Tag Archives: The Group Rep Theatre

Theatre Review: A TIME TO KILL

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In appearance, A Time to Kill seems to reinforce the White savior concept. Despite that element in the narrative, it’s a realistic picture of the prevalent racial power dynamics in the justice system. The time and place of the story help us understand why a White lawyer is necessary to save a Black man’s fate.

1984, Clanton, Mississippi. Tonya Hailey, a ten-year-old Black girl, is savagely raped, tortured, and beaten by Pete Willard (Troy Whitaker) and Billy Ray Cobb (Adam Mattson), two White neo-Confederates driving around town in a pickup truck. The two men are arrested, and after their bond hearing, they’re both gunned down by Carl Lee Hailey (Sherrick O’Quinn), Tonya’s father. With limited economic resources, Carl asks Jake Brigance (Hudson Long), a young White attorney, to represent him in his murder case. After a deep discount, Jake takes the case.

Helping Jake on this legal challenge are Lucien Wilbanks (Michael C. Mahon), a disbarred drunk lawyer, and Ellen Roark (Anica Petrovic), a smart law student who develops a romantic interest in a faithfully married Jake. Lucien suggests using insanity as the basis for his defense. The prosecutor is Rufus Buckley (Mark Stancato), an ambitious District Attorney who hopes to further his political career by winning this case. Presiding this case is Judge Omar Noose (Neil Thompson). As the Ku Klux Klan closes in on Jake to intimidate him and the more resourceful NAACP tries to take over the defense, the loyalty and trust between Carl and Jake is challenged. With his freedom and life on the line, Carl now has to decide whether to stick with Jake or allow the NAACP to represent him.

Despite some inaccuracies of the legal procedures depicted, John Grisham gives A Time to Kill all the necessary ingredients to make it a compelling story. Tom Lazarus executes the play in a riveting depiction of reversals and fights against time. The stage adaptation by Rupert Holmes doesn’t include some of the characters and events mentioned in the book, but the play keeps the hectic and exciting pace of Grisham’s writing. The success of the play, of course, relies on the interpretation of the director. Lazarus keeps the emotions flowing with the twists and turns of a plot which centers around the mutual trust developed between the main characters. With dynamic blocking and solid performances, Lazarus gives this play that sense of urgency and empathy that keeps the audience rooting for the characters. Stancato shines as the aggressive DA. He adds relentless ambition and even charm to his character, a unique duality to his interpretation. O’Quinn depicts the desperation and criticality of a man whose fate hangs by a thread in incredible circumstances. He’s another USC graduate making the rounds in the local theatre scene. As for Long, he carries the story with the conviction of a lawyer facing physical danger and professional risk. He goes to that place where his character experiences vulnerability and the mythic transformation that will determine his utter failure or pivotal success. As a supporting role, Holmes delivers a remarkable performance, expressing the pain and susceptibility of a broken mother and wife in a precarious situation. Her presence and fine acting skills add a magnetic touch to this production. Overall, the cast and the direction energize the play, making it relevant and exciting to watch. It’s a story of survival. It’s a story of power dynamics. And it’s also a story of change.

As a trained attorney and writer, Grisham knows how to play with motivations and emotions, bending the actual legal procedures at times to advance a story, but always with the aim to entertain a wide audience. A defense strategy looking for a non-guilty decision based on insanity would send the defendant to a mental institution, most likely for life. Regardless, Grisham is one of most prolific and successful writers, having sold over 300 million copies of his books. His experience gives him a unique perspective about the legal and not so legal activities that happen in the courtrooms. Raised in Mississippi, he has also seen first hand the complex realities of racial tension and the outcomes of a biased justice system, but also the possibilities and opportunities of a change. In this respect, Lazarus’ production pictures those nuances in an eloquent and entertaining manner. Long nails the compelling closing argument, inviting the jury to challenge their perception on humanity and race, as if invoking a wind of change.

This is a special opportunity for the audience to experience Grisham with excellent casting and direction. It’s a vivid representation of what goes down in the South from the perspective of an insider. Celebrating their 53rd anniversary, The Group Rep and Producer Stevie Stern honor a celebrated author with an appealing production that explores the depths of human brutality and the extraordinary efforts to uphold the law above all.

A Time to Kill

The Group Rep Theatre – Main Stage (First Floor)
10900 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood 91601

May 22 – June 28, 2026
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm; Sundays at 2:00pm

Tickets: thegrouprep.com

Adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes. Directed by Tom Lazarus. Produced for the Group Rep by Stevie Stern.

Cast: Patrick Anthony, Reed Michael Campbell, Dominic Ryan Gabriel, Jennifer C. Holmes, Hudson Long, Michael C. Mahon, Adam Mattson, Rosney Mauger, Sherrick O’Quinn, Anica Petrovic, James Lawrence Powell, Steve Rozic, Mark Stancato, Neil Thompson, Sandra Tucker, Troy Whitaker, and Steve Young.

Creative team: Tom Lazarus (Set Design), Noemi Barrera (Lighting Design), Shon LeBlanc (Costume Design), Avi Kipper (Sound Design), Alex Salkin (Property Master), Doug Haverty (Graphic Design), Lee Redmond (Set Build Foreman).

Theatre Review: The Heidi Chronicles

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Wendy Wasserstein presents a realistic picture of feminism without the rigid perspective often depicted in the media, for better or worse.

Heidi (Amy Earhart) is a baby boomer. She’s also a feminist, joining the activism from the 1960s during Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign of ’68. McCarthy opposes the US involvement in the Vietnam war. Concurrently, a women’s liberation movement demanding equal pay and birth control rights is taking place. Professionally, Heidi wants to become an art historian.

Heidi joins a group of women that support each other in their pursuit of female liberation. The play follows the lives of these women through the decades. Wasserstein treats feminism without a Manichaean angle. Rather, she explores the subject matter trying to grasp the gray areas of life, when things like jobs, marriages, and society start to modify ideals. 

The play shows Heidi’s relationship with two men that become important influences in her life. Peter (Hudson Long), a gay doctor, becomes her close friend and supporter, “If we can’t marry, let’s be great friends” they tell each other. Scoop (Alex Scyocurka) an editor who tends to grade everything, becomes her lover and a kind of a subject in her study of male complexities. 

Heidi’s female friends become successful in their careers, some of them working within the male establishment to change the system. But the strength of that hope gets diluted with the passing of time, as they settle down in their careers, get married, and have children. Meanwhile, Heidi stays single and childless, working as an art historian and exploring different romantic relationships.

Director Brent Beerman and the main actors, Earhart, Long, and Scyocurka show Wasserstein’s point of view of looking at feminism as aspirational in the concept state, but a constant struggle as an achievement in real life. Earhart exposes Heidi’s underlying strengths and vulnerabilities. The same applies to Long as Peter and Scyocurka as Scoop. Beerman makes sure to have his three actors highlight the insecurities of the characters and the evasive pursuit of happiness. Costumer Shon LeBlanc does a fantastic job recreating the costumes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

The script itself references historical figures of the art, political, and literary worlds. The language and humor are intellectual, limiting a wider reach, feeling more like a niche piece. Regardless, this play is relevant and a reminder that activism is a long run rather than a sprint, with mixed results in the end.     

The Heidi Chronicles

The Group Rep Theatre (Main Stage)
10900 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

July 25 – August 31, 2025
Fridays and Saturdays 8pm; Sundays 2pm

Tickets: thegrouprep.com

Written by Wendy Wasserstein
Directed by Brent Beerman
Produced by Melissa Strauss for The Group Rep.

Cast: Kathi Chaplar (Debbie, Jill, Lisa), Amy Earhart (Heidi), Amy Goldring (April, Betsy, Becky), Hudson Long (Peter), Michelle McGregor (Molly, Fran, Clara, Denise), Maxwell Oliver (Chris, Mark, TV Attendant, Waiter, Ray), Alex Scyocurka (Scoop), and Amy Shaughnessy (Susan).

Creative team: Brent Beerman (Director/Properties Design), Melissa Strauss (Producer/Alternate Stage Manager), Kathi Chaplar (Set Design), Robbie
Miles (Lighting Design), Shon LeBlanc (Costume Design), Krys Fehervari (Wig Design), John Harvey (Sound Design).

Theatre Review: Motel 66

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The Group Rep continues the road trip called Motel 66. This time, seven short plays explore the trepidations and hilarity of the human condition.

As it usually happens on a road trip, peculiar characters are found along the way, some carrying heavy weights of fear and regrets, while others just try to make the most out of life. Each of the seven plays is set in some of the cities connected by the famous Route 66, the stretch of highway going from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California.

The cities depicted in the plays are Flagstaff, Amarillo, Winslow, Hackberry, Wildorado, Barstow, and Albuquerque. The situations are varied and place the characters in challenging existential crises, forcing them to face the realities of life. As the plays show, the human experience is full of drama and humor, and that makes great entertainment for live theatre. Seven writers, seven directors, seven plays, and 19 actors make up this stretch of the road.

Four of the plays tackle dramatic situations. 45 Minutes And Counting, written by Julie Davis and directed by Lisa McGee-Mann deals with compassion and desperation to avoid a mistake that could ruin a marriage. Futures Passed, written by Fox Carney and directed by Todd Andrew Ball features the talents of April Audia and Anica Petrovic; both actresses excel in this strange interaction of two characters that share something special in life. This play is one of the highlights of the show. Wildorado written by Mimi Kmet and directed by Amy Shaughnessy is a trending story about abortion and abortion rights, exploring the tough and devastating decisions that have to be taken. Reunion, written by Kathi Chaplar and directed by Helen O’Brien presents the case of two characters’ reunion, years after a relationship went south. Success, failure, regrets; it’s all there. Still lingering. Still painful.

The three comedies presented are Forget Me Not, written by Denise Downer and directed by Barbara Brownell. A forgetful husband and a forgiving wife take a vacation. How about leaving your wife behind at a gas station in the middle of nowhere? This play features the exceptional Michael Mullen. Unfortunately, his character is too minor and he can’t show his talent. The Tour Guide, written by Phil Olson and directed by Doug Engalla. A 31-year-old takes a trip with his parents, who want him to grow up and move out of their home. He has a blog with no subscribers and no revenue (somehow it rings a bell). To get him out of the house, the parents set up a lie that, at the end, might not be a lie at all—well, it’s open to interpretation. What a creative and fun show. And lastly, Baby Day, written by Brent Beerman and directed by Lee Redmond. Three fans of comics interact with each other. Comic Con, costumes, and bodily fluids create this microcosmos of resistance to adulthood. Another fun situation to entertain your road trip.

The Group Rep is building a valuable collection of stories, connecting cities and characters in a string of plays that serve as an opportunity for creatives to expose their talents and giving the audience a chance to see multiple stories in one production.

Motel 66

Upstairs at The Group Rep Theatre
10900 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

June 5 – July 13, 2025

Thursdays at 7:00pm
Saturdays at 4:00pm
Sundays at 7:00pm

Tickets: thegrouprep.com

Cast: Ben Anderson, April Audia, Brent Beerman, Stephanie Colet, David Downs, Lee Grober, Jessica Kent, Angie Lin, Sam Logan, Melissa Lugo, Savannah Mortensen, Michael Mullen, Judy Nazemetz,  Seong Park, Lloyd Pedersen, Anica Petrovic, Ramona Reeves, Danny Salay, Rachel Speth, Neil Thompson, Troy Whitaker, and Sylvie Wiley.

Musical Review: Drat! The Cat!

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There’s a cat lady in the play. No, not that kind of lady. This one likes to steal diamonds for fun. To make it worse, the cop who is supposed to catch her, falls head over heels for her. He’s the softie and she’s the tough cookie. It’s so bad that he ends up handcuffed, not the other way around. Not a good thing for the New York Police Department.

It seems as if the play was brought to this side of the country by a turtle. Sixty years later, Drat! The Cat! has finally arrived on the West Coast. The original play premiered on Broadway in 1965. It starred Lesley Ann Warren and Elliot Gould, who was married to Barbara Streisand at the time. And now, The Group Rep is staging this fun musical at the Lonny Chapman Theatre for a one month run.

This new production features two sensational rising stars: Sydney DeMaria as Alice Van Guilder, the audacious catgirl, and Alec Reusch as Bob Purefoy, the naive cop falling madly in love. With a fantastic supporting cast, an excellent band directed by Gerald Sternbach, and a dynamic choreography by Cheryl Baxter, Director Bruce Kimmel stages a vibrant performance that infuses new life to this hidden gem. 

Encouraged by his dying father (Lloyd Pedersen), police officer Bob Purefoy is tasked with finding the thief who has been stealing the diamonds of New York’s high society in the 1890s. Bob is committed to finding the burglar. But he is no match to the cunning Alice, a woman ahead of her time. She wants to be a career woman and get diamonds in her own way, without the help of any man. To achieve that and hide her identity, she uses a catgirl costume, striking at posh events and stealing the diamonds without leaving traces behind. When visiting Alice’s parents to arrange the police operation to find and capture the diamond burglar, Bob meets Alice, unaware that she is the burglar. As they talk, she touches him, and it becomes love at first touch. Poor Bob is hooked and his tribulations begin.   

One of the best decisions by The Group Rep is the casting of the protagonists. The mischievous characteristics of Alice Van Guilder are vivaciously played by DeMaria, who acts with such naturality that her leading performance shapes the narrative of the play and heightens the audience engagement, something that only truly committed thespians can do. DeMaria’s soprano voice, movement, and acting makes this catgirl a rich and exciting character to watch. She shows off her captivating voice in “Wild and Reckless” and “I Like Him”, her two solo music numbers. 

As for Reusch, a tenor, he’s fascinating with his rendition of “She Touched Me”, the song made famous by Barbara Streisand. Reusch is excellent at portraying Bob Purefoy’s conflicting spirit, fighting the dichotomy between law enforcement and uncontrollable infatuation. His awkwardness and naiveness make his character highly likeable and relatable. Reusch and DeMaria develop a convincing chemistry on stage, adding an aura of romanticism and playfulness.       

The connection with the play is not new to Kimmel. In 1997, he produced a new version of the play’s score and he interacted with Playwright Ira Levin and Composer Milton Schafer. Unfortunately, Levin and Schafer are no longer around to see this new production. But this is a special commitment by Kimmel, and he is now able to stage the play at the Lonny Chapman Theatre.

To enhance the production even more, Costume Designer Shon Le Blanc uses an impressive array of period costumes that offer an attractive visual element that shows the careful attention to detail, which is always a demonstration of the level of commitment by the production team.

This is a rare opportunity to see the talent of Ira Levin as a musicals writer. Combined with the fine musical taste of Milton Schafer, Drat! The Cat! is a fantastic display of dance, comedy, and music.        

Drat! The Cat!

The Group Rep Theatre
10900 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood 91601

March 21 through April 27
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. Sundays at 2pm

Tickets: thegrouprep.com

Book & Lyrics by Ira Levin. Music by Milton Schafer. Directed by Bruce Kimmel. Musical Director Gerald Sternbach. Produced by Koushik Chattopadhyay for The Group Rep.

Cast: Ben Anderson (Patrolman & Ensemble), April Audia (Kate Purefoy), Riley Croman (Ensemble), Sydney DeMaria (Alice Van Guilder), Lareen Faye (Ensemble), Amy Goldring (Ensemble), Lee Grober (Mayor), Doug Haverty (Pincer), Angie Lin (Ensemble), Constance Mellors (Matilda Van Guilder), Hisato Masuyama (Butler & Ensemble), Savanna Mortenson (Maid/Ensemble), Maxwell Oliver (Ensemble), Lloyd Pedersen (Lucius Van Guilder & Roger), Alec Reusch (Bob Purefoy), Rob Schaumann (Mallet), Melissa Strauss (Dowager & Ensemble), Nicole Slatin (Ensemble) and Steve Young (Judge & Ensemble).