Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw. Playwright-director Steven Silverman’s dark yet amiable comedy offers up a multi-ethnic family whose members, despite living or being raised in racially turbulent Chicago, have no apparent animus over each other’s skin colors. No, these folks are dealing with more explosive issues common to many a kith and kin, regardless of … Read more
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw The title of the play — which is adapted by Reginald Andre Jackson from the novel by Christopher Paul Curtis — might suggest a hard-core diatribe about racism, but fortunately it takes a gentler approach. The first act is largely a domestic comedy that deals with such issues as bullying, … Read more
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Rebekah M. Allen’s musical about a loser squad of high school cheerleaders fighting their way up from the bottom of the heap sounds like it might be a satiric hoot. It isn’t. Read more… Paul Birchall – Stage Raw If you are studying Ancient Greek mythology, you will have heard of … Read more
Neal Weaver – Stage Raw This piece, written and directed by Angeliki Giannakopoulos, and based on her award-winning documentary film, takes a probing look at the lives of women whose children served in the armed forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It provides an emotionally charged examination of their love, hopes, pride, fears, … Read more
Pauline Adamek – Stage Raw David Rabe’s play is over 40 years old, and it’s now a dated but charming curiosity piece. Performed on Broadway in 1973 (and nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play), Rabe’s strange and messy drama has been revised and remounted a few times over the years, expanding to a … Read more