Laughter is Good! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Immediate Family (Directed by Phylicia Rashad) plays at the Mark Taper Forum

Laughter is Good!

By Ken Werther
Graphics Courtesy of CTG

Back in 2007, Immediate Family by Paul Oakley Stovall had its West Coast premiere at LA’s venerable Celebration Theatre under a different title. Back then the play was called As Much As You Can. Eight years later, with a new title, what is not different is the level of comedy the show brings. If you’ve read other stories of mine here on LAArtsOnline.com you know I’m a big proponent of laughter. For me, the sound of 750 people laughing together cures a lot of chills.

Immediate Family takes us to the Bryant Family reunion where race, sexuality, religion, evolving ideas of marriage, long-held beliefs, and long-kept secrets collide, setting the scene for a hilarious family showdown. Lots of dysfunction — something we’ve all experienced! Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said Immediate Family “… bursts with life …” and called it “a timely and important American play.” Add in “high stakes, fast-paced, and with rich comic characters” — what more could you ask for?

Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad will direct Immediate Family at the Mark Taper Forum. Did you see her work as an actress in Gem of the Ocean or her incredible direction of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone both at the Taper? In describing Ms. Rashad’s remarkable talents, all known superlatives have been used up. Remember, laughter is a good thing, so get on down to the Taper and have some fun.

“Immediate Family” plays the Mark Taper Forum April 22-June 7.

Talking with Coco! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Allison Janney (Photo: Kate Romero)

Talking with Coco!

By Ken Werther
Photo By Kate Romero

Looking for a really cool way to spend a Saturday night? For the ninth installment of the L.A. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Center’s Conversations with Coco — Miss Coco Peru’s series of live, unscripted interviews with celebrated performing artists — the L.A. drag legend welcomes the much loved Allison Janney to the Renberg Theatre. Like previous visits with stars like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Charles Busch, Bea Arthur, and Liza Minnelli among others, the evening will feature film highlights of Janney’s career along with casual yet in-depth conversation.

Allison Janney is perhaps best known for her seven seasons as C.J. Cregg on The West Wing (six Emmy Award nominations, four wins), but her work on television dates all the way back to 1991! She currently stars on the CBS sitcom Mom (another Emmy), and for a recurring role on Showtime’s Masters of Sex she garnered a sixth Emmy. Janney has appeared in countless feature films, and her work on Broadway has earned her two Tony Award nominations, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama Desk Award.

Says Miss Coco, “Conversations with Coco is sort of like Inside the Actors Studio only a lot more fun!” Proceeds support the LALGBT Center’s array of free and low-cost services. Is there any question about where you need to be on March 7 at 8pm?

Conversations with Coco, with special guest Allison Janney, takes place Saturday, March 7 at The Village of Ed Gould Plaza at 1125 N. McCadden Place.

Bravo Cinderella! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Cinderella plays at the Ahmanson Theatre March 17-April 26

BRAVO CINDERELLA!

By KEN WERTHER
Photo Courtesy of CTG

Well known fact: the story of Cinderella (the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical) is based on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, (here comes a lesser known fact) in particular the French version by Charles Perrault, called Cendrillon, ou la Petite Pantoufle de Verre. We all know the story — a young woman abused by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, her Fairy Godmother arriving and turning her into a ravishing beauty so she can go to the Prince’s Ball…I’m guessing I needn’t continue.

The legendary Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II originally wrote the book and songs for a 1957 television broadcast starring Julie Andrews that was viewed by 107 million people. It was remade twice for television, most famously in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren (raise your hand if you saw the original broadcast so I’ll know your age), and adapted for the stage in various versions. The new production arriving at the Ahmanson Theatre this month opened on Broadway in 2013, racked up 769 performances, and was nominated for nine Tony Awards!

Perhaps the most interesting fact: the book for this latest stage version of Cinderella is by Douglas Carter Beane, the playwright responsible for, among many others, The Little Dog Laughed (one of my favorite plays of all time). A musical fairy tale—what could be better? Your lovely night awaits you.

Cinderella plays at the Ahmanson Theatre from March 17 to April 26.