Gil Kaan - Page 40

One of New York City's preeminent directors of immersive theatre Ed Sylvanus Iskandar will be joining creative forces with playwright Christopher Chen in the Los Angeles premiere of Christopher's Obie Award-winning CAUGHT. In another first, CAUGHT will be presented in a non-theatre venue, an actual art gallery, the Think Tank Gallery in Downtown L.A.

The SRS Production Wing debuts its inaugural production with the fearless choice of playwright Sarah Treem's a feminine ending. Treem seamlessly and generously weaves music terminology into her descriptive expositions out of the mouth of her main character Amanda. Pilar Holland IS Amanda. The charismatic Holland imbues her charm and passion into Amanda, inviting the audience to accompany her on her bumpy road of life.

The world premiere of Robert Allan Ackerman's two-hander TOLSTOY IN SUFFOLK receives a strong mounting from Studio C Artists and Combined Artform. Ackerman's intricate, smart and very descriptive script depicts the meeting of theatre producer Greg and playwright Brendan at Brendan's remote cottage in Suffolk. Stephen Caffrey wows as Brendan. JD Cullum embodies his role of Greg.

LETTERS FROM HOME marks the most personal reveal/presentation that writer/actress/singer Kalean Ung has ever undertaken. Based on her family history in Cambodia, specifically during the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s, Kalean explores her relatives' struggles and eventual rescue, while also describing her own experiences of growing up bi-racial and first generation in Southern California. Kalean most graciously and quickly responded to my probing inquiries.

If you like your entertainment sprinkled with a generous dose of politics, The Actors' Gang's world premiere of Jack Pinter's CAPTAIN GREEDY'S CARNIVAL will definitely be right up your alley. Set in the 1930s, during the heyday of traveling carnival sideshows, Pinter uses the carney swindling Captain Greedy's Carnival as a direct analogy to the ensnaring market crash of 2008, as well as, the present day political arena.

Playwright Julia Lederer's WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN focuses on the novel conceit of utilizing the actual organ of the heart in all references to the heart as love - actually breaking your heart, physically stealing your heart, a weak heart as the product of two broken-hearted parents, a heart made of yarn being caught on hooks and objects passing by. Lots of clever word play on 'heart.' Lederer smartly chooses to depict the aggressor as being a woman instead of a man.

The Groundlings never cease to rock your funny bones. Their current laugh-packed Friday & Saturday night show GROUNDLINGS OF THE CORN keeps the hilarity charging right at you. Groundlings' ever stalwart director Deanna Oliver's takes tight, confident directorial reins over her comically gifted ensemble of eight as they inhabit their seriously funny (sometimes just by being serious) characters in the evening of eighteen guffaw-filled sketches.

The last time Jane Kaczmarek acted on the Los Angeles stage, she transformed into the morphine-addicted Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT at the Geffen Playhouse. Jane returns to the L.A. boards, this time in the traditionally-male role of Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, just opened at The Pasadena Playhouse, in a co-production with Deaf West Theatre.

The hit musical CAGNEY, direct from the Off-Broadway boards, will tap their tapping feets at the El Portal Theatre beginning October 5, 2017. This story of Hollywood legend James Cagney receives its complementary accentuations and punctuations from the double pullbacks, the shuffle ball changes and switching wings of award-winning choreographer Joshua Bergasse. Josh took a break from his time-stepping to answer our digging (another tap term) questions.

Greenway Arts Alliance has been in the business of entertaining, educating, and giving back in L.A.'s Fairfax district for going on 20 years now. Their very effective, artistic three-prong mechanism of choice include: Greenway's Melrose Trading Post, Greenway Court Theatre and Greenway's Institute for the Arts. We had the opportunity to chat with the two co-founders and current co-artistic directors of GAA, Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz.

Promoted as a precursor to Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, comparisons to Albee's masterpiece does August Strindberg's THE DANCE OF DEATH, here adapted by Conor McPherson, a disservice. Having seen Dame Diana Rigg and David Suchet battle it out as Martha and George in 1996 at the Almeida in London (and, of course, the unforgettable scenery-chewing film version with Taylor and Burton), how can any pair of present-day actors measure up?

Much props must be given to Camille Spirlin for her unflinching, unapologetic portrayal of the unsympathetic, totally evil main character of Kali, of which RUNAWAY HOME revolves around. Runaway teenager Kali has no hesitation in blackmailing a Latino storekeeper, scaring an elderly neighbor with the ghost of his dead wife, slapping her mother in her face or stone-faced lying about the life or deaths of her mother and grandmother.

The west coast premiere of THE VIEW UPSTAIRS bursts with a high-energied hodge-podge of some great vocals, charming performances and wonderfully executed choreography. Playwright Max Vernon, through the eyes of a present-day electronically dependent fashion designer, retells the stories of victims of a fire by arson at the gay bar UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans back in June of 1973.

The world premiere of playwright Tom Jacobson's WALKING TO BUCHENWALD receives a sturdy outing from Open Fist with the ensemble's strong performances of his three-dimensional characters steered firm-handedly by Roderick Menzies.

One of Broadway's consistently working leading men, Aaron Lazar will be showing off his not-oft-seen comic side along with his much lauded dulcet vocal tones in AN EVENING WITH AARON LAZAR: FROM BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD. Teaming up with writers Bruce Vilanch and Scott Mauro, Aaron will present his cabaret at Rockwell Table & Stage Sept. 25. We grabbed the chance to pick Aaron's brain on just what the audience can expect in AN EVENING WITH AARON LAZAR.

Halley Feiffer's no stranger to the stage with her latest A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY UNIT AT SLOAN-KETTERING MEMORIAL CANCER CENTER OF NEW YORK CITY already in previews this first week of September at The Geffen Playhouse. A FUNNY THING..., however, will mark Halley's first time performing in her own work, after her self-described, humbling acting role in the theatre legends-studded THE FRONT PAGE earlier this year on Broadway.

The Muppets will be performing their first-ever, full-length, live show at the Hollywood Bowl September 8th through 10th in their appropriately titled THE MUPPETS TAKE THE BOWL. I managed to corral a few of Muppet troupe before rehearsals for a sit-down, er, stand-up interview. Miss Piggy, Kermit and Crazy Harry, with Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem arrived with only a minor, initial commotion.

The 1941 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE gets a dusting off from the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble providing a wonderfully expressive vehicle for the acting talents of Sheelagh Cullen and Jacque Lynn Colton as Abby and Martha Brewster, the seemingly harmless and most delightful murderers of their single unattached male boarders. Cullen and Colton totally charm while dithering on ever so casually describing their deadly deeds as calmly as sharing a recipe of elderberry pie.

Chico's Angels, the comedy drag troupe celebrating their 14th year performing in the bowels of Silver Lake's Casita Del Campo, delivers once again with their latest laugh-filled riot CHICO'S ANGELS 4: CHICAS ARE 4EVER. Think 70's TV classic Charlie's Angels re-envisioned as Latina drag queens at their best (and sometimes tackiest). The Angels have some of the consistently best comic timing seen from any well-oiled, well-coiffed group.

The very unique, very outrageous, very out-spoken, and always very funny Margaret Cho has begun her new tour FRESH OFF THE BLOAT, with European dates following the U.S. stops. Named this year by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the '50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Times,' Margaret will be tackling current topics in the news as only she can. We grabbed a few moments of Margaret's down time to pepper her with a few queries.