Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze Instead of seeming dated, Lorraine Hansberry’s classic 1959 two-act “A Raisin in the Sun” is more burnished than ever. Read more… Now running through February 13.
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw Playwright Ira Levin’s Deathtrap became the longest-running thriller in Broadway history, playing for nearly four years — topped only by the London production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which seems destined to run forever. And Levin’s other works are not to be sneezed at: they include such trifles as Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, The … Read more
Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A chilling stage adaptation of Orwell’s novel 1984 is now playing at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica through February 6. This adaptation, written and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, highlights today’s serious issues of state-sponsored surveillance, identity and intrusions into our privacy. Read more… Terry Morgan – Stage Raw Another day, … Read more
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw The charm of Sandra Tsing Loh — or of any successful comedian and satirist for that matter — lies in the ability to transform commonplace yet intensely private experiences into performance material that is entertaining, enlightening and, for some viewers perhaps, cathartic. Read more… Now running through January 24.
Melinda Schupmann – Arts In LA The U.S. premiering Act 3 is the story of a couple of a certain age who have been together for nearly 13 years without benefit of marriage. They have been married before, but not to each other. Things are getting monotonous and stale, so something needs to happen to liven up … Read more
David C. Nichols – LA Times Vintage nightclub artistry ignites palpable frissons around the Geffen Playhouse, where “Louis & Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara” has sailed back in triumph. Read more… Pauline Adamek – Stage Raw A hit at Sacred Fools back in 2008, Louis & Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara proved to have legs; it’s been picked up and … Read more
Les Spindle – Edge on the Net Writer-director Woody Allen’s memorable 1994 film comedy“Bullets Over Broadway” served up a touch of vintage Billy Wilder (a la “Some Like It Hot” and “One, Two, Three”) driven by Allen’s trademark genius for mixing a farcical story with darker elements and trenchant humor. Read more… Margaret Gray – LA … Read more
Pauline Adamek – Stage Raw The talented Troubadour Theatre Company once again presents their annual holiday-themed show featuring their signature brand of madcap nonsense. Their tried-and-tested formula: Take a Christmas story, add some pop songs and send it up. Read more… Now running through January 17.
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Although this biopic of the Righteous Brothers is pretty dead in the water from a dramatic standpoint, the opportunity to recall their music (especially for people of a certain age like yours truly) compensates at least in part for the stagey narrative. Read more… Now running through January 24.
Jenny Lower – Stage Raw “I have a powerful urge to communicate with you, but I find the distance between us insurmountable.” That refrain, repeated at various points throughout Lucas Hnath’s powerful, richly textured The Christians, could be the motto for any number of American ideological divides. Read more… Jonas Schwartz – TheaterMania Religion can be a … Read more