Jaxx Theatricals is one of several new groups that are putting on musicals in small 99-seat theaters with bands consisting of six to eleven instruments. This, in itself, is an amazing development in the ever-burgeoning LA theater scene. Jaxx, under the inspired leadership of Artistic Director Jeremy Lucas and in collaboration with the Musical Theatre of Los Angeles, burst on the scene with Chicago, which went on to win several local awards, and deservedly so.
The company has since parted ways with Musical Theatre of Los Angeles, which is currently producing West Side Story. Jaxx Theatricals itself, meanwhile, is putting on a thoroughly professional The Life.
The Life is getting its west coast premiere at the Stella Adler Theatre. The music is by Cy Coleman, who had already covered similar ground, albeit comically, in Sweet Charity. The idea came from Ira Gasman, who went on to become the lyricist. The Life is a curious oddity in that it won the Tony Awards for performers Lilias White and Chuck Cooper and the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Circle Awards for Best Musical, but all in a weak year for musicals; The Life has remained controversial ever since, with detractors who don’t like the book or the music.
Then there are those, like the guys from Jaxx Theatricals, who love the show (Newsweek called it a “masterpiece.”
I find myself somewhere in between. But whatever its merits or faults, the production at the Stella Adler is a must-see success, made so mainly by the choreography, direction, and the super-talented cast.
Joe Greene, who also did the musical direction, directs the production. He keeps the show moving smoothly and swiftly and gets great performances, full of nuance, from his cast. His musical direction is flawless. Choreographer Paul Romero Jr. has created some vibrant dance numbers for the production.
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