Cary Ginell

Cary Ginell Cary Ginell has been writing theater reviews in Ventura County since 1996. He joined the staff of the Ventura County Acorn in 2007 and since then, has written over 500 reviews. In 2013, he started his own theater arts blog, VC On Stage (www.vconstage.com), which includes reviews of musicals and plays from Calabasas to Ojai. From 2005 to 2010, Cary was Broadway project manager for Alfred Publishing, producing all of the publisher's piano/vocal songbooks. He is the author of 9 books on music, including "Broadway Musicals: Show By Show," published by Applause Books.




MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Interview: LJ Benet, Summer Greer of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Fred Kavli Theatre
Interview: LJ Benet, Summer Greer of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Fred Kavli Theatre
March 13, 2024

Million Dollar Quartet, the show inspired by a legendary Sun Records jam session in 1956, was an unlikely hit when it made its Broadway debut in 2010. Although it was based on an actual event, the musical takes liberties with what actually went on during that memorable day in order to create a more appealing show. If you take that into account, you can ignore the show’s numerous exaggerations, anachronisms, and falsehoods, because it is simply enormously entertaining. The show opens this Friday for a two-weekend run at the Fred Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.

Review: OLIVER! at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center
Review: OLIVER! at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center
October 26, 2023

What did our critic think of OLIVER! at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center? As the earliest Broadway musical ever to feature children playing major roles, Oliver! usually bristles with youthful excitement. But despite being marketed as a family-oriented musical, Oliver! is really inappropriate for younger audiences, and it was uncomfortable listening to parents trying to explain to their small children at intermission why that nice girl Nancy loves the bully Sikes and how being successful in picking people's pockets is a positive career move.

Review: GOLDIE HAWN at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center
Review: GOLDIE HAWN at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center
September 24, 2023

What did our critic think of GOLDIE HAWN at Bank Of American Performing Arts Center?

Interview: Darrin Ingram of SAGE at Conejo Players
Interview: Darrin Ingram of SAGE at Conejo Players
August 5, 2023

On July 30, Ingram premiered his play, Sage, a deeply personal slice of life about an old man on a park bench and the various characters that he encounters, either in passing or who come to sit beside him on the bench.

Review: CINDERELLA at 5-Star Theatricals
Review: CINDERELLA at 5-Star Theatricals
July 17, 2023

What did our critic think of CINDERELLA at 5-Star Theatricals?

Review: RAGTIME at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks
Review: RAGTIME at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks
March 29, 2023

A superb production marks the 25th anniversary of the Broadway debut of 'Ragtime.' One weekend remains for this outstanding performance by 5-Star Theatricals in Thousand Oaks.

Interview: Mary Beth Webber of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Interview: Mary Beth Webber of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
March 10, 2023

The classic 1964 musical Fiddler On the Roof arrives in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, March 9 and prior to opening we had a chat with Mary Beth Webber, who plays the part of Yente in the show. Mary Beth is jubilant and honored to join this amazing cast and crew as she makes her national tour debut. Her favorite roles include M'Lynn (Steel Magnolias), Elsa (The Sound of Music), and Mama Noah (Children of Eden), however, her most important role to date is Mom to her seven daughters.

Previews: THE NAMELESS STAR at Conejo Players Theatre
Previews: THE NAMELESS STAR at Conejo Players Theatre
February 27, 2023

On Sunday, March 5, the Conejo Players Theatre will be presenting a staged reading of The Nameless Star, a 1942 play written by Romanian playwright Mihail Sebastian about a chance encounter at a remote train station between a modest astronomy professor at a local girls' school and a glamorous young woman, a stowaway who finds herself stranded after being tossed off an express train for not having the necessary fare. Producer Elena Mills recalled the play from her childhood and has spent years wanting to bring it to the stage, which has resulted in this special theatrical 'experiment.'

Review: A PUBLIC READING OF AN UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY ABOUT THE DEATH OF WALT DISNEY at Zephyr Theatre
Review: A PUBLIC READING OF AN UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY ABOUT THE DEATH OF WALT DISNEY at Zephyr Theatre
January 30, 2023

Immersive 'stage reading' of Disney's account of his last days on earth is both frightening and hilarious.

Review: PROMISES, PROMISES at Lonny Chapman Theatre
Review: PROMISES, PROMISES at Lonny Chapman Theatre
December 12, 2022

What did our critic think of PROMISES, PROMISES at Lonny Chapman Theatre? Excellent leads and good singing highlight this attractive show.

Interview: Cary Ginell of CAREFULLY TAUGHT (BOOK) at
Interview: Cary Ginell of CAREFULLY TAUGHT (BOOK) at
December 5, 2022

Cary Ginell's insightful new book, 'Carefully Taught' looks at 40 musicals, both on Broadway and off, that deal with events and personages in American history. A fun read, educational and highly entertaining. Shows include '1776,' 'Hamilton,' 'Shenandoah,' 'Parade,' 'Hair,' 'Assassins,' and many more.

Review: 5-Star Theatricals' THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Kavli Theatre
Review: 5-Star Theatricals' THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Kavli Theatre
October 16, 2022

With TV star Teri Hatcher ('Desperate Housewives,' 'Lois & Clark') leading the way, 5-Star Theatricals' production of 'The Addams Family' is a gag-filled laughfest, with great tunes, a cemetery full of puns, and even a wardrobe malfunction. It's real, and it's spectacular!

Interview: Jonalyn Saxer of NEWSIES at 5-Star Theatricals
Interview: Jonalyn Saxer of NEWSIES at 5-Star Theatricals
July 3, 2022

Jonalyn Saxer grew up in Oak Park dreaming of becoming a star on Broadway. After making her debut in 'Bullets Over Broadway,' Saxer has continued from one show to the next, shining with her superb dancing abilities and versatile singing and acting. This July, she returns to her home town to play the key role of Katherine Plumber in 5-Stat Theatricals' production of 'Newsies.'

BWW Review: SOUTH PACIFIC at Fred Kavli Theatre
BWW Review: SOUTH PACIFIC at Fred Kavli Theatre
March 25, 2022

American Theatre Guild's current national tour of the venerable Pulitzer-Prize winning 'South Pacific' cleans up some potentially objectionable language and characterizations to retain its essential love story and message of racial tolerance.

BWW Interview: Guy Noland of SOUTH PACIFIC at Fred Kavli Theatre
BWW Interview: Guy Noland of SOUTH PACIFIC at Fred Kavli Theatre
March 21, 2022

Guy Noland is currently in a second career as an actor and having the time of his life. During his early years, Guy found himself looking like 'a million other' young stage actors, but the 9/11 tragedy sent his career in a new direction as he became an award-winning documentary director for the Salvation Army's media department.

BWW Review: KINKY BOOTS at Moorpark College
BWW Review: KINKY BOOTS at Moorpark College
March 15, 2022

Christopher J. Thume blows the roof off the building with a bravura performance as drag queen Lola in 'Kinky Boots,' the 2013 Tony Award winning musical.

BWW Interview: Anna Kotula of THE BELLE OF AMHERST at Elite Theatre Company
BWW Interview: Anna Kotula of THE BELLE OF AMHERST at Elite Theatre Company
February 28, 2022

Anna Kotula reprises her one-woman show as poet Emily Dickinson in 'The Belle of Amherst,' playing from March 3 - 13 at the Elite Theatre Company in Oxnard

BWW Interview: Matt Faucher of JERSEY BOYS at Fred Kavli Theatre
BWW Interview: Matt Faucher of JERSEY BOYS at Fred Kavli Theatre
February 21, 2022

Matt Faucher has a knack for playing Nicks. After performing on Broadway and on the national tour of 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,' Matt is now doing the same thing with a different Nick - the Four Seasons' Nick Massi. Cary Ginell does an exclusive interview with Matt about this unique and important show, which plays for one night in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, February 24.

BWW Interview: Gerard Alessandrini of SPAMILTON at Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks
BWW Interview: Gerard Alessandrini of SPAMILTON at Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks
February 18, 2022

Read a behind-the-scenes look at Broadway's master parodist, Gerard Alessandrini, who dismembers 'Hamilton' with his 2016 spoof 'Spamilton.' The show plays at the Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks from March 1 - 6. 'I laughed my brains out!' said Lin-Manuel Miranda when he saw this show. You will too.

BWW Interview: Aleks Pevec & Justin Michael Wilcox of SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Fred Kavli Theatre
BWW Interview: Aleks Pevec & Justin Michael Wilcox of SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Fred Kavli Theatre
February 9, 2022

It's always nice when we see a show that has never been performed in Ventura County so we were looking forward to seeing 5-Star Theatricals' Something Rotten!, the 2015 sendup of Shakespeare that answers the question: 'What if Shakespeare had a rival?' As you will read in our upcoming review in The Acorn, we were not disappointed. Something Rotten! is a riotous romp with a twisted premise, as brother Nick and Nigel Bottom attempt to upstage (literally) theatre superstar Willie Shakespeare with their next production: the first musical. Due to the faulty efforts of a befuddled Nostradamus, the Bottom Brothers set out to produce their musical, titled Omelette. Recently, we visited with two stars from 5-Star's production: Justin Michael Wilcox, who plays Nick Bottom, and Aleks Pevec, who plays the strutting Shakespeare.



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