LEAP OF FAITH - JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET. SERIOUSLY.

I would love to write a thoughtful, creative, intelligent review of the new show at The Ahmanson at The Music Center. Of course, I'm making an assumption that some of my reviews have actually been thoughtful and creative, but you might well disagree. Either way, I'm just slapping this review together because I don't have time to do more. And yet - I can't let this show go by without comment.

Leap Of Faith stars Brooke Shields and Raul Esparza. I'd never heard of Raul Esparza, in spite of the fact that he's been nominated for four Tonys, but I promise you, I will never forget his name. He was a revelation. To steal a line from an L.A. Times review because I'm too lazy to think of one myself, " Jonas....is (sic) played by the seductive Raul Esparza, a Broadway star whose energy is as fierce as his talent." I'm not sure I used "(sic)" correctly, but you get the idea. The dude is unbelievable. I will see anything he's in. Always. Forever.

Brooke Shields isn't new to the stage. She's worked on Broadway in Cabaret, Wonderful Town and Chicago. She's not a great singer. But she does ok. And she's a good actress. And it's fun to watch Brooke Shields on stage. It worked for me.

Leap Of Faith is based on the 1992 Steve Martin movie, and if you didn't like it, don't let that scare you. I think this musical is a huge improvement over the movie. To give you a thumbnail of the plot: Jonas Nightingale is a "preacher", who, along with his choir of fabulously talented singers, goes from small midwest town to small midwest town holding revivals and basically ripping off the locals. Brooke Shields is one of the locals, and Jonas falls for her and her young son, and that changes everything.

The songs in this show are the kind you'll remember long after you leave the theater. There's one in particular - it's called Get On The Bus, and it's a showstopper. Literally. We couldn't stop clapping. Oh that all musicals were like Leap Of Faith.

For tickets, for to www.centertheatergroup.com

For discount tickets, check out www.goldstar.com.

Leap Of Faith ends Oct. 24th, 2010.

Young Frankenstein is Super Duper!

If you're a fan of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, starring Gene Wilder, you probably had mixed feelings just like I did when you heard it was going to be turned into a musical. 1) What a great idea. It would make an awesome musical. And 2) Wow - this could be a huge crapfest. Luckily for all of us it is NOT a huge crapfest, but a spot-on production that hits all the right notes.

Casting is the biggest issue, of course. How do you get someone as great as Gene Wilder, who isn't Gene Wilder, who isn't trying to be Gene Wilder, but who can still capture some of what made Gene Wilder's portrayal of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein so great? Even writing that last sentence was confusing - try actually doing it! But somehow Roger Bart does. He originated the role on Broadway, and has long list of impressive theater credits, but I recognized him from his role as the creepy pharmacist on Desperate Housewives. He managed to retain much of Wilder's genius interpretation of the role, while adding his own unique spin. He was so much fun to watch!

The other key roles are very ably-filled - Joanna Glushak as Frau Blucher is hilarious, Cory English makes a perfect Igor and Anne Horak is one hot Inga. And funny, too. And how she doesn't fall out of her top will forever be a mystery to me. Shuler Hensely is a great monster and it made me sad that he only sings one song in his real voice, because he has a beautiful voice. By the way, this show features a score of all new songs written by Mel Brooks! That's just too much talent for one guy, right? One of my favorites was "He Vas My Boyfriend" and of course, the show includes Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On The Ritz".

I'm hoping that Young Frankenstein will come back to The Pantages, because this is a very short run. The final performance is August 8, 2010.

Laurence Fishburne IS Thurgood (Marshall, that is)

I have to say, rarely does a production at The Geffen Playhouse disappoint me, and last night was no exception. I went to the opening night of Thurgood, starring Laurence Fishburne. He's done a boatload of film and TV roles, but we all still know him best as Morpheus, from the Matrix movies. Tall guy, long black coat, offers Neo a choice between the red pill and the blue pill? Yup, that's him. But this time around, he's donning the robes of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Don't know much about Thurgood Marshall? Me neither. But I know a whole lot more now. Thurgood is an hour and a half one-man show which tells the story of Marshall's path from childhood to activist lawyer - fighting against Jim Crow laws and arguing Brown v. Board of Education in the Supreme Court, the case that ended school segregation - to Supreme Court Justice. It's a fascinating journey and Fishburne does a wonderful job inhabiting a man that's extremely intelligent, passionate in his battles with injustice, but also uncertain at times, with jokes and hints about some womanizing and heavy drinking.

Fishburne really commands the room, which is what you'd expect of a Supreme Court Justice, right? He begins the show as the elderly Marshall, walking with a cane, but eventually loses it and begins moving with more energy and vitality as he starts to speak about his younger years. He is truly captivating in this role. My only criticism is that there were some transitions in the piece which felt unfocused.

By the way, Sidney Poitier was in the audience (see photo above of Poitier and Fishburne). He knows a lot about Thurgood Marshall. He actually played him in the 1991 TV film "Separate But Equal," and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance. It was very cool to see Laurence Fishburne give a little salute to him at the end of the show.

"Thurgood," Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Aug. 8. $65 to $85. (310) 208-5454 or www.geffenplayhouse.com Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

Total Chick Show At The Geffen (yay!)

I had a shirt that I loved, loved, loved. It was the perfect color and looked great on me. I wore it all the time. Too much, probably. And then I got a stain on it that I couldn't get out. Color me heartbroken. If you can identify, then you'll definitely enjoy Love, Loss And What I Wore, written by Nora and Delia Ephron.

This show is kind of a light-hearted cross between Love Letters and The Vagina Monologues. It's a collection of stories that uses the memories triggered by clothing and accessories worn at various times in the lives of the characters to tell funny and sometime touching stories.

I saw the show with actresses Carol Kane, Rita Wilson, Natasha Lyonne, Caroline Aaron and Tracee Ellis Ross. They were awesome, and they'll continue with the show through June 6th. On June 8th a new cast will take over - so far they've got Lucy DeVito, Conchata Ferrell and Rhea Perlman.

Funny story about the performance I went to: the Geffen has two theaters and this show is in the smaller one - probably no more than 200 seats. It was a Sunday matinee, which is when the older people tend to go, and there were a couple of oldey-oldsters behind me who shouted, as Carol Kane was talking on stage, "Speak up! We can't hear you! Louder!" Oh my God! I've been to hundreds of shows and this was a new one for me. And poor Carol Kane (who does have a very high, kinda hard-to-hear voice) stood there for a second, looking stunned, and then kind of stuttered "okayyyy, we'll try to be louder." Embarrassing moment, yes, but what a great story!

Please Give deserves your money!

Saw Please Give on a bit of a whim, which seems to be the best way to find a true gem.

I'm not very good at figuring out the meaning of things, so the interview I heard with Catherine Keener a week or so before I saw the movie turned out to be really helpful. In a nutshell, Keener said it's about middle-class guilt. Her characters' business involves buying furniture on the cheap from the families of people who've just died and then marking it up like crazy for her store in Manhattan. She and her husband and daughter have a very comfortable life and yet, right outside their front door are the poor and homeless. The guilt is killing her.

Here's the bottom line: you like crazy, rude old people? You like great actors like Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt and Amanda Peet and witty, insightful, funny writing? You like movies that feel like real life and don't wrap up everything with a nice big bow at the end? Then I think you'll like Please Give.

Cirque Is Back!

A night spent at Kooza Cirque Du Soleil is a night of joy. Really. I know it's cheesy, but seriously, nothing but joy.

Here's what I said all night: whoa, wow, no way, that's insane, are you kidding me, woooo!

If you've never been to a Cirque show, I can't even begin to describe it. You just have to go and see for yourself. You'll be amazed. If you've been to a previous Cirque show, you won't be disappointed with the new show, Kooza. It's one of the best. Woooo hooo!

Kooza Cirque Du Soleil is under the Grand Chapiteau at the Santa Monica Pier until November 29th.

Hello Broadway!

You know I loves me the theater, and for some reason, I don’t know why, seeing theater in New York is the best. I love our theaters in L.A., but there’s an energy in New York that feels different. I managed to fit 3 shows into our 5-day trip and just in case you’re headed to the Big Apple any time soon, here are my quick reviews:

I saw Next To Normal, A Steady Rain and Billy Elliott. Next To Normal was my favorite of the three. I don’t know why someone would think writing a musical about a woman who's mental illness is taking over her life would be a good idea, but yay for them. This show was awesome! All the performances were terrific, the songs were alternately funny and moving, and I loved the staging. I hope it comes to L.A. one of these days.



A Steady Rain was a man-fest. It was a two-man show, starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Just the two of them, and two chairs, on the stage. They play Chicago cops and tell the tale of their tragic summer. It’s pretty heavy stuff, but really good performances, which you might expect.

Billy Elliot was great, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that it's won a grip load of Tony Awards and the music is by Elton John. It's one of those shows that leaves you feeling great as you walk out of the theater.