EDGE
Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Sylvia Plath is at her desk, facing away, deep in concentration, as the audience
enters the theater. She remains so for perhaps ten minutes until the lights dim, she
turns to us, and it is Angelica Torn whose face we see, and whose voice announces
“This is the last day of my life.” For the next two hours plus, we are reminded again
and again that today, February 11, 1963, is the day that Sylvia Plath will take her
own life.
(read more)
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
Saturday, January 5th, 2008
Five terrifically talented singers, a virtuoso piano player, and a sensational
onstage band combine forces with the music of Fats Waller to get the joint (i.e.
the Thousand Oaks Civics Arts Plaza) jumpin’ in Ain’t Misbehavin’, the
Southland’s first CLO production of 2008. If this show is any indication, this looks
to be the start of a fantastic year of musical theater for Angelenos.
(read more)
AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
Friday, January 4th, 2008
The Celebration Theatre is in good hands this month with As Much As You Can,
a contemporary twist on the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner genre, written by
Paul Oakley Stovall. Under Krissy Vanderwarker’s excellent direction, As Much As
You Can becomes a funny, heart-warming, and ultimately very moving slice of
contemporary African American life.
(read more)
ALICE-SIT-BY-THE-FIRE
Saturday, December 29th, 2007
You might think that a nearly 90-year-old play by the author of Peter Pan, rather
preciously titled Alice Sit-By-the-Fire, would come across dated and dull to
contemporary audiences. If so, think again.
(read more)
THE PIECES OF ME
Saturday, December 22nd, 2007
It’s a thrill to “discover” talented performers and watch them as their careers
take flight. I first saw Andrew Chappelle in a high school production of Grease in
2004. Not just any high school; this was LACHSA, the Los Angeles County High
School for the Arts, where some of the most talented kids in the L.A. area
prepare for future careers in showbiz. The cast of Grease included Corbin Bleu,
who has since gone on to teen stardom as one of the High School Musical kids.
More importantly, Grease also starred Andrew Chappelle, a young man whose
own Broadway fame is just a few years away. Chappelle riveted audiences the
following year in his scene-stealing performance as James Thunder Early in
Dreamgirls. Following his 2005 graduation, Andrew headed off to CCM, the
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a school whose
Broadway/TV star alumni include Vicki Lewis, Randy Harrison, and Faith Prince,
among many others.
(read more)
ANYTHING
Friday, December 21st, 2007
The Elephant Theatre Company’s world premiere production of Anything, written by and starring Timothy McNeill and directed by David Fofi is a perfect example of how rich and rewarding our Los Angeles stage scene is. Exquisitely written and acted, sensitively directed, and gorgeously designed, Anything marks a noteworthy conclusion to 2007 and an auspicious start to ETC’s 12th season of live theater.
(read more)
THE KID FROM BROOKLYN
Thursday, December 20th, 2007
Danny Kaye is alive and well and performing in North Hollywood! Well, if not the
genuine article, then at least an amazing facsimile. Giving one of the most
memorable performances of this or any year, Brian Childers IS Danny Kaye in the
just opened The Kid from Brooklyn, now wowing audiences at the El Portal Theatre.
(read more)
THE CRUCIBLE
Saturday, December 15th, 2007
When Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was written in 1953, it was considered an allegory
for the McCarthy “witch hunts,” in which Communism took the place of Satan in
the original Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Today, as religious fundamentalists (of
various creeds) use blind belief in dogma as a way to persecute those they
disagree with, The Crucible stands even stronger than before as an indictment of
religious fanaticism gone amok. 2007 seems an particularly fitting time for a revival
of this Miller classic, and the production currently running at the Matrix more than
does justice to Miller’s words.
(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.
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