THE SOMETHING-NOTHING
posted on June 10th, 2009 at 7:29 PM by Steven Stanley
Fielding Edlow’s The Something-Nothing is a hilarious, biting, highly original look at a 20something love triangle in pre-9/11 New York City.
posted in Burbank/Glendale, Comedy, Hollywood/West Hollywood, WOW!
ECSTASY: THE MUSICAL
posted on June 7th, 2009 at 7:35 PM by Steven StanleyRECOMMENDED
“There was a girl who went to college. She was plain and shy. She was a stranger to love’s passion. She had a secret admiration for a certain guy, and she was ready for some action. One day she stumbled on a groovy place I’d like to share, where you can do whatever pleases. Ecstasy’s the name and I can take you there. It’s gonna bring you to your knees-es.”
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posted in Hollywood/West Hollywood, Musical, Recommended
RING OF FIRE
posted on June 6th, 2009 at 4:35 PM by Steven Stanley
Johnny Cash fans will be in country music heaven through June 21 as La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment present Ring Of Fire: The Music Of Johnny Cash. Correction: make that music fans, pure and simple. Singer-songwriter-icon Johnny Cash transcended easy classification, blending rock and roll, rockabilly, folk, and gospel, making this production an L.A. musical event of the first order.
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posted in Downey/La Mirada, Musical, WOW!
THE LAST FIVE YEARS
posted on June 5th, 2009 at 4:40 PM by Steven Stanley
One of the best things about live theater is being able to see favorite plays and musicals revived with new actors tackling iconic roles, new directors putting their stamp on familiar material, and new design teams giving old shows new looks. This rarely happens in movies and TV, where the word remake is often synonymous with “Sacrilege!”
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posted in Musical, Orange County, WOW!
AN EMPTY PLATE IN THE CAFÉ DU GRAND BOEUF
posted on June 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 PM by Steven Stanley
The Laguna Playhouse serves up a tangy comedic soufflé in the West Coast Premiere of An Empty Plate In The Café Du Grand Boeuf—with a surprise “be careful what you wish for” dénouement worthy of O Henry.
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posted in Comedy, Orange County, WOW!
THE LITTLE FOXES
posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 PM by Steven Stanley
There were no air conditioners or airplanes, no television or traffic lights in 1900. Ballpoint pens and shopping carts had yet to be invented, nor had calculators or computers. Still, despite how different our 21st Century world may seem from the one inhabited by the Hubbards of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, at least one thing remains very much the same—greed. When Ben Hubbard utters the prophetic lines, “There are hundreds of Hubbards sitting in rooms like this throughout the country. All their names aren’t Hubbard, but they are all Hubbards and they will own this country some day,” he could easily be speaking of the CEOs whose greed is in large part responsible for today’s economic woes. Despite being seventy years old and taking place more than a century ago, The Little Foxes is as relevant as ever, as well as being crackling good theater, especially in a production as exciting, powerful, and contemporary as the one now playing at the Pasadena Playhouse.
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posted in Drama, Pasadena, WOW!
THE BRAND NEW KID
posted on May 31st, 2009 at 11:55 AM by Steven Stanley
Don’t let the words Theatre For Young Audiences fool you. South Coast Repertory’s TYA productions are treats for theatergoers of all ages. True, most audience members over the age of 12 are probably there as chaperones, but fear not. In terms of on-and-offstage talent, these shows can’t be beat, and even adults who cringe at the idea of seeing anything G-rated will likely have a great time, with or without kids in tow.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, WOW!
THE MUSCLES IN OUR TOES
posted on May 30th, 2009 at 12:00 PM by Steven Stanley
The last time there was a 20th high school reunion at the El Portal Forum Theatre, the returning grads were a quartet of 60s-hits-singing housewives who called themselves The Marvelous Wonderettes. In Stephen Belber’s just opened The Muscles In Our Toes, the returnees are four male buddies and the music providing a soundtrack to their reunion is performed by Culture Club, Eurythmics, and other 1980s icons. Whereas The Marvelous Wonderettes was light and fluffy fun, The Muscles In Our Toes makes for far darker fare, at times shocking, but often hilarious in its own edgy way.
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posted in Comedy, North Hollywood, WOW!
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