Margaret Gray – LA Times A Noise Within’s new production of “Julius Caesar” has plenty of style. Or rather, plenty of styles: bold but random design elements that compete for attention with the substance. Read more… Now running through May 8.
David C. Nichols – LA Times Never underestimate the power of stagecraft. Case in point: ”Carrie: The Musical,” now receiving a mind-blowing immersive production at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Read more… Jonas Schwartz – TheaterMania Few musicals are as infamous as the 1988 Broadway bomb Carrie. That notoriety was enhanced by the bootlegged CDs … Read more
David C. Nichols – LA Times “Sandra, I’m home. No go on the Dunkin’ Donuts job.” Thus the title character of “Trevor,” presented by Circle X Theatre Co., grabs our attention in a 200-pound death grip. Read more… Now running through April 19.
Margaret Gray – LA Times Theatre West has revived Jim Beaver’s play “Verdigris,” a hit for the company 30 years ago, about a young man’s absorption into an offbeat Oklahoma family in the summer of 1972. Read more… Now running through April 19.
Margaret Gray – LA Times There are plenty of fish in the sea, we console ourselves when loved ones escape our nets. But in Kimber Lee’s new play, “tokyo fish story,” having its world premiere at South Coast Repertory, the truth of this old proverb is in doubt. Read more… Bob Verini – Stage Raw … Read more
David C. Nichols – LA Times Eighteenth century subversion meets Larry David lunacy in “Figaro” at A Noise Within. Ingenuity permeates this buoyant adaptation of Beaumarchais’ classic account of one crazy day at the Almavivas’, circa 1784 or 2015, take your pick. Read more… Now running through May 10.
David C. Nichols – LA Times A mesmerizing blend of magical realism and poetic social comment courses through “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea,” Nathan Alan Davis’ meta-theatrical parable about an idealistic African American teen in search of his heritage. Read more… Now playing through March 29.
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Like many plays that deal with our mortality, those about dementia can be extraordinarily affecting. They speak to a loss of self nearly as complete and devastating as our physical demise. Read more… David C. Nichols – LA Times The first glimmer of it comes on a Friday. They’ve flown me … Read more
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Al Pacino and Robert Duvall are among the performers who have played Teach, the deluded, out-of-control conman who spurs much of the seamy shenanigans in David Mamet’s American Buffalo. While I’ve never been privileged to see either in the role, I’d put money on the competitive excellence of Troy Kotsur, … Read more
David C. Nichols – LA Times The fluff and fold of old-school boulevard comedy typifies “Washer/Dryer” at East West Players. Indeed, playwright Nandita Shenoy’s study of intercultural newlyweds attempting to co-habit in a New York City co-op is an amiable throwback to the days when “Barefoot in the Park” played the Great White Way. Read more… … Read more