Salvage<\/em> is a four-character drama that takes place in a generic run-down out-of-the-way bar, but in which part of America the audience is left to imagine for themselves.<\/p>\n Photo by Ed Krieger, as is the one of the cast at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n The quartet of actors is perfectly cast! I have only positives to say about all of them, especially the three who provide all the tunes. They should all<\/em> go on televised singing competitions, especially if there\u2019s a country one. But not on the same season because they\u2019d all win<\/em>!<\/p>\n David Atkinson, as the loner at the center of the narrative, is so authentic that I wasn\u2019t even sure if he\u2019s really an actor! I actually pondered if he was just a messed-up old dude they found singing on the side of a road somewhere. I\u2019m not kidding about that. (He, of course, is an actor. A very successful one.) His looks reminded me a bit of Bill Medley. And I love his melancholy voice.<\/p>\n Christopher Fordinal and David Atkinson. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n I actually saw Salvage<\/em> because of Nina Herzog, the lone female in this show. I\u2019ve been a fan of her music videos for a couple of years now, and I couldn\u2019t wait to hear her sing in person. And let me tell you, that girl is as fabulous live<\/em> as she is in her videos<\/em>! You can hear a pin drop when she performs her late-in-the-production song, Outrun the Wind<\/em>. I heard a lot of \u201cwow\u201ds in the audience when she was done. I\u2019m disappointed only that she has just two numbers–one solo and one duet–because they\u2019re so gorgeous that I would have liked to hear more from her.<\/p>\n (L-R) Christopher Fordinal, Leonard Earl Howze, and Nina Herzog. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n The young, confused-about-life guy is played by Christopher Fordinal. He\u2019s so cute that I kept forgetting to listen to what he was saying<\/em>; I just kept looking<\/em> at him! And listening to his beautiful singing voice, too, of course. (On a side note, I adore the shoes he\u2019s rocking, but I feel they\u2019re wrong for his poor-young-married character; they\u2019re too new and hip. Just sayin\u2019.)<\/p>\n Leonard Earl Howze has the most thankless task in that he has to sit around for most of the hour and forty minutes, (with no intermission,) listening to the other characters (L-R) Christopher Fordinal, Leonard Earl Howze, and David Atkinson. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n All of that brings me to discussing the music, every bit of it excellent! And the voices\u2014OMG–are they good! I would go to a concert of any one of these singers! Someone that day actually told me that she just closed her eyes during almost the entirety of the play, and just chilled by listening to the beautiful music. I can appreciate that.<\/p>\n Since I\u2019m not an expert on country music, (one of my biggest career regrets is turning down a major gig as a country music DJ in here in LA some years ago,) I just assumed that these eleven songs had been written specifically for Salvage<\/em>. But, since two of the songwriters, Randy VanWarmer and Mark Heard, both passed away many, many years ago, I guess not. [Note: I\u2019ve been waiting on an answer to that very question, but none has come. So maybe you<\/em> can get to the bottom of it when you see the show!] It\u2019s no biggie, either way\u2014the tunes are all perfect no matter when they were written and by whom. (The living<\/em> tunesmiths are Pat Terry and Salvage<\/em> playwright Tim Alderson, who\u2019s actually a farmer<\/em>! And a kind man\u2014he created Seeds of Hope<\/em>, a charitable organization whose mission is \u201cto seek food justice,\u201d by growing and distributing food to several of SoCal\u2019s neediest communities. That is so much more impressive to me than any creative talents are!)<\/p>\n Christopher Fordinal and Nina Herzog. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n I also enjoyed the very professional* set by Joel Daavid, (who has probably been explaining that that is not a typo in his last name for his whole life!) I actually felt like I was in the crusty old bar with the cast. But if that had been the real<\/em> situation, you just know that I would have solved all their problems for them by the end! *(Most smaller theatres do not have this level of creativity and vision in their sets.)<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n My only teensy complaints about Salvage<\/em> are that the action is a tad slow and the whole scenario is a bit too long. And I don\u2019t think the conflict ever gets resolved. But that\u2019s how it often is in life, so just enjoy the very tuneful journey.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a fan of great music, especially country, and love seeing other people\u2019s angst, Salvage<\/em> is the show for you!<\/p>\n Two final notes, both about the Lounge Theatre. First, they very kindly encourage audience members to take the concessions into the theater with them. But they should not<\/em> do that because the noise of the packages being opened, and even worse–the people crunching down on them–during the show is disgraceful. I know it\u2019s done that way to help sell the snacks, but it\u2019s just way too distracting during the presentation.<\/p>\n But, conversely, the AC in the theater is great! I was there on one of the heatwave days, and my always-hot self was totally comfortable.<\/p>\n Salvage<\/em> running through December 15, 2019<\/strong> SALVAGE This interesting play on West Hollywood\u2019s \u201cTheatre Row\u201d is billed as a \u201cplay with music.\u201d But it\u2019s so much more than that. Salvage is more like a wonderful country music concert with a bit of a country music story surrounding it. \u00a0I was more enthralled with the songs than I was with the tale,<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/salvage-8.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a>complain<\/del> speak. He doesn’t get to sing until the very last song when he provides a touch of harmony, letting us know that he could have held his own in the music department if his bartender role had also been a singer. But let me tell you–the energy of the production goes way up<\/em> whenever he enters the scene.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n The Lounge Theatre 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood\u00a0\u00a0323-960-7712<\/strong>
\n www.onstage411.com\/salvage<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"