DROOD
Friday, October 5th, 2007
Does anyone remember the Weather Girls’ big disco hit entitled It’s Raining
Men? Well, these days in SoCal, it’s raining Droods, with productions of the
Rupert Holmes Broadway smash opened or opening just about everywhere.
The one that’s captured the most attention and already inspired a bunch of
deserved raves is the one currently wowing audiences at Sacred Fools. In the
words of The Weather Girls, “Hallelujah!”
(read more)
SHIPWRECKED!
Sunday, September 30th, 2007
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.
(read more)
TOO OLD FOR THE CHORUS
Saturday, September 29th, 2007
Something awful happens in America when you turn 50. You get a letter from
AARP which, according to the five Baby Boomer stars of Too Old for the Chorus,
notifies you that you are “officially old.” You see John Travolta on the cover of
AARP Magazine and think in shock, “When I was 23, he was the same age as
me!” This is the dilemma in which “Shirley,” “Glenn,” “Bobby,” “Faith,” and
“James” find themselves in TOFTC, the tuneful musical revue currently playing at
the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
(read more)
THE ROOM
Friday, September 28th, 2007
Twentieth century history comes vividly to life in Michael Franco’s fascinating
(and informative) world premiere drama, The Room.
(read more)
A DELICATE BALANCE
Thursday, September 27th, 2007
Ventura’s esteemed Rubicon Theatre Company follows its cute and funny
world premiere of Bad Apples with a quite memorable indeed revival of
Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winning musings on the nature of family and
friendship, A Delicate Balance. The title refers to the delicate balance
maintained by a suburban WASP couple in their marriage and home life. This
Rubicon production is a perfect example of theatrical balance; everything,
performances, direction, and design have come together to create about
as fine a production of Albee’s contemporary classic as can be imagined.
(read more)
THE GAS HOUSE
Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
What begins as a solo performance by a recently fired talk radio “shock jock”
who was “paid to be a jerk” soon turns into an affecting two person play about
a doomed romantic relationship in Sacred Fools’ West Coast Premiere of William
Donnelly’s The Gas House.
(read more)
BUNNY BUNNY
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
He called her Gilbert. She called him Zweibel, accent on the “bel.” She became
one of the most famous, funniest, and most beloved comediennes of the 1970s.
He wrote for the TV show that made her a star and later co-created a hit TV
sitcom. They loved each other for fourteen years, though each married
another. They were the best of friends until her untimely death. She was Gilda
Radner. He is Alan Zweibel. Bunny Bunny is the beautifully funny, affectionately
written, and exquisitely directed and performed “sort of romantic comedy” of
two lives intertwined.
(read more)
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
The members of the Musical Theatre Guild are musical theater magicians. How
else could they create musical theater magic in just 25 hours of rehearsal time?
They’ve done it again, with a delightful, tuneful (book in hand and sans sets but
otherwise pretty much fully staged) production of Rupert Holmes’ The Mystery of
Edwin Drood (based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel). Their first of two
performances (at the Alex in Glendale last Monday) happened to coincide with
the mammoth Chess benefit, but I was able to catch yesterday’s reprise
performance at the much more intimate Janet & Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand
Oaks, which was a treat for the ears and the eyes.
(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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