Gil Kaan - Page 32

Actress/writer Nia Vardalos will be bringing her latest theatrical creation TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS to the Pasadena Playhouse beginning April 10, 2019. In her stage adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's New York Times best-seller (co-conceived with Thomas Kail & Marshall Hayman), Nia reprises the lead role of Sugar, an online advice columnist by happenstance. Nia managed a few spare moments of her crazy, busy schedule to answer a few of my inquisitive inquiries on Sugar & Toula.

Playwright Eleanor Burgess' latest work THE NICETIES receives its west coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse beginning April 9, 2019. THE NICETIES charts the escalating series of calm-to-volatile discourses between a university college professor and her brilliant student on history, race and reputation. Eleanor, a Huntington Playwright Fellow, carved out some time to answer a few of my inquisitive inquiries on her writing processes, while touching on some of her professional milestones.

Antaeus Theatre Company's 2018 Southern California premiere of NATIVE SON has been chosen as the third and final production of Center Theatre Group's BLOCK PARTY 2019, beginning April 18, 2019 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Nambi E. Kelley's adaptation of Richard Wright's classic novel Native Son will be reprised with its entire original Antaeus cast of nine, again with director Andi Chapman at its helm. I had the chance to ask some delving questions of Jon Chaffin, who portrays NATIVE SON's most integral character, Bigger Thomas.

#1. The wit of Kate Pazakis (executive producer of the UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF... series) - writes some of the sharpest and laugh-inducing dialogue while name-dropping and parodying the 1999 cult classic, Heath Ledger/Julia Stiles-starrer 10 Things I Hate About You. (No need to have already seen the film. You'll enjoy the wall-to-wall talent acting out the UMPO stand-alone storyline.)

Wasatch Theatrical Ventures brings Arthur Miller's classic ALL MY SONS to the Lounge Theatre beginning April 6, 2019. A staple of the Los Angeles Theatre community, director/actor/designer Gary Lee Reed helms this ironically timely tale of defective aircraft tragedies. Gary spent a few moments to answer some of my quizzing questions.

24th Street Theatre presents its latest for kids (and for the kids in all of us), the Los Angeles premiere of THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, opening April 6, 2019 at their converted carriage house at the edge of L.A.'s historic West Adams district. I acquired the chance to query Brady Dalton Richards, one of the four-person, EDWARD TULANE ensemble. Brady tackles a number of roles, not including the porcelain rabbit named Edward Tulane.

The 2019 National tour of Lincoln Center Theater's production of FALSETTOS has already begun in San Francisco, with its next stop the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (beginning April 16, 2019). I was afforded the most opportune chance to chat with Nick Blaemire in between shows at the SHN Golden Gate in San Francisco. A produced Broadway writer at the early age of 23, Nick now portrays shrink/husband/step-dad/friend Mendel, the connecting link between FALSETTOS's myriad of characters created from the fertile meetings of the artistic minds of William Finn and James Lapine.

Skylight Theatre Company's 2017 production of ROTTERDAM has been chosen to be remounted at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of Center Theatre Group's third annual BLOCK PARTY. The talented cast of four (under the very able direction of Michael A. Shepperd) have already begun reprising their respective roles. I grabbed the opportunity to chat with Miranda Wynne who essayed Alice at Skylight.

Award-winning writer/actress Renee Taylor will be bringing her touring one-woman show RENEE TAYLOR'S MY LIFE ON A DIET back to her home town at The Wallis April 5, 2019. Known to many television fans of The Nanny as Fran Drescher's TV mom, Renee has collaborated on a multitude of movie and theatrical projects with her late husband Joe Bologna. I had the very lovely chance to get some hilarious answers to my under-other-circumstances, 'un-polite' questions.

Playwright Robert Harling's sharp, snappy, heart-wrenching, Louisiana-favored dialogue receives its most worthy due in this Actors Co-op production; cast with a spot-on ensemble of six amazing actresses, smoothly and expertly helmed by director Cameron Watson.

Lauded jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, accompanied by THE MEMPHIS SOULPHONY, will be bringing her latest show MEMPHIS: YES, I'M READY, based on her latest musical release Memphis: Yes, I'm Ready to The Wallis for one night only March 23, 2019. The most warm and delightful Ms. Bridgewater managed to entertain and enlightened me on the phone for an informative, heartfelt forty-five minutes.

Playwright/director Robert O'Hara will helm the world premiere of Inda Craig-Galvan's BLACK SUPER HERO MAGIC MAMA, already in previews at the Geffen Playhouse. When MAMA loses her 14-year-old to a police shooting, she retreats into the comic book world created by her deceased son. Robert talks MAMA, George C. Wolfe, and what it means to be an artist.

FOR THE LOVE OF (OR, THE ROLLER DERBY PLAY), the first of the three productions Center Theatre Group remounts at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of their BLOCK PARTY 2019, opens March 9, 2019. As cosmic forces would have it, sound designer Gilly Moon also skates in the San Fernando Valley Roller Derby. Gilly took a breather between her sound and skating pursuits to chat with me.

Lauded Broadway and recording artist Telly Leung will be bringing this cabaret show SING HAPPY for one-night-only to Vitello's March 18, 2019. SING HAPPY will include songs from Telly's various musical roles, tunes from his vocal idols, and some simply for personal significance.

Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson brings his autobiographical solo show LACKAWANNA BLUES to the Mark Taper (already in previews), with opening night set for March 13, 2019. Hearkening back to his 1950's childhood in Lackawanna, New York; Ruben assumes the roles of twenty-plus characters he grew up with.

Boston Court Pasadena's artistic director Michael Michetti assuredly directs his pitch-perfect cast in DEEE-livering the whip-smart words of David Hare's THE JUDAS KISS in a smooth, non-stop, totally involving pace. Chameleon Rob Nagle has once again transformed himself into another fully-fleshed out characterization. Nagle COMMANDS the stage every second he's on it. Bravo, Mr. Nagle!

Menander Productions and Jamie Pierce have gathered a talented cast and crew to populate their world premiere of playwright Gina Torrecilla's ATTACK OF THE SECOND BANANAS, now at the Zephyr Theatre. Ryan Bergmann sharply directs his six-person ensemble in a slick, quick pace of much laughs and hilarity. Taylor Stephenson's underscoring of mock suspense music aptly heightens this involving, who-done-it mystery.

PigPen Theatre Company will be bringing their latest show THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON to The Wallis March 2, 2019. The seven-member PigPen Theatre Company, together since meeting in 2010 as undergrads at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, have become so tight-knit; they finish each others' sentences. So, it's only fitting in this round-robin, free-for-all of an interview that everyone answers at once, or in partial sentences. In this organized chaos of a Q&A session, I will attribute all the answers simply to the collective 'PigPen,' of which these charming seven go by their individual names of Alex Falberg, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, Matt Nuernberger, Arya Shahi and Dan Weschler.

Playwright Ian McRae's THE JOY WHEEL kicks offs with one of the most effective opening, introductory scenes I've seen in a while. Jason Alexander smoothly and sure-handedly directs his two top-notch actors, Dann Florek and Gina Hecht as husband and wife Frank and Stella Conlin, as they vividly describe their relationship (40 years married) and back stories leading up to their present situation - preparing for Frank's retirement party that evening. McRae has written a most witty, descriptive dialogue for Florek and Hecht to sink their talented teeth into, ...

Actor/writer/LGBTQ cause celebre Matthew Wilkas L.A. premieres his latest theatrical piece (co-written with Mark Setlock) BORN TO WIN at the Celebration Theatre @ the Lex beginning February 13, 2019. Focusing on the shenanigans that can go on during a little girls' beauty pageant, Matthew takes the stage facing off with the always working Los Angeles Theatre darling Drew Droege. Michael Matthews directs with choreography by Janet Roston.