Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA The world seems to be suffering an empathy shortage lately, or at the very least the lack of that quality in our current leaders. Worse, there is an impression in some parts of society that empathy is simply another word for weakness: they don’t have it, they don’t want it, … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA This production is richly produced, newly balanced with a remarkable updated script, and acted with exceptional clarity and heart, proving you don’t have to break a Golden Age classic to make it matter to modern audiences—you just have to find its heartbeat. Read more… F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive According to playwright Jami Brandli’s playbill note, O: A Rhapsody in Divorce is “a comedic reimagining of The Odyssey,” featuring a crucial plot twist in Homer’s saga wherein, as Brandli observes, “the male hero go[es] on this life-changing journey while the woman stays home waiting for their man to return.” … Read more
Terry Morgan – Arts Beat LA One never knows where inspiration will strike. Eboni Booth’s play, Primary Trust, is partly set in a tiki bar that is its protagonist’s favorite place on Earth. Although the story is set in New York, Booth mentioned in an interview that her inspiration for that bar was Damon’s, an … Read more
Martin Hernandez – Stage Raw Despite a puzzling Orientalist bent at times, this update of the Greek tragedy remains a pungent critique on governmental repression and the hubris it fosters; woe to those who fail to heed its message. Read more… Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Kenneth Cavander’s translation & adaptation of the … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Henry Ong‘s final play Ascent, now having its world premiere at the Skylight Theatre Company, is an urgently relevant production from Plain Wood Productions based on a true story about Chinese aerospace engineer Qian Xuesen. Though the play’s pacing is bogged down by far too many short scenes … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA While some might find this a tail as old as time, this exceptional reinvention of breathes fresh oxygen into the story. If you’re looking for a night of theatre that’s deep in heart and high on spectacle, this is a wave of pure theatrical … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive If cinéma vérité filmmakers such as D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock, Jean Rouch or the Maysles Brothers had cameras inside of the Trump White House (that is, what’s left of it), their fly on the wall footage would likely reveal lunacy akin to that of “Exit the King’s” court. I’m sure … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive During his 70-ish minute one-man show performed without an intermission, Tate never convinced me that he was Picasso. While being nosy about Pablo’s sex life (which really is none of our goddamned business) may be of prurient interest, his creative process and radical politics are far more important. Read more…
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix Perhaps the only thing that could make a Shakespeare play better is staging it in a historic Long Beach house with full tea service and, yes, maybe shortening some parts. Read more…