It’s Alive, IT’S ALIVE Review – Live Theater Finally returns to LA

John Fleck in IT'S ALIVE, IT'S ALIVE - Photo by Cooper Bates
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Conceived, written, and performed by actor and performance artist John Fleck, IT’S ALIVE, IT’S ALIVE celebrates the return of live theater after a two-year hiatus. And it’s about time. Developed and directed by longtime Fleck collaborator David Schweizer, IT’S ALIVE, IT’S ALIVE is an uproarious and racy cabaret-style theatrical performance event making its world premiere in Los Angeles. To borrow Schweizer’s eloquent words:

“As this pandemic continues to evolve and hold us hostage, the show’s title feels ever more spot on…we are taking a poor theater style open bare stage and launching an attack! Rather than letting whatever variant is rampaging at the moment get the better of us, we hope audiences will want to join us in making relentless fun of it, no matter what new contagious aspects emerge or new terrors await. We need to challenge where we are in our lives right now, and maybe the best challenge is a good laugh.”

Scott Roberts on keys, John Fleck, and John Snow on bass – Photo by Cooper Bates

What better time for a cunning satire poking fun at this twin plague year-plus and all the politicos who snuck into everybody’s life while they were paying attention to something else, namely hair-raising panic engendered by a tiny round microbe sporting lots of pretty flowers on its bald pate.

Tomoko Karina, John Fleck, and Kyle G. Fuller – Photo by Katy Yates

When Fleck staggers onstage clutching a crutch and a round plastic globe with bitsy red roses sprouting from it, we know that we are in for a fun evening. With expert timing and a voice of incredible range, Fleck sings old favorites and dances with music hall abandon. When he proudly announces his age, Fleck once again demonstrates what lots of creative ideas, time, and abundant experience can do. His attention to the details of theater entertainment leaves no doubt that his long and successful career as a performer has kept pace with world events. As he holds the audience in the palm of his hand, the satirical bubble that is “alive” just might explode.

Kyle G. Fuller and John Fleck – Photo by Cooper Bates

Joining Fleck onstage are music director John Snow on upright bass, Scott Roberts on piano, and singer/dancers Kyle G. Fuller and Tomoko Karina. Together this song and dance and everything else team knows how to make magic out of thin air. From an almost empty stage, the tale emerges with rambunctious dexterity and skill. Following a four-week workshop production last September, legendary icon John Fleck brings his outrageous music satire to life on the Odyssey stage. Clever and just a bit controversial, IT’S ALIVE, IT’S ALIVE tickles the funny bone while slipping in some very fine music, a tuneful voice, and flowing graceful dance moves. What more could a COVID-fatigued audience want?

John Fleck – Photo by Cooper Bates

IT’S ALIVE, IT’S ALIVE runs through March 20, 2022, with performances at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and at 5 p.m. on Sundays. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. Tickets are $25. For information and reservations, call 310-477-2055 ext. 2 or go online. Currently, proof of vaccination is required; and masks must be work throughout the performance.      

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