Gil Kaan - Page 5

The West Coast premiere of Mischief Theatre Ltd.’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong opens August 11, 2023, at the Ahmanson (with previews beginning August 8th). Adam Meggido directs the zany cast of Bartley Booz, Matthew Cavendish, Bianca Horn, Harry Kershaw, Chris Leask, Henry Lewis, Ellie Morris, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill, and Nancy Zamit. The company is completed by Ryan Vincent Anderson, Stephen James Anthony, Fred Gray, and Brenann Stacker. Matthew was most gracious to answer a few of my queries.

The U.S. tour of Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables lands in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre beginning August 1, 2023.James Powell and Laurene Connor co-direct a cast of 40+ triple threats. Le Miz veteran Steve Czarnecki returns this time in the roles of Factory Foreman and Brujon.

Jiggs Jurgess’ The Red Suitcase world premieres August 12, 2023, at the Broadwater Theatre Main Stage. Del Shores directs this co-production of P3 Theatre Company, the Del Shores Foundation and Beard Collins Shores Productions with the cast of Emerson Collins, Kristen McCullough, Bruce Melena, Charlotte Louise White, Mat Hayes, Pam Trotter and Tiago Santos. Emerson was most gracious in finding time to answer a few of my queries.

A stellar cast of Broadway babies and leading men will gather for one-night only this Sunday evening July 30, 2023, to honor the late, great Stephen Sondheim in Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration. Curated by Robert Longbottom and Kevin Stites, Kevin conducts the most talented cast of Patti LuPone, Sierra Boggess, Sutton Foster, Skylar Astin, Norm Lewis and Brian Stokes Mitchell. I had the chance to chat with Skylar before he began rehearsals for Everybody Rise!

Krysta Rodriguez reprises her role of Cinderella for the remainder of the Broadway production of Into the Woods at the Ahmanson through July 30, 2023.

Just opened at the Pasadena Playhouse, recently crowned recipient of the 2023 Regional Tony Award, the Los Angeles premiere of Pulitzer Prize-finalist Zora Howard’s Stew. Tyler Thomas directs the cast of LisaGay Hamilton, Roslyn Ruff, Jasmine Ashanti and Samantha Miller. LisaGay graciously found some time after the opening to answer a few of my queries.

Nakisa Aschtiani’s Bismillah, or In the Name of God will be one of the five plays featured in this year’s SheLA Art’s Summer Theatre Festival, performed live July 12th and 15th at the Zephyr Theatre (and available to stream later in the month).

The Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award winning Into the Woods has just landed at the Ahmanson Theatre through the end of July. Reprising their Broadway Roles will be Montego Glover, Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus and Gavin Creel. New to this Into the Woods company, but not to the role of Cinderella, Diane Phelan was the first Filipino-American Cinderella in a major production of Into the Woods.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical has been igniting and exciting Pantages audiences since June 13, 2023, with Segerstrom Center the next stop July 11th through July 23rd. Part of this all-around amazing cast, Carla R. Stewart revels in her role of Gran Georganna. Carla managed to find some time between her high energy shows to answer a few of my queries.

Ramiz Monsef’s The Ants world premieres June 29, 2023 at the Geffen Playhouse (with previews already started). Pirrone Yousefzadeh directs this horror play with the cast of Hugo Armstrong, Nicky Boulos, Megan Hill, Jeremy Radin and Ryan Shrime. Ramiz graciously agreed to answer a few of my queries.

Will Power’s Fetch Clay, Make Man (a co-production of Center Theatre Group and The SpringHill Company) will open June 18, 2023, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Debbie Allen, in her CTG directorial debut, directs this account of the unlikely (but real life) friendship between the great Cassius Clay and the controversial Stepin Fetchit; with the cast of Ray Fisher, Edwin Lee Gibson, Wilkie Ferguson II, Alexis Floyd and Bruce Nozick. I managed to spar with Will over a few behind-the-scenes queries.

Immersive Disney Animation (from the combined creative minds of Lighthouse Immersive Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios) makes its Los Angeles premiere June 23, 2023 at the Lighthouse ArtSpace Los Angeles (the former Amoeba Records building). This all-encompassing sensory feast of Disney animation – classics and new - will take you into the inner workings of these popular films. I had the opportunity to chat with two of Immersive Disney Animation’s creative team - Special Projects Producer Dorothy McKim who is spearheading the project for Disney Animation, and Lighthouse Immersive’s Global Creative Director David Korins who created the preshow lobby installations.

The world premiere of Greg Burdick’s Accommodation opens June 18, 2023 at the Odyssey Theatre (with previews beginning June 15th). Accommodation focuses on the most timely and relevant issue of teachers’ responsibilities. Brothers Brandon and Garrett Baer direct the cast of: Sandy Bainum, Sufe Bradshaw, Jacob Cherry, Sol Marina Crespo, Laura Niemi and Massi Pregoni. Greg carved out some time between rehearsals to answer a few of my queries.

Seth Rudetsky returns to The Wallis June 16, 2023, with his evening of insightful theatre trivia, ad libs and great songs this time featuring Tony Award- winner Jessie Mueller. I had the chance to throw out a few queries for the always working Jessie to answer.

Barry Brisco’s Love is a Battlefield returns to the Hollywood Fringe Festival after nine years opening June 10, 2023, at the Limbic Arthouse. Barry directs his based-on-real-life script with the cast of Roy Fowler, Ian James, Johnny Manibusan, Michael C. Morello, Navene Shata, Jamarr Tillman and Arielle Thomas.

The North American ‘Aragon’ tour of Six has made its Los Angeles stop, currently playing at the Pantages Theatre, with dates at Segerstrom following on June 13, 2023. Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage co-direct the cast of the Six queens: Khaila Wilcoxon, Storm Lever, Natalie Paris, Olivia Donalson, Courtney Mack and Gabriela Carrillo. I had the opportunity to throw out a few queries to Natalie, a veteran of many Six productions who fiercely portrays Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour.

Playwright Eric Anderson’s Back Porch world premieres June 2, 2023, at The Victory Theatre Center. Kelie McIver directs Eric’s reimagining of the 1955 film shoot of Picnic with the cast of Jonathan Fishman, Isaac W. Jay, Cody Lemmon, Karl Maschek, Jordan Morgan and Eric Zak.

Norm Lewis heads the national touring cast of A Soldier’s Play directed by Kenny Leon and opening at the Ahmanson June 25, 2023. Los Angeles theatre aficionados will get a triple dose of Norm as he brings his cabaret show Moonlighting to the Catalina Bar & Grill on June 12th, one of his nights off as Captain Richard Davenport from A Soldier’s Play and performs the National Anthem at Dodgers Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Washington Nationals May 31st.

IAMA Theatre Company and the Los Angeles LGBT Center present the world premiere of Nicholas Pilapil’s The Bottoming Process opening May 18, 2023 (with previews already started) at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre. Rodney To directs the cast of George Salazar, Rick Cosnett, Anisha Adusumilli, Julia Cho and Ty Molbak. Rodney managed to find some time between his final rehearsals to answer a few of my queries.

Naomi Grossman, fan favorite ‘Pepper’ from Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story presents her new solo show American Whore Story at the Skylight Theatre beginning June 1, 2023. This irreverent love letter to AHS fans is directed by Richard Israel. Naomi made the most of her travel time flying to New York comfortably answering a few of my queries.