Don Grigware - Page 76

One of the most uniquely thrilling musical experiences to be found in the theatre right now is at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. There's a glorious production there called Fascinating Rhythms, an ode to ballroom dancing told through the music of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time Melissa Manchester.

Comedic actor Leslie Jordan is best remembered internationally for his recurring role as Beverley Leslie in TV's Will & Grace (2001-2006) for which he won the coveted Emmy Award. On stage in LA, he has starred in Del Shores' Southern Baptist Sissies as Peanut and in Sordid Lives as Brother Boy - also in the film and cable TV series in the same role - to popular and critical acclaim and in his own productions of Like a Dog on Linoleum and My Walk Down the Pink Carpet. In our talk, he tells us about his newest touring Christmas show Deck Them Halls, Y'All, which will open at the Renberg Theater of the Gay and Lesbian Center in LA on December 16, as well as other future projects. Jordan is so funny, I have to really watch it and try to control my laughter; otherwise, we'd still be talking.

An intelligently imaginative turn, Jeffrey Solomon's one-man play Santa Claus Is Coming Out @ the Diversionary in San Diego may cause controversy among conservatives but is certainly a milestone in the acceptance of gay rights. Gay bashing is not a new issue in schools; in fact, Solomon first presented this piece in Chicago in 2001 as a protest to the manner in which the educational system has been dealing with young gay students. They deserve to be treated as human beings and accepted for who they are. And who knows for sure whether great icons like Santa, a pegan outcast in Christian philosophy, wasn't homosexual as well?

Spending an evening with Toni Morrell and her Legendary Ladies is one to treasure. This lady, as I've reviewed her in My American Dream, is one hell of a singer and actress who embodies a star, and underneath possesses the warmth and radiance of a genuine human being.

This is my fifth visit to Santasia, my first time seeing it @ the Whitefire, and I must admit within six years the show has gotten tighter and better, without losing a morsel of its unique comedic charm. Brothers Shaun and Brandon Loeser and four other actors: Andrew J. Hillis, James Elden, Lon Gowan, and Art Oden sing, dance, act and fool around as chums tend to do in a nonstop, side-splitting bevy of sketches not unlike those of Saturday Night Live, where good old silliness reigns supreme.

Ask musical actors/actresses for their choice of 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 and a tight and gripping book by Arthur Laurents, who directed two years ago, and brilliant choreography established in 1957 by Jerome Robbins. It is one of the most powerful love stories ever, 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 you go for its two and a half hours ... and its message of and images of love linger long after.

Legendary stage, film and television star Dick Van Dyke brings Step In Time! A Musical Memoir to the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre @ the Geffen Playhouse opening December 16. He has much to say in our interview about his career and the people he's worked with.

Perhaps one of the best family Christmas shows returns this season to NoHo Arts Center: Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas. It was my choice for Best Family Show in 2007.What puts it on top? It's light, frothy and fun, but most urgently it encourages the audience to interact with the actors throughout. Interaction is foremost in getting kids' attention. The pirates trample through the aisles, swing on ropes from the audience to the stage and never let us forget that they are pirates ... and naughty. The kids love it, and most of the big kids as well! Kudos to James J. Mellon for a theatrical staging of such bravado.

Last mounted by Group rep in 2008, Daniel Sullivan's intelligent and very funny Inspecting Carol is a farcical look at a production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol by a regional theatre, in this case the fictional Soap Box Playhouse. Group rep's current superb cast make their second production of it a worthy view.

This sparkling new version of the classic fairytale Cinderella is a joy for adults and kids alike. In fact, it's done in the style of a British Panto (short for Pantomime), which has nothing to do with silent mime, but is classified as a winter comedy with music hall or vaudeville sensibility and enough audience participation to make it raucous and fun for the entire family. The Lythgoe Family's new entertainment @ the El Portal is certainly that, judging by audience reactions the day I attended. Everyone was cheering, booing and participating in top form making for a fun-filled afternoon.

To keep up with the ultra-fast pace of the modern age is difficult for most 'normal' people. Dealing with emotional pain or loss on top of average daily strife can be overwhelming. It may easily destroy a life and those connected to it as well. In the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal, the problem is presented via a wife and mother, who has been diagnosed as bi-polar. Her behavior patterns show extreme mental instability verging on insanity, and the effects on her husband and teen daughter are astronomical. Eventually a heartfelt loss from the past unravels that is at the core of the woman's suffering. Structured in a most unique way, Next to Normal is akin to a rock opera, but it is not completely sung; there is intermittent dialogue. The most emotional moments, though, come through song, so the music and book flow together, and with the three tiered open set and loosely structured staging, it all comes together as an unparalleled musical drama.

Jingle Bells start ringing and you know the time has come to celebrate Christmas when the words Radio City hit the airwaves. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes is that one-of-a-kind special Christmas show and plays the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles December 9 - 12. I interviewed two of the gorgeous New York girls who are on tour for the first time this year: Amanda Suchy and Brittany Marcin. Both had thrilling reports on the fabulous 2010 show.

More vibrantly alive and dazzling than a Christmas Cracker straight from the UK is singer/actress Toni Morrell who will be appearing @ the El Portal in the Second Stage Forum Theatre from December 2 through the 31st. Her show called Remembering the Ladies lovingly pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe, Edith Piaf, Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, along with Debbie Reynolds, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, The Hitchcock Blondes, and Lucille Ball. Woa! Those are the best of the greats, and Morrell gives her audience an inside look at who these remarkable women really were and why it is so important that they be remembered.

On Tuesday November 23 Aussie singing sensation David Campbell opened a two-night gig at the Catalina Jazz Club, promoting his new CD On Broadway. Possessing a big belting Broadway vocal instrument, Campbell wowed the small but enthusiastic crowd the moment he stepped on stage. His warm and outrageously funny personality was on display throughout the 60 minute set as he bantered about his English roots, his rock star dad, his New York and Australian encounters with genius Stephen Sondheim and about his infant son asleep in the dressing room. He really enjoyed talking with his fine accompanist Christopher Denny, with whom he's had a twelve-year professional relationship. 'Oh, I sing, too!' he quipped.

With a plethora of reproductions of Charles Dickens' most famous work, it is nice to see one that stands tall, remaining faithful to the original story and introducing a slightly new slant...and with music too. Crown City Theatre's A Chicago Christmas Carol is one big Christmas present to the entire community, reminding one and all of the urgency of humility and generosity.

Like an actor or writer who represents the common man, songwriter Randy Newman certainly stands heads above other contemporaries as the one who can really conjure him up. Whether he be a country singer, a business tycoon or a beer guzzling mechanic, we see ourselves in the characters within his songs.

It's hard to find fault with Leslie Uggams. The immensely talented lady can act and sing up a storm. She didn't soar as Lena Horne in Stormy Weather for naught. Now in Uptown Downtown, her own musical journey, she excels once more, this time in the comfort of her own shoes.

To be frank, John van Druten's works, which include I Am a Camera and The Voice of the Turtle, as well as Bell, Book and Candle, may be considered dated, because sadly plays are no longer written with such style and wit. And who dotes on love and just being human in the 21st century? There's no time; it's unheard of! The Colony Theatre in Burbank proudly presents van Druten's amusing and cherished play about witchcraft, that may very well have inspired TV's Bewitched, with a delightful cast under Richard Israel's nourishing direction.

Actress/singer par excellence Leslie Uggams brings her acclaimed one-woman show Uptown Downtown to the Pasadena Playhouse opening November 19. In stories and song, Uggams recreates her extraordinary journey from uptown to downtown. From Mitch Miller to Roots. From the Apollo Theater to Broadway. Featuring direction by Stormy Weather's (2009) Michael Bush and musical direction by Don Rebic, the show played earlier this year at New York City's Jazz at Lincoln Center.