DNA
Friday, December 11th, 2015The attempt by a group of high-school students to cover up the not-quite-accidental death of a bullied classmate makes for dramatic fireworks and multiple unexpected turns in Dennis Kelly’s twisted black comedy DNA, a largely impressive first production from Red Cup Theatre Company.
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WOOD BOY DOG FISH
Sunday, November 29th, 2015Imagine Walt Disney’s Pinocchio had Tim Burton been in creative charge and opted for a live-action 99-seat Los Angeles theater staging rather than an animated film and you’ll have some idea of what to expect in Wood Boy Dog Fish, Rogue Artists Ensemble and Bootleg Theatre’s deliciously dark-and-twisted take on Carlo Collodi’s classic childhood tale.
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@thespeedofJake
Wednesday, November 25th, 2015A grieving father’s attempt to connect with his deceased elementary-school-age son leads him on an unexpected journey towards healing in Jennifer Maisel’s transformative family drama @thespeedofJake, the superbly directed/acted latest World Premiere from Jon Lawrence Rivera and Playwrights’ Arena.
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FRONT DOOR OPEN
Monday, November 23rd, 2015NOT RECOMMENDED
An improbable script, grating characters, problematic performances, lackluster direction, and above all the trivialization of a crippling anxiety disorder afflicting over three million Americans make Tom Baum’s Front Door Open a World Premiere production not worth leaving your house for.
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THE PAINTED ROCKS AT REVOLVER CREEK
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015Premier South African playwright Athol Fugard once again puts a personal face on apartheid in his deeply moving two-act drama The Painted Rocks Of Revolver Creek, now getting a gorgeously-acted West Coast Premiere at Fugard’s Los Angeles home, the award-winning Fountain Theatre.
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THE FEAST
Sunday, November 15th, 2015A suddenly meatless world serves as the pretext for what well may be the most bizarre dinner party in the history of contemporary theater in Celine Song’s absurdist black comedy The Feast, now being given a terrific Los Angeles New Court Theatre L.A. Premiere in precisely the kind of DTLA loft-with-view in which said dinner party might actually take place.
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MIRAVEL
Saturday, November 14th, 2015RECOMMENDED
Cyrano de Bergerac gets a jazz-infused contemporary update in Jake Broder’s play with music Miravel, a Sacred Fools World Premiere that scores high marks for performance, both vocal and instrumental, but could use some tweaking and tightening, particularly in its overlong first act.
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