Shari Barrett, a Los Angeles native, has been active in the theater world since the age of six - acting, singing, and dancing her way across the boards all over town. After teaching in local secondary schools, working in marketing for several studios, writing, directing, producing, and performing in productions for several non-profit theaters, Shari now dedicates her time and focuses her skills as an independent publicist to "get the word out" about smaller theaters throughout the Los Angeles area. As a founding member of the LA Stage Alliance Leadership Council Task Force, she and reps from theaters throughout the city work together to articulate a vision for the theatre community of Greater Los Angeles. Shari has received recognition from the City of Los Angeles for her dedication of heart and hand to the needs of friends, neighbors and fellow members of society for her devotion of service to the people of Los Angeles. Shari is honored to serve her hometown as a contributor to Broadway World.
 BWW Reviews: FOOL FOR LOVE Will Grab You From the Beginning and Leave You Begging for More
May 20, 2013
FOOL FOR LOVE by Sam Shepard is about romantic obsession, although that may be redundant: Romance IS obsessive. It is feisty, muscular, sexually charged, and often based in fantasy, creating a dream lover where no such person exists.
 FIRST LOOK at Kentwood Kids ALL IN THE STARS, Opening 6/1
May 17, 2013
Kentwood Players is delighted to present our next Kentwood Kids Production, 'All in the Stars' by Mark Billen on Saturdays, June 1, 8 and 15 at 11:00am and 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse. The production is directed by Drew Fitzsimmons and Melodie S. Rivers, and produced by Bruce Starrett by special arrangement with Lazy Bee Scripts.
 THE SPOLIN PLAYERS Present AN EVENING OF SPOLIN GAMES at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, 6/9
May 13, 2013
The Spolin Players Improvisational troupe is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Viola Spolin (known as 'The High Priestess of Improv') by performing her theatre games at The Hollywood Fringe Festival. Each hour-long completely improvised show will be completely different and original. Bring your imagination and suggestions, and get ready to laugh a lot!
 BWW Reviews: SPAMALOT Entertains with Killer Rabbits, Taunting Frenchmen and Show-Stopping Musical Numbers
May 13, 2013
Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, Monty Python's SPAMALOT tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in 932AD as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail.
 BWW Reviews: DELICIOUS REALITY Shares Tantalizing and Provocative Tales from LA's Restaurant Scene
May 12, 2013
Everyone loves a good meal, especially when someone else prepares it for you. But at a restaurant, do you ever think about who really cooks your meal and what they go through to prepare it for you? DELICIOUS REALITY gives voice to the underprivileged restaurant workers in a very entertaining and seriously eye-opening performance piece.
 BWW Reviews: MY MOTHER'S KEEPER Shares Memories of Four Generations of Women in a Show Business Family
May 10, 2013
MY MOTHER'S KEEPER, written by Jane Press and directed by Robin McKee, is a highly autobiographical memory play that moves fluidly back and forth between 1914 when an event involving Press' great-grandmother sets off a cycle of damage and dysfunction, and the present. While the humor of this play may be Jewish, the experience of being part of a big, crazy family is universal.
 Photo Flash: Kentwood Players presents Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE May 10 to June 15, 2013
May 10, 2013
Kentwood Players presents Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE from tonight, May 10 to June 15, 2013 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester (LA 90045). The production is directed by Alison Mattiza and produced by Larry Jones by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
 BWW Reviews: EXPERIENCE THE BEATLES WITH RAIN Revisits the 1960's World of Peace and Love
May 8, 2013
EXPERIENCE THE BEATLES WITH RAIN has returned by popular demand to the Pantages for a third engagement, May 7-12, 2013. This adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love and a little help from your friends!
 BWW Reviews: Wild, Bawdy and Ferociously Playful British Farce WHAT THE BUTLER SAW will Have You Shaking with Laughter
May 5, 2013
Psychiatry, religion, marriage, government, definitions of gender and even language are all targets of British playwright Joe Orton's poison pen in his wild and bawdy farce WHAT THE BUTLER SAW. His sly jokes and hilarious slashes at the follies and foibles of human conduct will have you shaking with laughter from start to finish.
 BWW Reviews: RUTHLESS! Offers a Musical Parody of The Bad Seed with Tons of Talent and Lots of Fun!
May 4, 2013
Those of us well versed in Broadway musicals and Hollywood films will certainly catch lots of references in RUTHLESS! And with its off-the-wall, farcical humor and schmaltzy songs, this musical comedy will definitely have you laughing in the aisles!
 BWW Reviews: BRECHT ON BRECHT Reminds Us That When the World was Silent, Brecht Spoke
April 29, 2013
Directed with a keen vision by Alistair Hunter and featuring talented actors Gil Hagen-Hill, Daniel Houston-Davila, Belinda Howell, Susan Kussman and Gregg Lawrence, BRECHT ON BRECHT will take you on an extraordinary journey via a multimedia revue focusing on the work of the prolific playwright, poet, lyricist, screenwriter, and theatre director Bertolt Brecht. This is thought-provoking theater at its best.
 BWW Reviews: I'M NOT RAPPAPORT Shares the Importance of Laughter and Friendship
April 28, 2013
The West Coast Jewish Theatre is presenting a comedy not seen in Los Angeles in many years, Herb Gardner's Tony Award-winning Best Play 'I'm Not Rappaport' which was inspired by two elderly men Gardner met in New York City's Central Park, sharing their strength and courage to live life to the fullest.
 BWW Reviews: REAL MEN SING SHOW TUNES… AND PLAY WITH PUPPETS Has Hysterical West Coast Premiere
April 27, 2013
This new, adult musical comedy about men is a madcap and hilarious romp through all the many stages of manhood, featuring 29 original songs all paying homage to all things male, lampooning such issues as fatherhood, mid-life crisis, dating, marriage, aging, and sex (or the lack of it), giving an inside glimpse of what it takes to be a man in a modern world shared with women, children, and parents.
Kentwood Players Presents Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE opening 5/10
April 22, 2013
Playwright Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE is a comedy consisting of four playlets whose action takes place in rooms 203 and 204 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1976. This is Neil Simon at his best - a humorous confection that will definitely make you laugh and warm your heart!
 BWW Reviews: IT GOES LIKE THIS Shares the Importance of Love and Acceptance
April 22, 2013
The Lee Strasberg Center is hosting the world premiere of a very timely new theatrical work by Jack Betts at The Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood entitled IT GOES LIKE THIS which has a message that Americans, Congress and the Supreme Court need to hear as the subject of gay marriage is being put to the vote. Most importantly, it brings awareness to the discrimination and hatred faced by so many individuals in the world today.
 BWW Reviews: YEARS TO THE DAY Shares 80 Frenetic Minutes of Conversation Between Two Old Friends
April 20, 2013
In Allen Barton's world premiere play YEARS TO THE DAY at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, two 40-something men, who have been friends for decades but only cursorily in touch via social media over the past four years, finally get together for coffee. But their long anticipated "face to face" meeting reaps surprising consequences when truthful and dramatic changes in each of their lives are revealed.
 BWW Reviews: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Offers Audience Members a Chance to Participate
April 14, 2013
Following the model of the original Broadway production, four people were pulled from the Theatre Palisades audience and asked to participate in the contest. These visiting spellers were thrown into the mix, led into musical numbers by the cast, and asked to spell words until disqualified and sent back to their seats.
 BWW Reviews: THE MIRACLE WORKER Sheds Light on the Darkness in Annie Sullivan's Soul at the Actors Co-Op
April 13, 2013
William Gibson's oft-done play THE MIRACLE WORKER opened Friday, April 12 at the Actors Co-op in Hollywood. The innovative staging by Director Thom Babbes and outstanding talent in this production deserve to play to full houses throughout the run!
 Photo Coverage: LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL Celebrates Their Spectacular Opening Night
April 11, 2013
Here are photos from Sustaining Sound Theatre Company's champagne reception following the spectacular opening night performance of LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL at Stage 52 in Los Angeles on April 4, 2013.
 BWW Reviews: BELZ! THE JEWISH VAUDEVILLE MUSICAL is Jam-Packed with Classic Jokes and Memorable Yiddish Songs
April 8, 2013
BELZ! THE JEWISH VAUDEVILLE MUSICAL is the story of a movement that ultimately had a profound effect on American popular culture as Jewish performers from Eastern Europe and their immediate descendants took their acts from the shtetls to the rest of the world.
 BWW Reviews: ORANGE FLOWER WATER Takes a Brutally Honest Look at Marriage and Infidelity
April 6, 2013
ORANGE FLOWER WATER by Craig Wright tells the story of two married couples who live with their children in the relatively peaceful town of Pine City, Minnesota. David is a pharmacist and Cathy is a teacher, while Brad runs a video store and Beth is a stay-at-home Mom. But David and Beth, after years of maintaining a platonic friendship, begin an adulterous affair which leads to disastrous consequences for both marriages.
 Photo Coverage: First Look at LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, Opening at Stage52, 4/4
April 2, 2013
Sustaining Sound Theatre Company proudly presents LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL from April 4 to April 21, 2013 on Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm at Stage52LA, located at 5299 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016. A champagne and appetizer reception will follow the opening night performance on Thursday, April 4.
 BWW Reviews: THE TROUBLE WITH WORDS Continues to Astound Audiences at the Lost Studio Through April 12
April 1, 2013
THE TROUBLE WITH WORDS is a song cycle that explores the relationship people have with words, as well as with each other, as they struggle to connect. In examining how human beings are brought together and pulled apart by words, the songs range from devastating to laugh-out-loud funny. I strongly encourage every musical theatre aficionado in Los Angeles to see this show as I cannot offer enough praise for the entire production.
 Photo Flash: THE DEEP THROAT SEX SCANDAL Extends Through April 14 at Zephyr Theatre
March 31, 2013
Due to overwhelming popularity, David Bertolino's new play THE DEEP THROAT SEX SCANDAL about the making of the famed, groundbreaking, 1970s pornographic film "Deep Throat" and the subsequent controversy surrounding the film, is extending its West Coast Premiere run at the Zephyr Theatre through Sunday, April 14 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 7 p.m.
 Photo Flash: First look at LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL by Sustaining Sound Theatre Company
March 27, 2013
Sustaining Sound Theatre Company, a new professional theater company, presents LITTLE WOMEN, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL from April 4 to April 21, 2013 on Thursday-Friday-Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm at Stage52LA, located at 5299 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016.
 Photo Coverage: Greg Abbott, Jeannine Barba and More in Kentwood's RAGTIME
March 27, 2013
Kentwood Players presents RAGTIME - the quintessential American musical - through Saturday, April 20 on Fri/Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045.The production is directed by Susan Goldman Weisbarth, with Musical Director Bill Wolfe, Choreographer Victoria Miller, and produced by Margie Bates and Gail Bernardi.
 BWW Reviews: THE BABY DANCE Challenges Beliefs on Poverty, Adoption, Religion, and Disparity Between Classes
March 25, 2013
THE BABY DANCE centers on two couples: Rachel and Richard Lieberman, a successful Los Angeles couple who have everything but can't have children, and Wanda and Al, a poor, pregnant Louisiana couple who already have four kids but can barely support them. Both couples' desperate choices lead to an insightful, poignant drama that challenges the audience's views on poverty, adoption, religion, and the disparity between the classes.
 BWW Reviews: REMEMBRANCE Celebrates Love in the Golden Years at Theatre 40
March 23, 2013
It is always said that a parent should never have to deal with the death of their child. In 1988 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant parents were dealing with the death of their children on a daily basis for no other reason than their religion, political affiliation, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Such is the setting in "Remembrance" by Graham Reid, directed by Tim Byron Owen and produced by David Hunt Stafford, presented by Theatre 40.
 Sneak Peek at L.A. Contemporary Dance Company's THEN. NOW. ONWARD!
March 19, 2013
L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC) presents their Spring Repertory Concert THEN. NOW. ONWARD! April 4-7, 2013 on Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm at the Diavolo Dance Space in the Brewery in downtown L.A., located at 616 Moulton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90031. The concert features new work by L.A. choreographers Arianne MacBean, Lindsey Lollie, and Artistic Director, Kate Hutter. The performance will also feature live performance of original music by composers Peter Gonzales and Austin Wintory. Tickets are $20 online or $25 at the door. More info and tickets: onward.brownpaperticket.com
 Sneak Peek at Sustaining Sound Theatre's LITTLE WOMEN, Apr 4-21
March 19, 2013
Sustaining Sound Theatre Company, a new professional theater company that seeks to support local and global causes through the creation and presentation of meaningful theatrical experiences, proudly presents a benefit production of "Little Women, the Broadway Musical" from April 4 to April 21, 2013 on Thursday-Friday-Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm at Stage52LA, located at 5299 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
 BWW Reviews: AVENUE Q is Part Flesh, Part Felt and Packed with Lots of Heart at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
March 11, 2013
AVENUE Q, the zany, adult-themed spoof on Sesame Street, won the Tony "Triple Crown" for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Now onstage through April 6 at Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre, the show is part flesh, part felt and packed with lots of heart. With 2,534 performances, Avenue Q ranks 23rd on the list of longest running shows in Broadway history, and this production does the show proud.
 BWW Reviews: 8th Annual CELEBRATE DANCE 2013 Presents Premiere Performances
March 11, 2013
Since its bold beginning in 2006, CELEBRATE DANCE has presented 40 dance companies to over 10,000 enthusiastic audience members in the annual event and has served as a platform for artists to enhance their craft, develop a foundation of support and propel their careers locally, nationally and abroad.
 BWW Review: PARADISE, a Divine Bluegrass Musical Comedy has World Premiere at the Ruskin Group
March 9, 2013
The small coal mining town of Paradise has seen better days and its citizens are facing hard times. Can a charismatic new preacher, Rev. John Cyrus Mountain (the remarkable and versatile Jonathan Root) who has arrived in town with his bombshell sidekick Chastity Jones (Nina Brissey), rescued from the stripper pole at the Innuendo Lounge, save the day?
 BWW Reviews: DIVORCE PARTY THE MUSICAL - The Hilarious Journey to Hell and Back
March 8, 2013
The West Coast premiere of DIVORCE PARTY THE MUSICAL continues at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood through April 14. Whether you have been through a divorce or not, I guarantee you will be swept into the fun created onstage by the very talented cast of five.
 BWW Reviews: THE AMAZING BUBBLE MAN Creates a Magical World for Kids of All Ages
March 4, 2013
Bubble art, science, magic and fun were alive onstage the weekend of March 2-3 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica when Louis Pearl, "The Amazing Bubble Man," performed unbelievable acts of wonder for kids of all ages.
 BWW Review: 12 ANGRY MEN Brilliantly Staged by Torrance Theatre Company
March 3, 2013
Originally produced as a live teleplay in 1954,"12 Angry Men" by Reginald Rose is a contemporary classic about a young man on trial for allegedly murdering his father. Although it seems to be an open-and-shut case, there is but one lone juror among the twelve who is not convinced of the defendant's guilt. Through this juror's careful examination of the evidence, he demonstrates to the rest of the jury that there just may be the possibility that this young man is innocent and causes the other jurors to question their preconceived notions. This play's enthralling and controversial debate over this young man's fate will keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of its final resolution.
 BWW Reviews: The Lyric Theatre Presents 4 Darkly Comic Tales, OF BATS & SUITS
March 2, 2013
Everyday life is often reduced to a showdown between the 'suits' and the common man struggling to just survive the uphill battle called life. The 4 darkly comic tales in 'Of Bats & Suits' at the Lyric Theatre take us into different variations on this theme, showing us that no matter what, living life to the fullest is the only way to be truly happy.
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