Cruising down a dystopian Whittier Boulevard

If you hear that the Latino Theatre Company's latest show is titled Whittier Boulevard, your mind likely conjures up low-riders cruising in the 60s. You wouldn't be wrong, but the Latino Theatre Company is complicating that symbol by jumping into the future.

The play, which was collectively written by the ensemble, jumps forward to 2042 Los Angeles. This future has come after some complicated dark times. There was the pandemic, but there was also the arrival of strange, gentle alien angels. We hear of them in the prologue and how they ushered in a brighter moment of peace until, of course, human nature couldn't help but destroy them — literally cut off their wings. Then came a sort of dystopian détente. The city separated, decided to segregate by race and police by race, and perhaps most pressing for our protagonists there is a new policy: the "Age of Relief Protocol" or TRAP for short.

We learn about this TRAP in bits and pieces but finally put together that all citizens older than 75 who are unmarried will be sent down Whittier Boulevard. It's ominous and definitely not a joyous cruise in a low rider.

Against this backdrop, our heroine is an aging Chicana actress, Veronica del Rio. She's been hiding under the radar, but a seemingly random police inspection uncovers all sorts of hidden secrets and the body of the play is driven by an elaborate plan to avoid the consequences. Stylistically, the Latino Theatre Company deploys its "Chicano Noir" lens and the resulting drama pokes fun at itself while trying to weigh the moment we're passing through.

If you've never seen the Latino Theater Company's work, this is an easy on-ramp. The show is beautifully, and ambitiously, designed and the story holds together for the most part. If you can hold onto the larger ideas and let go of the moments when things don't all add up, it's a fun 80 minutes.

Whittier Boulevard plays downtown at LATC through May 28th.

This is Anthony Byrnes Opening the Curtain on LA Theater for KCRW.

The future of Center Theatre Group.

Center Theatre Group (CTG) has a new artistic director, Snehal Desai.
Mr. Desai takes the reins at CTG after seven years as producing artistic director at East West Players. I'll leave it to others to talk about the significance of this decision, I want to focus on what I'll be looking at to understand what kind of a leader and artist Mr. Desai will be at CTG.

Remember, Center Theatre Group comprises the Ahmanson, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Understanding the top-level on these three theaters helps one understand what to look for at each. The Ahmanson, the biggest of the three, is likely where you'll see the least change under any artistic director at Center Theatre Group. The Ahmanson is critical to CTG's overall financial health, think of it as the pocketbook of CTG. Programming is as much at the whim of what's headed to or coming from Broadway. The Mark Taper Forum, at 750 seats, is the theater where the company's cultural impact will be felt and where you'll know what Mr. Desai is thinking. While the Kirk Douglas Theatre, at just over 300 seats, is where you'll be able to see what's in his heart.

We won't be able to see Mr. Desai's imprint on the scheduling of these theaters until next season, so where will I look first? The staff page of the program.

With any new artistic director, one can expect a house cleaning in the ranks. It's healthy, it's necessary, and it helps a new leader put in their team for their vision. Short term, look for names to disappear and if they don't — begin to worry. Long term, staffing's another issue, but more on that in a second.

Next, I'll be looking for what new season announcements look like and if there are new seasons. It wouldn't be shocking if CTG went on hiatus at one or more of their theaters. LA's largest theater company took a beating during the pandemic. A once vast budget was down to 25% of its former size. Of course, they can't shut the Ahmanson — remember it's the pocketbook — so look to the Kirk Douglas and the Taper to go dark. A move like this could buy Mr. Desai some time and offer a convenient excuse to get rid of more staff. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on the messaging and whether they come back strong in all three theaters. The challenges with a hiatus are losing contact with an audience that's already thinned from the pandemic and programming without clear vision. Another break in that connection comes with significant risks, especially at the Taper. If you see any wavering on the Kirk Douglas Theatre coming back, that'll be an indication that the company has lost funding support and ambition — neither a good sign.

What about the work on stage?

Before that, I'll look at the audience. Not just the size of the house but who is sitting in it. The future of CTG needs to be both younger and look more like Southern California. If you sit in a half-empty house with the same audience six months from now, that will be a bad sign. 

Next, I'll look for where Taper shows are cast. If you see a New York casting office, not a good sign. If the work on the Taper stage feels like another New York night at the theater, that will be a squandered opportunity for Los Angeles.

Then look to the playwrights and directors. Again, if it's a list of the usual suspects and familiar names, begin to worry. The promise of choosing Mr. Desai is to broaden not only whose work is getting produced but whether those stories are geared to a Los Angeles audience or a New York audience. If the stories speak to Los Angeles, they will, out of necessity, speak to a more diverse American theater.

Don't look for everything to be a success. In fact, that might be an indication of a longer-term failure. If Mr. Desai fulfills his promise at Center Theatre Group, there should be some real flops. Look instead to the ambition and commitment to the plays.

Then longer term, look back at that staffing page. Look if people are staying, look for whether Center Theatre Group still supports a full staff. A smaller CTG means a weaker Los Angeles theater.

It'll take us all a year or two to take the measure of Snehal Desai as CTG's artistic director. Let's wish him success at restoring the cultural capital of Center Theatre Group and serving Los Angeles audiences the stories they deserve.