Todd Andrew Ball News

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.

The Chinese Wall/by Max Frisch/translated by James L. Rosenberg/Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre, NoHo/directed by Larry Eisenberg/through March 11 Suffice to say, The Chinese Wall by Max Frisch, written in 1946, after Hitler and World War II, is a cluttered play about facism and those who revolt against it. Its message is repetitious, and the play goes on much too long, but Group Rep's vibrantly colorful production boasts a wonderful cast of 20 actors under the superb direction of Larry Eisenberg through March 11.

Thousands of souls have their final resting place in Altadena's Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery but, once a year in the fall, the living invade the domain of the dead. That's when Unbound Productions' WICKED LIT takes over the grounds and creates a site-specific theatrical experience based on classic and original horror stories. It is unlike any other kind of theatre or Halloween event you've ever seen and it is seriously the coolest thing you can do in Southern California. Ask anyone who's done it.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California. Tickets will go on sale this week.

It is easy to find a play today about family dysfunction but one with a totally unpredictable and engrossing story line? Think again! Brent Beerman has come up with one called A Dull Pain Turned Sharp now onstage at Group rep in NoHo. The title may sound offputting but what audience have in store is witnessing a wonderful bonding experience with a top notch cast and meticulous direction from Kay Cole currently through June 4.

The Group Rep presents the world premiere of Brent Beerman's comedy drama A Dull Pain Turned Sharp, directed by Kay Cole, produced by Mannette Antill, about a mother's dream to be a grandmother, a daughter's dream of independence, and another mother's dream of carrying on the lineage of her deceased son. What happens when one's happiness depends upon the actions of another? The play runs April 21 through June 4, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood.

The Group Rep extends their well-received production of Agatha Christie's New York Critic's Circle Award-winning play, Witness for the Prosecution, directed by Jules Aaron and featuring Guest Artist Salome Jens, a mystery about a man on trial for murder whose enigmatic wife is called as a 'witness for the prosecution' whereupon a series of plot twists, deceptions and lies are dramatically uncovered. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

There's nothing like a good old fashioned mystery to keep you on the edge of your theatre seat, especially one that's written by the grande dame of the genre Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap was one of the longest running plays on the West End for umpteen years. As I sat at Group rep Friday night watching Witness for the Prosecution, which is rarely revived, I really tuned in to the dialogue. It is so well constructed, and the dozen or so characters are deliciously humorous. I am happy to report that the new production at Group rep directed by skilled veteran Jules Aaron and starring guest artist Salome Jens and Larry Eisenberg is akin to a jolly good rollercoaster ride. It's delightfully entertaining and can be seen through March 12.

Musical geniuses of yesteryear like Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart or Bach ... ah, a chosen few who left an unparalleled legacy...but not without bitter resentment and treachery from rivals, some talented, some not... Remember Amadeus by Peter Schaeffer? Salieri stopped at nothing to thwart Mozart's success. Well, now Itamar Moses pits not one, but seven musicians against one another for the coveted position of choirmaster/organist after Johann Kunau dies literally at the organ at Thomaskirche, Leipzig in 1722. There's a flurry of fanciful farce amongst the competitiveness currently onstage in Moses's Bach at Leipzig at Group rep, directed by the brilliant Calvin Remsberg and boasting a devilishly versatile cast, through May 1.

birthday. He is dying of cancer but is told that he is suffering from a spastic colon. Mendacity. Margaret (Madeline Fair) denies gossip that she and husband Brick (Daniel Kaemon) are sleeping apart. The denial is a lie. Gooper (Todd Andrew Ball) and wife Mae (Kyra Schwartz) swear to have Big Daddy's back. More mendacity. Brick denies unspeakable devotion to football pal Skipper. Mendacity, mendacity, mendacity. The plantation reeks of it. The only truth that exists is that Big Daddy does hate his relationship with Big Mama (Diane Frank) and is not afraid to tell it to the world.The Pollitt family give new meaning to the word dysfunction. Who would want to celebrate anything with them? But somehow Tennessee Williams manages to get us to care for Maggie, Brick, Big Daddy and Big Mama. Gooper, Mae and their no.neck monster children... we can definitely live without. Now in an appealing production at Group rep directed meticulously by L. Flint Esquerra and with an outstanding cast, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof still manages to grab hold and move us.

The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre presents Tennessee Williams' dynamic and demanding Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by L. Flint Esquerra, produced by Kevin Dobson for The Group Rep. Check out photos from the show below!

The musical expands on the many motifs raised in the novel while offering a fresh perspective on the nearly thousand-paged piece of literature. Originally written as a three-hour production, thankfully the Fringe show has been edited down to two. Those not familiar with the novel, however, may find themselves a bit lost in Act I given all the time shifts between the many scenes, but everything becomes much easier to follow once Act II kicks into gear. Ultimately it is a tale of love, loss, and extreme agony coupled by an undeniable thirst for retribution set in France in the mid-1800's when women's lives were set by the man they married and little else.

Through the Hollywood Fringe Festival, musical theatre writing team Dahan and D'Angelo present their WORLD-PREMIERE of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO: THE MUSICAL, a story about one man, Edmond Dantes, and his undeniable thirst for revenge against his enemies, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

Through the Hollywood Fringe Festival, musical theatre writing team Dahan and D'Angelo present their WORLD-PREMIERE of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO: THE MUSICAL, a story about one man, Edmond Dantes, and his undeniable thirst for revenge against his enemies, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

One faces an undeniably horrendous situation that will only get worse before it gets better...and the clincher?... it is fueled by love. That's the trap created by Frawley Becker in his play Tiger by the Tail now playing at Group rep in Noho through April 19. The tender theme is made sweeter by smooth direction and a terribly appealing cast. For those who are not afraid to follow their feelings of romance and take the plunge into the realm of the unknown, Tiger by the Tail is most worthwhile.

The Group Rep presents the west coast premiere of Frawley Becker's searing drama 'Tiger by the Tail' directed by Jules Aaron, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Frawley Becker. The play runs today, March 6th through April 19th, Todays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre located at the edge of the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, CA.

The Group Rep presents the west coast premiere of Frawley Becker's searing drama 'Tiger by the Tail' directed by Jules Aaron, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Frawley Becker. The play runs March 6th through April 19th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre located at the edge of the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, CA.