Les Spindle – Frontiers L.A. Known as the world’s longest-running musical (Off-Broadway from 1960-2002), this fanciful fable by composer Harvey Schmidt and librettist Tom Jones is largely consider a gem. Now running through June 5 is widely considered a gem. Alternating whimsy,…
Lovell Estell III – Stage Raw This world premiere comedy from Los Angeles playwright Jennie Webb has its moments of glorious insanity and humor, but not enough of them to make it a full-on success. Read more… Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA…
Paul Birchall – Stage and Cinema What makes this boisterous jukebox musical about the life of late music and stage legend Peter Allen (whose songs make up the show’s core) so winning, is the combination of larger-than-life excess and the…
Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze Tradition is a cornerstone of civilization. It tells us what our forebears have found essential to life, lets us know what’s expected of us and gives us a framework for raising our children. But…
Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze One actor dropped his moustache, another dropped his lines. It doesn’t matter whether these were opening-night fumbles or thoroughly rehearsed comedy bits. In Around the World in 80 Days at Long Beach Playhouse, they…
Paul Birchall – Stage Raw A ghost story around the campfire on the beach: It seems like such a natural fit, you almost wonder why you haven’t seen this sort of thing before. But director Kate Jopson’s compelling site specific production…
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Love, muses Richard Cabral during the opening moments of his autobiographical solo show, means different things to different people, and can even be something different for any one person at different stages in his or…
Terry Morgan – Stage Raw Schrödinger’s cat has been in the local theatrical zeitgeist of late. It was used to symbolize the interlocked statuses of life and death in Dirt (which just closed at the Raven Playhouse) and is even more central…
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw Gary (playwright Terry Ray) and Brad (Kevin Scott Allen) are sort of a gay odd couple. Gary is a 28-year-old gay virgin, nerdy and prim, who thinks his homosexuality is a deep dark secret, though…
Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze “Anybody can take their clothes off. But to do it on a stage, with thousands and thousands of people looking at you? That takes something.” Read more… Now running through May 8.