MASAO AND THE BRONZE NIGHTINGALE

Playwrights Dan Kwong and Ruben Funkahuatl Guevara have quite a tale to tell about post-WWII Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights in Masao And The Bronze Nightingale and an ethnically, culturally, linguistically diverse cast of characters to tell it with, but the World Premiere play-with-songs’ hefty three-hour running time begs the question, how much of a good thing is too much?
(read more)

HADESTOWN


Like Rent, Spring Awakening, and Hamilton before it, Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown, the 2019 Tony winner for Best Musical, revitalizes the genre in the most electrifyingly original of ways.
(read more)

LEGALLY BLONDE

Ragged around the edges but blessed with some terrific lead performances, Cupcake Theatre’s intimate revival of Broadway’s Legally Blonde would have me singing its praises even louder had the show not started thirty minutes late to accommodate walk-ins.
(read more)

BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY


Love, hate, and jealousy. Pearl Cleage’s Blues For An Alabama Sky has them all, and an abundance of laughs to boot, in Center Theatre Group’s sensatinal revival of the Atlanta-based playwright’s 1995 hit, directed by none other than its original Alliance Theatre Company star Phylicia Rashad.
(read more)

A CHORUS LINE


The annual USC spring musical is back after a three-year hiatus with director Tim Dang and choreographer Cedric Dodd’s strikingly fresh take on A Chorus Line, a talent showcase for a couple dozen Trojan triple-threats on their way to the top.
(read more)

APARTMENT LIVING


Playwright Boni B. Alvarez takes us back to the early months of the pandemic in Apartment Living, the latest Playwrights’ Arena/Skylight Theatre Company World Premiere, and assuming you’re okay with reliving those days of apprehension and uncertainty, Alvarez’s latest offers an adeptly balanced mix of comedy and drama, laughter and fears performed by an all-around fabulous acting ensemble and featuring the most ingenious set design in town.
(read more)

IN THE NEXT ROOM (or the vibrator play)


Open Fist Theatre Company scores another hit with Sarah Ruhl,s In The Next Room (or the vibrator play), the sparklingly provocative, unexpectedly touching 2010 Best Play Tony nominee that gave the award-winning playwright her first Broadway credit.
(read more)

ON THE OTHER HAND WE’RE HAPPY


On The Other Hand We’re Happy, Daf James’ insightful look at a British couple’s efforts to adopt, not only marks an exciting return for Rogue Machine, it’s a perfect example of a story best told, not as a movie or miniseries, but on a nearly bare stage with just three remarkable actors bringing at least twice as many characters to vivid life.
(read more)

« Older Entries Newer Entries » « Older Entries Newer Entries »