Jim Munson - Page 12

Ariela Morgenstern's story is a variation on the old chestnut 'local girl makes good.' The San Francisco native returned home a few years ago after a fruitful decade based in New York. BroadwayWorld spoke with her shortly after she had begun rehearsals for that Mount Everest of a role, Gypsy's Momma Rose. Morgenstern is a multi-talented performer with a career that encompasses musical theater, opera and cabaret. And as if that didn't keep her busy enough, she also has a toddler at home. In conversation she is warm and earthy, with a wry perspective indicating a strong sense of who she is in this world.

Filmmaker Robert Townsend has truly had a singular career ever since coming to prominence with his groundbreaking 1987 film a?oeThe Hollywood Shuffle.a?? That satirical comedy about Black actors dealing with racial stereotypes in the film and TV industry was famously self-financed by Townsend maxing out his credit cards. Perhaps even more remarkably, he has successfully maintained simultaneous careers over the ensuing decades as an actor, director, writer and producer working in both film and TV, narratives and documentaries, with the occasional mockumentary thrown in for good measure. Along the way, he has worked with a virtual galaxy of stars - Beyoncé, James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman to name just a few a?" while surviving the inevitable ups and downs of a career in show business. Townsend is now returning to his roots as a stage performer with his solo show a?oeLiving the Shufflea?? at The Marsh Berkeley.

Ray of Light's (ROL's) production of The Rocky Horror Show filled me with hope for the youth of America. Lest that sound a bit strange, allow me to explain. Yes, ROL's a?oeRockya?? delivers in spades on the sexy entertainment value of this transgressive, go-for-broke show. But a?" it is also grounded in layers and layers of queer showbiz history even though it is presented by performers and designers who are way too young to have been around for the real thing. Taking the written-in-the-1970s-but-set-in-the-1950s show as its starting point, this production adds loopy gay cultural references from the 1930s right up to the present day - as if concocted by some crazed drag queen and thrown into a blender to see if it will explode. Surprisingly, it never does and it somehow all works.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Jackie Evancho in advance of her November 1st concert in San Jose. It's hard to believe, but the little girl with the big voice who rose to instant fame on 'America's Got Talent' is now a young adult. Her most recent album is titled 'The Debut' and is comprised entirely of contemporary theater music. Talking to her, it's evident that she is eager to spread her wings as she more fully explores musical theater opportunities. She retains her girl-next-door approachability even as she's become a seasoned professional with clear ideas on where she'd like to take her career.

Following on the rousing success of Antigona, their acclaimed and wildly popular flamenco adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, Noche Flamenca returns to San Francisco's Z Space with their latest program Entre Tú y Yo (You and I). Conceived, choreographed, and directed by Noche Flamenca Artistic Director Martín Santangelo and lead dancer Soledad Barrio, Entre Tú y Yo explores romantic relationships through dance, music, and song. BroadwayWorld recently caught up with Mr. Santangelo, who also just happens to be married to Ms. Barrio. A legendary dancer known for the drama and ferocity of her movements, Barrio has been called the a?oecrown jewel of flamencoa?? by Dance Magazine and a?oea force of naturea?? by The New York Times. Santangelo himself also has a rich history as a dancer, including performing on Broadway in Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal's Juan Darien.

Magic Theatre kicks off its 2019-20 season with Lloyd Suh's intriguing a?oeThe Chinese Lady.a?? Suh's point of departure is one of those fascinating a?oetruth is stranger than fictiona?? tales that are so compelling it's hard to believe they aren't more widely known. His play tells the story of Afong Moy, the first Chinese female to set foot on American soil in 1834. Moy was brought to New York at the tender age of 14 by a pair of businessmen in their effort to sell affordable Chinese furniture to America's growing middle class. They created an exhibition wherein patrons could pay to view a real Chinese lady in her supposedly authentic surrounds. This exhibition proved so popular to the public it went on tour throughout the Eastern U.S., and Moy was taken to the White House to meet President Andrew Jackson. Unfortunately, we have no historical record in Moy's own words, and virtually all of the story of her latter life is lost to history. Thus, playwright Suh describes this work as a conjuring of who he imagines Moy might have been.

Director Mina Morita spoke with BroadwayWorld the day before Lloyd Suh's a?oeThe Chinese Ladya?? started performances at the Magic Theatre. Ms. Morita has a thriving career as a theatre maker, serving as Artistic Director of Potrero Hill's Crowded Fire Theater, which is devoted to the creation of challenging new work. Talking to her, it is clear that she is a very conceptual thinker, often weaving several complex ideas into a single sentence. Her passion for creating new forms of theater in the interest of fostering human connection is evident throughout the conversation.

Watching Richard O'Brien's a?oeThe Rocky Horror Showa?? at San Jose Stage Company, I was struck by what an odd duck the show is. There really is nothing else even remotely like it in the musical theater canon. At this point in its stage-to-screen-back-to-stage evolution, it invites you not just to experience the live stage play unfolding in front of you, but also encourages you to re-enact own your own experience of having seen the movie, probably decades ago. To aid in the latter, goody bags including all the necessary accoutrements such as newspaper, squirt guns, toilet paper, etc. are available in the lobby at 5 bucks a pop. Audience members gleefully shout out all the expected callbacks from midnight screenings of yore (a?oeAsshole!a??, a?oeSlut!a??) while engaging in a playful competition to come up with the most clever and unexpected contemporary retorts. Surely audiences in the late 1970's did not reference such things as Mar-a-Lago. So here we have a show set more or less in the 1950's, written in the 1970's, and with references to 2019. Talk about your time warp!  

I was super excited to learn that SF Playhouse was kicking off its 19-20 season with Clare Barron's a?oeDance Nationa?? based on what I'd read and heard about its 2018 world premiere at New York's Playwrights Horizons. I was certain it was going to be right up my alley: an edgy, satirical, unsettling play that looks at gender, body image, burgeoning sexuality and our unhealthy obsession with competition and winning a?' and from a feminist perspective to boot. As added enticement, the play won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was a 2019 Pulitzer finalist. It thus makes me very sad to report that, having now actually seen the play, I am left mystified by the rapturous response it received in prior productions.

Keith Pinto is one of those fortunate stage actors who seems to work almost constantly. If you attend Bay Area theater with any regularity, chances are you've seen him, most likely in a role that showcases his energetic performance style and talent for movement. His latest role is the iconic a?oesweet transvestitea?? Frank-N-Furter in San Jose Stage Company's new production of a?oeThe Rocky Horror Show.a?? Mr. Pinto recently chatted with BroadwayWorld about his process while he was between rehearsals.

BroadwayWorld recently caught up with Bay Area theater mainstay Dan Hiatt while he was in the midst of rehearsals for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's new musical a?oeMark Twain's River of Songa?? in which he plays the title role.  Mr. Hiatt discussed his process for finding the character of Twain, and also shared some insights from his remarkably rich career, having worked with most every high-profile theater company in the Bay Area over the past 25 years.

There is just something so damned exciting about Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's 'Caroline, or Change'! It is rare indeed to experience a work of art this ambitious, morally complex, entertaining, honest, and just plain downright human. It is easily one of the handful of best musicals written in the past 25 years. And how original - a musical play about nothing less than the human capacity for change and growth despite seemingly insurmountable odds. For anyone out there bemoaning the dumbing-down of the American musical theater and longing for the halcyon days of Broadway's supposed Golden Age, you need look no further than 'Caroline' to restore your confidence.

42nd Street Moon opens its 27th season on September 7th & 8th with a concert staging of Maury Yeston & Peter Stone's a?oeTitanica?? with full orchestra. BroadwayWorld spoke recently with Moon's Artistic Directors Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas about the show and Moon's upcoming season. The two make for an interesting team, with Carollo's candor and exuberance playing off Thomas' reserve and deliberation.

Director Leslie Martinson of THE 39 STEPS at TheatreWorks talks about finding the comedic rhythms in a 'nutball farce' and shares her experiences as a casting director. Martinson has been a TheatreWorks mainstay for decades, starting as an usher while she was still in school, then working as an actor before becoming a director and casting director. She left her staff position 18 months ago to go freelance, but has since directed two shows at TheatreWorks so still maintains a close working relationship with the Tony-winning company.

Christina Gorman's a?oeRoan @ The Gatesa?? currently in its world premiere production by Central Works at the Berkeley City Club could not be timelier. Lest that sound like a vapid platitude, in this instance it is well deserved. In a taut 70 minutes, it explores themes of online and IRL privacy, pernicious access to personal data, and responsibility to one's partner vs. one's employer vs. the greater good.

Melissa Gialdini is thrilled to be playing stepsister Gabrielle in 'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella' at Foothill Music Theatre now running through August 4th. Melissa recently spoke to BroadwayWorld about the show, her love of performing and her rich life outside the theater.

Is the state of the world making you more than a little crazy these days? The president's latest racist rants gotcha down? Well, Bay Area Musicals' production of "Hairspray" just might be the perfect remedy to lift you out of your despair and make you believe in our collective power to triumph over all the nastiness out there. The show pulls off the neat trick of delivering an upbeat, larger than life entertainment while also conveying a powerful message about the need for us all to band together if we're going to extinguish racism, and a host of other isms along the way. Lessons from the civil rights movement are presented without the show ever feeling didactic or preachy.

Broadway and TV actor Frances Jue is currently starring in TheatreWorks' production of Julia Cho's 'The Language Archive.' Mr. Jue recently talked to BroadwayWorld about his lengthy and surprising career path, from his formative experiences with Stephen Sondheim and TheatreWorks to working with Tony winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori, and of course his continuing role on the CBS television series 'Madam Secretary.' His fascinating story serves as an inspiring example for anyone who doesn't see a clear path to success or struggles to find a place to fit in.

Watching Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's "Passion" recently at San Francisco's Custom Made Theatre reminded me what a difficult show it is to pull off. Although it contains several of the most rapturous songs Sondheim has ever composed, there is an underlying earnestness that can be unsettling to a post-modern audience inured to a world that is constantly commenting on itself. When the leading lady sings the plainspoken lyrics "Loving you is not a choice, it's who I am" she means it with all her heart and soul. Unusually for a Sondheim score, she doesn't follow that up with a complicated rhyme or self-lacerating zinger. Nope, this show is thrillingly about nothing more nor less than the nature of true love.

Melissa Momboisse is thrilled to be returning to her favorite role of Penny Pingleton in Bay Area Musicals' new production of "Hairspray," running from July 6th to August 11th at San Francisco's Victoria theater. Ms. Momboisse (pronounced "mom-boyce") is a veritable fixture of the Bay Area musical theater scene, known for her energetic and varied performances in a long and eclectic list of roles. Melissa also courageously beat Stage IV Hodgkins' Lymphoma 3 years ago, and when she survives 2 more years she gets to officially call herself a cancer survivor. She recently spoke with BroadwayWorld by phone about the joys and challenges of maintaining a thriving theatrical career while dealing with serious health challenges.