Shari Barrett - Page 41

The wondrous production at the Odyssey Theater begins the moment you walk into the misty other-worldly atmospheric set designed by Keith Mitchell which, along with the dome and water well, has the blind soothsayer Tiresias perched in a woven swing hanging just above the entrance. A large, clear glass orb hangs above the front row with an image of an ancient warrior, soon identified as slain King Laius, within it. The mood is set for a theatrical experience unlike anything you have seen before when it comes to Greek Tragedy!

Certainly most of us have wanted to follow a band around and be a part of their backstage antics when we were young enough to have the energy to do so. In The Load In at 3 Clubs during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, it is quite a thrill to be in on the action of watching The Wax Robots load in for a performance when everything that can go wrong does, yet it all works out in the end.

In June 1989, Ann Starbuck was an American student on a year's sojourn in China where she was also working as a production assistant for CNN. When pro-democracy demonstrations broke out in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, she suddenly found herself swept up in the middle of historic events while assisting camera crews; escorting a dissident to a news interview; making forbidden friendships. She was there and now shares her story to remind us how important it is to speak up for human rights.

Led by the impressive talents of David Mitrano as Jean Valjean and Garrett Chandler as his arch enemy Javert, the cast of nearly 30 performers harmonize beautifully in each and every number, never missing a beat. This is quite a remarkable feat, given the change to recorded tracks two days prior to opening the show. Director Summer Dey Cacciagioni and Music Director Mike Walker are to be commended for sticking to the adage that "the show must go on" and not letting any obstacle stand in their way in presenting this rousing production.

The musical expands on the many motifs raised in the novel while offering a fresh perspective on the nearly thousand-paged piece of literature. Originally written as a three-hour production, thankfully the Fringe show has been edited down to two. Those not familiar with the novel, however, may find themselves a bit lost in Act I given all the time shifts between the many scenes, but everything becomes much easier to follow once Act II kicks into gear. Ultimately it is a tale of love, loss, and extreme agony coupled by an undeniable thirst for retribution set in France in the mid-1800's when women's lives were set by the man they married and little else.

Set in Germany in 1523 when women had few lifestyle choices open to them, the play offers a very modern reimagining of key events in the life of historic figure Katharina von Bora, a nun who became the wife of Martin Luther, German leader of the Protestant Reformation. Beyond what is found in the writings of Luther and some of his contemporaries, little is known about Katharina. Despite this, she is often considered one of the most important participants of the Reformation because of her role in helping to define Protestant family life and setting the tone for clergy marriages.

When TRU premiered on Broadway, Robert Morse won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for his tour-de-force portrayal of Truman Capote. For his performance in the 1992 American Playhouse presentation of TRU, Morse won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. As a way to pay it forward, Morse has directed his friend Michael-Anthony Nozzi in TRU presented by Chromolume Theatre and produced by Mike Abramson during this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival. Nozzi gives his own tour-de-force performance as the lonely writer and iconic 70's bon vivant sweetheart.

As a life-long lover of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shew' and now a fan of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' trilogy, I was certainly wondering how the two could be combined. Well it appears to be much easier than I thought given the exciting new production of 'Fifty Shades of Shrew' at the Lounge Theater. The all-female cast uses the Bard's exact text and makes it come alive in the most creative BDSM connotations possible by just using a different emphasis on words and actions that promote such fun activities as spanking, Master/Submissive games, handcuffs, and other elements which are discussed for the uninitiated by latex-clad Mistress Kara before the play begins.

As traveling salesman Willy Loman's fears of failure envelope him, his wife Linda's unwavering love and support never falter, even as the disillusionment of their sons Happy and Biff send the family into an emotional tailspin. As Willy sinks deeper into schizophrenia, his ongoing delusions and hallucinations about the past make it increasing difficult for him to function in his stressful reality. Taking what he thinks is the easy way out since he believes he is worth more dead than alive, Willy falls deeper into overwhelming depression from which there is no escape.

Martin Thompson directs Rupert Holmes' intriguing murder mystery ACCOMPLICE at Theater 40 with reverence to actors and what they go through to put on a play as well as to put up with each other. The first act seems like a fairly normal British offering with four characters all seemingly trying to outdo each other to gain control of the two husbands' mutual business by having affairs with each other in every possible combination. A particularly shocking revelation just prior to intermission will have you wondering just who is the accomplice trying to assist the perpetrator in getting away with murder.

John Douglas Thompson gives a tour de force multiple-character solo performance in SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. It is easy to see why the New York Times described Thompson as one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation after witnessing his remarkable ability to totally transform himself into three very distinct and richly defined characters: jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, his mob-connected and career-long manager Joe Glaser, and fellow jazz musician Miles Davis.

Kentwood Players presents Amy Herzog's dramatic comedy '4000 Miles' from tonight, May 15 to Saturday, June 20, 2015 This mufti-award winning play centers on 21-year old Leo, who after suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, seeks solace from his feisty 91 year-old grandmother Vera in her spacious rent-controlled Greenwich Village apartment that hasn't been redecorated since 1968. Over the course of the month of September in current time, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other in many ways.

The beauty of this revue is that it can be done in whatever style chosen by the director, either as just a collection of show tunes or songs interconnected to tell a story of how love makes the world go 'round. The current production at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, directed by Fred Helsel with musical direction by Gary Poirot and choreography by Becky Castells, does a bit of both by interconnecting the songs so they flow from one to the other ss if we are hearing both sides of each love story.

Farce is a very difficult type of comedy to do well. It takes the ability of actors to present real characters in outrageously unreal situations so that we care about what happens to them. Just using over-the-top mannerisms and loud vocalizations does not accomplish this, and what you wind up seeing onstage are caricatures rather than real people who just get caught in outrageous situations beyond their control. Such is the case with the two one acts now being presented at Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre, The Still Alarm by George S. Kaufman and Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer.

NOT THAT JEWISH is a wonderful evening of entertainment and laughs in the Jewish Women's Theatre's new home at The Braid Theater in Santa Monica, an extension of the Bergamot Arts District. Monica Piper shares her autobiographical journey trying to prove just what it takes to be Jewish, especially when you never attend temple. She discovers that ultimately, it comes down to having a Jewish heart, something anyone can have as long as it is filled with compassion, humor, doing good deeds, acceptance of others, and a deep love of family. It is by Yiddish definition what it takes to be a mensch, a real good person.

In the history of musical theater, there is little question of the cultural significance of "CATS." It was the first branded spectacle musical and its biggest song "Memory" became an instant standard. All the big musicals that have come along since owe a debt of gratitude to the special effects and overall spectacle "CATS" allowed the world to experience for the first time onstage. Due to the size of the production and the incredible cast requirement for dozens of triple-threat actors and actresses who can handle the operatic score and dancing from tap to jazz to ballet, "CATS" is a treat to behold for audiences of all ages whenever a production comes to town.

Proving that money makes their world go around, financial advisors bicker about the falling stock market and how to best keep making money as their clients are losing their portfolios. With each desiring to be at the top of his game, none is safe from the backstabbing devised to make sure only the cream of the crop rises to the top no matter the cost to anyone else. "It's not how smart you are, it's how smart the world thinks you are" seems to be motto of these cutthroat sharks.

Israeli playwright Anat Gov grew up in a country surrounded by other countries that wanted to blow her homeland out of existence. Perhaps living on the edge of destruction for so long enhanced her ability to face disaster with a sense of hope and laughter. Now being presented by the West Coast Jewish Theatre, the American Premiere of her play O MY GOD deals with the power of faith, belief and how best to cope with the obstacles of everyday life with a sense that all will work out for the best. The production runs through June 7 at the Pico Playhouse in West LA.

Directed by playwright Angeliki Giannakopoulos, the world premiere of MY CHILD: MOTHERS OF WAR is based on her award winning documentary of the same name, which aired nationally on PBS. Composed of a collection of true intertwining monologues telling stories of six mothers whose lives were radically changed when their sons were sent to fight the war in Iraq, the play focuses on the struggle women face before, during and after their child leaves their protective arms and learns to be an adult on the battlefield, whether or not they ever return home.

Kentwood Players presents Amy Herzog's dramatic comedy '4000 Miles' from Friday, May 15 to Saturday, June 20, 2015 This mufti-award winning play centers on 21-year old Leo, who after suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, seeks solace from his feisty 91 year-old grandmother Vera in her spacious rent-controlled Greenwich Village apartment that hasn't been redecorated since 1968. Over the course of the month of September in current time, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other in many ways.