I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE 'IT'S A STEVIE WONDERFUL LIFE'.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic THERE'S GOOD NEWS and better news coming out of Toluca Lake. First, what's good: Troubadour troubadour One of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians, often of knightly rank, that flourished from the 11th through the 13th century, chiefly in Provence and other regions of southern France, northern Spain, and northern Italy. Theatre Company's production of ``Fleetwood Macbeth'' is coming to the Falcon Theatre in January. If you missed it last summer at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica, here's a chance to rectify that error. Even better: Currently playing at the Falcon is the Troubies' holiday show, ``It's a Stevie Wonderful Life.'' Saturated by all things traditional in the yuletide? This show's your antidote. Now, I've been a fan of this company since I first saw them in Orange County in the mid-1990s. They are a group of professionally trained clowns who also do their dramaturgical dram·a·tur·gy n. The art of the theater, especially the writing of plays. dram  a·tur due diligence Research; analysis; your homework. This term has caught on in all industries, because it sounds so "wired." Who would want to do analysis or research when they can do due diligence. See wired. when it comes to shredding and reassembling the works of William Shakespeare. The Troubies know their pop culture and will do pretty much anything for a laugh. Including recycling jokes from their own previous productions. No, their company members aren't always the best of singers. True, every show probably doesn't really need that ubiquitous trampoline trampoline Resilient sheet or web (often of nylon) supported by springs in a metal frame and used as a springboard and landing area in tumbling. Trampolining is an individual sport of acrobatic movements performed after rebounding into the air from the trampoline. . But the band always cooks, the songs are always recognizable and peculiarly in context. A Troubie show is part rock concert, part irreverent party. And a convincing case could be made that company artistic director/performer Matt Walker is the funniest stage actor in L.A. Walker directs ``Stevie Wonderful Life'' and stars as the Afro-clad George Bailey who learns, via song, dance and general mayhem, that the world would not be a better place had he never been born. Walker's Jimmy Stewart drawl drawl v. drawled, drawl·ing, drawls v.intr. To speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels. v.tr. is dead on and devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. , his fourth-wall-breaking asides and observations bring a comic dimension that seems impossible to duplicate. So tailored is this role - this show - to Walker's strengths that the man takes the stage looking like ... aw, shucks shuck n. 1. a. A husk, pod, or shell, as of a pea, hickory nut, or ear of corn. b. The shell of an oyster or clam. 2. Informal Something worthless. ... like a kid at Christmas. ``A Stevie Wonderful Life,'' as the title suggests, is a tribute to/sendup of the Frank Capra film with music of Stevie Wonder incorporated into the action. George's love interest (played by Erin Matthews) is ``My Mary Amour.'' Sexpot sex·pot n. Informal A woman considered to have sex appeal. Noun 1. sexpot - a young woman who is thought to have sex appeal sex bomb, sex kitten Violet (Jennifer Seifert) wants George to be her ``Part Time Lover.'' You get the idea. Walker's ensemble makes its customary inventive use of all the resources at hand. Unleash a company that typically builds out of a trunk and a couple of curtains in a theater with some backstage and multimedia toys, and you can pretty much expect them to go wild. ``Stevie Wonderful Life'' begins with a movie-style coming attraction (For ``Fleetwood Macbeth,'' naturally) followed by an on-stage re-creation of the THX A design system that provides realistic sound playback for movie and home theater from THX, Ltd., San Rafael, CA (www.thx.com), an independent spin-off from Lucasfilm, Ltd. The THX Sound System was developed during the production of the Return of the Jedi in 1982 and named after George sound system ad. To duplicate Capra's dance sequence, they've done some low-budget tinkering with the black-and-white film on a screen overhead. Later, during George's encounter with Clarence the Angel, a hand-held video camera permits the Troubies to do ``Domestic Disturbance.'' Morgan Rusler, deliberately gulping certain lines to make them unintelligible UNINTELLIGIBLE. That which cannot be understood. 2. When a law, a contract, or will, is unintelligible, it has no effect whatever. Vide Construction, and the authorities there referred to. , is a scream as grumpy Mr. Potter. Matthews out-perkys even Donna Reed and is game enough to survive a musical number that requires her to wear a giant shrub, and withstand a bevy bevy a flock of birds. of off-color jokes. Kudos to technical director Benjamin Rapoport, lighting designer Jeremy Pivnick and musical director Andre Holmes. But hats off especially to Walker for keeping this loony brand of theater a local tradition and to his company for keeping pace. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com IT'S A STEVIE WONDERFUL LIFE - Three and one half stars Where: Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank. When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays; through Dec. 28. Tickets: $25 to $37.50. Call (818) 955-8101. In a nutshell: A movie desperately in need of a sendup gets one, Troubadour style. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Matt Walker and Erin Matthews find love amid big hair in ``It's a Stevie Wonderful Life.'' |
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