CORPUS CHRISTI

WOW!
CORPUS CHRISTI

I’ll admit it. I was a Doubting Thomas. As curious as I was about seeing a fresh new take on Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi, the one production I’d seen previously at Long Beach’s Garage Theatre had not boded well for a second, nor did the discovery that the show was being helmed by a young actor making his directorial debut. Still, the chance to see Corpus Christi again was too tempting to turn down, and August being the quietest theatrical month of the year, this skeptic decided to give the Garage a second chance.

Now I’m not sure if the Biblical Doubting Thomas had a hat to eat, but having now seen Corpus Christi at the Garage, this reviewer humbly eats his chapeau. I was blown away by Tito Ortiz’s brilliant directorial debut in a beautifully conceived, designed, and executed production of one of McNally’s most loved, hated, and misunderstood plays.

Corpus Christi is the Tony Award-winning playwright’s highly controversial reimagining of the Gospels as set in his hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas—written to be performed by an all-male cast playing both disciples and supporting roles, male and female.

Where McNally and his play drew the ire and protests of religious fundamentalists was in its depiction of Jesus as a gay man, at least some of whose disciples were also gay, including Judas, whom McNally imagines to be the proverbial love of His life.

Protestors, virtually none of whom had seen or read the play, missed the point (as they seem to do so well in matters Biblical). Corpus Christi is not about a “gay Jesus” per se, nor does it “defame His Holy Name” as picketers insisted. What it does do—with humor, drama, and more than a few four-letter epithets—is present Jesus’ life and words in a new context, and to an audience whose experiences with organized religion may have made them resistant to what is in essence a very humanity-affirming message.

This message has now come to Long Beach in a production that deserves to be seen by any lover of fine theater within driving radius of the Garage. Corpus Christi’s message spoke so strongly to the production’s 20something fledgling director that he convinced the Garage, not only to include Corpus Christi as part of its current season, but also to entrust him with its staging, a decision whose wisdom is borne out by this quite miraculous production.

Ortiz has reconfigured the black-box Garage so that a mere two rows of thirteen seats each—running lengthwise opposite sides of its rectangle—make its audience an extension of Corpus Christi’s cast of thirteen, a concept particularly effective when the Last Supper is performed at one end of the rectangle, the table extending to include the entire audience as supper guests.

Corpus Christi begins with one of its actors informing those in attendance that “there are no tricks up our sleeve. No malice in our hearts.” Then, as another actor begins to sing “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord,” each performer is welcomed into the play by the actor portraying John The Baptist with the words, “I bless you. I baptize you and recognize your divinity as a human being. I adore you, and christen you …,” followed by the name of the disciple he will be playing.

Ortiz gives his actors free rein to enjoy these opening moments, as the baptized receive anything from a few drops of water to a real drenching, a joyously irreverent (though by no means sacreligious) tone that will be maintained throughout the production’s engrossing, intermissionless hour and forty minutes.

Whatever initial qualms this reviewer had about the production’s entirely non-Equity cast were erased from the moment each one first spoke. Whether BFA grads or theatrical neophytes, Ortiz’s cast display a naturalness and ease with McNally’s words which belies their youth and (in some cases) lack of a lengthy résumé. Twelve very different actors, each with a distinctive take on his role(s), and at their center, Jeffrey Fargo’s revelatory work as Joshua, as McNally has rechristened the Jesus of Corpus Christi.

Words cannot suffice to describe the many ways director Ortiz, his cast, and his topnotch design team have brought Corpus Christi to such vivid life. As a director, Ortiz is unfailingly imaginative, particularly considering the production’s obvious shoestring budget. Yammy Swoot’s lighting design (Swoot’s name seems suspiciously close to assistant director Jamie Sweet’s) and Matthew Anderson’s sound design combined with Geraldine Uy’s costumes and highly ingenious props work wonders with Ortiz and Sweet’s simple but effective set design.

No Corpus Christi can succeed without a commanding leading man, and Fargo’s performance commands attention from his first words, despite (or perhaps because of) being cast against type. Where other productions may have cast a more traditional leading man in the role, Ortiz’s choice of an actor more easily imagined as math geek or theater nerd proves inspired. McNally does after all paint Joshua as a bullied misfit of a child, one more likely to break out into South Pacific’s “I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy” than play football with the jocks, and it’s precisely because Fargo is not the first actor you’d imagine playing Jesus that his performance works so well, that and the indefinable something called talent that commands an audience’s attention and wins their hearts.

Supporting Fargo are Paul Anderson (Bartholomew, Motel Manager, Peggy Powell, Nun), Jeff Budner (James The Less, God, Billy Brown, Poor Woman), Matt Craig (Andrew, Bert Moody, Pilate’s Wife, Crucified Man), Robert Flores (Thaddeus, Room Service #2, Centurion, Barabbas), Will Gorin (Matthew, Coach/Priest, Truck Driver #3, High Priest) , Matt Guerra (James, Woman Next Door, Mrs. McElroy, Little Boy), Brandon Kasper (John, Dub Taylor, Simon of Cyranae), Beau McCoy (Philip, Joseph, Beau Hunter, Truck Driver #2, Carpenter, Pilate), Raymond McFarland (Judas), Will Proctor (Thomas, Room Service #3, Patricia Rudd, Sister Joseph, Lazarus, Soldier), Shawn Stenger (Simon, Room Service #1, High School Singer, Penny, Crucified Man), and Evan Wallace (Peter, Mary, Spider Sloan, James Dean).

While each of the above contributes immeasurably to Corpus Christi’s success, a number of cast members stand out in particular. Gorin’s versatility shines as a bullying coach/priest, a blind trucker with a Texas twang, and a menacing high priest; Guerra’s drama teacher Mrs. McElroy is a fluttery delight; McCoy gives power and stage presence to hustler Philip and a half-dozen others; Proctor makes for an adorably dorky Patricia and a divine Sister Joseph; and Wallace’s chain-smoking tough gal Mary and sexy James Dean are both star turns. Finally, McFarland positively smolders as a smooth-talking, muscular, nipple-ringed Judas, whose interracial relationship with Joshua adds an extra layer of edginess to McNally’s already envelope-pushing play.

A Word To The Wise: A mere twenty-six seats are available for each performance of Corpus Christi’s remaining three Thursday-Friday-Saturday weekends, adding up to a total of only 234 very lucky ticketholders (barring an extension or move to another space, either of which this reviewer highly recommends).

Tito Ortiz and company have turned this Doubting Thomas into a True Believer just as they have turned this production of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi into something quite miraculous indeed.

Note: Thursday performances are Trevor Thursdays. 1/2 of all ticket sales will go to help The Trevor Project. www.thetrevorproject.org All Thursday performances will be followed by a talk-back with the cast and crew of Corpus Christi.

The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach. Through August 27. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00. Reservations: 866 811-4111
www.thegaragetheatre.org
--Steven Stanley
August 5, 2011
Photos: www.freshframefoto.com

ON GOLDEN POND

WOW!
ON GOLDEN POND

Hal Linden and Christina Pickles as Norman and Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond. What more needs to be said? With stars like these in a play as beloved as Ernest Thompson’s Drama Desk Award-winning Outstanding New Play of 1979, Burbank’s Colony Theatre could well have its biggest hit ever, and justifiably so. Linden and Pickles deliver award-caliber performances in a play that hasn’t lost an iota of its humor or charm, directed to pitch perfect perfection by Cameron Watson, and featuring a supporting cast every bit as wonderful as its two stars.

If ever there were a play that hardly needed synopsizing, it’s On Golden Pond, the reason being of course its 1981 film adaptation, second only that year to Raiders Of The Lost Ark in box office receipts. Is there anyone who hasn’t seen Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn as the long-married Thayers enjoying perhaps their last vacation On (Lake) Golden Pond, accompanied that summer by their daughter Chelsea’s thirteen-year-old stepson-to-be? It’s hard to imagine a Colony theatergoer who doesn’t remember Ethel’s “Don’t be such an old poop” or Norman’s “‘Ethel Thayer.’ It thounds like I'm lithping, doethn't it?,” or teenage Billy’s revelation to Norman that when he and his friends “cruise chicks,” it’s cause they want to “suck face”?

Yes, indeed, On Golden Pond is the kind of play that brings back a flood of memories … to people who may well never have seen it live on stage—all the more reason to not to miss this superb revival.

Diehard movie fans may carp that some of the film’s most famous scenes are missing. You won’t witness Norman’s immediate terror as he finds himself lost in the woods, or Chelsea’s finally managing the back flip she could never do as a child, or the slap Ethel gives Chelsea when she feels her daughter has disparaged her father once too often. Missing too, for obvious reasons, are the film’s many scenes On Golden Pond itself, including those wonderful bonding moments between Norman and his surrogate grandson, fishing poles in hand.

Even in its original one-set form, however, On Golden Pond is about as sure-fire a crowd-pleaser as you’re ever likely to see on stage, and play-to-movie buffs will relish seeing how then thirty-year-old playwright Thompson was able to tell the same story he did in his screenplay without ever leaving the Thayer’s summer living room, and how he explored themes of mortality, marriage, and intergenerational miscommunication with equal depth and finesse.

It takes two powerhouse performers to stand up to memories of Fonda and Hepburn, but Linden and Pickles deliver the goods from delightful start to poignant finish, TV’s Barney Miller and (St. Elsewhere’s) Nurse Helen Rosenthal possessing the requisite charisma and virtuosity to make Norman and Ethel their own. That Linden and Pickles are the ages of the characters they play (and in one case several years older at that, though you’d never guess) adds to the production’s realism—and power. (The original Broadway stars Tom Aldridge and Frances Sternhagen were respectively 29 and 20 years younger than their roles back in 1979.) Not only are Linden and Pickles on top of their parts in a way actors half their age might fail to be, they make us feel almost as if we were discovering these iconic characters for the very first time, the two stars convincing us that this cranky old man and his long-suffering but adoring wife have truly been married for forty-eight years.

Supporting these two virtuosos are four of L.A.’s finest acting talents, beginning with the incandescent Monette Magrath as Chelsea, whose powerful scenes opposite Linden and Pickles reveal decades of a daughter’s built-up hurt and resentment. Brentwood School sophomore-to-be Nicholas Podany is, as they say, a find, bringing to the role of Billy a real-life teenager’s spontaneity, authenticity, and bravado. (It’s a shame the talented newcomer is given less to do than Doug McKeon was in the movie, because who wouldn’t want to spend more time with such a great kid?) As Chelsea’s fiancé Bill, Jonathan Stewart takes a part that might well come across a caricature in less skilled hands and makes the loquacious California dentist a real, sympathetic individual. Last but most definitely not least is Jerry Kernion’s brilliantly achieved featured turn as Charlie, Maine’s jolliest mailman, whom Kernion (so memorable a few years back in Rounding Third) gives a hilariously syncopated six-beat laugh that is only one of multiple reasons his work earns him a spontaneous round of applause on his first exit—and eager anticipation of his next entrance.

As for the sense of place so gorgeously rendered on film three decades ago, the Colony’s crackerjack design team come pretty darned close to matching it without a single exterior scene. Scenic designer John Iacovelli has created a living room set rich in the lived-in look the Thayers’ lakeside home would have had after half a century or more of use, with MacAndME’s marvelously detailed properties design and set dressing aiding immeasurably. (Only a 1990s-style cassette player seems out of place.) Lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg bathes the set in vivid summer hues, with distinctive patterns for each month and time of day, and a gorgeous approximation of the ripples of Golden Pond between scenes. Rebecca Kessin’s excellent sound design situates us smack dab in the middle of lake country, with its haunting loon calls, so integral to Thompson’s script. Ryan Shores’ original music has just the right “watercolored memories” feel to it. Terri A. Lewis costumes the cast in just-right late 1970s garb, with attention paid to each character’s age and personality traits. Alexander Berger is production stage manager.

On Golden Pond harkens back to the plays and productions that made the Colony’s reputation back in its 99-seat plan days, with the bonus of a considerably larger Equity budget. Older subscribers will find this particular Colony offering particularly up their alley, but anyone of any age will discover characters with whom to identify. Many are going to dub this production “Broadway caliber,” however since these days that might not be the compliment it once was, I’ll simply say that the Colony Theatre’s revival of On Golden Pond is Los Angeles theater at its very finest—and that is very fine indeed.

Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street, Burbank. Through August 28. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00, Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Reservations: 818 558-7000X15
www.colonytheatre.org
--Steven Stanley
July 30, 2011
Photos: Michael Lamont

CAUGHT

WOW!
CAUGHT

David L. Ray puts a very real face on this country’s gay marriage debate in Caught, the Georgia-born playwright’s absorbing dramedy now getting its World Premiere at the Zephyr Theatre. Incisively directed by Nick DeGruccio and featuring a couldn’t-be-better cast and one of the best design teams in town, Caught is a terrific holiday gift for theatergoers in search of something other than yet another Christmas Carol.

It’s July of 2008, a month after California began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and 30something boyfriends Kenneth and Troy (Corey Brill and Will Beinbrink) are planning their wedding—to be officiated by their sassy, freshly Internet-ordained best friend Splenda (Micah McCain). Things could hardly be going more smoothly in the couple’s L.A. home when a voice mail from Kenny’s sister Darlene (Deborah Puette) announces that she’s “fixin’” to come for a visit, her first ever to the home of the younger brother who packed his bags and left small-town Georgia for good at the age of eighteen. Troy isn’t all that crazy about Darlene’s visit (she doesn’t even know he exists), but for Kenny, there’s only one choice, since “Mom always said you drop everything for family.” Hardly the easiest thing for Troy to understand, his own coming out years before having kept him permanently estranged from his own kith and kin, though he does admit to thinking it “so cute that you’re still trying to get your family’s approval.”

What worries Troy in particular is the timing of Darlene’s visit, too much of a coincidence given the amount of attention being paid California’s legalization of gay marriage, and even more so since Darlene’s husband J.P (Richard Jenik) is the town preacher. A bit of Googling reveals that Darlene and J.P.’s church has started a new ministry acronymed PPM, short for “Pray To Protect Marriage,” making it even more likely that Darlene may be a woman on a mission.

Still, there’s really nothing Kenny and Troy can do with Sis set to arrive anytime now, which she does later that afternoon accompanied by her teenage daughter Krystal (Amanda Kaschak), recent second runner-up in the Miss Watermelon Pageant. When Darlene, worn out from her very first plane trip, leaves the room, Krystal virtually explodes with glee at the realization that “I have a gay uncle! Momma always said your Uncle Kenny was kind of different. I kinda guessed.”

As for big sister’s reason for the trip west, it turns out that Darlene knows nothing about Kenny and Troy’s relationship, and though this comes as a relief to her brother, it also means that he has no choice but to pretend that he and Troy are just roommates. Fortunately, Darlene has little trouble accepting this, given housing prices in Kenny and Troy’s neighborhood. “No wonder y’all need roommates,” she remarks in all sincerity.

“You need to tell her,” Troy insists, though this is more easily said than done when the mere mention of gay marriage prompts Darlene to exclaim, “Oh sweet Jesus! They are lost, risking eternal damnation.”

If only Darlene could see things through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Krystal, who not only refuses to believe that gays are going to hell but has herself suffered the loss of a gay best friend, an event which only prompted her mother’s judgment that “he committed suicide so he’s in hell.”

Meanwhile, back in Georgia, J.P. continues his anti-gay sermonizing—and the extracurricular hanky-panky that is the real reason for Darlene’s sudden California visit.

If Caught starts out somewhat like a cross between Lifetime and LOGO, it soon develops a very real identity of its own. Though a plea for same sex marriage is at its core, it is also the story of one woman’s journey from condemnation to acceptance, of Darlene’s realization that Biblical “Thou Shalt Nots” are one thing, and unconditional love is quite another.

This journey is made all the more powerful by the presence of the luminescent Puette, doing her most memorable work since her performance as Adelaide in Tryst won her StageSceneLA and LA Weekly Awards as Best Actress as well as Ovation, LADCC, and Garland Award nominations several years back. Watching Darlene’s transformative trek from Bible-spouter to independent thinker is pure joy in Puette’s gifted hands.

Matching her every step of the way is the break-out performance of recent USC grad Kaschak, adding her name to the list of the many Trojan talents whose work has been celebrated on this site. Kaschak’s Krystal is feisty, sharp as a tack, adorable as all get-out, and as much a master of comic timing as she is adept at Krystal’s more dramatic, touching moments.

Brill does deeply affecting work as a man on a rocky journey towards self-acceptance. He has real chemistry with his equally fine costar Beinbrink, and shines particularly in several heart-to-hearts with Puette’s Darlene. As the character (in both senses of the word) who used to be called Sugar till he lost forty pounds and a no-good boyfriend, the splendid McCain brings sass, smarts, and warmth to Splenda in Equal measure. Jenik makes J.P. far more than your everyday hypocritical Bible-thumper, showing us a deeply conflicted man of God unable to resist his baser urges yet all too willing to rationalize them.

Playwright Ray avoids the temptation to divide his characters into Good Guys and Bad Guys. Each has his or her own flaws and foibles, though young Krystal does seem to have her act particularly together for one so young. Caught is an especially well-constructed play, moving forward with nary a dull moment, interspersing brief scenes of J.P at the pulpit with longer ones in California, allowing J.P.’s connection with the other characters to dawn slowly on the audience, and ending Act One with a powerful, come-back-for-more bang.

Design elements are, in a word, superb. Scenic designer Adam Flemming has created an L.A. Southwest/Spanish home and patio that most in the audience would likely take delight in moving into. Lisa D. Katz lights it gorgeously, with particular credit due her distinctive indoor-outdoor lighting plots. Elizabeth Rhodes’ sound design incorporates a well-chosen selection of songs to link scenes. Katherine Hampton Nolan’s costumes are just-right choices for each character, particularly Puette’s ensembles, which reveal her flowering as a person over the course of a very eventful week. Darlene Miyakawa is production stage manager and Miguel Flores is stage manager.

In Caught, David L. Ray has created a play that ought to touch the hearts and minds of audience members of every shade of the political and social spectrum. Far more than simply a “gay play,” Caught is simply fine theater. Fine theater indeed.

--Steven Stanley
December 3, 2010


UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCE:
There’s something a bit surreal (and at the same time quite thrilling) about going back to see a play when performed the second time around by a completely different cast, whether alternate, replacement, or understudy. I’m not talking here about a brand new production, but rather one in which everything is the same except for the actors bringing the playwright’s creations to life.

The Antaeus Company double-casts all its shows, and I was fortunate to review two very different and equally brilliant ensembles performing in its recent revival of Lillian Hellman’s The Autumn Garden. Theatre @ Boston Court customarily offers special off-night understudy performances which give the show’s covers (i.e. understudies) their own moment in the spotlight.

Similarly, Buttermilk Productions has scheduled several understudy performances of David L. Ray’s smash hit Caught, one of which this reviewer had the great good fortune to catch this afternoon. As performed by a sextet of superb covers, Ray’s justly lauded dramedy maintains every iota of its laughter, its tears, and its power to move.

Doing revelatory work as Darlene, Sara J. Stuckey digs deep and dazzles. As Crystal, Savannah Southern-Smith proves every bit as marvelous whether center stage or simply reacting to other characters. Both Derek Daniels Meeker and Marc Cirillo are wonderful (and absolutely believable) in their roles as fiancés Troy and Kenny. A splendid Andre Martin adds subtle shadings to the very Technicolor Splenda. Michael Craig Stevens completes the cast terrifically as the smarmy J.P.

In the event that any of Caught’s main cast might have to miss a future performance, audience members can rest assured that they will in no way be shortchanged, and as for the many who’ve seen and loved Caught, any future understudy performances should provide good reason to make a return visit.

--Steven Stanley
January 15, 2011

February 26, 2011
Update:

Since its December World Premiere, David L. Ray’s Caught has become that rarity in Los Angeles theater—a show that enters L.A.’s stage scene very much under the radar yet manages despite odds to become a breakout hit. Written by a relative unknown and making its guest production debut in the pre-Christmas theatrical doldrums, Caught was hardly a sure bet for smash hit status when it opened three months ago. True, its director Nick DeGruccio has won more prizes than any just about anyone else in L.A. theater, and yes, its star Deborah Puette did win an LA Weekly Award for her unforgettable work in Tryst, but neither’s name is likely to have marquee value outside L.A. theater cognoscenti. Even less promising was the fact that of the three media reps present on Opening Night, only StageSceneLA’s reviewer recognized what a truly wonderful play and production Caught is.

Fortunately, in the weeks following that December opening, Caught has not only inspired one rave review after another (and a GO from the LA Weekly), but has has—even more importantly—proven that nothing can beat word-of-mouth for putting bodies into seats.

Playwright David L. Ray’s comedic-dramatic-heartwarming-mindchanging gem of a play has resonated with audiences gay and straight alike, prompting many a return visit, often with family members in tow. Caught-lovers keep coming back to re-experience a Southern Baptist wife-mother-sister’s journey from fear and condemnation to understanding and acceptance, and to share it with those who might find themselves where Darlene starts out the day she arrives for an unexpected visit to her baby brother Kenny’s Beverly Hills-adjacent home.

This reviewer has seen the production four times, making it my favorite new play of the past year. Whether performed by its sensational principal cast (Corey Brill, Will Beinbrink, Richard Jenik, Amanda Kashak, Micah McCain, and Puette) or its superb understudies (Marc Cirillo, Andre Martin, Derek Daniels Meeker, Savannah Southern-Smith, and Sara J. Stuckey), Caught has proven itself an enthralling, enriching, inspiring piece of theater—and it’s Southern Fried Funny to boot.

The weeks and now months since Opening Night on December 3 and yesterday’s February 26 performance have only strengthened the work of its main cast. Beinbrink’s Troy is even menschier, Jenik’s J.P even smarmier (and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways), Kaschak’s Krystal even more enchanting, McCain’s Splenda even more fabulous, and Puette’s Darlene more luminescent. Puette in particular gives one of the year’s most memorable performances (as does understudy Stuckey, who’ll be playing the role on certain March/April dates). Brill’s recent departure for Broadway has brought MacKenzie Astin onboard as Kenny and he is positively marvelous in the role, touching in his vulnerability, and absolutely believable in his onstage relationships, particularly in the high-chemistry one he shares with the terrific Beinbrink.

Caught is not about Prop 8. It is not even about Gay Marriage, even though it centers on a gay wedding. It is about love and understanding and the true meaning of family. Profoundly respectful of people of faith yet not afraid to cast stones at those who pervert Christ’s message of love, Caught is one of the few shows I could see on a monthly, if not weekly basis, and never stop enjoying.

All of which prompts the following question: If you haven’t yet gotten Caught, what the blazes are you waiting for?


May 1, 2011 Update:
A fifth visit to what is now the longest-running play in Los Angeles proved every bit as satisfying as visits one through four. Caught is the play to beat for Production and Play Of The Year. Performances continue to be superlative, with Troy’s and Kenneth’s onstage chemistry even more palpable, enhanced by MacKenzie Astin’s two plus months onboard. Tonight’s performance featured newly arrived Kenneth-Splenda understudy Matt Pittenger covering the inimitable Micah McCain’s role as Splenda, and doing so quite splendidly, his more toned-down but utterly charming version of the Internet-ordained marriage officiator nailing every Splenda laugh.


June 19, 2011
Update:

Los Angeles’ longest running play enters the last six weekends of its final extension (yes, the play really must close on August 7) even more powerful than ever. Jason Dechert has joined the cast as Kenny, and anyone wanting a lesson in the basics of brilliance in acting (spontaneity, depth, and the ability to listen for starters) could do no better than to watch Dechert’s superb, absolutely in-the-moment work as a young man caught between two loves, caught between two families, caught between two worlds. There’s an added intensity to Caught these days amidst the laughter and the tears.

Deborah Puette continues to dazzle in her comedic-dramatic tour de force work as Darlene, a career-altering role for the much lauded actress. Will Beinbrink remains the rock in Kenny’s and Troy’s relationship, and having had three fiancés now has added new layers to Beinbrink’s already terrific work. Amanda Kaschak remains absolute perfection as Krystal, an exquisite young comedienne/dramatic actress with a world of roles ahead of her. Richard Jenik’s beautifully played J.P. continues to reveal more sides to this Georgia preacher than we might expect from such a fundamentalist Christian. Finally, the one-and-only Micah McCain has gone from fabulous to out-and-out sensational as Splenda, each week bringing new shadings to the outrageous Internet-ordained man of the (rainbow-colored) cloth.

Playwright David L. Ray has every reason to celebrate this professional and artistic triumph, one which should prove only the beginning for this extraordinary piece of theater. Kudos to director Nick DeGruccio, producer Jason Loh, and the entire Caught team as it moves into the final weeks of an engagement I wish would run forever.

My favorite play of 2010-11 has become Los Angeles theater's Production Of The Year.


August 7, 2011 Update:

Caught has closed, over eight months after its December opening. Having been there for that Opening Night, and six additional times in the months to follow, I couldn't help feeling a mixture of sadness at my eighth and final visit, but joy for the extraordinary experience it has represented for this theatergoer.

Performances by the four remaining original cast members (Deborah Puette, Will Beinbrink, Amanda Kaschak, and Micah McCain) had gained exquisite new layers over the intervening months. Jason Dechert continued to astonish with his performance as Kenny, and newcomer Ian Vogt's take on J.P. was distinctive enough to add new zip to Caught's finial weeks, and every bit as memorable as had been that of the role's originator.

Great things lie in store for Caught. David L. Ray has written a play that people will be talking about, and loving, for years to come.

The Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.
www.CaughtThePlay.com