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The Heiress

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Adapted to the stage by Ruth and Augustus Goetz from Henry James’ 1880 novel, Washington Square, The Heiress was a Broadway blockbuster in its 1947 premiere at the Biltmore Theatre. Basil Rathbone, well known for his multiple film characterizations of Sherlock Holmes, won a Tony Award for his portrayal of the hurtful Dr. Austin Sloper. The Heiress has since been revived a trio of times on the Great White Way, including a 1995 re-staging that won a Tony trophy for Best Revival of a Play.

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Tickled Pink

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Comedienne Rita Rudner has a uniquely droll style of delivering lines and punch-lines. Her observations are offbeat and unexpected. Rudner once noted that she received a credit card offer that was inflated to the point that “before I opened it, I actually heard a drum-roll.”

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Le Reve

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A peculiar story surrounds Steve Wynn – the hotel/casino mogul who holds a significant share of Las Vegas real estate – and Pablo Picasso's disturbingly discordant piece of painted erotica, the famous Le Reve (The Dream). As Wynn was gesturing during a presentation regarding the $139 million Picasso original – of which Wynn is the proud possessor – he put an elbow through a portion of the coveted canvas.

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Florencia en el Amazonas

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During a recent trip to the Denver area, I caught my first Opera Colorado production. The company performs in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, a jewel of a re-designed space. Though the capacity exceeds 2,000, the theatre feels intimate and comfortable. The house is designed with acoustics in mind and looks modern without feeling stark or cold. The seats are are roomy and, like the Met, feature the supertitles on the back of the seat in front.

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Tortilla Curtain

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Not to be left out of the current trend in bringing novels to visual artistic life, San Diego Repertory Theatre birthed its world premiere, Tortilla Curtain,  adapted from T.C. Boyle’s 1995 novel and transformed by award-winning playwright Matthew Spangler. Based on the reputations of author and playwright, the production had promise. Boyle’s novels number nearly two dozen, and his awards list includes some of the most prestigious. Spangler’s latest adaptive project, The Kite Runner, earned him the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle Award for Best Original Script and Best Production 2009.

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Frost Nixon

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Peter Morgan’s 2006 play, Frost/Nixon, makes for a drama that is Shakespearian in its dimensional approach to character and psychological profundity. And it’s difficult to imagine a more mindful and gripping production of Frost/Nixon then the one now underway at Fullerton’s Maverick Theater.

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Forbidden Broadway:Greatest Hits, Volume 2

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It was 2009 when Forbidden Broadway closed in New York, subsequent to 27 years and 2,332 performances.  It’s a show that’s all about other shows. Spoofing and goofing around with Broadway blockbusters, enduring divas, demanding directors, complex composers,  quirky compositions and the like – Forbidden Broadway, created and written Gerard Alessandrini, had become a staple of New York nightlife as well as a cottage industry for Alessandrini, who in collaboration with Phillip George, has come up with several  variations on the Forbidden theme.

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Mamma Mia

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Sometimes all the elements are right in a theatrical venture, and the show takes on a life of its own. Such is the case with Mamma Mia, seemingly destined to continue its happy path with ABBA's songs taking center stage. Cleverly scripted by Catherine Johnson with music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, it endures because of its exuberance.

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The Legend of Robin Hood

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Initial references to the character Robin Hood are not found in historical documentation per se, but rather on the rolls of various English Justices from the 13th century. The legend of the able archer and swashbuckling swordsman known for “robbing from the rich and giving to the poor,” nevertheless has captured the popular imagination ever since the 1200s.

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Easter Catechism

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What’s the difference between a religious fanatic and a faithful devotee?

The former will stop short of nothing to convince another of his point of view, while the latter suggests ecclesiastical commitment but not necessarily stoicism or fire-and-brimstone pulpit pounding.

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Spotlight

Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Announces Winners
March 19, 2012…Los Angeles… The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the winners and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2011.  The 43rd Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony took place Monday, March 19 at A Noise Within in Pasadena, and was co-hosted by Jason Graae and Lesli Margherita.

The award recipients for the 2011 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are as follows:

Production
· Margo Veil, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Evidence Room, Odyssey Theatre
· Small Engine Repair, Rogue Machine, Theatre/Theater

McCulloh Award for Revival
· A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre, Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
· Cabaret, Reprise Theatre Company, Freud Playhouse
· The Crucible, Theatre Banshee

Direction
· Andrew Block, Small Engine Repair, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater
· Sean Branney, The Crucible, Theatre Banshee
· Bart DeLorenzo, Margo Veil, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Evidence Room at the Odyssey Theatre


Writing
· David Harrower, Blackbird, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater
· John Pollono, Small Engine Repair, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater

Writing (Adaptation)
· Dakin Matthews, The Capulets & the Montagues, Andak Stage Company at NewPlace Studio Theatre

Music Direction
· Gerald Sternbach, The Robber Bridegroom, International City Theatre
· Mike Wilkins, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Chance Theater

Choreography
· Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre

Musical Score
· Mark Nutter, Re-Animator: The Musical, Steve Allen Theater
Lead Performance
· Sam Anderson, Blackbird, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater
· Anne Gee Byrd, All My Sons, Matrix Theatre
· L. Scott Caldwell, A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
· Edi Gathegi, Superior Donuts, Geffen Playhouse
· Lisa O’Hare, Cabaret, Reprise Theatre Company at Freud Playhouse

Featured Performance
· Anne Gee Byrd, I Never Sang for My Father, The New American Theatre at the McCadden Theatre
· Dermot Crowley, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Center Theatre Group and Druid and Atlantic Theater Company at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
· Deidrie Henry, A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
· Casey Kramer, Dolly West’s Kitchen, Theatre Banshee

Ensemble Performance
· A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
· Margo Veil, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Evidence Room at the Odyssey Theatre

Solo Performance
· Tom Dugan, Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal, Theatre 40 at the Reuben Cordova Theatre
· Charlayne Woodard, The Night Watcher, Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre


Set Design
· Richard Hoover, House of the Rising Son, Ensemble Studio Theatre—LA at the Atwater Village Theatre

Lighting Design
· Paule Constable, Les Misérables, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
· Jeremy Pivnick, House of the Rising Son, Ensemble Studio Theatre—LA at the Atwater Village Theatre

Costume Design
· Philippe Guillotel, Iris, Cirque du Soleil at Kodak Theatre

Sound Design
· John Zalewski, Margo Veil, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Evidence Room at the Odyssey Theatre

Specialty
· Eric Anderson (fight choreography), Gospel According to First Squad, The Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at The Powerhouse Theatre
· John Boesche (projection design), Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie, Geffen Playhouse
· Tony Doublin, John Naulin, John Buechler, Tom Devlin, & Greg McDougall (special effects), Re-Animator: The Musical, Steve Allen Theater
· Shana Carroll, Boris Verkhovsky, Pierre Masse (acrobatic performance design), Iris, Cirque du Soleil at Kodak Theatre
Unique Theatrical Event
· Standing on Ceremony, Joan Stein and Stuart Ross in association with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center at The Renberg Theatre

Special Awards
The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play was awarded to David Wiener for Extraordinary Chambers. The award was accompanied by an offer to publish by Samuel French, Inc.
The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater was awarded to Rogue Machine. The award was accompanied by an honorarium, funded by the Nederlander Organization.
The Bob Z award for career achievement in set design was awarded to Kurt Boetcher.
The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design was awarded to Lap Chi Chu. The award was accompanied by an honorarium, funded by Angstrom Lighting.
The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater was awarded to the Odyssey Theatre.  The award was accompanied by an honorarium, funded by contributions from the theatrical community
The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre was awarded to Lee Martino.  The award was accompanied by an honorarium, funded by an anonymous donor.
The Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction was awarded to Matt Shakman. The award was accompanied by an honorarium, funded by The Katselas Theatre Company.
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A Noise Within (ANW), led by Founders/Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, is the only year-round classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the entire country dedicated solely to producing classical dramatic literature in the repertory tradition of rotating productions with a resident company of professional artists.  It has been lauded by critics as a “premiere classical theatre company,” and an "outstanding ensemble" whose "vibrantly theatrical" "brilliant productions" are "freshly imagined," "exceptional," "invigorating," "riveting," "brilliantly atmospheric," “inspired,” and “masterfully crafted.”  Founded 20 years ago, ANW quickly established itself as one of the region’s key theatre companies, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and consistently high praise from the media for its productions and as a key force in arts education.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle was founded in 1969.  It is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism, and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles.

The 2011 voting members of the LADCC consisted of:  F. Kathleen Foley (L.A. Times), Shirle Gottlieb (Gazette Newspapers, StageHappenings.com), Hoyt Hilsman (Back Stage, The Huffington Post), Mayank Keshaviah (L.A. Weekly), Amy Lyons (Back Stage, L.A. Weekly), Dany Margolies (Back Stage), Terry Morgan (Variety), Steven Leigh Morris (L.A. Weekly), David C. Nichols (L.A. Times, Back Stage), Sharon Perlmutter (TalkinBroadway.com), Melinda Schupmann (Back Stage, ShowMag.com), Madeleine Shaner (Park La Brea News/Beverly Press, Back Stage), Les Spindle (Back Stage), Bob Verini (Variety), and Neal Weaver (Back Stage).  Joining for 2012 is Pauline Adamek (L.A. Weekly).

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