review - My Fairytale

CRITIC'S PICK
My Fairytale
book by Philip LaZebnik
(based on the original concept of Flemming Enevold)
music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
directed by Scott Schwartz
PCPA (Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts), Solvang Theatrefest, Solvang

through September 25

There have been many theatrical re-imaginings of fairy tales, but hardly a more enchanting one than Stephen Schwartz's new musical My Fairytale now receiving its US premiere in Solvang. A PCPA production which first previewed in Santa Maria, My Fairytale is charming, brilliantly creative fare brought to life by a wildly exciting production team that includes Flemming Enevold, who originally conceived it.


The sheer beauty of Tom Buderwitz's colorful sets, Alejo Vietti's gorgeously detailed costumes, Jennifer 'Z' Zornow's glorious lighting, Michael Jenkinson's fun-filled choreography, Emily DeCola's ingenious puppetry designs, especially in the Duck Yard, and Scott Schwartz's splendid staging all add up to unparalleled visual wizardry that belong in an intimate setting like the one provided by Theatrefest, Solvang. Yes, of course, they will translate to a big Broadway venue, but I wonder whether that is the perfect plan. Sondheim's Into the Woods is so complex and in and out of focus with too many stories. Schwartz's previous work Wicked is assuredly fun but overblown, silly and ever so costly. However, My Fairytale seems so much better than either of these, mostly because the emphasis is on Hans Christian Andersen and the throughline is sensible. As I watched in this production the simplicity of the flight of Hans Christian Andersen, the Boy and Shadow escaping from The Robbers' Cave to the ocean, my thought  was,

 "Oh, God, I can just see it on Broadway, with the men in harnesses flying across the stage" and somehow the whole image became distorted, overdone and I couldn't help but envision a commercial vehicle like Spiderman. Yikes! Let's hope not! This unfettered rendition has all the magic it needs; it's just great now in its present form, with a few minor adjustments in order that I'll allude to later.

Philip LaZebnik has miraculously managed to combine Andersen's stories and fairy tales like The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Emperor and the Nightingale, The Little Match Girl, The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen and many, many others into this 2-hour show that has a steady flow and whose simple message is clear, in tact, never out of focus. Andersen (Kevin Cahoon) falls asleep in the Royal Theatre of Denmark, in the mid 1800s, after promising to write an opera for the beautiful soprano Jenny Lind (Lesley McKinnell), and the dream that follows with all the fairy tale characters coming to vivid life through the workings of his imaginative mind, is the essence of the show. He gets trapped and wants to go home like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and must seek the help of the Emperor of China, who, on his death bed, asks him to bring him a nightingale. On the journey with him are an orphaned boy (Marisa Dinsmoor) and Andersen's Shadow (Erik Stein), who wants to lead rather than follow, and eventually becomes the villain, thwarting Andersen's path to success. As in Andersen's real life, his plans to write serious literature for the theatre radically changed and he eventually became, as we all know, one of the most famous fairy tale story tellers of all time. In the 19th century, of course, that type of 'success' was not very highly regarded or even considered successful by the elite. But, art must be in a constant state of change like the culture that inspires it, and there is no better example than Andersen's true-to-life biography.

The cast of My Fairytale is outstanding. Cahoon has the perfect lanky, Ichabod Crane look, is wildly energetic, playful and physically adept with an adequately strong, finely tuned singing voice. McKinnell is simply astounding with dulcet tones as Lind and every other fairy tale heroine in the script. Stein stands even taller making a stellar villain out of Shadow and Dinsmoor's little boy is the hit of the show. Sam Zeller is amazing in and out of quick changes as the Chinaman, the nobleman Heiberg and a dozen or so other characters.

I cannot find enough praise for My Fairytale. Schwartz has written some lovely tunes, especially "Come Drown in My Love" and "Can You Imagine That?" "Your Fellow Traveler" needs to be more dynamic in the beginning to make the vaudeville-like buddy number almost over the top, so when the tables turn later and the comaraderie falls apart, there's more of a dramatic jolt. I also think the show would work better as one act without a break. Despite the cliff-hanger fall at the end of the first half, a brief musical interlude would suffice to sustain interest, rather than a 20-minute interval. Whatever its fate - Broadway or off-Broadway, where I would prefer to see it play, in its present state in Solvang, the show is sheer joy. Let's exult in its unpretentiousness! You should not miss it, as it's definitely a show we'll be seeing again at some future date.
Oh, did I forget to mention it's PG rated? So, bring the whole family!

5 out of 5 stars

Steel Magnolias After Party at the Marriott in Ventura

Pals Stephanie Zimbalist and Franny McCartney have fun avec moi.

review below!

Fellow Roadie Costars in Wonderlust @ Theatre of Note

Actor Carl Johnson, a member of The Road as well as Theatre of Note, celebrates opening night of Wonderlust.
review below!

CABARET review - David Fairchild

On Sunday August 28, actor/singer David Fairchild debuted his show Heart of a Man @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Cabaret is a first for him. It is admirable to make a new start at any age, especially in show biz in LA, so I give Fairchild a hearty round of applause. "It's never too late" is a motto to be taken seriously, as Fairchild forges ahead not only with the show but also his first CD.

An attractive and well-groomed gentleman with a great deal of warmth, Fairchild's set included a lot of Broadway pop, but he should rethink many of his choices, which are a bit risky for his range. "Some Enchanted Evening", "Unchained Melody", "Speak Softly Love", "Pretty Women" and "Kiss Her Now" are a few selections that require a big voice capable of sustaining the final high notes, and Fairchild's pleasant baritone is unfortunately not quite up to the task, and so he strained to meet these demands. He fared much better on story-telling songs like "It Was a Very Good Year", "Standing on the Corner" and "Luck Be a Lady Tonight". "Goldfinger" was a rather odd choice, as it requires a dynamic, more exciting interpretation. Fairchild sang it in a rather straightforward manner, doing nothing other than to raise a goblet on high that he held in one hand throughout. The number was a strange fit to his repertoire and his rendition went nowhere. It was an embarrassing moment. Another major flaw in the show is a lack of patter. At one point he started to talk about his parents discovering him sing as a teenager, and how he accompanied his dad to various clubs in Florida to try out material. But the story ended there. It would have been nice to hear more about his life - with maybe even a little humor thrown in for good measure. But alas, there was none.

Praise to Leslie Sharp who accompanied Fairchild on piano throughout and to Will Phillips on percussion.

My advice to David Fairchild would be to rethink the purpose of his show, pick out songs - within his range, tell some anecdotes about them, like how meaningful they are to him or who introduced them to him, restructure Heart of a Man and perhaps bring the show back for another trial run before recording it. It's not that David Fairchild cannot sing - he definitely can, but, with all the competition out there, he needs to find his own special way of presenting himself and his material to the music world. I wish him every ounce of luck!

review - Day Drinkers

CRITIC'S PICK
Day Drinkers
by Justin Tanner
directed by Bart DeLorenzo
through October 9
Odyssey Theatre

Witnessing a Justin Tanner play is kind of like watching a soap opera; at one moment you cannot believe what you are hearing and seeing and in the next you'll exclaim, "I know them!" Whereas Del Shores gives us Southern white trash, Tanner keeps his trash more local; both playwrights have something else in common: a terrific stock company of actors who brilliantly deliver the goods. Tanner's latest play Day Drinkers, now on stage at the Odyssey, is another hysterically zany slice-of-life dramedy that makes us sit up and take account of our actions.

The place: a bar in downtown LA where its owners Daniel and Jenny (Todd Lowe and Chloe Taylor) are experiencing marital difficulties. Daniel's brother Caleb (Cody Chappel) refuses to leave for Canada, because he and Jenny still have the hots for each other. What's worse is that Jenny loves both men. Regular daytime customers Kate (Melissa Denton) and Sharon (Maile Flanagan), a lesbian couple, are also having their share of marital problems, as Kate's parents refuse to accept Sharon and their relationship. And then there's loud, tacky Val (Danielle Kennedy) engaged to aging, formerly prosperous Mick (Tom Fitzpatrick), whose son Bradley (Jonathan Palmer) shows up out of nowhere to test his father's new relationship. All of them drink, and unhappy as they are in their own private hell, spread even more unhappiness around through disturbing the others. Some of their actions verge on the obscene, as they let it all hang out, and in the end some are better off while others are not. It may seem over-the-top, but it's painstakingly real. And in those naughty, unpredictable, impulsive moments, the characters wake up, take flight and at the same time keep the audience completely engaged.

Bart DeLorenzo is a helluva winning director who consistently allows the actors enough room to pull out all the stops. The acting is top notch from all eight, with Kennedy, Flanagan, Lowe and Taylor never missing a beat. Producer Gary Guidinger has designed a believably seedy LA bar set. And as for the writing? Nothing can beat Tanner's exacerbating characters who simultaneously shake us, tug at our heartstrings and make us howl with laughter.

Day Drinkers is a gutsy comedy whose characters you've surely experienced at one time or another. You know them well, but they never cease to shock and surprise you. Go see for yourselves!

5 out of 5 stars

review - Steel Magnolias

CRITIC'S PICK
Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
directed by Jenny Sullivan
Rubicon Theatre, Ventura
through September 18

After three decades, Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias remains a treasure, a cherished tale of the endurance of female friendship. Now on stage at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, Magnolias has slick and sturdy direction from Jenny Sullivan and a magnanimous cast, and above all, it stands the test of time.

Written for and about six Southern women, the play became a box-office blockbuster film in 1989, so most by now are familiar with Clairee (Von Rae Wood), Truvy (Clarinda Ross), M'Lynn (Stephanie Zimbalist), Shelby (Amy Handelman), Ouiser (Bonnie Franklin) and Annelle (Angela Goethals) whose hair appointments keep the coffee boiling in Truvy's beauty salon, where all of them come together to glamour up for diverse events over the course of two years, the time frame of the play. For those who have not seen play or film, let it be said that a temple should be erected to Shelby and M'Lynn whose strong mother/daughter relationship weathers every storm and lives on eternally as the ideal for future generations to emulate. And solitary souls like Ouiser and outsiders like Annelle do not stay on the fringes, but are assured a permanent place in the reliably tight circle.

Though without male presence in the play, the female characters' male relatives and friends are the object of gossip, so, men, do not feel completely neglected. What riveted my attention this time around was not only the wonderfully spicy humor and the familial anecdotes reflecting cultural changes in the 80s, but the undeniable fact that in spite of diverse reactions and disagreements, the women rarely argue and their bonds never break. Ouiser may curse life at one moment, and in the next, extol its virtues. It's this love/hate thing, laughter through tears that gives living its special meaning. Superficial friends, whose lives touch and go in today's world, could profit a great deal from Harling's tale and these role models, who, in every way, stay grounded, true to the core.

The play insists on a marvelous chemistry from the ensemble, and no one disappoints. Zimbalist is caring to a fault and miraculously together, or at least makes M'Lynn appear that way on the outside; Wood, Ross and Franklin are uniquely hilarious, and Handelman and Goethals show how total opposites may influence one another in unexpected ways. Sullivan's direction is smooth and the pacing divine. Thomas S. Giarmario has created a splendid two-level set.

Visit Ventura and see Steel Magnolias, which is still a treat, especially with this fine troupe. Live exposure to Harling's now classic play sure beats renting the movie!

5 out of 5 stars

review - Wonderlust

CRITIC'S PICK
Wonderlust
by Cody Henderson
directed by Amber Skalski
Theatre of Note
through October 1

Let me say right up front that I am a teacher, have been for thirty+ years, and so any play having to do with education definitely strikes my fancy. Such was the case with Sex and Education. Biology, however, was never my strong point, but I can certainly appreciate the efforts of a new science teacher who motivates his students by getting them to relate life and love. Cody Henderson's new play Wonderlust is a viable endeavor on a couple of levels and may be one of the best plays I have seen in 2011. Now on stage at Theatre of Note in Hollywood, Wonderlust has a superb cast and equally excellent direction from Amber Skalski.

(photo credit: Darrett Sanders)

There's a pretty senior student Sharon (Elia Saldana), who is not living up to her potential, so her science teacher Andy Goodspeed (Tristan James Butler) and her government teacher Ralph Parsons (Carl J. Johnson), clearly old school, put the pressure on, as graduation approaches. Goodspeed really cares about her success, causing Parsons to become suspicious and, out of jealousy, eventually create problems for the young teacher, problems that may cost him his job. The whole plot here is so real in today's teaching world. If a teacher works out of the box, causing students to react in any way that administration and parents consider questionable, the results get exaggerated and may be labeled improper or unChristian; a teacher contract may be quickly and unreasonably, unjustly terminated. Without giving away too many details, Goodspeed is challenged about his behavior toward Sharon by her uncle Congressman Trip (Brad C. Light) and is dismissed. Background: Goodspeed's wife recently left him, he suffered a mild heart attack due to stress and is still emotionally insecure; without knowing the particulars of his personal life, Sharon has fallen in love with him. Nothing happens between them, but other students' sudden explosive sexual reactions to a love experiment devised by Goodspeed put Parsons, the school board and entire community in an uproar. A very realistically somber headline-making dilemma!

Henderson's keen understanding of this problem makes the play totally engrossing, but above and beyond that, there's the whole positive motivational concept of the experiment that works miracles in the students' lives, yet ironically bringing along with it so much negativity. Challenging the teacher's nonspiritual methods is the southern Baptist-like Christian congressman whose argument makes us see, that with or without God, the power of love is incredibly healing.

The ensemble is outstanding all around. Butler brings great sensitivity and depth to Goodspeed; Saldana beautifully essays Sharon's heartbreak of being torn in half; Johnson is so dynamically effective as Parsons, a symbol of society's sloth, ruthlessness and greed; Light is just right as Trip, the slick conniving salesman who may live right next door. Barbara Lempel's functional classroom set and Henderson's sound and graphic designs add wondrous touches.

Wonderlust is absorbing, thought-provoking entertainment at the highest level. Like many of my great teachers, who inspired me to look for answers, Henderson's urgent message of live/love rings loud and clear.

5 out of 5 stars

news: Matt McGrath cast as Frank'nFurter

Matt McGrath is now playing Frank'nFurter in the Old Globe's Rocky Horror Show, set to open on September 23.

review - Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon

CRITIC'S PICK
Ennio
design and direction by Ennio Marchetto and Sosthen Hennekam
Pasadena Playhouse
through Sunday August 28 only

How do you classify Ennio Marchetto?

Well ...

• He's a self-proclaimed clown and funny guy. 
• He's been called a living cartoon, 
• a quick change artist. 

And...he has taken the Japanese art form of origami - folding paper - to a whole new level, making all of his costumes, wearing and unfolding them as the various celebrities he satirizes and changing from one to another in rapid-fire succession over the course of the one-hour gig.

There are close to sixty characters included, which means sixty costumes, and in some cases, several copies for select ones, as a paper costume gets torn apart or torn up, especially when Ennio lets loose. Take Liza Minnelli, for example. He dresses - literally creates the major portion of her costume - in front of the audience using a long sheet of red crepe-like paper and making it into a cape. By the end of "New York, New York", he shreds it, and throws pieces of it to the audience like confetti.

He doesn't sing the songs nor does he lip sync; it's a soundtrack with the original artists singing. So what does Ennio add? Everything! He contorts his expressive face and moves his fluid body in a variety of ways - some controversial and almost obscene - but acceptable, as he lovingly flaunts the look of the celebrity to the strains of the background music. Of course, there's Marilyn Monroe, his first paper creation, and then there are Dolly, Cher, Barbra, Celine and Gene Kelly and even Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. There are political figures too, like the Queen, athletes like a sumo wrestler, animals like Dorothy's Toto and even a living painting of the Mona Lisa. Many of Ennio's costumes are back-to-back or two-in-one, as he will start out, for example, as a whole church choir, unraveling it into Elvis, or a belly dancer turns into not one, not two, but three Supremes.

It's truly astonishing, and if you've never seen this show, you must run to buy tickets! Pasadena Playhouse. August 28 only, this Sunday! Ennio. Performance artist extraordinaire; there is no one else on the planet comparable to Ennio Marchetto.

On a purely topical note, there's also something special to be said about Ennio's transformations. Like from priest to rock singer - religion or politics to rock or rap: Ennio's a cartoon of the changing face of the entire human race, and he nails them all
- brilliantly!

5 out of 5 stars

Tilly Sisters - Meg and Jennifer Backstage @ The Broad

Jennifer appeared onstage in Celebrity Autobiography and Meg - just recently having done Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in Canada - was in the audience to cheer her sister on!

Spider Saloff Weaves Magical Web with Roar of the Butterfly

review below!

news: Funny Girl

By now, most of you know that Lauren Ambrose has been cast to play Fanny Brice in the first Broadway revival of Funny Girl to originate at the Ahmanson/Mark Taper Forum this January/February 2012 prior to Broadway. Barbra Streisand skyrocketed to fame in Funny Girl in 1964. This all new production will be directed by Bartlett Sher. I loved Ambrose in Six Feet Under and as Chiclet in the film version of Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party. She's bound to bring a unique touch to the role!!!

review - Beau Jest

RECOMMENDED
Beau Jest
by James Sherman
directed by Martin Lang
Glendale Centre Theatre
through September 24




(photo credit: Tim Dietlein)

"I've created a monster!" proclaims Sarah Goldman (Alison Robertson) in James Sherman's audience-pleasing comedy Beau Jest, currently receiving a first-class production at the Glendale Centre Theatre. With fast one-line zingers, the farce is the perfect summer stock vehicle and boasts a sparkling cast under Martin Lang's quickly-paced direction.

What is this monster? Well, Sarah hires an actor to play her new Jewish boyfriend David (Kelly Flynn) who claims to be a doctor - a heart and brain surgeon no less - simply to please her parents Miriam and Abe (Elaine Rose and Mario Digregorio). It takes a while but eventually Sarah's therapist brother Joel (Danny Michaels) sees through the fraud, and caring good brother that he is, tries to convince her to take responsibility for her own life. The actor playing David, Bob Schroeder (Flynn) of course little by little falls head over heals in love with Sarah, but they're still stuck with the same problem at the end of Act II - He's "not Jewish"! Ethnic families! Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Children live to make their parents happy, but never themselves. Will Sarah be different and get up the gumption to tell her parents the truth? The plot here is much like a sitcom, but terribly, terribly funny. Oh, and there is another boyfriend, Chris Cringle (Shawn Cahill) - can you believe the name? - but he's not Jewish either, the parents wouldn't accept him, and that's the reason Sarah hired Bob to begin with. Oy!!

The ensemble do wonderfully zany work especially Flynn who makes hardly a false move as he fumbles and bumbles his way through the doctor disguise. Robertson is perky, pretty and full of energy; Rose and Digregorio are the perfect Jewish parents - he, all business and she, into everyone else's. Michaels is believably nerdy as the brother and has a fab scene in Act III where the therapist take over and attempts to alter Sarah's inane behavior.

If three acts make it seem that the play is long, it is not. It all flies by within two hours including intermission, as director Lang's wise pacing moves it along with the speed of a locomotive. There's plenty of ethnic humor in Beau Jest replete with an entire scene devoted to a seder (photo above). In fact, several scenes take place at the dining room table. There's something about a big family at the dinner table eating and kvetching. If you remember, it was a highlight in Jewtopia and in August Osage County. The comedic possibilities are limitless. Go to Beau Jest; you're bound to have a ball!

4 out of 5 stars

review - Celebrity Autobiography

RECOMMENDED
Celebrity Autobiography
created by Eugene Pack
developed by Pack and Dayle Reyfel
directed by Dale Franzen
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at
the Santa Monica Performing Arts Center
one-night only August 21,
with upcoming performances in New York

The 2009 Drama Desk award-winning Celebrity Autobiography has turned the tell all motto into a fresh theatrical experience. There is a disclaimer at the top: we couldn't make this stuff up!  and  We're not trying to be mean...they wrote 'em! They being the celebrities who wrote the words being spoken by an eclectic array of comic actors. In this edition, the actors were creator Eugene Pack, Fred Willard, Roger Bart, Tate Donovan, Will Forte, co creator Dayle Reyfel, Jennifer Tilly, Laraine Newman and Illeana Douglas, all bringing an individual dramatically comedic flair to the mostly dynamic proceedings.

What makes this evening particularly enjoyable, at least for the reader side of me, is that the actor saying the words aloud makes it an entirely different experience. You can read silently, but the words have new meaning when spoken out loud. And different including the slant. I might read, for example, Melissa Gilbert's anecdote about meeting Rob Lowe and falling in love with him and feel great sympathy for her when he turns his affections to Nastassja Kinski, but when Illeana Douglas read the section aloud from Gilbert's Prairie Tale, it became a three act drama putting Gilbert's sincerity and likability into very serious question. America's sweetheart transformed into the latest American shrew. The same with handsome David Hasselhoff from his autobio Don't Hassel the Hoff. I have watched the dvd of his Broadway success Jekyll & Hyde and been very impressed with his skill, but when Fred Willard read his pleas to the stage manager in the wings to please make him aware of when he was supposed to be Jekyll and when to be Hyde, I had to laugh and question this actor's intelligence - is he maybe really the dumb Baywatch lifeguard he has always been made out to be?

 

Other favorite highlights included: Roger Bart's Vanna White from Vanna Speaks. (speaking of Wheel of Fortune) "Sure it's not the most intellectually challenging job in the world. Few jobs are!"; Dayle Reyfel's Diana Ross from Secrets of a Sparrow "Rain and woman were one ...  in a wet dream, and it was all right"; Laraine Newman reading Madonna's erotic description of a lover who gave her crabs, "You win some, you lose some"; Eugene Pack from Burt Reynolds' My Life about Sally Field being the worst loser; all the women essaying the early poems of Suzanne Sommers. The Celebrity Mashup segment was a hoot with Newman doing Cher; Douglas, Streisand; Bart, Dolly Parton and Pack, George Hamilton - all discussing diets, junk food, and the like with Parton's quip the most hilarious, "What's more disgusting? Spitting out my food - not spitting up, spitting out, or having a lard ass?" The Grand Finale, a dramatization on friendship/marriage/love incorporating Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was also memorable with Reyfel as Reynolds, Tilly as Taylor, Pack as Fisher, Willard as Burton, Bart as Mike Todd and Will Forte underused announcing Taylor's various spouses.

Most everyone likes to read celebrity autobiographies or at least gossip about their content. For those that just cannot get enough celebrity gossip, Celebrity Autobiography, a kind of improv show with a twist, is a genuinely laugh-out-loud audience-grabbing entertainment. And it certainly stands to reason - the funnier the actors, the material will come off ... that much funnier! Don't miss its upcoming New York return engagements.

4 out of 5 stars

review - The Roar of the Butterfly

CRITIC'S PICK
The Roar of the Butterfly
written and performed by Spider Saloff
Celebration Theatre
August 17-20 only/
upcoming appearances in San Francisco and Chicago

Actress/singer Spider Saloff defies description. She has the voice of an angel and an actor look perfectly suited to character. Often compared to Tracey Ullman, it's time she was set apart. Spider Saloff is her very own special creation: a magnificent singer, delightfully versatile actress and warm human being whose inner glow shines through every moment of  her one-woman tour-de-forceThe Roar of the Butterfly.

...Butterfly is an Asian drag queen, who has just passed on. In fact, the show is a memorial service with 8 characters paying him tribute. Each character is played meticulously and to the hilt by Saloff, who, in her deliciously naughty way, lets it all hang out. Each transformation involves partial costume or wig and a change of accent, essayed quickly and flawlessly. Mixed in with the individual salutes are Saloff's own original songs. The characters are oddballs to be sure - loveable ones, who win our hearts, as do the songs - optimistic and warmly winning, with upbeat music and lyrics that make us want to give life one more colossal try.


Her main character, herself, sets the scene at the Five Oaks bar in New York and her opening number "I Wonder Where the Party's Going On" typifies this lust for living that was so a part of Butterfly's philosophy. Characters include Fuckin' Alice, one hilariously vulgar Scot waitress who is a favorite with the crowd, in spite of the salty language that shoots out of her mouth like a spray of bullets. There's an aging over-the-hill actress named Mrs. Muriel Winslow - terribly affected, Riffy, a streetwise drug-addicted poet, Mrs. Sordelino, a lower middle-class beautician from Philly, craving to fit in and Butterfly's boss from Citibank - his day job - Mrs. Bentley, whose story is perhaps the most touching of the set. Butterfly saved her daughter from a physically abusive relationship. The second act brings us two of her most colorful characterizations: German Helga, not unlike saucily sensual Marlene Dietrich who sings "Falling for Everyone", and outgoing Lithouanian limo driver Sam, whose dream of becoming a dancer "Dancing Shoes" is made a reality with Butterfly's benevolence. Each character chooses a sparkling pin in the shape of a butterfly to wear in honor of their deceased friend and passes on the message of celebrating life to the fullest. Sam couldn't say it any better, "The most important thing is to swing". And remember, "If you love it, no one can ever take it from you."

Spider Saloff's vibrantly diverse characters have one thing in common: a unique attraction to and zest of living that is infectious. Saloff's light comes from deep within and, like Butterfly, she shares it magnanimously.


5 out of 5 stars

Update: James Barbour Withdraws from Rocky Horror Show in San Diego

James Barbour, cast to play Frank 'n Furter in the Old Globe San Diego production of Rocky Horror the Musical opening Friday September 23, has withdrawn due to his wife's pregnancy. Role to be recast!

Judith Chapman a Knockout as Vivien Leigh

book reviews: New Books of Interest to Actors and Others

The following self-help books by actors and coaches inspire confidence, by assisting one with acting technique or in better handling the issues/obstacles of every day living. They all have the following in common: creativity, organization and common sense.


Actress Dee Wallace's (born Deanna Lee Bowers) third and perhaps most intriguing book (co-written with John Nelson) in which she relates her acting technique to the therapeutic process she uses with clients is titled Bright Light, Spiritual Lessons from a Life in Acting. Bright Light was the nickname her dad gave her, and the spiritual is not of a religious nature but refers to the innate, higher energy/power that is present inside of all of us but not always easy to tap into.

Wallace divides the book into 12 chapters each one reflecting a step in the therapeutic process, one that she believes you can use to remedy the static quality your life. They are: Intention, Art of Beingness, High-Energy Zone, Judgment Day - the Charles Conrad Studio taught her never to intellectualize or judge, Instinctive Response, Heart Light - remember E.T.'s spirit? He always kept an open heart, Sending Heart Energy, Immaculate Reception, Zero Point - do nothing but stay in the moment, Surrender, Just Know and I Am. Sound easy? Well, it's not! It's a complex process, but with willingness and drive, one can turn one's life around and make anything work. It worked for Wallace and thousands of her students. As an actor, she is a seeker of truth and believes totally in Divine Love and Creative Consciousness, both of which are within every single human being.
I love Dee Wallace and her loving words: "We are born with our light. The world challenges that light. Either we keep it shining or we don't." Yes, there are lots of anecdotes about Spielberg and Blake Edwards, Dudley Moore and those she worked with in the movie business in this book, but the true joy of the reading is in the life lessons learned.
www.iamdeewallace.com

____________________________________________________________ 

Actor C. Stephen Foster has worked extensively in Hollywood for the past 10 years on stage and on film in mostly original work that he has created for himself. He now relates his personal experience and knowledge about acting to help you reach a better understanding of your own talent and what to do with it .

I have known Foster for many of these 10 years, and greatly admire his tenacity and positive spirit. Like Dee Wallace, he has a light within that is always shining brightly.
His workbook is divided into twelve sections, each one devoted to a week's study and practice. The practice exercises or tasks may involve speech, performance, reading, making lists, auditioning, even going shopping for your character. They are all active, not passive steps. The book is rather like a journey, beginning with Acting Is Healing and ending with Acting Is Interacting, not simply reacting or listening, as many like to tell you. It's far more involved than that. Foster advises each student to keep a notebook of his (her) progress, insists that you chart your progress in each lesson and at the beginning gives you a written contract to sign. I loved this element, as an acting student must take the work seriously and know when he (she) is on or off track. It's a completely private, but urgent issue in the actor's preparation.
What won me over about Foster's plan from the start is his set of rules. He believes, like me, that rules are meant to be broken. Therefore:

• Never give up!
• Keep it simple and specific!
• Show up and be prepared!
• Don't say "I can't."
• Follow your heart's impulses and desires.
• Keep moving, don't stop!
• Trust your mistakes.
• Have fun!
• You're free to be the worst actor in the world.  (Great! Fall on your face and don't be afraid! Ever, ever!!)
• Do one thing each day for your actor.

Another practice that Foster chooses is one I firmly believe in: Always do an "I remember..." exercise, a type of sense memory that can serve just about everyone. It worked for Uta Hagen, so it can work for you too! Foster is brave to put out an acting book at his young age, as there is so much competition, but I laud his courage and insistence on teaching what is solid and true. His organizational skills are impeccable, and he, like me, teaches them to his students. Bravo!
http://www.facebook.com/awakeningtheactorwithin

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Barbara Deutsch is a highly recognized coach and entertainment consultant. In her newest book Open Up or Shut Up! How to Talk Your Way Into or Out of Anything! she opens up new windows of opportunity for the average person like me or you.
Open up refers to being blocked by fear, so open your mind, heart and mouth.
Shut up involves being afraid of not being heard or losing an argument, so listen as well as speak!


For Barbara, the bright light Dee Wallace refers to is called the pilot light, and one must free oneself of the alien within (anxiety) that prevents one from doing his (her) best work.
Each anecdote or issue in this delightful book, which by the way is good for any professional, is set up in the following way:

scenario
analysis of the scenario
redo the scenario
conclusion

Some of the scenarios are:
What am I a friend or a tax service?
The Hard Sell Means No Sell
Dial-A-Date
Gossip
Ready for My Closeup...or Not
Frequent Flier Flies Off the Handle

In a nutshell, what Deutsch is recommending are positive ways of behaving to guarantee the slightest amount of stress and the most success. Great advice! Fun book!

http://www.bdapproach.com/

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ALSO RECOMMENDED:


Although unrelated to the above books, David Hallman's very personal memoir August Farewell, The Last Sixteen Days of a Thirty-Three-Year Romance relates with candor and joy the last days of his companion Bill Conklin and hopefully will inspire gays to better deal with their sexuality and with loss. Having dealt with my own companion's death and staying by him through his passing, I understand how much it means to look back with appreciation and gratitude for time well spent.

"In August Farewell, David G. Hallman is not afraid of allowing moments of joy to enter, mingle and become an integral part of his deep sorrow. With loss come a raft of wonderful memories that, by making us laugh and cry simultaneously, not only sustain us but help us exult in the true beauty of living at every stage." - don grigware

grigwaretalkstheatre

BroadwayWorld

www.davidghallman.com

Kowalski Still Great Stuff

Ignacio Serricchio as Brando and Curt Bonnem as Tenn Williams just get better and better in Kowalski playing at the Two Roads Theatre until mid September.

Melody Hollis Melodious in Melodyland

review below!

review - Vivien

CRITIC'S PICK
Vivien
by Rick Foster
directed by Elina de Santos
Rogue Machine
through September 4

Fans of Vivien Leigh will not want to miss Rick Foster's solo play Vivien starring beautiful Judith Chapman at the Rogue Machine through September 4. It's passionate, theatrical and thoroughly engaging as Chapman and Leigh connect on more than one plateau.

The resemblance, to be sure, is uncanny. The gorgeous Leigh could not be portrayed any better than by the equally stunning Miss Chapman. Chapman walks with Leigh's graceful stride and speaks ever so softly like Leigh, but it is in digging below the surface that brings most of the treasure to light. Leigh was a complex, mentally-ill woman - a manic depressive, a most likely candidate for schizophrenia - who appeared gracious, lady-like on the outside, but had an in-depth fractured power that frequently went spiraling out of control, especially toward the end of her life in the 60s. And is it any wonder after seven long years of electric shock therapy? She was known to say and do things to loved ones that she couldn't remember saying or doing. So sad!

Foster structures the play in the form of a dream. At the top Leigh enters an empty theatre in London to read the role of Agnes in Albee's A Delicate Balance , a part that she is not eager to play. No one is there, so she begins an exchange of recollections from her life for an audience in a theatre where she truly comes vibrantly alive. In order to play a role, you must love the character, Larry Olivier taught her, and her greatest regret was that she grew too old to put a Shakesperean character like Juliet or Cleopatra on film. She lived life to the fullest through her roles like Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind and Blanche du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire. There are glimpses of the joy/pain in her marriage to Olivier, friendships with Sir Winston Churchill, Katharine Hepburn - whom she refers to as her spirit of air and light - and a notorious affair with Peter Finch, as Olivier continued to cheat on her with their marriage disintegrating. Through the craziness of it all, she never really stopped loving him, and that only added to her instability. There are lines from Antigone, funny stories about Clark Gable and how difficult it was to play a love scene with him due to his bourbon breath and more serious moments like a breakdown while in the midst of filming, a torturous descent into living madness. Through it all, Foster has Leigh express an acceptance of who she is - not Scarlett, not Blanche, not Cleopatra - but Vivien Leigh, a woman who always wanted life to be as beautiful as when she was a girl, a woman who lived in extremes. At least, this is the picture he leaves us with at play's end, all of which is a dream.

Chapman is mesmerizing throughout and essays de Santos' moves around the large open stage - with elegant design by Stephanie Kerley Schwartz - sometimes with the grace of a ballerina, other times with the force and ferocity of a wind storm. She lives and breathes this role, as hers is a dexterously physical and brilliantly impassioned tour-de-force performance, not to be missed!

5 out of 5 stars

review - Blackbird

CRITIC'S PICK
Blackbird
by David Harrower
directed by Robin Larsen
Rogue Machine
extended through September 12

David Harrower's spellbinding Blackbird is taut from first line to last, and gives its audience an unexpected emotional ride that is characteristic of only really great theatre. Expertly cast and directed, Blackbird is in another extension at the Rogue Machine, now through September 18.

Stepehanie Kerley Schwartz' gritty set design of a break room in an old rundown factory-type building adds so much to the proceedings. It's a despiccable room to look at, filthy and neglected, and you do not want to be there, just as you question if you really want to be here witnessing the horrifying confrontation between Una (Corryn Cummins) and Ray (Sam Anderson). Una accuses Ray of abusing her at age 12 and after 8 years of psychological torture, she tracks him down in another town to confront him with her outrage. At first glance, it seems like just another case of a distraught girl dredging up the past in an attempt to to bring closure to that part of her life - but it's not. It's, in fact, only the beginning of another long painful road of insecurity and misery for her and without a doubt for Ray.

It's inane to give away too much of what happens, as it will spoil the play. What is most engrossing about this character study is that it presents both sides of the coin, from the perspective of the girl and also from the perspective of the pedofile, who claims he has made some serious adjustments and finally carved out a new and meaningful existence for himself. Whether you choose to believe him, is totally up to you. Harrower allows his audience to make up their own minds about where the truth lies.

Larsen has directed skillfully and both Cummins and Anderson deliver remarkable performances. They make it easier to comes to terms with the emotional chaos that each has been suffering.  Anderson makes Ray's anguish palpable, and it is not difficult to buy into his seemingly sincere ramblings, but one thing remains clear in the play: Ray never once says, "I'm sorry." Is his reformed facade and gut-wrenching outpouring a pack of lies?

Blackbird is a poetic mystery that is completely human and undeniably affecting. Its riveting surprises and twists will leave you gasping.

5 out of 5 stars