Shari Barrett - Page 36

Sometimes last minute changes of director can raise a struggling play into a masterful team effort showing the brilliant humor meant to be mined from an award-winning script. Such was the case for co-director/actor David Graham when two previous directors had to step aside and he was asked to take over directing TABLE MANNERS at Little Fish two days before the first rehearsal. Along with his co-director Stephanie Coltrin, the perfect casting in all the roles and the skill of knowing just how far to take the characters in this comedy of family manners gone bad makes for two hours of close-up fun for every member of the audience.

Much like the much-loved musical "Fiddler on the Roof," IN THE HEIGHTS focuses on family love and traditions being challenged by the beliefs of the next generation. In our modern world where a good education can make all the difference, what does it take for a poor family to put a cherished only child through an expensive university? And what happens when the student cannot keep up and drops out and gets romantically involved with someone her parents don't think is good enough? And what happens when a neighborhood is challenged by urban renewal and its flavor is about to be lost? Can it be saved when local shop owners must leave their beloved neighborhood when rents rise?

When I heard the Morgan-Wixson Theatre was presenting THE FOREIGNER by Larry Shue, I was hesitant to review the show, wondering why anyone would want to produce a show I had found offensive and not at all funny the first time I saw it elsewhere. But I am happy to report director Michael Rothhaar has mined every moment of humor in Shue's play, keeping me and the audience in stitches throughout thanks to his obvious knowledge on how to present it, as well as his excellent casting of all roles.

Fugitive Kind Theater is the presenting company, which for eleven years has engaged in creating boundary-breaking shows. This production takes the group to new heights, setting the story in what appears to be a fantasy circus world on the island of Illyria where anything goes and people are allowed to be whoever and whatever they want to be. It's a small society, but one most of us could certainly enjoy living in given the lack of stress and having any real work to do. But of course, such an idyllic world cannot last, and it is the dark side of Illyria we visit in SHINE DARKLY, ILLYRIA.

Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Fiddler on the Roof is one of the most beloved stage musicals of all time which so magically weaves music, dance, poignancy and laughter into such an electrifying and unforgettable historical experience. The Tony Award-winning musical has captured the hearts of people all over the world with its treasured tale of family and tradition, especially to those of us who can trace our origins back to the small Jewish Shtetels in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th Century.

Every director has their bucket list of plays they wish to direct or perhaps even appear in someday. Director Alan Mandell has long been enamored with the work of Samuel Beckett and has toured with original productions of Waiting for Godot and Endgame directed by Beckett. With his 80-year career in theatre and innate understanding of the absurdist's work, Mandell has now directed Endgame at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, starring in the production with Barry McGovern. This is the second Beckett play in which the two actors have appeared together, the first being Waiting for Godot in 2012 at the Mark Taper Forum. And their stage camaraderie is a wonder to behold.

The premiere of THE SUPERHERO AND HIS CHARMING WIFE as presented by Not Man Apart, the amazing Physical Theatre Ensemble, was born from a dream in which heroes, villains, witches and a changing wife fill the stage with incredible athletic movement performed by a cast of ten. As are most dreams, it is an absurd and deeply philosophical hero story dramatized in the world of the graphic novel, an entertaining wild journey into our fear of the unknown told through emotionally expressive physicality..

Every year, Hollywood studios spend millions upon millions of dollars on TV pilots, the test shows that networks order before deciding which shows should become full-fledged series or wind up being locked away in a vault never to be seen again. For every pilot that eventually airs, there are three that never will see daylight, even though there are thousands of hopeful writers, directors and actors in our town that work around-the-clock during pilot season, hoping their work will be picked up and make them a lot of money as a hit TV series.

ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS by Jane Martin is a satirical romp across the stage of American Theatre, that holds a hilarious mirror up to the live theatre entertainment from coast to coast. The story focuses on Holly (Gillian Shure), a wildly popular TV star, who needs to get theatrical street cred to be considered for film. On a whim she signs on to do Anton Chekov's "Three Sisters" in a small repertory theatre in Texas where she can hire directors and pull all the strings as the show's financial backer. The entire cast is portrayed by women in this ensemble piece that combines the depth of Chekov and the levity of a Bravo sitcom.

I am always interested in seeing a conventional play being presented in an unconventional way. So when I heard about director Blake Silver undertaking a production of Henry James THE TURN OF THE SCREW adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, produced by Haldane Morris, and presented lit only by flashlights held by audience members in a room seating only 20, I knew it would be no like other production of the ghost story I had ever seen before. And I was right.

Kentwood Players presents "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris from May 13 through June 18, 2016 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. The production directed by George L. Rametta and produced by Lauren A. Jarvis by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. Inc. The cast features (in alphabetical order) Pauline Bugembe, Harold Dershimer, Jeremy Patrick Hamilton, Jen Kerner, Matt Landig, Damon Rutledge, and Andrea Stradling.

2Cents's Acting Out INK Fest is back for its 3rd exciting year, organized by its Founding President and Artistic Director Kristin Boule. The Fest is being held for 3 days this weekend at the Hudson Theatres in Hollywood, right in the heart of Theatre Row and the LA 99-seat community. INK FEST 2016 features fully produced 1-act plays, ranging from 10-60 minutes, organized in themed-groups, featuring over 100 artists from playwrights to directors to actors and street artists celebrating the FEMALE PLAYWRIGHT and ART. A total of 21 plays by 19 female playwrights are being presented, with 19 directors and 49 actors. What's more, the festival will flood not just the theatre, but also the street & the Hudson Cafe, serving wine & beer all weekend long, with special events scattered throughout.

While the writing is a bit disjointed and the story much too difficult to follow due to many comments spoken only in Polish by Ilia Volok as Zemon, a Polish taxi driver who provides various services to Maria, the acting by the two leads Seamus Mulcahy and Deanna Dunagan is superb. But while their characters are fascinating in their complexity and Robin Larsen's direction keeps the action moving briskly around the three rooms making up Tom Buderwitz's scenic design (which places the set in the middle of the space with audience members seated on both sides), this up close and personal theatrical experience seems to have something lacking in the fabric of the writing to keep you interested in what exactly is going on between these two lost souls.

I have long been a fan of plays that present an insider's look at what goes on behind-the-scenes at a theatrical production. A fine example of such a backstage farce is Sarah Ruhl's STAGE KISS, skillfully directed by Bart DeLorenzo who knows exactly how to make the most outrageous stage antics and romances seem not only probable but incredibly hysterical thanks to Sarah Ruhl's fast-paced script that leads us on-stage, back-stage and out the stage door as reality collides with fiction in this raucous and revealing relationship comedy.

Theatre Palisades opened George Bernard Shaw's social commentary 'MRS WARREN'S PROFESSION' on Friday, April 1 at Pierson Playhouse with performances continuing through Sunday, May 8, 2016. The production is directed by Sabrina Lloyd and produced by Martha Hunter and Sherman Wayne by special permission with Samuel French. The cast features (in alphabetical order) Brooks Darnell, Susan Hardie, Craig Jessen, Frank Krueger, Ken MacFarlane and Jenna Tovey.

RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, a total of 36 songs on the night I attended. It's quite a treat going from The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show through 'Let it Be' and 'Hey Jude,' two of the last songs the group recorded together, with each album time shift accompanied by costume and physical appearance changes by the group as well as many historical films/videos reflecting what was going on in the world at the time, from Vietnam to protests at home, their meditation trip to India, and the overall madness of screaming fans at Shea Stadium on 8-15-65.

Tense mysteries where not much happens in the way of real action on the stage can be problematic if the storyline proves to be too easy to figure out. Thankfully A SHRED OF EEVIDENCE by R.C. Sherriff directed by Jules Aaron at Theatre 40 is so well written and directed that you will be kept on the edge of your seat trying to figure out if the lead character really is guilty of a crime he cannot remember committing when all the circumstantial evidence points directly to him being the culprit.

The West Coast premiere of DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY by Rich Orloff is currently playing to uproariously laughing audiences at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro, directed with a clear vision by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth in which much homage is paid to classic gangster movies. Directing in the most over-the-top slapstick style makes sense for this imaginary tale in which even convicts are cardboard cut-outs compared to those who might break into your home these days.

CRE Outreach was incorporated in 2007, serving at-risk students, the visually impaired and military veterans through theater-based arts programs. Utilizing theater as a means to enhance self-esteem, encourage self-expression and empower individuals to overcome the challenges in their lives, CRE Outreach focuses on "transforming lives, one show at a time." So when I was invited to see Kelsey Wilk's new play "Changing Faces" as the 16th production of Theatre by the Blind directed by Greg Shane, I knew I was in for another mind-empowering experience.

In all facets of the creative arts, it is an unfortunate reality that every artist needs to balance his/her artistic vision with the need to be commercially successful in order to survive financially, which in turn will allow you to follow your vision. But where do you draw the line? Of course everyone needs to earn a living, but must you sacrifice your true artistic vision in order to be a success? Such is the theme of SEX WITH STRANGERS written by Laura Eason and directed with an inner vision of the struggle by Kimberly Senior. The production features Stephen Louis Grush as Ethan and Rebecca Pidgeon as Olivia.