DOUBT


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. 
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JEKYLL & HYDE


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.
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SHIPWRECKED!


Whether you are eight years old or eighty, run, don’t walk to Costa Mesa and
delight in the sheer magic of live theater at South Coast Rep’s world premiere
production of Donald Margulies magnificent adventure story, Shipwrecked! 
What would cost Hollywood a couple hundred million dollars to achieve, the
geniuses behind this production and its three supremely gifted actors (doing
the work of the proverbial “cast of thousands”) achieve at a fraction of the
cost, with equal or greater entertainment value.
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A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC


A musical at South Coast Repertory is a rarity, and in the case of the currently
running A Little Night Music, it is a cause for celebration–well cast, beautifully
performed and (especially in the second act) gorgeous to look at.
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