Herbert Paine - Page 28

Phoenix Theatre has rolled out the Holiday Season carpet with a Mary Poppins that will delight children of all ages and set the standard for this musical for years to come. The beauty of Michael Barnard's direction and musical staging is the seamless welding of a top-of-the-line cast and a brilliant technical crew. Trisha Hart Ditsworth is dazzling in her portrayal of the enigmatic nanny who literally descends upon the Banks household. Toby Yatso delivers a knock-your-socks-off performance as Bert, the jack-of-all-trades narrator. Lots of exceptional performances to delight one and all.

No matter if you saw the original Broadway production or the classic film version of Wait Until Dark, the fact of the matter is that Arizona Theatre Company, in co-production with Geva Theatre Center, has mounted a show that stands on its own two feet as riveting and suspenseful drama.

If only there was no closing date to Childsplay's heartwarming and uplifting production of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane…David Saar's brilliance and sensitivity infuse his direction of Dwayne Hartford's enchanting and inspirational play, based on the book by Kate DiCamillo. A remarkable cast ~ Katie McFadzen, David Dickinson, Kyle Sorrell, and Debra K. Stevens ~ breathes life into each character they portray, and through them, Edward, initially all about himself, becomes the embodiment of love.

Arizona Opera's production of Rigoletto, directed by Fenlon Lamb, is a noble and well-constructed effort in portraying the ironic misjudgments of its main characters. It is gifted with notable performances by Peter Volpe as Sparafucile, the assassin; Joseph Barron as Count Monterone; Beth Lytwynec as the assassin's sister; and Michael Corvino as Rigoletto. It is, however, Sarah Coburn, who defines and gives glory to this production in her sterling tour de force performance as Gilda.

Theater Works' revival of H2$ features some fine turns by Joshua Vern, Michael Schwenke, Jeffrey Middleton and Osiris Cuen in a crowd-pleasing but uneven production.

Phoenix Theatre has done Shear Madness justice by staging an energetic and attention-riveting version and assembling an outstanding cast to rev up the audience's curiosity and suspicions in this whacky whodunit. If you want an ensemble that has the poise, presence of mind, and charisma to carry the play, then Director Robert Kolby Harper wins the prize for exercising brilliant judgment in bringing together Pasha Yamotahari, Elizabeth Brownlee, Patti Davis Suarez, Mathew Zimmerer, Gene Ganssle, and Mark Jacobson.

Smartly directed by Ron May, Seminar is one tightly knit, fast-paced, engaging, and provocative comedy of mixed manners and artistic insights. A solid ensemble delivers Rebeck's rapid fire dialogue with bristling conviction and energy. It is a well-crafted production that will have you reflecting on its themes long after you've left the theatre and likely wanting to see it one more time.

It is the Throne that takes center stage in Jared Sakren's searing production of William Shakespeare's King John ~ and all the men and women in it merely players to its seductions and channels for the issues that try the souls of their time. It is Maren Maclean who supercharges the play with an electrifying performance as Constance, the aggrieved mother who demands that her son Arthur be given that which is rightfully his ~ that Throne. Southwest Shakespeare Company's production is blessed with a rich ensemble on a simple stage dramatically enhanced by Daniel Davisson's moody lighting.

Hale Centre Theatre hits the high notes and delivers an uplifting production of The Sound of Music, featuring Brandi Bigley as Maria. A must-see for families!

Arizona Opera goes pop with its presentation of the soi-disant mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna.

The Producers is Mel Brooks' irreverent and satirical but ever-loving homage to Broadway show biz and has etched into the minds of theatregoers some of the most memorable if not outlandish concepts, characters and lines ever. It is nearly impossible not to measure later performances of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom against Mostel and Wilder or Lane and Broderick…BUT, not so impossible when Michael McAssey and Jared Mancuso take the stage in Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of this theatrical gem and lead a cast of performers any one of whom can steal the show.

Nothing is as it seems in the mildly amusing and riddlesome mystery, Night Watch by Lucille Fletcher, now on stage at Fountain Hills Theater. Director Peter J. Hill knows what his audiences like and has served up a nifty and suspenseful brain-teaser for them to mull over. Amy Serafin, riveting in her intensity as a frantic witness to an apparent crime, leads a cast of colorful characters in this gripping whodunit.

Copperstar Rep's THE ADDAMS FAMILY is an enjoyable show with standout performances by Janna Hanson as Morticia and Geoffrey Goorin as Fester and splashy staging by MaryJo Okawa…but with significant performance elements that need to be fixed for it to get a top grade.

David Hemphill's production of August Wilson's Radio Golf needs some work on a script that may be the least impressive of August Wilson's epic decalogy of black life in America, the Pittsburgh Cycle. If there are bright spots in the show, they are in the performances of T.A. Burrows and Roosevelt Watts. Both have infectious comic sensibilities and a firm command of their place on the stage.

Ron May once again distinguishes himself as a creative force in his brilliant and sensitive direction of Tarell McCraney's 'The Brothers Size.' Damon J. Bolling, Michael Thompson, and DeJean Brown deliver riveting, muscular, and breathtaking performances as the play's protagonists (Ogun, Oshoosi, and Elegba).

Hockadoo! Phoenix Theatre's production of Memphis is exhilarating! CJ Pawlikowski is electrifying as Huey Calhoun, the department store stockboy who finds the music of his soul in rock and roll and propels himself to local fame as a DJ, but not without stirring up the animosity of the local bigots. Michael Barnard's staging and direction of the Tony award-winning musical by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro is impeccable.

On the occasion of his debut as Phoenix Symphony's new Music Director, Tito Muñoz regaled his audience with a rich and robust performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Among the coterie of young conductors seizing the baton of major metropolitan orchestras, Muñoz will certainly be among the luminaries.

Kinky Boots has ushered in the 50th Anniversary of ASU Gammage in Tempe AZ with a righteous and literally uplifting kick in the pants of intolerance and stereotyping, featuring a star-spangled cast of characters and theatrical elements.

Hats off to Childsplay for mastering the transfer from page to stage of E.B. White's classic Charlotte's Web and for casting an ensemble that renders authenticity and depth to this joyous and heartwarming paean to love, friendship, loyalty, and, yes, mortality. Anthony Runfola has directed a seamless production in which cast, set, lights, sound, and costume conspire to create a world that is evocative of innocence and possibility.

Bravi! Bravi! Bravi! To the five women ~ Kathleen Berger, Brenda Goodenberger, Marie Gouba, Alanna Kalbfleisch, Alexandra Utpadel ~ and four men ~ Tony Blosser, Ken Goodenberger, Roger Nelson, Dominik Rebilas ~ who grace the Theater Works stage in the 29th Season opening production of I Get a Kick Out of Cole.