LOS ANGELES THEATER REVIEWS

The Five Moons of Lorca is a combination ballet and choral work that tells of the life and death of early twentieth century Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. He called for a return to the origins of European Theatre and he questioned the social mores of contemporary theatrical pract...

THE FUTURE at The Geffen is a smart new production, once again written by Helder Guimarães and directed by Frank Marshall, that highlights Guimarães’ ability to weave illusion and storytelling into a satisfying theatrical crowd-pleaser. With the indisputable skill of a master illusionist and the...

On Sunday afternoon November 22, 2020, Pacific Opera Project (POP) presented COVID Fan Tutte, an updated version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte’s Cosi Fan Tutte. The perfomance was presented drive-in style in the parking lot of the United Methodist Church on Anacapa Drive in Camar...

Figuring out whodunit feels like a bonus of this diverting if light slice of drama rather than its primary aim....

On Saturday evening November 21, 2020, Pacific Opera Project (POP) presented two rare, one-act operas by Christof Willibald Gluck, La Corona and Il Parnaso Confuso to a drive-in audience of 90 cars in the parking lot of the United Methodist Church on Anacapa Drive in Camarillo, CA....

On Sunday November 15, Long Beach Opera (LBO) presented Songbook, an online  program of 20 new songs by relatively unknown composers. It was LBO board member, Raulee Marcus, who had the idea to commission songs rather than have a gala fundraiser. LBO created a list of established opera composers wh...

Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a Black man born in 1745 to a slave and a slaveholder on the island of Guadeloupe. Few know Bologne wrote operas and most of them have been lost. Only L’Amant Anonyme remains in its  entirety. You can hear some of the stylistic traits of both M...

As one of the lucky October-born people, the celebration of Halloween has always been a very important occasion for me as it is just a handful of days after my birthday. Growing up enjoying playing dress-up at this time of year always brought out my imagination into the realm of spirits, goblins, an...

The Geffen is hosting a game night and it's a goofy, geeky, glorious distraction from the gloom and doom of 2020. Created and led by puzzle enthusiast David Kwong, this latest version of the Geffen Stayhouse series, Inside The Box, is a perfect way to connect with others in these isolating times....

Westa??s play, in which she turned her anger at injustice into witty repartee, tells of a married but closeted high society man who throws a wild drag ball that proves to be a fateful event in more ways than one, given the various degrees of scandal going on around so many of the characters. Written...

This very personal, one-woman show speaks to that universal truth in all our lives, with each of us fighting to be who we are and struggling to live an independent life as best we can. But like Nancy, sometimes that only leads to loneliness - and just being alone a?" not able to love yourself enough...

THE PUZZLE WITH THE PIAZZA tells the story of septuagenarian Althea Witlin, who has one jigsaw puzzle among her large collection that shea??s never worked. It contains 3,000 pieces and now she has less than a day to finish it, because poor health has forced her to move in with her younger sister Ina...

a?oeSherlock Holmes Meets the Bully of Baker Streeta?? offers a new twist on the beloved and brilliant Arthur Conan Doyle tales of London's greatest detective. This time 'round, Holmes is confounded by a mysterious menace lurking very close to his home. But just who is the Bully of Baker Street? And...

Opening in São Paulo, Brazil to audiences of as many as 600 viewing devices per night, and followed by an African/European run featuring a cast from three different continents, THE ART OF FACING FEAR has now arrived in the United States and runs Saturdays at 5pm Pacific and Sundays at 3pm Pacific t...

A tireless Elektra, Ricarda Merbeth paces herself well for this marathon role. She sang with polished solid mid-range tones and an easy top that could be heard through the waves of colorful Straussian sound emitted by Franz Welser-Mösta??s full orchestra. Her curse of Chrysothemis was not the most ...

Combining her television and stage experience has led Lesley and her husband Ned Mochel to create the podcast, 'Pretty Little Wine Moms,' producing new episodes every Wednesday. Lesley hosts the show along with her 'Pretty Little Liars' co-stars and friends Holly Marie Combs and Nia Peeples. But it ...

The first play in the series was IT HAD TO BE YOU, written by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna, on Sunday, September 6 at 6pm. This delightful comedy, directed by Gary Kresca, shares a fantasy story created by Theda Blau (Jessica Plotin), a failed actress, health food nut, and would-be playwright who...

Part history, part mystery and part ghost story, Bayezaa??s lyrical integration of past, present, fact and legend turns Emmetta??s story into a soaring work of music, poetic language and riveting theatricality, transformed into an online format that breaks the notion of what a virtual performance ca...

We are taken along with Michael Leoni during his journey with homeless teens in Los Angeles as they learn to trust him with his camera and willingly expose the truth and illuminate the hardcore reality of this American crisis which has no apparent easy or available solutions to get kids off the stre...

Known in opera houses across the globe for his excellent comedic timing and first-rate singing, bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1985 and went on to make his debut during that company's 1987-1988 season. In a new a?oeLiving Room Recitala?? on th...

With a keen eye for the most well-coordinated staging of any online production I have seen to date, director Carrie Keranen has expertly adapted the blocking from the staged 2018 play to make it appear the socially distancing cast members appearing in individual boxes are actually in the same apartm...

a?oeAllergic to Walnuts' written by Michelle Kholos Brooks and directed by Jenny Sullivan for Skylight Live features three-time Emmy Award nominated actress and Academy Award nominated director JoBeth Williams stars with Emmy Award winning Broadway actor Joe Spano as an awkward couple who declare t...

As the last reading in their online Play-at-Home series of free online theatrical experiences, all designed to entertain our community during the stay-at-home orders, Torrance Theatre Company presented GOOD PEOPLE, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Sasha Stewart Miller on Sunday, Augus...

LA Operaa??s 'Living Room Recital' by soprano Latonia Moore and pianist Roberto Berrocal is available for streaming on the operaa??s website. Wearing a long green gown with a draped skirt and sparkling jewels at her décolletage, Moore opened her program with Tatianaa??s Letter Scene from Pyotr Ily...

DIAVOLO Architecture in Motion presents This Is Me: Letters From The Front Lines....