Shari Barrett - Page 38

Louis Prima and Keely Smith shared a larger-than-life marriage and a groundbreaking Las Vegas act featuring unforgettable songs like "That Ol' Black Magic," "Pennies from Heaven," and "Embraceable You." These songs and many others are featured in the production which has grown from a local Los Angeles-created hit at Sacred Fools Theater Company to a national musical phenomenon. After earlier award-winning and extended productions in Los Angeles and more recent acclaim in Chicago, these outsized personalities and talents have returned to the city in which the show was born. The current production is directed by Taylor Hackford, who also wrote the show with Vanessa Clair Stewart and Jake Broder, and is presented by Hershey Felder (a musical talent in his own right).

Noel Coward's plays epitomize the sophisticated wit of the era between the two world wars, and his comedy of manners "HAY FEVER" about a family whose theatrical excesses torment a group of unsuspecting visitors, epitomizes what makes Coward plays so well-loved by audiences worldwide. Considered by many to be cleverly constructed, wittily written, slightly cynical, and undeniably entertaining, the work contains all the elements that helped establish Coward's reputation as a award-winning playwright.

Veteran New York actor and writer James Lecesne portrays every character in a small Jersey shore town as they unravel the story of Leonard Pelkey, a tenaciously optimistic and flamboyant 14-year-old boy who has gone missing. As he interviews the people from Leonard's life, Lecesne transforms himself into each of them with a quick turn of his body, completely changing his voice and physicality as be morphs from male to female, young to old. It is an amazing tour-de-force one-man performance that will enthrall you as several characters are brought fully to life without the use of costumes or props.

Kentwood Players proudly welcomed Mamie Hansberry, the sister of "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" playwright Lorraine Hansberry, to their production of the classic family drama on Sunday, January 10, 2016. Ms. Hansberry attended the play with several family members and shared how proud her entire family is of "everyone who has ever been a part of it." She has seen hundreds of productions in the past six decades and remarked that each member of the Kentwood Players cast "brought their own unique understanding and insights into her sister's remarkable characters."

Kentwood Players proudly presents Lorraine Hansberry's classic family drama "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" from Friday, January 8 through Saturday, February 13, 2016, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Harold Dershimer. Here's your first look at the cast! The production directed by Harold Dershimer and produced by Kathy Dershimer by special arrangement with Samuel French. Featured in the cast in alphabetical order are Rashod Davenport, Ruth Featherstone, Lawrence Hatcher, Daniel Kruger, Jean Michels, Patricia Newman, Shannon O'Connor, Damon Rutledge, Isaiah Suber, and Charlotte Williams.

Theatre Palisades presents Noel Coward's hilarious comedy "HAY FEVER" opening Friday, January 15 through Sunday, February 21, 2016 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. at the Pierson Playhouse, located at 941 Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Here's your first look at cast photos!

Ed and his three adult sons have gotten together to celebrate Christmas. They enjoy cheerful trash-talking, brotherly pranks and takeout Chinese, but find themselves confronting a problem that even being a happy family can't solve when youngest brother Matt seems upset about something he cannot share with his family. Their unconditional love is what matters when identity and privilege are problematic, for what is the value of being a straight white man if you have no real purpose or goals in life?

Like many Angelenos, I spent several evenings sitting back in wonder at the Planetarium shows, especially during the rock music themed productions. I recall waiting in long lines for hours in order to attend late night 'Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon' Laserium shows. Take a step back in time and see Laserium shows now taking place in their Van Nuys studio on weekends!

Even if you have never seen the movie before (could that be possible?), you can spend your holidays in Bedford Falls with George Bailey (Nathan Ondracek, who is a natural sound-alike and physically resembles Jimmy Stewart) and his loved ones as they take you through the heartwarming tale of his life. This tale of love and dreams is the perfect way to celebrate the season with your family, and acts as a reminder to us all that no one is a failure who has friends!

Migenes' performance was like taking a step back to the 1930s, watching the remarkable Lotte Lenya performing her husband's songs during the time he collaborated with Bertolt Brecht to create atonal melodies meant to shock audiences into realizing the masses were, like today, being controlled by the wealthy, upper 1% of society. "Lotte Lenya herself came backstage after I performed Mahagonny and gave me a rose," Migenes says. "That is one of my most precious memories." No doubt the two women were connected to their souls, given how Migenes interpreted her songs.

I had never heard of the romantic comedy PERFECT TIMING by Kristi Kane before enjoying it so much at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills - and with good reason as this is only the second production of the play. This wild and often bordering on farce production is perfectly marvelous and brilliantly cast, directed with great style and panache by Bruce Gray who took over the reins just two weeks prior to opening. Add in the perfectly glamorous and homespun costumes by Michele Young and you have a perfect production that will keep you laughing throughout its quick two hour run time.

John Patrick Shanley has won many accolades throughout his career as a poet and playwright. The author of more than 23 plays, including 80 productions in North America, Shanley won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for his play “Doubt” and an Oscar for his screenplay, “Moonstruck.” But his identity as an Irish-American did not truly happen until 1993 when he traveled back to his family's farm in Ireland at the request of his ailing father who asked to be taken home. The trip back spoke to his poetic heart, and led to his romantic play OUTSIDE MULLINGAR.

Ever since I was dazzled by Creating Arts Studios production 'Thenardiers Inn' which well-deservedly went on to win the 2015 Hollywood Fringe award for best cabaret and variety show, I wait with anticipation for their next totally immersive theater experience, knowing it will be like no other. It was true for their 'The Experiment Cabaret' and I was not disappointed when I walked into the world famous Sayers Club in Hollywood, transformed into the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas during the reign of the Rat Pack in their current celebratory piece entitled 'A NIGHT AT THE SANDS' - A Vegas Musical Cocktail With an L.A. Twist.

What is it about human nature that makes us so curious about what goes on with other people? For instance, just how often have you wondered what is going on next door or have put your ear to the wall hoping to hear whatever it is you think might be going on other the other side? Human nature's NEED TO KNOW is being examined in the World Premiere of a play by that name, written by Jonathan Caren now onstage at Rogue Machine.

Here's your first look at the musical murder mystery 'SOMETHING'S AFOOT' that spoofs detective stories, most particularly Agatha Christie's, And Then There Were None (a.k.a. Ten Little Indians). The play involves a group of standard British mystery characters (the Cockney servants, the brash retired military man, the imperious dowager, the snoopy spinster, the ne'er-do-well nephew, the ingenue couple) who are invited to the lake estate of Lord Dudley Rancour. When the wealthy lord is found dead, it's a comical race against the clock and some outrageous booby traps to find out whodunit.

Rivers and Sanders make a great team, bouncing bawdy one-liners off each other with fluid ease throughout the first act. There is lots of slapstick humor, ranging from the famous "walk this way" physical gag to several modern references that kept the audience entertained and laughing. There are moments of true hilarity in the production, especially the tango seduction dance performed by Sanders and Markus Cummings. That scene alone is worth the price of admission!

WOMEN w/o WALLS is based on the myth of Charon the ferryman on the River Styx, inspired by Dante's Inferno and Sartre's No Exit. It is an exploration of the fine line between life and death, decision and non-decision, and the intense human experience of connection. While there is no doubt from the moment you meet the four characters that they are on a trip to their final destination, each must find a way to fulfill her destiny before the train reaches its destination.

WIESENTHAL tells the powerful true story of Simon Wiesenthal, often called the "Jewish James Bond," a Holocaust survivor who, after cheating death at the hands of Hitler's S.S., spent his life bringing to justice the most notorious war criminals in human history. This provocative solo performance, written and performed by Tom Dugan and directed by Jenny Sullivan, is an uplifting and highly entertaining one-man show that unfolds like a gripping spy thriller, telling how Wiesenthal devoted his life to bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice after WW II.

Like many others during 1964-1966, I made sure to be home when "The Addams Family" TV show was broadcast. Carolyn Jones and John Astin were like no parents I knew and their family certainly lived the sort of off-kilter life totally different than any other family I had ever known. But it was their unwavering support of each other and their entire family that drew me to the series, so when I heard the glitzy-gloomy musical based on the characters was being brought to the stage by 3-D Theatricals, I excitedly made plans to see it and can happily report it was a spectacular and highly creative extravaganza with an awesomely talented cast.

It would not be the Halloween Season in L.A. without WICKED LIT, presented by Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack. The company's 7th annual immersive theatre event takes place inside and on the grounds at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California, running from October 2-November 14, 2015. The mission of Unbound Production is to re-imagine timeless stories for new audiences by creating immersive, theatrical adaptations of literature. And, I think, to put the fright back into Halloween!