Arrivederci, Gil Cates, Mensch…

By Victoria Looseleaf

We don’t know when it’ll come, where, how and, in some cases, why. But death will come. And as far as age is concerned, that’s a relative thing. Twenty years ago, for example, 77 would have seemed old. Today, fuggedaboutit. Especially when it came to Gil Cates, a vibrant, energetic, huge presence whose life abruptly stopped in a UCLA parking lot when he allegedly succumbed to a heart attack (COD: natural causes, but Cates had undergone heart surgery last month). Oy! At least he didn’t collapse on the 405.

Seriously, since Cates was the founding dean of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, his expiring on campus almost seems okay, though it might have been more fitting if Gil had waited until opening night of the latest Geffen Playhouse offering, Next Fall, to take his leave. Why? Because he’d been the producing director of the Westside venue since its opening in 1995, which, btw, was named for media mogul David Geffen, no matter that Geffen was rarely, if ever, seen at his namesake house.

 

It wouldn’t have been the first time a thespian or thespian lover died in the theater. We remember when comic actor Dick Shawn (left), died onstage in 1987, during the second act of his wild and crazy performance at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Hall, leading audience members to believe it was part of the act. Cates, however, as show bizzy as they come, probably wouldn’t have wanted Geffen patrons to become so unhinged at having to witness such a final curtain (call).

 

 

But the man had a fabulous life and, in the process, he also made ours a little better: In a career spanning more than five decades, Cates worked on documentaries, episodic television, 14 Oscars’ productions (more than any other producer, bringing in hosting talents that included Billy Crystal – Cates won an Emmy for that show – Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart and Steve Martin). And speaking of Martin, the banjo-playing art collector tweeted his condolences Tuesday. “So sorry to hear Gil Cates has died. He helmed two Oscar shows I hosted. He was delightful, wise, canny and unperturbed. A great fellow.”

We like that adjective – unperturbed. After all, who else in Hollywood could be described as ‘unperturbed.’ Certainly not Joan Rivers, whose Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress was produced at the Geffen in 2008 (click here to read our take on that evening), after which it flopped both in London and New York. And of course, not even your scribe, who wrote the program notes for the Geffen for two seasons beginning in 2006, could be considered, ‘unperturbed.’

Sure, I may have been perturbed by life in general, but was never perturbed by Cates, as my notes were published nearly verbatim time and time again. Productions I wrote about included: Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig (Chris Pine, above, was nothing less than a revelation; he also went on to star with Chris Noth in Farragut North at the Geffen, which is now the basis for the George Clooney-helmed flick, The Ides of Marchclick here for our chat with Pine); Sam Shepard’s The God of Hell (directed by Jason Alexander, this was a raucous production); and Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, which featured fantastic performances by Len Cariou, Laurie Metcalf and Neil Patrick Harris (see below). I also had the dubious honor of being program annotator for Carrie Fisher‘s one-person extravaganza, Wishful Drinking, a work that successfully transitioned to Broadway and also became an HBO special. (We do wish she’d stop with those unfortunate Jenny Craig ads, though). In any case, they were great theater pieces all – and all were mounted under the aegis of the indomitable Gil Cates.

And though Gil was taken too soon and too swiftly, he left us with so much, and for that we are deliriously grateful. But, hey – since it’s not our job to write obituaries, click here to read the L.A. Times’ coverage, and click here to read a wonderful appreciation of Gil Cates by LA Times theater critic, Charles McNulty.

To show your appreciation for Gil Cates, then, don’t just read this: Go to the theater – any theater – from the Geffen and the Mark Taper Forum (stay tuned for our upcoming KUSC interview with Olympia Dukakis, who stars in The Vigil through December 18), to the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (check out Justin Tanner‘s hilarious new play, Day Drinkers), and the tiny Skylight Theatre, which premiered John Fleck‘s glorious New York-bound show, Mad Women, L.A. is bursting with fantastic theater, large and small. And remember, when you’re sitting out there in the dark, listening and watching ordinary mortals doing extraordinary things – it’s called acting – you might actually believe that the world is filled with infinite possibilities.

 

About Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award winning arts journalist and regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, KUSC-FM radio, Dance Magazine, Performances Magazine and other outlets. She roams the world covering dance, music, theater, film, food and architecture. Have pen - and iPad - will travel! Her latest book, "Isn't It Rich? A Novella In Verse" is now available on Amazon. Thank you for reading! Cheers...
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