February 8, 2023Steven Leigh Morris – Stage Raw There’s so much to recommend in Christine Breihan’s staging of John Guerra’s play, even though the work feels in need of one more pass to address some dramaturgical clutter. Let’s start with the almost gothic beauty of a rural, drought-plagued California valley that has the mythology of the Wild Read More
February 8, 2023Tracey Paleo – BroadwayWorld From the moment Rafiki (Gugwana Dlamini) Shaman of the Pride Lands, heralded her recognizably famous opening note, the audience was uproarious. And there was nothing that could have prepared me for my slightly teary-eyed response to the splendor of it all. Even as long as it’s been around, THE LION KING Read More
February 8, 2023Dana Martin – Stage Raw Not every new work is stage worthy. Laguna Playhouse’s new comedy Staged by Martin Bergman and Rita Rudner finds charm in fits and spurts but the world-premiere production is clunky and underwhelming…The play behaves and moves like an old-school sitcom, with the characters crafted in broad strokes. Both Fenella and Read More
February 6, 2023Patrick Chavis – Orange Curtain Review Ironically, this might be the happiest story about death I have ever seen. The Chance Theater has transformed its stage area to look like some haunted carnival that time has forgotten in the middle of the county. To further the illusion, the show tickets look like tickets you would Read More
February 3, 2023Steven Leigh Morris – Stage Raw Brdar’s play isn’t a play in any traditional sense. It’s a poem. A one-woman confessional in 13 verses, starting with “Age 0” and culminating in “Age 78.” It’s almost a one-woman show performed by Cynthia Ettinger, except for the supporting characters (Carmella Jenkins, Howard Leder and Debba Rofheart) who Read More
February 1, 2023Lara Altunian – Stage Raw Although it can be argued that a growing obsession with true crime may in part be responsible for the most recent revival of Agatha Christie’s work, there is no doubt that her detective fictions’ compelling twists make them visual treats easily transferable to theater and cinema. Jumping on the bandwagon Read More
February 1, 2023Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review Stephen King is one of today’s most prolific and successful horror writers. His influence on pop culture, film, television, and even theatre, is undeniable regardless of whether you enjoy his work. Despite a vast catalog of work, Misery stands out as a high watermark in suspense and drama. Read More
Like many plays that deal with our mortality, those about dementia can be extraordinarily affecting. They speak to a loss of self nearly as complete and devastating as our physical demise. Read more…
David C. Nichols – LA Times
The first glimmer of it comes on a Friday. They’ve flown me to St. Thomas, some private golf resort, I pretend I’m giving a lecture but really it’s another sales pitch, I used to be enthralled by my new life, but the blush has come off the rose.”