Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA The first scene in Nicholas Pilapil’s intriguing new two-hander is actually what normally would be the last, depicting the end of a beautiful decade-long relationship and leaving us an entire play to unravel what went wrong. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera stages the mercurial colliding events smoothly and often playfully, keeping … Read more
Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move The audience is a full participant in the arduous process of NATURAL SELECTION currently at the Zephyr Theatre. So, be prepared with some serious stamina. Recommended. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Since it was first produced in 1899 at the Moscow Art Theatre, adaptations of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya have proliferated. It appears that adaptors can’t wait to get their ink-stained fingers on Chekhov’s classic tale about the conflicts raging on a struggling Russian estate where the arrival of an elderly … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania A new staging of the Broadway cause célèbre Here Lies Love has arrived at the Mark Taper Forum. But without the benefit of seeing the original Alex Timbers production in New York, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, in this reimagined version helmed by Center Theatre Group artistic director Snehal Desai, the … Read more
Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 9 out of 10! Exceptional Show! LA Theatre Bites Recommended! Listen more… Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Some of the most impressive moments are the fight scenes, eliciting kudos for both fight coordinator Jonathan Rider and a disciplined ensemble. Equally, the final showdown between Richard and his nemesis, … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Playwright Shem Bitterman has an uncanny knack for evoking a mood both untraditional and yet familiar—sometimes uncomfortably so. As with last year’s breakout hit “The Civil Twilight” from the same producing team, his newest two-hander, now debuting at the Hudson, again proves his provocative storytelling is a treasure. Read more… … Read more
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw In every good chase thriller, an unsuspecting bystander is suddenly called on to save the day by improvising, adapting, and ultimately prevailing against a ticking clock through sheer resourcefulness, the grace of unlikely allies, and coincidences that couldn’t possibly happen — but somehow do. Against all odds, Rubicon Theatre Company’s … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw [A] stirring production anchored by the stellar dramatic and vocal performances from the majority Latinx cast. Read more… Anita W. Harris – Long Beach Post Miguel de Cervantes’ 1605 novel “Don Quixote” tells the story of a nobleman who becomes a knight errant, traveling the land doing chivalrous deeds with … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive If Marcia Cross is cunningly cast here as, quite literally, a desperate housewife, I suspect that the “homewrecking” Claudia [Ariana Afradi] is a clever reference to the popular mid-1970s BBC series “I, Claudius”, about the Roman Emperor and the Empire’s ancient realpolitik that was marked by constant conniving, assassinations, plotting, … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania In Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Antonio Salieri may proclaim himself the patron saint of mediocrity, but Jefferson Mays, who plays him in this new Pasadena Playhouse production, is a patron saint of distinction. His transcendent performance will be remembered for shaping the character into someone sharp, broken, and unexpectedly hilarious. Read more… … Read more