Local boy Anthony Ruivivar ("Third Watch," "The Adjustment Bureau") has a lot going on on several burners: a play, two TV series and an animated series.
Ruivivar will direct "Safe," a play co-written with Tony Glazer, at his Six01 Studio (and warehouse) in Los Angeles May 30, 31, June 1 and June 5-9. The cast features Ruivivar’s wife, Yvonne Jung ("Third Watch"), plus Monica Horan ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), Michael Beach ("Sons of Anarchy"), Sean Wing ("90210") and Yul Spencer ("The Shield"). Ruivivar and Jung are among the producers of the play, which debuted off-Broadway in 2003. A comedic thriller, it focuses on five individuals forced into a bank vault after surviving a violent robbery. The play addresses paranoia, camaraderie and conflicts when strangers are thrust into a confined space.
Ruivivar is also revving up for a role on TNT’s "Major Crimes," a spinoff of "The Closer," premiering Aug. 13. It stars Mary McDonnell as Capt. Sharon Raydor and picks up "The Closer’s" story line but without Kyra Sedgwick, who declined to continue as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.
Ruivivar also will appear on Alan Ball‘s ("True Blood") new Cinemax series, "Banshee," which will star Ulrich Thomsen.
And he’ll voice Batman in the Cartoon Network’s "Beware the Batman" animated series, due in 2013. …
NAME-DROPPING: Honoluluan Jason Tam, who made his Broadway debut as Gavroche in "Les Miserables" and since has embraced the role of Paul San Marco in the last "A Chorus Line" revival, has something to boast about: a performance nomination in the same category with the likes of Hugh Jackman, Ricky Martin and Matthew Broderick. Imagine!
In the June 3 competition of the 2012 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, Tam is nominated for the positively reviewed "Lysistrata Jones" earlier this year, in the outstanding male dancer in a Broadway show category. He’s not likely to win, considering a field comprised of actors Jackman ("Back on Broadway"), Martin ("Evita"), Broderick ("Nice Work if You Can Get It"), Danny Burstein ("Follies"), Robert Hartwell ("Nice Work"), Leslie Odom Jr. ("Leap of Faith") and a quintet from "Newsies": Jeremy Jordan, Ryan Breslin, Thayne Jasperson, Ryan Steele and Ephraim Sykes. …
HERE ‘N’ THERE: Remember Tom and Sherri Sellers of the Sellers Advertising agency? He’ll be 70 in September but will have an early birthday celebration when he and the missus visit son Dustin Sellers in June. "A party was in order," said Dustin, who is corralling pals to spin a few yarns, give dad Tom a big hug and perhaps offer a prayer. Tom, alas, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Know Tom? Call Dustin at 228-6246. …
That was a wonderful appearance and performance by local boy Philip "Ippy" Aiona, 23, of Waimea, Hawaii island, when the chef was one of 15 introduced as contestants in this year’s "Food Network Star" series, continuing today. His mushroom salad was judged the best dish of the launch, not only among judges, but the public tasters. Wonder whether it’s served at his parents’ restaurant, Solimene’s? …
Ippy’s aloha-shirt attire was spot-on, but I wonder whether a Hawaii manufacturer might consider providing him with a closet full of aloha apparel for the competition season ahead? …
CLASS ACT: Mary Gutzi, the singer-actress emceeing Manoa Valley Theatre’s Manoa Marquee fundraiser June 10 at the Hawai’i Convention Center, will teach theater and voice classes for girls in grades 5 to 8 at La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls. Ahnya Chang will lead the dance classes.
Two sessions, limited to 20 students, are open to girls eager to learn voice and stage techniques, perhaps to stimulate a future interest in the theatrical and musical genres.
The schedule: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 11 to 22 and July 9 to 20; a performance will conclude each two-week session "to provide a moment to shine," said Gutzi.
She subbed as a drama teacher last fall at the school, but this will be Gutzi’s first summer teaching there. For rates and registration, go to www.lapietra.edu/academics/summer-program/index.aspx. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
