Power and Musical Theater

At just about 6PM last night, as we watched the last scene of Lars and the Real Girl fade to black on the TV, a loud buzzing like a chain saw trying to slice through a steel girder echoed through the apartment followed by an intense bang. The TV and cable box immediately clicked off. The rattling from the refrigerator quieted. The usual sounds from TVs and radios and power tools down the alley stopped completely. We stepped onto the back porch looking for any signs of smoke, and only saw our fellow neighbors slowly drifting onto their balconies or into the alley, all looking around and wondering what happened.

I tried calling the City using my cell but received a busy signal. Then, the sirens sounded, and we figured stop lights must have also darkened, catching drivers by surprise. We went around the apartment, unplugging everything, including the surge protectors for our TVs and computer -- thank goodness those were in place; I'd hate to think of what might have happened without them -- and got ready for our trip to Hollywood.

Fortunately, I'd bought tickets online earlier in the morning for a musical called The Story of My Life, something to occupy our evening rather than a movie or a dinner out. And now, with the power out for who knew how long, it was the perfect excuse to get away for a few hours. Caesar cleaned up while I checked for anything else that needed to be unplugged, then we were on our way.

We found the Lillian Theatre right after we passed it. The building stood on a corner of Santa Monica Blvd. with two marquees, one for the Lillian and one for another show at a second theater in the same building. Caesar happened to spot it as we passed so we managed to make our way back and to find street parking not too far away. Inside the theater, we found two empty seats set almost at an angle to the stage so I had to sit somewhat turned to the right in my seat, but I did have a clear view of the stage. The small set had two white-painted bookcases with a small bridge between them. The small band played behind a scrim on the other side of the bridge. The audience's seats formed a flat-bottomed "U" around the stage, making the show very intimate.

The Story of My Life focused on award-winning author Thomas Weaver as he tries to write a eulogy for his childhood friend Alvin Kelby. Though his writing may have earned him high praise and many awards, Thomas finds it difficult to set the right words to paper for Alvin. As he struggles to find something to write, the ghost of Alvin arrives to help him wade through their past, finding the stories that drew them together and the events that ultimately drew them apart.

We both enjoyed Havok Theatre's production of The Story of My Life. Neil Bartram's score was nice, but many of the songs reminded me of something Stephen Sondheim had already written -- the way a phrase was repeated or the quick delivery of rhyming phrases. Chad Borden's performance as the ghostly Alvin Kelby was good, and he took the character from the first grade through adulthood with ease. His singing was a bit soft for me, and at times, I couldn't quite make out the lyrics before they faded. Robert J. Townsend gave a fine performance as Thomas, with great acting as the writer trying to work his way through writer's block and to understand Alvin's death. It didn't hurt that his singing seemed almost effortless.

By the time we reached the apartment, the power still hadn't been returned. The McDonald's on 4th St. was pitch black as were many of the buildings, stores and bars on the West side of the street.

The lights didn't come back on until roughly 6 this morning, when Caesar heard the rumble of the refrigerator while filling Diesel's food bowl. A downstairs neighbor told me that she saw a generator about two blocks away, plugged into the transformer that blew. So the lights, TV and computer may only be temporary. Keep your fingers crossed!

Image from Havok Theatre.