Shari Barrett - Page 27

Like Andy Warhol, another well-known, towheaded, Avant Garde artist who pushed the boundaries of his art form, Klaus Kinski was one of the most celebrated and controversial actors in the history of world cinema. The reckless abandon with which he approached both life and art left him tortured, demonized and worshiped by scores of his fans. And since the German actor died in November 1991, there is no way to speak with him now about what motivated him and why he felt so tortured throughout his life. The project first germinated when writer/actor Andrew Perez lined up interviews with Phyllis Winter (a very close friend during the last 10 years of Kinski's life in Lagunitas, CA) and her daughter Sara to learn more about the temperamental artist. He then worked hand in hand with director Eric G. Johnson to interview the two women which led to the creation of a theatrical tribute to the outspoken artist entitled THE SECOND COMING OF KLAUS KINSKI, a hit at the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival which is now enjoying an open-ended encore run on Thursday nights at Studio C on Hollywood's Theatre Row.

THE PRICE by Arthur Miller premiered on Broadway in 1968 and was nominated for two Tony Awards, for Best Play and Best Scenic Design. It is a timeless piece regarding the choices we make and the consequences we eventually face. It is about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions, taking place in a soon to be demolished family house where two brothers, estranged for decades, meet together to dispose of their late parents' property. The resulting confrontation leads them to examine the events and qualities of their very different lives and the price each of them has had to pay to have the lives they now lead.

Back in the late 60s, groups of people would meet up at an agreed-upon place to attend a "happening," defined as a partly improvised or spontaneous piece of theatrical or other artistic performance, typically involving audience participation. This description is exactly how I would describe what is taking place at the Pasadena Playhouse through February 25, 2018, with Gilbert and Sullivan's PIRATES OF PENZANCE as reimagined by the Chicago-based Hypocrites acting troupe who turns the classic on its head, surprising audiences with a raucous 80-minute beach party that blends the original operetta with modern day attire, a central stage area from which the tossing of beach balls is encouraged, kiddie wading pools are available for seats, and lots of audience participation is expected during every moment the 10 energetic actor-musicians are in the house.

Ken Ludwig is a two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright whose work is performed throughout the world in more than thirty countries and over twenty languages. He has written twenty-five plays and musicals, with six Broadway productions and seven in London's West End. I learned about his incredible way with comedic farce when I saw his first Broadway play, Lend Me A Tenor, which won two Tony Awards and was called 'one of the classic comedies of the 20th century" by The Washington Post. So when I heard the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica was presenting Ludwig's MOON OVER BUFFALO, one of his other comedic farces I had never seen before, I knew I was in for a treat watching all the missed communications, mistaken identities, secrets, and lies collide hilariously backstage. And I was not disappointed.

Every January I look forward to attending THE MANOR by Katherine Bates, presented by Theatre 40 inside the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where the story upon which it is based actually took place. Now celebrating its 16th year, the annual production 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 talented actors, costumed to time-period perfection, who make up the cast of characters about the oil-rich Doheny family, as well as the chance to be inside the grand and glorious architectural landmark in which the events of 89 years ago actually took place, performed in two acts taking place 10 years apart.

INTO THE WOODS may be one of the most popular musicals for those skilled in the art of presenting musical theater comedy. So much so that when Cupcake Studios held auditions for the 17 character roles in the show, over 1,000 people submitted online and in person to be in the show at the North Hollywood theater location. So it is no wonder each and every person in the show creates magic when they take the stage! Kudos to Michael Pettenato, the group's Artistic Director who directs and produces this musical extravaganza, for selecting the best of the best to bring such excellence in all aspects of the production.

Have you and your partner ever thought how nice it would be to go back and have a conversation with your younger selves that might be able to change the course of your lives together? No doubt playwright Jerry Mayer, whose plays deal with the 'ups, downs and sideways' of male/female relationships, must have wondered the same thing and created the comedy A LOVE AFFAIR to address the idea of one couple, at two different stages of their marriage, meeting in the midst of relationship upheaval when selling their family home and sorting through years of marriage mementos. Witty sexual innuendos abound as the business of aging is handled with great humor and understanding from both the youthful and more mature viewpoints.

By now, we all know that new laws have been enacted which allow the first born, whether male or female, of the reigning heir to the British monarchy to be named that person's successor. This new move to equality of the sexes when it comes to being named the crown was perhaps initially started by Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII, who he made Queen Regent when he went off to war (allowing her to rule in his place). Parr then took it upon herself to have his daughters Mary and Elizabeth (Bess) added to the line of succession should their younger half-brother and heir apparent, Edward, die without any legal heirs to assume the crown. That move led to advancing their status as women of royal privilege as more than just a piece of property to be used as a bargaining chip for royal alliances through marriage.

Fans of Orange is the New Black certainly enjoy watching the escapades of female inmates stuck together in prison as they attempt to understand each other and either try to get along or attempt to dominate each other. Marja-Lewis Ryan's fourth original production at The Lounge, entitled BUGABOO & THE SILENT ONE, centers on just such a tale based in the women's block of Henderson County Jail in West Virginia in the present day, centered around two female inmates faced with life in prison. Presented by producer Chris Bender (American Pie, History of Violence, Mulan), Marja-Lewis Ryan's timely new drama is an intimate look at the power of female friendship despite devastating circumstances.

Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Disney film, MARY POPPINS delighted the audience of all ages, although the 3-hour run time may be a bit of a challenge for very young children. It tells the tale of everyone's favorite nanny who arrives on the doorstep of the Banks' home on London's Cherry Tree Lane, taking Jane, Michael, and their entire family on a magical, musical adventure where they eventually learn the value of family and that anything can happen if you let it. The musical features beloved songs from the classic film, including Step in Time, a Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, Let's Go Fly a Kite, and the always popular Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious which had the audience clapping and singing along during the amazing production number.

Since 2003, Hologram USA has delivered more than 700 successful projects, making groundbreaking strides in how people experience live events and communicate with each other using dynamic, cutting edge Holographic 3D technology. Their holographic experiences allow audience members to sit in a theater and feel as if they are attending a live three-dimensional concert or nightclub performance right in front of their eyes. Sounds too incredible, right? That's what I thought until I attended their latest creation, Billie Holiday Alive! at the new Hologram USA Theater in Hollywood

Led by Director/Musical Director/Costume Designer Anne Gesling, along with Choreographer Lauren Blair, the Y.E.S. musical production for November/December 2017 was A WINTER'S TALE, and I can tell you these two talented women worked miracles with a cast of 39 young performers already at the triple-threat status. As a former secondary teacher, I can honestly say that I have never seen such a talented group of young performers work together as the members of this group do, with not one of them breaking the fourth wall or character, all the while keeping their accents authentic with their harmonious singing always in tune and dancing perfectly in step and always presented with enthusiastic joy.

Thanks to director Gloria Gifford, who retains Shakespeare's text while augmenting the proceedings with a contemporary and very soulful song score in the current production at Grey Studios in NoHo, the overall addition of the much-needed modern sensibility through music makes the complicated plot easily understood, even while adding in moments of sheer levity. Just imagine Anthony and his troops starting off the show by lining up and singing Super Freak by Rick James, as their way to describe Cleopatra and you get the idea.

ASHES TO ASHES centers on liberal Sara (Lena Bouton) and right-winger Jefferson (Kevin Young), ex-spouses who are polar opposites about everything except their love and devotion for their two, newly deceased, filthy-rich best friends. Trapped by the time-constraints of their friends' will, the two are forced to spend the next 16 days, 21 hours and 32 minutes together, scattering their friends' ashes across Europe under the direction of pre-arranged tour guides who meet the duo as they arrive at each of their destinations. The places visited where ashes are to be left trace a journey of the heart from their friends' lives, and the feuding duo soon realize the steps in a relationship that test true love may soon re-ignite the passion between them.

PACIFIC OVERTURES with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, with additional material by Hugh Wheeler had its Broadway premiere in 1976 and was presented in Kabuki style, with men playing women's parts and set changes made in full view of the audience by people dressed in black. It opened to mixed reviews and closed after six months, despite being nominated for 10 Tony Awards. Given the unusual casting and production demands, there is good reason why this remains one of the least-performed Sondheim musicals. So it's no wonder it has been 19 years since the musical has been presented in Los Angeles.

THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SHOW (Abridged) by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor, directed by Perry Shields with a knowing wink at all the holiday craziness now rampant in the world. Adding to his own stressfully creative holiday season, the production features two casts performing on alternate dates with Kenyon Meleney, Jimmy Duong, and Matt Garber making up the all-male cast; and Alison Mattiza, Amanda Webb, and Cindy Shields in the all-female cast. So not only is their comic timing absolutely essential throughout the show, along with more costume changes than I can count and continuous choreography, each of Perry's two casts rehearsed separately in half the usual rehearsal time! And if casting is 99% of the success of a show, kudos to Perry for his casting perfection!

No doubt most of us have fond memories of our senior year in high school, with our Senior Prom being one of the many highlights of that year. Nostalgia for that year fuels the happy story of four friends in THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a 1999 musical comedy with a book by Roger Bean that has gone on to be presented in countless productions all over the world, including the current one being presented at Crown City Theatre in NoHo through February 25, 2018, directed and choreographed to bring back starlight memories by Robert Marra with musical direction by William A. Reilly.

One of the most current topics in the media now concerns transgender people being able to live the life they envision for themselves without prejudice or scorn aimed at them. After all, no doubt you have seen public restrooms now labeled to allow anyone access to them, be that person either physically or dressed as either gender, or perhaps a mix of both. Amid a breaking wave of transgender stories in popular culture (Transparent, Boy Meets Girl, and Orange is the New Black), Olivier Award winner Jon Brittain has created ROTTERDAM, a groundbreaking play, with deeply relatable characters that are flawed and often hilarious or heartbreaking as they struggle to be truthful about their identities.

Unlike other plays with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective at its center, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE JERSEY LILY written by Katie Forgette, includes bits and pieces of reality in the mix of characters. The famous actress Lillie Langtry is the focus of Holmes' investigation, which also includes the participation of arch villain Professor Moriarty as well as Oscar Wilde, the famous Victorian playwright, who epigrams, as well as a fragment of a scene from The Importance of Being Earnest, give color and freshness to this thriller comedy. And in the hands of skilled director Jules Aaron, whose direction allows his actors to convey each character so thoroughly, you will be drawn into their plight and scheming while hoping everything works out in the end.

On Saturday, November 18, 2017, I attended the world premiere operatic, four-site adaptation of WAR OF THE WORLDS, adapted and directed by Yuval Sharon, with music by Annie Gosfield, co-produced by The Industry and NOW Art. The production was based on the original radio play by Howard Koch, which when performed by Orson Welles terrified the nation into believing Martians had landed in New Jersey. Performed in unison within the Disney Concert Hall and at three refurbished air raid siren sites in the nearby downtown LA area, from where news bulletin reports were acted out and reported in, the entire experience was both breathtaking and mind-blowing and certainly one I will never forget.