Company by Stephen Sondheim. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly Stephen Sondheim composed the lyrics and score to his innovative “concept musical” in 1970, with book by George Furth. For a comedy musical about love, it proves resolutely unromantic and honest. And, surprisingly, its acerbic wit and laser-like scrutiny of marriage, dating and relationships does not feel at all dated. … Read more
Oklahoma! by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Shirle Gottlieb – Gazette Newspapers Written in 1943 by musical titans Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! was a theatrical milestone that changed the face of musical theater forever. Read more… David C. Nichols – LA Times A bright golden haze of timeless musical theater invention suffuses Oklahoma! at the Carpenter Center. It carries Musical Theatre West’s affable, fleet-footed 70th … Read more
I’ll Be Back Before Midnight by Peter Colley. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com I’ll Be Back Before Midnight is the sort of play that screams “regional theatre staple.” A four-character comic thriller, it doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is: a sometimes funny, sometimes jump-inducing diversion. In its Los Angeles premiere production at the Colony Theatre, it … Read more
Cassiopeia by David Wiener. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com David Wiener’s Cassiopeia is beautiful, intelligent, and delightful to listen to. To be sure, it isn’t much of a play. The script itself calls the piece a “duet,” which does seem a bit closer to the truth. It’s two poetic monologues, inextricably intertwined and occasionally interspersed with an actual scene. Read more…
Walking the Tightrope by Mike Kenny. David C. Nichols – L.A. Times Delicately poised between children’s fable and adult reverie at once, only to become another transcendent thing altogether, “Walking the Tightrope” at 24th Street Theatre delivers the evocative, cathartic goods. Read more… Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A highly theatrical, stylized production for all ages that utilizes poetic language, circus arts, live … Read more