F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Lanie Robertson’s play about the legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday, has become a popular offering in theaters both large and small since its 1986 debut, with Audra McDonald winning a Tony for Best Actress during its 2014 Broadway run. Read more… Travis … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw In her program notes, Sorgen urges empathy for those gaslit by a narcissistic abuser. It’s a worthy goal. However, Punish Me does not so much shed light on narcissistic pathology as exploit it. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw At a time when families hide in their homes for fear of being deported—or worse — the parallels to Franciosa’s timely play are obvious. Read more…
Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 9.1 out of 10! Exceptional Show! Listen here… Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA This is a brave and decidedly rule-breaking work that, thanks to the stark vision of director Daniel Aukin, often reminded me of being smackdab in the middle of a living Ingrid Bergman movie. His purposefully … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw The oddly abbreviated musical numbers are drowned out by a blaring sound mix — otherwise, Takeshita’s staging is brisk and an ebullient cast, which includes Donnie Riddle and Kolt Atchley, commits fully to the material, however flawed. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw And granted, Rishawn has impressively perfect abs, but why, in one scene, is he wearing an open shirt with his six-pack visibly oiled? It’s a meretricious visual that comes at the expense of the character and indicates deeper problems with the staging, which too often panders for laughs. Read … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Playwright Clara Rodriguez certainly doesn’t hold back in Pointy Scissors, now having its world premiere at Theatre West. Rapid-fire in pace and convoluted, the play is a farce in the truest sense of the word. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Mark Guirguis’s clever scenic features a series of flats that pivots to reveal the castle’s various rooms. Leigh Allen’s lighting design is effectively murky, sometimes to a fault. However, it is Rubalsky’s magnificent sound design, all creaks and moans and things that go bump in the night, that is … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw This production offers a radiant counterpoint to America’s cruel climate of xenophobia—a vivid reminder of the rich gifts that immigrants have always contributed to this nation’s story. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Director Allen Barton, who is also credited as dramaturge, delivers a competent staging. However, a dramaturge’s mandate is to help synthesize existing material, and in this, Barton fails. Read more…