Snapshot by Mitzi Sinnott. Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly Mitzi Sinnott was not yet born when her African-American father was drafted to fight in Vietnam. Like many soldiers, he returned a shattered man haunted by guilt and unable to emotionally connect with his wife and daughter. First performed in 2004, Sinnott’s solo show juxtaposes family history and her experience as … Read more
Orange Flower Water by Craig Wright. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly In Craig Wright’s 80-minute domestic drama, a pair of mid-western married couples face the dissolution of their respective marriages. David and Cathy Calhoun (Jeff Denton andLeslie Liberman) and Brad and Beth Youngquist (Mick Thyer and Sarah Ann Schultz) have been friends for a few years before David comes to the realization … Read more
Neverwhere by Robert Kauzlaric, adapted from the novel written by Neil Gaiman. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly After assisting a distraught and injured woman named Door (Paula Rhodes), a milquetoast office worker named Richard (Bryan Bellomo) embarks on a journey that draws him into a fantastical subterranean world that lies beneath London. Neil Gaiman’s Wizard of Oz-esque story promises a … Read more
Mrs Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw. Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly George Bernard Shaw made his case for women’s lib in this 1894 play involving the contentious struggle between an assertive young feminist and her brothel-managing mom. Educated at Cambridge, Vivie (Rebecca Mozo) exemplifies a new breed of woman who loves her work and is lukewarm to … Read more
Belz! The Jewish Vaudeville Musical by Pavel Cerny. Mayank Keshaviah – LA Weekly An ersatz cross between Fiddler on the Roof and Cabaret, writer and director Pavel Cerny’s 1979 show enjoyed a successful 1984 run at the now defunct Callboard Theatre. But like the Callboard, the show’s best days may be behind it. Read more…
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly Playwright Sarah Ruhl’s melancholy and slightly surreal drama is a whimsical and updated take on the classic Greek myth of Orpheus, the divinely inspired musician who defied nature and descended into Hades to retrieve his slain wife. This exciting modern interpretation grants the tale of enduring love a more recent … Read more
The Trouble with Words by Gregory Nabours.. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly This scintillating 90-minute, two-act show is packed with eighteen appealing and pretty songs. Musical Director and composer Gregory Nabours’ engaging musical (restaged and newly completed with five additional new songs) is smart, sexy, funny and heartbreaking. Presented as the opening number, the title tune is catchy enough … 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
The Bird House by Diane Glancy. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly Cherokee playwright Diane Glancy offers a sad slice of contemporary country life in a small, dusty town in West Texas. Struggling with a dwindling congregation in his (almost) ghost town, evangelical preacher Jonathan (aka Reverend Hawk, played by Choctaw actor Randy Reinholz) and his dependent sisters face eviction from … Read more
Company by Stephen Sondheim. Pauline Adamek – LA Weekly Stephen Sondheim composed the lyrics and score to his innovative “concept musical” in 1970, with book by George Furth. For a comedy musical about love, it proves resolutely unromantic and honest. And, surprisingly, its acerbic wit and laser-like scrutiny of marriage, dating and relationships does not feel at all dated. … Read more