INSIGHTFUL COMEDY PLAY “BAKERSFIELD MIST” INTRIGUES AT CV REP

Arthur Hacket and Stephanie Erb star in "Bakersfield Mist" at CV REP

The world of theatre can become a transformative experience for many in the audience as each person views the production through different lenses at the same time. What is funny to one audience member may be off-putting to another.

CV REP, one of the leading Equity theatre companies in the Coachella Valley, re-opened their COVID 19-interrupted production last weekend in what turned out to be a near-flawless, intriguing comedy entitled “Bakersfield Mist” which was penned by playwright Stephen Sachs back in 2011. 

Sachs’ thought-provoking comedy with an edge also acts as a metaphor on how the world of art approaches the thorny problems of dealing with art fraud and verifiable authenticity and how our political system is the opposite in its execution regarding the issues of fraud and authenticity. Theatre productions also can make for strange bedfellows too.

Alas, the art world is constantly being plagued with a plethora of “newly discovered” art masterpieces that have been gathering dust for years in the attics and basements of the Auntie Ems of the world.  Now, thanks to TV’s “Antiques Roadshow”, viewers who purchased old paintings at garage sales for a few dollars or received family heirloom paintings, are hoping their ‘treasures’ will be like winning the lottery. 

Along comes Martha Gutman, (Stephanie Erb) a potty-mouthed, ex-bartender now out of work, who upon closer examination back at her trailer park home, claims that her three dollar purchase of a painting from a friend is an authentic Jackson Pollock now worth millions. 

This claim sets in motion a face-to-face meeting and confrontation with snobbish Lionel Percy (Arthur Hacket), a New York City professionally-certified Art expert and recognized Jackson Pollock authority who has flown to Bakersfield from New York to lock horns over Martha’s Pollock authenticity claim. 

 “It’s not a Jackson Pollock” says Lionel. "Yes it is!" counters Martha.  No it isn’t. Yes it is! This thinking person’s comedy is more than a negotiation of whether it’s an authentic Jackson Pollock painting, it’s a reflection and an echo of how America has been subtly changing its values system without anyone paying attention or objecting.  

As the whiskey flows during their meeting, Martha keeps on coaxing Lionel to give her a break and certify that her painting is a genuine Pollock which leads to more conversation about ethics and rules governing authentication and honesty. This is a comedy but Sachs’ compelling and insightful dialogue and plot line holds the audience in the thrall of actors Erb and Hacket. Their onstage chemistry is downright palpable and rightly so, as they are married to one another in real life; it’s a joy to watch these two pros strut their uncommon skills and talent under the whip smart staging and direction of Ron Celona, CV REP’s Founding Artistic Director.  His pacing is spot-on for a two character play which zips along nicely at 75 minutes (there is no intermission).

One of the strengths of CV REP productions is the experience and wizardry of the creative technical staff led by director Celona. Most are award-winning, skilled artistic professionals including Emmy Award-winning Set Designer and Props Creator Jimmy Cuomo; Lighting Designer Moira Wilkie Whitaker, celebrated Lighting Director for 20 years at the Annenberg Theatre in Palm Springs; Broadway and Tony Award-nominated Sound Designer Cricket Myers. Frank Cazeres, award-winning Costume Designer, and perennial Desert Theatre League award winner Hair and Makeup designer Lynda Schaeps complete this very formidable creative team. Paul Tenaglia stage manages the production.

The twist in this intriguingly written and sensationally performed stage play is that it is actually based on a true event concerning a Jackson Pollock painting claim several years ago.

Note: “Bakersfield Mist” is a play about adults for adults.There are a boatload of expletives being hurled from the stage, so perhaps one should consider leaving Grandma and the kiddies at home.

The play closes Sunday December 12th following the 2 PM matinee performance.  For ticket information to this must-see production, contact the CV REP box office at 760-296-2966 or go online to: www.cvrep.org for additional information.  

And remember… a great nation deserves great art.  Support all the arts.

-- Jack Lyons

The Sound of Music at Palm Canyon Theatre Invites Audiences to Enjoy the Tender Trapps

Live theatres all over the country are mounting their various Holiday versions of Christmas-themed plays and musicals.  The Palm Canyon Theatre, the city’s oldest live theatre, is no exception when it comes to presenting classical Christmas entertainment to its audiences.

“The Sound of Music”, is a show that the whole family can enjoy. It’s based on an inspirational true story of the famous Austrian von Trapp Family Singers and their escape to Switzerland on the eve of Germany’s 1938 Anschluss, and it’s annexing of Austria prior to World War II that will break out one year later.

The story in short - unless you have been living in a cave for the last 100 years  -  revolves around Maria a young novitiate from ‘The Abbey’, a local nunnery, who takes a temporary leave to fulfil a three month position at the behest of her Mother Abbess as a replacement governess for retired widower and aristocrat of the Austrian Navy, Captain Georg von Trapp and his seven children ranging in ages from 16  to a 7 year old.

Captain von Trapp has been raising his children on a very large family estate as if they were crew members under his command. He has taught them navy-coded Bosun’s mate whistles whenever he wants to talk to them in person. Into this very unorthodox style of raising his family comes the energetic, independent- minded, free spited, young Frauline Maria, with a love of the Almighty, children and nature, in that order and all the creatures who inhabit it. Fasten your seat belts!

The Sound of Music story has seen many productions over the years.  It opened on Broadway in 1959  as a stage musical starring Mary Martin. Since then it has been seen several more times on Broadway in various revivals.  When the 1965 movie was released, it became the highest grossing film in history for five straight years.  Its pedigree is solid gold and world famous as the movie that starred a then relatively unknown 29 year-old Julie Andrews as Maria and 34 year-old Canadian Shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp.

A note for the audience: The Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) production now playing is the’ live stage version’ script, not the movie version. But the talented creative team and a cast of twenty nine performers who make the serendipitous stage magic happen is up to the challenge.

It isn’t possible to list every performer due to space restrictions, but there are always standouts. First and foremost is the performance of Se Layne as Frauline Maria that is absolutely astounding when one considers she is also the musical's director and choreographer who somehow found time to step into the leading lady role of Maria when three of her principal actors were suddenly forced to withdraw just a week prior to opening due to medical issues.  

Mia Alexander as Liesl, the Captain’s oldest daughter, and Virginia Sulick as Elsa Schraeder, a former love interest of Georg, also came on board just a few days before the opening. There is a lot of truth and courage behind the show business axiom of “the show must go on.” I don’t know of a single 501(c)3 theatre company that could weather a blow that severe.

Sheldon Safir as Max, the family’s performance manager and agent soldiered on without missing a beat. Michele Davis as Housekeeper Frau Schmidt, tries her best to control the mischievous children when Captain von Trapp is away at sea duty. They don’t likes governesses, that is until Frauline Maria takes over.  

It’s those adorable little children that concerns one. Can they adapt to new strangers being on stage with them when one of them has never even been on a stage before?  You bet they can and they do! The Nuns of the Abbey are led by Jaci Davis as a sensitive, caring Mother Abbess, who also scores with her glorious rendition of “Climb Every Mountain”.

“The Sound of Music” is based on the original Rodgers and Hammerstein II production with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II with the book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.

Lighting designers J.W. Layne and Kay Van Zandt provide just the right amount of light to see and appreciate the wonderful graphic designs and back-drops of Nick Edwards that lend great authenticity to the overall visual settings and locations. It’s a nice production touch for the audience.

The PCT production is once again brilliantly costumed by Resident Designer Derik Shopinski who also stage manages the show. One can only imagine the traffic management issues going on back stage on this production.  The “willing suspension of disbelief” is definitely called for here.  Ahh, the joys of live theatre.

Musical Director Scott Smith on piano leads band members David Bronson on drums, Larry Holloway on bass and Lee Wolfe on violin as accompaniment for the show’s 17 musical numbers.

“The Sound of Music” runs from December 5 thru December 19, 2021.  For ticket information call Box Office at 760-323-5123.

-- Jack Lyons

ROCK MUSICAL ‘HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH" EXPLODES IN SIGHT AND SOUND AT DESERT ROSE PLAYHOUSE

Nicholas Sloan stars as the title character in "Hedwig and

the Angry Inch" at Desert Rose Playhouse

The opening weekend of the rock musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” knocked the socks off capacity audiences in the new home of the Desert Rose Playhouse, now firmly ensconced at 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive in the Palm Springs Fun Center. 

The Desert Rose Playhouse, founded by Paul Taylor and Jim Strait, served for eight years as the Valley’s only LGBTQ+ theatre company.  When Taylor and Strait answered the siren call of the Hawaiian Islands, the producing torch was passed to talented new and dedicated producer/actor Robbie Wayne.

Under Wayne’s auspicious stewardship, the production company has grown from a small venue of about 70 patrons to a glittering new theatre of some 120 seats, along with a technical team capable of mounting comedies, dramas, musicals; you name it, they will produce it.   

Savvy Desert Rose Playhouse artistic director Robbie Wayne was fortunate to nab award winning actor/director Chuck Yates (co-founder of the Equity theatre company Coyote StageWorks ) to helm this iconic musical favorite of the gay community.

Yates is an award winning actor/director and a writer for the TV shows “Caroline in the City” and “Dharma & Greg”. His directorial touches for this high energy production could easily light the entire Coachella Valley. It takes real talent and experience to gather all of the disparate components necessary for a successful musical production. It’s truly a collaborative effort in concert with the director’s choices to make musicals of this caliber soar.

The story, in short, is an oft told tale of the struggle of Hedwig, a gay young man seeking answers and a place where he can not only become his own person making his own choices in life, but shed those in his life who has always told him what do and say. His rebellion speaks to the youth of the world…but only in the music and the lyrics composed and written by Stephen Trask. The libretto by John Cameron Mitchell strings the scenes of Hedwig and his interaction with the audience as a way of keeping the audience fully engaged. It worked like a charm the night I attended.

The superb cast of Nicholas Sloan as Hedwig, and his real-life wife Jamie Leigh Walker as Yitzhak, deliver sensational performances that knock the socks off of Palm Springs audiences in what can only be described as an evening of highly amped sound, cascading light changes, and the toe-thumping musical beat of the Angry Inch Band, under the musical direction of Constance Gordy.

The band nicely blends into the production as integral characters as well as musicians providing the necessary musical accompaniment which allows stars Sloan and Walker to strut their stuff. Big shout outs go to Juan Espino on guitar, Sean McCune on drums, Miguel Arballo on bass, and Krystofer Do on keyboards.  High octane performances deserve high octane musical back-up.

No show as slickly and professionally produced as this show happens without inputs from a creative technical staff, in this case led by director Yates and executive producer Robbie Wayne that include Matthew McLean’s functional set design, creative lighting designs by Nick Wass, Mariah Pryor and Phil Murphy, and Audio/Video designs and special effects by Nick Wass. John Hamilton Palmer provides the costume designs. The production is stage managed by Nathan Cox.

With “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Desert Rose Playhouse has a winning, must see production on its hands.  Don’t miss it.

For ticket information and dates and times call the box office at 760-202-3000.

Remember:  A great nation deserves great art.  Support all the arts.

OPINION: WHY ARE WE STILL MIRED IN THAT ALLEGORICALLY-INFAMOUS WASHINGTON D.C. SWAMP THAT WAS PROMISED TO BE DRAINED FIVE YEARS AGO?

Why are we still mired in, and being held captive like hostages, in that mythically infamous Washington, D.C. ‘swamp’ that was promised to be drained five years ago?

It’s been little over a year since November 2020 when Mr. Trump lost his presidential reelection bid but still refuses to accept his defeat.  And “the big lie’ theory continues to poison the political well-being of our nation.  Since then, the country has been in a constant state of fear, division and distrust.  Timing and choices that affect everything in our lives may also be influencing the almost uncontrollable events sent by Mother Nature in the form of two worldwide pandemics, which has been exacerbating our civil turmoil and political unrest for over twenty months.

Once again, the cult-like Red Hatted Maga party and its enablers are gearing up for the return of Trump in his 2024 presidential bid to dump democracy and replace it with an autocratic regime led by himself as its leader/autocrat/dictator, in the style of Putin’s Russia and China’s President and Prime Minister Xi Jinping.  It’s been a long- held childhood dream of his to become a king.

When We the People ask for answers and solutions to issues that are plaguing our democracy.  Instead we’re denied the full truth.  Instead, we’re handed even more obfuscation and finger pointing along with shifting the blame and stonewalling in the hope that we the people will tire of the issue.

And, if that wasn’t enough of a red flag warning to concern our elected officials, the country then had to deal with the ignominious January 6, 2021, insurrection.  The storming of the Capitol by a band of more than 600 self-proclaimed Trump loyalists and barbarians who breached the gates at his behest, gave life to the political slur from our allies and friends by now referring to the USA as a South American banana-style republic.

The beacon of democracy and hope has not only been dimmed, it’s literally been taken away from us inside our borders by our own countrymen.  All this was made crystal clear prior to January 6, 2021 in screenwriter and director Billy May’s powerful and provocative 2017 film “The Comey Rule”, that explored the Trump presidency prior to the first of his two impeachment trials.  It was a prescient moment and signal to America to be on guard to the possibility of losing our democracy from within by those who covet autocracy over democracy.  

May’s film highlights the lengths that then president Trump was willing to go in his war with the FBI and its director James Comey.   Their relationship was poisoned from moment the director was handed a loyalty oath to sign.  If signed, that would clear the way for the president to co-opt the FBI by allowing it to become politicized and weaponized for Trump’s personal war on his perceived enemies in violation of FBI rules and regulations.

The president’s revenge for Comey’s “disloyalty” was to fire the director and then continue his feud with the Agency by throwing certain FBI civil servant officials who worked for Comey out with Jim Comey’s bath water, despite the Agency’s 112 years of outstanding service, credibility, and loyalty to the Constitution and its reputation and effectiveness to the country.

Trump constantly demonized his own FBI agency at every opportunity in his vendetta to destroy it with a king-like edict of a loyalty oath he demanded from all his cabinet and department heads who were forced to sign it.  Comey, however, demurred when asked to sign the oath and his refusal cost him his job.

One of the main reasons the arts and the media are still available to us is due in part to the boldness and fearlessness of both communities.   It is a testament to their resolve in keeping our 2021 democracy and our citizens well informed.  The main underpinning of our democracy, after all, relies on free speech and the rule of law in America.  Both of these concepts have come under heavy attack over the last five years. 

Now is the time for using “better late than never” as a prudent rationale for reexamining why our current political leaders lately appear to be tired of living in our 245-year-old democracy.  I still feel the sting of the ominous words spoken by Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev who (paraphrasing) smugly said “… we will bury you from within without firing a single shot…”   Nonetheless, the threat of losing our democracy by any means is unacceptable, especially in today’s politically divided and angst-filled American society. 

Khrushchev’s chilling words spoken 55 years ago seem less chilling now but more perplexing in 2021 because of the head scratching actions on the part of what some of our elected officials are saying and doing these days.  They have all sworn an oath to protect the Constitution and by extension, we the people along with our democracy-based way of life.

Alas, it’s a pity but understandable why some Americans today feel the need to ask where one stands when it comes to politics and the nation’s future.  The autocrats of the world are popping champagne corks to celebrate our embarrassment and fall from grace, and in their eyes, the United States of America is no longer the world’s greatest democracy.

Also vexing is why some of our elected officials appear to be recanting or abandoning their original sworn oaths. We have been taught that the truth to power pushback from the people will set us free.  If so, why is our American way of life over the last five years beginning to look a little frayed around the edges?  

The arts and our media are the best pathways to reach the people who, allegedly and ultimately, are in charge of America via the power given them through our Constitution that guarantees all U.S. citizens the freedom and the right to vote.  Remember, Congress works for us not for the flawed legacy of a disgraced ex-president.

We owe it to all the people that we remain a refuge for free speech in these politically charged and perilous times.  Every day in America that brings more troubling new facts and/or news about a new scandal relating to our politicians makes my heart sink a little more and I begin to worry again for our future as a democracy.

Also, I believe that it’s safe to say that most Americans are familiar with the political term “drain the swamp.”  Five years ago, the incoming political players promised to drain that swamp and “Make America Great Again.”  Most of our countrymen are law abiding, God fearing, patient folks, who are still waiting…and waiting… and waiting for that change to take place.

As a country we have survived many ups and downs because we are a unique and special nation.  We have worked very hard in our 245 years of existence to become the envy of the world. We, however, are not perfect, but we continue in the pursuit of seeking perfection.  After all, life on planet earth is a complicated, on-going work in progress.

Personally, I find it more rewarding these days to be an optimist rather than a cynic.  So, this time let’s really “drain the swamp” for the right, noble, and honorable reasons.  For if we fail in this pursuit, dark and dangerous days and perhaps even years, are in store for the greatest democracy the world has ever known.

-- Jack Lyons

“SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE” THE 2021 MOVIE VERSION DRAWS MIXED REVIEWS FROM CRITICS

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac in HBO's
2021 remake of "Scenes from a Marriage"

When it comes to original stories made into movies and TV films, about the subject of love and marriage, one would be hard pressed to ignore the angst-filled dramas of the great Swedish filmmaker and writer-director Ingmar Bergman.

Bergman brought to the screen his series of reality-based films about the lives of Scandinavian marriages to insulated uninformed American audiences that didn’t like the feel of foreign films due to their annoying and off-putting subtitles.

Most Americans thought Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark were countries where people were tall, blonde, sexy, and were countries filled with lots of snow and ice during the winter months that made for great skiing and skating but also made for boring weeks where the sun was rarely seen.  Actually, there was a lot more happening in their marriages than we realized. After all, sex is universally practiced and so is its appeal.

Israeli filmmaker Hagai Levi decided he wanted to do a more modern updated version of Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 seminal film “Scenes from a Marriage” that originally starred Liv Ullman, Erland Joseph, Bibi Andersson, Jan Malmsjo, and Gunnel Lindblom.  However, writer/adaptor/director Levi trimmed several characters for his 2021 version. The film cast now features Jessica Chastain as Mira, Oscar Isaac as Jonathan, Nicole Beharie as Kate, and Corey Stoll as Peter, as their married friends and Sophia Kopera as Ava, their three year-old daughter.

The eponymous 2021 movie version currently streaming on HBO platforms stars the always fiercely bold and exciting actor Jessica Chastain as Mira, a shallow, narcissistic, young mother and wife married to Oscar Isaac as Jonathan, a philosophy college professor who rarely challenges Mira when messy home life and workplace confrontations occur.  He prefers the rational approach much like that of a Talmudic scholar in discussions with the ambivalent, passive-aggressive Mira.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac in "Scenes from a Marriage"

We meet them nearing the end of their marital bliss days that are now turning into thoughts of separation on Mira’s part. This is the tipping point in their marriage where the rubber will soon meet the road of reality.  Their marital life has been tedious, slowly paced and is loaded with dialogue that strains one’s credulity and authenticity. For starters, where is Mira’s concern for how she and Jonathan’s actions will forever affect their daughter?

Jonathan has been blind-sided and shell-shocked by Mira’s decision and in her unreal delusional attitude of being a parent and mother. Jonathan suggests they take some time to discuss this, but Mira demurs. Her mind is already made up; she has other plans in her future.

I seriously doubt that many female viewers will embrace the behavior of Mira.  And, yes, the film is not all “sturm and drang”. There are many moments of aching poignancy in Levi’s script about the ups and downs of married life that affect everyone in the film and as well as in real life.       

If one had to choose a character in this story to root for, I suspect it would be Jonathan based on his fatherly love and deep concern for Ava’s future. Levi leaves such decisions up to his audience when it comes to choosing one parent over the other.  Regardless, their marriage had all the elements of an impending train wreck right from the get go, but it is not the screaming, drunken, bombastic sort depicted in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, but it’s close enough on an intellectual level to claim a ‘civilized’ kinship.  

Most of the dialogue scenes are delivered in hushed and whispered tones - so make sure seniors are wearing their hearing aids while watching.  I get the ‘stylistic’ decision that signals intimacy, and as such, demands that the love scenes be spoken in tones that are low and slowly delivered for maximum effect; however, employing that directorial crutch only heightens the glacial pacing even more. There are more surprises and twists in this marital disintegration tale, but no more spoiler alerts here.

Nicole Beharie and Corey Stoll in HBO's "Scenes from a Marriage

I suspect the excesses of our 21st century liberated society influenced this adaptation of ”Scenes From a Marriage”, which resulted in it receiving mixed reviews. After all, the actors are working to execute the writer/director’s vision which they did in highly nuanced tour de force performances.  The talents of Nicole Beharie and Corey Stoll, however, are wasted here. One could make a case that the ubiquitous prop of red and white wine consumed by all (save Ava) has the largest on-screen time in the film.

With respect to the actors, who had nothing to do with the uneven moments in the script, Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac are gifted actors and it’s a joy to watch their sublime performances.  Isaac’s “Ex Machina” film about Artificial Intelligence and Chastain’s performances in “Zero Dark Thirty” about the search for Osama Bin Laden, and “The Help” respectively, were breakthrough film performances where audiences and producers took notice.

I can’t wait to see “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, staring Ms. Chastain as the televangelist partner and wife of disgraced preacher Jim Bakker, that opens in theatres this month.

Remember, a great nation deserves great art.  Support the Arts!

-- Jack Lyons

FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL THE ENIGMATIST, THE NEWEST MAGICAL PRESENTATION AT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

David Kwong is THE ENIGMATIST at the Geffen Playhouse.
Photos by Jeff Lorch.

If you are looking for a show that will astound, confound and thoroughly entertain you, look no further than THE ENIGMATIST, the first presentation of the esteemed Geffen Playhouse's 25th season, written and performed by illusionist David Kwong at Westwood's Geffen Playhouse.

Showcasing the incredible skill and charm of Kwong, a New York Times crossword puzzle creator and sleight of hand magician, the show is a delightful combination of mind games, code breaking, fascinating history and jaw-dropping illusions that leave the audience gasping in glee.

Last year, Kwong took the stage in the Audrey Kenis Skirball Theatre in "Inside the Box," a salute to crossword puzzle fans everywhere. He has a can't-miss combination of smarts and humor with a touch of vulnerability, that pulls the audience into the act with ease.

The theatrical experience begins before one even enters the theatre, as an outdoor patio has been transformed into a "clue gallery" where the audience is strongly encouraged to try and solve the presented puzzles before entering the intimate stage set. By the time I sat down, I was hopelessly lost and feeling like a high school dropout, but I still got caught up in the rhythm Kwong creates.

His audience was all too eager to participate, providing assistance in some fairly impressive magic that left them agape. 

Hats off to the imaginative production designers at the Geffen who transform this small space in myriad ways, all of which work brilliantly. THE ENIGMATIST reconfigures the space as a cross between an elegant wood panelled library and a cocktail lounge...and it works. A series of small tables for two, along with banquettes and some traditional theatre seats, encourages the shared experience; the walls feature framed images which are vital clues to solving some of the challenges posed by Kwong. 

And he does challenge you, believe me. If you think you are pretty knowledgeable about puzzles, acrostics, cyphers and the like, you will leave this show feeling like a novice but eager to pursue more information about the nature and meaning of puzzles in our lives.

After his show last year, I wrote that Kwong would be an excellent choice to replace Alex Trebek on Jeopardy when the time came. Too bad the producers of that show didn't read my review, because this ingratiating magician and "cruciverbalist" (aka a crossword puzzle constructor) would give the TV audience what they are demanding in a host: intellect, heart, humor and a waggish personality. It's not too late, you know...

The show runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission and is a perfect family-friendly show with nothing but clean jokes and amazing illusions. It's scheduled to run until November 14, 2021.

Tickets can be purchased through the Geffen Playhouse website at geffenplayhouse.org. Don't miss it!

-- Lisa Lyons

Local Playwright John Guerra Reinvisions "Our Town" for Our Times

Driving up a winding highway that snakes its way through the Topanga Canyon area of Los Angeles, one becomes immersed in the rural beauty of the canyons above swanky Malibu. I almost miss the slight turn in for the legendary Theatricum Botanicum, a hidden gem of a theatre founded in 1973 by actor Will Geer (Grandpa Zeb on The Waltons), where I am meeting John Guerra, a local playwright born in Carpinteria, a beach community located between Ventura and Santa Barbara. Despite the dust and heat of the day, the affable Guerra is energized and excited to talk about the premiere production of his play "The Last Best Small Town."

"I am so excited for this production, and honestly. I can't think of a more perfect place to see live theatre than here," he says. "The combination of the setting and the exceptional talent, both on stage and behind, is magical. It reminds me of the original form of theatre in the Greek tradition, and it's a perfect fit for this particular story."

"The Last Best Small Town," tells the story of the Miller and Gonzalez families who are neighbors in the small town of Fillmore in Ventura county. The year is 2008, and the country is in the early stages of the financial crisis that will devastate communities and alter the meaning of the American Dream. The age-old expectation that each generation will do better than their parents has been destroyed; what once seemed guaranteed is now fraught with uncertainty. The play's young protagonists, Maya and Elliot, personify the heavy toll on families who had counted on a bright future and now had to reimagine their lives with lowered expectations.

"Growing up, my parents loved road trips, so we would often just jump in the car and ride to an adventure," he lovingly recalls. "We drove through Fillmore a lot on our way to visit family in Burbank, and I watched it expand from a sleepy burb to a bustling community with housing developments and strip malls. I remember what a big deal it was when the first Starbucks opened there. But when the recession hit, everything seemed to freeze. That image just stuck with me."

After graduating from Carpinteria High School, Guerra attended the University of California Irvine and earned his MFA in Playwriting from the California Institute of the Arts in 2015. Starting as an actor with such local theatre companies as the Blank Theatre, the Fountain Theatre, and the Ghost Road Theatre Ensemble, Guerra soon realized a shortage of plays resonated with his Millennial generation. This led to the seed of an idea for a play that would mirror his own coming of age in the early 2000s. He saw how money, status and racial bias had altered the American Dream forever.

When the Los Angeles-based Vagrancy Theatre's Blossoming program put out a call for reimagining a classic theatre piece, Guerra started to mine his own background to create "The Last Best Small Town" as a modern-day "Our Town" using Fillmore as the setting. "The play was a way for me to reckon with my own identity," Guerra reveals. "A lot of the issues that Maya and Elliot struggle with were my own as I came of age, and the conversations about race they are forced to confront are ones that, as someone who is mixed, are constantly going on within myself."

"I set out to write a play without any bad guys - except for the impossibility of the American Dream," he admits. "Hopefully, I have portrayed it with kindness and compassion."

With a humble yet confident tone, Guerra states, "Every playwright looks forward to seeing the ideas in their head realized. I'm hoping that these words and ideas that have kept me up at night will reach across the stage and allow the audience to really feel that they are seen and understood. And isn't that the basis of all great drama?"

"The Last Best Small Town" opened July 31 and will play in repertory at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum through November 6. Tickets can be purchased in advance through their website at https://theatricum.com/the-last-best-small-town/.

-- Lisa Lyons


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