Antigone: In the Language of Kings @ LATINO THEATER COMPANY

Elaine Mura – Splash Magazines Luis Valenzuela helmed the production with authenticity and artistry as the story reached its tragic conclusion. Projected subtitles assisted in understanding English and Spanish – as well as Nahuatl – but it is likely that the audience would have followed the story even without translation, so powerful were the multiple … Read more

THE FIREBUGS Presents The Arsonists @ SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY

  Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive In the last couple of years there has been a trend of L.A.’s live stages reviving classics of the Theater of the Absurd: The Geffen Playhouse presented Beckett’s (that valiant veteran of the French anti-Nazi Resistance!) Waiting for Godot; A Noise Within Ionesco’s Exit the King; and The Actors’ … Read more

The Visit @ PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

  Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA I appreciate that the Pasadena Playhouse has not only given a big production to a play that is almost never staged anymore, but also that they’ve done a terrific job with it. The Visit is thought-provoking and enjoyable theater. Read more… Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Way back in 1956 … Read more

Water for Elephants @ HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES

Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 7.5 out of 10! Above Average! Listen here… Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA The musical identity of this production provides its truest soul. The score is the single finest element of the entire magical production, infused with a rich bluegrass and early roots-Americana that evokes a haunting weather-beaten … Read more

Devils in America @ ZOMBIE JOE’S UNDERGROUND

  Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA In an era where so much theatre has grown safe, polite, and overly cautious, this true counter-culture teat arrives like a brick through a stained-glass window–and Zombie Joe’s provides the quintessential intimate crucible for Michael Sargent’s outrageous brand of over-the-top and dangerous comedy. Read more…

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom @ A NOISE WITHIN

  Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive A Noise Within’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is ANW’s seventh mounting since 2019 of August Wilson’s 10 “American Century Cycle” plays, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, and in my humble opinion, it is the best one I’ve seen so far. Wilson’s wide ranging decalogue of dramas about … Read more

Conscience @ INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE

  Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive In playwright Joe DiPietro’s Conscience the hero – or rather, heroine – is a real-life historical figure who truly did do something rather heroic: Senator Margaret Chase Smith (Sharon Gardner). Maine and senators have been much in the news lately, but in 1950 Smith was the only woman serving … Read more

Pericles @ BOSTON COURT PASADENA

  Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Despite a mighty and delightful ensemble cast, the Play On Shakespeare‘s modern verse translation of William Shakespeare‘s Pericles at Boston Court Pasadena is a bit of a head-scratcher. By attempting to fuse modern dialogue with Shakespearean language, it creates an off-putting rhythm that isn’t helped by the direction’s contrived ‘play within a play’ … Read more