Painting the Town Red

By -
Painting the Town Red


INVISIBLE THEATRE STOPS THE WORLD WITH ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
By Chuck Graham
TucsonStage.com
Wow!! What an amazing show! The Invisible Theatre's 40th anniversary "Retro-Spectacular Cabaret" called Painting the Town Red! made that word "Spectacular" feel even bigger. The red and black stage setting at the Berger Performing Arts Center was glowing with magic.
https://docs.google.com/File?id=d5772jn_823rmpqf2nb_b
There was so much heart, so much sincerity, so much to celebrate in the 40 years that Invisible Theatre grew from, literally, a handful of college kids putting on shows to an organization that successfully presented performances by some of the most talented people in show business.
Taking breaks from their complicated schedules to make personal appearances that meant so much to them as individuals were Ken Page, Kathleen Chalfant, Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman. Each of them poured their prodigious talents into the time they had onstage, giving all of themselves to the moment.
This was exciting theater, to be sure. Topping off the program was a special performance by the Pastime Players touring company, a group that has always been very dear to the Invisible Theatre staff led by artistic director Susan Claassen.
The first half of the program belonged to IT's own remarkable talents, combining looks back at some of the happy company's best -known personalities in their youth and then delivering zippy songs to enhance the memory.
Claassen and her longtime buddy Molly McKasson did a bit of their Mols and Suz improve comedy routine to get the ball rolling. Lisa Otey took her place at the gleaming black grand piano, Rob Boone played trombone and a bit of piano, Pete Swan did most of the drumming while Cory Boone took over for the rock 'n' roll parts.
Jack Neubeck, Betsy Kruse Craig and Liz McMahon added their songs and memories, enhanced with special guest appearances by Mary Baker, Nancy Davis Booth, Jeffrey Haskell, Stuart Moulton doing his Carol Channing tribute and Robert Shaw sounding more like Elvis than ever.
And of course it wouldn't be IT if the show wasn't littered with bales of puns in the process.

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Invisible Theatre explores art, culture in 'Bakersfield Mist'

By -
Image
Review: Invisible Theatre explores art, culture in 'Bakersfield Mist'
October 15, 2015 11:45 am  •  By Ann Brown
Arizona Daily Star Review
Class attitudes and cultural differences collide like the paint and colors of a Jackson Pollock painting in Stephen Sachs’ comedy “Bakersfield Mist,” which Invisible Theatre opened Wednesday night.
Susan Kovitz as Maude and Roberto Guajardo as Lionel in Invisible Theatre’s production of “Bakersfield Mist,” by Stephen Sachs. The comedy was inspired by Jackson Pollock.
Read the entire review here: Review: Invisible Theatre explores art, culture in 'Bakersfield Mist'




Read more

"Coming Apart" review in the Arizona Daily Star

By -
Image
Link to AZ StarTucson's Invisible Theatre starts its season with laughsBy Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star

    Tim Fuller"Love and Marriage Go Together Like" …  unless you are romance author Frances Kittridge (Susan Kovitz) and her husband comedy columnist Colin (David Johnston) who are going through a trial separation and division of worldly goods while living in the same NYC apartment!

So she has planned Invisible Theatre’s season accordingly. “The first couple of shows are lighthearted in what appears to be a challenging fall for the world,” says Claassen, the company’s managing artistic director. Next week, IT opens its 2016-17 season with Fred Carmichael’s comedy, “Coming Apart.”
At its heart: “Coming Apart is “a romantic comedy of love and marriage, but it also touches on what happens when pride enters a relationship,” says Claassen, who is a member of the cast.
The couple coming apart are both writers who have been married for 21 years. “How do they celebrate each othe…
Read more

Invisible Theatre to open "Bakersfield Mist"

By -
Image
Invisible Theatre to open "Bakersfield Mist"



Invisible Theatre to open "Bakersfield Mist"By Kathleen Allen
Jackson Pollock’s work has inspired many. And stories surrounding the artist's works have been inspired, as well. One of those stories drove playwright Stephen Sachs to write “Bakersfield Mist,” which Invisible Theatre opens Wednesday, Oct. 14. Pollock’s work is at the center of the comedy, which is a roller coaster ride with it's smart, biting dialogue to the vast differences between the two characters in the play. Susan Kovitz as Maude and Roberto Guajardo as Lionel in Invisible Theatre's production of "Bakersfield Mist." -- Credit: Tim Fuller Read the entire preview here: http://goo.gl/P1WPeh
Read more