Shari Barrett - Page 44

Collaborative Artists Ensemble presents the West Coast Premiere of the modern romantic comedy HOW I FELL IN LOVE by Joel Fields, the producer/writer of the immensely popular and critically acclaimed television series "The Americans," from October 17 through November 16, 2014 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, located at 5636 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. The production is directed by Steve Jarrard by special arrangement with the author. Featured in the cast are Austin Iredale, Kenny Leu, Desire Noel, and Meg Wallace.

Directed by Caitlin Hart, WHAT OF THE NIGHT? is meant to be a poignant saga chronicling the life of Nadine's children, Birdie (Lisa Jai), Charlie (Marc Pelina), Rainbow (Alex Marshall-Brown) and Ray (Thaddeus Shafer), the son she gave away. As they traverse the moral and financial bankruptcy that is poverty, we witness the choices they make to survive and how their paths cross during the 60-year journey where estranged family and friends entwine and collide in poetic stories of love, impoverishment, and dreams.

ON THE RAZZLE is an older British term for what we in the colonies would translate as 'partying down.' Playwright Tom Stoppard has stated that his 'primary concern is to make the tale as comic an entertainment as possible.' Stoppard's farce consists of two hours of slapstick shenanigans, mistaken identities, misdirected orders, malapropisms, double entendres, and romantic complications. There is no great earthshaking social message here, just impossible situations, incredible physicality, and loads of laughs.

Starting with the imaginative small space staging by director Cate Caplin, musical direction by Jeff Bonhiver, and choreography by Samantha Whidby who also stage manages the production, each of the actors lovingly brings all our favorite Peanuts comic strip characters to life. Set to music in a series of vignettes, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" chronicles an average day in the life of Charlie Brown (Holland Noel) and his friends Linus (Richie Ferris), Lucy (Dorothy Dillingham Blue), Schroeder (John Devereaux), along with his sister Sally (Kristin Towers-Rowles), and of course his loyal dog Snoopy (Matt Steele). This little show is packed with heart and humor, expressed in the pure and honest simple truths of children, performed by a fun-loving and super energetic cast.

Collaborative Artists Ensemble presents the West Coast Premiere of HOW I FELL IN LOVE by Joel Fields, the producer/writer of the immensely popular and critically acclaimed television series "The Americans," from October 17 through November 16, 2014 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, located at 5636 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. According to D.H. Lawrence, "We have made a great mess of love since we made an ideal of it." HOW I FELL IN LOVE centers on two lost souls, Nessa and Todd, each haplessly seeking their ideal romantic partner as they stumble into adulthood alone in the City of the Angels.

From the antics of silent film stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, to the more modern chicanery of the Marx Brothers or the physical comedy of the Three Stooges, people love to laugh out loud at the goings on of individuals trying to get away with something, even when they know they are doomed to get caught. Such is the tale told in Ray Cooney's RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, brilliantly directed at a breakneck pace by Gary Robbins at the Torrance Theatre Company through October 12.

Set to Tchaikovsky's sweeping score, the success of SWAN LAKE depends on its Odette/Odile, the sweetly vulnerable white swan/cunningly malevolent black swan. On the Los Angeles Ballet's 2014/2015 season opening night, the miraculous Allynne Noelle captivated with fragile, fluttering arms and superb footwork of the white swan to perfection. Ulrik Birkkjaer's Prince Siegfried lifts appeared so fluid, you would think Noelle was as light as a feather.

In 1970, Michael Frayn, the English playwright who would go on to write NOISES OFF, was standing backstage in the wings watching a performance of another farce he had written, "The Two of Us." Of this performance, he said, 'It was funnier from behind than in front, and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind.' By the late 70s, Frayn had taken a crack at the concept with a short-lived one-act play called "Exits" before fleshing out and expanding the piece into the hilarious three-act NOISES OFF, now brilliantly staged at the Morgan-Wixson in Santa Monica.

GOODBYE MARILYN: A LOVE LETTER explores the last night of Marilyn Monroe's life. Essentially, the world premiere play written and directed by Michael Phillips, is a love letter to Marilyn, attempting to show her not as a celebrity, but as a person dealing with scattered memories from her life as the pills and booze overwhelm her senses just prior to her final moments on Earth.

The World Premiere of AFFLUENCE by playwright Steven Peterson is a pitch-dark comedy that may cause one to reflect on the true meaning of wealth. The play was the winner of the 2013 Julie Harris Playwright Award of the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild, now onstage at Theatre 40 through October 20, directed by Larry Eisenberg and produced by David Hunt Stafford, their first stage collaboration in their 40 year friendship. What took you two so long to create such a fine piece of theater?

According to Blank Artistic Producer Noah Wyle, "THE WHY is a truly original take on a very serious and very complex subject: what is happening to the youth of America? Why are kids killing each other? Who or what is to blame? Through blended styles, mixed media, and a constant shifting between drama, farce, satire, and melodrama, THE WHY… manages to debunk several popular theories being touted by 'experts' in the media. Its continued relevance is frightening." And personally, I love theater that makes you think, even if there is no apparent answer to the questions being asked.

According to D.H. Lawrence, "We have made a great mess of love since we made an ideal of it." HOW I FELL IN LOVE centers on two lost souls, Nessa and Todd, each haplessly seeking their ideal romantic partner as they stumble into adulthood alone in the City of the Angels. When they accidentally find their way into each other's lives while seeking professional help, they soon discover their individual stories may be more intertwined than they could ever have imagined, leading each to start questioning the meaning of fate, friendship, and true love. Can two people not attracted to each other actually be perfect life partners? With the audience acting as their sounding board, Nessa and Todd's story unfolds amid the many twists and turns in their search for true love and happiness - despite their neuroses!

Multiple award-winning fashion designer to the stars, Octavio Carlin, is playwright, director and costume designer of his new world premiere comedy HOLLYWOOD PARTY now at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre. Carlin states in the program he has been eternally captured by Hollywood icons from Marilyn Monroe to Mae West, by their inherent glamour and how beautiful clothes worked on their bodies. I think he should just stick to designing costumes in the future as they are definitely his greatest skill as an artist - and the star in this production.

Kentwood Players presents "ORPHANS" by Lyle Kessler, directed by Kathy Dershimer and produced by Susan Goldman Weisbarth,from September 12 to October 18, 2014 at the Westchester Playhouse. Here are staged photos from the production featuring Raul Bencomo as Phillip, Jeff Cheezum as Treat, and Karl Schott as Harold.

Kentwood Players presents 'ORPHANS' by Lyle Kessler from tonight, September 12 to Saturday, October 18, 2014 for a six-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Kathy Dershimer and produced by Susan Goldman Weisbarth by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Hollywood's exciting and talented new charity-­?based play reading series, The Spare Change Series, will be presenting their next staged reading of Noel Coward's 'Design for Living' to benefit The Make-­A-­Wish Foundation. The production will take place on Monday, September 15, 2014 at 7pm at the Art of Acting Studio, located at 1017 N. Orange Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90038. The entire evening will be donation based, and all proceeds will be given to Make-­A-­Wish.

BLACK COFFEE is a little known, slow-paced mystery by Agatha Christie which her fans will enjoy. Written in 1934, the story takes place in the library of the home of Sir Claud Amory, a physicist who has just come up with a formula for the atomic bomb. When Sir Claude is poisoned, in his coffee of course, Detective Hercule Poirot is called to solve the mystery. He does so after many wonderful twists and turns in true Christie fashion.

For one very special night, the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival (LAWTF) comes to Culver City for a unique performance tonight, September 5, 2014 at 8pm at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. The theme of the evening will be 'OF CULTURE, OF SELF,' featuring three of LAWTF's favorite performers, as well as one artiste new to the Festival. Included are:

For one very special night, the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival (LAWTF) comes to Culver City for a unique performance on Friday, September 5, 2014 at 8pm at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. The theme of the evening will be "OF CULTURE, OF SELF," featuring three of LAWTF's favorite performers, as well as one artiste new to the Festival.

The World Premiere of THE FACE IN THE REEDS by Robin Uriel Russin, directed by Sarah Figoten Wilson at Santa Monica's The Ruskin Group, centers on a dysfunctional family gathering to celebrate Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating freedom. As the meshuge meshugas (crazy madness) plays out, the evening's seder turns into quarrels about the meaning of freedom, the value of life, and the shadow of death, which symbolically "passes over" the house. During the course of the evening, conflicts emerge about the merit of faith over conversion, the truth in religion, and the nature of parental responsibility. This night is different from all other nights and of course, this being a Jewish family, it is also a comedy. We're all going to die--but first, you should eat.