Herbert Paine - Page 28

SAND CASTLES, written and produced by Jordon Hodges and directed by Clenet Verdi-Rose, and featuring the stunning performance of Anne Winters, is a powerful and haunting tale of a child lost but found, her path to recovery after a decade of captivity, and the toll it takes on a family.

Hurray for Advanced Style, a manifesto in film that calls upon us to free ourselves from society's fixation on commercialized notions of beauty and aging! The special joy of the movie is the introduction to a bevy of enchanting beauties, role models in their own right. This highly-acclaimed documentary, directed by Lina Plioplyte, features seven remarkable New York women, as young as 62 and as advanced as 95, who decry the conventions of fashion and fashion for themselves the style that best suits them.

Under the direction of Philip Fazio, Stephen Sondheim's Follies is receiving Arizona's first fully produced production at Theater Works. Mr. Fazio has pulled out all the stops to stage an extravaganza that in Broadway lore has been dubbed one of the great milestones of musical theater. Conceptually, the show has the ingredients and the theatrical devices that can make for a great show, but, live and on stage, the production feels cluttered. Its brilliance lies rather in its outstanding technical aspects, in large part attributable to Mr. Fazio's artistic vision.

The line between hope and despair is thread-thin. For an adolescent girl, tumbling in a tailspin of woes, the pathway to salvation may be as seemingly simple but as frustratingly elusive as parental patience and caring, a strategic retreat to a place called Maheo, peer support, and maybe even a horse named Betsy Moo. It may take a village to save a kid, but ultimately the kid needs to choose life. Girl on the Edge, directed by Jay Silverman and making its world debut at the Sedona International Film Festival on February 28th, tells the story of 15-year old Hannah Green, brilliantly portrayed by Taylor Spreitler, and her journey from victimhood to self-discovery.

In his directorial debut, Damon J. Bolling has more than fulfilled his dream of staging DREAMGIRLS; he has delivered a powerhouse theatrical experience. The stage is set at Desert Foothills Theatre for a cast, led by Chanel Bragg and Krystal Pope, that will literally knock your socks off, grab you by the lapel, and speed up your adrenaline.

Triumphant! Exhilarating! Dazzling! Ib Andersen's masterful and extraordinary staging of August Bournonville's Napoli is a cornucopia of bravura performances, bristling with energy, velocity, and vivacity.

In Rick Cleveland's ingenious Five Presidents, directed by Mark Clements and on stage at the Herberger Theatre, the 38th to the 42nd occupants of the Oval Office come to pay their respects to #37, Richard Milhous Nixon. It's a delicious concept and an undeniable hit, brought to life by the splendid performances of Jeff Steitzer as Gerald Ford, Martin L'Herault as Jimmy Carter, Steve Sheridan as Ronald Reagan, Mark Jacoby as George H. W. Bush, and Brit Whittle as the incumbent Bill Clinton.

BURNING IN THE NIGHT: A HOBO'S SONG is as fine a piece of theatrical artistry as one will find in the Valley of the Sun. On stage at the Mesa Arts Center from February 6th-8th and continuing on February 13th at Theatre Works in Peoria, Richard Warren's brilliant adaptation of Dale Wasserman's epic memoir, directed by Dan Schay and masterfully performed by Mike Lawler, needs to be seen not only for the quality of the production but also for the sweet and compelling reminder of freedom's real meaning.

Desert Stages Theatre's production of Eric Simonson's Lombardi, directed by Mark-Alan C. Clemente is a surefire touchdown, featuring inspired performances by Timothy Pittman as Lombardi and Dyana Carroll as the coach's stalwart wife Marie.

Three short plays, staged readings of works in progress by women playwrights, are the centerpiece of Arizona Women's Theatre Company's Eighth Annual Pandora Festival ~ a rich and much-needed opportunity to channel their creative voices.

Robyn Allen and Alexandra Utpadel deliver singularly powerful turns in Theatre artists Studio's production of RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN

John Hutton leads a brilliant cast in Jared Sakren's uniquely intelligent and compelling production of Southwest Shakespeare Company's King Lear.

Alan Ariano embraces the King's role as his own and Chelsea Soto delivers a stirring performance as Tuptim in Arizona Broadway Theatre's lavish production of The King and I.

Richard Warren's Shifting Gears is an intelligent and poignant portrait of an American family in transition. Played out on the stage of Theater Works and astutely directed by Daniel Schay, it features a standout performance by Frank Gaxiola as a father fundamentally committed to the centrality of family and unyielding in his efforts to retain control of the uncontrollable.

Kate Dulcich and Michael Greer are marvelous in Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn's high voltage comic epiphany, 'You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!,' directed by Van Kaplan.

Enduring Arizona Theatre Company's current production of Murder for Two is like watching two cute hamsters incessantly rolling on a wheel, keeping pace with its speed but going nowhere fast. It's curious, but, in the end, unsatisfying. While Joe Kinosian and Ian Lowe make a great team and are, each in his own way, versatile and immensely talented performers, this murder mystery musical whodunnit s laborious.

Scottsdale Musical Theater Company has presented a rib-tickling production of Mel Brooks' The Producers, directed by David Hock and featuring standout performances by Hector Coris, Matt Newhard, Marina Blue Jarrette, Patrick Russo, Terry Gadaire, and an energetic ensemble.

The Quiltmaker's Gift, adapted from Jeff Brumbeau's book nine years ago by Alan J. Prewitt, with music by Craig Bohmler and lyrics by Steven Mark Kohn, is enjoying a delightful and lighthearted reprise at Theater Works. Directed by Rusty Ferracane, it features a standout performance by Joshua Vern as the petulant king in search of happiness and a jubilant staging of color and choreography by Tamara Treat and Cydney Trent.

Space 55's A Bloody Mary Christmas is not your typical Holiday fare, but it is most assuredly, raucous run of laughs, featuring the comedic trio of Toni Jourdan, Paula McKenny, and Lee Quarrie as distressed, disgruntled, over-the-hill denizens of a condo in senior city.

In a beautifully designed and rustically appointed set, director Brad Allen has choreographed a sensitively balanced dance of requited and unrequited loves, supported by a marvelous cast, in Ernest Thompson's ON GOLDEN POND. Michael Fleck and Judy Lebeau have crafted an attractive and endearing portrait of a couple in the prime of their lives. Together, they are terrific and, in their distinctly understated but effective ways, offer a masters class in acting.