Los Angeles Theater Reviews Page 2

Review: HIGH MAINTENANCE at The Road Theatre On Magnolia
by Harker Jones - April 18, 2024

Ritt raises questions about the ethical and moral quandaries of employing AI to replace humans in a distinctly human space — art — but they aren’t pointed enough to really spark conversation or suggest insights, settling instead for an amusing if slight glimpse into the near future....

Review: PUPPY PALS at the Norris Theater
by Melissa Heckscher - April 14, 2024

Dog-lovers will lap up every minute of this 90-minute comedic dog stunt show that first premiered on America's Got Talent....

Review: OPHELIA at the Odyssey Theatre
by Melissa Heckscher - April 14, 2024

Anything that makes you think is worth watching. And so Ophelia — in all its memory lapses and uncomfortable places — is worth it. Just bring a friend so you have someone to help you put the pieces together when it’s all over. ...

Review: FAT HAM at Geffen Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - April 12, 2024

Huzzah James Ijames’ FAT HAM. Bless its softness, its savory juiciness, its wit and its ostentation. And its Juicy! Hooray for the clothes, the music, the unabashed delight that this whacked-out literary homage enjoys in wrestling with Shakespeare’s existential conundrums and deciding, screw it! let...

Review: All-Star Cast Shines in A BROADWAY BIRTHDAY Celebrating Sondheim and Lloyd Webber
by Michael Quintos - April 10, 2024

A talented collection of Broadway vets led by Tony winner Betty Buckley gathered together for a one-night-only concert 'A BROADWAY BIRTHDAY: SONDHEIM, LLOYD WEBBER, AND FRIENDS' at Segerstrom Concert Hall on March 28, 2024 to celebrate the legacy—and coincidental same birthdate—of musical theater ro...

Review: FUNNY GIRL at Ahmanson Theatre
by Harker Jones - April 08, 2024

FUNNY GIRL is a gold standard that has endured through the ages and the production that just hit downtown Los Angeles is a rollicking and heartfelt success....

Review: FREUD ON COCAINE at Whitefire Theatre
by Amanda Callas - April 02, 2024

In its second hit run at the Whitefire Theatre with many sold out shows, this historical comedy-drama is unbelievable but true, laugh-out loud hilarious, and brilliantly thought-provoking....

Review: ONE OF THE GOOD ONES at Pasadena Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - March 29, 2024

A second cousin once removed to William Rose’s GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, ONE OF THE GOOD ONES finds the highly assimilated, upper middle class Gomez family losing their collective sanity when their daughter, Yoli, brings home Marcos, a man who, to her parents’ minds at least, qualifies as an “ot...

Review: A FROGGY BECOMES at Open Fist Theatre Company
by Harker Jones - March 27, 2024

Writer Becky Wahlstrom imbues A FROGGY BECOMES with an absurdism that is only complemented by the absurdism of the ’80s with the neons and the poofy hair and the synthesized music....

Review: MJ - THE MUSICAL Moonwalks Into OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - March 23, 2024

An overall resounding triumph despite its insistence on side-stepping some of the more salacious scandals associated with its subject, pop star Michael Jackson—MJ - THE MUSICAL is a genuinely entertaining and nostalgic show that purposely aims to celebrate the creative, if misunderstood genius behin...

Review: A SHAYNA MAIDEL at Laguna Playhouse
by Amanda Callas - March 23, 2024

This acclaimed play by Barbara Lebow is beautifully produced by the award-winning creative team at the Laguna Playhouse, with great sensitivity, rich texture, and mature brilliance in the direction by David Ellenstein....

Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Bank Of America Performing Arts Center Kavli Theatre
by Amanda Callas - March 20, 2024

5-Star Theatricals does superb work capturing the charisma and characters of these great rock and country legends, and the music and energy of the show is breathtaking, jubilant and infectious.  Million Dollar Quartet has one extraordinary songbook.  You don’t want to miss this show....

Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Lewis Family Playhouse
by Amanda Callas - March 19, 2024

The marriage of ballet and Disney musical is a delightful one. Beauty and the Beast was a sold-out smash hit at the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga March 2nd through 10th.  A joint production of the Candlelight Pavilion and the Inland Pacific Ballet, this Disney musical was lavish and ent...

Review: Grammy Nominee Jane Monheit Makes OC Return at Irvine Barclay
by Michael Quintos - March 19, 2024

Returning to Orange County, CA for a one-night-only concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Monheit stunned the audience with her incredible talents, offering fresh live performances of superb tunes—including many from the Broadway stage—that are slated for her upcoming new studio album releasing thi...

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...

Review: Musical Theatre West Revisits Classic 42ND STREET in Long Beach
by Michael Quintos - February 13, 2024

For the most part, MTW's brand-new, admirably plucky 2024 production—now on stage through February 25—succeeds as an entertaining, visually cheerful show, filled with strong performances, a rousingly robust orchestra, and dynamic, zestfully tap-tastic dance numbers. Despite its lack of any real, ser...