Tuesday, July 16, 2019

“Blue/Orange” Blurs Reality & Madness In Tense Trialogue Play by Cary Ginell

In British playwright Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange, Christopher is a patient in a London psychiatric hospital who has been admitted under a “Section 2” for what has been diagnosed as a …

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 12:38PM
Tuesday, July 2, 2019

“Vanities” Traces Personality Traits Through The Years by Cary Ginell

Plays that show characters changing through the years are some of the most challenging actors can experience. In the 1976 Off-Broadway play Vanities, author/playwright Jack Heifner focuses …

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 11:36AM
Monday, May 20, 2019

High School Actor Is On His Way…. by Cary Ginell

Today we received a letter from Andrew Landecker, senior film student at Calabasas High School who played the role of Amos Hart in the school’s March production of Chicago. Here’s what…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 07:56PM
Sunday, May 19, 2019

“Avenue Q” Has Message To Go With Its Mirth by Cary Ginell

In a world that is consumed by political correctness, Avenue Q, which made its debut at the Conejo Players Theatre May 3 for a brief two-weekend run, shatters Broadway conventions with its r…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 09:10PM
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Pacific Festival Ballet Stages World Premiere Of “Camelot” by Cary Ginell

Camelot, the original “Game of Thrones,” is familiar to theater and film fans through its highly successful stage productions but a new ballet, produced by Pacific Festival Ballet, makes…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 12:05PM
Friday, April 5, 2019

Young Thespian Shines In “Curious Incident” by Cary Ginell

Its theater is definitely of the no-frills variety, a black box constructed in the space of two public storage units in an industrial park in Ventura, but there is no denying the talent that…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 11:59AM
Thursday, March 14, 2019

“Matilda” – A 5-Star Homecoming For Lewis Wilkenfeld by Cary Ginell

Next week, former Cabrillo Music Theater artistic director Lewis Wilkenfeld returns to Thousand Oaks to direct Matilda, the story about a precocious English girl who uses books and literacy…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:27PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Pasadena Playhouse Uncrates New Imagining Of “Ragtime” by Cary Ginell

Ragtime, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musicalized version of E. L. Doctorow’s novel about a quickly changing America at the turn of the 20th century, has received a new concept, wh…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 08:43PM
Tuesday, February 12, 2019

“Minnie’s Boys” Staged Reading Tracks Early Antics Of The Marx Brothers by Cary Ginell

Musical Theatre Guild’s latest staged reading, Minnie’s Boys, was performed at Glendale’s Alex Theatre on Sunday, February 10, and although it was great to finally get to see this rar…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:59PM
Monday, February 11, 2019

Rubicon’s “Heisenberg” Delivers With Life-Affirming, Intimate Drama by Cary Ginell

As Simon Stephens’ 2015 play Heisenberg opens, a 75-year-old Irish butcher named Alex Priest is sitting in a London Underground station, listening to music on his iPhone. Without warning…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 12:35PM
Friday, February 8, 2019

Agoura High Senior Griffen Hamilton To Direct “Mamma Mia!” by Cary Ginell

Next week, Agoura High School senior Griffen Hamilton will be directing the school’s production of Mamma Mia!, his first full-length musical. Griffen has been featured in Raymond Saar’…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:55PM
Thursday, February 7, 2019

Shannon Warne & Marc Baron Ginsburg Join Pasadena Playhouse Cast Of “Ragtime” by Cary Ginell

Two faces familiar to Ventura County audiences will be performing dream roles when they debut in Ragtime, which plays from February 10 to March 3 at the Pasadena Playhouse. Both Shannon Wa…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:36PM
Friday, February 1, 2019

Nick Santa Maria & Jordan Schneider Talk Revolution In “1776” by Cary Ginell

In McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s production of 1776, director Glenn Casale cast a mix of veteran stage performers with younger newcomers. The result blends beautifully in the musical comedy…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 12:40PM
Wednesday, January 30, 2019

“1776”: That Other Musical About Our Founding Fathers by Cary Ginell

With all the fuss and fame that Hamilton has caused in bringing America’s founding fathers to the stage, one easily forgets its predecessor, 1776, a delightful show that only gets bette…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 11:20PM
Thursday, January 17, 2019

New Musical “Scott Robbins” Makes Its Debut At Hillcrest Center by Cary Ginell

A brand-new musical made its world premiere on the black box stage of the Hillcrest Theatre for the Arts to kick off 2019. “Scott Robbins & the Traveling Show” had been percolating i…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:42PM
Monday, January 14, 2019

Sharon McNight Stars As Sophie Tucker At The Rubicon by Cary Ginell

“Larger than life” is a description that is overused in show business, but this is not hyperbole when it comes to legendary vaudeville entertainer Sophie Tucker (1884-1966). Famously pro…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 02:48PM
Saturday, December 31, 2016

The 4th Annual “Vee-Cee” Awards for Top Performances in Ventura County Theater by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL It’s time once again for the annual “Vee-Cee” Awards, in which we honor some of the most memorable performances on Ventura County stages over the course of t…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 03:11PM
Friday, December 23, 2016

Taking Stock: Who We Talked To In 2016 by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL As each year comes to a close, we like to look back at some of the highlights of the past year in musical theater and plays in Ventura County. 2016 was the fourth year in whic…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:54PM
Sunday, December 18, 2016

Curtain Call Youth Theatre Finds A New Home by Cary Ginell

(Agoura Hills, Calif. – December 17, 2016) After 11 years of renting multiple local spaces and partnering with many local theatre groups and local high schools and colleges, the New Year w…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:58PM
Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Meet Singer/Actress Siena Avila – The New Kid On The Block by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL Siena Avila is like many other 16-year-old high schoolers you know. Cheerful, friendly, enthusiastic, and just a little bit shy. But Siena has one thing that most kids her age…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 11:32PM
Monday, December 12, 2016

“Calendar Girls” – Wacky Performances Highlight Bawdy, Warm-Hearted Play by Cary Ginell

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL Calendar Girls, a 2009 play based on a hit 2003 film, is Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi’s true-to-life comedy about six middle-aged women from a village in Yorks…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:08PM
Friday, December 2, 2016

The Historical Characters Of “Ragtime” – Part 2: “Make Them Hear You” – Louis Baker Talks About Playing Booker T. Washington by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL Louis Baker has had a varied career in the entertainment world. As an actor, he studied under three prestigious performers: Bill Duke, Haile Gerima, and Debbie Allen. He has w…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:19PM
Wednesday, November 30, 2016

To Thine Own Self Be True: A Female “Hamlet” Plays At Curtain Call Youth Theatre by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL The idea of a woman playing the lead in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is not a new one. The first female Hamlet, Elizabeth Powell, performed the role at London’s Drury Lan…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 11:33AM
Monday, November 28, 2016

Political Figures In “Ragtime” – Part 1: Emma Goldman by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL The musical Ragtime, which plays through this Sunday, December 4, at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, is an important work that weaves actual historical personages into…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 04:02PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

“Like Herding Cats” – A Visit With Stage Manager Kimberly Kiley by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL Everyone knows that the director is the person responsible for the look and content of a musical or play, but once the cast has been selected, sets and props are delivered, an…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 03:26PM
Friday, November 4, 2016

Shindig In Space: “Return to the Forbidden Planet” Is Boomerrific Fun by Cary Ginell

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL Before Mamma Mia!, before The Marvelous Wonderettes, and before Jersey Boys, there was Return to the Forbidden Planet, an Off-Broadway space farce that was one of …

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 12:05AM
Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Elite’s “All My Sons” Is Shattering Drama by Cary Ginell

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL The title of All My Sons, Arthur Miller’s riveting play of guilt, heartbreak, and tragedy, refers to 21 young World War II combat pilots, who were needlessly ki…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 01:04PM
Wednesday, October 19, 2016

“Evita” Teen Star Isa Briones On The Energy Of Acting by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL If you have the opportunity to see Cabrillo Music Theatre’s splendid production of Evita this weekend, you will no doubt be drawn to the electrifying performances by it…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 04:20PM
Sunday, October 16, 2016

Empty Spaces: The Camarillo Skyway Playhouse Dilemma by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL It’s the day after opening night at the Camarillo Skyway Playhouse and the house is nearly empty. On stage, a terrific production of the Kander and Ebb musical Curtains…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 03:07PM
Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Rebecca & John Pillsbury Talk About The Magic Of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Sorcerer” by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL For years I have been saying that the best kept secret in Ventura County theater is the Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company. Celebrating its 10th season t…

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:39PM
Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Marc Baron Ginsburg Talks About Playing “Che” in Cabrillo’s New Production of “Evita” by Cary Ginell

BY CARY GINELL In Cabrillo Music Theatre’s new production of Evita, the role of Che, the narrator figure based on Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, is played by Marc Baron Ginsburg. …

SOURCE: vconstage.com at 06:17PM

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