BLUEPRINT FOR PARADISE at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre

Lovell Estell III – Stage Raw There was a time when gas was eleven cents a gallon, a new car might run you a thousand dollars, average wages were under two thousand dollars a year, and thousands of unsuspecting American citizens deemed unfit and undesirable were forcibly sterilized by the government, with the full aid … Read more

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Sierra Madre Playhouse

Melinda Schupmann – Arts In LA In the grand scheme of things, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is only as good as its cast, and Sierra Madre has that nailed with a terrific ensemble who enliven William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s amusing take on competition among the young. Read more… Now running through August 21

SPACE at the Stella Adler Mainstage

David C. Nichols – LA Times You are all amazing. You all have vast untapped potential. You all have a future.” With that mantra, so begins “Space” at Hollywood’s Stella Adler Theatre. Stefan Marks’ promising look at a man returning home from 30 years in a mental institution is still forming, but then, so is its … Read more

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

Lovell Estell III – Stage Raw With book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham and music by Joshua Saltzman, this schmaltzy romantic musical treads familiar predictable terrain in a pleasantly unfamiliar manner. Loosely based on Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, it’s an opposites-attract tale of four young New Yorkers who find true love after tripping over a … Read more

OBAMA-OLOGY at the Skylight Theatre

Deborah Klugman – Capital & Main Obama-ology, written by Aurin Squire, takes place in 2008 and revolves around a youthful volunteer for the Obama campaign and the life education he receives from his senior colleagues and the folks in the community where he’s working. Read more… Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Despite the title, Aurin Squire’s … Read more

ONE OF THE NICE ONES – Echo Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre

Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Not all sociopaths reach for a gun. Some people appear normal until one day an event triggers their rage and they go off the deep end. A few of these individuals turn violent, but others, like Tracy (Rebecca Gray), the loose-lipped but (deceptively) harmless-looking woman at the core of Erik … Read more

RECORDED IN HOLLYWOOD at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw This high-spirited biopic of musical entrepreneur John Dolphin (Stu James) is part juke-box musical, part music history, and part a recreation of past performers and their hits.  For those of us old enough to remember the songs and events, it’s a trip down memory lane. Read more… Now running through August 7