All Entries Tagged With: "les spindle"
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS (AHMANSON): 90% – SWEET
BITTER With “Scottsboro,” it doesn’t help that Stroman has pushed her actors, as she did on Broadway, to perform minstrel as if they were in a high-school production, as if egregiously over-the-top bad acting would indicate the genre’s inherent awfulness. It’s curious how a director could make us laugh at the soulless gay characters in [...]
DYING CITY: 89% – SWEET
SWEET Directed by Michael Peretzian and starring Laurie Okin and Burt Grinstead, the production serves Shinn’s drama admirably. The acting is as meticulously observed as it is emotionally tense. And though confined to a cramped room, the staging fluidly handles the shifts of time and situation. Charles McNulty – LA Times SWEET The ambiguities that [...]
PARADE (3-D THEATRICALS): 100% – SWEET
SWEET The company 3-D Theatricals attains a rarefied level of artistry with this arresting, beautifully appointed take on Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s Tony-winning 1998 account of the notorious Leo Frank trial in 1913 Atlanta. David C. Nichols – LA Times SWEET At any rate, T. J. Dawson’s staging of Parade overcomes the boxy [...]
COPS AND FRIENDS OF COPS: 86% – SWEET
SWEET Klier’s script builds to a riveting first-act climax with masterful pacing and economy. The second half would benefit from further development, particularly in the placement of some character revelations and digressive conversations that defy credibility given the high-stakes situation that’s been so skillfully established. Still, the fine performances keep this new piece as gripping [...]
FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE: 93% – SWEET
SWEET Director Jim Fall and Musical Director Keith Harrison bring unexpected magic to the already magical—a neat trick. Samuel Bernstein – Stage and Cinema SWEET Falling for Make Believe rejects “falling for” the usual “make believe” that has permeated such previous dramatizations of the life of lyricist Hart as the 1948 Hollywood movie Words and [...]
SLIPPING: 100% – SWEET
SWEET The deconstructed text is challenging – hopping back and forth in place and time utilizing a plethora of short scenes packed into eighty-five minutes – but the experience is compelling and occasionally shocking (there is also male nudity in this production). Ultimately, the play’s strength lies in its honest depiction of abuse and loneliness. [...]
THE NETHER: 97% – SWEET
SWEET Like the hard-core radical voyeurs in Jennifer Haley’s terrific sci-fi play “The Nether,” you won’t want to leave the Hideaway, that site on a futuristic Internet that caters to men in search of Victorian children. Nor will you want to leave the Kirk Douglas Theater, which gave Haley’s play its world premiere. Robert Hofler [...]
NUTTIN’ BUT HUTTON: 75% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET Winningly directed by Larry Raben and featuring a versatile set by Jeff McLaughlin that morphs from Heymeister’s office to a swanky two-story art deco stage, “Nuttin’ but Hutton” has a lot of somethin’. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET This is one helluva show that never lets up on entertainment value. Don Grigware – [...]
END OF THE RAINBOW: 79% – SWEET
SWEET No real-life tragic heroine has ever gone into that good night quite as ungently as Garland does in “End of the Rainbow,” which manages to send you out wondering whether you’ve just seen a cautionary bummer or a high-on-life theatrical thrill-aganza. Better that we don’t have to decide and can just agree to mark [...]
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (PANTAGES/SEGERSTROM CENTER): 67% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER Unfortunately, there’s nothing about “Catch Me If You Can” that inspires a repeat visit. While the cast is working hard, the material they’re working with is too flawed to make the show an enjoyable experience. Katie Buenneke – Neon Tommy BITTERSWEET These tireless touring actors nearly con us into thinking we’re seeing a show [...]
WOLVES: 69% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET Director Michael Matthews and his game cast intently embrace the darkness, but Yockey’s newest work doesn’t seem ready to be honored with such a ferociously ardent effort to make it whole. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage BITTER He directs the actors, to the varying degrees that they can take direction, toward real motivations and [...]
A FAMILY THING: 88% – SWEET
SWEET Echo Theater Company is known for its superb ensembles. Fields, the artistic director, has built up a rich community of acting talent, and his cast is eminently watchable. Charles McNulty – LA Times SWEET So as long as you are not offended easily and you want to strike a few chords within you, then [...]
THE GIFT: 55% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER An appealing and capable cast keeps the flicker of hope alive that Joanna Murray-Smith’s play “The Gift” will be worth our time despite the mounting evidence to the contrary. But by the end of this 90-minute comedy even the actors seem done in by the effort of sustaining the illusion that there’s something important [...]
AND THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND (NOHO ARTS CENTER): 100% – SWEET
SWEET The Co-op production certainly had its rewards, but the results that Reed achieves prove much more satisfying. His sparkling rendition celebrates the breadth and beauty of the Kander-Ebb songs and the formidable talents of his cast without trying to force the wide-ranging songs into an unnecessary framework. Les Spindle – EdgeLosAngeles SWEET Though now [...]
THE DEEP THROAT SEX SCANDAL: 75% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET There have been so many derivative works based on the same history, from the more thorough and reliable 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat to the splendidly inventive and perceptive 2009 locally premiered rock musical, Lovelace, that this pleasant and sympathetic yet relatively pedestrian rendering lacks much justification save for those thoroughly uninitiated. Myron Meisel [...]
BACKBEAT: 65% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER The design team turns the Ahmanson stage into a virtual black-and-white movie. It’s nice to look at, but Leveaux never finds a way to piece together the two stories, especially in act two. The Beatles glide upstage and down on a platform, Sutcliffe and Kirchherr move across stage on a series of sofas and [...]
CASSIOPEIA: 71% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET If you’re in a mood to give yourself over to rich imagery richly (sometimes too richly) conveyed, you’ll encounter something rare and beautiful. Bob Verini – Variety SWEET Part dream drama, part choreo-poem, the 75-minute three-character work, directed by Emilie Beck, charms both the brain and the senses. Evan Henerson – Backstage SWEET Still, [...]
FREUD’S LAST SESSION (BROAD STAGE): 76% – SWEET
BITTERSWEET For “Freud’s Last Session” to be a deeper play it would have to take a freer hand with the characters, exploring the textures of their inner lives rather than simply surveying their intellectual positions. St. Germain playfully illuminates some of the contradictions in their characters, but the piece sticks mostly to the surface, satisfying [...]
CHRISTMAS MY WAY – A SINATRA HOLIDAY BASH! (EL PORTAL): 84% – SWEET
SWEET No finer Christmas present will come your way than Christmas My Way now onstage at the El Portal in NoHo through December 31. Written by David Grapes and Todd Olson who gave us My Way – A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, the show is a delicious combo of Christmas and nonholiday standards made [...]
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: TWIST YOUR DICKENS: 67% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER What upsets me more is that the idea for Twist Your Dickens is phenomenal, but it ends up being a poor excuse for perplexing and annoying attempts at hilarity. Tony Frankel – Stage and Cinema SWEET This version of Dickens’ classic won’t live on nearly as long as the original. But it doesn’t really [...]
CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS: 79% – SWEET
SWEET As with many gifts, the wrapping isn’t much to speak of, in this case a weak framing narrative taken from a Grace Paley short story. But what’s inside – not one but two kid pageants superbly staged by Bart DeLorenzo, and a pan-denominational message – is a jewel to be cherished. Bob Verini – [...]
I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES (FALCON THEATRE): 56% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET It’s not until the middle of the second act that Gregg W. Brevoort’s staging finds its way to some genuinely touching father-daughter exchanges, but for the most part this is Neil Simon-by-the-numbers, steeped in sentimentality rather than feeling. Phillip Brandes – LA Times BITTER I Ought To Be In Pictures ought to be so [...]
WICKED LIT 2012: 100% – SWEET
SWEET Courtesy of superior acting and direction, Wicked Lit’s successful adaptation of three obscure horror tales has resulted in an extension to their theatre run. Peter A. Balaskas – LASplash SWEET This enthralling production elicits goose bumps and shivers mixed with class-a Halloween attraction that’s a treat for all seasons. Les Spindle – EdgeLosAngeles SWEET [...]
CREATION: 84% – SWEET
SWEET Still, “Creation” details the birth pangs of new art, new love, new selves. In its best moments, the play pushes beyond its cerebral premise toward something urgent and fully human. Charlotte Stoudt – LA Times SWEET One of the most fascinating new plays I’ve seen this past year, Kathryn Walat’s Creation is even better [...]
KRAPP’S LAST TAPE (KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE): 96% – SWEET
SWEET The emphasis on humor in Michael Colgan’s visiting Gate Theater Dublin production, executed by the brilliantly talented John Hurt, makes it easier to swallow Beckett’s bitter pill. Bob Verini – Variety SWEET A truly great actor, Hurt’s performance is riveting. His voice, both the pre-taped version and when he speaks live, is rich with [...]
NOVEMBER (MARK TAPER): 67% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET “November,” though adept and amusing, is hardly hilarious and essentially harmless. The last is what’s most wrong with it. David C. Nichols – Backstage BITTER Given the hard, cramped Mark Taper Forum seats, I for one was very glad the show ran faster than its promised 80 extremely glib minutes. Jason Rohrer – Stage [...]
BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK: 73% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” would rather be antic than preachy. This is a reasonable if not an entirely necessary trade-off. But Lathan fills out the human dimension of a character Nottage clearly loves too much to weep over. Charles McNulty – LA Times BITTERSWEET The evening at the Geffen is overall something [...]
JUSTIN LOVE: 88% – SWEET
SWEET “Justin Love” could thrive from a move to larger quarters, where production numbers could be as grand as Lori Scarlett and David Manning’s catchy score and Scarlett’s delightfully irreverent lyrics, without losing the sweetness and simplicity of what ultimately emerges as a great Hollywood-style love story. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET Though a [...]
THE BOOK OF MORMON (PANTAGES): 100% – SWEET
SWEET This national tour production gets the job done, matching the stampeding verve, if not the granulated sharpness, of the original Broadway production. Charles McNulty – LA Times SWEET The joyous West Coast premiere of Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone’s Tony-winning gusher doesn’t just meet expectations; it tramples them. Neither Broadway musicals nor [...]
THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND (ACTORS CO-OP): 95% – SWEET
SWEET Fortunately Marra has assembled an excellent group of artists. While they may not be the most exemplary singers, they all have very good voices; what they might lack in technical proficiency and vocal power, they more than make up for with their ability to interpret the words and truly sell the song. Tom Chaits [...]
