LADCC Critics

THE LONELY FEW at Geffen Playhouse

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Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites. World Premiere: The Lonely Few @ Geffen Playhouse – 8 out of 10 – Good Show! LA Theatre Bites Recommended! More… Jonas Schwartz-Owen – Theatermania The Lonely Few, a world premiere rock musical at the Geffen Playhouse, does away with conventional narrative. It immerses its audience in rock clubs and then … Read more

HAROLD AND MAUDE at Group Repertory Theatre

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Rob Stevens – Haines His Way. GRT’s production uses projections on the back wall and on smaller screens that come and go from the wings in an attempt to open up the action. Unfortunately, they don’t add much to the show and Larry Eisenberg’s lackadaisical direction lets the production drag on. Most scenes just meander … Read more

SNOWHITE at Santa Monica Playhouse

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Lara J. Altunian – Stage Raw. When it comes to classic fairy tales, there’s always room for updated adaptations — particularly when it comes to introducing one with antiquated values to a new generation of audiences. Santa Monica Playhouse’s rendition of the Brothers Grimm’s Snow White spins the narrative of a helpless young girl into a tender … Read more

MEAN GIRLS at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

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Dana Martin – Stage Raw. …Mean Girls is updated from the movie in order to reflect an era of smartphones and selfies but still manages to feel dated. Even the most feared book in school, the almighty Burn Book, loses a bit of its sting. Yet — Mean Girls doesn’t talk down to its audience and … Read more

LOVE AND INFORMATION at Antaeus Theatre Company

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Katie Buenneke – Theatre Digest. Through some unlucky combination of script, direction, cast, set design, and video design, this felt more like sitting through a scene study class than a professional play. Somehow, I hadn’t seen a play by Caryl Churchill before, but I’m in no rush to see another. Read more… Patrick Chavis – LA … Read more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MCKENNA at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

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Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw. Playwright-director Steven Silverman’s dark yet amiable comedy offers up a multi-ethnic family whose members, despite living or being raised in racially turbulent Chicago, have no apparent animus over each other’s skin colors. No, these folks are dealing with more explosive issues common to many a kith and kin, regardless of … Read more

THE SECRET GARDEN at the Ahmanson Theatre

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Rob Stevens – Haines His Way. The children’s rhyme “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?” is used several times to taunt young Mary. Unfortunately, her new garden grows quite contrary in this version masterminded by choreographer/director Warren Carlyle. His vision has taken most of the heart and soul out of the story, … Read more

FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE at the Carl Sagan – Ann Druyan Theatre at the Center For Inquiry West

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Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw. Mix a B-movie sci-fi plot with the life story of the “King of Pop,” add some inventive puppetry and a talented and uninhibited ensemble, and the result is a profane, hilarious, and razor-sharp skewering of the pop culture industry, systemic racism and religious hypocrisy. With director Julien Nitzberg’s clever book … Read more

CALVIN BERGER at the Colony Theatre

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Rob Stevens – Haines His Way. Edmond Rostand wrote his classic romantic comedy Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897. According to Wikipedia, the original French play has been translated at least 16 times since then… The latest version to play locally is the 2006 musical Calvin Berger with book, music & lyrics all by Barry Wyner, currently playing at Burbank’s … Read more