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cannot shake the core that this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, now playing at East West Players, is still very much outdated as a orientalist and voyeuristic crowd pleaser … Read more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
Harker Jones – BroadwayWorld The energy from the performers is infectious, translating to the audience, and even though there is a vein of wistfulness running through the night — the story is, after all, about searching for one’s home — it’s a pleasantly sweet pang of yearning. BACK TO OZ is a worthy entry in … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive In “Master Harold”…and the Boys, which was set in 1950 and written circa 1982 when apartheid was still enforced in South Africa, playwright Athol Fugard seems to have dramatized Frantz Fanon’s theories about the psychological impact of racism and colonialism on the human mind. Through action, dialogue and character, Fugard, … Read more
Anita W. Harris – Long Beach Post Long Beach Playhouse executive director Madison Mooney recently said that “Harvey” is just the sort of play we need right now. And she’s right. If you are among those trading your smartphone for a flip phone, resisting ChatGPT and wondering where common decency went, “Harvey” is all that … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA While Jacques Heim’s internationally renowned company is famous for its gravity-defying feats, since it’s being performed in this eclectic private former warehouse studio, this production brings the audience literally within five feet of the action. With only 90 seats in the house, the massive yet somehow intimate black box setting … Read more