Melissa Giordano - Page 14

Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities' is an emotion roller coaster. It is a heart wrenching story set around what is supposed to be a happy time of year and Richard T. Dolce's cast wonderfully delivers at the stunning John W. Engeman Theatre. Running through March 9th at the Northport venue, the play revolves around a prominent political Californian family.

Creative Ministries Performing Arts Centre's (CMPAC) latest musical, Gypsy, is certainly one for the books. The Ronald R. Green III directed production boasts a great cast and a well told story. This classic piece runs through February 9th at the Oakdale, Long Island, venue.

The Long Island premier of Bonnie & Clyde went off without a hitch this past weekend at SoLuna Studio. With a book by Ivan Menchell, the 'biographical' musical of two of the most nutorious gangsters shows true love, the solidarity of family, and unwavering loyalty. Running through January 26th at the Hauppauge venue, the cast is truly on top of their game in this production.

Shrek, The Musical is certainly a fun night at the theatre. The cast at Oakdale's Creative Ministries Performing Arts Center (CM PAC) is hysterical, the costumes are unbelievably creative, and the David Lindsay - Abaire story will tug at your heart and make you smile.

BroadHollow Theatre Company's latest musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, indeed has a talented cast. However, it seems that when I saw it at Studio Theatre, any magic that was there had vanished.

[Scrooge] turned upon the Ghost [of Christmas Past], and seeing that it looked upon him a face, in which some strange way there were fragments of all the faces it had shown him, wrestled with it.'

Irving Berlin's White Christmas is just the thing to get you into the holiday spirit. Besides a heartfelt story, the beautiful John W. Engeman Theatre of Northport also went all out for an early kickoff to the holiday season. Donning their lobby with Christmas decorations and playing classic Christmas carols over the loud speaker as you entered the theater, you knew you right away you were in for a wonderful holiday treat.

The ongoing Broadway Concert Series at the gorgeous John W. Engeman Theatre of Northport always make for a wonderful evening. During their dark week between shows, producer and host Stephen DeAngelis gathers the best of Broadway for an evening of songs and stories about their careers. Although this time there were brief moments of complete insolence from the audience, the sold out show was very well received.

BroadHollow Theatre Company's production of Neil Simon's Laughter On the 23rd Floor was enjoyable. It's a refreshing, simple, semi-autobiographical play that is inspired by Mr. Simon's early career as one of the writers for the television show Your Show of Shows. The audience was also enthusiastically receptive although the insolent, drunk, middle-aged couple that was making-out across the aisle apparently wanted to be elsewhere.

Jon Robin Baitz' Other Desert Cities shows a realistic example of how families are nowadays. Dysfunction, love, and the influence family members have on one another are performed with panache at the Hampton Theatre Company's Sarah Hunnewell directed presentation of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony nominee. Running through November 10th at the charming Long Island venue in Quogue, each member of the cast was great in their respective roles.

Noel Ruiz, that is, CM PAC's beloved leader, a mentor to so many, and a pillar of the Long Island theatre community who passed away in September. This production of the Tony Award winning classic LES MISERABLES was Mr. Ruiz's vision and dream. As you read the bios of the cast in the playbill, they even dedicate this performance to him. Patrick Grossman, a CM vet, stepped in for the final staging as, naturally, the show must go on. And let me tell you, Mr. Ruiz would be so proud.

October is the perfect time for a production of the classic Steven Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler musical Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It's wonderfully creepy, chilling, and unsettling... just the thing to get you in the mood for Halloween. Directed by Karen Braun - who also does the choreography, costumes, and sets- SoLuna Studio's production, running through October 27th, shows you can do a lot with a little - more about that in a bit.

Reginald Rose's tension filled Tony Award winning play Twelve Angry Men is certainly a wonderful selection for the second show of the John W. Engeman Theatre's seventh season. Not to mention that it is emotionally on the other side of the spectrum from their previous show - the adorably hilarious Nunsense. This superb showing, running through November 3rd at the stunning Long Island venue, is excellently directed by Igor Goldin and continues the intense atmosphere that Mr. Rose created starting with a TV broadcast in 1954.

The wildly successful, multi Tony Award winning musical Fiddler on the Roof first opened on Broadway in 1964 and has certainly become a staple among the local theatre community. BroadHollow's production, running through October 6th at their BayWay location, has certainly made this incarnation their own. Directed by Glen J. Beck, this cast will also play their Elmont location from October 26th through November 10th.

It is always interesting to see a local production of the classic Tony winning musical LES MISERABLES. It is such a huge show and to perform it locally is a huge undertaking. However, if you have a wonderful cast and the fantastic direction of Jeffrey Sanzel, the production will turn out wonderfully as Theatre Three's did.

Alfred Uhry's Pulizer Prize winning play Driving Miss Daisy, now running through September 29th at the Smithtown Center For Performing Arts, is one to remember. The heart of this story follows the relationship of Daisy Werthen and Hoke Colburn over the spam of twenty five years (from 1948 - 1973). It examines race and religious prejudices, but ultimately looks at human relationships as a whole.

Nunsense, by Dan Goggin, playing at the John W. Engeman Theatre of Northport, is certainly a treat. It was never on Broadway per se', but has lead a very successful almost three decade life off-Broadway and at local theatres. Running through September 8th at the stunning Long Island venue, this production is all about fun.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the latest offering from the BroadHollow Theatre Company, proves a very relatable story. The Pulitzer Prize winning play, by Tennessee Williams, has several themes that the cast wonderfully carried out on the intimate stage of Studio theatre in Lindenhurst. Among said themes are social etiquette, greed, superficiality, mendacity, sexual desire, and death. I think it is safe to say that everyone who sees this show could empathize with at least one of the characters and/or story lines.

Singin' In The Rain, the Tony nominated musical based on the famous MGM film, is certainly a must see among theatre attendees. With a screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green and music by Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Reed, Gateway's fantastic incarnation runs through August 10th and will surely have you leaving the theatre with a smile.

Hair - The American Tribal Love Rock Musical became one of my favorite shows when I saw the Tony winning revival in 2009 and then again in 2010. With that, one may have an unconscious hesitation when a local production of your favorite show is being mounted. No one should have that attitude and let me tell you, the cast at Soluna Studio in Hauppauge surely did not disappoint.