Shari Barrett - Page 47

The World Premiere comedy SPECIAL commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the worst variety show in television history with a behind-the-scenes imagined look of how The Star Wars Holiday Special came to be. And from the outrageous imagination of playwright Andrew Osborne and a hard-working multi-role cast directed by Kerr Seth Lordygan (who also appears as a Special Guest Star in the production), laughs abound from start to finish as we witness how the ridiculous nature of the script, backstage politics and out-of-control spending doomed it to go down in history as being the most horrible Holiday Special that nobody talks about, notorious known for its extremely negative reception by Star Wars fans, the general public, and critics.

While Sandra Bernhard may not be the greatest singer to ever take the stage, her raw enthusiasm and oversized personality enveloped each of her songs, especially her opening revival-style meeting rendition of Neil Diamond's 'Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show' in which she celebrated spiritual freedom with each clang of her tambourine. Her own brand of Self Love is apparent in everything she does, accepting her differences with such aplomb you cannot help but love her exactly as she is.

The head of the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills came to see DREAMGIRLS, produced by Michael Pettenato and directed/choreographed by Tor Campbell at the 180-seat Cupcake Theater in North Hollywood earlier this year, and believed they absolutely could not let the brilliant show end without giving people on the Westside a chance to see it. And who were they to say no? Under Pettenato's care, the group packed up 450 costumes and boxes of wigs, and headed to Beverly Hills for a one-night only show on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Rogue Machine, known for its mission to present original and provocative programming, is now presenting the West Coast premiere production of FINKS, a New York Times Critic's Pick which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. The play brings together writer Joe Gilford and director Michael Pressman, friends since childhood and both children of Blacklisted artists. In it, Gilford documents the struggle his parents, entertainers Jack Gilford and Madeline Lee Gilford, endured when they were called to testify, with actual testimony or published statements by those who appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee used in the play.

For those of us around in the days before the internet took over the shopping world, we can certainly remember the glorious gatherings we attended which were hosted by family or friends in order to sell the newly-invented hard plastic and practically indestructible storage items forever known as Tupperware. Perhaps, like me, you remember how much fun it was to make popsicles out of whatever liquid you wanted by using the Tupperware Popsicle Maker. But even better, how much fun it was at the hosted parties where you could chat and gossip while learning how to use each item properly, then decide on what you wanted and order it. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, or those who want to go back to those fun days, rush over to the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City to be a part of DIXIE'S TUPPERWARE PARTY, the hilarious off-Broadway one-woman comedy written by Kris Andersson starring Dixie Longate which took the theater world by storm and garnered a prestigious Drama Desk Award nomination.

For playwright, director and El Teatro Campesino founder Luis Valdez, who was born in Delano, CA as the second of ten children born to migrant farm worker parents who made a living picking whatever crop was in season, Cupertino will always be known for the rich land that once grew an abundance of crops and fruits trees during the time he lived in the area shortly after World War II. His latest play, the phenomenal VALLEY OF THE HEART at the Mark Taper Forum through December 9, 2018, uses California history as a jumping-off point to tell an important story about the fight to maintain dignity, identity, family and faith in the once-fertile farmland that is now known as the Silicon Valley.

Both one-acts in this masterful and memorable double-billing, directed by Steven Robman, are reflective and confessional in nature, with each of the main characters portrayed by masterful actor Brian Dennehy sharing tales of their lives in an attempt to make sense of the way it has turned out for them, especially since the present does not seem to have lived up to the excitement of the past. Perhaps that universal truth is what united these two one acts, with O'Neill and Beckett asking audiences to take a look back at our own lives and realize that even when things seem hopeless and/or meaningless, memories of times past may be the thing to break your downward spiral.

It is Bo's hard-learned lesson about romance and respect that keeps BUS STOP in the forefront as one of the great classic American romance stories. And thanks to the talented cast and director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky's attention to detail and effective use of freeze framing cast members while others speak, these well known characters will reach out and grab you by the heart, stirring your emotions as lessons are learned, partnerships are formed, and everyone gets exactly what they want by the time the road re-opens, especially a naive cowboy and a 19-year old hick singer from the Ozarks determined to make a better life for herself.

SAFEHOUSE '77 is a site-specific interactive show with a mixture of historical and pop-cultural influences in the exciting world of spy movies. The evening begins after parking in a Bank of America lot a few blocks away from the party house where Connie (Ashley Jones, decked out in high-waisted bell bottom jeans), the sister of our party host, Sharon (Katie Rediger), meets us and goes over a few rules for the evening before escorting us to the party. Just prior to entering, each guest is given an ERA YES badge, every one different in color with an animal sticker in its center. Of course, there is a purpose which soon becomes apparent once the party begins.

I cannot even think of enough accolades to share about the current production being staged by Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors) at the Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles) through December 9. The totally entertaining and artistically brilliant production, directed and choreographed by NAACP Theater Award-winner Jeffrey Polk, pulled me in from the moment it started until the end, given the amazingly talented cast who bring the characters so realistically to life that you can actually feel all the emotions each is going through from moment to moment. You will laugh, be fearful, cry and celebrate with all of them by the time the show ends.

Formidable actress Betsy Moore brilliantly portrays Alice as an adult who questions whether or not to end her life due to personal and professional road blocks. Her mind wanders, creating a visit from Mira, an extraterrestrial "star caller" from one of Tiptree's stories, portrayed by Megan Rippey, phantasmagorically dressed by Lena Sands in mermaid-like, metallic green, who leads Alice on an episodic, emotional journey through the shadows of her past where, despite her life's accomplishments, buried pain and unmet desires reside. During her journeys, Alice encounters her younger selves (Isabella Ramacciotti as Little Alice and Paula Rebelo as Young Alice) during the dreamlike remembrance sequences in which Alice travels to Africa with her mother (Anneliese Euler), becomes an officer in the Army, works for the CIA and the Pentagon before she started writing science fiction under the male pen name of James Tiptree, Jr. as a last grasp for life at the age of 50.

The 1936 Hungarian play PARFUMERIE by Miklos Laszlo has the humble distinction of living in the shadow of the more famous movies (and Broadway musical) that it inspired. In fact, Hollywood has cashed in on the play not once but three times - the first adaptation was the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch romantic comedy 'The Shop Around the Corner,' starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, which was followed by the 1949 screen musical version 'In the Good Old Summertime,' starring Judy Garland, and much later by the 1998 Nora Ephron movie 'You've Got Mail,' with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And of course, the Broadway musical 'She Loves Me' - adapted from the play by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joe Masteroff - opened in New York in 1963 and is now one of the most beloved (and revived) musicals during the Christmas season each year. All I can say is for those who enjoy this story of mistaken identity between pen-pal lovers should see one of those versions

Inspired by a 1970 Federico Fellini film, OLD CLOWN WANTED centers on three aging clowns who compete for a job in a room with no windows and very little furniture, in which theater and circus arts are intertwined in an absurdist, cynical, tender and very funny look at aging and man's fear of uselessness in society. The entertaining and non-stop action in this new translation from the French by Jeremy Lawrence, is appropriately directed by Romanian-born Florinel Fatulescu, who has won numerous theater awards for his daring and innovative style. While the overall production seemed very Italian in nature to me, there was certainly enough Vaudevillian slapstick schtick to keep audiences laughing from start to finish.

The musical is a send-up of the cult classic movie and other sci-fi films and TV shows of the 1950s, melded with plot elements from "The Tempest" along with dialogue bits from multiple Shakespeare plays. That was part of the fun for me, catching so many Shakespearean quotes perfectly placed in the dialogue of Bob Carlton's musical set on a spaceship sometime in the future, featuring a galaxy of 1950's and 1960's rock and roll classics including "Wipeout," "Good Vibrations," "Great Balls of Fire," "All Shook Up," "Monster Mash" and "We Gotta Get Out of this Place." And what an outrageously fabulous band under the musical direction of Trevor Wheetman and Omar D. Brancato, both of whom rocked the house on guitars while believably playing Ensign crew members onstage.

In UK UNDERDOG, Steve Spiro tells his autobiographical story as a young Jewish boy in London who transforms himself, through sheer force of will (and plenty of chutzpah) from a bullied underdog to martial artist, boxer, community leader and animal rights activist. Along the way, he portrays not only himself from childhood to current time, but also every other person he knows including his always-in-the-kitchen mother, his taxi driver father, critical yet loving Nana who spent her days obsessed with American TV shows, his best friend Erch, town bully John Turner, the coach who helped build his confidence, and Roger, the bi-polar Drama teacher who changed the focus of his life into being a Thespian by day and a fighter at night.

In this new era of storytelling, the annual DELUSION series remains one of the most popular interactive events given its absolute commitment to quality and originality. Beginning in 2011 as the passion project for creator Jon Braver, a film and theatre director, action coordinator, and Disney Imagineering consultant, the past five seasons have captivated sold out audiences by taking them into an other-worldly adventure where all agree to play their part in order to move the story forward from room to room where live actors, creature effects, stunts, elaborate set design, and an original score weave together a tale unlike any other.

Directed by Howard Teichman for the West Coast Jewish Theatre at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica on a beautifully detailed split-level set designed by Kurtis Bedford and lit by Ellen Monocroussos, Neil Simon's classic took on a more emotional dedication from the cast with Simon's passing on August 26, 2018 during the show's rehearsal process. But even though Teichman keeps the pace moving along at a steady pace, running at almost 3 hours with very little laughter, the play, though extremely well written and performed, does seem a bit long and drawn-out as there certainly were moments when it could have ended much sooner and still been as effective.

IN ANOTHER ROOM is a site-specific immersive play in which guests will wander the rooms of a purportedly haunted house in Culver City, coming face to face with various souls that have lived and died and suffered tragedy within its walls. After meeting with two hosts, one of whom will take your photo to be sure your soul is clear enough to enter the house without disrupting the spirits there, a ploy of course as the photos will become part of the show later on, guests are invited to knock on the front door for entrance into the evening's adventure.

Those who lived through the World War II years will certainly recognize the name of ambitious and charismatic J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Berkeley-trained scientist who found himself called upon to spearhead the largest scientific undertaking in all of human history: the Manhattan Project and the creation of the Atomic bomb which the United States government believed would bring about a swift end to World War II. And although it did that, what was the cost on those involved with the project or subjected to its first tests without proper protection from the released radiation, as well as those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the bombs were exploded over those cities. Was it even wise to develop the ability to split atoms given how the world has changed since then or the threat of total annihilation which hangs over us daily?

The Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company is presenting a limited engagement of Henry James' classic horror tale THE TURN OF THE SCREW in an adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher under the direction of Don K. Williams, featuring Sean Spann and Emily Sulzberger playing a total of 10 roles between them. It's a tale of a young governess just before the turn of the last century who is tasked with the care of two rather peculiar children at a country estate in England. Within a week of arriving, the governess comes to believe the children are possessed by the previous groundskeeper and governess who have since died. But is that really the case?