REVERB
Sunday, January 25th, 2009RECOMMENDED
A 20something couple express their love by beating each other black and blue in Reverb, the latest—and darkest—of Leslye Headland’s Seven Deadly Plays, or at least of the three reviewed here.
(read more)
MISSIONARY POSITION
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009RECOMMENDED
Mormon Boy Steven Fales recalls his two-year stint as missionary in Portugal in Missionary Position, a sort of prequel to Fales’ alternately captivating and compelling solo piece Confessions Of A Mormon Boy, which like its processor proves a terrific showcase for its writer-star’s triple-threat talents as actor, storyteller, and showman.
(read more)
YOU NERO
Sunday, January 11th, 2009RECOMMMENDED
Imagine a Mel Brooks spoof about the fabled Roman emperor Nero, or one written and performed by the Monty Python gang, or perhaps a classic Nero sketch from the 1950s’ Your Show Of Shows, with Sid Caesar as Nero. Now, stretch it out to two acts with a running time of two hours and fifteen minutes and place it on the Julianne Argyros Stage at South Coast Repertory—and you have Amy Freed’s You, Nero.
(read more)
BILL W. AND DR. BOB
Sunday, January 4th, 2009RECOMMENDED
Bill W. And Dr. Bob, Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey’s biodrama about the founders of AA, has been around L.A. for quite a while now. Its current incarnation at Theatre 68 is in fact its fifth Los Angeles run and follows its 2007 New York Times-reviewed off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages. Having finally gotten the chance to see this often very moving story of the men who, almost by accident, revolutionized the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions, I can understand its popularity and appeal. Despite certain structural drawbacks and its air of “disease movie of the week,” Bill W. And Dr. Bob is both educational and entertaining, and in the second act especially, emotionally powerful.
(read more)
IT’S A STEVIE WONDERFUL LIFE
Saturday, December 13th, 2008RECOMMENDED
The Troubadour Theater Company is back with its Christmas season favorite It’s A Stevie Wonderful Life, a spoof of the Hollywood holiday film classic interspersed with Stevie Wonder hits, often with lyrics rewritten to fit the movie’s plot. Though I found the troupe’s recent As U2 Like It a more entertaining and polished production, Stevie Wonderful does have many bright and funny moments, especially for fans of the original film.
(read more)
THE GIANT AND THE PIXIE
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008RECOMMENDED
If its title makes you think that The Giant And The Pixie will be a holiday show for kids, think again. This world premiere drama is most definitely for adults only, and though its fantasy aspect (each character has a fairy tale counterpart) didn’t work for me, and despite the characters not being people I’d want to hang around with, the excellent work of the five-actor cast makes The Giant And The Pixie worth seeing.
(read more)
U.S. DRAG
Thursday, October 30th, 2008RECOMMENDED
Romy and Michelle are alive and well and living on the stage of the Furious Theatre in Pasadena. Well, if not exactly Romy and Michelle of High School Reunion fame, at least their kissing cousins.
(read more)
MARY’S WEDDING
Saturday, October 25th, 2008RECOMMENDED
It is 1920 and the night before Mary’s wedding. Dreams take her back several years to the night of a thunderstorm, the night when the young Englishwoman first set eyes on Charlie, a strapping young Canadian farmer and horseman, and the love of her life.
(read more)
Since 2007, Steven Stanley's StageSceneLA.com has spotlighted the best in Southern California theater via reviews, interviews, and its annual StageSceneLA Scenies.
COPYRIGHT 2025 STEVEN STANLEY :: DESIGN BY