Herbert Paine - Page 20

Arizona Theatre Company's production of RING OF FIRE is a a highly entertaining and upbeat tribute to the 'man in black' with a first-class cast that does its best when it is kicking up its heels and delivering every song with gusto. Featuring solid performances by Michael Monroe Goodman, Brian Mathis, Trenna Barnes, Allison Briner-Dardenne and a great band of musicians.

If, perchance, you had never read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you'd be none the worse for the delight you'd glean from Southwest Shakespeare Company's scintillating and brainy production of PRIDE@PREJUDICE, Daniel Elihu Kramer's clever modernization of the 1813 classic.

Matthew Spangler and Benjamin Evett's ALBATROSS, now on stage in an all too short run at the Herberger Theater Center, features the gripping and riveting performance of Benjamin Evett as The Mariner. Mr. Evett is a force of nature in a tempest-tossed odyssey that reveals timely truths about the interconnectedness of all things, the ties that bind man and nature, and the consequences of mindless action.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's current production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is rousing and colorful. A revival worth seeing.

I daresay that Phoenix Theatre's current production of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY is the musical highlight of the 2016-2017 theatre season. It is vintage Michael Barnard, full directorial guns blazing with a keen eye for the best in top-notch craftsmanship and splendid theatricality. His stellar cast, featuring some of the most versatile song-and-dance performers in the Valley of the Sun is locked and loaded for a volley of high-powered performances in a series of spirited numbers that are guaranteed to create a perpetual smile.

In the directorial hands of Ron May, Stray Cat Theatre's current production of Nambi E Kelley's adaptation of Richard Wright's NATIVE SON offers an unnerving and intense portrayal of Bigger Thomas's downward spiral and the price inflicted on the soul by racism.

How momentous it is that an opera as monumental and well-crafted as Craig Bohmler's RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE can now lay claim to a rightful place in the canon of works about the American West. In its World Premiere, as part of Arizona Opera's Arizona Bold Initiative, RIDERS is literally and figuratively blazing new trails, demonstrating the relevance and value of the age old genre in a dynamic and memorable production.

Theatre Artists Studio's Carol McLeod has created a taut and well-paced interpretation of STOREFRONT CHURCH. Her cast delivers the goods, balancing wit and intensity to produce a provocative reflection on the limits of morality. The show runs through March 12th.

Ruben C. Gonzalez delivers a rock solid and emotionally potent performance in LA ESQUINITA, USA, his metaphor for neighborhoods that time and economy forgot, where the streets are now boulevards of broken dreams, and where hope is replaced by ennui and meth. (Arizona Theatre Company, in co-production with El Teatro Campesino, is presenting the Arizona premiere of his one-man/twelve character opus through February 26th at the Herberger Theater Center.)

Doug Morrione's EVERYTHING IN THE SONG IS TRUE is a beautifully crafted chronicle of four individuals whose personalities and perspectives define the American West. The film is one of the selected features at this year's Sedona International Film Festival, February 18th through the 26th.

GOOD FORTUNE, Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell's bio-doc is an uplifting tribute to the humanity and philanthropy of John Paul DeJoria and a case for how accumulated wealth can be used to build a better world. GOOD FORTUNE is one of the featured films at the 2017 Sedona International Film Festival, February 18th through the 26th.

Artistic discrimination is the metaphor for racial discrimination in Thomas Gibbons' hard-hitting PERMANENT COLLECTION, the second work of his race trilogy, now on stage at iTheatre Collaborative. Charles St. Clair wields his directorial brush with an acute sense of the layers of meaning in Gibbons' script and the tempo required to draw out the colors and textures of each character's emotions. His actors follow suit with the requisite shades of mood and intensity.

Ed George and Bryan Reinhart's BORN TO REWILD chronicles the remarkable journey ~ TrekWest ~ of John Davis along the Continental Divide to promote wildlife corridors and the recovery of missing species. A beautifully conceived and impactful film!

James Baldwin spoke truths about the racial divide in America with an economy of language, a piercing intensity, an indisputable authority, and an authenticity that is sorely absent in today's discussions. Thanks to Raoul Peck, that gap has been filled by one of the most important documentaries of our time, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, which has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for the 89th Academy Awards and will be screened at this year's Sedona International Film Festival, which runs from February 18th through the 26th.

BROKEN MEMORIES, an independent film based on a story by Frankie Lauderdale and directed by Michael Worth, is a poignant portrait of a man and his son navigating the transition to Alzheimer's. Backed by a strong cast, featuring Rance Howard, stunning visuals by Russell Bell, and the music of David Williams, the film will be featured at the February 2017 Sedona International Film Festival.

If you love a freewheeling fast-paced farce, you'll enjoy BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY, now tearing up the stage at Phoenix Theatre with twists, turns, and detours that transform Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles into a howl and a hoot.

In a wondrous display of vocal eloquence and personal charm, AUDRA MCDONALD kindled the fire of adulation among the 853 fans who occupied the Virginia G. Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (Saturday, January 28th). Stopping by Scottsdale on her national tour, Ms. McDonald demonstrated why she stands as one of the select iconic voices of Broadway, let alone as a highly versatile performing artist. With an unprecedented six Tony Awards under her belt plus the recent SAG nomination for her role as Billie Holliday, she delivered a full throttle performance of tunes by both famous and up-and-coming songwriters.

William Wilson delivers an electrifying portrayal of the aggrieved prince that gives depth, weight and nuance to Southwest Shakespeare Company's extraordinary production of HAMLET, directed by David Barker.

BAKERSFIELD MIST, Stephen Sachs's adaptation of the true story of Teri Horton's quest to authenticate a Jackson Pollock painting, is the featured offering at Theatre Artists Studio in Phoenix.

THE ILLUSIONISTS, a stunning showcase of magical artistry and theatricality, is a breathtaking and totally fun experience, well worth the suspension of belief and reason, now onstage at ASU Gammage and continuing through January 22nd after which the tour moves on to California and Oregon.