The Miracle Worker by William Gibson. Neal Weaver – LA Weekly There’s always a danger of toppling into sentimentality when retelling a story as uplifting and inspirational as the saga of blind, deaf and dumb Helen Keller and her tough, determined teacher, Annie Sullivan. Playwright William Gibson avoids that pitfall by emphasizing the humor in the situation, … Read more
SLIPPING by Daniel Talbott. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA Dealing with the emotional highs and lows of adolescence is tough enough, but in Daniel Talbott’scoming-of-age drama, Slipping, the lead character Eli also has to contend with the sudden death of his father, grapple with his sense of self-worth within an abusive sexual relationship and cope with starting at a new … Read more
The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter. Deborah Klugman – ArtsBeatLA In Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale, Charlie (Matthew Arkin) an obese gay man confronting his own mortality reaches out to the daughter he walked out on years ago. Like Hunter’s play A Bright New Boise (produced to justifiable acclaim last year by Rogue Artists in Los Angeles), this drama is set in Idaho, … Read more
The Beaux’ Strategem Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of George Farquhar’s 18th century farce. Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig both contributed to this adaptation of George Farquhar’s early-18th-century comedy, which touches on the tribulations of the unhappily married and the moral shortcomings of the privileged classes. The story features two penniless rapscallions, Jack (Blake Ellis) and Tom (Freddy Douglas), who … Read more
Snapshot by Mitzi Sinnott. Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Mitzi Sinnott was not yet born when her African-American father was drafted to fight in Vietnam. Like many soldiers, he returned a shattered man haunted by guilt and unable to emotionally connect with his wife and daughter. First performed in 2004, Sinnott’s solo show juxtaposes family history and her experience as … Read more
Orange Flower Water by Craig Wright. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly In Craig Wright’s 80-minute domestic drama, a pair of mid-western married couples face the dissolution of their respective marriages. David and Cathy Calhoun (Jeff Denton andLeslie Liberman) and Brad and Beth Youngquist (Mick Thyer and Sarah Ann Schultz) have been friends for a few years before David comes to the realization … Read more
Billy & Ray by Mike Bencivenga. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA Boasting a superb clowny performance by Kevin Blake as Hollywood filmmaker Billy Wilder, Billy & Ray is a light comedy about the making of the groundbreaking motion picture Double Indemnity. Mike Bencivenga’s enjoyable new play is currently running at the Falcon Theatre in Toluca Lake. A producer at Paramount Studios, Joseph Sistrom (Anthony Starke), has just … Read more
Neverwhere by Robert Kauzlaric, adapted from the novel written by Neil Gaiman. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly After assisting a distraught and injured woman named Door (Paula Rhodes), a milquetoast office worker named Richard (Bryan Bellomo) embarks on a journey that draws him into a fantastical subterranean world that lies beneath London. Neil Gaiman’s Wizard of Oz-esque story promises a … Read more
Dreamgirls by Tom Eyen andHenry Krieger. David C. Nichols – L.A. Times Reviewing the 1981 premiere of “Dreamgirls,” critic Frank Richwrote, “When Broadway history is being made, you can feel it.” To paraphrase him, when Equity-waiver history is being made, it can feel you. Read more…
The Nether by Jennifer Haley. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A creepy, futuristic mystery drama, Jennifer Haley’s The Nether starts off in a grey interrogation room starkly lit by neon lighting, but soon gets very complicated indeed. It transpires that a man named Sims (Robert Joy) is being held for questioning regarding a virtual crime. That is to say, crimes that … Read more