Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move I’m not sure why Antonio Jaramillo chose THE WOOL GATHERER as the vehicle to showcase himself and his real life partner Ashley Alvarez. But it sure did bring me back to all the worst things about the 1970s. Sure, it’s a love story. But there is so much … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw The Fantasticks, the longest running musical in history, goes back so many years and has gone through so many iterations—including a critically ill-received 2000 film—that you would think material this familiar wouldn’t pack the same emotional punch of a first viewing. You would be wrong. Read more… Amanda Callas … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw The Los Angeles premiere of Reel to Reel at Rogue Machine may be one of the most unusual—and quietly moving— productions you are likely to see this season. Read more… Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA What John Kolvenbach has created could so easily slip into gimmickry but never does … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA The scenes recalling pivotal moments in Neil Diamond’s life rise above the usual musical theatre romanticized fluff versions of actual events; nothing is glamorized in telling the story of a man who, besides fame, fortune, and the admiration of millions, never was able to shake off a lonely childhood and … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw Sister Act, which premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2006 and went on to a healthy run on Broadway, is one of those cash-grab enterprises that exploited fool-proof source material —namely, the popular 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg — to make bank. Read more…
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Sorry, written by Melissa R. Randel and co-directed by Randel and Larry Biederman, opens on a bizarre, rather unsettling image: three women, not young, dressed in varying undergarments (costumes by Rosalida Medina), stand on their respective chairs, their necks encircled by a yellow ribbon whose other end suspends from the … Read more
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Relevance aside, Chahinian relays his story with soft-spoken charm and the kind of casual wit which makes him seem like someone you’d like to chat with at a party. Read more…
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA The biggest asset this adaptation of the popular 1998 romcom has going for it is the hiring of Michael Donovan to direct, who not only stages with great fluidity, but there’s also the fact that as the premier theatrical casting director in Los Angeles, he was obviously privy to bring … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw In a crisply effective staging, directors Jeremy Palmer and Alison Boole go boldly over-the-top, with plenty of lavish mugging and double-takes. Read more…
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw With unsentimental precision and authenticity, Martyna Majok’s deceptively simple drama humanizes the immigrant experience in Ojai Theatre Festival’s promising inaugural production. Read more…