Shari Barrett (she/her)

Harvey Fierstein's "On Tidy Endings" was first performed in 1987 in New York as one of three Fierstein one-acts on a program titled "Safe Sex." Set in 1987, this short and sometimes fiercely funny and very poignant study of how the universal situation of losing a loved one, took on unique new qualities in the context of the beginning of the AIDS crisis. Whose loss is it anyway? That’s the bone of contention between a gay man and a straight woman who meet to straighten up loose ends following... full review

Adapted from the words and works of Truman Capote, the play TRU by Jay Presson Allen is set in the writer's New York City apartment at 870 United Nations Plaza the week before Christmas 1975. Having recognized thinly veiled versions of themselves, Manhattan socialites including Babe Paley and Slim Keith have turned their backs on the man they once considered a close confidant after an excerpt from Capote's infamous unfinished roman a clef, Answered Prayers, has been published in Esquire. Alone an... full review

As a life-long lover of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shew" and now a fan of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy, I was certainly wondering how the two could be combined. Well it appears to be much easier than I thought given the exciting new production of "Fifty Shades of Shrew" at the Lounge Theater. The all-female cast, most members of the production company Broads' Word Theatre, are able to use the Bard's exact text and make it come alive in the most BDSM connotations possible by just usin... full review

The play is a true celebration of life through music, dance, and emotional remembrances of first loves and loves lost, dreams and hard knocks with pre-show and post-show music performed by Jacob & Julia from Paris Chansons who sing classic songs in Russian and Yiddish and inspire Simona's wild and wonderful singing and dancing, Read my full review on Broadway World at http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Reviews-In-LOST-IN-LVOV-Sandy-Simona-Shares-Her-Russian-Jewish-Immigrant-F... full review

NO HOMO examines whether you have to be homosexual to be really, really gay by telling the tale of Luke and Ash, two 20-something Los Angeles urbanites who have known each other since childhood, identify as heterosexual, and live together as roommates even though their relationship pushes the boundaries of gay life. Ash (lithe blond Jonny Rodgers)loves to cook and run around half naked while Luke (Benjamin Durham) focuses on his career and new girlfriend, the totally clueless Babette (Elizabeth E... full review

Your GPS tells you how to get where you're going, but what if it could tell you more? Such is the inventive premise of THE NAVIGATOR, enjoying its West Coast premiere during Fringe. Written by Eddie antar and directed by Leslie Kincaid Burby for Burning Clown Productions, this show was nominated for 2 Drama Desk Awards and 8 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, all well deserved. Kelly Anne Burns is the stoic, all-knowing Navigator in Dave's (Joseph Franchini) car. With every small robotic h... full review

Highlighted with brilliant acting, writing and directing MEET AND GREET is bound to be one of the biggest hits at this year's Fringe. The premise is we are in a casting office in the San Fernando Valley, present day. Four actresses have been called in for one part during pilot season, and each one appears to be at the end of her acting rope and really needs the job. Each is greeted by a catty, young, gay male CASTING ASSISTANT (Paul Iacono) who seems to be more than happy to feed the egos of ... full review

Gregory Crafts has written an insightful play about what teens must deal with daily in high school, both the good and the bad. Taking his inspiration from the Columbine shooting, Crafts has put together an assortment of characters easily recognizable from the Geeks to the Jocks and the Popular crowd, letting us see both the camaraderie with their peers and bullying from their haters, for whatever reason. Produced by Theatre Unleashed and directed by Wendy Gough Soroka at the intimate Elephant... full review

Being a descendant of Eastern European immigrants who loved the Yiddish theater in New York at the turn of the 20th Century, what a treat it was to learn Stella Adler's parents were stars from that wonderful period of theater history. Film clips after the play introduced Stella Adler as a real person, showing her in her element teaching theater to future generations of actors. But the most impressive thing about this production was the brilliant acting by the father-daughter team of Bill and... full review

AFTERLOVE: LOVE LIFE IN THE AFTERLIFE, written by and performed by Ron Hanks and Betsy Reisz is one of the most brilliant and inventive shows I have seen at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. In the dating pool of the afterlife, there are a LOT of choices. The show presents 8 couples of public figures across time and space as they attempt to create new and continued love with each other in the after life in heaven. I asked Ron Hanks and Betsy Reisz how they decided on the characters and ... full review