Jim Munson - Page 11

Bay Area acting luminary Wilma Bonet is currently starring in the Magic Theatre's world premiere of a?oeDon't Eat the Mangos,a?? Ricardo Pérez González' wickedly funny drama about a Puerto Rican family confronting its own legacy. Bonet has had a remarkably long and varied theater career, including six years with the San Francisco Mime Troupe and stints with most of the top-tier Bay Area theater companies. BroadwayWorld spoke with her just a week before performances of a?oeMangosa?? were set to begin. In conversation, Bonet is plainspoken and quick to laugh, with an enduring passion for political theater underlying her responses.

Heather Orth stars as mysterious opium den proprietress Princess Puffer in Foothill Music Theatre's new production of Rupert Holmes' rollicking musical comedy a?oeThe Mystery of Edwin Drood.a?? A Tony Award winner for Best Musical, the show is based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. As the novel was left incomplete, so is the show - up to a point. When the cast reaches the part in the story where Dickens left off, they put a vote to the audience at each performance as to how the show will end. Ms. Orth has been gracing Bay Area stages with astonishing frequency as of late. She possesses a big, flexible voice and the ability to charm the pants off you or break your heart with her emotional transparency. BroadwayWorld caught up with her recently while she was still in the thick of rehearsals for a?oeDrood.a?? She has often played characters older than she is, and as she matures one gets the sense she may just be coming into her own as a musical theater performer, and even bigger opportunities may be on the horizon.

a?oeThe Full Montya?? in its stage musical incarnation is certainly a curious show. While largely a raucous comedy, it also touches on a host of seriously unfunny issues, including economic disparity, body image, parental rights, homophobia and suicide. The script contains countless f-bombs and much sexual innuendo, yet its central relationship is a rather sweet one between a dad and his adolescent son. And, of course, it all culminates in a big striptease that needs to be kinda sexy without going to the icky place. It's a tricky balance to pull off, but if done correctly the show has a lot of charm and heart, and the Bay Area Musicals production largely gets it right.

San Francisco Ballet's latest mixed repertoire program, a?oeDance Innovations,a?? covers a lot of territory thematically and choreographically, and has a wealth of transcendent moments. Two of the ballets were made expressly for SFB, and the other is a classic from the mid-20th century.

'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.' Thus famously begins both F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel 'The Great Gatsby' and its stage incarnation 'Gatz' in the Elevator Repair Service (ERS) production currently running at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Wait, you mean Fitzgerald was addressing the notion of privilege way back in 1925? Yes, indeedy! In fact, so much of his novel resonates so deeply with our current state that it's a perfect time to revisit this classic. Which is exactly and literally what ERS is doing here. The text of 'Gatz' consists of every word in the novel and nothing more. So, yes, that means you're in for roughly six hours (plus 2 intermissions and a welcome dinner break) of Fitzgeraldian theatrical experience. If those last two sentences intrigue you at all, I highly recommend you take the ride.

How lucky we are to be living in the age of Mark Morris! My first thought watching San Francisco Ballet's opening night performance of their a?oeClassical (Re)Visiona?? program was a?oeGod, they're good!a?? SF Ballet presents a sparking and varied program of contemporary ballet that will leave you skipping down the steps of the Opera House on your way home.

If you're still looking for something special to do on Valentine's Day, why not attend some live theater? The Bay Area has an abundance of options, whether you're looking for a romantic evening out, hoping to spend time with a good friend, or just want to treat yourself to a night on your own and leave the Valentine's mishegas to others. The Bay Area has an abundance of options. Here are 7 shows to check out depending on your own tastes.

Monique Hafen Adams is one of those theater performers who work so frequently throughout the Bay Area that they seem to be part of some kind of unofficial, regional rep company. Over the past several years, she has worked with most of the higher-profile theater companies in the area and has played characters as disparate as Johanna in a?oeSweeney Todda?? and the title roles in both a?oeThe Diary of Anne Franka?? and a?oeSweet Charity,a?? to name just a few. She is now starring as that infamous chorus girl, Roxie Hart, in San Jose Stage Company's production of Kander & Ebb's a?oeChicago.a?? BroadwayWorld recently caught up with Ms. Hafen Adams while she was still in the thick of the rehearsal process.

The inimitable Emily Skinner will be headlining 42nd Street Moon's gala fundraiser a?oeCome to the Moona?? on Tuesday, February 4th at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. After bursting onto the scene with her Tony-nominated performance in a?oeSide Show,a?? Ms. Skinner has gone on to star in several more Broadway shows, most recently a?oeThe Cher Showa?? in 2018-19, and performed at top regional theater companies and done innumerable concerts throughout the country. Ms. Skinner's trademarks are a spectacular voice that can move seamlessly from a luscious lower register to a thrilling high belt, an irreverent sense of humor and a deep passion for the classic American musical. She is the type of performer who can dazzle you with her vocal prowess one moment, then make you laugh out loud with a perfectly-timed bon mot, then break your heart with a tender ballad. BroadwayWorld spoke recently by phone with Ms. Skinner from her home base in Manhattan. In conversation, Ms. Skinner is delightfully chatty, smart and warm, sort of a mashup of a gimlet-eyed leading lady from a bygone era, a brainiac specializing in Broadway arcania, and your best friend from high school.

You might not be familiar with the name Philip Labes, but there's a good chance you've seen him in guest roles on buzzy TV shows like a?oeWatchmena?? and a?oeGLOWa?? or co-starring with Anthony Rapp and Cheyenne Jackson in the feature film a?oeOpening Night.a?? Or perhaps you've seen his music videos and sketches online. Mr. Labes is clearly a man with a lot of irons on the fire. He also co-wrote (with Michael O'Konis) and stars in the improbably-named a?oeMore Guns! A Musical Comedy about the NRAa?? which is coming to San Francisco's Z Space in late January after running for 18 months at Second City Hollywood. Labes is the sort of young performing arts polymath who is perhaps just that one key role or project away from becoming something of a household name. BroadwayWorld spoke to him recently from his home base in LA. In conversation, he is both joyful about his work process and sanguine about the challenges of forging a successful career in the performing arts.

Mona Golabek, the sole performer of a?oeThe Pianist of Willesden Lanea?? at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, has truly followed a singular path, both in her career and in her life. She first came to prominence as a virtuoso concert pianist appearing with major orchestras around the world. In 1998, she began hosting her own successful syndicated radio show, a?oeThe Romantic Hour,a?? which combined romantic poetry and classical music. Her life took another unexpected turn in 2002 when she co-wrote the best-seller a?oeThe Children of Willesden Lanea?? which tells the story of her mother, Lisa Jura, whose life was saved as a young girl by the Kindertransport which took her away from her family in Nazi-occupied Austria to safety in London. In 2012, Ms. Golabek collaborated with Hershey Felder to create the stage adaptation a?oeThe Pianist of Willesden Lane.a?? She has since taken the show across the country and toured internationally, and now makes it her mission to use her mother's story as a catalyst to bring reconciliation in our divisive world. BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Ms. Golabek from her home in Los Angeles. In conversation, she exhibits the natural warmth and ease of an accomplished radio host and has just the barest hint of a sort of pan-European accent, perhaps another sign of the enduring influence of her mother.

Tony-nominated composer Paul Gordon is one of those rare musical theater creators who, like Lin-Manuel Miranda, can write the whole show a?" book, music and lyrics. Gordon's latest work is the musical a?oePride and Prejudicea?? soon to start its world premiere run at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. He has formed a close relationship with the company over the years, including hit productions of his shows a?oeJane Eyre,a?? a?oeEmma,a?? a?oeBeing Earnest,a?? and a?oeDaddy Long Legs.a?? Interestingly, Gordon initially found success as a composer of pop music writing for, and collaborating with, numerous recording artists, including Bette Midler, Quincy Jones, Alanis Morissette, Smokey Robinson and Dionne Warwick. An abiding love for musical theater led to a fortuitous meeting with esteemed director John Caird that opened up a whole new career for Gordon. BroadwayWorld caught up with him while he was still in the thick of the rehearsal process for his new show, which can be a very stressful time. In conversation, Gordon appeared surprisingly calm as he chatted about the development of a?oePride and Prejudicea?? and his plans to build new audiences for musical theater.

Jason Graae is soon to star once again as the title character in a?oeScrooge in Love!a?? at 42nd Street Moon, where has found a sort of Bay Area artistic home in recent years. This eternally youthful performer is now a veritable showbiz veteran, having starred on Broadway several times, toured the country with legendary composer Jerry Herman, recorded almost 50 CD's and most recently played The Wizard of Oz in the national tour of a?oeWicked.a?? Known for his spirited comic performances and sterling vocals, you might expect Mr. Graae to be a lot of fun to talk to, and you would be right about that. While quick to express heartfelt gratitude to colleagues, he is also the irrepressible imp who can't resist entertaining you with his mischievous sense of humor.

a?oeGypsya?? is undeniably one of the all-time great achievements of the American musical theater. It possesses a thrilling combination of showbiz razzmatazz and dramatic intensity, grounded in Arthur Laurents' complex book and wrapped in an incomparably tuneful and stirring score by Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim. For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of seeing a?oeGypsy,a?? here's the basic rundown. This a?oemusical fablea?? is pretty much the ultimate backstage musical, set in the 1920's/30's against the backdrop of the dying vaudeville circuit and based on the true tale of the ultimate stage mother and her two daughters. Momma Rose, dissatisfied with the lousy cards life has dealt her, pushes her two young daughters to careers in show business as a way of fulfilling her own dreams. In real life, one eventually became successful actress June Havoc, and the other perhaps the most famous American stripper of all time, Gypsy Rose Lee. The show is replete with kiddie acts, charm songs, comic numbers and roof-raising anthems, all performed with a dual edge of gusto and desperation.

David Hirata has got quite a lot to offer with his multi-layered 'A Box Without a Bottom (Soko-nashi Bako).' He combines elements of a magic show with his own personal narrative as he also tells the surprising history of Japanese magicians in 19th-century America, all in a tight 55 minutes. It's a tall order, and Hirata largely succeeds. The idea for the show came to Hirata, a lifelong magic nerd, when he learned that the first Japanese person given a passport to leave Japan for the US was magician Namigoro Sumidagawa in 1866.

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour's eponymous play a?oeNassima?? currently enjoying an all-too-brief run at the Magic Theatre adheres to an unorthodox format. Its sole actor, a different one at each show, does not see the script until it is unsealed onstage at the beginning of the actual performance. That actor can be of any gender, age or race. For the record, it was a very game Sean San Jose the night I attended. Soleimanpour himself is also on hand as a sort of enigmatic, mute guide and companion. Given that the actor knows virtually nothing about the play ahead of time, it would seem churlish of me as a theater critic to spill the beans in this review. Having now seen the play myself, I can also attest that the less you know about it going in, the richer your experience is likely to be.

Filmmaker Robert Townsend is a born entertainer, and his solo show a?oeLiving the Shufflea?? is perhaps more than anything about the pleasure of his company. He seems so comfortable onstage, knowing precisely how to scale his performance to the size of the room, how to punctuate a laugh line for maximum effect, when to pull back a bit to give the material some room to breathe, that it's startling to realize it's been decades since he's done live performance. He first came to national prominence with his groundbreaking, satirical 1987 film, a?oeThe Hollywood Shufflea?? from which his stage show obviously takes its name. In the intervening years, Townsend has had a prolific career as an actor-writer-director-producer in film and TV. Based on the evidence currently onstage at The Marsh Berkeley, it's lucky for us that he's turned his focus to live theater.

David Hirata is the creator and sole performer of a?oeA Box Without a Bottom (Soko-nashi Bako)a?? currently running at The Marsh Berkeley. Within the context of a magic show, Mr. Hirata connects his own personal story to that of earlier Japanese magicians in a way that explores the illusions of race and identity in America. Talking with him, it's evident that he's a true magic geek as he delights in sharing his extensive knowledge about the history of magic and finding hidden links to his heritage as a Japanese American.

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour has forged quite a singular career. His elliptical works have been performed all over the world, including two lengthy runs in New York featuring a virtual Who's Who of stage actors. His play Nassim adheres to an unorthodox format wherein its sole actor, a different one for each performance, does not even see the script until it is unsealed at the beginning of the actual performance. Soleimanpour himself is present onstage with the actor as a sort of silent companion. BroadwayWorld spoke with Soleimanpour from Berlin the evening before he was set to fly to San Francisco for performances at the Magic Theatre. As you can imagine, travelling to the U.S. these days is very complicated for an Iranian citizen. In conversation, Soleimanpour is thoughtful, funny, quick to express gratitude, and surprisingly calm for someone whose life is so peripatetic.

The first thing you notice as the lights slowly rise on Noche Flamenca's a?oeEntre Tú y Yoa?? is its astonishing lead dancer, Soledad Barrio. Not that she's doing anything to call undue attention to herself, mind you. She is just one of the company's seven dancers and singers, all seated on bistro chairs in a bluish half-light, engaging in a series of simple postures, more or less in unison, while three musicians strike up the opening song. However, even when engaged in the simplest of movements, there is something about Barrio that inevitably leads your eye toward her. This is not intended to in any way disparage the rest of the company, as Noche Flamenca is comprised of some remarkable performers, all accomplished in the art of authentic, Spanish Flamenco.