Gil Kaan - Page 31

Add Martin McDonagh's THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN to the already lengthy resume of stellar productions that the always dependable Antaeus Theatre Company manages to assemble on their stage. Steven Robman sure-handedly directs his talented Irish-brogued ensemble of seven (The Fripple Frapples cast of the double castings) at a quick, smooth pace; vividly illustrating McDonagh's smart, witty and brutal tale based on the real-life filming of the 1934 documentary Man of Aran. Buried in the 'news' the town gossip Johnnypateenmike spreads, the arrival of a film crew from America looking to make a movie on the neighboring Inishmore piques everyone's interest.

Even though, we are just coming to the end of January, I can already nominate a prominent candidate for Most Horrid Theatrical Character of 2019 - Paige Connor, the matriarch in Taylor Mac's HIR. Paige condescends to her husband Arnold (long since stricken by a stroke) and orders him around like a slave (or an untrained chimpanzee). Paige has eliminated doing any everyday household chores (like cooking, dusting, or laundry) in retaliation to the orderliness Arnold used to demand. She 'nurtures' or 'empowers' her transgender teenager Max by encouraging Max to follow mom's ways of thinking - an unrealistic utopian view of the future, with the avoidance of any financial responsibilities, while all the while belittling and torturing Arnold. But it's during the final minutes of the second act that Paige tops all of her previous horridness.

Actress/filmmaker/author/philanthropist/model Isabella Rossellini will be bringing her latest theatrical event LINK LINK CIRCUS to The Broad Stage for a quick, three-performance run starting January 25, 2019. With decades of successfully gracing screens, cinematic and television; Ms. Rossellini makes her first return to the theatrical stage since her triumphant 50-city tour of GREEN PORNO in 2015. The ever-busy Ms. Rossellini managed to find a few moments to exude her excitement of her latest projects.

The west coast premiere of Brian Letscher's SMART LOVE rivetingly posits a truly sci-fi event as a real-life situation in which you're forced to come face-to-face with some serious moral dilemmas. Anchoring this strong cast of four, Melissa Weber Bales totally inhabits the fairly recently widowed Sandy, who's freshly found a new zest for life in Vic (a most memorable Scott Conte in the show's smallest part).

The couple behind (and front and center of) THE EMPTY NESTERS, JW Walker and Pamela Gaye Walker certainly validate the adage 'A couple that works together, stays together.' With a working and personal relationship spanning decades, JW and Pam take time from their respective day jobs, (he producing at Disney/Pixar Studios, she running their production company Ghost Ranch Productions) to bring THE EMPTY NESTERS to the Zephyr Theatre (beginning January 17, 2019) a play they both have a heartfelt connection to. These two multi-taskers were gracious enough to carve out some time to answer my queries.

A re-occurring staple of Tracy Letts' plays, Ian Barford heads the cast of LINDA VISTA, already in previews at the Mark Taper Forum. Ian allocated some of his down time between shows to answer a few of my queries.

Stephen Daldry's multi-award-winning revival of J.B. Priestley's AN INSPECTOR CALLS will land at The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts January 22 through February 10, 2019 as part of its international tour. This production, the longest running revival of a play in history, has already been seen by over four million theatregoers worldwide. I had the most lovely opportunity to chat up Jeff Harmer (who limns the role of patriarch Arthur Birling) on his history and experiences with this and other INSPECTORs.

The West Coast Premiere of playwright Bryony Lavery's two-hander STOCKHOLM pulses with the intense acting abilities of the totally-committed Jamie Wollrab and Kimberly Alexander as the two role-playing lovers Todd and Kali. Directed by Kim Rubenstein, this role-playing starts off as fun, flirtatious and sexy; then takes an abrupt turn into a liaison wrought with suspicion, jealousy, and sadomasochism.

A veteran of television writing (L.A. Law, Outlanders, to name a few); Anne Kenney branches out of her comfort zone creating LAST CALL, a semi-autobiographical theatre piece based on her own family situations - some sad, some very funny. I had the chance to peek inside Anne's always creative brain just before LAST CALL begins previews January 12, 2019.

Aficionados of evolution theory debating will be mesmerized by the world premiere of playwright Matt Chait's A MISUNDERSTANDING. Others will be most appreciative of the four actors' deep commitments to their respective characters and very lengthy speeches.

The Groundlings, directly segueing from their sold-out GROUNDLINGS HOLIDAY SHOW, will be working hard this New Year's Eve providing a special night of complete improvisations with GROUNDLINGS NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECTACULAR! SPECTACULAR!'s director David Jahn, a Groundlings alumnus, took a few moments out of his busy holiday schedule to answer my inquisitive questions.

Rockwell Table & Stage currently houses The Fuse Project's stunning, STUNNING production of SCISSORHANDS - A MUSICAL. Co-written by Kate Pazakis and Bradley Bredeweg (who also directs), the 1990 hit film Edward Scissorhands receives the Pazakis/Bredeweg Midas touch, updating the movie with gender-bending, social issues consciousness, and, as they both are known for including - incredible vocals.

Having just started in Denver, Colorado; the national tour of DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS DARE TO DREAM will land in southern California for dates at the STAPLES Center beginning December 13, 2018; with more cities through April 2019. Performance Director Phoebe Flynn was most gracious to take some time from her multitude of show duties to answer a few edgy questions I flipped to her.

Already a few cities into their 27-city national circuit, the touring company of COME FROM AWAY has landed in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson. Helmed by its Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley, COME FROM AWAY runs through January 6, 2019. Still fresh and reeling from the audience's passionate responses to this tale of a major true event in the aftermath of 9/11, Christine Toy Johnson (who's playing multiple roles in this feel-very-good musical) took a few moments to respond to my inquisitive queries.

Playwright Neil Koenigsberg, a founder/partner of PMK PR, must have experienced some pretty outrageous incidents in his tenure at PMK, as well as, in his stints as talent manager and film producer. Koenigsberg has taken probably one of his most far-fetched scenarios to base WINK on. Andrik Ochoa, totally at ease and comfortable on stage, plays the non-binary Wink as a total innocent with no bad attributes whatsoever.

Paul Rush sure-handedly directs his talented Sixty-six Theater Co. cast at a languid, very laid-back pacing, most appropriate for the Wisconsin town that playwright Rebecca Gilman set BLUE SURGE in. Eddie Alfano charismatically and most effectively heads the ensemble as Curt the constantly, down-on-himself cop trying to make lieutenant.

The always in-demand Cameron Watson, a stalwart of the Los Angeles theatre community, will next be helming the holiday production of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at the Pasadena Playhouse for a brief run December 12 to 23. Cameron managed to find some time between his many creative responsibilities to answer a few of my inquisitive inquiries.

Experiencing a preview of MWM Immersive's latest virtual reality project CHAINED - A VICTORIAN NIGHTMARE left me in an amazed daze. I was WOWed with the vivid visuals and imagery of creator/director Justin Denton's interpretation of the three ghosts of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I then got the chance to sit down (in a real couch), with MWM Immersive's executive producer Ethan Stearns in GreatCo's outer gallery to discuss what I had just witnessed.

Writer/comedienne/best-selling author Sandra Tsing Loh will be reviving her expanded version of her once one-woman show SUGAR PLUM FAIRY at the Skylight Theatre beginning November 24, 2018; with opening night set for December 1st. I grabbed the chance to delve into Sandra's most witty psyche on her creative processes leading up to her now three-person FAIRY.

The writing team of Kurt Koehler and Oscar Quintero have hilariously expanded their Chico's Angels' episode CHICO'S ANGELS 5-O WAIKIKI CHICAS from its usual cabaret form into a full-stage production. Koehler smoothly directs these three spot-on Latina drag performers inhabiting the three Chico's Angels - the 'all about me' Kay Sedia, the not-so-smart, double-entendre spouting Frieda Laye and the fake eye-lashing batting, lip-quivering Chita Parol. Their comic timing and smooth, effortless interplay's quite evident from their fifteen years of performing together.