LOS ANGELES INTERVIEWS

Actor/ producer/ director/ singer/ performer Marisa Matthews will be inaugurating her monthly musical cabaret BROADWAY AT THE BOURBON ROOM February 21, 2022, at The Bourbon Room. Each cabaret (populated with Broadway’s latest talents) will have different themes, with opening night Give My Regards ...

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris’s critically lauded SLAVE PLAY just opened February 16, 2022, at the Mark Taper Forum receiving a thunderous standing ovation. Before starting their previews, I had a nice long chat with Jonathan Higginbotham who’s reprising his role of Philip from the August Wilson T...

The Geffen west coast premieres Paul Grellong’s POWER OF SAIL, already in previews. Weyni Mengesha directs the cast of Hugo Armstrong, Amy Brenneman, Bryan Cranston, Donna Simone Johnson, Tedra Millan, Seth Numrich and Brandon Scott. I had the chance to question Hugo, a familiar face on the ...

The Groundlings main company member Matt Cook retakes The Groundlings stage in their first live sketch show of 2022 GROUNDLINGS PSYCHIC HOTLINE (already in previews). I had the chance to cultivate some answers from Matt on his Groundlings history, his non-Groundlings projects and his tomato growing....

Actor/playwright Steve Trzaska world premiere’s his CAMP GINGER for two Saturdays beginning February 26, 2022, at the Little Theater at the Actors Company. Directed by Joy Mamey, CAMP GINGER tells the semi-autobiographical experiences of Steve in summer for other red-headed kids. I had the chance ...

Fountain Theatre will be premiering its four-part podcast NUMBERED DAYS on February 14th.  Two-time Emmy winner for Breaking Bad, Anna Gunn stars in this true account of playwright Corey Madden’s “numbered days” with her husband, composer Bruno Louchouarn. Corey Madden does double (or trip...

Actors Co-op Theatre Company presents Scott McPherson’s multi-award-winning MARVIN’S ROOM opening February 18, 2022. Thomas James O'Leary directs a cast of Laura Esterman, Lee Guthrie, Mark Rosenthal and Jane MacIver. I had the chance to question Thomas on ROOM, his past directorial projects and...

A Los Angeles theatre community favorite Ryan O'Connor dons his directorial hat for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, opening at Greenway Court Theatre February 4th. I had the chance to question Ryan on A LITTLE behind-the-scenes of NIGHT MUSIC, his pandemic past times and his various ties with the L.A. theatre...

The Broad Stage presents Sacre by Circa Contemporary Circus for two performances February 4th and 5th.  Circa utilizes their ensemble of world-class acrobats for their unique interpretation of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.  I had the chance to ask Circa’s artistic director Yaron Lifschitz about a...

Playwright Mike Lew’s TEENAGE DICK will stream exclusively beginning February 3, 2022, at pasadenaplayhouse.org. Mike’s modernized take on Shakespeare’s RICHARD III, produced in association with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Huntington Theatre Company, was shot multi-camera during TEENAGE...

Cinelounge Theatres and Cleopatra Records present a special screening of the 1963 fan-favorite Bye Bye Birdie, followed by an in-person Q&A with its star Ann-Margret February 14, 2022, at The Montalban. Those in attendance will also be treated to a sneak preview of a few songs from Ann-Margret’s u...

Theatre 40 world premieres John Strysik’s DEATH, WITH BENEFITS January 27, 2022. Jeff G. Rack directs this dark comedy cast of Susan Damante, Cheryl David, Kevin Dulude, Larry Eisenberg and Philip Sokoloff. I had the opportunity to interrogate John on the reasons behind his DEATH....

A familiar face on the screen, both big and small, writer/performer Danny Pudi will present his autobiographical film Running on Stellar’s streaming platform beginning January 22, 2022. Three South Asian-led arts organizations, Hypokrit Productions, East West Players, and EnActe Arts have collabor...

We got a chance to chat with Melissa Jacques (who plays Jamie's mother Margaret) on her history with JAMIE, her first time working in Los Angeles and the decline of theatre etiquette....

A former street performer in New York City, Jim R. Moore turned his love of the eccentric performing arts into a photographic collection in his Don’t Miss This! A Decade of Eccentric Performing Arts due out February 1, 2022.  Got to chat with Jim on his photographic expertise and experience shoo...

The go-to director for many benefit one-nighters, Tony Spinosa will world premiere his own SINGING REVOLUTION: THE MUSICAL January 15, 2022 on the Broadwater Theatre Main Stage. Tony directs a cast of twenty triple-threat performers backed by a five-piece band as they perform his score and his lyri...

Cupcake Theater Company’s first full-length production post-pandemic, Tony Award-winning AVENUE Q will open January 8, 2022. Got to throw out some queries to director Brayden Hade on some behind-the-scene’s info, as well as his multi-career path to the many hats he currently wears working with C...

Groundlings alum/Oscar winner Jim Rash will be guesting in The Groundlings’ January 6th edition of COOKIN’ WITH GAS. The actor/comedian/filmmaker took a moment from the set of Bros to answer a few of my Groundlings and Oscar queries....

CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE ‘90S MUSICAL returns to Los Angeles for a one-nighter, LIVE at and streaming from the Bourbon Room December 19, 2021. With the plot of the 1999 cult hit Cruel Intentions as their starting point, the cast of powerhouse singers will sing the characters played in the film by Sa...

What is becoming a holiday tradition at the Garry Marshall Theatre, the latest edition of HOLIDAZE HARMONY world premieres livestream December 15th, newly titled HOLIDAZE HARMONY: A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS. Garry Marshall Theatre’s artistic director Joseph Leo Bwarie directs long-time friends Terron Bro...

Feld Entertainment’s DISNEY ON ICE: DREAM BIG comes to Southern California at the Honda Center in Anaheim December 8th through 12th and at Staples Center in Los Angeles December 16th through 19th. Got a chance to ask Feld Entertainment’s CEO Kenneth Feld some behind-the-scenes questions on his w...

MR. YUNIOSHI (Winner - Best Solo Performance Hollywood Fringe 2019) written, directed and performed by J. Elijah Cho, produced by Ari Stidham and David Stidham is a comedic solo performance piece that features an Asian actor playing Mickey Rooney as he attempts to create his infamously offensive cha...

The national tour of THE BAND’S VISIT has landed in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre. The opening night audience gave the all-round talented cast a most deserved standing ovation. I had the pleasure of chatting with Joe Joseph (who’s silky vocals inhabit the character of Haled) the afternoon pos...

BWW Podcaster Ashton Marcus and Troy Whitaker Discuss THE GAME'S AFOOT...

The very in-demand cabaret artist Sharon McNight will bring her strong vocals and hysterically outrageous irreverence to Feinstein’s At Vitello’s December 9th in SHARON McNIGHT: BETWEEN HOLIDAZE, with musical direction from John Boswell....