LOS ANGELES THEATER REVIEWS

Although a work of fiction, DOCTOR ANONYMOUS was inspired by a watershed moment in LGBT history when Dr. John E. Fryer, wearing a mask and using a voice-distorting microphone, declared himself a homosexual in front of the American Psychiatric Association's 1972 convention - leading to the decision t...

S'Wonderful:The New Gershwin Musical//written & directed by Ray Roderick/MTW (Musical Theatre West) at Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach/through April 20...

On the first Sunday of each month, Bruce Kimmel's Kritzerland Records' presents a supper club musical cabaret at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in NoHo. Sunday, April 6, 2014, the group celebrated its two-year anniversary with THESE APRIL FOOLISH THINGS with not only foolish songs but ones havin...

The 9th longest-running off-Broadway musical of all time, ALTAR BOYZ is a foot-stomping, rafter-raising musical comedy satire about a fictitious Christian boy-band on the last night of their national 'Raise the Praise' tour during which they attempt to reduce the number of burdened souls in the thea...

Certainly anyone who has worked in a corporation, and especially those who are so hooked into the online world via Twitter, will identify with the characters and situations in THE MEMORANDUM. And even though parts of it may go over your head politically, the clear message that corporations zap indi...

No one is standing on ceremony in Impro Theatre's latest comedic invention, SHAKESPEARE UNSCRIPTED. On the contrary, the only formality you'll find here is the kind you leave at the door when you step foot into the theater....

When all the elements fall into place in perfect harmony, the resulting frivolity and laughter go far beyond the words on the page to reveal utter hysteria. Such is the case with Anglo-Franco Fusion Farce DON'T DRESS OF DINNER by Marc Camoletti, adapted by Robin Hawdon, now onstage at Theatre Palis...

John Denver was an environmentalist before it was fashionable and a man not afraid to sing about his deep love for the Earth and his wife. While few radio stations still play his music, his many albums sold millions of copies during his singing career from 1969-1997. Those of us in the audience on...

The Last Act of Lilka Kadison/by Nicola Behrman, David Kersnar, Abbie Phillips, Heidi Stillman, Andrew White/directed by Dan Bonnell/Falcon Theatre, produced in association with the Lookingglass Theatre Company*/through April 19...

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How often have you wished you could have stopped the tragedy that befalls lovers in Shakespeare's plays? Playwright and producer Lloyd J. Schwartz, along with director Ted Lange, lovingly give you a chance to get to know these magnificent characters in the world premiere comedy CLASSIC COUPLES COUN...

The young, relatively new, City Shakespeare Company is offering a 90-minute modern take on Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE now through April 12, but the well-intentioned effort produces mixed results....

Certainly those of us who frequent any Jewish deli in Los Angeles will recognize these characters. Playwright Sam Bobrick admits some of the events in the play's 12 sketches actually happened to him, some to his friends, and some to people he just happened to be sitting next to at lunch. After work...

Any of us who have engaged in online chatting knows that sex and obsession, indulged through an erotic relationship on the Internet, can lead to disappointing or explosive consequences. You only have to follow today's headlines about young girls bullied online who commit suicide just to escape the ...

Emily Rose has been traveling around the United States presenting her fictionalized one-woman musical CONFESSIONS OF A RABBI'S DAUGHTER. The show enjoyed a performance at the York New Musical Festival, a successful run in the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, and an Off-Broadway run before making its cu...

To witness---and, yes, hear---Tony Award-winning legend Patti LuPone on a stage live-belting the bejesus out of a note (well, several notes, really) is just another not-so-subtle reminder for newbies and veterans alike why she's such a one-of-a-kind, ultra-talented star in the first place. She can, ...

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A Song at Twilight/by Noel Coward/directed by Art Manke/Pasadena Playhouse/through April 13...

Crazy For You/book by Ken Ludwig/music & lyrics by George & Ira Gershwin/directed by Neil Dale/choreographed by Dustin Ceithamer/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through April 27...

THE PETRIFIED FOREST endures because it has it all: romance, suspense, danger, sex and even a little politics. A fantasy of the highway, it unfurls like a dream of a still-untamed corner of the American West. Although it has some of the flavor of an adventure, its multiple themes (men and women, wor...

According to the Oxford Dictionary, faith means having complete trust or confidence in someone or something, a strong belief in God or in a doctrine of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. In GOD ONLY KNOWS, Hugh Whitemore presents his audience with a factual, intelligent a...

The bleak and barren world in A Noise Within's MACBETH is as much an outward visual of the inner state of Shakespeare's title character as it is the setting for the story itself. Moody, shrouded in shadows, and sparsely but strikingly accented, it has the look and feel of a timeless purgatory....

In SECRETS, Evan and Merisha struggle to save their once-fairytale marriage amidst mounting secrets that explode in their faces. According to writer/director (and star) Wallace Demarria, SECRETS explores infidelity, lies, lack of attention and communication, and much more. "If you ever wondered why ...

Top Girls/by Caryl Churchill/directed by Cameron Watson/Antaeus Theatre Company/through May 4...