Philip Brandes – Stage Raw During the infamously chaotic 1974 filming of “Jaws,” a continuously malfunctioning mechanical shark and other logistical delays leave the three lead actors stranded for long stretches between takes, with nothing to do but drink, bicker, and inadvertently reveal long-sunken wounds dredged from the depths of their respective psyches. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Lanie Robertson’s play about the legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday, has become a popular offering in theaters both large and small since its 1986 debut, with Audra McDonald winning a Tony for Best Actress during its 2014 Broadway run. Read more… Travis … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw While truth may be stranger than fiction, it is not always funnier, due to the show’s stereotyped characters, clunky exposition, and strained attempts at humor. Read more…
Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review Having trouble finding a loving commitment this Valentine’s Day? Aren’t we all? With a three-hour-plus run time and two intermissions, South Coast Repertory’s latest offering, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is definitely a commitment. However, it’s worth pursuing because of a staging as brilliant as it ever was … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color The Los Angeles independent remounting of Rajiv Joseph‘s Guards at the Taj (the last one was in 2015 at the Geffen Playhouse) is a strikingly well done and hauntingly relevant production that also utilizes fantastic genderbent casting and an endearing post finale that credits all crew involved, a … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA This is a phenomenal new achievement by local counter-culture hero Justin Tanner, ironically both selfish and unselfish at the same time. Still, I left the theatre not quite sure if I wanted to go home and write a review or to see if I could snag my monumentally talented though … Read more
Amanda Callas – Broadwayworld Once feels like a revelation, with all the delicate tenderness of a romantic ballad and the foot-stomping joy of a rustic Irish pub on music night. Read more… Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review Jacqueline Malenke’s haunting lighting set the tone of the show and brought it to a … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw In her program notes, Sorgen urges empathy for those gaslit by a narcissistic abuser. It’s a worthy goal. However, Punish Me does not so much shed light on narcissistic pathology as exploit it. Read more…
Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. I’ve seen it onstage several times, watched the film, enjoyed a cast recording (Cerveris/LuPone), and loved the Angela Lansbury/George Hearn version blessedly preserved on video. This breadth of comparisons, however, can make me picky about the show. Can the performers do justice to the songs … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw At a time when families hide in their homes for fear of being deported—or worse — the parallels to Franciosa’s timely play are obvious. Read more…