David C. Nichols

AS STRAW BEFORE THE WIND at The Ruby Theatre at THE COMPLEX

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Deborah Klugman – Capital & Main Most Americans have limited knowledge of the history and hardships of ethnic groups and nationalities outside their own (despite the best efforts of progressive educators in some of our urban schools to have it otherwise). With As Straw Before the Wind, Filipino-American playwright Felix Racelis aims to fill some of the … Read more

SPACE at the Stella Adler Mainstage

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David C. Nichols – LA Times You are all amazing. You all have vast untapped potential. You all have a future.” With that mantra, so begins “Space” at Hollywood’s Stella Adler Theatre. Stefan Marks’ promising look at a man returning home from 30 years in a mental institution is still forming, but then, so is its … Read more

ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE at Pacific Resident Theatre

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Terry Morgan  –  Stage Raw Eccentricities of a Nightingale was Tennessee Williams’ 1951 rewrite of his earlier Summer and Smoke. It was supposedly his preferred version of the story, and one can see why. The main character of Alma is more clearly delineated, and the drama springs more from her choices than from fate. The current production … Read more

RED VELVET at the Glendale Playhouse

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Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw In 1833, African-American actor Ira Aldridge became the first man of color ever to play Othello on the London stage, replacing the acclaimed English tragedian Edmund Kean after Kean became ill. This was, not-coincidentally, the same year that a momentous bill abolishing slavery was being debated in British Parliament; it would go into force … Read more

HISTORIA DE AMOR at REDCAT

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David C. Nichols – LA Times An extraordinary merger of cinematic and theatrical art suffuses “Historia de Amor,” which concludes its North American premiere engagement at REDCAT on Sunday. This mordant, uncommonly arresting production from Chile’s acclaimed Teatrocinema troupe doesn’t just borrow film and animation elements — it absorbs them into live performance to create an entirely … Read more

SUMMER AND SMOKE at the Actors Co-op

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David C. Nichols – LA Times Summer and Smoke” may stand a little higher in the Tennessee Williams canon after you see an exceptional Actors Co-op revival of the 1947 drama, one of the best offerings in the company’s storied history. Read more… Les Spindle –  Frontiers L.A. Tennessee Williams’ sultry and thought-provoking 1947 drama, strongly … Read more

YOU NEVER CAN TELL at A Noise Within

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Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw George Bernard Shaw’s’s turn of the 20th century rom-com, had a rocky start. Set to debut in 1897, it failed to make it to the stage that year, as actors struggled with the material and one leading lady quit, complaining the comedy had neither enough laughs nor enough exits. Not … Read more

PAST TIME – Sacred Fools at the Elephant Asylum Complex

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Paul Birchall  – Stage Raw Padraic Duffy’s rather sweet romantic comedy — the premiere offering at Sacred Fools’ new home at the former Elephant Asylum complex — is a good workmanlike calling card to introduce the company’s style and tone to its new neighborhood. If the play ultimately strikes one as slight, it’s salvaged by … Read more