All stories by Tom Chaits on BroadwayStars

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Streaming Theater: SITTING AND TALKING (Laguna Playhouse) by Tom Chaits

Laguna Playhouse is presenting Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) and Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) in the Southern California premiere of Sitting and Talking, which was created and written speci…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:28PM
Monday, March 15, 2021

Theater/Film: ANIMAL WISDOM (Woolly Mammoth and A.C.T.) by Tom Chaits

Woolly Mammoth and A.C.T. have begun work on an original film of The Bushwick Starr’s acclaimed production of Animal Wisdom, created by and starring Heather Christian. Currently being fi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:00PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Theater: HARLEM DUET (Coronado Playhouse in San Diego) by Tom Chaits

CORONADO PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS HARLEM DUET Coronado Playhouse: A San Diego tradition for 75 years, is presenting Harlem Duet, the critically acclaimed play by Djanet Sears, streaming on-demand …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:16PM
Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Theater Preview: THE WINTER WARLOCKDOWN TROUBIE HOLIDAY PARTY (Troubadour Theater Company) by Tom Chaits

FORGET YOUR TROUBLES WITH THE TROUBIES The holiday season simply wouldn’t be the same without the Troubies so they’re bringing you an experience second only to being tightly packed in a …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:41PM
Friday, November 7, 2014

Theater Interview: RONNIE BURKETT (“The Daisy Theatre” presented by CAP UCLA at Ivy Substation) by Tom Chaits

HE’S GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING Last year, I saw an incredible theatrical production—a puppet show no less—that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Written, produced, designed, …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:30PM
Friday, September 19, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: WILL YOU SAVE THEM? (Loft Ensemble) by Tom Chaits

BEYOND SAVING The title of the Loft Ensemble’s world premiere presentation asks the question, Will You Save Them? Unfortunately the answer is, “I can’t.” While the production is not …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:08PM
Thursday, September 18, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: COCK (Rogue Machine) by Tom Chaits

HARD DRIVING COCK GOES DEEP Love may be “a many-splendored thing” but as Pat Benatar sang it’s also a “battlefield.” In Mike Barlett’s Cock, making its Los Angeles premiere at Ro…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:50PM
Saturday, September 13, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Preview: VOX LUMIERE—THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (L.A. Theatre Center) by Tom Chaits

SHINING NEW LUMIERE ON A FABLED CLASSIC Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of the Opera created a sensation when it was first unveiled as a serialization in the French newspaper Le Gaulois …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:17PM
Friday, August 29, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE UNFRYABLE MEATNESS OF BEING (Pacific Resident Theatre) by Tom Chaits

MORE MEAT If you are one of the many theatergoers who caught Pacific Resident Theatre’s production of Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road (and possibly the special Christmas follow-up) duri…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:47PM
Monday, May 12, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: 110 IN THE SHADE (Actors Co-op Theatre Company in Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

A BLAZING-HOT PRODUCTION As Los Angeles heats up to scorching temperatures this week, there is a cool, refreshing theatrical breeze blowing down the pike. It may be wise to avoid the 110-in-…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:04PM
Saturday, May 10, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE GHOST OF GERSHWIN (The Group Rep in North Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

THE GHOST OF GERSHWIN: SONGS 10, BOOK 3 There is a lot to sing about in the Group Rep’s season closer The Ghost of Gershwin. It contains a bevy of freshly penned ditties by Wayland Pickard…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:40PM
Friday, May 9, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: UNORGANIZED CRIME (Elephant Theatre in Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

ALL THAT CHAZZ After nearly a 25-year absence, actor Chazz Palminteri returns to the Los Angeles stage in the world premiere of Unorganized Crime, currently shooting up the joint at the Elep…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:38PM

Los Angeles Theater Review: A DELICATE BALANCE (Odyssey Theatre) by Tom Chaits

INDELICATE AND OUT OF BALANCE When Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance won the Pulitzer Prize in 1967 it was no doubt a theatrical revelation. Although it didn’t pack the emotional wallop …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:57AM
Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE LION IN WINTER (The Colony Theatre in Burbank) by Tom Chaits

A TOOTHLESS LION James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter is a brilliant study in castle intrigue laced with deceit and deception, alliances and allegiances, backstabbing and double dealing. The…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:36AM
Friday, April 18, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: RUTH DRAPER’S MONOLOGUES (Geffen Playhouse) by Tom Chaits

IS THERE A DIRECTOR IN THE HOUSE? There is nothing inherently humdrum about the Geffen Playhouse’s production of Ruth Draper’s Monologues but there is nothing particularly exhilarating a…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:21PM
Saturday, March 22, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: LEND ME A TENOR (Actors Co-op in Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

TENOR EVENTUALLY SINGS BUT NEEDS MORE NOTES Farce is difficult. You need to get your audience to suspend disbelief as mischief, mayhem and lots of slamming doors abound, and a series of unli…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:45PM
Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: DERBY DAY (Elephant Theatre in Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

DEMOLITION DERBY Sometimes at the end of a play such as The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Killer Joe, I gaze upon the total destruction of the set and think, “I’m glad I don’t have to cl…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:53PM
Thursday, March 13, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: SLOWGIRL (Geffen) by Tom Chaits

SLOWGIRL SIMMERS In cooking it is often necessary to heat a mixture slowly bringing it to a simmer and keeping it just below the boiling point, allowing all its savory sweetness to surface. …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:46PM
Saturday, March 8, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: TALHOTBLOND (Ruskin Group Theatre Co. in Santa Monica) by Tom Chaits

NOTSOGUD Everything you need to know about Ruskin Group Theatre’s current world premiere production is revealed in the title: TALHOTBLOND: everybody lies online. If you are at all tech sav…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:30PM
Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE TRIP BACK DOWN (Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks) by Tom Chaits

A SHORT TAKE ON A LONG TRIP Sometimes critics get caught up in their own words and feel the need to expand upon their self-important ramblings beyond all reason.  They spew forth with so mu…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:57AM
Monday, February 24, 2014

Los Angeles Opera Review: BILLY BUDD (LA Opera) by Tom Chaits

LOST AT SEA To culminate a year-long centennial celebration of British composer Benjamin Britten, L.A. Opera revisits the acclaimed Francesca Zambello production of his 1951 seafaring opera …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:03PM
Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: FIREMEN (Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theater) by Tom Chaits

FIVE-ALARM ACTING SETS THE STAGE ABLAZE IN FIREMEN After sixteen years of a nomadic existence, Echo Theater Company has finally found a permanent home at the Atwater Village Theater. If thei…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM
Saturday, February 8, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: BUNNY BUNNY (Falcon Theatre in Burbank) by Tom Chaits

NO NEED TO HOP ON OVER TO THE FALCON There’s an old European superstition: In order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck the first words you utter on the first day of every month must be …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:49PM
Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: NIGHT WATCH (Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills) by Tom Chaits

A SWELL WHODUNNIT CREATES ANOTHER MYSTERY: WHY THIS ACTRESS? Part Rear Window, part Gaslight, Night Watch is currently dialing up the suspense at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills.  Lucille Fletc…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:23PM

Los Angeles Theater Review: CHINA: THE WHOLE ENCHILADA (Sacred Fools Theater Company) by Tom Chaits

SHANGHAIED A musical featuring three performers and 5,000 years of Chinese history in just 90 minutes sure sounded promising, but the production of China: The Whole Enchilada currently servi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:21PM
Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Preview: INSTANT FAIRY TALES: THE LONGEST WINTER (Rachel Rosenthal Company) by Tom Chaits

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED For over half a century, Rachel Rosenthal has been surprising audiences with her unique take on the theatrical experience. A master of performance art, she was recently…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:02PM
Friday, January 17, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: PENNY PLAIN (Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes at UCLA) by Tom Chaits

STRINGS ATTACHED A worldwide pandemic has already claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of humans and the apocalypse is near.  An intriguing plot line to be sure but hardly one you woul…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:57PM
Monday, January 13, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE LAKE HOUSE PROJECT (Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood) by Tom Chaits

FEAR THE HYPHENATE If a person is lucky enough, they will discover their passion in life and be able to fine tune and truly excel at that skill. Others flounder about, trying a bit if this a…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:24PM
Sunday, January 12, 2014

Los Angeles Theater Review: TAKE ME OUT (Plus One Productions at the Flight Theatre) by Tom Chaits

A SWING AND A MISS Theater, like baseball, is a team sport. To reign triumphant and put a tick in the “W” box, all the players must be at the top of their game. When everyone hits a home…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:21PM
Sunday, November 3, 2013

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP (Falcon Theatre in Burbank) by Tom Chaits

DREADFUL AT ANY PRICE Back in the1800s, the Industrial revolution was in full swing in merry ole England. The working class was becoming more educated and printing was becoming more affordab…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:00PM
Monday, October 28, 2013

Los Angeles Theater Review: THE HOMOSEXUALS (Celebration Theatre at Atwater Village Theatre) by Tom Chaits

ROLE REVERSAL For its inaugural production at its new temporary home in Atwater Village, the Celebration Theatre has mounted The Homosexuals (pun intended). As one might glean from the title…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM

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