MATT BECOMES A MAN

posted on February 28th, 2011 at 3:35 PM by Steven Stanley


Many an actor has a tale to tell, and a goodly number of them have turned their stories into solo performances, most of which end up acts of shameless self-promotion. Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an overstatement, and one unbecoming a website which prides itself on “accentuating the positive in Los Angeles theater.” Still, there is some truth to this exaggeration, which is why when I tell you that I loved every minute of Matt McConkey’s Matt Becomes A Man, it is a statement to be taken seriously. The Scenie-Winning star of last year’s The Boys In The Band not only has a story worth telling, it’s also a story worth taking center stage with, as the handsome, talented, ingratiating, and very funny young actor does in his absolutely captivating hour of self-discovery.
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posted in Hollywood/West Hollywood, Solo Performance, WOW!

AfterMath

posted on February 27th, 2011 at 10:18 AM by Steven Stanley


When mathematician Bob Goldstein committed suicide by jumping into the Hudson River, he left behind the following short note: “I can’t take it anymore. Take care of the kids. Sell the car.” And that was all he wrote.
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posted in Drama, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO

posted on February 25th, 2011 at 10:14 AM by Steven Stanley


The Adventures Of Pinocchio and Deaf West Theatre prove a match made in Family Theater Heaven in the company’s 20th Anniversary Season production of the classic children’s tale.
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posted in Comedy, North Hollywood, WOW!

CAMINO REAL

posted on February 24th, 2011 at 10:28 AM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED
Imagine you could get inside Tennessee Williams’ head. More specifically, imagine you could witness one of his nightmares—a nearly three-hour-long one after an ingestion of LSD. What you’d see would likely resemble the playwright’s Camino Real, or at least Camino Real as envisioned by director extraordinaire Jessica Kubzansky at Pasadena’s Theatre @ Boston Court.
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posted in Drama, Pasadena, Recommended

GIGI

posted on February 23rd, 2011 at 10:48 AM by Steven Stanley


You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of movie musicals that have been turned into Broadway shows. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Thoroughly Modern Millie. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Gigi. If you don’t count Disney animated films like Beauty And The Beast (in a class by themselves) and movies like Footloose and Saturday Night Fever (whose characters don’t burst into song), the list is a short one indeed.
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posted in Musical, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

SHE LOVES ME

posted on February 22nd, 2011 at 4:16 PM by Steven Stanley


Civic Light Opera Of South Bay Cities opens the Southland’s most exciting 2011 CLO season with about as perfect a musical (and as exquisite a production) as you’re likely to see all year, Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick’s She Loves Me.
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posted in Long Beach/San Pedro, Musical, WOW!

KISS ME KATE

posted on February 20th, 2011 at 10:54 AM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED
Cole Porter’s 1948 Broadway smash has opened at San Pedro’s historic Warner Grand, the latest offering of The Relevant Stage theater company. Dedicated to the memory of Kathryn Grayson (who played Kate in the 1953 MGM Technicolor movie classic), the production stars none other than her granddaughter Kristen Towers-Rowles.
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posted in Long Beach/San Pedro, Musical, Recommended

SPEECH & DEBATE

posted on February 19th, 2011 at 4:20 PM by Steven Stanley

NOT RECOMMENDED

Stephen Karam’s comedy Speech & Debate points a webcam lens at three teenage outsiders living up Salem, Oregon way, while at the same time making strong points about hypocritical politicians, “ex-gay” ministries, and the importance of coming out. Having seen two brilliant productions of it, this reviewer finds its current Orange County Premiere at Theatre Out a letdown.
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posted in Comedy, Not Recommended, Orange County

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