MUCH better than Fullerton’s debacle (https://unfiltered.bullfrog117.com/2008/11/11/noises-off-csu-fullerton/). It was essentially a black box/cabaret theatre so seeing the set rotate was very mesmerizing (they chopped the set into three pieces so that they could play one of those sliding tile games and get things rotated around). The acting was superb, the set was beautiful, the costumes were wonderfully 70s and the pace was PERFECT!

DICK VAN DYKE SINGS BARBERSHOP! I mean aside from that, sure I had a good time.

Moonie as broon and broon as moonie Straightjacket escape – 1st time in 5 years or so Bed of nails used the spotlights to an amusing end Guitar and Saw Jam Session Quiz Illinois Talulah Can operate his cell phone Regular Coke Lucky Brand Diet Coke Mother often calls him Jeff/Geoff Leaky basement I staring at you right now Said “Hey, Tom” to Tom Cruise Squirrel infested garage Has shrapnel in his chest Secretly thinks he’s more talented than the other Sadie Wrangler California Thought this quiz was a stupid idea Nicknamed “Doobie” as a boy Never been to Alabama Brain swelled up once Has mad ice sculpting skillz Woke up once in a tent in a river

Delightful straight play about an African American family that moves to California after the Japanese internment of the 1940’s, allowing them possession of an interred family’s house with one caveat…a young American man from that Japanese family has evaded internment by hiding in the attic! Now this family must adjust to this new surrogate family member in a situation akin to the plight their culture found itself in before Emancipation…a desperate struggle for freedom against an oppressive government. Meet the Goodwins: Patriarch Jodie, leading his family West from Mississippi to Los Angeles; His grandmother Janie, the aging matriarch and reigning chef of the house; His brother Felix who won’t be forced into the military just because the family has a history of fighting for a country that doesn’t recognize their rights…he just wants to play jazz; ….

Wait, what? Debby Boone doesn’t have enough material for two acts so we get the Pops Symphony Orchestra doing a hoedown? This is just weird….enjoyable, but weird Trinity River Rambling Breakdown Style Fiddle Playing Ashoken For Ken Burns’ Civil War Scottish lament by a Jewish guy from the Bronx Orange A classical piece of music studied all over the world Oklahoma Crude 1973 film, Faye Dunaway, George C. Scott, directed by Stanley Kramer Brilliant versatility by Henri Mancini Fiddlin’ Around skipped? Old Timey Medley A sailor’s life is the life for me Puddle prance!!! Intermission Concentrate on you Cole Porter I’ll Go My Way Nelson Riddle More Than you Know Vincent Yoman Moon River 6 years since we lost Rosemary She bequeathed all her arrangements to Debby…and this dress Edith Head designed it Singer’s salute to the songwriters at the dorothy chandler pavillion Written for her the year the tribute … Continue reading →

I begin this review with the caveat of what I expect from CSUF: incredible stagecraft and better than average college acting. The reason I state that first is because only one of those expectations was met for the closing matinée performance…the stagecraft. The characters were well developed and their delivery was very much enjoyed, but their pace was ABYSSMAL! They were dragging out pauses because apparently a previous (pre-dominantly high school) audience laughed at adult situations that are only amusing to virgin pre-pubescent boys, so the actors fell into the habit of pausing unnecessarily. This is a trap that I personally have been warned of in past performances, and it is inexplicable that the director (or stage manager) neglected to warn the actors to keep the pace of the show moving. Thus there were many amusing moments in the show, but the overall performance was marred by an additional half … Continue reading →