Theater Review: What the Constitution Means to Me at the Mark Taper Forum

January 20, 2020

When playwright Heidi Schreck was in high school, she traveled the country participating in Constitutional debate competitions. It was primarily a scheme cooked up by her mother to pay for college tuition with prize money (it worked), and she became an expert at defending or opposing various amendments to panels of judges that almost always … More Theater Review: What the Constitution Means to Me at the Mark Taper Forum

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Theater Review: Rock of Ages Hollywood at the Bourbon Room

January 15, 2020

The Broadway hit musical Rock of Ages is back, and in perhaps its truest form yet. The story takes place on the Sunset Strip, and producers of a new, immersive Hollywood production have recreated The Bourbon Room, the venue at the center of the show, on Hollywood Boulevard. Audience members can enjoy cocktails and food … More Theater Review: Rock of Ages Hollywood at the Bourbon Room

Theater Review: Frozen at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

December 8, 2019

Between the holiday season, the recent release of Frozen 2 in movie theaters, and the arrival of the musical version of Frozen at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, things are feeling quite festive. Based on the 2013 Disney film and produced for the stage by Disney Theatrical Productions, Frozen opened on Broadway in March 2018, where … More Theater Review: Frozen at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Theater Review: Key Largo at the Geffen Playhouse

November 17, 2019

Key Largo was first a 1939 Broadway play, then a 1948 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and finally, it is now at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in a new world premiere adaptation. Adapted by Andy Garcia and Jeffrey Hatcher, this play shifts some of the focus to the character of Johnny Rocco … More Theater Review: Key Largo at the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: The Great Leap at the Pasadena Playhouse

November 11, 2019

Sometimes the most compelling drama in sports does not happen on the court or field, but behind the scenes. In The Great Leap, a play by Lauren Yee that opened in its Los Angeles premiere this weekend at the Pasadena Playhouse, in association with the East West Players, basketball serves as an entry point into … More Theater Review: The Great Leap at the Pasadena Playhouse

Theater Review: The Thanksgiving Play at the Geffen Playhouse

November 10, 2019

The version of Thanksgiving most of us were taught in school is certainly problematic. From outdated, disrespectful views of Native Americans and erasure of their role to the generous portrayals of the first white settlers on this continent, the narrative around the whole holiday is due for reexamination. This discussion sets the stage for The … More Theater Review: The Thanksgiving Play at the Geffen Playhouse

Theater Review: Buried Child at A Noise Within

November 8, 2019

What happens when the American Dream never comes to pass? In Buried Child, a play by Sam Shepard that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979, we see the disintegration of a rural family torn apart by secrets and disappointment. Years ago, it may have seemed they had it all—fertile farmland in Illinois, three … More Theater Review: Buried Child at A Noise Within

Theater Review: Summer – The Donna Summer Musical at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

November 7, 2019

Jukebox bio-musicals are seemingly a dime a dozen these days—The Temptations, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Tina Turner, and Cher have all recently inspired Broadway musicals. The latest to make its way to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre after a run on Broadway last year is Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. It features three actresses working together to … More Theater Review: Summer – The Donna Summer Musical at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Theater Review: The Abuelas at Antaeus Theatre Company

October 29, 2019

In March 1976, a military junta took control of Argentina, ready to dispose of anyone who opposed them. In the years that followed, it is estimated that as many as 30,000 people disappeared as a result of the “Dirty War.” The “disappeareds” included many young pregnant women who gave birth in captivity before being murdered. … More Theater Review: The Abuelas at Antaeus Theatre Company

Theater Review: Between Riverside and Crazy at the Fountain Theatre

October 28, 2019

What happens when your life has been gutted to the point where practically all that remains are your grudges? Between Riverside and Crazy, a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis currently in its Los Angeles premiere at the Fountain Theatre, is a dark comedy that explores serious issues of racism among police officers and the consequences … More Theater Review: Between Riverside and Crazy at the Fountain Theatre