BRIAN ROBERT BURNS

posted on January 17th, 2013 at 6:51 PM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT

posted on January 16th, 2013 at 3:46 PM by Steven Stanley


The play with arguably the most unprintable title in Broadway history now gets its West Coast Premiere at South Coast Repertory, once again providing mainstream publications, broadcast media, and SCR with the following dilemma—how to write or talk about a comedy whose title New York publications censored as either The ___________ With the Hat or The [Expletive] With the Hat or The Mother With The Hat (say what?), and whose “official” title is for most media the still unprintable The Motherf**cker With the Hat. Perhaps that’s why, despite the star power of Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, and Annabella Sciorra in the original New York cast and a total of six Tony nominations, popular playwright Stephen Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Broadway debut closed after a grand total of 28 previews and 112 performances.

Fortunately for South Coast Rep, The Motherfucker With The Hat (there, I’ve written it and will write it again) has generated enough buzz (it was the 8th most produced play in the U.S. last year) that even lacking name stars, that buzz—plus the rave reviews this sensational production has already generated—is likely to keep every one of the Julianne Argyros Stage’s 336 seats filled throughout its three-week run.
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posted in Comedy, Orange County, WOW!

JORDAN BECK & JONATHAN MAY

posted on January 15th, 2013 at 5:35 PM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

I LEFT MY HEART: A Salute To The Music Of Tony Bennett

posted on January 14th, 2013 at 8:12 PM by Steven Stanley


“I Wanna Be Around,” “Rags To Riches,” “Stranger In Paradise,” “The Good Life,” “The Shadow Of Your Smile,” “Where Do I Begin,” and of course “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” Hear this list of song titles and there’s only one name likely to pop into any music lover’s head—Tony Bennett, a star since his very first Number One record, “Because Of You,” topped the charts way back in 1951 and still going strong at age 86, with seven concert dates coming up in the next month alone.
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posted in Musical Revue, San Gabriel Valley, WOW!

[title of show]

posted on January 13th, 2013 at 12:19 PM by Steven Stanley


Santa Ana’s Theatre Out opens what looks to be its most exciting season to date with the Tony-nominated [title of show], a four-performer musical every bit as unique as its title, and one which offers OC audiences a combination of non-stop hilarity, bouncy songs with some inspired lyrics, and a quartet of delightful performances under the imaginative direction of three-time Scenie winner Tito Ortiz (who also choreographs this time round).
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posted in Musical, Orange County, WOW!

THE RAINMAKER

posted on January 12th, 2013 at 2:36 PM by Steven Stanley


Few plays from the 1950s hold up as well as L. Richard Nash’s folksy 1954 romance The Rainmaker. Those needing proof of the above need simply to head out to Santa Monica’s Edgemar Center For The Arts where Tanna Frederick and Robert Standley head the cast of director Jack Heller’s pitch-perfect revival of this ‘50s gem.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

HEAVEN CAN WAIT

posted on January 11th, 2013 at 4:49 PM by Steven Stanley


Jennifer Garner did it in 13 Going On 30. Robert Downey Jr. did it in Chances Are. Ellen Barkin did it in Switch. Warren Beatty did it in Heaven Can Wait, and before him Robert Montgomery in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

What all these movie stars did was suddenly find themselves occupying someone else’s body in that ever popular genre—the body-switch flick.

Glendale native Tommy Kearney now returns to his home turf in Glendale Centre Theatre’s tiptop revival of Harry Segall’s 1930s body-switch gem Heaven Can Wait, adapted for the screen as both Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait, and if for no other reason than to see Kearney’s star-making performance as pugilist Joe Pendleton, this is one production comedy lovers won’t want to miss.
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posted in Burbank/Glendale, Comedy, WOW!

THEIR EYES SAW RAIN

posted on January 7th, 2013 at 2:22 AM by Steven Stanley

NOT RECOMMENDED

“Bang! Thunder kicks. Rain falls. Incessant. In the small town of Castle. There is indolence and apathy. Three brothers make it their mission to keep from being washed away.”

If the above publicity blurb seems frustratingly abstruse, West Liang’s World Premiere drama Their Eyes Saw Rain does little to clarify the confusion despite the best efforts of all concerned.
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posted in Drama, Los Angeles, Not Recommended

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