EMPIRE THE MUSICAL
posted on January 25th, 2016 at 10:58 AM by Steven StanleyRECOMMENDED
A pair of stellar lead performances, a sensational young ensemble executing director-choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s thrilling dance moves, and the fascination already built into the story behind the construction of NYC’s most iconic landmark are the best reasons to catch Empire The Musical at La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts, though its producers’ exhortation to “See it before it goes to Broadway” is, at least as things stand now, wishful thinking.
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Tags: Kevin Earley, La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theater Review, Stephanie Gibson
posted in Downey/La Mirada, Musical, Recommended, Theater Review
DEATHTRAP
posted on January 23rd, 2016 at 12:22 PM by Steven Stanley
Thrills and chills and gasp-worthy plot twists galore highlight the topnotch revival of Ira Levin’s Broadway suspense classic Deathtrap now exciting and delighting audiences on the proscenium stage of the historic Sierra Madre Playhouse.
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Tags: Ira Levin, Los Angeles Theater Review, Sierra Madre Playhouse
posted in Comedy-Drama, San Gabriel Valley, Theater Review, WOW!
IF/THEN
posted on January 20th, 2016 at 11:58 AM by Steven Stanley
For everyone who has ever wondered just how different things might have been had they not made that one single life-altering decision, the National Tour of Broadway’s If/Then has arrived at the Segerstrom Center For The Arts, the last stop before its Tony-nominated star and two other original cast leads exit the tour, and if that’s not already enough to send you down Costa Mesa way, rest assured, this engaging, unpredictable, emotionally potent new musical is well worth the drive.
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Tags: Anthony Rapp, Brian Yorkey, Idina Menzel, James Snyder, LaChanze, Orange County Theater Review, Segerstrom Center For The Arts, Tom Kitt
posted in Musical, National Tour, Orange County, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls
GUYS AND DOLLS
posted on January 20th, 2016 at 10:29 AM by Steven Stanley
Damon Runyon’s picturesque band of New York denizens have arrived in Claremont for an all-around terrific revival of Frank Loesser’s 1950 Broadway classic Guys And Dolls.
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Tags: Abe Burrows, Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Frank Loesser, Los Angeles Theater Review
posted in Musical, San Gabriel Valley, Theater Review, WOW!
PRIVATE EYES
posted on January 17th, 2016 at 3:22 PM by Steven Stanley
Reality and fiction. Truth and lies. Has any playwright had more fun fooling (and delighting and engaging) an audience than Steven Dietz does in Private Eyes, the best straight-play production I’ve seen at Santa Monica’s venerable community theater, the Morgan-Wixson, and one that easily holds its own against the top professional houses in town.
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Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Morgan-Wixson Theatre, Steven Dietz
posted in Comedy, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!
DEN OF THIEVES
posted on January 16th, 2016 at 6:47 PM by Steven Stanley
Organized crime meets a quartet of disorganized would-be criminals to wild and wacky effect in Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Den Of Thieves, now getting a hilarious 20th-anniversary revival by 2Cents Theatre Group.
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Tags: 2Cents Theatre Group, Hudson Guild Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Stephen Adly Guirgis
posted in Comedy, Hollywood/West Hollywood, Theater Review, WOW!
THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY
posted on January 16th, 2016 at 11:16 AM by Steven Stanley
The Absolute Brightness Of Leonard Pelkey, James Lecesne’s hilarious, touching stage adaptation of his 2008 novel has arrived as a guest production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre only months after generating plenty of well-earned off-Broadway buzz for its author-performer.
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Tags: James Lecesne, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review
posted in Comedy-Drama, Solo Performance, Theater Review, WOW!
THE MADWOMAN IN THE VOLVO
posted on January 13th, 2016 at 4:00 PM by Steven StanleyRECOMMENDED
Solo queen Sandra Tsing Loh has arrived at South Coast Rep with a couple of guest actresses in tow for The Madwoman In The Volvo, an autobiographical look at menopause and infidelity more likely to appeal to female theatergoers forty-five and older than to those who don’t fit this specific demographic.
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Tags: Caroline Aaron, Orange County Theater Review, Sandra Tsing Loh, South Coast Repertory
posted in Comedy, Orange County, Theater Review, World Premiere, 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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