Herbert Paine - Page 27

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!

Hale Center Theatre's THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER is rollicking good fun featuring knock-your socks-off performances by Hector Coris and Bryan Stewart, backed by a solid cast character actors.

Cathy Dresbach and Matt Zimmerer are the fire and ice of this stirring and well-staged and finely cast production by Theater Works of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Jeffrey Hatcher's Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club is now on stage at Desert Foothills Theatre. Directed by Amy Serafin, the fun of the play is in the twists and turns that engage and captivate the audience until the true culprit is unmasked and the conceit that has driven the crime is revealed.

Mesa Encore Theatre is celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL with a delightful and dazzling production, directed by Philip Fazio and Sarah Wolter and featuring standout acting and singing performances by Brenda Jean Foley as Julie Jordan, Joseph Cannon as Billy Bigelow, Alanna Kalbfleisch as Carrie Pepperidge, and Harmon Swartz as Enoch Snow.

The Heiress, Ruth and Augustus Goetz' award winning 1947 drama based on Henry James' 1880 novel, Washington Square, is in 2015 a tired, tedious, and entirely predictable chestnut. Theatre Artists Studio, which has had its share of theatrical wins this year, has not fared well in resurrecting it to the fiery psychological drama and social critique that the promos have proclaimed it to be.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's current production of Les Miserables, directed by James Rio is an exceptional staging of the musical classic, featuring rich and nuanced performances by Kiel Klaphake as Jean Valjean, Mark DiConzo as Javert, and Carly Grossman as Eponine and the magical scenic and lighting design of Paul Black.

The Choose Your Own Adventure series for children ~ stories calling on the reader to make choices for the characters at critical turning points in a plot ~ is a nifty concept on which to base a musical entertainment, and the multi-talented Jamie Elizabeth Maletz has taken an inspired, if not fully refined, stab at such a challenge with the staging of CHOOSE YOUR OWN... for which she has also written the book, music, and lyrics.

Rooted in Peace chronicles Greg Reitman's odyssey to answer these crucial questions: Why are we so crazy? Does pop culture teach us how to be violent? Is there a peace game? How do we transcend the collective trauma that we derive from our constant exposure to violence? Why is peace so difficult to achieve? In due course, he learns about the keys to enlightenment and transformation.

The Immigration Paradox, the 2012 documentary written and directed by Lourdes Lee Vasquez, seeks the truth about the immigration issue, its causes, what and who are driving the noise of polarization, and what will it take to resolve the issue. A thoughtful work that can serve as an additional resource for civil discourse on the issue and its complexities.