Kelly Lester News

Jerry Herman's second great triumph following the success of Hello Dolly! was Mame in 1966 and a triumphant Broadway debut for Tony winning Angela Lansbury. Based on Patrick Dennis' memoir of his wildly eccentric aunt, the story lent itself beautifully to Herman's upbeat score. It is rarely revived, and thanks to the Musical Theatre Guild, who do fully staged readings of old or lesser known musicals, we got a lovely presentation on Sunday September 23 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

Musical Theatre Guild's production of 'Mame' wowed a Sunday evening audience with its broad comedy, Jerry Herman's tuneful score, and winning performances from its cast. The staged reading included full costumes, choreography, and some wonderfully funny moments, thanks to Lewis Wilkenfled's skillful directing.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will open their 23nd Anniversary season with Jerry Herman's classic musical MAME. The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 7:00 PM.

The Spitfire Grill feeds the soul of the Penobscot Theatre Company.

Penobscot Theatre Company will close its 44th subscription series with The Spitfire Grill, staging 14 performances April 26 through May 13, at the historic Bangor Opera House. Based on the popular 1996 film of the same name, this heartwarming musical is a collaboration between librettist and lyricist Fred Alley (Guys on Ice andLumberjacks in Love) and composer James Valcq. The plot follows a young woman with a mysterious past to rural Gilead where she finds more than she thought possible at the best (and only) restaurant in town.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will present HOLLYWOOD REVISITED as a special benefit to support Musical Theatre Guild's extensive youth outreach programs. The event, a perfect tie in with the company's "MTG Goes To The Movies" season theme, will take place at Burbank's Colony Theatre on Monday, March 26, 2018 at 7:30 pm.

Despite my well-earned affection for the Tony-winning 1998 Roundabout Theatre Company production of the classic Kander and Ebb Broadway classic CABARET, I still found myself vigorously entertained by McCoy Rigby Entertainment's flashy and buoyant new 2018 regional production of this theatrical staple, under the solid direction of Larry Carpenter and featuring spectacular musical performances from its lead cast. This deliciously bawdy but at times sneakily ominous musical continues performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through February 11, 2018.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the third show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with CABARET, book by Joe Masteroff (based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb with musical direction by David O, choreography by Dana Solimando and directed by Larry Carpenter.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment present the third show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with CABARET, book by Joe Masteroff (based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb with musical direction by David O, choreography by Dana Solimando and directed by Larry Carpenter.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment present the third show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with CABARET, book by Joe Masteroff (based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb with musical direction by David O, choreography by Dana Solimando and directed by Larry Carpenter.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will continue their 22nd Anniversary season with the West Coast professional premiere of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, the stage musical version of the Academy Award nominated film of the same name. The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will continue their 22nd Anniversary season with the West Coast professional premiere of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, the stage musical version of the Academy Award nominated film of the same name. The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM. Full casting has just been announced!

The temptation to take a film classic and turn it into a Broadway musical is a road fraught with peril. How do you take something perfect and make it better? This was the question posed in 1972 when producer David Merrick decided to musicalize the uproarious 1959 farce Some Like It Hot. The result was Sugar, which enjoyed a respectable 14-month run on Broadway (505 performances) and received four Tony nominations, including one for lead actor Robert Morse, who played Jerry/Daphne. The 86-year-old Morse was on hand at the Alex Theatre in Glendale Sunday night as Musical Theatre Guild presented a rousing staged reading of the musical. Morse and the audience clearly enjoyed the show (he could be seen doing a virtual karaoke act of the score from his seat), but most of what works for the show is what worked for the film, with little new of substance added to the musical.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will open their 22nd Anniversary season with SUGAR, the stage musical version of the classic Hollywood film "Some Like It Hot."  This is the first of four musicals chosen in a season celebrating musical stage adaptions of films.  The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 7:00 PM.

LA's live music venue Rockwell Table and Stage in Los Feliz will host a Mother's Day edition of their ongoing line-up show An Evening of Classic Broadway.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will celebrate Black History Month with the rarely produced HALLELUJAH, BABY!. The one-night-only concert event took place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre yesterday, February 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM with original cast members Frieda Payne and Robert Hooks in attendance. Scroll down for photos!

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will celebrate Black History Month with the rarely produced HALLELUJAH, BABY!. The one-night-only concert event will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM with original cast members Frieda Payne and Robert Hooks scheduled to be in attendance.

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will celebrate Black History Month with the rarely produced HALLELUJAH, BABY! 

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2016 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed. (alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories) No set, costume, technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

Actor and President of Celebrity Access, Inc Glenn Rosenblum performed his one-man cabaret Glenn Rosenblum Is 'the Musical Man' at Rockwell Table and Stage Monday October 24 to a packed house of adoring fans. Reminding one a little bit of actor James Coco, who had an undeniably infectious sensitivity and sense of humor, Rosenblum took the stage with great ease, sat on a stool by the piano and proceeded to tell his story. First, of course, there was a full overture of Broadway tunes, under the baton of musical director David J. Kaminski at the piano, Jon Butterworth on percussion and Josh Nyback on bass. The three musicians were terrific.