From a very early age, Amber Romina Cassell always knew that she did not want to be a writer. While attending film school at the University of Southern California, however, she volunteered as a critic for the school newspaper in order to see all the plays and screenings around town and the rest, as they say, is history. A devoted lover of musical theater, Amber has had the immense pleasure of covering some of Los Angeles' most prominent theatrical events and has conducted in-depth interviews with some of Broadway's greatest talents and strives everyday to help promote and encourage the LA theater scene.February 18, 2011
Kicking off its 20th Anniversary, Deaf West Theatre puts its own, unique spin on the classic story of a mischievous puppet who wishes to become a real, live boy. Using a mix of deaf and hearing actors, Stephen Rothman directs The Adventures of Pinocchio, a commedia dell arte adaptation of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel by Lee Hall that brims with clever political subtext and sly social commentary. Deaf West's retelling of Pinocchio's treacherous journey through childhood opens February 25 at Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District, with two low-priced previews on February 17 and 18. (The Adventures of Pinocchio is rated 'PG' for mild language and dark themes - recommended for ages 10 and up.)
February 10, 2011
Music, passion, madness, and one woman's fight for her right to a career. The intense relationships between Robert Schumann, his wife Clara Schumann and the young Johannes Brahms come to theatrical life in a new romantic drama by playwright and renowned concert pianist, Israela Margalit. The U.S. premiere of Trio, directed by Rick Sparks and featuring Peter Colburn, Bjorn Johnson, Meghan Maureen McDonough, Brian Normoyle and Jeremy Shranko, opens for a five-week run on March 12 at the Lounge 2 Theatre in Hollywood.
February 9, 2011
Kicking off its 20th Anniversary, Deaf West Theatre puts its own, unique spin on the classic story of a mischievous puppet who wishes to become a real, live boy. Using a mix of deaf and hearing actors, Stephen Rothman directs The Adventures of Pinocchio, a commedia dell arte adaptation of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel by Lee Hall that brims with clever political subtext and sly social commentary. Deaf West's retelling of Pinocchio's treacherous journey through childhood opens February 25 at Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District, with two low-priced previews on February 17 and 18. (The Adventures of Pinocchio is rated 'PG' for mild language and dark themes - recommended for ages 10 and up.)
February 9, 2011
The Ovation award-winning Fountain Theatre ("Best Season, 2010") celebrates the centennial of Tennessee Williams' birth (March 26, 1911) with the West Coast premiere of his final play, by special permission of the Williams Estate. Simon Levy, just announced as the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's 2010 Milton Katselas Award for special achievement in directing, directs A House Not Meant to Stand, opening February 26 at The Fountain Theatre. Low-priced previews begin February 19.
February 5, 2011
Show at Barre invites you to experience the soundtrack of a modern motion picture master. FOR THE RECORD: BAZ LUHRMANN celebrates the music from The Red Curtain Trilogy- Luhrmann's homage to the major theatrical conventions of Dance, Poetry and Song -STRICTLY BALLROOM, ROMEO + JULIET and MOULIN ROUGE. Playlist includes hit songs such as Lovefool, Kissing You, When Doves Cry, Love Is In The Air, Time After Time, Come What May, Your Song, Roxanne, Children Of The Revolution, Rhythm Of The Night and many more. Jenna Leigh Green, Arielle Jacobs, & Kate Reinders star.
February 2, 2011
Show at Barre is proud to host yet another all-star lineup of Broadway, film, and TV stars for February 2nd's edition of The Christopher Show. The Christopher Show is a live, comedic American talk show that interviews established Hollywood as well as new Hollywood and the Broadway community. Funny man and Broadway star Christopher Youngsman (Grease) hosts. This week in the interview chair will be rocker and Tony nominee Adam Pascal (RENT), and comedy masters Fred Willard (A Mighty Wind) & Tim Bagley (Will & Grace, Ovation-winning play Four Places). The show, which recurs Wednesday evenings at the beginning of each month at Barre, VT, will be live on February 2nd at 8pm.
January 29, 2011
here are only two chances left to catch the latest installment of Show at Barre's sell-out For the Record series: Sincerely, John Hughes. Recapture your favorite 80's movie moments with Bender, Ducky, The Griswolds, and more as Show at Barre pays tribute to the remarkable films and soundtracks of film director icon John Hughes in this one-of-a-kind live concert experience. Barrett Foa, star of the hit TV series NCIS: Los Angeles and American Idol contestants Von Smith and Jackie Tohn lead the exceptional lineup of performers. The show, which runs Friday and Saturday evening at Los Angeles' Barre, VT, will play its final performance on January 29th.
January 13, 2011
OWN - The Oprah Winfrey Network - star and YouTube celebrity Ryan O'Connor performs his one-man show. It is a dynamic, hilarious and oddly touching musical journey through his experiences as a compulsive overeater. Featuring songs by Ani DiFranco, Katie Thompson, Scott Alan, and more, it is a one-of-a-kind, out-of-the-ordinary, honest, self-effacing, non-traditional cabaret and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
September 17, 2010
On September 18th and 25th at 9PM Show At Barre proudly presents MELORA HARDIN with special guest BILLY RAY CYRUS.
July 27, 2010
LOS ANGELES, CA - July 12, 2010 - The Fountain Theatre has extended the Los Angeles premiere of Opus by Michael Hollinger through August 29th. Opus is a smart, funny and insightful portrait of the fictional Lazara String Quartet. As the foursome prepares for a high profile performance at the White House, tensions mount and personalities clash. When their brilliant, but unstable, violist disappears, the others must seek someone new to perform with them. Will the talented young woman they select fit into a group of men with a complex history? With only days left to prepare, the musicians must navigate the creative, yet often disharmonious, path of creating a masterpiece. Violist-turned playwright Michael Hollinger skillfully establishes how four very distinct personalities must, in the pursuit of artistic excellence, synthesize with one another to create one seamless sound.
July 28, 2010
Last Monday night the touring cast of IN THE HEIGHTS performed two benefit concerts to raise funds for a Puerto Rican hospital. The concert, entitled 'Guilty Pleasures', featured over 20 members of the cast performing their guilty pleasure songs.
April 20, 2010
Quite simply put, there aren't enough good things to say about the La Mirada Theatre's recently-opened production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. This show rocks, rolls, and leaves the audiences dancing in the aisles to a soundtrack that it's hard to believe was written over 40 years ago.
April 20, 2010
Ladies, I have wonderful news! If you've ever had to put up with the struggle of pulling teeth to get your man suited up and sit with you in the theater, take heart and take him to $trip the Play. Housed in Venice's Good Hurt bar, with a mandatory 2-drink minimum, he has the chance to get good and liquored up before the show begins. And once he sees the pole in the center of the stage, any complaints are guaranteed to cease immediately. As the title suggests, the play is about-you guess it-strippers! And it is, indeed, a play, not a boobie show. And a darn fun play at that!
April 26, 2010
Ah, Acting. Is there any more noble artform? To mimic, portray, and create life itself. It is the 'birth of the soul', as espoused by veteran screen actor Beau Bridges in his latest play Acting: The First Six Lessons. Adapted from Richard Boleslavsky's how-to book of principles on the craft of acting by Bridges and his daughter Emily, and starring them as well, the play chronicles a five-year relationship between an acting teacher and his developing young protégé. Since this play deals primarily with deconstructing the methodology behind a performance, it seems only fitting to review said performance piece in a similar manner. So here goes: the six essential principles of theatrical critiquing, as applied to Theatre West's production of Acting: The First Six Lessons.
March 25, 2010
However, in the case of The Children Theatre Group of Southern California's current production of The Pajama Game, housed in North Hollywood's Electic Company Theatre, this critic has as much enthusiasm and adoration for this troupe of child actors as any adulating relative. This production of Pajama Game is as good, and in several cases BETTER, than any other put on by a "fully grown" theatre group. To say that it is as good as one on the professional level would not be accurate, because this is professional. Everything from the costumes, to the choreography, to the caliber of talent is top-notch.
March 13, 2010
You heard it here, folks. The Fountain Theatre is by the far the best and the brightest that Los Angeles has to offer. Local and tourist alike will be hard-pressed to find a more inviting, entertaining, or all-around enjoyable experience anywhere else in the City of Angels. First timers, it is highly recommended that you get to the theatre early and go upstairs to the charming little café and grab a table, relax, and settle in for a fantastic night (or afternoon) of entertainment.
March 3, 2010
It's about time there was a stage show about Ginger Rogers, the name that has become synonymous with dancing on the silver screen. Though her films, particularly those partnered with Fred Astaire have become iconic, most people tend to forget that she got her start and ultimately built her career treading the boards on the vaudeville circuit and on Broadway. Rogers was a lady of the stage, with a catalogue of standards attached to her name from the Gershwins, Jerome & Kern, and Irving Berlin just to name a few. If the biographies of Patsy Cline and Buddy Holly have the makings of a hit Broadway musical, surely a tribute to Ginger Rogers would glide right past them. Unfortunately, Backwards in High Heels is rather unfitting, possibly even embarrassing tribute to a one of America's greatest stage and screen legends.
March 1, 2010
We all love the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Because, really, what's not to love? The seasoned, elegant, upscale, and rather dashing con man Lawrence Jameson (played flawlessly by the sleek and sophisticated Michael Caine) takes a crude, grubby, aspiring con artist Freddie Benson under his wing (Steve Martin in one of his most brilliant and memorable roles). When the master and the protégé become competitors for the heart (and the fortune) of a naive ingénue, hilarity ensues. Unscrupulous leading characters, sexcapades, a hint of romance, a beautiful French Riviera setting, and lots of lying, cheating, dirty rotten deeds. Again, what's not to love about this story? But does the adaptation of the film work as a stage musical? Well...yes and no.
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