HARDLY THE ANIMAL IT WANTS TO BE Life comes to this new chamber musical, but only in the center of the second act, giving a hint of what the creators intended. Unfortunately, the flimsy prem…
AN ACTOR WITH A NORMAL HEART I met Eric Lange in 1996 when I was producing The Normal Heart. I'll never forget that charming, at-ease magnetism he had walking into the audition room, and I k…
MERRY-GO-ROUND PLAYWRITING More of a writing exercise than a fleshed-out drama, Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries begins with an intriguing premise, but sputters to a halt when we …
DON'T MIZ IT Unlike most of the characters in the blockbuster sung-through musical Les Misérables, the show itself will never die. Consistently presented either on Broadway, national tours,…
A BLASPHEMOUS BLAST After Dominique Serrand’s jaw-droppingly juicy and insanely inventive production of Molière’s Tartuffe, a South Coast Rep patron was heard to say, “…
FRACTURED FAIRY TALES Director Jessica Kubzansky’s imagination is firing on all cylinders, turning frivolousness into delight with South Coast Rep’s The Stinky Cheese Man and …
MORE LANG FOR YOUR BUCK While Jessica Lang has made a name for herself in the dance world as an independent choreographer, dance patrons in Los Angeles may find this dancemaker difficult to …
趙 æ° å¤ å…’ COMES TO A.C.T. Who amongst us can deny that at one time or another we have been wronged or injured by someone else? But how many feel that retaliation by exac…
AMERICAN HERO OR AMERICAN ZERO? While researching a speech on the origins of "The Star-Spangled Banner," I came across a name that I remembered from a visit to Gettysburg National Military P…
SAY IT, MOTHERFUCKER When you see the word "Motherf**ker" in the title The Motherf**ker with the Hat, what comes to mind? Why, "Motherfucker," naturally. While the asterisks may be necessary…
TWO TONY'S UNITE FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST THEATER EVENTS OF THE YEAR For anybody starved for smart and thrilling playwriting, your destination is Berkeley Rep, which is unfurling the West Coas…
A PRODUCTION FOR TUTTE TO COSÃŒ UP TO For those who think that the "semi-staging" for Così fan tutte, which opens on Friday at Disney Hall, is simply a world-class orchestra accompanyin…
COME HOME TO THE THEATER Statistics vary, but there were approximately 700,000 homeless Americans in 2013. While the government reports that figures are less drastic since the 2007 economic …
a poem about a play This critic, this poet this pinch faced sailor Blueblack eyes like wet rocks icy sharp nose like a dagger screams I AM A PLAGIARIST this poem MY poem paraphrased from act…
A ROAD TRIP YOU HAVE TO TAKE Some may not know this, but Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor, ex-cowboy, and musician Sam Shepard is also an amazing short story writer. After reading Cr…
DAZZLING DOMINGO IN MASSENET’S MASTERPIECE What do world-renowned singers do once they have reached the age of retirement? On the strength of their name, they fill cabarets and concert…
THE OLD SONG-AND-DANCE Full of vitality, eagerness, and joie de vivre, the indefatigable, cheerful, and fast-talkin' showman Maurice Hines is offering a walk-down-memory-lane with song, big …
GOING WHERE NO FESTIVAL HAS GONE BEFORE Writer and actor David Dean Bottrell came up with a swell idea for Los Angeles"a science fiction theater festival. Consisting of two different program…
INTO THE WORDS For his production of Into the Woods, director T.J. Dawson notes that Stephen Sondheim's score is often revered as genius. "However, many of his incredible lyrics rush by most…
JUST DANCE I recently read an email from a dance mentor whose advice for performing was simply, "Let it all go and Dance, Motherfuckers!" I couldn't help but think back to the email as I wat…
29 IS THE NEW 19 "If you ever feel stuck in your life," Broadway, TV, and film heartthrob Jeremy Jordan told the adoring throng at his L.A. debut last night, "go back to your childhood and r…
OOPSY DAISY With enough comic personality to rival Fanny Brice, the droll, deft, dirty, daffy, derisive, delirious, and delightful Daisy Eagan, best-known for being the youngest female Tony …
NOT PREMEDITATED ENOUGH Despite playwright Evelina Fernández' ability to take clichéd problems about marriage and turn them into humorous complaints about men tossing underwear on the fl…
TIME IS RELATIVE FOR THE RELATIVES IN TIME J. B. Priestley's Time and the Conways is in some ways a creaky play, yet the production at The Old Globe is so lovingly directed, thrillingly acte…
DIM LIGHTS As part of its 17th Annual Pacific Playwrights Festival, South Coast Repertory presented a play by Adam Rapp. Unlike Theresa Rebeck's Zealot and Rajiv Joseph's Mr. Wolf, which rec…