Roslyn Cohn

Jeff Schell and The Habit’s A Very Die Hard Christmas opens December 10, 2023 at Theatre 40. Celebrating the film’s 35th anniversary, Sandro Monetti directs this musical parody with the cast of Nick Versteeg, Lauren Samuels, Jesse Merlin, Raymund King, Nick Bredosky, and Theatre 40 favorites Roslyn Cohn, Joe Clabby and Kristal Dickerson. Sandro graciously made it a priority to promptly answer a few of my queries.

A Very Die Hard Christmas, a musical, opens at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. Written by Jeff Schell and The Habit, with additional dialogue by Sandro Monetti. Directed by Sandro Monetti.

The Group Rep presents “The Laramie Project” written by Moises Kaufman, Ms. Leigh Fondakowski and The Techtonic Theater Project, directed by Kathleen Delaney, produced by Bill Fitzhugh & Danica Waitley for the Group Rep.

Theatre 40 presents a play-reading via Zoom of a comedy, Community by Nancy Beverly, on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. PST

Actress Roslyn Cohn is remarkably versatile. She is nominated for a BWW Award this year for The Sound of Murder at Theatre 40. In our converrsation she tells our readers about her work and who and what she admires in the acting profession. Tell us about your BWW nomination for The Sound of Murder at Theatre 40. What kind of character did you play? RC: I was excited to get a nomination for this show as we didn't get the amount of reviews we should have

The two-time Telly Award-winning film version of The Blank Theatre's production of The Tragedy of JFK (as told by Wm. Shakespeare) is now available for free streaming on YouTube (https://youtu.be/jhnBy9fKvHk). Conceived, adapted, and directed by Daniel Henning, the play had its world premiere in Los Angeles on October 1, 2016.

Chicago, June, 1920. The Republican National Convention is in full swing. Warren G. Harding is overwhelmed by the prospect of being the nominee of the Republican Party for President.

THE SOUND OF MURDER by William Fairchild premiered in London in 1959, making the plot somewhat predictable now, given the abundance of murder mysteries written and being produced on local stages. But this one set play is exactly the kind of British murder mystery that Theatre 40 audiences enjoy, especially with the company's designers onboard who always create a visually stunning production. Skillfully directed by Adrian Cohen to keep the action interesting and a lot more than just a lot of talking heads with British accents, the cast of THE SOUND OF MURDER includes Roslyn Cohn, Gabriel Olivas, David Hunt Stafford, Peter Trencher, David Westbay and Kate Whitney. And why that title? There's some audio equipment involved that turns out to be a pivotal prop in the investigation!

Theatre Forty, in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Theatre 40 is Beverly Hills' professional theatre company. The venue is located on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. There is ample free parking beneath the theatre, which can be accessed from the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.

Theatre Forty, in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Theatre 40 is Beverly Hills' professional theatre company. The venue is located on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. There is ample free parking beneath the theatre, which can be accessed from the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.

Written in much the same style as The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman where a small group of actors portray several characters sharing their experience of living through a tragic local event and its aftermath on the town, Eric Ulloa's 26 PEBBLES does not just recount what happened on December 14, 2012, but is more about how the people of the Newtown community reached out to their neighbors to bond, cope and heal from that devastating tragedy in order to move forward with their lives to a more hopeful future.

MR. PIM PASSES BY debuted on the stage in 1919, written by A.A. Milne (1882-1956) Although he will be known forever for his children's literature as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne also wrote numerous plays and screenplays, books of poetry, and seven novels. This comedy for grown-ups tells a tale of mistaken identity and the lives it affects after a mysterious stranger pops up at a Woodbury, Connecticut home. It's never explained why Mr. Pim is in the neighborhood, although it's very apparent he does not live in the area nor is he visiting anyone else who does. And as the story builds, you might decide he is a character much like Clarence the Angel in "It's a Wonderful Life," there to simply make sure that love rules the day.

Neil Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning dramedy Lost in Yonkers followed his autobiographical trio Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. Critics started to take him seriously as a playwright with these plays for he was writing about his own family's life experiences. Lost in Yonkers is set in 1942 in Yonkers, New York where Grandma Kurnitz (Loraine Shields) and her daughter Bella (Roslyn Cohn) run the family confectionery store and live in a modest apartment upstairs. Now in a stunning production at the GROUP rep, Larry Eisenberg directs a perfectly cast ensemble who make the play shine brightly through October 22. Humor is Simon's best suit. This is drama, but... there is plenty of comedy emanating

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning comedic drama directedby Larry Eisenberg, produced by Doug Haverty.

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning comedic drama directedby Larry Eisenberg, produced by Doug Haverty.

Dated? Most definitely. Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables is about 1950s morality as it was experienced in Great Britain. Things have changed over 60 years; let's hope first and foremost that women are treated more humanely by men, and secondly, one's social class - does it even exist today? - is much less a priority.  On another level, it's fascinating to witness the desperate loneliness that existed - and still may- among both young and older couples, particularly when they're encumbered with one addiction or another. That's Rattigan's Separate Tables with two completely different lead couples in each act who try to uncover or rediscover the meaning of love. With expert direction from Jules Aaron and a superb ensemble of players, Theatre 40's Separate Tables is quite a handsome and emotionally charged production.

The Group Rep extends their well-received production of Agatha Christie's New York Critic's Circle Award-winning play, Witness for the Prosecution, directed by Jules Aaron and featuring Guest Artist Salome Jens, a mystery about a man on trial for murder whose enigmatic wife is called as a 'witness for the prosecution' whereupon a series of plot twists, deceptions and lies are dramatically uncovered. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

There's nothing like a good old fashioned mystery to keep you on the edge of your theatre seat, especially one that's written by the grande dame of the genre Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap was one of the longest running plays on the West End for umpteen years. As I sat at Group rep Friday night watching Witness for the Prosecution, which is rarely revived, I really tuned in to the dialogue. It is so well constructed, and the dozen or so characters are deliciously humorous. I am happy to report that the new production at Group rep directed by skilled veteran Jules Aaron and starring guest artist Salome Jens and Larry Eisenberg is akin to a jolly good rollercoaster ride. It's delightfully entertaining and can be seen through March 12.

Evenings of short one-acts are the rage at Equity-waiver theatres! In the black box theatre upstairs at Group rep you you are invited to come see Nine Winning One-Acts, plays that stretch a mere ten-fifteen minutes in length. The mini plays were chosen from over 160 entries from across the United States and written by various unknown playwrights. The evening is divided into two acts with five plays comprising Act One and four in Act Two. There is no single theme running through them, so if I had to describe the conflicts ...why ... life, death, dating, marriage, love, gay relationships, infidelity, euthanasia...and even cat abuse, though mild, thrown into the fray. The evening is Group rep's way of utilizing more company actors and directors, many of whom work less on the theatre mainstage, and for the most part, it's pleasantly stimulating and entertaining fare.

Members of the 'Pro99' movement of Actors' Equity Association have issued an open letter to AEA's newly elected president, Kate Shindle, in response to her victory and to her inaugural address as president of the national union for actors and stage managers. The open letter is signed by over 400 Equity members (listed below), including such notable names as Ed Asner, Francis Fisher, Sally Kirkland and Alfred Molina. The 'Pro99' movement formed in late 2014 in opposition to AEA's rollout of a new plan that will effectively force 'intimate theaters' in Los Angeles to pay Equity actors minimum wage, go 'non-union' or even close - despite an overwhelming vote against the plan by 66% of the Los Angeles membership on an advisory referendum. 'Pro99' members around the nation, who take their name from the current AEA '99 Seat Plan' that allows members to volunteer in smaller venues, oppose AEA's new promulgated plan. They are requesting that Equity leadership put a moratorium on the plan until local members' voices can be heard, and that the union work with its members to develop an alternative plan that will more realistically address the needs of the Los Angeles theater community.