SanDiego Magazine - 14/Oct/2012

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See 'Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir'

Stat! There are only three performances left.

by Kimberly Cunningham

Photo by La Jolla Playhouse
Actor Luke MacFarlane as Sam Bendrix

We loved Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir—La Jolla Playhouse’s cabaret-style show now playing at Martinis in Hillcrest.

Set in Greenwich Village circa 1958, the story follows a gay bartender/singer Sam Bendrix who gives his last performance at the Bon Soir, on the night before he leaves New York City for good.

Luke MacFarlane (best known for his role on ABC’s Brothers and Sisters) plays Sam. He is charming, funny, vulnerable, and super-swoon-worthy.

That the production takes place in an actual bar, in the closest place San Diego has to a Greenwich Village, is part of the Playhouse’s Without Walls program. Artistic Director Christopher Ashley says this type of site-specific work is all the rage in Europe, and San Diego is at the forefront of this new wave of experimental theater that’s random and out in the open. (Click here for our full interview with Ashley, from the November 2012 issue of San Diego Magazine.)

Cocktails and theater? You had us at “hello.”

Expect standards from the American songbook, interspersed with Sam’s tales of New York: the fifth-floor walk-up apartment that rests on a 45-degree angle, the great job that never was, and the trials of finding and losing love.

Through it all, you’ll remember that heartbreak is universal. And for those who heart NY, like we do, you’ll reminisce about your days in that same fifth-floor walk-up on a 45-degree angle in the Village. Ah, New York and a love story. Somehow the two go hand-in-hand.

Note: There are only three performances left (October 15, 16, 17), so don’t dillydally in getting tickets! For more info, contact La Jolla Playhouse. 

lgbtweekly.com - 10/Oct/2012

[Source]

‘Sam Bendrix:’ a theatrical experience worth catching

Posted by Associate Editor Entertainment News, Online Only
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

TOM ANDREW reviews Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir at Martinis Above Fourth

Luke Macfarlane in Sam Bendrix at
the Bon Soir PHOTO: J. KATARZYNA

La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Productions is currently presenting Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir at Martinis Above Fourth. The show, which plays more like an after-show cabaret, is getting its San Diego premiere and the combination of an upstairs restaurant/bar/club atmosphere coupled with a jazz singer and his trio fits like a glove.

Cabaret-style is something of a lost art. Sure, it still exists in New York City, if you know where to go, and you can see decent cabaret artists in Chicago and Los Angeles, but rarely anywhere else.

True cabaret is about storytelling through music, lyrics and banter; seeing and hearing the heart and soul of the performer on stage, bare and fully exposed.

Luke Macfarlane’s Sam Bendrix is that cabaret performer.

He gets himself booked at the Bon Soir to do the one thing he came to New York to do… sing. Sure, maybe the fact that he is a regular bartender at the Bon Soir helped him get the gig, but who cares? He takes his chance and through the songs of Kurt Weill, George Gershwin and Cole Porter, he tells us his story.

It’s a story most of us may think we have heard before, but Bendrix’s tale has a few unexpected twists and turns.

Bendrix pushes himself, his band and the audience into corners that he didn’t think he was ready to expose, but with the right amount of alcohol, heartbreak and guts, he does.

Macfarlane, (best known as Scotty in the recently cancelled ABC drama Brothers and Sisters), croons with a voice reminiscent of Harry Connick Jr., and plays the part of Bendrix with just the right mix of cockiness, sensitivity and fear.

His Bendrix takes the stage at the Bon Soir like he’s been doing it for years, but when his stories start to take on a more personal tone, he stumbles and shows us, ever so slightly, his fear and vulnerability as he navigates unchartered territory.

That fear only draws the audience in to wanting more. Think about it. Who wouldn’t give an arm and a leg to have heard Garland completely ripped and singing “The Man Who Got Away”?

Drama, heart, soul, raw and exposed. Cabaret.

Keith Bunin’s script, along with Mark Rucker’s direction, makes you feel like you are at the Bon Soir witnessing a real cabaret. Nothing heavy handed, just great jazz standards and some unknown gems perfectly weaved into the fabric of Sam Bendrix’s story.

The Bendrix trio (Charlie Reuter-piano, Danny King-drums, Kevin Cooper-bass) never falter. They musically follow Bendrix, as any good trio should, from beginning to end.

La Jolla Playhouse started their Without Walls series a few years ago, pushing the boundaries and expectations of what audiences think theater should be. It’s nice to see them working outside of their comfort zones and stepping outside of that box to bring San Diego audiences something that is not only theatrical, but part of performance history.

Martinis also steps up to the challenge, offering a quiet, respectful room for patrons, serving decent food and both sweet and dirty drinks up to the performance and after, but not during.

If you’ve never been to a cabaret performance (or even if you have), do yourself a favor, and head to Martinis on Fourth, grab a martini and see Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir. It’s a theatrical experience worth catching.

Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir, a limited engagement, opened

Sept. 24 and was recently extended through Oct. 17. For ticket information visit martinisabovefourth.com/sam-bendrix, or lajollaplayhouse.org/sam-bendrix

The Hollywood Reporter - 10/Oct/2012

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MIPCOM 2012: Former 'Chuck' Actor Vik Sahay Joins CTV Comedy Pilot 'Satisfaction'

4:23 AM PDT 10/10/2012 by Etan Vlessing

The Canadian actor, who played Lester Patel in the U.S. spy-fi series, will appear as an eccentric dental hygienist in the homegrown pilot from Tim McAuliffe ("Up All Night").

CANNES - Former Chuck actor Vik Sahay has been cast in the Canadian single-camera comedy pilot Satisfaction for CTV and indie producer DHX Media.

Sahay is to play an eccentric dental hygienist in the comedy created and written by Tim McAuliffe (Up All Night, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon).

His recent film credits include Sean Garrity’s My Awkward Sexual Adventure, which bowed in Toronto, and appearing opposite Seann William Scott in Universal Pictures’ American Reunion.

Sahay joins a Satisfaction pilot cast that includes Luke Macfarlane (Brothers and Sisters), Stephanie Lemelin, Ryan Belleville and Leah Renee.

Satisfaction is about a twenty-something couple who rent a room out to a newly single young man who hopes to learn from his friends the secrets to a great relationship. The pilot will be shot in Toronto this Fall.

SF Gate - 08/Oct/2012

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Audience verdict mirrors judge's in '8'

Robert Hurwitt
Updated 4:33 p.m., Monday, October 8, 2012

Holland Taylor stars as Judge Vaughn Walker, with Jonathan Moscone (left) and Sean Dugan in "8."
Photo: Drew Altizer Photography / SF

Proposition 8 lost another round Sunday, this time in the court of public opinion. The venue was American Conservatory Theater, for a staged reading of Dustin Lance Black's play "8," drawn from the transcripts of the 2010 U.S. District Court trial that ruled the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. So the outcome was never in doubt.

Neither was the response of the packed house. That was clear from the prolonged standing ovation when ACT Artistic Director Carey Perloff identified a tall, dignified man in the audience as Vaughn Walker, the judge who made the historic ruling. Similar ovations greeted the plaintiffs, also in the house, Sandy Stier, Kristin Perry, Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami.

The case was videotaped, but subsequent rulings have kept the tapes from being released. Black, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for "Milk," wrote the play partly so that the public could finally hear some of "the weak testimony of antimarriage activists."

But it's also a fundraising tool for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), which has sponsored the case known as Perry vs. Schwarzenegger from the beginning and of which Black is a co-founder. "8" premiered last year with a Broadway reading that raised about $1 million, followed by a star-studded outing in Los Angeles. Proceeds from Sunday's reading benefit AFER and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in ACT's programs.

With Holland Taylor of "The Practice" presiding as a gentlemanly, wry Judge Walker, "8" unfolded within the trial's closing arguments, with flashbacks to testimony. As staged by Mark Rucker, the large cast remained onstage for the 90-minute show, serving as a community of witnesses when not testifying.

Small, telling cameos were delivered by Perloff, Assembly Speaker John Pérez, leading gay activists Cleve Jones and Neil Giuliano, and actor Liam Vincent. The plum attorney roles were sharply delivered by former ACT star Gregory Wallace and California Shakespeare Theater head Jonathan Moscone - as anti-8 lawyers Theodore Olson and David Boies - and actor Kevin Rolston, tying himself in knots trying to defend the proposition.

The author performed the affecting testimony of a gay youth subjected to "reversal therapy." Veteran actors Sharon Lockwood and Sean Dugan undertook some of the more benighted antigay witnesses. The plaintiffs were well represented by the likes of local leading lady Marcia Pizzo and "Brothers and Sisters" stars Patricia Wettig and Luke Macfarlane.

As both sides now await the U.S. Supreme Court's decision whether to hear the case, "8" leaves no doubt that it should let the previous anti-8 rulings stand. It's not just the legal issues, but the way it presents the basic human ones. As Macfarlane's Katami says, "Being able to call him my husband, that's definitive."

Robert Hurwitt is The San Francisco Chronicle's theater critic. E-mail: rhurwitt@sfchronicle.com

BroadwayWorld.com - 07/Oct/2012

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Holland Taylor, Luke Macfarlane, and More Set for '8' Reading at ACT Tonight, 10/7

Sunday, October 7, 2012; 12:10 AM - by BWW News Desk

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), in association with the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, announced today the casting for the one-night-only staged reading of “8” taking place tonight, October 7, 2012, at 7 p.m., at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco).

The landmark marriage equality play, written by Academy Award–winning screenwriter (Milk) and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black, chronicles the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. Proceeds from the reading benefit AFER and LGBTQ youth participating in A.C.T.’s ACTsmart (formerly known as ArtReach) program, which offers free student matinee tickets and theater-based pre- and postshow workshops at no cost to 23 public high schools in the Bay Area (including all 18 San Francisco public high schools) with large populations of underserved, low-income students who otherwise would have little exposure to the arts. Tickets range in price from $50 to $100. A limited number of $250 seats are available and include premium seating and access to a postperformance reception with the cast. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228.

A.C.T.’s reading of “8” will feature playwright Dustin Lance Black, Emmy Award-winning actress Holland Taylor (“The Practice,” “Two and a Half Men”), actor Luke MacFarlane (“Brothers & Sisters”), Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez, California Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano, and legendary LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones. A.C.T. Associate Director Mark Rucker will direct the reading. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The plot of “8”is framed by the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010 and features the strongest arguments and testimony from both sides. Scenes include flashbacks to some of the more jaw-dropping moments of the trial, such as the admission by the Proposition 8 supporters’ star witness, David Blankenhorn, that “we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before.”

“People need to witness what happened in the Proposition 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter,” says Black. “I’ve built my career around exposing and uncovering ‘the real story.’ The goal of ‘8’ is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right and that those who would deny this basic freedom from loving, committed couples have only vitriol and baseless hyperbole to fall back on. The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light. We are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”

“8” had its heralded world premiere on Broadway on September 19, 2011, at the sold-out Eugene O’Neill Theater in New York City. The production brought in more than one million dollars to support AFER’s efforts to achieve full federal marriage equality. “8” recently had its West Coast premiere at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, where it featured an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Bacon.

Proposition 8 was struck down by a federal district court in August 2010. That decision was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by the anti-marriage proponents of Proposition 8. AFER’s legal team was at the Ninth Circuit in December 2011 for a hearing to urge the court to unseal the trial video—a request that was denied. In February 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling upholding the historic August 2010 decision of the federal district court that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

To purchase tickets, visit act-sf.org or call 415.749.2228. For additional information about “8”, visit: www.8theplay.com.  

Playbill.com - 07/Oct/2012

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San Francisco Reading of 8, With Dustin Lance Black, Holland Taylor and Luke Macfarlane, Presented Oct. 7

By Adam Hetrick
07 Oct 2012

Holland Taylor

Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black takes part in a San Francisco reading of his stage drama 8, chronicling California's anti-gay marriage legislation Prop 8, Oct. 7 at the American Conservatory Theatre.

Black, who earned an Oscar for the screenplay to "Milk," is joined by Emmy Award winner Holland Taylor ("The Practice," "Two and a Half Men"), Luke Macfarlane ("Brothers & Sisters"), Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez, California Shakespeare Theater artistic director Jonathan Moscone, San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano, and LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones.


8, which premiered on Broadway in 2011 with an all-star cast, utilizes the original transcripts from the 2010 Perry v. Schwarzenegger case, which sought to overturn the 2008 voter-approved Prop. 8 legislation that denied same-sex couples the right to marry. The trial ultimately led to a California federal judge's ruling that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional and unfairly discriminated against homosexuals.

8 continues to roll out in productions across the country, at colleges, universities and theatre organizations. The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact administer the rights to 8, which is licensed royalty-free.

Proceeds from the reading benefit AFER and LGBTQ youth participating in A.C.T.'s ACTsmart program, which offers free student matinee tickets and theatre-based workshops at no cost to 23 public high schools in the Bay Area.

Tickets range in price from $50 to $100. A limited number of $250 seats are available and include premium seating and access to a post-performance reception with the cast. For tickets visit act-sf.org or phone (415) 749-2228.

Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir has been extended

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LIMITED ENGAGEMENT – BUY TODAY! Luke Macfarlane in Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir

As a Just My Ticket member, tickets to see Luke Macfarlane (ABC’s Brothers and Sisters) in Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir has been extended to Wednesday, October 17 at Martinis Above Fourth in Hillcrest as part of the La Jolla Playhouse Without Walls program.

The Reviews are in and Sam Bendrix is a hit.  BUY TODAY!

Simply CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets.



Luke Macfarlane transforms Martinis Above Fourth in Hillcrest into a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1958 ? a decade before the Stonewall riots. The drinks and music flow as a young singer and his band take the stage for their last performance before leaving New York City for good. Macfarlane and his band showcase a musical score of American song classics that you won’t want to miss.

Simply CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets.


Martinis Above Fourth ? 3940 4th Avenue, Hillcrest