All stories by Gary Ballard on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

Moonlight and Magnolias: Movie Making at the Colony by Gary Ballard

Playwright Ron Hutchinson wrote Moonlight and Magnolias, a comedic retelling of how the final film script came into being. It had its world premiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2004 an…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:58PM

Sab Shimono Adds Wrinkles to a Prolific Resume by Gary Ballard

Sab Shimono, a veteran actor with East West Players for more than three decades, is adding a new wrinkle to his repertoire. He stars in East/West's premier of Wrinkles, by Paul Kikuchi, ope…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:58PM

Daniel Henning's Blank Theatre Celebrates 20th Anniversary by Gary Ballard

Daniel Henning, founding artistic director of the Blank Theatre Company, tells how it began, “When I did a play at the age of four, that was sort of it. I was bit hard. It was Stone So…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:58PM
Thursday, January 5, 2012

Galligan Guides Jordan’s Gift of Gab in Fruit Fly by Gary Ballard

Will Leslie Jordan ever run out of material for his autobiographical solo shows? Probably not, if his mother has anything to say about it -- which she does. Director David Galligan helps Jor…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 04:25PM
Thursday, September 29, 2011

Greenway Court Theatre Loves Lucy by Gary Ballard

Staging  I Love Lucy episodes in a 99-seat theater is harder than it looks. The actors, producers and director Rick Sparks talk about the challenges in the Live on Stage version at Greenway…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:03PM
Monday, September 5, 2011

Burstyn and Castellino Honor Jolson by Gary Ballard

“You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” Thus spoke Asa Yoelson—better known to the world as Al Jolson—so resoundingly it became his catch phrase, trademark and battle cry all rolled into …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 02:49PM
Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Comedy Stylings of Toliver and Guidinger by Gary Ballard

If you were a teacher in grade school with both Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger in your class, you’d quickly learn to separate the two of them to opposite corners of the room.  Even then…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 06:05PM
Thursday, August 4, 2011

Santa Monica Playhouse Dolls Up For 50th Anniversary by Gary Ballard

Evelyn Rudie and Chris DeCarlo, the married team who have run Santa Monica Playhouse since 1973, continue the playhouse's 50th anniversary celebration with Dolls--Not Your Usual Love Story! …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 04:32PM
Friday, July 22, 2011

Independent Shakespeare Company’s Zoo Stories by Gary Ballard

All the world’s a stage.  You might not agree with that sentiment.  You might wish to argue or debate it.  But as you like it or not, you’d be foolish to deny its cultural impact give…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 02:47PM
Friday, July 8, 2011

Tennessee Auditions Brando at Two Roads by Gary Ballard

According to an old cliche, you get only one opportunity to make a first impression.  That impression, however, can often assume folkloric dimensions or an iconic status when recounted nume…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 08:07PM
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Marilyn Fox Leads 25th Season at Pacific Resident Theatre by Gary Ballard

Pacific Resident Theatre's Artistic Director Marilyn Fox discusses her new show of J.M Barrie one-acts entitled Barrie: Back to Back, being invited to bring Vince Melocchi's Julia to New Yo…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 07:58PM
Thursday, June 2, 2011

Michael Golamco and David Rose Commence Year Zero at the Colony by Gary Ballard

The Colony opens its 37th season June 4 with the West Coast premiere of Michael Golamco’s Year Zero, centering around Cambodian American brother and sister Vuthy and Ra Vichea’s efforts…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:23PM
Monday, May 16, 2011

David Hunt Stafford Luvs the Theater and Theatre 40 by Gary Ballard

David Hunt Stafford loves theater. Talk to him approximately 15 minutes and you know it. Talk to him another five or so, and he’ll tell you about Theatre 40 where he serves as Artistic a…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 06:36PM
Thursday, May 12, 2011

Les Hanson’s Gypsy Life with West Coast Ensemble by Gary Ballard

Les Hanson, founding artistic director of West Coast Ensemble, is espousing the traditions of those wandering minstrels of yore with his next production. He opens Gypsy by Arthur Laurents,…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 12:06PM
Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Elizabeth Swain Directs Rarely Seen Malcontent for Antaeus by Gary Ballard

Elizabeth Swain could fall prey to a whimsical journalistic labeling or libeling about how disaffected, displeased and distrustful she currently is, and nothing could be more distanced from …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 01:54PM
Friday, April 1, 2011

John Gallogly Directs Goodbye…Hello for Theatre West by Gary Ballard

The newest offering of Theatre West, which has produced plays since 1962, is a world premiere entitled Goodbye, Louie . . . Hello! by the late Allan Manings. The play is creating some bitter…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 01:18PM
Thursday, March 24, 2011

Keith Huff’s Happiness Relies on Director Robin Larsen by Gary Ballard

The famed bluebird of happiness traces its more modern roots to the 1697 publication of L’Oiseau Bleu by Madame d’Aulnoy, who adapted the premise from ancient legends. The Road Theatre C…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 04:02AM
Friday, March 4, 2011

Daniel Henning’s Blank Theatre Celebrates 20th Anniversary by Gary Ballard

Daniel Henning, founding artistic director of the Blank Theatre Company, tells how it began, “When I did a play at the age of four, that was sort of it. I was bit hard. It was Stone Soup,…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:27PM
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A Tennessee Williams House Built by Simon Levy by Gary Ballard

Simon Levy directs Tennessee Williams’ A House Not Meant to Stand at the Fountain Theatre in its West Coast premiere opening Feb. 26. He says, “This play, coming as late as it does in th…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 06:46PM
Monday, February 14, 2011

Sab Shimono Adds Wrinkles to a Prolific Resume by Gary Ballard

Sab Shimono, a veteran actor with East West Players for more than three decades, is adding a new wrinkle to his repertoire.  He stars in East/West's premier of Wrinkles, by Paul Kikuchi, op…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 02:08PM
Thursday, February 3, 2011

Moonlight and Magnolias: Movie Making at the Colony by Gary Ballard

Playwright Ron Hutchinson wrote Moonlight and Magnolias, a comedic retelling of how the final film script came into being. It had its world premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004 …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 02:08PM
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ron Sossi Tunes Up Adding Machine for Odyssey Theatre by Gary Ballard

A theatrical adding machine, perhaps? Now, in his long-running role as artistic director of Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Sossi is gearing up to present the West Coast premiere of  Adding M…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 01:42PM
Thursday, January 6, 2011

Red Dog Squadron Gets Greedy by Gary Ballard

Roday, Raider and Red Dog. Kinda rolls off the tongue, huh? But who—or what—are they? A rock group? A trio of swashbucklers? Surely not a stock brokerage or a law firm. No, the first …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 04:43PM
Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Ovation Nominees for Best Season: The Magnificent 7 by Gary Ballard

The annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards for excellence in greater LA theater will be presented in January and seven producing entities are nominated in the prestigious category of Bes…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 06:13PM
Friday, December 3, 2010

Rae Allen Directs Cyrano in an Intimate Setting by Gary Ballard

The Ruskin Group Theatre is opening its production of Cyrano de Bergerac on Dec. 4 with Rae Allen doing the honors of guiding the swordplay, poesy and courtship to its unrequited conclusion…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 02:19PM
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Noise Within Founders Reaching Their Dream by Gary Ballard

Seeking to build a state-of-the-art complex, A Noise Within has raised $11 million towards their goal of $13.3 million, have broken ground on their new facilities and recently attracted addi…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:33PM
Tuesday, November 16, 2010

NY’s LAByrinth and LA’s Elephant: A Theatrical Dialogue by Gary Ballard

We’ve all heard the old reliable clichés about a bull in a china shop or the dog in the manger or a canary in a coal mine. Theatrical pundits may soon be coining a fresh quip concern…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 08:48PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards