BUS STOP
posted on December 7th, 2018 at 4:00 PM by Steven Stanley
No one wrote about 1950s middle-America more accurately, astringently, and affectionately than “Playwright of the Midwest” William Inge, proof positive of which can now be seen in Theatre 40’s absolutely terrific revival of Inge’s 1955 gem. (read more)
Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Theatre 40, William Inge
posted in Comedy-Drama, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!
KING LEAR
posted on December 3rd, 2018 at 7:20 PM by Steven StanleyNo one trims the Bard down to basics better than director-of-all-trades Denise Devin, and with Robert A. Prior editing and adapting Shakespeare’s mammoth text in addition to delivering a masterful star turn in the title role, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group’s 90-minute King Lear packs a powerful punch whenever His Royal Majesty is center stage.
(read more)
Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, William Shakespeare, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group
posted in Classic Play, North Hollywood, Theater Review
A CAROL CHRISTMAS
posted on December 3rd, 2018 at 12:14 AM by Steven Stanley
A bossy, workaholic fashion mogul makes major life changes thanks to a trio of late-night visitors in The Group Rep’s World Premiere holiday musical A Carol Christmas, a tuneful Charles Dickens-inspired crowd-pleaser that with some astute revisions could well end up a regional December delight.
(read more)
Tags: Bruce Kimmel, Doug Haverty, Los Angeles Theater Review, The Group Rep
posted in Musical, North Hollywood, Theater Review, World Premiere, WOW!
JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA: THE MUSICAL
posted on December 2nd, 2018 at 1:59 PM by Steven Stanley
If Jane Austen didn’t exactly invent the contemporary romantic comedy, she came pretty darned close, proof positive of which can be found in Jane Austen’s Emma: The Musical, Paul Gordon’s magical stage adaptation of Miss Emma Woodhouse’s misadventures in matchmaking circa 1815, now getting a picture-perfect Orange County Premiere at Chance Theater.
(read more)
Tags: Chance Theater, Jane Austen, Orange County Theater Review, Paul Gordon
posted in Musical, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!
ELF THE MUSICAL
posted on December 1st, 2018 at 11:40 AM by Steven Stanley
After taking the movies by storm in 2003 and winning Broadway’s heart seven years later, Buddy The Elf has traveled by iceberg to Long Beach to offer Musical Theatre West audiences the season’s most delightful musical treat for grown-ups and kids alike.
(read more)
Tags: Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, Los Angeles Theater Review, Matthew Sklar, Musical Theatre West, Thomas Meehan
posted in Long Beach/San Pedro, Musical, Theater Review, WOW!
WHOLE FOODS: THE MUSICAL
posted on November 28th, 2018 at 4:46 PM by Steven StanleyIf you love musicals and you love comedy but you’ve got less than an hour to spare on the fourth Tuesday of every month, Upright Citizens Brigade on Sunset is the place to be for UCB’s Quick & Funny Musicals as the monthly series’ latest installment, Whole Foods: The Musical, made mirthfully, melodically clear.
(read more)
Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Upright Citizens Brigade
posted in Los Angeles, Musical, Theater Review
FINKS
posted on November 27th, 2018 at 6:56 PM by Steven Stanley
Joe McCarthy’s Communist witch hunts and the ensuing Hollywood blacklist may have seemed misty water-colored memories of sixty-year-old injustices when Joe Gilford’s Finks made its off-Broadway debut in the Obama-era early 2010s. Such is not the case a half dozen-years later, just one of many reasons not to miss its searing Los Angeles Premiere at Rogue Machine Theatre.
(read more)
Tags: Joe Gilford, Los Angeles Theater Review, Rogue Machine Theatre, The Electric Lodge
posted in Drama, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!
OPPENHEIMER
posted on November 27th, 2018 at 6:34 PM by Steven Stanley
Epic in scope. As cinematic as it is theatrical. A lesson in history and a cautionary tale for future generations. Tim Morton-Smith’s monumental bio-drama Oppenheimer is all this and a spectacular achievement for Rogue Machine Theatre in its American Premiere.
(read more)
Tags: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Los Angeles Theater Review, Rogue Machine Theatre, Tom Morton-Smith
posted in Drama, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!
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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