Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly A quartet of Big Idea plays has opened over the past two weeks, exploring the intersections of art, psychology and history. Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play, co-presented by the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Evidence Room, has been around since at least 2005, with productions at Arena Stage in Washington, Chicago’s … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Arts In LA Let’s Misbehave culls many of Cole Porter’s hits and some of his rarities to create a surprisingly touching love triangle. A winning cast of three takes what could have just been a revue of hit-parade songs and makes the audience believe these songs are originating from the characters’ hearts. Read more… … Read more
Dany Margolies – Arts In LA At its start, this Octavio Solis play is not easy to watch. The couple at its center is a mess: drugged, abused, irresponsible. The storytelling is unhelpful, as the characters seem not to know who they are. Then, too, the production, directed by Robert Castro, taxes the eyes if … Read more
Dany Margolies – Arts In LA For those who like protracted-lie farces, British playwright Ray Cooney is a master, and this one is a classic. In it, an average Joe weaves a tangled web, which gets unwound some two hours later, minus the intermission. The action is set in 1982 London, where Henry Perkins (Tom … Read more
Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA An exuberant celebration of language is the most apt description for actor Christopher Plummer’s self-created one-man show. A Word or Two is playing through February 9, 2014 at the Ahmanson Theatre, downtown LA. Early on in the show, Plummer selects a book from a heap and begins to read from a lectern. But this … Read more
Looking for Information about the Upcoming LADCC Awards? You’ve come to the right place! Want to see the list of nominees and special award recipients? Click here. Want to buy tickets (or find out how you can win a pair of tickets)? Click here. Nominated for an award and want additional info? Click here. Want to buy a program ad? Click here. … Read more
Deborah Klugman – ArtsBeatLA What do Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy have in common? In Scott Carter’s intellectually upscale comedy, all three are smug anthropomorphic spirits, trapped in a single chamber purgatory and forced to communicate despite their disdain for any view contradicting their own. Read more… Dany Margolies – Arts In LA History’s … Read more
David C. Nichols – LA Times In “Day Trader” at Bootleg Theater, a wannabe screenwriter in midlife crisis concocts an elaborate scheme to circumvent his rich wife’s pre-nup without sacrificing his cushy lifestyle or rebounding libido. Further plot description would entail spoilers, because Eric Rudnick’s intriguing albeit quirky dark comic spin on the eternal clash … Read more
Pauline Adamek – Time Out We’re pretty lucky here in Southern California—there’s certainly no lack of high-class entertainment. Fine theater productions happen all across LA, from Hollywood to the Valley, to Pasadena and Boyle Heights. The region’s vibrant stage companies satiate the appetites of theater lovers with ongoing rosters of new plays, old standards, classic works and … Read more
Myron Meisel – The Hollywood Reporter The smaller room at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica has been repurposed as a tavern with the audience seated at the bar or small round tables throughout the room. A quintet of rambunctiously versatile performers begin playing traditional melodies on the auld instruments on a postage stamp stage … Read more