Philip Brandes – Stage Raw Where the typical jukebox formula pre-selects a catalog and reverse engineers enough plot to thread the songs together, Sternin and Fraser started with four fully imagined characters and a dramatic structure tracing the adult arcs of a generation that came of age partying to the music of the ‘70s and … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Dietrich Smith’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s first novel finds all the sly complexities and colors that, as in the source material, are camouflaged by the narrative: the eternal battle between the haves and the have-nots, the shabby treatment of individuals deemed lesser than others, and the search for a reason … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw It is a mixed bag of sorts, ranging from the mundane to the mildly entertaining in both text and performances. Read more…
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw The success of a production can understandably rise or fall on the strength of the actor playing Willy, (though I’ve been to one where the performance of the actor playing Biff was riveting beyond all others and elevated the entire show). Read more… Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania The national tour of the 2023 Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot has galloped into Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages, and the musical numbers remain as boisterous, energetic, and gleefully goofy as ever. Unfortunately, the book scenes, largely lifted from the famous dialogue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, have lost much … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw While the staging and interplay between the actors is unseen, they nonetheless strategically move about the stage, allowing for talented vocal deliveries from unsuspecting places in the large salon-like setting. Read more…
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Running an economical 72 minutes (including an intermission) The Best Boarding House in Delaware, which the playwright also directs, is a fun ride that has potential to go further than it does. Ryan opts for an inky comedy that is short, sweet, and powered by the comedic acting chops of … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Though Kim’s Convenience, now having its run at Center Theatre Group, is enjoyable in its many funny and touching moments, Ins Choi’s 2011 play is very much outdated in its necessity to showcase Korean identity & culture that is completely catered to white people. Despite a well rounded … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive Pinter’s slyly subversive 30-ish minute piece does to those veddy British drawing room plays what The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface does to human beings. Although I hasten to add that this is not to say that Party Time is a horror production per se, but rather that it Pinteresquely piquantly … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive As The Wall Street Journal reports “Jeff Bezos is in early talks to raise $100 billion for a new fund that would buy up manufacturing companies and seek to use AI technology to accelerate their path to automation,” which would likely trigger an avalanche of mass unemployment, and right on … Read more