Dana Martin – Stage Raw.
Not every new work is stage worthy. Laguna Playhouse’s new comedy Staged by Martin Bergman and Rita Rudner finds charm in fits and spurts but the world-premiere production is clunky and underwhelming…The play behaves and moves like an old-school sitcom, with the characters crafted in broad strokes. Both Fenella and Jarvis are vapid, self-absorbed narcissists who aren’t interested in anyone but themselves. There’s no learning, growing or changing happening with these two. The play’s scenic transitions are punctuated by podcast host Barry Broadway (Brian Lohmann), who is dedicated to Broadway gossip and incorrectly sensationalizes details of the pair’s ill-fated reunion (one of the more interesting aspects of the story). Read more…