EQUUS
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Let’s play a game of word association. I say “Equus” and you say the first thing that pops into your head. Here goes. “Equus.” All right, what was your answer? Was it
a) Horse? b) Richard Burton? c) Psychiatrist? d) Nudity? e) Broadway?
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THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
FINANCIER BILKS CLIENTS OF INVESTMENTS
FORTUNES LOST IN FINANCIAL SCANDAL
Sound familiar? Could these headlines be referring to convicted felon Bernie Madoff?
Actually, not.
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THE UNSEEN
Friday, June 26th, 2009NOT RECOMMENDED
My idea of a perfect theatergoing month would be one in which twenty shows out of twenty would merit a WOW! review. I realize that this would only bolster the erroneous impression that, as one person put it, “Steven Stanley has never met a show he didn’t like,” but I’ve never understood reviewers who consistently pan what they see and then keep going back for more. I go to the theater because, quite frankly, nothing makes me happier.
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FARRAGUT NORTH
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Farragut North is the Washington D.C. subway stop where political has-beens debark to do the only thing left for them in the world of politics—boring, thankless consultant jobs. It’s also the title of Beau Willimon’s exciting, riveting new play about the behind-the-scenes maneuverings (and back-stabbings) of a Presidential primary campaign, a 2008 off-Broadway production now transferred to the Geffen Playhouse for its West Coast Premiere.
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HE ASKED FOR IT
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Freshly arrived in LaLa Land from Wyoming, aspiring actor Ted is working out on the treadmill at 24 Hour Fitness. Could the hunk doing cardio next to him possibly be gay? Perhaps a question or two might clear up any confusion. Ted: Do you like Madonna? Hunk: No. After a few more failed attempts to get the conversational ball rolling, the new guy in town plunges into his life story. “I never got that kind of radar thing you’re supposed to get,” the gaydar-challenged young actor explains. “You should try the Internet,” suggests the gym bunny, and when Ted plunges in and suggests maybe getting together, the studly object of his attention responds succinctly, “Sorry, but I don’t go out with guys I meet at the gym.”
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FACING EAST
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
It has been said that there is no greater loss than that of a child a parent has given life to. Imagine, then, how much more devastating the pain must be when that parent feels responsible for his or her child’s death, and how much greater still if the child’s death has occurred at his or her own hands.
STRANGER
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
The rock-based notes of an Ennio Morricone-like melody inform us that, once again, it’s once upon a time in the West. The year is 1847 and the tiny Nevada town of San Lorenzo has been enslaved by a ruthless villain known only as Lagarto. Showdown time has arrived, and the town sheriff orders his teenage daughter Lucinda to get inside. “You do it for Mama,” Lucy cries out. “You kill him for her!” The sheriff looks the evil Lagarto in the eye and informs him, “This is your last chance. Take your men and be on your way.” “You look like a simple man,” responds Lagarto, “so I’ll keep it simple. No.” And with that, he shoots the sheriff, then his deputy. Pulling out an enormous knife, he grabs Lucy and tells her, “I like you. I think I’m going to keep you.” Lagarto then proceeds to slit the sheriff’s throat with the knife until his blood is splattered everywhere.
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THE LITTLE FOXES
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
There were no air conditioners or airplanes, no television or traffic lights in 1900. Ballpoint pens and shopping carts had yet to be invented, nor had calculators or computers. Still, despite how different our 21st Century world may seem from the one inhabited by the Hubbards of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, at least one thing remains very much the same—greed. When Ben Hubbard utters the prophetic lines, “There are hundreds of Hubbards sitting in rooms like this throughout the country. All their names aren’t Hubbard, but they are all Hubbards and they will own this country some day,” he could easily be speaking of the CEOs whose greed is in large part responsible for today’s economic woes. Despite being seventy years old and taking place more than a century ago, The Little Foxes is as relevant as ever, as well as being crackling good theater, especially in a production as exciting, powerful, and contemporary as the one now playing at the Pasadena Playhouse.
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