Stan Mazin

Photos: Get a First Look at TWELVE ANGRY JURORS at The Group Rep

Get a first look at photos of Twelve Angry Jurors at The Group Rep!

Review: PROMISES, PROMISES at Lonny Chapman Theatre

What did our critic think of PROMISES, PROMISES at Lonny Chapman Theatre? Excellent leads and good singing highlight this attractive show.

Photos: First Look At PROMISES, PROMISES At The Group Rep

The Group Rep presents the musical comedy PROMISES, PROMISES based on the 1960 film The Apartment written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.

The Group Rep Presents Ken Ludwig's THE GAME'S AFOOT (or HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS)

The Group Rep presents Ken Ludwig's THE GAME'S AFOOT (or HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS), a holiday mystery farce directed by Larry Eisenberg, produced by Lloyd Pedersen.

BWW Interview: Suzy London Talks About TATTOOS ON MY HEART

Actress/singer Suzy London loves her work with a passion. She is one of those gifted performers who can do a role brilliantly in a play onstage and ... perform equally well in cabaret. In our conversation she tells our readers about how different one arena is from the other. She will do her brand new cabaret show Tattoos on My Heart at Sterling's Upstaris at the Federal on Sunday January 19, 2020. The show is described as an evening of country, bluesy, jazzy tunes. London relates to us with great humor about singing country.

BWW Review: CHAMP AND HIS FOUR WOMEN CONQUER CONTEMPLATION AND ADD CONTENTMENT at Theatre Unlimited (T U Studios)

This story takes place within a few weeks' time, about an affable guy who happens to be grieving a devastating loss. a?oeChamp,a?? a nickname Richard's beloved wife dubbed him, is all stressed out.  It has been a year since his wife has passed away, and he has settled into his lonely but nonetheless new pattern of going to the gym every day, then the Sandwich shop where he always gets the exact same order, brings it home and eats it as he talks to his dead wife.  Susie, or as he dubbed her, a?oePrincess,a?? who is not among the living anymore, although all her photos and belongings are laid out prominently in the living room, wanders about (we, the audience can actually see her) reacting silently to his dialogue. Billed as a Dramedy, the play is cleverly written and produced by Art Shulman (a?oeI Got Troubles;a?? a?oe The Rabbi's Mission;a?oe  a?oeOld Broads Can't Dunk;a?? God, Bring Me A Miracle;a?? a?oeBoxcar & Eugenia,a??) and many more, and Directed quite proficiently by Stan Mazin (As Director:  a?oeDoubting Thomas;a?? a?oeGod, Bring Me A Miracle;a??a?? The Prisoner of Second Ave.;a?? a?oeGive 'Em Hell Harry;a?? a?oeStepping Out;a?? As  choreographer:  a?oeBells Are Ringing;a?? a?oeAnything Goes;a?? a?oeFestival;a?? a?oeChicago;a?? a?oeJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat;a?? a?oePippin;a?? a?oeDames at Sea;a?? a?oeSuperstar,a?? et al.  Stan also appeared as a dancer/actor on the Carol Burnett show for a decade and his autobiography, a?oeA Dancer in Depth,a?? is available on Amazon.com and BN.com).     

BWW Review: Don Grigware Picks His Best in LA Theatre for 2018

BWW Review: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE The L.A. Memorial tribute to Alan Johnson at The Performing Arts Center

A CELEBRATION OF LIFE The Los Angeles Memorial/Tribute for Alan Johnson at The Performing Arts Center October 14, 2018 Alan Johnson was truly a man of many talents. On Sunday, October 14th, 2018, friends, all of whom are either dancers, choreographers, directors or actors, or all combined, that have had the honor to work with or befriend him, gathered at The Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA, owned by Joe Malone and Nanci Hammond Malone, two superb dancers/teachers that donated their facility for this event, to honor, reminisce and celebrate Alan's wondrous life and career.

BWW Review: Group Rep Presents a Fresh Perspective on ROMEO AND JULIET

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has been in our repertoire of must reads and must sees since high school. We know the storyline of the star- crossed lovers, which formed the basis for the musical West Side Story. The play treats of hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets. Because of the senseless family feuding, lives are lost and somehow love has gone astray. I enjoy seeing Shakespeare done in the traditional mode with 16th century sets and costumes, but am totally open to reimagined productions, as long as the poetry is in tact and the time period to which the story is assigned makes sense and shows the theme and message with clarity and intelligence..Group rep's current production directed quite nicely by Shira Dubrovner takes the audience to Berlin in the 1930s when Hitler took control and slaughtered or banished Jews from Germany.

GRT Brings A Fresh Twist to ROMEO AND JULIET

The Group Rep presents ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Shira Dubrovner, produced by Patrick Burke and Janet Wood, choreographed by Stan Mazin. A fresh twist on Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers, set in pre-World War II, Berlin where Romeo is a German boy and Juliet is a Jewish girl. A relationship between these two would be highly forbidden, and the consequences too severe to imagine. The love story is as fresh and relevant today as it was more than 450 years ago.

GRT Brings A Fresh Twist to ROMEO AND JULIET

The Group Rep presents ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Shira Dubrovner, produced by Patrick Burke and Janet Wood, choreographed by Stan Mazin. A fresh twist on Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers, set in pre-World War II, Berlin where Romeo is a German boy and Juliet is a Jewish girl. A relationship between these two would be highly forbidden, and the consequences too severe to imagine. The love story is as fresh and relevant today as it was more than 450 years ago.

BWW Review: GMCLA Offers Enjoyable PINK CARPET

Despite a bomb threat that caused the audience of the Saturday matinee to be evacuated from the Alex Theatre in Glendale and the performance to be cancelled, GMCLA persevered and went forward with the Saturday evening performance of their spectacular Pink Carpet.

BWW Review: New THE CAPE AND THE KLAN Is Entertaining and Much More

What a rare treat to see a play based on true events that is simultaneously informative as well as entertaining! The Cape and the Klan by Tin Penavic and Ted Ryan is such a play. Now onstage at the Group Rep Theatre Upstairs, the play tells the story of how one newspaper writer infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan and attempted to put an end to bigotry and violence via the Superman radio show on WOR radio. The time is 1951, when the Klan continued to rear its ugly head in the South, l

BWW Review: Triumphant CD Release Concert FOR MY FOLKS by Jean Louisa Kelly

It baffles me when singers have a CD release party and then sing everything except the contents of the album. Even worse is not bothering to share with the audience the deep need to record it. And then they expect you to buy it! Go figure! Such was not the case at the Federal in NoHo for the solo concert debut of beautiful singer/actress Jean Louisa Kelly who literally sang the entire CD minus one song* and devoted the concert to her parents, husband and two children. Kelly is a joy to look at and has a wonderfully full and powerful vocal instrument that she uses to perfection. It doesn't hurt that all of your arrangements are composed by the brilliant Todd Schroeder who also served as musical director at the piano for the show that ran just under an hour at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal Sunday night October 22 to a packed house of adoring fans.

Photo Coverage: Curtain Call and Press Night Celebration Of 3D Theatricals' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

BroadwayWorld has a first look at 3-D Theatricals YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN opening night! Check out the photos below!

EXCESS BAGGAGE One Night Only! Fundraiser for the Group Rep

The Group Rep presents Tony Award-winning Jay Johnson in a new one-man show, 'Excess Baggage,' a special One Night Only fundraiser for the Group Rep.

BWW Interview: Jay Johnson Brings EXCESS BAGGAGE to Group rep For One Night Only August 19

Jay Johnson made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theatre starring in the show he both wrote and performed, "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only" which garnered him the 2007 Tony Award for Best Theatrical Event. Four months prior to the Broadway opening, the show played the Colony Theatre in Burbank and won the Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Solo Show. The previous season, the show had been produced Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company where it earned rave reviews and a coveted Lucille Lortel Award. Jay Johnson is a writer, comic, ventriloquist, poet, magician, and puppeteer. He has written and performed in TV specials for NBC, CBS, and HBO, and has hundreds of appearances on variety specials and talk shows including "The Tonight Show" (with Johnny Carson and with Jay Leno) and "The David Letterman Show." He has been featured in more than 30 national commercials. Jay's acting credits include appearances on "CSI", "That 70's Show", "Dave's World", "Night Court" and others too numerous to mention. Jay Johnson is best remembered for his role as the schizophrenic ventriloquist Chuck and Bob' on the ABC classic TV comedy "Soap".

BWW Review: Singer DENNIS MCNEIL Performs a Mellow CHRISTMAS CABARET in Hermosa Beach

On Sunday December 4 Irish tenor Dennis McNeil presented The Christmas Show at The Lounge of The Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach to an enthusiastic sellout crowd. This marked his 44th appearance in this venue, so he must be doing something right. He has a multitude of fans who keep coming back five or six times a year. A former opera singer, McNeil has sung for Presidents and in concert venues, including stadiums, around the world. He can adapt himself to any venue, and of course, in a room of this size that accommodates 100, he gets the chance to be up close, warm and personal and like most Irishmen, tell stories, some funny and a few... deliciously off-color. Throughout the 90-minute set, McNeil held his audience spellbound with his magnificent vocal range, a slew of Christmas songs - both pop and religious - and candid observations about the commercialism of Christmas. He was accompanied by skilled musical director Ed Martel, with whom he has had a long and fruitful association.

BWW Review: NINE WINNING ONE-ACTS Play at Group rep

Evenings of short one-acts are the rage at Equity-waiver theatres! In the black box theatre upstairs at Group rep you you are invited to come see Nine Winning One-Acts, plays that stretch a mere ten-fifteen minutes in length. The mini plays were chosen from over 160 entries from across the United States and written by various unknown playwrights. The evening is divided into two acts with five plays comprising Act One and four in Act Two. There is no single theme running through them, so if I had to describe the conflicts ...why ... life, death, dating, marriage, love, gay relationships, infidelity, euthanasia...and even cat abuse, though mild, thrown into the fray. The evening is Group rep's way of utilizing more company actors and directors, many of whom work less on the theatre mainstage, and for the most part, it's pleasantly stimulating and entertaining fare.

BWW Review: Actress/Singer MEGAN HILTY Rocks VPAC

Broadway and TV actress/singer Megan Hilty performed a splashy show at Valley Performing Arts Center at CSUN, Northridge on Thursday, September 24 at 8 pm to a packed audience of her fans. Hilty is best remembered for playing Glinda in Wicked for four and a half years - she replaced Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway - and also for premiering the role of Doralee Rhodes, played in the film by Dolly Parton, in  the musical of 9 to 5 at the Ahmanson and on Broadway. She also starred in NBC's musical Smash as actress Ivy Lynn, who creates a Marilyn Monroe character for a fictional musical Bombshell, for two seasons on NBC to great acclaim.