TALK ABOUT THE PASSION
Sunday, February 10th, 2008RECOMMENDED
An unshaven, disheveled young man carrying a backpack arrives at the office
of book editor Evelyn Ayles, who is seated at her desk. Too busy (or too above
it all) to even look the man in the eye, Evelyn simply points to a chair and keeps
on talking on the phone as if he were not present. Finally she tells him (still not
making eye contact), “You’ve wasted your time coming here today,” and
tosses back the “clichéd” manuscript he has sent to her, then returns to
ignoring him. The man persists, “This is my life, and you call it a cliché!” And
then, before Evelyn even has a chance to see what he’s doing, the young
man removes a plastic strip from his pocket and locks her into her own office.
“You’re not going anywhere until we can talk,” he declares. “I want to talk to
you about my son.”
(read more)
ASSASSINS
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
If by some chance you’ve never seen or heard of Stephen Sondheim and John
Weidman’s Assassins, here’s what it’s about, in brief:
It’s about eight men and women who either assassinated, or attempted to
assassinate, a United States President.
Not your usual bill of fare for a musical, is it?
(read more)
A FEMININE ENDING
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Amanda is a 25-year-old oboist and aspiring symphonic composer, though these
days she’s settled for a mundane job writing jingles that are deliberately
annoying because those are the kind that stick in your head. The oboe, she tells
us in one of her many asides to the audience, is “the Hamlet of musical
instruments.” If played poorly it sounds like a dying duck. If played well, it is the
instrument which best approximates the human voice. It is the oboe which
tunes the entire orchestra, Amanda informs us.
(read more)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
As many times as I’ve seen Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on TV, I don’t think
I’ve ever attended a major professional theatrical production, so I didn’t want to
pass up the chance to see South Coast Rep’s 28th annual production of the
Christmas classic.
What a treat it was!
(read more)
VARIATIONS ON A THEME: THE BEST
Sunday, November 25th, 2007The Chance Theatre threw a block party in June and two hundred people
attended. After seven hours of “boisterous fun” and interaction, 100 short
plays were submitted to the Chance, all based on the theme “The Best.” Of
the initial 100, 6 were eventually chosen to make up an evening of theater
entitled Variations on a Theme: The Best.
(read more)
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: THE MUSICAL
Sunday, November 25th, 2007
Young girls in Orange County will love The Chance Theatre’s production of Anne
of Green Gables: The Musical. Based on the first and most famous of Lucy Maud
Montgomery’s eight Anne Shirley books, this adaptation by Joseph Robinette and
Evelyn D. Swenson adds songs to what has already been a 1919 silent movie, a
1934 Hollywood film (starring interestingly enough Anne Shirley), a 1956 TV
production, a British mini-series in 1972, a four-hour TV movie in 1985 which
spawned two sequels, and even a Japanese anime series. (And who knows how
many other versions are out there?)
(read more)
DOUBT
Saturday, October 27th, 2007
Doubt, by John Patrick Shanley, had the notable distinction of having its West
Coast Premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse take place simultaneously with its
Broadway debut in the spring of 2005. I found the Playhouse production quite
thrilling, despite a shaky Linda Hunt in the role of Sister Aloysius, the same role
which won Cherry Jones the Tony. Last year at the Ahmanson, I got to see why
Jones had scored just about every award imaginable for her “force of nature”
performance.
(read more)
JEKYLL & HYDE
Friday, October 12th, 2007
Fullerton Civic Light Opera ends its 2007 season on a high note with the
return engagement of their 2001 award-winner Jekyll & Hyde. Arguably the
most popular “musical thriller” in Broadway history (1523 performances), J&H
boasts a classic storyline (by Robert Lewis Stevenson), a highly hummable
score by Frank Wildhorn, two amazing roles for leading ladies (good girl/bad
girl), spectacle, murder, and above all one of the most challenging
acting/singing roles ever written for a musical theater leading man. FCLO’s
production has been directed with consummate professionalism by Ovation
winning Jan Duncan, with superb musical direction by 35-year FCLO vet Lee
Kreter, leading an orchestra that couldn’t be better.
(read more)
Since 2007, Steven Stanley's StageSceneLA.com has spotlighted the best in Southern California theater via reviews, interviews, and its annual StageSceneLA Scenies.
COPYRIGHT 2026 STEVEN STANLEY :: DESIGN BY