Herbert Paine - Page 12

In all respects, The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of KINKY BOOTS, directed by Pasha Yamotahari and featuring a bravura performance by Darius Harper as Lola, is DAZZLING! A must-see! Runs through October 13th in TPTC's Mainstage Theatre.

Director Cheryl Schaar does a yeoman's job in interpreting Todd Kreidler's intention in the stage adaptation of GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER ~ assembling an outstanding cast, and creating a well-paced and engaging production at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre, running through September 28th.

Debra Rich Gettleman has an incisive perspective on the human condition. In her latest work, she has translated her observations about the discordance and dilemmas of contemporary social behavior into a series of clever vignettes, all compiled into an evening of chuckle-filled entertainment entitled alliteratively, RESISTING IRRELEVANCY: A QUIRKY COLLECTION OF QUICK COMEDIES. The show runs through September 1st at The Studio in Scottsdale, AZ.

Bess Wohl's SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS ~ Stray Cat Theatre's current production, brilliantly conceived, sensitively directed, and superbly performed ~ runs through August 24th in the Studio Theatre at Tempe Center for the Arts.

Arizona Regional Theatre presents PARADE, directed by Phillip Fazio and featuring Seth Tucker as Leo Frank. Jason Robert Brown's music and lyrics and Alfred Uhry's book deliver a play of consequence and conscience. Directed by Phillip Fazio and featuring Seth Tucker as Leo Frank. The musical runs thru August 18th in the 3rd Street Theater at the Phoenix Center for the Arts.

As the one on the run as a nun, Khadijah Rolle is the class act around which SISTER ACT revolves. (The musical, based on the popular 1992 film featuring Whoopi Goldberg, is Arizona Broadway Theatre's current production, directed by Stephen Casey.) Full of verve with a powerhouse voice to match, Rolle brings a more balanced and less flamboyant interpretation to her role than audiences may be used to...and it's just right.

Director/choreographer Cambrian James is at it again, at the steering wheel, putting the pedal to the metal and serving up a high-spirited edition of the children's classic, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG ~ featuring a parade of exceptional talents and supported by the always reliable musical direction of Lincoln Wright and Tia Hawkes's amazingly variegated and finely tailored costumes. Runs through August 17th at Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert, AZ.

When Valley Youth Theatre's remarkably talented cast ~ led by the incomparable duo of 19-year old phenom Kate Brink as daughter Ellie and VYT alum Sarah Ambrose as her mom Katherine ~ takes to the stage in DISNEY'S FREAKY FRIDAY, the audience becomes immersed in the other magic that has consistently been associated with the work of Producing Artistic Director Bobb Cooper. The show runs through June 30th at the Herberger Theater Center's Center Stage in Phoenix.

Theatre Artists Studio presents NEW SUMMER SHORTS, showcasing the imagination and talents of The Studio's band of performing artists. The ten-minute creations offer entertaining and usually provocative insights into the human condition. This year's eight selections ~ an amalgam of wit, satire, and drama ~ do not disappoint.

The mad headiness of Gerard Alessandrini's SPAMILTON abounds on the stage of The Phoenix Theatre Company's Hormel Theatre as a cast of dynamos, accompanied by the amazing Curtis Reynolds on piano, tears through the author's imaginative, crisp, and uproarious lyrics. Runs through August 11th.

in the current staging of THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Arizona Broadway Theatre, director Danny Gorman has conjured up a production with style and panache that more than satisfies. It excels in tickling the funny bone and drawing breaths of delight. It is, in all aspects, sensational ~ funny and fanciful and heartwarming ~ featuring a cast that gives depth and dimension to their iconic characters. Standout performances by Brad York, Renee Kathleen Koher, Jasmine Bassham, and Lynzee Foreman.

Black Theatre Troupe's SINGLE BLACK FEMALE carries a righteous kick in the consciousness that merits theatregoers' attention. Strong turns by Melvina Jones-Leslie and Cynnita Agent in David Hemphill-directed hit. Runs through June 9th at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center in Phoenix.

The 20th Anniversary Tour of RENT (in its third year!) boasts a magnificent cast in a powerhouse production that celebrates the genius and imagination of its author, Jonathan Larson. The show, now on stage for a brief run at ASU's Gammage Auditorium, is, in every respect a compelling and intensely human narrative ~ a mix of exhilaration, wit, and poignancy. One after another of knockout performances bring life to Larson's memorable songs, and a solid gold orchestra, conducted by Matthew DeMaria, brings his music all the way home to the heart.

In its current iteration at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre in Scottsdale, Ira Levin's masterpiece thriller, DEATHTRAP, craftily directed by Lee Cooley and featuring killer performances by Jim Coates and James Gerardi, ticks and tocks like clockwork, with characteristic twists of plot, heightened by a superb cast, making for a riveting and thoroughly enjoyable production. Runs through June 29th.

Hale Centre Theatre's current staging of NEWSIES has all the crispness and vitality typical of a Cambrian James production ~ his well-conceived and executed direction and choreography, Lincoln Wright's musical direction, and a proficient and dynamic cast to boot, featuring Kade Bailey as Jack Kelly, the reluctant rebel. Runs through June 29th at the Hale Theatre Center in Gilbert, AZ.

The June 2020 release of the filmed production of Jeamarie Simpson's HERETIC, timed for the 350th Anniversary of Mary Dyer's execution, has just been announced. Although the premiere is a year away, it seems fitting that, coinciding with Mother's Day and the abiding relevance of issues related to free speech, we offer an exclusive interview with the author about the work and the person ('the mother of the First Amendment), conducted by her associate, Shannon Cain.

On May 17th, the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts presents MISS SAIGON star and Disney Legend LEA SALONGA: THE HUMAN HEART TOUR. In advance of her concert for Valley of the Sun fans, Herb Paine had the privilege and the opportunity to talk with this powerhouse of talent about the Tour and her upcoming projects.

Now & Then Creative Company presents Sophocles' ANTIGONE through May 19th. Compelling and riveting all-female production directed by Cody Goulder. A potent and absorbing portrayal of the existential struggle between devotion to the will of the gods and the dictates of the state.

A. R. Gurney's LOVE AND MONEY is a play rich in finely-crafted badinage and finely defined characters, all the more enjoyable when presented with as well-rounded a cast as now appears in Theatre Artists Studio's staging of the show, deftly directed by Carol MacLeod. Runs through May 19th at The Studio in Scottsdale, AZ.

The good news of Fountain Hills Theater's production of PIPPIN, directed by Peter J. Hill, is that it serves well as fun family fare with a solid message. In a robust and celebratory finale, the entire ensemble gathers to remind us all that in the circus of life, it's the simple things that shine brightest. PIPPIN runs through May 5th in the Mainstage Theatre at Fountain Hills Theater in Fountain Hills, AZ.