THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

posted on March 23rd, 2011 at 3:59 PM by Steven Stanley


You haven’t seen Shakespeare’s The Comedy Of Errors till you’ve seen it “Burlesque On Brand” style, courtesy of director extraordinaire Michael Michetti at A Noise Within.
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posted in Burbank/Glendale, Comedy, WOW!

KATHY NAJIMY

posted on March 20th, 2011 at 10:20 PM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

THE 25TH ANNUNAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

posted on March 20th, 2011 at 4:43 PM by Steven Stanley


Anyone who knows me knows how much I love The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Since first hearing the Original Cast Recording in 2005 and then a year and a half later getting to see the National Tour, Spelling Bee has earned the Number Three spot on my list of Most Seen Musicals, its latest incarnation at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre the eighth of what may end up to be a dozen or more different Bees at the rate I’m going. And no wonder. I adore The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and treasure each chance I get to see a new group of actors put their own stamps on the sensational roles Rebecca Feldman has conceived for them.
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posted in Musical, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

LOVE SUCKS

posted on March 20th, 2011 at 4:01 PM by Steven Stanley


When Rob Mersola’s Backseats & Bathroom Stalls debuted in 2008, the pansexual sex farce had me laughing out loud through its eighty-five minutes of outrageous surprises. With an eleventh hour “I didn’t see that one coming” twist I called “the best since The Crying Game or The Sixth Sense,” the entire package ended up winning four Scenies—for Best Production Comedy (Small Theater), Best Direction (Comedy), Best Ensemble (Comedy), and Best Performance By A Featured Actress (Comedy). Popular demand brought the production back for a second run at the tiny Lyric Hyperion Theatre, after which, as most shows do, it vanished into nostalgic memory, but not before catching the attention of a group of producers who saw its potential for even greater success.
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posted in Comedy, Hollywood/West Hollywood, WOW!

GLORY DAYS

posted on March 19th, 2011 at 3:37 PM by Steven Stanley


For many of us, the best days of our lives start after high school, and if anyone doubts this, a quick look at the thousands of It Gets Better videos available for online viewing on will correct that misperception. At the same time there are those like Will in the Broadway musical Glory Days, who may spend the rest of their post-high school lives remembering how much better things were back then.
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posted in Hollywood/West Hollywood, Musical, WOW!

PARADE

posted on March 18th, 2011 at 4:14 PM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED
Here’s a question for musical theater enthusiasts. What do five of the following six musicals—Annie, Brigadoon, Grease, Oklahoma!, Oliver, Parade—have in common and which one doesn’t belong on the list?
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posted in Musical, Recommended, West Side/Beverly HIlls

HAVING IT ALL

posted on March 17th, 2011 at 11:35 AM by Steven Stanley


A group of disparate (and perhaps desperate) strangers find themselves stuck in the same space and, not surprisingly, hate each other at first sight. As the minutes tick by, however, they begin talking—out of frustration or necessity—and little by little discover how wrong their first impressions have been. By the time their enforced proximity comes to an end, bonds have been formed, friendships even, and each of these strangers comes out changed for good (in both senses of the term). A proven formula for drama, comedy, and in the case of Having It All, for an original musical now earning cheers at North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts Center.
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posted in Musical, North Hollywood, WOW!

PROOF

posted on March 16th, 2011 at 4:18 PM by Steven Stanley


In the decade since David Auburn’s Proof premiered on Broadway, the four-character drama has become one of the most produced plays in the United States. For a time there, it seemed that just about every regional, intimate, or community theater in Los Angeles was doing, had done, or was going to do their own version of the Broadway hit—and no wonder. How many plays can you name that have won the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle and Tony Awards for Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama? Add to that the fact that it’s a one-set play which offers several of the best acting roles of this or any decade, and you’ve got a play that any theater in its right mind would want to have as part of its season.
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posted in Drama, Hollywood/West Hollywood, WOW!

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