Bob Verini – Stage Raw The committed theatergoer, confronted with the prospect of a play set in Ireland, may well inquire, “First of all, is it one of the light ones or one of the dark ones?” Read more… Jonas Schwartz – TheaterMania Outside Mullingar feels like a memory play of the distant past that is set … Read more
Margaret Gray – LA Times Frank Gehry’s set for “Ay, Carmela!” at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre may not make any lists of the architect’s most impressive designs. Read more… Now running through December 13.
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Eleanor (Joanna Miles) the agoraphobic senior citizen in Tom Baum’s family drama, is a paranoid lady. Not only is she afraid to leave her house: she’s also terrified that home invaders might come to do her ill. Read more… Now running through December 13.
Pauline Adamek – Stage Raw Steve B. Green’s black comedy Timeshare is set in the cutthroat world of high-pressure sales, and while some thematic similarities to Glengarry Glen Ross can be seen, don’t expect any David Mamet-style pyrotechnics. Read more… David C. Nichols – LA Times I am a professional salesman. I am a professional salesman.” So runs, with drolly … Read more
Paul Birchall – Stage Raw Sometimes you can just sit down in a theater and, as soon as the lights dim, you know you’re seeing a show whose origins are Eastern European. Read more… Now running through December 13.
Neal Weaver – Arts In LA Carlo Collodi’s 19th Century children’s book, The Adventures of Pinocchio, has been largely over-shadowed for modern audiences by Disney’s movie adaptation, which turned it into a sentimental moral tale. But Collodi’s original was made of sterner stuff: darker, crueler and more disturbing. The hapIess Puppet gets his feet burnt off, and … Read more
Dany Margolies – Arts In LA It’s 1935, and Mrs. Abramowitz’s 12-year-old daughter has been cast as Jesus in her school’s Christmas pageant. Oy. So goes Coney Island Christmas, Torrance Theatre Company’s holiday season offering, written by Donald Margulies based on Grace Paley’s short story “The Loudest Voice.” Read more… Now running through December 13.
Don Shirley – LA Observed LA theater has been embroiled in behind-the-scenes controversy for the past year. Many actors angrily challenged their own union over its decision to end the 99-Seat Theater Plan, which allows Equity members to work for only token fees in small LA theaters, at much less than the minimum wage.
Jenny Lower – LA Weekly The Shoplifters, Morris Panych’s 2014 comedy having its West Coast premiere at the Victory Theatre in Burbank, tries to put a goofy spin on some not-so-funny topics: high-strung rookie cops, overzealous right-wing Christians and the San Andreas Fault–sized gap between the rich and poor. Read more… Les Spindle – Edge on … Read more
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw Robert O’Hara’s Lambda Award-winning comedy is the first production by Celebration Theatre in its new home. It’s largely a fictionalized, semi-autobiographical tale satirizing the trials and tribulations of growing up Black. Read more… Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly In some ways Robert O’Hara’s Bootycandy is like a confounding road trip: you get … Read more