LADY
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Craig Wright may be most familiar as the writer/(executive) producer of TV’s Dirty Sexy Money and Six Feet under, but theatergoers know him as a prodigious playwright, the author of such radically different fare as Orange Flower Water, Grace, and Recent Tragic events, all three of which have had superb L.A. productions over the past two years. Orange Flower Water is a harrowing drama of adultery, Grace mixes that theme with evangelical Christianity, and Recent Tragic Events dares to imagine a screwball comedy taking place the day after 9-11. Now comes the West Coast Premiere of 2007’s Lady, and the trio of outstanding local productions of Wright’s work is now a quartet.
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CORPUS CHRISTI
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
MCCV’s brilliantly directed and exquisitely performed production of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi is currently thrilling audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, moving them to laughter and tears as it did the many Southern (and Northern) Californians who saw it over the course of its one year journey to Scotland.
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THE CONCEPT OF REMAINDERS
Sunday, April 13th, 2008
Richard Martin Hirsch proves himself not only prolific (4 plays produced locally in the last two years) but versatile par excellence with his latest (and best) work. After The Quality Of Light (a May-September romance set in France), Atonement (an engrossing character study of a Jewish writer in crisis), and this winter’s The Monkey Jar (a “from today’s headlines” drama about a child accused of threatening his teacher with a handgun), Hirsch now turns his considerable talents to comedy with a sexy adult concoction entitled The Concept Of Remainders.
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ONE NIGHT STANDS
Sunday, April 6th, 2008RECOMMENDED
One Night Stands, The Sex Comedies began as the second half of a program of one acts last June. Nearly a year later it continues in expanded form as a sort of “late night” entry playing during “prime time” hours (sans the two musicals which completed the original program).
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THE HISTORY OF BOWLING
Monday, March 24th, 2008RECOMMENDED
You know you’re in for something different at the theater when a quartet of
pom-pom bearing cheerleaders provide the pre-show announcements … as a
cheer. Follow that with a leading man who’s a real-life quadriplegic (Danny
Murphy of Farrely Brothers movies fame) and a quirky girl meets older boy plot
and you have The History Of Bowling, now playing at the NoHo Arts Center.
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THE VIOLET HOUR
Friday, March 14th, 2008
Richard Greenberg’s The Violet Hour seems throughout Act 1 (at least
superficially) to be a light and semi-absurd (albeit very intelligent) comedy.
However with the blackout line which concludes the act, it transforms itself in
Act 2 into a far more provocative (and intellectually stimulating) drama. The
two acts together form a funny and thought-provoking evening of theater.
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GREATER TUNA
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008RECOMMENDED
The residents of Tuna, Texas are alive and well and currently sojourning at
Metropolitan Community Church of the Valley in North Hollywood. Since MCC
of the Valley happens to have a largely gay and lesbian congregation, this
might come as a shock to some of the Tuna folks, as their hometown is not the
most forward-thinking spot in the nation. Not by a long shot.
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A GOOD SMOKE
Friday, February 22nd, 2008RECOMMENDED
Don Cummings’ darkly funny A Good Smoke could just as easily be titled Life
With The Mother From Hell, but that might just be the teensiest bit off-putting.
After all, how many of us would choose to spend an hour and a half with one
of the most unrelentingly angry women ever put on a stage? But rest assured,
on opening night the Chandler Theatre was filled with uproarious laughter,
and I was among those who laughed the loudest. Black as the comedy in as
A Good Smoke is, this is a very funny comedy indeed.
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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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