Author Archive for Colin Mitchell
COLIN MITCHELL: Actor/Writer/Director/Producer/Father, award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Broadway veteran, Marvel comics scribe, Van Morrison disciple, Zen-Catholic, a proud U.S. Army Brat conceived in Scotland and born in Frankfurt, Germany, currently living in Los Angeles and doing his best to piss off as many people as possible.
The Monday Moment
Okay, I’ve been trying not to get caught up in the recent Insane Gamma Delta Sorority Letter craze, but then I saw this interpretation from actor Michael Shannon over at Funny or Die and now I am posting unashamedly because we all need to laugh today. And you will, oh, you will. Alert: this is absolutely [...]
Get To The Part Where I Care
Saw a couple of incredibly compelling plays over the last couple weeks, Boston Court’s wildly eclectic American Misfit and Center Theatre Group’s The Nether at the Kirk Douglas, both well reviewed and deservedly so. For those of you who were able to catch The Nether (closed on Sunday) you know what a mind-blowing play it is. [...]
Critique of the Week
Just an incredibly incisive and personal critique from Editor-in-Chief, Ramona. This little site Playwriting in the City is beginning to churn out some top notch talent. MELANCHOLIA Ramona Pilar Gonzales – PLAywriting in the City I participated in the Los Angeles Theatre Center Young Conservatory in the early 90s. I spent the summer before my [...]
Critique of the Week – Runner Up
And the bizarro world of Randall Gray keeps on spinnin’…I’m looking forward to the other reviews of this particular production…for those of you critics out there who dare enter the parallel universe… TRUE WEST Michael Sheehan – On Stage Los Angeles Director Randall Gray announced in his curtain speech that this production of Sam Shepard’s [...]
The Saturday Saying
“Via songs by Mr. Dietz and Phillip Owen, painstaking and inventive direction by Michael Michetti, and the enthusiastic participation of a four-man rockabilly band and a cast of eight (some overlap there), this show shouts encouragement to those who would participate in a collective political and spiritual evolution. If the show were a person, I [...]
The Thursday Thought
In case you missed it, this happened at the Boston Bruins hockey game last night. Major kudos to the singer, who just stepped back and let the moment happen. We truly are an astonishing nation sometimes. It’s just sad that it takes such tragedy for us to come together as one.
When Los Angeles Theater Pulls Together
Los Angeles actor, Adrian Black, who had been performing in Theatre Banshee’s current production of The Importance of Being Earnest was mugged and brutally beaten at Union Station a couple weeks ago. He sustained serious injuries including broken bones in his hands, arms and face and was forced to leave the production. More importantly, he [...]
MARILYN – MY SECRET: 81% – SWEET
SWEET Like all great film actors, Marilyn radiated a magic all her own. This dramedy with songs fleetingly captures Marilyn – then she’s gone – but Kelly Mullis deserves applause for her delightful, loving impersonation. Morna Murphy Martell – Theatre Spoken Here SWEET This is a scintillating, bawdy, and well performed production. A voyeuristic crowd [...]
The Monday Moment
Los Angeles actor, Tim Cummings, gets a letter from a kid who saw him in his current show The Phantom Tollbotth…and suddenly all is right in the world again.
Critique of the Week
I dunno, could be me, usually is, but this particular review sounds like a critic giving a show a pass. I could be wrong, it’s happened before, but I’m not even sure I know what “pleasant populist entertainment” is so… Anyhow. I provide, you decide. ASSISTED LIVING David C. Nichols – LA Times Two sets [...]
The Friday Feature
From A Noise Within, their trailer for The Beaux’ Strategem. The Beaux’ Stratagem at A Noise Within from A Noise Within on Vimeo.
NEVERWHERE: 67% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET Under the resourceful leadership of director Scott Leggett, utilizing every inventive trick the creative nutjobs who populate Scared Fools have to conjure, “Neverwhere” goes everywhere the imagination can take it. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET Director Scott Leggett stages the play creatively, using projections and video to create whatever locations he needs, and [...]
ASSISTED LIVING: 87% – SWEET
SWEET Holzman/Dooley fans (as well as fans of quality theatre in Los Angeles) are in for a treat as their absorbing, witty and intricately woven, Assisted Living, is making its world premiere at The Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles running weekends through May 12. Xaque Gruber – Huffington Post SWEET This amiable item from [...]
RIP Jonathan Winters: 1925-2013
Saw the sad news today in the NY times, the passing of a great comedian. Jonathan Winters was special, a master improviser before it was fashionable, and so lovable. He influenced several generations of stand up and comic actors. He was truly undefinable as an artist. Thanks for the great times, Jonathan! Here he is [...]
SMOKEFALL (SOUTH COAST REP): 54% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER Those with a penchant for homespun elegy playfully whipped up may enjoy “Smokefall,” but the work is really a collection of derivative themes in search of a fleshed-out drama. Charles McNulty – LA Times BITTER Director Anne Kauffman and her talented design team contribute polish and visual wit but finally cannot disguise the fact [...]
More Reaction to the BackStage Controversy
New stories for Los Angeles Magazine, IndieWire and another from The Wicked Stage in reaction to the BackStage story. This from Jenny Lower at Los Angeles Magazine: The public value placed on institutional opinion has declined across the board—witness the rise of social media and its effecting on every outlet from the Economist to the [...]
International Business Times picks up on the Back Stage Story
International Business Times picked up on our Back Stage scoop and gave us a very nice mention. Though the emphasis of course is on how New York is responding to the news. That’s fine. While they’re responding, we’ll be doing something about it here in Los Angeles. C’mon now! Sorry, think I just pulled something. [...]
“Stoneface” Owns the 2013 LA Weekly Awards
Fun time at the Lawees last night, thanks so much Steven Leigh Morris and all the peeps who put the extravaganza together. Special congrats to pals Tim Cummings and Diarra Kilpatrick on their wins. Congrats to the “Stoneface” production for all of their love. Lost Moon did another fine job though I think the choice [...]
The Blogosphere is Set Ablaze by BackStage Theater Review Policy Change
Rob Weinert-Kendt over at his Wicked Stage site pivots off the news and the Twitter frenzy to this and questions the very necessity of the critic. Here is the essence of his article: What I didn’t realize I was taking for granted, and I guess it was staring me right in the face, was the intrinsic value [...]
BackStage Theater Review Policy Change Sets Twitter A-flutter
Found this bevy of tweets on a site called Storify. The Tweeting was strong after we broke the news nationally that Back Stage would no longer be reviewing theater and film. That’s right, the little old Lemon got the scoop on this one thanks to our sources in the field. Love saying that. This long page [...]
Critique of the Week
I’m a little late on this one but better late than never. This finely crafted piece from Steven Leigh once again shows he is the master of context. Unfortunately, Steven’s bosses have forbade me to use their entire reviews here at the Lemon so I’m only posting a portion of it. You’ll have to click [...]
Open the Doors for the Next Generation
Singer Michael Buble takes a chance and gives this kid a shot during one of his shows. And you know what happens…? And major props to this kid’s mom. Serious balls.
LA Weekly Awards, Monday, April 8th, 7:30pm Hosted by Lost Moon Radio
Are you gonna be there, LemonHeads? I will. Always a fun party, the LA Weekly Awards, and with Lost Moon Radio returning again to “host” the event, this is shaping up to be an even more entertaining evening then last year’s awards. If that’s even possible! Last year Lost Moon engineered a Dionysian themed event, [...]
LASA Launches LA Stage Space – New Co-op Warehouse Facility in Atwater Village
I find this to be a really good thing. It’s something I know that people have been talking about for a while and LASA should be applauded for putting it together. Here’s what it’s all about: The Space is designed to promote collaboration between members of the theater community in Los Angeles. Our large warehouse [...]
Backstage to Halt all Theater Reviews
Yep. A little birdie told me that the decision has been made by Executive Editor Daniel Holloway and the powers that be, that after the April 11th, 2013 print version of Backstage has been published all theater and film reviews will stop. Forever. I believe April 8th is the final day that new reviews will be posted. [...]
Back in the Saddle
Hello, LemonHeads. I am finally back from my week long sojourn to Colorado, helping my mom continue to process the death of my father and her best friend and companion of over fifty years. The last few days involved me driving my father’s Mercedes Benz back from Colorado to Los Angeles. It was quite a [...]
Off to Colorado
Heading out to Colorado again to help my Mum with some stuff and then taking a long drive back to Los Angeles. So posting will be very light over the next week. Apologies to those of you who are expecting new LemonMeter pages or to have your present LemonMeter pages updated. Since I’m the only [...]
Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire on Tilda Swinton’s Performance Piece at MOMA
David is one funny mother fucker. It started as a simple joke, directed at an easy target. If you haven’t heard Tilda Swinton decided to turn herself into an art installation and is currently sleeping in a glass box at New York’s MOMA. Yup. That’s the art currently on display. Fasssscinating. David started ripping out [...]
Darrion, on the First Day of Spring – by Deborah Puette
Los Angeles actress/writer, Deborah Puette was kind enough to allow us to reprint this story from her blog. It is filled with so much humanity on so many levels and from so many perspectives it deserves as wide an audience as it can get. Sometimes you have to get involved, if for no other reason [...]
The Saturday Saying (on a Sunday)
“Security is very tight at this event. They apparently have seven dwarves standing guard.” Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (on Facebook) responding to this new “art” installation at New York’s MOMA
