What exactly is stand-up comedy and how does it work? Can anybody do it? Where can one go to learn how to do it? Fair questions to ask. But you might be surprised by some of the answers its practitioners share in this 95 minute, tell-it-like-it-is, documentary.

Jimmy Fallon, Tom Hanks, Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan, Judd Apatow, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David and Jon Favereau are among many famous funny people featured in this hilarious twist on the age-old truth: misery loves company. You will enjoy the in-depth, candid interviews with some of the most revered comedy greats who each share their unique path and a life devoted to making strangers laugh.

First, all comedy is in the eye of the beholder. Whether their jokes and routines hit home or not the comedian and the gig goes on. Some score and live to perform a again, perhaps laying a giant egg the next time or bomb out and flame out altogether only to wake up in a Walmart store as a greeter or selling shoes in Topeka, Kansas. Only the tough and the talented can survive.

“Misery Loves Comedy”, written by Kevin Pollak and John Vorhaus, is directed by Kevin Pollak, a former stand-up comic himself, so he knows whereof these top comic artists speak. And speak they do on a myriad of topics and subjects. The first question asked by interviewer Kevin Pollak is: “Are emotionally questionable people drawn to stand-up or are certain individuals drawn in by the lifestyle that is opened up to them?” More than 60 of America’s top professional comedians participated in the making of the film. They open up their private lives and family histories allowing filmmaker Pollak to penetrate their protective shields and safety zones. Each artist brings a different take on being a professional comedian. It’s very illuminating as well as entertaining.

A great many of them say they were definitely influenced by their dads or funny parents   growing up. The road to becoming a professional comedian is one of ups and downs. Most of them are high energy individuals, who release their energy with lots of gestures and idiosyncratic touching of their faces or scratching their necks or heads. Then there are those who are devoid of all such behavior. Our terrifically gifted comedy people come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. There is something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.

There are performing highs when they have their audience in their hands and are controlling every moment while up on the stage. In the Tom Hanks segment, he says the adrenaline rush he got when he was performing stand-up was probably similar to what crystal meth users must get. They also need the bounce-back from the audience to spur them to go further in their routines while they’re “really cooking” on stage.

“No one really knows what we go through to make our audiences laugh” says Greg Proops, “You know the childish behavior, the insecurity, the gaping hole that needs to be filled with   laughter from other people. That’s what drives a lot of us”. They’re sort of like a family who need to stick together. Some admit to being self-centered. Others say, the comedy business is like a family-owned business. Although they are “family members” toiling in the “family business”, they’re still highly competitive with one another.

In Lewis Black’s segment he says before you can become a comic, you have to watch yourself die.”   Of course, he’s referring to the times when nobody understands your act or why you’re doing it, and the times when the boo-birds come out, and they do. Those are the moments that try all comedians’ souls.

The overriding question concerning stand-up comedians is: do they have to miserable to be funny? And the answer is maybe not miserable, but perhaps, slightly annoyed. Maybe that’s why there are so few professional comedians and so many individuals who think they are funny when they’re drinking.

If you’re a comedy junkie who can’t get enough of watching or listening to comedians live, die, or pour their hearts out on stage, then this 95 minute documentary film “Comedy Loves Misery” is for you. It’s a master class on the art of humor that reveals the comedian’s rare ability to help us understand life as only they can. It screens at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, beginning May 8, 2015.

Chasing immortality by downloading one’s thoughts and memories into an everlasting human-shaped computer may sound like science fiction, but current research in robotics and artificial intelligence make it possible now. The challenge is to get past the “uncanny valley,” the discomfort-zone people experience when seeing electronic recreations of human beings that are not quite believable.

Computers and robotic interaction in every form have been part of our society for some time now. The subject matter of cognitive robots playing an increasing role in our culture is not only intriguing, it now has captured the imagination of playwrights. In October last year I reviewed playwright Jordan Harrison’s take on the subject in the Mark Taper Forum production of “Marjorie Prime”, starring Lois Smith.

San Diego Repertory Theatre has mounted a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of “Uncanny Valley,” written by award-wining playwright Thomas Gibbons; performed in their Lyceum Space theatre. The intellectual think-piece, seamlessly directed by Jessica Bird, stars Rosina Reynolds and Nick Cagle in a riveting pas de deux involving avatars and their human creators. “Uncanny Valley” is the story of Claire (Reynolds), a PhD neurobiologist and creator of “Project Julian” (Cagle) her technological robotic progeny.

As the story unfolds, one gets the feeling that Claire who is coming to the end of her career is not that happy about the prospects of retirement with a husband rapidly slipping into dementia and an estranged daughter. She has been “living” with her creation Julian for a long time and the relationship is like that of a mother and her child. There are echoes of the Geppetto/Pinocchio dynamic of one wanting to become a real boy and the creator gaining a real live human as a son.

In the opening scene we see only the head of Julian on top of Claire’s desk as if floating in space. We also witness the progress of Claire’s work scene by scene as Julian grows in physicality and intelligence; eventually becoming a full grown adult. As the “Julian Project” continues Julian increases his human/avatar persona, to the point where he and Claire now engage in various discussions as most normal friends would do. It’s a little surreal observing a machine and a human interacting as equals. One wonders if Julian is really capable of consciousness or feelings that have not been programmed into him. Cagle’s performance is absolutely astonishing in the early scenes. It’s a testament to Cagle’s talent as an actor that he flawlessly performs the physical demands of the role.

Reynolds is not only a marvelous actor with tons of experience, she is also an excellent director which gives her an advantage when creating a character she has to perform. She sees her role and understands it from two points of view. In “Uncanny Valley” the on-stage chemistry between Reynolds and Cagle is just mesmerizing.

From the pen of playwright Thomas Gibbons comes a lot of penetrating, sharp, words, along with fascinating concepts and ideas about the future of a society that has embraced a synergistic marriage between technology and human interaction. There is not, however, a lot of action but one will never become bored, disengaged or drift-away with these two dynamic and gifted performers on stage. Gibbons has written a play whose dialogue has the ring of authenticity to it, along with a believable vision of what the future may hold for society.

The highest compliment a director can receive is that the hands and fingerprints of the director are nowhere to be found. If one was to be picky, my only input would be to suggest that the learning curve concerning what Julian has accomplished in order to be ready for prime time performance be increased from two weeks to at least two months. It just sounds more believable considering what hi-tech algorithms have to be introduced, checked, and tested.

The creative team led by director Bird includes Scenic Designer Robin Sanford Roberts who provides a sterile, sort of futuristic look that is lighted by designer Kristin Swift Haynes; both, however, in ‘sync’ with the production.

“Uncanny Valley” is an impressive production now on stage at San Diego Repertory Theatre that runs through May 10, 2015.

Courage, principle, and perseverance to stay the course despite all odds and pressure is not easily achieved by many people. Also, it’s very intimidating for any individual to stand up and legally challenge The United States of America, whatever the circumstances.

Following the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack by Japan, war-time America and its people were in no mood to listen to reason concerning thousands of natural born citizens of Japanese ancestry whose loyalty was, not only being decided in the court of public opinion, but also in the government’s rush-to-judgment decision to suspend the Constitutional rights of all natural-born and naturalized citizens of Japanese ancestry. Thousands of American citizens were placed in hastily built and isolated internment camps around the country. It was a shameful period in American history.

“Hold These Truths” compellingly written by Jeanne Sakata and insight-fully directed by CV REP artistic director Ron Celona is the journey of American-born Gordon Hirabayashi and his pursuit of justice for himself, his family, and for all people who stand up and fight for their guaranteed right during periods of national hysteria, paranoia, and fear. The condition that drives these actions is very much alive and well today, not only in America, but in countries and cultures around the world.

Sakata’s wide ranging play that affected many people and generated many stories is synthesized down into one real life character: Gordon Hirabayashi. He is portrayed by talented LA-based actor Blake Kushi. It falls to Kushi, who plays multiple roles, to vividly bring to life the events that occurred over a four year time frame, and its aftermath.

First, is the disbelief by Hirabayashi that his government could or would actually round up some of its own citizens and place them internment camps for “their own safety and the country’s national security”. This is the very same activity that was going on in Hitler’s Germany. This was America not Europe. These abhorrent actions were the reasons the world was fighting in WW II.

Hirabayashi’s decision to challenge the country’s extra-legal law was a no-brainer. He respectfully declined to sign his own internment papers which launched him onto a historic legal battle and journey: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. The United States of America. It was a journey that would take over forty years for him to be eventually vindicated. He received the nation’s highest civilian honor The Medal of Freedom in 1989.

Director Celona very creatively utilizes existing photos, and documents by juxtaposing the material into projection images surrounding the various playing areas; reinforcing the narrative being performed by Kushi. It’s a creative blending of theatrical conventions that lend weight and heft to the captivating, and at times, poignant onstage performance of Blake Kushi.

This is one of CV REP’s most technically ambitious productions to date. The blending of Jimmy Cuomo’s intriguing set design, with the splendid lighting design of technical designer Eddie Cancel is becoming a solid team effort. Ditto, the spot-on Sound designs of John Zalewski, along with the velvet touch of technician Karen Goodwin. Thanks to stage manager Louise Ross, the production and action flows fluidly and smoothly.

“Hold These Truths”, is the last production in CV REP’s series of plays centered around the theme “America’s Melting Pot” – the plays and the stories of the American immigrant experience.

This profound and impressive production performs at CV REP Theatre in Rancho Mirage, CA – the Valley’s only all Equity Theatre – and runs through May 3, 2015.

There are only a handful of musicals that one could classify as being bullet proof as far as audiences go. If the actors are breathing and the singers can sing on-key, then chances are good that the production will be a winner. “My Fair Lady”, “Company”, “West Side Story” and “Man of La Mancha” are among musicals I would classify as bullet proof.

The Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) opened a brilliant and highly entertaining production of “Man of La Mancha” last weekend. As good as the musicals are at the Palm Canyon Theatre, this particular production raised the entertainment bar several notches kicking this terrific show to a higher level. There is really no substitute for great writing, wonderful melodies, and inspired lyrics. When good performers have the luxury of mixing these ingredients together, one will always end up with a delicious tasting award-wining production.

“Man of La Mancha” written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion had ‘Blockbuster” written all over it when it debuted on Broadway in 1965 (running for over 2300 performances). The show nabbed five Tony Awards winning The Tony for Best Musical, and Best Actor, making a star out of Richard Kiley for his Don Quixote portrayal.

It’s the second time around being Don Quixote for the valley’s premiere Baritone and actor Mark Almy. He performed the role at the Palm Canyon Theatre some fifteen years ago and has only gotten better (if that is possible) over the years. When he makes an entrance… he makes a commanding entrance! The tone of this wonderful musical production, brilliantly directed by Scott Smith, has enough energy to light up the entire Coachella Valley. The cast of twenty talented and dedicated cast members of actors, singers, and dancers bring to life Dale Wasserman’s inspiring Book/Libretto in a winning fashion with style and flair.

In the role of the beautiful, fiery, cynical, serving wench Aldonza, is Svlvia Tethal, who also serves as the production’s choreographer. The possessor of a beautiful classically trained voice, Tethal brings an intensity and commitment to her portrayal of Aldonza, the world-weary part-time prostitute, which is riveting to watch. Her choreography highlights some of her best work to date, and her dancers are equal to her challenge of graceful, yet energetic dance movements.

Valley favorite Tom Warrick plays Sancho Panza, the squire and devoted servant to Don Quixote. Warrick is master of comic timing and his lyric baritone is just what is called for as the comic relief character. He never disappoints.

In large cast shows it’s always difficult to list everyone, but there are always standouts and this splendid production is no exception. Allegra Angelo, delivers a winning turn as Antonia and when she’s onstage the audience can’t their eyes off her. Douglas Paul as the Governor/Innkeeper, brings his A game to the proceedings; displaying some his best work in the process. Peter Mins as The Padre, is an actor who always delivers 100 percent whether he has the lead role or is carrying a spear, and the audience can tell that he’s enjoying every minute it. Ben Reece as Dr. Carrasco, brings his lilting tenor voice combining his character’s mixed emotions portrayal as Don Quixote’s friend and then his foe in the “Knight of the Mirrors” number.

There are 30 musical numbers and reprises in Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion’s incomparable score. The most memorable being the incredibly inspiring “The Impossible Dream” sung with power and poignancy by Quixote and the haunting “Dulcinea” sung by Quixote and then reprised with Aldonza. It’s great stuff.

The cast is chock full of talented artists and boasts an exceptional company of gifted ensemble performers. The secret of successful musical productions is the dedication of the ensemble to always be in the moment; always focused and to be generous to a fault when it comes to sharing the stage with their fellow actors. There are no small parts in “Man of La Mancha”, everyone shines; adding up to an exhilarating display of individual excellence within a team framework.

As usual, the technical credits at the Palm Canyon Theatre are first rate. The impressive set design by resident design wizard J.W. Layne is breathtaking in its overall visual impact yet   functional when required for the actors, dancers, and singers to perform their magic. Whatever “sound bugs” that plagued “The Secret Garden” production thankfully have disappeared from “Man of La Mancha”. The costuming team led by Peter Mins includes: Delinda Angelo, Colleen Walker and Charles Rabb who provide the grunge and grit one would expect to see in the costumes of late 16th century Spain. Don Quixote’s costumes, however, are works of art in themselves.

“Man of La Mancha”, staged by Scott Smith is an impressive and entertaining production where everyone can indeed walk out of the theatre humming strains of glorious music and singing inspiring lyrics that brings lumps to one’s throat. They don’t write or produce musicals like this anymore sorry to say, so don’t miss it! The musical performs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday at the Palm Canyon Theatre through April 26. Call the box office for reservation and ticket information at 760-323-5123.

The brilliant, irascible and prickly Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw never met an upper-class Englishman that he didn’t want to skewer is some way.  Mainly, he did it with his blistering wit and biting sense of humor with particular emphasis on the upper-class Edwardians and their way of life and language snobbishness. Drop that “h sound” and you were relegated to the working class or worse – a life apart from the entitlements of those maddening Brits beginning with Queen Victoria.

Ireland has produced some pretty fair writers over the years. But arguably, Shaw, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and Sean O’Casey, are in the upper tier of writers who love to poke their literary fingers into the eyes of those residents just to the east and across the Irish Sea.

“Pygmalion”, Shaw’s best known work on this side of the Atlantic shouldn’t be confused with the love child of Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Lowe – “My Fair Lady”.  MFL is a musical block-buster that has forever altered the perception of Shaw’s more erudite and provocative insights into the Anglo and American society of acceptable misogyny.  When it comes to Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, in “My Fair Lady” love triumphs and they fall in love, and everyone lives happily ever after. Americans dearly love happy endings. At the end of “Pygmalion”, however, Shaw insisted that Henry and Eliza do not fall in love and marry.  Therefore, please bring your acceptance of an unexpected and ambiguous ending to Shaw’s original interpretation of “Pygmalion”.

Staged with intelligence by director Jessica Kubzansky, who has a complete mastery of Shaw,      the story, unless you have been living in a cave for the last 100 years, centers around Henry Higgins (Bruce Turk) a comfortable upper-crust English language and phonetics professor who meets Eliza Doolittle (Paige Lindsey White) a cockney flower girl outside Covent Garden following a performance with his friend Colonel Pickering (Stan Egi).  Higgins decides, as a lark, that he can turn this flower-selling cockney girl into a proper sounding lady of high society; worthy of attending the annual Governor’s Garden Party Ball in just six months.  A wager is placed with his friend Colonel Pickering to seal the deal and the transformation of Eliza into a lady begins.

Along this arduous road of re-invention, Shaw throws biting and challenging societal road blocks into the Higgins/Doolittle dynamic.  In short, Eliza resists Henry’s attempts to “civilize” her.  He views her as a maddeningly screeching, stubborn, lower-class female creature.  His misogynistic tendencies, however, are not lost on his mother, sensibly played by Mary Anne McGarry, who loves her son but is weary of his uncalled for and outspoken comments when in the company of her upper-class lady friends. His friend Colonel Pickering, an enlightened English gentleman, and Mrs. Pearce, Henry’s housekeeper nicely and patiently played by Ellen Crawford, along with a wonderfully comedic performance from Time Winters as Eliza’s dustman father (a garbage collector in America) Alfred P. Doolittle, enliven the talky play.  In the musical the narrative threads of the story are propelled by the lyrics.

Bruce Turk’s Higgins is idiosyncratic, properly self-absorbed, and oblivious to the female sex and to his hormonal urges.  He is guarded and slightly smug in Act One, but begins to weaken in Act Two when his latent feelings for Eliza begin to kick in.   It’s a nice nuanced study in focus, commitment, and restraint on the part of Turk, despite his leading man good looks and the chemistry between himself and Eliza.
Paige Lindsey White’s take on Eliza is different in that she is a strong counter-weight to Henry’s misogyny.  A beauty, once Mrs. Pearce cleans her up, even Henry has to take notice. Even before Women’s Voting Rights arrived Eliza was probably on the front lines of the budding movement.  When two such well-drawn and interesting characters come together it’s a safe bet that there will be a testing of wills somewhere along the arc of the story.  This is the war between the sexes that so fascinated Shaw over the years.  His own relationship with Irish Heiress Charlotte Payne-Townsend, whom he married in 1893, was an odd contract.  Their marriage was never consummated.  Charlotte encouraged Shaw to have affairs with married women.  Sort of the first marriage agreement that we would call today “an open marriage”.  Pretty racy and scandalous stuff for 1893 Edwardian England.

One of the strengths of the Pasadena Playhouse is their diverse casting choices which has become a Hallmark of their productions.  For example, in “Pygmalion” Colonel Pickering is solidly played by Asian-American actor Stan Egi.  Freddy Einsford-Hill’s sister Clara, is portrayed by young African-American actor Carolyn Ratteray, who dazzles with a beautiful smile and flashing eyes and fits the family profile of any proper English family.  Remember, it’s the acting that counts, paraphrasing Bill Clinton’s political slogan of “It’s the economy stupid” of twenty years ago.

The creative team led by director Kubzansky is first rate as evidenced by the sumptuous set design by designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, and the gorgeous costume designs of Leah Piehl captured in the lighting design Jaymi  Lee Smith.  It’s good to see Casting Director Julia Flores’ name once again in the program (she has a sharp eye for just the right people to consider for her directors).

This highly entertaining “Pygmalion” production runs at The Pasadena Playhouse through April 12, 2015.

It’s a twenty-four hundred-year leap forward in time from the ancient Greek city of Thebes, to the barrios and prisons of 2015 Los Angeles But that is the leap in time that playwright Luis Alfaro is asking the audience to make in his new play “Oedipus El Rey”, now onstage at San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum Stage.

It’s not unusual for plays to be updated to fit various historical periods and incidents over the years. That’s how new material is created. When it comes to Western culture and theatre, the stories and myths begin with the Greek poets and writers. They were good; so good that Shakespeare shamelessly stole from them.   In borrowing from the Greeks Shakespeare added his own story points, plot lines and style in order to make his plays and characters more relevant for his audiences. Some scholars claim Hamlet and Oedipus are distantly, theatrically-related.

Playwright Alfaro follows Shakespeare’s lead in transforming Sophocles’ great star-crossed, tragedy character of Oedipus into a 21st century Chicano cholo of one of LA’s fictional barrios. Alfaro brilliantly reduces the original poetry/play of 1800 lines into a potent and powerful 90 minute, gut-wrenching, emotional roller coaster ride.

The play masterfully directed by artistic director and co-founder Sam Woodhouse, begins in a California prison in the present. The story centers on six Chicano prisoners (the Greek Chorus who play other speaking characters) who deliver the back-story; preparing the audience for what is to follow. There are chunks of dialogue in Spanish sprinkled throughout that lends verisimilitude to the contemporary story, and a nice touch.

In ancient Greece, one didn’t mess with the Gods who ruled man’s fate. In today’s society one doesn’t mess with barrio life and the social rules that govern that community. When Chicano Oedipus, once out of prison, challenges the barrio order and sets himself above the rules, we follow the arc of his fall, and we see him accept his fate. In between his fated birth and his tragic downfall, issues of murder – he unknowingly kills his birth-father, marries his mother, and sires four unnatural children which become the literary epitaph of Oedipus El Rey/Oedipus Rex.

The wonderful ensemble/coro is portrayed by: Spencer Smith, Dave Rivas, Jorge Rodriguez, Leandro Cano, Matt Orduna, and Lakin Valdez, who also plays Oedipus. Valdez’s delivers a stunningly nuanced performance as Oedipus; one full of bravado, ambition, and power, yet astonishingly tender and loving. It’s a riveting tour de force.

Monica Sanchez, is equally compelling as Jocasta, the birth-mother of Oedipus who later becomes his unwitting wife and mother of their four children. On stage, make-believe incest can produce a lot audience seat-squirming. In the extended scene where Oedipus and Jocasta’s sexual attractions boil over, one could hear a pin drop. No exhaling breaths were heard from the audience until the scene ended. Director Woodhouse choreographed that seven minute intrinsic scene with great skill and good taste, and was always sensitive and caring to the feelings of his audience, as well as to his two star actors performing totally in the nude.

The creative team led by Woodhouse, renders a spare but functional set design by Yoon Bae, which is complimented by a lighting design by Lonnie Alcaraz that tastefully lights the nude scene. The sound design of prison regimen is by Larry Stein. The costumes of Jennifer Brawn Gittings are appropriate and are visually eye catching. The action and fight scenes by Fight Choreographer George Ye are especially effective and convincing.

The combination of an accomplished playwright like Luis Alfaro, who knows his milieu, and a creative and inventive director like Sam Woodhouse, who brings his personal vision to each project he directs, is a winning formula. It’s no wonder that San Diego Rep Theatre is entering its 40th year as one of Southern California’s leading urban theatres where their mission statement says they produce intimate, exotic, provocative theatre that nourishes and feeds the curious soul. Indeed they do.

“Oedipus El Rey” is a very impressive production that performs on San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum stage and runs through March 29, 2015.