BORN YESTERDAY

posted on February 21st, 2013 at 6:47 PM by Steven Stanley


Folks had best not try to pull the wool over Billie Dawn’s eyes or they’ll soon discover she wasn’t Born Yesterday—or at least that’s what some Washington D.C. politicos find out the hard way in Born Yesterday, Garson Kanin’s Broadway classic and a terrific season opener for Claremont’s Inland Valley Repertory Theatre.
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posted in Comedy, San Gabriel Valley, WOW!

A FAMILY THING

posted on February 19th, 2013 at 6:09 PM by Steven Stanley


Alcoholism, drug addiction, childhood abuse, homophobia, racism, and murder would hardly seem a recipe for laughter, yet despite its dramatic underpinnings, Gary Lennon’s World Premiere A Family Thing turns out to be one of the funniest shows in town. It’s also one of the best acted, and one L.A. playgoers in search of a dark, gritty, yet thoroughly entertaining hour-and-a-half of theater won’t want to miss.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, Los Angeles, WOW!

9 To 5

posted on February 18th, 2013 at 10:18 PM by Steven Stanley

Working 9 to 5 may be “no way to make a living,” but watching office gals Judy, Violet, and Doralee triumph over their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss makes for one very entertaining evening or afternoon at the theater, particularly when 3-D Theatricals is offering Dolly Parton’s 9 To 5 as their 2013 season opener.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, WOW!

OKLAHOMA!

posted on February 18th, 2013 at 12:31 AM by Steven Stanley


Seventy years old has never seemed as fresh and alive and young as it does in Musical Theatre West’s 70th Anniversary revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, about as perfect a production of this R&H classic as any musical theater lover could possibly wish for.
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posted in Long Beach/San Pedro, Musical, WOW!

THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND

posted on February 16th, 2013 at 1:35 PM by Steven Stanley


You may think you’ve seen The World Goes ‘Round before—the hit musical revue featuring 30 mostly little-known Kander & Ebb songs performed cabaret-style by a cast of 5. Yes, indeed, you may think you’ve seen The World Goes ‘Round (or And The World Goes ‘Round if you will), but trust me, you’ve never seen The World Goes Round as Downey Civic Light Opera executive producer Marsha Moode has reconceived it as a TV variety show-style extravaganza featuring 41 Kander & Ebb songs,  including many of their Greatest Hits, as performed by cast of 37. Purists may carp, but for those in the Moode for two-and-a half hours of pure entertainment (with a bunch of Kander & Ebb trivia thrown in for good measure), the Downey Civic Light Opera’s The World Goes ‘Round more than fits the bill.
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posted in Downey/La Mirada, Musical Revue, WOW!

COMPANY

posted on February 15th, 2013 at 7:11 PM by Steven Stanley


“Phone rings, door chimes, in comes company!”

As any musical theater buff can tell you, the person whose phone is ringing and whose door is chiming and who is welcoming company into his Manhattan pad is none other than Robert, aka Bobby, aka Bob, aka Bobbo, aka Robby, aka Bobby Baby, aka Robert Darling, aka Bobby Honey, the bachelor lead of Company, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Tony-winning Best Musical of 1970, now getting its first L.A. production in what seems like eons—and a pretty darned terrific one at that—at North Hollywood’s Crown City Theatre.
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posted in Musical, North Hollywood, WOW!

CHRISTMAS IN HANOI

posted on February 15th, 2013 at 9:02 AM by Steven Stanley


East West Players takes a chance on something new—a ghost story set in contemporary Vietnam—and comes up with a winner in Eddie Borey’s Christmas In Hanoi. As brought to life by a topnotch creative team, Borey’s EWP’s playwriting competition-winning script makes for a strong 2013 opener for the country’s premier Asian-American theater.
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posted in Drama, Los Angeles, WOW!

CHESS

posted on February 12th, 2013 at 10:10 PM by Steven Stanley


After their phenomenal concert staged reading of Titanic The Musical, a production I dubbed “one of Musical Theatre Guild’s crowning achievements,” you might think that the triple-threats of MTG would want to take it easy for the rest of the 2012-2013 season.

Not so, as last night’s titanic staging of Chess (In Concert) at Glendale’s Alex Theatre made abundantly clear, and for those who missed this phenomenal achievement, you have but one more chance to catch it this coming Sunday afternoon in Thousand Oaks.
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posted in Concert Staged Reading, Pasadena, WOW!

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