BEHIND THE GATES

posted on May 23rd, 2010 at 5:40 PM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED
Bethany Lieberman’s adoptive parents are at their wits’ end. The privileged seventeen-year-old has turned to sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll to the point that she now sees Mom and Dad as the devil incarnate. Fearing that their child, born to a crack-addicted mother, may possibly be beyond saving, Susan and Jerry Lieberman ship Bethany off to Israel, kicking and screaming.

What the Liebermans are hoping for is a miracle. What they get is the same kind of nightmare Sally Field faced in Not Without My Daughter.
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posted in Drama, Hollywood/West Hollywood, Recommended

MADAGASCAR

posted on May 22nd, 2010 at 5:37 PM by Steven Stanley


A young man disappears, and five years later remains missing with nary a clue of his possible whereabouts.  

JT Rogers’ Madagascar looks at the effect of this disappearance on three of the people closest to him. Densely written, told almost entirely through monologs, Madagascar is a smart play that requires smarts from its audience. 
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posted in Drama, North Hollywood, WOW!

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

posted on May 21st, 2010 at 5:35 PM by Steven Stanley


A hit musical’s becoming available for production by regional theaters can be a bonanza for CLOs in search of something fresh and new. After all, how many times can a theater stage a Rodgers & Hammerstein show or one by Jerry Herman, Kander & Ebb, or Lerner & Loewe before audiences start begging for something different? At the same time, theater reviewers may suddenly find themselves invited to see the same new show again and again ad nauseum.  I don’t know how others feel about seeing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee more than once, but for this reviewer at least, no matter how many Bees I’m invited to review, I simply “Cain’t Say No.”  I love The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and will jump at just about every chance to see a new group of actors put their own stamps on the sensational roles Rebecca Feldman has conceived for them.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, WOW!

SARAH, SARAH

posted on May 20th, 2010 at 5:30 PM by Steven Stanley


“How often do you see a comedy that’s not only consistently hilarious but is also a work of real substance, a play that makes you both laugh and think at the same time? Not often, I’d venture to guess.”

Thus began my review of Daniel Goldfarb’s Modern Orthodox a little under three years ago, and the same can be said of the playwright’s Sarah, Sarah, now delighting audiences as part of West Coast Jewish Theatre’s 2009-10 season.
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posted in Comedy, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

ROAD TO SAIGON

posted on May 19th, 2010 at 5:25 PM by Steven Stanley


Three Filipina divas take center stage in the musical memoir Road To Saigon, now in its world premiere engagement at East West Players. 
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posted in Los Angeles, Musical Revue, WOW!

MARJA HARMON

posted on May 19th, 2010 at 12:06 AM by Steven Stanley

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posted in Interview

CRIMES OF THE HEART

posted on May 18th, 2010 at 5:35 PM by Steven Stanley


Southern Quirky is a hard act to get right. There’s a tendency to overdo the Southern and overplay the Quirky that can turn characters into caricatures.
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posted in Comedy, Orange County, WOW!

THE ICE-BREAKER

posted on May 16th, 2010 at 10:56 AM by Steven Stanley

RECOMMENDED
Global warming is both a matter of scientific concern and a metaphor for Sonia and Lawrence’s relationship in David Rambo’s The Ice-Breaker, now playing at Beverly Hills’ Theatre 40. Though ultimately too talky to hold this reviewer’s attention as much as I would have liked, the production is distinguished by fine acting, direction, and design.
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posted in Drama, Recommended, West Side/Beverly HIlls

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