Don Grigware - Page 39

Popular across the country for the past decade, Always Patsy Cline celebrates country/pop superstar Patsy Cline, her music and her warm down.to.earth persona. Endearing from the get go it stars the very funny and endearing Sally Struthers as Texas housewife Louise Seger and Carter Calvert as Cline. With the overabundant charm exuded by both stars and backed by a superb five-piece combo that includes John Randall at the piano and Roger Cohen, Calvert's husband, on drums, Always Patsy Cline should take audiences over the moon, through August 3 only.

At first I thought, 'Oh, finally a tribute to Annette Funicello! It's about time.' Wrong!! Without Annette - without a net - is about an improv class with a mixed group of actors ranging in age from old to young, consummate pro to no experience, manic to laid back - you name it, that person is there. A play about improv? Improv can be fun sometimes if it's used for the right purposes, but a play about the process? Such was my dubious state as I entered the Whitefire last night, but got an initial nice surprise as producer Lawrence Juber was playing guitar onstage. Music before the show. Mmmm Maybe this will be a fun evening after all. And yes, indeed, it did exceed my expectations. With a fine cast, razor-sharp direction from co-writer Jeff Doucette and lots of surprisingly well-done scenarios, life and art do merge at least for two+ hours in Without Annette. The play is scripted, but honest to goodness real improvs do take place.

The Manor/written by Kathrine Bates/directed by Flora Plumb/Theatre 40 at Greystone/select performances through August 16/(consult www.theatre40.org)

Hope Juber and Laurence Juber discuss their latest stage endeavor Without Annette set to open Thursday July 10 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Hope co-penned the play with Jeff Doucette. Her husband Laurence serves as producer.

It was a pleasure to return to Kritzerland Sunday July 6 for its 47th show saluting Off-Broadway shows: Kritzerland Goes Off-Broadway. Featured were stalwart hits: Hair, Ruthless!, Little Mary Sunshine, Dames at Sea, Falsettos, The Fantasticks and more recent hits such as Floyd Collins, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Dogfight. With Bruce Kimmel as host, in dandy form as usual with his amazing trivia notes in between numbers, and sensational musical director John Boswell at the piano, the show got off to a rousing start with young Brennley Brown belting out 'Born to Entertain' from Ruthless! Also on the bill for the evening were the wonderful: Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Kim Huber, young folks Jenna Lee Rosen, Sami Staitman and special guest stars Jason Graae and Rita McKenzie.

On Sunday June 29 handsome singer Bernard Dotson brought his unique friendly style and self-proclaimed big black man powerhouse voice to an SRO crowd at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with his debut cabaret show Unexpected Songs, which recently played the Metropolitan Room in New York. This very talented Los Angeles-born man has a passion for the arts that stretches back 18 years when he was singing for Disney Cruises and eventually in 6 different Broadway shows.

Ghost the Musical/book & lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin/music & lyrics by Dave Stewart & Glen Ballard/directed by Matthew Warchus/Pantages Theatre/through July 13

In 2010 David Campbell released a CD entitled On Broadway, a compilation of show tunes which he performed with a dynamic showmanship that is an inherent part of his enormous talent. He toured extensively in Australia and also the US in LA, San Francisco and New York, and during his short stay in LA I had the chance to review his show at the Catalina Jazz Club. I found him to be a delightfully drole entertainer with a terrific theatre voice and winning personality. His delivery onstage was well preserved on CD and DVD, making him a joy to listen to and watch.

'S Wonderful/Sandy Sings Ira Gershwin/Sandy Bainum at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal/musical director: Lanny Meyers/director: Bruce Kimmel/Sunday June 22

'...He Wrote Good Songs'/Littlechap. A Life of Anthony Newley./written & performed by Jon Peterson/directed by Gwen Hillier/musical direction by Joshua Eli Kranz/Asylum Lab Theatre/selected performance as part of Hollywood Fringe 2014/remaining performance: Saturday June 28 at 5:30 pm

As part of their new Writers in Rep play series, Theatre West presents Kres Mersky's Flag Day, a totally irreverent look at a dysfunctional family celebrating Christmas in June. With an eleven-member solid cast and excellent staging from director Paul Gersten, Flag Day is best appreciated if you just sit and enjoy, letting the surprises and shocking events hit you across the face like a cream pie ... or over the head with a pail of cold water.

In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, one papal election curiously stood apart. After Pope Paul's death in 1978, a compromise pope was elected, Albino Luciani, who named himself Pope John Paul I. His reign lasted a mere 33 days when, in apparent good health, he died suddenly, creating the suspicion of murder. The Last Confession by Roger Crane explores this time period in Roman Catholic history with a keen eye for details and propelling fine dramatic exchanges. Headed by resourceful actor David Suchet as Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, the cast, mostly from England, is a sturdy lot, and most likely only those repulsed by religion and/or politics will find the action less than intriguing, through July 6 only.

Musician/composer/lyricist Michael Patrick Walker is world premiering a new musical Dog and Pony at the Old Globe in San Diego. Walker is best known as one of the composers of the hit musical Altar Boyz. He was nominated for a 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and for two 2005 Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and for Best Lyrics for Altar Boyz. The show also won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. In our chat, Walker talks in depth about Dog and Pony and working with the cast and creative team at the Old Globe.

Bhutan is a country?' Almost no one knows the answer is 'yes'. Or, that it is firmly landlocked between India, Tibet, Nepal and China, perched high in the stormy Himalayan Mountains. Or, that it has that the only Capital in the world that bans traffic lights. Or, where everyone has the same birthday (officially, the day after New Years Day. This way, no one forgets anyone's birthday). Or, that it was the first country in the world to ban the production and sales of tobacco. Or, that it was the last country in the world to get television in 1999.

Bye Bye Birdie/book by Michael Stewart/music by Charles Strouse; lyrics by Lee Adams/directed by John LaLonde/choreographed by Hector Guerrero/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through July 13

Hot August Night/Neil Diamond tribute concert with Dean Colley/at Monroe Forum Theare, El Portal, NoHo/through June 15

The Fantasticks/book & lyrics by Tom Jones/music by Harvey Schmidt/directed by Janet Miller/Good People Theater Company/at The Lillian Theatre/through June 29

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat/lyrics by Tim Rice/ music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber/directed & choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler/Pantages Theater/through June 22

On Sunday June 1 Joan Ryan brought her 2013 BWW award-winning show to the Catalina Jazz Club. The show was recently retitled On the Edge. The evening was a benefit for the Trevor Project and brought a special guest star to the stage Will and Grace's Eric McCormack.