On-Stage celebrates Georgia Shakespeare’s world premiere adaptation of Homer’s epic adventure holds Odysseus’ 10-year journey home from the Trojan Wars up against a kaleidoscope of our modern soldiers returning from war. As his wife and son await his return, Odysseus must battle the Cyclops, a six-headed monster, Sirens and other demons before landing on the shores of Ithaca. Bringing a modern relevance to this classic story, The Odyssey proves that even after the war ends, the fight to get home continues. In part one of this two part series, Larry speaks with Richard Gardner, the producing artistic director and co-founder of Georgia Shakespeare. Part two turns the attention to Joe Knezevich and Neal Ghant, two of the actors from the production.

This edition of On Stage with Larry Larson looks at the latest production from Kenny Leon’s True Color’s Theater, Jitney. Jitney is the story of the relationships and realities of a gypsy car service based out of the Hill District of Pittsburgh. In Part 1, Larry speaks with Derek Sander, the Director of Jitney for True Colors Theater.

In this 2-part series, Larry speaks with one of his show business heroes, Ben Vereen. An extremely talented and engaging man, Vereen is a celebrated actor, singer and dancer. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he discovered and cultivated a natural talent for song and dance. Vereen studied at the Manhattan High School of the Arts and went on to star in many on and off Broadway productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Chicago and Pippin (for which he earned a Tony award). In addition, Vereen has had a great career in TV and film including the Academy Award winning All That Jazz.

Among Cormac McCarthy’s many works, two of them were wrote primarily for the stage. One those, the Sunset Limited, has been produced for Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. In part 1 of this 2 part series, Larry speaks with Artistic Director for Theatrical Outfit Tom Key and the Director of The Sunset Limited, Jessica Phelps West. In part 2, Larry speaks with the stars of The Sunset Limited E. Roger Mitchell and Peter Thomasson.

Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables was first published in 1862, and follows the lives of several characters over 20 years in 19th Century France. Over 100 years later, a stage version was produced and presented in Paris. After its huge success, a version was created for English speaking audiences. In 1985, a translated adaptation opened at the Barbizon Arts Center in London and later found its home at the Queen’s Theater in London. Since then, it has been translated into 21 different languages and produced in more than 40 countries to the delight of over 55 million people. In this episode, Larry Larson celebrates Les Miserables reaching the mark of 10,000 performances, which it accomplished in early 2010.

Larry Larson speaks with Kenny Leon, Artistic Director of True Colors Theater, a national theater company based out of Atlanta. Leon is a sought after director of both stage and film. His Broadway work includes a Tony-winning revival of A Raisin in the Sun. As a staple of the theater scene since the 1980s, Leon strives to be an important voice in the discussion of diversity including plays and playwrights from various times, cultures and perspectives. Leon has also been awarded the 2010 Julie Hanson Award for Excellence in Directing. In this 2-part series, Larry talks to Leon about his career from the beginning to his 2010 production of Our Town.