A Streetcar Named Desire @ THE STREETCAR PROJECT

Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Westrate and Owen’s concept of A Streetcar Named Desire is ripe with possibilities, and they skillfully tighten the noose around Tennessee Williams’ characters. With the constricted proximities, the audience feels less like they’re viewing a play than guiltily eavesdropping on neighbors’ high drama. Read more…

JOAN @ SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Someone as delightfully unpredictable as the legendary comedian Joan Rivers deserves a delightfully unpredictable show. The new biographical play Joan by Daniel Goldstein, now having its world premiere at South Coast Rep, however, is a pleasant but by the numbers program. Read more… Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review South … Read more

Kimberly Akimbo @ THE PANTAGES

Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA Anyone who’s been privy to my usual grumblings concerning the dated nature of traditional musical comedy as opposed to the innovation of contemporary musical theatre will appreciate my excitement about David Lindsay-Abaire’s multiple-Tony-winning 2021 musical adaptation of his also award-winning play. To me, it’s the quintessential paradigm of how such … Read more

Dragon Lady @ GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

Patrick Chavis – LA Theatre Bites Podcast 7.5 out of 10! Above Average! Listen more… Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Dragon Lady is a touching, hilarious mixture of karaoke and familial strife as writer and actor Sara Porkalob’s forebearers see two different realities of the immigration experience. Playing multiple characters in her one-person tribute to her … Read more

The Brothers Size @ GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

Anita W. Harris – LA Theatrix “The Brothers Size” is ultimately the mesmerizing story of two very different brothers, each learning to make space for the other in a world that threatens to crowd in on their love, despite – or perhaps because of – their protective circle. Read more… F. Kathleen Foley – Stage … Read more

The Substance Of Fire @ RUSKIN GROUP THEATRE

Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania Jon Robin Baitz’s The Substance of Fire could be a sincere one-act about two people ruled by rage who make themselves vulnerable to each other. Unfortunately in this production, the second act is shackled to a first act that feels like warmed-over Succession, which exists only to give context and ends … Read more