Tuesday, December 30, 2014

we3kings

with Brandon Michael Jones, premiere Michael Jackson Tribute Artist
with Shawn Klush, renowned Elvis Impersonator

Luca Ellis as Frank Sinatra, a favorite

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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!

Friday, December 19, 2014

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
BEST CDs
  • And The World Goes Round - Kritzerland Records
  • The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School - Christmas in Harvard Square
  • The Bridges of Madison County - Jason Robert Brown-Original Broadway Cast
  • Ellen Greene - Songs for a Winter's Night
  • Daniel Rodriguez - A Glorious Christmas
  • Lyn Stanley - Potions
BEST BOOK


  • Stella! Mother of Modern Acting - Sheana Ochoa - Applause



BEST THEATRICAL SEASON
  • Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Tuna Boys/Girls

Brian McDonald and Jamie Torcellini

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Laura Dickinson Spellbinding


Friday, December 12, 2014

Troubies' Blistery Snow Queen

Joe Keane is Kai
The Snow Queen

SB Panto at Pasadena Playhouse

Lucy Lawless is the Evil Fairy and David Engel is Nanny Tickle
with Lucy Lawless
Prince Garrett Clayton


(photos below: Ian Foxx)


Friday, December 5, 2014

Naughty Shawn Ryan at Rockwell

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