Herbert Paine - Page 17

Theatre Artists Studio is closing its already impressive Season with Robert Anderson's I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER. Directed by Steve Fajardo, the presentation is appropriately stark and focused. A simple set with the bare essentials gives the right space to a string of stirring performances, featuring Tom Koelbel, Charles Sowder, and Judy Lebeau. The show runs through May 13th.

The National Tour of THE COLOR PURPLE, now at ASU Gammage through April 22nd, is a masterpiece of soulful vibrations, telling of Celie's journey from poverty to empowerment. Deserving of Amens and Hallelujahs! Electrifying cast led by Adrianna Hicks and featuring powerhouse performances by Carla Stewart, Carrie Compere, N'Jameh Camara, Gavin Gregory, and J. Daughtry.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's current production of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, directed by Danny Gorman is good enough to leave you satisfied enough by the powerful vocals of Cassandra Klaphake as Francesca and Bryant Martin as Robert, but wanting more.

With brilliant flashes of imagination and innovation, Arizona Opera's production of DAS RHEINGOLD, under the visionary direction of Brian Staufenbiel, is an entirely engaging and enthralling theatrical experience. David Murakami's digital wizardry is amazing. The cast is tremendous. Final chance to see the production: at Tucson Music Hall, April 14th and 15th.

Arizona Theatre Company presents LOWDOWN DIRTY BLUES. Rousing performances by Felicia Fields, Shake Anderson, and Chic Street Man. At the Herberger Theater in Phoenix through April 22nd.

Southwest Shakespeare Company's production of PART I, directed by Asia Osborne, runs through April 7th at Mesa Arts Center. While it may fall short of its potential, it is enriched by the strong performances of Keath Hall as Falstaff and Tony Latham as Prince Henry.

BUTTERFLIES, directed by Cady McClain and written by and featuring Carlotta Summers, is a riveting, emotionally powerful, and important anti-bullying allegory of survival and empowerment. BUTTERFLIES is currently on the festival circuit ~ a must see!

In Johnna Adams' play, GIDION'S KNOT (Stray Cat Theatre's current production, directed by Tracy Liz Miller), Corryn Fell (Shari Watts) is the distraught mother, desperate for answers about her son Gidion's suicide, forgoing the prescribed cycle of grief to pursue the truth about what unwound him enough to cause the fatal shot. She confronts Gidion's fifth grade teacher, Heather Clark (Alison Campbell), in a conversational struggle of attitudes and values that is as disconcerting as it is unsatisfying. The show runs through March 24th at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

The promos for Compass Players' final production of its second season, Cynthia J. Cohen's light comedy, WEST PALM PRIME, promise more than the play delivers. It's a muddled endeavor based on a thematic question that, in these 21st Century days of liberated and active seniors, seems pretty outdated: Can two people find love in the 'prime' of their lives? The show is on through March 31st at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts.

Rod McCall's tender and bittersweet drama, ROSE, features winning performances by Cybill Shepherd and James Brolin. Recently tied for the Best Feature Film-Drama in the Directors' Choice Awards at the Sedona International Film Festival, the film continues its rounds at festivals throughout the country..

Arizona Broadway Theatre presents HAIR. The beat goes on but the message has faded. Director and choreographer pulls out all the plugs to energize the 50 year old musical. On stage now through March 25th.

There are three very good reasons to see RED, Theatre Artists Studio's production of John Logan's Tony award-winning drama: The acting. The acting. The acting! Indeed, there's a fourth very good reason and that is the astute and impeccable direction of Carol MacLeod. Veteran thespian Michael Fleck delivers a roaring and riveting performance as Mark Rothko. Newcomer Quinn Johnson is captivating as the grand master's student. This must see production runs through March 25th.

Michael Oblowitz focuses on the torrid relationship of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner in FRANK & AVA, and in so doing has also profiled a turbulent crossroads in American history. Featuring stunning performances by Rico Simonini and Emily Elicia Low. One of the features at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

A profile of legendary Terrie Frankel ~ songwriter, playwright, director, and producer.

In John Schaffer's revelatory and inspiring six-minute documentary, MY DAD MATTHEW, Elijah Wangeman speaks with remarkable eloquence and insight to the measure of a man, his father, who is to be defined not by his physical condition but by his character and ability to make a difference and live a full and independent life. One of the short films to be featured at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

Journalist and filmmaker Shraysi Tandon's INVISIBLE HANDS is a gripping expose on the travesty of child labor and child trafficking as a component of corporate supply chains. A must see. One of the features at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

David Schumacher's documentary, THE NEW FIRE, is a compelling case on behalf of Nuclear 2.0 and an invaluable addition to the discussion about our planet's future. Beyond the scientific data, the exhilarating aspect of THE NEW FIRE is Schumacher's introduction to a vanguard of young entrepreneurs who are stoking innovation and advances in nuclear energy, unbound by the emotional baggage of the past. One of the films to be featured at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

Colin Gerard's short film, ELI, is a penetrating and heartbreaking reflection on survivor guilt, featuring a riveting performance by David Gant. One of the films to be shown at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

Arturo Perez Torres's THE DRAWER BOY, the adaptation of Michael Healey's play, is everything you want a film to be. Meticulous in its construction, surprising in its development, dramatic in its content, and revelatory in its outcomes, the film evolves into a probing portrait of two aging friends, Angus (Stuart Hughes) and Morgan (Richard Clarkin) and the story that binds them. The film is one of the features at the Sedona International Film Festival during the week of February 25th.

The debilitating and devastating effects of bullying are poignantly portrayed in Alex Haney's CHARITY ~ a message film with an unusual and inspiring twist ~ a note of hope that is both edifying and instructive. To be featured at Sedona International Film Festival during the week of February 25th.