THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF JURASSIC PARK at Rockwell Table and Stage

Harker Jones – Edge on the Net The “Unauthorized Musical Parody Of…” series has a recipe that always works: take a beloved film, break it down to its most basic parts, find ways to lovingly exploit them and then loop in pop songs that help propel the story. And it works every time.Read more… Now … Read more

EDWARD ALBEE’S OCCUPANT at the Garry Marshall Theatre

Harker Jones – Edge on the Net By all accounts, sculptor Louise Nevelson was a real character with a larger-than-life persona and an existence to match. She was ahead of her time in terms of feminism, sexual liberation and her take on art. Unfortunately, Edward Albee’s play chronicling her trajectory arrives in its West Coast … Read more

THE CHINESE WALL at the Group Rep

Harker Jones – Edge on the Net Kicking off the 44th season of the Group Rep, “The Chinese Wall” (originally “Die Chinesische Mauer”) was written as a satire (and warning) about world politics and the advent of the atomic bomb way back in 1946. Scarily, our current tumultuous and ridiculous political arena makes it even … Read more

MOON OVER BUFFALO at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre

Harker Jones –  Edge on the Net When Ken Ludwig’s over-the-top farce “Moon Over Buffalo” hit Broadway back in 1995, it lured none other than show biz legend Carol Burnett to the Great White Way after 30 years. Despite earning two Tony noms (including one for Burnett), the show never quite caught on. Read more… … Read more

DEAR WORLD at the Valley Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge

Les Spindle –  Edge on the Net The rarely revived musical “Dear World” is by legendary composer-lyricist Jerry Herman (“Mame,” “Hello. Dolly!” “La Cage Aux Folles”) and his two “Mame” collaborators: co-librettists Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Read more…

BEAUTIFUL at the Pantages Theatre

Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze Stories like this have been told before, many in exactly this way, where a nay-saying parent and a self-doubting inner voice cannot stem the creative force of an artist who soars above them to shape an art form. Read more… Les Spindle – Edge on the Net The genres of … Read more

CONNECT at Theatre 68

Pauline Adamek  – Stage Raw Robert Lawrence Nelson’s melodrama about two lonely people finding a connection disappoints on almost all fronts. While the performances from the two leads — Julie Dolan as Samantha and Chad Addison as Toby — are solid, with both actors plumbing some complicated emotional depths, the production as a whole fails … Read more

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY at the Pantages Theatre

Les Spindle –  Edge on the Net Writer-director Woody Allen’s memorable 1994 film comedy“Bullets Over Broadway” served up a touch of vintage Billy Wilder (a la “Some Like It Hot” and “One, Two, Three”) driven by Allen’s trademark genius for mixing a farcical story with darker elements and trenchant humor. Read more… Margaret Gray – LA … Read more

A GOOD FAMILY at the Lounge Theatre

Les Spindle –  Edge on the Net “A Good Family,” playwright Marja-Lewis Ryan’s third new work to debut at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood, following “Dysnomia” (2011) and “One in the Chamber” (2014), once again takes a look at an apparently idyllic American family rocked by sudden events that depict timely contemporary social issues. Read more… Deborah … Read more

THE SHOPLIFTERS at the Victory Theatre

Jenny Lower – LA Weekly The Shoplifters, Morris Panych’s 2014 comedy having its West Coast premiere at the Victory Theatre in Burbank, tries to put a goofy spin on some not-so-funny topics: high-strung rookie cops, overzealous right-wing Christians and the San Andreas Fault–sized gap between the rich and poor. Read more… Les Spindle –  Edge on … Read more