Sandi Masori

In all of this you’re probably wondering where my Jewish angle is… well I couldn’t find one. I guess the real answer here is that even though it’s a show that’s about a holiday we Jews don’t celebrate, theater is still fun and a good time can be had by all.  [Sandi Masori]

In this version Jewish playwrights Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen have adapted it with hilarious anachronistic references to San Diego and pop culture.  As soon as the show opens they show us what to expect when they reference the stage ghost light and then say that San Diego has too many ghosts, like those at the Hotel Del, The Whaley House, or the Chargers Fan Club.  [Sandi Masori]

It’s been a hard month not only for all of us in the Jewish community, but for the entire San Diego community.  With all of the unrest and strife happening, the audience at Broadway In San Diego’s Mamma Mia was ready to let loose and revel in the joyous ABBA songs that make up the backbone of this whimsical show at the Civic Theatre. [Sandi Masori]

The play is set in 1964 in a small Catholic boys’ school. The opening is a sermon on Doubt by Father Flynn (Dr. AJ Knox). New teacher Sister James (Juliana Scheding) is called to the principal’s office so that she can report on the progress of the new student, Donald, who also happens to be the first Black student in the school. [Sandi Masori]

The acting was superb and I’ll come back to that, but I really have to talk about the sets.  I have never in my life seen such elaborate and I know I said it above, but cinematic sets.  The way that the stage and sets were built, the lighting effects, and the scenes staged to keep most of the action towards the back of the stage, the effect was almost more like watching a movie than a play.  [Sandi Masori]

The show is really a kind of stand-up comedy, except that while there is plenty of laughter, he’s also leading you on an emotional journey as he recounts his parents experience emigrating from Bangladesh to Spanish Harlem in New York, the land of the free. [Sandi Masori]

Price suffers a crisis of faith, which leaves the compassionate but less educated and experienced Cunningham to minister to the natives. The only problem is that he has never actually read the Book of Mormon, and so as he attempts to help the villagers solve their problems he embellishes the stories in the good book with characters and plot lines from popular science fiction, superhero and fantasy movies.  This results in the conversion of the villagers, who are encouraged by Nabulungi (Keke Nesbitt) the sweet daughter of the village liaison (Lamont J. Whitaker).  [Sandi Masori]