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The All Female 1929 Skidoo Revue
Audrey Marlyn and Jenna Zillman in ‘The All Female 1929 Skidoo Revue.’ NORTH HOLLYWOOD- This L.A. premiere is a nostalgic, fun-filled, talent-packed evening of memories, mirth, and music… I loved this one! Written with whimsical flair and plenty of research by Eugene H. Butler, who also playfully directs this fresh, perky, and versatile cast, it is a rollicking, fast-paced trip back to the days of Vaudeville. In these worrisome times of economic decline and heated political bantering, this lively show is a breath of fresh air! Vaudeville exploded in 1850! At first “off color” and intended for “men only,” the obscene format was cleaned-up a bit later on. It became family-friendly variety entertainment, wowing American audiences through the 1920s and creating many beloved “stars.” James Cagney once said, “Everything I know, I learned from Vaudeville.” The charming story begins present day as Meme Dames, a 95 year old past Vaudevillian emcee, sneaks her great-granddaughter into The Regal Theatre, on the eve before its demolition. Inspired to share her fond memories with the girl, and to relive her own past, the stage magically comes to life for them as the “Skidoo Revue” plays out one last time. Audrey Marlyn is hypnotically mesmerizing as Meme Dames, transporting us back in time as we read the depth of her memories, feelings, and soul through her haunting eyes. Bravo! Jenna Zillman is a delight as Jordanna, her reluctant teen relative, who also depicts Meme as a young woman in flashbacks. In 19 musical and comical production numbers… a wonderful cast catapults us to another time… not a weak portrayal in the cast! Singing, dancing, juggling, and comic routines entertain us one after another. The cast, each playing many roles in many acts, makes it tough to comment on each one, but the two “fab femmes” who stand out most vividly for me are Suzana Halk and Monica Louwerens!! The other dynamic damsels include: Marian Tomas Griffin, Kristi Leigh Snyder, Ashley St. Pierre, and Carrie Blomquist. The stylishly impressive piano accompaniment of Billy Revel (as Alfie Fingers), and unexpected monologue by Glenn Zorn, (a stagehand, Bob) were added treats! Alizon Harris (gorgeous costuming), Pieter B. Bennett (lovely period set), and Autumn Withers (creative choreography) must also be applauded! A magical, must-see marathon of madness that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart… book a seat today! Running through April 13th at Actors Forum – 10655 Magnolia Blvd. in NoHo. For seats, call (866) 811-4111.

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		The Tolucan Times By Nite Lights Pat Taylor on February 27,2008 The All Female 1929 Skidoo Revue NORTH HOLLYWOOD- This L.A. premiere is a nostalgic, fun-filled, talent-packed evening of memories, mirth, and music… I loved this one! Written with whimsical flair and plenty of research by Eugene H. Butler, who also playfully directs this fresh, perky, and versatile cast, it is a rollicking, fast-paced trip back to the days of Vaudeville. In these worrisome times of economic decline and heated political bantering, this lively show is a breath of fresh air! Vaudeville exploded in 1850! At first “off color” and intended for “men only,” the obscene format was cleaned-up a bit later on. It became family-friendly variety entertainment, wowing American audiences through the 1920s and creating many beloved “stars.” James Cagney once said, “Everything I know, I learned from Vaudeville.” The charming story begins present day as Meme Dames, a 95 year old past Vaudevillian emcee, sneaks her great-granddaughter into The Regal Theatre, on the eve before its demolition. Inspired to share her fond memories with the girl, and to relive her own past, the stage magically comes to life for them as the “Skidoo Revue” plays out one last time. Audrey Marlyn is hypnotically mesmerizing as Meme Dames, transporting us back in time as we read the depth of her memories, feelings, and soul through her haunting eyes. Bravo! Jenna Zillman is a delight as Jordanna, her reluctant teen relative, who also depicts Meme as a young woman in flashbacks. In 19 musical and comical production numbers… a wonderful cast catapults us to another time… not a weak portrayal in the cast! Singing, dancing, juggling, and comic routines entertain us one after another. The cast, each playing many roles in many acts, makes it tough to comment on each one, but the two “fab femmes” who stand out most vividly for me are Suzana Halk and Monica Louwerens!! The other dynamic damsels include: Marian Tomas Griffin, Kristi Leigh Snyder, Ashley St. Pierre, and Carrie Blomquist. The stylishly impressive piano accompaniment of Billy Revel (as Alfie Fingers), and unexpected monologue by Glenn Zorn, (a stagehand, Bob) were added treats! Alizon Harris (gorgeous costuming), Pieter B. Bennett (lovely period set), and Autumn Withers (creative choreography) must also be applauded! A magical, must-see marathon of madness that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart… book a seat today! Running through April 13th at Actors Forum – 10655 Magnolia Blvd. in NoHo. For seats, call (866) 811-4111.

	Review from GRIGWARE TALK THEATRE www.grigwaretalkstheatre.com CRITIC’S PICK 5 out of 5 stars The All Female 1929 Skidoo Revue written and directed by Eugene H. Butler Actors Forum Theatre, NoHo The multi-talented Eugene H. Butler may add another triumph to his repertoire. Last seen at the Actors Forum Theatre in 2006 as writer/director of The Lost & Found of Founders Square, a riveting collage of dramatic one-acts set in a fictitious Southern town, Butler now turns to vaudeville to enrich our lives with the great musical comedy sketch entertainment that was the basis for TV variety shows of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Think of Carol Burnett, Jackie Gleason, Danny Kaye, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan! They owed it all to vaudeville. Now variety is passé everywhere on the entertainment frontier – how sorrowful! Its quick wit, spontaneous silly humor and skilled and inventive showmanship in song and dance provided buckets of laughter. This new homage at the Actors Forum is a sheer delight with a cast of lovelies – both beautiful and gifted. In brief, Meme Dames the former MC (Master of Ceremonies) (Audrey Marlyn) of the Revue visits the theatre in 2008 with her great-great granddaughter Jordanna (Jenna Zillman) on the eve of its destruction, an opening somewhat similar to Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. As she proceeds to describe what it was like to perform on this stage as a young girl, the 1929 show comes to vibrant life – within her memory. And thus, on with the show! Highlights include some wonderful original songs by Butler with a wide variety of styles – blues, country, pop, sing-a-long – and a couple of old standards including “Strolling through the Park”, and “Moonlight Bay” that opens and closes the show. The chorus sings, dances- even in Charlie Chaplin sync- and presents a bevy of quick blackout sketches, like telephone gossiping and dumb joke telling, that were characteristic of the era. The sexual innuendos are all there, but in complete tasteful fun. There is a park bench scene with a lonely spinster and a masher reminiscent of Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson from TV’s “Laugh In” -now we know they got it from vaudeville!- and a cute melodrama presented in 3 scenes – Daisy Mae, her poor husband Johnny Lee, their starving infant and Daisy Mae’s super villainous boss who menaces the threesome with purely devious intentions under the guise of lending a helping hand – also typical of the time period and good clean enjoyment! This is pure entertainment at its best and educational for the younger generation, as it shows the rudiments of stage entertainment in this country, close to 100 years ago. Autumn Withers choreographs skillfully and Butler directs with fast pace and panache, and his cast is nothing short of - sublime! It is wonderful to see producer Audrey Marlyn Singer take the stage once more - her own father was in vaudeville - and Billy Revel just shines as Alfie Finger who really plays a mean piano. The chorus includes Zillman (a charming MC), the beautiful Monica Louwerens (a knockout as Johnny Lee) Suzana Halk (adorable as The King), Marian Tomas Griffin, Carrie Blomquist, Kristi Leigh Snyder & Ashley St. Pierre. Glenn Zorn makes a comical impromptu appearance as the stagehand. Alizon Harris’ costumes and Pieter B. Bennett’s set add perfect period touches. One comment here: all of the ladies playing male roles were totally convincing – terrific work! All in all, a totally lightweight and memorable evening of theatre! The Actors Forum Theatre is at 10655 Magnolia Blvd in NoHo. Reservation line = 818-506-0600.

Rich Bowory Review: The Actors Forum Theatre in North Hollywood presents the world premier of THE ALL FEMALE 1929 SKIDOO REVIEW, a loving tribute to the art of vaudeville with all of its song, dance, drama, and comedy. The scene opens when Meme Dames (Audrey Marlyn) and her great great granddaughter Jordanna (Jenna Zillman) visit what is left of an old vaudeville theater that will be knocked down to make way for "the world's largest Starbucks". Meme Dames was once a performer in this theater that played stage shows that consisted of a mix of comedy, song and dance, short dramatic plays, and music--plenty of music! The eldest explains to her younger great great grand child that long before television or when movies were in color-let alone talked, this kind of theater was the most popular form of visual entertainment. This statement dissolves into "The All Female 1929 Skidoo Review", a lively show featuring an all-gal cast! And what a show it was! One got what they paid for with comedians telling jokes, singers danced, dancers sang, and the music, placed by the master of the keyboards Alfie Fingers (Billy Ravel) kept things going from first act to closing number! Eugene H. Butler conceived this presentation creating and directing the skits along with composing the original songs (arranged by Billy Ravel), that was loosely based upon actual material that once graced the stage floorboards playing in both big and small towns across the nation. This show features a well stocked cast that includes (listed in alphabetical order) Carrie Blomquist, Marian Tomas Griffin, Suzana Halk, Lorraine Pope, Kristi Leigh Snyder, Ashley St. Pierre, Jenna Zillman, Heather Wood, and Glenn Zorn (as "Bob the Stagehand") that play various roles in making the audience laugh at the jokes, cry at the drama, and humming along to the musical numbers. Autumn Withers' choreography enhances the spirit to this show that move things in a very upbeat pace. Vaudeville's peak occured in the 1920's and 30's and continued well into the 1950's, finally losing out to television that presented its own form of "vaudio" that could be viewed at home for free. It wasn't the same though when that form of TV eventually moved onto something else. For those that remembered these live stage shows, THE ALL FEMALE 1929 SKIDOO REVIEW brings back the nostalgia when stage shows were stage shows! For the rest who missed out of those glory days of not so long ago, this show is a real treat! They don't make 'em as they used to, and this show is proof of that fact! Play on Professor! THE ALL FEMALE 1929 SKIDOO REVIEW, is presented and performs at the Actors Forum Theatre, 10655 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, until April 13th. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday nights @ 8:00 PM, and Sunday matinees @ 3:00 PM. No performance on Sunday, March 23rd. Tickets can be reserved by calling Theatremania at (866) 811-4111 or via http://www.Theatremania.com. Additional information can be obtained by call (818) 506-0600 or by visiting the web site http://www.ActorsForumTheatre.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE (Vol. 13-No. 10-Week of March 10th, 2008)
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