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2 Grandmas fromBrooklyn
by Don Grigware

“This isn't the DAR, this is Lonny Chapman's GRT!" evoke the Two Grandmas From Brooklyn as they make their way down the aisle onto the stage to begin their fabulous concert. Dressed in bathrobes and hunched over like two old cronies, they peruse their audience with some uncertainty. But don't let yourselves be fooled! Once onstage, Irene Chapman and Barbara Haber strip off their terrycloth robes and shower caps to reveal sequin evening gowns, two pairs of youthful legs and begin to prove just how glamorous two senior citizens can be. With confidence and energy to spare, they give new meaning to ageless talent and beauty.

For two weekends in December, the two great singers entertained at LCGRT with their renowned show which is both nostalgic and tuneful. Act I, which has been recorded for CD, is a fun-filled walk down memory lane - "Remember: the older you are, the better it was." Songs include "Hooray for Hollywood," "Mr. Sandman," "I Love a Piano" and Jerry Herman's "Best of Times." The ladies recall when they were girls and how a penny's a memory with "Penny Candy."

Act II is not more of the same, but rather veers 360 degrees away from Act I as the gals take us on a trip across Europe. The travel medley includes numbers from a variety of countries, like "C'est Magnifique," "A Foggy Day in London Town," "Be Italian" and "Bie Mir Bist Du Schon." Toward the end of this part there is also a fine set of 1920's Tin Pan Alley, like "Get Happy," "S' Wonderful" and "Bye, Bye Blackbird." No time for snoozing here, as these grandmas really sizzle!

What makes them cook is not only spectacular singing voices but a tremendous chemistry and love of their craft. Don't miss them when they return!

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Stella Adler Holiday Benefit
by Bryan Carrigan

With temperatures in the mid-sixties and no sign of snow in the extended forecast, it was hard to feel the spirit of the Holiday season outside of shopping malls and department stores, but the Stella Adler Theatre brought the holiday spirit to life in their 2001 Annual Holiday Benefit.

Laurie Cole opened the show with her monologue of professional confusion, wondering if the career she chose was really right for her, or if she's right for it, while trying to sort out what this it is all about. Entitled “Next Week,” and written by Stefan Marks and played brilliantly by Cole, this monologue seemed the perfect opening to a holiday show in a season which celebrated so many holidays and watered down most of them with television specials and materialism.

But behind it all there was the mix of faiths, cultures and hopes, and Stan Harrington, who produced and directed the show, and David Meinecke, the musical director, equaled the mixing of holidays with their own blend of songs, dance routines, monologues and musical numbers. Just as Laurie Cole became a shopping mall Santa, the living embodiment of Christmas, in “Next Week - Part II,” the show was the embodiment of the season, bringing its spirit and promise to the foreground and letting the rest of it fall by the wayside.

This show came together so smoothly that it seemed okay for the Transvestite from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, played by the comically gifted Philip Ferentinos, to steal his moments. And Jennifer Marie Tompkin’s dance routine, synchronized to the "Carol of Bells," performed by Metallica and Trans-Siberia, really fit.

But the real magic of the show was the music and the songs. Jennifer Tompkin's dance number was captivating, but it was nothing compared to the beauty of her and Paul Cuneo's singing "Baby It's Cold Outside." And Sandrine Kuttlein's voice, singing "Peace On Earth" and "I Remember" raised your spirit and broke your heart all in one beautiful moment.

That is the magic of theatre, whether it's celebrating the holidays or celebrating a Sunday matinee. This show was a fund-raising benefit for the Stella Adler Theatre and Academy, and while the holiday season is at a close, their need is not. For information on how you can help support them, call (323) 465-4464.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber 5 CD set
A Bonanza For Show Music Lovers!
by Archie Rothman

Andrew Lloyd Webber compiles and produces a 5 CD boxed set Now And Forever with highlights from his legendary shows, plus a bonus disk of never-before-released material. Decca Broadway can well be proud of this awesome collection. Now And Forever is the first comprehensive collection of the composer’s work. The set includes re-mastered highlights from Lloyd Webber’s musicals: Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Song And Dance, Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom Of The Opera, Aspects Of Love, Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down The Wind and The Beautiful Game.

The collection also includes an entire disc of his songs performed by music legends such as Barbra Streisand, Betty Buckley and José Carreras, plus a bonus CD of rarities including a track by Elvis Presley. In addition it features his work as performed by top international recording artists representing genres from pop to opera: Boy George, Sarah Brightman, Betty Buckley José Carreras, Charlotte Church, Petula Clark, Michael Crawford, Tom Jones, Madonna, Donny Osmond, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Kiri Te Kanawa and others. A collection like this matches his achievements.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the most recognized composer in the history of musical theatre and Broadway. He has won more Tony Awards than any other composer, and he has both the best-selling show of all time (Phantom Of The Opera), and the longest-running show of all time (Cats) to his credit. Among his awards and honors are: seven Tonys, three Grammys, five Olivers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, the Praemim Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers and the Critics Circle Award for Best Musical 2000. Andrew Lloyd Webber was knighted in 1992 and created a life peer in 1997.

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More Theatre
by Archie Rothman

Hershey Felder (Gershwin) is back at the Tiffany with James Barbour in Back From Broadway. Can Hershey Felder repeat his great Tiffany Theatre success in George Gershwin Alone with the new revue Back From Broadway? Using Felder’s great accomplishments as a singer and pianist he joins up with James Barbour, known for his starring roles in Broadway’s Carousel, Jane Eyre, Beauty & The Beast, & Cyrano to present an evening of musical selections from My Fair Lady, 1776, Fiddler On The Roof, Man of La Mancha and Chopin waltzes. Mixed with their music are biographical recollections of their careers and lives. The result is an unusual entertainment that highlights the versatility and talents of these two performers. Felder, in particular, looks and acts quite different than he did as Gershwin. Which will disappoint his many fans who saw him in George Gershwin Alone. I can well under-stand why Felder wanted to try something different, but he was so effective as Gershwin that his performance here is a letdown. There are many performers who can sing and play piano but very few who can portray the legendary Gershwin figure with such artistry. Hopefully Felder will again appear in Gershwin Alone on the stage and in film and television. And Barbour will be wise to again appear as star of Broadway musicals. Back To Broadway, directed by Joel Zwick, will next play in West Beach, FL.

The era of 1952 and the communist blacklist comes alive in Names at the Strasberg Theatre. In April 1952, film and theatre director Elia Kazan met with Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee to name other members of the Communist party, many of them his fellow colleagues at the legendary Group Theatre. Set in the Algonquin Hotel in New York City, Names is a fictionalized account by playwright Mark Kemble of the meeting which takes place the day before this event. The cast of characters include Group Theatre luminaries Lee Strasberg (Barry Cutler), Harold Clurman (David Kagen), Elia Kazan (Shaun Duke), John Garfield (Robert Mobley), Stella Adler (Karen Austin), Clifford Odets (Christopher Grove) and Luther Adler (Richard Cox). As expertly directed by Adam Davidson, son of Gordon Davidson who runs the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatrer, this play is a story about a family, a group of friends who bonded decades before with very noble and utopian ideas of what theatre and art could be. Twenty years later the world had changed, and for some of them the ideas they had, which were related to the plays they were doing, also changed. Even though this incident never actually takes place, it vividly captures who these people were, and the spirit of the times and how difficult it was. Our familiarity with stars like John Garfield, and personalities like Kazan, Odets and Adler add extra drama to this dark period in our history. Names is being presented by The Group at Strasberg and its producer David Lee Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe Theat-re at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center in West Hollywood, and it’s definitely worth seeing. The new Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland presented ABT’s The Nutcracker. Anticipation was high when I was invited to see the new site for the Academy Awards in Hollywood. And I was disappointed. Instead of the ornate and spectacular trappings of former opera houses this building was like a giant shopping center mall.

And the theatre itself, 180,000 square feet with over 3,000 seats, is impressively large but without the elegance of glit and glitter one would expect. On stage was the American Ballet Theatre’s production of Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, marking ABT’s return to Los Angeles and the first dance company to appear at The Kodak Theatre. With its famous Grand Pas de Deux as well as the Land of Snow and the Waltz of the Flowers, The Nutcracker remains one of the most popular ballets in the repertoire. Choreographed by Kevin McKenzie it features a synopsis by Wendy Wassterstein, scenery by Paul Kelly, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, assisted by Barbars Matera, lighting by Thomas Skelton and Rui Rita, and on opening night, December 14, the cast was lead by Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Belotserk-ovsky with many of the company’s principal dancers appearing during the 13 performance engagements. The result was impressive, possibly the finest Nutcracker production in many years.

Rodney Gilfry is a super star in the L.A. Opera’s The Merry Widow and El Portal’s solo concert. Not in many years has there been a voice and appearance to match Rodney Gilfry. Present at both the Widow production and the El Portal concert was my friend Paul Lyday who coached and directed a 15-year old Gilfry in a college production of No No Nanette, and has followed his meteoric rise to super stardom, including the decade-old Music Center Theatre production of Oklahoma where Lyday appeared as the old father and Gilfry as the leading man Curley. Gilfry was impressive as the dashing Count Danilo singing Franz Lehar’s Merry Widow operetta songs with gusto and panache. But it was at El Portal that he emerged as a Broadway star.

In his 90-minute concert he traced his musical comedy career with selections from Oklahoma, Carousel, The Most Happy Fella, and many more. A completely packed sold-out house deservedly called him back for seveal encores. To say he was a smash hit is an understatement. Joining him at an after-show party was Lyday with Gilfry’s wife, who starred in Nanette, his two teenage daughters, his 12-year old son, and his proud mother. Upcoming in January Gilfry stars in L.A. Opera’s The Magic Flute.

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What's New 4

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What's New 4

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What's New 4

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2 Grandmas fromBrooklyn by Don Grigware

Stella Adler Holiday Benefit by Bryan Carrigan

Andrew Lloyd Webber 5 CD set A Bonanza For Show Music Lovers! by Archie Rothman

More Theatre by Archie Rothman

What's New 4

What's New 4

What's New 4

2 Grandmas fromBrooklyn
by Don Grigware

Stella Adler Holiday Benefit
by Bryan Carrigan

Andrew Lloyd Webber 5 CD set
A Bonanza For Show Music Lovers!
by Archie Rothman

More Theatre
by Archie Rothman