Stage Raw

FATHER, SON AND HOLY COACH at the Odyssey Theatre

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Paul Birchall  – Stage Raw Writer/performer John Posey’s solo show is about the strained relationship between a driven football-crazed dad and his more laidback and thoughtful son. In the program, Posey notes that the story is not autobiographical, though it does contain elements of real life and is drawn from the stories of people he … Read more

NO WAKE at VS. Theatre

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Bob Verini  –   Stage Raw The premise of William Donnelly’s No Wake is straightforward enough — the throwing together of a divorced couple after the suicide of their long-estranged daughter. With the addition of a third character, the wife’s new husband who has come along for moral support, the action could proceed in any number of ways, … Read more

UTOPIA at the Bootleg Theatre

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Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw Co-written by writer/performers David Douglas and Martin Head, Utopia revolves around a faceoff between Martin (Head), a community entrepreneur looking to create an art gallery reflecting the lives and hopes of people of color, and David (Douglas), an artist and former colleague whom he’s summoned from Albuquerque to work with him on … Read more

THICKER THAN WATER at Theatre West

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Neal Weaver  – Stage Raw In suburban NYC, the Corelli family business — a construction company — is facing a dire threat. The firm, founded by paterfamilias Dominick (Vincent Palmieri) and henpecked Uncle Albert (David Mingrino), provides employment for Dominick’s elder son Carmine (Johnny Ferretti) and tough-talking butch daughter Marie (Heather Alyse Becker). But Albert’s … Read more

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX at the Mark Taper Forum

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Lovell Estell III – Stage Raw The sneaky, overworked phrase “friends with benefits” takes on new meaning in this watery comedy by Bathsheba Doran. Read more… Dany Margolies – L.A. Daily News Family has not changed since ancient times. Our perceptions of family have. Playwright Bathsheba Doran seems to celebrate this in her play “The Mystery … Read more

PAST TIME – Sacred Fools at the Elephant Asylum Complex

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Paul Birchall  – Stage Raw Padraic Duffy’s rather sweet romantic comedy — the premiere offering at Sacred Fools’ new home at the former Elephant Asylum complex — is a good workmanlike calling card to introduce the company’s style and tone to its new neighborhood. If the play ultimately strikes one as slight, it’s salvaged by … Read more

POCATELLO – Rogue Machine at The Met

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Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw If you google the town of Pocatello in Southwest Idaho, you’ll get images of dusty hills and a downtown whose architecture might have served as nostalgic backdrop for The Last Picture Show. The place is changing though; look long enough and you’ll see a shot of a Ross store as well, … Read more