Patrick Chavis

THE REALISTIC JONESES at Rubicon Theatre Company and Laguna Playhouse

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Terry Morgan – ArtsBeat LA, reviewed at Rubicon Theatre, January 2023. The first time I saw a play by Will Eno was about 15 years ago, by Circle X Theatre Company of The Flu Season. It was an excellent production in many ways, but there was one scene in which a character died, and instead of having … Read more

IN THE GREEN at The Wayward Artist

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Patrick Chavis – The Orange County Review. In the arts, there’s always a battle between what sells and what moves us. Sometimes, they are the same thing. One of the things I appreciate about theater is I still see a hunger to experiment and fail on a grand scale. There’s something brave, honest, and necessary … Read more

COLONIALISM IN TERRIBLE, BUT PHO IS DELICIOUS at Chance Theater

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Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review. Pho is a delicious Vietnamese noodle dish I have often heard put in competition with Japanese ramen, probably because they’re both noodle dishes in a rich broth. But there’s no reason to put these dishes in competition. They are both so different and have a depth of flavor … Read more

UNRIVALED at Boston Court Pasadena

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Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites. Boston Court and Playwrights’ Arena Present: Unrivaled @ Boston Court Pasadena – 7.5 out of 10 – Above Average! More… Katie Buenneke – Theater Digest Sei Shōnagon (Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz) wrote The Pillow Book, an assemblage of musings that entertained not just her fellow ladies-in-waiting in the court of Empress … Read more

DID YOU SEE WHAT WALTER PAISLEY DID TODAY? at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

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Jonas Schwartz-Owen – Theatermania. So many shows have issues post-intermission after sparkling in Act 1 that the term “Second Act Trouble” is a cliché. The musical Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today?, which is having its world premiere at La Mirada Theatre, has the opposite problem. Act 1 lacks flavor and stakes, while … Read more

THE THIN PLACE, Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theatre

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Harker Jones – BroadwayWorld. Tony-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath’s THE THIN PLACE is an eerie meditation on grief, regret and the need for closure, though it is undermined by the lack of a satisfying conclusion… Obie Award- and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Hnath (“Red Speedo”; “A Doll’s House, Part 2”) carefully delineates each character with precise … Read more

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 at the Mark Taper Forum

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Dana Martin – Stage Raw. Center Theatre Group meets the moment with Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, conceived, written and revised by Anna Deavere Smith. The original production premiered on Broadway in April, 1994. Smith wrote it as a solo piece, which she developed from hundreds of interviews following the 1992 L.A. uprising. This updated version has expanded … Read more

THE LONELY FEW at Geffen Playhouse

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Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites. World Premiere: The Lonely Few @ Geffen Playhouse – 8 out of 10 – Good Show! LA Theatre Bites Recommended! More… Jonas Schwartz-Owen – Theatermania The Lonely Few, a world premiere rock musical at the Geffen Playhouse, does away with conventional narrative. It immerses its audience in rock clubs and then … Read more