Murielle Zuker

IAMA Theatre Company January Reading Series IAMA Theatre Company presents staged readings of four new plays over the course of one weekend in this semi-annual series.

Everyone's a part of the family - until they're not. IAMA Theatre Company presents the world premiere of a deceptively gentle comedy about family, land, labor and loss. Eli Gonda directs Species Native to California by Dorothy Fortenberry continues through June 11 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Everyone's a part of the family - until they're not. IAMA Theatre Company presents the world premiere of a deceptively gentle comedy about family, land, labor and loss. Eli Gonda directs Species Native to California by Dorothy Fortenberry for a May 13 opening at Atwater Village Theatre.

Everyone's a part of the family - until they're not. IAMA Theatre Company presents the world premiere of a deceptively gentle comedy about family, land, labor and loss. Eli Gonda directs Species Native to California by Dorothy Fortenberry for a May 13 opening at Atwater Village Theatre.

 International City Theatre presents a send-up of Chekhov's plays that is so completely hilarious, it doesn't even matter if you think Chekhov is just the name of that Russian guy on Star Trek. Mary Jo DuPrey helms a new production of the deliciously wacky, Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang for aJune 10 opening, with two low-priced previews taking place on June 8 and June 9.

International City Theatre presents a send-up of Chekhov's plays that is so completely hilarious, it doesn't even matter if you think Chekhov is just the name of that Russian guy on Star Trek. Mary Jo DuPrey helms a new production of the deliciously wacky, Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang for a June 10 opening, with two low-priced previews taking place on June 8 and June 9.

The West Coast premiere of playwright Martin Zimmerman's involving SEVEN SPOTS ON THE SUN receives a splendid, mesmerizing mounting with all the artistic elements artfully converging into one of the best and riveting theatrical experience I've seen in the Los Angeles theatre scene this year.

The Best in LA Theatre for 2014 (alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

When I first saw the film of Educating Rita in the early 80s I was captivated by Julie Walters. It made the Brit actress an international star. Now at Theatre 40 Willy Russell's play Educating Rita receives a handsome staging with another captivating beauty Murielle Zuker. It's a two-character play co-starring Adrian Neil and directed by Robert Mackenzie through June 23.

It's quite a treat to experience watching a playwright perform in his own work. While at first I was disappointed to be seeing an understudy in the main role, when it turned out it was the playwright Eric Rudnick playing the lead in his own play DAY TRADER at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles on January 18, I was thrilled to be in the audience.

Theatre Planners will present a World Premiere play, THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY, written by Peter Lefcourt, and directed by Terri Hanauer. THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY will open tonight, June 22 at 8pm and will run through Saturday, July 28 as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., in Los Angeles.

Theatre Planners will present a World Premiere play, THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY, written by Peter Lefcourt, and directed by Terri Hanauer. THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY will preview on Friday, June 21 at 8pmand will open on Saturday, June 22 at 8pm and will run through Saturday, July 28 as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., in Los Angeles.