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CAMILLE GAVIN: Comedy will tax your funnybone

The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, Oct 19 2011 12:49 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Oct 19 2011 12:51 PM

Think palazzo pants and wildly plaid sports coats. "Wait till you see the clothes -- you'll wonder why we ever wore them," says Laurie Howlett, the director of "Love, Sex and the IRS." "The guys are going to look very hip."

A typical farce, the play by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore is filled with sight gags and twists of fate. It's the story of two out-of-work musicians, played by Max Jacobs and Justin Thompson. A side note: Both actors are graduates of Cal State Bakersfield's theater arts program and this is their first appearance on the Stars stage.

In the play, the two men find they're in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service because, to save money, they have been filing tax returns listing themselves as a married couple. The day of reckoning comes when the IRS informs the "couple" they're going to be investigated by an agent, portrayed by Tim Fromm, who's well known to local audiences for his cameo roles in many other shows.

A masquerade ensues that involves a cluster of mistaken identities. Kelci B. Lowry and Brittnee Knight play the girlfriends of the musicians. Also in the cast are Howlett's husband, Mark Price, Helen Prine and Joe Lowry. Kathi Lowry did the costumes; Cory McCall designed the set; and Gabe Urena did the lighting and sound design. Performances continue through Nov. 13.

Teens do 'Les Mis'

One thing I can say for sure: Vickie Stricklind of the NOR Teen Scene doesn't shy away from challenging young actors.

In this case, it's the musical "Les Miserables," which opens this evening at East Bakersfield High School auditorium. True, this is the "school edition" of the famous musical. But like the original version, the story is told entirely in song, opera style.

Teen Scene was initiated during the summer and this is the first production. Stricklind, a veteran director of shows for the North of the River Recreation and Park District as well as Bakersfield Community Theatre, is confident the 45-member cast, ages 8 to 18, can bring it off successfully.

"This cast has given me chills and brought tears to my eyes," she said. "They are on the brink of doing something so very extraordinary, and I am so proud of them."

Based on Victor's Hugo's novel, the play is set in 19th century France and in many ways is a commentary on the repressive social and political conditions of the time. Overall, however, it is a touching story of love, hope and redemption.

"'Les Miserables' is such a wonderful experience for these young actors," Stricklind said. "It challenges them to act while singing, and to view life from another's perspective; a life and world so very different from their own."

The play is the story of an ex-convict named Jean Valjean (played by Kyle Gaines) who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. He is relentlessly pursued by a cruel policeman, Inspector Javert, played by Curtis Jensen.

I spoke briefly to Gaines and asked if he planned to adopt a European accent for his role ...

"I chose to just keep it simple with a minimal accent," he said. "I wanted it to be more straight and not clouded -- but when I do use an accent it leans toward French."

This is the 15-year-old East High freshman's first starring role, although he's no stranger to the stage. He started acting at age 4 and estimates he's been in 40 shows since at both NOR Junior Theater and Bakersfield Music Theatre. In addition to playing the flute, piccolo and piano, he studies voice locally with Gretchen Anderson. Kyle's mother, Julie Gaines, is the show's producer. His father, Al Gaines designed the set that, said Stricklind, was built by his "tech" students at East High. The set includes a revolving barricade, screen projections and special lighting.

"Les Mis," which opened in London in 1985, was written by Claude Michel Schonberg, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Some of the background music for the Teen Scene production is provided by an orchestral recording and some by pianist Susan Yeasley. Stricklind said most of the cast will be equipped with body microphones.

Others in leading roles are Ariel Clark as Fantine, the unfortunate working girl, and Rose Taylor, as her daughter, Cosette, who is adopted by Valjean. Kelsea Johnson portrays Eponine, and Michael Ellsworth, Marius. Those in supporting roles are Braden Unruh, Brett Walker, Kelsey Gaines, Josh Hefner, James O'Hearn, Kaitlin Lang and Sarah Jensen.

The production staff includes Wes Jensen, assistant director, and Emily Coughenour, student director. Period costumes were provided by Fantasy Frocks.

Photographic exhibit at BC

An exhibit featuring the work of Andrew Zimmerman and Michelle Rogers, two photographers based in Virginia, opens this evening at Bakersfield College's Jones Gallery.

Zimmerman's photos are scenes of the Virginia landscape and its natural beauty. Margaret Nowling, curator, said the photographer uses a large format view camera to capture images on 8-by-10-inch film. The resulting photographs are contact prints made using traditional dark room techniques. Since no enlargements are made, the prints retain the same sharpness and clarity as the negatives.

Rogers, a native of France now living in Virginia, collects old postcards and then, after photographing the images, combines the result into triptychs with her own photographs. She bleaches, or tones, the three black-and-white photos until the contemporary images seem to be of the same era as the photos of the postcards.

The exhibit can be seen through Nov. 10. Usual gallery hours are from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For tonight's reception, there will be free parking in the staff parking lot at the Haley Street entrance.

Tips on grant writing

If you belong to an arts organization, you probably know it's possible to get grant money from foundations. First though, you have to write an application. And for some, that's a tough hurdle.

I asked Michael Millar, Arts Council of Kern's executive director, what he considers the key element in writing a proposal and here's what he said: "Take the things you do well and communicate them well so potential funders can really understand the impact you're making on the community."

Millar will lead a grant writing workshop on Monday evening at Arts Council headquarters in downtown Bakersfield. The session is being held as part of the council's annual Community Grant Program, which distributes about $10,000 each year. Twelve different organizations in Kern County benefited from the program in 2011.