Steven Leigh Morris – Stage Raw. There’s so much to recommend in Christine Breihan’s staging of John Guerra’s play, even though the work feels in need of one more pass to address some dramaturgical clutter. Let’s start with the almost gothic beauty of a rural, drought-plagued California valley that has the mythology of the Wild … Read more
Dana Martin – Stage Raw. Not every new work is stage worthy. Laguna Playhouse’s new comedy Staged by Martin Bergman and Rita Rudner finds charm in fits and spurts but the world-premiere production is clunky and underwhelming…The play behaves and moves like an old-school sitcom, with the characters crafted in broad strokes. Both Fenella and Jarvis … Read more
Steven Leigh Morris – Stage Raw. Brdar’s play isn’t a play in any traditional sense. It’s a poem. A one-woman confessional in 13 verses, starting with “Age 0” and culminating in “Age 78.” It’s almost a one-woman show performed by Cynthia Ettinger, except for the supporting characters (Carmella Jenkins, Howard Leder and Debba Rofheart) who … Read more
Lara Altunian – Stage Raw. Although it can be argued that a growing obsession with true crime may in part be responsible for the most recent revival of Agatha Christie’s work, there is no doubt that her detective fictions’ compelling twists make them visual treats easily transferable to theater and cinema. Jumping on the bandwagon … Read more
Socks Whitmore – Stage Raw …KATRINA is a highly sensory play; from an excellently crafted hurricane soundscape to a backdrop cleverly painted to meld with the projections of a churning sea, the audience is encouraged to feel immersed in the storm. The recounting of Hurricane Katrina is communicated by footage, voice over, and the acted-out broadcasts … Read more
Socks Whitmore – Stage Raw It’s not often the words “love” and “zombie” are paired together—and it’s even rarer to see them alongside the words “new musical.” Set one year after the onset of the dreaded zombie virus, Blood Supply: A Zombie Apocalypse Love Story is a folk rock saga that has populated the Emerson Theatre stage … Read more
Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Circle X Theatre Company’s West Coast premiere production of Do You Feel Anger? @ Atwater Village Theatre – 10 out of 10 – Masterpiece! LA THEATRE BITES RECOMMENDED. Read more… Terry Morgan – Stage Raw There’s a Cowboy Junkies song from 1993 called “Hunted,” which is about the ever-present threat of … Read more
Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw It is Christmas in Chicago, and for Irish American brothers Jude (Jeffrey Nordling), Francis (Rob Nagle), and Thomas (Jamie Wollrab) that means some unseemly celebrations, despite their saintly names. Jude, the oldest, is committed to visiting the local gambling boats; middle child Francis is savoring the wares at his favorite … Read more
Martίn Hernández – Stage Raw Welcome to the studios of K-GRT 73, North Hollywood’s home of radio theatre, otherwise known as the upstairs space of the Group Repertory Theatre. Artistic Director Doug Haverty has adapted four works from veteran Los Angeles theater journalist and playwright Julio Martinez’s The Eight Plays of Christmas: A Series of Radio … Read more
Terry Morgan – Stage Raw There has been much discussion in recent years on social media concerning whether or not the 1998 film Die Hard qualifies as “a Christmas movie.” On the surface, the Bruce Willis actioner may not seem to be a good candidate for “holiday classic,” what with its brutal murders, hangings and cocaine abuse. … Read more