By Shari Barrett
ArtsUP! LA presents the world premiere of Weigh Station, playwright Donnie Jarman’s 20th full-length stage play, an existential-themed drama involving seven wandering souls who find themselves in a bar and must come to terms with the lives they have lived when asked by the bartender to “tell me your story.” Directed by Marcus Nobreus and produced by Bryan Caldwell for ArtsUP! LA, the cast features Grace Bahler, Miguel Berlingeri, Bryan Caldwell, Anthony Lorenzo Garcia, Sofia Gregory, Lyn Alicia Henderson, Nina Rancel, and Jonaton Wyne.
When a stranger enters through a dimly-lit tavern’s revolving door, inside are a handful of patrons enjoying libations. As they bet on whether this new person will be a regular or just a passer-by, the teenage bartender announces the only payment she will accept for drinks is a personal story. Soon everyone becomes aware something ominous emanates from both the drinks they order and the unlikely bartender serving them. Not your average bar? Not on your life!
Weigh Station performances take place July 18 through Sunday, July 27, 2025 on Friday/Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. at The Blue Door Theater, 9617 Venice Blvd. in Culver City 90232 (on the North side of Venice Blvd. between Cardiff and Watseka Ave.), made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment. General admission tickets are $25, available online at https://www.artsupla.org (with a small processing fee) or at the box office starting a half hour prior to each performance. The play runs two hours including an intermission and contains adult subject matter requiring an accompanying adult for children under the age of 12. Restricted parking is available at street meters and in the local neighborhood or in two Culver City municipal pay lots at 3846 Cardiff Ave. and 3844 Watseka Ave. The Blue Door is just a short walk west on Venice Blvd. from the Downtown Culver City Metro Rail station on the Expo Line.
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chartbusting, show-stopping American rock icon, with his inventive songwriting fueled by his deep inner sadness. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classic hits, an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world, Neil Diamond’s story has finally arrived in Los Angeles. Trust me, do not miss it at the Hollywood Pantages through July 27 to enjoy the inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled memoir sharing the untold true story of how America’s greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career, including “America,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “I Am… I Said,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Play Me,” “Sweet Caroline,” “September Moon,” “Solitary Man,” and “Song Sun Blue” among many others!
It opens with the older Neil Diamond – Now (Robert Westenberg) speaking with a therapist (Lisa Reneé Pitts) to manage his anger and sadness. As she asks him about the titles in “The Neil Diamond Songbook,” the stage explodes with scenes recalling the ups and downs of his early life through his first recording session, first recording contract with a back-alley company through his three marriages and spectacular touring shows, featuring perfect characterizations and vocals by tall and handsome Nick Fradiani as Neil Diamond – Then. The production is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett, and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten.
Ball of fire Kate A. Mulligan portrays Ellie Greenwich, a struggling song promoter whose encouragement inspires Neil to sing his own songs; Hannah Jewel Kohn shines as his second wife Marcia Murphey for whom Neil leaves his loving first wife Jaye Posner (Tiffany Tatreau) and two kids when his career takes off. His third and current wife, Katie, was introduced during curtain call and added Neil Diamond in via Facetime to sing “Sweet Caroline” with the audience and such a talented ensemble cast who thoroughly enjoy their time in the spotlight!
Creative tech credits abound featuring Tony Award winner David Rockwell’s (Scenic Design), Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (Costume Design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (Sound Design), and Luc Verschueren (Hair and Wig Design).
Produced by Ken Davenport, Bob Gaudio and NETworks Presentations with Broadway in Hollywood A Beautiful Noise continues at Hollywood Pantages Theatre 6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90028 through July 27. Tickets: Online: BroadwayInHollywood.com or Ticketmaster.com or in person at Hollywood Pantages Box Office (Visit website for hours). On July 29 through August 10, it moves to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tickets: Online: www.SCFTA.org Phone: 714-755-0236
Summer means it’s time for great outdoor theatre in the woods-surrounded amphitheater at Will Gear Theatricum Botanicum, thankfully spared from the devastating Palisades Fire earlier this year and now accessible from PCH and the Valley. There’s no better way to spend a summer afternoon or evening than watching a play outdoors during the company’s “2025 Season of Resilience” featuring a repertory of five shows: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Summer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing, Strife by John Galsworthy, Ellen Geer’s retelling of Chekov’s renowned drama as The Seagull: Malibu, and Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress. I was fortunate to see two of those productions back-to-back last Sunday to share in this column.
Shakespeare’s most entertaining and beguiling comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream has become a signature Theatricum production during which the venue’s wooded stage morphs into the enchanted woods of Athens where mortal lovers get beguiled, players prepare, warriors challenge each other, and fairies make magical mischief. Creatively helmed by associate artistic director Willow Geer, the cast features returning favorites Christopher Glenn Gilstrap and Max Lawrence as Puck and Oberon, with Aubrey Saverino joining the cast as Titania. The lovers are played by Isabel Stallings (Helena), David Benne (Demetrius), Sophia Dawson (Hermia) and Kelvin Morales (Lysander), while the hilarious Mechanicals are headed by Alan Blumenfeld and Brian Wallace alternating as Bottom and Katherine James and Elizabeth Tobias alternating as Quince. The warriors are led by Jonathan Blandino is Theseus opposite Sydney A. Mason as Hippolyta, with musical effects created live on stage by Sky Wahl.
I return each year to see this outstanding production, always entertained by the professional quality of the production and its perfect outdoor setting which allows Puck to swing in on the giant oak tree center stage! And this year’s inspiring and energetic cast enthralls even the youngest audience members to dream along with this classic tale of fantasy, imagination, fairies casting magic spells, and above all, true love.
After enjoying a picnic dinner in the gardens, the early evening offered the chance to attend the opening night performance of The Seagull: Malibu, creatively reimagined by Ellen Geer at a Malibu beach home in the 1970s where friends from all entertainment careers gather to bemoan the lack of work, ask for advice, boast about their latest project, or fall in love with their partners or, perhaps, a stranger who can push their own career forward. It’s a time when American culture was transitioning from the ideals of free-love to the self-centered “Me Generation” in the aftermath of the civil rights movement, with artistic changes and early warning signs of climate change in the air
At the Malibu estate of New York transplant Thad (Tim Halligan), budding writer Constantine (Christopher Glenn Gilstrap – who was also Puck!) prepares a performance of his new play offering a theoretical, avant-garde observation of the changing world and climate. But his ideas are dismissed as absurdist fantasy by Nina (Caroline Quigley), the show’s young star with whom Constantine is in love, and by his ego-driven audience: his mother, the aging actress Irina Arkadina (Susan Angelo) and her much younger lover, the acclaimed novelist Trigger Hale (Rajiv Shah); groundskeeper Ivan (Franc Ross) and his morose daughter Masha (Willow Geer) and his wife, Paulina (Katherine Griffith); and the local teacher, Ted (Steven C. Fisher) who is desperately in love with Masha. Only the philosophical Dr. Dore (Daniel Reichert) sees the merit in Constantine’s argument and frustration.
Thus, each have their own reasons for hanging out on the beach in Malibu, just a short drive down the canyon from the Theatricum Botanicum stage. But while the first act of Geer’s retelling is entertaining and so relevant to today’s writers, actors, and those struggling for artistic direction, Act 2 is overloaded with too much of everything, making it seem much too long and overly drawn out to a less-than-satisfying or surprising ending.
For more show info, dates, times, and tickets (free for children 4 and under), visit https://theatricum.com/repertory-season or call (310) 455-3723. Available tickets are sold at the onsite box office prior to each performance. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, which is open in both directions. For the most up-to-date road conditions, go to https://tcep.org/emergencystatus The entire performance location is ADA accessible. The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so dress casually (warmly for evenings), bring cushions for bench seating, and arrive early to enjoy your own picnic in the gardens before the show. Please respect Mother Nature and only leave footprints when you depart.
