Don Grigware - Page 46

Talk about quirkiness and how it makes a musical rock! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is terribly funny in a smart, slick, offbeat manner with prize worthy characterizations of lively eclectic people.It may be a tad long like the actual spelling out of words (that are not to be believed!)yet the exaggeration and contestants' varied reactions give rise to some great comic moments...and I love the audience involvement! Some of the contestants are picked from the audience and their ad-libs lend one.of.a.kind hilarity. The unpredictability in denouement is another big plus in the overall enjoyment of the show. It's like a real contest. Who will win is anybody's guess!

Singers, dancers, actors, models and instrumentalists will compete at the 20th Annual World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) July 8 - 17, 2016 in Long Beach, California. This international meet is often cited as the official 'Talent Olympics' for performers and is the only event of its kind!

GMCLA never disappoints. Their summer concert Oye Mi Canto, which took place at the Alex Theatre Saturday June 25 and Sunday June 26 featured the small Gay Men's Chorus of Cuba Mano a Mano whose singing skill and artistry blew the roof off the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Combined with GMCLA, the Latin sounds were rhythmic to the point of heart-pounding and oh so moving in every way. This is the first time the five men chorus have performed outside of Cuba on tour, and their very presence with GMCLA shows the mission of Gay Men's Choruses everywhere to come together in unity to champion the causes of gay men worldwide, especially in light of the horrific Orlando, Florida massacre two weeks ago. It's hard to beat Latino rhythms. They pull you in and make you move and groove to the

We sat down with Jamelle Dolphin and Lou Spisto, producers of the returning RECORDED IN HOLLYWOOD as they prepare for the upcoming run at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City. Both men talk about going deeper into John Dolphin's character and adding new material to create the perfect show, which begins previews July 8.

In the opening scene of the jukebox musical Beautiful, Carole King (Abby Mueller) is seated at the piano in concert at Carnegie Hall and is describing to the audience how life takes a turn and what results is unexpected...and beautiful. In this Tony-winning show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, we are taken through the musical history of the 60s when Carole King published music with her then husband Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin). We see the Shirelles, the Drifters, the Righteous Brothers, for whom King and Goffin wrote tremendous hits like 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', 'The Locomotion' and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'. We also see the harsh personal life that King suffered due to Goffin's drinking, infidelity and mental illness. Life was successful yet painful and eventually the pair parted, with the Brooklyn-born King going on to establish herself in LA in a whole new light with 'It's Too Late', 'You've Got a Friend', 'So Far Away' as well as 'Beautiful'. Now onstage at the Pantages Beautiful is bound to please every fan of the 60s era of rock 'n roll music and bring an uplifting spark of encouragement to live out your dream.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer-Prize winning Disgraced is at the core a portrait of an American born  Muslim Amir Kapoor (Hari Dhillon) and a treatise on Islamophobia, but it is first and foremost an entertainment, and as such, its big ideas take less priority. In structure and excitement somewhat like Donald Margulies' Dinner with Friends and Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, the play is humorous on the surface, but underneath... like a time-bomb set to explode. It consistently builds and builds to an unexpected climax. Now onstage at the Mark Taper Forum through July 17, Disgraced is a real audience-grabber with a dynamite cast under the superb direction of Kimberly Senior.

If you have never seen a production of the Impro Theatre Company, be aware that the play you see is one-time only. With the suggestion from an audience member at the top of the name of an heirloom, the actors take it, title the play, and then create the characters and the play totally from scratch. Everything that happens is spontaneous and will never be repeated in another performance. It makes me question what the job of the director, in this case member Brian Lohmann, actually is?

Dancer Jeannine Jackson is performing with Gloria Angeles and four other ladies in The Marge Patka Summer Spectacular 2016 on Saturday June 25 at 2 pm at Reseda High School. In our chat, she talks about the show, her past career achievements, her plans for the future and her overall joy of being in show business.

Gus Krieger is a Los Angeles based writer-director-producer of stage and screen.  As writer-producer: "The Killing Room" (2009). Writer-director: "Ol' Stan Levid" (2007), "The Binding" (2016). Producer: "Would You Rather" (2012), "Fender Bender" (2016). As playwright: Deity Clutch (2011), Sherlock Through The Looking-Glass (2013), and Breaking Bard (2015), which took home the Spirit of the Fringe Award for Best Writing, out of 200+ shows. Written by Steve Peterson

Gloria Angeles became a Zumba instructor for LA Fitness approximately two and a half years ago. Through the years she has also been involved in salsa dancing and competitions. ' I had been taking tap at the Marge Patka dance studio and performed in many of her shows and had wanted to be involved in more than just tap numbers. I got my opportunity in the summer show The Marge Patka Summer Spectacular 2015.'

Ibsen's Hedda Gabler steeped in 19th century realism has never been presented with more visual splendor than in Antaeus' current production. It is their last in the NoHo space before moving to a new theatre in Glendale in the fall, but that is hardly the reason to see it. It is memorable all by itself for its splendid translation by Andrew Upton (2004) and glorious casts under the sterling direction of Steven Robman. Hedda (Nike Doukas in the Pistols ensemble) lives in a fantasyland, a world of her own creation, one which to her is remarkably perfect and beautiful. The opulent home of her husband professor Jorgen Tesman (JD Cullum) is to her, shabby and boring. She hates it as much as her marriage to him, so she envisions in her own mind how she wishes her life to be, controlling the destiny of those around her, viewing even death in terms of its beauty and ... freedom. Delusional or not, she refuses to give in to the will of others and thus remains the quintessential literary tragedienne of the 19th century.

Grey Gardens/Ahmanson Theatre/July 6 - August 14, 2016 Based on the 1975 documentary of the same name, the story recounts the fall from uppercrust society of mother and daughter Edith Bouvier Beale, eccentric cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who lived in poverty in East Hampton, New York. This is the long-awaited west coast premiere of the Tony winning musical, and it will star Rachel York as 'Little Edie' and Betty Buckley as 'Big Edie'. www.centertheatregroup.org Beautiful - The Carole King Musical/Pantages Theatre/June 22 - July 17, 2

Los Angeles, CA - Acclaimed actresses EGOT winner RITA MORENO, PIPER LAURIE with three Oscar nominations to her name, and JUNE SQUIBB, who received a 2014 Academy Award nomination for her performance in Nebraska, will be part of the 32nd annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (STAGE), Sondheim No. 5, taking place on Saturday, June 18th at the beautiful Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.  Performances will be at 2:00pm and 8:00pm and benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles.

Does Abe Burrows' now classic show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying still hold up theme-wise? Well, nepotism will always rear its ugly head and those that climb the corporate ladder will continue ruthlessly to step on those beneath them and on those by their sides as well. So, the answer is partly yes! Judging by Friday's young audience at GCT, who were laughing quite heartily, ... Business is curiously entertaining, even though it belongs to the 60s. More about this later. Directors Danny Michaels and Orlando Alexander have pulled out all the stops to make the production work, and every character actor - just about the entire ensemble - are 'spot on' well cast. Once again GCT does not disappoint.

Actress FELICITY WREN currently stars in the world premiere quirky romantic British comedy BABY OH BABY through June 4 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, Califorini.  Felicity has a Masters Degree in Acting from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and her Honors Degree from Bretton Hall College. She is proud to have worked extensively in theatre in the UK, been the muse for 4 plays for amazing playwright Glyn Maxwell and a writer /performer with her own comedy sketch show Greedy (London, Edinburgh & NYC).  Recent TV - "Contingency" for New Street Pictures.  Felicity also stars in upcoming comedy feature films, "The Trap" and "The Man You're Not" whilst producing with her LA company: Dangerously Funny Productions. by Steve Peterson

Loesser Known: The Stories and Songs of Frank Loesser premiered at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal Sunday May 22 with lovely singer Heather Lundstedt O'Neill doing the honors. Lundstedt O'Neill has a beautiful, classically trained soprano voice that she utilizes supremely, lending her an awesome range. She also possesses a wonderfully delicious sense of humor that added so very much to this, her first LA cabaret appearance. She sang lesser known as well as hit songs from the Frank Loesser Songbook and told brief stories about his family and career....but concentrated more on the singing. Joining her were The Beverly Belles, friends Tiffany and Leah for one song and also guest star Jonathan Hawkins who performed one duet with Lundstedt. Sensational musical director John Boswell was at the piano and Randy Landas on bass throughout the 75 minute set. 

On Thursday May 19 consummate singer Pat Whiteman presented An Evening of Pat Whiteman & Grammy nominated songwriter Harriet Schock at the E Spot Lounge at Vitello's in Studio City to a sold-out house of arduous music lovers. Although not as well known as the others, Harriet Schock has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. Her pop songs are that good, for example 'Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady' which gave Helen Reddy a great big hit back in the 70s. Who better to interpret her incisive emotional messages than virtuoso Pat Whiteman? The evening was a divine songfest of original material with a 6-piece band, including Schock at the piano and electronic keyboard, and two backup singers. There were also special guests: Gary Lynn Floyd, who has an uber expressive singing style perfect for Schock's music...and movie composer Misha Segal who co-wrote the gorgeous 'First Time on a Ferris Wheel' with Schock.

What a lovely surprise! I know that Bruce Kimmel is quite the clever gentleman and would not expect anything less than superlative work from his camp, but stepping down to the college campus level to review is not something that I particularly savor. These actors, with the exception of Robert Yacko and April Audia, are students, not yet professional performers as such. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed, not by the singing, but at least by the acting and overall drive and energy of the performers who delivered a mightily informative, nostalgic and fun show. It's called L.A. Now and Then, and it's a revue with songs and monologues that take a glance back at Los Angeles through the years and compare past with present cultural values. Kimmel as director maintains a great pace throughout: no lags; the show moves!

The great musician Corky Hale needs no introduction. She and her husband composer Mike Stoller have worked with everyone in the music business including Sinatra and Steisand. She is currently producing a revue entitled I Only Have Eyes For You about the music of Al Dubin. It will open at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre Friday May 13. In our chat Hale talks about the show, Dubin and about her incomparable show business life.

For many, Tennessee Williams' first play The Glass Menagerie remains his finest. Semi-autobiographical, the play takes place in St. Louis during the Depression and depicts the relationships between a restless alcoholic/shoe factory worker/wannabe writer, his overbearing mother and his psychologically deficient sister - all of which stems from Williams' actual background. Williams finds his voice in Tom. (Christian Durso)