Lloyd Pedersen News

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed. (alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories) No set, costume, or technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

As a companion piece to Eric Simonson's Lombardi on the main stage, Group rep presents Lee Blessing's The Winning Streak on their second stage. Both plays involve sports: Lombardi, football and The Winning Streak, baseball. For full enjoyment of Lombardi, it helps to be a football fan; for The Winning Streak, you need not care at all about baseball. Whereas Lombardi derives its spark from the spirit of the sport, Streak's comes totally from the human spirit. Blessing's brilliance as a writer is in his ability to show human conflict full-out, and there is no finer example of a dysfunctional father/son relationship than this play.

Playwright LEE BLESSING will be attending The Group Rep's production of his play THE WINNING STREAK, today - August 8th at 2pm,guesting at the talk-back afterwards, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900Burbank Blvd., in North Hollywood 91601. The play opened last weekend to favorable reviews, runs  through August 30th, Todays at 2:00 PM and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM.   

Playwright LEE BLESSING will be attending The Group Rep's production of his play THE WINNING STREAK, this Saturday - August 8th at 2pm,guesting at the talk-back afterwards, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900Burbank Blvd., in North Hollywood 91601. The play opened last weekend to favorable reviews, runs  through August 30th, Saturdays at 2:00 PM and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM.   

The Group Rep presents Lee Blessing's The Winning Streak, directed by Sherry Netherland, produced by Lloyd Pedersen, a funny and moving two-character bittersweet comedy about the need for family in us all, combines drama and baseball to craft a moving tale of a son's search to meet and understand the father he never knew. The production opens tonight, August 1, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the stars in action below!

The Group Rep presents Lee Blessing's The Winning Streak, directed by Sherry Netherland, produced by Lloyd Pedersen, a funny and moving two-character bittersweet comedy about the need for family in us all, combines drama and baseball to craft a moving tale of a son's search to meet and understand the father he never knew. The production opens August 1, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the stars in action below!

The Group Rep presents Lee Blessing's The Winning Streak, directed by Sherry Netherland, produced by Lloyd Pedersen, a funny and moving two-character bittersweet comedy concerning a son who seeks out the father he never met. The father, a retired umpire and baseball fanatic, thinks his newfound son's arrival has put his team on a winning streak.

It is refreshing in this day and age to see an attempt to create a new musical. With few exceptions, it appears to be a dying art. If not, we would not be witnessing a raft of old steady revivals on Broadway, off-Broadway and in regional venues across the globe. Doug Haverty and Adryan Russ, no strangers to successful musical ventures, have taken the topic of love and have created Love Again, a bold effort at showing the intermingling of different aspects of love with a semi-large cast. Under the steady hand of Kay Cole all manage to shine in one form or another and a lot of it works delightfully. There's much potential with some more work and readjustments to the book. Many of the songs are quite lovely, and love, in all of its shades and colors, is always a treat to experience. Love Again has its niche at Group rep in NoHo through June 28.

The Group Rep presents the world premiere musical Love Again, book by Doug Haverty, music by Adryan Russ, lyrics by Russ and Haverty, directed by Kay Cole, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Jon Cortez for The Group Rep, with musical direction by Richard Berent.

The Group Rep presents the world premiere musical Love Again, book by Doug Haverty, music by Adryan Russ, lyrics by Russ and Haverty, directed by Kay Cole, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Jon Cortez for The Group Rep, with musical direction by Richard Berent.

One faces an undeniably horrendous situation that will only get worse before it gets better...and the clincher?... it is fueled by love. That's the trap created by Frawley Becker in his play Tiger by the Tail now playing at Group rep in Noho through April 19. The tender theme is made sweeter by smooth direction and a terribly appealing cast. For those who are not afraid to follow their feelings of romance and take the plunge into the realm of the unknown, Tiger by the Tail is most worthwhile.

The Group Rep presents the west coast premiere of Frawley Becker's searing drama 'Tiger by the Tail' directed by Jules Aaron, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Frawley Becker. The play runs today, March 6th through April 19th, Todays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre located at the edge of the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, CA.

The Group Rep presents the west coast premiere of Frawley Becker's searing drama 'Tiger by the Tail' directed by Jules Aaron, produced by Richard Alan Woody and Frawley Becker. The play runs March 6th through April 19th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre located at the edge of the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, CA.

The World Premiere of AFFLUENCE by playwright Steven Peterson is a pitch-dark comedy that may cause one to reflect on the true meaning of wealth. The play was the winner of the 2013 Julie Harris Playwright Award of the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild, now onstage at Theatre 40 through October 20, directed by Larry Eisenberg and produced by David Hunt Stafford, their first stage collaboration in their 40 year friendship. What took you two so long to create such a fine piece of theater?

The choices I have made are based solely on the plays and performances that I actually saw. I cannot see all the great talent that is out there in LA; it is physically impossible, as there exist far too many theatre/cabaret performances for one person to cover. So if a choice of yours is not on my list, chances are, I did not see that play or performance...or, it just did not make the final cut. I also do not separate Equity from Equity waiver; I consider all the productions/performances I select to be of top-of-the-line quality/professionalism.

The Circle by W. Somerset Maugham is a comedy of manners… a story with 2 triangles, one an elderly couple, and the second, youthful. In the first, the woman, Lady Kitty (played rightfully 'over the top' by a very funny but full of heart Rhonda Lord) has left her first husband, Clive Champion-Cheney (beautifully and truthfully played, but with a dash of humor, by the brilliant Lloyd Pedersen) when she falls in love with the then dashing Lord (Huey) Porteus (very well played by David Hunt Stafford). In the youthful triangle, Elizabeth (elegantly acted by the beautiful Shelby Kocee) is married to Arnold (largely playing an actor as well as a wonderful violinist by the name of Scott Facher), when she realizes that she has fallen in love, and vice versa, with a man of little means, Teddie (handsomely acted by Ross Alden). Now to get things relatively straight, Arnold is the son of Lady Kitty and Clive Champion-Cheney. So it seems that the daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, may be following in the footsteps of her mother-in-law. This all occurs in the beautiful upscale house in Dorset, England in the 1930s, brought to life in the beautiful set design by Jeff G. Rack, great costuming by Michele Young (I was particularly taken by a simple but gorgeous Kelly green period gown that Shelby wore), and good light design by Ric Zimmerman.

On Wednesday August 22, Group rep presented a special performance of their critically acclaimed production of Jon Robin Baitz' Paris Letter to an SRO audience. Baitz was in attendance and did a talk-back after the show. Below are photos from the evening! Cast on hand included Larry Eisenberg, Lloyd Pedersen, Dan Sykes, Alex Parker, Julia Silverman and Paul Cady. Director Jules Aaron was also in attendance, as well as producers Patrick Burke and Sherry Netherland.

The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre is hosting a Special Event Performance of Jon Robin Baitz' "The Paris Letter" and an after show Q & A with the celebrated playwright, on Wednesday, August 22, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District.

It's a pleasure to see an intelligently written play about sexual identity, one that shows how homosexuality has been affected by the American cultural climate over a 40 year period. But, when the piece goes beyond basic issues and delves deeply into raw human emotions, it comes up all the richer. In fact, Jon Robin Baitz' The Paris Letter with its breathtaking scope and poetic literary style may very well be categorized a new classic, and the current production is rendered so beautifully by a stellar cast and crew at Group rep through September 2.

The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre is proud to present Jon Robin Baitz' THE PARIS LETTER, directed by the award-winning, Jules Aaron produced by Patrick Burke for the Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, California. The play runs July 20 through September 2, 2012.