LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. at the Norris Theatre

Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze Farce. It’s that theatrical plot in which a character — apparently always male — tells a lie and gets wound up in it. Then, somehow, over the course of two hours, he manages to unwind himself and earn the forgiveness of his fellow characters. Read more… Now running through February … Read more

MARIA ElENA INFANTINO: FROM PIAF TO MAMBO ITALIANO at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill

Pauline Adamek  – Stage Raw Backed by a top-notch trio of jazz musicians, petite and pretty vocalist Maria Elena Infantino takes to the stage in a plain black dress and dark wig. Channeling “the little sparrow” — Édith Piaf — Infantino devotes the first third of her hour-long performance to the famous French songbird. Read more…Now … Read more

THERESE RAQUIN – Long Beach Opera, at the Warner Grand Theatre

Myron Meisel – Stage Raw Those who tend to be consistently disappointed in new musicals could profitably explore new opera as a more reliable alternative, where the creative energies appear to have been more vibrant so far in this latest century. Read more… Now running through February 1.

ANNA CHRISTIE at the Odyssey Theatre

Terry Morgan  –  Stage Raw One of the pleasures of attending theater is witnessing the rebirth of a classic play through a vital new production. There’s something profoundly satisfying in realizing that the concerns of the past aren’t that different from our own; that art, when well done, resounds down the corridors of time like … Read more

DISCONNECTION at the Beverly Hills Playhouse

Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw The church referred to by playwright Allen Barton in his play is never identified, but the details of his story evoke the horror stories told by disillusioned former Scientologists: accounts of demands for total conformity, hefty financial contributions, total commitment, and a willingness to declare all-out war on any member … Read more

TIMEPIECE at City Garage

Myron Meisel – Stage Raw Betty (Renee Ulloa-McDonald), “a nice girl”, sits on a bench, reading a book. She is approached by a figure in mime-like whiteface wearing dinner dress (Jeffrey Gardner), who asks her if she “has” the time. Read more… Margaret Gray – LA Times Charles A. Duncombe’s new play at City Garage, “Timepiece,” … Read more

REBORNING at the Fountain Theatre

Paul Birchall – Stage and Cinema This fascinating drama by playwright Zayd Dohrn is set in the bizarre subculture of women who buy dolls that eerily resemble actual babies. Can this possibly be enough material here for a play? Read more… Bob Verini –   Arts In LA Roger Ebert once opined, “It’s not what a movie … Read more

COMPANY at the Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

Les Spindle –  Edge on the Net Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking 1970 musical, “Company,” about romance and loneliness in the big city, remains a quintessential snapshot of the era in which it bowed, as viewed through the eyes of a commitment-phobic young bachelor. Read more… Jonas Schwartz –  Arts In LA Launching a version of Company, Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking 1970s … Read more

MUTANT OLIVE at the Lounge Theatre

Paul Birchall – Stage and Cinema After watching the roaring, sputtering, and cursing along with regretful descriptions of drug use and parental abuse back in the “bad old days,” I had to ask myself, “Wha’ kind of crazy fucking show is this?”  Read more… David C. Nichols – LA Times “I was brought up by wolverines,” says … Read more