Don Grigware - Page 75

Renowned actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth upheld her 'Popular' -ity on New Year's Eve @ the Walt Disney Pavilion by giving her audiences, who regail her for TV's The West Wing, Pushing Daisies and Glee, what they want most: namely, a large dose and a half of her glowing charisma. The petite and pretty talent has a gorgeous soprano voice which she displayed most effectively and a great sense of comedic humor which was also put to good use throughout the varied 90-minute set.

Actor/singer Luca Ellis is having a breakthrough year portraying Frank Sinatra in the huge hit Hoboken to Hollywood at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, now extended to the end of January. Having portrayed Sinatra last year with the cast of Louis and Keely @ the El Portal, he is no stranger to the legend. It shows, for when you close your eyes, you feel you are listening to Sinatra himself. Handsome and confident, Ellis talks about the show, its eventual move to a larger space - one that has been confirmed by director Jeremy Aldridge, who also directed Louis and Keeley Live at the Sahara to great acclaim - and shares other insights about singers and the art of singing.

Cabrillo Music Theatre have done themselves proud these past couple of seasons with stellar productions of great Broadway shows. Their 2010 Holiday Spectacular is indeed just that. There's something for everyone in the family: Broadway show tunes, Christmas carols and a delightful sing-a-long, and some pretty wonderful dance numbers involving some pretty talented kids, beautifully choreographed by director Cheryl Baxter.

The Best in LA Theatre for 2010

GMCLA's annual holiday concert, this year entitled Comfort & Joy, was presented Saturday, December 18 and Sunday, December 19 to sold out houses at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and proved once again to be one of the most innovative and enjoyable holiday concerts around town. With guest director Dr. Timothy Seelig - en route from Dallas, Texas to take over as director of the GMC in San Francisco - firmly in control, the afternoon was a glorious one indeed.

Actress/singer ValLimar Jansen beautifully becomes Ethel Waters, body and soul, in Sweet Mama String Bean. The story concerns the first half of Waters' life, which may be little known to many: how she rose from illegitimacy to radio, club and Broadway super-stardom by the 1940s, before becoming the well-known Emmy and Oscar nominated actress.

On Sunday December 12 Antony Field and Chip Smith presented a CD release party of their new Christmas CD You and Me on Christmas Eve @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. For fans of jazz and country inspired music, this one's for you! Field has a vocal sound along the lines of Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr. - a true gem of a singer with velvety smooth vocal chords - and musician Smith has an amazing versatility on keyboards, horn, sax and clarinet. Their 10 original Christmas songs have an easy-going, mellow sound perfect for a laid-back holiday evening by the fireside or sitting around a table with lots of friends and Christmas libation.

It's hard to believe, but the fiercely fruity hit Fruitcake Follies is celebrating its 12th birthday, having originated in Hollywood at the Cinegrill, and now in its permanent residence in the basement of a Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake. About as original as you'll find anywhere, the show's genius is James Gray, who serves as host, and costars the one and only Momma ... and this year Eric Seppala and Sandy Fox. Guest stars are Leslie Carrara and puppet pet Lolly and Melanie Hutsell as chef Paula Deen.

One of the most uniquely thrilling musical experiences to be found in the theatre right now is at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. There's a glorious production there called Fascinating Rhythms, an ode to ballroom dancing told through the music of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time Melissa Manchester.

Comedic actor Leslie Jordan is best remembered internationally for his recurring role as Beverley Leslie in TV's Will & Grace (2001-2006) for which he won the coveted Emmy Award. On stage in LA, he has starred in Del Shores' Southern Baptist Sissies as Peanut and in Sordid Lives as Brother Boy - also in the film and cable TV series in the same role - to popular and critical acclaim and in his own productions of Like a Dog on Linoleum and My Walk Down the Pink Carpet. In our talk, he tells us about his newest touring Christmas show Deck Them Halls, Y'All, which will open at the Renberg Theater of the Gay and Lesbian Center in LA on December 16, as well as other future projects. Jordan is so funny, I have to really watch it and try to control my laughter; otherwise, we'd still be talking.

An intelligently imaginative turn, Jeffrey Solomon's one-man play Santa Claus Is Coming Out @ the Diversionary in San Diego may cause controversy among conservatives but is certainly a milestone in the acceptance of gay rights. Gay bashing is not a new issue in schools; in fact, Solomon first presented this piece in Chicago in 2001 as a protest to the manner in which the educational system has been dealing with young gay students. They deserve to be treated as human beings and accepted for who they are. And who knows for sure whether great icons like Santa, a pegan outcast in Christian philosophy, wasn't homosexual as well?

Spending an evening with Toni Morrell and her Legendary Ladies is one to treasure. This lady, as I've reviewed her in My American Dream, is one hell of a singer and actress who embodies a star, and underneath possesses the warmth and radiance of a genuine human being.

This is my fifth visit to Santasia, my first time seeing it @ the Whitefire, and I must admit within six years the show has gotten tighter and better, without losing a morsel of its unique comedic charm. Brothers Shaun and Brandon Loeser and four other actors: Andrew J. Hillis, James Elden, Lon Gowan, and Art Oden sing, dance, act and fool around as chums tend to do in a nonstop, side-splitting bevy of sketches not unlike those of Saturday Night Live, where good old silliness reigns supreme.

Ask musical actors/actresses for their choice of favorite Broadway musical of all time and they most often concur, West Side Story. Why? It has phenomenal music by Leonard Bernstein, with concise poetic lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a tight and gripping book by Arthur Laurents, who directed two years ago, and brilliant choreography established in 1957 by Jerome Robbins. It is one of the most powerful love stories ever, next to Romeo and Juliet. With all these elements complementing one another, from the first downbeat of the orchestra and the appearance of the Jets creeping in one by one on a half-lit stage, the show pulls you in and doesn't let you go for its two and a half hours ... and its message of and images of love linger long after.

Legendary stage, film and television star Dick Van Dyke brings Step In Time! A Musical Memoir to the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre @ the Geffen Playhouse opening December 16. He has much to say in our interview about his career and the people he's worked with.

Perhaps one of the best family Christmas shows returns this season to NoHo Arts Center: Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas. It was my choice for Best Family Show in 2007.What puts it on top? It's light, frothy and fun, but most urgently it encourages the audience to interact with the actors throughout. Interaction is foremost in getting kids' attention. The pirates trample through the aisles, swing on ropes from the audience to the stage and never let us forget that they are pirates ... and naughty. The kids love it, and most of the big kids as well! Kudos to James J. Mellon for a theatrical staging of such bravado.

Last mounted by Group rep in 2008, Daniel Sullivan's intelligent and very funny Inspecting Carol is a farcical look at a production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol by a regional theatre, in this case the fictional Soap Box Playhouse. Group rep's current superb cast make their second production of it a worthy view.

This sparkling new version of the classic fairytale Cinderella is a joy for adults and kids alike. In fact, it's done in the style of a British Panto (short for Pantomime), which has nothing to do with silent mime, but is classified as a winter comedy with music hall or vaudeville sensibility and enough audience participation to make it raucous and fun for the entire family. The Lythgoe Family's new entertainment @ the El Portal is certainly that, judging by audience reactions the day I attended. Everyone was cheering, booing and participating in top form making for a fun-filled afternoon.

To keep up with the ultra-fast pace of the modern age is difficult for most 'normal' people. Dealing with emotional pain or loss on top of average daily strife can be overwhelming. It may easily destroy a life and those connected to it as well. In the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal, the problem is presented via a wife and mother, who has been diagnosed as bi-polar. Her behavior patterns show extreme mental instability verging on insanity, and the effects on her husband and teen daughter are astronomical. Eventually a heartfelt loss from the past unravels that is at the core of the woman's suffering. Structured in a most unique 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 and book flow together, and with the three tiered open set and loosely structured staging, it all comes together as an unparalleled musical drama.