All stories by Joan Alperin on BroadwayStars

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Theater Review: KILLER’S HEAD & THE UNSEEN HAND (Sam Shepard One-Acts at the Odyssey) by Joan Alperin

SHEP IN TIME When I think of the late Sam Shepard, his plays Fool for Love, True West, Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class usually come to mind. I was totally unfamiliar with Killer…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:47PM
Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Theater Review: SALVAGE (Lounge Theatre, Hollywood) by Joan Alperin

GET YOUR SOUL SALVAGED The minute I sat down at the Lounge theatre and saw the rundown bar on the stage equipped with a few tables, a jukebox and several guitars hanging on the walls along w…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:49PM
Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Los Angeles Theater Review: ALL MY SONS (Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice) by Joan Alperin

THE SINS OF THE FATHER There’s no doubt that Arthur Miller’s 1947 play All My Sons is an astonishing piece of theater. Not only is the writing brilliant, but the themes addressed are tim…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:24PM
Thursday, September 26, 2019

Theater Review: NEVER IS NOW (Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles) by Joan Alperin

NEVER TAKE FOR GRANTED THE PHRASE “NEVER AGAIN” Wendy Kout, the playwright of Never Is Now asks the question, “What happens when people from diverse backgrounds experience the firsthan…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:18PM
Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Theater Review: THE CHINESE LADY (Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles) by Joan Alperin

TITLE I saw this beautifully sad, poignant, dark play last Saturday evening and I’m still thinking about it. Thanks to the wonderful writing, acting and directing this two-person outing ba…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:10PM
Sunday, August 25, 2019

Theater Review: FEFU AND HER FRIENDS (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West L.A.) by Joan Alperin

FRIENDLY FEMINIST FIRE Fefu and Her Friends is one of the most famous plays by the recently deceased feminist avant-garde playwright María Irene Fornés, a Cuban American who has won nine O…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:27PM
Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Theater Review: DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Ruskin Theatre Group in Santa Monica) by Joan Alperin

DEATH LIVES Arthur Miller makes Willie Loman, the tragic figure in his Death of a Salesman, 63 years old. So I was more than a little skeptical as to whether or not Rob Morrow (of Northern E…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:59PM
Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Theater Review: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles) by Joan Alperin

PLENTY TO DESIRE When I was thirteen I discovered Tennessee Williams when I picked up his play A Streetcar Named Desire at the New York Public Library. I don’t know if I fully understood i…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:49PM
Saturday, May 18, 2019

Theater Review: JULIUS WEEZER (The Troubies at El Portal in North Hollywood) by Joan Alperin

CAESING THE MOMENT What do you get when you mix Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy Julius Caesar with the hard-driving rock band Weezer? Adapter, director and choreographer Matt Walker, who als…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:23AM
Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Theater Review: THE MEATBALL CHRONICLES (Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood) by Joan Alperin

HERE’S THE BEEF What happens when you’re brought up to feel invisible? Where do you go for solace? Where do you go to find your identity? For actress Debrianna Mansini it was in cooking;…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:45PM
Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Theater Review: HYPE MAN (Fountain Theatre) by Joan Alperin

HYPER-ACTIVISM A promising hip-hop group formed by two childhood friends — a white writer and a black hype man — is thrown off its beat by racial tensions in the West Coast premiere of a…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:08PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE JOY WHEEL (Ruskin) by Joan Alperin

JOY TO THE WHEEL After 40 years of marriage, the times they are a-changin’  for Frank and Stella Conlin, who now want very different things. On the day of Frank ‘s retirement party, he…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:53PM
Friday, February 15, 2019

Los Angeles Theater Review: OLIVER! (Musical Theatre West in Long Beach) by Joan Alperin

YOU WILL BUY During a two hour car trip with my future husband, he — being from New York and loving Broadway musicals as much as I — decided to sing every song from Oliver!, his …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:21AM
Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Los Angeles Theater Review: FOREVER BROOKLYN! (Whitefire Theatre) by Joan Alperin

NOTHING TRAFE HERE What I found most amazing about Forever Brooklyn! A Kosher Musical Comedy is that the writer/director Mark Wesley Curran is not from Brooklyn nor is he Jewish or even a …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:48PM
Sunday, November 25, 2018

Theater Review: A VERY MERRY MAGIC MANIA (Santa Monica Playhouse) by Joan Alperin

THIS REALLY IS HOLIDAY MAGIC I can’t think of more entertaining way to spend the holidays then to see A Very Merry Magic Mania at the Santa Monica Playhouse. This intimate showcase of…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:15PM
Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Theatre Preview: CAL IN CAMO (VS. Theatre and Red Dog Squadron) by Joan Alperin

CAL IN CAMO EXTENDS ITS RUN AT VS. THEATRE William Francis Hoffman’s multilayered play attempts to lay bare, (literally in the case of the character “Cal”) the issues surrounding postp…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:55PM
Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Los Angeles Theater Review: BRIGHT STAR (Musical Theatre West in Long Beach) by Joan Alperin

SHINING BRIGHT Bright Star is a bittersweet bluegrass musical with music, book and lyrics by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It was nominated for five Tony awards when it ran on Broadway and…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:53PM
Sunday, October 21, 2018

Los Angeles Theater Review: SHREK (5-Star Theatricals in Thousand Oaks) by Joan Alperin

SHREK TO THE RESCUE The first time I saw Shrek The Musical was on Broadway in 2008. I loved it then but 5-Star Theatricals’ production has me really loving it now. With book and lyrics…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:13PM
Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Theater Review: UK UNDERDOG (Zephyr Theater) by Joan Alperin

HE’S NOT GOING TO THE DOGS, BUT THE PROCEEDS ARE There are many reasons to see writer/performer Steve Spiro’s entertaining and touching one man show, a powerful and emotional tru…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:21PM

Film Review: A STAR IS BORN (directed by Bradley Cooper) by Joan Alperin

BRADLEY COOPER — A STAR REBORN The first A Star Is Born (1937) tells of aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (played by Janet Gaynor) who impresses an alcoholic matinee idol Norman Maine (…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:46PM
Sunday, September 16, 2018

Theater Review: FAIRY TALE THEATRE 18 & OVER: THE MUSICAL (Ammunition Theatre at Pico Playhouse) by Joan Alperin

18 & OVER THE MOON You gotta love a revue that starts with a song, “Turn off Your Fucking Phone.” Even better is that Ammunition Theatre Company — which gave us the astounding …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:10PM
Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Theater Review: SWANSONG (Skylight Theatre) by Joan Alperin

AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMER IN A POWERFUL PLAY Produced by the Australian Theatre Company along with Skylight Theatre, Conor McDermottroe’s one-man play Swansong and André de Vanny&#…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:21PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards