Don Grigware - Page 5

Otherwise Engaged/by Simon Gray/directed by Linda Alznauer/Upstairs at the Group Rep/through September 8, Saturdays at 4 pm, Sundays at 7 pm Written in the 1970s, Simon Gray's Otherwise Engaged was a grim look at publisher Simon's (Michael Robb) lack of communication with his family, tenant and friends. He preferred to listen to Wagner as opposed to talking about any issue that came up. Little did Gray know that a mere 44 years later, the internet would pretty much take the place of human interaction. Or did he? Maybe via his play he was predicting the future. Currently at Upstairs at the Group Rep, Otherwise Engaged is receiving a stellar production with a fine cast and directed with exacting precision by Linda Alznauer.

On Saturday August 10, singer/actor Derek Klena, now a popular leading man on Broadway, returned to his California roots to present his first live LA concert on the El Portal Mainstage. To say it clicked, is an understatement. I have seen Klena perform since 2009 when he came in a runnerup in LA's Next Great Stage Star. He is handsome, charming, a real promising performer who comes from a warm West Covina family. Maybe it's because of these roots, that he is as successful as he is right now. He adores his caring mother and father and two siblings Lauren and Dylan. Though married to his high chool sweetheart and living in NYC, he returns regularly to celebrate birthdays and holidays with the family or to see his brother Dylan perform on local stages.

Jazz singer Mark Winkler has just released a new album on singer Bobby Troup and will do a CD release party at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's on August 23. In our chat, Winkler talks about his background, his love for Troup, jazz and the overall world of music. Tell our readers about your background. Where are you from? How did you get interested in music, especially jazz?

Loose Knit/by Theresa Rebeck/directed by L Flint Esquerra/Group Rep, NoHo/through September 8 Will the play be like Steel Magnolias? I queried. But...there are two male actors onboard. Well, as it turns out Loose Knit provides far more entertainment than I expected and presents a myriad of thought provoking ideas, not only about dating, but about the politics of America and how it works or does not. Currently onstage at Grou Rep, Loose Knit should be a great big winner, because of the astute writing, the dynamite seven member ensemble and superior direction from L Flint Esquerra. Five women meet regularly at Gina's (Lisa McGee Mann) apartment to knit...actually, some to knit, some to talk. Gina is a lawyer and professes to want to knit only, but is keeping a secret deep down that is about to rattle her nerves. Two sisters Lily

West Side Story/book by Arthur Laurents/music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Stephen Sondheim/directed by Larry Raben/choreographed by Karl Warden/music director:Jeff Rizzo/ 5 Star Theatricals at Thousand Oaks Plaza, Fred Kavli Theatre/ through August 4 Ask actors/actresses to name their favorite Broadway musical of all time and they most often concur, West Side Story. Why? It has phenomenal music by Leonard Bernstein, with concise poetic lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a tight and gripping book by Arthur Laurents ... and ... brilliant choreography established in 1957 by Jerome Robbins. It is one of the most powerful love stories ever penned, next to Romeo and Juliet. With all these elements complementing one another, from the first downbeat of the orchestra and the appearance of the Jets creeping in one by one on a half-lit stage, the show pulls you in and doesn't let go for its almostr three hours ... and its message and images of love linger long after.

Director L Flint Esquerra has directed two Tennessee Williams' plays A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Group Rep Theatre in NoHo in the last few years to great acclaim. He is currently directing their next production Loose Knit set to open August 2. In our conversation Esquerra talks about the play in detail. Did you direct Loose Knit before? I understand that this is a revival production. No, have never directed this show before. I think 'revival' may be a bit of a misnomer, in the sense that, yes, it was done somewhere else sometime before and now it's being done here, but no, none of our cast or crew has ever worked on it prior. Tell  our readers what the play is about.

Peter Pan is an enchanting tale that delights children of all ages. Children dream of being able to fly and to live freely, without attachments or responsibilities. With the right casting, the show is pure magic. Now onstage through August 18 at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Peter Pan will never grow up, thank heavens! In this case there is not a famous star attached to the role....and director John LaLonde has cast a male in the lead. A refreshing change...and, let's face it, it must work. Peter is a boy, after all. Gavin Juckette is an immmensely talented triple threat who has played the role previously on the East coast. La Londe has cast this Peter Pan very well, making it soar.

Actress/singer par excellence Lisa Donahey presented her Big 50th Birthday Bash at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's Friday July 19 and did an encore performance Sunday July 21. I attended Friday and had a great time. Donahey has an infectious personality. Her charisma is enormous, as she talks directly to her audience, including them in the repartee - with a bevy of surprises - and has a joyous time doing it. Backed by six extraordinary musicians* with virtuoso musical director David Arana at the keyboard, the show came in at almost two hours, but was so enjoyable, the time flew by, literally. Donahey had two glorious backup singers Lyndsay Dodoras and Billye Johnstone

TMB presents the workshop production of a world premiere play Good Enough, written and performed by Ted McGrath and directed by James Barbour. Good Enough will open on Friday, July 26 and perform through Sunday, August 25 at the Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. Good Enough is the true journey of world renown author and story teller Ted McGrath. Playing 15 characters, McGrath takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride through addiction as he sabotages his family, his career and ultimately his life in the attempt to answer one question burning inside him his entire life: AM I GOOD ENOUGH? Now, having reclaim

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.