Sandi Masori

It’s been a hard month not only for all of us in the Jewish community, but for the entire San Diego community.  With all of the unrest and strife happening, the audience at Broadway In San Diego’s Mamma Mia was ready to let loose and revel in the joyous ABBA songs that make up the backbone of this whimsical show at the Civic Theatre. [Sandi Masori]

The play is set in 1964 in a small Catholic boys’ school. The opening is a sermon on Doubt by Father Flynn (Dr. AJ Knox). New teacher Sister James (Juliana Scheding) is called to the principal’s office so that she can report on the progress of the new student, Donald, who also happens to be the first Black student in the school. [Sandi Masori]

The acting was superb and I’ll come back to that, but I really have to talk about the sets.  I have never in my life seen such elaborate and I know I said it above, but cinematic sets.  The way that the stage and sets were built, the lighting effects, and the scenes staged to keep most of the action towards the back of the stage, the effect was almost more like watching a movie than a play.  [Sandi Masori]

The show is really a kind of stand-up comedy, except that while there is plenty of laughter, he’s also leading you on an emotional journey as he recounts his parents experience emigrating from Bangladesh to Spanish Harlem in New York, the land of the free. [Sandi Masori]

Price suffers a crisis of faith, which leaves the compassionate but less educated and experienced Cunningham to minister to the natives. The only problem is that he has never actually read the Book of Mormon, and so as he attempts to help the villagers solve their problems he embellishes the stories in the good book with characters and plot lines from popular science fiction, superhero and fantasy movies.  This results in the conversion of the villagers, who are encouraged by Nabulungi (Keke Nesbitt) the sweet daughter of the village liaison (Lamont J. Whitaker).  [Sandi Masori]

Set in a carwash in Chula Vista, this multilingual show is about families — both born and discovered.  Don’t worry if you don’t speak Spanish, the most important parts are in English, and Spanish is used to give it color and flavor. It is mostly slang.  You will be able to get what’s going on from the context, and in those few places where you may not understand, one of the characters will explain.  [Sandi Masori]

Adapted from an old Hungarian play, Play At The Castle by Ferenc Molnar, it’s a play within a play about a play.  I’ll give you a brief synopsis in a moment, but honestly, in this play, the plot doesn’t matter.  Not to say that there isn’t one, but what it really delivers on is LPM- that’s laughs per minute.  This over-the-top comedy does not take itself too seriously and even calls itself out on the things happening to move the action along.  I don’t remember ever laughing so hard or often at a show.  Every line landed.  Every physical comedy bit hit. The absurd became plausible and wonderful. [Sandi Masori]

It all comes to a boil at the end of the first act, when at a party celebrating the engagement of Schultz and Schneider one of the inn’s resident ladies of the night tells Ludwig that Schultz can afford the party because the Jews have all the money anyway, thus bringing to his attention Schultz’ ethnicity.  [Sandi Masori]

Siguenza, who was formerly the playwright in residence at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, wrote and acted in the one-man play A Weekend With Pablo Picasso which is playing in an encore performance at the New Village Arts theatre in Carlsbad. [Sandi Masori]

What can I say about the show that is currently at the Civic Theatre?  I never knew death could be so fun!  The show was a high-energy ball of laughs that never stopped moving.  From the moment the curtains opened the crowd was there for it.  I’ve never heard such a roar to the opening lines before.   [Sandi Masori]