Shari Barrett - Page 37

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.

On Friday, March 11, Kentwood Players welcomed the multiple Tony Award winning musical "MAN OF LA MANCHA" with Book by Dale Wasserman, Music by Mitch Leigh and Lyrics by Joe Darion to the Westchester Playhouse where performances will continue through April 16. The production is directed by Susan Goldman Weisbarth with Musical Director Mike Walker and Choreographer Drew Fitzsimmons, produced by Margie Bates and Gail Bernardi by special arrangement with Tams Witmark Music Library. Here's your first look at onstage photos by Shari Barrett.

The battle between the sexes has always been a favorite topic for all types of literary works. With the onslaught in today's media of how women should look to attract men rather than being true to who they really are, playwright Sheila Callaghan has taken a very personal stand in her madcap new play WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD, now presented in its West Coast premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Directed by Neel Keller, with musical staging by Ken Roht, performances continue through April 3. The gender-bending cast includes Lisa Banes, Nora Kirkpatrick, David Clayton Rogers and Dinora Z. Walcott, all of whom plays both female and male characters!

The iconic music of Elvis Presley inspired writer Joe Dipietro to create ALL SHOOK UP, a musical set in 1955 utilizing the rock 'n roll star's songs. The bottom line with Elvis's music is that it makes a lot of people very happy, even 50 years after it was recorded. And Dipietro thought, what other type of entertainment form does that? And that's when he came up with the Shakespeare comedies, which are very much about love and finding your joy, marriage, passion, and all the good stuff of life. And of course, frequent cases of mistaken identity!

In Shaw's controversial attack on society's hypocrisy, Young Vivie Warren is intelligent and self-sufficient, but astounded to learn how her mother rose from poverty to riches through the world's oldest profession. Mrs. Warren ably justifies her past, attacking a hypocritical society that rewards vice and oppresses virtue, stating that poverty and the society that fosters poverty are the real villains. Certainly her profession is preferable to life in a 19th century factory!

A recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, THE BLESSING OF A BROKEN HEART arrives precisely at the time when it is most needed to help heal our communities in the wake of a deluge of local and national tragedies involving innocent children. It is a story about resilience and the power of faith to assist in overcoming whatever confronts your spirit in life. This story about hope, purpose, and recovery recounts the events that changed Sherri Mandell's family forever.