Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. I’ve seen it onstage several times, watched the film, enjoyed a cast recording (Cerveris/LuPone), and loved the Angela Lansbury/George Hearn version blessedly preserved on video. This breadth of comparisons, however, can make me picky about the show. Can the performers do justice to the songs … Read more
F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw SUFFS, the Broadway musical that closed in January of this year, touched down at the Pantages last week as part of a national tour — and it arrives with its urgency intact. Read more… Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Not since Hamilton has a show focused on education and rebellion … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Beginning in the total dark with a burst of ear-splitting ambient noise, this opening choice is as if the show’s creators are giving us a warning: This is only the beginning, motherf***ers, so get ready to scream out loud and jump out of your seats on a regular basis for … Read more
Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 8.9 out of 10! Excellent Show! LA Theatre Bites Recommended! Listen here… Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix While the play is genuinely affecting about the lives of these intrepid brothers, emotional nuance sometimes doesn’t land, perhaps also because the play’s pastiche structure precludes a sense of story. … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania The biggest rumble in LA Opera’s West Side Story is not between the Sharks and the Jets but between two musical styles. As Romeo and Juliet, the lead opera stars clash with the rest of the cast, who emphasize a Broadway style singing and acting—and that clash keeps audiences from experiencing … Read more
Tracey Paleo – Gia On The Move Preview night stood on no ceremony whatsoever as Ortega delivered her Magnum Opus performance, AM I ROXIE? – an autobiographical, comedic lullaby to her Peruvian mother who lived her last years and died with Alzheimers. Very Highly Recommended. Read more… Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania The Geffen Playhouse is … Read more
Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix While some of us can multitask, others — like Francis Henshall (Kasey Mahaffy) in “One Man, Two Guvnors” — find it inexplicably and hilariously challenging. Richard Bean’s 2011 take on Carlo Goldoni’s 1746 Italian “The Servant of Two Masters” re-sets the story to 1960s Brighton, England, complete with skiffle … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Audiences will have “Heaven on Their Minds” during the Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar, running through August 3. The classic rock opera fills the whole Bowl with an energy that’s astounding and intoxicating. Read more…
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color With the promise of Center Theatre Group‘s Hamlet (both adapted and directed by Robert O’Hara) being bold and daring for the new generation, it is odd to say that despite a very able & entertaining cast and some novel ideas, this production could do without the first half … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania There are tweaks to be made to Regency Girls before it makes a leap to Broadway, some tightening up of numbers particularly, but the book and score’s sentiments are genuine, the spirit is enchanting, and the cast is delightful. Read more…