Neal Weaver

THE BOY FROM OZ – Celebration Theatre at the Lex

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Paul Birchall – Stage and Cinema What makes this boisterous jukebox musical about the life of late music and stage legend Peter Allen (whose songs make up the show’s core) so winning, is the combination of larger-than-life excess and the piquant whiff of melancholy – all of which are frankly irresistible to a wide swath … Read more

ELECTRICITY at Two Roads Theatre

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw Gary (playwright Terry Ray) and Brad (Kevin Scott Allen) are sort of a gay odd couple. Gary is a 28-year-old gay virgin, nerdy and prim, who thinks his homosexuality is a deep dark secret, though everyone at his school refers to him as gay Gary. Read more… Les Spindle – Frontiers … Read more

THE DIG at L.A.T.C.

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Neal Weaver – Stage Raw In her intriguing solo-drama, writer-performer Stacie Chaiken plays archeologist Sally Jenkins, who specializes in the study of ancient DNA. As she says, “It’s easy to extract the whole gene from soft tissue, but there is never soft tissue in ancient burials. I’ve managed to replicate the material I need from … Read more

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF TOLUCA LAKE: THE MUSICAL at the Falcon Theatre

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw When critic Walter Kerr reviewed the musical Zorba, he observed that it was the only musical he’d ever seen where he actively hated the chorus. This show, with book, music and lyrics by Molly Bell, is an intimate musical so it has no chorus, but the characters are, if not hateful, … Read more

SUMMER AND SMOKE at the Actors Co-op

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David C. Nichols – LA Times Summer and Smoke” may stand a little higher in the Tennessee Williams canon after you see an exceptional Actors Co-op revival of the 1947 drama, one of the best offerings in the company’s storied history. Read more… Les Spindle –  Frontiers L.A. Tennessee Williams’ sultry and thought-provoking 1947 drama, strongly … Read more

SPIES ARE FOREVER at the NoHo Arts Center

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw This slick little musical is a spoof of the James Bond movies, with emphasis on their snazzy-jazzy opening credits. The book is by Tin Can Brothers, a team made up of director Corey Lubowich and ensemble members Joey Richter and Brian Rosenthal, with a score by Clark Baxstresser and Pierce … Read more

THEY DON’T TALK BACK at the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry Museum

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw This world premiere of Frank Henry Kaash Katasse’s They Don’t Talk Back is produced by Native Voices at the Autry, a theatre company dedicated to developing new theatre works by Native American playwrights, and supporting the talents of Native American actors, writers, musicians, and directors. Read more… Now running through March 20.

THICKER THAN WATER at Theatre West

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw In suburban NYC, the Corelli family business — a construction company — is facing a dire threat. The firm, founded by paterfamilias Dominick (Vincent Palmieri) and henpecked Uncle Albert (David Mingrino), provides employment for Dominick’s elder son Carmine (Johnny Ferretti) and tough-talking butch daughter Marie (Heather Alyse Becker). But Albert’s … Read more

PLACAS: THE MOST DANGEROUS TATTOO at Casa 0101

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw This play, by writer-director Paul S. Flores, sets out to examine the life of Salvadoran immigrants in the U.S., but it’s also part of an attempt to stop gang violence. It examines, among other things, the role of placas in gang life. (“Placas” is barrio slang for body tattoos that … Read more