BWW Review: ANIMAL CRACKERS at Ojai Art Center
Ojai Art Center's production of 'Animal Crackers' features impeccable performances by Sean Mason (Groucho), Daniel Mitchell (Chico) and Anna Kotula (Harpo) as the Marx Brothers. Directed by John Medeiros.
BWW Review: BLACK COMEDY at Ojai Art Center Theater
For the first ten minutes of Peter Shaffer's knockabout farce, Black Comedy, the stage is dark, as engaged Londoneers Brindsley Miller and Carol Melkett get ready to receive wealthy German art collector Georg Bamberger, who they hope will purchase Brindlsey's latest modern sculpture. But a blown fuse plunges their home into darkness, and that's when the lights on the stage finally go up. Confused? Well, the story of the anticipated sale of Brindsley's work is merely the MacGuffin in Black Comedy, something only the characters care about. What's important to the audience is the show's topsy-turvy lighting gimmick, one that gives Black Comedy its name: a riotous jumble of mistaken identities, complex blocking, and side-splitting slapstick. If everyone in the cast stays healthy, the show will run through February 14 at the Ojai Art Center Theater.
BWW Interview: John Medeiros of ZERO HOUR at Elite Theatre Company
Beginning this Saturday, the Elite Theatre Company's South Stage will be presenting Zero Hour, a one-man play about legendary actor Zero Mostel. The project is near and dear to the heart of actor John Medeiros, who has tried to get it produced for almost 5 years. Medeiros has performed in two roles made famous by Mostel, Pseudolus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof). He won the Four Star Alliance Award in 2013 for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Tevye.