FrontiersLA

THE FANTASTICKS at Crown City Theatre

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Les Spindle –  Frontiers L.A. Known as the world’s longest-running musical (Off-Broadway from 1960-2002), this fanciful fable by composer Harvey Schmidt and librettist Tom Jones is largely consider a gem. Now running through June 5 is widely considered a gem. Alternating whimsy, Shakespearean-flavored romance, slapstick and slightly darker elements, the simple love story has a classical feel.  Read … Read more

ELECTRICITY at Two Roads Theatre

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Gary (playwright Terry Ray) and Brad (Kevin Scott Allen) are sort of a gay odd couple. Gary is a 28-year-old gay virgin, nerdy and prim, who thinks his homosexuality is a deep dark secret, though everyone at his school refers to him as gay Gary. Read more… Les Spindle – Frontiers … 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

SEX WITH STRANGERS at the Geffen Playhouse

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Margaret Gray – LA Times It could be the setup for a Harlequin romance: A beautiful novelist curls on a couch in a bed-and-breakfast in rural Michigan, proofreading a manuscript, completely alone. Heavy snow has deterred other guests, and even the proprietor has been called away on family business. Read more… Jonas Schwartz –  Theatermania Laura … Read more

DREAM BOY at the Celebration Theatre at the Lex

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Teenage romance meets Southern Gothic in Eric Rosen’s intriguing and quirky play, based on the novel by Jim Grimsley and directed by Michael Matthews. Read more… Les Spindle –  Frontiers L.A. Based on a 1995 novel by Jim Grimsley, which was subsequently adapted into a 2008 film, Eric Rosen’s evocative 1996 play makes … Read more

DREAM CATCHER at the Fountain Theatre

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Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly In concept, Stephen Sachs’ Dream Catcher at the Fountain Theatre is a timely play. Directed by Cameron Watson, it details a clash between a young engineer involved in designing a solar-energy plant that would help combat global warming, and a poorly educated Native American woman who objects to the project because it … Read more

FOREVER HOUSE at the Skylight Theatre

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Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Tony Abatemarco’s play Forever House, about a gay couple who purchase a home and then struggle to make a go of their partnership, is something of a hybrid. In some places it’s an airy situation comedy that drifts into horror-lite…… Read more… Lovell Estell III – Stage Raw For Jack and Ben (Michael Rubenstone, … Read more

THE BAKER’S WIFE at the Actors’ Coop

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Les Spindle –  Frontiers L.A. Featuring an appealing score by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin) and a charming though rather thin book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof, Zorba), based on a 1931 French film, this 1976 musical remains more a cult favorite than a classic. Read more… Myron Meisel – Stage Raw Among the most gratifying of musicals being presented in … Read more