Don Grigware - Page 71

What starts out as a playful show with and about Four Clowns, ends up being a tiny masterpiece about the obscenities and atrocities of humanity. It's not without joy, though, as there is much physical comedy with tumbles and pratfalls, but the emphasis seems to veer in the direction of violence and crude behavior. Its mission is clearly to make a life-affirming statement. As children play and start to hit one another innocently, a simple slap turns into a slug or punch and that punch encompasses bullying and abuse of others; aggression in its earliest stages can lead to all-out hostility and war. And it does with chaotic consequences. Like a caricature of life, Four Clowns leaves an indelible impression.

Fathers and sons, whether a fit or a mismatch, forever struggle in some manner, opening up endless dramatic possibilities. Robert Anderson's memorable play I Never Sang For My Father (1968) depicts an iron-willed, unyielding patriarch in his declining years. Tom Garrison (Philip Baker Hall), a former mayor and member of the Rotary Club, was a pillar of the community and, sadly enough, revered as a model of male perfection. Not unlike many men of his era, he was a self-made man, who rose out of poverty and was proud of it, but quick to judge others' faults particularly those of his own father and his children, causing a rift and, in one case, permanent alienation. With senility setting in, Garrison prefers to stand alone rather than accept the support and care of his son Gene (John Sloan), who tries desperately to love him. The New American Theatre's current production may stand the test of time as the quintessential representation of this classic tragedy of a father/son relationship.

An actor's actor Gary Cole, who made a big splash as Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald in TV's Mow Fatal Vision in 1984 and has never stopped working since, will soon open at the Geffen in Tracy Letts' new play Superior Donuts. Whether it be drama like In the Line of Fire on screen, the TV series Midnight Caller (1988-91) or Letts' August Osage County on stage, or comedy as in the theatrical film The Brady Bunch, Cole is comfortable in every medium and makes the work look easy. Usually cast as a psycho or abusive husband, in Donuts he plays the aging Chicago shop owner, a role which brings him closer to his roots there. He was an original member of the Steppenwolf Theatre, along with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Gary Sinise. In our chat, Cole talks about the play, his favorite roles and the process of acting.

If you enjoy the flavor of an intelligently written literary work translated skillfully into a stage musical, like The Secret Garden or more recently The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, iGhost will simultaneously stimulate your mind and tug at your heart, especially if you're a hopeless romantic.This production now onstage @ the Lyric Theatre in Hollywood is not without flaws, but is certainly engaging with some beautifully written tunes and a mostly outstanding cast.

On Sunday May 22 Irish tenor Dennis McNeil made a spectacular debut into the world of cabaret @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. A former opera singer, McNeil has sung for Presidents and in concert venues, including stadiums, around the world, but never in an intimate setting. With the unfailing confidence that marks a true Irishman and with just enough humility to ingratiate himself, McNeil held his audience spellbound with his magnificent vocal range, wide variety of selections and warm anecdotes about his association with such luminaries as composer Sammy Cahn and musician Lalo Schifrin. Backed by stellar pianist Ed Martel as musical director and Bob Marino on drums and Bill Dixon on bass, whom he affectionately referred to as the Killer Bs, McNeil was a huge success in his show entitled Me and My Big Mouth, under the guidance of fine consulting director Joe Giamalva.

Writer Elliot Shoenman's book Nobody's Business depicts the pain felt by a family whose father committed suicide. It was his very own father. Now in his stage play entitled AfterMath in a return engagement at the Matrix Theatre, Shoenman returns to the topic of suicide showing in great emotional detail the hurt experienced by the victim's wife, her two children and a close male friend. What results is theatre at its very best, a real, raw, up-close look at a tortured family. Shoenman realizes quite wisely, however, that there is laughter through tears and incorporates ample comic exchanges.

Award winning tenor Dennis McNeil was the 1993 National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. As a leading tenor at the New York City Opera he was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Award for his portrayal as ‘Mark' in their New York Stage Premiere of Michael Tippet's A Midsummer Marriage. He also holds first place awards from the Southern California Opera Guild and the Victor Fuchs Memorial Competition and was a recipient of the Emily Baratelli Memorial Award from the New York Opera Index. He is a Sullivan Grant Recipient as well as a recipient of a Rex Foundation Grant from the Grateful Dead. On Sunday May 22 he will completely switch gears and perform a cabaret act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's.

Not since Broadway vets Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's Opposite You has there been such a romantically sizzling CD as Gonna Make You Love Me from Broadway babies Matt Cavenaugh and Jenny Powers. Also real-life marrieds, Cavenaugh and Powers have an exciting built-in chemistry that translates so beautifully and dynamically to disc. What makes them different? Offering traditional music that hardly sounds predictable, Gonna Make You Love Me is definitely NOW.

Hardly a heavyweight, fascinatingly exotic drama as was the case with Odalys Nanin's Garbo's Cuban Lover, the one-act Lavendar Love, now on stage @ the Macha Theatre, still has enough Hollywood nostalgia, sensuality and camp going for it to call it enjoyable.

Award winning tenor Dennis McNeil was the 1993 National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. As a leading tenor at the New York City Opera he was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Award for his portrayal as ‘Mark' in their New York Stage Premiere of Michael Tippet's A Midsummer Marriage. He also holds first place awards from the Southern California Opera Guild and the Victor Fuchs Memorial Competition and was a recipient of the Emily Baratelli Memorial Award from the New York Opera Index. He is a Sullivan Grant Recipient as well as a recipient of a Rex Foundation Grant from the Grateful Dead. On Sunday May 22 he will completely switch gears and perform a cabaret act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's.

UK playwright Alan Ayckbourn is revered internationally as a virtuoso at penning highly comedic plays. Ayckbourn, like Neil Simon, writes funny one-liners and creates very humorous characters, but uniquely manages to surprise his fans each and every time with a new and compelling artifice. In his brilliant Absurd Person Singular, for example, three couples spend three different Christmas Eves together over the course of a few years. The Norman Conquests is a trilogy wherein each play has the same time span and series of events, but in each one we see things from a different perspective. Table Manners is in the kitchen, Living Together in the living room and Round and Round the Garden speaks for itself. Now in Life of Riley, receiving its US premiere at the White Theatre of San Diego's Old Globe, the dying man everyone is going out of their way to accommodate is never seen, but his presence is felt throughout. Riley is a dramedy with less physical comedy than other Ayckbourn pieces. Here three couples struggle to find a sense of peace and happiness outside and within the confines of their failing marriages. The action takes place outdoors in four different garden patios. It boasts a splendid cast, with superior direction from Richard Seer, and succeeds quite admirably as engrossing and entertaining fare.

On Sunday, May 15 comic actor Dan Frischman debuted a cabaret act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's to a very enthusiastic crowd. Distinctly different from the normal fare @ Sterling's, which is usually a program of Broadway pop singing, Frischman's eclectic gig included magic, comedy and playing the trombone backed by a six-piece orchestra. There were two talented guest singers on the bill, Lani Shipman and Mitch Lewis, who served as backup vocalists; Shipman also performed a solo of a tune whose lyrics and music were composed by ... Dan Frischman. This is one very versatile man, this Dan Frischman, known to most from the 80s sitcom Head of the Class, He has a unique style of comedy that is at once charming and captivating. During his opening, for example, he made three different color paper flowers appear in a hand-held vase as he moved, swayed and sang 'All I Wanna Do'. What a character!

Revered as one of the greatest book musicals ever written Gypsy, based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, and with collaborators Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim is rarely performed except on Broadway due to the demands of the role of Mama Rose, which has been played first by Ethel Merman, and also to acclaim by Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and most recently Patti Lupone. Films have starred Rosalind Russell and Bette Midler (TV), and there's another theatrical one still in the works for Barbra Streisand. The stage mother to end all stage mothers is a monster role to play. She's on stage 95% of the show and must act, sing and dance 150%; there's no faking this one. In a daring production for Equity Waiver, West Coast Ensemble (WCE) is now presenting Gypsy, half a century after it first opened in New York in 1959. Jan Sheldrick has the role of Rose and she runs with it, acting up a storm, giving it her best shot. Under Richard Israel's skilled direction, the production is somewhat flawed, but overall impressive with its very strong rendering on a smaller stage.

Emmy winning actress/singer Vicki Lawrence hardly needs an introduction. Having co-starred on The Carol Burnett Show for 11 years (1967-1978) and then star of Mama's Family in '83 and then 86-90, she has established herself as one of TV's most endearing comediennes. Lawrence will appear at the Welk Resort in Escondido from May 19-22 in her one-woman - oops! I mean two character - show as herself and of course, Mama. In our chat she talks about her show, Mama, Harvey Korman and lots of other fun legendary memories.

Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate is a delightful musical romp that can be seen again and again. It's timeless and an overblown, yet joyous account of two egotistical actors, once married to each other, who adore one another but just cannot be around each other very long without catastrophic, calamitous results. It's also a play within a play, as Lilli Vanessi (Lesli Margherita) and Fred Graham (Tom Hewitt) are on tour essaying Katharine and Petruchio in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Above all, the silly contrived story is overshadowed by Cole Porter's divine score with some of the most glorious tunes ever composed. Kiss Me Kate is a showcase to Porter's genius. Reprise Theatre's current revival is devastatingly hilarious with top-notch direction from Michael Michetti and a magnificent cast.

Comic actor Dan Frischman, best known to audiences for TV's Head of the Class, is about to open a night club act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's on Sunday May 15. In our conversation, Frischman talks about what he's accomplished since the TV sitcom and describes in great comic detail, as only Dan Frischman can, what to expect in the cabaret gig.

I saw An Evening with Shirley MacLaine at this venue on May 6, and as much as I adore MacLaine, I couldn't help but realize that the woman could sit and read the phone book and she would have fans hanging on her every word. She looks great at 77, still has a wonderful sense of humor, is as down-to-earth and candid as all get out. Nothing has changed about her. Thank God, for we need intelligent spokespeople like her and Jane Fonda, who are first and foremost accessible to us and then struggle tirelessly to make the world a better place.

Playwright Tom Jacobson has always been fascinated by travel through time and the effect of exotic places on erotic behavior, exhibited in such fine detail in Bunbury and Ouroboros. Now in House of the Rising Son at the Atwater Village Theatre, science and art collide within the lives of three generations, as two gay men explore the destiny of homosexuality in present day Los Angeles and New Orleans. Tinged with touches of gothic mystery and science fiction, it's a complex atmosphere that leaves one perplexed, intrigued and hopelessly enticed.

Antaeus' quest for the ultimate in classic plays has led to a rare production of John Marston's satire The Malcontent, which, despite an intense, almost insurmountable language barrier, offers a timeless and humorous glimpse at the hypocrisy of mankind, especially as it applies to the manipulation of the political machine. It is 1603 but it might as well be 2011 as adultery and greed for money and power remain man's top priorities. This is a production that is first and foremost stunning to look at but it does have its drawbacks. The flow of Act I is slowed by a barrage of unfamiliar dialectal terms, but if you're willing to hang in there, Act II pays off big time with an elegant sense of fun.

Broadway star Tom Hewitt will costar with Lesli Margherita in Reprise's final show of this season Kiss Me Kate from May 10-22 @ the Freud Playhouse, UCLA. Best known for his award-winning role in the revival of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hewitt has played Count Dracula in Frank Wildhorn's musical production of Dracula, and costarred in a myriad of other hits like the tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and on Broadway as Billy Flynn in Chicago. In our conversation, he talks about Margherita, ...Kate and the numerous joys - some surprising - that he has encountered in his work, all the while displaying a wry humor.