Gil Kaan - Page 48

The world premiere of Emmy-winning writer Peter Lefcourt 's CAFE SOCIETY deserves credit for attempting a hostage situation as a satisfying sitcom dramedy. A frequent collaborator, Terri Hanauer directs her game cast of seven. Kudos to Yee Eun Nam for her novel, innovative projection design utilizing the two huge menu boards as video screenshots of various text messages, incoming Caller IDs, web searches and TV news programs.

On August 18th, The Stupid Songs Troupe wowed the packed house of the Rockwell Table & Stage with their fast-paced 70-minutes of 18 non-stop songs of high hilarity and witty, hysterical lyrics. Director Keri Safran begins the fun with 'Stupid Gold,' her re-written lyrics to the tune of 'Xanadu.' Backed by twelve of her enthusiastic troupe-mates, this opener sets the audience up for the lofty amusement that follows.

In GOD'S MAN IN TEXAS, multi-hyphenate David Rambo has written a very smart and involving script on the inner workings of a successful Baptist church empire.  Rambo also quite ably directs his trio of highly skilled actors in a firmly-reined, tight, well-crafted production. All three actors adeptly give their respective roles the distinct qualities essential to the believability and realism of their characters.

GROUNDLINGS RED LIGHT DISTRICT, most assuredly continues The Groundling's well-earned reputation of being one of the funniest improvisational and sketch comedy troupes in Los Angeles, if not the entire United States. Ably directed by Karen Maruyama, the evening features the talented Groundling members Mikey Day, Allison Dunbar, Andrew Friedman, Kevin Kirkpatrick, and Michael Naughton.

In NO HOMO, playwright Brandon Baruch has written a very funny, smart and realistic script on the perceived misconceptions of Ash and Luke's relationship.  Their respective siblings and their friends think the two admittedly hetero guys really cohabitate as lovers and not just roommates. Jessica Hanna directs her talented cast at a fairly rapid pace keeping the laughs coming in between the many realistic but involving conflicts.

The West Coast Premiere of The Ben Hecht Show, ably directed by Dennis Zacek, showcases the charismatic performance of James Sherman in the titular role. In The Ben Hecht Show, playwright Sherman has written many a witty line ('She didn't have any anti-Semitic germs.') and dropped many a famous name (Moss Hart, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Muni, Stella Adler, Edward G. Robinson, Sidney Lumet, to name a few).

Ruskin Group Theatre's world premiere of Sneaky Ole Time makes for a delightful, easy-breezy, light-hearted two hours filled with clever songs by Grammy-winning writer Paul Overstreet and solid performances by its cast of nine triple-threats.  Michael Myers directs his talented ensemble at a steady, easy-going pace.  Providing strong musical support, musical director Cliff Wagner leads the nicely laid-back Halfway Home House Band.

Rob Mersola has written a wonderfully witty, realistic, totally shocking 'family drama' in the world premiere of his Luka's Room. Two major surprises in plot you will not see coming. But after theses 'surprises,' you realize Mersola has previously set up the plot points to make total sense. A brilliant script delivered beautifully by a exceptional cast, excitingly directed by Joshua Bitton at an intense, high-energy fast clip.

If, for some inexplicable reason one didn't know, the world premiere of Citizen: An American Lyric  will make it a point to educate you that racism exists. The multi-awarding winning book of poetry of the same name by Claudia Rankine, on which Stephen Sachs has adapted, will reinforce the many instances that black people deal with racism from their white counterparts. Citizen, ably directed by Shirley Jo Finney, succeeds more as a poetic performance art piece than an actual scripted play.

Hollywood Bowl succeeds again with their most entertaining, head-shakingly pun-ny, visually stimulating production of Monty Python's Spamalot. Director BT McNicholl keeps his talented cast soft-shoe-ing, high kicking, horse-riding, sword lifting and just laugh-inducing at a steady, 'can't catch my breath from laughing' pace.

The talented five-member cast, directed by Alan Shearman, certainly must be commended on their commitment and enthusiasm as they interact with the audience as second-rate circus artists and plow through their intentionally bad vaudeville routines. Just as a clown must know the correct techniques to pratfall or look ridiculous, best acts hit their intended, targeted reactions of laughter and applause when the audience's allowed to realize the good, solid techniques behind these really bad circus feats.

Couerage Theatre Company mounts a fine-tuned production of Failure: A Love Story, playwright Philip Dawkins' fresh, unique take on a ill-fated family in the early 1900s. Michael Matthews smoothly directs and inventively stages his large talented, triple-threat cast as they sing, dance and act out this saga of the Failure family, with seemingly more deaths than the Kennedy clan has endured.

The best scripted comedy drag troupe in Los Angeles, Chico's Angels lives up to its stellar reputation with Chico's Angels 3: Chicas in Chains. From the crazy, lightning-quick minds of Kurt Koehler and Kay Sedia, Chico's Angels' third episode mashes up high school mean girls with tough prison bitches.

The west coast premiere of Aditi Brennan Kapil's Shiv receives a simply gorgeous mounting at the Theatre @ Boston Court. Amazing just how far, with the proper elements, your imagination will allow you to go.

Sandra Tsing Loh grabs her predominantly female audience by the hair (and their accompanying males by their balls) as she commandeers all in her hilarious 70-minute non-stop, continuous stream of consciousness on menopause, better known as The Bitch is Back: An All-Too Intimate Conversation.

All creative components align perfectly in Mike Kindle's Stanley Ann with the primary ingredient of this engrossing one-woman show - the luminous Ann Noble! Using her expressive face, her excellent line readings and her naturalistic miming; Noble allows the audience to actually see all the other characters in this play interacting with her. No easy feat that Noble consistently and seamlessly pulls it off!  Brava, Ms. Noble!

Playwright Wendy Graf totally deceives in naming her world premiere All American Girl. A much more appropriate and honest title would have been Anti-American Girl. All should run from this as fast as the main character did after she planted both bombs.

Oscar Quintero 'nails it' again with his alter ego Kay Sedia in his non-stop, laugh-inducing, thigh-slapping seventy minutes, Kay Sedia in Her Juan Woman Cho: Taco Kisses. Your laugh muscles, whistling lips and clapping palms will definitely get quite a workout experiencing Kay Sedia's Taco Kisses.

Neil Koenigsberg' Off the King's Road vividly illustrates the need for patience in dealing with your elders. The talented Tom Bower tackles the challenge of embodying a now single, unapologetic man going through his mundane everyday routines while grappling with continuing life alone without Betty, his wife of many years. Bower shines in the scene where he reveals what really led to his Betty's demise.

William Inge's 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner Picnic certainly holds up quite well in Antaeus Theatre Company's expert and streamlined production. Cameron Watson directs his talented cast without any extraneous beats, moments, or gestures. Every little detail quite essential and integral to Inge's tale of a drifter's affect on a bunch of traditional Kansas folks back in 1952.