Gil Kaan - Page 41

Byron Lane has written a brilliant tour de force for Tom Lenk as Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton. As cleverly written by Lane, sharply directed by Tom DeTrinis, and played to perfection by Lenk; the heightened reality of Tilda Swinton graces the Celebration Theatre (landing from her home Jupiter) to research for her upcoming role that's sure to win Tilda her next Oscar.

With UMPO BRIDESMAIDS, executive producer Kate Pazakis continues her unbroken string of audience-pleasing musical parodies of pop culture flicks. Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur ably takes the directorial reins with Christopher Youngsman leading the triple-threat talents through a fast pace, high-energy, side-splitting experience of incredible vocals, comic gems and clever choreography.

Playwright Chuck Faerber should be applauded for including the many current day issues that he squeezes into this 90-minute BALL YARDS, a collection of semi-related sketches, some succeeding more than others. This world premiere comedy directed by Richard Kuhlman tackles: anti-Semitism, the Ku Klux Klan, transgender transitioning, marketing spin at its most transparent desperation, drug trafficking, feminism.

The Groundlings' latest laugh-packed Friday & Saturday night show GARBAGE PAIL GROUNDLINGS offers a bountiful buffet of tasty guffaws and hearty chortles in the course of fourteen hilarious treats served by seven comic impresarios. Deanna Oliver smartly directs her outrageously talented cast at a pace with sufficient enough pause  to hear the next line after all the audience's laughing.

Dizzy Feet Foundation (DFF), co-founded in 2010 by Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman, will again host their annual National Dance Day (NDD) at The Music Center in Los Angeles and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. this Saturday July 29, 2017. BroadwayWorld and I had the chance to quiz Adam on the importance of dance for him, and for countless others.

In Ruskin Group Theatre's world premiere of Ron Nelson's THE RAINBOW BRIDGE, Michael Myers briskly directs a concise 75 minutes of snappy dialogue led by the high-energy, powerhouse performance of Paul Schackman as the conflicted, haunted lawyer Jerry. Schackman nails Nelson's machine gun-spouting dialogue, full of witty angst and genuine emotions, with lots of laughs along the way.

Director Guillermo Cienfuegos expertly guides his talented RHINOCEROS cast with tight, sturdy reins in a truly full-length play (three acts, spanning close to three hours) now at the Pacific Resident Theatre. Eugene Ionesco originally wrote RHINOCEROS in 1959 as his commentary on the state of the political atmosphere then. So, ironically funny (and sad) that various lines of dialogue throughout Ionesco's comedy resonate in its timely relevance today.

The Skylight Theatre Company's world premiere of THE DEVIL'S WIFE scores high on all fronts - Tom Jacobson's witty script (with a message), spot-on delivery by its talented cast of four, smooth direction by Eric Hoff, all complemented by Skylight Theatre team's first-rate technical elements. THE DEVIL'S WIFE's certainly one of the more successful Original (capital 'O' emphasized) theatre pieces I've seen over the years.

JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS receives a first-rate mounting with a cast of powerful singer/actors, backed by a nimble four-piece musical ensemble, and directed and staged with ingenuity of movement that complement the Jacques Brel tales being performed. These Jacques Brel songs serve as little nuggets, little gems of short stories. Dan Fishbach ably directs this revival of Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, stringing these 24 gems so nicely together.

The Echo Theater Company's world premiere of playwright Bekah Brunstetter's THE CAKE brilliantly demonstrates the success of following a winning recipe for a memorable theatre production. Start with Brunstetter's witty, relationship-focused script on very timely, hot-button issues of today; generously add a talented cast of actors (led by the most delicious Debra Jo Rupp); mix well with Jennifer Chambers' sure-handed direction; and top off with perfectly synchronized and fitting technical elements; and you have a very well-executed THE CAKE.

The national tour of MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! AGE OF HEROES lands in Southern California beginning July 7 at STAPLES Center. Enhancing the tale of the Super Heroes' recovery of the Wand of Watoomb from the clutches of Loki and his crew of fellow villains will be massive video projections, advanced special effects, and stunts from aerialists, acrobats and motorcycle riders. We had the chance to catch director James Hadley during a break from his New Orleans rehearsal.

The talented man wearing many hats (with a few noms de plume) - book author, late night talk show monologue scriber, stand-up comedian, and Jerry Seinfeld's maid (just kidding!); Barry Marder will mount the Audrey Stage of The Geffen Playhouse June 23 in LETTERS FROM A NUT BY TED L. NANCY, based on his book and produced by Jerry Seinfeld.

The expert artistry of words, direction, acting and tech marvelously converge into the current Pasadena Playhouse production of HOLD THESE TRUTHS. Ryun Yu, alone on stage, stunningly and authentically pulls off Jeanne Sakata's detailed depiction of American-born Japanese Gordon Hirabayashi's real-life incidents of standing up against the Executive Order 9066 of being sent to an internment camp in wartime 1942.

Above the Curve Theatre mounts a sturdy workshop production of VOTE! THE MUSICAL with loads of potential. Anthony Marquez (nicely underplaying laid-back skater/skier dude Mike) and Angela Cole (fetchingly limning a flirty Muffin) run away with the show's best scenes. Their seduction duet 'D Gates' registers Hot! and their reprise of 'Everyone Has a dream' arouses in the most ambitious sense.

In her 'TIL SUNDAY, writer/performer Nairoby Otero grabs you the very first moment she hits the stage and then, after 75 minutes, ends her solo show with a wrenching punch in the gut. Otero portrays a number of characters in this one-woman tour de force revealing the story of the real-life struggles of a Cuban mother who ventures to New Orleans to provide a better life for her little girl.

Two well-recognizable and popular television actors Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech will be making their respective Los Angeles and United States theatre debuts in playwright Nick Payne's award-winning CONSTELLATIONS at The Geffen Playhouse beginning June 6, 2017. I had the chance to shoot Ginnifer and Allen a few questions into the ethers just before they settled in and alighted on The Geffen stage.

Kate Pazakis just keeps topping herself with her musical parodies! This time she teams up with Bradley Bredeweg and his Fuse Project for a wildly entertaining THE LAST BREAKFAST CLUB. Bredeweg and Pazakis ingeniously take the 'Musical Parody of' concept and 'fuse' a mash-up of John Hughes' classic film The Breakfast Club with other cinematic cult favorites. The pop song choices are simply genius as they each move the plot along.

With the names of Benj Pasek & Justin Paul  (Oscar winners for La La Land and Tony Award frontrunners for this year's DEAR EVAN HANSEN) attached to DOGFIGHT, one might have high expectations while awaiting the opening notes to sound at The Hudson Mainstage. DOGFIGHT consistently scores with topnotch singing, dancing and musical accompaniment throughout. Nicci Claspell steals the entire show as Rose.

LETTERS TO EVE's creator Daniel Sugimoto has cast a stage-full of vocal knock-outs to more than ably assist in communicating his loving ode to his grandmother Midori, who was incarcerated in the American concentration camps during WWII. Sugimoto not only details interned life for the imprisoned Japanese-Americans, but cleverly counterpoints with innocents jailed under Nazi rule.

Ten years ago, actress/playwright Jeanne Sakata began writing down her various thoughts on her personal connections with the subject matter of her DAWN'S LIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF GORDON HIRABAYASHI. Through various reincarnations over the last decade, and a title change to HOLD THESE TRUTHS; Jeanne will be opening at The Pasadena Playhouse. I was most excited to get Jeanne's insight on this dark and deplorable episode of American history.