Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog is a riveting play where its words did much of the heavy lifting in the Pasadena Playhouse production now playing. Despite committed performances, the rich language may need to marinate with the actors a bit more amongst staging and casting issues that can’t be changed. … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania When one thinks of the brash musical La Cage Aux Folles, gritty does not usually come to mind. The bare-bones production at Pasadena Playhouse lacks the gaudy, bawdy luster promised in the title song, and instead leans into tackiness. Read more… Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 9.3 out of … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Martin Crimp’s translation of Edmond Rostand’s classic Cyrano de Bergerac plays fast and loose with Rostand’s original text, but the story of a love triangle built on words and beauty remains the same in the new production at Pasadena Playhouse. Read more…
Katie Buenneke – Stage Raw This is a unique production, where the sum of the parts may be greater than the show itself. There’s a lot to like about most of the elements of Jelly’s Last Jam, especially for anyone who enjoys hearing and seeing jazz performed at a high level, but Jelly Roll Morton’s … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania One of the Good Ones, now making it world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse, employs the tropes of many mid-20th-century stage comedies to explore the generation gap, cultural identity, and nationalism in the Latiné community. Conventional yet charming, this play by Gloria Calderón Kellett reveals the universality of familial strife. Read … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Everything she tries to accomplish is echoed beautifully by Burnham and their design team, making one wonder how much comes from their collaborative efforts and how much is them letting Berlant’s Robin Williams flag unfurl along the way and simply support her in the most professional way possible as they … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Inherit the Wind, unfortunately, disappoints despite the electric chemistry of its two stars, Alfred Molina and John Douglas Thompson. Director Michael Michetti has chosen to give the play a contemporary feel — with a cast that looks and sounds like modern-day Americans — but in so doing, … Read more
Rob Stevens – Haines His Way Cameron Watson has directed with pinpoint clarity and permits his actors to live and breathe their dialogue. Brenneman commands the stage from the opening moments to the closing. Her Bella is an enigma that will never really be solved. Keith matches her scene by scene. They truly form a … Read more
Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Stew @ Pasadena Playhouse – 8 out of 10! Good Show! LA Theatre Bites Recommended! Read more… Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania In Stew, playwright Zora Howard taps into a style of comedy that recalls the laughter-infused family dramas of Neil Simon, but she does it from an African American … Read more
Don Shirley – Angeles Stage Before a jury held Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million, Trump claimed in a deposition that male “stars” have grabbed and groped women for “millions of years” — “unfortunately or fortunately.” Leaving that unfortunate “fortunately” aside, the musicals that currently … Read more