Herbert Paine - Page 26

A/C Theatre Company, the Valley of the Sun's fresh new entry in local theater, has charged out of the chute with a magnificent and electrifying staging of MURDER BALLAD, directed by Tim Shawver and featuring four of the Valley's top talents ~ Cassie Chilton,Kim Richard, Miguel Jackson, and Marshall Glass.

Peter J. Hill rocks and rolls with a punchy and spirited production of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, featuring Jack Lambert's flawless performance as the legendary singing idol, now on Fountain Hills Theater's Mainstage through August 16th.

With a raw authenticity that derives from the astute and inspired direction of Scott Johnson, the cast of Desert Foothills Theatre's production of THE CRUCIBLE gives weight and urgency to Arthur Miller's allegory.

AZ Broadway Theatre's LEGALLY BLONDE features standout performances by Leanne Smith, Abigail Raye, and Jesse Michels, backed up by a sterling cast. Great production with a message!

Cambrian James directs and choreographs a lively and spirited production of TARZAN at Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert AZ ~ featuring a colorful cast of splendidly wardrobed characters swinging their way through an imaginative and intricately designed jungle paradise.

In its first-time festival of the works of women playwright's, The Bridge Initiative features the world premiere of Kat Ramsburg's Anatomy of a Hug, a gripping statement about the emotional miles that can divide the human heart. Allison Sell is the sharp knife of this play, delivering a riveting and stirring performance.

Theatre Artists Studio has set the table for a healthy, satisfying, and inspiring feast of plays in its 2015 NEW SUMMER SHORTS which runs through June 28th. The play's the thing in a festival of short works written and directed my members of the co-op. At ten minutes a pop, each of the eight productions in this year's showcase catches the audience's conscience, at one level or another. As mirrors of human foibles and affects, their themes resonate with the familiarity of an old mistake, eliciting a knowing smile or a reluctant frown.

With a 22-member cast, ranging in ages from 13 to 19-years-young, featuring remarkable performances by the likes of Alex Kirby and Sam Primack, Valley Youth Theatre is staging INTO THE WOODS, now at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix.

Christopher Haines delivers a masterfully crafted performance in iTheatre Collaborative's staging of AN ALMOST HOLY PICTURE, directed by Rosemary Close.

A bullet train of laughs is reverberating across the Opening Night walls of Desert Stages Theatre, thanks to the deft direction of Virginia Olivieri and Gary Zaro and the quirky comic thespians who breathe fire into the script of Neil Simon's elegant farce, RUMORS.

Lynzee Jaye Paul 4man and Jill-Christine Wiley lead a high-octane cast in Arizona Broadway Theatre's resplendent and enchanting production of THE LITTLE MERMAID.

Theater lovers have a sizzling menu of choices for their viewing pleasure this Summer in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area ~ from delightful old chestnuts to spirited and timeless musicals. Here are the picks of the crop.

Ron May gives a laugh out loud and shining portrayal of a modern times harlequin in Phoenix Theatre's production of Richard Bean's ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS. Featuring a great ensemble, brilliantly directed by Pasha Yamotahari, the show is a joyous jaunt into a world of 'comedic chaos.'

SOLD, the award-winning film based on Patricia McCormick's novel about the worldwide tragedy of human trafficking and directed by Jeffrey D. Brown, is a necessarily unsparing and stunning account of a Nepali child's ordeal in the nefarious world of brothels and gangsters, featuring riveting performances by Niyar Saikia, Seema Biswas, Sushmita Mukerjee, and Gillian Anderson. Mandatory viewing for all people of conscience.

Jenny Millinger has taken a heroic and successful leap into playwriting and, in collaboration with musical director Todd Hulet, has fashioned an uplifting and charming tale based on characters from the books of Susan Lowell. Adapt another fabled story about three pigs; stir vigorously with the motifs of the American Southwest; enliven with a melange of hip Broadway-style songs with a dash of regional flavoring; and energize with as electric an ensemble as you can find ~ and there you have it: The Three Javelinas, a delightful upbeat story about finding one's place in the (desert) sun.

The all-out smashing performance of Jeannie Shubitz makes every moment of Phoenix Theatre's staging of END OF THE RAINBOW worth watching.

Directed by Louis Farber, Stray Cat Theatre's production of Brandon Ogborn's THE TOMKAT PROJECT is like SNL on steroids, but with a top gun cast, nimbly firing off memorable caricatures of the famous, infamous, and those on the periphery of fame. It's a roast that will leave you breathless with the weight of the fast and furious performances of seven actors who are at the top of their game, playing over fifty distinct roles.

Toby Yatso is phenomenal in his one-act tour de force performance as Alex More, a starstruck aspiring actor, in Phoenix Theatre's current production of Jonathan Tolins's Buyer & Cellar, directed by Ron May.

How sweet SWEET CHARITY is! Arizona Broadway Theatre pays glorious tribute to this theatrical gem by mounting its own diamond of a production, tastefully directed by Seth Reines, featuring the glowing talent of Liz Fallon as Charity, and sparkling with a marvelous fusion of imaginative Peter Max-style set design (Geof Eroe), lighting (Jeff Davis), and costumes (John P. White).

Deserts Stages' WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION Is a Mystery In Itself!