Philip Brandes – Stage Raw Linda Purl deftly handles instant transitions between 16 clearly differentiated characters who appear in the course of the narrative, some with only a few lines of dialog. Her finest achievement, however, is in adapting the narrator’s delivery and tone to her stages of life—we feel we’re taking a life journey … Read more
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw The most impressive element of Joel Daavid’s scenic design is the two giant clocks at the rear of the set, their hands (this is at the top of the play, before the dialogue begins, and a couple of other places as well) moving at an accelerated speed to the tick-tock … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA As Stephen Laughton’s play flips in a dizzying timewarp back and forth from the year the lovers meet to the year their relationship crumbles due to the increasingly more frightening cultural winds of recent times, we are whisked along on their difficult ride. Read more… Edward Hong – The Nerds … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Everything about this presentation is emotionally devastating and so very timely, especially the “What would you have done?” nature of the tale. How Moises Kaufman has brought all the elements together and has orchestrated the mechanics of the projected images and the characters’ interactions with them makes this a mesmerizing, … Read more
Martín Hernández – Stage Raw Horrors notwithstanding, it is a compelling tale commemorating the tenacity of those surviving under unfair and unbearable conditions not of their making. Read more…
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw It’s hard to believe that Frankie Valli, at age 90, is currently on a “farewell tour” scheduled to end this April. Perhaps he’s aging better than Jersey Boys, which despite all the flash and frills, seems timeworn — a tribute to a once stellar act now fading into obscurity. Read … Read more
Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move OLD FRIENDS, a musical review of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits starring Bernadette Peters opened last night at the Ahmanson Theatre. And what a treat! Read more… Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA There simply could not be a more fitting living tribute to the brilliance of Sondheim, the most … Read more
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Modest production values ably frame the narrative. On a small proscenium, production designer Evan Bartoletti makes use of pivoting slats to shift between various interiors. Costumes by Lorna Bowen and set decoration by Delinda Pushtonequa add Native American color and flavor to a story which, whatever the limitations of its … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Andi Chapman’s rendition of Macbeth at A Noise Within is a refreshing work of art with a stunning ensemble cast comprised mostly of Black & global majority actors. Read more… Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw It’s a compelling way to begin this story of murder and mayhem. There’s … Read more
Philip Brandes – Stage Raw A production that freshens the familiar with some subtle but surprising departures that can help engage even jaded Hamleteers. Read more…