StageSceneLA.com's
RECOMMENDATIONS AND WOW!'S
(Click on the title to read the full length review.)

IN THE MOOD FOR A DRAMA?

WOW!
BETRAYAL
Master playwright Harold Pinter tells the story of Betrayal in reverse order, beginning with two disillusioned lovers and one cuckolded husband and ending with the beginning of love. Andak Stage Company's production is superbly acted and directed production. I expected drama, and there is much of that, but there is also considerable humor, of the dry British variety. The cast which director John DeMita has assembled is first rate indeed, and thoroughly British in accent and manner, beginning with the always sensational Nike Doukas as Emma. Daniel Reichert makes Jerry a romantic, even noble, figure. Best of all is the terrific Leo Marks as Robert. Marks has a star quality no amount of acting school can buy. DeMita's direction brings out the best in Pinter's writing, keeping his cast on the same page and maintaining impeccable pace and timing.

Recommended
THE BLOWIN OF BAILE GALL
Ronan Noone’s The Blowin Of Baile Gall deals with racism and xenophobia in Ireland. It is powerful stuff, and in the hands of an impeccable cast and director, there is nothing to quibble about other than its 2 ½ hour running time, about 30 minutes too much. Tim Hamelon shows us Eamon’s unrelenting anger; when we look into his eyes, we see racism’s ugly face personified, and it’s not a pretty picture. The actor is matched by the electric performance of Dan O’Brien as Stephen. With her long Irish red hair and statuesque gait, Simone Sullivan is a star waiting to happen. John Brooks plays Lawrence with dignity and suppressed rage, and Blake Bowen is very good indeed as the well-meaning G.C. Director Matthew Cullinan keeps the action taut and the performances alive and real, and is greatly aided by Peter Berube’s very realistic fight choreography.

Recommended
BOISE U.S.A.
Gene Franklin Smith’s Boise U.S.A. dramatizes the Idaho gay witch-hunts of 1955-1956. A number of the cast members do noteworthy work, with Westley Thornton a particular standout. The actor has real star potential, commanding the stage and exuding sex appeal in each of his all too brief appearances. Melissa Kite, who could easily have stepped out of Father Knows Best, has a prison visit scene with excellent Kamm as husband Joe, in which the stage truly takes fire.  Broadway vet George McDaniel is powerful, and Cameron Mitchell Jr. creates a real three- dimensional character which in lesser hands would have been mere stereotype. As in Salem K’s recent Snake In The Grass, the best elements of Boise U.S.A. are the contributions of its superlative design team. Boise U.S.A. could stand to have lengthier scenes clarifying certain plot lines. Performances, some of which are a bit underdeveloped, are likely to improve as the run progresses.  Especially recommended as a history lesson for younger audiences.

WOW!
LADY
Craig Wright’s Lady manages to be frequently side-splittingly funny, all the while dealing with serious issues, the war in Iraq and the question of personal responsibility. Writing this fine deserves a production at the same level, and that is precisely what The Road has provided. Shawn Michael Patrick as Dyson and Matt Kirkwood as Kenny both give absolutely sensational performances. Both actors have moments in which real tears bordering on sobs appear out of nowhere. Mark Doerr has a somewhat smaller and less emotional role, but he is no less excellent. Stephen Gifford’s scenic design is a marvel. Lady is a production where superlatives are merited all around, with writing, direction (by Scott Alan Smith), acting, and design elements all at the highest level. I guarantee that you’ll be talking about Lady long after the house lights come up.

WOW!
THE LAST SEDER
Jennifer Maisel's warm and winning family dramedy The Last Seder centers around the return of Alzheimers victim Marvin Price's four adult daughters. Maisel avoids TV movie cliches with humor, perfectly capturing the family dynamics of a home filled with grown sisters as the story moves effortlessly from sister to sister and from couple to couple. Adam Flemming's clever and effective set builds a house mostly out of the cardboard boxes used for moving. Director Joseph Megel has elicited wonderful performances from each and every member of his sterling cast, with special mention due the lovely and sympathetic Elisa Donovan, 84-year-young Joseph Ruskin, Chuma Gault, the next Denzel Washington, and Jenny O'Hara, once again proving that no one plays earthy better than she. You don't have to be Jewish to fall in love with The Last Seder.

Recommended
ORANGE FLOWER WATER
In Orange Flower Water, Craig Wright takes a plot as old as humankind itself (adultery) and adds his unique voice to its repercussions. Much of Orange Flower Water’s power comes from our discomfort at witnessing such terrible pain and anger. Under Sharyn Case’s skillful and sensitive direction, Rude Guerilla’s actors are all very good indeed, with the lovely and particularly natural Kirsten Kuiken a standout.  Susan Daniels and Jay Michael Farley get to play Orange Flower Water’s best-known and most powerful and unsettling scene, an anger/revenge fuck at the end of a marriage, and the two actors do intense, committed work.  Ryan Harris has many very good moments as the cuckolded Brad. Though this production is not at the level of the Victory’s in 2006, is well worth seeing, especially for those who’ve not yet discovered Wright’s work.

WOW!
THE SWEEPERS
ICT has yet another winner in The Sweepers, the first of John C. Picardi’s proposed 10-play cycle focusing on the Italian American experience. Set in 1945, The Sweepers begins as a Neil Simonesque comedy about squabbling female neighbors in Boston’s Italian neighborhood, then in its final quarter veers into Arthur Miller territory.  Picardi has written dream roles for his three lead actresses (Susan Giosa, Valerie Perri, and Donna Ponterotto), and director caryn desai does some of her best work ever in guiding the sensational trio to superlative performances. Hunky Jamie Hobert proves himself as fine a dramatic actor as he is in comedic scenes, and gets to work here with his lovely real-life bride Danielle Vernengo, also excellent. As a look back to what we like to think of as a “simpler time,” as an affectionate depiction of a particular American ethnicity, and as a great acting vehicle for its gifted cast, The Sweepers is a winner all around.

IN THE MOOD FOR ADVENTURE?

WOW!
SHIPWRECKED! AN ADVENTURE
Whether you are 8 years old or 80, you will delight in the sheer magic of Donald Margulies magnificent adventure story. Rarely have all the elements of a live production come together more wondrously than they do in here. Steven Cahill has composed music befitting the most exciting of adventure flicks. Equal to Cahill’s sound design are Rand Ryan’s lighting and Christine Marie’s “shadow scenic design.”  Gregory Itzin has the audience in the palm of his hand from his first entrance. Marvelous Melody Butiu gets to transform herself into a Cockney sea captain, an Aborigine maiden, a tabloid newspaper publisher, Queen Victoria, and a librarian. Never has man’s best friend been brought to more vivid and adorable life than has de Rougemont’s Bruno by Michael Daniel Cassady. Only the most jaded curmudgeon could fail to find wonder in this tale.

IN THE MOOD FOR A COMEDY?

WOW!
ADAM BAUM AND THE JEW MOVIE
Daniel Goldfarb’s Adam Baum And The Jew Movie is laugh-filled comedy about the legendary Jewish studio heads who created decades of Jew-free movies in Hollywood. Director Paul Mazursky guides his cast of three to comic perfection. Richard Kind gives a tornado of a performance as Sam, the quintessential movie mogul, made of equal parts of bombast, chutzpah, and tenderness.  Hamish Linklater (a Jimmy Stewart for the new millennium) is that dream of an actor who makes it big in Hollywood yet never abandons his stage roots.  It’s a pleasure just to watch Linklater listen (and react) to Kind’s zingers, and when the two of them spar, the stage truly ignites. Newcomer Mizurak gives a performance of such endearing sweetness that it seems of another era, and perfect for this play. Adam Baum And The Jew Movie is an all around winner.

WOW!
DOG SEES GOD
Bert V. Royal’s award-winning comedy-drama gets its Los Angeles premiere with director extraordinaire Nick DeGruccio at the helm. Very funny & very clever indeed is this not-a-Peanuts-spoof, & very R-rated as well in its use of four-letter words & gross-out humor. But Dog Sees God is also a touching love story, a look at the causes of homophobia, & a plea for acceptance. An endearing Joseph Porter adds real depth to CB. Andrea Bowen is a hoot as CB’s sister. Christine Lakin & Lauren Robyne’s are the funniest & trendiest best friends this side of Paris & Nicole. The amazing Wyatt Fenner lights up the stage as Beethoven. even when playing a character who’d probably rather fade into the woodwork. Under DeGruccio’s assured hand, Dog Sees God moves effortlessly between comedy & tragedy & back again.  It’s hilarious … & profoundly affecting.

WOW!
IN HEAT
Malcolm Danare’s In Heat is a collection of very funny and original playlets linked by an L.A. heat wave. Danare’s four one-acts are funny and unpredictable, and director James Eckhouse keeps the performances real and the sparks flying. The casts couldn’t be better. Robin Thomas and Rebecca Klingler have great marital chemistry, Kyle C. Heffner and Shana Sosin are an unlikely but sympathetic duo, Danare and John Kapelos are hilarious a la The Odd Couple, and squeaky voiced Mary Mara and Jon Lindstrom are charming indeed. Another of the evening’s stars is Victoria Proffitt’s brilliantly modular set. For light adult entertainment and a chance to see one of the best (and best known) casts in town, In Heat proves a great way to beat the summer heat.

WOW!
TOOTH AND NAIL
Gena Acosta’s absolutely fabulous Tooth And Nail revolves around one of the most outrageous (and outrageously funny) families ever seen on stage, with its humdinger of a second act inspiring nearly as many tears as guffaws. Under the flawless direction of Lindsay Allbaugh, it combines the screwball and the heartrending to stunning effect. Lynn Odell is magnificent in an exhausting role, funny as can be without ever being anything but real. Gregory Mortensen spends most of the first act in such a blue funk (which he does beautifully) that it is a joy to observe him in full flower in Act 2. Each of the three daughters is portrayed to perfection: Jennifer Etienne Eckert as the bubbly Robin, Tara Norris as the embittered Dylan, and Kerry Carney as the woebegone Rose.  Josh Breeding is cute and funny as stoner boyfriend Ted.  I’m going back!

IN THE MOOD FOR A MUSICAL?

WOW!
AMERICAN TALES
American Tales is a pair of absolutely charming one-act chamber musicals inspired by Mark Twain’s "The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton" and Herman Melville’s "Bartleby The Scrivener," Composer Jon Powell has written a bunch of highly melodic tunes f, Ken Stone's book and lyrics are clever and sweetly funny, and Kay Cole and Thor Steingraber direct with delicacy and imagination. Daniel Blinkoff's charming naivete is an absolute delight to watch. Devon Sorvari is the picture of loveliness and does a delightfully boyish turnabout in Melville's tale. Raphael Sbarge is comically villainous in Act 1 and in Act 2 sweetly gloomy. American Tales provides one of the most charming evenings of musical theater you're likely to find this year.

WOW!
IT'S ONLY LIFE
John Bucchino's revue takes a look at those moments when life throws us a curve. His lyrics are smart and intelligent (not always the same thing) and his melodies complex yet accessible and yes, even hummable. Performed by a sterling cast imported from New York and directed by the brilliant Daisy Prince, It's Only Life provides a truly gorgeous and thrilling evening of musical theater. Joan Almedilla, Jessica Phillips, Billy Porter, Lucas Steele, and Jamison Stern are superb singers who bring Bucchino's melodies and lyrics to exquisite life. You won't see a more exquisitely musical evening (or afternoon) of theater than It's Only Life.

WOW!
A NEW BRAIN
Patrick’s Pearson breathtakingly conceived production of William Finn’s A New Brain is the most dazzling display of young talent you’re likely to see this year. With a cast made up of quadruple threats, concept, material, and talent come together with impressive results. Director Patrick Pearson created this actor-as-musician A New Brain out of necessity. (The production originated at Cal State Fullerton last year.) Given a grand total of $100 to mount his show, it was either be without an accompanist throughout most of the rehearsal period, or have his cast perform the accompaniment live.  Necessity has indeed proved the mother of invention here, with truly spectacular results. It behooves every lover of musical theater to make the drive to Santa Ana to experience this must-see production.  The future of musical theater is in good hands indeed.

Recommended
RETURN
Sonia Levitan’s award-winning young adult novel The Return has been turned into a musical with often powerful results. Return tells of escape of Ethiopian Jews from the Sudan into Israel, as seen through the eyes of beautiful young Desta. By far the best thing about Return is Kevin William Anderson’s beautiful, catchy, & very eclectic score which features soaring ballads, dance-club ready disco beats, & hip hop. Terry Norman is a lovely & golden-voiced Desta, Jermel Nakia brings real emotion & a gorgeous voice to Joas (& sings a gorgeous “Jerusalem”), & Paula Bellamy-Franklin brings her decades of experience & wisdom (& her glorious voice) to the role of Weizero. Return scores highest marks for its lofty aspirations, & though its execution could use some tweaking, it is most definitely a show with promise, & a future ahead of it.

WOW!
shAme
Mark Governor rock opera shAme makes its Hollywood club debut. shAme’s greatest assets are its score and performances, and both are absolutely terrific. Governor’s songs have some of the catchiest rhythms, melodies, and hooks I’ve heard in a new musical, making each instantly hummable. Katrina Lenk dazzles as prim and proper Hester Prynne. Like Lenk, costar Mark Luna is as talented an actor as he is a singer. The amazing Laura Darrell does fine work as a young girl on the threshold of womanhood and her folk-rock themed “Main Street At Noon” provides the evening’s most memorable moment. Janet Roston has directed and choreographed shAme to make full use of King King. Though Governor’s song lyrics aren’t sufficient in and of themselves to tell the story, shAme still works, and quite well indeed.  The music is catchy and the performances rock.

WOW!
SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED
The Celebration scores big with Songs From An Unmade Bed, their best show yet this season and the first to present a fully (and beautifully) realized three-dimensional portrait of a contemporary gay man. Exquisitely performed by Broadway vet Dave Barrus, imaginatively staged by director-of-the-hour Patrick Pearson, and designed by one of the finest teams L.A. has to offer, this is must-see theater, not just for its core audience, but for any lover of musical theater or song. Truly unique and original is Unmade Bed’s concept: 18 songs, 18 composers, 1 lyricist, 1 performer, 3 musicians (including musical director extraordinaire Jake Anthony). Lyricist Mark Campbell drew both from his own experience and from his imagination in creating the show’s 18 “life snapshots.” This is a masterful hour-plus of great musical theater.

Recommended
A VERY BRADY MUSICAL
A Very Brady Musical mixes multiple plots with catchy songs to create a mostly entertaining evening of tuneful entertainment, featuring risqué double entendres galore. The Brady kids are all terrific! Elliot Kevin Schwartz (Greg) is a wholesome boy-next-door treat, Erin Holt has the requisite loveliness, perkiness, & long blond hair to play Marcia, Laura Marion is a fabulously forlorn Jan, perky Justin Meloni is equally good as Peter, petite firecracker Kelly Stables is perfectly cast as lisping, pigtailed Cindy, & Adam Conger matches her spark by spark as Bobby. John Cygan brings a Will Farrell-like quality to Mike but Barbara Mallory as Carol is age-inappropriate by about two decades. If only the writers had trusted the original material & kept its humor a tad more PG, A Very Brady Musical could become yet another Brady Bunch franchise.

WOW!
THE WHO'S TOMMY
The much awaited revival of The Who’s Tommy has finally arrived in a spectacular production featuring a sensational cast and the best sound ever in L.A. theater. Broadway’s Alice Ripley brings class and her Tony nominated voice to the role of Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Walker, and Aleks Pevek, in his first major role, delivers the performance of the evening as Tommy. The current production more than makes up for the work’s shortcomings with its visual and auditory brilliance and the all-around excellence of its cast. Rock-star-ready PJ Griffith gives Pevec a run for his money as Cousin Kevin and 13-year-old Lorenzo Doryon is impressive in a nearly wordless performance as 10-year-old Tommy. Director Brian Michael Purcell and choreographer Denise Leitner deserve major kudos as does Dan Redfeld, who leads a powerful 10 piece orchestra.
 

WOW!
WICKED
Few musicals can rival Wicked in terms of song, romance, color, spectacle, and heart. Winnie Holzman’s book sparkles with wit and magic. Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics are funny, thrilling, and memorable creations. Wicked’s design team has done dazzling work. Megan Hilty, as Galinda, has created and perfected a performance that is sheer comic brilliance. Caissie Levy captures Elphaba’s cute oddness in the early scenes and transitions effectively into the strong, brave woman that Elphaba becomes. Joanne Worley reinvents the role of sorceress Madame Morrible and John Rubenstein continues to delight as the Wizard, Kristoffer Cusick has Fiyero’s swagger down pat, and cuts a heroic romantic figure opposite Levy in their love scenes. Wicked is likely to be filling the Pantages for months and even years to come.