70, GIRLS, 70

posted on November 13th, 2023 at 11:09 AM by Steven Stanley

Its songs may not be John Kander and Fred Ebb at their Cabaret-Chicago best, and its wisp of a book may give them little to write memorably about, but there’s no denying the exuberance of a cast made up almost entirely of performers anywhere from 50something to 93 years young in The Group Rep’s intimate revival of the 1971 Broadway flop 70, Girls, 70.
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posted in Musical, North Hollywood, Theater Review

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

posted on November 12th, 2023 at 11:11 AM by Steven Stanley


“It’s Too Late” “So Far Away” “You’ve Got a Friend” “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” “I Feel The Earth Move” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”

If these six megahits don’t have you itching to spread the word about Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts, then Sara Shepard’s star turn as the woman who wrote and performed some of the mid-20th century’s Greatest Hits most definitely will.
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posted in Downey/La Mirada, Musical, Theater Review, WOW!

MAMA MAMA CAN’T YOU SEE

posted on November 11th, 2023 at 12:29 PM by Steven Stanley


Wars past and present merge into an uber-theatrical fever-dream mix of life-or-death drama and mesmerizing modern dance in Stan Mayer and Cecilia Fairchild’s Mama Mama Can’t You See, now blowing audience minds at Studio/Stage.
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posted in Dance, Drama, Los Angeles, Theater Review, WOW!

RESET

posted on November 7th, 2023 at 10:37 AM by Steven Stanley

Described in press materials as a “sci-fi morality play,” Howard Ho’s Reset, the latest Moving Arts World Premiere, features an intriguing premise, a promising opening sequence, and a particularly appealing lead performance.

Unfortunately, things go downhill, way downhill, once a character known as “Old Man” shows up.
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posted in Drama, Los Angeles, Theater Review, World Premiere

INHERIT THE WIND

posted on November 6th, 2023 at 11:57 AM by Steven Stanley


Inherit The Wind may have made its Broadway debut way back in 1955 and the real-life events that inspired it may have taken place nearly a century ago, but under Michael Michetti’s inspired direction (and given the play’s renewed relevance in today’s ever more polarized America), the multiple Tony-winner’s Broadway-caliber Pasadena Playhouse revival feels as if it could have been written yesterday.
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posted in Drama, Pasadena, Theater Review, WOW!

LINES IN THE DUST

posted on November 5th, 2023 at 11:03 AM by Steven Stanley


Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Nikkole Salter examines inequities in public education in her powerful, thought-provoking, thoroughly engrossing Lines In The Dust, a memorable debut collaboration between Collaborative Artists Bloc and Support Black Theatre at the Matrix.
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posted in Drama, Los Angeles, Theater Review, WOW!

SPRING AWAKENING

posted on November 4th, 2023 at 11:00 AM by Steven Stanley


Director Tim Dang, choreographer Preston Mui, an all-around sensational cast, and a stunning production design make East West Players’ Spring Awakening a standout among the umpteen productions I’ve seen so far.
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posted in Los Angeles, Musical, Theater Review, WOW!

SHE

posted on October 31st, 2023 at 12:09 PM by Steven Stanley


Coming-of-age stories don’t get any more engaging or heartwarming or inspiring than Marlow Wyatt’s SHE, now captivating audiences in its Antaeus Theatre Company World Premiere.
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posted in Burbank/Glendale, Drama, Theater Review, World Premiere, WOW!

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