Shari Barrett News

The reviews are in for SELL/BUY/DATE at Geffen Playhouse! A one-woman show ( both written and performed by Sarah Jones), SELL/BUY/DATE opened on February 27th, and has recently been extended through April 15th.

Back in the late 60s, groups of people would meet up at an agreed-upon place to attend a "happening," defined as a partly improvised or spontaneous piece of theatrical or other artistic performance, typically involving audience participation. This description is exactly how I would describe what is taking place at the Pasadena Playhouse through February 25, 2018, with Gilbert and Sullivan's PIRATES OF PENZANCE as reimagined by the Chicago-based Hypocrites acting troupe who turns the classic on its head, surprising audiences with a raucous 80-minute beach party that blends the original operetta with modern day attire, a central stage area from which the tossing of beach balls is encouraged, kiddie wading pools are available for seats, and lots of audience participation is expected during every moment the 10 energetic actor-musicians are in the house.

Kentwood Players proudly presents the play THE CRUCIBLE, by Arthur Miller. Performance dates are January 12 February 17, 2018 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Performances take place at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. There will be a complimentary pre-show champagne and dessert reception between 7:00-7:30pm for season subscribers and their guests attending the Saturday, January 13 performance.

The World Premiere of ONE WAY TICKET TO OREGON written by BC Caldwell, produced by BC Caldwell and Jeremy Aldridge, and directed by JJ Mayes as an Equity Approved Showcase production at the Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica, runs November 17 through December 17, 2017 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm, with no performances scheduled over Thanksgiving weekend. Featured in the cast (in alphabetical order) are Cash Beery, BC Caldwell, Cydney Wayne Davis, Dennis Delsing*, Matt McVay, Robert Paterno*, Anderson Piller, Rebecca Radock*, Ruth Silveira*, Bryan Staggers* and Melvin Ward.

UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL runs at Geffen Playhouse through November 19. When a reclusive librarian discovers a 113-year overdue book in the night slot, curiosity compels him to pursue the borrower. His search for answers leads to a worldwide, whirlwind journey, where he discovers instead the great mysteries of humanity.

ONE WAY TICKET TO OREGON takes place in Alexandria, Louisiana during the very hot and humid summer of 2010. At its core are two life-long friends, June Collins, an older no nonsense African American woman with an intuitive understanding of people, and Leigh Anne Rainey, a fiery and opinionated older southern belle living in an aging house that has been home to her family for over 150 years. When Leigh Anne receives the diagnosis that her cancer has returned and spread to her pancreas, she's forced to confront her mortality and how it will affect her son Bobby, who relies on her stability, his unstable wife Eve, and her young grandson Duke, who has autism. With help from her friend June, Leigh explores her limited options, including the use of medical marijuana to curb her symptoms, and learns about doctors in Oregon who can legally help her to die with dignity,' an emotional struggle taking place all too often around the world today.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: Elsie Fest, FRANKENSTEIN and MY LINGERIE PLAY open, and more!

The world premiere of Paul Rudnick's new play NIG NIGHT runs at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through October 8, and the critics are weighing in!

Kira Turnage aka Lola Boutee, the CEO, Director and 2008 Founder of The Dollface Dames promises her troupe of Burlesque entertainers is the best L.A. has to offer with their high-class, show-stopping live entertainment for any occasion, whether you're looking for the best burlesque shows in town or to book choreographed full stage shows, cabaret dancers, burlesque soloists, singers, aerialists, fire performers, hoop artists, contortionists, variety acts, or magicians. My curiosity got the best of me, so I sat down to chat with her about her career and how she decided to get into the world of burlesque.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: over 70 members of the Broadway community will rally tonight for 2017 Covenant House 'Sleep Out!'

This year, the Bowl's annual staged musical visits the 2001 international phenomenon about a young woman's plot to uncover the identity of her father among three of her mother's former loves, all of whom are invited to her wedding on a Greek island. But which man turns out to be her father and walks her down the aisle? Filled with ABBA's timeless songs, including 'Dancing Queen' and 'Voulez Vous,' get ready to have the time of your life July 28-29-30 seeing MAMMA MIA! at the Hollywood Bowl, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall and conducted by David Holcenberg. Kathleen Marshall is one of Broadway's most celebrated artists. Honored numerous times for her work on stage and screen, she has won three Tony Awards (with six more nominations) and two Drama Desk Awards (four additional nominations). Marshall has also been nominated for both an Olivier and an Emmy. The MAMA MIA! production at the Hollywood Bowl marks her Los Angeles debut as a director/choreographer, and I recently was fortunate to speak with her, and stars Corbin Bleu and Lea DeLaria, about their excitement being involved in the musical extravaganza.

CRE Outreach is pleased to announce the World Premiere dance production of EMOTIONS by the newly formed Blind Dance Company, in which all performers are sightless, on Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 7:00pm at The Lazarus Experience, located at 224 E. 11th Street Loft 501, in downtown Los Angeles, CA 90015. Featured dancers include Natalie Gross, Kenny Lee, Ronald Chism, Sylvia Taylor, Barbara Ford, Christina Johnson, and William Andrus, who, guided by professional dancer and choreographer, Hydeia Muhammad, perform for the first time as the Blind Dance Company. During the performance, you will experience various emotions through these talented, all-blind dancers, with many genres of dance represented including Hip-Hop, Ballroom, Contemporary and much more! Each number will introduce a different form of emotion while incorporating the beauty of fulfillment and the ability to overcome obstacles through dance.

Kentwood Players is presenting THE GINGERBREAD LADY, a dramedy by Neil Simon, opening Friday, July 14 through Saturday, August 19, 2017 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Drew Fitzsimmons and produced by Jenny Boone and Lynn Gutstadt for Kentwood Players with rights secured from Samuel French. Featured in the cast (in alphabetical order) are Marco Garcia Ballare, Sara Bozin, Al Gomez, Ken MacFarlane, Lezlie Moore, and Genous Novin.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: Ben Platt hosts the 2017 Jimmy Awards, honoring the best in high school musical theatre tonight!

ELEVATOR is currently enjoying a sold-out run at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood, and due to ticket demand, has been extended again through July 30, 2017. I originally reviewed the show in April 2017 and was fascinated by the level of audience emotional attachment to the characters, so I arranged an interview with writer/director Michael Leoni and one of the featured actors in show, Erica Katzin, who plays The Temp, hoping some of their comments will encourage you to order your tickets NOW before the Los Angeles run ends.

Roundup: Check Out The Top Stories From Los Angeles You Might Have Missed 5/26 - Vote in the BWW Awards!

GOOD PEOPLE centers on life in South Boston, a working-class neighborhood on hard times, which is no joke for single mother Margaret Walsh. Fired from her job, facing eviction and with nowhere to turn, she and her grown, disabled daughter, represent a large portion of today's society. Will she get a break from her young manager at the Dollar Store or the landlady with a craft business selling googly-eyed rabbits, or the man from her past, now a successful doctor, who left town at a crucial moment long ago? With cutting humor and amazing realism, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsey-Abaire creates a loving portrait of his hometown and a relatable story of socioeconomic struggle.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature WEST SIDE STORY in Philadelphia, THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE in Los Angeles, and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in Salt Lake City, just to name a few. Check out our top features below!

Geffen Playhouse opened the West Coast Premiere of THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE, now playing through May 14th.