Shari Barrett - Page 42

San Francisco playwright and performer Trevor Allen spent a few years in Southern California portraying Pluto, Mr. Smee, the Mad Hatter and other characters in his 5'5' height range on his quest for voice clearance and his dream of becoming Peter Pan. The boy who never wanted to grow up recounts his tales of backstage debauchery, sex, drugs, kicks to the crotch, militant managers, and quirky coworkers in this unique coming-of-age tale that blows pixie dust in your eyes while offering a glimpse behind the ears of the Magic Kingdom.

What does it take to become a charismatic spiritual leader, one who has people questioning and empowering their own faith? Is it possible in our media soaked society to grab the attention of millions of people simply by speaking your mind and sharing your faith, ultimately proving the power of positive thinking? THE POWER OF DUFF is ultimately about a person who is fundamentally ambivalent about religion, even about spirituality - who undergoes an emotional transformation, which in turn leads him to a position of being a suddenly looked-to spiritual leader even as his ambivalence continues.

In 1948, a decade before Motown, John Dolphin opened his soon-to-be world famous Dolphin's of Hollywood record store in South Los Angeles, just off legendary Central Avenue, but his contributions to music and the formative years of rock 'n' roll have often been overlooked. Based on the book "Recorded In Hollywood: The John Dolphin Story," this new musical features 16 original songs by Andy Cooper to match the musical era of the 1950s, as well as hit cover songs associated with the story including Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," The Penguins' "Earth Angel" and "Wheel Of Fortune" by The Hollywood Flames.

What happens when two of the world's most extraordinary theater companies, the England's Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Scotland, make the decision to work together on a sequel to Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, one of his darkest and most powerful works? It's no less than a magical combination of talent that makes an improbable tale seem to be the essence of truth about sex, politics and power. Patricia Wolff, Interim Artistic Director of The Wallis adds, "David Greig's thrilling new drama brilliantly straddles the ancient and modern worlds, playing like a cross between "Game of Thrones" and "House of Cards."

Thanks to Wilson Milam's fast paced direction and the highly gifted cast, CORKTOWN '57 truly becomes not only a serious look at a family in distress for both religious and political reasons but also a great history lesson on how intolerance can lead you down the wrong path to salvation. And how many examples of that can you find in today's world? Too many to count, I'm afraid.

SIGHT UNSEEN by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies opened on Broadway in 2004 and went on to win an Obie Award for Best New American Play, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play, and brought Laura Linney a Theatre World Award and nominations for both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards. It centers on celebrated artist Jonathan Waxman who, despite immense popularity, yearns for something more in his life. His soul-searching leads him to visit an old girlfriend and former muse he selfishly dismissed over a decade before.

Due to the enormous success of their first show, Sixth Avenue presented an encore of its National Tour 'ILove99 The Musical!' cabaret event to save Los Angeles intimate theatre on Tuesday, March 24 at the Dragonfly on Hollywood's Theater Row. Produced by Adam Silver and directed by Alan Smithee (wink wink) featuring returning and additional performers, the event proved to be a real meeting of the minds for both union and non-union audience members. And what a show it was, giving both AEA union members as well as non-members a chance to enjoy great entertainment while rallying everyone to go out and encourage all union member to vote NO on the proposed union changes that could wipe out intimate theater in Los Angeles.

The online world of social media began long before the internet exploded with email services and today's outlandish graphics and photo capabilities. Local BBS online systems allowed its members to log on, visit various chat rooms on lots of topics and create a world unto themselves by just typing away and watching plain text conversations fly by at rapid speed. No graphics - no photos - just words from however many users were in that particular chat room. It was a heady time when anyone could pretend to be whoever they wanted to be and create worlds where each of us could be a star - or the controller of everyone and everything going on in that imaginary room. Have avatar, will travel.

Most people who change career paths make that choice due to being let go from a job or being offered a new challenge that seems to be something more rewarding. But what about those who walk away from a successful career, from a job with a great salary and excellent benefits, to go back to a more simple life that offers a more fulfilling way to express your creativity when a second chance comes along? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be that lucky?

Winner of the Barclays Stage Award for Best Show for Children and Young People, LIFEBOAT by Nicola McCartney is a true story of courage, survival and enduring friendship set during World War II. In September 1940, a ship, the City of Benares, set sail from Liverpool for Canada. Onboard were 90 evacuees trying to escape the relentless bombing and dangers of war-torn Britain. Four days into its journey, the ship was torpedoed and sank. Only eleven of the evacuees survived, including two fifteen-year-old girls, Bess Walder (Ashley Smith) and Beth Cummings (Hannah Donaldson) who spent 19 terrifying hours in the water on an upturned lifeboat during a harsh, relentless storm. Through their will to survive in spite of their dire situation, they endured to tell their story so the bitter consequences of World War II on so many innocent, young children will never be forgotten.

Trevore Ross stages this splendid revival of a production originally created by Spanish director Emilio Sagi for the Teatro Real in Madrid. Thanks to his stellar ensemble who do the lion's share of changing the sets while playing multiple roles, the opera is just as lovely to watch as it is to hear with the entire cast harmonizing spectacularly and playing their parts for all the laughs they can muster. THE BARBER OF SEVILLE is performed in Italian with simultaneous English translations projected over the stage.

Following spectacular performances at Upstairs at Vitello's, The Catalina Jazz Club and the El Caballero Country Club, Fraser Entertainment Group moves to Rockwell Table & Stage on Monday, March 16 with the critically- acclaimed ongoing series AN EVENING OF CLASSIC BROADWAY. This show welcomes a new cast of singers from Broadway, television and film.

NEXT TO NORMAL tells the story of a mother, Diana Goodman, who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has on her family. This contemporary musical is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and the day-to-day reality of suburban life. With provocative lyrics and a thrilling score, this musical shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact. The production plays more like a modern operetta as there is little dialogue with most of the story being told via the story-forwarding song lyrics.

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 is acting as the Creative Consultant for the all-new run of TRU at the Primitive Stage in Woodland Hills starring Michael-Anthony Nozzi who gives his own tour-de-force performance as the lonely writer.

Pacific Opera Project boldly goes where no opera company has gone before in a Star Trek-themed production of ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO: POP puts their zany spin on Mozart's kidnapping caper by setting it in space... the final frontier. Klingons, slave girls, and all your favorite characters from the original Star Trek series sing and dance their way through Abduction accompanied by a spectacular 27-piece orchestra conducted by POP co-founder Stephen Karr. The new English libretto, written by artistic director Josh Shaw who also directs the POP production, takes the action from an 18th century harem in Turkey and places it Stardate 14-20.27 on the hereto unexplored planet M113.

STOP ME IF I TOLD YOU THIS is the touching, funny, off-beat multimedia musical memoir of prolific voice-over actor Cam Clarke who began his career in short pants and knee socks in 1965 as one of the youngest members of TV's "The King Family Show" - all 39 members in an environment where Mormonism and Burlesque collided! The show business progeny of glamorous Alyce King of The King Sisters and science fiction B-movie icon Robert Clarke, his childhood played out on TV screens across America, but his true nature was something he chose to hide from his Mormon family and school friends.

Following last year's sold out benefit, the Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (STAGE) is delighted to announce the All-Star cast participating in the 31st annual gala, 'To Broadway, From Hollywood….With Love,' being held on Saturday, May 9th, at the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. David Galligan directs with Brad Ellis serving as Musical Director for his first time. The cast includes Loni Anderson, Obba Babatunde, Adrienne Baron, Mary Jo Catlett, Carole Cook, James Darren, Loretta Devine, Nancy Dussault, David Engel, Barbara Eden, Julie Garnye, Thea Gill, Jason Graae, Gregory Harrison, Sally Kellerman, Jon Maher, Melissa Manchester, Pat Marshall, James C Mulligan, Patricia Morison, Robert Morse, Donna Pescow, Jake Simpson, Sally Struthers, Donna Theodore, Lisa Vroman and Adam Wylie.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY ballet with glorious music by Tchaikovsky premiered in Moscow in 1890. With original choreography by Marius Petipa, it is considered one of the greatest story ballets of all time and the epitome of classical ballet. The story represents much more than just the fairy tale, showing us that even when poisoned by the forces of evil, the power of love can surmount any roadblock and triumph. Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have adapted the ballet with their own original choreography, based after Petipa. Their World Premiere LA Ballet presentation proved to be a spectacular work of artistic excellence thanks to the remarkable LA Ballet dancers.

CRE Outreach presents the world premiere of NOBODY TOLD ME, a heartfelt original play written by Marine Corps veteran Melvin Ishmael Johnson, performed by Full Scope Veterans and Theatre by the Blind. Writer/performer Melvin Ishmael Johnson drew from his own as well as other veterans' real-life stories and experiences to create the piece, then joined forces with Theatre by the Blind actors to hone Full Scope Veterans stage craft skills. Working together proved to be a transformative experience for every member of the production.

MAME, the 1966 multiple Tony Award winning musical, based on the biographical novel Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis and subsequent play and film Auntie Mame by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is a wonderful, warm, and witty narrative enhanced with Jerry Herman's evocative, lively, and sentimental music and lyrics. Bohemian Mame Dennis is a larger-than-life personality living in New York City during the Great Depression. Mame has a collection of eccentric, wealthy society friends and her life is one endless party; that is until her young nephew Patrick "walks into her life."