Shari Barrett - Page 31

No doubt those of us who survived protesting the Vietnam War in the mid-60s will remember CHEECH AND CHONG, the comedy duo featuring two very different L.A. street kids who bucked the rules and openly smoked and promoted the use of marijuana at a time when doing so guaranteed a stint in jail. As one member of that comedy duo, Cheech Marin came of age at an interesting time in America, starting out as a South Central L.A. street kid raised on 36th and San Pedro in the heart of the most violent area of our city, a place where by age 7 he had seen two homicides on his front lawn. But he was smart and destined to get off the mean streets and make a name for himself.

Lili Marlene is the name of the famous German love song that was popular during World War II. The title of the play is in homage to the song, featuring one of the most famous versions sung in 1944 by Marlena Deitrich whose portrait hangs in the show's cabaret. We are told early in the musical that the fictional main character, Rosie Penn, was 'rescued by Marlena Deitrich' who acted as a mentor of sorts and made the young Rosie promise to sing Lili Marlene in her act. That request will ultimately prove to be the very thing that may save Rosie from the camps.

Comprised of 10 short plays in 2 acts about the follies and foibles of love and lovers, LOVE ALLWAYS addresses the subjects of love and romance which have long provided great source material for comedy, created from the pens of two proven masters of American comedy. With busy careers in film, television and Broadway, Taylor and Bologna have defied the Hollywood odds with a marriage that's lasted 51 years (so far). And no doubt, many of the relationship stories shared must be of a very personal nature to them, or perhaps some of their closest friends!

Balanchine choreographed 425 works over the course of 60-plus years, and his works are considered masterpieces and performed by ballet companies all over the world. So you can image how thrilled I was to find out Los Angeles Ballet was going to present BALANCHINE: MASTER OF THE DANCE as their final selection of their 2016/2017 season. In it, three of his most outstanding ballet choreographies are presented: Divertimento No. 15 featuring music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Prodigal Son with music by Sergei Prokofiev; and Who Cares? with music by George Gershwin, adapted and orchestrated by Hershy Kay.

Theatre 40 is a well-known for presenting superb and very professional World Premiere productions in the Reuben Cordova Theatre on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. Their winning streak continues with APRIL, MAY & JUNE written by Gary Goldstein and directed by Terri Hanauer which continues through April 16, 2017. In it, we meet April, May and June, fortyish sisters all born a year apart. They're Jewish by birth but temperamentally so different, which becomes all the more apparent as they gather in their family home to pack up what is left of their mother's belongings to give to Good Will and discover a hidden family secret among her belongings.

Directed by Filter Theatre's Sean Holmes, with music and sound by Tom Haines and Ross Hughes, TWELFTH NIGHT is a ferocious reimaging of Shakespeare's classic comedy where nothing onstage is hidden and everything is revealed, from cables, costumes, props and more. Six actors, together with two musicians (Alan Pagan & Ross Hughes), perform all the various roles, often interacting directly with the audience as they run up the aisles or take seats next to surprised audience members, several of whom are called up onstage to participate in the show's outrageous antics. And be prepared to enjoy and pass along large boxes of delivery pizza when prompted to do so by the cast.

Have you ever felt the presence of someone in a room where you are sitting? How about when you are in an ICU waiting room with a loved one just beyond the door, hanging onto life by a thread? Have you ever experienced that person in the waiting room with you, clearing their mind of regrets as they wait in limbo before passing to the other side? Such is the premise of GOD'S WAITING ROOM, a World Premiere play written by Robert Austin Rossi and directed by David Fofi, produced by The Elephant Theatre Company at the Matrix Theatre through April 4.

EDWARD ALBEE'S AT HOME AT THE ZOO combines Albee's groundbreaking 1959 short play The Zoo Story with his acclaimed prequel Homelife, written in 2004. Together these short plays tell a more complete story of publishing executive Peter, his wife Ann, and Jerry, the volatile stranger Peter meets in the park. The production marks the first major Albee production in Los Angeles since the 2016 passing of the legendary American Playwright, with Coy Middlebrook directing a cast that includes deaf and hearing actors working in perfect unison.

As a way to celebrate International Women's Day this year, I attended the World Premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu's new play GOOD GRIEF at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre. The production is directed by Patricia McGregor, with Anyanwu performing as the lead character, Nkechi. This is the first of Anyanwu's plays to receive a full professional production with great techniical credits including an impressive movable set designed by Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, costumes designed by Karen Perry, lighting designed by Pablo Santiago, with sound design by Adam Phalen. The cast features, in alphabetical order, Dayo Ade, Wade Allain-Marcus, Ngozi Anyanwu, Marcus Henderson, Omoze Idehenre, Carla Renata and Mark Jude Sullivan.

Often called the greatest set of variations ever written for keyboard, the 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120, commonly known as the Diabelli Variations, was written by Beethoven between 1819 and 1823, the time frame of his life which is examined in the play, told concurrently with a modern-day fictional story of college professor Dr. Katherine Brandt as she ventures to Bonn to complete her research on why the great composer chose to spend so much time working on such a second-rate piece of music. Along the way, we learn these two will give up nothing in order to reach their goals, even though both were suffering great medical challenges threatening to sidetrack their work. And, even though they're separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that might, even just for a moment, make time stand still.

As the world prepares for the Centennial of legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein this August, La Mirada Theatre and VPAC present perhaps his greatest musical and one of the most memorable love stories of all time, WEST SIDE STORY. Director Richard Israel shares his vision for the production, as powerful, poignant, and timely as ever, with the thrilling Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim score including "Tonight," "Maria," "America" and the classic "Somewhere" remaining one of the best ever written. In it, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City with two lovers, Tony and Maria, caught between warring street gangs; the Italian-American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence, and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time.

Over the years, I have seen many productions of COMPANY and am pleased to tell you the current production at the Morgan-Wixson in Santa Monica is by far the best one I have ever seen thanks to the brilliant direction and fabulous casting done by Kristin Towers-Rowles, herself a triple-threat performer who could no doubt shine in any of the musical's roles herself. The entire revival is perfect in all aspects including musical direction by Daniel Koh, the glorious 70s costumes designed by Michael Mullen, the fabulous multi-level New York-inspired set designed by William Wilday, evocative, attention-focusing lighting designed by Donny Jackson, and the fun choreography by Jaime Pierce, which all combine to make this the perfect introduction to Sondheim's body of work.

Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, Larry Kramer's masterpiece THE NORMAL HEART centers on a circle of friends struggling to understand and contain a mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community and one man's fight to awaken the world to the urgency of the situation. The guest production at the Chromolume Theater is magnificently directed by Marilyn McIntye on the small stage, a large part of which is due to the 5 moveable set pieces designed by David Mauer which are moved about to create all the different rooms so necessary for the production. Set changes are inspirational to watch, choreographed like a ballet down to the slightest detail.

American audiences first met Rain Pryor as television's first biracial child on "Head of the Class." Los Angeles audiences can now meet her up close and personal during her new solo play, FRIED CHICKEN & LATKES, in which Richard Pryor's talented daughter shares many of her childhood memories as the offspring of show business royalty, growing up African-American and Jewish in Beverly Hills during the tumultuous years when a biracial child faced prejudice from both sides of the fence. Her fascinating tales are filled with pain, poignancy, purpose, and lots of laughter as she portrays her father, mother, grandparents, and many other colorful characters who assisted her along the way to personal acceptance and adulthood.

If you were amazed and dazzled by the puppetry in War Horse, be sure to grab tickets for the remaining performances 946 before it leaves town! 946 is a tender coming-of-age tale that uncovers the secrets behind World War II's D-Day landings. Set in the idyllic seaside village of Slapton Sands, the lives of Lily, her family, and her fiercely independent cat Tips are barely touched by war until American soldiers occupy their house and surrounding land. With a live onstage swing band, enchanting puppetry and Kneehigh's signature stage sorcery, director Emma Rice configures a story of love, war and prejudice that crosses borders both geographical and generational.

FOREVER PLAID by Stuart Ross is a musical that lends itself to offering audiences a goofy, charming musical escape, and is considered one of the most popular and successful off-Broadway musicals in history. Having never before seen a production of it, I have always been curious why those who have either been in a production or seen the show are such outspoken fans of it. Those involved with the show speak of the 'brotherhood of Plaid' that exists between those who have performed or directed the show previously, with the understanding that if called upon at any time to take part in a production of the musical, it would be a crime to not jump in and make the show an audience favorite. So when I was invited to the current production at the International City Theatre in Long Beach, I jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Writer, Daniel Sugimoto has always tried to push past our standard social interactions, which are based on the rules of politeness, in order to have real human interactions instead. His latest play, WHITE PEOPLE DRINKING, which is NOT a musical, is all about those honest conversations during a dinner party with 3 very different couples, each of whom wind up speaking what is really on their minds after the free-flowing drinks loosen their tongues. All the topical taboo scenarios we fear on a silver platter are brought to light in fits of wit and whimsy, often so fast that you may feel your head is spinning trying to catch all the sarcasm as it flies past your ears. Imagine sitting down to dinner with friends, enjoying a few drinks and then really saying what is on your mind including secrets, opinions, and unfiltered drunk words. Would your friendships survive?

Celebrated soprano Julia Migenes has returned to L.A. with the world premiere of DEBUSSY: HIS LETTERS AND MUSIC, her newest musical portrait of legendary French composer Claude Debussy. Her exploration of his life - his youth, his determination to find his own musical path while battling the more conservative musical world, and his great wit - begins with his actual letters, then integrates his music. Accompanied on piano by Manuel Arellano, currently a collaborative pianist and vocal coach at El Camino College whose fingers literally fly over the keys, the show is directed by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Medak who allows Ms. Migenes to shine brilliantly whether she is reading, singing, or interacting with the audience.

Kentwood Players proudly presents the new Broadway musical "BIG FISH" with Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa and Book by John August, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia motion picture written by John August, opening Friday, March 17 through Saturday, April 22, 2017 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Los Angeles, CA 90045. Pre-show sweets and champagne receptions will take place from 7:00-7:30pm on opening night March 17 for members and their guests, and on Saturday, March 18 for subscribers and their guests.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica recently presented the one and only spectacular Broadway legend Chita Rivera in a unique, one-night solo concert event - CHITA: A LEGENDARY CELEBRATION, and I can honestly tell you the girl's still got it and knows exactly how to use it to bring Broadway magic to the stage! The incomparable Tony Award winner recreated signature moments from her legendary career including numbers from Sweet Charity, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye, Bye, Birdie, The Rink, The Visit, and from her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story which brought her the stardom she so richly deserves.