BROADWAY BOUND by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Broadway Bound is the third play by Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – Aug. 26, 2018) that features Eugene Jerome, a character based on his own life.  The play opened on Broadway in 1986 and closed after 756 performances.  It was nominated for four Tony Awards, winning two, one for Best Actress and one for Best Featured Actor.  In 1987 it was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for a drama. 

            The play relates the story of Eugene Jerome (Josh Reiter) and his older brother Stanley (Matthew Nye) who work together as they dream of becoming successful comedy writers for the radio.  They live with their parents Kate (Jill Remez) and Jack (Mark Sande) and their grandfather Ben Epstein (Shelly Kurtz) in Brighton Beach.  The year is 1949.  

            All is not well at the home of the Jeromes.  The boys feel the tension pervading between their parents, and realize that Jack is having an affair.  Their aunt, well-to-do Blanch (Maria Sapssoff), tries to convince their Grandfather to move to Florida, where his wife has gone to live, in order to take the strain off of Kate. 

            When Eugene and Stanley get their first job to write for a comedy show on the radio, they base it on their family.  Jack recognizes the resemblance of the illusory family and theirs and becomes enraged.  Though Kate does her best to try to hold the family together, it is obvious that her life is not the same.  Her nostalgic conversation with Eugene reveals her heartbreak.   

            Eventually Jack makes the decision to leave.  Eugene and Stanley move out when they are offered a job that guarantees them success as comedy writers.  This leaves Kate alone in the house with Ben who, ultimately, makes the move to Florida.   

            How can one not fall in love with the characters portrayed by Neil Simon?  After all, based on his life, they are real human beings with real human problems and one can’t help having real strong feelings for them.  If his play is other than one of his comedies, he is always able to make it magical by adding enough light comedy to it.

            Howard Teichman, Artistic Director of the West Coast Jewish Theatre, directs one of the finest productions of this play that I have ever seen.  Each actor seems born for his or her role, each exceptionally realistic bringing his or her character to life.  The ideal set was designed by Kurtis Bedford.

            Broadway Bound is playing at the Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica.  It plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM, through October 18, with Thursday performances Oct. 11, 18 and 25, at 8 PM.  Tickets are available online at www.wcjt.tix,com, or by phone at (323) 821-2449.

            HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

             

THE CAKE by Carol Kaufman Segal

            The Cake, a play written by Bekah Brunstetter, had its world premier at the Echo Theater Company in 2017, earning rave reviews and extending for many weeks. For theater goers who might have missed this extraordinary fine production, The Geffen Playhouse has brought the entire production to its Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater.

            Della (Debra Jo Rupp) owns a bakery in Winston-Salem, North Caroline where she is known for her delicious cakes.  She is also a devout Christian.  What does that have to do with her cakes? You might ask.  You are soon to find out.  

            A young woman, Macy (Carolyn Ratteray), drops in to the bakery, but not to make a purchase.  It seems she is waiting for a friend.   Della loves to chat about her cakes, and in doing so with Macy, learns that she is an African American writer who lives in Brooklyn. When Jen (Shannon Lucio) shows up at the bakery, Della is thrilled to see the daughter of her late best friend whom she helped to raise. 

            Jen tells her she is getting married and has come back home to have the wedding where her parents were married.  She also came to ask her if she would make the cake for her wedding.   Of course, Della is thrilled, and yes, she would be very happy to make her wedding cake.  When Della inquires about who Jen is marrying, she introduces her to Macy whereby Della is flummoxed to no end.   Their conversation becomes strained and she hems and haws over the making of the cake until Jen tells her she needn’t do it.  At that moment she can’t refuse.       

            Della can’t get the whole situation out of her mind and finally tells Jen that she is unable to make the cake.  But after doing so, she becomes obsessed over her decision.  Her husband Tim (Rod McLachlan) reminds her that Jen put her in the predicament she finds herself.       

            Della is scheduled to appear as a contestant on TV’s “The Great American Baking Show”, but she begins having strange visions of what her appearance will be like as she finds herself quoting from the Bible rather than giving out her recipes!     

            Jennifer Chambers directs a superlative cast.  The play is not at all overly serious, and Debra Jo Rupp is a natural who makes one feel for her situation while she brings out its lighter moments.  

            The Cake plays Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 3 PM and 8 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM, through October 21, at The Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, located in the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles. Tickets are available at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at (310) 5454, or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org.

            HIGHLY RECOMMENDED             

23 PEBBLES by Carol Kaufman Segal

            23 Pebbles is a heartfelt play written by playwright/actor Eric Ulloa, playing at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills.  It relates the story of the horrific massacre that took place on December 4, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, the mass shooting at Sand Hook Elementary School, in which 20 children and six school staff members were murdered.

            Ulloa went to Newtown to interview residents whose lives were changed forever by this atrocity.  He then created 23 Pebbles by putting them all together in an emotional and consoling play that takes place six months later.           

            The play consists of six excellent actors who each take on the role of the many number of residents whose stories make up the script.  The cast includes Jennifer Lee Laks (Jenn, Carla), Joe Lorenzo (Michael, Darren, Bill, Father Weiss), George Villas (Joe, Chris, Rabbi Shaul Praver, Mike), Jean Kauffman (Sally, Jeriann, Yolie), Michele Schultz (Gerogia, Kat, Carrie), and Roslyn Cohn (Julie, Starr, Carole). 

            Under the astute direction by Jules Aaron, these actors give a true human touch to the characters they play, and reveal how the people of Newtown came together to bond, cope, heal, and look ahead with hope for the future.

            This play will not leave you feeling down.  You will actually have an emotionally good feeling to know that the people of Newtown feel as the local rabbi remarked, “Newtown doesn’t want to be remembered as the town of tragedy.  We want to be remembered as a bridge to a new and kinder world.  It’s not about the suburbs or the urban areas.  It’s about the red blood that flows out of all of our veins.  It’s about the clear tears that flow out of our eyes.  We are all the same…”

            26 Pebbles plays Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM, through October 14, at Theatre 40, located in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, on the Beverly Hills High School Campus, 241 S. Moreno Dr, Beverly Hills.  Tickets are available online at www.theatre40.org, or by phone at (310) 364-0535.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ALEICHEM SHOLOM!  The Wit and Wisdom of Sholom Aleichem by Carol Kaufman Segal           

            Sholom Aleichem (Translated from Hebrew as a greeting “Peace be with you”) was the pseudonym of Sholom Yakov Rabinovitz,  born February 18, 1859, in Pereyaslav near Kiev, Ukraine, in the Russian Empire.  He became a leading Yiddish author and playwright, the first writer to use Yiddish, the popular language of the people.

            Aleichem Sholom!  The Wit and Wisdom of Sholom Aleichem is based on the writings and letters of Sholom Aleichem and adapted for the stage by well-known husband and wife team, Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, with songs by Ben Weisman, Emery Bernauer, Evelyn Rudie, and Sholom Aleichem himself.  .

            Through their Santa Monica Jewish Heritage Program, DeCarlo and Rudie have brought stories of Sholom Aleichem to audiences for over forty years that included Author! Author! An evening with Sholom Aleichem, The Clown Prince, The Great Fair, Sholom Aleichem on Tour, and Because of You.  This production is an addition to their “quintology” (name coined by former L.A.Times theatre critic Dan Sullivan) of keeping Jewish theater alive.

            Based on the writing and letters of Sholom Aleichem, the production features Chris DeCarlo as Sholom Aleichem in his later years as he journeys through Russia on a speaking tour, accompanied by his wife Olga (Evelyn Rudie).   She handles his schedule and worries over their finances as he entertains audiences with his wit and storytelling.  The play is interspersed with wonderful songs, and even some dancing by both DeCarlo and Rudie as their story plays out.

            It is a wonderfully written musical play, beautifully performed by DeCarlo and Rudie, who bring Sholom Aleichem, Olga, and other characters they portray, to life.

            Chris and Evelyn are exceptionally talented in every facet of the theater.  They are wonderful writers, directors, musicians, actors, singers, quick at changing characters and costumes, running a theater, teaching their skills, and I could go on and on.  Chris is celebrating 53 years with the Santa Monica Playhouse this year.  Evelyn was a child star by the age of six and has appeared in many TV productions, movies, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  This year, the husband and wife team celebrated 45 years as co-directors of the Santa Monica Playhouse,

            This play has been playing to full capacity at every performance since it opened in May of this year, and has been extended several times,  If you haven’t seen it yet, you are in luck as it  has recently been extended through November 17, with performances Saturdays at 7:30 PM , and Sundays at 3:30 PM, at the Santa Monica Playhouse located at 1211 4^th Street, Santa Monica.  Tickets are available by calling the Playhouse Box Office at (310) 394-9779, or online at SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com/aleichem-sholom.html. 

            

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE UNTRANSLATABLE SECRETS OF NIKKI CORONA by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Jose Rivera’s play, The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona, is largely about the afterlife, a mysterious subject, to say the least, playing at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

            Abril leaves her sister Nikki (both roles played by Onahoua Rodriguez) a phone message before jumping to her death from the Golden State Bridge.  Nikki is beyond grief over missing her sister’s call and decides to look for help by going to the office of A Better Orpheus that offers a rather bizarre service, a way of communicating with the dead.  This is accomplished by putting a client in touch with a dying person who is willing to make contact and deliver a message once they reach the beyond.  Nikki has doubts about this whole practice but, nevertheless, is impelled to go through with it

            Maren  (Cate Scott Campbell), owner of A Better Orpheus, sends Nikki to meet Orlando (Ricardo Chavira) in a hospital room where he is dying of cancer.  Orlando is a good looking young man, but she rejects his advances towards her even though she feels sorry for his dilemma.  I found this a strange situation in the play, quite bizarre, and out-of-place.

            Act II opens with Orlando having died, and from that moment on, my interest in the play becomes lost as it is “much ado about nothing.”   It seems that Orlando forgets about his obligation to Nikki.  In fact, the whole idea seems completely forgotten for most of the act, while she seems no longer a part of the play at all as he wanders around the land of the dead meeting up with his own relatives accompanied by Lisandra (Cate Scott Campbell).

            The play also includes Zilah Mendoza, and Juan Francisco Villa performing various characters throughout the second act, all under the direction of Jo Bonney.

            The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona plays Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 3 PM and 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM, through October 7, at the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles.  Tickets are available by phone at (310) 20-5454, or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org.

           

NATIVE GARDENS by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Native Gardens is a comedy written by Karen Zacarias, directed by Jason Alexander, and playing at the Pasadena Playhouse.  It focuses on two very different couples whose friendship turns into a feud.

             Pablo (Christian Parillas) a striving young attorney recently hired by a prominent law firm, and his young pregnant wife, Tania (Jessica Meraz) have moved into their first home in a trendy neighborhood in Washington, D.C..  The property needs a little TLC, but they are excited about its great yard, wonderful mature tree, a home of their own, and the birth of their first child. 

            Pablo and Tania are enthusiastically welcomed by their next door neighbors, Frank (Bruce Davison) and Virginia (Frances Fisher) who are happy to see a nice family moving into the property that has been neglected due to various renters over the years.  They take pride in their neighborhood, their home, and Frank particularly in his garden that he has nurtured over the years into a lush expanse of tulips and other beautiful colors of flowers.

            Tania has ideas for turning her yard into a garden indigenous to their surroundings and centered around their beautiful mature tree.  She panics when Pablo tells her he has invited his entire office to visit on the coming Saturday.  Realizing they haven’t the time to get the house in order, they agree to have a bar-b-que and rush to get the yard in shape.

            The two couples had agreed that they needed to remove a decades old iron fence and replace it with a new wooden one, but when a survey proves that Frank’s garden has been imposing on 80 square yards of their neighbors’ property, their friendship flies out the window.  Both parties feel they are the injured party.  So, while the gardeners (Julian Arrmaya, Richard Biglia, Bradley Roa II) continue to build the fence on the legal boundary line, upsetting Frank’s garden, the dispute between two couples erupts into a rollicking comedy.

            The cast are all commended performers who are diligently directed by Jason Alexander in bringing an outstanding comedy to the Pasadena Playhouse.  The beautiful set design is by David Meyer.

            Native Gardens plays at the Pasadena Playhouse Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM, through Sept. 30.  Tickets are available online at pasadenaplayhouse.org, by phone at (626) 356-7529, or at the theatre box office, 39 South El Molino Ave., Pasadena.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BREADCRUMBS  by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Breadcrumbs is a play written by Jennifer Haley playing at the Second Floor Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood.  At times it is very touching, other times it is emotional, and there are moments when it can be inexplicable while embracing a situation that is timely today.

            Alida (Lareen Faye) is a reclusive aging writer who lives alone.  While in the midst of writing her autobiography, she is diagnosed with dementia, and is having difficulty remembering words to write.  She goes to a clinic where she is given a memory test by an inept nurse’s aide named Beth (Lisa McGee Mann) who messes up the files and calls Alida by someone else’s name.

            A few days later, Beth shows up at Alida’s home, offering to become her assistant.  Alida is reticent to give her the job since it is obvious to her that the two of them have nothing in common, but Alida recognizes she is need of help.  Beth has worked as a bartender, a stripper, has had many men in her life, and is obviously looking for something to better herself.  How will two such opposites manage to work together?    

            As the days pass, Alida finds much to complain about while working with Beth.  But as her mental condition worsens, she relies more and more on her to find the words to help her recall her childhood memories.  While they follow the breadcrumbs toward her past, they discern a commonality between them which brings them towards a more understanding of one another.  Who would have thought that Alida had lived her life with a mother just like Beth?!

            Lareen Faye and Lisa McGee Mann give sterling performances in this well directed play by Bert Emmett.  Breadcrumbs continues Saturdays at 2 PM, and Sundays at 7 PM, through Oct. 14.  Tickets are available online at www.thegrouprep.com, or by phone at (818) 763-5990.  The Second Floor Lonny Chapman Theater is located 10900 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood.  The theater is not handicapped accessible.

80 minutes, no intermission

Appropiate for adult audiences