HAIRSPRAY

posted on August 23rd, 2011 at 6:26 PM by Steven Stanley


Like the month of June, Edna and Tracy Turnblad seem to be “bustin’ out all over” these days, their smash Broadway hit musical Hairspray making the rounds of Southern California regional theaters to the delight of subscribers and single-ticket buyers alike. Residents of San Diego-adjacent Vista (and anyone lucky enough to be within driving distance of Moonlight Amphitheatre) are the latest to receive a visit from the full-figured mother-daughter team who first took the world of musical theater by storm in their 2003 Broadway debut.
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posted in Musical, San Diego County, WOW!

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

posted on August 22nd, 2011 at 10:21 PM by Steven Stanley


If William Shakespeare has been called an acquired taste, the time has come for this reviewer to confess to having—despite considerable kicking and screaming—acquired a taste for the Bard. No longer can I protest too much, as I have in years past, that (to quote from a 2008 review) “I often get lost in his convoluted plots, whole chunks of dialog whizzing past me or over my head without really sinking in.” Yes, Shakespeare’s plots can still be hard to follow, and yes, there are still passages that even the finest Shakespearean actor cannot render comprehensible to my 21st Century ears, but after having (in the past year alone) raved about productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (two of them!), The Comedy Of Errors, Measure For Measure, The Taming Of The Shrew, and The Merchant Of Venice, I’m actually starting to look forward to “Another Op’ning, Another Show.”

The Old Globe 2011 Shakespeare Festival production of Much Ado About Nothing can now be added to the above list, director Ron Daniels and an extraordinarily talented cast having come together to create a truly magical evening of romance and laughter under the San Diego stars.
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posted in Comedy, San Diego County, WOW!

SMALL ENGINE REPAIR

posted on August 20th, 2011 at 5:35 PM by Steven Stanley


If you grow up in New Hampshire, chances are your elementary school best friends will remain your besties for life, even in Manchester, its biggest city, whose population of 109,565 would make it hardly more than a small town here in Southern California.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

THE UNDERPANTS

posted on August 19th, 2011 at 7:01 PM by Steven Stanley


What a difference two seconds can make. That’s how short a time Louise Maske insists that her undies dropped down to her ankles “in front of the neighbors, in front of strangers, and at the King’s parade” in The Underpants, adapted from German playwright Carl Sternheim’s 1910 original by none other than Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin, whose unique take on love and life makes Long Beach Playhouse’s production of The Underpants a delightful August surprise.
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posted in Comedy, Long Beach/San Pedro, WOW!

THE BIG WOOGIE

posted on August 15th, 2011 at 10:36 PM by Steven Stanley

NOT RECOMMENDED

What an amazing theater town Los Angeles is, each month offering literally hundreds of shows to pick from—big budget/big bucks/big stage productions at the Pasadena Playhouse or the Geffen, midsized offerings like those at the Colony and ICT Long Beach, and 99-seat plan productions at Theatre @ Boston Court, Antaeus, and the Celebration—to name just three of the many small theaters which easily match the best of off-Broadway. Add to these the countless 30, 40, and 50-seat mini-theaters where it’s possible to “put on a show” for about .005% of Broadway’s Spider Man budget, and you’ve got oodles of temptations on any given weekend.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, North Hollywood, Not Recommended

CHICAGO

posted on August 15th, 2011 at 7:36 PM by Steven Stanley


To paraphrase Stephen Sondheim, “Everything’s coming up Chicago” these days. Still going strong at 6000+ performances on Broadway, the musical smash is at long last lighting up regional and community theater stages, giving directors, choreographers, performers, and designers the chance to put their own stamp on the John Kander/Fred Ebb classic.

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posted in Musical, South Bay, WOW!

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

posted on August 14th, 2011 at 4:39 PM by Steven Stanley


When you hear the words “Shakespearean Comedy,” which of the Bard’s plays most quickly pop to mind? A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Twelfth Night? The Taming Of The Shrew? Much Ado About Nothing? As You Like It? All of the above?
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posted in Comedy-Drama, North Hollywood, WOW!

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S SPIDER’S WEB

posted on August 13th, 2011 at 3:44 PM by Steven Stanley


Theatre 40 has another Agatha Christie hit on its hand with The Queen Of Crime’s 1954 comedic mystery Spider’s Web. Though not quite on a par with T40’s previous Christie gem Black Coffee (Dame Agatha’s plotting and the cast’s British accents are slightly less razor-sharp this time), Spider’s Web nonetheless makes for a thoroughly entertaining brain teaser with nearly as many laughs as you’d expect in an English farce.
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posted in Comedy, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

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