Chris Whitaker
Latest News on Chris Whitaker:
Babylon's Argyle Theatre Streams Jefferson Mays' A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Dec 11, 2020)
BWW Feature: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Coachella Valley Repertory (Nov 27, 2020)
Tony Award Winner Jefferson Mays Stars In A CHRISTMAS CAROL To Benefit Actors' Playhouse (Oct 28, 2020)
Babylon's Argyle Theatre Streams Jefferson Mays' A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Dec 11, 2020)
BWW Feature: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Coachella Valley Repertory (Nov 27, 2020)
Tony Award Winner Jefferson Mays Stars In A CHRISTMAS CAROL To Benefit Actors' Playhouse (Oct 28, 2020)
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VIDEO: Actor Ayre Gross and Director Steve Robman Discuss UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL At Geffen Playhouse
by Alan Henry - Oct 24, 2017
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Babylon's Argyle Theatre Streams Jefferson Mays' A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The Argyle Theatre and producer Hunter Arnold unofficially kicked off the holiday season early by announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays, was released worldwide on Saturday, November 28.
The Argyle Theatre and producer Hunter Arnold unofficially kicked off the holiday season early by announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays, was released worldwide on Saturday, November 28.
BWW Feature: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Coachella Valley Repertory
Jefferson Mays is Scrooge again, and he's right on time.
Jefferson Mays is Scrooge again, and he's right on time.
Tony Award Winner Jefferson Mays Stars In A CHRISTMAS CAROL To Benefit Actors' Playhouse
Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre unofficially kicked off the holiday season early today, announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays, will be released worldwide on Saturday, November 28.
Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre unofficially kicked off the holiday season early today, announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays, will be released worldwide on Saturday, November 28.
BWW Review: Funny and Sad SKINTIGHT Hits the Mark
I had the following to say about playwright Joshua Harmon' s play Bad Jews: 'Excessively harsh reality is at the core of most contemporary dramedies. A character cannot be rude or abrasive enough to arouse a viewer's attention or glean laughs. It's particularly characteristic of the irritating females who talk too fast, too loud and scream their shrewish lungs out. It makes me happy that I live alone; and yes, I do care and respect others and their feelings; but, being pleasant nowadays is considered boring and in drama, it will never win awards, so on with the show. ' Harmon's current play Skintight is receiving its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse and star Idina Menzel's character Jodi is another shrewish female, selfish and most definitely in need of a lesson or two about how to treat others. The play has already been extended through October 12. It boasts a dynamic six person cast and is worth your time.
I had the following to say about playwright Joshua Harmon' s play Bad Jews: 'Excessively harsh reality is at the core of most contemporary dramedies. A character cannot be rude or abrasive enough to arouse a viewer's attention or glean laughs. It's particularly characteristic of the irritating females who talk too fast, too loud and scream their shrewish lungs out. It makes me happy that I live alone; and yes, I do care and respect others and their feelings; but, being pleasant nowadays is considered boring and in drama, it will never win awards, so on with the show. ' Harmon's current play Skintight is receiving its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse and star Idina Menzel's character Jodi is another shrewish female, selfish and most definitely in need of a lesson or two about how to treat others. The play has already been extended through October 12. It boasts a dynamic six person cast and is worth your time.
Photo Flash: Idina Menzel Stars In SKINTIGHT At Geffen Playhouse
Get a first look at Idina Menzel in Skintight at the Geffen Playhouse!
Get a first look at Idina Menzel in Skintight at the Geffen Playhouse!
BWW Review: BLACK SUPER HERO MAGIC MAMA Visually Stunning World Premiere Will Invade Your Psyche and Sensibilities
Kimberly Hebert Gregory literally shines as bright as the Sun as she battles to find the Entity to show her the way to find inner peace, as her comic book battle as superhero Maasai Angel is child's play compared to the heartbreaking emotional pain in her real life. And her journey contains some of the most stunning visual displays ever seen in the smaller Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse! Playwright Inda Craig-Galvan and director Robert O'Hara have brilliantly brought modern-day issues such as race-motivated police shootings, gun control, personal responsibility, ratings-motivated media reporting, and parenting styles to the forefront in this world premiere, sure to go on to great fame worldwide following the Geffen run.
Kimberly Hebert Gregory literally shines as bright as the Sun as she battles to find the Entity to show her the way to find inner peace, as her comic book battle as superhero Maasai Angel is child's play compared to the heartbreaking emotional pain in her real life. And her journey contains some of the most stunning visual displays ever seen in the smaller Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse! Playwright Inda Craig-Galvan and director Robert O'Hara have brilliantly brought modern-day issues such as race-motivated police shootings, gun control, personal responsibility, ratings-motivated media reporting, and parenting styles to the forefront in this world premiere, sure to go on to great fame worldwide following the Geffen run.
Photo Flash: First Look at Geffen Playhouse's BLACK SUPER HERO MAGIC MAMA
Both heartbreaking and highly inventive, Black Super Hero Magic Mama gives us the hero we have been waiting for.
Both heartbreaking and highly inventive, Black Super Hero Magic Mama gives us the hero we have been waiting for.
Review Roundup: Critics Weigh in on Mays' and Arden's A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The Geffen is currently hosting a world premiere adaption of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons and Michael Arden, this one-man production features Mays taking on nearly 50 different roles in a new adaptation, which is based on the edited version Dickens himself used for public performances. Let's see what the critics had to say.
The Geffen is currently hosting a world premiere adaption of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons and Michael Arden, this one-man production features Mays taking on nearly 50 different roles in a new adaptation, which is based on the edited version Dickens himself used for public performances. Let's see what the critics had to say.
BWW Review: Geffen's Incredible CHRISTMAS CAROL Is Not To Be Missed
A Christmas Carol/by Charles Dickens/adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons, Michael Arden/directed by Michael Arden/Geffen Playhoous/Gil Cates Theater/through December 16 Another version of A Christmas Carol you moan? Well, take my word for it, you have never seen a produciton of the Dickensian classic quite like the one currently onstage at the Geffen Playhouse mainstage Gil Cates Theater. Adapted by the brilliant actor playing every role Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons and brilliant director Michael Arden, A Christmas Carol becomes the perfect transition from Halloween, Dia de los Muertos
A Christmas Carol/by Charles Dickens/adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons, Michael Arden/directed by Michael Arden/Geffen Playhoous/Gil Cates Theater/through December 16 Another version of A Christmas Carol you moan? Well, take my word for it, you have never seen a produciton of the Dickensian classic quite like the one currently onstage at the Geffen Playhouse mainstage Gil Cates Theater. Adapted by the brilliant actor playing every role Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons and brilliant director Michael Arden, A Christmas Carol becomes the perfect transition from Halloween, Dia de los Muertos
Review: THE CAKE Proves That Love is Always the Key Ingredient in Life
When Della and her Goddaughter Jen have a truthful heart-to-heart about making the decision whether or not the wedding cake will be baked at Della's Sweets, even though you may need a Kleenex, listen closely to the truthful honesty with which the lines are delivered by these two actresses dedicated to showing audiences that neither side is right nor wrong, just diametrically opposed and correct to each of them. And I am not revealing whether or not Della bakes the cake or even attends the wedding as the truth is revealed during the final moments of the play when THE CAKE proves that love is always the key ingredient in life.
When Della and her Goddaughter Jen have a truthful heart-to-heart about making the decision whether or not the wedding cake will be baked at Della's Sweets, even though you may need a Kleenex, listen closely to the truthful honesty with which the lines are delivered by these two actresses dedicated to showing audiences that neither side is right nor wrong, just diametrically opposed and correct to each of them. And I am not revealing whether or not Della bakes the cake or even attends the wedding as the truth is revealed during the final moments of the play when THE CAKE proves that love is always the key ingredient in life.
Photo Flash: First Look at THE CAKE at Geffen Playhouse
From hit television writer/producer and acclaimed playwright Bekah Brunstetter (This is Us, Going to a Place where you Already Are), The Cake is a play inspired by a story still in the headlines. When Della, a North Carolina baker and devout Christian, is asked to bake a cake for her best friend's daughter, she is overjoyed. But that joy is short-lived when she learns the intended is another bride and realizes she is faced with an agonizing choice between faith and family. Struggling to reconcile her deeply held belief in "traditional marriage" and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory.
From hit television writer/producer and acclaimed playwright Bekah Brunstetter (This is Us, Going to a Place where you Already Are), The Cake is a play inspired by a story still in the headlines. When Della, a North Carolina baker and devout Christian, is asked to bake a cake for her best friend's daughter, she is overjoyed. But that joy is short-lived when she learns the intended is another bride and realizes she is faced with an agonizing choice between faith and family. Struggling to reconcile her deeply held belief in "traditional marriage" and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory.
BWW Review: OUR VERY OWN CARLIN McCULLOUGH Looks at Whose Dream a Parent Should be Pursuing
Amanda Peet may be best known as an actress, having appeared in films such as 'The Whole Nine Yards' and 'Syriana' and in TV shows, including the Duplass brothers' family dramedy, 'Togetherness.' But she's also a serious writer, with her second play, OUR VERY OWN CARLIN McCULLOUGH, now making its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. Peet says that for the Geffen production, with a cast that includes Mamie Gummer, Abigail Dylan Harrison, Caroline Heffernan, Tyee Tilghman and Joe Tippett, she was most interested in examining the mother-daughter relationship and 'the idea of how to parent and to what degree you can keep your narcissism in check.'
Amanda Peet may be best known as an actress, having appeared in films such as 'The Whole Nine Yards' and 'Syriana' and in TV shows, including the Duplass brothers' family dramedy, 'Togetherness.' But she's also a serious writer, with her second play, OUR VERY OWN CARLIN McCULLOUGH, now making its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. Peet says that for the Geffen production, with a cast that includes Mamie Gummer, Abigail Dylan Harrison, Caroline Heffernan, Tyee Tilghman and Joe Tippett, she was most interested in examining the mother-daughter relationship and 'the idea of how to parent and to what degree you can keep your narcissism in check.'
Photo Flash: Mamie Gummer and Joe Tippett Star in OUR VERY OWN CARLIN MCCULLOUGH at Geffen Playhouse
The Geffen Playhouse presents world premiere production of Amanda Peet's Our Very Own Carlin McCullough. Check out photos from the production below!
The Geffen Playhouse presents world premiere production of Amanda Peet's Our Very Own Carlin McCullough. Check out photos from the production below!
Review: SKELETON CREW Asks When is Doing Just Enough Really Good Enough?
Directed by Patricia McGregor at the Geffen Playhouse, this emotionally-charged play looks deep into the hearts and souls of its four characters, with all four actors brilliantly commanding the stage from start to finish. Caroline Stefanie Clay portrays Faye, the factor's UAW union rep who finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when her supervisor Reggie (DB Woodside) informs her privately that the factory will soon be closing, throwing everyone out of work. Asking her to keep the information confidential to insure his own employment to the end, puts Faye, his mother's former lover who first got him a job at the factory, in a difficult position with her co-workers.
Directed by Patricia McGregor at the Geffen Playhouse, this emotionally-charged play looks deep into the hearts and souls of its four characters, with all four actors brilliantly commanding the stage from start to finish. Caroline Stefanie Clay portrays Faye, the factor's UAW union rep who finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when her supervisor Reggie (DB Woodside) informs her privately that the factory will soon be closing, throwing everyone out of work. Asking her to keep the information confidential to insure his own employment to the end, puts Faye, his mother's former lover who first got him a job at the factory, in a difficult position with her co-workers.
Photo Flash: First Look at SKELETON CREW at the Geffen Playhouse
The third installment of Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed trilogy "The Detroit Project," SkeletonCrew follows four co-workers-Faye, Dez, Reggie and Shanita-at a Detroit auto factory in 2008. It highlights the layered relationships and drama of blue-collar workers navigating the instability and uncertainty in their personal lives and at work.
The third installment of Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed trilogy "The Detroit Project," SkeletonCrew follows four co-workers-Faye, Dez, Reggie and Shanita-at a Detroit auto factory in 2008. It highlights the layered relationships and drama of blue-collar workers navigating the instability and uncertainty in their personal lives and at work.
BWW Review: Geffen Searches for That SIGNIFICANT OTHER
One thing for sure about Joshua Harmon's Significant Other is that all of the characters like to talk, nonstop, and while talking about the mundane, like dating, possible mates and themselves, they manage to be funny and serious simultaneously. Jordan Berman (Will Von Vogt) is gay and desperately seeking a partner. He has his eyes set on Will (John Garet Stoker), with whom he works, and is nothing short of obsessive in his approach to asking him out. Will is distant, and it takes Jordan a lot of effort to get
One thing for sure about Joshua Harmon's Significant Other is that all of the characters like to talk, nonstop, and while talking about the mundane, like dating, possible mates and themselves, they manage to be funny and serious simultaneously. Jordan Berman (Will Von Vogt) is gay and desperately seeking a partner. He has his eyes set on Will (John Garet Stoker), with whom he works, and is nothing short of obsessive in his approach to asking him out. Will is distant, and it takes Jordan a lot of effort to get
Photo Flash: Geffen Playhouse Stages SIGNIFICANT OTHER
After a successful Off-Broadway and Broadway run, Joshua Harmon brings his affecting and hilarious play about finding and lacking love to the Geffen Playhouse.
After a successful Off-Broadway and Broadway run, Joshua Harmon brings his affecting and hilarious play about finding and lacking love to the Geffen Playhouse.
BWW Review: THE HOT LIST! What's Hot This Month on L.A. Stages
What made the Hot List? THE ART COUPLE from Sacred Fools Theatre Company at The Broadwater, SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse, and ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at Independent Shakespeare Co.'s new studio theater. Check out the latest recommendations below and go see a show! Reviews by BWW Sr. Editor Ellen Dostal (LADCC).
What made the Hot List? THE ART COUPLE from Sacred Fools Theatre Company at The Broadwater, SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse, and ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at Independent Shakespeare Co.'s new studio theater. Check out the latest recommendations below and go see a show! Reviews by BWW Sr. Editor Ellen Dostal (LADCC).
Review Roundup: SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse
The reviews are in for SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse! A one-woman show ( both written and performed by Sarah Jones), SELL/BUY/DATE opened on February 27th, and has recently been extended through April 15th.
The reviews are in for SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse! A one-woman show ( both written and performed by Sarah Jones), SELL/BUY/DATE opened on February 27th, and has recently been extended through April 15th.
Review: SELL/BUY/DATE Highlighted by Sarah Jones' Masterful, Multiple, Multicultural Characterizations
Have you ever wondered what the legal sex industry will look like in the future, given how rapidly our views on personal equality and freedom are changing? Certainly Tony Award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones has, given the subject matter of her new play SELL/BUY/DATE in which she takes on the role of an instructor presenting an honest, moving and even humorous look at the complex and fascinating subject, all while preserving the full humanity of voices seldom heard in the theater. Directed by Carolyn Cantor and brimming with Jones' masterful, multiple, multicultural characterizations, SELL/BUY/DATE asks the audience to participate as students in a study hall as Jones describes the historical research she will be presenting, recorded with futuristic mind-sharing technology which allows people to truthfully share their opinions on human sexuality and what part it has played in their lives as society evolved into an "anything goes" mentality.
Have you ever wondered what the legal sex industry will look like in the future, given how rapidly our views on personal equality and freedom are changing? Certainly Tony Award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones has, given the subject matter of her new play SELL/BUY/DATE in which she takes on the role of an instructor presenting an honest, moving and even humorous look at the complex and fascinating subject, all while preserving the full humanity of voices seldom heard in the theater. Directed by Carolyn Cantor and brimming with Jones' masterful, multiple, multicultural characterizations, SELL/BUY/DATE asks the audience to participate as students in a study hall as Jones describes the historical research she will be presenting, recorded with futuristic mind-sharing technology which allows people to truthfully share their opinions on human sexuality and what part it has played in their lives as society evolved into an "anything goes" mentality.
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