Los Angeles Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: THE TYPIST at Hudson Guild Theater
by Shari Barrett - February 04, 2026

Bitterman’s script encompasses so many universal truths about the battle of the sexes in working out relationships that everyone will identify with the ups and downs that challenge even the closest couple to survive and stay together. The dialogue is fast-paced and delivered with the necessary emoti...

Review: ONCE at Chance Theatre
by Amanda Callas - February 03, 2026

Once feels like a revelation, with all the delicate tenderness of a romantic ballad and the foot-stomping joy of a rustic Irish pub on music night....

Review: BROWNSTONE at Open Fist Theatre
by Evan Henerson - January 30, 2026

The playwright’s story structure is engaging and West’s cast is rich with charisma, with the action fitting comfortably into Munroe’s smartly realized stage at the Atwater Village Theatre complex....

Review: BRANDON MAGGART AND THE GARDENIA at The Gardenia
by Andrew Poretz - January 30, 2026

Brandon Maggart helped close out The Gardenia's 45 years in West Hollywood with stories, songs, and tales of a life well lived. Daughter Maude Maggart joined for a poignant duet finale....

Review: LIFELINE at The Road Theatre
by Harker Jones - January 28, 2026

The writing is sharp and smart and in the end Robert Axelrod gives us, if not hope, a sense that, for as bad as things can get, we can power through....

Review: AVENUE Q at The Wisteria Theater
by Melissa Heckscher - January 28, 2026

AVENUE Q is back at North Hollywood's Wisteria Theater with a superb cast and standout vocals that bring fresh life—and plenty of laughs—to the beloved, boundary-pushing musical....

Review: Eddie Izzard HAMLET at Ricardo Montalban Theatre
by Evan Henerson - January 26, 2026

The almost bare bones solo turn – at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre for a quickie six-performance run - is Izzard’s homage to the original performance practices of William Shakespeare, and also to her early years as a street performer....

Review: World Premiere of WHAT OPA DID at Theatre 40 through 2/15
by Shari Barrett - January 22, 2026

What Opa Did is masterful and brutally honest storytelling at its best, with each actor dedicated to showing each person as a human being, not just either good or bad, while trying to cope with the reality of their lives in Germany in World War II....

Review: KID GLOVES World Premiere Musical Comedy at Skylight Theatre
by Shari Barrett - January 20, 2026

This world premiere musical comedy is fast-paced, hilarious, and sneakily poignant, skewering the utter depravity of reality TV and how it can corrupt even the most wholesome element of humanity – children!...

Review: ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE at Broad Stage
by Evan Henerson - January 16, 2026

Over a convivial 85 minutes directed by Simon Godwin, the shape-shifting Broadway vet Page holds us captive as he demonstrates why he is perpetually in demand as a classical actor, as an interpreter of Shakespeare, and certainly as an enactor of villains....

Review: AN INSPECTOR CALLS at Greystone Mansion
by Harker Jones - January 13, 2026

AN INSPECTOR CALLS is a bit of a soap opera by way of a particularly existential “Twilight Zone” episode while tackling class, entitlement, and status, making it as relevant as it was 60 years ago....

Review: THE NOTEBOOK at Pantages Theatre
by Evan Henerson - January 13, 2026

Between Ingrid Michelson’s heart-swelling score, a safe and steady book by Bekah Brunstetter and the co-direction of Michael Greif and Schele Williams, this entertaining but hardly remarkable tale kicks off the 2026 season at the Hollywood Pantages on an appropriately tear-streaked note....

Review: THE JINKX & DELA HOLIDAY SHOW at Dolby Theatre
by Andrew Child - December 17, 2025

Drag legends Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme have crafted an extravaganza that combines all the stupidity and raunchiness of a campy nightclub act with all the sparkle and polish of the lighter fare being doled out at Radio City this time of year....

Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at The Acting Company At The Rubicon Theatre
by Evan Henerson - December 17, 2025

As the southland welcomes a return visit from The Acting Company, things remain as topsy-turvey as they must needs be in the woods of Athens. The company visit is a quick hit, but Risa Brainin’s production of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is the kind of crowd-pleasing, take-no-prisoners ex...

Review: MADAM SCROOGE: A CHRISTMAS CAROL MUSICAL at Nocturne Theatre
by Harker Jones - December 16, 2025

Director-writer Justin Meyer has made magic with his energetic and talented co-horts, both on- and off-stage, launching what should become a holiday tradition....

Review: BOB'S HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
by Shari Barrett - December 15, 2025

The hilarious and irreverent comedy has become a vital part of every Christmas season in Los Angeles since 1995, and dedicated fans have been returning over the years to laugh at all the riotous antics. ...

Review: STEREOPHONIC at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
by Harker Jones - December 14, 2025

The actors are phenomenal musicians, playing the instruments themselves, and are extraordinary vocalists, with DeJean being particularly jaw dropping....

Review: BODYTRAFFIC: CHECK-MATE Dazzled at The Wallis
by Shari Barrett - December 14, 2025

The four pieces performed during BODYTRAFFIC: Check-Mate highlighted the dance company’s technical prowess and ability to masterfully embody diverse choreography styles via their dazzling versatility....

Review: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN at Montalbán Theatre
by Amanda Callas - December 14, 2025

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an improv comedy extravaganza, with all kinds of madcap silliness on display....

Review: THE BIG FAT CHRISTMAS SHOW at El Portal Theatre
by Amanda Callas - December 10, 2025

Standout moments include “Lonely Jew”  by a brilliant Rena Strober, which made the entire evening for me.  This hilarious and wildly irreverent ode to the holiday season includes Strober belting “Oy Vey Maria” and pulling missing Hanukkah candles out of her lady bits to add to her menorah.  I could ...

Review: TINSELCOLOR: HOLIDAY SOUNDTRACKS LIVE at CineVita
by Melissa Heckscher - December 08, 2025

Backed by powerhouse vocals, infectious energy and a tent dripping with Old-Hollywood glamour, TINSELCOLOR makes even the most familiar Christmas tunes feel freshly magical....

Review: Family-Friendly Holiday Magic Abounds in A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Shari Barrett - December 03, 2025

With its stirring original music, vivid storytelling and exuberant cast, A Christmas Carol at A Noise Within continues to capture the timeless magic of Dickens’ classic - and the enduring hope that kindness can redeem us all....

Review: LA BOHÈME at LA Opera
by Andrew Child - December 02, 2025

Herbert Ross’ production of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème currently being presented by LA Opera has everything an audience venturing to the opera could hope for. When the curtain rises on Gerard Howland’s beautifully-textured scenery, one is instantly transported to a brutally cold winter scene speckl...

Review: A Random Encounter Aligns Two Lost Souls in HEISENBERG
by Shari Barrett - December 02, 2025

Award-winning director Cameron Watson invites us to watch the story of two lost souls looking for human connection who bloom and blossom after randomly meeting in a world that seems to consistently separate them from others into perpetual loneliness....

Review: CRY IT OUT BY MOLLY SMITH METZLER at Little Fish Theatre
by Shari Barrett - November 28, 2025

All four actors as well as director Mirai are to be commended for keeping the action moving and characters deeply present in their own truths. Given the small and up-close staging in the black box theatre, every audience member will feel like a fly on the fence in Jessie’s backyard while seated on a...