’s almost as if he were pulled from a Tarantino film and dropped into the DC universe.

Die-hard fans will find things they like, but that may not be case for the average moviegoer (accessibility was something Christopher Nolan did extremely well with his Dark Knight Trilogy). For the first time in history, we’re able to see a film with two of the greatest comic book characters ever created and the end result is a build up with no pay off.

Rated PG-13. Now playing at Century Downtown 10. 153 minutes.

10 Cloverfield Lane/4 Palm Trees
by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

When the world ends due to circumstances beyond human involvement, who will ultimately be our greatest enemy? Our inhuman attackers or ourselves? 10 Cloverfield Lane sets out to explore one possibility of a similar scenario. For a movie that runs only 113 minutes, the script is extremely economical and features an exploration about regret and abuse. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. and John Goodman.

Waking up after a freak car accident, Michelle (Winstead) finds herself in a subterranean bunker in rural Louisiana having been “rescued” by Howard (Goodman in a show-stealing performance), a doomsday-prepper who is sharing the space with Emmett, one of the men who helped him build it (Gallagher, Jr.). Having blacked out when the world was still at some state of normalcy, Michelle greatly distrusts Howard’s story of a chemical attack that has rendered the air above toxic. Though he is telling the truth, Michelle’s distrust of Howard begins to come to light as his secrets begin to come to light in the enclosed space.

What’s most brilliant about this go-round of Cloverfield is the “Twilight Zone” style spin on the story. For the majority of the movie, we question as to what is happening above ground and who is responsible, for which the characters have their share of theories, but what is most impressive is the subtext of regret, abuse, and redemption that exists within Michelle’s character. She shares a story in the film’s second act about letting her brother stand up for her and fight her battles. In her own life, when it finally came time to stand up to something she’d experienced, she stood by and did nothing. From the moment she wakes, she is thinking about how to escape and if the other two men can be trusted. Impressively, these traits carry through all the way into the final moments of the film- impressive for a Hollywood blockbuster of this nature.

Director Dan Trachtenberg is no lightweight when it comes to these heavy themes and dark explorations of humanity. Though it is his first feature film, his camera angles create claustrophobia, disorientation, and excellent exploration of the sets. The camera’s point-of-view puts us in an involved position once we enter the bunker, as if the audience was involved in the action, as opposed to an omnipresent one established in the film’s opening over head shots of bridges, roadways, and rivers.

Stealing the show is John Goodman in a downright frightening performance. Known for playing (more often than not) lovable, memorable guys, Goodman is brooding, threatening, and provides a guise where the viewer is conflicted. Is his story about a chemical attack true or is something far more sinister at play? Adding to the atmosphere is an incredible set design by Kellie Jo Tinney and Michelle Marchand, II. Every book, frame, and plate adds a strangely demented sense of home to a space created for surviving the ultimate disaster.

An amazing cast, incredible direction, and a great emotional arc for the lead character create a dense portrait of paranoia, distrust, and overcoming past demons. Adding to the density is composer Bear McCreary’s incredible score, which utilizes former child actor Craig Huxley’s blaster beam and an Indian Tambura. The ending may ultimately divide the audience, but as a first film from Dan Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane is an exercise in suspense we didn’t know we wanted.

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

Addams Family Musical at Ojai is Altogether Kooky
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

The well-known Addams Family cartoon is brought to life on the Ojai Art Center Theater stage in a fresh new musical comedy. If you are a fan of the cartoon series, you will enjoy seeing your favorites live on stage. Be prepared to snap your fingers along with the memorable theme song.

All the quirky characters we have come to love, Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester and the rest of the gang are full of life in their own unique and macabre way. Director Gai Jones has seen to it that each cast member fully embraces and maintains the cartoon quality overall.

The Ojai Art Center Theater Branch has a history of introducing and welcoming youth and newcomers to its stage. This production is no exception. An “adult” cast performs Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as Sunday matinees, while a youth cast performs the show on Saturday matinees. Many of the players can be seen in both productions.

The premise of the show involves a grown Wednesday (Hayley Silvers) inviting her fiancé Lucus (Steven Silvers or Michaels, depending on which page of the program you are reading) and his normal parents (Brittany Danyel and Ezra Eels) to the family manse to spring the news of the impending wedding on Morticia (Tracey Williams-Sutton) and Gomez (Shayne Bourbon). Hijinks and hilarity ensue as the two polar-opposite families come to terms with their offspring’s intent to marry and ultimately rediscover the sparks that initially drew them together.

Side-plots involve Uncle Fester (newcomer Michael McCarthy), the creepily ever-present and mostly silent butler Lurch (Nelson Fox), feisty little brother Pugsly (Sophie Massey) and colorful nut-case Grandma (Mary Ellen Gridley) who all contribute dimension to the fairly thin story line.

Musical numbers are performed to a well-balanced, prerecorded accompaniment, which works very well in this instance. The musical abilities of the cast vary throughout, although all numbers are high-energy and entertaining. Special note is given to the vocal talents of Shayne Bourbon and Sophie Massey whose solo vocal performances stand out.

The characterizations of Gomez and Morticia provided by Shayne Bourbon and Tracey Williams-Sutton anchor the piece well. The outright enthusiasm award goes to Brittany Danyel who really delivers in the dinner party scene at the end of the first act.

The costuming throughout is particularly notable and creative. The 21-member chorus of Addams Ancestors provides a visual treat as its members drift in and out of the action.

This year the Ojai ACT has inaugurated a new start time for ALL evening performances. The curtain rises at 7 p.m., rather than the traditional 8 p.m.

The Addams Family plays weekends until April 3, 2016 at the Ojai Art Center Theatre, 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai. Curtain: Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Prices: $18-Greneral. $12-Seniors/students/Art Center members. $5-Under 13. Tickets on line at www.OjaiACT.org or call  640-8797.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance visits the Rubicon
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

In 1890 a cowboy named Bert Barricune found an Easterner lying on the prairie. He had been brutally beaten and left for dead by a vicious outlaw named Liberty Valance.

Barricune took the injured traveler to the town of Two Trees where he was nursed back to health by a spirited saloon owner, Hallie Jackson.

The visitor, Ransom Foster, stayed in town. He taught Hallie, as well as her friend from childhood, Jim, how to read and write. Along the way Foster and Hallie fell in love. Barricune, who also had romantic designs on Hallie, remained involved in their lives.

Then word came that Liberty Valance was returning and gunning for Foster.  Should the tenderfoot Foster stay or run? What actually happened next became unclear, but stories about that day propelled Foster into a life of prominence.

The play opens 20 years later when U.S. Senator Ransom Foster and his wife, Hallie, return to Two Trees to attend the funeral of the old cowboy. Through reminisces about those earlier days the truth is revealed about the man who shot Liberty Valance.

With intricately interwoven issues of honor, revenge, loyalty and love, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a new play enjoying its American debut at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre Company. It is based on a 1953 short story that, 50-plus years ago, spawned a movie with the same title. The film featured James Stewart and John Wayne.

The Rubicon’s production boasts a cadre of professional actors with extensive film, stage and TV credits. Gregory Harrison plays the veteran cowboy Bert Barricune. Harrison is probably best recognized for his recurring roles on “Rizzoli & Isles,” as the title character on “Trapper John, M.D.,” and as a neighbor who resides in Ventura part of the year.

The villainous gun slinger, Liberty Valance, is portrayed by Jeff Kober.  A veteran of multiple Rubicon productions as well as lots of bad guy characters for film and TV, Kober is also known for his appearance on shows like “Sons of Anarchy” and “China Beach.”

From New York, Jacques Roy has myriad years of stage experience in the East on which he draws as he creates the persona of Ransom Foster, the earnest Easterner around whom swirls the action of the piece.

Sylvia Davidson, last seen in the Rubicon’s Ventura and New York productions of Lonesome Traveler, is Hallie Jackson, the feisty saloon owner who is torn between the affections of two men.

Joseph Fuqua plays the sheriff who is reluctant to intervene in conflict – a part that’s a far cry from his heroic performances as Hamlet and Professor Henry Higgins in Rubicon productions.

The entire show is under the guiding hand of director Jenny Sullivan, the Rubicon’s Artistic Associate.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance plays March 2-20, 2016.  Show times: Wednesdays – 2 & 7 p.m. (Talkbacks follow 7 p.m. performances); Thursdays & Fridays – 8 p.m.; Saturdays – 2 & 8 p.m.; Sundays – 2 p.m.  Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA, 93001.  Tickets – $20 – $54.  Information, group discounts, ticketing and seat selection: www.rubicon.theatre.org.  667-2900.

The Witch/4 Palm Trees
By Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

Robert Eggers directorial debut is a force to be reckoned with. If you are entering this film expecting jump scares, cheap characters, and a predictable plot – The Witch will not be for you. Instead, the viewer is tested for 90 minutes, an all too efficient runtime that leaves us wanting more and makes us happy it’s over.

Set in 1630s New England, the film focuses on a family who has been banished from community due to disagreements of religious beliefs. Thomasin (Ana Taylor-Joy) is the oldest, followed by her brother Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and three younger children. Their mother Katherine (Kate Dickie) and father William (Ralph Ineson) become distraught after the disappearance of their youngest son, Samuel, who is only an infant. Mysterious circumstances continue to plague the family as they face obstacles within themselves that become more and more disturbing the longer they go on.

Terror and evil in The Witch come in the form of mundane, natural things: a forest, a rabbit, a raven, etc. The supernatural is only ever suggested, further causing our characters to question each other. An interesting aspect of the film is religion itself. Early on, Thomasin is seen confessing her sins as part of her prayers. She is the only character to do so without any sort of negative influence on her life.

Each member of the family is guilty of sin. Thomasin tells a white lie to get her kid brother and sister to behave, William is full of pride, and Caleb is sneaking peaks at his sister’s body.

The true brilliance of the film lies within its story telling. The Witch is not a movie about good versus evil. It is not about redemption, it is a character study of a family who experiences an attack that uses their very religious beliefs against them. The benefit of a cast of unknown actors forces us to look at the characters and not the people who play them.

Inneson’s booming voice gives him power and Taylor-Joy’s innocence makes it difficult to see her family around her slowly turn on her as a result of her little white lie. A scene late in the film is downright terrifying and frightful. It finds Thomasin and her younger siblings stuck in a barn.

A film that you expect to take an Arthur Miller-like turn goes nowhere near that direction. The Witch is a dark, disturbing, and original form of terror. It takes its time to scare its audience and gives us deeply rich characters to get to know. At 90 minutes in length, the film has no fat or extra material on it. The final 10 minutes of the film will stay with you long after the film ends.

Rated R. 90 minutes. Now playing at Cinemark Downtown 10.

The Other Place at Santa Paula Theater Center
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

Are you ever really ready for a life-changing experience? The answer is no. The truth is, if it is happening to you, you probably will not recognize it. If it is happening to someone else, then you see it without truly understanding it. In either case, the challenges such an experience presents are enormous.

This is the premise of the current Santa Paula Theatre Center offering, The Other Place by Sharr White. It is a complex, emotionally wringing and surprising play performed without an intermission.  Nominated for numerous stage awards, The Other Place kicks off the SPTC’s 2016 season with a flare of strength.

Juliana (Cynthia Killion) is a medical research scientist presenting a seminar on a break-through medication. During the presentation she has a perception episode. Later the cause is confirmed as a symptom of dementia. Complications involving imagined actions by her husband, Ian (Michael Perlmutter), and perceived family situations lead Juliana further down the path of confusion, as her physician husband is left to lament, “I’m not ready for this.”

The story is told primarily by Juliana as she relates her perceptions of various events, real and imagined, that playwright White deftly weaves through time and space, both externally and internally, now and at the other place where the family once resided.

Although Juliana’s debilitation is caused by an unspecified dementia, the story accurately deals with conditions, behaviors and emotional detritus experienced by the families and victims of any of a number of mild to severe mental health issues.

Directed with sensitivity by Taylor Kasch, The Other Place allows the audience to experience Juliana’s journey in such a way that elicits deep emotional response, as well as the occasional laugh or tear.

Killion and Perlmutter are a dynamic match. Both are highly skilled in their craft and fully immerse themselves in their roles. Each brings power, empathy, insight and compassion to their roles.

Taking on multiple personas in pivotal supporting roles throughout the drama are Amanda Canty as The Woman, and Scott Blanchard as The Man.  Canty provides a great deal of depth to her multiple roles, as does Blanchard, although he is seen less frequently.

As the years have gone by, the Santa Paula Theatre Center has been taking more and more risks in the material they present. Nearly every choice has been a solid winner both for both the actors and audiences. With The Other Place as its opener, the upcoming season is solidly on track to continue that excellence.

The Other Place runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through March 13. Tickets are $20 general, and $18 seniors/students. Due to both strong language and the sensitive subject matter, the show is not suitable for children.  525-4645 or www.santapaulatheatercenter.org. Reservations recommended.

Deadpool/4 Palm Trees
By Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

From the studio that has failed to create any viable franchises besides Wolverine comes the latest entry into a year packed with superhero films. Deadpool is the adaptation of Rob Liefield’s foul-mouthed, wise cracking, pansexual “superhero” that appeared in several incarnations over the years thanks to Marvel. Yes, that term is to be taken lightly as we see him do many un-heroic things.

The story picks up with Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), an ex-special forces member who now operates as a hit-man of sorts with a non-stop sense of humor, falling in love with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Wilson discovers that he has terminal cancer spread to all over his body and is offered a second chance at life through the help of the mysterious Francis (Ed Skrein). When he is left for dead disfigured, and mutated. Wilson seeks revenge and to restore some semblance of normalcy to his love life.

A Marvel fan favorite for years, the character translates extremely well to the screen. Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the film holds a surprising amount of emotional weight during the scenes in which Wilson and Vanessa’s relationship is blossoming.

This is in part successful due to the performances of Reynolds and Baccarin who serve as a great foil to each other. The supporting cast of villains isn’t anything to write home about, but then again, that’s not the point of the movie.

Deadpool is a rare comic book film in which the eventual battle between good and evil is not the key to its resolution. It is what stands in its way from Wilson being able to get back to Vanessa. The film is about these two characters and the mess they enter. Deadpool would probably work if all the major villains were taken out.

An interesting element is the addition of lesser-known X-Men Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who serves as a touch of detached youth to the story. Serving the story only in the fight scenes, I was left waiting for more from her “big brother/little sister relationship” with Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic).

Is Deadpool rife with subtext, deeper meaning, and an attempt to elevate the genre? Absolutely not. From the opening credits, first scenes of action, and filthy sounds of Tom Holkenborg’s synthesizer heavy score, Deadpool knows its audience. This is a fan service film and it’s perhaps the best one coming along at the right time for 20th Century Fox.

What is best about Deadpool is that the story doesn’t take him to the corners of the earth, hi-tech sci-fi environments, or drop him in story of espionage. We see him trying to restore order to his life, but failing to do so because he gets glee out of punishing people worse than he is. Sit back, let the fourth wall be broken, and get to know one of the best incarnations of Deadpool  to date.

Now playing at Cinemark Downtown 10 Rated R

Arnold Schwarzenegger has completed his next film, the revenge thriller “478,” in which he plays a man whose wife and child died in a plane crash caused by an air traffic controllers screw-up. When Arnold makes it known he wants vengeance, the controller is placed in protective custody. You can guess the rest.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has overtaken “Jurassic World’s” $1.6 billion box office, and by the time you read this will have knocked “Titanic” out of the No. 2 spot, even with its impressive $2.2 billion gross. However, “The Force” will have to stay awake nights to pass “Avatar” with its $2.8 billion take. When that happens, “Avatar” will unleash “Avatar 2” in December 2017, followed by “3” in 2018 and “4” in 2019.