BWW Reviews: Theatre 40's Ice-Breaker May 18, 2010David Rambo's The Ice-Breaker is getting its Los Angeles premiere in a handsome production at Theatre 40. Although flawed, the play has enough going for it to capture audience acclaim. Set in Arizona in present time, The Ice-Breaker has an appealing romantic quality like old-fashioned plays, in which two people in conflict end up in an unforseen romantic entanglement.
BWW Reviews: Ruhl's Pulitzer-Nominated Clean House May 18, 2010Unusual and provocative best describe Sarah Ruhl's Pulitzer-Prize nominated The Clean House receiving its LA Premiere at the Odyssey. Under Stefan Kruck's consistently circular staging, the play elicits laughter through tears and is bound to be a hit with theatre lovers, especially with those who have a taste for the outrageous.
Reprise Ends Season with a Bang!May 14, 2010How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert music & lyrics by Frank Loesser directed & choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge Reprise Theatre Company @ The Freud Playhouse, UCLA through May 23
Ruskin's Jesse Boy Riveting FareMay 11, 2010Robert Mollohan's play Jesse Boy, now receiving its world premiere at Ruskin, is a potent mix of reality and fantasy.
La Chiusa's See What I Wanna See @ The BlankMay 11, 2010See What I Wanna See words and music by Michael John La Chiusa suggested by the stories of Rynosuke Akutagawa as translated by Takashi Kojima directed by Daniel Henning The Blank Theatre Company through May 30
Rivera is King @ El Centro TheatreMay 10, 2010Ser o no ser. Esta es la cuestion. Spanish Shakespeare consumes actor Rene Rivera. Throughout his stimulating one man show, The King of the Desert, autobiographical and penned by his wife Stacey Martino, Rivera quotes Hamlet more than once to describe his passion and to help sustain his dream of one day becoming a great actor. Like Hamlet, the young TexMex Rivera had difficulty assessing his self-worth amidst a life of constant struggle and turmoil.
C'est si bon, Lee Lessack ChanteurMay 3, 2010American pop music has a plethora of songs with French titles. Take, for example, Rodgers' & Hammerstein's 'Dites-moi', and Lerner and Loewe's 'C'est moi' from the world of Broadway. And, legendary French pop singers of the past like Chevalier, Piaf, Brel and Aznavour are almost as well known in the US as Dylan, Presley and Sinatra. So, we should not take for granted the effects of French culture on American music. International singer Lee Lessack concurs as he presents an outstanding cabaret of mixed French and American tunes with a French flavor called Chanteur, vibrantly conceived by director Brian Lane Green.
BWW Reviews: Thrifty Thrilling 39 STEPS @ AhmansonApril 29, 2010Hitchcock is known as the Master of Suspense. This creative team have taken a suspenseful Hitchcock film (1935) and gone a giant step further to fashion a thoroughly entertaining, high comedy cinematic suspense yarn for the stage.
BWW Interviews: Lola Cohen, Author of 'The Lee Strasberg Notes'April 29, 2010Editor/acting teacher Lola Cohen has compiled a priceless book about acting from one of the greatest teachers of our time Lee Strasberg. Strasberg, who advocated Stanislavski and The Method, began his illustrious acting career with the Group Theater and is best remembered for his work on film in The Godfather.
Chanteur Bobby Bennett Scores @ Sterling'sApril 26, 2010
On Sunday evening April 25 Bobby Bennett brought his inimitable sounds of A Night of Love to Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. This was his cabaret debut here, although he competed in this past season's LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010. A former finalist on American Idol, Bobby Bennett is so vocally smooth and possesses an easy listening style that makes him the perfect pop recording artist. He infuses his audience, in his very own special way, with a desire to really listen to his music. So, I am naming him the Michael Feinstein of the coming decade.
Funny Lady Vicki Lewis Talks About Her Theatrical WorkApril 26, 2010Character actress/singer Vicki Lewis is a favorite with TV and theatraudiences alike, perhaps most recognized as Larry David's producing partner from Cable's hilarious Curb Your Enthusiasm. When we spoke, she was starting rehearsals with Reprise for their next production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opening May 11 at the Freud @ UCLA.
BWW Reviews: NIGHTMARE ALLEY Lacks NightmareApril 27, 2010Where's the nightmare? Not nearly as dark as it needs to be or musically enticing enough, Nightmare Alley at the Geffen, by its very nature should be diabolically thrilling like a Kander and Ebb musical but it doesn't cut the mustard, even with its exceptional cast including James Barbour, Larry Cedar and Mary Gordon Murray.
Singing Coach to the Stars Marge Rivingston Talks About Her New Book and the Joys of Her ProfessionApril 21, 2010Singing coach Marge Rivingston has written Do You Hear What I Hear? a practice guide for the singing student. With over 40 years in the business, she knows a thing or two about how to prepare yourself for the craft and how to preserve the health of your voice. In our talk, she presents an optimism that resonates with those students who have been lucky enough to put her vast knowledge to profitable use.
Michele Lee Reminisces About Seesaw Before Performing at S.T.A.G.E BenefitApril 20, 2010Actress/ singer Michele Lee will appear in S.T.A.G.E. benefit's Original Cast on May 1 at the Luckman Theatre. Star of stage, screen and TV, Lee starred on Broadway with Robert Morse in How to Succeed in Businees Without Really Trying (1961-65) and then repeated the role of Rosemary on film in 1967, Bravo Giovanni in 1962, Seesaw in 1973, winning a Drama Desk Award as Best Actress and a Tony nomination as Best Actress in a Musical and in Charles Busch's comedy The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (2000-2002), receiving a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Play.
