If “The Christians” is not the best performance I’ve ever seen at Actor’s Express, it’s certainly one of the best. The script, set and acting are outstanding.
Inside this megachurch where Pastor Paul (Brian Kurlander) preaches a sermon, which begins with “Where we are today.” The church has just paid off its debts stemming from its enormous building and parking lot. He segues into a heart-wrenching story about love and acceptance, and the religious message is unlike any ever before, rankling some staff and congregants.
The stage where the pastors preach looks like the set of a televangelist. Sitting close to the pulpit are Pastor Paul’s wife (Kathleen Wattis Kettrey), Associate Pastor Joshua (Enoch King) and a church Elder (Greta M. Glenn). I feel like I’m in church, but the play does not feel preachy at all. When Associate Pastor Joshua (Enoch King) says, “Please bow your heads and pray,” I feel like doing it.
Pastor Paul’s sermon splinters the church. Associate Pastor Joshua, board member Elder (Greta M. Glenn) and choir member Jenny (Sarah Newby Halicks) all challenge his reasoning. His wife questions his intentions. Conflict abounds, but it never feels gratuitous, and all the while Pastor Paul stays as calm, kind and reasonable as a wise old sage.
The set, by Isabel & Moriah Curley-Clay, makes you feel like you’re right there in church with beautiful stained glass windows and an enormous cross nearly as tall as the building.
Directed by Freddie Ashley, written by Lucas Hnath, “The Christians” runs through Oct. 15 at Actor’s Express.
The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” comes to The Fox Sept. 26-Oct. 1. Directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, the Lincoln Center production won four 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. The show features classic tunes, which include “Getting To Know You,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance” and “Something Wonderful.”
Based on the novel by Margaret Landon and derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
There’s no word on the Fox website on who will be in the cast, but last December the Los Angeles Times said, “Music supervisor Ted Sperling helms a blissful cast, spearheaded by Laura Michelle Kelly as Anna and Jose Llana as the King of Siam. Matter-of-factly elegant, Kelly imbues her character with a refreshing naturalism. Early in the musical, her rendition of “Hello, Young Lovers” establishes the widowed Anna’s sheer dauntlessness, but with an unmistakable undercurrent of loss that brings tears to our eyes — just one example of a masterful, moving performance.
“Any actor who plays the King must find his own light in the shadow of Yul Brynner’s indelible portrayal, and Llana certainly shines in his delightfully revisionist turn, which emphasizes the boyish uncertainty under his character’s outward imperiousness. Veins of previously unplumbed humor come to light in the performance, but when it comes time to twist the heartstrings, he has the gravitas, judging from the prolific use of hankies throughout the audience.”
The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway’s St. James Theatre, where it ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time. It won three Tony Awards, one of which was for Best Musical.
A fantastic movie becomes a bore when it comes to the Alliance Theatre’s staged version of “Shakespeare in Love.”
This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine as well as my companion who was ready to leave after intermission. And so we did.
The movie was captivating as was the unforgettable performance of Gwyneth Paltrow for her role as Viola, which garnered her an Academy Award. If only we could say the same for this cast and this Viola, my friend and I might have stayed for the entire production. The movie “Shakespeare in Love” was brilliant. What light through yonder window breaks at this production? Very little.
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, directed by Richard Garner, “Shakespeare in Love” runs on the state at Oglethorpe University through Sept. 24. Tickets are available at the Alliance Theatre.
Carol Leifer, acclaimed stand-up comedian, Emmy-nominated writer and best-selling author, brings to the MJCCA stage her one-woman show that touches on aging, love, parenthood, family matters, and the world of Jewish humor. Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of the best comedic minds of our time,” Leifer has headlined at The Comic Strip, Catch A Rising Star and The Improv. Her writing and producing credits include Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Seinfeld – where she is known as the inspiration for the character Elaine Benes. She is a regular writer for the Academy Awards and has written for Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and Ellen DeGeneres. She is also the author of two best-selling books, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying: Lessons from a Life of Comedy and When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win.
Leifer performs Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center Atlanta. Tickets are $20 for MJCCA members and $25 for nonmembers and are available online here.
L to R: Alex Van, Al Stilo and Jayson Warner Smith (in background)
You may have seen it a few years ago on the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, but “Glengarry Glen Ross” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, is playing again, this time at Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre. Even if you’ve seen the play before, there’s good reason to see this production: two stellar performances by Al Stilo and Alex Van. These two carry the play, but castmate Marcus LaRon trails only slightly behind. The rest of the cast is left in the dust, but when these two stars are on stage, Mamet’s script zips along with a roar.
It’s the 1980s, and an office of deceitful salesmen are attempting to sell properties and get their names on the sales board to win the latest contest. Years ago Shelly Levene (Al Stilo) was the star of the salesforce, but he tells his office manager, John (Omer Mughal), that the reason he hasn’t been making sales in years is because he only gets bad sales leads.
Dave (Alex Van) has a plan on how he can make money and get back at management for not taking care of its sales force. When his scheme goes awry, he flails about foaming at the mouth. Richard (Grant McGowen) suckers James (Marcus LaRon) into buying some land he can’t afford. When James realizes he’s been conned, he comes down to the office shaking and crying.
Directed by Grant McGowen, “Glengarry Glen Ross” features two separate casts. The night I saw the show, it also featured Andy Fleming and Jennifer Schottstaedt. The show runs through Sept. 23 at Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre.
The national touring company of “An American In Paris,” the four-time Tony Award-winning production that earned more awards than any other musical in the 2014-2015 season, will be at the Fox Theatre Aug. 15-20. The story, based on the 1951 movie starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, revolves around an American solider and a mysterious French girl, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war. Updated from the movie version, the story is still cheesy but the music by George and Ira Gershwin is THE reason to see this show. No two composers have ever put out any music greater than that of the Gershwins.
Some of the songs in the movie version have been excised but new ones like “(I’ve Got) Beginners Luck” have been added. Reviews of the national touring company say the singing and dancing are excellent.
“An American in Paris” runs Aug. 15-20 at the Fox Theatre. Tickets run from $33.50-$113.50.
Actor, screenwriter, director and author Alan Alda will be speaking about his new book on better communication called “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?” After working with scientists for more than 20 years helping them improve their communication skills, Alda began adjusting his techniques to help people in business and in personal situations. He strives to teach people to communicate in such a way that they can better be understood and can bridge the gap between their intellectual and emotional sides.
As well as listening to the words people speak, Alda says people need to pay attention to facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. His book focuses on telling engaging stories and providing techniques to improve communication.
Alda will talk about his book in conversation with CNN journalist Holly Fifer Tuesday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community of Atlanta. Ticket prices are $33 for members and $37 for nonmembers, and include a copy of his new book. Tickets can be purchased online here.
It may have taken nearly three decades, but Brad Zimmerman finally has found his life’s calling as a comedic actor and showcases his talent beautifully in his one-man show, “My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy.”
Zimmerman regales us with tales of his woes: a stereotypical Jewish mother who sees him as a failure, a monotonous life as a waiter for 29 years that barely affords him rent money, and years of being alone because no one will date him.
Unlike most struggling actors who find some acting parts or go home within a few years, too scared to audition, Zimmerman took acting classes for more than a decade and then continued working as a surly waiter until he was nearly 50. When customers yelled, “Waiter!,” he shot back, “Customer!”
He sunk into depression. His therapist said he had to go for his dream. Still too scared to audition, he took a class in writing and performing standup comedy, got good at it and ended up as the opening act for George Carlin and Joan Rivers.
In his one-man show — which ran on the New York stage in 2014 for nearly five months — he melds his standup alongside of his life’s tragedies. He takes us back to his days as a child superstar athlete and to nearly 40 years later when he is a failed actor who randomly calls his father for money. He shares his feelings about celebrity athletes and reality TV stars, his mother who constantly compares his life to the grown children of her friends who have sold their businesses and become rich, and his diet that has given him high cholesterol. Zimmerman excels at talking to and connecting with the audience while transforming himself into numerous characters: an athlete who dances a minute-long swish and sway as if he’d just made a touchdown, a stereotypical old Jewish woman who can’t decide what dish to order and a loudmouth braggart who shouts into her cell phone about her life of riches.
If you’re Jewish or know many Jewish people, or if you’ve ever struggled for years or dreamed of doing the near impossible, you’ll certainly relate to his comedic tales. For minutes on end, we are pulled into his life and are rooting for him. There he is, like Spalding Gray and Eric Bogosian before him, enveloping us into his life story, but standing up and acting scenes out, from as far back as when he was an adolescent at Camp Akiba before his was bar mitzvahed.
But all is not perfect. As a script writer, Zimmerman fails to seamlessly blend his comedic act into his storyline. We feel connected to his life’s story but then are pulled out of it, and are left wondering, “Are you now doing a standup comedy routine rather than continuing the story of your life?” Either way as a storyteller or comic, he’s funny, and his show is worth seeing. Zimmerman has found his just desserts and goes home each night with his biggest tip yet: he’s now an employed stage and TV actor.
Written and directed by Brad Zimmerman, “My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy” runs through June 18 at 7 Stages.
If you’re looking to find great theater in Atlanta this weekend, it’s the musical “Finding Neverland.” Yes, the movie was great, and this production is a musical version of the same story about how J.M Barrie came upon the idea and storyline for “Peter Pan.”
If you saw “Finding Neverland” on Broadway or elsewhere during this national tour, there have been a few tweaks since then, making this a wonderful production and so worthy of seeing. I had read earlier reviews of the show, and my guest and I both expected to be bored. Au contraire, we both loved it and thought the acting, singing, and choreography were wonderful. And we both left in tears. Bring tissues.
The show is perfect for adolescents and adults. There are plenty of theatrical stage antics — pirates swing from ship halyards, glittering lighted flakes stream down from the rafters and a real labradoodle puts children to bed — but there’s also loads of talent. The four lost boys are impressive actors and when they sing as a quartet as one of them plays a ukulele, they look and sound like the next superstar pop band. Their mother, Sylvia (Christine Dwyer) and J.M. Barrie ( Billy Harrigan Tighe) also are wonderful singers. The songs “What You Mean to Me” and the ballad “All that Matters” are standouts.
Book by James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow & Eliot Kennedy, choreography by Mia Michaels, directed by Diane Paulus, “Finding Neverland” runs through Sunday, May 21 at the Fox Theatre.
Two days after the birthday of the grand master of jazz, Duke Ellington, 40 Days of Jazz, a primer for the Memorial Day Weekend Atlanta Jazz Festival, continues with music this Sunday with the International Jazz Day. Unfortunately, I just discovered the cancellation of the concert that was scheduled at the Rialto Center for the Arts of Georgia State University with The Jazz Epistles, featuring Abdullah Ibrahim on piano, Kippie Moeketsi on alto saxophone, Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, Hugh Masekela on trumpet, Johnny Gertze on bass, and Early Mabuza or Makaya Ntshoko on drums. Boo, hoo, hoo! No one even told me.
Unfortunately, Hugh Maskela, one of the featured headliners with The Jazz Epistles, is ill and cannot travel to the United States, says the Atlanta Jazz Festival website. Instead, Japanese jazz pianist, Senri Oe, will be performing as a soloist this Sunday, April 30, at 3 p.m.
Check the calendar here for upcoming jazz events. The festival culminates Memorial Day Weekend with lots of free concerts, including Macy Gray.
