Elaine Mura – Splash Magazine Adeptly helmed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, ANGRY, RAUCOUS, AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS proceeds to do just what the words in the title suggest – no, demand. Of course, Jackson has the advantage of a quartet of talented and seasoned actors to take on the roles of the four principals. After … Read more
Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA This production is richly produced, newly balanced with a remarkable updated script, and acted with exceptional clarity and heart, proving you don’t have to break a Golden Age classic to make it matter to modern audiences—you just have to find its heartbeat. Read more… F. Kathleen Foley – Stage Raw … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Back in the 1950s, a famous novel-turned-play-turned-film asked whether nature or nurture made little Rhoda Penmark a Bad Seed. Now Lolita Chakrabarti’s Hymn asks a related question: does having your father in your life lead you down the right path or not? Read more… Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix … Read more
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color Despite this new revival of Flower Drum Song having a second revision from David Henry Hwang, no amount of rewrites cannot shake the core that this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, now playing at East West Players, is still very much outdated as a orientalist and voyeuristic crowd pleaser … Read more
Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive In “Master Harold”…and the Boys, which was set in 1950 and written circa 1982 when apartheid was still enforced in South Africa, playwright Athol Fugard seems to have dramatized Frantz Fanon’s theories about the psychological impact of racism and colonialism on the human mind. Through action, dialogue and character, Fugard, … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania The national tour of the 2023 Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot has galloped into Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages, and the musical numbers remain as boisterous, energetic, and gleefully goofy as ever. Unfortunately, the book scenes, largely lifted from the famous dialogue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, have lost much … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Julia Child’s charismatic personality is explored in Claudia Shear’s new play The Recipe, a comedy with too few laughs and too few fresh insights into the life of the iconic chef. Lisa Peterson helms a breezy production that keeps the action moving, but her direction of its lead ultimately sinks it. … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Is the Old Globe’s new production of Hedda Gabler intended as a comedy? This isn’t a glib question, but a legitimate concern after leaving Erin Cressida Wilson’s slimmed-down adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic, headed by movie star Katie Holmes. This very watchable production feels like a spoof of daytime soap operas. … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania A new staging of the Broadway cause célèbre Here Lies Love has arrived at the Mark Taper Forum. But without the benefit of seeing the original Alex Timbers production in New York, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, in this reimagined version helmed by Center Theatre Group artistic director Snehal Desai, the … Read more
Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania In Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Antonio Salieri may proclaim himself the patron saint of mediocrity, but Jefferson Mays, who plays him in this new Pasadena Playhouse production, is a patron saint of distinction. His transcendent performance will be remembered for shaping the character into someone sharp, broken, and unexpectedly hilarious. Read more… … Read more