Shari Barrett - Page 43

Based on Puccini's La Boheme, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical RENT with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson is a rock opera that tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in the East Village alphabet city streets of New York during the 1990s. The production at the intimate Hollywood Cupcake Theater features a rotating cast of industry professionals who bring the characters to life brilliantly.

For over 30 years, New York City-based DanceBrazil has thrilled audiences across the United States and throughout the world with its dazzling artistry, which is inspired by the cultural tapestry of Brazil. Whether in the streets or on stage in the most prestigious theaters, the dancers of DanceBrazil never fail to enthrall audiences with the company's unique fusion of Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance and Capoeira, the traditional dance form that had its origins in Africa and evolved in colonial Brazil.

Every once in awhile I am blown away by an innovative and excitingly creative theatrical production which surprises me both physically and emotionally. Such was the case when I experienced Eugene O'Neill's ANNA CHRISTIE at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. The incredible cast stars Zoe Perry alongside her real-life father, Scandal's Jeff Perry, and Grey's Anatomy's Kevin McKidd as the play's trio of iconic characters who create an explosive mix, each struggling for salvation.

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK at Theatre Palisades begins with Otto Frank returning to the family hiding place after his release from Auschwitz when the camp was liberated on 1-27-45. With worldwide celebrations of its 70th anniversary this week, now is the perfect time to experience the story never to be forgotten about Anne's two-year ordeal hiding with her family during the German occupation of the Netherlands. This is a story of life, not death - a true depiction of raw, daily survival during the Holocaust.

LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. follows two heterosexual men, Jon (Jeffrey Cannata) and Leslie (David Herbelin), who share an apartment in New York. To save money, Jon has been filing tax returns listing his roommate, Leslie, as his wife. The day of reckoning comes when the I.R.S. informs the "couple" that they are being investigated and an authorized auditor, Floyd Spinner (Bryan Dobson) will be visiting soon.The zany, fast-paced farce about a pair of bumbling tax cheats is filled with wild plot twists, lightning-quick sight gags, and a concoction of mistaken identities that rivals Shakespeare.

Mitch Hara breaks the fourth wall in his hilarious solo play MUTANT OLIVE about father and son forgiveness. A self-described "ADHD buzz saw looking for a two-by-four," Hara gives life to alter-ego Adam Astra, an actor whose past seems to constantly seep into his present. Astra gleefully spoons out tales of his soul-sucking childhood, monstrous substance abuse, rampant sex and crashed cars - all during the course of an audition for "Death of a Salesman" for which he is totally wrong.

A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of parents for a meeting to resolve the matter in GOD OF CARNAGE, now onstage at Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre through February 8, 2015. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, with the parents becoming increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos.

The Promenade Players Theatre Company presents the Los Angeles premiere of THE MEMORY OF WATER, a witty and moving exploration of family dynamics by British playwright Shelagh Stephenson. Winner of the 'Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy,' this absorbingly entertaining play is full of dark humor and heart featuring three sisters - paranoid Mary, uptight Teresa, and strung out and bratty Catherine - who have returned home on the eve of their mother's funeral after her battle with Alzheimer's.

Writer/performer Stephanie Satie gives voice to four extraordinary women in her award-winning solo play "Silent Witnesses" now onstage as a returning guest production at the Odyssey Theatre in West LA on Sundays at 2pm through February 1. Basing her play on interviews and conversations with child survivors of the Holocaust, SILENT WITNESSES paints an uplifting portrait of human resilience shaped through the eyes of children, infused with the wisdom of the adults they've become. The play won the Best Documentary Script from the United Solo Festival in New York, and recipient of the Women in Arts and Media Coalition Collaboration .Award.

BLONDE POISON is based on the true story of Stella Goldschlag (1922-1994), a young woman who had exquisite beauty with the blue eyes, blonde hair and bone structure that marked her as a young Aryan goddess. But she was not an Aryan - she was a Jew who survived the Holocaust by becoming a Greifer, an informant for the Gestapo. She had been nicknamed "Blonde Poison" by the Gestapo for her efficiency in catching Jews to be subsequently slaughtered.

Kentwood Players kicks off its 65th Anniversary Year by presenting 'An Ideal Husband' by Oscar Wilde from tonight, January 9 to Saturday, February 14, 2015 for a six-week run todays and Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by T. Samantha Barrios and produced by Melodie S. Rivers and Terry Delegeane.

The essential holiday tradition of The Nutcracker ballet continues for one more weekend, presented by the Los Angeles Ballet at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, December 27 at 1:00pm and 5:00pm and on Sunday, December 28 at 2:00pm. This production is the perfect introduction to classic ballet for the whole family as there are many children of all ages in the cast. And given the number of touring companies bringing productions to Los Angeles, it's nice to be able to support a hometown ballet company where many of the featured dancers were born and/or live in our area.

Kentwood Players kicks off its 65th Anniversary Year by presenting 'An Ideal Husband' by Oscar Wilde from Friday, January 9 to Saturday, February 14, 2015 for a six-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by T. Samantha Barrios and produced by Melodie S. Rivers and Terry Delegeane.

The Pirates of Penzance with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert is an hilarious and hopeful farce concerning Frederic (Chris Yeschenko), who, having completed his 21st year, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates led by the hot-shot Pirate King (the ultimate pirate Drew Fitzsimmons, who co-directed and choreographed the production with Michael-Anthony Nozzi). Performances continue through December 21 at the San Pedro Theatre Club.

Kentwood Players presents the Tony Award winning musical "Into the Woods" with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, from Friday, November 14 to Saturday, December 20 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm, with two Thursday night performances at 8pm on December 11 and 18 at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Shawn K. Summerer with musical direction by Catherine Rahm, produced by Lori Marple-Pereslete and Tony Pereslete by special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is known for his immense contributions to musical theatre for over 50 years. He is the winner of an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer) including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and the Laurence Olivier Award. Sondheim fans are in for a treat this holiday season with two Sondheim shows playing within just a few miles of each other: Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse is presenting 'Into the Woods' and Chromolume at the Attic Theatre is presenting 'Putting it Together' with both productions opening on November 14, 2014.

The several intertwined stories about characters motivated by the seven deadly sins and shocking scenes of excessive cruelty and suffering (especially the violent blinding of Gloucester, Lear's descent into madness, the raging storm, and the tragic death of Cordelia), make KING LEAR a profound exploration of the human condition in all its extremes and complexities. And when well performed by actors who fully comprehend the psyche of their character as well as the meaning of Shakespeare's vocabulary, brilliance happens.

Get ready all you "Rocky Horror" fans! There's a new show in town that is begging for you to join in the fun, just as long as you don't mind being splattered with blood, breaking pencils, or waving pompoms. Due to robust ticket sales and an ever-increasing dedicated fan base, RE-ANIMATOR THE MUSICAL has added nine additional performances at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood through November 23. The blood flows so freely during the show that the first 3 rows are designated as a "splash zone." So bring your raincoat or accept a plastic trash bag from the stage manager for protection.

WAIT UNTIL DARK centers on a missing doll carried into the United States by photographer Sam Hendrix (Linden East) for a woman named Lisa he meets at a Canadian airport. When the doll goes missing in Sam and Susy's apartment, three ruthless thugs show up to try and find it, terrorizing Susy in the process. Many will remember the 1966 Broadway play starring Lee Remick and Robert Duvall, or the 1967 film starting Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin, But seeing it in an intimate 99 seat theater brings spine-tingling chills galore.

TRAIN TO ZAKOPANE: A true story of hate and love, by Henry Jaglom, will have its World Premiere at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica beginning November 14. The play is based upon true events that occurred in the life of Henry Jaglom's father as he crossed Poland on a train in 1928 when anti-Semitism was rife in much of Europe, especially Poland. It is a compelling love story that explores the human condition in its darkest and most exquisite moments, laying bare how compassion and intolerance can, even in the most unusual of circumstances, be one and the same.