Don Grigware - Page 61

On Sunday April 29 Melody Hollis presented the new installment of Melodyland at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Incorporating some different songs into the set like 'I'm the Greatest Star', 'Tchaikovsky', 'You've Got a Friend in Me', 'Hamlet' and a couple of others, material she has performed in Kritzerland shows since last summer, Hollis has turned 14 since she last did the show ...and is now a self-described 'woman'. In spite of this humorous, laugh-guaranteed joke of the grownup fully emerging from the little girl, one can clearly see the changes in physical development and at the same time sense the increased sense of self-awareness and freedom. She is taller, prettier and blossoming nicely into an intelligent young lady - and who says 'home schooling' doesn't work? Bruce Kimmel has written some very cute material for her, and she is learning how to make it work optimally. As she continues to blossom and grow over the next few years, Hollis' vocal instrument, considering her immense talent, should mature beautifully. And maybe, just maybe, if luck will have it...she might just get that chance to sing 'I'm the Greatest Star' on Broadway as the newest Fanny Brice in that still awaited, much anticipated, first ever revival of Funny Girl. She can do it! I know I have my fingers crossed for her!

Many plays have been written about Europe in the throes of the Holocaust and its devastating effect on the Jews who lived not only in Germany, but in other German-speaking countries such as Austria and Vienna. The future of those children was severely limited or drastically cut short. Mona Golabek is the daughter of Lisa Jura, a consummate concert pianist who, unlike many, was given a ticket to freedom via the Kindertransport... she was offered the chance to make a difference and did, as told in The Pianist of Willesden Lane, now onstage in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre backspace of the Geffen Playhouse. This is stunning theatre that will leave you emotionally breathless. Marvelously adapted and directed by Hersehy Felder, Lisa Jura's story is a theatrical experience not to be missed.

Once Upon a Mattress/book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller & Marshall Barer/music by Mary Rodgers; lyrics by Marshall Barer/directed by Richard Israel

On April 20 and 21 Peter Mac repeated one of his most challenging shows honoring Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall. To sing all 26 dynamic tunes at the highest peak as well as to replicate in minute detail the deliciously droll Garland anecdotes about her encounters with a chic Parisian hairdresser or a disgustingly insincere London press woman ... this is a huge...no, daunting task to pull off. Only a truly gifted performer can do it, and there is literally no one who comes even close to Peter Mac, who sings the only sincere loving tribute to Judy Garland anywhere. Mac gave 150% this past weekend and will do so again this coming weekend April 27 and 28 at the French Quarter inside the French Market in Hollywood. The show is astounding from start to finish. Mac, like Garland, works at a harrowingly brisk pace throughout accompanied at the piano by wonderful musical director Bryan Miller and by Kevin Widener on percussion. Mac even manages to throw in a few of his own jokes like the one about Tallulah Bankhead wiring 'Kisses on your opening' or talking freely about composer Noel Coward who never held back an opinion. Judy Garland would have been 90 years old in June of this year, and what devilish great fun to hear Mac shout out as Garland herself would undoubtedly say, 'I'm too old for this shit!'

On Sunday April 22 composer Michele Brourman (left), joined by gifted singer Pat Whiteman (right), presented a quite extraordinary evening of mostly original musical material at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Brourman is best known for cabaret standards such as 'My Favorite Year', with lyrics by Karen Gottlieb, and for penning the complete musical score for A Dangerous Beauty, with lyrics by Amanda McBroom, which received a premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2011. She is an unquestionably amazing talent, whose music is deeply soulful, poetic; some on the romantic side; some in a purely satirical mood. You will cry or laugh depending on the tune at hand, but never halfheartedly.

As in Wonder of the World and Rabbit Hole, previous works of David Lindsay-Abaire, the playwright is not afraid to go to extremes to make a point. World is exceedingly comedic, Hole far more serious, but both have characters who find their way via a path less tread. Such is also the case with his dramedy Good People. Southie Margie (Jane Kaczmarek) makes a choice to pay an unusual visit to her 'lace curtain' former boyfriend, Mike (Jon Tenney), now a successful doctor in the suburbs. She finds that as polite as he is, he wants little to do with her, yet insists on practically inviting herself to his posh home for a party, and when he calls to cancel, she shows up anyway. Talk about guts! Southies - from South Boston - have them in spades, as we can see from her two gossipy chums landlady Dottie (Marylouise Burke) and Jean (Sara Botsford), who trash just about anyone and everyone as they hang out playing bingo. Now onstage at the Geffen, Good People gets a deservedly stunning production with great direction from Matt Shakman and a sterling ensemble.

Stepping Out by British TV writer Richard Harris is not a musical, although it was turned into one in 2010. It's a play with music and is set in Northern England in 1984, the same time period and place as Billy Elliot. It's the tale of eight women and one man who take a weekly local tap class in their church hall. Workers and mates by day, these folks are generally disillusioned and unhappy, each for a different reason, and without the class, they might just cash it in. What you see on stage, now at the Welk Resort Theatre in Escondido, are the amateur characters as they arrive at class and spill their guts for a brief time about their various issues and how they adapt themselves to each other and to learning how to tap. First efforts are rusty at best, but as the play proceeds, the group get to know and tolerate each other and to tap better, and eventually are given a chance to participate in a local one-night annual entertainment gala. My first misgiving with the play is that you never get to know each person thoroughly or totally understand their motivations, but after careful consideration, what you see is what you get: an entertainment that brings the people together, that brings a much needed joy into their lives ... and to the audience at large. It's real, funny and musically fun - about a mini Chorus Line but with amateur dancers whose stories do not involve the profession - and that by itself is enough to give it universal appeal.

In 1984 when Northern English coal miners went on strike in defiance of Margaret Thatcher's announcement to dissolve the unions, there was little hope for the future. Prospects were dim for kids like Billy Elliot who would be expected to enter the family business like his dad and his dad before him and on down the family lineage. Within 10 years, there would be no jobs, and where would Billy go, what would he do? Fortunately, this 11 year-old had unstoppable dreams that would perhaps take him far, if only he could defeat the tremendous odds and get his dad to agree to an audition in London for the Royal Academy - ballet. Since 2000, when the film Billy Elliot won the hearts of the entire world, there came a musical stage version - in 2005 on the West End and 2008 on Broadway, winning 10 Tony Awards. The stage version was as successful as the movie, mainly because the screenwriter Lee Hall and director Stephen Daldry stayed with the project. Billy Elliot has universal appeal for kids with artistic talent, and speaks to the young at heart in all of us. Finally Billy is in LA at the Pantages through May 13 only, with a sensational cast that will have you standing, cheering and singing its praises for years to come.

Parody must have bite to grab hold of an audience. Since its inception, the Forbidden Broadway series has had the incisors of a shark and the claws of a lion, and theatre folk just clammer to have their gods and divas dished and devoured.

Actor/singer Rich Hebert will open tonight, Thursday, April 12, at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood for Broadway LA in the second national tour and the Los Angeles premiere of Billy Elliot, playing Billy's dad.

Not unlike Neil Simon with his zippy one-liners coming at you fast and furious, Matthew Leavitt has fashioned a very uptempo ultra-modern comedy about relationships in The Boomerang Effect that manages to slip in a substantial message or two whilst tickling the funny bone. Now onstage at the Odyssey a terrific cast of 10 all sleep in the same bed - well, separate pairs of course - and engineer a slick and well-intentioned comedic evening of theatre.

This is my 7th Peter Mac show since August. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of the man and his talent, which must be experienced up close to be fully appreciated. He is the current master tribute artist, making Garland totally his own. As Margaret O'Brien herself said, it's like an evening up close and 'personal with Judy Garland', and Mac gives so very much of himself to the singing and banter, that it's uncannily infectious. He could read/sing the phone book, and that would be OK too, as audiences will listen. Once a Peter Mac fan, you are hooked, baby! This show Judy Garland's Lost Easter Special with special guests DJ Schaefer as Bea Arthur, Alissa Cote as Lorna Luft, Glory Gale as Liza Minnelli and David Marker as Joey Luft, very similar to the Christmas Special in December at the Gardenia, is a lot of uproarious fun, obviously because it takes liberties in its originality and in not copying an actual special. But it's every bit as spontaneous, warm and loving as Garland's own family-oriented program.

Despite its predictability The Man with the Pointed Toes is an endearingly frothy romantic comedy a lot like the ones that Doris Day used to make in the 60s with James Garner or Rock Hudson. That's because Lynn and Helen Root, two prolific Broadway and Hollywood screen writers from the golden age and before, penned The Man with the Pointed Toes originally as a TV special in the 60s. Afterwards it was mounted as a play for the first time at Glendale Centre Theatre. It has that unmistakable old style comedic flair that just isn't seen anymore. It involves a triangle with two women, one conniving, out to get what she wants and the other, tried and true to a fault and the man too gullible to see the forest from the trees, until the end of course. Now revived onstage at the Glendale Centre Theatre, Pointed Toes has a fab cast, razor sharp direction from Allan Dietlein, who also directed it originally, and comes up a blue-ribbon winner.

Actor Burt Grinstead may have a short theatrical resume at this stage, but he has been working consistently over the past couple of years essaying plays in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Since coming back to LA last summer, he has been in the highly successful Esther's Moustache at Sidewalk Studio Theatre this past fall and is currently treading the boards once more in the all new critically acclaimed production of Deathtrap at the Gay and Lesbian Center in Hollywood. In our chat he discusses Deathtrap and the other roles he's played, his focus as an actor, and those actors who have had the most influence on him.

Tony Award winning triple threat Donna McKechnie will always be remembered as Cassie in A Chorus Line, and of course for her solo within it 'The Music and the Mirror'. This vet of Broadway, TV and film is currently teaching a musical comedy class at HB Studio in New York and in our chat offers some choice anecdotes from her career. She will appear in Original Cast 3, this year's S.T.A.G.E. (Southland Theatrical Artists Goodwill Event) benefit for APLA (Aids Project Los Angeles) Saturday April 28 at the Saban Theatre.

Broadway had one of its greatest commercial hits and the longest running comedy-thriller with Ira Levin's Deathtrap in 1978, and it was later filmed in 1982 with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. Like Sleuth before it, Deathtrap makes a game out of murder with plot twists too numerable to mention, and adds just a small amount of comedy to make it all palatable. It's a play within a play, making it doubly intriguing to watch. Now on stage at the Davidson/Valentini Theatre of the Gay and Lesbian Center, this new production of the classic is every bit as fun as the original with a little sexual eye candy thrown in for good measure.

On Sunday April 1 Kritzerland presented its monthly show, this time Take Me Along saluting composer/lyricist Bob Merrill at the all new Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in NoHo. This also marked the opening night for the new venue. Bruce Kimmel hosted a lovely evening with singers Melody Hollis, Juliana Hansen, Julie Garnye, Kristopher McNeeley, Jeffrey Christopher Todd and special guest Lainie Kazan. Christy Crowl served beautifully as musical director at the piano. Shelly Markham played for Miss Kazan. As always, Kimmel told some interesting stories about the composer. As for Merrill, he composed all of his tunes on a toy xylophone and had a series of pop tunes in the 50s long before he had a Broadway success. Songs performed in the 90-minute set included these tunes as well as Broadway fare from hits like Funny Girl, Carnival and Sugar, as well as from flops Pretty Belle, Henry, Sweet Henry, based on The World of Henry Orient and Holly Golightly otherwise referred to as Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Be assured that Hello! My Baby is by no means a musical revue, but an original book musical by Cheri Steinkellner, incorporating fine old standards from The Great American Songbook written in the early 1900s when the action of the play takes place on both the Upper and Lower East Sides of New York. It's a newly fashioned old-fashioned look at a few fictional characters who struggled to write songs in the golden age of musical history. Now onstage at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura Baby offers a sweetly delicious take on the perils of dreaming one's dream, with an energetic and phenomenally talented cast of 22 under the lickety-split pace of skilled director Brian McDonald and nifty choreographer Lee Martino.

Hershey Felder has proven himself a virtuoso musician at the piano over the last fifteen years portraying Chopin, Beethoven, Bernstein and Gershwin, among others, and now with his original composition Lincoln for symphony orchestra and actor, he proves just how well he can sing and tell a story...without stepping one foot toward the piano. Playing Charles Augustus Leale, a Union army surgeon who attended the fallen Abraham Lincoln on August 14, 1865 at Ford's Theatre, D.C., he guides us into a privately experienced world of loss and grief that soon affected an entire nation... that would have to let go of the brilliant politician/statesman, who cared so dearly for his people. In fact, the strong parallel between Leale and Lincoln is that they both cared tirelessly for the human condition. Now on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse through April 7 only, Felder's Lincoln - An American Story is a beautifully written and heartfelt narrative to which every American should bear witness.