Cirque du Soleil ~ Santa Monica Pier Aquarium ~ Santa Monica

~ Gay Beauty Pageant Contestant Antoinette (TJ O'Connell) and stylist Marilu Molina (Silvia Tovar) Photo courtesy of Xavi Moreno

The love between a straight man and a straight woman is what has always been defined as a ‘legal’ marriage in polite society. Alas, what if that same love was shared between a gay man and a straight woman ? A rose by any other name would still smell the same, so why wouldn’t their love have the same bearing as any other couples, regardless of sexual orientation ? “Bordering on Love,” the newest production at the Company of Angels deals with that very question, when that line between what is love and what is love as defined by the federal government cross each other. Playwright Evangelina Ordaz and director Armando Molina question the governments policy to only define marriage when it applies to couples who are immigrants and/or gay, “exploring the futility of attempting to regulate human need or emotion” says Ordaz.

Set in Atlanta Georgia, Antoinette , played by TJ O’Connell, is an up an coming drag queen who dreams of becoming Miss Gay USA.  Yet, the lack of confidence in himself comes  through on stage, holding him back as a performer and as an individual. Marilu, played by Silvia Tovar, a Mexican immigrant with dreams of becoming a make up artist, cleaning houses by day and going to beauty school at night. The only thing holding her back is an apprehensive boyfriend and no legal status in the US. Like a humming bird drawn to a sweet flower, Marilu and Antoinette’s working relationship blossoms into a beautiful relationship that has them competing in the Miss Gay USA Pageant. Yet, their dreams come crashing down when Marilu is arrested and placed in deportation proceedings, jeopardizing not only their shot at Miss Gay USA, but the new found friendship and life both have established together.

The shows energy, humor and story match up perfectly with an in your face “Sex in the City” attitude mixed in with some“To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar” and “Under the Same Moon.” Ordaz’ curvaceous writing and balancing of the intersections between the queer and immigrant communities display a respect and understanding that is sorely missing at times in productions like this. there are several scenes in which Marilu is coming to terms with her lack of status and Antoinette coming to terms with himself and his lifestyle choices. The lines between discrimination of legal status and life style choice become one in the same and impose the question on the audience of what one is willing to risk and endure in order to achieve their dreams in this day and age.

The supporting cast of drag queens gracefully dance on stage in heels, tight dresses and heavy make up, providing the kind of comedy relief that helps the story progress, even at the most intense and serious moments.  Molina’s directing makes use of the COA’s limited space to it’s full advantage going from back stage dressing room to pageant run way in a matter of seconds. With subtle jokes and references to the queer and immigrant culture, the quick witted humor found through the entire play will keep anyone on their toes.

The play runs through July 2nd, with performances every weekend starting at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and at 7 p.m. on Sunday nights, which is also union night and members get $5 off regular entrance. General tickets are $20, $12 for students with I.D. and $15 for seniors with I.D. and discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased the day of or online at company of angels and they are located at 501 S. Spring Street, 3rd Floor.

Lynwood ~ CA

By Rebecca Finer

On November 26th, we went to the 5th Annual ONE ACT FESTIVAL at the Above the Curve Theater. Six one acts all put together with a short intermission made for a great night at the theater. It is definitely worth checking out. Now for thoughts on each of the one acts:

GREASE IS THE WORD

This was the first piece of the festival, and it was definitely entertaining throughout. The slight lyric changes in songs were amusing, and, as the cast sang about in the end, Grease is, and always will be, a classic. However, there were too many different accents being done by characters which distracted from the piece, but other than that it was a pretty wonderful thirteen minutes. I would even go so far as to say I preferred “Look at me I’m Prude Magee” over the original.

THE SURPRISE

A superb performance by all three members of the small ensemble cast. The male character is psychic but can only foresee two minutes into the future, making an ability, that might otherwise be exciting, annoying at best.  The excellent writing paired with a cast who knew their timing made for a exceptional experience for the audience. I laughed from beginning to end; speaking of which, what a refreshing and uplifting surprise!

TINY LITTLE CLOUDS

Out of five characters, two were watchable. The Barbie and Ken type characters were fun and entertaining for the short time that they were on stage, and they should have had their own one act piece, yet I regret to say that the rest of it was not really of the same quality. The character from Alabama was very accurate of the Southern archetype, but the best writing was for the two characters who had the hots for each other. Maybe I just felt a connection with their interaction because I, too, mainly do yoga to “tighten my ass.”

THE FIRE BALLET

This show had a very interesting story idea, but did not live up to its potential. The brother/sister relationship was awkward and tense at best. Done differently it could have been a very good piece. The casting wasn’t ideal, especially for the male character; the actor was talented, but his presence didn’t quite hit the domineering level the writing seemed to be aiming for. Very suspenseful and chock-full of potential, The Fire Ballet could possibly be done as a full-length play or even feature film.

THE APOLOGY

The acting in this piece was wonderful and genuine. It very much captured the intensity and urgency of being in love, in a relationship, and not knowing where you stand. It was a beautifully portrayed picture of the misunderstanding that happens between two people in love. I spent most of the piece trying to figure out if the female lead was the girl from Six Feet Under. She’s not, in case you just became as curious as I was.

IN THE JAR

The grasshopper character needed to relax. I recognized the actress as the same who played the stressed out character in the Yoga piece. She played them essentially the same way, just with different costumes. The lighting bug characters were funny-ish and Daddy long legs used an excellent dialect. That being said, the longer and more the bug characters talked about being trapped in the jar, the more I started to feel trapped myself. It was all a little too A Bug’s Life for my taste.

Independent Shakespeare Co. ~ Griffith Park

Much Ado About Nothing
Thursday – Sunday, August 5 – August 29 at 7:00 p.m; FREE SHOW

Still Standing ~ Theatre Asylum ~ Hollywood

August 6 – 29, 2010
Fri & Sat @ 8pm
Sun @ 5pm

Get ready boys and girls for another thrilling episode of El Verde! Born as an alien from the not so far away world of Mexico, mild mannered Arturo Sanchez came to the United States to live an ordinary life. But after a freak elote accident, Arturo became… El Verde!!

www.casa0101.org for tickets and info.

LOS ANGELES –

Tickets for HARD LA are automatically valid for the HARD SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL. Additional refund instructions can be obtained HERE.

Another porn convention comes roaring through Los Angeles.  Thanks for the donation.

Although Lucha VaVOOM is sold out tonight, the afterparty is free!  You can RSVP here. And for those who consider this a drinking day (almost everyone) be sure you’re safe because the cops are out in force with sobriety checkpoints throughout the city.  They start tonight and last through the weekend.

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
6 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Northeast Area)

Friday, May 7, 2010
7 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. (Newton Area)

Friday, May 7, 2010
9 p.m. – 3 a.m. (North Hollywood Area)

Saturday, May 8, 2010
8 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Hollywood Area)

However, this time the LAPD is not disclosing specific spots (at least not on their website) so take a cab, get a designated driver or just walk and take the metro.  It’s pretty easy.  I might be out there with my camera so be sure to smile ;)