Theater Review: For the Record- The Brat Pack at Break Room 86

March 26, 2019

Bust out your neon clothing and shoulder pads and get down to Break Room 86 because the Brat Pack is back with an energetic dose of musical nostalgia. The award-winning For the Record series, known for unconventional part-concert, part-musical theater experiences featuring the soundtracks of popular movies, returns to Los Angeles after a successful holiday … More Theater Review: For the Record- The Brat Pack at Break Room 86

Theater Review: The Wolves at The Echo Theater Company

March 17, 2019

“We are the Wolves. We are the Wolves,” a group of teenage girls chants, each repetition of the phrase growing in both volume and urgency. The Wolves are a high school indoor soccer team, and the subject of Sarah DeLappe’s play of the same name currently in its west coast premiere at the Echo Theater … More Theater Review: The Wolves at The Echo Theater Company

Theater Review: Lackawanna Blues at the Mark Taper Forum

March 15, 2019

Lackawanna Blues, Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s autobiographical solo show, has been on quite a journey since it first premiered at the Public Theater in New York in 2001. After that first production, which won a special citation Obie Award, it played at multiple regional theaters across the United States before being adapted into an HBO movie in 2005. … More Theater Review: Lackawanna Blues at the Mark Taper Forum

Theater Review: Elan Ensemble’s How We’re Different From Animals

February 25, 2019

In How We’re Different From Animals, a world premiere play based on short stories by Miranda July, there is one common theme—romance. Romance is, after all, how July argues we are different from animals. For example, humans are the only animal that kiss. Presented by Elan Ensemble in their inaugural production at the Atwater Village … More Theater Review: Elan Ensemble’s How We’re Different From Animals

Theater Review: The Cripple of Inishmaan at Antaeus Theatre Company

February 20, 2019

Martin McDonagh’s plays are known for walking the line “between comedy and cruelty,” and this is certainly true in The Cripple of Inishmaan, a story where decent human beings are hardly anywhere to be found. Now playing at Antaeus Theatre Company’s Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, this 1997 play explores the … More Theater Review: The Cripple of Inishmaan at Antaeus Theatre Company

Theater Review: Ragtime at the Pasadena Playhouse

February 18, 2019

“Make them hear you” is one of the most well-known refrains in Ragtime, and the current production at the Pasadena Playhouse is in fact demanding to be heard—and it is well worth listening to. With lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and a book by Terrence McNally, Ragtime is based on the 1975 … More Theater Review: Ragtime at the Pasadena Playhouse

Theater Review: Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at the Ahmanson Theatre

February 14, 2019

There are no carriages turning into pumpkins to be seen in Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, an enchanting, contemporary ballet currently being presented by New Adventures at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Instead, this interpretation of the classic fairy tale takes place over a backdrop of a city in turmoil at the height of … More Theater Review: Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at the Ahmanson Theatre

Theater Review: Hir at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

February 5, 2019

What happens when you return home after time away only to find the home you remember has been rendered virtually unrecognizable? In Hir, a play by Taylor Mac currently in its Los Angeles premiere at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, the concept of a dysfunctional family is taken to another level in a household where everyone is … More Theater Review: Hir at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Theater Review: Hello Dolly! at the Pantages Theatre

January 31, 2019

Put on your Sunday clothes and get down to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre because there’s a new matchmaker in town, and her antics are bound to warm even the coldest of hearts. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello Dolly! is currently making its Los Angeles debut as part of a national tour, and it … More Theater Review: Hello Dolly! at the Pantages Theatre