Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

"Mormon" and Much More

Broadway/LA has announced one of its most enticing lineups yet for the 2012/2013 season, to be presented at the company’s resident venue, the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Four blockbuster touring editions of Broadway musicals head the roster. Joining the previously announced Tony-winning hit “The Book of Mormon” (September 5-November 25, 2012) are producer Bette Midler’s “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” (May 28-June 16, 2013), the Terrence McNally/Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman hit “Catch Me if You Can,” based on the Steven Spielberg film (March 12-24. 2013), and “Sister Act the Musical” (July 9-28, 2013), a tuner that originally premiered in 2006 at the Pasadena Playhouse, prior to being retooled for its London and Broadway bows.

The Bright Side Indeed

A ship-shape touring edition of the ever-zany and utterly delightful Tony-winning musical "Spamalot"  has commenced a very brief run at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, continuing through March 4. 

This tuner, ingeniously adapted by Eric Idle and John Du Prez from the classic comedy film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail,"  has just about everything lovers of lighthearted musicals hope for-- a fun and tuneful score, a hilarious and well crafted book, a splendid production design brimmng with color and imagination, and a top-notch cast.  All of the ingredients that made the show a huge hit on Broadway are evident in this blissfully entertaining edition.

Standouts in the shimmering  ensemble include Arthur Rowan's sidesplitting turn in the lead role of alternatly noble and daffy King Arthur, the splendid Brittany Woodrow (a belting pop diva extraoridnaire and a drolly funny comedian) as the Lady in the Lake , Michael J. Berry as Arthur's trusty if goofy horse Patsy, and Adam Grabau and Jacob L. Smith in multiple roles. Yet there are no weak links in this talented troupe,  as BT McNicholl deftly recreates the original direction by Mike Nichols with the aid of these brilliant farceurs.  Lovers of musical theater will howl with laughter at the affectionate jabs at many musical classics, ranging from "A Chorus Line" to "West Side Story."

Casey Nicholaw's choregraphy is as witty and polished as ever, and Nolan Bonvouloir's musical direction and conducting are likewise exemplary.  (Steven M. Bishop serves as musical supervisor.) The visual designs are Broadway-calibre all the way. The holy grail of musical entertainment is alive and well in this wonderful production, which should delight Monty Python enthusiasts, and might just convince those who have been resistant to the Python charms to make a conversion.

--Les Spindle

Mac is Back

Entertainer Peter Mac, who we wrote about following watching him perform last September at the Gardenia restaurant-cabaret in West Hollywood, has upped the ante on his local gigs, by becoming the resident performer at a new cabaret venue.

The long-popular French Quarter restaurant in the French Market Place (a dining and shopping facility in WeHo) has created a performing space specifically for Mac.

Each weekend, Mac and/or his special guests offer the special blend of nostalgia and celebrity impersonation that have proven a winning formula for Mac in other engagements in L.A. and elsewhere. He is particularly known for his warm and winning portrayal of the late superstar Judy Garland.

Playing throughout March on Fridays and Saturday nights is “The Songs That Got Away.” What Mac promises is to sing songs that Garland never got to perform, but perhaps should have. We’re told the mix of tunes will be highly eclectic—drawing from ABBA, Disney, Sondheim, and much more. His familiar accompanist and musical director Bryan Miller will also be on hand.

During his engagement last fall, I praised Mac for the unique blend of elements he was offering at that time. He enthralled the crowd as Judy, and then emerged later in the show out of that guise, appearing as Mac, a gifted male singer who mixed songs with moving anecdotes about his upbringing. I plan to catch one of his upcoming appearances in this new venue. He’s a terrific entertainer, and it would be great to support his efforts. The French Quarter is to be commended for creating this new entertainment showcase at a time when cabaret is L.A. is sadly much harder to find than it used to be.

—Les Spindle

C'est Magnifique

The venerable Downey Civic Light Opera, in Downey, California, headed by the ever-vivacious Executive Director-Producer Marsha Moode, continues what seems to have become an annual tradition. Recently, each season’s schedule of popular Broadway musicals of yesteryear has been spiced up with a biographical musical revue, featuring the evergreen classics of a legendary musical-theater tunesmith.

So far, Moode has offered excellent compilations of Rodgers and Hart and Irving Berlin songs. This season’s revue, which continues through March 4 at the Downey Theatre, is the buoyant and edifying “Cole” (devised by Benny Green and Alan Strachan), a delicious matchup of some of DCLO’s finest regular performers and promising newcomers with cream-of-the-crop songs from the immortal composer-lyricist Cole Porter.

"Sunset" to Settle on L.A. Shores Again

As the highlight of its 6Oth anniversary season, Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California, will offer the first Southern California-produced staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit London and Broadway musical, "Sunset Boulevard," since the show made its American premiere here at the now-defunct Shubert Theatre  in Century City in 1993, starring Glenn Close.  Its only other performances here have been in touring editions.

Many will remember the knock-down-drag-out legal  battles Webber had with both Patti LuPone (the show's original London star, who was replaced during the London run) and Faye Dunaway (dismissed from the L.A. production prior to its opening).  There's plenty of  sturm-und-drang drama in the musical as well, which is based on Billy Wilder's classic film about a reclusive former film star hoping for her comeback.  The show has received mixed reviews along the way, but it boasts one of Webber's finest scores and provides a to-die-for role for a gifted and mature musical theater diva.  Such luminaries as Elaine Paige, Petula Clark, and Betty Buckley (and  of course Gloria Swanson in Wider's 1950 film)  have tackled this iconic role. Who will headline this highly anticipated new production?   We'll have to wait a while to find out. Opening is set for July 12, 2013.

Pushing the Envelope

A hefty helping of Oscar season cheer is being served up at the Coterie, a restaurant/cabaret at the Renaissance Hotel & Spa, in the heart of Hollywood, next to the Kodak Theatre, the current home of the Oscar telecasts.

 I caught “Red Carpet Memories: A Celebration of Academy Award-Nominated Songs” at the press opening this week. The brief run of this tuneful and irresistibly cheerful revue continues through Sunday, February 19.

Several notable performers are in this gala show: James Snyder (“Cry Baby”), pictured; Brett Ryback (“All Hail the Queen”)' Rogelio Douglas, Jr. (“In the Heights”); Tomasina Abate; Jessica Bernard (“Bonnie & Clyde”), and Lexi Lawson (“Rent”). This cabaret show offers a nostalgic and energetic salute to Oscar-winning songs, encompassing a wide range of musical styles. The classic numbers come to life in vivid and imaginative interpretations, under the helm of director-arranger-conceiver Alexander Georgakis. Choreographer Jaclyn Friedlander and a three-piece band (Nick Campbell on bass, Jack Kovacs on guitar and Colin Woodford on drums) add to the show’s success.

Groban and Friends Prepare for "Dream" Event

A stellar musical evening is in store for local audiences when the acclaimed Musical Theatre of Los Angeles stages a benefit concert version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s blockbuster opus, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The gala February 15 event will topline veteran performers David Burnham (Broadway’s “Wicked” and “The Light in the Piazza”) as Joseph and Misty Cotton (Broadway’s “Miss Saigon”) as the narrator. Lorenzo Lamas will make a guest appearance as the Pharaoh.

Roaches, Fleas, and Spiders...Oh My!

In a busy season for Cirque du Soleil shows in L.A. and vicinity, the tireless Quebec troupe’s 2009 opus “Ovo” (Portuguese for “egg”) has made its local debut at Santa Monica Pier, while the company’s film-world extravaganza “Iris” continues at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre (on hiatus until after the Oscars), and “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” will soon be in town for two separate engagements.

If you can pardon the pun, this imaginative and fun-filled offering—clearly geared as a family attraction—might only “bug” those with an aversion for insects. Yet the exotic ecosystem so dazzlingly created by Liz Vandel’s costumes, Gringo Cardia’s set and props, and Eric Champoux’s lighting—under the inspired creative vision of writer-director-choreographer Deborah Colker—provides  an irresistible showcase for Cirque’s miraculously multi-talented performers. The diverse array of acrobats, dancers, and comedians entertained a cheering opening-night crowd with two hours worth of energetic and mind-boggling feats.

There are countless memorable segments. Red ants juggle huge pieces of kiwi with their feet, then switch to juggling each other. A flying act called the Scarabs Volant performs death-defying trapeze tricks. The magnificent finale, featuring artists bouncing off a trampoline, then running and leaping across an 8-meter vertical wall, is one you won’t soon forget. Berna Ceppa’s jaunty original music, performed by a large band of cockroaches, maintains an appropriate celebratory tone.

As entertainment feasts go, “Ovo” might be the tastiest omelet in town.

--Les Spindle

Joyful Noise Too

In what is becoming an annual tradition, Glendale’s venerable classics-focused A Noise Within company is offering its third staging of Michael Frayn’s ribald backstage farce, “Noises Off,” which works like gangbusters in ANW’s spacious and lovely new Pasadena facility. This boisterously hilarious play requires top-notch direction and acting to pull off its endless stream of slapstick sequences, requiring flawless comedy timing and great physical dexterity.

Stars Sparkle in "A Broadway Christmas"

The holiday spirit shined brightly at Chris Isaacson’s star-studded holiday concert, “A Broadway Christmas,” presented at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood for two performances only on December 20. 

Nobody assembles a stellar roster of talent as effectively as impresario extraordinaire Isaacson. His cabarets and concerts always glisten with top-notch production values, knockout musical accompaniment, and smashing renditions of great songs.