Talk about the politics of fear. What kind of demonic cult would subject its own impressionable children to shame and torment in order to force them into its own rigid code of behavior?
If you’re thinking Jim Jones or Charles Manson, think again. The culprits are a fear-mongering group of Baptist church elders convinced they’re doing the lord’s work in Boy Erased, a harrowing look inside the practice of so-called “gay conversion therapy” in small-town America.
Written and directed by co-star Joel Edgerton (who gives himself one of the juiciest supporting roles), the movie is adapted from the book Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family, by Garrard Conley. Disturbing as only a true story can be, it recounts the experiences of a teenaged college freshman still trying to figure out his own identity who’s forced into a draconian program to drive the “sin” out of him. Besides exposing the wrong-headed horrors of the program itself, the story delivers a tutorial for resistance in the way the young protagonist manages to find his own moral compass—at last—and stick to it, in spite of daunting pressure to conform.
Lucas Hedges stars as Jared, only son of folksy-seeming but strict Baptist pastor Marshall Eamons (Russell Crowe), at a small-town Arkansas church. Jared’s mom Nancy (Nicole Kidman) is the perfectly coiffed and manicured pastor’s wife; she loves her son to pieces, but is in all ways obedient to her husband.
They’re a close, loving family until Jared’s first semester at college, where he has a brutal encounter with an upperclassman. Fleeing for the security of home, he’s shocked to learn his parents have been told he was involved in some sort of scandalous liaison. Seeking advice from the church elders, his father enrolls him in a program called Love In Action. His mom drives him to the center where the program takes place in another town, and rents a hotel room nearby. It’s supposed to last 12 days.
First, they isolate the kids from their families; no phone calls or texts are allowed during the day, and the inmates are forbidden to discuss what goes on in the program with outsiders—especially their parents. Herded around by burly henchmen, the kids are subjected to the psychological abuse of chief interrogator Victor Sykes (Edgerton), a bullying martinet under a facade of reasonableness who insists that homosexuality is a “choice,” forces them to always refer to it as a “sin,” and declares, “God can’t love you the way you are now.”
Budding writer Jared’s notebook is confiscated upon entry, and scrutinized for any dubious content. When it’s returned to him, half of his stories have been ripped out. Yet, when it’s his turn to get up and read the confession everyone in the program is required to write, describing the nature of their sins, Jared’s isn’t salacious enough for Sykes, who keeps probing him for more lurid details.
The irony is that Jared is so inexperienced, he can’t even make up the kind of stuff his interrogators want to hear. The private mantra whispered among the inmates —“Fake it ’til you make it”— takes on a more sinister meaning; not to achieve heterosexuality, but survive the program. (Some don’t, as punishments shift from psychological bullying to the corporeal.) Ever-dutiful Jared tries to ignore the red flags and “get better”—until Sykes starts pressuring him to ditch college and spend a year imprisoned in the program instead.
It’s the insider’s view of this predatory “therapy” that gives the movie its infuriating power. Jared isn’t an envelope-pushing rebel, he’s just trying to be a good kid, at a most vulnerable time in his life when he’s still trying to understand who he is. The zealous way the adults in charge try to to snuff out (or erase) what they fear in him is chilling. His solitary journey to trust his own judgment and determine right from wrong is heroic.
BOY ERASED
*** (out of for)
With Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Joel Edgerton. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton. From the book by Garrard Conley. A Focus Features release. Rated R. 114 minutes.
I love that when I look over the dozens of local gift ideas featured in this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, I see so many old friends—businesses that have graced these pages for many years.
May there never be a GT Holiday Gift Guide that doesn’t feature something from the Homeless Garden Project, for instance.
But there are so many new and exciting businesses to support in here, too—some of them so unconventional we had to change the format of the magazine just to describe them! A makerspace membership from Idea Fab Labs? A shirt made by youth from Barrios Unidos’ employment program? A gazillion different options for CBD? It’s all here!
And I want to make a pitch, as I always do, for giving the gift of our Santa Cruz Gives program. Go to santacruzgives.com through Dec. 31 to give to one of the many participating local nonprofits doing great things for our community.
Update, Nov. 27, 5:30 p.m. – This story was updated with additional information, including new results, which were posted Tuesday, Nov. 27.
Original story:
With the vast majority of the ballots counted, environmental educator Justin Cummings is the top vote-getter in the Santa Cruz City Council race. Community organizer Drew Glover, who ran on a slate with Cummings, is third in the race for three seats, which would be good enough for a majority for the council’s far-left wing, currently led by councilmembers Chris Krohn and Sandy Brown. Environmental consultant Donna Meyers is in second.
Cummings remembers feeling overwhelmed and “pretty shaken” the day after the election—he was in second place in the early ballot counting, and it was starting to sink in that the hard work on his campaign had truly paid off. The more Cummings had time to recuperate from the campaign trail, the more excited he became. “I’m just trying to figure out how I’m gonna organize my time,” says Cummings, who already works long hours at his day job.
Customarily, the top two vote getters each serve one year as mayor, although the decision is ultimately left up to the council. There are a few thousand provisional ballots left for election workers to research and count, but Meyers is currently 1,300 votes ahead of Glover for second place.
Before deciding how he would approach his year as mayor, Cummings says he wants to get to know city staff, and continue thinking about the issues. If selected to serve a term as mayor, Meyers says she would focus on homelessness issues, climate readiness and housing affordability—especially in light of theaffordable housing bond failing to earn a two-thirds majority at the polls.
Glover and Cummings have been steadily rising in the vote count since results first started coming in. And in the tally announced the Tuesday, Nov. 20, Glover finally inched ahead of Larson, who wrote on Facebook shortly after that it looked unlikely that he would surpass Glover.
Although optimistic about the returns, Glover hasn’t announced victory. “I try not to focus on things that are totally out of my control,” he says.
Assuming the results hold, Cummings and Glover will be the first two black men to serve on the Santa Cruz City Council, where they’ll join Vice Mayor Martine Watkins, who became the first African American ever elected to the body two years ago.
Incumbent Councilmember Richelle Noroyan is currently in fifth place, 180 votes behind Larson. Psychotherapist Cynthia Hawthorne is sixth.
Going forward, the arrival of a new majority would call into question several important projects, including the future of a mixed-use parking garage and library, as well as solutions to the housing crisis. (Krohn cast the lone dissenting vote this past summer against a robust housing plan initially kick-started by Councilmember Cynthia Chase’s outreach as mayor.)
There is talk of passing a rent control ordinance, now that the rent control ballot measure, which Cummings and Glover supported, failed at the polls. That initiative, Measure M, earned 40 percent of the vote, according to the most recent tally. “Rent control by ordinance, here we come!” local activist James Weller wrote Tuesday in a Facebook in post, in which he tagged both Cummings and Glover.
Glover says that if the council chooses to pass a rent control ordinance, he believes it would want to tone down some of the more controversial elements of Measure M to address concerns from opponents.
People are sure dissect the election looking for takeaways, and one lesson may be that fundraising isn’t everything. Glover set a surprisingly low fundraising limit for himself of about $10,000. He ended up raising $12,800, as of Oct. 31, according to reporting forms submitted to the city of Santa Cruz.
Glover feels that voter response to his candidacy sends a powerful message. “It’s more in the connections you make in the world than the money you raise in the campaign,” says Glover, who grew up in Santa Cruz.
Glover wouldn’t recommend his strategy to everyone, however. He says that a candidate needs deep roots in the community in order to pull it off.
In Larson’s campaign effort, the city management consultant went in the opposite direction. Larson broke the voluntary campaign spending limit of $39,900, after initially signing on to it when kicking off his campaign. City Council candidates have yet to submit their final round of paperwork, but Larson says he ended up spending more than $50,000.
Larson says he felt he needed to raise lots of money to make up for his late start in the campaign, which he launched in August, shortly before the filing deadline. He believes that if he had launched his campaign earlier, he would have had a different result on election day, but says that he wasn’t able to announce sooner because of business and personal reasons. Although the field looked crowded on paper, Larson felt at the time that there were only a few serious candidates, and he believed that was good enough to provide an opening for him. He says he didn’t expect any other candidates to drop out after he threw his hat in, and that the fact that he got so close has him considering another run in 2020 or 2022.
Splinter Effect
There may be lessons in the race’s crowded field, too. The election had 10 candidates vying for just three seats. Other than Cummings and Glover, all of the candidates were either relatively moderate or right-leaning.
Supporters of the public safety group Take Back Santa Cruz, which doesn’t make endorsements, had their eyes on four candidates, all of whom were active and popular on the group’s Facebook page: Larson, Noroyan, Ashley Scontriano and Paige Concannon, the race’s only Republican. All of them came up short.
Those four were also the only candidates that the local public safety blog Santa Mierda—which covers crime and complains about progressive politics—wrote about favorably in its election guide.
Even aside from that core group, there was still disagreement and confusion about who the strongest public safety candidates were. Meyers, for example, wasn’t typically lumped into that group, but did earn endorsements from the Police Officers’ Association, the local firefighters’ union and the Police Management Association.
“They splintered each other,” Glover says. “There was infighting going on. There was combativeness that was made public. There were all of these obstacles that they basically put up themselves. The question I would pose to voters is, ‘What kind of leaders are you looking for? Do you want leaders who would lift each other up and work together or rip each other down in a conquest of power?’”
Former Mayor Mike Rotkin endorsed three of race’s centrists: Meyers, Larson and Noroyan. He gives credit to Cummings and Glover for running on a united front.
Rotkin, a Marxist UCSC lecturer, says both Cummings and Glover were popular on campus, and he figured that the two candidates would do well with voters who chose same-day registration at their polling places, he says. In late returns, which included same-day registration ballots, both Cummings and Glover made major gains.
“Those guys were united, they were the only candidates who supported M,” Rotkin says.
Rotkin agrees that Larson, who he called the most qualified candidate in the race, probably should have entered the race earlier. If he had, Rotkin says, Larson’s presence may have dissuaded other candidates from jumping in. In hindsight, Rotkin suggests that instead of declaring late, maybe Larson should have just sat the election out.
“You run seven or eight candidates for three seats,” he says, “you’re gonna get your butt kicked.”
Update 11/26/18: A previous version of this story mis-reported Mike Rotkin’s position at UCSC.
“You have to try this,” said one of the staffers at Deer Park Wine & Spirits when he saw me scratching around for some interesting wine. “It’s quite new and local.”
He was talking about Tass Vineyards’ red-wine blend of 44 percent Grenache, 33 percent Syrah and 23 percent Mourvedre. Tass is part of a threesome of winemakers that share a space together in Gilroy, so when you head to Tass to try their wines, you’ll also be able to taste from two other wineries—Medeiros Family Wines and La Vie Dansante Wines—in a “rustic but charming tasting room.” The trio calls their partnership Blended—AWinemaker’s Studio.
Winemaker Ron Mosley says “Tass is a name that encompasses my experience over 30 seasons working the vineyard and sharing a part in the mysterious transformation of grapes into wine.” His red blend ($30 in Deer Park Wine & Spirits) is bursting with aromas of dark fruits, earth and spices, rounded out by chewy flavors of pepper, jam and a smidgeon of licorice. Bold and vivacious, it’s a well-made wine that is very quaffable.
Blended–A Winemaker’s Studio is at 3200-A Dryden Ave., Gilroy. 408-852-0779, blendedwinestudio.com.
Vintage Press
My husband and I spent three days in Visalia recently, and headed to the Vintage Press restaurant on a friend’s recommendation.
This memorabilia-filled restaurant has been in the Vartanian family for more than five decades, and it’s well worth a visit. One of the listed wines in the restaurant is Hafner Vineyard Chardonnay—a wine sold mostly to restaurants and “patrons.” Hafner (based in Napa) has no tasting room, but they offer tours and tastings at 2 p.m. on the first and third Friday of each month.
Visit hafnervineyard.com for reservations and more info. Vintage Press 216 N Willis St., Visalia, 559-733-3033. thevintagepress.com.
California Lavash
California Lavash is a fairly new company based in Gilroy. Their lavash flatbreads can be used to make wraps, panini, or just to eat in place of bread. They are vegan, non-GMO, low fat, cholesterol free, low sodium, and there’s no added sugar.
Around here, we argue over who gets to do stories about Tandy Beal.
If you’ve talked to her for even a few minutes—and really, everyone should—you understand why. She has a way of thinking about things that’s not like anyone else; even the sound of her voice, the way she floats words into a room with a whisper-y, musical lilt, is unique. I’ve written in-depth about her a couple of times, and there are things she said to me years ago that I still think about regularly.
But I don’t think any of the pieces we’ve run before are quite like the cover story Christina Waters has written about Beal this week. She’s known her longer than any of us, and it comes across not only in the words themselves, but also between the lines. Even though the story is primarily about Beal’s newest show, I’ve never read anything about her that radiates such familiarity, and provides so much insight into Beal’s old-soul artistic genius.
Just as Beal’s shows should be a part of every Santa Cruz holiday, so should Santa Cruz Gives. Be sure to read our story in the news section this week about Community Foundation Santa Cruz County—their new sponsorship of SCG is only one of the ways they’re expanding their philanthropic universe. And go to santacruzgives.org to give to one (or more!) of the participating local nonprofits. We are off to an incredible start—thanks to your generosity, SCG has already raised $130,000 for these amazing local groups. Keep the giving revolution rolling!
Will we make it this year? Had a close call last week for fires in our area. With no rain the past months, the whole area is so dry. Good thing we have not had the big dry winds that have hit north and south of us, with thousands of homes lost. Something needs to be done soon and fast in the Santa Cruz area. The CAL Fire Forest Division has got to start doing large fire breaks around the cities of Felton, Bonny Doon, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley now! PG&E sends Davey Tree trucks out everyday and they do the least amount of tree trimming around wires, etc. Time to bring in the bulldozers and clear a safe path and take out dead dry trees that help a fire spread. Don’t let our great Santa Cruz Mountains area go up in smoke because of bad forest management.
Terry Monohan
Felton
Re: Jaron Lanier
I am not addicted to social media, but I feel I must participate in some ways as a person involved in ecommerce. I actually abhor Facebook for the most part, but do like to interact with my high-school friends and family; mostly I have to have a FB account to use Instagram. I’m a photographer and have two Instagram feeds; one to promote an eBook I wrote to publicize Jamaican music (it’s a book for tourists and visitors there) and the other to share about health, cancer and self-realization. I’m working with network marketing, so interacting online we find people that are looking for what we have to offer. For example, I plan to share about nitric oxide and why it’s good to prevent heart attacks.
When I comment on blogs like this or on YouTube, I find lots of people that are supportive and empathetic. I skip over the hater people, they are not usually commenting on the content I appreciate and seek. I have a label of stage four terminal breast cancer, and I have found tons of resources and people on the internet to support my healing, don’t know why Jaron and his wife had difficulty.
I am paying attention to what Lanier says about fake news and bots, because I did not realize the fake people, etc. were so extensive. I’m not a big Twitter person and probably never will be. I do think there is danger of internet police, but how are we to create community if we become isolated again by our physical locations?
As an artist, not so known as Lanier (LOL) I think the internet and social media is one of the greatest ways to get exposure, make new relationships and gain inspiration. I’d like to get paid for my “data,” but how is that going to work?
I think this is much more complex than Lanier makes it out to be; I’d like to hear more solutions such as encrypted browsers or networks, and how we can minimize the spying. I think with his knowledge, perhaps he could share about specific methods to combat the coming challenges to internet “freedom.”
— Dona
Re: Housing Measures
“Measure H is what we all agreed upon,” Singleton says. No, he must be working in an echo chamber. Despite outspending opponents 100 to 1, Measure H lost by well over 10%.
If Singleton had read your story in August, he’d know that proponents got this on the ballot even though two polls showed that it would fail. Our county must pay the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a doomed election. What a hasty waste of public funds by the Board of Supervisors.
The precinct-by-precinct returns show that Measure H got closest to 2/3 in the City of Santa Cruz. Since Pogonip Park is closed as of yesterday, why not put a $140 million affordable housing project at the end of Golf Club Drive? And call it Keeley Lane. It could house the same folks living there already.
— Bruce Holloway
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
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GOOD IDEA
Allterra Solar is donating solar systems to four local nonprofits for its first-ever Power Positive campaign. The systems each have a $20,000 value and will be 100 percent free to the winners. Allterra hopes to help the organizations cut their electricity costs and carbon footprints. Nominations are open through Dec. 31. “We really want to give back to those who give,” Allterra CEO James Allen said in a promotional video. For more information, visit allterrasolar.com.
GOOD WORK
Students from Gault Elementary School have been making the one-mile trek to Seabright Beach to pull the invasive ice plant and replace it with native alternatives. Once thought to help stabilize cliffs, the ice plant has since been shown to actually increase coastal erosion. The students’ work has been successful enough that threatened animals like the snowy plover and burrowing owl have returned to these dune ecosystems to nest.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Live music highlights for the week of Nov. 21, 2018
WEDNESDAY 11/21
JAM BAND
SHADY GROOVE
As they near the 20-year mark, Shady Groove is a local institution. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably witnessed long stretches of improvisational jams that are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This is true for the assortment of covers they play, as well as for the originals which pull from rock, jazz, New Orleans, reggae, gospel, R&B and just an overall Haight Street “dance band” vibe. Just don’t lose your shirt as you try to catch the colorful flashing lights with your hands. AARON CARNES
A modern proto-punk band, the New York-by-way-of-Salinas group the Mystery Lights sound like a lost contemporary of the Sonics or the Seeds, all swagger and wailing treble. Their self-titled debut was released in 2016 by Daptone subsidiary Wick Records, a welcome expansion of Daptone’s all-things-’60s catalog. Live, the Lights have an ability to find the spaces where punk and drone overlap, creating thick waves of psychedelic noise between high energy blasts of a howling thing called rock ’n’ roll. MIKE HUGUENOR
Portland’s Fire Nuns don’t know if they want to be a fuzzed-out garage-rock Burger Records band, or if they’d rather be razor-focused math rock nerds. They somehow manage to encapsulate the wild abandon of garage-rock and the technical prowess of math rock, and meld it together in a way that stays true to the contradictory ethos of both. The band has been releasing a steady stream of albums since 2013; their latest, Band on Holiday, is a messy, straightforward rocker with guts, heart and robotic precision. AC
Jesse Daniel is a bit of a rockabilly rebel, but his songs are full on honky-tonk revelry. He twangs his pithy, anecdotal stories with all the swagger of a bad guy gone good (but still a little bad, in all the right ways) and turns his troubled backstory into rollicking one-liners which manage to give everyone in the audience a vicarious shit-eating grin. ’Cause we’ve all known trouble of some sort, haven’t we? Daniel makes light of our silly, fragile human egos, but still somehow comes off as a major badass in the end. Swoon. AMY BEE
Reno’s Blasphemous Creation are celebrating a dozen years of blast beats, thrashing riffs and mayhem. This diabolical power trio is for pure metal lovers only; their tunes harken back to the good-ol-days of Kreator, Morbid Angel and Death. Not only will they share the stage with black metal trio Sledge and Santa Cruz’s own Blood Omen, but Blasphemous Creation will also be releasing their long-awaited fourth album, Forsaken Dynasty. Don’t say you weren’t warned. MAT WEIR
INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117.
SATURDAY 11/24
INDIE-FOLK
SMOKESHOW
Some of Smokeshow’s songs sound like acoustic versions of classic rock ballads, like Led Zeppelin if those dudes had sweet, sweet lady harmonies. Other take on a melancholic vaudevillian vibe, with modest mandolin riffs accompanying gritty-sweet vocals lamenting, “Oh fire/Mighty agent of change/ But stick around too long it’ll make you deranged.” Sometimes the indie folk duo will do a sing-out, call-back style with their lyrical stanzas, resulting in a powerful cascade of imagery, like two Robert Plants fighting over the same narrative vocal structure. Which voice will win? Who knows! AB
With one of the strangest pedigrees in jam music, Moonalice boasts members of Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Phil Lesh and Friends, and … a venture capitalist? In addition to penning “It’s 4:20 Somewhere,” singer Roger McNamee was an early investor in Facebook, worked at T. Rowe Price in the ’90s, and is dead certain that “music and technology have converged.” In the past, Moonalice has included both G.E. Smith and Jack Casady, but when they come to Moe’s Alley they’ll be bringing Grateful Dead alum Big Steve Parish in the role of “road scholar.” MH
Longtime Cabrillo College professor Ray Brown returns to Kuumbwa with his new quintet, a stellar band featuring some of the region’s top improvisers. Trading his horn for the vibraphone, Brown gives top billing to Pacific Grove pianist Eddie Mendenhall. His daughter, the Juilliard-trained bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, is home from New York for the holidays long enough to add a vivifying jolt of youth to the ensemble, while the brilliant drummer Alan Hall is worth the price of admission himself. Rounding out the band is Erik Jekabson, an essential creative catalyst on the Bay Area jazz scene. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.50/adv, $31.50/door. 427-2227.
TUESDAY 11/27
ROCK
AUGUST SUN
By blending funk, rock, blues, soul and everything between, August Sun creates an original sound that is as full as it is expansive, not to mention kick-ass. This Santa Cruz Mountains-based quintet is the brainchild of fiery singer-songwriter Christian Walsh, perfect for fans of the Grateful Dead, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Rolling Stones or just good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. MW
INFO: 8 p.m. Crow’s Nest, 2218 E Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. $5. 476-4560.
The monarchs are coming, the monarchs are coming! Okay, technically they’re already here, but they won’t hang out long. Every year, thousands of monarchs flock to the Natural Bridges eucalyptus trees. They migrate all the way from the Rockies—that’s more than 800 miles for their little wings to flap. We don’t blame them for taking a breather and getting a little lovin’ before they turn around and go back. They’ll probably be here ’til January, but now is the best time to see them in all of their glory.
INFO: Tours held at 11 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Natural Bridges State Beach Visitor Center, 2531 W Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. 423-4609. parks.ca.gov. free, $10 day use parking.
Art Seen
‘Lay of the Land’
The Museum of Art and History’s latest exhibit is all about Chile native Rodrigo Valenzuela, who was waiting for work at Home Depot as a day laborer 10 years ago. Today, he is a professional artist and UCLA professor. While his abstract landscapes may seem to be of familiar places like Joshua Tree, his work is actually a mish-mosh of American and Chilean landscapes, with some foosball and film for good measure. The work portrays the obstacles immigrants face in making the United States feel like home.
INFO: Show runs through Sunday, Feb. 17 with an artists talk on Thursday, Jan. 17. Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. 429-1964. santacruzmah.org. $10 general admission, free on First Fridays.
Friday 11/23
Mission Building Game
They say board games never go out of style, and this proves it. Mission Building is a board game set in the 18th century, where you spend Spanish real coins and roll the sheep’s knucklebone to determine the fate of your own mission. The game is geared for ages eight and up, and happens rain or shine.
INFO: 3-4:30 p.m. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, 144 School St., Santa Cruz. 425-5849. parks.ca.gov. Free.
Saturday 11/24
Birding For Beginners
Anyone can do birding anytime, anywhere—can’t say that for much else in life. Some of the benefits of birding include not only a greater awareness of wildlife, but also new friends, both literally and figuratively. (Birds are friends, right? Or is that fish?) Either way, there are plenty of experienced birders in and around Santa Cruz to lead the way in birding etiquette, Jim Williams being one of them. Williams will talk about birding in Henry Cowell State Park, and answer any and all flying friend-related questions. Bring a water bottle and comfy footwear.
INFO: 8 a.m. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, 101 N Big Trees Park Road, Felton. 335-7077. thatsmypark.org. Free, $10 parking pass.
Monday 11/26
Hampton Sides ‘On Desperate Ground’
New York Times best-selling author Hampton Sides is coming to Santa Cruz to talk about his new book that details acts of heroism by marines in the Korean War. Also an Outside magazine editor and National Geographic contributor, among many other things, Sides is a narrative nonfiction expert. On Desperate Ground tells a war tale as old as time, but still terrifying relevant.
INFO: 7 p.m. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 423-0900. bookshopsantacruz.com. Free. Photo: Kurt Markus.
The fresh, earthy scent of redwoods drifting through my car is usually enough to convince me to take a drive up to Ben Lomond, especially if the trip ends in a visit to Mountain Feed and Farm Supply.
But after visiting La Placa Family Bakery, I now have two more reasons to escape up the hill, and both of them come dusted in powdered sugar.
Depending on where you live in the county, it can be a bit of trek to get there, but in my opinion it’s absolutely worth it. Originally from Sicily, pastry chef Leonardo La Placa found his calling in pastry at just 12 years of age, and spent several decades working and teaching pastry in Europe before arriving in Ben Lomond and opening La Placa Family Bakery three years ago.
While the bakery also serves pizzas and calzones, the pastry counter—filled with an array of colorful cakes, traditional Italian cookies and a dozen flavors of hand-made gelato—is what immediately commands your attention upon entering.
My eye is caught by a tray of round, fist-sized Italian donuts—bombolini ($1.25 each). While I consider myself a fairly frequent visitor to our county’s various bakeries and pastry shops, I haven’t seen one of these filled pastries since I was in New York a few years ago, and I’m delighted.
A filled donut is easy to love, but a bombolone can reach transcendent heights if done well, as they are at La Placa. Feather-light on the outside and bursting with either sweetened, creamy ricotta or silky Nutella, it’s difficult to stop at just one. Of the two, I prefer the not-too-sweet ricotta, but as I discovered when I brought a box to my boyfriend’s Italian parents and watched them promptly devoured, it really is a matter of preference.
Another pastry that sets this bakery apart are the cannoli ($4 each). These hard-shelled, tubed-shaped pastries are filled to order—to prevent them from getting soggy—with the same delicious ricotta, and topped on either end with slivered almonds. They’re so festive that they’ve become my go-to dessert to bring to almost any celebration, equally fun at birthdays, holidays and dinner parties.
La Placa Family Bakery. 9280 Hwy. 9, Ben Lomond, 609-6552.
Ona Stewart loves music. He plays four to five hours daily, and is always writing new songs. Fortunately, he has a popular local band, the Naked Bootleggers, which gives him a platform to play his tunes in front of local crowds. But because he doesn’t want to burn people out, he keeps the Naked Bootleggers gigs to a minimum. So he also gigs as a solo artist.
There are other advantages to playing solo shows. For instance, the Naked Bootleggers are a bluegrass-oriented band, but Stewart has a number of other influences that he can bring to his solo work.
“It’s nice to have another outlet. There are so many other songs that I can’t necessarily play with the band, because it doesn’t fit into the sound we’re going for,” Stewart says. “I’m definitely influenced a lot by old R&B, like Otis Redding and Bill Withers. Just different directions, like Tom Waits. I grew up listening to punk rock, so I have a lot of anger to get out as well.”
He plays some shows backed by friends, others just him and his guitar. It can be a challenge to make sets work as a one-man acoustic band, but Stewart does it by twisting and convulsing his voice in unique and interesting ways, or going really quiet when he needs to. It’s all about dynamics.
“Each crowd is different. Some audiences are listening audiences. There are times you go soft and sweet in the delivery. Some you need to slap in the face to get them to acknowledge it,” Stewart says. “I love singing. I love it when people want to hear it, but I sing all day long by myself. I just love to sing.”
Few people can cast a spell simply by entering a room. Tandy Beal can.
With the carriage of a queen and the grace of a Botticelli sylph, the dancer-turned-impresario personifies joie de vivre. Energizing a stage or critiquing a new work-in-progress, Beal is as fully alive, active, and engaged as it is possible to be. Or at least that’s what it looks like to her many students, audiences, and fellow dancers. And it has for more decades than seems possible.
Beal of the dark eyes, long limbs, and infamous mane of Pre-Raphaelite hair just can’t quit dreaming up ways to win new audiences and re-enchant those already converted. She’s been everywhere, collaborated with everyone from Frank Zappa to Bobby McFerrin, and directed both the Moscow Circus and Pickle Family Circus. Her company, Tandy Beal & Company, has been provoking wonder and joy for 43 years. And once you’ve done all that, it’s hard to stop.
And what doesn’t stop is Beal’s faith in the magic of live performance. “We’re all in the present moment,” she insists, her eyes shining. “We are together. And anything can happen. This moment in real time, with all its joys and possibilities, your whole body shares the experience.”
In her life of performative immediacy, Beal and her repertory company of dancers, singers, acrobats and clowns invite audiences “to be part of something larger than themselves.”
The Reflective Voice
How did Joy come about, I ask the woman I’ve known for 35 years. “Since my beginning work, it’s always been two strands,” she says. “One is celebratory, the other is reflective.” We reminisce about past works such as Crazy Jane and From Blake’s Window. “Most always the questions are around the ‘Wow, we’re on this mysterious planet’ realization. I’m overwhelmed by the mysterious part.”
She shakes her head as if still puzzled by the mystery of it all. “I’m always looking to find the reflective voice, then I explore how to create something that finds that strand.”
The humor that inflects Beal’s best work is a central part of her personality, professionally as well as privately. “Early on, I was doing humor, which at that point just wasn’t done in dance—it was considered outré. It wasn’t considered serious art.” She raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Making humor takes as much discipline, care and practice as making serious work. Humor is serious.” And she lets out a full-bodied laugh of pleasure.
JUMPING FOR JOY Beal (front and center) has enjoyed a long career as both a performer and educator.
In many ways, the graceful woman I’ve watched dance in so many productions is an inquisitive girl at heart, moving through the world with huge gestures, lots of eye contact, and easy smiles. Always beautiful.
“I came from two Broadway actors. I didn’t have to be taught that communication was the basic issue of life. And I live with a man [composer Jon Scoville] who is witty and humorous,” she says. “And I’m a businesswoman, which is important as we’re in the advanced capitalist era.”
In the business of art, the margins of error are slim these days. “When I step onto a stage I instinctively do two things: I count the house, and then I think ‘can I meet the payroll?’” she says. “Teaching is my day job. It pays the bills.”
Having spent the summer dancing in New York “doing solo work again,” she discovered that she still had all her own dancerly wits about her. Which means that she’ll be among those performing in the upcoming Holiday Show. Joy will include much new material plus a few choice nuggets from Mixed Nutz, Beal’s updated Nutcracker Suite tour de force. “I’ve lived in the world of circus—and, for many years, of music. Joy is a braid of those languages—circus, music, and dance. A multilingual production,” she says, with a laugh.
Spreading ‘Joy’
“We need this—we need joy,” says Beal. “We did a version of it last year, but this time we’ll be at UCSC. The Performing Arts Theater is the perfect space.”
And the experience, she believes, will be quite distinct for both performers and audiences. “That wrap-around stage—it will be so intimate.”
The show’s title evolved after lots of brainstorming. Nothing seemed quite right. “So I stopped and asked myself—what am I doing? And the answer was that I want to bring some joy to people. So … Joy!”
The newest production for the lifelong dancer/choreographer will be packed with quintessential Beal favorites. “Highlights from the Nut, like the Russian hip-hop dance—very fun. My two dear pals from the Pickle Family Circus, great physical comedic actors who went on to Cirque du Soleil, Jeff Raz and Diane Wasnak. These two clowns together have a chemistry like Laurel and Hardy,” Beal exclaims. “She’s four-foot-ten and he’s six-two. Well, I called them up and said, ‘Let’s get back together!’”
Beal immediately realized that the scope needed to grow from there. “The stage will be alive with colorful movement. Acrobatics from China, bicycle juggling, Sovoso—an award-winning a capella group. And circus. Funny, weird, magical,” Beal promises.
HEAD TRIP The cast of ‘Joy’ performing their hat tricks. PHOTO: CLIFF WARNER
Once she had the agreement of her players—many coming to perform from all over the country—the company met at Beal’s house in the redwoods. “We had a costume fitting, and then we all had dinner!” During two weeks of rehearsals on both sides of the hill, the production took shape. Beal knows the music they like to work with, and made some new suggestions. “They said, ‘Not quite, but maybe this.’” And after plenty of healthy back and forth, they landed on what works.
Beal likes to make little storyboards of the various scenes, drawing rectangles to block out the basic overall structure. “Intro and extro—those are crucial,” she says.
She admits to being obsessive. “And then I bring in the lighting designer, and the sound designer. I’ve directed some opera, and I thought that was the most complicated thing. But circus! That was complex, and it’s because there are so many more elements. Rigging, harnesses, extra equipment.” She rolls her eyes.
Beal thinks she might be good at orchestrating all these elements because she’s flexible. “As a child, I loved puzzles,” she says. “I like to ask, ‘How are we going to do this, artfully and technically?’ It amounts to a puzzle, and you have to solve it. Things can and will go wrong, but you have to figure out how to solve it, often right there on stage.”
Tangle of Motion
“Does that work?” Beal asks the company of eight performers rehearsing together at Motion Pacific. “You can evolve this,” she encourages.
I’ve been invited into the sacred space for a few hours. “Weave a bit,” she instructs. They regroup and begin again. Jungle sounds fill the cavernous hall and one forest creature in the form of an exceptionally nimble dancer begins to stretch and explore the space, as more creatures twist and rustle farther upstage. Bird songs, macaws, cicadas. Enter a male “panther,” who entwines the original dancer. They repeat a sinuous spiral, and before you know it, they are part of a large, graceful tangle of forms.
Beal follows the performers as they move, and calls a few position changes, urging them to move farther down stage. “In your mind’s eye, you can have your own moment before you join the group,” she says. Looking to Associate Director Rebecca Blair for agreement, Beal says, “I think she should be a bit earlier,” and then acts out what she wants. Wearing a loose men’s shirt and stretchy pants, her long hair tied back in a knot, Beal improvises the desired gestures. It is a mini-demo of her kinetic style and strength.
FLOAT ON Diane Wasnak as Pino (center) and Jeff Raz as Razz (right) with the cast in ‘Joy.’ PHOTO: CLIFF WARNER
Seated between the mirrored walls and the company of eight dancers dressed in shorts, tights, and tank tops, I’m treated to a rare inside view that is part process and part performance. It’s as focused, precise and engaging as any Broadway show I’ve seen—an acceleration of horseplay, bodily adjustments, and run-throughs of tricky bits as the players practice lifts, somersaults, and impossible postures. Tandy moves into the group from time to time to negotiate with one couple, organizing a transition from floor to overhead contortions. In between the segments, the dancers check their arm positions and their facial expressions in the wall-to-wall mirror.
“Let’s do the whole thing,” she suggests, while Blair reminds them where the stage lines will be in the UCSC Performing Arts stage in the round. “Adrienne, we need more human body language,” Beal teases a dancer who is performing a long-limbed insect. They rehearse the same part again, sculpting precise hand and foot gestures—signature Tandy Beal gestures, but also gestures that guarantee that the arc of movement never breaks up, continuing far into the space beyond the body.
Grace and strength—that’s what I’m watching. That’s what it takes to make these dance stories. The dancer/animals begin to crawl into the main scene.
“Take your time,” Beal advises. “Close in toward each other. Travel a little faster. Claire, keep your body in creature world.” Beal illustrates “insect steps,” as she and creative associate Ron Taylor give feedback notes on what was just performed. Taylor, who has been with Beal since her very first shows in Santa Cruz, is “a dancer nonpareil and now acts as graphics designer and a creative problem-solver on every level,” Beal tells me. She then turns her attention back to the action. “Kevin, the leap out was great!”
Casting Spells
Next, they work on a piece called “Ribbon,” in which long ribbons on the end of wands amplify each hand and arm movement. The dancers practice ways of using the ribbons to carve great circles and spirals in the space above their bodies.
“Is that a good idea?” Beal asks of one dancer’s innovation. She may be in charge, but she’s nobody’s idea of a dictator. Presence and chutzpah go into this swirl of circling ribbons, and suddenly six dancers are in total sync. They cross the stage diagonally, forming the central tornado of ribbon circles.
“Hold those up over your head,” Beal’s protege and longtime collaborator Saki tells them. She’s in the center of the tornado and needs space to wield her pulsating ribbon wand.
The performers need to know exactly where they have to end up, and how to sense the bodies around them, in order to get there. It takes intuition and plenty of counting. They each try some variations—a higher leap, or slightly longer ripple—to keep things new and fresh. “You can’t be dumb and be a dancer,” Beal whispers to me.
THE BEAL DEAL A snapshot of Beal and composer Jon Scoville.
Next comes a short but mesmerizing piece that pays homage to early 20th-century expressionist dancer Loie Fuller. Now costumed in full-length circles of diaphanous fabric, and holding unseen sticks to extend the reach of their arms, the dancers appear to have translucent wings of pastel fabric. As they twirl and swirl the patterns of curves and ovals, waves and cones becomes hypnotic, requiring a kinetic sixth sense. A butterfly with 12 wings suddenly forms in the center of this swirling dance. “Toe heel walk please, Claire,” Beal urges, prowling through the dancers like a leopard.
Even in rehearsal, the music and movement cast a spell. Beal, with her charismatic posture models how each dancer should enter the stage. “This whole thing is sternum,” she reminds them, flinging her arms wide. “It’s about opening the heart and feeling the magnificence.” They practice extending their sticks in lovely unison over and over—without fidgeting, arguing or devolving into separate conversations. Yet they all obviously enjoy each other and what they’re doing. “Just catch enough air in your billows to create a cone,” Beal tells them. There’s a pause for interpretation, refinement of gestures. They clarify and strengthen their movements. “Practice the butterfly at the center of the Loie. Don’t get frantic with those rolls! Heart, space, light!” says Beal.
“And a side of fries,” adds Taylor. Laughter fills the vast rehearsal space.
Before I leave, the company runs through a caper of physical comedy mixed with split-second movement. This clever piece involves highly expressive clowning plus dance and acrobatics, with a side of Michael Jackson. They each somersault into their hats before juggling them one by one—then another, then another, until finally all six players are transferring all six hats from each other’s heads. It’s amazing to watch.
One hat topples to the floor as they exit the run-through. “If that happens during performance,” Beal reminds them, “one of you come back to pick it up before the next act!”
Beal will join her dancers and many other exciting acts when the show hits the stage. Switching from the role of director to performer comes naturally for her.
“I know how to be there,” she says. “The stage is home.”
‘Joy—Tandy Beal & Company’s Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music’ will be performed Friday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Dec. 2 at UCSC Mainstage Theater, 453 Kerr Road, Santa Cruz on the UCSC campus. It will then move to the Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose,for performances Dec. 7-9. To purchase tickets, go totandybeal.com/joy.
