STAY ON THE LINE: A Rock Musical
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013RECOMMENDED
A crisis hotline center serves as the setting for Stay On The Line: A Rock Musical, a revised remounting of a 2001 Cal State Fullerton project and one that works best as a showcase for its phenomenally talented cast of mostly 20something triple threats under the direction of Crystal K. Craft and Scott Mlodzinski.
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A FAMILY THING
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
Alcoholism, drug addiction, childhood abuse, homophobia, racism, and murder would hardly seem a recipe for laughter, yet despite its dramatic underpinnings, Gary Lennon’s World Premiere A Family Thing turns out to be one of the funniest shows in town. It’s also one of the best acted, and one L.A. playgoers in search of a dark, gritty, yet thoroughly entertaining hour-and-a-half of theater won’t want to miss.
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CHRISTMAS IN HANOI
Friday, February 15th, 2013
East West Players takes a chance on something new—a ghost story set in contemporary Vietnam—and comes up with a winner in Eddie Borey’s Christmas In Hanoi. As brought to life by a topnotch creative team, Borey’s EWP’s playwriting competition-winning script makes for a strong 2013 opener for the country’s premier Asian-American theater.
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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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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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