ONE NIGHT STANDS
Sunday, April 6th, 2008RECOMMENDED
One Night Stands, The Sex Comedies began as the second half of a program of one acts last June. Nearly a year later it continues in expanded form as a sort of “late night” entry playing during “prime time” hours (sans the two musicals which completed the original program).
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THE NERD
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Rick Steadman, aka The Nerd, is the guest from hell who comes and stays and stays and stays…in Larry Shue’s hilarious comedy, The Nerd. Shue only wrote two plays (The Nerd and The Foreigner) in a life cut far too short, but they are both comic gems which assure his legacy. There is hardly a theater company (regional, community, or school) that hasn’t presented at least one of them, and with good reason. They are funny, outrageous, absurd delights, and Shue’s The Nerd is now getting an almost perfect production at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse.
DON JUAN
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
I have a confession. I’d much rather see a comedy by Molière than one by William Shakespeare. I think it’s mostly the language. Since Molière is usually translated from 17th century French into modern English, his plays feel contemporary, even when set hundreds of years ago. I felt so last June when I saw The Imaginary Invalid at ACT in San Francisco and I felt so again last night watching Don Juan at A Noise Within, Glendale’s diamond of a classical theater company.
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THE HISTORY OF BOWLING
Monday, March 24th, 2008RECOMMENDED
You know you’re in for something different at the theater when a quartet of
pom-pom bearing cheerleaders provide the pre-show announcements … as a
cheer. Follow that with a leading man who’s a real-life quadriplegic (Danny
Murphy of Farrely Brothers movies fame) and a quirky girl meets older boy plot
and you have The History Of Bowling, now playing at the NoHo Arts Center.
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SECRETS OF THE TRADE
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Though the coming out/coming of age story has been told time and again, it
is one that bears retelling, especially when told as freshly and smartly as
Jonathan Tolins does it in Secrets Of The Trade, now playing at the Black
Dahlia Theatre. Tolins’ play is, as well, a perfect example of why L.A. theater,
especially theater of the “waiver” variety, can hold its head high and proud
amidst any theatrical community. It is no wonder that Tony-winning multiple-
Broadway-shows-to-his-credit John Glover has chosen to appear in a tiny
theater on Pico Blvd. A production as fine as this one gives Glover a role he
was, as they say, born to play and surrounds him with talent worthy of any
Broadway stage.
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INVASION OF THE MINNESOTA NORMALS
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
The L.A. based Minnesota expatriates who brought us the over-the-top
craziness of Maxwell Anderson’s Bad Seed are back, with a quite different yet
equally laugh-inducing original, Jen Ellison’s Invasion Of The Minnesota
Normals. Set in the “innocent” Eisenhower-era 1950s, Invasion makes it clear
that the sometimes idealized golden years before Viet Nam and women’s lib
and school shootings and gay marriage were not so perfect after all.
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MY THING OF LOVE
Saturday, March 8th, 2008
If I simply tell you to go see My Thing Of Love, will that be endorsement enough for you? The reason I’m asking is that so much of the pleasure of watching Alexandra Gersten’s quirkily wonderful and unpredictable comedy (or is it a drama?) is in not knowing what’s going to happen. In fact, even a quick glance at the cast of characters midway through act one spoiled one of the surprises for me. So how about if I just say “Go” and end the review here?
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SEXY LAUNDRY
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
Frances Fisher gives the finest comedic performance by an actress you’re likely
to see all year and Paul Ben-Victor is her magnificent partner in laughter, rage,
tears, and romance in Michele Riml’s hilarious, moving, and very real Sexy
Laundry, now playing at the historic Hayworth Theatre. How’s that for a
reason to go see a play instead of staying home and watching TV?
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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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