A DELICATE BALANCE

posted on September 27th, 2007 at 1:40 PM by Steven Stanley


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)

posted in Drama, Ventura County, WOW!

THE GAS HOUSE

posted on September 26th, 2007 at 1:36 PM by Steven Stanley


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)

posted in Drama, Hollywood/West Hollywood, WOW!

BUNNY BUNNY

posted on September 25th, 2007 at 1:31 PM by Steven Stanley


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)

posted in Comedy, Hollywood/West Hollywood, WOW!

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

posted on September 23rd, 2007 at 12:11 PM by Steven Stanley


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)

posted in Concert Staged Reading, Ventura County, WOW!

GOBLIN MARKET

posted on September 22nd, 2007 at 12:08 PM by Steven Stanley


Take two of the most phenomenally talented performers on the L.A. theater 
scene, add a critically acclaimed director and a superb design team, and give 
them an exquisite but little known musical to bring to life, and you have Syzygy 
Theatre Group’s remarkable production of Polly Pen and Peggy Harmon’s Goblin 
Market.
(read more)

posted in Burbank/Glendale, Musical, WOW!

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

posted on September 21st, 2007 at 12:04 PM by Steven Stanley

NOT RECOMMENDED

The Sight Unseen Theatre Group is one of my favorite local companies.  Their
Quarterlife made my “Best of” lists for World Premiere Play, Intimate Theater Play,
and Ensemble.  A Year Without Spring, directed by Andy Mitton, was another
fine world premiere drama, with outstanding performances (particularly by Eric
Bloom and Michael Laurino).  Then, in a complete turnabout, Sight Unseen put
on a musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, with AYWS director Mitton wearing
a much different hat, as musical director, Quarterlife star Clark Freeman in the
band, and sets and lighting co-designed by Sam Roberts.  Once again, a Sight
Unseen production made my “Best of” list, this time for Intimate Theater
Musical,   Now, Roberts, Freeman, and Mitton have combined forces again for
yet another challenge, that of fashioning a 99-seat theater production of
Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo, adapted
for the stage and directed by Roberts.
(read more)

posted in Drama, Not Recommended, West Side/Beverly HIlls

DURANGO

posted on September 19th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Steven Stanley


Durango begins on a bare stage, with just a chair and guitar far right.  A
young man wearing shorts and a t-shirt enters, sits, picks up the guitar and,
beginning to strum, sings a sadly nostalgic song.  “Main Street isn’t busy much
anymore. A neon girl dressed up with nowhere to go.”  He seems to be
recalling the past, a past which we begin in the next scene to discover.
(read more)

posted in Drama, Los Angeles, WOW!

CHESS

posted on September 17th, 2007 at 11:57 AM by Steven Stanley


Those who attended last night’s Chess benefit (for Broadway Cares Equity 
Fights AIDS) expecting “just a concert” were in for a dazzling surprise. What 
had been advertised as “Chess in Concert” turned out to be a fully staged, 
fully choreographed, fully off-book production of the 80s Broadway hit.  And 
what a production it was!
(read more)

posted in Hollywood/West Hollywood, Musical, WOW!

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