Grigware Talks Theatre: December 2014

we3kings

with Brandon Michael Jones, premiere Michael Jackson Tribute Artist

with Shawn Klush, renowned Elvis Impersonator

Luca Ellis as Frank Sinatra, a favorite

Meeting Liza Minnelli

Superstar Liza Minnelli appeared with her old dear friend Cortes Alexander in his Swell Christmas at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal Monday December 22, performing one number arranged by her godmother Kay Thompson. She sounded terrific...three weeks ago, she had delicate back surgery, but you would never know anything was wrong. What a trouper and quite a lovely, fun lady when you meet her!

The Best in LA Theatre for 2014

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2014 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.

(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

BEST PRODUCTIONS

Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Cabaret - Crown City Theatre
Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista
Choir Boy - Geffen
The Country House - Geffen
Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Floyd Collins - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
4000 Miles - Sierra Madre Playhouse
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - Los Angeles LGBT Center
In the Heights - Cabrillo
The Last Confession - Ahmanson
Les Miserables - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
Once - Pantages
Putting It Together - Chromolume Theatre
Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
A Streetcar Named Desire - Group rep
Top Girls - Antaeus Company
The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
The 25th Annual Putnum Country Spelling Bee - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre

Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont: entire season
Lawrence Welk Resort, Escondido: Anything Goes/Oklahoma!

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS

Fruitcake Follies 2014
A Little House Christmas - Sierra Madre Playhouse
Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight - Pasadena Playhouse
The Snow QUEEN - Troubies at the Falcon

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

Always Patsy Cline - El Portal Theatre
An Evening with Arthur Duncan - Monroe Forum Theatre at the El Portal
Harmony - Ahmanson Theatre
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin - Geffen
Kritzerland Concert -Jerry Herman Tribute at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
L'il Abner - Bruce Kimmel director - LA City College
Spirit of Ireland - Michael Ryan - University of LaVerne
Striking 12 - Laguna Playhouse
Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines - Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY

David Hyde Pierce - Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Stephen Sachs - My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain Theatre

BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL

Cate Caplin - Putting It Together - Chromolume
Kristin Towers-Rowles - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Monroe Forum at the El Portal

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

Scary Musical the Musical - Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro - NoHo Arts Center

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAYS

Conviction - Carey Crim - Rubicon Theatre, Ventura
Wake - Carey Crim - Seaglass Theatre at the Fremont Theatre Centre

BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY

Amadeus - Ensemble Theatre, Santa Barbara
Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
Choir Boy - Geffen
The Country House - Geffen
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - LGBT Center
My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain
A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
Top Girls - Antaeus
The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum

BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL

The Andrews Brothers - Annenberg Theatre, Palm Springs
Brigadoon - Music Circus, Sacramento
Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight, Vista
Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Kelrik at the El Portal
Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Michael Arden/Ciara Renee - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - La Jolla Playhouse
Frances Barber - What the Butler Saw - Mark Taper Forum
James Barbour - Les Miserables - La Mirada
Eileen Barnett - Glorious! - ICT, Long Beach
Leslie Caron/David Engel - Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks - Laguna Playhouse
Alexis Carra/Jordan Lamoureux - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Mimi Cozzens/Christian Prentice - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
Merle Dandridge - Kiss Me Kate - Pasadena Playhouse
Chelsea Emma Franko - Spamalot - Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont
Taylor Gilbert - Sovereign Body - The Road Theatre Company
Rebecca Johnson - Big Fish - MTW
Angela Lansbury/Charles Edwards/Jemima Rooper - Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
Danny Michaels - Me and My Girl - GCT (Glendale Centre Theatre)
Diedra Celeste Miranda/Daniel Kaemon - Streetcar - Group rep
Alicia Hall Moran - The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess - Ahmanson
Kristine Nielsen - Vanya & Sonia - Mark Taper Forum
Ann Noble/Paul Witten - The Goat - LGBT Center
Jaimi Paige/Graham Hamilton - Venus in Fur - South Coast Rep
Kyle Taylor Parker - Kinky Boots - Pantages
Erin Pineda - Bunny, Bunny - Falcon Theatre
Kristin Towers-Rowles - Putting It Together - Chromolume
Brent Schindele -The Music Man - GCT
Jeff Skowron - The Producers - 3D Theatricals/Big Fish - Musical Theatre West (MTW)
Victoria Strong - Man of La Mancha - GCT
Rebekah Tripp/Joseph Fuqua - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
Cicely Tyson - The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
Mark Whitten/Kim Huber - Floyd Collins - La Mirada
Hannah Yelland - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
Murielle Zuker - Educating Rita - Theatre 40

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Dorothy Atkinson/Annette McLaughlin - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
Jim J. Bullock - Bye Bye Birdie - Cabrillo
Granville Van Dusen - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
Christine Ebersole/David Hull - Vania & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Chelsea Emma Franko/ Karla Franko/Tamara Zook - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Susane Lee - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
Craig McEldowney - Ragtime - 3D Theatricals/...Spelling Bee - El Portal
Tom Musgrave - Melissa Arctic - The Road Theatre Company
Richard O' Callaghan - Last Confession - Ahmanson
Anya Profumo/Kent Butler - Streetcar - Group rep
Carla R. Stewart - Ghost the Musical - Pantages
Sara J. Stuckey - Cabaret - Crown

BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE

Daniel Beaty - The Tallest Tree in the Forest - Mark Taper Forum
Scott Dreier - Doris & Me - Monroe Forum at the El Portal
Jon Peterson - ...He Wrote Good Songs - Asylum Lab Theatre (Fringe Festival)
Christopher Plummer - A Word or Two - Ahmanson Theatre
Michael Urie - Buyer & Cellar - Mark Taper Forum

BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE

Annette Bening - Ruth Draper's Monologues - Geffen
Chita Rivera: A Legendary Celebration - Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge
Katie Rubin -Why I Died, a Comedy - Echo Theatre at Atwater Village

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

David Burnham - Together Again For the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Dan Callaway - A Farewell to LA - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Jason Graae - 49 1/2 Shades of Graae - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Jeremy Jordan - Breaking Character - Catalina Jazz Club
John Lloyd Young - My Turn - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Laura Benanti - In Constant Search for the Right Kind of Attention - Catalina Jazz Club
Laura Dickinson - One For My Baby - Upstairs at Vitello's
Jennifer Holliday - Broadway Under the Stars - Ford Amphitheatre
Jeanne Page - Reboot - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Valerie Perri - Together Again for the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Rebecca Spencer - Fair Warning - Upstairs at Vitello's