review - South Pacific

CRITIC'S PICK

The Lincoln Center Theater Production of
South Pacific

book by Oscar Hammerstein II & Joshua Logan

music by Richard Rodgers; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

directed by Bartlett Sher
Ahmanson Theatre

through July 17

Who said film, not stage, was the director's medium? The Lincoln Center Theater Production of South Pacific is an example of just how one ingenious director's vision makes a great show even greater. The message of heartbreaking love across racial borders has never been portrayed as quintessentially or more beautifully as in Bartlett Sher's stunner now docked at the Ahmanson until July 17.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's elegant score has never sounded better and the look of Michael Yeargan's rich set design with Bali Ha'i in the background is incredibly dreamlike and enticing.

As my friend noted, "You can't go much higher than that!"

This cast is electric, headed by Carmen Cusack as Ensign Nellie Forbush and Rod Gilfry* as cultured Frenchman Emile de Becque. Cusack's conflicting emotions are transparent at every moment and Gilfry's leap for happiness, palpable. Anderson Davis makes Lt. Joseph Cable jaded, but grounded and Matthew Saldivar as Luther Billis is disgustingly raw, aggressively overbearing, but strong, honest and ultimately likeable. I have seen many Bloody Marys, but never one like Keala Settle's creation. My hat is off to this young woman, who, from the moment she walks painfully onstage, is that character. One can instantly feel her deepseated solitude and lifelong struggle of burdensome discontent. She is magnificent and the best Bloody Mary to date. Hats in the air as well to Sumie Maeda as the gorgeous Liat, Gerry Becker as Captain George Brackett and to the entire sensational ensemble. There is not a Seabee in sight without power, drive and magnetism.

Christopher Gattelli's musical staging is wonderfully powerful especially with the Seabees on "Bloody Mary" and "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame". The next to last scene on the beach with the soldiers leaving the island, marching to the tune of "Honey Bun" is a brilliant image that stays in the mind long after leaving the theatre.

What a show! This enduring and endearing chestnut is one of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's finest and this entire production indelibly wondrous.

5+ out of 5 stars

* Through June 20. David Pittsinger plays Emile de Becque June 22-July 17.

review - A Chorus Line

CRITIC'S PICK/A Chorus Line/Pantages Theatre/through June 13
When A Chorus Line premiered at Joe Papp’s Public Theater in 1975, its bold form changed the face of the American musical. I wonder if James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante (book), Ed Kleban (lyrics) and Marvin Hamlisch (music) really knew the impact that their soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize winning drama would hold for future generations as it moved from Joe Papp’s Public Theater to Broadway? It promised to be be a singularly sensational success all over the globe for decades. And – in 2010 – it still remains one of the most thrilling musicals ever.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

This current touring cast and creative team of Chorus Line is every bit as electrifying as the 1975 original, which I saw 3 times. Comparisons would be unfair, so I will not make any. Suffice to say, each and every player has his or her moment in the spotlight and makes it full and unforgettable. Andy Mills is Mike, so cool and acrobatic with "I Can Do That"; Derek Hanson is Zach: strong, opinionated and unflinching – well, almost, except where Cassie is concerned. Rebecca Riker, the youngest looking Cassie I have ever seen, makes her beautifully grounded and totally honest about her career expectations. Other notables include Kristen Martin as Val, the ‘tits and ass’ girl, a very touching performance from Nicky Venditti as Paul, so humiliated with facing his parents as a gay man, Selina Verastigui as Diana who consistently felt “Nothing”, and Ashley Yeater, a very memorable Sheila, the gal who came on strong and refused to let her age stand in the way. Yeater is tall and statuesque like Julie Newmar, and it is difficult to keep one's eyes off her. Under Bob Avian’s clockwork-like direction (he was co-choreographer of the original) and with Baayork Lee’s mesmerizing choreography (she was Connie in the original), the show just rocks.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Its dramatic highs and lows are many. In fact, in ‘75, some critics were bewildered at classifying it a musical at all. The play is the grueling dance audition, with its ‘kitchen-sink’ realism and is laden with a mesh of contradictory feelings. Acceptance vs. rejection; love vs. hate; joy vs. fear. Fear of not being perfect; even worse, the fear of losing. Perseverance is a tough game. We can all relate. As original director Michael Bennett once said, “This show is dedicated to anyone who has ever danced in a chorus or marched in step…anywhere.” Still brilliant and heart-pounding after all these years!
5 out of 5 stars

Doug Carpenter and Jessica Keenan Wynn

Doug Carpenter and Jessica Keenan Wynn had fun onstage @ Sterling's and sang up a storm!!
See my review below!

review - CART - Norman Corwin Comedies

Playwright, essayist and famous author of radio drama of the 30s and 40s Norman Corwin, now 100 years young, loved to entertain audiences with light entertainment, including fantasy, that often tackled important social issues, not unlike Orson Welles. He has frequently been referred to as the "Poet Laureate of Radio".

CART (California Artists Radio Theatre), to celebrate Corwins's 100th birthday on May 3, presented two of his short comedies, both directed sublimely by Peggy Webber, on Saturday, May 29 at the Beverly Garland Theatre in NoHo.

The first Mary and the Fairy, written in 1941 for actresses Elsa Lanchester and Ruth Gordon, is a delightful look at a slice of the American dream in which a young lady enters a contest with the Crinkly Crunkly Baking Company and wins FIRST PRIZE. What she wins is a visit from a fairy who grants her 5 wishes. Being terribly average and hardly a raving beauty, Mary wishes for a date with an attractive man, en evening with a foreign prince, to be smarter, have more rhythmic speech patterns and to find success. Of course, her wishes are granted, but the effects only last for a 24 hour period, so alas, she still feels a failure. She blames part of her lack of success on the facts that she is impulsive and too romantic by nature - and the fairy assures her that for true and lasting happiness, his magic is hardly the answer; she must learn to think and act for herself.

Playing Mary was the irrepresibly hilarious Jo Anne Worley and the Fairy (now called Melvin), Marvin Kaplan, now at his peak as a richly funny comic actor. They were both a joy to listen to, as well as were narrator Richard Herd, Simon Templeman, Samantha Eggar, Tom Williams, Phil Proctor and Paul Keith - all wonderful, with special nods to Proctor and Keith for their great skill with playing a variety of people with a variety of accents.

The second entry was Murder in Studio One, a very humorous takeoff on radio announcers and celebrities who often replaced them in the 40s. All silliness here with another piece of Americana, this time baseball. Just how far will one Dodger fanatic go to ensure that the Yankees won't win?! This playlet belonged to beautiful Samantha Eggar, so smooth and charming as Detective Cameo and her streetwise assistant Min played with bravura by Peggy Webber, CART's founder and executive director. Kudos to the rest of the team: Tom Williams, Simon Templeman, Richard Herd, Jo Anne Worley, Phil Proctor and Paul Keith, the latter two again delightfully essaying a variety of roles - Keith especially funny as Goo Wong a parody of Charlie Chan. Young Abbie Cobb joined the ensemble beautifully playing the giddy young Gladys.

Praise as well to musical composer Kenneth Strange, and to sound effects engineer Tony Palermo. These broadcasts could not be done without them!

Corwin, bless his soul, was present and spoke briefly after the presentation, citing Peggy Webber as "the first lady of radio theatre". For no reason, in his speech of thanks and praise for the actors, he apologized for the plays not being as funny as he thought they should be, through no fault of the actors. He added that when he wrote them 70 years ago, what seemed funny then certainly has changed with age. He wasn't secure that they still stand the test of time. Do we still believe in magic and the power of supernatural forces? Would a young man kill another out of love for the game of baseball? Yes, by all means, we do and anything could - and does - happen in this crazy mixed-up world of ours. Mr. Corwin, whether you realize it or not, you were a great forerunner of contemporary American comedy. Your jokes and premises were and still are funny. No apologies are in order! Thank you!!

review - Four Places

CRITIC'S PICK
Four Places
by Joel Drake Johnson
directed by Robin Larsen
Rogue Machine's production @ Theatre Theater.
through July 3

Painful though the subject matter of Four Places truthfully is, you can spot at least one member of your family within its four characters. Mother Peggy, daughter Ellen, and son Warren are present; the father never appears, but his presence is felt as clearly as the other three, thanks to the astute writing of Joel Drake Johnson. In fact, the play has everything going for it: great writing, directing, acting and technical values.
It starts simply enough, as siblings Ellen (Roxanne Hart), recently widowed, and Warren (Tim Bagley), divorced, drive over to pick up their mother Peggy (Anne Gee Byrd) to take her to a local restuarant for lunch. There is tension between all three characters as Warren's participation is unexpected, prompting the mother to realize that something unpleasant is adrift. Once at the restaurant, they are greeted by a friendly waitress Barb (Lisa Rothschiller), who fawns all over Peggy, who's a regular customer. The disclosures and recriminations that transpire over the next hour and twenty minutes are bitter, somewhat shocking and appalling but presented with such humor - much of the time - that most of it is easy to swallow. At the core of the piece is an alcoholic mother and father, who have been abusive to one another, and rather neglectful of their children - always have. The decision that the children have made to help both parents cuts like a knife into the mother's personal life, as well as their own. Anyone who has ever had to deal with aging, sick parents in their final years will relate to this story.
The acting is superb. Byrd has never been better as the feisty mother who longs to keep a piece of herself in a private place but is understandably forbidden. Peggy simultaneously wins our love and distrust through Byrd's remarkable performance. Both Hart and Bagley are wonderfully strong as the depressed, unsettled brother and sister. As well as the matter of the parents, each is experiencing deep personal issues of loneliness. Warren's issues run even deeper and more complex. Although we can relate, neither is especially likeable. They gain some sympathy, but make sure you hold accountable the play's engrossingly piquant wit. Rothschiller is memorable as the waitress who really cares about the people she serves, going above and beyond to assure Peggy's personal welfare.
Larsen's staging and pace are excellent and the set design by Mark Guirguis is cinematically appealing with a revolving centerpiece that serves as both car and restaurant booth.
Four Places is intense, remorseless drama at its finest. As in life, at play's end there is resolution and compromise but little sign of happiness.
5 out of 5 stars

BOOK review - Something You Forgot ... Along the Way

Something You Forgot...Along the Way
Stories of Wisdom and Learning
by Kentetsu Takamori
translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter
178 pages
Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc. - Tokyo and Los Angeles
2009

What a little treasure! Little fits the bill as you can slip this book into a purse, briefcase or perhaps large coat pocket with no difficulty - which makes it convenient to read on the go. Takamori, a Pure Land Buddhist teacher born in Japan in 1929, has compiled 65 anecdotes about life and living. This is my kind of book. You can read one or two stories, put the book aside and return to it hours or days later, and read a few more.
Each anecdote has a moral attached. For example, in the chapter entitled "Counseling the Wayward Student" a teacher advises a bad student, who only writes to his parents when he needs them to send him money, to write to them regularly to inform them of his daily progress. As he begins to do so, his parents, at first shocked, are thrilled with his newfound consistent communication, and a whole new relationship between them blossoms. The moral: If you are a teacher, use your wisdom to advise, as the effect on your students may be great. In fact, it may change several lives for the better.
Each chapter is two or three pages in length, perfect for reading on the subway or bus on the way to work or during your lunch break at a local cafeteria. Eight of these chapters are only two pages in length with a little poem-like quotation devoted to a single observation on one side, accompanied by a beautiful photograph of nature on the opposite page. My favorite is Chapter # 58 "On Living Each Day":

Unless you progress a step
or a half-step more than
yesterday, you haven't really
lived today.

Truly a simple message, but oh so practical. Live every day to its fullest capacity! There is a beautiful picture on the opposite page of the greenest hillside I have ever seen. The hillside has a winding path and is sprinkled with green trees. Follow that path, as you never know where it may lead. That's what it means to me. Other such chapters treat the issues of vanity, avarice and self-reflection.
Famous people are included in the stories. For example, Chapter # 38 tells of the wisdom of Napoleon, who refused to look at instant gratification as important. He felt, if you did, you would lose sight of the bigger picture of the distant future. In Chapter # 49 Yataro Iwasaki, Japanese entrepreneur and founder of the Mitsubishi Group, always wore sandals as a reminder of where he started. As rich as you may get, never forget your humble beginnings!
As a Buddhist, Takamori believes firmly in basic principles. In today's fast-paced world, we've gotten away from the basics that are so essential for good living. This wonderful small gem of a book will help put you back on the right path.
5 stars

Please e-mail:
info@i-ipi.com or write to:
Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc. (IPI),
19750 S. Vermont Ave., Suite 200, Torrance, CA, 90502
Visit the website @:
www.i-ipi.com

Carmen Miranda show postponed

Magi Avila as Carmen Miranda in the world premiere musical Carmen Miranda - The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat set to open this Friday May 28 has postponed its official opening to Friday June 11, with new previews scheduled for June 4-6 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre.

"Carmen Miranda- The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat"---

Public performances now begin June 4.
The official Press Night is now June 11.
The NEW director is Beto Araiza.
The trio of male dancers has left the show.
There is now a cast of eight, toplined by Magi Avila.
Show is scheduled to run through June 27, with an option to extend if demand warrants it.

CABARET review - Doug Carpenter & Jessica Keenan Wynn

Doug Carpenter and Jessica Keenan Wynn, costars of the original Life Could Be a Dream, made their cabaret debuts @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's Sunday May 30 in a deliriously entertaining evening of song entitled Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.

Having performed onstage together in both Life Could Be a Dream and The Last Five Years, they have a really quirky chemistry that is perfect for tunes like "Friendship", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and the title song "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" from Annie Get Your Gun. From the top they created a sexual tension that was fun to watch, nitpicking and joking about each other's faults in an enjoyable banter, kind of like Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally, but that ultimately proved they would never make the ideal couple romantically - pure platonic friends is what they would always remain. "Wunderbar" was another terrific choice, as they would make a great team in Kiss Me Kate; sparks would fly!

Highlights of the hour-long set included: Carpenter top-notch with "Soliloquy" from Carousel, also with a stunning turn on Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's "Run Away With Me". Carpenter's operatically trained instrument was also used to superior advantage in the duets "If I Loved You", "People Will Say We're In Love" and "Unchained Melody". He exudes the romantic charm of a young Tony Martin or Robert Goulet. Wynn's range is amazing, matching Carpenter's delivery on all the duets mentioned and soloing with a sumptuous "Never Neverland" by Scott Allan, "Song That Goes Like This" from Spamalot and "Cry Baby". She is beautiful and a sparkling performer.

Both Carpenter and Wynn are sensational actors and singers, as well as being as attractive as all get out, so the entire set wisked by in a flash. His theatre schedule is pretty full for the next several months, but hopefully there will be a CD of Life Could Be a Dream and the twosome will return to Sterling's for another round of great singing in the not too distant future. I would also like both of them to consider a solo act, for each incredible talent can more than carry a show.

review - Rockin' With the Ages II

RECOMMENDED
Rockin' With the Ages II
musical revue produced by Senior Star Power and the Pink Lady
directed by David Mingrino
Whitefire Theatre
through June 13



"Get up, get out and get a life!" is the motto of Pink Lady Jackie Goldberg whose honorable work on behalf of senior citizens everywhere cannot receive enough praise. The second production of Rockin' With the Ages, which proves that "age is only a number" presenting talented seniors over 60, is a rousing, rhythmic, razzmataz show featuring a bevy of well-known Broadway and pop tunes to suit almost anyone's fancy. This show is wholesomely clean, folks -but still engagingly titillating.
A cast of twenty - that's right - 16 gals and 4 gents along with Razzmatappers and Ron Rose on piano and Craig Fine on drums, do a two-hour gig full of song, dance, comedy and even a little drama to wet the tearducts. David Mingrino's staging is fabulous with a never-let-die pace that really moves throughout.
Highlights include: Raffi Mauro perfect with "Mr. Cellophane", "Good to Mama" with Valorie Paradise-Lant super as Big Mama, Joe Cardinale sweetly loving and sentimental on "Sometimes a Day Goes By", an energizing tap "Puttin' On the Ritz", a tearful "Bring Him Home" with cultured soprano Carolyn Val-Schmidt, a cute and sexy "Hurry on Down" with Lant, Val-Schmidt and Bobbi Stamm, Sue Smart - woa, what a great voice! with "Tennessee Waltz", a dynamite production tap called "Production Code" alluding to the censorship of Hollywood in the 30s, and a sizzling "Cell Block Tango" with Stamm, Val-Schmidt, Paradise-Lant, Pattie Brooks, Susan LaCroix and Phyllis Lovit.
The beautiful "From a Distance" made so memorable by Bette Midler about the atrocity of war closes Act I and "Coming to America" Neil Diamond's rollicking hit from "The Jazz Singer" is the patriotic closer of Act II.
It's a Palm Springs Follies on a small-scale kinda' show that will please theatregoers over 40 and especially seniors. One feature to be lauded is that the performers come into the audience and really connect with the patrons. They even hand out fake money during "Money, money, money" and miniature flags at the finale. On the afternoon I attended - there are 3 matinees out of 5 weekly performances on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays - it was a sold-out house with just about everyone loving every minute of what they saw. "They're over the hill, but they're wonderful; I'm jealous!" was overheard as well as "She's over 60? Impossible!"
Lovely ladies, perky gents - all in terrific shape, dancing, singing and giving it everything they've got. You can't afford to miss this uniquely entertaining show that is loaded with heart and charm. It is bound to be a staple in the San Fernando Valley for many years to come. It offers a good time, and that's what people are begging for.
4 out of 5 stars

Janene Lovullo After a Great Performance!

I asked Janene Lovullo to record a CD!

She's thankfully working on two with her pianist/arranger Christopher Marlowe.

James Denton Performs for SeaGlass Theatre Benefit

James Denton and I chatted about SeaGlass, the play he appeared in with his wife Erin O'Brien How Cissy Grew for SeaGlass and about his music and Nashville, Tennessee.

Watch for our interview soon!

review - U.S.S. Pinafore

CRITIC'S PICK
U.S.S. Pinafore
libretto by Sir W. S. Gilbert and music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
musical direction by William A. Reilly/directed & adapted by Jon Mullich
Crown City Theatre Company
through June 27

Crown City Theatre's adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore
entitled U.S.S. Pinafore mixing the rhythmical musical score with a Treky-based theme is one gigantically terrific musical takeoff.
When the original Pinafore was first performed in 1878 as a comic opera, it had enough mirth and silliness to sink the Titanic. It was conceived as a loving satire of the British royal navy -and, more matter-of-factly, the English system of social class. In this adapted version Jon Mullich places our team of players on a spaceship like the Enterprise of Star Trek, which is the most beloved sci-fi show in American television history, a true-blue institution, open to as much criticism as our democracy itself. In the chain of command how commandants like to step on captains and captains on lowly TARs (that's Transport Assistant Repairmen)! We may not be privy to class distinctions, but we certainly understand what it means to be rich and lofty versus poor and lowly. The adaptation fits the satire beautifully!
The plot remains unchanged in the new version and the quick-paced, upbeat score as well. Only some lyrics have been altered to suit the new venue. An example would be "He Is an Englishman" is now "He Is an Earthling Man". A great addition to the list of characters is Dick Deadeye, a lizard-like alien who stands apart as ugly and undesirable, making marriage to him seem utterly impossible.
The entire humanoid ensemble under Mullich's ultimate skill function exceedingly well together. Aidan Park as Rackstraw and Ashley Cuellar as Josephine are dynamic and vocally strong as the enamored young couple. James Jaeger is sheer delight as Deadeye. Every movement of the tongue is comic perfection. Equally excellent are Jesse Merlin as Captain Corcoran, Ron Schneider as Sir Joseph Porter, and Mona King heavenly as Buttercup. Tim Polzin, Paton Ashbrook, Michael Levin, Dave Berges, Victoria Gonzalez (jovial in a dual role), Misha Bouvion, and Jason D. Rennie as the voice of Al are all
tip-top.
Set design by Tony Potter is ship-shape, and costumes by Caitlin Erin O'Hare just right. Loved those brightly colored tacky wigs that have the look of Frederick's of Hollywood! Stephanie Pease does a nifty job with choreography.
This is a great second entry hit in Crown's new season. Congrats, you're on a roll!
5 out of 5 stars

CABARET review - Janene Lovullo

Broadway actress/singer Janene Lovullo returned to the concert stage after a ten-year hiatus @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's on Sunday, May 23 with a superior evening of song entitled You Are My World. She was accompanied at the piano by fine musical director Chris Marlowe.

To say that Lovullo is a consummate singer is an understatement. She has an astounding range with a delivery that would make many singers envious. She can be as dynamic as she wants to be, but will also lower her instrument to almost a whisper. For me, this is the mark of an exceptional artist who is first and foremost into telling the story of every tune she sings.

Highlights of the evening included: her opener by David Friedman "Listen to My Heart", an expressive song that genuinely showed off her intimate vocal styling, Stephen Schwartz's lilting "Mealowlark", a lovely Pretty Women medley that remarkably combined the seriousness of two Sondheim tunes "Pretty Women" and "Every Day a Little Death" with the infectiously upbeat Burt Bacharach "Wives and Lovers". There was also the wonderful Ed Kleban tune "Better", the gorgeous Rodgers and Hammerstein "I Have Dreamed" and a stunningly intense adult medley that divinely mixed "You Are My World" with "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life", "Out of This World" and "So in Love". To show her comedic skill and versatility there were "Billions of Beautiful Boys" by Marshall Barer who wrote the music for Once Upon a Mattress, the very sensible "My Dog Loves Your Dog", originally done by Cliff Edwards (Ukelele Ike) in 1934, and Elmer Bernstein's "Shakespeare Lied" a lighter look at romance with simple advice to 'Get over it!' Lovullo, instead of ending with a bang, went out with the utterly splendid Kander and Ebb favorite "A Quiet Thing", forceful in its own incomparable way.

It was a short 50 minute set, brilliantly conceived by Marlowe and gorgeously performed by Lovullo. With a standing ovation, like a great opera singer, she left us gracefully, as we begged for more. Real class! Brava!

review - It Ain't All Confetti!

CRITIC'S PICK
It Ain't All Confetti!
conceived and starring Rip Taylor
directed by David Galligan
El Portal Forum Theatre
extended through June 6

Comedian Rip Taylor has been entertaining audiences for over 50 years with a fast-paced delivery of stupid jokes and hysterical one-liners accompanied by a visual menagerie of props that won't quit. You really have to focus in to keep up with him; once he lets loose with a punchline, that's it; whether you caught it or not, it's on to the next, in a barrage of 50 or more, shot out and sprayed around in machine gun style. As Charles Pierce used to say, "I hope you're wearing pampers, my dear, because you're going to pee!" Taylor is a scream and audiences have always had a ball.
Now with It Ain't All Confetti!, Taylor stretches one hundred and eighty degrees as he delivers his life story in an 80 minute set, ingeniously directed by David Galligan. Taylor does his routine at the top for about ten minutes, then sits down, takes off the toupee and gets serious. He tells anecdotes from his sad childhood growing up in foster homes in D. C., as well as from his stint in the service and his very first gigs in clubs in war zones abroad and in strip joints back home. There is much humor, like in referring to his being drafted, "Can you imagine me defending you for two years?" or working for the first time as an entertainer in a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, lip-syncing to Japanese songs. Watching his mobile face gyrate to the music is great fun. Or as he tries to get us to imagine tap-dancing Ann Miller as a nun in The Sound of Music, or as he elaborately describes an early ad for his act in burlesque: 27 Strips and Rip! There are laughs aplenty, but also some very emotionally jolting moments, like being thrown into a dark cellar as a child, beaten up and harrassed by bullies in high school, being unfairly thrown out into the street from his first gig in Atlantic City after the War, or his uneasy dismissal from TV's The Jackie Gleason Show by the Great One himself. There are resounding tributes to Eleanor Powell, with whom he did his first Vegas show, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, and more contemporary Demi Moore who became a close friend after he played her harsh boss in the film Indecent Proposal.
One memorable image that Taylor uses and reuses is the concept of moving into the light, a warm and secure place to be - that he found early on in show business while appearing in an amateur piano contest. It's a steady reminder to struggling performers that you can and must find your own way to survive. He did and has never stopped working all these years onstage or screen.
Taylor never slows down or changes speed during the storytelling; you have to strain sometimes to understand everything he says, but it's OK, because he insists on keeping his audience consistently on their toes. He may not be a classically trained actor, but is certainly one of the funniest second bananas of his generation who knows how to move us.
This is a very entertaining, enlightening and touching piece, whose anecdotes are perfect for a best-selling autobiography. Taylor proves himself even more endearing with an honest repartee that makes us simultaneously laugh and cry.
5 out of 5 stars

Rip Taylor - After Party

Saying congrats to Rip Taylor after his sensational one-man show It Ain't All Confetti at the El Portal's Forum Theatre. (top - right of Taylor - Jane Kean)

Rodgers & Hammerstein Singers

Congratulating Amy Lawrence, James Snyder and Alli Mauzey after a splendid concert at the Inner Circle of the Magic Castle.

review - A Night of Rodgers & Hammerstein

Cabaret at the Castle Proudly Presented A Night of Rodgers & Hammerstein.
The evening was directed by Edward Sayegh and featured Gil Darnell, James Snyder, Alli Mauzey, Alli McGinnis, Anthony Carillo, Carolyn Schultz, Reid Lee, Amy Lawrence, Cynthia Stults, Marikah Cunningham and Lisaun Whittingham, all vocal students of Mr. Sayegh. The evening was in support of The American Musical Theater Workshop. (AMTW) And...

T'was A Grand Night of Singing!

The revue It's a Grand Night For Singing provided the basis for this show, reduced from two acts into one, keeping many of the most memorable songs from Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Carousel, King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, Flower Drum Song et al.

The tiny Inner Circle stage neatly fit 11 performers - not an easy feat to accomplish, but thanks to Sayegh's smoothly organized staging, they performed together, sat on theatre trunks whilst listening to the solos and duets and even did a bit of dancing - and all 11 remained onstage throughout.

Highlights of the evening included: Alli Mauzey's adorably feisty Ado Annie with "Can't Say No", James Snyder's rich and dynamic tenor on "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" from Sound of Music, Anthony Carillo's pleasantly intense "Love Look Away", Gil Darnell's plaintive "Nearly Was Mine", Alli McGinnis' beautiful "A Lovely Night" and Amy Lawrence's lilting operatic soprano with "Might As Well be Spring". Mauzey and Snyder stood out with their gorgeous Parent Medley, which included his "Soliloquy" from Carousel. Snyder also did a wonderful "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and Mauzey a stunning "Something Wonderful" from The King and I.

This was a richly sung and grandly presented evening of song. What a great opportunity for young people to discover the genius and musical wealth of the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook!

review - The Clean House

CRITIC'S PICK
The Clean House
by Sarah Ruhl
directed by Stefan Kruck
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
through July 3

Unusual and provocative best describe Sarah Ruhl's Pulitzer-Prize nominated The Clean House receiving its LA Premiere at the Odyssey. Under Stefan Kruck's consistently circular staging, the play elicits laughter through tears and is bound to be a hit with theatre lovers, especially with those who have a taste for the outrageous.

Ruhl as writer, much like the brilliant John Guare, mixes dialogue and actions that do not blend naturally, eliciting humor where it is least expected. Death and jokes are a strange combination that do not always work well side by side, but when Matilde (Elizabeth Liang), new Brazilian maid to American doctors Charles and Lane (Don Fischer and Colette Kilroy), would rather hunt for the funniest joke in the world in her quest to be a stand-up comedienne than clean their house, the zaniness begins and the audience is surprisingly hooked. Her mother literally died laughing, and she's afraid she'll die too, but that doesn't stop her quest. Even though she tells a joke in Portuguese, she uses body movements to more than effectively communicate the message, particularly the more obscene elements. You have to see it to appreciate it!
Lane is, to say the least, obsessively clean and cannot put up with Matilde's loose work ethic. And when Lane's sister Virginia (D.J. Harner*), also a neat freak, chips in to help Matilde behind Lane's back and Lane finds out, all hell breaks loose between the two sisters who already are at odds. A bigger conflict arises when Charles falls unexpectedly in love with a patient Ana (Denise Blasor). What ensues when Charles and Ana announce their intentions to Lane, Virginia and Matilde is a larger than life curiosity by anyone's moral standards. And what makes the entire situation more bizarre and uncanny is the gradual positive effect that it has on everyone's relationship. It's a life lesson in this fast-paced day and age to stop worrying about your house and to pay more attention to the human beings that live within it. Better to be caring and dirty than to be tidy and unforgiving. Who would have thought that The Odd Couple's Oscar was on the right track!?

The entire ensemble are a joy to watch. Liang is hilarious in her aloofness, Harner and Kilroy superbly intense, and Blasor beautifully humane. Fischer has his best moments with the broad physical comedy that accompanies his travels in Act II, the plot of which I refuse to give away. Go see the play!

The stage devices employed are intriguing. Projections on the wall to announce character behavior remind me of a foreign language film with subtitles. It puts the audience at an uncomfortable distance, but in this case, that's good; it makes sense. And slow motion body actions as with the two sisters facing off like wild beasts add not only to the offbeat comedy but to the overall eclectic nature of the piece. It's almost like an outsider's perspective on the tick.tock of American culture or the entrance to an unexplained world that is totally worth the exploration.

The set design by Frederica Nascimento with its emphasis on large and white - and with Ana's balcony secretly tucked away behind large white doors - adds a brilliant touch to the meaning of hospital-like sterility versus warmth.

This is a truly great and original evening of theatre in which Sarah Ruhl proves her unequalled ability to make us laugh, cry and care in extraordinary ways.
5 out of 5 stars
* (Shawna Casey shares the role of Virginia)

review - The Ice-Breaker

RECOMMENDED

The Ice-Breaker

by David Rambo

directed by Andre Barron

Theatre 40

through June 6

David Rambo's The Ice-Breaker is getting its Los Angeles premiere in a handsome production at Theatre 40.
Although flawed, the play has enough going for it to capture audience acclaim.

Set in Arizona in present time, The Ice-Breaker has an appealing romantic quality like old-fashioned plays, in which two people in conflict end up in an unforseen romantic entanglement. The situation in this case is a young geology student, with a rather precarious past, who hunts down a former controversial geologist/professor in an effort to have him read and help her with her university thesis. Sonia (Ashleigh Sumner) intrudes upon Dr. Lawrence Blanchard (Robert Mackenzie), who is no longer into the study of glaciers and the historical significance of the Ice Age. He once called himself an explainer; she, on the contrary, wants to be a forecaster, analyzing the supposed onset of the Ice Age every 100,000 years for its effects on global warming and the future of mankind. Blanchard kept a journal, which Sonia found while exploring in Antarctica on an Outward Bound community service type project and his writings inspired her to study geology. Blanchard had a profound influence on her chosen life's work, and she is justifiably devastated when he initially treats her with complete indifference.

Of course, things change, they get to know each other, have an affair and share intimacies that only lovers do. At play's end, however, when issues cloud the romance once again, something goes awry. Yes, Sonia goes back to Antarctica to pursue answers where Blanchard left off, so he has properly inspired her to pursue the fulfillment of the dream. It is a credible ending. Blanchard is perhaps too old to make the journey into such a rough and rugged terrain, even if he did agree to it, but to leave him behind is romantically unsatisfying. So, on a realistic level, the play works just fine, but theatrically and romantically, not as much.

On the up side, there are some lovely discussions of the beauty of nature, the texture of fine wine and its origins, and science vs art that Rambo has included. Maybe Sonia's misunderstanding of Blanchard's statement applies to the ending of the play: "Inconclusiveness is conclusive in itself".

Maybe this is all that Rambo intended.

Sumner is a delightful actress. She is a pleasure to watch from the beginning, like a wide-eyed child searching for answers to an unending montage of questions. Mackenzie is approriately blase at first, then becomes more interesting to observe as Blanchard succumbs to Sonia's attentions and confides in her. The two actors play off each other quite winningly. Barron has done a stunning job of directing his actors especially in the awkward and intimate moments. Jeff G. Rack's set design of Blanchard's Arizona home, interior and exterior, places us remarkably smack dab in that locale.

This is a pleasant evening of theatre, and despite the scientific jargon that will turn some patrons off, it will move and engage most.

4 out of 5 stars

CABARET review - Janet Krupin @ Sterling's

Janet Krupin, the winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010 performed her first cabaret Rhapsody in New on Saturday May 15 @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's.

To say that this innovative, triple-threat future star was terrific is an understatement. She is a risk taker of the highest order, and as she explained at the top, she was about to present familiar material "like you've never heard it before". With Michael Alfera at piano, and also creator and musical director, there were a variety of pop songs done with completely new arrangements. This, for the most part, was a very good thing. Tinker too much with an old favorite and it can become unrecognizable. Only pleasantly so here! Harold Arlen's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sounded unlike any rendition I have ever heard, and as much as I love Judy Garland's traditional interpretation, I have to admit I savored this new presentation. Thank you, Mr. Alfera and Ms Krupin! Another break from the mold was Jerry Herman's "I Won't Send Roses" from Mack and Mabel,

with some lyrics changed to "He Won't Send Roses" to suit Krupin's reflection on being in love with a man who is too preoccupied with himself. It worked divinely!

Alfera and Krupin graduated from USC the day before the concert, and in her opener, Krupin walked on stage in cap and gown, and during the course of her first number "Look At Me Now" from Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, she briskly stipped them away to reveal a sexy white to-the-knee evening dress, showing off her voluptuous figure to great advantage. Risk taker that she is, Krupin is still very much a down-to-earth girl from Seattle and turned to her mom at a front table and assured her that everything was in place and she wouldn't lose control. Such a genuine, sweet personality within a strong, mature, professional instrument!

Other highlights that showed off Krupin's range and vocal style were Rodgers' and Hammerstein's "I Have Confidence", a very amusing tale of lesbian love "Old Fashioned Love Story" once again from Lippa's The Wild Party accompanied by a cute story about Krupin's first "hit on" encounter in a local bar, her bravura "Il Cane Del Opera" from Bark! , a rather engaging rendition of Ray Charles' "You Don't Know Me", a brave and bold "Down With Love", made so famous by Streisand in her second album, and closing were Krupin's winning entries in the Next Great Stage Star competition "How Lucky Can You Get?", another Streisand favorite from Funny Lady and her encore Rodgers' and Hammerstein's "If I Loved You" from Carousel. Noah Hunt, a friend of Krupin's since childhood beautifully accompanied her on guitar in a Stephen Schwartz tune "As Long As You're Mine".

In cabaret, a performer should reach out more to the audience and even include them by circulating amongst them while singing or joking with them on and off. This is Krupin's first cabaret, so we can forgive the things she did minimally or not at all. With experience, she will grow more steady in that direction, as there is every indication from her poise and charm that she is perfectly suited to the venue. But, first and foremost, Janet Krupin is a musical theatre actress. She puts everything she has, from the depths of her soul, into her music, and it is nothing short of glorious to be on the receiving end in her audience. Broadway beckons for All America's Next Great Stage Star Janet Krupin.

David Engel Then and Now

Triple threat David Engel played Hanna from Hamburg in the original La Cage Aux Folles on

Broadway in 1983 (bottom) and did a very tantalizing

extended 3 minute number as Hanna in the recent S.T.A.G.E.

Original Cast (top) on May 1. Quite the ageless beauty, Mr. Engel!!

review - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

CRITIC'S PICK

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert

music & lyrics by Frank Loesser

directed & choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge

Reprise Theatre Company

@ The Freud Playhouse, UCLA

through May 23

Does Abe Burrows' now classic show How to Succeed in Buriness Without Really Trying still hold up themewise? Well, nepotism will always rear its ugly head and those that climb the corporate ladder will continue ruthlessly to step on those beneath them and on those by their sides as well. So, the answer is a resounding yes! Judging by Wednesday's young audience @ the Freud who were literally rolling in the aisles with laughter, ...Business has still got the stuff . Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge has pulled out all the stops and every character actor - just about the entire cast - is spot on perfect. What a way to end a season! Reprise has another hit!

Josh Grisetti as J. (Ponti) Pierrepont Finch is a fabulous actor and singer. Robert Morse, who created Ponti on stage and celluloid, was great, but Grisetti propels the show and makes Ponti his very own creation. Loveable as well is Nicole Parker as Rosemary. Every character becomes totally memorable here due to formidable casting: Vicki Lewis as Smitty, Ruth Williamson as Miss Jones, John O' Hurley as Biggley, Melissa Fahn stealing the spotlight as Hedy LaRue and also Simon Helberg as Bud Frump - I almost rooted for the schmuck, thanks to Helberg's winning performance. Let's not leave out E. E. Bell, Michael Kostroff, Larry Raben, Matt Bauer, Justin Michael Wilcox, Matt Crabtree, Jeff Marlow, Ray Wills, et al The World Wide Wicket Company is what it is due to their team leadership. Heaven help us, they just don't make happy endings like this anymore!

This is hardly Frank Loesser's best score, but I could not help to compare "Brotherhood of Man" to "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" the ensemble tune at the mission in Guys and Dolls, another rollicking Burrows/Loesser collaboration with cartoonish characters and incredible reversals of fortune. Satire is goofy and things change quickly as if by magic. And...this kind of broad humor will never be dated - look at the silliness and schtikiness of Spamalot! An evening of dynamite entertainment! Go and have a ball!

This was adult fare in the 60s. By today's standards, the kiddies have seen and heard it all, but I'd still leave the littlest ones at home.

5 out of 5 stars

review - See What I Wanna See

RECOMMENDED

See What I Wanna See

words and music by Michael John La Chiusa

suggested by the stories of Rynosuke Akutagawa as translated by Takashi Kojima

directed by Daniel Henning

The Blank Theatre Company

through May 30

Michael John La Chiusa's world premiere musical See What I Wanna See has a very cinematic and oft times operatic feel to it. Act I, taking its plot from the classic Japanese film Rashomon, plays out in NYC in 1951 and Act II, called Glory Day, in present day. Each act opens with a Japanese pas de deux with two lovers Kesa (Lesli Margherita) and Morito (Doug Carpenter) telling the story of their passion via song; Kesa's perspective opens Act I and Morito's, Act II. The entire play, in fact, centers around different perspectives, how individuals relate to the world around them.

R Shomon - the 'a' had fallen off the movie marquee where husband (Perry Ojeda) and wife (Lesli Margherita) are watching Rashomon - is set at a time when crime was less rampant and everyone saw the excitement in being a part of it, at least imaginatively. A murder is reconstructed from the viewpoint of the wife, the husband, an intruding con man or perpetrator (Doug Carpenter), who has eyes for the wife and becomes her lover, a janitor (Jason Graae) who happens to pass by and see the victim, and a medium (Suzan Solomon) who responds to a call from the great beyond. The play is like a spider's web that gets bigger and bigger, pulling us in deeper strand by strand. Who actually killed the husband is unimportant, but all the characters' feelings, deceits, devious desires, even the janitor's noncommital attitude of looking out for himself and not offering help - all have something vital to relate to the condition of the human mind and heart.

Act II tells of a priest (Graae) who has lost his faith. Trying to regain it and move on meaningfully the best he can, he invents an occurrence in Central Park that will entail a miracle and announces it to the public. Various New Yorkers, a CPA (Ojeda), a drug-addicted actress (Margherita), a reporter (Carpenter) and an atheist aunt of the priest (Solomon), look with eager anticipation to a lie that may bring hope into their dull and meaningless lives. Only one finds happiness, the one who is willing to risk it all.

Under Daniel Henning's fluid direction, the five member ensemble are sensational to watch. Margherita, Carpenter, Ojeda, Solomon, and Graae act and sing their multiple roles with relish. Margherita is superb: ultra-cool, cunning and seductively treacherous. Graae's over-the-top style is less obvious here; he is grounded and deeply committed, especially as the priest (top photo), making this perhaps his best character work to date.

Musically, Act II is richer and more enveloping, with Act I's jazzy score rather slight and forgettable.

In total, an intriguing evening of theatre with a few surprises and plenty of food for thought.

4 out of 5 stars

review- Jesse Boy

CRITIC'S PICK
Jesse Boy
written by Robert Mollohan
directed by Karen Landry
Ruskin Group Theatre Co.
through June 12
(no performances Memorial Day Weekend)

Robert Mollohan's play Jesse Boy, now receiving its world premiere at Ruskin, is a potent mix of reality and fantasy.
Kitchen sink reality dominates the scenario, but with the onstage charisma and sex appeal of its central character Richie (Mollohan) - who does Elvis to acclaim - it reaches an unexpected high on the entertainment scale. Like Del Shores' The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, Jesse Boy has its fair share of abuse and brutality. More actually than ...Housewife, as spouses and siblings are tortured and raped here. Even animals are not spared. But it is all wrapped up in an attractive package that we can accept, because we all long for the American Dream and will root for the underdog to achieve it, despite the fact that he is a menace in his personal life. How many stars win our hearts but have been arrested for crimes and misdemeanors? The list is plentiful. Richie is egomaniacal and has no heart. But, boy, can he play Elvis! Those around him, his loving girlfriend Abigayle(Jaimi Paige), her retarded brother Jesse (Zach Book), Richie's homeless father Red (Chris Mulkey) and Jesse's 'sitter' stripper Mary Lou (Kathleen Nicole Parker) all possess enough tenderness and caring to make up for Richie's lack of it and to keep us riveted to their story, set 12 years after Elvis' death when impersonation of him became the rage in Vegas and eventually everywhere.
One lowkey scene in particular stands out early on in the plot when, on Halloween, Red entices Jesse with tales of demonic monsters. Although amusing on the surface, they strike a familiar chord with the boy, who is already subject to a far more dreaded evil in his everyday living arrangements. Comic relief with an eerie foretelling of more tragedy to follow.
Karen Landry has done a great job of pacing her actors, who all give powerfully engaging performances. Mollohan is simultaneously attractive and despiccable as Richie. His primping in front of the mirror and video taping of himself as Elvis offer glorious moments of character detail. Paige is loveable as Abigayle, and despite her character's flaws, Parker makes Mary Lou genuinely sympathetic. Book, in his first stage role, is totally convincing as the afflicted Jesse. His sustained physicality and reactions of fear and understandable volatility are amazingly real. Chris Mulkey is dynamic in his down-to-earth portrayal of a man who has lost eveything, but is still willing, although he takes, to give something back to his fellow man. Mollohan as playwright makes Red his true mouthpiece in Jesse Boy, a raw and unbridled character study that demands to be seen.
5 out of 5 stars

Magi Avila as Carmen Miranda

Beautiful actress/singer (once operatic) Magi Avila is rehearsing for the world premiere musical Carmen Miranda: The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat, to open at the Hudson Backstage Theatre Friday May 28.

At D' Cache in Toluca Lake we shared stories about theatre, spoke Spanish and ate some delicious tapas wahed down with a frutti sangria. Que rico!

Watch for our interview soon!

Cast Party PHOTOS from STAGE Benefit

Photos: Gil Kaan

Top: (l ro r) Craig Johnson, John Lloyd Young

Middle: Sally Struthers

Bottom: Donna McKechnie, David Galligan and Michele Lee

More Cast Party Photos from STAGE Benefit

Photos:

Gil Kaan

Top: (l to r) Bill Hutton, Dale Kristien

Middle: Donna McKechnie, Melissa Manchester, Valarie Pettiford

Bottom: Jonathan Hadary, John McDaniel, David Galligan, Tyne Daly

PHOTOS from STAGE Benefit OPENING NIGHT

Onstage photography by Chris Kane

Top: Cast finale

Bottom: Ron Dennis

More PHOTOS of STAGE Benefit OPENING NIGHT

Onstage photos by Chris Kane

Top: John Lloyd Young

Second from top: Joan Ryan

Third from top: Donna McKechnie
Bottom: Betty Garrett & her boys

review - The King of the Desert (El Rey del Desierto)

CRITIC'S PICK
The King of the Desert (El Rey del Desierto)
by Stacey Martino
directed by Valentino Ferreira
El Centro Theatre
through June 11

Ser o no ser. Esta es la cuestion. Spanish Shakespeare consumes actor Rene Rivera. Throughout his stimulating one man show, The King of the Desert, autobiographical and penned by his wife Stacey Martino, Rivera quotes Hamlet more than once to describe his passion and to help sustain his dream of one day becoming a great actor. Like Hamlet, the young TexMex Rivera had difficulty assessing his self-worth amidst a life of constant struggle and turmoil.

Under Ferreira's fast paced direction, Rivera is a fireball of energy recreating a bevy of characters from his youth, including his father, mother, teachers, sidekicks and drug addicted older sibling Jose, who always tried to hand down his negativity. But Rivera persevered with optimism. He tumbles around the stage as a boy playing an avocado in a school pageant, and recreates the physical rage of the werewolves he became attracted to on the big screen, by banging and scratching the walls. He is at once amusing, charming, playful ...yet alarmingly realistic to the confinements of his Mexican heritage, knowing full well that his dream to break free may lead him nowhere. Even the Virgen of Guadalupe is envisioned by the TexMex culture as emprisoned so "they wouldn't steal her from us!" It was always that fear of uncertainty instilled by parents and the warning from white-skinned neighbors to leave the celebration of the 4th of July, for example, to the Americans! A great example of not belonging to the bigger picture is the St. Patrick Battalion of the Spanish American War, in which the Irish who first fought against the Mexicans changed sides and were then persecuted and hung for helping the Mexican plight. Rivera says,

"I don't help; it causes pain".

There is obviously a political issue at the core of this piece, but it is hardly your "feel sympathy for me" polemic. The King of the Desert on one level is what results from the mix of Indian cultures: the Mexican who is unique, special and anything but an inferior creature. On another level the desert represents man's territory and his control over that domain. How he finds his true place in life is the story of every man. Accept your place as citizen, laborer, husband and father. The play carries this universal message.

As in many pieces of this nature, the various segments often collide without clarity, but Martino's transitions through the different stages and locales are smooth and focused. When he segues to NYC as a young actor, life is not any easier and even years later in LA playing cops or crooks, he is still unjustly stereotyped. When he finally finds freedom with the brith of his daughter, there is joy in 'freeing his ancestors' as well.

Rivera's performance is astounding. He is electric, passionate and luminous in portraying every character and in telling every aspect of his story. Every movement, every gesture is riveting and meaningful. I loved his heartfelt "I breathe my life into Hamlet, hoping he will return the favor." Actors can relate to the endless search for identity. And most everyone may identify with "I am a loner, a realist and a fighter". I feel compelled to add ... and a winner!

Bravo.

Danuta Tomzynski's set design of the San Antonio barrio is evocative and rich in detail.

5 out of 5 stars

Rene Rivera In The King of the Desert

An autobiographical play that is at once personal and universally relevant for all Americanos!

Pictured here at the afterparty @ Pueblo Viejo on Melrose. The perfect touch to Cinco de Mayo!

Original Cast a Huge Hit for S.T.A.G.E.

Favorites Michele Lee (bottom) performing from Seesaw and Joan Ryan (top) from Ruthless and Joseph... were both sen sa tion al!

Also knocking 'em dead were Sally Struthers with Julie Johnson in Almost Patsy Cline, Tyne Daly with Jonathan Hadary in Gypsy, Ron Dennis and Donna McKechnie with separate numbers from A Chorus Line, The Jersey Boys medley and a surpise David Engel in drag as Hannah of Hamburg from the original La Cage Aux Folles. As always, everyone gave their all and David Galligan is to be commended for his stellar direction.