Alive lives up to its name with the LBPPF

I’m happy you showed me your humble beginning.
–Jumper of Jumper’s with the Gypsy by Nathaniel Kressen.

This past Saturday bore witness to the closing of one of Long Beach’s most exciting theatrical events-Alive Theatre’s Long Beach Poppin’ Play Festival. Originally named the Cherry Poppin’ Play Festival back in January of 2008 when this company was founded by CSU Long Beach Theatre alumni Danielle Dauphinee and Jeremy Aluma (and of course, a little help from their friends), the LBPPF of 2010 ran over the course of four weeks, joining over seventy theatre artists from all over Los Angeles and Orange Counties to bring the pages of eleven original pieces to life.

Artistic Director Scott Lennard and Producing Director Danielle Dauphinee were present that evening to watch the victory laps of the Saturday evening performers, along with Lighting Designer Marco Selva, Artistic Consultant Angela Lopez, Cal Rep alumni Gregory Joseph Allen (who performed Thursday evenings in I Thought I Liked Girls, by Nicole Pandolfo), and many more friends and family members of the electrifying company. Technical Director Thomas Amerman teamed up with Roland Cruces and Ellen Warkentine for live music throughout the evening and to accompany Eddie: A Musical About Failure.

If you’ve ever been to an Alive or Garage Theatre production, there’s a good chance you’ve met Matt Julian. Dressed up for the evening of theatre ahead, Mr. Julian was the Master of Ceremonies, introducing each of the night’s performances and giving all the artists and original plays their due. Plunging an audience into an evening of such a variety of pieces can cause a bit of shell shock in the transition from show to show, but Julian was there to ease the audience into each piece for everyone’s benefit.

Jeremy Aluma kicked off the evening with his version of Craig Abernathy’s five-minute piece, What Can We. Abernathy’s short play was performed every night of the festival, but Thursday, Friday, and Saturday audiences received different casts. Aluma’s take threw Johnny Arena and Kat Primeau into the void as Yin and Yang to ask the question of, What can we do in five minutes? “Someone” appears from the nothingness (double cast with Brett Fisher and Raymond Lee) and the three are launched into Aluma’s fabulously physical style of theatre for the next few minutes. This controlled collision of a concise work and Aluma’s visionary style sent the audiences through the roof with this firecracker showstarter.

Jumper’s with the Gypsy was the longest piece of the night, or maybe it just felt that way. The script was the squeaky wheel this play, but Roger Q. Mason’s innovative direction of this piece wholly illustrates the magic of theatre in his ability to cast two actors that can collaborate to create a riverbank, a rooftop, two apartments, and a four-star restaurant with only a few neutral crates and a handful of props. Gypsy (Kat Primeau) and Jumper (Todd Gaebe) are thrust through a gauntlet of abusive and lustful vignettes out of chronological order from what is discovered to be a volatile playdate. The jumbled Pulp Fiction-esque style, with the chaos of Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz in A Life Less Ordinary made for a mid-range play that strong acting and directing attempted to make up for. A wonderful script can make a beginning actor shine, but strong actors can only do so much for a mediocre play.

After intermission, the dark comedy An Agreement Between Father and Son by Lloyd Noonan had audience members rolling, regardless of what generation they landed in. Joe Howells (Son), Andrew Eiden (Father), and Ryan McClary (Grandpa) personify the comic rule of threes in this hilarious serving of patriarchal punch in a retirement home. A violin playing 14 year old who looks like an underground member of Green Day and his Bill Gates/Matthew McConaughey hybrid father visit Grandpa (who eerily looks like Ethan Suplee in American History X) for a business meeting that turns out to be a conspiracy to get the incessantly complaining patriarch to kill himself. Jerry James has much to be proud of with this contribution to the LBPPF, from the pre-show melody of an instrumental version of “You’ve Got a Friend In Me,” through the final gunshot, the audiences were howling in their seats at the three generational stooges.

The final performance of the evening, and the festival, was the only musical on the playbill—Eddie: A Musical About Failure, lyrics by R. Edward, music by Ellen Warkentine and R. Edward, story by Damien Lorton and Nicole Cassesso. The monumental musical tale of a creepy loner named Eddie (Robert Edward) and his co-workers’ tales of woe and wonder at the Valu-Way Supermarket. Andrew Pedroza, Nicole Cassesso, Carly Taberski, Kelby Jo LeNorman, Matthew Jennings, and Ashley Allen comprise the team of baggers, stockers, and back up dancers under the supervision of Chris Harper’s Manager who has plenty of love to give and receive. The Eddie Band, favorites from throughout the show, has “Saint Thomas” Amerman on drums, Ellen Warkentine on keyboard, and Roland Cruces on guitar for all the original songs. A fully developed musical work from the story to the lyrics and original music is the artistic feast that allowed Lighting Designer Marco Selva to truly shine in the Lafayette Ballroom. The unique space of the indoor dome above a proscenium stage gave Selva more than enough to play with, in addition to the double doors upstage that served as a wall for most of the evening, but opened up to an illuminated sheer for crisp silhouettes of Eddie’s hunchbacked gait.

The energy about the space was infectious Saturday night, and for good reason too. Alive Theatre truly lived up to their name with this second reincarnation of the play festival that started it all. The tagline of all the postcards and programs was simple and 100% truthful:

Theatre. Music. Art.

Indeed it was. Congratulations to all the members of Alive and all the artists involved with this monumental production.