Herbert Paine - Page 20

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.

At the end of every Season, the members of the creative collective known as Theatre Artists Studio put their muses to work and author, produce, direct, and act in a series of playlets. This year's installment of NEW SUMMER SHORTS, the company's 11th, includes a mix of eight 10-15 minute plays, each of which has something to satisfy one's theatrical palate. Some amusing, some inspiring, some provocative, some whimsical ~ all together, a satisfying potpourri.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST radiates with intimacy and charm, thanks to standout performances by Jill-Christine Wiley as Belle and Tony Edgerton as Beast and a marvelous cast. A fun show for the entire family!

MY MAN GODFREY, Eric Hatch's old but still relevant screwball comedy, is kicking up the dust at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre, offering a commentary on class and manners that is as relevant today as it was in the Great Depression.

Ashley Jackson, Victoria Fairclough, and Ben Mason deliver towering, indeed royal, performances that imbue Hale Centre Theatre's production of AIDA with sustained warmth, integrity, and vitality and their characters with distinctive and relatable authenticity.

David Ira Goldstein's production of Jeffrey Hatcher's HOLMES AND WATSON a masterfully crafted cliffhanger. The play is receiving its world premiere with Arizona Theatre Company.

When a gaggle of 25 eminently talented youngsters snakes around the tables of a workhouse dining room to the tune of Food, Glorious Food, it is a sign of things to come in Andy Meyers's production of OLIVER! (on stage through May 21st at Arizona Broadway Theatre): exuberant choreography (Kurtis Overby) and a dynamic song-and-dance ensemble to match.

Gary Zaro's tightly staged and well-paced production of the play, now at Desert Stages Theatre through June 4th is an energetic enterprise and a valuable opportunity to reconnect with the story about the shameless lust for power and the casualties in its wake.

Judy Rollings and Patti Suarez are delightful as the antagonists in Theatre Artists Studio's rendition of David Lindsay-Abaire's RIPCORD, directed by David Weiss.

In iTheatre Collaborative's current revival of Eugene O'Neill's HUGHIE, Greg Lutz delivers a masterly performance as a down and out hustler, Erie Smith, who is forlorn over the death of a night clerk. It is to Hughie's replacement, played stoically by Christopher Haines, that Erie shares his lament in this brilliantly crafted production.