Shari Barrett - Page 32

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.

The Actors' Gang is presenting the groundbreaking multimedia production LYRICS FROM LOCKDOWN, a solo show written and performed by Bryonn Bain and directed by Gina Belafonte, which tells Bryonn Bain's true story of racial profiling and wrongful incarceration at the hands of New York City police and how this experience led to a transformative friendship with death row inmate Nanon Williams. Bain weaves the voices of over 40 characters into an extraordinary, internationally acclaimed tour de force production featuring a live band, performing a fusion of hip hop, theater, spoken word, rhythm and blues, calypso and classical music, to tell Bain's story.

Los Angeles audiences now have the chance to see brilliant performances as The Geffen Playhouse is presenting O'Neill's masterpiece featuring Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek and Tony nominee Alfred Molina as leads Mary Cavan Tyrone and James Tyrone, along with Angela Goethals as Cathleen, Stephen Louis Grush as James Tyrone, Jr., and Colin Woodell as Edmund Tyrone. This production marks the first major staging of the classic play in Los Angeles in nearly a decade, and even though it runs almost three and a half hours, each of the actors give amazing performances, making even the longest of scenes riveting to watch thanks to Jeanie Hackett's direction and the actors' skills.

The story of FUGU, a world premiere play written by Howard Teichman and Steven G. Simon which Teichman also directs and produces, takes place at a time just prior to the United States' entry into World War II. Suggested by true events, it recounts the efforts of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who assisted in getting 6000 Lithuanian Jews rescued from the clutches of the Nazis and relocated to Kobe, Japan, and the choices which had to be made to ensure their safety.

When we entered The Edye at The Broad Stage to see Jonny Donahoe's solo show EVERY BRIILIANT THING, we were handed pieces of paper with a number and a phrase after being asked if we would be willing to participate when called upon to read the contents when our number was called. Of course, we agreed and so the stage was set for a very fun evening of audience participation theatre in this new play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love. In this acclaimed show based on true and untrue stories, a young boy attempts to cure his mother's depression by creating a list of the best things in the world.

I first heard about Kurt Weill's final musical masterpiece, LOST IN THE STARS, when I was studying his body of work during my senior year at CSUN. It was at a time, such as now, when society was being torn apart by opposing political forces, protests filled the streets, and racial inequality was being challenged in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. And I have been waiting since then to see a production of the "musical tragedy" which opened on Broadway in 1949, just one year prior to Weill's death at age 50, at a time when segregation was still rampant in America. I am thrilled to report my wish came true last weekend at UCLA's Royce Hall when the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, in partnership with CAP UCLA, presented the first Los Angeles performance since the 1950s of LOST IN THE STARS.

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is widely recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, and is best known for his play Waiting for Godot which launched his career in theater. He then went on to write numerous successful full-length plays including Endgame in 1957, Krapp's Last Tape in 1958 and Happy Days in 1960, as well as several short, one-act plays. While his plays may not be for everyone, Beckett's works capture the pathos and ironies of modern life, yet still maintain his faith in man's capacity for compassion and survival no matter how absurd his environment may have become.

Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre is sharing the comedy so prevalent in Florence Foster Jenkins performances by presenting "GLORIOUS! the True Story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the Worst Singer in The World" written by Peter Quilter through February 5, 2017. It is a hilarious and heart-warming comedy, somewhat similar to the 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep. As directed by Anne Gesling, and thanks to the brilliant performance of AnnaLisa Erickson as Florence, we get to know the real woman who truly believes she is the best opera singer in the world - with a remarkable ability to ignore the taunts and laughter from her critics and audiences in the pursuit of her dream. Erickson's ability to overplay Florence's brutally imperfect singing and flamboyant physical style to perfection is captivating.

Almost fifteen years ago, Ronnie Marmo pulled together a group of his most talented friends in Los Angeles and created The 68 Cent Crew Company, after having arrived here with 68 cents in his pocket and a head full of dreams. So, when a company member recently asked him what they could do about terrible current events, and about how our country is dealing with racism, perfect timing intervened the following morning when the play A TIME TO KILL came across his desk, and as the father of an 8- year-old child, Marmo knew he needed to present it.

After Penny Fuller approached Barry Kleinbort to create a musical version of Hatcher's play for her to perform as a cabaret artist, 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti was originally developed at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center Cabaret and Performance Conference in Summer 2012 and had its New York premiere in December 2012. The two have a natural affinity for knowing what works well for both of them, and the musical spark between Fuller and her accompanist Paul Greenwood lights up the stage.

Although Clifford Odets forgotten masterpiece 'Rocket to the Moon' first premiered back in 1938, many of the themes of the Depression-era drama feel totally in step today with our own financial and career woes. With its central character, Ben Stark, (Jesse Steccato) is a dentist stuck in an unhappy marriage and a stagnant dental practice who longs for both more money as well as more passion and joy in his life. Things are set on a collision course with fate when he hires the beautiful, young Cleo Singer (lovely Kristin Couture) as his new receptionist. As his marriage fails and he succumbs to Cleo's flirting, will she be his proverbial rocket to the moon, thus allowing his dreams to come true? And will he be willing to change his life and take the necessary risks in order to make that happen?

In the program notes for the Los Angeles premiere of Benjamin Scheuer's one-man show "The Lion," he states that "a song is a powerful tool for connection. Words are how we think and music is how we feel, so songs allows us to think our feelings and feel our thoughts." As such, he masterfully shares the story of his many struggles in his autobiographical Drama Desk Award-winning solo show at the Geffen Playhouse through February 19.

In his autobiographical comedy, THE GOLDEN GLAZER, iconic TV writer-producer-turned-actor Sy Rosen uses his comedic talents to share a series of funny, at times poignant stories about the joys and horrors of getting older. Rosen covers everything from being out of work and lying about it, to rekindling his marriage, to cryogenics, to going to his 50th high school reunion, to getting his first senior discount. All of these stories are laugh out loud funny and relatable, but it's Rosen's affecting relationship with his mom and her gallant fight against Alzheimer's that ties the whole piece together.

Kentwood Players proudly presents THE IMAGINARY INVALID by Moliere, an outrageous satire of medicine and its practitioners, opening Friday, January 13 through Saturday, February 18, 2017 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. There will be a champagne and dessert reception between 7:00-7:30pm for season subscribers and members attending the Saturday, January 14 performance. The production is directed by Susan Stangl, who just happens to be a medical doctor adding her unique spin to the production, and produced by Sheridan Cole for Kentwood Players. Featured in the cast in alphabetical order are Harold Dershimer, Mitch Feinstein, Drew Fitzsimmons, Sydney Holliday, Daniel Kruger, Zachary Leonard, Aaron Merken, Lezlie Moore, Michele Selin, Beau Smith, and Jenna Tovey.