'Straight Outta Compton' Is A Winning Biopic!

By Darlene Donloe

Although the members of N.W.A. were leading very public lives, apparently there are still a number of things their fans didn’t know.

Some of those secrets or behind closed doors dealings and shenanigans, as well as how the group formed, are revealed in the drama, Straight Outta Compton, set for release nationwide Aug. 14.

Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and MC Ren, the members of N.W.A. changed the face of music with their hard-hitting, straight ahead rhymes that spoke about the realities of living in their inner-city neighborhoods. Their musical fearlessness, fresh approach, creativity, rawness, defiance and talent made them legends.

This is their story.  Shit just got real!

Straight Outta Compton (Universal) tells the story of the meteoric rise of N.W.A in the ‘80s and how the notorious group single-handedly spoke to a generation while making the establishment stand up and take notice. The film goes beyond the surface. It speaks to the group’s friendship and brotherhood, the makeups and the breakups.

Their rise to the top wasn’t a pretty picture by any means. In the beginning there were some illegal dealings in the mix. Namely, Eazy-E who had some shady, albeit illegal, dealings. Coming from humble beginnings, the five cohorts had a vision and didn’t let anyone stop them. They forged ahead even when it looked like everything and everyone was against them.  All they had to do was believe in themselves and take the first step. At first, according to Ice Cube during a press conference for the film, they group simply wanted to make music for the neighborhood they lived in. But that quickly changed when their popularity began to ascend.

(l-r) Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., F. Gary Gray, Ice Cube and DJ Yella

Their 1988 first studio album, Straight Outta Compton, kicked everything into high gear. There was a new sheriff in town and the name was N.W.A.

Director F. Gary Gray has crafted a smart, sharp, personal music biopic, tapping into the mindset of the group and how they navigated some minefields. Gray captures the gritty rawness of the streets and the reality of the danger that awaited black men, ironically, which was even more dangerous when they encountered the police.

The cast is exceptional. O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E), Neil Brown Jr. (DJ Yella) and Aldis Hodge (MC Ren) are N.W.A. reincarnated. Of course, Jackson, the actual son of Ice Cube who is the spitting image of his father, had a leg up on the others.  The chemistry between the five is palpable.

The sixth star of the movie is the music. Whether you’re a fan or not there is no mistaking the impact the music had on the industry. You can’t help bumping to the music every time it kicks in.

Survival and success were at the top of the group’s list.

The second half of the film shows how the group, right at the pinnacle, begins to have disagreements with the direction the group was going in, as well as about the money.  It would become their Waterloo.

Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren

The friction between Ice Cube and Dr. Dre is one of the highlights of the film. Cube goes off to try his hand at producing. He writes films and even released a fantastic solo project. Dre, himself a prolific producer, begins to make some noise with the likes of Tupac and Snoop Dogg. But what comes next is unfortunate as the two begin to feud trading ugly words on their respective albums.

While the film is hard-hitting and exposes the harshness and hard partying of the group, it also becomes an emotional three-hanky deal when Eazy-E begins to get sick due to AIDS-related complications. He died in 1995 at the age of 31.

The film’s ending offers up a sequel, Straight Outta Compton 2. After all, after the group disbanded each went on to claim individual glory.

This is one of the best films of the summer. The film is Eazy-E top heavy.  Of course when doing a biopic and with so many individuals, there is no way to tell everyone’s full story. There are some glaring eventful omissions, but with Gray’s strong offering, it’s forgivable.

Straight Outta Compton is a winner!

Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray and stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Marlon Yates Jr., R. Marcos Taylor, Cara Patterson, Alexandra Shipp, Paul Giamatti, Elena Goode, Keith Powers, Joshua Brockington, Sheldon A. Smith, Lakeith Lee Stanfield, Cleavon McClendon III and Aeriel Miranda.

Straight Outta Compton: MPAA Rating: R, Running time: 146 min.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Straight Outta Compton gets an E (excellent).

ICT Announces 2016 Season

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Aug. 13, 2016) – International City Theatre has announced a season of five critically acclaimed plays by six multiple award-winning writers for 2016. The company’s 31st season launches on Feb. 12 at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.

The playwrights: Lee Blessing, Christopher Durang, Donald Margulies, John Patrick Shanley and lyricist/composer duo Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire.

The plays: Maltby and Shire’s Outer Critics Circle award-winning Closer than Ever (an insightful musical); Blessing’s American Theatre Critics award-winning A Walk in the Woods (a play of ideas); Durang’s multiple award-winning Vanya and Sasha and Masha and Spike (an outrageous comedy); Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize winner Doubt: A Parable (a psychological drama); and Margulies’ ultra-theatrical Shipwrecked! (an amazing tale of adventure).

“For ICT, this will be the year of the wordsmith,” says artistic director caryn desai [sic]. “We want to celebrate our great, contemporary, living writers. These are writers who may have also written for other mediums, but have never left the theater. They have invested their careers in writing for the theater. As they have matured, we have benefited from a wealth of theatrical experiences.”

The 2016 schedule is as follows:

Feb. 12 – March 6 (previews Feb. 10 and  Feb. 11):
Closer than Ever — Filled with hilarious and poignant songs about dating, parenting, aging and dreams both fulfilled and unrequited, Closer Than Ever is like a musical “how-to” manual for life. With each song a self-contained story inspired by real-life experiences, its message to value the little things in life remains timeless. This Outer Critics’ Circle award-winner for best off-Broadway musical also netted Drama Desk nominations for lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. (Fosse, Miss Saigon) and composer David Shire (Big: the musical).

April 29 – May 22 (previews April 27 and April 28):
A Walk in the Woods — Lee Blessing’s brilliant and funny play of ideas, based on a true event, seems more timely than ever. Nearing the end of the Cold War, a pair of arms negotiators — a clever, cynical Russian and an idealistic young American — meet in the woods outside Geneva to explore the obstacles their countries face on the path to peace. There, they debate politics, life and the future of the free world. Can personal bonds bridge political chasms? Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the prestigious American Theatre Critics/Steinberg New Play Award.

June 10 – July 3 (previews June 8 and June 9):
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — Christopher Durang's witty mash-up of Chekhov characters and smartphones is a delightful new comedy for our hyperconnected era. Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia live an angst-ridden, melancholic existence on their family farm. Housecleaner-cum-soothsayer Cassandra, whose hilariously ambiguous prophecies keep them befuddled, provides the only break from monotony. That is, until their glamorous movie-star sister, Masha, swans in for a surprise visit-along with her hunky 20-something boy toy, Spike. Winner of 2013 Tony, Drama Desk, New York Drama Critics’ Circle and Outer Critics’ Circle best play awards.

Aug. 19 – Sept. 11 (previews Aug. 17 and Aug. 18):
Doubt: A Parable — It is 1964, a time of movement and change, but Catholic school principal Sister Aloysius values a stern hand over progressive education. When evidence points to an inappropriate relationship between Father Flynn and the school’s first black student, she begins a crusade to rid the church of him. John Patrick Shanley’s riveting psychological drama examines the fine line between what seems certain and ambiguity, between conviction and doubt. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, as well as Tony, Drama Desk, New York Drama Critics’ Circle and Lucille Lortel awards for best play.

Oct. 14 – Nov. 6 (previews Oct. 12 and Oct. 13):
Shipwrecked! An Entertainment—The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself) — Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies celebrates the power of storytelling with this theatrical adventure based on the real-life autobiography of Louis de Rougemont. An intrepid explorer who became an instant celebrity upon his return to civilization, Rougemont’s amazing tales of bravery, survival and exotic locales left 19th century England spellbound. But was it real or just a figment of his imagination? Will he be vindicated or will his reputation be ruined forever?

International City Theatre was born in 1985 when Shashin Desai opened a 99-seat black box theater on the campus of Long Beach City College where he was chairman of the drama department. From the beginning, the fledgling company attracted critical acclaim and multiple awards – including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's prestigious Margaret Harford Award for “Sustained Excellence in Theater.” Determined to build a high quality professional, mid-size theater company in the City of Long Beach, Desai persuaded the City Council to give him space in the Center Theater of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. By 1996, ICT was producing simultaneous seasons on the college campus and at the Performing Arts Center. In 1999, the Long Beach City Council proclaimed International City Theater the “Professional Resident Theater Company” at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. A year later, ICT made the choice to invest entirely in the downtown, mid-size theater with an annual five-play season. When Desai retired in 2011, ICT’s board of directors unanimously approved caryn desai, ICT’s general manager since 1990, to take the reins as producing artistic director. The 2016 season marks the sixth under her leadership.

For more information about ICT’s 2016 season, and to purchase subscriptions or single tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or visit www.internationalcitytheatre.org

Kathy Griffin Will Get Bossy at Mark Taper Forum

Tickets Go On Sale August 14

Two-time Emmy and Grammy Award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin brings her searing brand of pull-no-punches comedy to the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum with the “Like A Boss” Tour for two performances, November 4 and 5 at 8 p.m.

Griffin says, “After having just sold out the Kennedy Center and with Carnegie Hall coming up, for my hometown I insisted on playing a venue so intimate that when I horrify someone with an inappropriate joke I’ll be close enough to look them in the eye…while they’re laughing hysterically at my comedic genius.”

Inspired by the wave of recent pop culture news, Kathy Griffin has set off on an 80-city “Like A Boss” Tour.  Griffin says she has “a self-diagnosed, standup comedy disorder” and “must share my thoughts on Caitlyn (Jenner), Barbra Streisand and those adorable Duggars.”  She will take aim at these and many more known personalities in an ever-changing show that is inspired by this year’s political landscape and her personal run-ins with celebrities and other “questionable figures.”

LAWTF Presents 'Empowerment Day' Aug 29

WHAT: The 3rd Annual Solo Performer Empowerment Day.

A full day of workshops and panels designed to empower and enhance the careers of solo performers in particular, and an event full of information to benefit all performers.

WHO: Presented by Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival (LAWTF) in association with the Fremont Centre Theatre (FCT).

WHERE: Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave. (at El Centro), South Pasadena, CA 91030. Free parking behind theatre, as well as street parking.

WHEN: Saturday, August 29, 2015. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

REGISTRATION: $95.00, includes an all-day pass.

CONTACT: www.lawtf.org or call (818) 760-0408.

This event is a day full of career training from industry professionals, designed to give a boost to solo performers, but will also be of value to anyone contemplating theatrical production in Los Angeles or who wish to tour. Attendees will have a choice among seven workshops and panels. 

  

EVENT SCHEDULE AND LINE UP

CREATING A SOLO SHOW

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

(Workshop) 

This workshop will cover areas from thought to pen. Elements will address such topics as exploring why you want to create a solo show, what it is you want to say, do you have a compelling voice, who is your audience, creative visioning, and owning your unique story. 

  

Facilitators: Debra De Liso (director/instructor/actor) and Iona Morris (producer/director/dramaturg/actor)  

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

(Panel)

This panel discussion will cover the professionals you need to make your solo show shine from the director and producer to lighting and sound; dramaturg to marketing and publicity, not to mention the  theatre venue in which you will perform. You will learn how to create a supportive team that will make your dream show a reality! 

Moderator: Karen A. Clark

Panelists: Fay Hauser-Price (actor/producer/director/writer); Adleane Hunter (director/producer); Sky Palkowitz (actor/performance artist/instructor); Allison Queen (publicist); and Terrie Silverman (actor/instructor/writer) 

HOW TO SUBMIT A WINNING PACKAGE FOR A SOLO FESTIVAL

11:05 a.m.-12:35 p.m.

(Workshop)

This workshop will cover the do's and don'ts you need to know for submitting an impressive presentation of your work for a solo performance festival, from your application form to your photographs and action shots, as well as learning to write a compelling cover letter. You will learn to discern between a good DVD and bad DVD for submission and how to insure your demo is calibrated for viewing on a standard DVD player. You will learn what goes into an engaging high quality performance that the panelists are looking for when they review your work.

  

Facilitators: Elizabeth Wu (actor/screening panelist)  

NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE BUSINESS

11:05 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

(Panel)

This panel focuses on union vs. non-union, how to select a director, how to negotiate fees and contracts for your show, how to rent theatre venues and work with presenters. You will also learn to research appropriate theatre venues for your work, as well learn to barter or co-produce your show, and learn to market your show for free.

Moderator: Barbara Roberts union activist/director/vocalist/actor

Panelists: Michael Phillip Edwards (actor/producer/director); Sky Palkowitz (actor/performance artist/instructor); Clarinda Rossactor/writer/union activist; and Yetta Young (producer/director) 

FLYING SOLO: MARKETING A SOLO SHOW

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

(Workshop)

You will learn how to target your audience, as well learn to find groups that can support or relate to the topic of your solo show. You will learn about the marketing materials you can use to gain your audience, such as websites, postcards, email, blogs and video trailers, as well as traditional channels such as press releases, interviews, articles, radio, television and newspapers. You will learn to use social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter, learn to do community outreach and learn to hire a publicist. The workshop will be followed with a Q & A.

  

Facilitators: Lynne Conner (publicist); Allison Queen (publicist); and Philip Sokoloff (publicist/actor) 

HITTING THE ROAD WITH YOUR SOLO SHOW

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

(Workshop)

This informative workshop will teach you how to take your solo show on the road, from booking your show, to navigating contracts and travel logistics, and building strong relationships with presenters. You will also learn how use conference showcase time effectively, how to create a professional press packet and how to work with local press to build excitement about your show.

  

Facilitators: Adilah Barnes (actor/producer/instructor/author/retreat proprietor/talk show host); Vanessa Adams-Harris (actor/producer)

 WORKING WOMEN: CRAFTING A SOLO CAREER

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

(Panel)

This exciting panel of professional artists will share their creative process, vision and artistic autonomy though sharing the individual journeys they have made on the path to becoming proactive and empowered solo performers.

  

Moderator: Adilah Barnes (see above)

Panelists: Brenda Adelman (actor/producer/instructor); Karen A. Clark (actor/performance poet/vocalist); Debra De Liso (see above);Iona Morris (producer/director/writer/actor); and Mitzi Sinnott (actor/writer) 

Founded in 1993 by Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed, LAWTF holds the distinction of being the oldest Annual Solo Festival in Los Angeles celebrating powerful women performers. LAWTF is a critically-acclaimed international festival which has produced over 500 extraordinary solo artists from around the globe. These multicultural and multi-disciplined artists represent such diverse disciplines as theatre, dance, storytelling, performance art, performance poetry, spoken word, mime, aerialism, music, song, and stand-up comedy.

All in all, this is the most information you will find about the production of solo performance at one time in one place. Come out, support and enjoy!

Vin Diesel Stars In 'The Last Witch Hunter'

In Theaters October 23

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including KAULDER, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful QUEEN WITCH, decimating her followers in the process.  In the moments right before her death, the QUEEN curses KAULDER with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today KAULDER is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to KAULDER, the QUEEN WITCH is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race. 

Cast: Vin Diesel, Elijah Wood, Rose Leslie, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Julie Engelbrecht, Michael Caine

Directed by: Breck Eisner 

Produced By: Bernie Goldmann, Mark Canton, Vin Diesel, Samantha Vincent

Release Date: October 23, 2015

Genre: Action, Fantasy

'The Object Lesson' Opens 12th Season At CTG

Previews September 4, Opens September 9, Thru October 4, 2015

Immersive Theatre Piece Uses 3000 Boxes 

For Set And Audience Seating

“…offbeat, often surreal and gently whimsical…a philosophical spring cleaning.” – The Guardian, London

“…a magic act in which your soul is the rabbit and the show is the hat…” – Time Out New York

           “The Object Lesson,” written and performed by Geoff Sobelle and directed by David Neumann, opens the Center Theatre Group’s 12th season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, with previews for the West Coast premiere beginning September 4 and the opening set for September 9, 2015.  Performances continue through October 4. 

Actor-illusionist-inventor Sobelle (“all wear bowlers” and “Elephant Room”) returns to the Douglas and transforms the space into an epic storage facility of gargantuan proportion. Boxes are stacked to the ceiling and audiences are free to roam and poke through the clutter in this immersive theatrical installation that unpacks our relationship to everyday objects. Designer Steven Dufala uses some 3000 boxes for the installation and for audience seating. Hilarious and heartbreaking, “The Object Lesson” is a meditation on the stuff we cling to and the stuff we leave behind.

Shanice Williams Cast As Dorothy In 'The Wiz Live'

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Aug. 5, 2015 — Rising star Shanice Williams, an 18-year-old New Jersey native who has been raised and trained in musical theater, is the new Dorothy in NBC’s upcoming holiday production of “The Wiz Live!,” set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

Williams was selected out of hundreds of applicants nationwide who had auditioned to portray the iconic role of a Kansas farm girl who gets swept up in a tornado and is sent to the mysterious land of Oz.

With five years of musical training that also includes extensive dance and piano, Williams has co-starred in several local productions, including “West Side Story,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “42nd Street,” “Seussical” and “Pippin.”

Last year Williams was nominated for best leading actress in a musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse’s annual Rising Star Awards.

NBC recently raised the project’s star quotient in a big way by adding multi-award winners and A-list stars Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige to the telecast.

Queen Latifah stars as the Wiz, the mysterious and powerful wizard who holds the keys to the Emerald City, but whose metamorphosis from ordinary to extraordinary is itself a hoax. She rose to her lofty position after being transported by accident to Oz in a hot air balloon during a snowstorm. 

Mary J. Blige will play Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, who holds sway over the Winkies and the Winged Monkeys that do her bidding. She captures Dorothy and her friends to avenge the unintentional murder of her evil sister, Evvamean, and to get back the powerful silver slippers given to Dorothy by the Good Witch of the North.

David Alan Grier will play the Cowardly Lion, who asks Dorothy if he can join her in her journey down the Yellow Brick Road and ask the Wiz for some courage, which he is severely lacking.

Stephanie Mills was previously announced to portray Auntie Em in “The Wiz Live!” Mills is best known to many for playing Dorothy in the original Broadway production of “The Wiz.”

“The Wiz Live!” is adapted from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. The production opened on Broadway in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre and won seven Tonys, including Best Musical.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (“The Sound of Music Live!,” “Peter Pan Live!,” Oscar-winning “Chicago”) will executive produce. Kenny Leon (Tony winner, “A Raisin in the Sun”) is stage director and Matthew Diamond is TV director, with Harvey Fierstein (three-time Tony winner, “Torch Song Trilogy,” “Hairspray” and “La Cage aux Folles”) providing new written material. 

Esteemed choreographer Fatima Robinson (“Dreamgirls,” “Ali”) is also on board, along with music producer Harvey Mason Jr. (“Dreamgirls, “Pitch Perfect 2”) and Stephen Oremus (“The Book of Mormon,” “Kinky Boots”) as music director, orchestrator and co-producer of the music.

“The Wiz Live!” is produced by Universal Television in association with Cirque Du Soleil Theatrical.