Gil Kaan - Page 52

Harold Pinter's 1978 Betrayal gets an inventive re-mounting by director Aaron Craig as he augments Pinter's dialogues with musical interludes using jazz versions of Motown tunes.

World premiere of playwright Stan Rich's Loopholes: A Pain In The I.R.S. benefits from a very game cast of talented actors performing his fun, pun- galore, shtick-filled musical. The troupe's overall enthusiasm and commitment really pull off this 90-minute piece which possesses a very Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney, 'Let's go to the barn and put on a show' vibe.

Kudos to George Villas for mastering Neil LaBute's extremely word-heavy monologues-the opening 20 minutes and the what-seemed-much-longer closing one. But Villas' Smith's long involved diatribes might be easier digested presented by a pivotal character more sympathetic and grounded.

Heartrending tales of tragedy weaved together by the common denominator of a gun (hence, Bang Bang) will rip your heartstrings and possibly cause a flow of tears. Ably directed by Mark Bringelson at an even, fast clip; his talented cast succeeds in presenting actual human faces to the oft-times, de-personalized news accounts of these all-too-common fatal occurrences.

The always reliable and very informative host Bruce Kimmel unfailingly surprised his captured audience with the most interesting tidbits of Broadway trivia. Songs of this evening were chosen as to their fit in this, to quote Kimmel, 'potpourri of pleasant and perverse.'

The best scripted comedy drag show in Los Angeles, this episode of the hysterical Hispanic spoof of the 1970's hit TV show Charlie's Angels receives a hilarious mash-up with another '70s hit The Love Boat.

Playwright Micah Schraft's world premiere of A Dog's House receives an absolutely stunning mounting with a first-rate, kick-ass cast. Schraft's witty, intelligent, entertainingly thought-provoking script flows fluidly out of the talented mouths of Christine Woods, Graham Sibley, Katie Lowes, and Dean Chekvala.

The brainchild of Craig Taggart & Chris Pudlo, Rise 'n Shine with Bette & Juliette, exudes a fun 'Let's put on a show!' vibe via a talented troupe of enthusiastic performers.

A talented ensemble energizes the Los Angeles premiere of playwright Leilani Chan's Global Taxi Driver, a collection of taxi drivers' stories from all over the world.

More of a performance art piece than a play, Casey Smith masters an hour of mimed sketches timed with complementing video projections by Dustin Hughes. Not for the prude at heart, Smith performs a handful (pun intended) of explicit sexual miming, mimics loads of scat and vomit humor, and administers an exorbitant amount of intense violence on imaginary animals, babies, and Smith himself.

Rockwell Table & Stage could barely contain the theatre aficionados' applause and excitement generated by the incredible singers belting out one showstopper after another in An Evening of Classic Broadway.

David Auburn's 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Proof receives a sturdy mounting from Noisy Nest, with Amanda Bird directing the real-time scenes with a firm grip.

In ChicabaRENT, director/writer Shannon Sukovaty creates a clever mash-up of Chicago, Cabaret and Rent in a non-stop, in-your-face attack on your senses.

A stellar cast, led by Laurie Metcalf, gives their all in the West Coast premiere of Nick Jones' smartly written Trevor. Jimmi Simpson embodies his character of Trevor, an 11-year-old chimpanzee with a child-like humanness, not unlike a human youngster with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Kritzerland At Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal followed its successful formula of monthly themed cabarets with The Birthday Boys: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Andrew Heffenan ably directs his capable cast of two in their machine-gun deliveries of well-written, word-heavy dialogue.

Fales, a very engaging performer with sharp comic timing commands the Zephyr Theatre stage in his multi-character, 115-minute solo turn.

In the rolling world premiere of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea; playwright Nathan Alan Davis has vividly created strong empathetic characters; some very wise, some very witty, all someone you'd like to get to know better in your own life.

With the combined credits and awards of the playwright Louis Douglas Jacobs and director David Fofi, one would expect a particularly brilliant production of the critically -acclaimed revival 7 Redneck Cheerleaders. But even with a very game, committed cast of obviously talented performers, the almost two-hour piece unfortunately never gels.

Perfect mix of talents all-around combine for a well-produced world premiere of playwright Nandita Shenoy's witty Washer/Dryer. Director Peter J. Kuo whips this talented cast of five through a fast, even paced ninety-minutes of social issues served up on a tasty elixir of laughter.