TheatreAddict.com - Bakersfield Drama Blog

It's actually "The Three Musketeers," but Mooskateers is more fun to say (obviously). Characters in the show enjoy this pronunciation along with "poopcorn" and "Diet Poopsie."

Getting down the business, I'm talking about the new show at The Gaslight Melodrama. It's a zany, melodrama-style telling of Alexandre Dumas' classic story about those defenders of the crown, the muska-you-know-who's. Once again, the Gaslight has created a light, family-friendly show that is fun and full of laughs. Carla Stanley is at the controls this go-around and she directs the cast through an an hour and a half of comic mishchief. As always, there is a vaudeville review after the regular show, this time with a musical Titanic sinking and a Gilligan's Island teaser.

If you're reading this, you probably already know that Major League Improv puts on a hilarious family-friendly improv comedy show every Saturday at The Spotlight Theatre. If you don't, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? And if you're like me, you know full well they are there but you forget just how much fun it is. It's healthy to laugh folks, which makes the cast of MLI my new doctors as well as good people and hard working comedians.

Come to the Spotlight Theatre on nearly any Saturday at 6PM and these guys and gals will compete for your laughs. It's $8 and can be even cheaper if you pay for your tickets ahead of time over the phone.

Check out the gallery for a few pictures of this weekend's show and listen to the podcast for some post-show chatting with the MLI family.

To be fair, I should say that racism, brotherhood, and the incandescent cross light up the Empty Space in "The Last Meeting of The Knights of The White Mangolia." But I was speaking figuratively. In Preston Jones' second installment of A Texas Trilogy, The White Magnolia is an (imagined) offshoot of the KKK. Once a powerful force in preserving patriotism and "racial purity," these days the glorious Magnolia has sadly (and comicly) devolved into nothing more than an excuse to play dominos and drink.

It's not surprising that watching a racist organization dwindle and fall apart could be funny and therapudic. We humans have a natural urge to want to laugh away the evils of this world. It is a bit surprising, however, to see the human side of the unceremonious death of the organization. In "Magnolia" we see a cast of characters who are all drawn to the organization for different reasons. Their struggle to hold onto the friendship and brotherhood is just as sad as it is funny. When the dust settles, there is very little brotherhood or power left in what was supposed to be a powerful brotherhood.


This production marks the second time that Preston Jones' Bradleyville has been brought to life by director Bob Kempf in Bakersfield. Last year The Empty Space staged "Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander," the third play in A Texas Trilogy. "Magnolia" (co-directed by Jennifer Wells) is the second, and Kempf plans on doing the first, "The Oldest Living Graduate," at The Empty Space sometime in the future. It might sound strange, but ass-backwards fits this small Texas town just fine.

Many of the same actors are playing the same parts in "Magnolia" as they did in "Lu Ann." The cast is very familiar with Bradleyville, giving the play lots of dimension. I found talking to the cast about their roles after the show nearly as enjoyable as watching the play itself. You can experience this as well, I'm sharing it with you in this week's podcast.

Check out the gallery for more pictures and listen to Episode 11 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio for some enlightening conversations with cast members of this show and a few others.

Americans are getting suckered by what passes for a romantic comedy these days, and "The Thing About Men" proves it. It is surprising that a show about a husband and wife cheating on one another can be so funny at times and so emotionally honest at others. That it's put to music is astonishing. That this concept works so well is a miracle.

The basic storyline goes like this. An obsessive adulterer is peeved when he finds out his wife is cheating too, so he finds her lover and (adopting a fake identity) becomes his roommate. Things become complicated, they become friends, and of course eventually the whole thing comes out into the open and emotions and comic hijinks get spilled everywhere. The characters are somewhat silly stereotypes, but also real people. Real people who break out into song at a moment's notice. This combination of romance, comedy, and music works just right and leaves the audience fulfilled, having spent the evening laughing, crying, and making out with the silly but lovable characters on stage.

Yes, this show is fantastic and I don't mind telling you so. The music (provided by ivory tinkler Don Chase) is incredible. The cast is on fire with talent, issuing forth uproarious comedy, big musical numbers, and touching romance. The story is woven together with skill and wit. Sitcom writers and Hollywood script-pushers wish they could come up with stuff this good. Director Justin Brooks is a bad ass, and I told him so.

It works. It's awesome. And it deserves an audience.

Check out the photo gallery for all of the great pictures taken by Keely. You can purchase full size images from her. I talk to the cast this week on the podcast (#10) so check that out. And, last but not least, GO SEE THIS SHOW. You've got two more weekends. Don't let me down.

Have you ever gotten to that point where silly randomness overtakes your personality? People laugh at you and suspect you're drunk or something, but you're so not. Your nutty brain train of thought just seems to want to flow out of your mouth and there is no use stopping it. This is the space that blacklist inhabits 24/7 and they make a living (sort of) out of entertaining you with their on-the-spot situation comedy. They call it improv.

This improv, however, isn't for the faint of heart. It's for those of us who like to see that line designating what's appropriate crossed. Blacklist crosses it, then picks it up off the ground and does a double-dutch jump-rope routine with it. Then they make your dead grandma eat it. Oh yes, they can do that.

At the present time, unfortunately, The Blacklist does not have a permanent home. They've got several more gigs scheduled at the Empty Space (like the late night Friday show I saw this last weekend) but are still looking for a place and time in Bakersfield that they can own.

If you'd like to experience this "improv comedy that refuses to suck" for yourself I advise you to find they're next show and go. To do this, check out my theatre calendar or get in touch with blacklist directly on their website or myspace profile. It'll cost you $5, but your friends and family will be giving you strange looks for days, and that's priceless. These guys have a knack for opening up the nut within.

If you're cheap (come on, $5) or can't wait until their next show, you can get some Blacklist action right now for free. All you need is a high speed internet connection. In this week's podcast (#10) I talk to Rob, Michael, Adam, & Chan about the show and recap some of their favorite "accomplishments" from Friday's exhibition. My favorite: crucifying Mr. Wizard. That should give you an idea of the random twistedness of these guys. For more, check out the podcast or pry $5 out of your wallet and catch them at the Empty Space this Friday (May 26th) at 11PM or NEXT weekend, Friday June 2nd at 11PM as well.

Stay tuned, I'll be adding their other June dates to the calendar soon.

It's Tuesday which means I have articles, pictures, and a new podcast to post! Unfortunately, my work computer CRASHED today...between that and running to Bakersfield I have too much stress and too little time to get everything together today. So, I'm writing this blog to postpone a self-imposed deadline and to let you know it's coming, but on Wedneday instead of Tuesday.

By tomorrow evening I'll have an article up about the great shows I saw this weekend ("The Thing About Men" & "Blaclist"), a beautiful photo gallery from the "Men" show with photos taken by Keely Emery, and a podcast with interviews with the casts of those two shows and the directors of "The Last Meeting of The Nights of the White Magnolia" & "12th Night" & "Mapmaking" (an adult puppet show this weekend at The Empty Space).

Til tomorrow...

-Aaron

I now how the capability to include taped phone calls in the podcast. This is fun and exciting because what I really want is to get YOUR voice out there.

If you have an upcoming project that you would like to plug, call me at (661) 428-1005 and I'll help publicize it. I record the podcast every Tuesday, so make sure to call on the Tuesday before your event! Before 2 PM would be best for me.

Look for a new episode of Bakersfield Theatre Radio tomorrow (Wednesday night), with interviews from the Spotlight Theatre's "The Thing About Men", "Blacklist" at The Empty Space, and much more!!!

-Aaron

(Your Resident Theatre Addict)

You might say that performances of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (such as the ones this weekend at the Empty Space) are just an excuse to get slutted up in makeup and revealing clothing. An excuse to act like freaks and humiliate first timers with bra-removing competitions and whipped cream treasure hunts. An excuse to act out in immoral and offensive ways. I presented this criticism to Kevin Lively, one of the coordinators of this weekend's Rocky-fest. His response? "Duh."

Rocky, as you may know, has a cult following who love to come out to midnight showings across the country to celebrate sex and sexual liberation in campy Horror style. What you may not know is that Bakersfield is not immune to this twisted phenomenon.

My own ties to Rocky were forged when my dear friend Kevan Klawitter had the guts to bring the madness to BCT, California's oldest continuing community theatre. Our blue-haired crowd didn't know what to make of it, but teenagers and twenty-somethings filled the house every night. Kevan was the biggest Rocky fan I've ever seen, and this weekend's performance was the first in Bakersfield since he passed away from cancer. As Kevin Lively said Saturday night, Kevan wouldn't have wanted a moment a moment of silence, so we sent a minute of orgasm up to heaven just for him.

If you missed this weekend's RHPS, you'll be glad to know that it will be done quarterly in Bakersfield, presumably at the Empty Space. Look for it again in August, darlings. Stay tuned to TheatreAddict.com for all the juicy news.

Check out the gallery here for a few pictures of virgin hazing and other sexy nonsense.

Listen to Episode 9 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio for backstage crazyness and my interview with Krab Radio's Meathead, who played Eddie on Friday and Saturday.

It may come as no surprise that"Whorehouse" is the most Bakersfield play that I have ever seen in Bakersfield. Maybe it was the musical number "A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place." That seems to have struck a nerve (as well as lots of amusement) in this theatre addict. Or perhaps it's the way common sense conservatives are overshadowed by the impressionable masses whipped into a hysterical frenzy by an unscrupulous ratings whore who is capitalizing on their good nature. But wait, that's not just Bakersfield, it's the whole country. It's the ass-backwards state of the media and politics we currently have in this country. We don't have a national dialogue or good debates about controvercial issues like prostitution or...ahem...immigration. We have loud mouths and sensationalism with media men & politicians both using the people to get ratings, publicity, and reactions.

This is what "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is all about. It throws it right in the audience's face with lots of sarcasm, emotional reasonance, and great singing and dancing. It is fun, relevant, and damn sexy. What more can you ask for in a musical?

Bakersfield's "Whorehouse," playing for three weekends in May at Bakersfield Community Theatre, was brought to life by local director Roger Mathey. I don't know how he did it but the 3 piece band is dead-on with lots of energy, the musical numbers are tight, and the cast of over two dozen local actors is brimming with unmistakable talent.

Cast highlights include Sheila McClure as Miss Mona, who calls herself a "research nazi" in this week's podcast and clearly brings all of that acquired emotional history to the role. Charlie Gamble is Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, who loves Mona and her girls but mistakenly lets his temper contribute to their downfall. I have enjoyed Charlie's trademark dead-pan humor in a few shows now, and he is in rare form as the Sheriff. Mithkah Reid and Amy Hall bring us into the Whorehouse as new girls. Through their characters we get to see the bonds of sisterhood in the house and the motherly ways of Miss Mona as she takes them in. Another standout is Mychael Phillips as Jewell. Her rendition of "Twenty-Four Hours of Lovin" blew me out of my seat. I could have sworn Etta James had come back to life and was serenading me at BCT. Last but not least is Jeremiah Lowry who plays Melvin P. Thorpe with believable bravado. Too bad Lowry is such a nice guy, he really makes you want to wring his neck as Melvin! The rest of the cast is rounded out by lots more talented guys and gals who play the rest of the whores, Melvin's holier-than-thou posse, townsfolks, and various government officials who get caught in the shit-storm when the fuss about the whorehouse is made.

The bottom line: "Whorehouse" is top-notch when it comes to community theatre musicals. Even though it opened on Broadway in 1978, it is shocking, timely, and a hell of a lot of fun. Bakersfield needs to see it and I hope you do.

Enjoy all of the photos we took by going to the Whorehouse Photo Gallery here, and don't miss Episode 9 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio as we talk to the cast backstage after their opening weekend. Now go see this show!

What a coincidence, I partook in two bawdy, racy, sexy theatre experiences in Bakersfield in the same weekend! This week on TheatreAddict.com we're featuring The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at Bakersfield Community Theatre and The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Empty Space. Read on for the articles about these two productions and listen to Episode 9 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio for lots of behind-the-scenes action. With these two productions, I mean action literally.

In other news, I'm acquring some equipment to record phone calls so that in future podcasts I can bring you phone interviews each week. This way I can bring you exclusive information on lots of different plays and live interviews, even when I don't have time to see and review every show myself. Go see Whorehouse and check out this week in theatre for a lot of other great shows playing in May.

This week we're featuring Bakersfield's Relay For Life 2006. This amazing event, which raised 1.3 million dollars for the American Cancer Society, is the biggest Relay For Life in California and the second biggest in the United States. In honor of our fallen comrade, Kevan Klawitter, the theatre community put together a rag-tag team of misfits to raise money and promote local drama. We raised quite a bit of money and brought our own stage with us to the fundraiser, staging performances from Major League Improv, Blacklist.

Join me on my journey as I cover this year's Relay from the point of view of a theatre addict. I'm bringing you there live via pictures and audio so you can share in all the fun with us.

In the photo gallery you'll find dozens of fun pictures of the weekend's activities. But you won't understand what you're looking at until you listen to this week's podcast. In Episode 8 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio I'll bring you live to the Relay For Life as we visit with local performing artists and drift off into madness in the middle of the night.

Enjoy, and make sure to join in this fun and fulfilling event in 2007!

BHS's production delivers the goods in their two week run of the green-themed musical. The sets are big and colorful, the band is an impressive mini-orechestra, and many of the performances were drop-dead fantastic. Hannah Whyte is phenomenal as Audrey. It is worth the price of admission just to hear her dazzle the audience as she pushes her voice to new heights for the song "Suddenly Seymore." Other standouts in Friday night's performance were Henry Blanton as the semi-sadist dentist and Myles Worthy as Mushnik. Each of these three had their characters down tight and were perfect on every action, line, and song. The rest of the cast was excellent. Jacob Parks is great as Seymour, especially when it comes to acting, but on Friday it seemed his voice was going out on him. Steven Littles II is also great as the voice of Audrey II, but to me needed a little more work on the mic and emulated the voice in the movie too much with excessive high pitch squeals that made for impressive voice-acting...but I think I'd rather see an original take on the voice of the fabled plant. Littles does a great job but whether intentional or not he sounds just like the guy in the movie version. The "Little Shop" cast is rounded out by the "Doo Wop Girls" who are fun as the white girls with soul, and a chorus of miscellaneous characters who add voices to the large numbers and otherwise populate skid row.

The production on the whole is a triumph for the BHS drama department and comparable in scale and quality to any done by professional theatre companies. The cast and crew should be very proud of themselves for that. As I said, many of the individual performances were very tight and it was very fun to watch these performers who had their parts down so well. The overall show needed a little tightening as far as the entire ensemble goes, however, with limited rehearsal time and only 2 weeks of performances, this tightening is still a work in progress.

It is clear that director Jacquie Thompson and all of her talented students have put an incredible amount of work into "Little Shop of Horrors" and it should be enjoyed by their friends and family but also anyone in the community who wants to come see a full scale, dark and campy musical for just seven bucks.

For more "Little Shop" fun, check out the picture gallery here on theatre addict.com AND listen to episode 7 of Bakersfield Theatre Radio, (the TheatreAddict.com podcast) for backstage interviews with the cast and crew.