Shari Barrett - Page 39

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!

HOPSCOTCH is a new mobile opera performed in limos on three different routes (Red, Yellow or Green) at various points in and near downtown Los Angeles, presented by the Industry, directed by the amazing Yuval Sharon and his incredible production team comprised of composers, singers, musicians, sound engineers, technical wizards, and an extensive support system, all of whom have created a theatrical experience that defies description and will blow your mind.

THE DOCK BRIEF runs 70 minutes without an intermission, focusing on an unsuccessful barrister who has been waiting for years to make a grandstand defense. He is overjoyed when he gets assigned to defend an innocuous little man appropriately named Fowle who is accused of murdering his ever-merry and constantly laughing wife who could not deal with his lack of humor. Finally, the barrister feels he will have his chance to shine, even though his client admits he committed the crime. But why didn't he just decide to leave her instead? Morgenhall is committed to finding out and putting together a defense that will make his career.

What if Satan was alive and decided to write his memoirs about GOD, THE EARLY YEARS? Just what would he have to tell us from his rather off-center point of view? And what would you like to ask him if you could? Emily O'Meara and Renegade Theatre are giving you a chance to do just that during the World Premiere presentation of 'GOD: THE EARLY YEARS' - Satan's Tell-All Memoir. Written and Directed by six time Emmy nominee Saul Ilson, the two-person comedy sketch stars Vince DonVito as TV interviewer Barry Literati and Dan Woren as Satan. It was great being in the first audience to see the show, laughing at such irreverent and politically incorrect humor - without a speck of guilt.

Jonas Sills, Director/Producer of the show, played one the leads, Russian chess player Anatoly Sills is a fabulous singer and his stage presence outshined most of the other performers. His aim was 'to bring this production back to its roots with a simple, but carefully planned fully staged production that aims to focus on the beauty of the music and the images chess, the game, can invoke.' Besides Sills, the other terrific singer/performer in the show was Bob Cory as Molokov, the Russian player's coach and confidant. His physical presence and complete understanding of what it takes to bring a character to life onstage, was a highlight of the show.

Truly inspirational stories allow you to believe anything is possible if you trust in your own judgment, dreams, and will to succeed. Award-winning stage star Kristin Towers-Rowles shares her remarkable life story doing just that in her critically acclaimed cabaret show, A Lovely Lineage, directed by Cate Caplin with musical direction by Katie Clarke. Her latest performance on Sunday, October 18 in the Monroe Forum at the El Portal allowed her to share her remarkable tale of survival as she pursued her dreams no matter what roadblocks were thrown in her way.

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.

Like many from my generation, our love of screen icon Marilyn Monroe made her a star and continues to keep the flame of her incredibly hot sexual appeal alive. And while I have seen several performers take on the role. The amazing Sunny Thompson fully embodies the heart and soul, not just the heat and breathy voice we associate with the woman who encapsulated what a woman was supposed to look like long before the Kardasians were even born. Sunny Thompson truly embodies her look and voice, and seemingly channels the tortured, playful soul of Hollywood's greatest star.

Cirque du Soleil has brought its newest touring show, KURIOS - Cabinet des Curiosites under the iconic blue-and-yellow Big Top to Southern California, beginning October 15 in Costa Mesa at the OC Fair & Event Center, followed in Los Angeles by Cirque du Soleil's first visit to Dodger Stadium beginning December 10, 2015. And while I have seen several other Cirque presentations before, nothing compares to the phenomenal acrobatics and dazzling artistic presentation which will engulf you in a world of awe and wonder.

The undeniable chemistry between Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal is on full display again in Love Letters, a special theatrical tour that officially launched this week at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. From the moment these two entered the stage holding hands, the audience was totally ready to be swept away into a very different yet in so many way similar tale of two lovers doing their best to just love and be honest with each other throughout their lives even though most of it was spent apart. And we were not disappointed.

Another outrageous original Halloween production has come out of New Jersey. For several years at 6 Flags in the Garden State, Pete Carter developed the character of The Ghoulmaster and his production of 'Ghoulmaster's Ghosts' ran for 6 seasons at Six Flags Great Adventure's Fright Fest in Jackson, New Jersey. It was hugely successful and grew into one of Fright Fest's most popular shows. Ghoulmaster's cult-like following grew with his message of acceptance, anti-bullying, and making your dreams a reality. His bizarre androgynous appearance appeals to anyone who ever felt like a misfit, a weirdo, or a freak, especially those of us who celebrate Halloween all year round.

Theatre Palisades presents the first Los Angeles production of "The Game's Afoot or Holmes For The Holidays" by Ken Ludwig, opening Friday, November 6, 2015 and running until Sunday, December 13, 2015 at the Pierson Playhouse, located at 941 Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Directed by Gene Franklin Smith, "The Game's Afoot" is the winner of the Mystery Writers of America's 2012 Edgar Award for Best Play. Nona Hale and Pat Perkins produce for Theatre Palisades by permission from Samuel French. Featured in the cast (in alphabetical order) are Gail Bernardi, Matthew Godfrey, Nicole Knudsen, James Lujan, John Mawson, Maria Pavone, Maggie Peach, and Andi Wagner.

Into the turmoil of a marriage in trouble comes the enigmatic and apparently deaf Mr. Poulos, a quiet man who rents a room in the Meadows' apartment to assist them in staying afloat while Jimmy looks for work. But who is he really since he never speaks and just sits at the kitchen table all day reading Greek language newspapers? But that does not seem to matter to Jimmy and Lisa, who both start confiding their deepest secrets to Mr. P in private, hoping the experience will assist them in figuring out what to do about their mixed up lives. It's cheaper than hiring a shrink, of course, even though the self-centered couple seems to only be concerned about their own needs and not their marriage.

Legends about Hollywood stars are often difficult to prove or disprove. Such is the case about what happened to famous Shakespearean actor John Barrymore after his death. What can be substantiated is that on May 19, 1942, while recording a line from Romeo and Juliet for the show, Barrymore collapsed. He was taken to the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and died there on May 29 from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure, complicated by pneumonia. It is at this point the legend begins and turns into something truly monstrous.