Sierra Madre Playhouse

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Melinda Schupmann – Arts In LA In the grand scheme of things, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is only as good as its cast, and Sierra Madre has that nailed with a terrific ensemble who enliven William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s amusing take on competition among the young. Read more… Now running through August 21

DEATHTRAP at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Playwright Ira Levin’s Deathtrap became the longest-running thriller in Broadway history, playing for nearly four years — topped only by the London production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which seems destined to run forever. And Levin’s other works are not to be sneezed at: they include such trifles as Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, The … Read more

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Truman Capote’s autobiographical novella, A Christmas Memory, deals with his loving friendship with his elderly eccentric cousin Sook, and takes place during a period in the writer’s childhood when, due to his mother’s marital vicissitudes, he was farmed out to various relatives in the South. Read more… Now running through December 27.

6 RMS RIV VU at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Written by Bob Randall (nee Stanley B. Goldstein), 6 Rms Riv Vu opened on Broadway in 1972, with Jerry Orbach and Jane Alexander as strangers who meet in an empty apartment and cannot decide whether or not to have an affair. The production ran for 247 performances and earned Randall a Drama Desk … Read more

AN IDEAL HUSBAND at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Deborah Klugman – ArtsBeatLA Oscar Wilde is famous for his sparkling wit, but there’s not much spark to this humdrum production of An Ideal Husband, Wilde’s moral-minded comedy about a prominent public figure facing a choice between sacrificing his principles or destroying his career. Read more… Now running through February 23.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly What made Ebenezer Scrooge such a miserable old coot? Adapter-director Christina Harris elaborates on this aspect of Dickens’ cautionary tale in Sierra Madre Playhouse’s amiable musical production of A Christmas Carol, embellished with songs and upbeat ensemble dancing. Scott Harris portrays the tight-fisted miser as less an icy capitalist than … Read more

THE LION IN WINTER at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly James Goldman’s smart 1968 drama re-imagines a nightmarish home-for-the-holidays reunion for the dysfunctional family of 12th century monarch Henry II and his estranged wife, Eleanor (historically, a brilliant duo whose early political conquests rocked their generation) . Thirty years into the marriage, relations have soured, with Eleanor (Diane Hurley) under … Read more

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER at Sierra Madre Playhouse

by

Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly This polished and entertaining adaptation of Mark Twain’s coming-of-age classic is a rare case of family entertainment done well. Skillfully directed by Aaron Lyons from a streamlined narrative by Laura Eason, the story tracks the transformation of title character Tom (Mike Rosenbaum) from mischievous kid to thoughtful youth, a metamorphosis … Read more