DEATH OF THE AUTHOR

posted on May 30th, 2014 at 5:52 PM by Steven Stanley

An accusation of plagiarism is but the opening shot in Death Of The Author, Steven Drukman’s academia-set World Premiere drama that unfolds like an edge-of-your-seat suspense-thriller from its “gotcha” hook to the unexpectedly satisfying way Drukman manages to tie the whole thing up some ninety minutes later.
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posted in Drama, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, World Premiere, WOW!

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES

posted on May 27th, 2014 at 9:50 PM by Steven Stanley

A series of Gruesome Playground Injuries (and other assorted wounds, both external and internal) provide the ties that bind two wounded souls from ages eight to thirty-eight in Rajiv Joseph’s aptly-titled Gruesome Playground Injuries, an imperfect play turned into a powerful theatrical experience thanks to the kind of superb performances, direction, and design that have become the hallmark of Rogue Machine.
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posted in Drama, Los Angeles, Theater Review, WOW!

DARRYL STEPHENS

posted on May 26th, 2014 at 9:16 AM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

posted on May 25th, 2014 at 7:07 PM by Steven Stanley

Christopher Durang’s Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike has arrived at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, and though it does not quite reach the level of brilliance of V&S&M&S’s Los Angeles premiere earlier this year, the 2013 Best Play Tony winner proves a hilarious, crowd-pleasing treat (especially for the over-50 set) and a definite winner for The Old Globe. (read more)

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posted in Comedy, San Diego County, Theater Review, WOW!

THE GONDOLIERS

posted on May 24th, 2014 at 1:33 PM by Steven Stanley

NOT RECOMMENDED

Gorgeous voices fill the stage at the Sierra Madre Playhouse but that’s about all there is to recommend in Alison Eliel-Kalmus’s adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. Though G&S fans may find the production more interest-piquing than this reviewer did, SMP’s follow-up to 2012’s Ruddigore could benefit from a tighter directorial hand, less “director’s concept,” and a stricter adherence to the operetta’s original book.
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posted in Musical, Not Recommended, San Gabriel Valley, Theater Review

THE MUSIC MAN

posted on May 24th, 2014 at 12:23 AM by Steven Stanley

Director-choreographer Valerie Rachelle and a couldn’t-be-better cast get everything right in Glendale Centre Theatre’s crowd-delighting revival of Meredith Willson’s 1957 classic The Music Man, an in-the-round production well worth a 76-trombone salute.
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posted in Burbank/Glendale, Musical, Theater Review, WOW!

BEIJING SPRING

posted on May 22nd, 2014 at 6:03 PM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED

A sensationally talented, mostly very young cast of Asian-American triple-threats, exciting, eclectic choreography, and a story that merits retelling are the best reasons to catch East West Players’ season closer, Tim Dang and Joel Iwataki’s Beijing Spring. The musical itself, however, still needs work despite considerable revision since its 1999 World Premiere.
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posted in Los Angeles, Musical, Recommended, Theater Review

TARTUFFE

posted on May 21st, 2014 at 12:33 PM by Steven Stanley

You may have seen Molière’s Tartuffe before (what theater lover hasn’t?), but you’ve never seen a Tartuffe quite like the stunningly conceived, directed, designed, and performed production now dazzling audiences at South Coast Repertory—or at least those willing to see the Molière classic through a strikingly different lens.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

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