Author Archive
URINETOWN
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
USC’s Musical Theatre Repertory proves once again (in the immortal words of The Who) that “the kids are alright” with their latest production, the 2001 Broadway hit musical Urinetown.
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SYLVIA
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Sylvia is A.R. Gurney’s tale of an adorable mutt who finds herself a new master in a Manhattan park and a new home in a New York City brownstone. This comic tribute to Man’s Best Friend has become a regional audience favorite since its first staging in 1995 with Sarah Jessica Parker as Sylvia, and its latest incarnation at Hermosa Beach Playhouse is one of the Playhouse’s best.
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CAMELOT
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
If you’re an avid musical-theatergoer like this reviewer, you’ve probably seen at least one production of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot that made you think, “Bo-ring.” Then there are those Camelots that feature a 60something King Arthur, forgetting that Richard Burton was but 35 when he originated the role on Broadway and Richard Harris all of 36 when he made the movie. Dozens of lords, ladies, and “simple folk” in 6th Century garb may be gorgeous to look at (the original Broadway production of Camelot had a cast of 55!), but they have tended to bog down Camelot’s romantic triangle under the weight of all those costumes. Besides, what theater can afford a cast of even 25 these days?
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GLORIOUS!
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
“People may say I can’t sing, but no one can say I didn’t sing.”
–Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944)
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HERSHEY FELDER AS GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Every so often, a performer creates a theater genre or role which pretty much guarantees him or herself a potentially endless future on stage. Jaston Williams and Joe Sears have done so with their Greater Tuna roles. Marypat Donovan has too with her Late Nite Catechism series. Add to that list Hershey Felder.
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ORPHEUS DESCENDING
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Frantic Redhead Productions’ presentation of Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending is a prime example of Los Angeles theater at its finest. A big-name trio of leading players with serious theatrical credits and training, a gifted director with an inspired concept, and one of the finest design teams in town have combined forces to make one of Williams’ lesser known dramas not only a surefire hit but the first major artistic success of 2010 as well.
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IN THE COMPANY OF JANE DOE
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
When was the last time you saw a surreal screwball comedy about human cloning? Tiffany Antone’s In The Company Of Jane Doe is just that play, and as might be expected from the preceding description, quite a unique concoction it is. Though Antone’s decidedly unusual blend of the nutty and the bizarre does lose momentum in its second act and may leave you scratching your head as you exit the theater, its wild and crazy cast of characters, imaginative design, and terrific performances make it well worth a look-see.
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ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
Sunday, January 10th, 2010RECOMMENDED
After staging ten Shakespeare productions over the past three years, The Porters Of Hellsgate are for the first time paying royalties. Not that they really had to leave the public domain, there still being a few dozen more Shakespeare plays left for the talented young troupe of Bard-o-philes to produce and perform. On the other hand, having chosen Hamlet as production number ten, their decision to run Shakespeare’s Greatest Play in rotating rep with Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead (with the same casts no less) was an inspired one.
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Since 2007, Steven Stanley's StageSceneLA.com has spotlighted the best in Southern California theater via reviews, interviews, and its annual StageSceneLA Scenies.
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