By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage. Terry Morgan – LAist.com Lynn Nottage’s play, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, is more intriguing as a concept than a reality. It looks at the marginalization of African-American actors in the twentieth…
Justin Love — Book by Patricia Cotter and David Elzer, Story byDavid Elzer and Bret Calder, Music by Lori Scarlett and David Manning, Lyrics by Lori Scarlett. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com Justin Love gives an old plot a modern twist, shines it up with with a bright and upbeat score, adds genuinely clever dialogue…
Trojan Barbie by Christine Evans. Shirle Gottlieb — Gazette Newspapers The Garage Theatre celebrated its 51st production last weekend with the opening of Trojan Barbie. Written by Christine Evans, first place winner in the “Plays for the 21st Century” competition, it explores the similarities of modern…
Year of the Rabbit by Keliher Walsh. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com I don’t think I’d ever actually considered the possibility that our soldiers fighting in the Middle East might be the children of our soldiers who fought in Vietnam. Keliher Walsh’s world premiere play, Year…
Three Views of the Same Objectby Henry Murray. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com It’s a play about aging—Stop! Wait! Don’t turn away! It’s an honest, frank-and-sometimes-funny look at people making difficult life decisions at a time of life when their conversation focuses…
Encounter by Aparna Sindhoor, Anil Natyaveda, and S M Raju. Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA The wisdom of the adage “Show, don’t tell” quickly becomes apparent in this dance-theater piece. And symbolic “showing” can be even more evocative than realism, which may explain why the…
The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez andMatt Stone. David C. Nichols – Backstage With a subversive chortle and a heart bigger than the Great Salt Lake, The Book of Mormon hits Los Angeles and triumphantly becomes the hottest attraction in town. The…
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced that its awards for qualifying year 2012 will be held on Monday evening, March 18, 2013, at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 South Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. In addition, the Circle’s invitation-only nominees’ reception will…
Euripides’ Helen, by adapted by Nick Salamone. Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA Nick Salamone is most gracious in crediting Euripides as the writer here, merely listing himself as adaptor. He has riffed on the Greek tragicomedy original, working with historical plot and characters but blending in elements…
Natalie Portman, the Musical! Book and lyrics by Brittany Garms, music by Frankie Marrone and Tara Pitt. Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA “What were they thinking?”That’s the polite form of the question critics ask rhetorically when theater productions don’t work. Fortunately regarding this production, the answer is…