Review: THE BESPOKE OVERCOAT at Pacific Resident Theatre
by Amanda Callas - March 17, 2024
You wouldn’t expect a bittersweet, haunting tale to be this laugh-out-loud funny, but it is. There is so much charm and sensitivity in this Pacific Resident Theatre production. The Bespoke Overcoat is almost unbearably poignant, a drama of humanity and rare tenderness. You don’t want to miss this ...
Review: THE ALLSTORE at Theatre Of NOTE
by Evan Henerson - March 16, 2024
Whether or not he has personally ever put himself through this, Evan Marshall has imagined life from the floor of a big box store and infused it – literally – with poetry. Part love story, part workers unite-inspired corporate dramady, ALLSTORE hits some satisfying beats. ALLSTORE – like much of thi...
Review: CONEY ISLAND LAND at the Theatre 68 Arts Complex
by Harker Jones - March 13, 2024
Braun’s script is never stagnant, the characters always in action, whether in a delightful literal dance party or a metaphorical pas de deux, always getting close to connecting before pulling away — or being pulled away by outside forces....
Review: FATHERLAND at The Fountain Theatre
by Harker Jones - March 07, 2024
FATHERLAND is an unsettling reminder of how an average person can tip from sane to insane all in the name of good ol’ American patriotism, crossing ethical, moral, and legal lines with nary a hesitation....
Review: REDWOOD at La Jolla Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - March 06, 2024
In REDWOOD, a new musical by Kate Diaz, and Tina Landau partially conceived by Idina Menzel and enjoying a visually arresting if somewhat simplistic world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, Menzell confronts something even more formidable than encroaching yuppie cyber cafes, enraged Oz...
Review: FANNY at Elysian Theatre
by Andrew Child - March 01, 2024
The success of Fanny doesn’t lie in the nuance or perspective the straightforward script lends to this historical figure, but rather in the eclectic smattering of talents artfully gathered and showcased by the piece....
Review: EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND at Rubicon Theatre
by Amanda Callas - February 27, 2024
Watching Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, I literally forgot I was watching a one person show. Tony award winning, Broadway and Hollywood star John Rubinstein is a fascinating and charismatic actor, with uncannily perfect comedic timing. Compelling, thought-provoking, moving, and surprisingly fun...
Review: BLACK CYPRESS BAYOU at Geffen Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - February 23, 2024
Part mystery, part cathartic family drama ruminating on legacies of evil and forgiveness, director Tiffany Nichole Greene’s production grips us tightly from the outset and does not easily let us go. Thankfully, along this 80-minute journey, we also get to laugh as well as exhale....
Review: SWEENEY TODD at A Noise Within
by Andrew Child - February 20, 2024
In classic ANW style, Rodriguez-Elliott has simplified everything, returning to the text and highlighting elements of the (mercifully and artfully) truncated libretto. Without a drop of stage blood, she has crafted lasting images of violence that grip us and carry the narrative....
Review: MIDDLE OF THE WORLD at Rogue Machine
by Amanda Callas - February 21, 2024
At its heart, Middle of the World is something of an unexpected love story between a fallen socialist leader from Ecuador and a young, driven Black finance executive. Middle of the World feels like an elegy, evoking the bittersweet, numbing ache of loss and betrayal. It invokes a sense of loss of an...