William Desmond News

Caroline O'Connor, star of stage and screen, joins the cast of ALL ROADS THEATRE COMPANY's fully staged and choreographed presentation of Jerry Herman's and Michael Stewart's beloved musical, MACK & MABEL In Concert, starring Dermot Mulroney and Jenna Lea Rosen.

The Westmont College Festival Theatre will bring Santa Barbara's treasured cinematic history to the stage in a world premiere.

On select Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Theatre West will present readings of new full-length plays developed in its Writers Workshop.

I was anxious to get back to the theatre after the pandemic hiatus on two levels - lingering fear of the 'Rona versus my life-long love affair with what is for me the greatest artistic performance genre of all: Musical Theatre. And we see here what won. I love musical theatre so much that I earned a degree as a triple threat from an exclusive conservatory, and know from whence I speak. Or type.

Figuring out whodunit feels like a bonus of this diverting if light slice of drama rather than its primary aim.

Performances concluded on Sunday for New York City Center Encores! first show of the 2020 season- Mack & Mabel. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production also starred Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

Count this reviewer among those who, contrary to conventional musical theatre wisdom, never thought there was anything horribly wrong with Michael Stewart's original book for MACK & MABEL, the big, splashy 1974 musical about silent movie director Mack Sennett and the star he discovered, Mabel Normand.

Performances are underway for the New York City Center Encores! first show of the 2020 season- Mack & Mabel, running for seven performances February 19-23. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production will also star Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

Performances are underway for the New York City Center Encores! first show of the 2020 season- Mack & Mabel, running for seven performances February 19-23. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production will also star Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

Today's top stories: West Side Story officially opens tonight, and more!

Performances begin tonight for the New York City Center Encores! first show of the 2020 season- Mack & Mabel, running for seven performances February 19-23. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production will also star Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

Rehearsals are officially underway for the New York City Center Encores! first show of the 2020 season- Mack & Mabel, running for seven performances February 19-23. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production will also star Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

Today's top stories: Six begins previews tonight, and more!

Kicking off the New York City Center Encores! season is Mack & Mabel, running for seven performances February 19-23. Led by Broadway's Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha in the title roles, the production will also star Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

New York City Center today announced complete casting for the Encores! production of Mack & Mabel. Joining previously announced cast members Douglas Sills as Mack Sennett and Alexandra Socha as Mabel Normand are Major Attaway (Fatty Arbuckle), Michael Berresse (William Desmond Taylor), Lilli Cooper (Lottie Ames), Ben Fankhauser (Frank Wyman), Jordan Gelber (Mr. Kessel), Evan Kasprzak (Freddy), Raymond J. Lee (Andy), Kevin Ligon (Eddie), Janet Noh (Ella), and Allen Lewis Rickman (Mr. Bauman).

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents Bill Morrison's Dawson City: Frozen Time LIVE! on Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. Tickets starting at $28 are available now at cap.ucla.edu, 310-825-2101 and The Theatre at Ace Hotel box office.

Producers have announced that there has been a cast change for the upcoming European premiere of the musical  Death Takes A Holiday.

Trevor Ashley returns to Hayes Theatre, this time to direct Jerry Herman (Music) and Michael Stewart's (Book) a moving MACK & MABEL.

La Jolla Playhouse presents the world premiere of HOLLYWOOD by Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro (Memphis, Chasing the Song) and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. Starring Harriet Harris, Patrick Kerr, Kate Rockwell and more, HOLLYWOOD runs through June 12 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre, with an official opening on May 18. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!