Lynda Carter says hello after performing
her show at the Catalina Jazz Club
Thursday March 31. She also performs
Friday and Saturday April 1 and 2.
(photos: Renee Gorsey)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Lynda Carter Still Gorgeous
Lynda Carter says hello after performing
her show at the Catalina Jazz Club
Thursday March 31. She also performs
Friday and Saturday April 1 and 2.
(photos: Renee Gorsey)
Monday, March 28, 2011
CABARET review - Lynda Carter
Highlights of the evening include lots of up-tempo, crowd-pleasing contemp pop tunes like "Rubber Band Man", "Route 66" - a gleefully glorious mix of Carter with vocalists Vicki Hampton, Tanya Hancheroff, and Cindy Richardson-Walker, the hot shaker "Rio" made so famous by Peter Allen, "C'est La Vie", great standards like "Leaving On a Jet Plane", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Heatwave", a rousing "Dancin' in the Streets", "Locomotion", "How Sweet It Is" and "Let the Good Times Roll", as well as new tunes to promo her latest album Crazy Little Things: "Jessie", composed by Carter about her college sophomore daughter as well as the title song "Crazy Little Things".
Carter has a terrific voice for clubs, having performed most of her teen life on the road and in Vegas. She also has a splendidly rich style with a ballad, like "At Last" from her first album and "Desperado", whose lyrics painfully reminded her, she confessed, of an angst-ridden nephew currently in rehab. On this she pours forth a sincerity that simply resonates. I would like to have heard a few more ballads of this type with the spotlight on the beautiful Carter alone, but she generously shares the spotlight with her versatile ensemble and gives the audience a rollicking, zestful, 'get up and dance' kind of evening that sparks of great entertainment.
(Carter on stage @ Catalina - photo: Renee Gorsey)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
review - All in the Timing
All in the Timing
six one-acts by David Ives
directed by William A. Reilly & Ben Rovner
Crown City Theatre
through May 1
One thing certain about writer David Ives is his ability to compose short plays with an unparalleled quirky style that is at once entertaining and reflective. All in the Timing, now onstage @ Crown City Theatre in NoHo, is composed of six one-acts, the first three light and frivolously frothy, the second three of a more artful and philosophical nature. As the title implies, each playlet requires expert concentration and delivery on the part of the actors. The cast is most decidedly up to it, and direction from both William A. Reilly and Ben Rovner is top of the hill, making the evening a definite crowd pleaser.
The Philadelphia (directed by Rovner) finds its humor in turning reality inside out and creating a very personal fantasy-like approach to getting what you want where you want it. Mikhail Roberts, Jeff Torres, and Katy Foley gamely play the protagonists.
Universal Language ( directed by Reilly) is my personal favorite. A shy woman with a speech impediment (Lucy Chambers) seeks out a newly formed universal language class a la esperanto where an overly enthusiastic teacher (Dane Stauffer) presents a silly, fraudulent batch of gibberish. What works here is the ability to understand the language of love at any level. The Pig Latinish lingo, crescendo of passions and skill with which the two actors engage and unite makes for a very pleasant romp. Speech patterns here must have been difficult for the actors to learn, but are flawlessly conveyed. Note to language learners: every word and phrase are crystal clear and easy to understand.
Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (directed by Reilly) is a very short rhythmically repetitive triangle in which composer Glass unexpectedly finds himself. A parody of his minimalist musical style is scrupulously at play and the precise execution by Roberts, Foley, Tim Polzin and Douglas Thornton is delightful.
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Sure Thing (directed by Rovner) uses a clock to turn back time to the advantage of two people attempting to get to know each other. If at once you don't succeed, wouldn't it be nice if you could redo it as if for the very first time. Douglas Thornton and Jacquelyn Zook do well with the exceedingly quick transitions in mood and attitude. This is definitely a more serious take on the dos and don'ts of cementing male/female relationships.
Variations on the Death of Trotsky (directed by Reilly) is perhaps the most vaudevillian in its repetitious content and execution. I could easily see Sid Caesar and Imogene Cocoa essaying this one in the now classic TV program Your Show of Shows. The humor comes from an actual historical figure Leon Trotsky and his preoccupation with his own demise. Every possible comic angle is explored here with terrific comedic performances from Tim Polzin as Trotsky, Jeff Torres as the gardener/assassin and especially from Lucy Chambers as she shifts multiple disguises to expose inner feelings as Mrs. Trotsky. The hat with axe smashing into the head visually says it all. This is a classic scene for all wannabe successful comedy duos. On a more philosophical note, our lead protagonist relishes the time that is left to him in his near death condition.
Words, Words, Words (directed by Rovner) is another burlesque, this time of how Hamlet may have been written. Holding three monkeys in captivity provides some pretty hilarious physical comedy moves and makes for some spot-on observations about writers, their selfish needs, demands and eccentricities. How do the ideas foment and get on the printed page? That is the question. The answer: in such a crazy mish-mash, anything can happen. Mikhail Roberts, Dane Stauffer and Jacquelyn Zook all shine brightly in this over-the-top delicious send-up of comedy writing teams.
In total, this is a wonderfully enjoyable evening of theatre where the most preposterous circumstances become fact. The acting and direction are super, but it's Ives the writer who deserves most of the credit. Like Mamet as a dramatist, Ives has a peculiarly fascinating perspective on life and living quite unlike his other contemporaries and a very clever way of selling it.
5 out of 5 stars
(photo credit: Ben Rovner)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Farewell to a Legendary Star
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011), also known as Liz Taylor, was an English-American actress.
I was deeply saddened to hear of Liz Taylor's passing. She was one of a kind. Not only a great actress, but a wonderful humanitarian. Her tireless fight against AIDS was one of the strongest in the celebrity arena.
Thank God for TCM and my own library where I can watch my favorite Taylor film - her best - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Godspeed!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
news - Rockin' with the Ages III
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Demaree Alexander Concert
(clockwise from left to right: Dee Dee Magno-Hall, Kevin Odekirk, Braden Danner, DG, Jess Buda, Demaree Alexander)
review below!
review - Private Lives
Private Lives
by Noel Coward
directed by Andrew Barnicle
Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach
through April 10
Noel Coward's timeless wit is as pleasing as watercrest sandwiches or scones and butter. It's irresistible, especially in his now classic Private Lives and works to perfection when properly cast. In the new revival at Laguna Playhouse, Andrew Barnicle has assembled a glorious ensemble, one that knows how to bring out Coward's subtleties with panache, a somewhat rare quality for an American troupe.
In the 1930s Coward was quite courageous to put forth such wildly flambuoyant characters as Elyot (Joseph Fuqua) and Amanda (Julie Granata). His frivolous attitude toward divorce and adultery as told through their eyes was hardly commonplace, a far cry from the loose morality of today. Cowardesque wit and flair helped audience digest character flaws and accept Elyot and Amanda more readily. In any case, Coward himself as a homosexual took a rather perverted view of the marriage game, exposing spousal abuse openly and frankly. Either accept the possible negative aspects of what you are getting yourself into, or stay clear of it altogether...and that, he did. On the other hand, it is wise to see that being together is not a consistent bed of roses, and many diehard happily marrieds applaud the naughty diversions as a natural part of the bargain. The fights certainly highten the sexual entanglements that follow.
Laguna's ensemble is divine, with Fuqua and Granata sublime in every way. Fuqua was always meant to play this role of Elyot, the man/child flippant egocentric who must have things as he pleases or not at all. "Some women should be struck regularly like gongs" is one of my favorite lines, and uttered by Fuqua in character it sounds as natural as rain. Granata is also deliciously wicked and undependable as Amanda. Both actors play off each other superbly. On opening night Fuqua slipped and fell, picking himself up beautifully with "I only had one!" It was a great cover that only a consummate pro could carry off. His Elyot never left him. Matthew Floyd Miller as Victor and Winslow Corbett as Sybil are wonderfully and annoyingly loyal - just the opposite of Elyot and Amanda - and fit their parts to a tee. Julia Etedi is utterly hilarious in her brief appearance in Act III as the disgusted maid. Barnicle's pacing is just right throughout and the action never drags for a split second. The Act II verbal sparring builds to a crescendo and the ensuing physical fights are tightly staged.
Bruce Goodrich has designed an elegant set of Amanda's flat in Paris, and the first act adjoining hotel room balconies on the French Riviera offer a nice tease to the plush interior to come. Julie Keen's costumes are wonderfully luscious particularly Amanda's stunning black evening gown in Act I.
If you like your wit lyrical and lilting, look no further than to this elegant production of Private Lives. It's a treat on every level. Hopefully, it will play at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, but not until the end of next season, so take the scenic drive to Laguna and see it now!
Private Lives
Stan Mazin and Dr. Norma Beck from Ventura join Joseph.
review of Private Lives @ Laguna Playhouse above!
Joseph Fuqua in Private Lives
I have seen Joseph Fuqua in many, many plays over the last 10+ years and he has grown into a consummate pro.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
review - Southern Comforts
Southern Comforts
by Kathleen Clark
directed by Jules Aaron
ICT, Long Beach
through April 10
Playwright Kathleen Clark has fashioned a very sweet play Southern Comforts about two aging people, both widowed, who decide to tie the knot for the second time, with each other. Now onstage @ ICT, Long Beach it boasts fine direction from Jules Aaron and two superlative performances from Michael Learned and Granville Van Dusen.
We've seen Gus (Van Dusen) and Amanda (Learned) many times over on stage, film and in real life. They're a typical aunt and uncle, grandparents or the couple next door. He's a curmudgeon, unwilling to share his private thoughts, beliefs and opinions and she, a warm and thoroughly outgoing charmer, who enjoys a party or two. Opposites attract, or so we're told, but do they make a successful pairing as far as marriage is concerned? Is one willing to give up his independence for the other's happiness? Is he willing to forget promises from the past and live for now? These are the issues Clark examines with great detail in Southern Comforts. There's a lot of humor, emanating directly from character and more than adequate substance that seniors can relate to. Its only drawback may be, as in a TV sitcom, its ultimate predictability or too compromised ending.
Seasoned pros Learned and Van Dusen are a joy to watch, especially Learned whose cute, unpredictable spark of humor and irritation brighten every moment she's on stage. Like an Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond, she not only supports her husband but bends him lovingly to her will, to make the association that much more positive and uplifitng. Van Dusen plays the grump to the hilt, but offers a fine transition of hope when he conforms to his partner's requests. Aaron's direction is fast paced, light and totally effective.
Set by Kurt Boetcher is big, open and realistic for an old East coast homestead and Kim DeShazo's costumes are lovely, especially the orange and red dresses for Learned. She looks stunning in all of them. There's some delightful incidental music by Max Kinberg to accompany set changes immediately prior to the start of Act II. You may want to return from intermission a few minutes early to watch the fun.
Southern Comforts is an old-fashioned, easy-going, lightweight play with food for thought that never gets too burdensome. Its two stars shine brightly and it should please those theatregoers with few expectations. Those that like more meat on their plate will just have to wait for another revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
4 out of 5 stars
Friday, March 18, 2011
Southern Comforts' Star Michael Learned
After Fully Committed in PS
David Engel after a great performance of Fully Committed chats with me and his partner Larry Raben. Both men are founders of CoyoteStageWorks which is producing the play until March 27 at the Palm Springs Woman's Club Theatre. Oh, it's Saint Patrick's Day, and we're all wearing different shades of green. My button says World's Horniest Irishman.
review below!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
CABARET review - Demaree Alexander & Friends
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On Sunday March 20 Broadway's Young Cossette of Les Mis pretty Demaree Alexander brought her cabaret act to Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's with a bevy of talented guests on board. This young lady has a background not only in Broadway pop music but also in country; consequently, she nicely essayed a variety of musical styles alone and in duets with Kevin Odekirk, Dee Dee Magno-Hall, Jess Buda, Maura Hanlon Smith and brother Braden Danner. It was a lovely laid-back evening with Alexander's cute, easy going delivery and not without some exciting musical surprises.
Highlights of the 60-minute set included: the rarely heard "Miss Otis Regrets" by Cole Porter, a delightfully soulful "Feeling Good", a pleasingly low-key rendition of "L-O-V-E", another rare choice "Last Name" and a wonderfully simplistic call to love with "Some People's Lives", recorded by Bette Midler. She sent her solo encore of "The Wizard and I" from Wicked soaring higher than just about any other solo she performed with perhaps "The Life of the Party" from Andrew Lippa's Wild Party a close second. It was mostly in the duets where she scored the most points, as in "I Know Him So Well" from Chess with the beautiful Dee Dee Magno-Hall. Hall is quite a wonderful vocalist in her own right. I wish I had seen and heard more from her. Equally so with magnificent tenor Kevin Odekirk, who, along with Maura Hanlon Smith on an all too brief few bars as the mother, joined forces with Alexander on "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" from Next to Normal and even more appealing with "Mountain Duet" from Chess. Odekirk is a tenor to watch out for. He's blessed with a great set of pipes. The surprise duet of the evening was with Alexander's brother Braden Danner - a first singing appearance in 20 years - on "The Song That Goes Like This" from Spamalot. Alexander's soprano range was put to good use here as she supported Danner who had most of the big belting comic moments. Congrats to superb musical director Bob Remstein at the piano and as well to Del Atkins on bass and Tom Walsh on drums.
This was a fine evening of song, with a great mix of song stylings. Petite, sweet Demaree Alexander has a likable 'girl-next-door'quality - her rendition of "Nature Boy" suits her well, but she underplays too much of the time. She has quite a strong and durable vocal range and really knocked the Wicked tune right out of the park. Next time around, I would like to see her leave those green sleaves on, that she put on only momentarily as an Elphaba tease, and follow through with more bold and daring moves. She would make a terrific torch singer and has great night club potential.
review - Katie's Corner
Alexandra Billings improvises Katie Hepburn 3 Wednesdays in March - 16, 23 and 30 - @ the Celebration Theatre!
CRITIC'S PICK
Katie's Corner
directed by Sean Abley
created by Alexandra Billings & Heather Hopkins
Celebration Theatre
Wednesdays remaining: March 23 & 30
If you want to laugh your tush off, you cannot afford to miss Alexandra Billings as Katie Hepburn @ the Celebration Theatre. This silly 70-minute piece Katie's Corner is a loosely structured improv where an older Kate Hepburn gets about as demented as one could imagine, saying and doing any f----n' thing she wants. After all, she is a 4-time Oscar winner for Best Actress, the only 4-time winner ...and a legend too, at least in her own mind!
Heather Hopkins asks audience members to write out questions upfront which Kate attempts to answer when she appears. She comes in late, sarcastically appraises the set and starts cookin'. That's Hepburn lingo for working and getting good audience response, and that she does. She cartwheels across the stage, climbs a fake tree and shimmies down in tomboy fashion, talks ridiculously about films she never did and some she did do like The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond with a comic change in titles that I won't spoil for you. You have to go, go, go and hear it live! Of course, Kate had some delightfully tasteless jokes at people's expense like Zsa Zsa and her current condition. That's good old Katie for you! There are even guest stars. On the 16th Drew Droege made a campy appearance as actress Chloe Sevigny who with her deadpan,drugged-out self-proclaimed sense of high couture dressed Kate and Heather for an event, in a uniquely hilarious, rather embarrassing fashion.
What one can do with rags! Then there was Dean Ricca who taught Kate how to make animals out of towels, a hobby he picked up on cruise ships. Mmmm! Kate had a field day with this, as she played along fiercely, commenting "Dean, what do you do? You have a lot of free time, don't you?" They made an elephant and a cute dog; it was a fun, fun segment, sort of like The Martha Stewart Show. Imagine how Hepburn would have manipulated her, had they ever gotten together! The surprise of the evening was Michael A. Shepperd as Pearlie Mae Bailey, who came in to talk about and sing Hello Dolly! His chic outer coat, sleek black pants suit and red pumps made Katie's eyes about jump from their sockets in disbelief. Bailey never looked so sexy! Director Abley and Heather Hopkins stood by and drew questions for Kate to answer and there were even door prizes-Katie's Corner memorabilia-for those selected. One asked simply "Why?" to which Hepburn responded in typical know-it-all flair "Why NOT?"
The evening, with fine pacing from director Sean Abley, ended with the cast assembling for a ghost story on the dark 'ambiancey' set, but the story sort of petered out into a let's end this damn.foolish.thing finale. I wanted a song from Kate from Coco or one from Pearl Bailey, but alas, I'll just have to return in two weeks when Bette Davis is set to appear. Now that should be a hoot with the two legends sharing the same stage.
What frantic, frenetic possibilities!!
Katie's Corner is an evening of fun, fun, fun, no matter what you go in expecting. Alexandra Billings is a masterful actress and her sustained speech patterns and overall demeanor as the aging Hepburn are deliciously & devilishly perfect.
5 out of 5 stars
review - Fully Committed
CRITIC'S PICK
Fully Committed
by Becky Mode
directed by Joel Bishoff
Coyote StageWorks @
Palm Springs Woman's Club Theatre
through March 27
As I sat through Becky Mode's Fully Committed for the third time, I realized just how many meanings the title has. First, as it takes place in a restaurant, fully committed means that lunch or dinner reservations are completely booked. Secondly, it indicates that a person is 100% devoted or dedicated to the work. Then, thirdly, due to a stressful position, perhaps that person is now certifiable and should be thrown in the loony bin. I mean, who could put up with such intolerable crap from management and clientele for such an extended period of time? An extreme analysis, right? There are certainly many young actors who work as receptionists or waiters and somehow allow themselves to be put through the wringer. They complain, but they stay. Nothing ever improves, but out of necessity, they stay loyal and do not leave. A lot to examine, and through Becky Mode's play, via the character of Sam (David Engel), the audience learns just how far a worker must go to find a little happiness and contentment in his menial job. With a superb performance from fully committed Engel and taut direction from Joel Bishoff, this second production of Coyote StageWorks current season hits the jackpot.
There are two difficult challenges in playing the role of Sam. First, the actor must be able to handle 38 different character voices, many with foreign accents and others with undeniably distinct speech patterns. The second is remembering the order of the phone calls, as the phone rings off the hook from the moment the curtain goes up to the final exit. Engel, with boisterous energy and charisma, deals with both issues brilliantly. There's never a dull moment with his vocal gymnastics, quick wit and razor sharp delivery. He never misses a beat. Apart from essaying every character on board including the chef, maitre d, waitress, assistants and an eclectic assortment of guests, Engel manages to expertly convey Sam's transition from irritated toad to resourceful manipulator of everyone around him. Newfound acceptance and happiness with his second-rate job comes from his at-long-last refusal to be stepped on. In order to nail that audition, get that Christmas vacation time, pocket that extra dough and be treated with just a little bit of respect he must learn to control and use, use, use his clients and staff as connections to success. By play's end his potential for growth in the outside world has amazingly improved.
Chuck Yates has designed a pleasantly functional set of a cramped basement office in a New York restaurant.
Fully committed is a fun 75-minute ride that will make you sit up and take notice of your own work environment and how to make it work most effectively for you. Taking advantage, or seizing entitlement, is better than being taken advantage of. With a joyously vibrant performance from David Engel, this keenly written play doubles its entertainment value.
5 out of 5 stars
(photo credit: Dawn Wilson)
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Coyote StageWorks has the following mission:
This not-for-profit company is dedicated to advancing theatre as a vital art form in the desert communities of the Coachella Valley. There is hope to provide a forum for thought provoking, entertaining and culturally significant works in an environment that nurtures the creativity of the individual and the enrichment of the community.
Coyote StageWorks is looking for grant writers.
Contact its founding members @ 760-318-0024 or visit:
CoyoteStageWorks.org
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Congratulations to Desert Star Award winners
director Larry Raben and
Best Production of 2010 Greater Tuna.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Perry Lambert After-Show
(left to right: Perry Lambert, Diva Dona's pal DG and actress chum Renee Gorsey)
review below!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Shannon Warne at Cast Party for Having It All
review below Monday!
review - Having It All
CRITIC'S PICK
Having It All
book by David Goldsmith and Wendy Perelman
music by John Kavanaugh; lyrics by David Goldsmith
directed by Richard Israel
NoHo Arts Center
through April 24
The subtitle of the world premiere musical Having It All - Take Flight - speaks volumes. Five women, from totally different walks of life, are in the waiting area of a New York airport, each with a problem that needs attention. What happens to them over the course of 100 minutes gives this introspective a la Sondheim or Jason Robert Brown musical its punch and substance. With five stellar singers/actresses and fluid direction from Richard Israel Having It All has hit written all over it. It truly soars.
The five women include Julia a cynical TV executive (Jennifer Leigh Warren), housewife and mother Amy (Shannon Warne), a struggling writer Sissy, who would rather not be single (Lindsey Alley), independent yoga instructor Carly (Alet Taylor) and a happily married Indiana teacher, who really wants to conceive a child (Kim Huber). All, with the exception of Sissy, are awaiting a delayed flight to Los Angeles. At first glance each one sizes up the other by the type of shoes she is wearing and little by little strike up a conversation, some more willing than others to open up and disclose reasons for travel and personal business. There is ample dialogue, but a great deal of each one's background is revealed through song. David Goldsmith and John Kavanaugh have written some beautiful tunes reflecting the inner spirits of these women. How they are feeling, their sense of protectiveness and their reactions to one another all play in to the absorbing dramas that unfold, making them universal. Yes, these are women discussing the nightmares of dating, of cheating husbands, obnoxious children, pregnancy and other female issues, but men experience similar pain about dreams of success or the lack thereof and about the inadequacy of daily life as one grows older. So men can definitely relate. The outcome brings mutual support and unparalleled friendship among the five, and the music does propel the story forward in quite a uniquely emotional way.
Under Israel's meticulous direction, the performances from all five ladies are phenomenal. Huber as Lizzie and Warne as Amy are both heartbreaking as they represent both sides of the importance of children in marriage. Warren and Taylor create two strong supposedly successful characters who underneath need to come to terms with just how really unsuccessful and incomplete they feel. Alley, as the writer, is a keen observer and finds her own transition to happiness through the stories of the other four. Stephen Gifford's set design of the gate area at JFK and sound design by Cricket S. Myers are spot-on realistic.
This is a very slick production of a show that will move you and make you more aware of your very own happiness and self worth. Having It All is about the wittiest, wisest and most engrossing musical dramedy currently treading the boards around town.
5 out of 5 stars
review - The Next Fairy Tale
RECOMMENDED
The Next Fairy Tale
a world premiere musical
written by Brian Pugach
directed by Michael A. Shepperd
Celebration Theatre
through April 24
"Jumping gingerbreads!" proclaims Prince of Sunshine Copernicus (Christopher Maikish) to just about anything that proves a consternation. You see Copernicus is not an ordinary Prince, and The Next Fairy Tale is not your ordinary musical. They abound in the world of fantasy. It's about a Prince in love with...a Prince, and the Mistress of Fairy Godmothers is not in the least pleased to accept and publish this newest fairy tale in a long line of traditional fairy tales for children of the next century. What happens to Minerva, her inept charge Hazel and to Copernicus and his love interest Helio is at the core of this world premiere by Brian Pugach at the Celebration Theatre through April 24. For the most part, it succeeds with a marvelous cast, fabulous direction by artistic director Michael A. Shepperd and spot-on production values. One thing that's needed is more humor. As is, it's witty and entertaining, but not nearly as funny as it could or needs to be.
My one qualm with the comedy is especially noted in the character of the villainess Minerva (played beautifully by Gina Torrecilla). As written, she has no edge, no underlying secrets or spice, skeletons in the closet, as it'were that could be tapped into. If only she were a campy Cruella De Vil - fairy tales are bigger than life! - or a character whose sinful passions could have the other godmothers perhaps blackmailing her in exchange for allowing an assured happy ending for the sweet couple Copernicus and Helio and a green light for their tale. A hypocrite with deep-seated problems - maybe a lesbian with a past illecit alliance with a godmother? Or more openly devious designs on Hazel?
This would open up tremendous comedic possibilities, helping to perk up Act I, which, right now is bogged down with too much heaviness in plot and action. Like a nonalcoholic punch, it needs to be spiked a bit. And it also would be nice to see more of Helio, the object of Corpernicus' affection. Right now his scenes are limited.
This aside, Act II seems to flow much smoother, and the acting is divine from the entire ensemble. Maikish is sincere in expressing his congenial demeanor and thoroughly winning. Rachel Genevieve is simply great as Hazel, the fumbling inadequate godmother who screwed up the plot of Little Red Riding Hood. Putting some sexual attraction/tension between her and Copernicus is a keen idea and that edge gives the sexuality issue more dimension and plays out delightfully. Stephanie Fredericks steals the show as fast-talking Thistle, Cinderella and the Mae West-like baker. She is a heavenly singer and adds great comedy relief throughout. Kendra Munger and Nell Teare as Glinda and Moonflower respectively nicely complete the loveable trio of struggling fairy godmothers. Charles Sedgwick Hall has a field day with Mirror and the voice of the Dragon, and Patrick Gomez makes a sweetly appealing Helio. Ben Caron and Vash Boddie add campy humor as Rumplestilskin and Scarecrow. The addition of these scene-stealing characters, along with Red Riding Hood (spightful Nell Teare), to the town Avaricia or Greed makes for a deliciously irreverent scene - one of the highlights of Act I and the evening, reminding one slightly of Sondheim's mix of fairy tale characters in Into the Woods yet utilized in its own fashion.
Victoria Proffit's minimal yet effective set design and Raffel Sarabia's lovely costumes add much to the proceedings. Pugach's songs are surprisingly tuneful and upbeat. The play ends with a big payoff. The two Princes unite, Minerva is finally defeated, Hazel has a courageous triumph and the fairy tale goes forward, changing the course of fairy tale history as we know it. There is so much promise and potential in The Next Fairy Tale. It yearns to be an adult fairy tale, but is a tad bland for that at present. The whole kindness card bit and choice of right not powerful seem to make it an ideally suited fairy tale for kids, but deep down I think it really wants to be more. With some further exploration and rewrites, it will most probably find its niche. This is the first world premiere musical from within the company at Celebration. Congratulations!
3.80 out of 5 stars
Cast of The Next Fairy Tale Relax
(below, top photo: Christopher Maikish plays Prince Copernicus; bottom photo, Stephanie Fredericks plays Thistle, Cinderella and Baker)
Monday, March 7, 2011
CABARET review - Perry Lambert
Last summer in July 2010 @ Sterling's Perry Lambert opened for The Peggy Judy Show. I wrote the following:
Opening the act was Perry Lambert, a delightful impressionist, singer, comic who somehow, after telling a few opening jokes, magically squeezed Bugs Bunny, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Archie Bunker, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Jackie Gleason, Cary Grant and Elvis into singing parts of the song "Unforgettable", made famous once more when Natalie Cole decided to re-release it as a duet with her dad Nat King Cole. This was a super number for Lambert's outstanding skill. He later returned to do a raffle and banter with the audience and to join Peggy Judy in a Sonny & Cher duet of "I've Got You Babe".
Now he returns to Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's Sunday March 13 for his own show.
Highlights of the evening include: an opening video of the bio of Perry Lambert with cute baby pictures and enjoyably ludicrous mini stories to accompany each one. The video also features a public service announce-ment for the American Cancer Society that is outrageously funny - you have to see it to fully appreciate its R-rated content. He repeated the "Unforgettable" number which I had seen in his first appearance @ Sterling's with a bevy of impressions of celebrities trying to sing it including everyone from Edith and Archie Bunker to Bugs Bunny. There's a fabulous Vegas tribute to Frank, Sammy and Dean, which includes a Sinatra voice on "New York, New York", a Martin voice on "That's Amore" and Davis' "What Kind of Fool Am I?" He even gets a manic Jerry Lewis kibitzing in and out of this one. There's a wonderful full costume salute to Elvis with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and a terrific My Fair Lady Casting segment where the audience gets to hear the voices of Fran Drescher - as Eliza, no less - Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Ted Koppel auditioning with "The Rain in Spain", Clint Eastwood with a dirgy "I Could Have Danced All Night" and the corker of all Richard Simmons with "I'm Getting Married in the Morning"! This is a truly dizzying bit that had the audience in stitches.
On the purely vocal side, there is a great tribute to The Wizard of Oz with: "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", "If I Only Had a Brain", "Merry Old Land of Oz" and of course to top the medley off - you got it - a lovely lilting rendition of "Over the Rainbow". This self-proclaimed loud, over-reactive Greek has a terrif set of pipes which also unleashed "Moment of Truth", "Mack the Knife" and "Do you Know the Way to San Jose?"
The Four Vibes or Hollywood Quartet led by musical director - the one and only Ron Snyder at the keyboard, also included Anna Stadlman on bass, Tony Barbarota on drums and Nick Mancini on the xylophone. Top of the heap musicians!
This is such a great unforgettable evening of entertainment by the equally unforgettable Perry Lambert. Don't miss him when he appears @ a venue near you!
review - Beauty and the Beast
CRITIC'S PICK
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
book by Linda Woolverton
music by Alan Menken; lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice
directed by Rob Roth
Pantages Theatre
through March 27
"Tale as old as time" nails the complex simplicity of Beauty and the Beast the quintessential story of true love, the most difficult to obtain and sustain. Disney's adaptation of the fairy tale with its sweepingly imaginative spectacle wins over even the hardest of hearts. The animated film was such a tremendous hit in 1991 that it was adapted for the stage in 1994 with new songs by Tim Rice added to the Academy Award-winning movie score by deceased Howard Ashman. It ran worldwide until 2007 and proves undoubtedly that fairy tales retain a popularity that never dies. The current revival tour of Beauty and the Beast, now at the Pantages until March 27, is every bit as glorious, delectable and elegant as the original.
Director Rob Roth and choreographer Matt West keep the action vibrantly alive from second to second throughout and are supported by a tremendously gifted cast. Liz Shivener makes the spirited Belle a model of perfection, the self-educated provincial girl who understands what it means to be different. Shunned by others because of her solitary preoccupation with books, she is more wise and caring than most girls her age. Justin Glaser as Beast has a magnificent vocal range and essays the strenuous physical role with towering strength. His transition from mean to tender is a delicious experience. Equally physical and vocally adept is Nathaniel Hackmann as Gaston, the comically cartoonish bully who proves the real beast of the evening. His comedic moves are just delightful. Comical characters enthrall us in all Disney productions and none more so than the varied over-the-top characters of all shapes and sizes. Merritt David Janes as Lumiere, Keith Kirkwood as Cogsworth, and Andrew Kruep as Lefou, Gaston's foolish sidekick whose pratfalls occur about every two seconds steal every scene they are in. Equally delightful are Christopher Spencer as Maurice, Belle's inventor father, Sabina Petra as Mrs. Potts, the teapot who sings the tile song so beautifully, Erin Elizabeth Coors as the saucy Babette, and the very funny Jen Bechter as Madame de la Grande Bouche, a chest of drawers quite unlike any you've ever seen.
Scenery by Stanley A. Meyer, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound by John Petrafesa are all scrumptious and add colorful highlights to the beloved story. Tim Rice's song "If I Can't Love Her" sung by the Beast as the Act I finale is my favorite. Perhaps the most heartbreaking number in the show, it expresses the intense agony he feels to be human again.
It doesn't really take as much strength to defeat an enemy as it does to win him over. Hate is easy; love is the hardest act to follow. Watching Belle work her magic on Beast and experiencing his refinement make Disney's Beauty and the Beast sheer enchantment for children of all ages.
5 out of 5 stars
review - Little Miss Sunshine
RECOMMENDED
Little Miss Sunshine
book by James Lapine
music & lyrics by William Finn
directed by James Lapine
La Jolla Playhouse
through March 27
The 2006 movie dramedy Little Miss Sunshine was and still remains such a low-key charmer that to attempt to simulate it on stage with music is at once challenging, courageous and perplexing. Why? Why retell a story that is so perfect on film unless you can achieve a brand new and interesting take on it? I guess Spider-Man and other films being translated to the stage is the rage these days, especially when there's a dearth of original musicals. All this aside, the production values, the cast and the very artistic endeavor of the stage musical Little Miss Sunshine, now at the Mandell Weiss Theatre of La Jolla Playhouse through March 27, should be lauded and appreciated.
On film Grandpa and Olive have a special relationship that is somewhat shortchanged in the stage version. Grandpa (played wonderfully by Dick Latessa) and Olive (a splendid Georgi James) do their best with really only one scene between them, and even that is cut shorter than the film's corresponding scene. More interplay should be created as this is the one sterling association from start to finish. As far as the other characters are concerned, book writer James Lapine stays faithful for the most part to Michael Arndt's Oscar winning screenplay. Some slapstick in moving Grandpa's body is cut as is the pageant judge's revenge at the end to make time for other more substantial plot elements.
It is quite remarkable how the actors simulate the movement of the traveling van around the stage, using mostly footwork. Six chorus-like characters, who represent Richard Hoover's 10-Step Program, move road signs in and out to signal the distance traveled and David Korins' background set of outdoor landscape changes subtly as clouds roll by and day turns to night. This is all a terrific technical achievement that makes the trip seem completely credible.
The cast, utilizing director Lapine's fluid and ample staging, are all top-notch. Hunter Foster is driven and unrelenting as Richard Hoover manipulating the behavior of just about everyone except rebels Grandpa and Dwayne (Taylor Trensch). Trensch is touching in the scene where he reacts to being colorblind, as he leashes out at the family he finds impossible to live with.
Someone expressed disappointment that there's not a great big sparkly dance number between Miss California and the little contestants, but this frankly is not a show for choreography. It is a quiet, little play about the subtle changes within a dysfunctional family; its story is the most urgent consideration. So, maybe it doesn't really fit into the category of a big Broadway musical, or musical at all, for that matter. William Finn has composed some lovely songs but they do nothing to improve or enhance the storytelling. I'm getting back to my original statement that Little Miss Sunshine is better suited to the screen, in spite of the tour-de-force acting and singing from the stage ensemble and the superlative behind-the-scenes creative team@ La Jolla. Check it out, nonetheless!
3 and 3/4 out of 5 stars
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