The VC Star talked to RENT director Shawn Adams-Lanz and actor Brennen Klitzner for an article about the show for both their print and online publications.
“Conejo Players Theatre’s production of Rent features an element not typically seen in the rock musical about AIDS. A 12-foot-by-12-foot panel from the nearly 40-year-old AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on stage as the cast sings “Seasons of Love.” Rent will be performed Friday through July 7 at the theatre at 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.”
Thank you to The Acorn Thousand Oaks for covering RENT and our partnership with the National AIDS Memorial.
“In some 20,160 minutes from publication date—far fewer than the 525,600 mentioned in its iconic song—the classic musical “Rent” will take the stage at Conejo Players Theatre in Thousand Oaks. Set in the East Village of New York City in the early 1990s and based loosely on the classic Puccini opera “La Bohème,” “Rent” follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to create and survive in NYC’s Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.”
We are thrilled that the Conejo Players Theatre and the cast of Sleeping Beauty were featured guests on the Stage Playaz Podcast.
Official Description: Join your favorite co-hosts, CC Adeva and Nate Eshaghpour as they feature a performing arts gem in the community. The Conejo Players Theatre is going on its 66th anniversary and it remains one of THE most popular venues people go for entertainment. Meet the Executive Producer Beth Eslick and learn what makes the experience at Conejo Players Theatre unique. Enjoy the perspective of three Sleeping Beauty cast members, Carmen Hortiales (Briar Rose), Evan Trafican (Prince Owain), and Alia Ashworth (Spider King) from their current production, Sleeping Beauty (Charles Way adaptation), as they give you a glimpse into their characters and express their gratitude and love for being a part of the Conejo Players Theatre family.
Tim Pompey from the VC Reporter calls A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder “good, dark fun” in his review of our musical comedy.
“Suppose you love British comedy, especially the cheeky kind. In that case, you’ll quickly fall in love with this Tony-award-winning musical that is the complete package of jokes, sex, men in dresses, upper-class snobbery, murder and lively chorus lines — light opera, to be more accurate. The chorus warns the audience of what’s to come in the prologue. They aren’t kidding. But still, it’s like a glorious train wreck. You can’t stop watching.”
The Thousand Oaks Acorn came to our opening night of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder and critic Cary Ginell gave the show high praise!
“The story is Gilbert and Sullivan meets-Monty Python, a delightful blend of comic patter songs and tragically funny “accidents” perpetrated by Monty on the members of the D’Ysquith family who stand between him and his ultimate goal… This irresistible, delightfully mad musical is the cure for anyone’s ills.”
The Thousand Oaks Acorn visited ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ recently, and the critics are raving!
“The outrageous humor in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ isn’t as much in the pratfalls and missteps as in how the cast feebly tries to deal with them as they occur,” said theatre critic Cary Ginell. “Thinking (or hoping) the audience won’t notice, they gamely proceed with the story with straight faces all around, which results in them compounding their humiliation. The more deliberate the pacing, the funnier it gets, and the show is a laugh riot from start to finish.”
“’The Play That Goes Wrong’ is comic mayhem at its best and is not to be missed.”
The Thousand Oaks Acorn sat down with the team from the upcoming free staged reading of The Nameless Star to get the scoop on this one-night-only event.
According to Elena Mills who translated and adapted the story for the stage, “This play always has been one of my favorites,” Mills said. “The story is about real people and real-life situations, without a fairy tale ending, which is nice, but usually untrue. ‘The Nameless Star’ is a romantic comedy with every character being created beautifully. We easily can guess about each one’s life story.”
Click below to RSVP and secure your free ticket, or to read the whole story.
The Thousand Oaks Acorn came out to see Don’t Drink the Water, now through Feb. 4, and the reviews are in!
“Fortunately, CPT director John Eslick settled on the brilliant Kelly Green to play the part of harried American tourist Walter Hollander, who finds himself in a quagmire of trouble after he innocently takes photographs of an Iron Curtain missile site and takes refuge in an American embassy … The result is a comic tour de force as Green bumbles, blusters and bloviates while trying to come up with a way to escape the embassy while avoiding the encroaching police.”
“Character actor chameleon Raymond Mastrovito delivers one of his best performances ever as the lovable Father Drobney, a priest who has been hiding in the embassy for six years, trying out his magic act on anyone who will listen. Mastrovito, an amateur magician himself who delights in affecting foreign accents, steals every scene he is in, and even brought in some of his own magic props from home to use in the show.”
We are thrilled to announce that our next season will be our 65th! For this Sapphire season, Conejo Players Theatre is producing 9 shows! Join us in 2023 for season full of mystery, laughs, true stories, heartbreak, and hope.
This year’s musical adventures include the beautiful, Tony-award-winning The Secret Garden and the delightfully entertaining Catch Me If You Can. Completing the Mainstage season is the comedy Broadway Hit Don’t Drink the Water, the touching, funny Calendar Girls and the world’s longest-running play, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap.
This season, we are also pleased to bring you our Depression-Era Romeo & Juliet in our Conejo Artists Theatre (CAT) lineup, as well as several weekends of CPT’s Improv Troupe. Scheduled for our Youth Theatre season are two delightful productions: Harriet the Spy and Once Upon a Mattress: Youth Edition. And, YTI presents Home for the Holidays.
Season ticket subscribers have access to an exclusive discount and can choose to attend all five Mainstage productions for one low price. Additional discounts also apply for Seniors, Students and Active Military personnel.
Your early commitment to our 65th Season will give us a vital boost – and provide you with the very best ticket prices we offer
Strong performances abound in CPT’ s leading quartet of characters, led by Dana Kolb in the Tomlin character of Violet,” said Cary Ginell in the Acorn. “As she did this past summer in CPT’s “The Sound of Music,” Katie McTyre makes everyone around her better through her superlative performance as Doralee. Mary Grace Zehnpfennig is equally excellent as Judy (played in the film by Fonda), a mousy housewife new to the workplace who shows the greatest growth of any character in the story.”
“Director Erin Fagundes has assembled a huge cast and has skillfully mounted a technically demanding production filled with engaging characterizations, familiar situations (sadly, many that are still in play even today) and high-spirited action,” said the Ventura Breeze’s Shirley Lorraine. “The less than PC boss, Franklin Hart, Jr., is played to the comedic hilt by Scott Quintard. He embodies fully the character everyone loves to hate. He is often backed up by a capable cadre of yes-men dancers who are a delight to watch as they move set pieces into place.”
Read the stories in the Thousand Oaks Acorn and the Ventura Breeze, and get your tickets today!
The Thousand Oaks Acorn visited ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ recently, and the critics are raving!
