June 6, 2014
Pre-Official Summer Launch...Blast off with Hot Happenings

  

The official day of summer is on June 21 but we're in pre-summer launch mode with outdoor film screenings popping up in almost every neighborhood, along with cool shows that don't require one dollop of sunscreen either. Get your summer off to a rockin' start now.

  

FRIDAY: Film, foodie trucks or a theatrical drama -- all three are entertaining choices. SATURDAY: Colorful events like Ballet, Food Classes, Film, or Fundraisers with the F-bomb
 
SUNDAY:
BackyardTAKE YOUR PICK: TWO TICKET THEATER GIVEAWAYS:
We are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to see "Backyard" at the Atwater Village Theater on Friday, June 13 (Read M.R. Hunter's review below). The world premiere of Mickey Birnbaum's dark comedy explores the walls that separate families and the walls that separate countries. In a backyard in suburban San Diego, three teenagers prepare for a backyard wrestling match, while a wife welcomes back her absent husband with her own brand of violence. At the border fence separating the U.S. and Mexico, a Mexican wrestler waits for his son to come home. See the tag team match of the century, with the survival of two families in the balance. Recommended for mature audiences 18 +. 




The Human Spirit Not the rough and tumble sort of theatergoer? No problemo. Enter to win one of 3 pairs of tickets to see the world premiere of "The Human Spirit" at the Odyssey Theater on Friday, June 13. Heroes who struggled to achieve a Black majority-run Democracy in South Africa are still being revealed. The Human Spirit is the story of some of the men and women who devoted their lives to support that country's most disadvantaged. Some toiled publicly, but most worked tirelessly in the shadows to improve the welfare of the non-white populations who had been neglected for nearly half of the century. Nelson Mandela was still in prison, clean water and sanitation barely existed, and AIDS was beginning to orphan an entire generation.  
Drop us a line and let us know which show you'd most like to see at eyespylareviews@gmail.com

 

MORE:

 

EVEN MORE: Some things are always fun to do... Check out our Places to Go Anytime and Things To Do pages for plenty of ideas that are available on a regular basis.

  • KIDS STUFF - Shows, activities, teas and more for families with toddlers, tykes and teens.
  • FESTIVALS - There's always something to celebrate in almost every neighborhood.
  • FOOD & WINE EVENTS - Inspire the foodie in you by savoring a new dish.

See what's going on all month on the JUNE CALENDAR  

  HorzLine

 Find more? Check out our Editor's Picks selected at the start of every week.  

  

DiscountsDISCOUNTS - there are some really good ones right now. From whale watching to kids shows to festivals... entertain yourself at a discount. All at very reasonable prices. Even better, most of the discounts offered are direct from the event/activity producers and do not involve additional fees to receive the discount.

  

TIP OF THE ICEBERG: you'll find lots more events and other things to do near you - on our neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.


Have a Happy Weekend!

 
"Backyard" Isn't for Pussies at Atwater Village Theater
by M.R. Hunter

Backyard

Let me open with a disclaimer: this show has copious amounts of violent and graphic situations, sex and comedy. In short, it's a real winner for those who have a high tolerance for gore. For sensitive audiences who can't stand the sight of blood, self-inflicted pain, or oral copulation, I recommend you see something else. "Backyard" isn't for pussies. That being said upfront, I will now tender my review to everyone who, like me, enjoys a theatrical brawl, KO style.

Mickey Birnbaum's examination of backyard wrestling has less to do with the realities of this teenage pastime and instead uses the topic as a symbol of society's penchant for anger, disillusionment and peacocking. In a lower middle class suburb on the border of Mexico near San Diego, a family "earns their blood" when they practice and stage a recorded wrestling match complete with ridiculous characters: The Destroyer, King of Tears, Hellgirl, The Traveler, The Mantis, and Komodo Dragon. The premise sounds a bit shaky and at times the storyline wanes from the absurd to the gratuitous to the downright silly but Birnbaum manages to always up the ante just when it seems nothing more could possibly be explored in this serrated cut vein dramedy.

In lesser hands, the script would still entertain but it could pose as a dangerous enterprise for any less capable theater company or actor lacking health insurance. The toll and demand on the ensemble is extraordinarily high as they whip around, belly flop, whack, kick, and pummel and grapple each other on a padded floor or the occasional pinball ricochet against a mattress. There are moments when the choreography hugs dangerously close to being too real but this cast proves sturdy and flexible enough to take the blows like champions. This alone is almost worth the price of admission, but the jaw-dropping humor and colorful characters combined gives this play real heft beyond shock value alone. Is it shocking? Oh, yes, and exhilarating...
 

HorzLine

"Gruesome Playground Injuries" is a Hard Pill to Swallow
by M.R Hunter

GPI Rogue Machine
 
Rajiv Joseph's dark romantic comedy is a typical boy meets girl story with a twist: every defining moment boy spends with girl is marked by his injuries requiring trips to the school nurse's office, later a hospital, until he ends up incapable of bringing on more self-harm. The relationship that spans 30 years between them is as gauzy as bandages, wobbly as crutches, consistent as an IV drip and as constrictive as a wheelchair. They connect on the physical plane of pain and act as salves to their emotional hurts brought on by their choices and by each other.

It's an interesting concept but the lack of verisimilitude in the artificial setup undermines this grisly courtship with heavy-handed symbolism and an unsatisfying lack of resolve or epiphany. Further exacerbating the superficial appeal is the playwright's inscrutable demand of setting up scenes in a non-sequential order. The injuries, primarily inflicted by the white knight's brave but foolish boyhood antics such as jumping off the school roof on his bike or lighting firecrackers too close to his face are uncomfortably juxtaposed by mortal accidents like being struck by lightning.

This irony is lost in the tenuous cohesion of a timeline connecting these incidents by etching an age and a theme onto a small chalkboard. Towards the final two scenes, Joseph is forced by his own hand to collapse the chronology into a final conclusion riddled by query, vague sentiments and a lack of closure both for the characters point of view and the audience. It is frustrating because there is a lot of promise to the premise too orchestrated perhaps to escape its conceit.


HorzLine

Eyestrology: Happy Birthday Gemini! by Cici Psy-Chic

Psychic Reader Dog For the month of 5/21/14-6/21/14
 
Happy birthday to these celebrity June Gemini's: Morgan Freeman (6/1), Justin Long (6/2), Anderson Cooper (6/3), Angelina Jolie (6/4), Mark Wahlberg (6/5), Robert Englund (6/6), Prince (6/7), Joan Rivers (6/8), Johnny Depp (6/9), Kate Upton (6/10), Shia LaBeouf (6/11), Ella Joyce (6/12), Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen (6/13), Donald Trump (6/14), Ice Cube (6/15), Abby Elliott (6/16), Venus Williams (6/17), Blake Shelton (6/18), Paula Abdul (6/19), Nicole Kidman (6/20), Prince William (6/21)
 
Although summer is upon us and most of us would like to be out catching the rays by dashing off to the beach, many signs will be feeling introspective and homebound in the next few weeks. Choose events and activities that stimulate the mind and lift the spirit but be prepared to cozy up with a Kindle or simply wile away the day in PJ's. There is a good opportunity for weekend trips, meeting new people or positive changes in career towards mid-June but for now take it easy. Use this time to plan, reorient or address anything requiring resolution and a sense of peace...
 

HorzLine

In-N-Out-Land, Baldwin Park, CA, 2014 
by Charles Phoenix

In-N-Out-Land CP

The world's most honest-to-goodness hamburger chain has gifted us with a faithful replica of its iconic original 1948 drive-thru stand.
 
Everything about this replica is picture perfect. From the oh-so classic neon sign to the matching candy striped awnings and hand-painted menu board, every single dreamy detail seems authentic inside and out. There is even an old cigarette machine hanging from the signpost...
 


HorzLine

 

ABOUT EYE SPY LA
 

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

 

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

 

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily. 

 

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

 

Eye Spy L.A. EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

 

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Leena Deneroff - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week