Herbert Paine - Page 23

What an absolutely and utterly engaging and rollicking good time is A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, the winner of four 2014 Tony Awards including Best Musical, now on tour and raising the rooftop at ASU Gammage. Propelling that rooftop to delirious heights is a sterling ensemble, featuring the jet-fueled performances of John Rapson and Kevin Massey; the fun- and pun-infused lyrics of Steven Lutvak's and Robert Freedman's score, conveyed with brio under the direction of Lawrence Goldberg; Alexander Dodge's majestic period set; and Aaron Rhyne's uber-creative special effects (surreal projections of the m.o. of murder).

Arizona Broadway Theatre has honored the legendary musical, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, by mounting an utterly captivating and inspired production, featuring Jason E. Simon's virtuoso turn and beautifully nuanced performance as Tevye. M. Seth Reines has directed a powerhouse of a show, giving meticulous attention to every detail and delivering a memorable theatrical experience.

Spirited performances by Tracy Payne Black, Brenda Jean Foley, Kevin Fenderson, and Micah Jondel DeShazer give zip to NOW. HERE. THIS. A/C Theatre Company further establishes its cred as the new kid on Phoenix's theatre block.

David Davalos's WITTENBERG requires a performance of mastery equal to the writing. The cast of Southwest Shakespeare Company's current production, astutely directed by Kent Burnham, more than rises to the challenge. Here's an ensemble devoutly to be wished, teeming with comedic energy and versatility ~ David Dickinson as Faustus, Marshall Glass as Luther, William Wilson as Hamlet, and Allison Sell as The Eternal Feminine.

The promise of Conor McPherson's masterpiece, THE WEIR, is half-fulfilled in its Arizona Regional Premier at Theatre Artists Studio. The play's structural elegance cannot be denied, nor can McPherson's muscularity of language be overlooked. The problem lies in the delivery. Neither do the performances rise to the level required to open the floodgate of emotion and tension that is at the heart of THE WEIR, nor do the technical effects set the essential mood.

TO THE MOON AND BACK is documentarian Susan Morgan Cooper's chilling expose of the travesty that has placed 259 children and their prospective parents in excruciating limbo. The story is as unnerving and convoluted as a byzantine plot. The result is a powerful cry for justice.

Sandy Smolan's documentary, THE HUMAN FACE OF BIG DATA, tackles one of the most complex and pervasive megatrends of our time, and the result is a provocative and remarkably well-balanced examination of the benefits and potential perils of technology's progeny.

SILVER SKIES is one doozy of a delightful and heartwarming film with a cast (no exaggeration!) to live for. Written, produced and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez and screening at this year's Sedona International Film Festival, the flick features bravura performances by a stellar group of veteran actors, most notably George Hamilton and Valerie Perrine..

In the rear view mirror of life, we may encounter individuals who surpass our expectations of human will and endurance and inspire us with their selflessness and courage. Consider THE ATAXIAN that rear view mirror and Kyle Bryant that epic hero. The documentary, directed by Kevin Schlanser and Zack Bennett is one of the feature films at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

The force and power of indie film REPARATION resides in the seamlessness and masterful editing with which director Kyle Ham has weaved together multiple themes in the context of a riveting psychological thriller. It is a taut, gut-wrenching, and edge-of-the-seat experience. Marc Menchaca and Jon Huertas give the flick its sizzle, supported by an outstanding cast..

Director Tony Randel has a sure eye for comic effect and gives free rein to his ensemble to mug it up for the camera in Tony Schweikle's campy and rib-tickling HYBRIDS, to be screened at the 22nd Annual Sedona International Film Festival.

Peter Pardini's meticulously detailed documentary, NOW MORE THAN EVER: THE HISTORY OF CHICAGO, is a classic tribute to the iconic 'rock band with horns,' delivering a candid and intimate portrait of the young men who, in 1967, embarked on a journey of extraordinary musical innovation and today are legends in their own time.

Messages of forgiveness and redemption get diluted in a clutter of subplots in Matthew McDuffie's indie film, BURNING BODHI. It's the revealing performances of Kaley Cuoco and Cody Horn that merit attention and applause.

Tyne Rafaeli has excelled in recreating Bartlett Sher's original direction of BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. The touring production is on stage at ASU Gammage in Tempe AZ and is rock solid, featuring the electrifying and moving performances of Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky, a marvelous cast, and stunning technical effects.

Canadian writer and director Daniel O'Connor casts a laserlike lens on human nature in LOOK AGAIN, a whimsical and endearing film that has its central character looking at life through a mystical set of white-rimmed glasses and discovering that not all is as it seems. Featuring Anand Rajaram and a solid cast, the film is an eye-opener!

iTheatre Collaborative's phenomenal cast delivers a pulsating and moving production of Stew's PASSING STRANGE. Directed by Jeff Kennedy, the show rocks! Phenomenal!

Who doesn't love Dolly Levi? Why wouldn't anybody after Brandi Bigley's energetic portrayal of the overzealous matchmaker in Scottsdale Musical Theater Company's production of HELLO DOLLY!, directed by David Hock.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's CAROUSEL offers an uneven ride, punctuated only by the stellar performances of Jeannie Shubitz, Jill-Christine Wiley, and Kathleen Berger and Jim Hunter's elaborate set design.

A tribe ~ a people, a culture ~ is defined by its history. If that history is wrought by famine and oppression, the experience will show in its art. Such is the case of the Irish, whose spirit, passion for freedom, and fortitude are exhilaratingly showcased in CELTIC NIGHTS: SPIRIT OF FREEDOM. The national tour of this show arrived in Scottsdale with a triumphant display of sight and sound, song and dance, woe and joy.

On the stage of Phoenix Theatre, CALENDAR GIRLS basks and steeps in the glorious glow of its brilliantly assembled cast. Under EE Moe's astute direction, not one of the superb performances in this production overshadows the other; each is precious in its own right; together, they are simply magnificent.