NOW FOR SOME LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: LOTS GOING ON ON THE STAGES IN L.A. Our new, young, extremely talented Venezuelan, our own LA Philharmonic music director, Gustavo Dudamel, will conduct a few more concerts at Disney Hall before heading out on a whirlwind European tour with the L.A. Phil orchestra. Our fair-haired former conductor laureate, Esa-Pekka Salonen, returns to give us a few concert appearances in November . Congrats! Our Hollywood Bowl was named the best outdoor concert venue for the sixth year in a row.
THE CIVIC CENTER GROUP has a couple of winners: Frank Gilroy’s Prize-winning THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES starring Martin Sheen (who played the son decades ago on Broadway), Frances Conroy and THE HURT LOCKER’s Brian Geraghty at the Mark Taper. DREAMGIRLS, the sensational musical, is at the Ahmanson.
WE ALL HOPE that the beautiful and historic Pasadena Playhouse will re-open again and soon.
HOLLYWOOD’S PANTAGES THEATER has a most outstanding array of Broadway hits coming up in 2010 and 2011. Following THE COLOR PURPLE, the Broadway hit CATS comes in. Who can forget the beautiful song “Memories” without shedding a tear? CHICAGO arrives in April for only three weeks (tickets are on sale now), 101 DALMATIONS in June with Sara Gettelfinger (NINE and PIPPIN) starring as Cruella De Vil: IN THE HEIGHTS, PHANTOM of the OPERA, WEST SIDE STORY and a host more.Wow!
THE GEFFEN in Westwood has the amazing actress Annette Bening starring in THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, only until March 14. NIGHTMARE ALLEY, a dark musical about traveling carnivals dominating the dustbowl era, arrives in
April with Broadway star James Barbour heading a colorful cast of characters. Gilbert Cates directs. Should be interesting. In their smaller space, the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre, Ed Harris concludes his successful run of Neil LaBute’s solo monologue play WRECKS on the 7th. Daniel Beaty follows with his new one-man show THROUGH THE NIGHT on March 16. He deals with family, community and the power of possibility.
THE COLONY THEATRE IN BURBANK always presents exciting productions such as the current CELADINE, about. a playwright with a case of writer’s block.
March is a month of madness at the lovely LA MIRADA THEATRE: Four Lads doing Abbey Road Classic Albums (12th), The Young Dubliners celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on the 13th, Ed Asner as FDR based on “Sunrise at Campobello (20th), Debbie Reynolds on the 27th. For info call (714) 994-6310. THE FALCON THEATRE in Burbank has THE PSYCHIC, a comedy, where a down-on-his-luck writer hangs a sign in his window “Readings $25.00" to make his rent payments.
OUR SMALLER STAGES have some great productions: GREENWAY COURT on Fairfax brings back a new SALAM SHALOM with a plea for universal respect and understanding; it’s a love story. A NOISE WITHIN offers The Bard’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING with J.D. Cullum heading the cast. THE PACIFIC RESIDENT THEATRE in Venice has two great shows in two theatres: Terrence Rattigan’s masterpiece, THE BROWNING VERSION, keeps extending its run, by popular demand, and the excellent LOYALTIES where people’s deepest loyalties are questioned..
A SONG AT TWILIGHT by Noel Coward is brilliantly acted by three real pros, Orson Bean, Alley Mills and Laurie O’Brien at the ODDYSSEY THEATRE on Sepulveda. David Rogge, featured, is also excellent. Also, AN ACT OF REPARATION is a true story of how one man defied the Nazis in World War II. THE RUSKIN GROUP always has good productions. Presently they have writer/actor Cris D’Annunzio doing his one-man story-telling of DIGGING UP DAD. He got fabulous reviews: “Powerful, mesmerizing, incredibly funny.” Ruskin Group at the Santa Monica Airport.
THEATRE FORTY AT Reuben Cordova Theatre on the Beverly Hills High School campus has an interesting award-winning Canadian classic, THE DRAWER BOY, about a city actor who uncovers a long-buried family secret while on a research project. Opens the 31st. Their recent fundraiser events were hugely successful. One starred Salome Jens and Mitchell Ryan; the other had Ed Asner, Joe Estevez and David Hunt Stafford in a staged reading of URANIUM & PEACHES.
THE FOUNTAIN THEATRE, in honor of Black History Month, presents THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL, the 1955 story of a murdered 14-year-old that helped spark the civil rights movement. Beautifully done. WIREHEAD is worth seeing at Echo Theatre Company, Stage 52 at 5299 Washington Blvd.
TWO wonderful plays in the valley. The VICTORY THEATER in Burbank has a provocative drama, OLD GLORY; while not directly political, it will make you think and feel about the price of war. On a lighter note, the hilarious musical comedy DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is at the Interact in the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. I saw this on Broadway but this production mounted on a small stage is superb. The two con men are so good. See this before the end of March.
LA has a new theatre company (even in these trying times) called THE STELLA ADLER LOS ANGELES THEATRE COLLECTIVE headed by Artistic Director John Jack Rodgers. The inaugural season begins the 19th with THE CHARM OF MAKING. An amazing array of talent comprises the membership. Plays take place at Hollywood’s Stella Adler Theatre. Good luck.
That’s a lot of good theatre in Los Angeles. Can you top this?
Back soon with more.
Until then, xoxo. Harriette
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
IN THE WINGS - MARCH 2010 - FILMS
APPLAUSE, ACCOLADES, AWARDS…. There’s no shortage of trophies being handed out at this time and they’re all over, save for the granddaddy of them all, THE OSCARS®. Among those out were the Golden Globes (Hollywood Foreign Press Association), Directors, SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and the International Press Academy, to name a few. The Oscar nominations are out and there are some heavyweights qualifying. Interesting race is between James Cameron’s AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER, the Iraq-themed drama directed by Katherine Bigelow, Cameron’s ex-wife. Is this going to be the ex-spouses’ war for best picture?
– This single event attracts audiences and interests from all over the world. Don’t be surprised if the Brits walk off with a good share of the Oscars. The show will be hosted by the duo of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Should be a great program. The Oscar® for female talent is a toss-up this year. Meryl Streep is by far the best actress around and was outstanding as Julia Child, but Sandra Bullock (BLIND SPOT) is a Hollywood person and a fine actress as well, so the award may possibly go to her. We’ll see it all and know all the answers on March 7. All the bling will be returned to their rightful owners the next day.
New films out are not too plentiful yet but here are a few new hopefuls: Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio have a biggie called SHUTTER ISLAND. It’s a thriller investigating the disappearance of an escaped murderess from a prison for the insane. She is believed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Sir Ben Kingsley also stars. Sounds scary but good, and had great opening-weekend box-office.
Other new films are: HAPPY TEARS, an interesting one about the most dysfunctional family I’ve ever seen. Stars Parker Posey, Demi Moore, Rip Torn and a job well done by Ellen Barkin. Christian Camargo, who played Posey’s artist husband, was also seen in THE HURT LOCKER. ECLIPSE is a brilliantly crafted supernatural drama, set in an Irish seaside town. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is a thriller taking us through the Paris underworld. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a low- level CIA operative in Paris who is promoted, and his new partner is special agent John Travolta… now, the excitement begins.
JUST RETURNED from seeing a lovely, sweet film, THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF, in which the “name” actors are William Hurt and Maria Bello (both were in THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE with Viggo Mortensen) and Kristen Stewart from the TWILIGHT films, but you’ll be seeing a lot of young Brit Eddie Redmayne. Pic deals with three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. CHLOE is an erotic thriller starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and lovely Amanda Seyfried (Meryl’s daughter in MAMA MIA). FORMOSA BETRAYED is inspired by actual events involving the murder of a Taiwanese-American professor in the U,S. Stars John Heard and James Van Der Beek. A PROPHET is the French entry for best Foreign film, in which a 19-year-old illiterate part-Arab is condemned to six years in a prison run by a Corsican gang. He’s a quick study and we’ll be seeing a lot more of this fine young actor Tahar Raahim. He was amazing in this.
And, THE GOOD GUY is a romantic dramedy where Alexis Bledel falls for a Wall Street hotshot (Scott Porter). That’s all the films for now.
-XOXO Harriette
– This single event attracts audiences and interests from all over the world. Don’t be surprised if the Brits walk off with a good share of the Oscars. The show will be hosted by the duo of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Should be a great program. The Oscar® for female talent is a toss-up this year. Meryl Streep is by far the best actress around and was outstanding as Julia Child, but Sandra Bullock (BLIND SPOT) is a Hollywood person and a fine actress as well, so the award may possibly go to her. We’ll see it all and know all the answers on March 7. All the bling will be returned to their rightful owners the next day.
New films out are not too plentiful yet but here are a few new hopefuls: Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio have a biggie called SHUTTER ISLAND. It’s a thriller investigating the disappearance of an escaped murderess from a prison for the insane. She is believed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Sir Ben Kingsley also stars. Sounds scary but good, and had great opening-weekend box-office.
Other new films are: HAPPY TEARS, an interesting one about the most dysfunctional family I’ve ever seen. Stars Parker Posey, Demi Moore, Rip Torn and a job well done by Ellen Barkin. Christian Camargo, who played Posey’s artist husband, was also seen in THE HURT LOCKER. ECLIPSE is a brilliantly crafted supernatural drama, set in an Irish seaside town. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is a thriller taking us through the Paris underworld. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a low- level CIA operative in Paris who is promoted, and his new partner is special agent John Travolta… now, the excitement begins.
JUST RETURNED from seeing a lovely, sweet film, THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF, in which the “name” actors are William Hurt and Maria Bello (both were in THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE with Viggo Mortensen) and Kristen Stewart from the TWILIGHT films, but you’ll be seeing a lot of young Brit Eddie Redmayne. Pic deals with three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. CHLOE is an erotic thriller starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and lovely Amanda Seyfried (Meryl’s daughter in MAMA MIA). FORMOSA BETRAYED is inspired by actual events involving the murder of a Taiwanese-American professor in the U,S. Stars John Heard and James Van Der Beek. A PROPHET is the French entry for best Foreign film, in which a 19-year-old illiterate part-Arab is condemned to six years in a prison run by a Corsican gang. He’s a quick study and we’ll be seeing a lot more of this fine young actor Tahar Raahim. He was amazing in this.
And, THE GOOD GUY is a romantic dramedy where Alexis Bledel falls for a Wall Street hotshot (Scott Porter). That’s all the films for now.
-XOXO Harriette
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