Theater Review: Someone Else’s House, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

May 4, 2021

Now a year deep into their pandemic-friendly “Geffen Stayhouse” series, the Geffen Playhouse is back with another virtual production, this time in the horror space. Written and performed by Jared Mezzocchi, the story (billed as “true” but understandably embellished) surrounds a 200-year-old New Hampshire home where his family once had a harrowing haunting experience. A … More Theater Review: Someone Else’s House, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: Bollywood Kitchen, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

January 24, 2021

Since the pandemic forced the temporary end of in-person theater, Geffen Playhouse audiences have performed magic tricks, solved puzzles, and investigated a cold case, all from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The latest Geffen Stayhouse offering brings new meaning to the phrase “dinner and a show.” In Bollywood Kitchen, based on filmmaker … More Theater Review: Bollywood Kitchen, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: The Future, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

December 14, 2020

Off the unprecedented success of their first virtual production, The Present, the Geffen Playhouse is doubling down on magic. And it makes sense—The Present sold out 251 performances, plus an additional 6,000 tickets for the closing night alone, when the audience was greatly expanded beyond its usual intimate number to allow more to experience magician … More Theater Review: The Future, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: Citizen Detective, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

November 20, 2020

Capitalizing on the true crime craze with their latest virtual production, the Geffen Playhouse continues to establish themselves as the preeminent source for virtual Los Angeles theater in pandemic times. Their latest “Geffen Stayhouse” offering, Citizen Detective, is part murder mystery party, part escape room, and part history lesson that cold case aficionados and Old … More Theater Review: Citizen Detective, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: Inside the Box, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

October 12, 2020

Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it has become increasingly clear that theater as we know it will not be returning for some time. On the heels of last week’s heartbreaking yet expected announcement that Broadway will remain shuttered through at least May 2021, the pressure is on for artists and … More Theater Review: Inside the Box, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: The Present, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

May 17, 2020

The experience of The Present, the first fully virtual production from the Geffen Playhouse (currently dubbed “Geffen Stayhouse”) in Los Angeles, begins days before the performance when you receive a mysterious box in the mail. Over the last two months, as theaters around the world have shut down and most of us have sheltered in … More Theater Review: The Present, a Virtual Production from the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: The Father at the Pasadena Playhouse

February 13, 2020

Perspective is crucial to the understanding of both life and theater, and in the Pasadena Playhouse production of The Father, which opened this week, an intentionally disorienting point-of-view offers a dramatic and moving look at late-stage dementia. Written by Florian Zeller, the play premiered in 2014 and many consider it one of the most acclaimed … More Theater Review: The Father at the Pasadena Playhouse

Theater Review: Never Been Kissed- The Unauthorized Musical at Rockwell Table & Stage

January 28, 2020

The latest movie to receive the Rockwell Table & Stage parody treatment is Never Been Kissed, the 1999 romantic comedy about a late-blooming reporter who goes undercover at her old high school to research teenage culture and ends up having her own belated coming-of-age experience. While the beloved Unauthorized Musical Parody Of (UMPO) series departed … More Theater Review: Never Been Kissed- The Unauthorized Musical at Rockwell Table & Stage

Theater Review: The Last Ship at the Ahmanson Theatre

January 24, 2020

At first blush, the shipbuilding industry does not seem the most obvious topic for a musical. The Last Ship, an original musical with music and lyrics by Sting and a new book by Lorne Campbell, opened this week at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles with some of the problems you might expect given the … More Theater Review: The Last Ship at the Ahmanson Theatre