Shari Barrett - Page 35

Production teams at Theatre 40 expertly present mid-20th Century British comedy better than almost any other theater in town. So it was no surprise to find out the group decided to present the riotous BREATH OF SPRING by Peter Coke to open their 51st season, directed by Bruce Gray and produced by David Hunt Stafford, the dynamic duo production team who have brought so many great shows to their stage. Written in 1958, BREATH OF SPRING has nothing to do with the season. In fact, it is a type of silver mink highly prized among fur aficionados. And while we may have differing opinions about wearing fur, there is no doubt in the mid-20th Century that lovely fur coats, stoles and jackets were often worn not only to keep warm but to show the wearer had "made it" into high society.

Everyone knows how tough it is to get along with family members after an elderly relative passes away when more than one person covets a family heirloom not mentioned in the will. Such is the case between two cousins in BAD JEWS, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Sabrina Lloyd, which was presented by NotTheMom Productions at Hollywood's Theatre of NOTE through July 24, 2016. It's my hope the exemplary production will find its way into another theater or perhaps motivate audiences at synagogues around Los Angeles to discuss how Holocaust survivor families choose to honor their relatives who suffered during that awful time period.

When you check in for HISTORY LIST, you will receive a color-coded program which indicates the group with whom and in what order you will walk around the site to witness the plays. The entire audience returns to a central meeting point in front of the historical Fenyes Mansion, led by time period costume-matched Tour Guides who go on to appear as characters within the play at the location where they have led you. Try to stay as close to these guides as you walk with them as their comical banter is not to be missed. I truly enjoy asking them questions as we walked, knowing their improvised answers will perfectly match the characters they are playing.

Downtown Culver City invites you to escape the summer heat with a neighborhood-wide 'SummerTini Tasting' on the Third Wednesday of July, August and September. Check in at any participating business in Culver City's downtown area to pick up your 'Third Wednesday Passport,' then get it stamped each time you cool off with a SummerTini (virgin 'SummerTea-ni' available for the under-21 set). At the end of the night, make your way over to the Kirk Douglas Theatre, where you can turn in your passport and be entered in a raffle to win summertime prizes (no purchase necessary).

Eight-time Emmy® Award-winner Edward Asner (Lou Grant; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Roots; Rich Man, Poor Man) and Academy Award® nominee June Squibb (Nebraska) star in a staged reading of a play by Christine Rosensteel, WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES as Daniel and Issy, an elderly married couple who have enjoyed a long and happy life together. Daniel is less in control of his faculties with the advance of years, and Issy in painfully aware of their isolation and peril.

Anne Gesling directs many shows, especially musicals, for the Morgan-Wixson. But this time she has outdone herself with the perfect casting of each actor in the entire THE ADDAMS FAMILY production, making the show a guaranteed hit. Along with her show producer Meredith Wright, musical director Daniel Koh and frequent collaborator, choreographer Lauren Blair, be prepared for a spectacular and gloriously fun time. Be sure to bring theatre lovers of all ages so you can celebrate the joy of laughter together.

Centered around the same characters first introduced in his play SUMMER AND SMOKE, Williams now explores how despite their differences, John Buchanan (the almost too handsome Andrew Dits) and Alma Winemiller (Ginna Carter who totally embodies the quirky character who sings like a Southern nightingale), are still magnetically drawn to each other after he returns home to Glorius Hill, Mississippi, following his Summa Cum Laude graduation as a medical doctor from Johns Hopkins University. The preacher's daughter boldly seizes on a chance to follow her heart's inclinations in their small town where, too often, dreams die quickly. Tennessee Williams' subtly seductive play centers on the passionately complex and sometimes cruel relationships to which love becomes vulnerable, when we are strong enough to allow it.

LA Ballet's upcoming 2016/2017 Season launches their second decade and embraces the full-length classical ballets, the Balanchine repertoire that so revolutionized the dance world, and the commitment to identify, nurture and present both emerging and world-renowned choreographers. Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have announced the next season includes two full-length story ballets, the family-friendly comic ballet "Coppelia" and the holiday favorite "The Nutcracker" and two mixed bill programs, "Modernists /Directors' Choice" and "Balanchine/Master of the Dance." The upcoming season will also reintroduce pre-performance discussions, hosted by Christensen and Neary and their guests (at select performances).

The West Coast premiere of a theatrical reimagining of the history of the Weather Underground, HOME/SICK was developed and devised by New York City theater collective The Assembly and members of the cast to take a look at the changing political scene from 1969 through 1973 when a group of outcasts disgusted by the Vietnam War and the government's repression of those seeking equality domestically took a stand to affect political change by seizing control of Students for a Democratic Society and reshaping it in the name of overthrowing the United States government. Believing violence to be the only means to transform American politics and society, these passionate idealists accelerated the movement to a revolutionary fervor, but let their internal fears and confusion somehow get in their way.

The World Premiere of BIG SKY written by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros and brilliantly directed by John Rando (Tony and Outer Critics Award winner for Urinetown) at the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse fits in nicely with the theme of the Geffen's upcoming 'Moments of Truth' season as revelations spoken by each cast member finally allow them to drop all pretense and work together toward a goal for their common good. And while the ending seems a bit obscure at first, listening to everyone talking about it as they were leaving the theater convinced me that something thought-provoking had just been shared with all of us.

Here is your first look at photos for Kentwood Players production of 'Olive and the Bitter Herbs' by Charles Busch opening Friday, July 8 through Saturday, August 13, 2016 at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Kirk Larson and produced by Lori A. Marple-Pereslete by special arrangement with Samuel French. Featured in the cast are Gail Bernardi, Martin Feldman, Daniel Kruger, Ken MacFarlane and Alison Mattiza. Photos by Shari Barrett.

At a time when many considered women to be mentally and emotionally incapable of even voting in elections, Shaw portrayed strong, smart women with the ability to contribute to society at sophisticated levels. Shaw also explored class interactions and inspired audiences to laugh at the absurdities inherent within them. These two themes are certainly apparent in MAJOR BARBARA, now onstage at the Meta Theater in Hollywood, presented by Infinite Jest Theatre Company, directed with passion for Shaw's words by Branda Lock with Assistant Director Bruce Starrett.

Last year at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, I discovered CAC Studios and their own unique brand of musical theatre entertainment, musically directed by Dan Sugi who also acts and sings up a storm. So when I discovered his first full length musical creation BROADWAY NOIR was having its world premiere at Fringe this year, you can be sure I was there to see it on opening night. And the musical genius has outdone himself on this one! Continuing in the immersive style which first pulled me into his shows, Sugi's BROADWAY NOIR is being presented in the intimate backroom cabaret space at 3 Clubs, located at 1123 N. Vine Street in Hollywood, just a few steps north of Santa Monica Blvd., the famous hangout of Frank Sinatra during Hollywood's heyday. The environment totally lends itself to the time period of the piece when bedazzled ladies and their well-heeled gents spent late nights hanging out and drinking with famous Hollywood stars.

THE HAIRY APE at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble through July 17 tells the story of Robert 'Yank' Smith, a brutish ship laborer who searches for a sense of belonging in a world controlled by the wealthy elite who he believes only see him as a dirty and hairy ape rather than a real human being. As head coal stoker on an ocean liner, Yank (Haile D'Alan whose incredible and extremely physical performance lifts the entire production to the highest artistic quality) is in his element where he rules his dark, hot, hard-drinking smoky world while managing a group of six other coal stokers who seem to prove their resemblance to simians no matter what they do thanks to the brilliant and totally physical ape-like choreography of their every move by director Steven Berkoff. It's truly a wonder as to how the ensemble manages to keep their energy at such a high level throughout the entire show.

It's fairly common that people will compare their own circumstances with other people's lives and come up feeling short, especially in the romance or financial departments in their own relationship. But as much as we may admire what others appear to have that we do not, when we learn the truth on what goes on behind closed doors, even the most wonderful of relationships can turn out to be not what it appears to be, proving the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence… or boat for that matter.

One of the basic rights of freedom in America is the right to free speech. This allows for anyone to state an opinion or belief whether or not anyone else likes what is being said - and hopefully to not be threatened or attacked. Certainly the ability to express yourself and believe in what you want to believe is a basic human right in American society. But challenging those who disagree with what the 'majority' believe often causes outrage and sometimes even violence against those who have the right to say whatever they want. Such is the case right now, given the political scene leading up to the Presidential elections this year, Lawrence Meyers' script really should be shared with school students today to remind them about what it takes to protect their basic rights and how Americans cannot allow the government or any industry to attempt censorship, and how important it is to allow others to state a differing opinion without stooping to violence against them. Be and let be. Why is this always so impossible?.

Each of us has our own vision of what paradise looks like. It could be a city of skyscrapers or a tropical island, or perhaps a lovely wooded area as it changes colors with the seasons. Our search may take us to the far reaches of the globe, or perhaps to the small town where we were raised that now seems to be the perfect place for us to settle down and make a great life. Of course, there is no guarantee the place you select will contain all the colors of paradise you imagine, given how tough it is for small towns everywhere to survive when people move on after local businesses start shutting down. Such is the case at THE SPITFIRE GRILL in Gilead, Wisconsin.

How often have you disagreed with your parents or siblings about their political views? Certainly in this election year with such polarized candidates running for the highest office, it does not take much to understand how political beliefs can split families and friends apart. The divisive world of Washington D.C. politics in now center stage at the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts through June 4. Starring Christine Lahti, Jason Ritter and Georgia King in a new production directed by Michael Wilson.

Geoffrey Nauftts' witty and provocative NEXT FALL takes a hard look at faith, commitment and unconditional love. Set in a hospital waiting room following a life-threatening traffic accident, we meet an assortment of people linked to the patient Luke (Tom Berklund), a handsome young gay man still closeted from his conservative and devoutly religious parents Butch (Stephen Mac Howard) and Arlene (Zachary Barton) who are the only ones allowed to visit their son in the ICU.

In our modern online age where effective marketing can boost sales in designated markets, what is the difference between racial marketing and targeted marketing? Is an effective marketer really a racist in disguise or just a clever strategist who knows how to make the most money for his company's product? Such are the issues addressed in the Los Angeles premiere of HONKY written by Greg Kalleres and directed by Gregg Daniel for Rogue Machine in their new home at the Met Theatre. Taking a satiric look at the symbiotic relationship between bigotry and commercialism, HONKY is a socially-relevant comedy about different people, white and black, navigating the murky waters of race, rhetoric and athletic footwear.