LOS ANGELES THEATER REVIEWS

On June 1, 2019, Los Angeles Opera revived Marta Domingo's production of Giuseppe Verdi's beloved La Traviata (The Lost One). The story concerns Marie Duplessis, an enormously famous courtesan whose life has fascinated the public for well over a century. She is the subject of La Dame aux Camelias (T...

To close out its 55th season, Orange County's Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory is mounting David Henry Hwang's intriguing and mysterious play M. BUTTERFLY, using the playwright's much more layered and riveting 2017 Broadway revival as its source material. Marked assuredly by powerful, grippi...

Debussy (1862-1918) is still known best as well as a seminal force in the music of the early 20th Century having developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist painters and writers of his time aspired. Felder ...

'Pippin' is a musical written by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson and originally directed by Bob Fosse. It tells the story of the young son of Charlemagne desperately looking for a place to belong....

As part of the varied and top-notch Dance Series that Curator Jamie Nichols gifts us with every year, Presented by The Brand Associates in conjunction with The Brand Library and Art Center; the Dance Company GRAYSCALE performed outside on the lush grounds of the Glendale Brand Library and Art Cente...

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is excitingly welcoming the return of the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg with the West Coast Premiere of The Pygmalion Effect May 24-26, 2019 A new ballet from the company's award-winning artistic director and choreographer, Boris Eifman, The Pygmalion Effect is i...

A vocally-gifted, all-star cast accompanied by a gorgeous, live orchestra breathed added dimensions to Disney's animated Little Mermaid. The screening of this 30-year-old Disney classic received the IMMERSIVE LIVE-TO-FILM CONCERT EXPERIENCE treatment. Lea Michele as the titular Ariel NAILED her 'Par...

...

I cannot offer enough superlative-laden adjectives to describe the brilliance of the cast, beginning with Eric B. Anthony as Bronco Billy, who channels one of the most famous African American cowboys, Nathan 'Deadwood Dick' Lane, with his effervescent personality making me believe he could easily be...

Back in 1986, The Actors' Gang presented VIOLENCE: THE MISADVENTURES OF SPIKE SPANGLE, FARMER, originally written and directed by the group's Artistic Director Tim Robbins, which offered a no-holds barred satire of militarism and media manipulation. An updated version written by Robbins and Adam Sim...

Michelle Vezilj is making a profound and timely statement with her latest single, 'Fire Goes to Die.' Inspired by the #MeToo movement and being a victim of sexual assault herself, Vezilj's empowering anthem touches on those pressing topics. Yet, in the same week as the governor of Alabama signed our...

East West Players' Producing Artistic Director Snehal Desai sharply directs his en pointe cast in a crowd-rousing production of non-stop Abba hits, the most joyous MAMMA MIA! Choreographer Preston Mui has created intricate, very FUN dance routines, deftly executed by all. Joan Almedilla as Donna She...

BWW Review: THE LONG GRAVEL ROAD: BUMPY, FULL OF EXAMINATION, REFLECTION, POIGNANT HUMOR & GEMS OF WISDOM at Theatre West Abbott Alexander has created a very unique piece of theatre that is engaging, captivating, witty, uninhibited, entertaining, and thought-provoking. He re-enacts and mimes mome...

In the latest North American touring production of what continues to be one of Broadway's laudable theatrical staples, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF's amiable patriarch Tevye is now being played by Israeli-born actor Yehezkel Lazarov, who gives the iconic role a fresh, less geriatric delivery that still shine...

Some believe the history of humanity has been guided by a desire to come to terms with the unknown in our world to create order amidst the overwhelming flood of mystery which surrounds us. Perhaps it is our desire to know about the complexities and intricacies of being human, to understand that whic...

I have to congratulate They Played Productions for their great marketing and promotion of their 6th immersive theater experience, CAPTIVATED: YOU, which they claim is specifically designed with over 45 DIFFERENT ENDINGS since the audience's actions will determine which happens at any given performan...

For many students, it is a requirement to read CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky. But, in my opinion, the much-too-long, repetitive text is difficult to follow as much of the action takes place within the mind of its protagonist, Raskolnikov, who admits he murdered two women and is trying to...

In JULIUS WEEZER, Troubadour Theater Company uses its signature wit to turn a Shakespeare classic into a blissfully-alive rocker version of its ancient self, and the result is divine madness. You don't need to be a Bard lover to have a great time but, if you are, you'll be impressed by the level of ...

The specific highs and lows---and all the cloudy, uneasy details in between---of a failed relationship are all picked apart and analyzed by a pair of distressed former lovers in British playwright David Hare's absorbing 1995 play SKYLIGHT, currently on stage at Anaheim's Chance Theater through May 1...

When 3-D Theatricals artistic director T.J. Dawson tells you during the curtain speech to read his program note before THE SECRET GARDEN begins, take him at his word. It will go a long way toward helping you understand the feverish dream sequence that lays the foundation for Lucy Simon and Marsha No...

Even if you have seen many productions of the totally entertaining Broadway musical-comedy HAIRSPRAY, do not miss the larger?than?life production, with its infectious music, show?stopping dance numbers and uplifting story, now at the Norris Theatre on the Palos Verdes Peninsula through May 12. With ...

The Fountain Theatre's Southern California premiere of DANIEL'S HUSBAND has brought together a not-oft-enough, ideal convergence of uniformly talent of talents - with witty, realistic, heart-rendering dialogue by playwright Michael McKeever; sturdy, even-paced directing by Simon Levy; first-rate tec...

On May 4, 2019, Los Angeles Opera presented a colorful, opulent production of Manuel Penella's opera EL GATO MONTES (THE WILDCAT) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Starring in the cast were Placido Domingo as Juanillo, El Gato, with Ana Maria Martinez as Solea and Arturo Chacon-Cruz as Raphael, El M...

in Long Beach (CSULB). Based on the story by Franz Kafka, the opera has words by Rudolph Wurlitzer and, in this production, added text by Juliette Carillo based on interviews with members of  Rising Scholars.  The latter is a CSULB group consisting of former inmates and family members of people ...

The Groundlings have topped themselves Ahhh-gain with their latest Friday and Saturday night show NEW YORK FASHION GROUNDLINGS. The collective comic genius of this cast of seven zip through a program of fourteen hilariously entertaining skits, sharply directed by Kevin Kirkpatrick at a brisk, break...