News from David Greenlee of the Helpers' Network US for fans of Beauty and the Beast...

Don't miss Armin Shimerman in  "Standup Shakespeare"

Where: Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.

When: Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Dec. 1 only, 2 p.m.; no performances Nov. 27-28

Ends: Dec. 22

Price: $22.50-$27
Contact: (310) 477-2055
Website:  http://www.odysseytheatre.com/

David C. Nichols of the LA Times writes:

"In its West Coast premiere, "Standup Shakespeare" is even more revisionist at its core. Ray Leslee and Kenneth Walsh introduced their cabaret setting of Shakespearean verse at New York's West Bank Cafe in 1984, followed by the 1987 off-Broadway production under the direction of Mike Nichols.

A regional favorite, "Standup" makes reference to current attitudes through word-pointing, transposition of sources and Leslee's excellent, eclectic compositions.

A hipster-clad Fool (Gregory Itzin, alternating with Armin Shimerman) offers a polyglot prologue, opening with "I am a fellow of the strangest mind in the world," ending on "there is nothing either good, or bad, but thinking makes it so." He is joined by two vocalists (Peyce Byron and Mary Jo Mecca), a pianist (musical director David Manning), a violinist (Andrea Gaspar) and an in-house heckler (John Kassir, alternating with Mark Povinelli). These ingratiating folk trace a roundelay of romance and ribaldry, with undercurrents merging R&B and the Renaissance.

Under Casey Biggs' direction, the piece stands coronet and doublet above most cabaret offerings. The singers are smashing, with Byron a clarion jazz tenor and Mecca an incendiary enchantress.

The baser juxtapositions might trouble purists -- one disgruntled gentleman departed midstream during the reviewed performance -- and uninitiated audiences may not withstand the eventual repetition of point. Still, "Standup Shakespeare" is highly entertaining in its anomalous fashion, and thespians should hie themselves hence."

Helpers' Network US
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