Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Michael Phillip Edwards’s fiery one-person play is less a drama in the traditional sense than a blistering rumination on identity and race, and the toll racism takes on American men of color. Its urgency erupts not from events per se but from the inner dialogue of the pivotal speaker, an … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Arts In LA Bent, playwright Martin Sherman’s revelatory 1979 play about the gay experience in Nazi concentration camps, receives an arresting production at the Mark Taper Forum. Moisés Kaufman’s direction and his stellar cast will leave audiences breathless. Read more… Jenny Lower – LA Weekly It’s difficult and rare to come across stories … Read more
Dany Margolies – Arts In LA Whether genetically predisposed or trained well at his granddaddy’s knee, Jim Loucks has the knack for telling stories large and small. In this solo show, Loucks layers recollections from his youth and builds a powerful piece about guns, death, and dignity. Read more… Now running through August 9.
Les Spindle – Edge on the Net Prolific Chicago-based playwright, Phillip Dawkins, is back. When his riveting ensemble drama “The Homosexuals” was presented at L.A.’ s Celebration Theater in 2013, it certainly whetted one’s appetite to view more of his work. In a staging by L.A.’s Coeurage Theatre Company, Dawkins’ zany seriocomic reverie, “Failure: A Love … Read more
Bob Verini – Arts In LA Members of the opening night audience at Pasadena Playhouse’s A Night With Janis Joplinwere clearly primed for an intimate tête-à-tête with the titular musical legend, and judging by the two hours’ worth of spontaneous outbursts, they got what they came for. I counted five full or partial standing ovations, interspersed … Read more
Paul Birchall – Stage Raw Talk about site specific theater: Here’s a production of playwright John Patrick Shanley’s romantic standard that is immersive — literally. Read more… Now running through August 1.
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw In director Tony Tanner’s amusing if somewhat decorous adaptation of The Misanthrope – performed out of doors for the public free of charge – lead performer Christopher Salazar comes off as a disgruntled guy, less a people-hater than a frank person with little taste for dissembling. Read more… Now running through … Read more
Les Spindle – Edge on the Net Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pulitzer-winning 1943 musical “Oklahoma!” sparkles anew in Cabrillo Music Theatre’s exuberantly entertaining revisit to the Broadway classic. Read more… Margaret Gray – LA Times The first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “Oklahoma!,” which debuted in 1943, is often credited with reinventing musical theater — … Read more
Shirle Gottlieb – Gazette Newspapers This blockbuster rock-opera exploded from the stage in 1971 and has been playing all over the world ever since. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the plot revolves around the last week of Jesus’s life — from his arrival in Jerusalem until his world-renowned death. Read … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Arts In LA Todd Almond’s libretto for the musical Girlfriend is as honest as a John Hughes gay musical would have been—if John Hughes had written a gay musical. Using Matthew Sweet’s 1990s Alternative Rock album of the same name as it’s framework, this story captures the anticipation and titillation that sets … Read more