SWEENEY TODD
Friday, January 25th, 2013
Like the Little Engine That Could, USC’s Musical Theatre Repertory’s self-proclaimed “innovative musical theater, for students, by students,” undertakes its most daunting challenge to date, Stephen Sondheim’s epic Sweeney Todd, and comes out with yet another winner.
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THEIR EYES SAW RAIN
Monday, January 7th, 2013NOT RECOMMENDED
“Bang! Thunder kicks. Rain falls. Incessant. In the small town of Castle. There is indolence and apathy. Three brothers make it their mission to keep from being washed away.”
If the above publicity blurb seems frustratingly abstruse, West Liang’s World Premiere drama Their Eyes Saw Rain does little to clarify the confusion despite the best efforts of all concerned.
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KING LEAR
Saturday, January 5th, 2013
The talented young Shakespeareans who call themselves The Porters Of Hellsgate have scored a major casting coup in bringing onboard stage-and-screen vets Larry Cedar and Leon Russom for their most ambitious production to date, the epic tragedy King Lear.
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DIRTY FILTHY LOVE STORY
Saturday, December 22nd, 2012
The dirt and filth in Rob Mersola’s hilarious World Premiere comedy Dirty Filthy Love Story isn’t what its title may lead you to expect, though there is indeed plenty of R-rated raunch once the sexual sparks ignite between its in-love-&-lust protagonists.
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JACOB MARLEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
Saturday, December 15th, 2012
Just when you think there’s no new way to tell Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, along comes an approach so fresh and an execution so spectacular, it makes you ignore the “I’ve seen enough Christmas Carols to last me a lifetime” voice inside your head and be exceedingly glad you did.
The Dickens adaptation in question is Tom Mula’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, whose brilliant L.A Premiere staging by producer-director Casey Kringlen makes it must-see holiday entertainment for anyone who loves great theater, be it grand or intimate, or in this case a bit of both.
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LA ZIZANIE AU CONSULAT (Mayhem At The Consulate)
Thursday, December 13th, 2012RECOMMENDED
The laughter has a distinctively Gallic flavor to it in Euro-Theatre’s production of La Zizanie Au Consulat (Mayhem At The Consulate), Jean-Louis Darville’s World Premiere French-language screwball comedy, debuting tonight at Hollywood’s Assistance League Theatre. Though last night’s preview seemed technically quite a ways from being ready for Opening Night, the English-subtitled* farce had this French-speaking reviewer laughing from start to finish, thanks to Darville’s silly but très amusant script and all-around sparkling performances from its cast of ten native French speakers.
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THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
The deadly-looking knife Colin hides under the queen-size bed he’s about to share with prostitute Salome in The Christmas Present clues us in from the get-go that Guy Picot’s dark holiday comedy isn’t going to be the sort of warm-hearted fare that usually fills our theaters each December.
Following four UK productions and a raved-about American debut last year at one of L.A.’s theater gems, The Christmas Present returns for another holiday-go-round at Sacred Fools, directed by its playwright and with its trio of 2011 stars intact.
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IN THE HEIGHTS
Monday, December 3rd, 2012
In The Heights, the Tony-winning Best Musical of 2008, now gets its very first Los Angeles regional staging—an under-the-radar intimate production in L.A.’s own (Boyle) Heights that is so sensational it deserves to be on any musical theater fan’s radar throughout the month of December, and hopefully beyond.
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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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