BWW Review: Torrance Theatre Company Presents Entertaining Comedy SLOW FOOD in Play-At-Home Online Series
Torrance Theatre Company newest venture, PLAY-AT-HOME, presents a series of free online theatrical experiences, each designed to entertain audiences during the stay-at-home orders. On Sunday, June 14 at 6pm, I tuned in and really enjoyed SLOW FOOD, playwright Wendy MacLeod's tender comedy that delves deeply into what we hunger for, be it food, attention or love. The 90-minute play centers on Irene and Peter (Cindy Shields and Glenn Kelman) who just want to have a nice meal out while celebrating their anniversary in Palm Springs. But their highly neurotic waiter, Stephen (Daniel Tennant), prefers to talk rather than bring them their food or drinks.
BWW Review: Romantic Farce LIVING ON LOVE Highlighted by Brilliant Writing, Direction and Operatic Performance Perfection
This brilliantly written romantic farce takes place in an upscale Manhattan penthouse owned by the Maestro Vito De Angelis and his wife, the opera diva Raquel De Angelis, each convinced they are the best in the world at what they do. And pity the fool who attempts to convince either one otherwise! Continuously at odds about a?oewho is better at what,a?? it takes two comedically competent actors who can beautifully sing opera and walk the thin line between character and caricature to make these two self-centered talents come to life onstage. And without a doubt, director Perry Shields found them in Daniel Tennant and Allison McGuire who not only enchant with their amazing voices but fabulously demonstrate the true meaning of being a a?oedivaa?? to the utmost heights.
PICK OF THE VINE opens January 10 at Little Fish Theatre
Harvested from over 800 short plays submitted from around the world, Little Fish Theatre uncorks its 17th season of Pick of the Vine on January 10. The audience and critic favorite is a perfectly blended bouquet of nine short plays where audiences will experience Magic Moments, featuring a mix of new and familiar LFT artists.
BWW Review: In LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR, Neil Simon Shares the Golden Age of Television Writer Room Craziness
After working in the Warner Brothers Manhattan office mailroom, Playwright Neil Simon got his first big break as a staff writer on Sid Caesar's celebrated television series 'Your Show of Shows,' a live 90-minute variety show starring comedy legends Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca that ran from 1950 to 1954. The writing staff had a staggering talent pool that included; Mel Tolkin (All in the Family), Carl Reiner (Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jerk), Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Space Balls), Michael Stewart (Bye Bye Birdie, Hello Dolly!), Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), Lucille Kallen (worked on Broadway), Danny Simon (The Carol Burnett Show, Diff'rent Strokes) and his brother Neil Simon (The Odd Couple, Murder by Death). As a way of sharing his own experience working as the 'new kid' learning the ropes from the other, more experienced writers, Neil Simon wrote the outrageous comedy LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR, now brilliantly staged at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro through May 20.
NEIL SIMON'S LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR Opens 3/3 at Little Fish Theatre
Laughter on the 23rd Floor marks the second production of Little Fish Theatre's exciting 2017 Season. Written by Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Neil Simon, this show is a perfect combination of material and talent, and will have audiences rolling in the aisles. Directed by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth, Laughter opens on March 3 and runs for 5 fun-filled weeks.
A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL Opens This November at Little Fish Theatre
Little Fish Theatre is excited to present A Very Special Holiday Special as the final production of its 2016 season. Written by Mark Harvey Levine, our world premiere collection of short plays featuring both Hanukkah and Christmas themes - and a musical, too - will leave audiences ready for the holiday season.
BWW Review: DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY Brings Back Hysterical Memories of 1950s TV Families
The West Coast premiere of DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY by Rich Orloff is currently playing to uproariously laughing audiences at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro, directed with a clear vision by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth in which much homage is paid to classic gangster movies. Directing in the most over-the-top slapstick style makes sense for this imaginary tale in which even convicts are cardboard cut-outs compared to those who might break into your home these days.
BWW Reviews: RUN FOR YOUR WIFE Takes a Comic Look at a Taxi Driver's Double Lives
From the antics of silent film stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, to the more modern chicanery of the Marx Brothers or the physical comedy of the Three Stooges, people love to laugh out loud at the goings on of individuals trying to get away with something, even when they know they are doomed to get caught. Such is the tale told in Ray Cooney's RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, brilliantly directed at a breakneck pace by Gary Robbins at the Torrance Theatre Company through October 12.
MAMA WON'T FLY to Open 6/20 at Little Fish Theatre
Little Fish Theatre today announced the opening of the next show of its thirteenth season, road trip comedy, MAMA WON'T FLY. Written by three of the most produced playwrights in America, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, MAMA WON'T FLY is the third Jones Hope Wooten play to be produced at Little Fish, following THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB and THE HALLELUJAH GIRLS.
BWW Reviews: Surf City Theatre's ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Is A Real Killer Comedy
First produced in 1939, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by American playwright Joseph Kesselring is a farcical black comedy revolving around the Brewster family, descended from the 'Mayflower,' but now composed of insane homicidal maniacs. This classic play has been produced around the world and will continue to be done as long as audiences love to laugh at the outrageous situations and over-the-top characters, especially the eccentric, and frequently murderous and disturbed, family.