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2/15/2019 0 Comments A Night You will Never Forget.M&W Theatre Group presents Carrie: The Musical Horror
Directed by Malissa Marlow Runs February 7th-17th 8:00pm performances on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 2:00pm on Saturdays and 4:30pm on Sundays Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Based on the musical by Lawrence D. Cohen (book), Dean Pitchford (lyrics), and Michael Gore (music), and inspired by Stephen King’s novel. Carrie: The Musical Horror is about a woman named Carrie (Tianna Cohen), who discovers she possesses telekinetic powers. She is the persona non grata at Chamberlin High School; the subject of her classmates vicious taunts and cruel bullying. Carrie additionally does not receive any support at home, stuck in an abusive relationship with a fervently religious mother(Leah Dalrymple) whose primary concern is Carrie's salvation, not her overall well-being. When her P.E teacher Miss Gardner(Jeanette Airen), her kind classmate Sue Snell(Malissa Marlow), and Sue's boyfriend Tommy Ross(Noah Canada) reach out to try and help Carrie, it seems that for once, Carrie might have a shot at happiness and acceptance. But Chris Hargensen (Kena Worthen), the schools most barbarous bully and the primary source of torment for Carrie, alongside the schools resident bad boy Billy Nolan (Conner Stevens) formulate a plot to humiliate Carrie the night of their Senior Prom. When all goes awry Carrie’s powers threaten to overwhelm her, and devour everyone in her path. Tianna Cohen does a tremendous job of portraying timid, meek and docile Carrie, while still hiding great darkness within her. Paired with on stage mother Leah Dalrymple, who so convincingly plays the hurt abused zealot of a mother, clinging to her orthodox doctrine as she deals with her abuse and trauma. Dalrymple commands the stage in every scene she is in with an extraordinary and breathtaking vocal range and performance. The supporting cast delivers clear voices and beautiful harmonies, notably Cohen and Dalrymple, whose on-stage chemistry and musical duets stand out as strong highlights of the show. At times, unfortunately, hampered by the vocal levels and the mix of the music, the cast can be quiet and hard to hear during the performance. Setting and design were minimal having to double up on the use of the set for the various scenes, I applaud the great use of special effects and lighting. I would love to see the show on a larger stage and see what this talented crew could do with a larger budget. Overall I recommend Carrie: The Musical Horror for a bloody good time. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.mwtheatre.org/ The cast includes: Tianna Cohen (Carrie White), Leah Dalrymple (Margaret White), Malissa Marlow (Susan Snell), Kena Worthen (Chris Hargensen), Noah Canada (Tommy Ross), Conner Stevens (Billy Nolan), Jeanette Airen (Miss Gardener), Michael Dumas (George Dawson), Blake Kevin Dwyer (Kenny Stokes), Luke Smith (Freddy Holt), Tiffany Bobbs(Norma Watson), Bella Phillips (Frieda Jason), Audrey Fischer (Helen Shyres), and Dave Faulkner (Mr. Stephens/Reverend Bliss/Detective). Creative team: Choreography and Costume Design by Kena Worthen. Musical Direction by Mark Nilan. Lighting Design by Greg Crafts
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  Neo Ensemble Theatre presents Airport Encounters BRACE FOR IMPACT! Directed by: June Carryl, David Bickford, Valerie Gould, Joe Ochman, Richard Pierce, Matthew Singletary and Lauren Smerkanich Running February 9th-24th Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. Sundays at 3:00 p.m. The Lounge Theatre 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038 Airport Encounters: Brace for Impact! is a comedic anthology of eight inter-connected vignettes that range from comedic, to heartfelt, to outright silly, centered around one central location, an Airport Terminal hub. Although each scene is an individual story entirely independent of each other, the stories comprise a more significant picture, coming together to form a cohesive theatrical experience. The entire cast does a tremendous job of taking on multidisciplinary roles, often performing in multiple scenes. Standout performances and my personal favorites scenes performed were "Ordained", "Till Death Do Us Part", and "Ninjas". That being said, no one vignette seemed out of place, and the pacing and transition of the scenes are fluid and engaging, making great use of the space. I particularity enjoyed the simplistic design. Kudos to the set and sound design team for transporting the audience to the bustling airport terminal through its use of props and sound effects. This performance was my first introduction to the Neo Ensemble Theatre Company, and they have made me a life long fan. I applaud this group of professionals who were able to come together with so many unique voices and tell a unified story. Airport Encounters BRACE FOR IMPACT! makes for a great night of theatre. I highly encourage supporting this production. Tickets available at http://www.neoensembletheatre.org/ or click here for the direct ticket link. Vignettes in order of appearance: ORDAINED by Mark Harvey Levine directed by June Carryl Abby: Tracy Winters Gary: Jerry Weil Sharon: Starina Johnson. I WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN by Scott Mullen directed by David Bickford Wendy: Julie Lippert Quinn: Jennifer Cheung Ryan: Jason Paul Evens THREE SYLLABLES OF SHAME by Rom Watson directed by Richard Pierce Charlie Doth: Spencer Krambler Angela Doth: Sheila Daley HIS NAME IS HENRY by Jessica June Rowe directed by Matthew Singletary Thomas: Jerry Weil Mel: Valerie Gould Karen: Tracy Elliot Daphne: Joan Kubicek TILL DEATH DO US PART by Elayne Heilviel directed Valerie Gould Mary Jane: Connie Monroe Billy Joe: Jason Paul Evans Al: David St. James MY CELL PHONE SAYS YOU'RE MY SOULMATE by Scott Mullen directed by Matthew Singletary Max: Anthony Marquez Celeste: Julie Lippert Jane: Cassidy Davis NINJAS by Scott Mullen directed by Lauren Smerkanich Hannah: Starina Johnson Kate: Tracy Elliot CHARLIE by Beth Polsky directed by Joe Ochman David: David St. James Charlie:Anthony Marquez Violet: Valerie Gould Marcy: Abby Kammeraad-Campbell Creative team includes: Lead Producer: Richard Pierce Producers: Tracy Elliot, Valerie Gould, Starina Johnson, Scott Mullen Lighting Design: Tommy Dunn Set Design: Chris Soley Sound Design: Tommy Dunn Props: Jerry Weil Production Stage Manager: Tommy Dunn Choreographer, Charlie: Valerie Gould Graphic Designer: Noami Gibson House Manager: Agnes Cotti Press: Jim Matyka Produced by: Neo Ensemble Theatre 2/11/2019 0 Comments As Earnest as ever...Crown City Theatre Presents Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
Directed by Michael Marchak Running February 1st - March 31st. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm. Crown City Theatre, 11031 Camarillo Street, North Hollywood, 91602 This classic piece of literature,"The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" by Oscar Wilde was first performed on February 14, 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London. Despite the fact it has recently celebrated its 120th anniversary, this facetious satire feels just as fresh and witty in Los Angeles 2019. The show contains a tremendous amount of nuanced dialogue that can be tricky to perform, but each actor delivers the many epigrams with clarity and gusto. It is apparent that this crew relishes the opportunity to develop these characters and brilliantly rise to the occasion. On the evening I attended, I was privileged to watch Hans Obma bring a sweet, sincere naïveté to Jack Worthing, a perfect foil to Bobby Slaski as Algernon Moncrieff who plays the role with roguish and debonair charm. They are supported by Riegan Sage as Gwendolen, Megan Cochrane as Cecily, Mouchette van Helsdingen as Miss Prism, John Sala as the Rev. Canon Chasuble, and Will Potter as the butler. Michael Mullen commands the room as Lady Bracknell, and his extraordinary outrageous performance is worth the ticket price alone. The costuming and staging deserve praise, making great use of the space to transport you to the Victoria-era city/countryside. Perfectly paced, the entire cast does a tremendous job of keeping the energy high and engaging. This is a long show with a run time of 2.5 hours and a three-act structure, containing two 10- minute intermissions. That being said, never does the performance feel sluggish or dull. Wildly entertaining and a guaranteed night of raucous laughter, Crown City Theatre is in rare form in its iteration of The Importance of Being Earnest. I highly recommend catching this show while you have the opportunity. of one hundred twenty-four, at Crown City Theatre it seems scarcely a day older than The creative team includes Joanne Lamb (Scenic Design), Michael Mullen (Costume Design), Zad Potter (Lighting Design), Joe Shea (Sound Design), Renee Cohen (Casting), and Zad Potter (Production Stage Manager). Tickets and information available at https://www.crowncitytheatre.com e o |
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