70, Girls, 70

By
Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
-
A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s production of 70, Girls, 70, directed by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty and Suzy London, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin, runs through December 17.
L-R: Fay DeWitt, Rob Schaumann, Cynthia Bryant, Doug Haverty, Sara Shearer, Judy Nazemetz, Dawn Halloran, Regan Carrington, Cynthia Payo, Barbara Minkus, Hisato Masuyama, Lloyd Pedersen, and Danica Waitley. Photo by Doug Engalla.

[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s production of 70, Girls, 70, directed by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty and Suzy London, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin, runs through December 17.

This is Group Rep’s (GRT) first show of their 51st season…if you can believe that! What an incredible accomplishment and a real point of pride for them and our NoHo theatre community.

A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s production of 70, Girls, 70, directed by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty and Suzy London, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin, runs through December 17.
L-R: Barbara Minkus, Cynthia Payo, and Fay DeWitt. Photo by Doug Engalla.

This wonderful production of the iconic 70, Girls, 70, set in a retirement ‘hotel’ in New York in the 70s is absolutely hilarious and the perfect vehicle for all these GRT performers, all of them extremely talented and very funny actors. There’s also a brilliant live band that becomes another character in this lovely play…just excellent in fact!

The premise is this, a group of elderly residents of a New York hotel are told the hotel is being sold and they have to find somewhere else to call home. Facing eviction, losing their much-loved community and the prospect of living goodness knows where, they turn to one of their own for help who suggests stealing their way to the money they need to buy the hotel themselves.  What a setup!

A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s production of 70, Girls, 70, directed by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty and Suzy London, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin, runs through December 17.
Doug Haverty. Photo by Doug Engalla.

When you consider the pressures of life as a senior and the very real everyday threats on their security, and also the near constant gentrifications of our cities, this story couldn’t be more topical! 

It’s also an almost forgotten gem, full of gorgeous songs and warmly funny situations, based on the play BREATH OF SPRING by Peter Coke, adapted by Joe Masteroff…I had actually never heard of the show and don’t you just love being surprised by something so meaningful and entertaining?

A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s production of 70, Girls, 70, directed by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty and Suzy London, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin, runs through December 17.
L-R: Cynthia Payo, Barbara Minkus, and Doug Haverty. Photo by Doug Engalla.

GRT is our very own little Off-Broadway theatre in the heart of NoHo. They seem determined to produce ambitious and highly entertaining shows that celebrate the talents of their company…and to this ambition, I can assure you they succeed time after time. 

70, Girls, 70  is a terrific show and well worth your time! So let’s support yet another triumph at the Group Rep and have some fun at the theatre!

Tickets:

https://www.thegrouprep.com/

When:

Through December 17

Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm 

Where:

The Lonny Chapman Theatre

10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Cast

The 70, Girls, 70 cast features the talents of Cynthia Bryant, Regan Carrington, Fay DeWitt, Dawn Halloran, Doug Haverty, Hisato Masuyama, Barbara Minkus, Judy Nazemetz, Cynthia Payo, Lloyd Pedersen, Rob Schaumann, Sara Shearer, Danica Waitley and Carol Weiss. Live music: Carol Weiss (Piano), Thomas Silcott (Drums), Tim Christensen (Bass) and Cierra Lundy (Percussion).

The Team

The production team includes Bruce Kimmel (Director), Kay Cole and Bruce Kimmel (Musical Staging), Carol Weiss (Musical Director), Cheryl Baxter (Tap Choreography), Will Maizel (Set Design), Michael Mullen (Costume Design), Nick Foran (Lighting Design), Cassidy LeClair (Stage Manager), Leota Rhodes (Assistant Director), Denise Downer (Marketing), Suzy London (Co-Producer) and Doug Haverty (Co-Producer), Kristin Stancato (Webmaster & Online Marketing), Doug Engalla (Promotional Video & Photography), Art & Soul Design (Graphic Design), Bridget Murray and Jackie Shearn (Social Media).