Don Grigware - Page 22

There's nothing like a Pinter play for stimulation and excitement. The playwright, in fact, has his very own adjective 'pinteresque'. Stephen Sondheim has immortalized him in song in 'The Ladies Who Lunch' from Company. He's the top, so why aren't his plays easier to figure out? One thing is certain, they provide an emotional workout for the actors involved. Now onstage at the Upstairs theatre at Group rep in NoHo, A Slight Ache is receiving a superb production with exemplary direction from Kevin Dobson and a fine cast of three, who really exercise/exorcise their demons within the 70-minute time.frame.

Victor Hugo's monumental romantic/gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, published in 1831, centers in, around and on top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. So does the new musical of the same name written by Peter Parnell, Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, which received its U.S. premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014 and is currently receiving its Los Angeles premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Stephen Gifford's set replete with stained glass windows, balcony and overhanging bells is scaled down from the original but still impressive and pulls you in effectively to another world, the ethereal realm of a higher power. Catholic boy that I am, every kyrie eleison exuded by the resounding chorus moved me to tears.

I hate when one acoustical element in a theatrical production prevents me from thoroughly enjoying the play. In A View From the Bridge, the Young Vic production currently at the Ahmanson through October 16, my concern was regarding Frederick Weller playing Eddie Carbone. He's a fine actor, but for some reason, from the very top, his voice was not carrying adequately over the stage to the audience. I could not hear many of his line deliveries in the first several minutes, and I was straining to understand. Perhaps because of the shell-like structure surrounding the actors center stage? Other voices seemed dimmed as well, so this set may have caused the problem. For a while, I thought it was me, that I was going deaf, but after the performance other audience members voiced the same complaint. Other than that, I have mostly good things to report about this piece directed incisively by Ivo van Hove. It comes to LA from Broadway where it won last year's Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

The Road Theatre on Magnolia is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Edward Albee's The Play About the Baby, which begins previews Tuesday September 13 and opens Friday, September 16.  Andre Barron will direct The Play About the B

The longest running musical in the world The Fantasticks is always at its best when produced and performed with simplicity. When I first saw it in New York in the 60s, it was performed in a cabaret space against a brick wall, with the suspension of a paper moon above. You can't get much simpler than that. In the current revival at the Pasadena Playhouse, the setting is bigger: a dilapidated, war-torn theatre in Southern California, shuttered since 1969, into which the actors enter to create art. The space may be bigger than the original, but the fine work on display maintains simplicity, especially in its message of love. This is a stunning production, one of the very best I have seen, with a magnificent interracial cast under the seamless direction of Seema Sueko.

German film-maker F. W. Murnau created the 1922 eclectic silent film Nosferatu based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. It is highly regarded worldwide as an artistic masterpiece, utilizing Expressionistic art. Now in a unique Los Angeles production - unlike any you have seen or are likely to - William A. Reilly has adapted the film to the stage at Crown City Theatre in NoHo. Nosferatu: A Symphony in Terror is a silent film onstage with classical music, ballet and a splendid cast of nine actors, directed with remarkable precision by Reilly.

Hard to believe, but Kritzerland turned 6 on Sunday September 4 at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Bruce Kimmel and his record company Kritzerland began their series of concerts at the Gardenia for the first year, then moved to Vitello's with Michael Sterling and onto the Federal four years ago. Kimmel and Kritzerland are joined at the hip; it's his brainchild ... and he brings all of his ingenious theatricality and cleverness to each show. This anniversary show was over.the.moon great with terribly eclectic, funny numbers and some absolutely wonderful talent. On board were steadies Sharon McNight, Nick Santa Maria, Ilene Graff and hubbie Ben Lanzarone, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman and special appearance by composer Richard M. Sherman. Newcomers Marc Ginsburg, Reagan Pasternak and little Hayley Shukiar joined 'Guy Haines' for a heartfelt and laugh-filled concert. Wonderful Richard Allen served as musical director and accompanist for most of the songs throughout the 90-minute set.

On Monday August 29 actor/singer Kurtis Simmons made his solo cabaret debut at Rockwell Table and Stage to a SRO crowd of adoring fans and well-wishers. Simmons is no stranger to Los Angeles audiences, as he has appeared onstage in such popular shows as Forever Plaid and premiered his musical Hipster Sweatshop at Rockwell in the company of co-creators Kyle Puccia and Darryl Stephens, in May of this year. But, there is something special about a solo show. As good as a performer is - and Simmons is very good indeed with a phenomenal voice - there's always that question, 'Can he carry a show by himself?' The answer is a resounding 'Yes!'

The 2003 film Calendar Girls was produced in the US with a British cast starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. It is a delightful comedy and a sweet ode to women, who, dissatisfied with many lifestyle choices, try quite earnestly to raise the bar. In 2008 it was made into a play and has been a best seller in the UK, probably because it takes place in and pays homage to Yorkshire. Now under Larry Eisenberg's keen and caring direction, Calendar Girls, rarely produced in the US, has a sturdy production with a sterling cast at Group rep in NoHo through October 9.

On Monday evening August 22 An Evening of Classic Broadway returned to Rockwell Table and Stage for another resoundingly superb and downright mirthful show. Headed by Brad Ellis and Dianne Fraser, this show really grows on you. I love talent, and you can definitely find it here in abundance. On the bill this time around were of course ringmaster Ellis, ingenious as always with his delicious banter at the piano, and Fraser, who manages to do it all, even adjusting microphones and assisting with the props. She's amazing! Guest singers included Joshua Finkel, Zachary Ford, Susan Edwards Martin, Barrett Foa, Christina Saffran and daughter Emma Ashford and last but never least the inimitable Julie Garnye.

Bipolar disease most often occurs in women creating abnormal behavior patterns, and usually treated with drugs. In the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal, the problem is presented via a wife and mother, Diana (Michelle Lane). Her behavior shows extreme mental instability, and the effects on her husband Dan (Nick Sarando) and teen daughter Natalie (Isa Briones) cause a serious rift in their ongoing relationships. Eventually a heartfelt loss from the past unravels that is at the core of the woman's suffering. Structured in a most unusual way, Next to Normal is akin to a rock opera, but it is not completely sung; there is intermittent dialogue. The most emotional moments, though, come through song, so the music by Tom Kitt and book by Brian Yorkey flow together smoothly, and with the three tiered open set and loosely structured staging, what occurs is an unparalleled musical drama. Now in the intimate space of the Pico Playhouse, the complex drama unfolds crystal clear with fine direction from Thomas James O'Leary and a marvelously skilled ensemble, all of whom sing and act their socks off.

Despite boasting one of the most gloriously majestic musical scores ever written for a Broadway stage by Maury Yeston in 1997, Titanic the Musical was, no pun intended, a disaster with lukewarm reception from both audience and critics. Come to think of it, how entertaining can a musical be about the sinking of the Titanic? 

Joseph Kesselring's dark comedy farce Arsenic and Old Lace dates back to 1941 and was made into one hilarious film starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra in 1944. Nevertheless, the comedy is timeless, so it still holds up quite deliciously in 2016. One never tires of murder especially when it's played out in a spooky old Brooklyn mansion adjacent to a cemetery...and most of the Brewster family who inhabit it are most definitely certifiable. Elderly Abby Brewster (Robin LaValley) and her sister Martha (Eliane Weidauer) dispose of over the hill lodgers all alone in the world - to bring them peace and eternal happiness. They offer homemade Eldeberry wine laced with arsenic and think they're doing the old codgers a favor. It seems perfectly harmless to them. In fact, they already have 11 bodies buried in the cellar and are about to embark on a funeral service for number 12 who is resting comfortably in the window seat of their living room. It helps when their nephew Teddy (Robin Thompson) - who thinks he's Theodore Roosevelt - carries out their orders and buries the bodies, convinced that he's digging locks of the Panama Canal. When brother Mortimer (Tim Benson) - a drama critic for a local paper - discovers the body by accident, he automatically assumes it's Teddy who has killed the man, never dreaming that his sweet aunts are responsible.

ISA BRIONES was born Isabella Camille Briones in London, England. Her parents, Jon Jon Briones and Megan Johnson Briones are both actors and singers, and her younger brother, Teo Briones is also an actor. She began modeling in New York at the age of 3, and started acting when her family moved to Los Angeles in 2006. She is best known for her role in the film Takers, playing Matt Dillon's daughter. Isa is entering her senior year of high school, and is excited to be making her professional theater debut in this production of Next to Normal. School theater credits include: Velma in Hairspray, Brooke in Legally Blonde and Abigail in The Crucible. TV and film: "Takers," "Cutthroat", "Lonely Boy". 

Actor Randy Harrison is touring with Cabaret as the Emcee and is currently at Segerstrom Center for the Arts performing the show through Sunday August 21. In our chat he discusses the role and what Cabaret means to him. Describe the experience of playing the emcee in Cabaret. What makes this role such a coveted one?

Thomas James O'Leary's recent directing credits include Flim Flam: Houdini and the Hereafter, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Nine, Dusty de los Santos, The Debut of Georgia, A Horse with a View, and currently Sunday in the Park with George. Thomas is best known for his three-year run (over 1,000 performances) in the title role of Broadway's longest-running musical, The Phantom of the Opera. Other acting credits include Miss Saigon (Broadway original cast), Les Miserables (First National original cast), Chess (First National), You Never Can Tell (Yale Rep), Last Sunday in June (Century Center), Travels with My Aunt (Colony Theatre), and Take Me Out (LA Weekly Award, Celebration Theatre).  

1948's Summer and Smoke was rewritten in the 60s by Tennessee Williams and what resulted was a more clearly structured/themed play with the same central characters entitled The Eccentricities of a Nightingale. Music teacher Miss Alma (Ginna Carter), daughter of an Episcopal minister Reverend Winemiller (Brad Greenquist), was passionately in love with her neighbor young Dr. John Buchanan (Andrew Dits) and when that love was unrequited rather than become a miserable spinster, she turned to  prostitution. Now in a rare and lovely production of the refined play at PRT, poetic spirit is alive and well in Miss Alma, the Spanish word for soul.

Perhaps Kander and Ebb's best musical, apart from Chicago, Cabaret has it all: a fine book, deliciously diverse characters, dynamite music and a subtext that will not quit. The subtext being: either compromise or get out if you value your life, the latter, to be sure, the wiser. This is Berlin, circa 1929/30, before Hitler, just as Nazi pressure hits the fan. Now a national tour based on Roundabout Theatre's 2014 revival docks at Segestrom for a mere 2 weeks with a glorious cast headed by Randy Harrison in a big, broad and devilishly fun performance as the Emcee.

On Sunday July 31 Michael Sterling celebrated 10 years of his cabaret supper club now called Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with a mega-delightful show headlining the music of his mentor Rosemary Clooney called Everything's Coming Up Rosie. On the bill were two exuberantly talented singers Kerry O'Malley and Mary Callanan. Backed by virtuoso musical director Richard Allen at the piano and his superb trio of musicians that included Ed Smith on drums and Randy Landas on bass, the two gals sent out glorious vibes in the 90-minute set.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a hot summer night than to watch a sizzling stage production of a Tennessee Williams film. Baby Doll, when it first arrived in 1956, was condemned by the Catholic Church for indecency, and because of its lewd poster-sized ad depicting Carroll Baker lying in a crib, sucking her thumb, was one of the most controversial films across America. Now, almost 70 years later, the West Coast premiere stage adaptation by Pierre Laville and Emily Mann of Williams' Baby Doll is a practically flawless production at the Fountain Theatre, directed with stunning clarity by Simon Levy...and boasting an unforgettably ingenious cast of five.