Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA In an era where so much theatre has grown safe, polite, and overly cautious, this true counter-culture teat arrives like a brick through a stained-glass window–and Zombie Joe’s provides the quintessential intimate crucible for Michael Sargent’s outrageous brand of over-the-top and dangerous comedy. Read more…
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive A Noise Within’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is ANW’s seventh mounting since 2019 of August Wilson’s 10 “American Century Cycle” plays, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, and in my humble opinion, it is the best one I’ve seen so far. Wilson’s wide ranging decalogue of dramas about … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive In playwright Joe DiPietro’s Conscience the hero – or rather, heroine – is a real-life historical figure who truly did do something rather heroic: Senator Margaret Chase Smith (Sharon Gardner). Maine and senators have been much in the news lately, but in 1950 Smith was the only woman serving … Read more
Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move Actor WEST LIANG, delivers deeply nuanced, emotionally quiet, and completely resonant performances in this play about historical and generational change. Read more…
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Despite a mighty and delightful ensemble cast, the Play On Shakespeare‘s modern verse translation of William Shakespeare‘s Pericles at Boston Court Pasadena is a bit of a head-scratcher. By attempting to fuse modern dialogue with Shakespearean language, it creates an off-putting rhythm that isn’t helped by the direction’s contrived ‘play within a play’ … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Few theatres in SoCal engage with global socio-political urgencies as relentlessly or uncompromisingly as City Garage. With their West Coast premiere of this Ukranian drama by Natalka Vorozhbyt, artistic director Frédérique Michel brings a devastating and timely piece of contemporary theatre to Santa Monica. Translated with razor-sharp precision, the … Read more
Dana Martin – Stage Raw Under the clean and precise direction and music direction of Damien Lorton, this Sweeney Todd feels larger than life in the intimate theater. Read more…
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive …in his unyielding crusade to warn his neighbors about the dangers of the “healing” H2O, Tom reveals himself to be quirky and self-righteous. In doing so, he undermines his cause, taking the spotlight off the urgent issue on hand, and putting the focus on his own erratic self instead. … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw There’s an inherent problem with Love, Loss and What I Wore, currently playing at Sawyer’s Playhouse in North Hollywood. The show assumes women have a near-fetishistic preoccupation with their clothing — the perfect blouse, the slinky skirt, the knee-high boots that tie the whole look together. Read more…
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Talk about a phoenix rising from the ashes. After losing its cherished, longtime venue to the devastating Palisades Fire, this is a deeply heartwarming milestone for the scrappy little company and they could not have chosen a more perfect project (or space) to signal their triumphant return to storytelling. Read … Read more