Michael Quintos - Page 9

Broadway's Kate Shindle---currently traveling the country playing Allison Bechdel in the first national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical FUN HOME---is not only an accomplished singer, actor and dancer, she is also a published author and an outspoken activist. In 2015, Shindle was also elected president of Actors' Equity Association. But before FUN HOME makes its OC debut August 1 - 6 at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Shindle chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael L. Quintos about her role in this groundbreaking musical, being AEA President, and what her life has been like on the road!

Arguably one of musical theater's more enjoyable jukebox musicals, the crowd-pleasing, ABBA-centric musical MAMMA MIA! aims to entertain its audience, all while trying to provide a much more interesting way to experience the ubiquitous pop catalog of one of the most successful pop music groups of the previous century. That is certainly the feeling you get from the brand new, all-star concert iteration now at the Hollywood Bowl through Sunday, July 30. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, this year's annual celebrity stunt-casted summer musical is a joyfully bubbly production, bursting with silliness, sass, and even a little heart. And most significant of all, the production's assembled big-name cast are all pretty terrific in their respective roles, and a select few even stepped up with some amazing vocal performances throughout that will keep you enchanted from song to song.

To open its historic 97th season, Orange County's Laguna Playhouse is presenting an admirable new production of the Tony Award-winning 2002 hit musical comedy HAIRSPRAY, which via popular demand has now been extended through August 5. Filled with spirited performances, memorably cheeky songs, and an undeniably infectious story, this stage musical adaptation of John Waters' 1988 cult movie classic---even here in Laguna Beach's scaled-down regional production---still manages to be just as likable as it would be seeing it in a larger theater.

It is nearly impossible not to be emotionally affected by the events depicted in PARADE, the stirring, Tony Award-winning 1998 musical inspired by shocking actual events surrounding the trial of a man accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl. It's certainly a heavy, morose subject to wrap an entire musical around, which is probably why PARADE is so rarely produced, despite its high-caliber book by Alfred Uhry and gorgeous music by Jason Robert Brown. But when the material is executed with emotional heft and interesting staging---as it mostly is in Chance Theater's latest production---the results can be powerful, gut-wrenching, and, most importantly, thought-provoking.

Disney/Cameron Mackintosh's stage adaptation of MARY POPPINS, the closing production of Musical Theatre West's 64th season is mostly jolly good fun. Full of palpable joy, wonderfully-performed songs, and smile-inducing moments, MTW's buoyant, crowd-pleasing production of the London-set musical continues performances at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach through July 23.

Fittingly, as most of the world celebrates Gay Pride month, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills is presenting an absorbing, beautifully-poetic production of playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell's drama THE PRIDE, which continues its Los Angeles-area premiere through July 9, 2017. Highly-stylized yet riveting and universally approachable, this new production of the play that originated in the UK features a superb cast smartly directed by the Wallis' Artist-in-Residence Michael Arden.

Summer has once again returned to Orange County, California and with it, Segerstrom Center for the Arts' annual outdoor free-for-all movie screenings! The Center's popular FREE MOVIE MONDAYS---back for its 11th consecutive year in Costa Mesa---includes 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' on July 10, 'The Wiz' on July 17, 'Stand and Deliver' on July 24, 'Edward Scissorhands' on July 31 and, finally, 'School of Rock' on August 7.

Up until the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida a year ago, the deadliest known attack on a gay club in U.S. history happened more than 40 years before at the Up Stairs Lounge in New Orleans, Louisiana. The events prior to and following that deadly, still unsolved 1973 blaze make up the fact-based narrative of UPSTAIRS - A MUSICAL TRAGEDY, now having its Southern California debut at the Los Angeles LGBT Center through June 11. Featuring book, music and lyrics by Wayne Self, the new musical tries to piece together a timeline that led up to the tragic fire using both real and fantasy/speculative elements while shining a light on some of the real-life human inspirations that were lost or have been directly affected by what happened on that fateful day.

First, let's get this out of the way: while sitting through the national tour production of THE BODYGUARD---the stage adaptation of the late Whitney Houston's 1992 film that boasts the best-selling soundtrack of all time---one thing is absolutely for certain: chart-topping recording artist Deborah Cox is unquestionably a spectacular singer. But sadly, it pains me to say, that Cox's musical contributions---and Houston's musical gems themselves---are pretty much where THE BODYGUARD itself excels. When Cox and company aren't singing or dancing up a storm, the audience is left with mostly cheesy, overly-exaggerated melodrama, flat, one-dimensional characters, and even at times over-done 'thrills' that make you laugh instead of feel any suspense.

To close out its historic 51st season, East West Players is presenting a bold and emotionally-packed production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Broadway musical NEXT TO NORMAL, which continues performances at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts through June 11, 2017. Featuring a deeply connected, all-Asian-American cast led by a stirring, awards-worthy performance by Deedee Magno Hall, EWP's top-notch production of NEXT TO NORMAL is one of the most impressive and important regional productions of this notable musical you will ever experience. No matter what your racial or ethnic background, this production will sear its way into you.

Strikingly refined yet pleasingly grounded and altogether delightful, the gorgeous 2015 Broadway musical stage adaptation of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS---inspired by the Academy Award-winning 1951 movie musical of the same name---is a sweepingly lush, dance-centric production that combines the high-brow sophistication of classical ballet with the pure exuberance and emotional highs and lows of musical theater. The resulting hybrid? Absolutely beguiling. The national tour production continues its 'S'wonderful' Orange County debut through May 7, 2017.

Because it is arguably one the most beloved and critically-acclaimed musicals of all time, WEST SIDE STORY is revisited often by regional theaters across the country (and, frankly, the world). So it is no surprise that yet another large regional theater in Southern California is reviving this nostalgia-baiting, reliably-entertaining, and thematically-resonant show, this time by the talented folks over at McCoy Rigby Entertainment at their home base at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, where performances continue through May 14, 2017. The resulting show---while mostly and genuinely enjoyable---presented a few jarringly curious presentation choices that didn't quite sit well. Unfortunately, in its admirable quest to inject some 'new-ness' into the well-known retro musical, some of the slight staging reinventions did enough to really lessen the impact of certain scenes that have previously been significant highlights.

Utilizing a sort of amusing, somewhat wacky plot that somehow works in a sustainably fresh, surprisingly plausible, and audaciously charming way, the world premiere production of playwright Michael Mitnick's thoroughly engaging new play THE SIEGEL---continuing at SCR in Costa Mesa through April 23---proves itself quickly to be one of this season's must-see new plays. Of course, when you see the cast list before even knowing anything about the play, THE SIEGEL is already proving to be quite a curiosity-baiting production. But if you look past the familiar star-wattage and observe the interesting characters and the absorbing story, you'll discover a witty, entertaining, and even thought-provoking comedy that will have you asking... 'are we in a relationship with the right person?'

A charming though perplexing adaptation of the 2004 film, FINDING NEVERLAND jets into too many erratic directions at any given moment and doesn't gel completely as a whole. And for all its gorgeous, visual splendor, it is surprisingly lacking in honest-to-goodness stage magic. The touring version of the 2015 Broadway stage musical adaptation continues at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through April 2, 2017.

Making his Segerstrom Center for the Arts debut, Tony Award® nominee Charles Busch is bringing his unique and critically-acclaimed talents to the Samueli Theater March 9-11, 2017 as part of Segerstrom Center's Cabaret Series. Entitled THE LADY AT THE MIC, Busch will enchant audiences in this intimate evening of songs and stories which he originally created for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series. Busch will be accompanied by longtime musical director Tom Judson where the artists will be paying tribute to extraordinary and much-missed women. Before Busch sashays into Costa Mesa, he agreed to answer a few questions from BroadwayWorld's Michael L. Quintos about the upcoming OC cabaret concert.

Genuinely one of the funniest musical comedies to ever grace Broadway, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER easily proves quite early on---and pretty much throughout its two uproarious acts---why it won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical. Filled with hilarious sight gags, wickedly witty banter, and some of the silliest characters to ever be dropped into a musical (many of which are portrayed by one actor in a dizzying tour-de-force), the show's first national tour continues its way-too-short, week-long stop at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through March 5.

Video games get the musical comedy treatment in CLAUDIO QUEST, a clever new musical now having its West Coast Premiere performances at Orange County's Chance Theater through February 26 in Anaheim. Those familiar with the 8-bit characters of games like Super Mario Bros. will be amused by the adventures of a pair of heroic brothers whose mission is to save the kidnapped princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing platypus terrorizing the kingdom. When the game suddenly changes players, the heroes are thrown for a loop and must figure out how to navigate and triumph this glitch-filled new world.

A pair of fresh Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, a couple of critically-acclaimed, Tony Award-winning revivals, plus Broadway's biggest hit of the century (hint: Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote it) will all be a part of the spectacular 2017-2018 Broadway season at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Announced earlier this week, SCFTA will be offering the following national tours for next season: SOMETHING ROTTEN • THE KING & I (2015 Revival) • LOVE NEVER DIES • HAMILTON • SCHOOL OF ROCK • ON YOUR FEET! • MOTOWN - THE MUSICAL • KINKY BOOTS • THE COLOR PURPLE (2016 Revival) • JERSEY BOYS • THE BOOK OF MORMON

Hands down, this incredibly absorbing stage adaptation of MOBY DICK is one of the most stunning and enthralling pieces of theater I have had the privilege of experiencing from a Southern California stage. Continuing through February 19 at Orange County's Tony Award-winning regional theater in Costa Mesa, this highly creative and mesmerizing play---adapted and directed by David Catlin---is a production from Chicago's highly regarded Lookingglass Theatre Company, who also produced similar successful runs of this adaptation at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and the Arena Stage in Washington D.C.

MATILDA - THE MUSICAL, overall, is genuinely a fun time. It's a cheeky, kid-friendly (and, really, kid-catering) stage musical that has plenty for both kids and their parents to enjoy together. Featuring lively songs by Tim Michin and a witty, yet easily digestible book by Dennis Kelly, MATILDA - THE MUSICAL celebrates how one adorable, truly likable kid ---who, sure, may seem a little odd and different---can overcome a troubled environment and still come out the other side a remarkably self-assured, open-minded, and kind-hearted young lady who can fully distinguish right from wrong---while having a bit of naughty fun along the way. The national touring company of the just recently closed Broadway musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's novel continues through January 29 in Costa Mesa.