Don Grigware - Page 51

Donald Freed's new play Tomorrow at the Skylight Theatre was written expressly for Salome Jens, and Miss Jens is one of the chief reasons to see it. More about her later! Not that the play itself is not worth the price of admission, for, indeed, it is a peculiarly artful and quite theatrically exciting piece with a politically artistic air. The message 'Wake Up, America!' is hurled at us even before the curtain goes up. We listen to voice-over tapes of news broadcasts from the year 2000 proclaiming the re-election of George W. Busch as President of the United States in spite of the gross negligence/ miscount in the state of Florida. We are reminded of just how ineffective the administration - republican or democratic - has been over the past decade in keeping funding for the arts alive, deficit or no deficit. Our country's endeavors spell dismal failure, so when the curtain goes up and Jamie Booth (Geoffrey Forward) seems withdrawn and indifferent toward the world around him, the phrase American amnesia rings loud and clear. Freed desperately wants some individual action and over the next two hours this supremely stellar cast does its very best to point us more positively toward Tomorrow.

Ken LaZebnik's west coast premiere play On the Spectrum at the Fountain Theatre is a life-affirming work that explores the power of love between two autistic people, and the repercussions on those around them. Thanks to LaZebnik, a trio of fine actors and splendid direction from Jacqueline Schultz, we make contact with a drastically different world, experiencing what may surely change the way we think and live. Could one wish for anything greater from a night in the theate?

ALEX NEWELL, one of the newest cast members of FOX's groundbreaking mega-hit series, 'Glee,' has been added to the cast of the 29th Annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.) 'Broadway, My Way,' being held on Saturday, April 6th at the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. David Galligan directs for the 29th time with John McDaniel returning as Musical Director.

In high school, a girl I was dating got the lead in the school musical. I didn't want her to be rehearsing all night with other guys, so I tried out for the show. Much to my surprise, I was given one of the lead male roles. I've always suspected that it was because I could sing on key. Anyway, that was 1960, and that's where my life in the theatre began.

For diehard fans of Judy Garland, for those who adored every song she sang and every word she uttered, Peter Quilter's account of Judy's final comeback in the UK at Talk of the Town in December, 1968, called End of the Rainbow must be seen. Yes, it's darkly frank showing literally the decay of the alcoholic/drug addicted superstar whose great pain and loneliness drove her over the edge, but it retains a delicious sense of humor, Judy Garland's unique sense of humor whereby she could put herself down and everyone in the room around her, get big laughs and get away with the deprecation...and still be adulated and adored by all. Garland was iconic who delivered every performance from the bottom of her soul, and in End of the Rainbow Tracie Bennett's mesmerizing electricity dominates her portrayal, giving us the essence of the woman on and off the stage. It's uncannily brilliant!

Since its creation in 1997, Ragtime has remained one of my favorite musicals for two reasons. Its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to the bone, and it has more meaningful historical content about America at the turn of the 20th century than just about any other show. Now via an excellent production by the Kentwood Players, Ragtime continues its deeply moving effect on audiences.

The short and fast-moving Wolves, which comes in at about one hour, is a smart, scary, thrilling theatrical ride akin to a nightmare. What in the beginning upsets, though, sooner or later yields enlightenment and even an odd sense of relief. The whole bleak argument of the city as wilderness and man versus beast adds lyricism, and with this, the message of True West rings prophetic. You may find yourself thinking about what is happening, but, a word to the wise, don't think too hard; better to take it at face value and enjoy!

Triple threat actress/singer/dancer Betty Hutton is perhaps one of the greatest yet lesser known musical film stars of the 40s and 50s. Star of Annie Get Your Gun and The Greatest Show on Earth, Hutton possessed a uniquely energetic style that can be most realistically described as 'manic'. It seems that she was in constant motion, never stopping for an instant and propelling her musical numbers through her electric singing and dancing to new heights of excitement. Diane Vincent was so taken by Robert Osborne's 2000 interview with Hutton on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) that she knew she had to research and put together a show to celebrate the lady's immeasurable talent. And here it is, some 13 years later, the world premiere of Nuttin' But Hutton, a revue in two acts with music both familiar and unfamiliar from all of Hutton's films.

Actor/director Ben Rimalower brings his critically acclaimed show Patti Issues (about his infatuation with Patti LuPone) to Casita del Campo for two performances only Friday March 29 and Saturday March 30. Gravelly, yet sexy-voiced Rimalower, reminding me somewhat of a young Harvey Fierstein, is outspoken, frank and funny about his association with LuPone which began long before this show was ever written.

It used to be, in days gone by, that hit Broadway shows would be made into movies; now, it's the reverse. With a dearth of ideas for Broadway musicals, the trend lately has been to turn to the big screen and revamp a popular film for the stage, adding song and dance. Such was the case with 9 to 5 and later Legally Blonde engendering quite a bit of success. Those two had female stars at the core, so it's high time a male got some attention. Voila! Catch Me If You Can has a quirky real-life story about an anti-hero Frank Abagnale Jr. (Stephen Anthony) who in the 60s was called the Johnny Appleseed of fraud. The outstanding creative team of book writer Terrence McNally and musical wizards Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman took an old idea and created an entertainingly fresh showcase around it. The resultant Catch Me If You Can which received several Tony Award nominations in 2012 - one win for Norbert Leo Butz as Best Featured Actor playing Agent Carl Hanratty - is on tour and now playing the Pantages through March 24 with Merritt David Janes essaying Hanratty.

Nina Raine takes the problems of a hearing vs. nonhearing world to a new and much higher level in her Drama Desk Award winning play Tribes now making its West Coast premiere at the Mark Taper Forum. Whereas Mark Medoff introduced audiences to the deaf community in his brilliant Children of a Lesser God, Raine goes way beyond basics to highlight the issues that arise when the deaf communicate through oralism - speaking/reading lips - as opposed to ASL (American Sign Language). When a deaf man Billy (Russell Harvard) grows up in a dysfunctional household dictated by selfish artist parents and siblings who have no clear line of communication, the problems become intensely unbearable. With outstanding direction from the director of the original New York production David Cromer and a first-rate cast, most of whom are original cast members, Tribes is dramedy at its finest hour, educating, stimulating and totally enveloping its audience.

Many people do not realize, with the exception of us theatre junkies, that Billy Barnes, who regretfully passed from us in September of last year, was without a doubt the keenest composer of the theatre revue. He also created special material for TV's Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, among others. His ingenious theatre revues date back to the 50s with The Billy Barnes Revue of 1959 all the way up to 1983's Movie Star, which had a long run at the Westwood Playhouse, now known as the Geffen. Bruce Kimmel remembers, as he knew the man well and recorded Billy Barnes L.A. Thanks to Kimmel a whole generation of musical theatre fans got a chance to hear up close and personal some of Barnes' greatest, saucy, yet little known achievements at a special Kritzerland show Billy! on Saturday March 2 at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal.

What an extreme pleasure to see 3-D Theatricals grow over the past three years into a major force on the musical comedy theatrical scene in greater Los Angeles. Based in Orange County, the group headed by artistic director T.J. Dawson is mounting 9 to 5 The Musical every bit as deliciously as the original, with all the excitement that accompanies a Broadway-style musical. Dawson directs a stupendous ensemble, and the production should not be missed through this Sunday March 3 only at Redondo Performing Arts Center, Redondo Beach.

Cavalia has always hit the mark by putting man and horse together in a breathlessly singular way, and now in Odysseo with the beauty of nature as backdrop, they are more in tune than ever. Cirque, equitation and equestrian arts meet once more in a spectacular display!

When I first heard Janene Lovullo at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in January of 2010, I was captivated by her beautifully fragile soprano voice and how well she was able to convey the delicacy of the lyrics of each song to a large audience. I also remember telling her how she needed to record, as, unlike many singers, hers is a voice that is ideally suited to record. Well, she released the lovely album This Moment in 2012...and now, just released as of February 2013, comes her second album Broadway, Intimate. As I listened, I can truthfully say that I haven't been this excited about a singer since Joan Ryan's 'Shall We Dance?' several years ago. Unusually different arrangements and an up close, personal interpretation that sends the already popular tune soaring to brand new heights....such are the accomplishments of Janene Lovullo.

On Saturday February 23, triple-threat actress/singer/dancer Bebe Neuwirth presented her critically-acclaimed cabaret act Stories with Piano at Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge. Miss Neuwirth has a legion of fans for her two-time Emmy Award winning portrayal of Frasier's cold, bitchy, calculating ex-wife Lilith on TV's Cheers and Frasier and from Broadway where she won two Tonys for her unforgettable performances in Sweet Charity and Chicago. A stellar actress, Neuwirth commands the stage with her sheer presence: no easy task for a lady so petite. But, it goes far beyond aura. There are gusts of unbridled passion conveyed, as she ferociously attacks the story of each song in character, sometimes alone, sometimes essaying two roles. Kander & Ebb, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, Sondhiem, Tom Waits and soon Jacques Brel are the musical idols, all vividly brought to life by Neuwirth's brutal honesty and evocatively burning emotional force.

One of the newest ventures of Broadway Records is the release of a new series of CDs recorded live at 54 Below in New York City. The first singer to open the elegant new night club space was Broadway's extraordinary Patti Lupone last June, 2012. So it is only fitting that her Far Away Places be the first recording. Two-time Tony Award winning actor/singer Norbert Leo Butz played the room in August, 2012. His exciting Memories & Mayhem is the second live CD released.