LADCC Critics 
Terry Morgan – Stage Raw One of the definitions of “meta-theatrical” is a theatre piece that constantly reminds the audience that they’re watching a play — one which comments on theatre in general. One famous example of this technique is Our Town, where the Stage Manager — not the narrator, mind you, but explicitly the Stage … Read more
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly In the fantastical right left with heels, Polish playwright Sebastian Majewski reflects on grim historical events as observed by a pair of shoes once owned by the wife of Joseph Goebbels. Black high-heel pumps with “attitude” they reek of tart sexuality and a sense of privilege. Read more… Now running through … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – TheaterMania Grey Gardens, based on the 1975 cult classic documentary, is a gem of a one-act musical. Unfortunately, there are two acts. In wanting to flesh out the characters who were captured in the film, book author Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel, and lyricist Michael Korie focus the entire first act on … Read more
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Each year Ensemble Studio Theatre stages a festival of one-act plays written by participants in their writing workshop. Program B is one of three collections of plays available to view. Read more… Now running through July 31
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw I was perplexed by the title The Hillary Game, so I googled it, and got some odd results: There was a Slap Hillary Game, a Kill Hillary Game, and several other violent games attacking Ms. Clinton, and provided by vindictive GOP PACs, and other oddities, none of them helpful. Guy Zimmerman’s … Read more
Terry Morgan – Stage Raw Lear is one of those roles used to chart an actor’s path in life: the young actor is Romeo, a bit later is Hamlet, and the older actor essays Prospero and Lear. Read more… Now running through August 14
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly The relative from hell: Surely every family has one. It’s the person who talks nonstop, who has zero tolerance for other people’s points of view, who perceives her own needs as trumping every other problem on the horizon. Read more… Now running through July 24
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Church & State, Jason Odell Williams’ timely and aptly titled political drama, tells the story of a fictional Republican Senator from North Carolina, Charles Whitmore (Rob Nagle, at his splendid best) who suddenly begins to question much that he’s always believed in — namely, God and the Second Amendment. Read more… … Read more
Margaret Gray – LA Times The line between political reporting and parody is blurrier than ever these days, especially since Donald Trump launched his presidential run. It’s not always obvious whether a headline comes from the Los Angeles Times or the Onion. Read more… Now running through August 13
Paul Birchall – Stage Raw It’s easy to love site specific theater —particularly one in which the setting essentially adds a character to the show itself. I’m thinking of recent shows like Flagship Theater’s SecondSkin, which was a ghost story staged on the beach outside the Annenberg Beach House, with ghostly figures emerging from the cascading … Read more