Theatre in the Dark by various playwrights. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.com Some ideas don’t even sound good on paper. This one, however, turns out to be a thoroughly entertaining and relatively informative one. Ron Sossi’sbrainchild lets audiences sit in absolute pitch darkness, experiencing theater without benefit of our sight. These 90-minute performances (of alternating evenings titled Dark, reviewed here, … Read more
How to Write a New Book for the Bible by Bill Cain. Melinda Schupmann – ArtsInLA.com Narrator Bill (Tyler Pierce) enters with a notebook in hand and announces: “First rule of writing? Write what you know. If writers stuck to it, there would be no books.” On that note, over time, we learn that Bill is a … Read more
Death of a Salesgirl by Patricia Scanlon. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.com First to strike the attentive audience member upon entering the theater here is John Zalewski’s sound design. It seems to consist of effervescent electronic dots and anchoring bass-note dashes. A haunting, initially disquieting, ultimately soothing presence, his sound will continue to envelop the production. Meanwhile, next of note … Read more
Orestes 3.0: Inferno by Charles Mee. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.com Apollo, god of healing and truth, pops onstage for a chat with the audience. He is clad in Bermuda shorts and sunglasses, a party boy. Does his makeover shake our core beliefs? If our gods aren’t who we think they are, how can we put one foot … Read more
Build by Michael Golamco. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.com Technology and human relationships combine to warmhearted effect in Michael Golamco’s world premiere. Even his not terribly likeable two characters turn universal, sympathetic, and somewhat heroic by play’s end. Read more… Mayank Keshaviah – LA Weekly For those more familiar with ‘World of Warcraft’ than Waiting for Godot, Michael Golamco’s newest play may appeal as … Read more
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Melinda Schupmann – ArtsInLA.com Many consider Dame Agatha Christie the finest mystery writer of all time. Whether you agree, it can certainly be said that her work And Then There Were None has been one of the most successful play adaptations from a mystery novel to date. A clever … Read more
You Can’t Take It With You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.comThe family at the heart of this George S. Kaufman–Moss Hart play is so cheerful, non-critical, and forgiving, it’s obviously sheer fantasy. It’s certainly unusual on stages so often filled with alcoholism, abuse, manipulation, and self-loathing. The Vanderhofs and Sycamores and their hangers-on live for … Read more
The Turn of the Screw by Jeffrey Hatcher. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.com To attend this production, one should be able to see in the dark. To best enjoy this production, one should probably be at least a little afraid of the dark. Read more…
Creation by Kathryn Walat. Dany Margolies – ArtsInLA.comThe premise is promising, but the sum of this Kathryn Walatscript feels unoriginal and uninspiring. However, it gets much tender care from director Michael Michetti and his design team, and the quartet of actors steps up in all seriousness to deliver lines that might flop from the mouths of lesser performers. Read more…
Fraternity by Jeff Stetson. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly Jeff Stetson’s all-male political drama Fraternity, written 25 years ago, has a prescient power to it. Set in Birmingham, Ala., the storyline presents a prosperous group of black men, members of a private gentleman’s club, and the tragic history that shaped each of their lives. A shocking bombing of the … Read more