LA Opera presents: Highway 1, USA and The Dwarf @ DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION

Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Perhaps one of the most impressive things about the already impressive Los Angeles Opera is the company’s ambitious and groundbreaking Recovered Voices Initiative, which champions the seldom-acknowledged work of lesser-known composers whose achievements were suppressed over the years due to racial ideology or systematic oppression. LAO is to be commended … Read more

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street @ A NOISE WITHIN

Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. Its combination of a beautiful score, clever lyrics and unusually gruesome subject matter is sui generis. When it’s firing on all cylinders, there’s little in the annals of musical theatre to top its sheer power. And yet it’s a difficult … Read more

LOS ANGELES DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE IN 2023

  The Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle (LADCC) is proud to announce its 2023 nominees for Theatrical Excellence. This year, because of extenuating COVID concerns, instead of a live event, the Circle awards recipients will once again be announced online – but in a brand-new format. The LADCC is thrilled to introduce a “first” for … Read more

Buried Child @ COSTA MESA PLAYHOUSE

Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review The Pulitzer Prize-winning production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child, playing now at Costa Mesa Playhouse, brings back this brilliant play with a staging that does the material justice and shows us why it is just as relevant as when it initially arrived in the 1970’s. Read more…

Twelve Angry Jurors @ THE GROUP REP

Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw Seventy years after its first iteration as a television play, Reginald Rose’s work – originally titled Twelve Angry Men – remains a pungent critique of racism and xenophobia. Sherman L. Sergel adapted the teleplay for the stage in 1955 and Rose did the screenplay for the classic 1957 film featuring … Read more

The Winter’s Tale @ ANTAEUS THEATRE COMPANY

Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA But the thing I will remember most from this show is Ann Noble’s fierce, breathtaking performance as Hermione’s friend/champion Paulina. I’ve admired Noble’s work for many years, as both a superb actress and playwright, but her portrayal here is outstanding; one of those blessed confluences of actor and role that produces … Read more

Musical Theatre West Presents: 42nd Street @ CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix While the story and attitudes of “42nd Street” may feel more aligned to an older generation, this production’s dazzling staging, costuming, singing and dancing—with a message of staying true to yourself and your dream—still make it entertaining today. Read more…

World Premiere Playwrights’ Arena and Los Angeles LGBT Center presents: Three @ LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER

Socks Whitmore –  Stage Raw With violence on the rise, corruption in the spotlight, and extremist ideologies more polarized than ever, the need for radical change is as palpable as the need for conversation about it. For playwright Nick Salamone and director Jon Lawrence Rivera — the duo behind Playwrights’ Arena’s productions Helen & Billy … Read more

The Lion King @ SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix While the music and spirited performances of “The Lion King” are certainly compelling, it’s the immersive artistry of the puppets and the visually striking details adorning their human animators that make this production must-see theatre. Read more… Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review Segerstrom’s production does not disappoint, … Read more