All Entries Tagged With: "working author"
THE SIZE OF PIKE (MOVING ARTS): 100% – SWEET
SWEET Boys will be boys and men will be men, though the distinction between the two is more likely one of personal income rather than emotional maturity. Or so it is with the three middle-aged children (Dennis Delsing, Jon Amirkhan and Gregg Christie) who explore their frayed adult bonds in this engaging revival of playwright [...]
Critique of the Week
Like a master class in theater history every time this dude deigns to offer us a morsel. Too few and far between for my tastes. Ernest! Pick it up for Chrissakes! HURACLOWN Ernest Kearney – Working Author Clowning is a very serious business. Emmett Kelly, Bill Irwin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, the great Vyacheslav [...]
HURACLOWN: 100% – SWEET
SWEET It isn’t all smiles: There are a couple of interludes where a dark melancholy sets in, and this otherwise cheerful clown turns pitifully sad. But for the most part it’s old-school clowning without techno frills, and with plenty of laughs for all ages. Lovell Estell III – LA Weekly SWEET A philosopher once observed [...]
Ten Ways to Screw up Shakespeare: #2: Edit the Play like Jason with a Chainsaw (and have no idea what is being lost in the cuts)
The second part in Ernest Kearney’s ten part series. Enjoy. TEN WAYS TO SCREW UP SHAKESPEARE: #2: EDIT THE PLAY LIKE JASON WITH A CHAINSAW (And have no idea what is being lost in the cuts) Granted, one is compelled to edit the plays. Shakespeare is invariably subjected to the prevailing Procrustean bed of stretching [...]
MASTER CLASS (INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE): 95% – SWEET
SWEET Though Berminghan’s interpretation of Callas is loaded with gravitas, credibility, and charisma, right down to her Arianna Huffington-like accent, McNally’s script may prove too pedantic for some and too profane for others. Actually based on Callas’ time as a teacher at the Julillard School, Master Class is, nonetheless, a learning experience for all. Ben [...]
MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION (ANTAEUS): 95% – SWEET
SWEET Shaw’s 1893 ground-breaker makes an exciting return to Los Angeles as The Antaeus Company premieres another if its couldn’t-be-better revivals starring the incomparable Anne Gee Byrd in the title role. Who could ask for anything more? Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA SWEET A strong, able cast led by Robin Larsen’s firm direction makes George Bernard [...]
ON THE SPECTRUM: 82% – SWEET
SWEET Watching the beautiful work of Virginia Newcomb and Dan Shaked Iris and Mac, two challenged young people trying to negotiate something resembling first love, is witnessing a flag being planted for hope, sensitivity, and artistic progress. The production that director Jacqueline Schultz surrounds them with ain’t shabby either. Evan Henerson – Backstage SWEET On [...]
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 [...]
SONGS OF BILITIS: 75% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET Though the temptation to overstress the element of literary fraud is thankfully eschewed, one might overall have preferred perhaps less lapidary care to the constituent elements at the expense of unbridled excess, but Songs of Bilitis succeeds as a graceful invitation into the world of imaginative creation and the glories of the senses. Myron [...]
TRAINSPOTTING (ELEPHANT THEATRE): 89% – SWEET
SWEET “Trainspotting” is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is often as gag-inducing as it is thought-provoking, but with strong direction and performances the production finds the right balance between grim and funny. Katherine Davis – Backstage BITTER The play lives up to expectations – a waste of time. Serita Stevens [...]
COMPLETE: 58% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET The play is always interesting and fun to watch, and director Jennifer Chambers keeps the comedy in the forefront, but the insistently nonlinear structure sometimes proves distracting. Credibility also is an issue. Neal Weaver – LA Weekly SWEET The play goes back and forth in time, and director Jennifer Chambers, who was once a [...]
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS (THEATER ASYLUM): 83% – SWEET
BITTER Overall this is not really a night of theater. It is a night of soap-boxing, and a poor one at that. Mickala Jauregui – A Little Night Musing SWEET In short, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” is a wonderfully-orchestrated piece of theater that successfully walks the fine line between entertainment and [...]
Critique of the Week
Ernest Kearney is simply one of the best and most entertaining theater critics in Los Angeles. And he needs to write for the Lemon more often! Rarely will you have as much fun or learn so much about the man and a show in one fell swoop. Actually two men, Ernest and Zombie Joe. NOTES [...]
ABSOLUTELY FILTHY: 100% – SWEET
SWEET Devoid of Schulz’s signature innocence and simplicity, Absolutely Filthy is certainly not an authorized use of the Peanuts franchise, but this reviewer laughed enough to hope that the cease-and-desist letter demons stay far, far away from this Sacred Fools run. Mia Bonadonna – Stage and Cinema SWEET Not only did people in the audience [...]
NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND (ZOMBIE JOE’S UNDERGROUND): 88% – SWEET
SWEET exaggerated faces and take chances that would make a Meisner teacher question his calling. Does this creative abandon and lack of established boundaries work for the dark and brutally countercultural “Notes From Underground”? Like gangbusters. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET This kind of thing makes for difficult reading, and extremely difficult performing. Blomgren [...]
TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SCREW UP SHAKESPEARE – by Ernest Kearney
This is going to be a ten part series (duh) from Working Author‘ theater critic and sometimes – and hopefully more frequent – Bitter Lemons’ contributor, Ernest Kearney. I think the title of the series explains itself. Enjoy. And stay tuned for Part Two. CM TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SCREW UP SHAKESPEARE #1 [...]
AVENUE Q (DOMA THEATRE): 100% – SWEET
SWEET With its unique blend of humor and heart, complete with puppet sex, inappropriate language, Internet porn, partial puppet nudity, and a final message that reminds us that “Everything in life is only for now,” I guarantee you’ll leave with a smile on your face. Ellen Dostal – Musicals in LA SWEET DOMA Theatre Company [...]
THE BALD SOPRANO (CITY GARAGE): 92% – SWEET
BITTERSWEET The City Garage staging of Eugene Ionesco’s midcentury absurdist farce “The Bald Soprano: A Christmas Anti-Play” has all the ingredients for intoxication but goes down like one of Sally’s Shirley Temples – it’s a classic but lacks a certain kick. Charlotte Stoudt – LA Times SWEET It’s an early and classic example of theatre [...]
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 [...]
THE BELLE OF BELFAST: 100% – SWEET
SWEET It’s a smart if slightly derivative play that holds its grip with the glue of a good soap opera. What it says about humanity may be slightly obvious, but the production is so carefully crafted, it’s all worth the effort. Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly SWEET The Belle of Belfast playwright Nate Rufus [...]
“That little ghetto on Santa Monica Boulevard” – Ernest Kearney
Went to a show last week with that walking talking encyclopedia of Los Angeles history and Working Author critic (and sometime contributor to the Lemon (though not frequently enough!)) Ernest Kearney. While we were imbibing at a nearby pub, talking about Los Angeles theater past and present, Ernest kept referencing “that little ghetto on Santa [...]
Critique of the Week – Runner Up
Another comic gem from Ernest Kearney. Dude just makes me laugh out loud. Yo Ernest! You gonna write something else for the Lemon, say, sometime this century? Dude, anything will do, a Freudian assessment of the letter A entries in the phone book, what you had for lunch last Tuesday, whatever works, just bring it! [...]
YEAR OF THE RABBIT: 82% – SWEET
BITTERSWEET The gravity of the text and the production illustrate the sober care the author and her director, James Eckhouse, have taken in telling this harrowing story. But given the complicated issues it raises and the intricate character arcs it describes, the play would work better if it were twice as long and (to assist [...]
XANADU (DOMA): 92% – SWEET
SWEET DOMA Theatre Company has hit it out of the park, er, out of the skating rink, with its production of “Xanadu,” a fun-filled, high-energy, camp evening of strong voices, good dancers and feel-good 1980s songs. Gil Kaan – Culture Spot LA BITTERSWEET The script is full of clever lines and funny quips and boisterous [...]
SILENCE! THE MUSICAL: 91% – SWEET
SWEET Musically, the show wants only to get a rise out of the audience. Silliness is the name of the game, and there’s a slapdash quality to the proceedings that, were it not so openly embraced, might seem amateurish. Instead, the buffoonery (although a tad prolonged) seems almost artful. Charles McNulty – LA Times SWEET [...]
GHOST-WRITER (ICT): 95% – SWEET
SWEET Director caryn desai’s compelling staging is both placid and forceful, her troika of outstanding actors moving as if in a dream. Hollinger spins prose dialogue into lovely poetry replete with haunted imagery. The spirits of death and longing saturate the story, which analyzes the literary process’ intense solitude and long bouts of inactivity punctuated [...]
THE IRISH CURSE: 85% – SWEET
SWEET “Curse” may be a play about insecurity, but director Andrew Barnicle’s staging has real confidence; tonally, it’s near faultless. The interplay among the men is fast and funny, with Pacheco quietly anchoring the outsized performances of his secular mates. Charlotte Stoudt – LA Times BITTERSWEET Casella’s an assured writer, and the piece gets a [...]
THE SECRET OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (BEST OF FRINGE): 75% – BITTERSWEET
SWEET Other attempts have gone deeper and more cogently into the “secret,” but playwright Jeremy Paul creates an entertaining hour by stitching together bits of recognizable Sherlockiana to set up his theory. Dany Margolies – LA Weekly SWEET Their accents and costumes are impeccable. Their chemistry is obvious. The story is shocking and thought-provoking. Bob [...]
MISSION TO MATE: 83% – SWEET
SWEET Mitchell’s writing, with each “movement” interwoven in clever ways almost undetectable unless one pays sharp attention, is the star here. Travis Michael Holder – Backstage SWEET All in all though, it is a lovely way to spend an evening at the theater. Larry Pontius – Bitter Lemons SWEET What can I say, I laughed, [...]
Critique of the Week – Runner Up
Again, the personal quality of Ernest’s reviews have caught my attention. This in particular. EVANGELINE, THE QUEEN OF MAKE-BELIEVE Ernest Kearney – Working Author “Evangeline, The Queen of Make-Believe” by Theresa Chavez, Rose Portillo and Los Lobos’ Louie Pérez currently running at the Bootleg Theater taps a core in me. It alleges to cover ground [...]
