An Interview with Bar 9’s Zayde Naquib. As the national campaign to increase the minimum wage to $15 claims victories across the country, from California and Seattle to Washington D.C., the debate in Culver City rages on. The Page has covered the perspective of local business persons as well City Council members and candidates (see http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/?s=minimum+wage), highlighting the controversial nature … Read More
Ginna Carter Prevails in PRT’s Eccentricities of a Nightingale
Brad Greenquist and Ginna Carter in Tennessee Williams' The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
Review of the Pacific Resident Theatre’s production of Tennessee William’s The Eccentricities of a Nightingale. Misfit, freak, geek – whatever the description, it’s easy to see why Alma Winemiller, the delightfully odd and sassy bird who gives The Eccentricities of a Nightingale its title, was so loved by Tennessee Williams. Her indomitable spirit stands bravely against the condescending and conformist influences … Read More
Orlando: A Meditation for Loving-Kindness
Statue of Buddha at Thotlakonda Park. Photo: Adityamadhav83 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Rainbow effect added by F. Sisa.
Another day in America. Another mass shooting. Another grievous wound. The news will swell with posturing politicians, opiniated commentators, circular policy debates, and strident finger-pointing. Beating through the noise will be human hearts suffering over the loss of life. We will remember the victims. People with names. People targeted because of their sexual orientation. I have previously written about a core … Read More
The Existential Superhero Takes a Leap
Jones Welsh and Alina Bolshakova in the Superhero and his Charming Wife
Review of The Superhero and his Charming Wife on stage at the Highways Performance Space @ 18th Street St. Arts Center. Interpretative dance, moving platforms with gymnastics, video backgrounds, crafty props – these elements form the raw materials of writer/director Aaron Hendry and Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble’s imaginative and exuberant theatrical experience, The Superhero and his Charming Wife. But be … Read More
A Lukewarm Dinner at the Odyssey
Diane Cary, Andrea Evans
and Todd Waring in "Dinner at Home Between Deaths."
Photo by Michael Lamont
Review of Dinner at Home Between Deaths on stage at the Odyssey Theatre. There comes a moment in Dinner at Home Between Deaths when it seems like the characters will sail into the bleak waters charted by Swimming with Sharks, the singularly unpleasant film starring Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley. We are mercifully spared the pointless nasty cynicism, but the … Read More
Can Two “For Beginners” Books Fight Racism?
Beyoncé performing at the Super Bowl. Photo: CBS
Review of Black Panthers for Beginners and Civil Rights for Beginners. When it comes to race, any discussion I might have necessarily begins with this admission: As a white man, I don’t know what it’s like to be black in America. If you are white, dear reader, then guess what? Neither do you. This doesn’t mean we can’t understand or … Read More
Undead and (Mostly) Liking It
A still from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. If there’s one pop-culture infection that has spared me so far, it’s the zombie craze. There have been some compelling films deploying those undead cannibals against the overwhelmed living, notably 28 Days Later and World War Z. But for the most part I’ve never quite understood the appeal of that particular subgenre of … Read More
Star Wars: The Fandom Menace
[Editor’s Note: In this feature-length essay, the Page’s Resident Art Critic discusses Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the context of the controversial prequel trilogy and George Lucas’s decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney.] Let’s at least be honest and recognize Star Wars: The Force Awakens for what it is: Fan fiction. After the prequel trilogy failed to ignite the shining … Read More
America’s Spiritual Crisis and the Politics of Enragement
Statue of the Buddha meditating. Photo: Charles Rondeau / publicdomainpictures.net
As the national conversation falls victim to what I think of as the “politics of enragement,” I am reminded of the Angulimala Sutta (discourse). It’s a story from the Pali Canon, the earliest written text of the Buddha’s teachings, about a gruesome serial killer named Angulimala – “he with the garland of fingers.” For years, the physically formidable bandit ambushed … Read More
‘Tis the Season for L.A. County’s Holiday Celebration
Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles
In a season dominated by the politics of enragement, cheer and goodwill are set to arrive in the form of the 56th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration. It’s my favourite event of the season, a cornucopia of colourful costumes, a medley of magical music, a plethora of pleasing performances. I’m so excited I can’t help but alliterate. Without adopting any … Read More