Herbert Paine - Page 27

Triumphant! Exhilarating! Dazzling! Ib Andersen's masterful and extraordinary staging of August Bournonville's Napoli is a cornucopia of bravura performances, bristling with energy, velocity, and vivacity.

In Rick Cleveland's ingenious Five Presidents, directed by Mark Clements and on stage at the Herberger Theatre, the 38th to the 42nd occupants of the Oval Office come to pay their respects to #37, Richard Milhous Nixon. It's a delicious concept and an undeniable hit, brought to life by the splendid performances of Jeff Steitzer as Gerald Ford, Martin L'Herault as Jimmy Carter, Steve Sheridan as Ronald Reagan, Mark Jacoby as George H. W. Bush, and Brit Whittle as the incumbent Bill Clinton.

BURNING IN THE NIGHT: A HOBO'S SONG is as fine a piece of theatrical artistry as one will find in the Valley of the Sun. On stage at the Mesa Arts Center from February 6th-8th and continuing on February 13th at Theatre Works in Peoria, Richard Warren's brilliant adaptation of Dale Wasserman's epic memoir, directed by Dan Schay and masterfully performed by Mike Lawler, needs to be seen not only for the quality of the production but also for the sweet and compelling reminder of freedom's real meaning.

Desert Stages Theatre's production of Eric Simonson's Lombardi, directed by Mark-Alan C. Clemente is a surefire touchdown, featuring inspired performances by Timothy Pittman as Lombardi and Dyana Carroll as the coach's stalwart wife Marie.

Three short plays, staged readings of works in progress by women playwrights, are the centerpiece of Arizona Women's Theatre Company's Eighth Annual Pandora Festival ~ a rich and much-needed opportunity to channel their creative voices.

Robyn Allen and Alexandra Utpadel deliver singularly powerful turns in Theatre artists Studio's production of RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN

John Hutton leads a brilliant cast in Jared Sakren's uniquely intelligent and compelling production of Southwest Shakespeare Company's King Lear.

Alan Ariano embraces the King's role as his own and Chelsea Soto delivers a stirring performance as Tuptim in Arizona Broadway Theatre's lavish production of The King and I.

Richard Warren's Shifting Gears is an intelligent and poignant portrait of an American family in transition. Played out on the stage of Theater Works and astutely directed by Daniel Schay, it features a standout performance by Frank Gaxiola as a father fundamentally committed to the centrality of family and unyielding in his efforts to retain control of the uncontrollable.

Kate Dulcich and Michael Greer are marvelous in Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn's high voltage comic epiphany, 'You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!,' directed by Van Kaplan.

Enduring Arizona Theatre Company's current production of Murder for Two is like watching two cute hamsters incessantly rolling on a wheel, keeping pace with its speed but going nowhere fast. It's curious, but, in the end, unsatisfying. While Joe Kinosian and Ian Lowe make a great team and are, each in his own way, versatile and immensely talented performers, this murder mystery musical whodunnit s laborious.

Scottsdale Musical Theater Company has presented a rib-tickling production of Mel Brooks' The Producers, directed by David Hock and featuring standout performances by Hector Coris, Matt Newhard, Marina Blue Jarrette, Patrick Russo, Terry Gadaire, and an energetic ensemble.

The Quiltmaker's Gift, adapted from Jeff Brumbeau's book nine years ago by Alan J. Prewitt, with music by Craig Bohmler and lyrics by Steven Mark Kohn, is enjoying a delightful and lighthearted reprise at Theater Works. Directed by Rusty Ferracane, it features a standout performance by Joshua Vern as the petulant king in search of happiness and a jubilant staging of color and choreography by Tamara Treat and Cydney Trent.

Space 55's A Bloody Mary Christmas is not your typical Holiday fare, but it is most assuredly, raucous run of laughs, featuring the comedic trio of Toni Jourdan, Paula McKenny, and Lee Quarrie as distressed, disgruntled, over-the-hill denizens of a condo in senior city.

In a beautifully designed and rustically appointed set, director Brad Allen has choreographed a sensitively balanced dance of requited and unrequited loves, supported by a marvelous cast, in Ernest Thompson's ON GOLDEN POND. Michael Fleck and Judy Lebeau have crafted an attractive and endearing portrait of a couple in the prime of their lives. Together, they are terrific and, in their distinctly understated but effective ways, offer a masters class in acting.

Roosevelt Watts and Sarah Chapman bear the slings and arrows of racial stereotyping in Mark Medoff's riveting TOMMY J AND SALLY, now on stage at Black Theatre Troupe and smartly directed by Janet Arnold.

The musical version of Miracle on 34th Street is a weak substitute for the film classic, a point validated by The Palms Theatre's current production.

The Capitol Steps, a marvelously talented and creative group of satirists remind us how important a healthy sense of humor is, particularly given the foibles and follies of the politically powerful.

It's Yuletide at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and the musical du jour is the ever-appealing White Christmas, served with all the sugar and spice that has made Irving Berlin's classic a seasonal favorite. In his directorial/choreographic debut at ABT, Stephen Casey has imbued this production with distinctive style and energy. His ensemble has laced the show's punch with elixirs of song and dance that leave you wanting an encore. A special moment in this production is Rori Nogee's oomphatic delivery of Let Me Sing and I'm Happy.

JoAnn Falletta guest conducts the Phoenix Symphony with authority, conviction, and intensity. Dvo?ak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From the New World., is in the best of hands. Chloe Hanslip delivers a virtuoso performance of Prokofiev's Concerto No. 1 in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 19.