Ellen Dostal - Page 11

Each summer in Griffith Park, Independent Shakespeare Co. presents fully-produced large scale performances for hundreds of people on a nightly basis. Instead of the expensive dinner and a movie scenario, families flock to the park for a more neighborly picnic and a play. It's friendly, affordable (the play is free), and fun...and that's about as good as it gets on a summer night in LA.

Turning a profit in the theatre business is challenging at best but it isn't surprising that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL easily recouped its initial investment during its run on Broadway, or its outlay for the First National Tour, now playing at the Hollywood Pantages. The popularity of the Motown sound is undeniable. Even if you wanted to, it's impossible to keep from being carried away by the irresistible groove of the music. And why would you even want to try?

Director Denise Devin knows how to set a mood. Her one-hour Shakespeare adaptations condense the Bard's source material into compact, efficient theatre capsules that are perfect for those who want their Shakespeare short and sweet - or in this case, dark and bloody - with enough time left after the show to head out on the town.

Two famous brothers. One historic collaboration. Gershwin. Theirs was a name that would forever represent the early twentieth century music of the Jazz Age by capturing the heart and soul of the American people. Music drove George, the charismatic life-of-the-party musician who created sophisticated compositions like An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue, while Ira, the older and quieter of the two, was happier in the company of words. Together they created a prolific body of work that includes some of the most beloved standards today like 'Fascinating Rhythm,' 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off,' and 'Love is Here to Stay.'

The Huntington Library will host a two-day Shakespeare conference Friday and Saturday, April 17 – 18: Rethinking Shakespeare in the Social Depth of Politics. Cost is only $25 (free for students). The “new social history” has exploded the myth that the culture of Shakespeare's society was one of obedience. In this special event, social historians and literary critics will reposition his works in the culture wars of the period, and reassess Shakespeare's presentation of power and authority. Space is still available but seating is limited.

Betrayal lurks around every corner when a ruler's ability to rule comes into question. Whether real or imagined, its weighty presence stands as a cautionary phantom in A Noise Within's JULIUS CAESAR. Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliot and Geoff Elliot have turned Shakespeare's thought-provoking political drama into a powerful expose on the less noble actions of men, anchored by two terrific performances and a commanding industrial design.

Mary Zimmerman makes her long-awaited San Diego directing debut with an enchanting theatrical spectacle with live music and sumptuous visuals, THE WHITE SNAKE. The Southern California Premiere of The White Snake, written and directed by Zimmerman, will runs through April 26 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.

What if Shakespeare's Macbeth wasn't the end of the story? It's intriguing, isn't it; to consider a world in which Lady Macbeth might have survived, for she would most certainly not have gone quietly into the night. Playwright David Greig thought so too and, beginning March 27th, LA Shakespeare lovers will have a chance to see his modern day sequel to The Scottish Play when the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company bring DUNSINANE to The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

A striking image hovers above the action in HENRY IV, PART ONE at The Antaeus Company. It is a partial rendering of the planets orbiting the sun which serves as a constant reminder that this is the journey of a king-in-the-making. As Prince Hal, also known as Harry, slowly transitions from party boy to royal warrior, its glow becomes more and more noticeable until it finally overtakes the stage.

A luscious new 4K digital restoration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1951 Technicolor film TALES OF HOFFMAN (in English) will be screened at The Cinefamily, March 13 - 19. This new restoration is supervised by Martin Scorsese and Oscar winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker, wife of director Powell and Scorsese's longtime film editor, and contains eight minutes of never before seen footage along with newly restored footage not seen since the 1951 release.

No reality exists in which an historical figure from the 17th century would end up in the present day kitchen of a realtor in Phoenix, Arizona but in the dreamtime of PROPERTIES OF SILENCE all things are possible. Here, authors Theresa Chavez, Rose Portillo, and Alan Pulner explore the imagination of necessity by transcending time to merge the stories of two women led by the calling of their own inner voice.

Last week we introduced you to Emily Lopez, soon to be playing Carrie in the revival of CARRIE THE MUSICAL at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Today we meet Misty Cotton, the other powerhouse actor who will be leading the cast as the mother of all mothers, Margaret White. A day off from rehearsals gave Misty a chance to catch her breath and tell us a little about her road to CARRIE and what it's like stepping into this iconic role.

Why does Iago hate the Moor? That has always been the great question in OTHELLO and one for which Shakespeare provides no definitive answer. Yes, he feels slighted when Othello promotes Cassio over him but is that enough reason to plot the general's demise? Is it because he believes that Othello has slept with his wife, or because of the color of his skin? Or are Iago's actions fueled by something deeper like self-loathing?

One of the most highly anticipated productions in LA is the upcoming revival of CARRIE THE MUSICAL opening March 18 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Word has it that the performance will take place all over the theater in what will be a truly immersive experience. Based on the Stephen King unforgettable horror novel, the revival reunites the original creative team: bookwriter Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film) who has revised the book, lyricist Dean Pitchford (Fame, Footloose), and composer Michael Gore (Fame, Terms of Endearment). Carrie has always been the kind of story that prompts a strong reaction. People who love it, really love it. As for those of us in the musical theatre community - we can't wait to see what happens at this high school prom. Today we get a first look at one of the actresses who is headlining the show, Emily Lopez, who plays Carrie White, as she talks about high school, auditioning for Carrie, and that blue prom dress.

The first thing you notice when you step into the theater for A Noise Within's THE THREEPENNY OPERA is Frederica Nascimento's stunningly vivid set design. It's a deconstruction in which none of the elements are hidden: lighting instruments are in plain sight; pieces of scenery hang suggestively from the rails but without trying to make a complete picture; furniture litters the upstage areas and props are scattered about; the band is in plain view tuning up on one side and actors in rags are already roaming the audience.

A tastefully elegant production of Maltby & Shire's CLOSER THAN EVER brings the duo's beautiful and thought-provoking songs to life in the intimate performance space at Hollywood Piano in Burbank. It's a co-production between Good People Theater Company and Hollywood Piano; a partnership that means the audience gets the rare opportunity to hear the score played on a gorgeous 9½ foot Mason & Hamlin grand piano.

On Thursday, February 19th, Valley Performing Arts Center brought the beauty and artistry of Les 7 doigts de la main to Southern California audiences in a one-night-only performance of Sequence 8. Breathtaking acrobatics, unexpected humor, and exciting innovation are the hallmarks of this mesmerizing piece of storytelling.

Continuing its role as the only Equity theatre company dedicated to developing new work by Native American artists, Native Voices at the Autry presents OFF THE RAILS by Randy Reinholz (Choctaw*), starring Shaun Taylor-Corbett. A bawdy and irreverent adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure set in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, the production is presented as part of Native Voices at the Autry's 2014-2015 season, themed 'Legacy and Loss: Stories From the Indian Boarding School.'

There was a moment in Chance Theater's LOCH NESS, a new musical, when I realized I had fallen completely in love with it; when everything suddenly came together in the most wonderful of ways - the glow of the lighting on a handful of heart wide open actors, the lyrical swell of their singing voices soaring with hope, a fog rising from a sea of imagination brought to life with unexpected delight - all of it morphed into what can only be described as pure magic.

In the final episode of Shakespeare Uncovered - Series II, Joseph Fiennes takes a look at Shakespeare's most often performed play, Romeo and Juliet, and the relevance it has in our world today. It is the story of two teenagers whose deep, profound love heals a deeply pathetic hatred between warring families and leaves the audience with a puzzling redemption. Love and death, conflict and pride, this play has it all.