Herbert Paine - Page 19

Valley Youth Theatre's current production of MADAGASCAR: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE, directed by Bobb Cooper is an entertaining showcase for some young and very promising song-and-dance talents, The show runs through November 19th at the Herberger Theater Center's Stage West.

Patti Suarez and Joshua Vern deliver riveting performances in the deliciously absorbing production of Joanna Murray-Smith's SWITZERLAND, now center stage at Theatre Artists Studio through November 5th.

A compelling theme and strong technical elements set the Theater Works stage for a reenactment of Victor Frankenstein's ill-fated exercise to reanimate life but do little to compensate for a performance that plods along like the iconic monster at the center of Victor Gialanella's torturous FRANKENSTEIN.

In Arizona Broadway Theatre's spirited production of MAN OF LA MANCHA (running through November 11th, James Rio is a dynamic force, fulfilling Dale Wasserman's vision of a Cervantes who is erudite and pragmatic and a Quixote who is starry-eyed, vulnerable, and determined to save the day at whatever cost. A wholesome and uplifting show.

The essence of Neil Simon's CHAPTER TWO is finding full and glowing expression in Arizona Theatre Company's opening production of its 51st Season. The show is directed by the marvelous Marsha Mason and features stellar performances by David Mason, Blair Baker, Ben Huber, and Diana Pappas.

Under Virginia Olivieri's inspired direction, Stephen Mallatratt's play adaptation of Susan Hill's novella, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is more cerebral than scary but gifted in the production by the performances of two excellent actors, J. Kevin Tallent and Tim Fiscus. The is on stage now at Mesa Encore Theatre's Black Box through October 22nd.

Theater Works' production of THE LITTLE PRINCE, directed by Paul Pedersen, is technically elegant and sublimely well-acted, featuring standout performance by Scarlett Abernathy in the title role. A must-see reminder of universal truths about love, friendship, and loyalty. Now at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts through October 8th.

ASU Lyric Opera is fulfilling Bed ich Smetana's vision in a production that is resplendent with vocal excellence (Emily Botts, Justin Carpenter), spirited choreography (by the terrific Molly LaJoie), the vibrant colors of Alfredo Escarcega's set and Sharon Jones's costumes, the brilliant instincts of Director Dale Dreyfoos, and a highly gifted ensemble. The show runs through October 1st at ASU's Evelyn Smith Music Theatre.

As political theatre goes, Guillermo Calder n's KISS, Stray Cat Theatre's 16th Season opener, directed by Ron May, occupies the terrain between parody and reality, melodrama and documentary, laughter and catharsis. It is a play that works on a number of levels: startling an audience out of its comfort zone, engaging it in the shared discovery of uncomfortable and inconvenient truths, revealing the barriers that must be surmounted to achieve cross-cultural understanding. KISS runs through September 30th at Tempe Center for the Arts.

Uproarious and played to comic perfection, THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) is opening Southwest Shakespeare Company's 24th Season with a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino. In other words, to be quite blunt, the wit of the script and the ways of its splendid cast are as sharp as a rapier. Tour de force performances by Breona Conrad, Louis Farber, and Alexis Baigue. Directed by Debra K. Stevens.

CHICAGO is on fire and sparks are flying at Fountain Hills Theater as Victoria Fairclough and Gina Tomkus electrify the stage with sizzling performances as femme fatales Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Artistic director, Peter J. Hill, has imprinted the Kander & Ebb classic with his distinctive flair and produced a stylish, sexy, and slickly choreographed (Noel Irick) showcase of talent.

Marney Austin, Marcia Weinberg, and Pamela Fields shine in Ivan Menchell's intelligent and poignant comedy, THE CEMETERY CLUB, now at Theatre Artists Studio in Scottsdale, AZ.

SPAMALOT, Eric Idle's delicious and insanely funny parody of the Arthurian legend, is enjoying an equally delightful and enthusiastic sendup by the young actors of TheatriKIDS (the youth theatre program of Theatrikos Theatre Company in Flagstaff, AZ. Under the astute and inspired guidance of Theatrikos's education director Joe Maniglia and music director Kenlynn Winsor, the 32-member cast give their all to recreate the travels and travails of King Arthur (Matthew Sutphen) as he recruits high and low for his Round Table Knights to join the quest for the Holy Grail.

Melody Knudson, David Magadan, Chavez Benally deliver moving performances in Melissa James Gibson's [sic] at Mesa Encore Theatre. An ingenious construction of a play, colored with the playwright's characteristic lively, literate, and provocative dialogue, focusing on three souls seeking meaning, connection and fulfillment.

The spirit of Richard Rodgers remains alive and well as Lynn Timmons Edwards and fellow vocalists Jeanie Carroll and Christy Welty, accompanied by pianist Charly Spining and narrator Bob Edwards, deliver a rousing and inspired tribute in RICHARD RODGERS IN SONG & STORY.

A gold mine of talented teens, led by Bennett Wood's mesmerizing performance as Edgar Allan Poe, is delivering an exhilarating and riveting presentation of NEVERMORE at Greasepaint Youtheatre in Scottsdale through August 5th. A must-see!

Brelby Theatre Company Presents DOGFIGHT, a sophomoric and muddled effort at a musical with a conscience.

An entirely delightful gem of a production of Ron Clark's A BENCH IN THE SUN has opened at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre, and the chemistry between its two leads is a sight to behold. Lee Cooley (revealing an impeccable sense of comic timing and caricature) and Jim Coates (an ideal foil to his benchmate's bon mots and taunts) are polar opposites, Harold and Burt, residents of Valley View Gardens, joined at their arthritic hips by the bonds of time ~ past, present, and the inevitable future. Donna Kaufman adds spice to the mix as a still starry-eyed veteran of filmdom who catches the boys' eyes.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is a landmark piece of theatre, melding acting and technology with a result that is astonishing and riveting ~ a spectacle that is spectacular, requiring the directorial brilliance of Marianne Elliott, and featuring the tour de force performance of Adam Langdon in the National Theatre's tour production at ASU Gammage in Tempe, AZ.

Valley Youth Theatre's production of THE WIZARD OF OZ, directed by Bobb Cooper, features an enchanting array of young talents. The show, which runs through June 25th at the Herberger Theater Center's Center Stage, is perfectly suited for the entire family and guaranteed to fix a permanent smile on their faces.