Cary Ginell - Page 9

The national touring company of 'The King and I' (based on the Tony-award winning Lincoln Center production) arrived in Thousand Oaks for a brief, one-weekend run. Angela Baumgardner shines as governess Anna Leonowens, with a luxuriant production of rich costumes and marvelous vocal performances from the entire cast.

Facts and trivia surrounding the original production of 'The King And I,' which starred Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner. Lawrence would die of liver cancer a little more than a year into the run, at the age of 54.

The Rubicon Theatre Company brings back a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, 'South Pacific,' in a uniquely intimate two-piano version, featuring stellar performances and a ravishing set design. This one will be talked about for years to come.

The infectious spirit of living life to its fullest is the message in 'Zorba,' the 1968 musical that starred Herschel Bernardi. Musical Theatre Guild's staged concert version of the musical starred Michael Kostroff in an exuberant display of hedonism that is welcomed after the tragic Borderline shooting in Thousand Oaks and subsequent fires in Southern California communities.

A stellar cast highlights William Inge's classic play about loneliness on the expansive prairie and a desolate diner on a highway outside of Kansas City. Hayley Georgeanne Cariker and Michael Wayne Beck turn in exemplary performances as the low-grade saloon singer and the wild, untamed cowboy who all but envelopes her with an obsessive desire to marry her and take her back to his ranch in Montana.

5-Star Theatricals' new artistic director Patrick Cassidy talks more about his vision for the future regarding the company's forthcoming seasons of musicals.

Newly appointed artistic director Patrick Cassidy, son of Shirley Jones and the late Jack Cassidy, puts a lifetime of theatrical experience to work as he begins his first season helming 5-Star Theatricals' musical theatre program in Thousand Oaks.

What do you do after suffering a debilitating stroke? Write a one-woman show, of course! On December 20, character actress Farley Cadena suffered an ischemic stroke, which left her unable to speak clearly, sing, or read. But she fought back, with this self-penned show helping in her rehabilitation. Cadena includes a number of familiar as well as obscure Broadway songs - with lyrics occasionally tweaked - to help illustrate her dilemma. The result is a moving, frightening, and also hilarious show about resilience and strength of character.

Musical Theatre Guild's production of 'Mame' wowed a Sunday evening audience with its broad comedy, Jerry Herman's tuneful score, and winning performances from its cast. The staged reading included full costumes, choreography, and some wonderfully funny moments, thanks to Lewis Wilkenfled's skillful directing.

'I Dig Rock And Roll Music' celebrates the folk-rock era of the '60s and '70s utilizing a six-person band, three of whom were featured in the successful theatrical concert 'Lonesome Traveler.' The show includes hit songs from the folk-rock movement, including protest songs like 'Ohio,' 'For What It's Worth' and others, as well as newly composed songs for the modern era, such as Trevor Wheetman's incendiary 'Dangerous Clown' and Sylvie Davidson's 'Can't Stop That Train.'

A dark horse candidate with little political acumen lacking in smarts is battling to become the Republican candidate for president, while keeping silent one in a series of illicit affairs. Sound familiar? In 'Fifteen Men In a Smoke-Filled Room,' playwright Colin Speer Crowley focuses on the candidacy of Warren Gamaliel Harding, who would become the 29th President of the United States. The play examines his loveless marriage and lack of appetite for the political machinations that would eventually result in his election.

An inventive costume, makeup, and wig design highlights Moorpark College's production of 'Clue: The Musical,' playing through August 5 at the school's black box theatre.

The 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, is dissected in this riveting anatomy of a hate crime, and how it affected the residents of that small town. Elite Theatre Company's production is well-acted and directed by Morgan Keough for Lit Live Theatre.

For the first time in 22 years, Susan Egan takes to the stage in her pioneering role as Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast.' 5-Star Theatricals' production (July 20-29) is being directed by Yvette Lawrence, who took over the role of Belle after Egan vacated it in Los Angeles over two decades ago. We spoke with both Susan and Yvette in a fun, nostalgic, and warm conversation about the show.

Real-life partners Jennifer Ridgway and Kevin Ellis play perpetual adulterers George and Doris in Bernard Slade's timeless comedy 'Same Time, Next Year' at Oxnard's Elite Theatre Company.

An interview with mental health professionals Erik Sternad and Joelle Vessels of Interface Children & Family Services and Panic! Productions co-executive director Paul Panico about the mental illness displayed in its recent production of 'Next to Normal.'

Claire Adams stars as a young North Carolina woman seeking a miracle - to heal her disfigured face caused by a farm accident from when she was young. Embarking on a Greyhound bus bound for Tulsa just after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was implemented, Violet deals with race, guilt, and shame in her quest to get an Oklahoma faith healer to make her inner and outer scars vanish.

Mazie Rudolph knows where Diana Goodman is coming from in Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey's Pulitzer Prize Winning musical 'Next to Normal.' In this revealing interview, Rudolph and director Fred Helsel talk about mental illness and Mazie's own journey into rediscovering her own traumas from the past.

The newly revamped national tour of 'Let It Be' includes a fantasy 'reunion' of the group on John Lennon's 40th birthday, October 9, 1980, two months before his murder. The group combined note-perfect renditions of two dozen Beatles songs as well as songs from the group members' solo careers during the 1970s in a generally entertaining, nostalgic trip to the glory years of the Fab Four.

Theater League's national tour of 'A Chorus Line' features a stellar cast, fabulous singing and dancing, but above all, the rock solid directing by Baayork Lee, the original Connie, who has ensured that Michael Bennett's original conception from over 40 years ago remains the same as he intended, as if Lee were encasing the show in amber.