B'wy Musical MAYBE HAPPY ENDINGS Definitely a Sappy Robot Love Story

The Broadway musical MAYBE HAPPY ENDINGS has some things going for it. It has a talented cast, clever staging and a diverting but forgettable score. It's set in the not too futuristic city of Seoul. Basically it is a love story between two android servants left abandoned in the same building. Claire (think Ishiguro's novel "Klara and the Sun") knocks on the door of Oliver (think Dickens' abandoned orphan) for assistance in getting charged. Both androids have become obsolete and discarded by their owners. This is the melancholy plot to Ishiguro's novel which evokes memes of selfless dedication that is met by eventual disregard not unlike  Klara or Woody in Disney's "Toy Story." Whereas these fictional characters all elicit our sympathies for their becoming obsolete despite their steadfast devotions, "ENDINGS" fails to compute similar emotional resolutions. Claire and Oliver are different models. Claire is by far the more worldly wise android aware of the nature of their similar situation whereas Oliver is irrepressibly optimistic of being reunited with his benevolent owner. Claire convinces Oliver to take a road trip with her to track down his benevolent benefactor whom Claire realizes is not returning to reclaim him. Oliver is protective of his plant and brings it along on their road trip. (Think ET's connection to plant life.) Their delight in their exposure outside their monotonous quarters is mildly amusing. There are delightful interludes of jazz vocals that represent the music Oliver listened to and grew fond of under his owner's tutelage. This Broadway musical illicit comparisons to other entertainments which fare far better. Overall,  HAPPY ENDINGS is pedantic and predictable and only mildly amusing. Are human failings embedded with codings to enable callous dismissal of one another? Will Androids evolve to develop human emotions? Does MAYBE HAPPY ENDINGS  have broad appeal. The answers are: yes, no and not outside the Wednesday, matinee crowd. 

Jazz TRIO M at 222 Explosive/Hypnotic Enjoyed by this Critic

Saturday night, the 222 in Healdsburg brought a seasoned trio of jazz musicians; TRIO M: Myra Melford, piano, Matt Wilson, drums and Mark Dresser, bass. TRIO M have been performing together for 20 years. Their effusive enjoyment of jazz and performing with one another was palpable from the 222 Art Gallery turned intimate night club. The trio came on stage and broke into their first number which actually included a second piece without any intro. Although the relaxed atmosphere was infectious, a little more info would've benefitted listeners attempting to be attuned to contemporary improvisational works. The divergent, definitive idioms of jazz are still breaking inroads into meandering measures of jazz innovations. The first number sound like a subtle warmup on a diminutive scale from that of an orchestral tuning prior to the conductor's raised baton. Wilson on drums shook hand held "castanets" that resembled shells. This produced a pleasing clacking. He also used them to strike cymbals which he then grabbed to cut off the reverberations. Meanwhile, Melford struck several keys in a randomly seeming manner. Melford's playing style reminded me at times of Monk's; seemingly random but landing with resonate intention. As the number progressed, her solo notes morphed into multiple keys then bleed into a more complex composition. Her keyboard playing overpowered Wilson's drumming and Dresser's underlying bass playing. Major take aways for me from the evening were several unique methods each of the artists incorporated when playing their instruments. Melford used the edge of her right hand to strike 5 keys in unison while trilling on the notes with her left between each strike on the keys. Wilson also under the back of his fingers to strike cymbols and drums as if knocking on a door for a hallowed sound. Dresser's arco at a 45 degree angle downward was a unique strumming technique that resulted in more of a wind instrument aesthetic than string. Wilson spoke on behalf of the trio. Several times he was corrected by Melford or Dresser for incorrectly naming the piece or crediting the composer. "Well, as you can tell, we've done a lot or traveling and recording together," he joked to the audience. I was most intrigued with the inventive techniques and surprising flourishes of the musicians. As a pianist myself, I was most impressed with Melford's playing. The SF Chronicle described her playing as "explosive, a virtuoso who shocks and soothes, and who can make the piano stand up and do things it doesn't seem to have been designed for." With the advent of new and blending jazz styles, I'd like to be led by performers, particularly  within intimate settings, to serve audiences as informers as to what genre or style we're listening to. 

LOOK BACK-Japanese Anime Drama Worth a Look/Dir Oshiyama

I was taken aback by the simplistic animation that belies a quiet beauty and a homily on friendship, artistic integrity and society that is deeply moving. Kyomoto Oshiyama's feature debut features two adolescent girls Fujino and Kyomoto who are both avid cartoonists. Fujino is popular at school, with well rounded interests and an avid illustrator/comic strip creator who is celebrated by her classmates. Kyomoto is the same age as Fujino and shares the same passion for creating comic strips and the pages and their strips are included their school's papers. Sadly, Kyomoto suffers from agoraphobia and is home schooled. Fujino is enlisted by a school official to bring Kyomoto's 6th grade diploma to her at home. Begrudgingly Fujino walks to deliver the other girl her diploma. The basic character illustrations are enhanced by the lush background artwork that imbue a sombre sense of isolation. The scenery becomes a main character as it serves to illustrate the four seasons in their majestic beauty and provides an ambiance of both solitude and jubilation. Fujino enters Kyomoto's home and leaves the diploma and a quickly drawn strip that slides under Kyomoto's bedroom door. As Fujino is leaving Kyomoto runs to catch up with her. Despite her nervousness, she tells Kyomoto how much she admires her work. A symbiotic friendship ensues between the two girls and each draws the other more out into the world. They collaborate on their crafts and create a prolific body of work that gets purchased and published. Their flourishing friendship is joyful and rewarding to behold. After high school graduation, Fujino decides to pursue a professional career. Kyomoto decides to further her art education. Instead of encouragement from Fujino, she receives a hurtful barrage of warnings that Kyomoto will be unable to manage without Fujino by her side. But, it is precisely what Kyomoto wants to accomplish: less dependence upon her friend and improve her scenic illustrations. LOOK BACK is told in flashback by Fujino after tragedy strikes as she tries to recreate a harsh world into a serene haven. Neither living in isolation or outside in a senselessly violent world without foibles. But the best in life comes from finding fellowship and passions. Take a good look at this disarming anime film on Prime Video dubbed in English. LOOK BACK  resonates with surprisingly strong emotions and illustrious artistry. 

YOUR FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS-Not For Everyone with Too Much Going On/Jon Hamm/Amanda Peet Star

Jon Hamm is the central character in a convoluted cast of characters starring as Andrew Cooper "Coop." Coop brings up to speed  quickly taking us through his predictably plodding pathway leading to Princeton and a fast paced financial career that careens into a plush lifestyle in an affluent suburb with a sexy wife (Amanda Peet) and son and daughter. Just as quickly this house of cards comes crashing down. His wife is caught au flagranet with his ex-best friend which results in divorce, she gets the mansion and major custody.  His conniving boss Jack, played convincingly by Corbin Bernsen ("LA LAW") fires him (while they're in a jacuzzi after racquetball) for his sexual indiscretions with a co-worker. Jack takes his client roster, reminds him of his no compete clause and freezes his lucrative earnings with the firm (whether Coop has a legal case grounds to sue is not clear for now). What result is a cataclysmic financial fallout that still has him driving his Ferrari and responsible for the mortgage on his ex's mansion, two private education tuitions and the care for his beloved but mentally unstable sister. We're lead to believe, although it's not clear, how destitute Coop is although he's desperate enough to commit felonious burglaries on his apparent "friends and neighbors" who retain their residences in his former hood. There's ambiguity as to whether to feel empathy for Coop as a victim and vindicate him of his sticky fingered findings from his filthy rich former neighbors. Whether these upper crust elites are still friends to trust is in doubt. Ham is one handsome hunk and he's having himself a lot of sex while still lusting for his ex. If Ham is your jam, there's plenty here to savor. There's also some interesting characters with his male best friend who is also his money manager, a former neighbor also in the throes of divorce and a willing sex partner. His teenage daughter brings her tennis game and sexual escapades into the fold. And, a tough wizened pawnbroker whose wise to shady customers adds a little "Breaking Badass" to the mix. You get a lot for your buck in this dark comedy. However, I want to see a smart parody on the rich especially with epiphanies from Coop. Coop has figured out how to navigates his way around cops and inside the wealthy homes left unlocked. I'm curious but not totally convinced that despite the lush lifestyles, good looking cast and illicit loot is worth spending more time with. 

SF Ballet "Broken Wings" Frida Kahlo's Colorful Life in a Choreographed Masterpiece

"Broken Wings" premiered with the SF Ballet last April. I had the opportunity to be transported in time, place and space by the Company's performance on Sunday at the SF' Opera House. Despite being familiar with Kahlo's life and art, I forgot she and her husband, Diego Rivera, lived in the Bay Area in 1930. Their presence augured artistic and cultural prosperity to SF for the following decade. The vibrant, colorful "Broken Wings" ballet painted a vivid portrait of Frida Kahlo's life, artistic aesthetic, married life, and death and breathes new life into the company's repertoire which would benefit from more updating. The only other piece on the program was Sir Frederick Ashton's (b. UK 1904-1988) "Marguerite and Armand" (1963) was dated, dull, melodramatic that's feels archaic. Its storyline is somewhat analogous to the mawkish love story between Heathcliff and Cathy on the moors. In Sir Ashton's choreography, it's seen as a bore. Returning to the first, stronger and more creative piece on the program, "Broken Wings," it soars with exquisite choreography, artistic staging, brilliant costuming and Peter Salem's musical composition which all combined to render a bio of Frida that highlighted her life from her trolley car accident leaving her bedridden for a year, the inspirations in her paintings, her tumultuous relationship with Rivera, the abortion, and her premature death which is attributed to conflicting and indeterminate reports. The choice to portray 8 of her predominant "muses" in her paintings with all male dances dressed in flowing Mexican skirts with midriff tops in varying, bright colors and individualized headgear bearing flowers or antlers was daring. It all paid off highly. The rippling skirts and graceful movements were bold. Dancers in skull masks, large sombreros, black slacks and tops with skeletal markings were eerily effective. The dancing blended  strength and sophistication. The skeleton dancers taunted Frida with her impending doom. The skeleton dancers used a long ladder as a prop. The requisite precision added a scary element should a slight misstep/slip up occur. Thankfully all the elements blended majestically including the bandage /bondage costuming on Frida. Frida performed a stirring dance tangled in red vines referencing her abortion. The dancer representing Diego gave the character appropriate swagger and sleaze. His large stature lent a towering but not overpowering presence to Frida. The shadowing of Frida's dancing added a double-entendre' an inference on their relationship.The sensual, alluring dancing of one of Diego's illicit lovers was no match to Kahlo's fury which provided a bit of levity. An added bonus was the Spanish vocalist and 2 acoustic guitars for a somber ballad. The trio provided an additional richness to an already compelling ballet. Bravo to SF Ballet Company, the SF Ballet Orchestra. I'm hoping there'll be more contemporary and complex choreography added to SF Ballet's programming. I look forward to seeing the Company's "Frankenstein."

in THE BONDSMAN Kevin Bacon Is One Degree Away from the Devil

The new supernatural/horror series on Prime Video is primed to pique your interest in all things requiring an exorcism or skepticism in Satan's existence. In any event, "The Bondsman" gets off to a brilliant beginning with the untimely killing of Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), a bondsman killed in his line of work and then brought back from the dead by Satan. Satan assigns him to do his bidding by capturing Hell dwelling sinners who somehow managed to escape their shackles of fire and brimstone and send them back to the pit of permanent penance. What makes this show something extraordinary is its propensity for offering credibility to this preposterous premise. Hub's god fearing mom, Kitty (Beth Grant, "The Mindy Project") believes her son when he tells her he thinks he may have come back from the dead. Kitty is also convinced by Midge (Jolene Purdy ,"The White Lotus") that she's dead serious as the Devil's emissary overseeing Hub whose been given a temporary furlough from Hell as long as he carries out his assassination assignments and consigns escaped demons now embodying human forms. There's plenty of chills when the demons stake out their prey. There's also plenty of family drama and country music on hand to provide excellent entertainment to go with your goosebumps. Grammy winning Country Star Jennifer Nettles plays Hub's estranged wife, Maryanne. Maryanne singing in this series adds a heavenly respite and is integral to the show. (Whether Bacon's singing is essential is highly circumspect.) Hub and Maryanne share custody of their preadolescent son Cade (Maxwell Jenkins). Cade wants to break into a singing career like his mother. It's obvious there's still a strong, mutual attraction between Hub and Maryanne but she's involved with Lucky (Damon Herriman) who heads up a very shady and dangerous mob operation. To keep THE BONDSMAN from falling into a "Buffy the Vampire" redux are intriguing subplots and mysteries. In addition to the tried and true-good ruling over evil are other, more perplexing anecdotes. Hub's mom wants to know from Hub why he was sent to Hell in the first place. Kitty also wants to know if there's a redemptive get out of Hell free card. How will Hub, with the aid of his mom, outsmart Satan and his delinquent demons? Last and perhaps least, will Hub and Maryann get back together? THE BONDSMAN is a concoction of genres that generates ample heat thanks to an excellent ensemble and spirited writing. I recommend this spicy pastiche of action/drama and horror. Should you be  into gore, you'll dig it even more.  

MID-CENTURY MODERN Is Gay Golden Girls but Tarnished, Sad and Bad/Stars Nathan Lane

I have come to bury this stinker of a show that tries to emulate "The Golden Girls"only with gay men as roommates. The show has 2 fewer cohabitants and a lot less going for it than the comedy classic "Golden Girls". Tragically this sitcom on Hulu was Linda Lavin's swan song as she died before finishing her work on the show. Sadly, Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham and Matt Bomer are cast as fast friends who come together over the coffin of the fourth in their tight night crew now in their twilight years (except for maybe Bomer) all seeking love and providing solace for each other. The idea for this 10 episode series which stems from a charming, albeit appropriated premise, with star power in Lane and Lavin misses the boat by lightyears in "Mid-Century Modern" with schlocky writing and frothy, flagrant stereotypes of gay men. You'll grow old and crotchety watching this pile of crock. 

Telegraph Quartet Performs Beethoven, Dvorak and Weinberg

The 222 Art Gallery transformed into a concert hall on Friday evening in Healdsburg with the classical music performance of the Telegraph Quartet's playing music of Beethoven, Dvorak and Weinberg. The Quartet has been performing together for over a decade. In 2014, they won the Grand Prize in the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The musicians included co-founding member and violinist Joseph Maile who received his B.A. at Juilliard under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman, violinist Eric Chin, cellist Jeremiah Shaw and violist Pei-Ling Lin originally from Taiwan. The first selection of the concert was Beethoven's "String Quartert #10 in E-flat Major". The work was composed in 1809 around the time when Beethoven knew he would soon be turning completely deaf and was consigning himself to a regrettable life of bachelorhood. The chamber piece was written as a distracting work of joy filled overflowing with  eloquence and beauty. The pizzicato in the 1st movement expressed his indomitable zest for life and the scherzo in its 2nd movement relinquishes a furious, powerful energy. Chin shared an interesting tidbit  from Dvorak's love life relating to the 2nd piece on the program: selections from "Echo of Songs (Cypresses), B. #152". The piece was written for one of his piano students whom he was smitten. Unfortunately for him the attraction wasn't mutual. Twenty years later, however, Dvorak married the woman's younger sister. The cello's underlying melody reveals a melancholy in the 3rd movement followed by vibrato violins in the 4th movement resounding with triumph and resilience. Mieczyslaw Weinberg (b. Warsaw 1919 d. Russia 1996) is a composer not nearly as well-known as the previous composers. Weinberg was a refugee from Warsaw. Following WWII he lived for a time in Pakistan and Belarus. He sent his compositions to Shostakovich whom he admired. Shostakovic was very impressed with Weinberg's compositions and championed his work. Weinberg immigrated to Russia with  Shostakovich's urging and the two became closed friends and supporters of the other's music. The final piece on the program was Weinberg's "String Quartet #6 in E minor, Op. 35 (1946)". There are 6 movements to this composition. The 3rd movement, Allegro con fuoco, is a dissonant fugue followed by a Moderato combo in the 5th and Andante maestoso. Both these movement sounded forceful and optimistic. The sold-out performance at the 222 garnered an enthusiastic and appreciative audience that leapt to their feet hoping for, but not receiving an encore from the highly accomplished and artistic Telegraph Quartet. 

Seth Rogen's THE STUDIO Series is Self-Indulgent Studio Insiders with a Myriad of Celebs

Seth Rogen's series THE STUDIO on Apple TV+ is a supercilious, self-indulgent comedy that is neither a laughable sitcom or clever parody. Rogen's self-effacing stereotyping of studio execs is too exaggerated to be taken as witty critique of the movie industry's mismanagement of millions. Furthermore, it makes the rolls and cameos of A list actors/directors too facetious to be credulous or comical. A huge irony here is the wanton waste of talent cast. Bryan Cranston plays the big studio cheese of Continental Studios only his dress, antics and ideas are too cheesy. Catherine O'Hara plays Party Leigh whose job Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) gets hired after she's fired. Matt's lying and conniving for the coveted, high powered position helped him seal the deal. Kathryn Hahn plays Maya Mason, one of Matt's most outspoken directors who takes her role in an over-the-top direction that loses laughs and believability. The only cast member that rose above the material is Ike Barinholtz, "The Mindy Project") as Sal Seperstein. Sal is Matt's best friend who also aspired for the position passed onto Matt. Rogen is the star of this charmless series that feels more like a dated sitcom. The show is set within the extravagant homes and lifestyles which are more off-putting and pretentious than evocative of enviable Hollywood glamour. The major dilemmas (which are all minor) that plagued Matt are his desires to create great art at odds with easy profitability and his need to be liked and accepted into the elite echelon of celebrities. These shallow conflicts fail to generate the inertia to invest in Matt's petty problems  or his whiny, self-absorbed persona. The other major irony with THE STUDIO is the fact a studio green- lighted this into production. Perhaps it was passed due in part to the star power Rogen brought to the project. Rogen donned many hats here including writing and directing. Pass on this sorry, lackluster series that overlooked the simple rule that any fool knows, it all comes down to the story, script and blueprint.   

THE RESIDENCE-A Who Dunnit Series with a Sleuth Who Slays-Stars Uzo Aduba/Randall Park

For those who liked the "Knives Out" movies (count me out) I have no doubt you will love THE RESIDENCE, an 8 part series on Netflix starring Uzo Aruba ("Orange is the New Black") as a sleuth, Cordelia Cupp, whose style is indefatigable. Cupp's fashion style is a modern take on Sherlock and contemporary birder chic. She's an avid birdie whose meticulous methods of investigation are well suited for her unflappable pursuit of factual information and people observation. Although quite amazing and unique in her detective persona, Cuppa is a hybrid amalgamation of Holmes, Poirot and Colombo. THE RESIDENCE will occupy your TV viewing with the highfalutin shenanigans of an upstairs/downstairs cast of characters. There are the elite catered to or staff who do the catering to the President, his staff and White House guests. The guest stars in this clever and highly entertaining series that takes comedy and social parody seriously. Jason Lee plays the president's deadbeat kleptomaniac brother, Jane Curtain plays the alcoholic mother of the president's partner, Bronson Pinchot is the eccentric French pastry chef, Edwina Findley is a bumptious butler with endless banter, and Al Franken is back in politics playing Senator Filkins leading the congressional investigation into the murder of A.B. White Head Usher of the White House and the Head Usher is played to perfection by Giancarlo Esposito ("Breaking Bad"). Cupp is the lead detective but she has strong support from FBI agent Edwin Park (Randall Park) who slowly wins her confidence and Officer Larry Dokes (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) whom she admittedly admires. There is so much to recommend in this show produced by Shondaland (Shonda Rhimes) and created by Paul William Davies ("Scandal"). The scenic tour of the White House is pleasurable and the backup story to Cupp's becoming a detective is endearing. All the staff are suspect and susceptible to thinking them culpable of the crime and its coverup. My only critical quip is the windup was too long winded and convoluted. Here the show should take a clue on being more succinct from Colombo. Even so, THE RESIDENCE is one of the most likable detective shows with good reasons. I hope a second season of Detective Uzo Aduba with FBI guy Randall Park will be revealed.