Don Grigware - Page 10

Actress/singer Gina D'Acciaro has a crazy actor's life which may sound like that of many other performers...New York auditions, moving to LA with no money, waitressing, being a nanny and struggling through a myriad of other jobs to stay on her feet. However, ... it's the way in which D'Acciaro tells her stories that makes this show Famous Adjacent - in its encore presentation at Rockwell Table and Stage - such a big winner. She utilizes an exceedingly fast paced delivery, eliding all the words of the anecdote into what sounds like one big hilarious runon

I am a huge fan of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It is literary genius in its storytelling of the lifespan of two families in Grovers Corners, New Hampshire It's almost as if Wilder turned Our Town upside down, shook it a few times in snowglobe fashion and created The Skin of Our Teeth. It's also a family drama but it covers more than one lifespan, as it combs a five thousand year period from the Ice Age to the 20th century in Excelsior and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Antrobus family is bound throughout: the father (Mark Lewis), the mother (Melora Marshall) and their two children Gladys (Gabrielle Beauvais) and Henry (William Holbrook) and their maid Sabina (Willow Geer). Their lives change through time, and plotwise, there is always a crisis they are exposed to. What is mos effective to witness is how they manage to pull through each obstacle...and survive.

It is rare to encounter a play about the gay lifestyle that is real, intelligent, informative and simultaneously entertaining. Such is the case with award-winning playwright Daniel Hurewitz's Nancy F****ing Reagan currently onstage at The Secret Rose Theatre through August 4. If the title sounds angry, it is, but David (Kiff Scholl), who is about to celebrate his 50th birthday, is at a crossroads in his life. He can no longer tolerate the Reagans' lack of support and caring toward the AIDS epidemic and those dying from it. The scene is Palm Springs in March, 2016, the weekend that Nancy Reagan's body lay in state. David's former partner Alec died from AIDS, and D

The 1996 Film The Spitfire Grill was a big winner at Sundance and other festivals. It is a drama about a small New England town called Gillead where one restaurant The Spitfire Grill has been up and running for 40 years. Since then a musical was created by Fred Alley and James Valq and little is changed. Characters and most of the plotline are the same as in the movie, with the addition of music, of course. The Spitfire Grill is a small restaurant business for a small community. Its owner Hannah Ferguson (Sarah Saviano) cooks three meals a day and runs the place by herself.  Bold and stubborn as a mule, Hannah keeps a dark secret about a close relation. It takes a stranger to Gillead to uncover the secret, to cause further complication and ... to gradually set things right. Now onstage at the Garry Marshall Theatre through August 11, The Spitfire Grill  is a winning production that will entertain you and simultaneously tug at your heart strings.

No one carries off a farce better than the Brits. It seems like they invented it just as we Americans invented the musical. Mischief Theatre first presented The Play That Goes Wrong in 2015 and then it came to Broadway in 2017. Now it is on tour, currently onstage at the Ahmanson until August 11. I cannot think of a better word to describe it than INSANITY. Most farces have slamming doors, pratfalls galore, double entendres, and mistaken identities. But when the slapstick turns into entire sets collapsing, as well as actors moving about helter skelter in nonstop fashion? The Play That Goes Wrong is unlike any other farce you may have seen. To say you will laugh uproarisouly is an understatement. Naturally, it will appeal to all actors and theatre lovers who know that live, anything can happen onstage. The Play That Goes Wrong carries it to the furthest extreme.

Funny lady Gina D'Acciaro is about to bring back Famous Adjacent to Rockwell Table and Stage July 17. She is such a revered performer, her shows return for encore performances. In our conversation she talks about this show and ehat suits her theatrical tastebuds. How did you come up with a title like Famous Adjacent? Explain to our readers. Then...tell us about your show. 

Astounding actresssinger Barbara Minkus has been delighting audiences for over 50 years on Broadway and on television. Her autobiographical play 18 Minutes of Fame has been a hit with both LA and New York audiences for a few years now and pro that she is, Minkus makes changes to it regularly. In our chat, she tells our audience how it got started, what she's done to improve it for the next remounting in July and how very much the show means to her. I have seen this wonderful show 18 Minutes of Fame 3 times, and marvel at how you change things each time you mount it. It's about your life from the time you were a little girl. Have you made specific changes for this new production in July? If so, what is different?

On Sunday, June 30 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2019 Presented by Princess Cruises came to a conclusion on the Debbie Reynolds Mainstage of the El Portal Theatre in NoHo. After a 90-minute program in which this year's 12 contestants* gave 150% to their monologues and songs from Broadway shows, eight contestants were eliminated and the top four finalists were selected. There was a problem in that in collecting the ballots, there was only a majority for 2 contestants. Audience and judges were alerted, time was alloted and ballots were collected once more to pick the other 2 contestants. This added a good half hour to the proceedings. Then each of the four proceeded to perform a second number after which the distinguished panel of judges made the final decision. Musical director par excellenc

On Sunday June 30 jazzpop singer Jane Monheit appeared at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's for an evening, not devoted to any theme or specific composer, but to render an array of her favorite songs. She explained that turning 40 has allowed her the freedom to stretch and perfom in unchartered territory like in musical theatre,  different from her usual jazz and pop programs. It's a form of growth for this extraordinary singer.

Clent Bowers Presents is pleased to announce FOOD FOR ALL, a dramatic fantasy musical, written, performed and produced by Broadway sensational singer, actor Clent Bowers at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, a solo piece, directed by Sherrie Lofton. There have been four performances so far of Food For All at the Stephanie Feury Theatre in Hollywood at 5636 Melrose Avenue, a half block east of Larchmont. FOOD FOR ALL was performed on Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 pm, Friday, June 14 at 7 pm, Wednesday, June 19 at 8:30 pm, and Saturday, June 22 at 12: 30 pm. The one performance remaining will be held Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 2 pm. Running time is 60 minutes. 

Mysterious Circumstancesby Michael Mitnickinspired by The New Yorker article 'Mysterious Circumstances, the Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic' by David Granndirected by Matt ShakmanGeffen Playhouse, Gil Cates Theaterthrough July 14

Brilliant scientist and author Ana Isabel O is in the process of creating a novel, not a children's story like her other writing endeavors, but ... her own take on the drug issues in Columbia. In our conversation she talks in great detail about how deeply the issue affects her life and her purpose in writing the story.

It is a pleasure to announce the World Premiere of the feature film Two Ways Home at the Dances With Films 22 film festival as an Official Selection Supporting Mental Health Awareness on June 15th, 2019 at the Historic TCL Theatre in Hollywood, California Tanna Frederick (Defrost, Hollywood Dreams) stars alongside Tom Bower (Die Hard, Waltons) appears in her first produced narrative feature film Two Ways Home. A film from the heart, raising awareness about mental health in cooperation with aligned charities including www.NAMI.org andwww.BreakingTheChainsFoundation.org. Two Ways Home was directed by Ron Vignone, from an original screenplay by Richard Schinnow, independently produced and filmed in Iowa. 

Director Patrick Burke trained at?The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Onstage at the Group?Rep:?A Christmas Carol,?Inspecting Carol,?Sherlock's Last Case,?Hotel Paradiso, Awake and Sing,?Boeing Boeing,?Don't Dress For Dinner,?That Lovin' Feelin',?A Nice Family Christmas, Lost In Yonkers,?A Midsummer Night's Dream,?Romeo & Juliet, and Rumors.  When did you get interested in puppets and puppetry?

Archway Theatre Company has devoted itself to presenting  great Shakespeare for several years. That said, they will do almost anything to make their productions work better, including switching venues in order to get just the right atmosphere. Their current production of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 is a humongous challenge for any American company. Archway has moved to the Tarzana Community Cultural Center in Tarzana because the space allows them the opportunity to present the work outside, as Shakespeare was originally performed. and... because other locales would not allow swordfighting...how can you do Henry proper justice without swordplay?

Hoboken is about to open at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Director Fritz Brekelller took time from a busy schedule to talk with us about the show. Fritz Brekeller has worked extensively in the soap opera world, winning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, most recently this past May, as part of the directing team at CBS's The Young and the Restless. THEATER: He received a 2016 NY Innovative Theater award for Outstanding Direction of Scott C. Sickles' Composure at the Workshop Theater. Among his many other theater credits, includes two past collaborations with playwright Laura Rohrman: My Life as You and The Elevator: Secret Thoughts. He also conceived the musical revue Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion, which played to sold-out crowds at the legendary Duplex in Greenwich Village. TV: ABC's All My Children. FILM: What Would Bear Do? and the short, Through the Morning. WEB: season 4 of the indie soap, Empire and the pilot for the off-off Broadway spoof, Off-Off Kilter.

On Sunday June 2, Kritzerland celebrated its 99th performance with a special brunch matinee at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's, entitled June Is Brunching Out All Over. It was supposed to be a tribute to Harry Warren, but as host Bruce Kimmel explained, it's often better to throw in a few other songs from different composers...so the show was a mix...and delightful with musical director Richard Allen at the keys and a bevy of exceedingly talented singers including special guest Bill Hayes...Kim Huber, Kelley Dorney, Jenna Lea Rosen, Robert Yacko, Damon Kirsche and Bruce Kimmel himself perfoming a lovely solo number 'Hushabye Mountain' by the Sherman Brothers for the film 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'.

This, my fourth viewing of the smash Tony Award winning musical superhit Avenue Q, was a treat in many ways.. This little show, like a Sesame Street for adults, plays out like life - only bigger - with off-the-wall grotesquely funny situations, hilarious one-liners and tantalizing music, each and every tune a winner. The show leaves you craving more, but unfortunately you only have through July 7 to see the Group Rep's delicious production in North Hollywood. It's one thing to see this show on the huge Ahmanson or Pantages stages and quite another to see it on the smaller more intimate stage at Group Rep. This close-up intimacy enhances the enjoyment of the show one hundred fold.

Writer/actress Dagmar Stanec is about to present her solo play Loose Underwear at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. In our conversation she talks about her show with the utmost honesty and depth. Dagmar Stansova is an award winning writer and critically acclaimed actor, has performed in leading roles off-Broadway, at LaMama and The Public Theatre and in Los Angeles at the Odyssey and West Coast Ensemble. Her television credits include “One Life to Live” and HBO's “The Image” with Albert Finney.