Guys and Dolls! (LAArtsOnline.com)

^{Guys and Dolls opens at The Wallis December 4th}

Guys and Dolls!

By Ken Werther
Photo Courtesy of The Wallis

This classic American musical is one of my absolute favorites! The original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls opened in November 1950, ran for 1200 performances, and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. A little remembered fact: Guys and Dolls was selected as the winner of the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Drama but because of book writer Abe Burrows’ troubles with the House Un-American Activities Committee the Trustees of Columbia University vetoed the selection and no Pulitzer for Drama was awarded that year. Not the finest moment in American history.

Through the years there have been countless revivals and new productions of the show in the US, London, Australia, and around the world. I was lucky enough to see the 1992 revival on Broadway — an evening of theatre I will never, ever forget. That production ran for 1143 performances (only 57 less than the original!) and won the Tony Award for Best Revival. Pretty amazing history for a Broadway musical.

The critically acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Guys and Dolls arriving at the Wallis this month follows their celebrated version of Into the Woods which I found extraordinary (and ITW is a show I had never really ‘gotten’ before). Directed once again by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman, this Guys and Dolls promises to be another unforgettable theatre experience!

For tickets and show times for Guys and Dolls, click here.

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.