Shari Barrett - Page 2

No doubt there are a lot of Broadway World readers interested in hearing about life on the road as an ensemble member while understudying two roles, wondering what it takes to be prepared at a moment’s notice to step into a role for which you may not have had a lot of rehearsal. I spoke with Jenna Lea Rosen about her experience on tour with SUFFS.

Produced by Liviera Lim and Michael DiNardo and directed by Ashley Busenlener for Last Call Theatre, The Butterfly Effect is not to be missed by fans of true immersive/interactive theatre or those curious to experience being involved in a show rather than just watching it.

Here's my conversation with Playwright Levi Holloway on the development of the Paranormal Activity, how it relates to the film franchise, and the creation of the special effects-filled production at Ahmanson Theatre Nov 13 to Dec 7.

Opera is no stranger to the devilish phenomenon now inhabiting the musical theatre stage with the popular Hadestown, Damn Yankees, and The Devil Wears Prada frequently playing to sold out houses wherever presented. That’s also very true with Faust in particular, whose story of possession was shared this past summer in Griffith Park. But the most devilish of operas include Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, Gounod’s Faust and Boito’s Mefistofele, which The Verdi Chorus will be sharing on November 15 and 16 at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.

My conversation with writer and director Sofia Streisand centers around her inspiration for creating the dark musical thriller Bluebeard's Castle, with its American premiere at the Odyssey Theatre from November 1-23, 2025, and how she expects American audiences to react to its content.

What makes this production so enthralling along with Donovan’s tight direction is the immersive effect of feeling involved in the lives of these two lonely people as they openly reveal their fears and feelings as the 90-minute play unfolds.

Here's my conversation with playwright Ankita Raturi about the genesis for the play and how she developed it as a comedy rather than a drama about a mother and son cross-country college tour.

Elliot Shoenman's newest play, Paper Walls is a story that reveals the enduring thread connecting the struggles of 20th-century immigrants seeking refuge and opportunity in America, with today’s vitriol debates around immigration policy. Our conversation explores the inspiration for it and how it relates to all America today.

With frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the news due to actor Bruce Willis fighting the disease for several years, I decided to speak with playwright Jake Broder, an Atlantic Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, about his motivation to create Unravelled and his research on the disease.

August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone introduces us to a group of men and women teetering on the brink as they search for lost family, identity, and purpose in the aftermath of slavery. I decided to speak with the play’s director Gregg T. Daniel about his production opening October 18 at A Noise Within in Pasadena.

I decided to speak with Dietrich Smith, adaptor and director of Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared, about his journey to present it as well as his interest in Franz Kafka’s story.

From start to finish, Hernandez and Vargas are to be commended for their tour-de-force performances, often taking on other roles in the brothers’ lives, be it their ancestors, employers, or the cop who changes the course of both their lives forever.

Director MacQueen keeps the action moving along at a steady pace, a much-needed component of a 2.5 hour play offering so much information to absorb about the history of women's suffrage. Highly recommended.

Director Amie Farrell on her vision for presenting the Los Angeles premiere of Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt 2B by Kate Hamill, the story of two free-spirited women who hilariously evolve into codependent partners in crime-solving.

I spoke with Jeff Liu about his journey directing Paranormal Inside after The Brothers Paranormal, the difference between the two scripts and the characters’ friendship, his experience working with its original cast members, and any updates on what a spectacular boo-fest the production promises to be.

The Little King of Norwalk by Israel López Reyes is a modern barrio fable about power, politics and the price of survival, set against a real-life scandal that unfolded last year when Norwalk imposed a ban on shelters, supportive housing, and businesses that traditionally serve the poor. I spoke with him about the genesis and world premiere staging of the play at LATC

I spoke with poet and activist Bleu Inkk, who after nearly three decades behind bars, shares her powerful story of trauma, resilience, and transformation in the world premiere of her live compelling documentary-vibe show titled 'Found Suitable' directed by Anne Kenny at the Skylight Theatre in Los Feliz.

Here's my interview with Victoria Lavan, Creator/Director/Producer about THE AGE OF AQUARIUS ’67 TO ’72 concert event filled with music was beautiful, fun, happy and cool, when singers sang from their souls and instrumentalists played like it was their last song. 

Told in the style of a late-night talk show which the brothers share online from their mother’s kitchen, what makes this two-hander starring Geraldo Navarro as BQ and Noé Cervantes as his brother DJ, is the incredibly unique way Navarro brilliantly portrays his Abuela Julia as a hand puppet – one that becomes more alive as his history with her is revealed through character-specific movement, accent, attitude, and clothing.

The world premiere of Tim Venable’s play Adolescent Salvation is taking place at Rogue Machine in the intimate upstairs Henry Murray Stage at the Matrix Theatre.