Ellen Dostal - Page 18

Dazzling originality and elegant artistry blend together in the spectacular show, THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY, now playing at the Hollywood Pantages. Much more than a magic show, the artists who make up this 'Magnificent Seven' exhibit a stunning array of feats that will constantly leave you saying, 'How'd they do that?!'

In director Damaso Rodriguez's version of ROMEO AND JULIET, a group of actors gathers to put on the play in a graffiti-covered alley. A pair of dumpsters, two wooden pallets, and a movable iron ladder makes up the bulk of the set pieces. Everything is covered in spray paint and decay.

EMPIRE THE MUSICAL has been knocking around in the wings ever since Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull began writing it in 1999. Its first fully-staged production took place at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood in 2003 and it has had periodic readings through the years in both Los Angeles and New York. Now the story of how the Empire State Building came to be is enjoying a lavish pre-Broadway run at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, produced in partnership with McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Sue Vaccaro, Ricky Stevens and The Rivet Gang. 

Happy New Year and welcome back Shakespeare lovers! 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death (April 23, 1564 - April 23, 1616) and that means it's another big year ahead honoring one of the greatest writers of all time. Here's a look at what's coming so get out your calendars and make note.

LOUIS & KEELY 'LIVE' AT THE SAHARA returns to the Geffen Playhouse this month in a revamped production produced by the award-winning Hershey Felder. Written by Vanessa Claire Stewart, Taylor Hackford and Jake Broder and directed by Taylor Hackford, it is the story of Louis Prima and Keely Smith whose larger-than-life marriage and groundbreaking Las Vegas act featured an amazing cavalcade of hits that would forever secure their place in American musical history.

Who hasn't wanted to run away with the circus at some point in their lives? The ephemeral world created under the big top has always managed to entice with the glamour of its imaginary delights. Acrobats and elephants, beautiful people flying through the air, and the side show of unimaginable curiosities - they are all part of the ultimate escape from an otherwise ordinary world to a place where the extraordinary exists.

Luck has nothing to do with it. Mary Zimmerman's GUYS AND DOLLS is a well thought out, surprisingly fresh reinvention of one of the best golden age musicals ever written. The charming production just concluded a 9-month run at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and can now be seen on stage at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts through December 20. It is the second musical to make such a transition following last December's enchanting Into the Woods, also directed by Zimmerman. Let us hope the tradition will continue.

It's a story that takes too long to tell but the jazz sizzles and Miravel definitely has potential. Billed as a jazz musical by Jake Broder, co-author of the hit musical Louis and Keely, Live at the Sahara, it really falls under the 'play with songs' category, currently more talk than music. Broder's compositions are expertly written, easily capturing the improvisational style of Monk and the sophistication of Ellington. They are, at the moment, one of the few places where passion authentically ignites in this spin on the Cyrano tale. 

One of the things Independent Shakespeare Co. does exceedingly well is communicate Shakespeare's text to audiences who may have little or no background with Shakespeare in a way that they can understand it. And since an audience member rarely comes back to see another production when they haven't had a good time (or been moved or changed in some way) the method of putting on a show becomes just as important as the desire to create something significant. This is where ISC excels. They know inherently how to make Shakespeare fun and relevant and engaging. Consequently, they have built a huge following that keeps coming back for more.  

s I was waiting for my theatre guest to arrive at the Pantages Tuesday night for the opening of ANNIE, a school bus pulled up. Within seconds, a gaggle of little girls spilled out onto the sidewalk shrieking in anticipation and taking pictures of the sparkly marquee on their smart phones. They were only minutes away from seeing her - that spunky little red-haired orphan, Annie, and they could barely contain themselves. 

An original multimedia play inspired by the Mexican tradition of Dia De Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) is premiering at the Matrix Theatre on October 10. This unique theatrical experience will combine performing arts disciplines such as mime, clowning, live orchestral music, stunts, puppetry and video art. 

You can tell when a theatre company cares about its audience, especially when that audience is largely made up of young people. It doesn't talk down to them and it doesn't assume they will only understand the obvious. Instead, its directors take the time to seek out work that is worthy of engagement, provokes thought, and gives more to the world than it takes. It serves both the child and the child in the adult. And that's what 24th Street Theatre has done with MAN COVETS BIRD, the follow-up to their wildly successful award-winning production of WALKING THE TIGHTROPE.

It's a little uncanny how easily Shakespeare's tragedy lends itself to reinvention by a troupe of clowns and still communicates the full measure of the poet's intent, yet that is exactly what happens in FOUR CLOWNS PRESENTS HAMLET, a guest production at The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles. To director Turner Munch's credit, not only does he understand the funny – of which there is plenty in this production – he also knows how to play it off against its polar opposite to create palable dramatic tension. And he does it with surprising finesse.

This one act play with music was the surprise of my weekend. Not because of what I already knew about it, of course, based on press materials and previous word of mouth from friends who saw it at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, but because of something no one had thought to mention. That for all its rowdy comedy, bawdy innuendo and drunken delights, Michael Shaw Fisher has written, and performs, a piece that reveals Shakespeare's heart in moments of genuine vulnerability making it more than simply a passing fringe fancy. This one man 75-minute Elizabethan tavern musical could easily tour the country in every intimate venue, educational setting, pub or cabaret house smart enough to book it.

Nicole Parker stars opposite Justin Kirk in the west coast premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS! A Modish Ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at Geffen Playhouse this month. Written by Rolin Jones (Weeds, Friday Night Lights, Boardwalk Empire) with songs by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and directed by Jackson Gay, the show opened to great reviews at Yale Repertory Theatre where it premiered in 2014. Now the Geffen begins its 20th anniversary season with what promises to be a British invasion on stage not seen since the Beatles. Still high on the adrenaline of a full day of rehearsal, an energetic Parker spoke to me about her experience working on the new production. I think you'll see why the former star of Wicked and MADtv landed the role. This is one all-around great gal

One of the keys to providing great entertainment is understanding your audience. For a theatre company that means knowing what your audience wants and then being able to provide it so they keep coming back for more. Independent Shakespeare Co. has done a brilliant job of both. Not only do they play to crowds that number in the thousands each night during their Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, but they always find a way to connect with the audience and make them feel included. 

REDCAT debuted an eclectic program of new works this week during its 12th Annual New Original Works Festival - two dance/movement-based pieces and a third that fused theatre and live music to create an absurdist performance art piece based on early twentieth century Surrealism.

Baby boomers don't normally show their approval at the theater by leaping to their feet and giving standing ovations during a performance… unless they happen to be seeing A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN at Pasadena Playhouse. The power of remembrance combined with the powerhouse performances of Mary Bridget Davies (as Janis Joplin) and her crew - four dynamic supporting female vocalists and an eight piece kickass rock band - prove that the Queen of Rock 'n Roll can still conjure up a revolution in the hearts of her fans and get them on their feet in spite of themselves.

On Tuesday July 28, LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel ventures into Shakespeare's forest of mistaken identities and fairy mischief for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM WITH DUDAMEL at the Hollywood Bowl. Actress Bryce Dallas Howard will narrate, bringing Shakespeare's words to life in a magical evening featuring soloists soprano Deanna Breiwick and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway, and the women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Shakespeare was a clear favorite this year at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Among the award-winning productions was Ryan J. Smith's LOVE LABOURS WON, which received two fringe awards: The International Award and an Encore Producers' Award. Back by popular demand, the show has extended through August 6th and will play Thursday nights at 8pm in the Dorie Theatre. Is it a sequel to Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost like the title might imply? I asked Ryan to tell us about the play, which sounds delightful.