"Current Nobody" at The Queen Mary Playing Now

David Vegh (Od) and Jocelyn Hall (Tel) in "Current Nobody" at the Queen Mary. Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

Cal State Long Beach's play “Current Nobody” opened on Nov. 20 with a full wave of melancholy at the Queen Mary with spurs of laughter which conveyed the importance of family.

Anne Popolizio (Jo), Alex Levin (Joe) and Rowena J-Poitier (Suzie) in "Current Nobody" at the Queen Mary. Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

The California Repertory, the Theater Arts Department's graduate branch, adapted Homer's “The Odyssey” with a strong focus on Odysseus (David Vegh). Odysseus (known as Od) and his wife Pen (Sarah Underwood) had a daughter, Tel (Jocelyn Hall) together. However, since Pen was a photojournalist, she had to leave home to document war-torn Troy as part of her job when Tel was still an infant. However, Pen was kidnapped en route for 20 years. Od had to stay home to raise Tel, which was a very lonely experience for him.

Joe, Suzie, Tel and Jo in "Current Nobody" at the Queen Mary. Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

Tel with Od during a quiet moment in "Current Nobody" at the Queen Mary. Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

There was a memorable trio, who all were photojournalists working with Pen. Graduate students Alex Levin (Joe), Rowena J-Poitier (Suzie) and Anne Popolizio (Jo) were these journalists in the play. They would sing songs together, interview Pen about her experience as a working mom or even pop up at Od's house by surprise. They did a great job blending together as a trio by wearing identical costumes, which were different in each scene. For example, when they interviewed Pen, they wore matching professional-looking business suits and took notes in their notebooks at the same time. Alternatively, they wore matching white clothes when they visited Od at his house.

The trio would do the same task as a group throughout the play in "Current Nobody" at the Queen Mary. Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

“Current Nobody” brought up a twist in gender roles in marriage. As commonly recognized in Western society, women usually stay home with the kids while dads work. However, in this play, Pen was the one who brought home the money. Od was the stay-home dad taking care of Tel.

Director John Langs did a good job adding humor to the play. For example, when the 20-year odyssey ended, and Tel turned 20, Pen couldn't recognize Tel at all. He had Tel and Pen wear black hats with matching mustaches, so they won't recognize each other at first. Also, Langs had Od try to damage his bed with a saw. Instead, the saw won't work and Od sprayed the wood with water.

The play also had interesting special effects to intensify Od's emotions. Sight and sound of thunderstorms were used when Od expressed anger. Rain was added to show his sadness.

However, in this play, Pen was the one who brought home the money. Od was the stay-home dad taking care of Tel. The idea of women being able to work was clearly shown in Pen's role. Pen had to take pictures of men being badly hurt in Troy. She often talked about how much she missed Od. “He (Od) put his arm around me, and asked me “What's your name?” Pen showed old images of Od with young Tel while she told her personal stories. “Now Od is in his own world. My husband is wonderful and I'm sorry to not to go home to him”, Pen said. Pen appeared to be a good example of today's women who are able to share interesting stories about their lives based on their career.

“Current Nobody” brought up a twist in gender roles in marriage. As commonly recognized in Western society, women usually stay home with the kids while dads work.
In summary, “Current Nobody” is a low-key play that looks into the meaning of family in depth. Without family, people could become lonely. The play was basically straightforward with what it wanted to share with the audience. Especially around the time of the holidays, this play would make anyone think about their families.

“Nobody will come,” Od said. Vegh, who played Paratrooper Oliver in Steven Spielberg's “Saving Private Ryan”, did an excellent job portraying the emotions of anger, loneliness and sadness that Od had to endure for 20 years. Vegh had the ability to make the audience tuned into his extreme sadness when his wife was not there. It was heart-wrenching to watch him mark the number of days his wife was not home on the front door. Od even wrote the marks on his own forehead in tears. He would hide under the bed covers being lonely, while Tel was busy at school. Tel tried to cheer him up but to no avail. She even tried to stop her father from marking on the door, but Od just marked on his own forehead.

“Current Nobody” takes place at the Royal Theater at The Queen Mary. Show times are from Tues. to Sat. until Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. With 2 p.m. Matinees on Sat. There will be no shows during Thanksgiving week. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $16 for students, military and seniors 55 and older. For ticket information or purchase, call 562 985-5526 or visit www.calrep.org.

A World-Renowned Choreographer/Dancer Will Come to CSULB Nov. 18

Photo credit: Gregory Crosby

Cal State Long Beach will present “Requiem and Other Dances” with a well-known choreographer, repped by the Julliard School, as their guest artist this week, with a mission to unite different cultures together.

Working alongside with one of the Dance Department's professors, Susan McLain, again to present “Requiem and Other Dances,” Jacqulyn Buglisi will present her 2001 choreographic work in ballet. McLain will present her work “Mirror U” during the performance too. Buglisi and McLain worked together with the Martha Graham Company touring around the world, according to Buglisi. In hope to inspire young students to reach their highest potential and to believe that their spirit is indomitable, Buglisi will bring her wisdom and inspiration at the Martha Knoebel Dance Theater starting on Nov. 18. Dance Faculty Keith Johnson, Andrew Vaca and Lorin Johnson will also present their work during the performance. “We Make Way;” “Smash, Clash, and Thrash!” and “Shade” are their respective works to be presented.
“I am very honored to be here on this beautiful campus (CSULB) with these talented young students and my dream is to have inspired them and given them more tools to achieve their full potential,” Buglisi said. “These students have been very committed and dedicated to the work and I am very appreciative to have had been here on campus at this time.”

Choreographing “Requiem” came from Buglisi's experience of witnessing the former World Trade Center Buildings collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, when she was working on another project at that time. The main themes in “Requiem” are man's vulnerabilities and peace, according to Buglisi.

The movement style in “Requiem” grew out of the breath and pulse of the Martha Graham Technique, which Buglisi shaped according to her own styles that is deeply expressive of the individual vulnerabilities, Buglisi said over a phone interview. Buglisi's style is unique because of the way she uses the music rhythm and phasing. Buglisi also uses a style of overlapping the movement dialogs together.

Additionally, the costumes that will be presented in “Requiem” are exquiste. The dancers' costumes are made of 10 ft. of layered silk, derived from images seen in the Baroque Period of paintings, such as seen in paintings of Artemesia Gentileski, according to Buglisi. “I use many images from the realm where angels court graces to realism,” Buglisi said. “I use some images of artist William Blake and Caravaggio which show Jungian symbolism and religion.”

To experience and understand the meaning of “Requiem,” a person should not be looking for something, but be open to experiencing the dance. “I hope they will recognize themselves, and be moved with images continuing to resonate long after the curtain falls,” Buglisi said.
Buglisi has a mission to help bringing different cultures and people closer together by using the universal language of dance, and allow them experience the common songs of humanity. “It can be said that dance has been a reflection of man's inner landscape,” Buglisi said.

“Requiem and Other Dances” 2009 will run on Nov. 18 to Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. And Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $16 for students, seniors, CSULB faculty and staff and DRC members. For ticket information, call 562 985-7000.

Songs of the Siren: The Greeks Remixed

"Songs of the Siren: Greeks Remixed" had an interesting series of seven different stories based on Greek Myth.  The seven were as follows: Serpent's Coil, With Feathers, Fugue #4, Persephone, The Torment of Io, Los Lobos De La Noche and Outside the Colorful Lines.  Love was the major theme throughout the play.  There were two love triangles, for instance.

“Serpent's Coil” was the bad apple in “Songs of the Siren.” It didn't make sense to watch Serpent's Coil (Cynthia Garcia) yabbing her brains out, and it was even worse that she smoked a cigarette.  This scene was offensive and off-the-wall compared to other scenes.  

“With Feathers” was a story between Decker (Sam Floto) and Paula (Calli Dunaway).  “With Feathers” shows the love and hate relationship between a couple, who argued about who can open an unmarked box.  The unmarked box caught the audience’s attention, leaving them itching to know what is in the box.  Out of love, Decker (Sam Floto) offered Paula (Calli Dunaway) the chance to open the box and see what is in it.  Paula resisted, since she wanted Decker to have his chance. 

They went back and forth about who should open the box.  They kept saying “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” at each other until they got too tired to fight. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” they both would yell at each other. They both wondered what was in the big box. 

Abaddon (Ryan Phillips) in “Fugue #4” was hilarious wearing nothing but a banner saying “CENSORED” on his private parts.

“Fugue #4” is about a love triangle between Zeus  (Jared Crossman), Semele (Laura Price), a mortal, and Hera (Rachel Link). Hera was so angry at Zeus for impregnating Semele that she convinced Semele to ask Zeus to reveal his true self as a god, knowing that this would kill Semele.  Abaddon, Semele’s friend, wore a long red robe and nothing but a banner with the word “CENSORED” under his robe, causing the audience to fall down laughing. Abaddon cried hysterically in a funny way, in grief about the deaths of his two friends.  This scene made the audience laugh their heads off  even though he was incredibly sad.  It was a hilarious sight.

“Persephone” explains why there are four seasons in a year.  There was a sun, a moon and a large snowflake flowing in the air in a circular fashion during this scene.  Hades tricked Persephone (Calli Dunaway) into eating a few pomegranate seeds, which sent her to the underworld for a year.  During her absence, earth became barren and desolate —which became the fall and winter seasons.  Persephone explained how she felt about seeing her enemy, Hades, year after year in a monologue.  Her monologue expressed her reaction to Hades’ evil plot.  Persephone shared how much she misses her mother when she is with Hades.

King Lycaon (Aaron Orens) is being challenged by a fellow God.

It was amusing when Luna/Lady Zeus (Susana Batres) showed up in Las Vegas-style clothes—with a sparkling purple hat and a matching vest and cell phone during the “Los Lobos De La Noche” story. Luna/Lady Zeus was trying so hard to get her sincere messages through King Lycaon's (Aaron Orens) big head. This king did not care if his people were starving. “People are hungry while you are feeding your fat feet!” Luna/Lady Zeus said. King Lycaon, with his hair heavily greased, didn't listen.

Aside from the Greek drama, Lockjaw (Albert Soratorio) and Perrito (Marlon Deleon) were the stage clowns.

 Io (Eriko Azuma) and Hera (Rachel Zink) trying to compete for the handsome Zeus (Garrett Marchbank) in “The Torment of Io,” one of the seven myths presented in the play.

Hera lies down, while everyone else dances around in "Songs of the Siren."

All photos were by Keith Ian Polakoff

Overall, “Songs of the Siren” is worth coming to see.  The theater students did a great job modernizing the storylines throughout the play, many of which had a theme focused on love.  The underlying messages were shown in a unique way, but everyone can still relate.

“I think the students will find the show engaging, whether or not they have a working knowledge of Greek mythology,” theater arts graduate student David Vegh said.   

“Songs of the Siren” will run in the Players Theater on campus on Tuesdays through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. until Dec. 5th. There will be no shows between Nov. 24 to Nov. 29th, in observance of Thanksgiving. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students with valid ID. Call (562) 985-5526 or visit www.csulb.edu/depts/theatre for tickets and information.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Inspired Many at CSULB

The multi-award winning Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center Saturday mesmerized the audience with its slick dances.
They had a variety of routines ranging from the traditional pointe dance accompanied by classical music to the upbeat modern dance following the beats of “U2.”
“Mercy” opened up with classical music, and its theme was forgiveness. Dancers appeared on stage wearing costumes that matched their skin color.
The dance seemed to show hatred between men and women, as the dancers took turns dancing in rows of dancers of the same sex.

According to Cal State Long Beach 2008 alumnus in art history and retired professional dancer, Kimberly Shelton, “Mercy” was too long and too fast-paced for her to enjoy.
“I wanted to see a pause,” Shelton said.
“Hissy Fits” had a much quicker pace compared to “Mercy.” This series of dances did a great job showing the emotional impulses in people's relationships, set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
“Couples moved very smoothly, and the movements were beautiful and interesting,” Shelton said. “The music made me feel intense emotionally, and the length of the dance was perfect.”
“Rise” was a dance intended to inspire hope in the power of love, set to music by U2. The choreographers wanted to show joy in this routine. The dancers ran around on stage in red suits, creating a lot of energy.
The men lifted the women as if they were feathers. The lights on stage turned neon green, turning the dancers into captivating, moving black shadows. The men leapt high and far. The women looked funny when they did cartwheels across the stage in shadows.
“Couples did an amazing job doing a total of 16 dances,” Shelton said. “I’d be here again for the next dance show.”

To see a video of this dance, visit here: http://stallercenter.com/0809/complexions.html

To learn more about Complexions Contemporary Ballet, visit http://complexionsdance.org/

Four Frames at CSULB Was Okay

If Cal State University Long Beach’s Department of Dance’s Four Frames From the Wide Floating Ground was part of a dance competition, they wouldn’t have won anything. It was a mixture of good and bad performances.

Four Frames From the Wide Floating Ground, a combination of four separate performances as part of four graduate choreographers’ theses. Graduate students Jenilyn Brown, Renee Murray, Sara Pfeifle and Sarah Wilbur devised their own choreography projects. Those students used Dance Department’s dancers as tools to present their work. Two shows were great and two shows were plain boring and annoying.

The first performance was the five-minute documentary film, Here Comes Everybody: A Wide Sky Dance Project.


“I liked the show, because I’m a Dance major,” Freshman Amanda Corrigan said. “I appreciate what they do.”

However, the dance presentation took a nose dive into plain boredom and annoyance with screeching balloon sounds in Will It Float? If you were in the audience, you’d want to take a restroom break to get away from the screeching sound when the dancers rub on the balloons.

“I did not like the balloon show,” Freshman Breanna Bruett, a Business major, said. “I found it irritating.”

Know One was slightly better than Will It Float? In this performance, the dancers appeared a bit more alive as they talked and danced. Their muscles appeared very prominent when they did Yoga-like movements. If you have ever taken Yoga, you’d know how darn hard it is to keep the body up when you just have one foot and one hand on the floor. Well, those dancers were able to do it within a heartbeat with no mishaps.


The last of the four performances, Slippery When Dry was the climax of Four Frames From the Wide Floating Ground where the dancers threw water around on stage, themselves and on each other which was reminiscent of what Blue Man Group does with paint.

BYU Ballroom Dancing was a Hit at CSULB

Left: Courtesy of BYU Ballroom Dance Company

Internationally known BYU Ballroom Dance Company presented their picture perfect show CaptureThe Magic with harrowing lifts and fast spins at Cal State University Long Beach Saturday with flying colors.

You may shrug at ballroom dancing, which is usually considered upper class, but you’d definitely be in awe if you attended a show presented by BYU Ballroom Dance Company. The male and female dancers managed to keep their smiles on during the entire dynamic show, and even enlightened the show with a 1950s dance part seen in the film Hairspray starred by Zac Efron.

Photo above: Courtesy of Flixster.com

During the Hairspray part, it was humorous when the females lifted the man spraying his hair.

Foxtrot, west coast swing, salsa, tango, rumba, waltz, samba and cha cha were some of the dances seen in this amazing energetic show. The dancers could easily move the showcase very smoothly between elegant formation routines, basic ballroom steps and fast-paced rhythmic pieces. They even included Latin-style dance routines.

Songs for a New World at Long Beach Performing Arts Center

Jason Robert Brown, a very well-known lyricist in Broadway

Songs for a New World, written by Tony-Award winning composer, drew a large audience on its opening night at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center Friday, with several memorable songs.

“What I feel to be true is that you need people around you,” said Jason Robert Brown, the multi-award winning composer, in the Oct. 16 issue of The Long Beach Telegram (http://www.presstelegram.com/books/ci_13570946). “You do need to be supported.” According to the Press-Telegram, Brown wrote Songs for a New World when he was 20 at the beginning of his music career when he was lonely.

Four singers: Parnia Ayari, Anthony Manough, Brent Schindele and Jennifer Shelton did an excellent job emotionally conveying the meaning that Brown wanted to share with the audience.

Learn more about Brown here: http://www.jasonrobertbrown.com/.