We love to review, see, explore great art and events in LA – and all around the U.S.
Where do we find out about some of the exceptional arts offerings each weekend? One great source is Shoebox PR – and now yours can be, too, with a new, well-curated weekly listing:
http://shoeboxpr.com/2015/11/13/art-happenings-socal/
At the Odyssey Theater in West Los Angeles through the end of this month is a terrific staging of the Clifford Odets’ classic, Awake & Sing. A three act play about three generations of a Jewish family in New York during the Depression, the story is about repression and overcoming it, about poverty and the attempt to rise above it, about the rich getting richer and the divide between rich and poor getting wider.
In broad terms, these subjects are all exceedingly relevant today. In personal terms as well, some things never change. If a pregnant girl is not immediately married off today, if old men no longer listen to Enrico Caruso for inspiration, there is still a desire for adventure, for freedom; there are still taboo relationships disapproved of among families; there are still mothers who cling to their grown children – we have a term for that now, helicopter parents. There are still the conflicts that beset a family over money or the lack there of, there are still the conflicts that represent dreams of a better life and the necessity for someone to buck up and shoulder the burden of keeping the family unit together.
But Odets asks, all of this at what cost? At what cost the quest for freedom? At what cost the persistence in keeping the family unit intact when maybe, just maybe, it would be better to let it fragment? At what cost to society when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and there is no way out but revolution?
This all sounds terribly weighty, and certainly the content is fraught with intensity. But what is the most pleasurable about this production, and the gift of Odets love for language and character through dialog, is the acting.
A showcase for every actor on stage, the emotional range that leads to a third act climax guaranteed to have you swiping at your eyes – this play depends upon stellar casting, and achieves it.
The matinee performance we saw had an alternate in the key role of domineering mama Bessie Berger; but Melissa Weber Bales more than aced the part. Every actor seethed with vitality, from Richard Fancy as un-self-examined rich Uncle Morty to Robert Lesser as sad father Myron Berger, Melissa Paladino riveting as Hennie who resents her arranged marriage to nebbish Sam Feinschreiber ( a touching Gary Patent), David Agranov as tough war vet turned petty criminal Moe Axelrod, James Morosini as Ralph, Hennie’s slightly wet-behind-the-years brother ( a difficult role in a part that seems dated in his unrequited love for an “orphan girl”), and a powerful Alan Miller as the pivotal grandfather, Jacob.
Director Elina De Santos gets emotions to a boil and lets them bubble over artfully; Odets fast and layered dialog does not disappoint. The Odyssey’s intimate seating plunges the audience directly into the well-designed Berger’s period living and dining area.
For a fine drama, something in and of itself to be thankful for this Thanksgiving; for a timeless approach to personal and political choices – Awake &Sing! Or awake and snag some tickets.
The Odyssey Theater is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda; check website at www.odysseytheatre.com for ticket availability.
Ever wonder what went into that greasy burger from the drive-thru window? Well, it probably isn’t art.
But it could be – and is – an art FORM.
Los Angeles street artist Bleep posted this Facebook update about his Project Expired Mac, and let us at DiversionsLA in on the origins of this project and what’s coming next.
(What’s not coming next? Eating fast food anytime soon, a habit we can somewhat sanctimoniously but honestly attest we gave up long ago anyway. )
Bleep writes: “as of yesterday the final stage of #projectexpiredmac#pem “in which i encased a #mcdonalds hamburger in an acrylic case as a non-biodegradable sculpture subject to the elements on the side of a building for the last 6 months” is at hand. for the month of November I will be hosting a #rotathon taking different fast food meals from #wendys #burgerking #carlsjr #jackinthebox#innout and encasing them in acrylic boxes with air holes drilled for the passage of the elements.”
Feeling hungry?
DiversionsLA: So you’re making fast food into art! Describe the origins of this project?
Bleep: The origins are kind of ambiguous I guess. I remember when I was younger, going to work with my mother when she couldn’t get a babysitter. I remember a McDonald’s hamburger stapled to the bulletin board in the breakroom as a sort of holiday prank. When I asked about it, my mother explained to me that McDonald’s burgers did not rot… and so that stuck with me and wormed it’s way into the work.
DiversionsLA: Bleep began taping burgers around the DTLA Arts District, documenting the process with photographer HollowDoubt at the beginning of 2015. His current project arose from that project.
We asked Bleep to describe the way the food items are contained and who designed the boxes/picked locations.
Bleep: The food items are contained in clear acrylic boxes with air holes to expose the burgers. We affixed the box to the side of building. (Co-conspirator/artist) Plastic Jesus pretty much built and advised the project. I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am for the help. The location? That cannot be dispelled.
DiversionsLA: How long will you leave them mounted?
Bleep: The first project is basically on-going until it sells – time is the medium for the piece. The art will increase in price as time goes on. We are at 7 ½ months in on the first McDonald’s burger.
DiversionsLA: So, in short, rot adds value. That could possibly be viewed as a commentary about Wall Street, or politics.
Bleep: The new project known as #rotathon will be up for a month. The rotathon2015 includes five competing fast food chains.
DiversionsLA: While we’re not sure they appreciate the free advertising – but, no publicity is bad, right? – in the interest of art we’ll list them here:
Jack in the Box
Carl’s Jr.
In and Out
Burger King
Wendy’s
Bleep: They’re all rotting simultaneously. I think it’ll be interesting to see how far the rabbit hole is on this.
DiversionsLA: We do, too. How often are you documenting?
Bleep: I’ve documented it off and on in intervals of two weeks to a month apart. My photographer hollowdoubt is photographing the rotathon exhibit, and those are the images you see in this article.
DiversionsLA: What do you view as the ultimate outcome of the project?
Bleep: I love to hear what people have to say about it. I really have no expectation other than to inform and inspire. I know a lot of people are becoming health conscious these days, so awareness is a key aim with this project.
DiversionsLA: But beyond the altruistic – will you sell the pieces as individual objects?
Bleep: I will be selling the McDonald’s burger at Scope Miami Basel this year for $20k as a non-biodegradable sculpture subject to the elements.
DiversionsLA: Nothing rotten about that.
Now go out and NOT eat a burger.
