LADCC Critics 
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
Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move Actor WEST LIANG, delivers deeply nuanced, emotionally quiet, and completely resonant performances in this play about historical and generational change. Read more…
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
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Few theatres in SoCal engage with global socio-political urgencies as relentlessly or uncompromisingly as City Garage. With their West Coast premiere of this Ukranian drama by Natalka Vorozhbyt, artistic director Frédérique Michel brings a devastating and timely piece of contemporary theatre to Santa Monica. Translated with razor-sharp precision, the … Read more
Dana Martin – Stage Raw Under the clean and precise direction and music direction of Damien Lorton, this Sweeney Todd feels larger than life in the intimate theater. Read more…
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive …in his unyielding crusade to warn his neighbors about the dangers of the “healing” H2O, Tom reveals himself to be quirky and self-righteous. In doing so, he undermines his cause, taking the spotlight off the urgent issue on hand, and putting the focus on his own erratic self instead. … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw There’s an inherent problem with Love, Loss and What I Wore, currently playing at Sawyer’s Playhouse in North Hollywood. The show assumes women have a near-fetishistic preoccupation with their clothing — the perfect blouse, the slinky skirt, the knee-high boots that tie the whole look together. Read more…
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Talk about a phoenix rising from the ashes. After losing its cherished, longtime venue to the devastating Palisades Fire, this is a deeply heartwarming milestone for the scrappy little company and they could not have chosen a more perfect project (or space) to signal their triumphant return to storytelling. Read … Read more
Elaine Mura – Splash Magazines Skillfully helmed by Tony Pasqualini, SLAVA UKRAINI! is a tight-lipped, grisly moment in a ghastly time of war as the audience shares space in the ravaged bunker with the three battle-scarred soldiers. The cast does an excellent job of conveying the hopeless, heartless, and never-ending stress that is wartime. … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Sunday in the Park with Will! Bright, inventive, and wonderfully physical, this production plays like a seamless blend of classic slapstick and lively cabaret. It takes a truly inspired team to make a 400-year-old farce feel like a brand-new party. Read more… Edward Hong – The Nerds of Color Did … Read more