LOS ANGELES THEATER REVIEWS

L.A. Theatre Works presents Charles Busch's hilarious homage to movie nuns 'The Divine Sister' starring Charles Busch (Mother Superior) and members of the original Off Broadway cast: Alison Fraser (Sister Walburga) and Julie Halston (Sister Acacius). Joining them on stage were Emily Bergl (Agnes), ...

A big, splashy Mel Brooks musical has arrived in Long Beach and Musical Theatre West has created a monster of a good time to go with it. It's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, and this luscious regional premiere stars a terrifically talented cast, featuring Susan Stroman's original direction and choreography recr...

In one of this season's most pleasantly stunning surprises, the latest Broadway iteration of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's grand stage musical EVITA has arrived in Southern California at the beautiful Pantages Theatre in Hollywood (its three-week L.A. tour stop concludes November 10). A faithfu...

Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre's MASTER CLASS, playing through November 10, is the first MUST SEE production of the desert's 2013-2014 theatrical season! It is what you might call a "triple threat" production --- one of Terrance McNally's finest books, a superb (that is putting it mildly) leadin...

Funny, intelligent, and profoundly moving, Amy Herzog's play 4000 MILES---now on stage at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through November 17---is a bittersweet, emotionally rich play filled with heart-tugging situations and amusing true-to-life moments between a grandmother and her grandson. Di...

On Sunday, October 27 Charlotte Mary Wen, winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2013, made her long awaited cabaret debut at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with Time to Take a Breath directed by Peter Welkin and with musical direction by Dr. James Lent. Petite, pretty and ultra confidant, the ter...

The McCallum Theatre deserves tremendous praise for presenting such a diverse slate of theatrical offerings to the desert community season after season - and this season is no exception. FRIDA THE MUSICAL was one of those pleasant and delightful "surprises" that is such a joy to see in a modern the...

The Mystery of Irma Vep/A Penny Dreadful/by Charles Ludlam/directed by Jenny Sullivan/Falcon Theatre/through November 17...

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers/book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay/music by Gene De Paul/lyrics by Johnny Mercer/new songs by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn/based on the MGM film and 'The Sobbin' Women' by Stephen Vincent Benet/directed and choreographed by Janet Renslow/Candlelight Pavilion Dinn...

After seeing so many versions of MACBETH, one welcomes an approach that promises to bring something new to the table. But instead of finding an intimate world that surrounds the audience, I found myself sitting in a large finished warehouse space with so much staging area between players and public ...

Performances began tonight for the world premiere of 'The Black Suits,' at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Opening night is November 3 and performances run through November 24, 2013. The cast features Jimmy Brewer, Harrison Chad, Veronica Dunne, Coby Getzug, Annie Golde...

Evita/lyrics by Tim Rice/music by Andrew Lloyd Webber/choreographed by Rob Ashford/directed by Michael Grandage/tour director Seth Sklar-Heyn/tour choreographer Chris Bailey/Pantages Theatre/through November 10...

Upon exiting Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal on Sunday October 20, I overheard someone say 'There are no cabaret shows like this anymore.' Sad, but true! Dominic Morra, at 80 years young, proves that he is vocally every bit as good as he was some 50 years ago. With a face like Anthony Quinn and a...

A Party to Murder by Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes/directed by Zoe Bright/GCT (Glendale Centre Theatre)/through November 23...

On Saturday October 19 the inimitable Patti LuPone brought her exquisite talent, intelligence and sense of humor to the Broad stage in Broadway @ the Broad: Patti LuPone featuring Seth Rudetsky as pianist/host. Rudetsky, best known as the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's On Broadway and...

Kiss Me Kate/book by Sam & Bella Spewack/music & lyrics by Cole Porter/directed by Richard Israel/Cabrillo Music Theatre, Thousand Oaks/through October 27...

Up-and-coming Coeurage Theatre Company makes a practice of including a Shakespeare play on its eclectic schedule each season. Following past productions of Romeo and Juliet and Double Falsehood comes their stab at Shakespeare's comedy of words, LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST....

Frederick Knott's psychological thriller Wait Until Dark first premiered on Broadway in 1966 with Lee Remick in the title role and was later turned into a film with Audrey Hepburn. The latest adaptation of the play at the Geffen is by Jeffrey Hatcher, who has moved the action from the 60s to the 40s...

When You Wish/The Story of Walt Disney. It is high time that the life and career of iconic artist/animator Walt Disney be honored artistically. Of course, his films all stand the test of time, but we know little about the man, his persona and the early years of struggle. Wouldn't it be assuring to l...

Secondline Productions is producing a Halloween double bill featuring 30-minute musical parodies of two 80's film classics, TEEN WITCH and GHOSTBUSTER, Sundays through October 27 at Atwater Village Theatre. It's a fun series of shows directed and adapted by Brooke Seguin and featuring music by Segui...

The Laramie Project Ten Years Later/by Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber/produced by Jon Imparato/directed by Ken Sawyer/The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center,Davidson/Valentini Theatre/through November 16...

The Liar/adapted by David Ives from the comedy by Pierre Corneille/directed by Casey Stangl/The Antaeus Company/review of the Tangerine Cast*...

Propelled forward by Alex Timbers' insistent staging, Sonya Tayeh's explicit choreography and Kate Waters & Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum's athletic fight sequences, the actors ride this story fast and hard, fully aware that the journey of these two star-crossed will be cut short in a mere two hours' tim...

For diehard theatre aficionados Neil Simon's greatest plays are his autobiographical BB trio Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. The first depicts his boyhood growing up in a poor Jewish family on the outskirts of New York City during the Depression, followed by his army experie...

War Horse/based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo/adapted by Nick Stafford/in association with Handspring Puppet Company/original co-direction by Marianne Elliott & Tom Morris/US tour directed by Bijan Sheibani/music by Adrian Sutton/Pantages Theatre/through October 13 only...