Monday, February 26, 2018
MUSICAL NEWS for Monday, February 26, 2018
The Little Mermaid - Sound Stage Live!
March 15 – 18, 2018
What’s the newest way to experience Disney’s The Little Mermaid? Sound Stage Live’s first-ever immersive musical theatre event combining live actors, projected animations that surround the audience, and a new way to use your mobile device to interact with the show. Directed by Karl Warden and starring Chassey Bennett, the performances are hosted by YouTube sensation Todrick Hall. VIP ticketholders will have the chance to meet Todrick, attend a special Q&A, and get front row seats. In this new format, you’re encouraged to bring your cell phone to the party, rather than put it away. Co-producer Jeff Cason says, “We’re bringing cutting edge technology and storytelling together to put our guests in the middle of the action. Your phone will let you see and hear the fish under the sea, join the musical chorus that get Ariel and Eric to fall in love, and even help Ariel defeat Ursula with the power of the trident.” A red carpet, themed snacks, and games in the lobby start the festivities. The pre-show will feature Todrick Hall’s fan favorite videos of his performances, plus a lip sync battle in which guests can join him onstage at the El Segundo Performing Arts Center to showcase their own talents. Tickets: www.soundstage.live/tickets
Hollywood Revisited – MTG at the Colony Theatre
March 26, 2018
Musical Theatre Guild presents Hollywood Revisited, a one-of-a-kind musical revue, as a benefit to raise funds for its youth outreach programs. The show is an homage to the movies with the cast singing and dancing while wearing the ORIGINAL Hollywood movie costumes worn by legendary stars of the Golden Age. You’ll see costumes worn by Marilyn Monroe, Ginger Rogers, Julie Andrews, Gene Kelly, Bette Davis, Donald O’Connor, Mae West, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and more, all from the collection of curator Greg Schreiner. Greg is director of special collections at the Hollywood Museum and also serves as musical director and narrator for this unique revue. Expect to see MTG members on stage as well as some surprise guests, all directed by Joshua Finkel. Tickets: Web.ovationtix.com/HollywoodRevisited
WaistWatchers The Musical! – El Portal Theatre
February 28 to March 4, 2018
Alan Jacobson and Vince Di Mura’s WaistWatchers The Musical! follows four forty-something women in their quest to lose weight while managing all the pitfalls of a busy life. The ladies discuss everything from food, diets, and exercise, to friendship, love and sex in much the same spirit as Menopause the Musical. The show takes place inside Miss Cook’s Women’s Gym where the women share their marital pitfalls, body size issues, and a common weakness for sweets. Original music by Vince Di Mura includes songs like “Viagra” and “I Went to the Buffet Line.” Tickets: www.elportaltheatre.com
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| L-R: Jennifer Bevans, Spencer Harte, Rio "Soulshocka" Wyles, Rex Lewis-Clack, August McAdoo, Alan Davis, Patrick Storey, Jonetta Ward, Igor Zaninovich |
Lost in the Light – CRE Outreach
April 13 – May 12, 2018
CRE Outreach presents Lost in the Light, a world premiere play by Pelita Dasalla with original songs by Laurie Grant and Chloe Copoloff. This is the company’s inaugural production at its new home, The Blue Door in Culver City. Performed by Theatre by the Blind, the only blind theater company in the country, and musicians with autism from Rex & Friends, it is the story of Angel Taylor, blind since birth, who learns about a rare opportunity to restore her vision through an experimental surgery. As she grapples with the conflicting notions of what is and what might be, the budding journalist must come to terms with a future she never expected. Directed by Greg Shane, the production challenges conventional expectations about the capabilities of individuals who live without sight, who struggle with movement, or who have difficulty understanding the complexities of social interactions. Tickets: CREoutreach.org/lostinthelight
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Labels: colony theatre, CRE Outreach, el portal theatre, hollywood revisited, sound stage live
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Review: CRE Outreach's Beyond Sight
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| L-R: K.J. Middlebrooks, Monica Greene, Raufel Muhammad, Christopher Loverro and Anne Montavon. Photos by Michael Lamont |
Everyone should have the opportunity to express themselves artistically. Theatre, music, dance, poetry – all forms of art stimulate growth and nurture our intuitive connection to the world around us. CRE Outreach (which stands for Create, Reflect, Empower) uses theatre as a means of artistic exploration for the visually impaired, military veterans, and at-risk youth. It also educates the public about the value of their contributions within the greater artistic community. Both are worthy endeavors.
In their latest work, two blind actors join thirteen seeing actors, including a former U.S. Marine, an Iraq War veteran, and an Air Force military brat, to present the original musical Beyond Sight at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood.
The program credits list a multi-tasking creative team: book by Nick Sivakumaran and Jeremy Aldridge, music by Mark P. Leonard and Colin Simson, and lyrics by Greg Shane, Colin Simson and Mark P. Leonard. Aldridge directs and Leonard provides the musical direction. Allison Bibicoff choreographs. With that many people attempting to shape the piece it isn’t surprising that the result lacks focus.
The story is based on real world experiences and follows Jack (Raufel Muhammad), a young soldier who is blinded by an IED and loses ten years of his life as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. When he is rescued and brought home he is angry, isolated, and all but paralyzed by what he can’t see. Jack struggles to overcome his PTSD, and with the help of a supportive doctor (Shannon Nelson as Dr. Linda Ness) and the woman he loves (Ginger Lawrence as Lily McCord), learns how to live his life “beyond sight.” Blind actor Robert Smith plays the older version of Jack.
It is a believable transition from the younger Muhammad to the older Smith, and while the story ultimately revolves around Smith’s reintegration into the world, it is Muhammad who creates the most compelling and relatable character.
Essentially this is a workshop production of a musical that is still in the early stages of development with minimal production values (a few props and some furniture) and a cast that feels uncomfortably shoe-horned onto the stage. Most are inexperienced but the writers don’t make it easy for them. Leonard’s songs, sung to pre-recorded tracks, lack finesse and end abruptly. Lyrics are full of clichés and while the bones of the story are there, gaps in the plot and prosaic dialogue make the musical feel rudimentary. Sound issues plagued the performance I attended throughout.
And yet, there is something to be said for a work like this that asks us to view the challenges of soldiers who return from war with kinder eyes. This greater message, which reminds us that many have served our country and ensured our safety at great personal cost, is the real takeaway. Understanding is all. How we choose to see that is up to us.
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| Geoffrey Dwyer and Robert Smith |
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| L-R: Sean P. Gorecki, Christopher Loverro, Craig Churchill and Tristan Bailey |
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| L-R: Robert Smith and Sean P. Gorecki |
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| L-R: Tristan Bailey, Ginger Lawrence, Raufel Muhammad and Monica Greene |
BEYOND SIGHT
April 25 – May 25
The Stella Adler Theatre
6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Floor
Hollywood, 90028
Parking: $5 at the Jefferson Building w/ theatre validation
(garage entrance on McCadden, 1 block East of Highland)
Tickets: (310) 902-8220 or www.creoutreach.org.
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Labels: CRE Outreach
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Musical News for Thursday, March 27, 2014
“Our source material was taken directly from the work CRE Outreach does with vets and the blind in the community and authentically portrays their experience,” says CRE artistic director Greg Shane. “With Beyond Sight we hope to launch a larger discussion about how we treat our veterans – and drive home the point that disabilities do not define who people are.”
“You can’t extinguish the human spirit,” says Aldridge. “That is the core of this show. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the macropolitics of our current wars, the individual stories of what many of our soldiers experience and overcome are inspiring.” Beyond Sight runs April 25 – May 25 at The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Floor, Hollywood, 90028. Parking at the Jefferson Building (garage entrance on McCadden, 1 block East of Highland) is $5 with theater validation. Tickets: (310) 902-8220 or www.creoutreach.org
“I wanted to tell a story about her entire life and named it I Wanna Be Loved because it best explained her life,” Morrison said. “She had seven husbands (including Detroit Lions star Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane at the time of her death) and her mother never supported her secular career and never came to see her. Her mother wanted her to stay in gospel, where she began.” The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center is located at 4305 Degnan Blvd, Suite 101, in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park. Tickets are $40. Call 310-462-1439 or go to www.barbaramorrisonpac.com for reservations.
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Labels: celebration theatre, CRE Outreach, ivrt