All Entries Tagged With: "tolucan times"
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (PASADENA PLAYHOUSE): 62% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER The 1993 romantic comedy “Sleepless in Seattle” has been turned into a stage musical that can best be described as pointless in Pasadena. Robert Hofler – Variety SWEET Artistic director of the Playhouse, Sheldon Epps, directs his cast adroitly around John Iacovelli’s multilevel set populated with projections and moving wagons. It’s a Broadway musical, [...]
MAHMOUD: 83% – SWEET
SWEET The freshest and funniest material — aided by Davis’ smart and brisk staging — belongs to the 11-year-old Tara and her fixation on somehow mitigating the physical differences between her own dark complexion and that of her class’s most popular blond, blue-eyed girl. Bill Raden – LA Weekly BITTERSWEET Despite duo Fringe kudos, there [...]
FOOL FOR LOVE (T.U. STUDIOS): 83% – SWEET
SWEET Chad Doreck and Lauren Plaxco deeply and thoroughly inhabit the unhinged yearning and raw sexuality between Eddie and May with the kind of intensity and deep connection to each other that will grab you from the beginning and leave you begging for more of their story when the play ends. Shari Barrett – BroadwayWorld [...]
COOPERSTOWN: 89% – SWEET
BITTERSWEET Director Darryl Johnson seems to hope we’ll sail over these logical gaps on the power of catharsis alone, but we could use a little more help from Golden. Robinson may be destined to be a metaphor forever, but another draft or two could help these promising characters escape a similar fate. Margaret Gray – [...]
THE WOMEN (THEATRE WEST): 90% – SWEET
SWEET The women created by Clare Boothe Luce may have been born a century or more ago, but her comedy classic remains as sharply-clawed and freshly-mascaraed as if it had been written just last week. Those requiring proof positive of the above need only check out the entertaining revival confectioned by The Women Of Theatre [...]
THE MATCHMAKER (ACTORS CO-OP): 100% – SWEET
SWEET With a whopping cast of 14 nutty actors darting on and off the stage, there are many belly laughs, and countless twists n’ turns to follow. Pat Taylor – Tolucan Times SWEET In a season that has included a brilliantly reconceived The World Goes Round and superbly acted revivals of Agatha Christie’s And Then [...]
TIMON OF ATHENS (PORTERS OF HELLSGATE): 90% – SWEET
SWEET At its worst, their production is good. At its best, it is absolutely stunning. Kat Michels – Culver City News SWEET The Porters of Hellsgate always do a splendid job of interpreting the text and addressing it into a modern context. Although not one of Shakespeare’s better-known works, Timon of Athens is still potent [...]
HEMOPHELIA’S HOUSE OF HORRORS: 100% – SWEET
SWEET Cleverly conceived and directed by Dan Spurgeon, with the manic sketches and darkly whacky songs written by Matt DeNoto … this is an eerily entertaining production. Pat Taylor – Tolucan Times SWEET The Visceral Company presents a frightfully fun excursion into laugh-out-loud funny horror; an eclectic collection of sketches that range from macabre jokes [...]
KILL ME: 93% – SWEET
SWEET Dark, provocative, unmistakably a creation of theater, Kill Me leaves the audience thinking and feeling. Richard Becker – Creepy LA SWEET I enjoy seeing a performance that makes me think. Even more so when days after I am still having trouble putting my finger on just every thought evoked. My cerebral enjoyment aside this [...]
RAISE ME UP (SANTA MONICA PLAYHOUSE): 100% – SWEET
SWEET Raise Me Up is directed by Chris DeCarlo. A cast of extremely fine actors bring so much life into the characters. Dialects are absolutely perfect. Costumes by Ashley Hayes are wonderful as they always are in all productions at the Santa Monica Playhouse. Visca has written a wonderful tribute to her parents, and the [...]
SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME (GROUP REP): 93% – SWEET
SWEET Director Gregg T. Daniel brilliantly conveys the energy and black humor that keeps the men alive, and Gary Lee Reed (Set); Kim Smith (Lighting); Steve Shaw (Sound) and Elizabeth Nankin (costumes) capture the desolation. Morna Murphy Martell – Theatre Spoken Here SWEET A must see for all L.A. theater enthusiasts! This spellbinding and intensely [...]
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (TU STUDIOS): 100% – SWEET
SWEET It’s an interesting evening of Cat and Mouse….something you might relate too! Lorenzo Marchessi – NoHoArtsDistrict SWEET Bill Manhoff’s The Owl and the Pussycat is directed by Gloria Gifford and features energetic and physical performances by the actors who are both nearly onstage the whole time in this classic comedy that still brings in [...]
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 [...]
ORANGE FLOWER WATER (CREATIVE COLLECTIVE): 72% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER There are some powerful moments in Craig Wright’s “Orange Flower Water,” which deals with the shattering effect of adultery on families and innocent spouses. Unfortunately, the Creative Collective’s production suffers from a few weak performances and negligent direction. Iris Mann – Backstage SWEET A hauntingly in-depth look at the dissolution of two marriages … [...]
BILLY & RAY: 97% – SWEET
SWEET Still, the most fascinating aspect of “Billy & Ray” is Bencivenga’s smart, knowing script, which captures an important era in filmmaking fueled by two great minds who rose above their shared belief that “if there’s one thing Hollywood hates, it’s originality.” Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET Mike Bencivenga’s World Premiere play Billy & [...]
ONE NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN: 95% – SWEET
SWEET In a cosmic collusion of persona and perception, this electrifying concert musical resurrects the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll with the sort of seismically sensational results normally encountered at stadiums and pop festivals. David C. Nichols – LA Times BITTERSWEET What with Carten carrying half the show, “One Night” is hardly a re-creation of [...]
DIVORCE PARTY: THE MUSICAL: 60% – BITTERSWEET
BITTER The result is formulaic truisms struggling to pass for something true. Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly BITTER Mark Schwartz, producer of the runaway hit “Menopause: The Musical,” struggles to repeat that winning formula in this unfortunate outing, which features a book by Schwartz, Amy Botwinick and Jay Falzone. Falzone, who directs and choreographs, [...]
DREAMGIRLS (DOMA): 100% – SWEET
SWEET You’ll definitely enjoy the glitter and the spectacle. Serita Stevens – LASplash SWEET Armed with some impressive singers, this latest production of Dreamgirls does not disappoint. Darlene Donloe – Donloe’s Lowdown SWEET The latest offering “Dreamgirls” Directed by Marco Gomez is yet another glowing example of what musical theatre should be. As the cast [...]
THERAPY: 75% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET While the story is engaging and follows a plausible trajectory, tightening the threads of the plot to allow for longer development of the characters’ issues would improve the audience buy-in. At play’s end, the three therapists have begun to address their personal lives more proactively, but it is more mechanical and tidy than emotional. [...]
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLARE DE LUNE (SIDEWALK STUDIO THEATRE): 100% – SWEET
SWEET Both actors are in tune with the play, really working most successfully in the second act. Michael Sheehan – OnStageLosAngeles SWEET Director Franc Ross crafts an intimate, expressive production that boldly confronts human frailty and need. The presentation realistically captures the messiness of life, the push/pull dynamics of a romantic relationship. Mary Mallory – [...]
JANE AUSTEN UNSCRIPTED (CARRIE HAMILTON THEATRE): 100% – SWEET
SWEET Every play is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece which encourages repeat visits to the theater to see what they will invent next. It is hard to imagine a better cast that that of opening night, but this reviewer has seen three Jane Austen UnScripted shows and each has been equally entertaining and delightful. Candyce Columbus – [...]
SHIRLEY VALENTINE (FALCON THEATRE): 100% – SWEET
SWEET I have seen some terrific plays, but this one goes to the top of the list. SHIRLEY VALENTINE performed by DeeDee Rescher is comedic and poignant. Cathy Wayne – NoHoArtsDistrict SWEET Russell’s words are so poignant and so relatable that Shirley bursts onto the stage fully fleshed out in all the glory of her [...]
VON BACH: 94% – SWEET
SWEET Go because you genuinely want a good time: because you want to laugh, honestly and completely, and enjoy this new definition of what is termed a “date show.” Nothing says, “I love you,” like a smart comedy about the rising dead. Melissa Gordon – Playwriting in the City SWEET For anyone who has enjoyed [...]
STEPPING OUT (GROUP REP): 93% – SWEET
SWEET Humorously and poignantly written by Richard Harris. Ambitiously directed and choreographed by Stan Mazin (with the assistance of Linda Alznauer and Michele Bernath respectively….) this is a comedic “slice of life” story. Pat Taylor – Tolucan Times SWEET The GROUP Rep has had a wonderful season, filled with entertaining and noteworthy performances. Next season [...]
COMPANY (CROWN CITY THEATRE): 95% – SWEET
SWEET Sondheim fans and newcomers alike should take advantage of a rare chance to spend a few hours without kids in this deliciously bittersweet “Company.” Margaret Gray – LA Times SWEET Since I can’t recall a local production since Reprise staged it almost ten years ago, the rarity of Company revivals should be reason enough [...]
VERONICA’S ROOM (VISCERAL COMPANY): 94% – SWEET
SWEET The director Dan Spurgeon utilized the close-knit area of the theater and the extremely talented cast to great effect. The menacing ambience literally crawled off of the stage. Forrest Wilson – LifeInLA SWEET But be warned–Veronica’s Room is genuinely disturbing, all the more since the cast members invest their roles with so much reality. [...]
SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL: 100% – SWEET
SWEET A tilt of the head here, and movement of a shoulder and a change of inflection and Blocker glides through the entertaining and intriguing story with just enough Southern-style flair to keep you wanting just one more helping. Trish Ostroski – Tolucan Times SWEET This was a truly immersive Play and there is no [...]
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 [...]
BENCHED: 75% – BITTERSWEET
Eddie Jones and Matt Fowler in “Benched” at the Avery Schreiber Theatre. Credit: Alan Naggar. SWEET It is one that is worth seeing on your own, not only for the play itself, but for the two superb actors who bring empathy, humor, and warmth to their roles. Carol Kaufman Segal – Reviewplays SWEET You will [...]
GIVING UP IS HARD TO DO: 71% – BITTERSWEET
BITTERSWEET While “Giving Up Is Hard to Do” does not belong on a must-see list, it could well find an audience among the theater-party crowd. Iris Mann – Backstage BITTERSWEET What doesn’t work here is the setup—the introduction and conclusion, the excuse for Annie to tell her story. The main substance, the point of the [...]
