LADCC Critics 
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw In need of some thoughtful editing, Velasco’s work is nevertheless boosted by strong and touching performances from the ensemble under Alexander Wardach’s sturdy direction. Read more…
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix If the title alone of “Millennials are Killing Musicals” intrigues you, know that the show fully delivers on its suggestion of theatrical fun. With a talented, high-energy cast and a story that reflects our digital times using immersive projections, this world-premiere musical by Nico Juber at The Colony Theatre … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Back in the 1950s, a famous novel-turned-play-turned-film asked whether nature or nurture made little Rhoda Penmark a Bad Seed. Now Lolita Chakrabarti’s Hymn asks a related question: does having your father in your life lead you down the right path or not? Read more… Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix … Read more
Don Shirley – Angeles Stage Storyteller of East LA, Colored People’s Time, Master Harold and the Boys, Flower Drum Song, For Want of a Horse, Hell Mouth, more. Read more…
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw In the eclectic, intricately-constructed theatrical confections of L.A.’s prolific playwright Tom Jacobson, the dialectics around salvation and damnation and the role of sacrifice are never far from the surface. Hell Mouth,in its world premiere from The Road Theatre Company, is no exception — though in approaching those themes it marks … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Despite this new revival of Flower Drum Song having a second revision from David Henry Hwang, no amount of rewrites cannot shake the core that this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, now playing at East West Players, is still very much outdated as a orientalist and voyeuristic crowd pleaser … Read more
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix A new commissioned play by Matthew Salazar-Thompson that recently premiered at North Coast Rep, “The Maltese Falcon” sends up Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel while remaining faithful to its story — perhaps a little too faithful, hence the play’s more than two-hour run time. Read more…
Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA The phrase “for want of a horse” is most commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack from 1758, describing the cascading effect of how the absence of one small, necessary thing can affect many other, bigger things. The example of Richard III comes to mind, ready at the end to … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw The superb actors, many of whom have been with the Latino Theater Company for years, deliver on all levels, from the funny to the devastating. The ease of their long association is apparent in director José Luis Valenzuela’s staging, which establishes an authentic family dynamic of liveliness, humor, and … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive The Robey Theatre Company’s production of Leslie Lee’s circa 1983 “Colored People’s Time, A History Play” recounts 100 years in the life of African Americans. Through a series of 13 vignettes presented more or less in chronological order, Lee traces the evolution of Blacks from the 1850s to the 1950s, … Read more