Little Shop of Horrors Review
The Beach Reporter, Jan. 7, 1999

A 'good' year overall for community theater
by Lea Sterling

Unlike 1997, which offered such superb dramatic treats as "Cabaret," "La Cage aux Folles," "Witness for the Prosecution," "Love Letters," "Butterflies are Free," and "A Christmas Carol," 1998 was not a particularly stellar year for community theater in the South Bay.

Do not misunderstand: This is not to say it was a bad year. The offerings were for the most part good, solid and middle-of-the-road productions, interspersed with a few truly memorable performances within above average material.

The demise of The Courtyard Playhouse in July, which was located at The Shops in Palos Verdes, left a hole as yet unfilled. With rare exceptions, their choice of plays, performers and technicians was consistently of the highest quality, and they provided an experience in theatrical intimacy that no other company can presently match.

Of the plays reviewed by The Beach Reporter this year, seven were musicals, four were comedies and the remainder fell into the dramatic or thriller genre, with a preponderance of costumed period pieces throughout all categories.

The companies covered were the Civic Light Opera of the South Bay Cities, the new South Bay Playhouse in Hermosa Beach (a division of the Civic Light Opera), Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse, El Camino College, the Aerospace Employees Association Musical Comedy Club and the Actors Repertory Theatre. The productions of the Palos Verdes Players in Torrance have been covered by The Beach Reporter's sister publication, The Palos Verdes News.

In the musical category, we have "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Little Shop of Horrors" (two productions in 1998 by different companies), "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Damn Yankees," "Man of La Mancha" and "Guys and Dolls."

Of these, both productions of "Little Shop of Horrors" (CLOSBC and AEAMCC) would rank first, with "Forum" second and "Man of La Mancha" third.

"Little Shop" sticks in mind for several reasons: the sweetness of its central love story, its campy "creature feature" tone and '50's doo-wop tunes, and its clearly delineated characters, especially the sadistic dentist Orin, who gleefully plays to the audience's phobias. Eydie Alyson as Audrey in the Civic Light Opera's rendition of "Little Shop" surely gave the best performance of the year in a musical.

"Forum" is just all-around funny--dialogue and songs as well as the relentless onstage shtick of the actors. The statuette for best supporting actor in a comedic/musical role would have to go to Marlon Deveraux Robinson as Hysterium, the queenly slave-in-chief trailing scarves and non sequitors.

"Man of La Mancha", presented by the Civic Light Opera in June, is a haunting classic, among the best of any year.

Honorable mention goes to Glen Brewer as Mr. Applegate (aka Satan) in AEAMCC's "Damn Yankees." His seductive yet menacing performance is one that still shines at year's end.

The comedies of 1998 included--drumroll, please--"Laughter on the 23rd Floor" and "Come Blow Your Horn" (both by Neil Simon), "Sylvia" and "Educating Rita," the last a crossover piece more properly classified as a comedic drama.

With all due respect to the prolific Simon, the best local comedy (nonmusical) of the year was A. R. Gurney's "Sylvia" at Westchester Playhouse, highlighted by one of the best overall performances of the year, Shannon Hunt as the central canine character.

Her unself-conscious stage presence and total immersion in the role was a delight, and she was ably supported by J. Wallach in a hilarious triple characterization.

We come now to the last category, "straight" drama if you will, most frequently brought to life in the South Bay by British-flavored thrillers or wordy sagas of familial angst.

In 1998, these included "Angel Street," "Time of Your Life" and "The Mousetrap," all presented by the Kentwood Players at Westchester Playhouse.

Of the three, "Angel Street" was far and away the best, strengthened by suspenseful portrayals of a wife gone mad and the man who makes her so (Mary Dryden and Dave Parke).

Technical expertise improved at all venues in the area throughout the past year, especially the sound systems. Sets and costumes, by all companies reviewed here, matched and in some cases exceeded the excellence of 1997.

On a scale of "poor" to "outstanding," the "good" rating awarded to our local community theater could stand toe-to-toe against almost any other area's most concerted efforts, and win hands down. There is nothing wrong with "good."

The theatrical riches available in the South Bay are a tribute to the expertise, dedication and love of each person involved in this creative art. Whatever the rating, every production of 1998 brought pleasure to someone somewhere, and that in itself is invaluable.