THE LIGHTS ARE OFF
Thursday, June 14th, 2012RECOMMENDED
A pair of college roommates attempt to navigate their way through the college years in Matt Soson’s The Lights Are Off, a dark, edgy screwball comedy with a starkly dramatic twist.
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MODIGLIANI
Friday, May 11th, 2012RECOMMENDED
A bravura lead performance by Matt Marquez as early 20th Century artist Amedeo Modigiliani and electric support by Nicole Stuart as his partner in art and sex are the two best reasons to catch Open Fist Theatre and Amedeo Production’s revival of Dennis McIntyre’s Modigliani.
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SUKIE AND SUE: THEIR STORY
Saturday, May 5th, 2012RECOMMENDED
A demonic Raggedy Ann doll wreaks havoc on a pair of nurses in Sukie And Sue: Their Story, Michael John LaChiusa’s offbeat trifle of a horror movie spoof now playing at The Blank Theatre.
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ELTON JOHN & TIM RICE’S AIDA
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012RECOMMENDED
At any time in the 20th Century, if you’d asked a theatergoer to say the first word to pop into his or her head upon hearing the name Aida, chances are it would have been “opera” or “Verdi” or some other classical music reference. Then came the year 2000, and the smash Broadway hit of the same name, and a whole new bunch of word associations were born—composer Elton John, lyricist Tim Rice, original star Heather Headley, replacement stars Toni Braxton and Deborah Cox, “Written In The Stars” (the hit single by John and LeAnn Rimes), or any number of more contemporary references. These days, when you talk about Aida, more than Verdi’s heroine comes to mind.
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JERSEY SHOREsical: A Frickin’ Rock Opera
Friday, April 13th, 2012RECOMMENDED
Imagine if the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore decided to put on a musical about their lives. Then imagine that the cast of Jersey Shore actually had enough talent to put on a musical about their lives. What you’d end up with would likely be something a great deal like JERSEY SHOREsical: A Frickin’ Rock Opera, now playing at the Hayworth Theater following its Best Ensemble Award-winning run at the New York Fringe Festival.
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SPRING AWAKENING
Saturday, April 7th, 2012RECOMMENDED
Theatre Out brings Broadway’s Spring Awakening to Orange County in a down-to-basics staging that retains much of the musical’s power and entertainment value despite the absence of several key elements that helped make the original New York production such a smash.
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1969: A FANTASTICAL ODYSSEY THROUGH THE AMERICAN MINDSCAPE
Monday, April 2nd, 2012RECOMMENDED
Ovation Award winner Damon Chua takes audiences on an LSD trip through the year 1969 in his ambitious new play 1969: A Fantastical Odyssey Through The American Mindscape, and though he may have bitten of more than any play or playwright can chew, some particularly fine performances and what could well be the year’s most exciting video design make this a psychedelic voyage that adventurous theatergoers may want to take a chance on.
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EXPECTING TO FLY
Monday, January 30th, 2012RECOMMENDED
“There you stood on the edge of your feather, expecting to fly. While I laughed, I wondered whether I could wave goodbye, knowin’ that you’d gone.”
The strains of Neil Young’s melancholy “Expecting To Fly” provide a musical prelude to Michael Hyman’s World Premiere drama of the same name, a play which despite considerable script shortcomings nonetheless provides a terrific acting showcase for its two stars, Justin Mortelliti and Casey Kringlen, who deliver riveting performances as lovers Jared and Sean under Kiff Scholl’s highly imaginative direction.
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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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