Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA It’s not every day you get to be heavyweight champion of the world—for a professional sportsman it’s a once in a lifetime event, at least the first time is… In 1964, at the tender age of 22, boxing legend Cassius Clay (soon thereafter known as Muhammad Ali) ascended to the pinnacle … Read more
THE FANTASTICKS – Book and lyrics by Tom Jones, music by Harvey Schmidt. David C. Nichols — L.A. Times The delicate theatricality of “The Fantasticks” has weathered countless editions worldwide since its off-Broadway premiere in 1960. But Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s “Les Romanesques” has perhaps never before enjoyed the elevated insight of … Read more
CHESS – Book by Richard Nelson, lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Mayank Keshaviah – LA Weekly Like the 1980s, this revival of the Cold War-themed musical that produced the hit song “One Night in Bangkok” is kitschy, colorful and full of spectacle. Yet its return also reveals the contrived, confusing … Read more
FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE by Mark Saltzman David Nichols – LA Times Though the late Lorenz Hart stands near-peerless among Broadway lyricists, his tortured private life remains largely untitled. That is, until “Falling for Make Believe” at the Colony Theatre, wherein a grand cast and 21 classic songs propel Mark Saltzman’s musical study of Hart and his … Read more
NEVERWHERE by Robert Kauzlaric, adapted from the novel by Neil Gaiman. David C. Nichols – LA Times Noteworthy creativity accompanies “Neverwhere” in its ambitious West Coast premiere at Sacred Fools. Robert Kauzlaric’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel about a parallel world beneath London isn’t flawless, but director Scott Leggett and his resourceful forces turn virtual handsprings to make it play.Read more…
Master Class by Terrence McNally. David C. Nichols – L.A. Times It’s a softer-grained “Master Class” than usual in Long Beach, but just try to look away. Although more muted than some past editions, this adroit International City Theatre revival of Terrence McNally’s Tony-winning fantasia on Maria Callas’ life and art carries real immediacy and thematic point. Read more… Hoyt Hilsman – The Huffington Post Gigi … Read more
One Night with Janis Joplin by Randy Johnson. David C. Nichols – L.A. Times The legend that was and is Janis Joplin has influenced countless female rockers, many of them epic talents in their own right. And few if any theater events have done full justice to this trailblazing force of nature’s vocal impact and unflagging connection with an … Read more
French Stewart, TV star (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) and local theatre mainstay (“Stoneface”: “Voice Lessons”) will host the 44th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC)Awards on Monday, March 18, 2013 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St. Downtown. Tickets for the show and opening reception, which will start at 6:30 pm, can be reserved by e-mailing crixawards2013@gmail.com. All … Read more
Oklahoma! by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Shirle Gottlieb – Gazette Newspapers Written in 1943 by musical titans Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! was a theatrical milestone that changed the face of musical theater forever. Read more… David C. Nichols – LA Times A bright golden haze of timeless musical theater invention suffuses Oklahoma! at the Carpenter Center. It carries Musical Theatre West’s affable, fleet-footed 70th … Read more
86′d by Jon Polito and Darryl Armbruster. David C. Nichols – L.A. Times Would that all indie films translated to the stage as well as “86’d” at Theatre 68. Jon Polito and Darryl Armbruster’s dark comedy about collective moral equivalency in a late-night diner weathers some blips in tone and casting to hold us in uncomfortably laughing thrall. Read more…