Alan Portner - Page 14

Dust off your willing suspension of disbelief. Starlight Theatre transforms into Elizabethan London in the year 1595. The play is 'Something Rotten.' William Shakespeare has not authored his 38 famous plays and 150 sonnets. By masquerading as patron to the struggling Bottom Brothers from Cornwall, the Bard has purloined their ideas and most of their dialog lock, stock, and couplet.

Props and Costumes are the high points. The playwright should reread Huck Finn

Now spreading like a virus with a lifespan of only ten days, the annual Kansas City Fringe Festival has once again exploded across Kansas City entertainment venues for the thirteenth July in a row. It is an entertainment stew chock full of short plays, musical performances, dance, comedy, storytellers, clowns, puppeteers, improv groups, one man shows, magicians, and visual artists.

Crucible reminds us of the good old bad old days of church extremism and Congressional blacklists along with a warning for today.

Imagine transitional rock superstars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis hanging out together for an impromptu recording session early in their musical careers. This is the unlikely, but mostly true tale told by the new production of the 2010 Broadway musical 'Million Dollar Quartet' now opened at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park. This is one entertaining evening.

One you transport back to the late 50s and 60s this one is a lot of fun.

'Crazy For You,' now playing at the Theatre In The Park in Shawnee Mission Park, is the theatrical equivalent of the 'Little Engine That Could.' It represents the fifth generation of musical shows based on George and Ira Gershwin's 1930 'Girl Crazy' score. Even though the original version kicked off the careers of Ethel Merman and Ginger Rogers, none of these shows remotely resembles any of its siblings.

Gershwin 1992 reboot of 1930's Girl Crazy features songs and dances in the Nevada Desert... A true backstage romantic comedy.

Several hours spent with Kent Barnhart and friends at Quality Hill Playhouse are never time wasted if you love the great American songbook. The current sold out program features two hours of music celebrating tunes music of Carole King, James Taylor, and a few others of similar genre from the 1960s and 1970s.

Excellent production kicks off Black Box theater history

Excellent production of a very complex piece of Musical Theater

Now running at the City Theater of Independence is the 2013 Tony winning comedy 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' by Christopher Durang. Based loosely on charcters and the works of Anton Checkhov, you don't have to be familiar with the Russian writer to get all the jokes. Well, you might need to know a little bit to get all the in-jokes, but the New York critics gave this show a resounding seal of approval.

Disney's Little Mermaid at Starlight offers a great show and value added video assist

Five expert actors led by Morgan Fairchild entertain with sight gags, snappy dialog, and true caring for their oldest friends.

Troubling premise

'The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe' sparkles as a completely home- grown, home- performed, home-produced and expanded reboot to the 2015 Fringe Festival hit now enjoying its world premiere at The Living Room Theatre in the Kansas City Crossroads District through June 18. 'Lefty and Crabbe' has matured and ripened on the vine and is now most definitely ready for prime time.

Nationalist overtones foreshadow future danger

Peggy Sawyer arrives a 'youngster in the chorus, but becomes a big star.

continues to work after 138 years

Just plain fun - and a Lullaby from Broadway