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<\/a>(L-R) Maram Kamal, Mark Haan, and Talon Warburton in the last scene of the sextet. Photo by Chris Devlin, as is the one at the top of this review featuring (L-R) Bill Butts, Talon Warburton, and Patrick Warburton.<\/p><\/div>\n
As you may have noticed, I haven\u2019t accepted invitations to shows in smaller theaters since the pandemic began over two and a half years ago, because unlike many other people who seem to think life is normal again, I know that Covid-19 is still around, and I don’t want to be in confined spaces with strangers. So why did I accept this one, you may ask?\u00a0 Because a couple of the vignettes star the hilarious-on-television Patrick Warburton. Mr. X and I were big fans of his late sitcom, Rules of Engagement<\/em>, and Laura and I had recently met him at a pre-Emmys luncheon. (He\u00a0was there with his son, who joins him in this presentation. More on junior later.) So seeing him work in person was of particular interest to us.<\/p>\n Although written by just one guy, David Ives, the half dozen scenes are all very different from each other, the diversity of which I totally applaud. (I’m talking diversity in his writing<\/em>, not casting, which is all anyone seems to use that word for anymore.)<\/p>\n But I was not a fan of his apparent obsession with \u201cservice\u201d bells. They are part of at least four of the scenes. (It may actually be\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0of them and I just blocked the other two out.)\u00a0 The bell usage may have something to do with the title, but neither Laura nor I got the connection. It worked in the first act, but it became enough already pretty quickly. (The note I wrote at the end of the third vignette was, \u201cWhy do they need someone to sit on the floor of the audience with the bell in two of the sections? It\u2019s distracting. They should just ring it off stage. It\u2019s not that important in those scenes.\u201d)<\/p>\n Taylor Behrens and Meadow Clare doing the first scene. Notice the service bell in front of Taylor. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n That being said, the writing is all clever and the performances are good. But, somehow, I never laughed, although Laura, who enjoyed the show more than I<\/em> did, chuckled from time to time, as did the rest of the audience. Laura said, \u201cI liked that the show was made up of several<\/em>\u00a0storylines, so if I wasn’t into one, I didn\u2019t have to invest the full ninety minutes into it.\u201d And she did pretty much like them all.<\/p>\n The first scene, of a couple meeting at a bar or coffee shop or someplace like that, took me a second to get into, but by the end, I thought it was very cute.<\/p>\n The fourth segment, entitled The Universal Language<\/em>, presented a conundrum for me. The poor actor, Mark Haan, had to speak in a made-up language the whole time, which I found really annoying on one hand, (the dominant<\/em> one!,) while on the other I so admired that he had to not only memorize<\/em> all that gibberish, but present<\/em> it! And even though we<\/em> would have no idea if he messed-up his lines, his scene partner, Tania Gonzalez, had to repeat some of it in rapid succession, so Mark had to stick to the scripted \u201cwords.\u201d Crazy. Laura liked that one, but it just hurt my head.<\/p>\n Mark Haan and Tania Gonzalez. Photo by Maram Kamal.<\/p><\/div>\n No matter what, let\u2019s face it, the attraction for\u00a0everyone<\/em>, I\u2019m sure, is Patrick Warburton. Even in LA, it\u2019s not every day that you get to see an accomplished actor, whom you probably know from series television, so very up-close. (The theatre has only three wrap-around rows. I liked that there are enough seats that you don\u2019t need to be near others, even though a makeshift front row that night looked a tad too close to the actors at times.)<\/p>\n Patrick is his usual talented self in this show, but on the night we saw it, he was talking way too low, like he was still doing TV. That wonderful low-key delivery of his works perfectly in\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0medium, but I feel he needs just a bit more volume and energy in a stage production, even in an intimate arena.<\/p>\n (L-R) Melodie Shih, Patrick Warburton, and Talon Warburton. Photo by Chris Devlin.<\/p><\/div>\n The great news is that he’s passed his talent down to his son, Talon, who\u2019s in a trio of the segments; he’s spot-on in all three of them. I\u2019m surprised that he hasn\u2019t gotten a series himself. (Maybe father and son can get one together.) Talon shone as Trotsky in the last scene, about the Russian’s assassination, which neither Laura nor I knew about in real life. (I was absent that day; I don’t know Laura’s excuse.) But she said she was glad to get \u201ca history lesson\u201d along with the entertainment.<\/p>\n She also could not stop lauding Melodie Shih, who was featured in two of the scenes, and held her own against the Warburton men.<\/p>\n I found the set-up of parts of the stage to be interesting; all the props are laid out on tables at the back. I actually enjoy seeing props, especially from smaller theatres, so I liked that presentation. And the projections on a big screen back there change for each scene. I loved all<\/em> the featured artwork and animation, which was done by Ron Yavnielli.<\/p>\n The prop table and projection screen at the back of the stage. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n One personal note on the second story: While the topic of alleged Lindberg baby kidnapper, Bruno Hauptmann, is never amusing to me, that rare\u00a0reference, which they make in the second scene, always brings back a great memory for me. Very many years ago, after my first television acting job, which was with Lynn Redgrave, she invited me to a party at her house. And who did I meet there but my favorite actor, Anthony Hopkins!\u00a0 I was shocked, but recovered enough to tell him that I love his work. To my surprise, after he thanked me, he asked me what I had seen him in and loved! (This was before Silence of the Lambs<\/em>.) And the very first thing that came into my mind was his portrayal of Bruno\u00a0Hauptmann in\u00a0The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case<\/em>\u00a0years earlier! He loved that I chose that one, which he had done before he was super-famous. So I thank All In the Timing<\/em> for giving me the opportunity to remember that.<\/p>\n I hope it will bring something equally special to those of you who see the show during the next month.<\/p>\n All In the Timing<\/em>\u00a0running through November 20, 2022<\/strong> ALL IN THE TIMING My friend, Laura, and I recently saw\u00a0All In the Timing,\u00a0a program of six one-act plays. That\u2019s the show\u2019s\u00a0official\u00a0billing, but it\u2019s actually scenes of around ten minutes each. And the half dozen of them are done in just ninety minutes, which is always a good thing. As you may have noticed, I<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Zephyr Theatre<\/strong>
\n 7456 Melrose Ave.<\/strong>
\n www.onstage411\/aitt<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"