Indoor and outdoor seating areas provide even more opportunities to socialize with neighbors and friends.

Senior apartment living just got a lot more interesting. The brand new NoHo Senior Arts Colony offers luxury living in a completely creative environment. In fact, the community has a 78-seat stadium style theater run by an award-winning theater company! The community also includes an art gallery which has already featured works of talented area artists as well as internationally renowned artist Alice Asmar. Next is a photographic exhibit inspired by the play Cooperstown.

This unique senior apartment community was built to provide numerous opportunities to meet new people, make connections, and foster creativity. Each apartment home includes a washer and dryer, a full kitchen appliance package, granite counters, and easy-care vinyl plank floors. Furnished model apartments are available to tour seven days a week.

Furnished model apartments are available to tour seven days a week.

NoHo Senior Arts Colony residents also enjoy a beautiful large community room with BBQ terrace, business center, library, fitness studio, and heated swimming pool. Indoor and outdoor seating areas provide even more opportunities to interact with neighbors and friends.

Complimentary on-site arts and wellness programs include creative offerings such as poetry class, art workshops, and movie nights. NoHo Senior Arts Colony’s Yoga and Zumba classes are among resident favorites! Also, a walking class provides the opportunity to explore the area’s shopping district and many restaurants.

Art workshops are among the complimentary creative offerings at the new NoHo Senior Arts Colony apartments.

NoHo Senior Arts Colony apartments are available to rent with flexible lease terms and small pets are welcome. If you or someone you know would like to live this creative, vibrant lifestyle, feel free to stop by or call (855) 397-5167 to schedule a personal tour of the community. NoHo Senior Arts Colony apartments are located at 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Whether you are an artist or simply take pleasure in the creativity of life, visit us and discover a new way to enjoy your next chapter! For more information, visit www.nohoseniorartscolony.com.

Jake Simpson.

The Americana at Brand in Glendale, in partnership with Chris Isaacson Presents, will host a series of weekend concerts featuring the upbeat tunes, every Friday from May 17 to May 31, of current OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network star Jake Simpson. Mr. Simpson will perform live on The Green from 6–9 p.m. singing the best of ‘70s & ‘80s Soul & R&B, as well as his original songs.

Although music has always been a driving force in his life, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network star Jake Simpson more notably began his career in 2003 when he won the top honors in the Adult Singer category on CBS’s Star Search. Jake has recorded, written, and performed with a multitude of artists including Desmond Child, David Archuleta, Adam Lambert, Paula Cole, and most famously on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Stevie Wonder. Most recently, this past summer, Simpson starred in the Roll & Roll revue Arena: Born to Rock at Rolling Stone Los Angeles in Hollywood. Simpson has produced two albums, Star of Wonder and My Song, and recently debuted his new song “I See You” on Oprah’s Where Are They Now? Season 2 on OWN in April 2013, all available on iTunes and CD Baby.

Admission is free and open to the public. The Americana at Brand is located at 889 Americana Way in Glendale. For more information, please call (818) 637-8982 or visit online at AmericanaAtBrand.com and JakeSimpsonMusic.com.

From l, Bruce Ladd, Catherine Gray, Tony Christopher, Tara Battani, and Danielle Soibelman in Actors Co-op’s production of “The Miracle Worker.”

Biographical drama and content, most well known on the A&E and History Channels, are truly my most favorite, as educational, enlightening forms of entertainment. Actors Co-op at the Crossley Theatre, Hollywood, comes through most effectively in this format with their current production, The Miracle Worker, starring Danielle Soibelman (Helen Keller); Catherine Gray (Kate Keller); Bruce Ladd (Captain Keller); Tara Battani (Annie Sullivan); and an amazing ensemble. The story reveals the incredible life of Helen Keller, and her most outstanding, saintlike teacher, Annie Sullivan.

Right from the start, the audience is in for a most dramatic, empathic performance, with sign language incorporated throughout the show, a subtle, tasteful touch. Helen is played by the precocious, highly talented young actress Danielle Soibelman, who plays quite the challenging role, taking on a “wordless” performance, with the same finesse as last year’s Oscar winning actors of The Artist. Battani gives a most compelling performance as Annie, the dedicated teacher who gives language and communication to the deaf, blind, and overprotected child, trying in any way to somehow break through. In referring to Helen, the dialogue goes: “She’s like a safe — locked, perhaps, there’s a treasure inside….”

A teacher par excellence, at the level of Jaime Escalante, Annie Sullivan has been a universal inspiration throughout generations, and The Miracle Worker succeeds in bringing this miraculous story to life onstage.

“To seek sympathy rather than remedy is a recipe for misery … First, last, and in between … is language.” This story supports these sentiments and reveals that it is indeed possible to work wonders and miracles. In the words of Theodore Herzl, “If you will it, it is no dream….” Helen Keller defied the odds, enhanced her senses to their fullest potential, and was able to lead a productive, healthy life, a true role model for all, both children and adults. The entire ensemble pulls together to carry this production, with engaging scenes, filled with serio-comedy.

The Miracle Worker runs through May 19 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre located at 1760 N. Gower St. on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For tickets visit ActorsCo-op.org or call (323) 462-8460 ext. 300.

Cam (Natasha Charles Parker), center, surrounded by (clockwise from l), her sister Wendy (Angela Stern); the four Miseries: Paranoia (Yanna Fabian), Despair (Alexander Price), Dread (Karen Nicole), and Angst (Lamont Webb); and her lover Grace (Jonica Patella), in a scene from “Kill Me,” now playing at the Lex Theatre through June 2.

Threatening yet thought provoking at the same time, Visceral Company’s premiere of Kill Me combines excellent acting and very dark subject matter to examine the horrors and ravages caused by mental illness.

Cam (Natasha Charles Parker) experiences an horrific car accident, emerging from a coma convinced that beings from another dimension have made her immortal. Her sister Wendy (Angela Stern) and lover Grace (Jonica Patella) suspect she is suffering from mental illness. How do we escape the demons torturing us, and are they real, or merely figments of our imagination?

Director Dan Spurgeon injects a strong sense of danger and darkness from the beginning, keeping the production off-kilter and energetic. He draws vivid performances from the three women. Patella gives Grace a questioning, trusting vulnerability, contrasting nicely with Stern’s controlling, tough Wendy. Parker’s Cam effectively moves from anxiously shaky to downright destroyed and broken.

Production work is first-rate, really selling the story. John McCormick’s sinister sound effects, Dave Sousa’s foreboding and spooky lighting, and Ben Womick and Jana Wimer’s simple but evocative set design bring a visceral realism to the piece. Erica D. Schwartz’s costume design and Wimer’s makeup work are both frightening and hokey at the same time.

The production is strictly for mature audiences only because of extremely intense subject matter and graphic language.

Kill Me features fine performances and spot-on design work for those who enjoy horror and gory subject matter or the exploration of the dark interiors of the human mind.

The Visceral Company presents Kill Me Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. through June 2 at the Lex Theatre located at 6760 Lexington Ave. in Hollywood. Tickets cost $20, and advance tickets are available for purchase at thevisceralcompany.com.

The cast of “Stuck in Neutral,” from left by row, starting at top: Jonathan D. Black, David Michael Trevino, Mary Carrig, Tommy Cramer, Amy Greenspan, Swati Kapila, John Walcutt, Leslie Thurston, and Breana Tomey.

Terry Trueman’s young-adult novel has now been adapted for the stage by writers Allison Cameron Gray and Matt Chorpenning’s first collaboration together. Stuck in Neutral tells the story of 14-year-old Shawn, a boy with cerebral palsy. Told from Shawn’s point of view, to the outside world he’s a seizure-ridden, ignorable mute — but to his family, he’s an extraordinary boy with regular emotions, desires, and thoughts. His siblings treat him with kindness and understanding as his mom showers him with love and attention. But Sydney, Shawn’s father, wants nothing to do with him.

Shawn reveals his out-of-body personality to the audience throughout the play. Editorializing events, cracking jokes, and staring down the dresses of a friend of his sister all unbeknownst to those around him — Shawn’s a regular kid, only attached to a lifeless body. Though he can’t express affection or his needs, his mother, sister, and brother communicate with him as if he can.

Actor Jonathan D. Black radiates as Shawn with an excellent portrayal of the eagerness and energy, hope and maturity every teenager faces. For co-writer Allison Cameron Gray, the play hits especially close to home, having cerebral palsy herself. “[Stuck in Neutral] raises many important questions about what defines quality of life for those who cannot make their thoughts known.”

Stuck in Neutral is now playing at The Secret Rose Theatre at 11246 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood from May 10 to June 9. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at facebook.com/StuckInNeutralThePlay.

I said if somebody asked me to name my five favorite Beatles songs, it would take me a while to sift through them because I could probably come up with 50 off the top of my head. If they asked me to hum some melodies, I’d have to decide among all their melodies that waft through my head, like “Yesterday,” “Let It Be,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Ticket to Ride”; the list would go on and on.

There is no comparison between the quality of the music written by The Beatles and the quality of the music written by Bruce Springsteen. That’s proven by the band Rain, which tours the world performing a Beatles concert, with Beatles look- and sound-alikes. Thirty-five years from now does anybody think that there will be look- and sound-alikes of the E Street Band touring the world to sold-out audiences?

The concert starts with videos of the current events from the ‘60s, like the hula hoop, Chubby Checker’s twist, and the Kennedys in the White House. It segues into the concert with Ed Sullivan introducing The Beatles on his television show in 1964, at which point the curtain rises and there are the mop top Beatles singing, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Performing before a packed house at the Pantages, Steve Landes, Joey Curatolo, Job Bithorn, and Ralph Castelli, play the roles of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, respectively. Landes has Lennon down cold. His stance at the microphone playing the guitar is exactly as Lennon did, and his voice is an amazing replica. The others are high quality musicians. The arrangements are identical to the Beatles’ recorded performances of the songs, and the music rocks. The audience was up and down throughout the evening, clapping and singing along to the familiar songs, encouraged on by the performers, closing, naturally, with a rousing rendition of “Hey, Jude.”

The concert proceeds through the several stages of The Beatles’ short, seven-year life in the limelight, from mop tops to Sgt. Pepper to Abbey Road, with costumes to boot.

There is a camaraderie at these concerts. We all have something in common; we are all Beatlemaniacs. We got there early and sat in the Bar and talked with strangers about The Beatles. It was a wonderful feeling.

Last year I had press passes and sat up front. This year I wanted to experience the show as just a normal person in the audience and sat in row QQ, in the Orchestra but near the rear of the theater, under the balcony. I thought the sound was too loud, but it might have been due to the balcony over our heads because last year I don’t remember it being that loud and I was much closer.

There’s no way they can play the entire repertoire of Beatles music, but I was disappointed that my favorite Beatles song, “Here, There, and Everywhere” was not on the list.

I can’t understand why everyone wouldn’t love The Beatles’ music. However, even though my friend who accompanied me is not a Beatles fan, she loved the show.

The Matchmaker

From l, Dimitri Christy, Lori Berg, and Ellis Greer in Actors
Co-op’s production of “The Matchmaker.”

Written by the Pulitzer Prize winning Thornton Wilder and taking place in the 1800s, this charming and playfully complicated comedy is a lot of fun! With a whopping cast of 14 nutty actors darting on and off the stage, there are many belly laughs, and countless twists n’ turns to follow. When the wealthy but stingy Horace Vandergelder (a hilarious Dimitri Christy) seeks the assistance of the colorful matchmaker and social dynamo, Mrs. Dolly Levi (a flamboyantly feisty Lori Berg), the mad fun takes off! (Her character was the inspiration for the Broadway musical, Hello Dolly!) A “larger than life” diva, who arranges people’s lives, Dolly has plans of her own for Horace. Directed with high energy madness by Heather Chesley, this is a romantic “comedy of errors” and misconceptions. When Horace’s two young and “hormonal” employees head out for some mischief in New York … the insanity runs rampant (riotously played by Jeff Fazakerley and Joseph Barone). When they show up at the fancy Hat Boutique owned by Mrs. Irene Molloy (a stand out Ellis Greer) the plot gets even zanier. Will Horace manage to stop the marital plans of his niece (Rory Patterson) and his young employee (Coy Benning Wentworth)? Will he also find himself a suitable trophy wife? The zany adventure leading to these answers is a wildly funny ride! Too many in cast to comment on all … but each actor added hilarity and mayhem to the action. The remainder of the cast includes: Robert Henry, Brian Habicht, Katie Buderwitz, Matthew Gilmore, Michael Dye, Lauren Thompson, and Deborah Marlowe, Technically artistic as well … Kooky Kudos to: Stephen Gifford (clever set design), Vicki Conrad (“fab” costumes), Lisa D. Katz (lighting), and Fritz Davis (sound). An all around delightful and “crowd pleasing” production, loaded with romantic mayhem. Do try to catch this one! Running through June 16 at Actors Co-op/David Schall Theatre located at 1760 Gower St. in Hollywood (on the grounds of the First Presbyterian Church). Free parking lot across the street from the entrance on Carlos. For tickets call (323) 462-8460 ext. 300 or reserve online at ActorsCo-op.org.

Sky Pilot Theatre — Fundraiser Evening

This sounds like fun! Friday, May 17, from 7 till 9:30. The evening titled “In the Mood for a Melody,” features song performances by their talented company members, at a piano bar at The River Rock Lounge (next to Sportsmen’s Lodge at Coldwater and Ventura Boulevard). Covering classic pop and Broadway tunes, in their own private room, called “Café Chanteuse” for the evening … cocktail attire is encouraged. The donation charge is $10 and will include a silent auction, offering amazing prizes! You must purchase your own cocktails, but the “mood” and entertainment is on them! For more information email SkyPilottheatre@gmail.com.

Back next week with two “opening night” reviews. Both in North Hollywood … I’ll be seeing Cooperstown and Fool for Love. I just heard on the evening news, that Sunday temps reached 103 in Burbank, breaking the record since 1976. Whew!

Don K. Williams, director of “Long Way Go Down.”

Don K. Williams, best known for directing Off-Broadway productions such as Turn of the Screw and Look Back in Anger, is currently directing Zayd Dohrn’s thriller Long Way Go Down at the Art of Acting Studio.

Williams got his start as an actor, unconsciously directing others’ work. “I was more drawn to the whole story that was being told between the actors and how they moved because of it. I also was the youngest of six and was a constant observer both in family conflicts and spatial dynamics.”

Mainly getting his inspiration from a script, Williams says, “Every script is a mystery. What story does this writer want me to tell and what is the best way to tell it? I’m inspired by great storytellers more than I am great craftsmen.”

When asked how Williams feels about directing a play about such a hot-button issue, he responds, “This play has given us all a greater sense of purpose and responsibility to tell the story right. It doesn’t hit you over the head with a message. It just tells the personal story of four people caught in the cycle of illegal immigration and how they deal with it.”

Long Way Go Down is different from other plays Williams has directed. “This play is really NOW, here in L.A. every day. Not often you get a chance to be on the edge of the story instead of looking back on it historically and trying to figure out how to make it present.”

Long Way Go Down will be playing at the Art of Acting Studio at 1017 N. Orange Dr. in Los Angeles from May 17 to June 7. Performances will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with one matinee performance on Sunday, May 19.

At Any Price

Run time 105 minutes.
OK for children.

Dennis Quaid in “At Any Price.”

Although I had been vaguely aware of genetically modified food products, I learned about it in a lot of detail when I recently read the book Wheat Belly. I took that advice to heart and gave up eating wheat, which I learned is a far cry from the natural wheat our parents and grandparents ate, and that what we eat now has unexpected side effects.

Ramin Bahrani, who directed and wrote a terrific script (with Hallie Elizabeth Newton), has created a devastating indictment of modern agriculture and genetically modified seeds (GMO), based on an actual incident that he discovered while doing his research. He stayed with a farmer he had met earlier, Troy Roush, who explained to him how he had been investigated by Monsanto for patent infringement in the use of Monsanto’s GMOs and how two agents followed him around. Facsimiles of those agents appear in this picture.

Dennis Quaid gives an Oscar®-quality performance playing Henry Whipple, a third-generation farmer growing corn and selling GMO seeds. Although Henry is devoted to his family, he seems to spend much of his time as a salesman, and a self-centered one at that. He’s got a devoted wife, Irene (Kim Dickens, in a fine performance), and two sons. One of the sons, Dean (Zac Efron) is more interested in becoming a NASCAR race driver than taking over the family farm. Dean has a cute girlfriend, Cadence (played in her film debut by Maika Monroe, in a performance that marks her as a real comer). Henry is cheating on Irene with Meredith (Heather Graham). There are other relationships with other farmers and their families that come to have ravaging effects on the Whipple family.

Quaid is brilliantly cast in this role. He can flash his fantastic smile at a moment’s notice, regardless of what’s going on inside. He is required to express a wide range of emotions in this film and he never fails.

Efron also gives an exceptional performance as the dissatisfied son. Things progress as they do in real life, as the problems of the Whipple family keep piling up. While this is dramatic, it is so well presented that it looks like we are viewing real lives as they unfold as lives do.

Bahrani has directed a socially valuable and entertaining film. This is a view of farm life that shows it to be far from what most people in the city imagine it to be, abetted by the outstanding performances of the entire cast.

The Iceman

Runtime 105 minutes.
Not for children.

Michael Shannon is “The Iceman.”

This is the mostly true story of a serial killer named Richard Kuklinski (a.k.a. The Iceman) who eventually became a contract killer for the mob. Extremely well directed by Ariel Vroman, who also cowrote the script with Morgan Land, the story and chronology have been changed, probably for the purposes of making it into a movie.

Vroman gets exceptional performances out of Michael Shannon as Kuklinski, Winona Ryder as his wife, Deborah, Chris Evans as fellow hitman Robert “Mr. Softee” Pronge, Stephen Dorff as Kuklinski’s younger brother Joey, Ray Liotta as The Gambino Crime Family soldato, Roy Demeo, and David Schwimmer as Demeo’s goombah Josh Rosenthal. In fact, this is the best performance I’ve ever seen Liotta give. He proves he can act without using an F-bomb every other word.

The only thing off-putting about this film is the graphic violence. Many of Kuklinski’s murders are shown in relatively graphic detail. But the story is so well told that even if you have to avert your eyes a couple of times, it’s an entertaining film.

The film was shot almost entirely in Shreveport, Louisiana (because that’s where producer Millennium Films is located), although the settings are New Jersey and New York. While the film shows that Kuklinski was working in a porn film lab when he met Demeo and became a contract killer, in fact his killing spree started in the early to mid-50s when he started killing for the sport of it, and he probably didn’t meet Demeo until the early ‘70s, after he had been a contract killer for Newark’s DeCavalcante crime family for an extended period of time. This only shows a small portion of his murders and completely omits the fact that he killed for the fun of it and was doing so before he hooked up with the mob.

One aspect of the film shows that Kuklinski was extremely protective of his wife and daughters, and that they knew absolutely nothing about his murderous activities. However, this diverges somewhat from the facts and is an oddly sensitive portrayal of a cold-blooded monster. It downplays the fact that while he never mistreated his daughters, he often beat his wife.

The film is well made and holds interest, but I deplore the delicate treatment of this despicable beast. Watching Vroman’s take, one almost feels sympathy for him.

Aroused

Runtime 73 minutes.
Not for children.

This documentary about women who have sex on camera in the porn industry is not as titillating as one would suspect, nor is it as revealing. Director Deborah Anderson interviews 16 of the most successful female porn stars as they are posing for a fine art photographic book. Although they all justify what they do, their justifications for the morality of what they do are mostly puerile rationalizations. I was disappointed that they didn’t go into more detail about how they view the morality of what they do and how their profession of having sex on a daily basis with other actors affects their personal love relationships. Even more disappointing, the film doesn’t show any of the behavior they engage in on camera. That would contrast their actions with their rationalizations. Since there are no sexual acts actually shown (although there is some nudity), the stark contrast between what they say and what they do is missing. To just say that they engage in sex, and then showing them talking about the morality of it isn’t the same as watching the actual acts in which they engage before listening to their justifications. Since it doesn’t do this, it lacks the impact it could have had.

Beast is a satirical and queer allegory that explores the contradictions of coming to political consciousness in a world where environmental and ethnic diversity are fast diminishing. The play — which follows the story of two protagonists at odds with each other (one heavily impassioned about joining “the movement” and the other satisfied with her “creature comforts”) — employs incisive humor to expose the human love of greed and greed for love, as well as the devastating effects of environmental degradation on the planet’s non-human inhabitants.

Highly entertaining and funny, Beast invites speculation about what these true “others” might say about us, if they could. It’s like a cross between an episode of Portlandia meets the animals from The Far Side comics.

Anthony is a multi-talented artist, garnering Best Actress nominations in comedy (Jeffries Award) and drama (Leon Rabin Award). Her two previous plays at the Center were runaway hits: Mastering Sex & Tortillas (2007) and Bruising for Besos (2009). “This is not the PC, Birkenstocky, close-cropped lesbian culture some folks may expect,” wrote the Dallas Morning News of Sex & Tortillas. “Ms. Anthony seems determined to shake up audiences of every stripe. But she’s likely to leave them shaking with laughter … screamingly funny.”

The Beast of Times, written and performed by Adelina Anthony & D’Lo runs May 31-June 16 at

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre located at 1125 N. McCadden Pl. in Hollywood (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard. FREE PARKING.)