Shari Barrett - Page 18

Kentwood Players, the community theater group based at the Westchester Playhouse, was founded in December 1949 by Jan and Arky Marcom, for whom the group's annual Marcom Masque Awards are named. The first Marcom Masque Awards were presented for the 1957-1958 season with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof winning the award for Best Play. The 2018-2019 season included the following six productions: Match, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Dangerous Obsession, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Our Town, and Sunday in the Park with George. Awards are determined by all Kentwood Players members who voted by secret ballot in several artistic categories after seeing each show, Season Subscribers, and production teams for all shows.

As performed by the 'pretty and witty' Melanie Johnson, who manages to deliver writerdirector Ryan J-W Smith's iambic pentameter monologue as if it was the most natural way for her to speak, I learned how this girl from the wrong side of the tracks, born as common as they come, made her way into court and flourished. Dressed a laced-up wench of the time, first selling oranges to those in the audience, Johnson went on to present wonderful character portrayals with a wide variety of accents as she shared Nell's amazing life journey.

In 1936, producer David O. Selznick began a 2-year search to find an unknown to play Scarlett O'Hara in his soon-to-be film masterpiece Gone with the Wind. At this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival, Kick Boom Theater Company is re-telling the (mostly true) story in its inaugural production of the innovative and totally entertaining SCARLETT FEVER, created and directedchoreographed by John Wuchte, with original music by John Wuchte and award-winning composer Michael Teoli which adds percussive accompaniment as a perfect complement to Wuchte's signature Tribal Acting style.

From the moment Jenelle Lynn Randall appeared at the top of the Studio C staircase, there was magic in the air as she descended with great style and bravado to share the life, music, and oversized personality of Eartha Kitt. As the writer, creator and executive producer of the Fringe 2019 show, it's easy to realize you are watching an incredibly talented artist perform her dream role from start to finish!

Fresh off showcasing at the prestigious ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, acclaimed composer Michael Gordon Shapiro's captivating, award-winning musical THE BULLY PROBLEM is thrilling Fringe audiences with its sweet, poignant, and action-packed musical about bullying, standing up for yourself…and robots. Performed by an ensemble of actors who know how to truly support each other and work together from moment-to-moment, there is no doubt in my mind the production will be one of the biggest Fringe hits this month.

INDECENT now onstage at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in a co-production with Huntington Theatre Company, magnificently directed by Rebecca Taichman, is as close to a Broadway-quality production as you will ever see in the City of Angels, with incredibly entertaining, stylized movement performed by triple-threat performers, guaranteed to draw you into not only the story but the necessity of its truth being brought to the stage now.

Presented through July 8 at part of the Whitefire Theatre Musical Mondays, the updated and unrated SHAME OF THRONES: The Musical, directed by Rachel Stein, produced by Steven Christopher Parker, Steven Brandon, Erin Stegeman, and Ace Marrero is a riotous romp through not only the beginning of the series where all of the major characters were introduced, but also manages to throw in plenty of groan-worthy jabs at every character and situation during its entire run.

Certainly, all of us can think of mistakes we made which caused unseen, or perhaps even planned, problems for our friends and/or family members. And as we age, it seems that when we recognize the need to make amends to set things right in our own lives, we need to do that before it's too late. But what if trying to make amends causes even more problems when the truth is revealed, while causing laughs galore at the foibles of all the players? Such is the case in the world premiere of Jerry Mayer's tenth play, MISTAKES WERE MADE - coulda-woulda-shoulda, at the Santa Monica Playhouse. In fact, the comedy has been so popular with audiences, it has been extended through the end of September!

Theatre Palisades is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Ken Ludwig's LEND ME A TENOR, presenting the hilarious comedy which won three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards. An angry wife, a presumed death, crazy costumes designed by June Lissandrello, secret sex romps, loads of slamming doors and mistaken identities make for a delightful, farcical comedy. Director Sherman Wayne encourages you to attend with a willing suspension of disbelief, putting aside your rational faculties and sense of realism/logic for the sake of theatrical merriment and enjoyment, just as worldwide audiences have been doing for the past 30 years. It's an ideal way to laugh your troubles away for a few hours!

The World Premiere of Lucas Hnath's DANA H. at the Kirk Douglas Theatre recounts the real-life story of the playwright's own mother, adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham which were conducted by Steve Cosson. Directed by Les Waters, the entire play is told in voiceovers from the real-life interviews, perfectly mimicked and emotionally heartfelt by Deirdre O'Connell in the title role. But be forewarned: this insider's look at a kidnapping and its repercussions is not for the faint of heart.

CRE Outreach is pleased to present the World Premiere of POINT OF EXTINCTION, a Science Fiction Political Thriller written by Cosette Ruesga and David Shecter featuring original songs by Laurie Grant. The production is directed by Greg Shane, Artistic Director of CRE Outreach and performed by Theatre by the Blind, the only blind theater company in the country featuring actors doing the improbable with great skill, and by the gifted musicians with autism from Rex & Friends. Performances take place from Friday, June 21 through Sunday, July 7, 2019 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm (except dark on Saturday, June 29), and Sundays at 3pm, at The Blue Door, located at 9617 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. This awe-inspiring, production, featuring illusions created by Magic Castle magician Dominik Krzanowski, challenges conventional expectations about the capabilities of individuals who live without sight, struggle with movement, or have difficulty understanding the complexities of social interactions.

Everything seems perfect at first for the famous actress Myra Marlowe (Diana Angelina) who has leased a fully-furnished "country living" style house so she can settle down to write her autobiography. But it's not so ideal for her long-time agent Tom Lamont (David Datz) who wants nothing more than to get the headstrong actress back to Hollywood to star in a new television series, even though both of them know how badly it is written. Myra waivers but sticks to her guns, fed up with the pressures and demands of her acting career and longing for some peace and quiet and well as a much simpler life. But dealing with her nosy, omnipresent neighbors is a different matter.

there is an excellent staging of Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, directed by Jack Heller as a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre, presented by Dance On Productions in association with Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger, that will allow you to forget how much time passes due to the skill of its playwright, understanding by its director, the brilliance of its cast, and most importantly, Joel Daavid's incredible multi-level scenic design which fills every possible inch of the stage with not only the two-room Kowalski apartment but also several outdoor spaces including a winding New Orleans-style wrought iron staircase leading up to their neighbor's front-door balcony. And from the moment I walked in and sat down, it was easy to hear all the audience accolades rightly being thrown Daavid's way.

Debussy (1862-1918) is still known best as well as a seminal force in the music of the early 20th Century having developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist painters and writers of his time aspired. Felder truly takes his audience on a journey through his own early walks down the streets of the composer's life in Paris. Thus, we are treated to the personal observations of both men who describe the City of Light's wondrously romantic settings from The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame and its Point Zero, to a walk through The Tuileries Garden, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph, and on to the composer's home near the Bois de Boulogne.

I cannot offer enough superlative-laden adjectives to describe the brilliance of the cast, beginning with Eric B. Anthony as Bronco Billy, who channels one of the most famous African American cowboys, Nathan 'Deadwood Dick' Lane, with his effervescent personality making me believe he could easily be one of the great, rodeo-winning cowboy's descendants! His partnership onstage with Amanda Leigh Jerry as Antoinette/Miss Lilly, is beautifully realistic and dreamlike at the same time as they tear up the stage singing catchy tunes while executing athletic choreography to perfection.

Back in 1986, The Actors' Gang presented VIOLENCE: THE MISADVENTURES OF SPIKE SPANGLE, FARMER, originally written and directed by the group's Artistic Director Tim Robbins, which offered a no-holds barred satire of militarism and media manipulation. An updated version written by Robbins and Adam Simon, directed by Bob Turton, has re-invaded The Actors' Gang through June 22, 2019 in Culver City. The political and social satire tells the story of Spike Spangle, a down on his luck farmer who gets sucked into a whirlwind of celebrity and patriotism, fueled by his need for more money. During his journey, Spike joins Superman on billionaire Max Enormous' Celebrity Space Shuttle, and a nefarious plot twist leads to the deification of Spike Spangle as an American hero.

Some believe the history of humanity has been guided by a desire to come to terms with the unknown in our world to create order amidst the overwhelming flood of mystery which surrounds us. Perhaps it is our desire to know about the complexities and intricacies of being human, to understand that which we cannot explain, which have led magicians to create flocks of followers attempting to figure out exactly how reality seems to be bent in their presence. Such is the case for storyteller and master illusionist Helder Guimarães who has returned to the Geffen Playhouse to share his personal perspective on how important it is to experience mystery in today's world. And wonder you will at his mind-blowing illusions, impossible coincidences, and entirely new perspectives, leaving you with one overwhelming thought - just how did he do that?

I have to congratulate They Played Productions for their great marketing and promotion of their 6th immersive theater experience, CAPTIVATED: YOU, which they claim is specifically designed with over 45 DIFFERENT ENDINGS since the audience's actions will determine which happens at any given performance. And though I had not seen any of the previous, year-long series, I was assured I would be able to follow the story. That part is true, mostly thanks to the brilliant and spellbinding on site introduction to the evening performed by Katie Conrad as Emma G. Nation, who thanked us for being willing to assist her in finding her missing friend Mike Stone (Glenn David), and then escorted us around the corner to the warehouse where CAPTIVATED: YOU took place.

For many students, it is a requirement to read CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky. But, in my opinion, the much-too-long, repetitive text is difficult to follow as much of the action takes place within the mind of its protagonist, Raskolnikov, who admits he murdered two women and is trying to understand what lead him to do so. So, when I heard Working Barn Productions was presenting Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus's Jefferson Award-winning, three-person adaptation of the famous novel as a psychological inquiry into the troubled mind of a murderer, I thought perhaps this was the perfect way to re-visit the story.

FAMOUS re-opened in April after a successful run in 2018. I decided to speak with the show's Creator/Director Michael Leoni (ML) and producers Michelle Kaufer (MK) and Cassidy Pepper (CP), about how the new production uses stylized movements by the characters, enhanced lighting and sound designs, to bring the play flow so much more fluid than last year's version. The result grabs the audience's attention to the point of being able to hear a pin drop, making the entire experience even more stunning and breathtaking than before. And, of course, its relevance to the #MeToo movement is immediately recognizable as power players move in and out of Jason's life during the party.