Margaret Gray

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at the Pantages Theatre

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Terry Morgan  –  Stage Raw When a tale that features a botched sex-change operation, plenty of blow job references and raunchy audience interaction can fill the generally conservative Pantages, something special must be happening. The special thing is John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch….. Read more… Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze … Read more

A TASTE OF HONEY at the Odyssey Theatre

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw In 1958, 18-year old Shelagh Delaney saw a production of Terrence Rattigan’s play Variations on a Theme, and was appalled by what she saw. The play had a reputation for boldness in tackling hot-button issues — it dealt with homosexuality, promiscuity, and bisexuality — but in Delaney’s view it was … Read more

ALL THE WAY at South Coast Repertory

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Terry Morgan  –  Stage Raw Theatre based on the recreation of history can be frustrating. On the one hand, one never knows how much the facts have been altered to make it properly dramatic and entertaining, while on the other, there are often so many characters that one never really gets to know any of … Read more

NEXT TO NORMAL at The Pico Playhouse

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical tackles a subject that many regarded as inimical to the musical format: mental illness and its effect on a family. Read more… Dany Margolies – The Daily Breeze Next to Normal is a contemporary musical in many ways. First produced in 2008, its … Read more

D DEB DEBBIE DEBORAH at Theatre of NOTE

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Margaret Gray – LA Times From the title of Jerry Lieblich’s play “D Deb Debbie Deborah,” I was ready for an exploration of the fluidity of identity, perhaps at different stages of a woman’s life. But in this West Coast premiere at Theatre of Note in Hollywood, the blurring of selfhood cuts a lot deeper than … Read more

IN TRUMP WE TRUST at the Second City Hollywood Studio Theatre

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Margaret Gray – LA Times The line between political reporting and parody is blurrier than ever these days, especially since Donald Trump launched his presidential run. It’s not always obvious whether a headline comes from the Los Angeles Times or the Onion. Read more… Now running through August 13

THE LITTLE MERMAID at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

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Melinda Schupmann – Arts In LA Walt Disney’s legacy is more than just a mouse or an amusement park. He set in motion a juggernaut that includes films, both live, animated, or a combination of both; award-winning music; television programming; radio programs; and theatrical productions, mostly based on his animated films. McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s newest … Read more

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre

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Margaret Gray – LA Times Al Dubin wrote lyrics for enduring songs of the stage and screen, won an Academy Award in 1936 for “Lullaby of Broadway” and may be best known for his five-year partnership with Harry Warren at Warner Bros., which produced a string of hits — “42nd Street,” “We’re in the Money,” … Read more

IN & OF ITSELF at the Geffen Playhouse

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Margaret Gray – LA Times The first time Derek DelGaudio performed at the Geffen Playhouse — in the 2012 show “Nothing to Hide,” which he created with co-star Helder Guimarães and director Neil Patrick Harris — DelGaudio ended up staying longer than expected: The magic act, originally slotted for a one-month run, packed the house for 18 weeks. Read more… … Read more

THE PAVILION at the Malibu Playhouse

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Margaret Gray – LA Times Craig Wright’s often-produced play “The Pavilion,” now in a lovely revival at Malibu Playhouse, takes place in the early 2000s, in the fictional town of Pine City, Minn. (That’s where Wright, who also has a long list of TV writing credits including “Six Feet Under,” “Lost” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” … Read more