LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR E5
SERIES
The Zoo: San DiegoMek the
tiger returns to the zoo. 9
p.m. Animal Planet
Planet Earth: Nature’s
Great EventsIn the new
episode “The Great Mi-
gration,” cameras follow
one lion family’s struggle
to survive until the return
of the great migration. 9
p.m. BBC America
Restaurant: Impossible
Chef Robert Irvine travels
to Muncie, Ind., where the
Madison Street Retro
Diner is in dire straits in
this new episode. That’s
followed by a re-visitation
at Joe Willy’s Seafood
House, in Fishkill, N.Y.,
where Irvine worked his
magic in 2013. 9 and 10 p.m.
Food Network
Black Women OWN the
ConversationModel Win-
nie Harlow and actors An-
gelica Ross and April
Parker Jones join with 100
black women to discuss
relationships. 10 p.m.
OWN
SPECIALS
Gary Owen: DoinWhatIDo
Comic Gary Owen bridges
the lanes of black and
white cultures. 10:30 p.m.
Showtime
MOVIES
BeetlejuiceWith a musical
stage adaptation sched-
uled to open on Broadway
this month, Tim Burton’s
dark but wacky 1988 film
stars Alec Baldwin and
Geena Davis as a couple
who summon an uncon-
ventional exorcist
(Michael Keaton) to rid
their home of unwanted
visitors. Winona Ryder
also stars. 5 p.m. Syfy
Mary Queen of Scots
Screenwriter Beau
Willimon traced the com-
plicated 16th century con-
flicts between Mary
(Saoirse Ronan), Queen
of Scots, and her cousin,
Queen Elizabeth I (Mar-
got Robbie), in director
Josie Rourke’s 2018 histor-
ical drama. 8 p.m. HBO
Identity Theft of a Cheer-
leaderMaiara Walsh stars
as a high school dropout
who at 31 steals the iden-
tity of a high school senior.
Gail O’Grady and Karis
Cameron also star in this
new made for TV melo-
drama. 8 p.m. Lifetime
The Happytime Murders
Directed by Brian Henson
(son of Muppets creator
Jim), this 2018 black come-
dy-mystery is set in an al-
ternative Los Angeles
where humans and pup-
pets co-exist. The story
follows Phil Phillips (pup-
peteer Bill Barretta), who
had been the first puppet
cop in the Los Angeles Po-
lice Department before
being dismissed in dis-
grace. Now working as a
private eye, he agrees to
help his former human
partner (Melissa McCar-
thy) investigate a string of
Hollywood murders. Ma-
ya Rudolph, Joel McHale
and Elizabeth Banks also
star. 9 p.m. Showtime
Overlord (2018) 9:05 a.m.
Epix
The Wild One(1954) 10:30
a.m. TCM
A Quiet Place(2018) 10:55
a.m. Epix
Kingsman: The Secret
Service(2014) 11 a.m. FX
Captain America: Civil War
( 2 016 ) 11:32 a.m. and 8 p.m.
USA
Men in Black (1997) 2:25
p.m. Comedy Central
Tarzan (1999) 3:05 p.m.
Freeform
Monsters, Inc. (2001) 5:10
p.m. Freeform
Cast Away (2000) 6 p.m.
BBC AmericaWEEKEND TALKSATURDAY
Good Morning America(N)
7 a.m. KABC
SUNDAY
CBS News Sunday Morning
Margaret Atwood; Russell
Wilson; Donny and Marie
Osmond; Jodi Kantor and
Megan Twohey. (N) 6 a.m.
KCBSGood Morning America(N)
6 a.m. KABC
State of the Union With
Jake Tapper(N) 6 and 9
a.m. CNN
Fox News Sunday With
Chris WallaceSecretary
of State Mike Pompeo;
former Gov. Mark Sanford
(R-S.C.). Lisa Marie Rig-
gins, Fairness for Athletes
in Retirement. Panel: Karl
Rove; Jane Harman;
Dana Perino; Juan
Williams. (N) 7 a.m.
KTTV; 11 a.m., 4 and 11 p.m.
FNC
Fareed Zakaria GPS(N) 7
and 10 a.m. CNN
Face the Nation(N) 7:30
a.m. KCBS
Meet the Press(N) 8 a.m.
KNBC; 3 p.m. MSNBC
This Week With George
Stephanopoulos Secre-
tary of State Mike Pom-
peo. Panel: Mary Bruce;
Chris Christie; Rahm
Emanuel; Rich Lowry; Al-
exi McCammond, Axios.
(N) 8 a.m. KABC
Reliable Sources With Bri-
an Stelter(N) 8 a.m. CNN
MediaBuzz(N) 8 a.m. and
midnight FNC
60 MinutesLooking at 50
years of Steve Kroft’s work
as a journalist, focusing on
his time at “60 Minutes.”
(N) 7 p.m. KCBSSPORTSCollege FootballCincinnati
visits Ohio State, 9 a.m.
ABC; Army visits Michi-
gan, 9 a.m. Fox; Syracuse
visits Maryland, 9 a.m.
ESPN; Texas A&M visits
Clemson, 12:30 p.m. ABC;
Nebraska visits Colorado,
12:30 p.m. Fox; BYU visits
Tennessee, 4 p.m. ESPN;
LSU visits Texas, 4:30 p.m.
ABC; Buffalo visits Penn
State, 4:30 p.m. Fox;
Texas-El Paso visits
Texas Tech, 5 p.m. FS
Prime; Stanford visits
USC, 7:30 p.m. ESPN; Cal-
ifornia visits Washington,
7 :30 p.m. FS1
2019 U.S. Open TennisWom-
en’s Final, 1 p.m. ESPN
BaseballThe New York Yan-
kees visit the Boston Red
Sox, 1 p.m. FS1; the Phila-
delphia Phillies visit the
New York Mets, 4 p.m.
FS1; the Angels visit the
Chicago White Sox, 4 p.m.
Fox Sports Net; the Dod-
gers host the San Fran-
cisco Giants, 6 p.m. CW
and SportsNet LATV HIGHLIGHTS
Sergei BachlakovLifetime
MAIARA WALSHstars
in the TV movie “Iden-
tity Theft of a Cheer-
leader” on Lifetime.SaturdayPrime-TimeTV SportsNewsMovies(N) NewÅClosed Captioning
8 pm 8: 30 9 pm 9: 30 10 pm10: 30 11 pm
CBS Bull(TV14)Å 48 HoursÅ 48 HoursÅ News(N)Å
NBC Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2›››(2011) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint.
Harry may have to make the ultimate sacrifice. (PG-13)ÅNews(N)ÅCW BaseballGiants at Dodgers.
(6) (N)Sports Final
(N)ÅNews(N)Å News(N)Å Sports Final
(N) (10:45)ÅNews(N)ÅABC News After the Game(N) Jeopardy!Å Wheel(TVG) NightlineÅ News(N)Å
KCALNews(N)Å News(N)Å News(N)Å Sports Central black-ishÅ
FOX Overtime(N)
ÅFall Preview
(N)ÅHow I Met
(TV14)ÅHow I Met
(TV14)ÅNews(N)Å PBC Count-
down(N)
MyNtMajor Crimes(TV14)Å Rizzoli & Isles(TV14)Å King of Queens King of Queens Laughs
KVCRDoobie Brothers Live(7:30) Kramer vs. Kramer››››(1979) Dustin Hoffman. (PG)Å MemoryÅ
KCETNeil Diamond: Hot August Night III(TVG)Å Rick Steves Fascism in Europe(TVPG)Å Big SoniaÅ
UNI Como dice el dicho(TV14) La Rosa de Guadalupe(TV14) Edición
KOCEThe Doctor Blake Mysteries
(TVPG)ÅMidsomer Mur-
ders(TVPG)Midsomer Murders(TVPG)
(9:44)ÅVariety Studio
(TVPG)ÅAustin City
Limits(TVPG)
KDOCAmerican Ninja WarriorÅ American Ninja WarriorÅ Elementary(TV14)Å Saving HopeÅ
KLCSBetween Lines Firing LineÅ Jamestown(TV14)Å Modus(TV14)Å Professor T.Å
A&E Live PD: Rewind(TV14) (N) Live PD(TV14) Riding along with law enforcement. (9:03)Å
AMC Pet Sematary››(1989) Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne. (R)Å Christine››(1983) Keith Gordon. (R)Å
ANP The Zoo: San Diego - California
TalesA Lion’s Tale. (N)ÅThe Zoo: San Diego(TVPG)
Mek the tiger returns. (N)ÅThe Vet LifeA giant schnau-
zer may lose his ear. (N)Vet Life(N)
(11:03)Å
BBC Cast Away›››(2000) Tom
Hanks, Helen Hunt. (PG-13)
(6)ÅPlanet Earth: Nature’s Great
Events(TVPG) The Great
Migration. (N)ÅPlanet Earth II(TVPG) Grasslands cover one
quarter of all land and support the greatest
gatherings of wildlife on Earth. (10:10)Å
BET Kidnap››(2017) Halle Berry, Sage Correa. (R) MartinÅ Martin(10:35)Martin(11:08)
BravoFifty Shades Darker››(2017) Dakota Johnson. (7:50) (R)Å Fifty Shades Darker(10:25)
CMT Footloose››(2011) Kenny Wormald. (7:30) (PG-13)Å Coyote Ugly›(2000) Piper Perabo. (PG-13)
CNN The Seventies(TVPG)Å The Eighties(TVPG)Å The NinetiesÅ The 2000sÅ
Com 21 Jump Street›››(2012) Jonah Hill. (7:25) (R)Å 21 Jump Street›››(2012) Jonah Hill. (R)
Disc Deadliest Catch(TVPG)Å Deadliest Catch(TVPG)The Wizardfills with smoke.(N)Å
Disn Ratatouille›››( 2007 )PattonOswalt, Ian Holm. (G)Å Big CityGreen Big CityGreen Raven’s Home
E! TheDevil WearsPrada(6:30) TheDevil WearsPrada›››(2006) Meryl Streep. (PG-13)Å
ESPNCollegeFootballStanfordatUSC. (7:30) (N) SportsCenter(N)Å
Food Restaurant: Impossible(TVG)
Behind the scenes.(N)ÅRestaurant: Impossible(TVG)
Retro Diner. (N)ÅRestaurant: ImpossibleSea-
food Houserevisited. (N)ÅGood Eats
(TVG)Å
FNC Watters’WorldÅ JusticeWith JudgeJeanineÅ The Greg Gutfeld ShowÅ Watters’ World
Free Finding Nemo››››(2003) (7:15) (G)Å Finding Dory›››(2016) Ellen DeGeneres. (9:45) (PG)Å
FX Transformers: Dark of...(5:30) Transformers: Age of Extinction››(2014) Mark Wahlberg. (PG-13)Å
Hall My One & Only(2019) (7)Å Love, Romance & Chocolate(2019) Lacey Chabert, Will Kemp.Å
HGTVGood Bones(TVG)Å Good Bones(TVG)Å House Hunters Renovation(N) House Hunters
Hist Ancient Aliens: Declassified(TVPG) A look at ancient builders. (N)Å
IFC Zero Dark Thirty(2012) Jessica Chastain. (6:30) (R)Å The Green Mile›››(1999) Tom Hanks. (R)
Life Identity Theft of a Cheerleader(2019) Maiara Walsh.Å The Twisted Son(2019) Andrea Roth. (10:03)
MSN 11th HourÅ Lockup Corcoran(TVPG)Å Lockup Corcoran(TVPG)Å DatelineÅ
MTV Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness
NGC Inside 9/11: Zero Hour(7)Å Inside 9/11: War on America(TVPG) Investigation of events. Inside 9/11Å
Nick Henry Danger(TVG)Å Henry Danger(TVG)Å Friends(TV14)Friends(TV14)Friends(TV14)
OWN Love & Marriage: HuntsvilleÅ Love & Marriage: Huntsville(N)Black Women OWN(N)Å Love&Marriage
Para Movie(6) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2››(2012) Kristen Stewart.Å Twilight››
Sund MASH(TVPG)MASH(TVPG)Trading Places›››(1983) Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy. (R)Å
Syfy Beetlejuice›››(1988) (7) Beetlejuice›››(1988) Michael Keaton. (PG)Å FuturamaÅ
TBS Batman(5:45)Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Full FrontalÅ
TCM Bright Road(7)Goodbye... The Big Clock›››(1948) Ray Milland.Å House of Usher
TLC Say Yes to the Dress(TVPG) (N)Å Say Yes to the Dress(TVPG) Say Yes, Dress
TNT The Accountant››(2016) Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick. (R)Å The Accountant(2016) (R)
Toon Dragon Ball Z Dragon BallÅ Rick and Morty Rick and Morty Family GuyÅ Family GuyÅ Dragon BallÅ
TravelGhost Adventures(TVPG) Ghost Adventures(TVPG) (N)Å GhostÅ
Tru MovieÅ JokersÅ JokersÅ JokersÅ
TV L 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ
USA Captain America: Civil War›››(2016) Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. (PG-13)Å Straight UpÅ
VH1 Friday›››(1995) (7) (R) Next Friday››(2000) Ice Cube, Mike Epps. (R)Å Friday AfterÅ
WGN Lost World: Jurassic Park(6) Jurassic Park III››(2001) Sam Neill. (PG-13)Å Married ... With
Cine American Pie›››(1999) Jason Biggs. (R) American Pie 2››(2001) Jason Biggs. (9:40) (R)Å
Encr The Bone Collector››(1999) Denzel Washington. (R)Å Spartacus: Blood and SandÅ Movie
Epix A Simple Favor›››(2018) Anna Kendrick. (R)Å Basic Instinct›››(1992) Michael Douglas.
HBO Mary Queen of Scots››(2018) Saoirse Ronan. Chronicles
Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow Elizabeth I. (R)Succession(TVMA) (10:05)
ÅHard Knocks:
Training Camp
ShowPeppermint›(2018) Jennifer
Garner. (7:15) (R)ÅThe Happytime Murders›(2018) Melissa Mc-
Carthy, Elizabeth Banks. (R)ÅGary Owen: DoinWhatIDo
(TVMA) (N)Å
StarzThe Fast and the Furious››(2001) Vin Diesel. An undercov-
er cop infiltrates the world of street racing. (PG-13)Å2 Fast 2 Furious››(2003) Paul Walker,
Tyrese. (9:49) (PG-13)Å
TMC Gone in Sixty Seconds(7) Halloween H20: 20 Years Later››(1998) (R) Halloween: Resurrection(R)which opened Wednesday at
the Getty Villa, willingly sac-
rifices lyricism for some-
thing, well, let’s just say
springier.
The 14th annual outdoor
theater production in the
Barbara and Lawrence
Fleischman Theater (a col-
laboration with Round
House Theatre) seems de-
signed expressly for dis-
tracted 21st century theater-
goers. This is more of a mod-
ern theatrical illustration —
a caricature done with care
by an author who has had
his way with Chekhov and
Shakespeare — than either
a completely original offer-
ing or a brazen deconstruc-
tion.
The impulse to rewrite
“Philoctetes” is understand-
able. It’s a strange tale about
a man who was abandoned
on a desert island by his
comrades. En route to the
Trojan War, Philoctetes had
the misfortune of stepping
on unmarked sacred ground
and was punished for his un-
witting transgression with a
snakebite that left his foot
ulcerated and fetid.
The wound was so
ghastly and the shrieks of
agony it engendered so har-
rowing that the Greeks de-
cided it would be better to
leave Philoctetes behind.
Alone and aggrieved, his
survival wholly dependent
on the unerring magic bow
that Heracles bequeathed
to him for lighting his funer-
al pyre, Philoctetes suffers
not only from the physical
wound that mysteriously
won’t heal but also from the
psychological mutilation of
betrayal.
Enter Odysseus, who has
brought to the island Neop-
tolemus, the young son of
the late warrior Achilles, af-
ter it has been revealed that
the disastrous, decade-long
Trojan War can only be won
with Philoctetes’ invincible
bow. Wily, glib and politically
slick Odysseus wants Neop-
tolemus to befriend Philoc-
tetes and, when his guard is
down, steal the bow. Deceit
is not in Neoptolemus’ na-
ture, but patriotic duty com-
pels him until compassion
for Philoctetes reawakens
his moral sense.
In Posner’s adaption, Ne-
optolemus is transformed
into Niaptoloma, Achilles’
daughter. Kacie Rogers
takes on the role, and she’s a
beacon of truth in a produc-
tion that often proceeds in
broad strokes. The charac-
ter is overburdened with
playwriting epiphanies but
Rogers never falters in her
honesty.
As Odysseus, Lester
Purry is at home in the con-
temporary vernacular of an
inveterate double-talker,
who lies for what he calls
“the greater good.” He lures
Nia with promises of battle-
field glory, but the triangle
with Philoctetes (Eric
Hissom) is unevenly worked
out.
Sophocles focuses on the
dynamic between Philoc-
tetes and Neoptolemus. The
older man gives over his
trust only to once again ex-
perience the callousness of
betrayal, while the younger
man repents his error and
seeks to earn the forgiveness
that will reward them not
only with battlefield renown
but also with a cure for Phil-
octetes’ foot.
In the awkwardly titled
“The Heal,” Nia becomes a
kind of New Age physician,
exposing the bad faith and
spiritual errors of her elders,
though the promise of heal-
ing that awaits Philoctetes if
he sails with his bow to Troy
is ironically given short
shrift.
Posner’s staging features
a lively chorus of three
muses (played by Eunice
Bae, Emma Lou Hébert and
Jaquita Ta’le) and a folk-
blues guitarist (Cliff Eber-
hardt) who has composedoriginal songs that zero in on
weighty themes in a mild
Bob Dylan-esque manner.
Visually, the production
is diagrammatically simple.
Thom Weaver’s scenic and
lighting design situate the
action in a theatrical no-
where. The onus is on the
players, and increasingly it
shows.
Hissom has the toughest
time as hobbling Philoc-tetes. The makeshift band-
age around his foot looks
agonizingly real, but the
character’s bitter anguish
seems purely manufactured.
A more stylized approach to
this legendary castaway
might have allowed for more
realism.
The spryness of Posner’s
riff is refreshing in the early
going but quickly turns obvi-
ous. A chorus member,
checking in to make sure the
audience is keeping up with
the plot, cracks, “ ‘It’s all
Greek to me’ didn’t come
outta nowhere!” (Is sitcom
Sophocles a thing?)
The moody music tries to
restore the seriousness,
though even the songs are a
little too on the nose. Eber-
hardt’s lyrics harp so much
on “wounds” that even Nia
at one point cries out, “Stop
it, stop it, stop it! Enough
about wounds already!”
Posner’s brand of post-
modern self-consciousness
worked wonderfully well in
his free-form version of Che-
khov’s “The Seagull” withthe naughty title we deco-
rously refer to as “Stupid ...
Bird.” The ironic navel-gaz-
ing came naturally to those
melancholy artist charac-
ters. Sophocles’ crew is just
as reflective, but the drama-
tic gravity is stronger. Pos-
ner’s annotative antics can
seem as inapt as a doctor
goosing a patient on a gur-
ney.
Much of the play is spent
elucidating the minds of
characters thrashing out
the debate over patriotic
duty and private con-
science. Posner respects the
complexity of the various
points of view, but “The
Heal” injures Sophocles in a
plot twist that assigns guilt
to Philoctetes for his wound.
This moralizing revision
trivializes the character’s
difficult journey to healing
and domesticates the trage-
dy.
As Edmund Wilson ob-
serves in “The Wound and
the Bow,” his fascinating es-
say on Sophocles’ play, Phil-
octetes is both a “victim of amalodorous disease which
renders him abhorrent to so-
ciety and periodically de-
grades him and makes him
helpless” and “the master of
a superhuman art which
everybody has to respect
and which the normal man
finds he needs.” He’s a di-
lemma not only to his com-
munity but also to himself: If
he relinquishes his griev-
ance, he can finally be re-
stored in body and reputa-
tion, but at the cost of bury-
ing all the injustice he has
suffered.
Sophocles’ intricate plot-
ting, which beautifully inte-
grates internal movement
with dramatic escalation, is
simplified in a way that
drains the play of its profun-
dity of meaning. Nia’s matu-
rity is stirring to witness in
Rogers’ deeply felt perform-
ance, but the resolution of
Philoctetes’ intransigence
feels unearned.
Why bother with “Philoc-
tetes” if you’re not willing to
recognize the tragic truth
lodged in its painful vision?AARONPosner’s adaptation of Sophocles’ “Philoctetes” features a lively chorus of three muses and a guitarist.Craig SchwartzA new look
for Sophocles
at the Getty
[‘Philoctetes,’from E1]
‘The Heal’
Where:Getty Villa, the
Barbara and Lawrence
Fleischman Theater, 17985
Pacific Coast Highway,
Pacific Palisades
When:8 p.m. Thursday-
Saturdays, through
Sept. 28
Tickets:$40-$48
Info:(310) 440-7300 or
getty.edu
Running time:1 hour,
25 minutes