LADCC Critics 
THE BALD SOPRANO and THE CHAIRS by Eugene Ionesco. Shirle Gottlieb – The Gazette Newspapers Written in 1948 shortly after World War II, “The Bald Soprano” was Eugene Ionesco’s first play. As the transplanted Romanian struggled to write in French (the language of his adopted country), he realized how banal everyday communication had become. He had … Read more
JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE by August Wilson. Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly For this critic August Wilson has always been eloquent on the page, a bit wordy on the stage. This second in his 10-play chronicle of the African-American experience takes place in 1911, a bare 46 years after the Civil War ended. Wilson’s vibrant characters … Read more
FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE by Mark Saltzman David Nichols – LA Times Though the late Lorenz Hart stands near-peerless among Broadway lyricists, his tortured private life remains largely untitled. That is, until “Falling for Make Believe” at the Colony Theatre, wherein a grand cast and 21 classic songs propel Mark Saltzman’s musical study of Hart and his … Read more
COPS AND FRIENDS OF COPS by Ron Klier. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA Paul stands by the light of a jukebox. The audience is intrigued, wondering who he is and why he’s there.Read more…
PARADE – Libretto by Alfred Uhry, Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Les Spindle – Edge on the Net As daily news flashes are dominated by reports of crippling political divisiveness, accusations of governmental manipulation and heinous acts of violence and bigotry, the masterful 1998 musical “Parade” has never felt more pertinent.Read more…
THE ROYALE by Marco Ramirez. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A ferocious cast giving their all in a powerful play—Marco Ramirez’ The Royale is a tremendously satisfying evening of theater, now playing at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Set in the world of boxing during the early 1900s, we meet a tough young fighter Jay “The Sport” Jackson (David … Read more
MISS JULIE by August Strindberg. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA Turn-of-the-century Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s naturalistic drama Miss Julie was remarkable in its day for its scandalous subject matter and frank dialogue exchanges. With its scathing commentary on the entrenched class system, passion and power, the play was banned in Britain for nearly fifty years after its publication. … Read more
A FLEA IN HER EAR by George Feydeau. Shirle Gottlieb for Gazette Newspapers When someone says the word “farce,” the first name that comes to mind is Feydeau. Indeed, “farce” and Feydeau are synonymous.Read more…
ANNAPURNA by Sharr White Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA In playwright Sharr White’s quirky two-person drama, directed by Bart DeLorenzo, a formerly married couple reunites and tries to make sense of their estrangement. Married in real-life actors Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally face off in this odd-ball drama of lost love and recriminations.Read more…
FELA! Book by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA Pounding rhythms, colorful tribal costumes, exquisitely light and authentic African choreography, visually stunning staging and politically charged lyrics – Fela! is a biographical funk concert musical that is not to be missed! Add a charismatic and gifted performer as the central subject (Adesola … Read more