INTO THE WOODS

posted on May 5th, 2014 at 6:43 PM by Steven Stanley

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony-winning Into The Woods receives its first major L.A.-area production in nearly a decade as 3-D Theatricals presents a beautifully acted, assuredly directed, and gorgeously designed revival of the contemporary classic, though all concerned must surely be wishing they’d had the benefit of a couple more previews before Saturday’s technical-glitch-marred Opening Night.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

PASSION PLAY

posted on May 4th, 2014 at 1:02 PM by Steven Stanley

Chance Theater challenges adventurous theatergoers and rewards them in equal measure with director Trevor Biship’s powerfully staged vision of Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play, three acts, two intermissions and all. Bows may not get taken till nearly three-and-a-half hours after curtain, but if you’re anything like this reviewer, you’ll find yourself enthralled from fanciful start to emotional finish.
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posted in Drama, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

WAKE

posted on May 3rd, 2014 at 1:08 PM by Steven Stanley

An agoraphobic mortician, a homeschooled teenager, an increasingly forgetful grandmother, the ghost of a deceased spouse, and a man who just might sweep all the doldrums away take center stage in Carey Crim’s not-quite-perfect dramedy Wake, whose West Coast Premiere at South Pasadena’s Fremont Centre Theatre benefits enormously from Matt Kirkwood’s deft direction, an all-around terrific ensemble, and a topnotch production design.

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posted in Comedy-Drama, Pasadena, Theater Review, WOW!

ANTHONY C. CHATMON II

posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 5:55 PM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

TARZAN: THE MUSICAL

posted on April 28th, 2014 at 6:47 PM by Steven Stanley

The stage adaptation of the smash 1999 Disney animated feature Tarzan has finally arrived in Los Angeles eight years after its Broadway debut, and if the intimate staging now playing at North Hollywood’s El Portal doesn’t do quite everything right, it makes for a highly entertaining show for audiences five and up.
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posted in Musical, North Hollywood, Theater Review, WOW!

CORPUS CHRISTI

posted on April 27th, 2014 at 8:54 PM by Steven Stanley

Director Tito Covert-Ortiz has restaged his Scenie-winning vision of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi with its original star Jeffrey Fargo at Santa Ana’s Theatre Out and the result is an even more powerfully moving production than it was at Long Beach’s Garage Theatre the first time round.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

posted on April 26th, 2014 at 12:14 PM by Steven Stanley

The Norris Center For The Performing Arts couldn’t have picked a better musical, nor staged it more sparklingly, than their 2013-2014 3-Play Series season closer The Drowsy Chaperone, winner of 5 Tony Awards and quite possibly the most entertaining Valentine to musical theater ever.
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posted in Musical, South Bay, Theater Review, WOW!

MACBETH

posted on April 26th, 2014 at 12:02 PM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED

Elijah Alexander and Jules Willcox deliver powerhouse performances as Macbeth and his Lady as A Noise Within presents its latest excursion into Shakespeare territory. By contrast, Larry Carpenter’s direction proves considerably less impressive.
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posted in Drama, Pasadena, Recommended, Theater Review

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