Martín Hernández – Stage Raw [A] stirring production anchored by the stellar dramatic and vocal performances from the majority Latinx cast. Read more… Anita W. Harris – Long Beach Post Miguel de Cervantes’ 1605 novel “Don Quixote” tells the story of a nobleman who becomes a knight errant, traveling the land doing chivalrous deeds with … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive If Marcia Cross is cunningly cast here as, quite literally, a desperate housewife, I suspect that the “homewrecking” Claudia [Ariana Afradi] is a clever reference to the popular mid-1970s BBC series “I, Claudius”, about the Roman Emperor and the Empire’s ancient realpolitik that was marked by constant conniving, assassinations, plotting, … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania In Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Antonio Salieri may proclaim himself the patron saint of mediocrity, but Jefferson Mays, who plays him in this new Pasadena Playhouse production, is a patron saint of distinction. His transcendent performance will be remembered for shaping the character into someone sharp, broken, and unexpectedly hilarious. Read more… … Read more
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix Rising playwright Beth Hyland’s “Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia,” having its world premiere at Geffen Playhouse, is just what you’d want in a new play — ambitious and compelling in a well staged and performed production. Bringing to life poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as they affect a current writer … Read more
Ed Rampell – The Progressive Magazine Poetry for the People vividly brings Jordan and her oeuvre alive using a variety of techniques. Film clips, including interviews with the poet and Angela Davis (who insisted that Jordan play tennis with her), are projected onto four screens (media design by Deja Collins). Six multi-cultural women thespians (America … Read more
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