Shari Barrett - Page 51

CHALK REPERTORY THEATRE presents STUDIO CHEKHOV, a one-night only theatrical event on February 16, 2014, featuring excerpts from two of Anton Chekhov's greatest works in new versions by Libby Appel.

Over the last 12 years, the artistic team at San Pedro's Little Fish Theatre has undertaken an extensive process, this year selecting from over 600 submitted manuscripts from around the world to be included in their annual PICK OF THE VINE production. The nine plays selected this year are a theatrical sampling akin to flights of wine - delightful sips of comedy and drama that provide an opportunity to experience a wide range of unique stories in a single evening.

NIGHT WATCH is one of the best productions I have seen at Theatre 40, a brilliantly written script visualized and presented by a talented production team and cast who truly understand the material and what it takes to keep you at the edge of your seat, trying to figure out just who has done what to whom. There's an array of suspects with a twist ending worthy of O. Henry.

The opening number 'Oh, the Thinks You Can Think' is a wonder to behold with the entire company superbly choreographed to let us know the crazy Dr. Seuss ride that awaits. And what a crazy ride it is following Horton the Elephant (David Mitrano) as he fights for the small creatures of Whoville living on a clover and the egg left behind by its mother. Horton believes, and this company proves, that a person's a person no matter how small. Trust me, the smallest actors onstage are having the time of their lives and so are their proud families in the audience.

On February 15, 2014, the story of Anne Frank and her two-year ordeal hiding with her family during the German occupation of the Netherlands comes to Hollywood's Cupcake Theater, starring Sigi Gradwohl, a third-generation Holocaust survivor, as Anne Frank. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK is a story of life, not death, and a depiction of raw, daily survival during the Holocaust. Told with wit and sentiment, this production is sure to hit home with a truth that still resonates today.

The Tony award-winning Broadway stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's famous film, THE 39 STEPS, is being presented as a slapstick romp through film noir at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts for nine performances, January 24 - February 9, directed with skillful comedic insight by Ken Parks. Combining a suspenseful spy thriller with uproarious comedy, the fast-paced whodunit is filled with action, romance and inventive staging.

LEBENSRAUM opens in present-day Germany as the country's Chancellor, through a spasm of nightmarish guilt over the Holocaust, invites 6 million Jews to come live in Germany with a promise of 'citizenship and full benefits' in the hopes that Germany can finally heal from its dark past. The logical progression of this artfully drawn script raises the terrifying possibility that history may repeat.

It's quite a treat to experience watching a playwright perform in his own work. While at first I was disappointed to be seeing an understudy in the main role, when it turned out it was the playwright Eric Rudnick playing the lead in his own play DAY TRADER at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles on January 18, I was thrilled to be in the audience.

Carly Linehan takes charge of the stage from the moment she flies onstage as Peter Pan, enthralling the audience with her high-spirited portrayal of the boy who refuses to grow up. She made it look terribly easy to fly, sing, and throw fairy dust without a care in the world. With her boyish charm and mannerisms, Linehan truly will have you believing you are watching a young boy in the throes of childhood joy and freedom throughout the ENCORE show at the Warner Brand in San Pedro.

The World Premiere of Timothy McNeil's THE TWILIGHT OF SCHLOMO is being presented by the critically acclaimed Elephant Theatre Company through February 9. The drama explores how our simplest choices sometimes have far-reaching effects for those around us, and how redemption is always within your grasp.

Lots of laughter was in the air on Friday, January 10 at the Westchester Playhouse with the opening of BECKY'S NEW CAR, a modern comedy by Steven Dietz.

68 Cent Crew is presenting the West Coast premiere of STOREFRONT CHURCH, the final installment of John Patrick Shanley's trilogy called Church and State, which began with the critically acclaimed DOUBT, for two more weeks through January 11, 2014 at the NoHo Arts Center.

Remaining performances of TAKE ME OUT, the Tony Award-winning drama by Richard Greenberg, at the Flight Theatre in the Complex has been postponed.

Remaining performances of TAKE ME OUT, the Tony Award-winning drama by Richard Greenberg scheduled at the Flight Theater in the Complex, have been postponed due to a change of director. The show will open again soon!

Kentwood Players welcomes Dylan Brody to the cast of "Becky's New Car" by Steven Dietz opening January 10 to February 15, 2014 at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Susan Stangl and produced by Larry Jones by special arrangement with Dramatist's Play Service, Inc.

Kentwood Players presents 'Becky's New Car' by Steven Dietz from January 10 to February 15, 2014 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 Susan Stangl and produced by Larry Jones by special arrangement with Dramatist's Play Service, Inc.

L.A.'s Hottest New Holiday Tradition A CHRISTMAS CAROL: TWIST YOUR DICKENS! Returns to CTG's Kirk Douglas Theatre for a Limited Run through December 29, 2013.

TAKE ME OUT, the Tony Award-winning drama by Richard Greenberg, comes to Hollywood at the Flight Theatre in the Complex, opening January 4. Please note the run has been cancelled until further notice.

In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously paraphrased Groucho Marx saying, 'I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.' In SEASCAPE WITH SHARKS AND DANCER by Don Nigro, we meet two lonely people who attempt to fuse a relationship that works for both of them, but her deep seated emotional damage keeps forcing her to push him away for fear of getting to close and then having to endure the loss when it's over.

It just wouldn't be Christmas in Los Angeles without BOB'S HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY bringing a lot of deranged hilarity into the mix. Fortunately the show is back for its eighteenth year of putting the laughter, as well as a bit of a drunken mess, into the holiday season.