Shari Barrett - Page 52

THE FOREIGNER is billed a two-act comedy by American playwright Larry Shue. It has been revived a great many times, from the high school to the professional level, including a well-received 2004 off-Broadway production featuring Matthew Broderick as Charlie. That description certainly sugar coats the unfortunate and shocking ending which has no place being on any stage in America.

BEETHOVEN AND MISFORTUNE COOKIES is the true story of Kabin Thomas, a musician and, for eleven years, a Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas. Ernest Harden, Jr. portrays Professor Thomas, taking us on Thomas' harrowing journey back to his childhood as he questions his mental health, just as Beethoven must have endured emotional turmoil after the loss of his hearing.

GOD'S GYPSY is a bold, sexy and humanizing portrait of the 16th century mystic who became one of the most controversial reformers of the Catholic Church. Spoiled with beauty and riches, Teresa was sent to a convent as a young girl to learn discipline, but instead discovered an unparalleled spiritual fervor.

Kentwood Players is delighted to present our next Kentwood Kids production, 'Mr. Potcher's Holiday,' a family musical comedy with book and lyrics by Bob Silberg, music by Barbara Klaskin Silberg. Performances will take place on Saturdays, November 30, December 7 and 14 at 11:00am and 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse.

'If only Eve had given Adam a daiquiri, we'd still be in paradise,' ruminates Gordon Goodman as John Barrymore at the end of BARRYMORE by William Luce. To that I say, 'If only John Barrymore could have stopped drinking, what acting heights could he have gone on to reach?'

LOST GIRLS by John Pollono is a hard-hitting working class drama about people struggling to redefine family. The struggle of America's working class sometimes gets short shrift in pop culture--either represented as generic American Heroes, or as struggling simpletons who need to be saved. But the reality is much more interesting.

Are you ready for some hearty laughter? Then head over to Theatre 40 and enjoy the witty repartee in Moss Hart's LIGHT UP THE SKY! There's nothing quite like the hours before the opening night of a theater production, and I am sure anyone ever involved in the production of a play will not be able to stop laughing as each character will no doubt remind you of some colorful characters you have known up close and personal.

LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL focuses on each character's struggle to find love as well as direction in their life. Each makes choices that seem to pull the them apart, and one wishes the entire Gant family could learn to focus on how to love one another before it is too late - a universal lesson for us all to take to heart.

Most of us often think about which famous historical figure or literary giant we would like to meet if we could go back in time. Turns out playwright/director Daniel Rover Singer is a passionate fan of both Charles Dickens and the Reverend Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). Although Dickens and Carroll probably never actually met, what could have happened if they had?

In this hilarious satire of musical theatre, one story becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the distinctive style of a different master of the form, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim - and they all deal with the same classic melodrama plot - 'I can't pay the rent!' George Carlin famously joked a topic had to be universal for it to be funny. Well this topic certainly is and this show is hysterical!

Set in a garage in suburban Long Island, THE BLACK SUITS tells the tale of four boys (lead singer, guitar, bass and drums) who are preparing for stardom by way of the St. Anne's Battle of the Bands. The band and the music give focus and sustenance to the boys whose lives are filled with teenage angst and longing, struggles with friends and girlfriends, and the need to make choices.

David Trainer directs the Los Angeles Premiere of David Greig's celebrated new version of August Strindberg's psychological thriller CREDITORS, a co-production between two of the city's most respected theaters, the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and The New American Theatre. The production is a sexy, savage, darkly comic, and very modern take on the battle of the sexes.

L.A. Theatre Works' Radio Theatre Series will air KINDERTRANSPORT written by Diane Samuels, directed by Jeannie Hackett and featuring Jane Kaczmarek, Susan Sullivan and Molly Quinn. The broadcast can be heard locally in Southern California on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013 from 7-9 pm on KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles.

Worst. Thanksgiving. Ever. A family gathering to celebrate the iconic American holiday turns into a scathing indictment of phony liberal values in THE PAIN AND THE ITCH by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Bruce Norris (Clybourne Park), through December 1 at the Zephyr Theatre.

Fierce Backbone presents a world premiere comedy A GOOD GRIEF written by Leslie Hardy, directed by Jeffrey Wylie, at The Lounge Theatre through December 1. It's another night in Grief Counseling in Room 103, and four strangers are struggling with their own steps in the grieving process. All four are on a major collision course with each other's issues in this dark comedy, whether they like it or not.

L.A. Theatre Works presents Charles Busch's hilarious homage to movie nuns 'The Divine Sister' starring Charles Busch (Mother Superior) and members of the original Off Broadway cast: Alison Fraser (Sister Walburga) and Julie Halston (Sister Acacius). Joining them on stage were Emily Bergl (Agnes), Maxwell Caulfield (Jeremy, Brother Venerius) and his wife Juliet Mills (Mrs. Levinson).

Kentwood Players presents the beloved American holiday classic 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' by Joe Landry from tonight, November 8 through Saturday, December 14, 2013 for a six-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Gypsy Foster and produced by Vada Foster and Alison Mattiza by special arrangement with Playscripts Inc.

TRACERS features a stellar cast of young actors, all of whom have served in the United States military, a first since the original production. Their personal insights fuel the action as well as the rampant emotions that haunt them through the rigors of boot camp, the horrors of combat, the craziness of war, and the PTSD challenges of coming home including dealing with the effects of Agent Orange and living life in a wheelchair.

Through a theatrical coincidence, Kentwood Players and Cornerstone Theater Company are both working to positively influence an otherwise overlooked community on Skid Row through their support of the Los Angeles Mission this holiday season. Both companies believe art has the power to change the lives of people who need it the most and are using the power of live theater to bring the holiday spirit to LA's Skid Row.

If you're a fan of live theatre, love the spirit of Halloween and are intrigued at the thought of great pieces of literature brought to life, then Wicked Lit might be the bubbling cauldron for you! The horror story adaptation series takes place within the creepy and beautiful walls of the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena and even ventures into the stillness of the cemetery. Yup, you'll really be surrounded by actual dead people all night.