ArtsBeat LA

Silence! The Musical, Hayworth Theatre

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Silence! The Musical by Jon and Al Kaplan (music and lyrics) and Hunter Bell (book). David C. Nichols — Backstage The impending Book of Mormonnotwithstanding, it’s unlikely that Angelenos will see anything more scabrous or ham’s-holiday funny than Silence! The Musical at the Hayworth Theatre. This “unauthorized parody” of the Oscar-winning thriller is receiving a take-no-prisoners L.A. premiere and in the process decimates its source and … Read more

The Elephant Room, Center Theatre Group

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The Elephant Room created by Trey Lyford, Geoff Sobelle and Steve Cuiffo. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A creepy trio of lounge lizard magicians, sporting pedophile moustaches, cheesy outfits, hideous wigs and (in one case) false buck teeth, are the “protagonists” of a spoofy “play” called The Elephant Room, now playing at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City. But it’s not really a … Read more

The Grönholm Method, Baby Tiger Productions at the Falcon Theatre

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The Gronholm Method by Jordi Galcerán Ferrer. Translation by Anne Garcia-Romero andMark St. Germain. Sharon Perlmutter – TalkinBroadway.com I was surprised to learn that The Grönholm Method was originally written in 2003; I would have guessed it came out of the “Greed is Good” late 1980s. Indeed, whenever this tale of a job interview from hell mentions Occupy Wall Street or any other … Read more

Red, Donmar Warehouse at Mark Taper Forum

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Red by John Logan. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA It’s refreshing to experience a play about ideas, and not simply character or story. John Logan’s incendiary play Red is a two-character bio-drama about abstract expressionist fine artist Mark Rothko in conversation with his young assistant.  Read more… Dany Margolies – ArtsinLA No question, Alfred Molina is otherworldly brilliant here, playing mid-century American painter Mark Rothko … Read more

Mary Poppins, Ahmanson Theatre

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Mary Poppins — Music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman andRobert B. Sherman, book by Julian Fellowes. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA The beloved tale of the efficient Victorian nanny Mary Poppins is back at the Ahmanson Theatre for a four-week run. With its magnificent staging, gorgeous costumes and sets and complicated song and dance numbers, the Tony-award nominated musical is pure … Read more

Hearts Like Fists, Theatre of NOTE

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Hearts Like Fists by Adam Szymkowicz. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA A chop-socky cartoon on stage, Hearts Like Fists, written by Adam Szymkowicz, is an action-packed adventure romance set in the surreal world of female crime-fighting superheroes. Nurses by day, skilled warriors by night, a band of ferocious and feisty femmesbattle the dastardly and elusive Dr. X and his deadly war against romance.  Read … Read more

Memphis, Pantages Theatre

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Memphis by David Bryan(music and lyrics) and Joe DiPietro (lyrics and book). Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA Kicking off with a frenetic pace that never lets up, Memphis is a high energy, original musical about the explosion of black musical artists into the mainstream during the late 1950s.  Read more… Bob Verini – Variety The sleek, stylish Memphis exemplifies the Broadway show tour done very … Read more

Mutually Assured Destruction, Odyssey Theatre

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Mutually Assured Destruction by Peter Lefcourt. Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with this play and production. The acting is good. The staging is fluid. The storyline is amusing. The French farce underpinnings give the show some energy. The central conceit is clever and well developed… So why doesn’t this play … Read more

The Government Inspector, Theatre@Boston Court & Furious Theatre Company

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The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA It’s petty to complain that the clever lines are so plentiful that we don’t have a moment to reflect on them, that the sight gags are too numerous to take in fully, and that the actors are so adept and in sync with [Stefan] Novinski’svision that we sometimes … Read more