Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Playwright Shem Bitterman has an uncanny knack for evoking a mood both untraditional and yet familiar—sometimes uncomfortably so. As with last year’s breakout hit “The Civil Twilight” from the same producing team, his newest two-hander, now debuting at the Hudson, again proves his provocative storytelling is a treasure. Read more…
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw In every good chase thriller, an unsuspecting bystander is suddenly called on to save the day by improvising, adapting, and ultimately prevailing against a ticking clock through sheer resourcefulness, the grace of unlikely allies, and coincidences that couldn’t possibly happen — but somehow do. Against all odds, Rubicon Theatre Company’s … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw [A] stirring production anchored by the stellar dramatic and vocal performances from the majority Latinx cast. Read more…
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive If Marcia Cross is cunningly cast here as, quite literally, a desperate housewife, I suspect that the “homewrecking” Claudia [Ariana Afradi] is a clever reference to the popular mid-1970s BBC series “I, Claudius”, about the Roman Emperor and the Empire’s ancient realpolitik that was marked by constant conniving, assassinations, plotting, … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Despite a golden missed opportunity to cast global majority actors for the main roles of Mozart/Salieri/Constanze that would have richly amplified the narrative, there is a lot to love about the Pasadena Playhouse production of Peter Shaffer‘s Amadeus with the fantastic set and lighting design, the incredible ensemble … Read more
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix Rising playwright Beth Hyland’s “Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia,” having its world premiere at Geffen Playhouse, is just what you’d want in a new play — ambitious and compelling in a well staged and performed production. Bringing to life poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as they affect a current writer … Read more
Ed Rampell – The Progressive Magazine Poetry for the People vividly brings Jordan and her oeuvre alive using a variety of techniques. Film clips, including interviews with the poet and Angela Davis (who insisted that Jordan play tennis with her), are projected onto four screens (media design by Deja Collins). Six multi-cultural women thespians (America … Read more
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw During the infamously chaotic 1974 filming of “Jaws,” a continuously malfunctioning mechanical shark and other logistical delays leave the three lead actors stranded for long stretches between takes, with nothing to do but drink, bicker, and inadvertently reveal long-sunken wounds dredged from the depths of their respective psyches. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Lanie Robertson’s play about the legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday, has become a popular offering in theaters both large and small since its 1986 debut, with Audra McDonald winning a Tony for Best Actress during its 2014 Broadway run. Read more… Travis … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw While truth may be stranger than fiction, it is not always funnier, due to the show’s stereotyped characters, clunky exposition, and strained attempts at humor. Read more…