News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Shari Barrett - Page 13

Shari Barrett

Shari Barrett, a Los Angeles native, has been active in the theater world since the age of six - acting, singing, and dancing her way across the boards all over town. After teaching in secondary schools, working in marketing for several studios, writing, directing, producing, and performing in productions for several non-profit theaters, Shari now dedicates her time and focuses her skills as a theater reviewer, entertainment columnist, and publicist to "get the word out" about theaters of all sizes throughout the Los Angeles area.

As a 20-year member of the Board of Directors for Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse, one of the thriving community theater groups in Los Angeles, as well as writing for Broadway World LA, Stage and Cineme, and as the Stage Page columnist with Lan Newspapers, Shari is dedicated to promoting theaters of all sizes in the city. Shari has received recognition from the City of Los Angeles for her dedication of heart and hand to the needs of friends, neighbors and fellow members of society for her devotion of service to the people of Los Angeles, and is honored to serve the theater world in her hometown.




LEARN MORE ABOUT Shari Barrett

First Show:

South Pacific

Favorite Show:

Man of La Mancha

Favorite Stories:



BWW Spotlight Series – Meet Gregg Lawrence, a Versatile Actor Who Commands the Stage and Screen with Larger-Than-Life Characters
BWW Spotlight Series – Meet Gregg Lawrence, a Versatile Actor Who Commands the Stage and Screen with Larger-Than-Life Characters
March 26, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series on Broadway World Los Angeles which features interviews with some of the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight focuses on Gregg Lawrence, a versatile actor who commands the stage as larger-than-life, fully-embodied characters.

BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Anzu Lawson - Asian-American Actress, Playwright, Stand-Up Comic, and Yoko Ono Doppelganger
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Anzu Lawson - Asian-American Actress, Playwright, Stand-Up Comic, and Yoko Ono Doppelganger
March 25, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight focuses on Anzu Lawson, an Asian-American Actress, Playwright, Stand-Up Comic, and Yoko Ono doppelganger who I first met during the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Actors Paul and Alicia Luoma Who Met in NYC and Moved West to Pursue Their Mutual Passion for the Performing Arts
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Actors Paul and Alicia Luoma Who Met in NYC and Moved West to Pursue Their Mutual Passion for the Performing Arts
March 25, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight focuses on married couple and soon-to-be-parents Paul and Alicia Luoma who met in NYC and moved to L.A. together to pursue their mutual passion for the Performing Arts.

BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Peter Miller – a Musical Theater and Voiceover Actor Who Spends Time as a Theme Park Carnival Barker
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Peter Miller – a Musical Theater and Voiceover Actor Who Spends Time as a Theme Park Carnival Barker
March 24, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight focuses on Peter Miller, a Musical Theater and Voiceover Actor Who Spends Time as a Theme Park Carnival Barker.

BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Kristin Towers-Rowles – An Award-Winning Director, Triple-Threat Actress, and Granddaughter of Screen Legend Kathryn Grayson
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Kristin Towers-Rowles – An Award-Winning Director, Triple-Threat Actress, and Granddaughter of Screen Legend Kathryn Grayson
March 24, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight Series interview features Kristin Towers-Rowles, an Award-Winning Director, Triple-Threat Actress, and Granddaughter of Screen Legend Kathryn Grayson.

BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Susan Stangl - Director, Sound Designer, Actress, Singer and Medical School Professor
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Susan Stangl - Director, Sound Designer, Actress, Singer and Medical School Professor
March 24, 2020

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? Today I would like to introduce you to Susan Stangl: Director, Sound Designer, Actress, Singer and Medical School Professor

BWW Review: Be Ready to Play Your Part Creating a HOME in the Past, Present and Future at The Broad Stage
BWW Review: Be Ready to Play Your Part Creating a HOME in the Past, Present and Future at The Broad Stage
March 7, 2020

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica is presenting the Southern California Premiere of HOME, created by Geoff Sobelle and directed by Lee Sunday Evans, who won a 2018 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production.

BWW Review: Ballet BC Presents a Contemporary and Emotionally Impactful ROMEO & JULIET at The Soraya
BWW Review: Ballet BC Presents a Contemporary and Emotionally Impactful ROMEO & JULIET at The Soraya
March 4, 2020

In a first for Ballet BC, the new full-length work delves into a thought-provoking retelling of the classic that resonates today, capturing audiences with its deeply human story and enduring themes of love and family. a?oeThe vision of love that Shakespeare gave us in this master work is very precious. It is like holding a jewel in your hand that needs to be protected,a?? according to choreographer Medhi Walerski. And he certainly has succeeded.

BWW Interview: Thommy Ten and Amelie van Tass on Their Journey to THE CLAIRVOYANTS EXPERIENCE, Landing in La Mirada on 3/14
BWW Interview: Thommy Ten and Amelie van Tass on Their Journey to THE CLAIRVOYANTS EXPERIENCE, Landing in La Mirada on 3/14
March 3, 2020

After performing in over 100 sold out casinos throughout the United States and touring worldwide, The Clairvoyants are kicking off 2020 with a brand new interactive live show in which audiences will be involved throughout the show and will experience the magic in their minds and hands. In addition to never before seen tricks, The Clairvoyants Experience will feature the duo's dog, Mr. Koni Hundini, as part of the show taking place on Saturday, March 14 at 8:00 pm at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada. To prepare myself for The Clairvoyants Experience, I wanted to find out more about Thommy Ten and Amelie van Tass, the two extraordinary clairvoyants who are taking the world by storm.

BWW Review: SWEET LAND Site-Specific Opera by The Industry at LA State Historic Park
BWW Review: SWEET LAND Site-Specific Opera by The Industry at LA State Historic Park
March 1, 2020

The Industry is presenting its site-specific world premiere of SWEET LAND at the LA State Historic Park near downtown Los Angeles, with the city's skyline seen prominently during the outdoor production. With Music by Du Yun and Raven Chacon, Libretto by Douglas Kearney and Aja Couchois Duncan, the production directed by Cannupa Hanska Luger and Yuval Sharon, unravels narratives surrounding American identity on the site when a new Arrivals ship runs aground on the shore and they encounter a community of The Hosts, those natives to the land. The story is an important one to be told about the history of invaders who have taken over land where indigenous people live, even in our own backyard, and destroyed not only the land but the people who loved it.

BWW Review: THE ANDREWS BROTHERS Jukebox Musical Recreates a WWII USO Show Somewhere in the South Pacific
BWW Review: THE ANDREWS BROTHERS Jukebox Musical Recreates a WWII USO Show Somewhere in the South Pacific
February 25, 2020

THE ANDREWS BROTHERS sung-through musical is sure to please those who remember the 1940s first-hand, or those of us who appreciate the song stylings of those bygone days. According to Bean, a?oeHere we create the atmosphere of a rag-tag USO team a?' a very real organization with an important and impressive history a?' sing songs familiar to many in the audience, and try to live up to the memory of a legendary singing group.a?? And thanks to the talented, triple-threat performers, Kelley Dorney, Michael D'Elia, Max DeLorch and Grant Hodges, no matter what goes wrong, the show must go on!

BWW Review: Timely New Play HUMAN INTEREST STORY Focuses on Homelessness, Celebrity Worship and Truth in American Journalism
BWW Review: Timely New Play HUMAN INTEREST STORY Focuses on Homelessness, Celebrity Worship and Truth in American Journalism
February 24, 2020

This thought-provoking testament to the universal struggle of living day-to-day in a society whose apathy seems to know no bounds for the down-and-out will grab your attention and keep you at the edge of your seat as Jane Doe's story unfolds. Tanya Alexander's magnificent ability to morph herself from a homeless woman in dirty clothing, sitting on a park bench holding a sign stating a?oeI am NOT Invisiblea?? allows us to see where she has been and how much she really desires to pick herself up by her bootstraps and do whatever is necessary to survive. As she achieves celebrity status, Alexander opens to heart and soul and lets us see into Jane Doe's guilt of having survived when others have not. And as Jane Doe's fortunes rise, Alexander is costumed to perfection in lovely, form-fitting dresses designed by Shon LeBlanc that would allow Jane Doe to shine anywhere.

BWW Review: CAN'T PAY? DON'T PAY! Comically Reflects the Growing Social and Economic Divide Plaguing America
BWW Review: CAN'T PAY? DON'T PAY! Comically Reflects the Growing Social and Economic Divide Plaguing America
February 22, 2020

This wildly funny satirical farce questions why, in a world of bailed-out banks and overpriced prescription drugs, theft is only a crime when it is committed by those truly in need, centering on humble housewife Antonia (Kaili Hollister) who joins a revolt of women at the local supermarket as they are all hungry and fed up by rising prices and stagnant wages. Determined to live with dignity and rejecting an austere diet of dog food and birdseed which is about all Antonia can afford to buy on her husband Giovvanni's (Jeremie Loncka) wages working on the production line at a local factory, the women's protest escalates and looting ensues.

BWW Review: Four Larks FRANKENSTEIN World Premiere Almost Totally Incomprehensible but Entertaining to Watch
BWW Review: Four Larks FRANKENSTEIN World Premiere Almost Totally Incomprehensible but Entertaining to Watch
February 21, 2020

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Four Larks present their World Premiere production of FRANKENSTEIN, created by Four Larks after Mary Shelley's classic novel, from Wednesday, February 12 through Sunday, March 1, 2020, in The Wallis' Lovelace Studio Theater. This unusual Frankenstein, commissioned by The Wallis, is an exuberant amalgamation of dynamic physical theatre, live music and experiential design that brings the tale to life in a modern take that spotlights the dangers of unregulated technology. Sourced predominantly from Shelley's novel in conjunction with its 200th anniversary, the production awakens new questions about moral responsibility for each generation. That description drew me to see the show, but in all honesty, I found the storyline as presented completely incomprehensible. But yes, it was entertaining to watch the talented cast of twelve...

BWW Review: Joanna Lipari Illuminates Universal Lessons Learned During a Life Well Lived in ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
BWW Review: Joanna Lipari Illuminates Universal Lessons Learned During a Life Well Lived in ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
February 18, 2020

In the West Coast premiere engagement of ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING at Sierra Madre Playhouse, writer-performer Joanna Lipari presents 16 fast-paced scenes about her fully-lived life, overflowing with triumphs, mistakes, heartache, regrets and hopes. Directed by Beth Dunnington, Lipari's self-described a?oemostly autobiographicala?? solo show is accompanied by delightfully original animation created by Anna Bron, whose first foray into theatrical projection design is certainly not going to be her last, given how entertaining and heartfelt each of Lipari's episodes is presented to bring out the humor as well as the pathos of each situation.

BWW Review: Re-Imagined 21st Century Version of HAMLET THE ROCK MUSICAL Begins World Tour at the El Portal in NoHo
BWW Review: Re-Imagined 21st Century Version of HAMLET THE ROCK MUSICAL Begins World Tour at the El Portal in NoHo
February 17, 2020

HAMLET THE ROCK MUSICAL with book, music and lyrics by Cliff Jones, with additional music and lyrics by Craig Fair, has undergone a few incarnations since its Broadway run in the late 70s. The launch of a re-imagined 21st Century version, produced by David Carver Music, magnificently directed by Bill Castellino, with conductor Doug Oberhamer's music direction and choreography by Janet Roston, certainly proves there's something still rockin' in Denmark! And even those not familiar with the Shakespeare's classic tragedy will be able to understand the story, performed as a sung-through musical with enough heartfelt emotions on display to leave no doubt as to how and why the characters interact with one another to mostly bad results.

BWW Review: REVENGE SONG Rocks the Real-Life Journey of Queer 17th Century French Swordswoman Julie d'Aubigny in Rocky Horror Style
BWW Review: REVENGE SONG Rocks the Real-Life Journey of Queer 17th Century French Swordswoman Julie d'Aubigny in Rocky Horror Style
February 15, 2020

Since the world premiere of Vietgone in 2015, Qui Nguyen has become one of the most lauded and sought-after contemporary American playwrights, as well as being a writer for Marvel and Disney. The world premiere of REVENGE SONG, his new rousing, romping, music-filled look at the real life of Julie d'Aubigny, a queer 17th century French swordswoman and opera singer, offers an exciting, entertaining, and rollicking theatrical experience, ingeniously directed by Robert Ross Parker that is sure to please rowdy fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show during the heroine's interactive journey toward self-discovery and acceptance. Adding to the fun are satirical references to more musicals than I could count, including Hamilton, Cabaret, Company, Avenue Q, Beauty and the Beast, and Bye Bye Birdie.

BWW Review: Ballet West's GISELLE Celebrates the Classic Beauty of a Heartbreaking Story that Never Grows Old
BWW Review: THE MANOR Brings a True Tale of Family Wealth and Woe Inside Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills
BWW Review: THE MANOR Brings a True Tale of Family Wealth and Woe Inside Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills
February 8, 2020

Now celebrating its 18th year, the annual production of THE MANOR has become a Los Angeles/Beverly Hills institution with several performances selling out even before tickets go on sale to the public. Its popularity, no doubt, is due to the scandalous true story as told by the talented actors who each inhabit their characters to a tee, costumed to time-period perfection, as well as the chance to be inside the grand and glorious architectural landmark in which the events of 91 years ago actually took place, performed in two acts taking place 10 years apart. The names of all characters in the tragic Doheny family saga have been changed, of course, a?oeto protect the guiltya?? as we are told before the play begins by the mansion's loyal butler, James, portrayed this year by David Hunt Stafford who also produces the show for Theatre 40 in association with The City of Beverly Hills.

Review: THE UNSEEN HAND and KILLER'S HEAD Showcase Sam Shepard's Loners in the Middle of Nowhere or at a Dead End
Review: THE UNSEEN HAND and KILLER'S HEAD Showcase Sam Shepard's Loners in the Middle of Nowhere or at a Dead End
February 4, 2020

Sam Shepard, who left this world in 2017, was an American playwright and actor whose plays adroitly blend images of the American West, pop motifs, science fiction, and other elements of popular and youth culture. His settings are often a kind of nowhere, notionally grounded in the dusty heart of the vast American Plains. His characters are typically loners, drifters caught between a mythical past and the mechanized present; his work often concerns deeply troubled families, lovers or friends. Two of his plays centering on loners at the end of their rope, THE UNSEEN HAND coupled with Shepard's gritty and audacious KILLER'S HEAD, joins Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's 50th Anniversary a?oeCirca '69a?? Season of significant and adventurous plays that premiered around the time of the company's inception.



  …       13       …    




Videos