Tony Frankel

AS GOOD AS IT GETS In his extraordinary production of Good People at the Geffen, director Matt Shakman has validated the necessary ingredients of a great show: First: Storytelling. In describing the plot of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, one might categorize this seriocomedy as a “simple play,” as did the director. Shakman also said the…

AWAKENING TO THE FACT THAT IT’S A POORLY WRITTEN MUSICAL I feel sorry for the cast and crew of Over the Moon Productions (OTM). The hard-working Broadway-caliber talent in Spring Awakening on the Egyptian Arena Stage is phenomenal, (especially the standout of the night Payson Lewis in a minor role); the technical design is superior…

WELCOME TO THE CITY OF ANKLES At the age of 34, dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied is poised to become a household name; an extraordinary feat considering that the best-known figures in dance are those trailblazers who came to emblemize originality and invention in ballet and on Broadway long ago – names such as Cunningham,…

JACKPOT Attending a huge array of theater and concerts is akin to a slot machine: the entertainment equivalent to three cherries does exist out there, but a huge amount of time, money and effort can be spent with little guarantee of a return on your investment – the amount of blanks and lemons out there…

KILLER HUNK, KILLER SET, AND KILLER STORY MAKE UP FOR BLOODLESS PERFORMANCES As evidenced by his astoundingly beautiful production of Ira Levin’s 1978 comedy-thriller Deathtrap, Jon Imperato is a paradigm of producing and most assuredly knows how to take a tiny, black box theater and transform it into a Broadway-caliber showcase of technical and directorial…

NOT AS MIGHTY AS EXPECTED The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) has performed everywhere from the Alex Theatre to Avalon Hollywood and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but never has the world-class chorus been in a venue as dramatic and spectacular as the First Congregational Church. Their latest concert, Mighty Pipes, under the spirited…

THE DISNEYFICATION OF LINCOLN’S DEATH In many ways, Hershey Felder is a theater machine. In his four previous self-crafted one-man shows, the earnest and multi-talented actor/pianist/composer brought to life Gershwin, Bernstein, Chopin, and Beethoven. The man has created a fervent and dedicated fan base around the world, engaging audiences with his intensely dazzling musical interpretations:…

PASSION GUARANTEED Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote the St. John Passion for the Good Friday Service in Leipzig, Germany in 1724, just 3 months into his new job as “Cantor” of Leipzig.   The passion, a form which traces its origins to the 4th Century AD, is the story of the trial, torture, crucifixion and death…

CAUGHT IN A TAP Savion Glover is easily one of the best tap dancers this country has ever produced, but to the adoring throng at the beautifully sleek and modern Valley Performing Arts Center, Glover is both an institution and the rock star of the tap world (where else would you see a concert where…

SOMEHOW, IT KEEPS ON WORKING For those who have never seen the 1978 musical Working, the Production Company’s current revival may be somewhat of a revelation. The subtitle of Studs Terkel’s brilliant oral history of the same name – adapted for the stage by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso – is People Talk About What…

OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE While Theatre Unleashed’s cast and crew have a gloriously and unashamedly good time bringing The Spidey Project to the West Coast, it’s a shame that their source material isn’t the parody it promised to be in the press release. There are some very funny moments in this silly,…