Don Grigware - Page 42

Tim Rice's & Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita has had a thirty-eight year international love affair with the public since it  premiered in 1978 in London and in 1979 on Broadway. The newest revival in regional theatre is currently at Cabrillo in Thousand Oaks until October 23 only. An operetta based on Eva Duarte Peron and husband Juan Peron of Argentina, the story documents the rise to power of a simple peasant girl to the rank - almost - of Vice-President of her country. I say almost because she became too ill to accept the nomination in 1951 and passed into immortality in 1952 after a seven year reign as First Lady of Argentina, which began in 1946. Evita: criminal or saint? has been the topic of books and documentaries. Eva

THE AYE SHOW is adapted from Ana Isabel Ordonez's THE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE STORY OF AYE AYE AND FEDOR. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and narration, the show was performed last week in Cape Town. Before the event, Before the event author Ana Isabel Ordonez discussed elements of the show for our readers.

Stage and TV star Barrett Foa will be performing Sunday October 16 at Catalina Jazz Club in Right This Way, Your Table's Waiting, a part of the special event CABARET is alive and well and living in LOS ANGELES, directed by David Galligan. What are you going to be performing in the benefit?

THE AYE, a stage show adapted from Ana Isabel Ordonez's internationally acclaim ed book, THE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE STORY OF AYE AYE AND FEDOR, will be performed to celebrate the 85th birthday of Nobel Peace Laureate Monsigneur Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a part of the Sixth Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Conference in Cape Town on 7 October.

I rarely use the word brilliant to describe the work I've seen. There are so many good actors, directors and writers in this town that one must be careful not to be too generous and overuse one's praise. Unlike one reviewer who calls everything he sees the best and gives an award of merit to all of them, I choose to be more selective. This is my very first time at Neo Ensemble Theatre under the new artistic direction of Paul Elliott, and I am exceedingly impressed with the acting, direction and particularly the writing. Airport Encounters, onstage at the Lounge on Santa Monica Blvd through October 16 only, is a collection of 10 vignettes that all take place in a big city airport.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat/lyrics by Tim Rice/ music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber/directed by Marc Kudisch/choreographed/associate directed by Shannon Lewis/3-D Theatricals at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, Redondo Beach through October 9/at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos October 14 - 23 Considered Andrew Lloyd Webber's first official musical in the late 60s, in spite of the fact that it really took off after Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has within itself a miraculous power to entertain and inspire...especially the young among us w

Great works of literature are often beautifully adapted into opera and ballet. Think of Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba, to name just one. Jean Giraudoux's The Madwoman of Chaillot is also tremendously passionate and digs deep into the female psyche, producing emotional rhythms that lend themselves to music. Whereas Lorca's work concentrates on sexual repression, Giraudoux's is more romantic and... goes a step further into the realm of championing a cause, a desire to right human wrongs and change the world.

For the Record is first and foremost an absolutely awesome show visually... and emotionally. The creative team of For the Record, namely Anderson Davis, Shane Scheel and music supervisor Jesse Vargas, began these amazing shows back in 2010 at Show at Barre on Vermont which turned into Rockwell Table and Stage. It's perfectly suited to a cabaret setting focusing on movie scenes and songs from a particular filmmaker. I first saw Baz Luhrman before it crossed country to great success; another big hit is the show about Quentin Tarantino. Now, in its debut, For The Record: Scorsese American Crime Requiem world premieres at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts through October 16. Scenes form Martin Scorsese films are mixed together with pop songs from the soundtracks of his films featuring a spectacular cast. It's a bigger venue but suits Scorsese's over.the.top portrayal of violent crime in America to a tee.

Stage, film and TV actress Rebecca Wisocky, best known for the Lifetime series Devious Maids, is currently onstage at the Geffen in Barbecue. In our chat she discusses the play, Devious Maids and other theatrical interests. What is all the hype over Barbecue? Our audiences have been very enthusiastic. I think people have been excited to see a play that is both incredibly funny and sneakily scathing. It asks you by the end to think about how you are complicit in perceiving and perpetuating bullshit in our society. Among other things. Tell us about your role.

In 1968 Promises, Promises, based on 1960's hit film The Apartment, opened on Broadway to great critical and popular acclaim. It was the first collaboration between Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and the resultant score was - and still is - regarded as one of the most gloriously upbeat musicals to grace a stage. Throw in Neil Simon, who wrote the book, and how can you miss having a hit? Promises2 was nominated for 8 Tony Awards and won 2 for Jerry Orbach and Marion Mercer. The show was successfully revived in 2010 in New York starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth, but did not receive nearly the same praise from audience or critics.

There's nothing like a Pinter play for stimulation and excitement. The playwright, in fact, has his very own adjective 'pinteresque'. Stephen Sondheim has immortalized him in song in 'The Ladies Who Lunch' from Company. He's the top, so why aren't his plays easier to figure out? One thing is certain, they provide an emotional workout for the actors involved. Now onstage at the Upstairs theatre at Group rep in NoHo, A Slight Ache is receiving a superb production with exemplary direction from Kevin Dobson and a fine cast of three, who really exercise/exorcise their demons within the 70-minute time.frame.

Victor Hugo's monumental romantic/gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, published in 1831, centers in, around and on top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. So does the new musical of the same name written by Peter Parnell, Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, which received its U.S. premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014 and is currently receiving its Los Angeles premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Stephen Gifford's set replete with stained glass windows, balcony and overhanging bells is scaled down from the original but still impressive and pulls you in effectively to another world, the ethereal realm of a higher power. Catholic boy that I am, every kyrie eleison exuded by the resounding chorus moved me to tears.

I hate when one acoustical element in a theatrical production prevents me from thoroughly enjoying the play. In A View From the Bridge, the Young Vic production currently at the Ahmanson through October 16, my concern was regarding Frederick Weller playing Eddie Carbone. He's a fine actor, but for some reason, from the very top, his voice was not carrying adequately over the stage to the audience. I could not hear many of his line deliveries in the first several minutes, and I was straining to understand. Perhaps because of the shell-like structure surrounding the actors center stage? Other voices seemed dimmed as well, so this set may have caused the problem. For a while, I thought it was me, that I was going deaf, but after the performance other audience members voiced the same complaint. Other than that, I have mostly good things to report about this piece directed incisively by Ivo van Hove. It comes to LA from Broadway where it won last year's Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

The Road Theatre on Magnolia is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Edward Albee's The Play About the Baby, which begins previews Tuesday September 13 and opens Friday, September 16.  Andre Barron will direct The Play About the B

The longest running musical in the world The Fantasticks is always at its best when produced and performed with simplicity. When I first saw it in New York in the 60s, it was performed in a cabaret space against a brick wall, with the suspension of a paper moon above. You can't get much simpler than that. In the current revival at the Pasadena Playhouse, the setting is bigger: a dilapidated, war-torn theatre in Southern California, shuttered since 1969, into which the actors enter to create art. The space may be bigger than the original, but the fine work on display maintains simplicity, especially in its message of love. This is a stunning production, one of the very best I have seen, with a magnificent interracial cast under the seamless direction of Seema Sueko.

German film-maker F. W. Murnau created the 1922 eclectic silent film Nosferatu based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. It is highly regarded worldwide as an artistic masterpiece, utilizing Expressionistic art. Now in a unique Los Angeles production - unlike any you have seen or are likely to - William A. Reilly has adapted the film to the stage at Crown City Theatre in NoHo. Nosferatu: A Symphony in Terror is a silent film onstage with classical music, ballet and a splendid cast of nine actors, directed with remarkable precision by Reilly.

Hard to believe, but Kritzerland turned 6 on Sunday September 4 at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Bruce Kimmel and his record company Kritzerland began their series of concerts at the Gardenia for the first year, then moved to Vitello's with Michael Sterling and onto the Federal four years ago. Kimmel and Kritzerland are joined at the hip; it's his brainchild ... and he brings all of his ingenious theatricality and cleverness to each show. This anniversary show was over.the.moon great with terribly eclectic, funny numbers and some absolutely wonderful talent. On board were steadies Sharon McNight, Nick Santa Maria, Ilene Graff and hubbie Ben Lanzarone, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman and special appearance by composer Richard M. Sherman. Newcomers Marc Ginsburg, Reagan Pasternak and little Hayley Shukiar joined 'Guy Haines' for a heartfelt and laugh-filled concert. Wonderful Richard Allen served as musical director and accompanist for most of the songs throughout the 90-minute set.

On Monday August 29 actor/singer Kurtis Simmons made his solo cabaret debut at Rockwell Table and Stage to a SRO crowd of adoring fans and well-wishers. Simmons is no stranger to Los Angeles audiences, as he has appeared onstage in such popular shows as Forever Plaid and premiered his musical Hipster Sweatshop at Rockwell in the company of co-creators Kyle Puccia and Darryl Stephens, in May of this year. But, there is something special about a solo show. As good as a performer is - and Simmons is very good indeed with a phenomenal voice - there's always that question, 'Can he carry a show by himself?' The answer is a resounding 'Yes!'

The 2003 film Calendar Girls was produced in the US with a British cast starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. It is a delightful comedy and a sweet ode to women, who, dissatisfied with many lifestyle choices, try quite earnestly to raise the bar. In 2008 it was made into a play and has been a best seller in the UK, probably because it takes place in and pays homage to Yorkshire. Now under Larry Eisenberg's keen and caring direction, Calendar Girls, rarely produced in the US, has a sturdy production with a sterling cast at Group rep in NoHo through October 9.

On Monday evening August 22 An Evening of Classic Broadway returned to Rockwell Table and Stage for another resoundingly superb and downright mirthful show. Headed by Brad Ellis and Dianne Fraser, this show really grows on you. I love talent, and you can definitely find it here in abundance. On the bill this time around were of course ringmaster Ellis, ingenious as always with his delicious banter at the piano, and Fraser, who manages to do it all, even adjusting microphones and assisting with the props. She's amazing! Guest singers included Joshua Finkel, Zachary Ford, Susan Edwards Martin, Barrett Foa, Christina Saffran and daughter Emma Ashford and last but never least the inimitable Julie Garnye.