Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly The first play in a three-part trilogy, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue delves into the experience of war for three generations of soldiers in a Puerto Rican–American family. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes(who wrote the book for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights), it’s a lyrical exploration of the fear, bravado and bewilderment of lonely soldiers … Read more
Ellen Dostal – BroadwayWorld In Bill Berry’s solo show THE BRICK: A ONE MAN MUSICAL, Berry isn’t addressing the audience in a theater. He’s on a beach having a two-way conversation with his dead mother and we are the accidental eavesdroppers who witness their complicated relationship unfold piecemeal. The convention is more akin to a play … Read more
Terry Morgan – Talkin’ Broadway These days, films are regularly being converted into musicals, some which actually benefit from the change. It’s rarer to see a film made into a dramatic play, perhaps because of the belief that there’s less box office profit to be had.Read more… The 1998 period romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love … Read more
Harker Jones – Edge on the Net Kicking off the 44th season of the Group Rep, “The Chinese Wall” (originally “Die Chinesische Mauer”) was written as a satire (and warning) about world politics and the advent of the atomic bomb way back in 1946. Scarily, our current tumultuous and ridiculous political arena makes it even … Read more
Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze As we count the years, or lately the days, of the 21st century, what are we taking pride in? Are we already viewing the 20th century with nostalgia? And regret?Read more… Now running through February 4
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw The title of the play — which is adapted by Reginald Andre Jackson from the novel by Christopher Paul Curtis — might suggest a hard-core diatribe about racism, but fortunately it takes a gentler approach. The first act is largely a domestic comedy that deals with such issues as bullying, … Read more
Katie Buenneke – Stage Raw When W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan premiered their operetta Pirates of Penzance in 1879, they never could have imagined the Hypocrites’ winning production, now playing at the Pasadena Playhouse 138 years later.Read more… Ellen Dostal – BroadwayWorld Say what you will, The Hypocrites have found a way to transform traditional theatre into … Read more
Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze How ironic that the nation that once banned women from acting on the stage found it hilarious a few centuries later to see a man onstage in a woman’s dress. But irony is a large part of British humor.Read more… Now running through February 18
Erin Conley – On Stage & Screen It’s Christmas Day at a psychiatric hospital, and its director is having a stressful morning. Patient 6457 has unexpectedly died and patient 6459 has given birth, and neither event looks very good for the institution. As the day progresses, things only get more and more out of control … Read more
Harker Jones – Edge on the Net When Ken Ludwig’s over-the-top farce “Moon Over Buffalo” hit Broadway back in 1995, it lured none other than show biz legend Carol Burnett to the Great White Way after 30 years. Despite earning two Tony noms (including one for Burnett), the show never quite caught on. Read more… … Read more