Friday, June 20, 2014
CAVE-IN The press release refers to The Cave as being inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Persephone. In Greek mythology, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the Underworld. B…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:48AMThursday, June 19, 2014
A WORLD APART FROM TYPICAL FRINGE FARE Like a breath of fresh air, Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World far exceeded my expectations of both the Fringe and Brown’s uneven song cycl…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:38PMFAR FROM FABULOUS A young gay man named Charlie has had a breakup. Feeling despondent, he enters an empty theater and performs a ritual aided by a copy of Witchcraft for Dummies. He conjures…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:52PMWednesday, June 18, 2014
GIVE US THE OL’ RAZZLE DAZZLE There are some perfect pairs in entertainment: Laurel and Hardy, Bert and Ernie, Simon and Garfunkel, Gumby and Pokey, Cheech and Chong, and Shaggy and Scooby…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:34PMLINDEN HOPS Based on the lyrics of Van Morrison’s “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights,” Colin Mitchell’s one-man play of the same name may have a sketchy narrative, but a combination …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:39PMTuesday, June 17, 2014
CANDY MAN Yes, this is a superficial “And then I…” retelling of Anthony Newley’s life, but Jon Peterson’s one-man outing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is fun…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:24PMONCE NIGHT ONLY Pretend for a moment that One Night Only Cabaret wasn’t a fundraiser for both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF). Pretend that …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:15PMMonday, June 16, 2014
SEXY AND SWEET NUITS Since the creation of the Company Preljocaj in 1984, Angelin Preljocaj has become an international superstar; some refer to the French-born Albanian choreographer as the…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:57PMSunday, June 15, 2014
WE DELIGHT IN THE BEAUTY OF THE BUTTERFLY For those who saw the visually striking production of San Francisco Opera’s The Magic Flute (2012), designed by the ceramic artist and sculptor Ju…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:49PMSaturday, June 14, 2014
A BUFFALO NEVER THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION The dialogue you will hear and the people you will meet in Aurora Theatre’s production of David Mamet’s American Buffalo have both become hallm…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:54PMWednesday, June 11, 2014
WHEN A BELT DOESN’T HOLD UP AN ACT There was a time when American cabaret singers simply sang songs—no social commentary, no motifs, and no directors were necessary because the audience …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:08PMTuesday, June 10, 2014
MTG BRINGS ANGELS TO LOS ANGELES The angels of concert-staged-reading productions come winging into town this week with a production of City of Angels, the 1989 musical spoof and homage to h…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:40PMSaturday, June 7, 2014
HARDLY THE ANIMAL IT WANTS TO BE Life comes to this new chamber musical, but only in the center of the second act, giving a hint of what the creators intended. Unfortunately, the flimsy prem…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:31PMThursday, June 5, 2014
AN ACTOR WITH A NORMAL HEART I met Eric Lange in 1996 when I was producing The Normal Heart. I’ll never forget that charming, at-ease magnetism he had walking into the audition room, and I…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:54AMWednesday, June 4, 2014
MERRY-GO-ROUND PLAYWRITING More of a writing exercise than a fleshed-out drama, Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries begins with an intriguing premise, but sputters to a halt when w…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AMTuesday, June 3, 2014
DON’T MIZ IT Unlike most of the characters in the blockbuster sung-through musical Les Misérables, the show itself will never die. Consistently presented either on Broadway, national tour…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:12PMMonday, June 2, 2014
A BLASPHEMOUS BLAST After Dominique Serrand’s jaw-droppingly juicy and insanely inventive production of Molière’s Tartuffe, a South Coast Rep patron was heard to say, “We…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:59PMFRACTURED FAIRY TALES Director Jessica Kubzansky’s imagination is firing on all cylinders, turning frivolousness into delight with South Coast Rep’s The Stinky Cheese Man and Ot…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:19PMFriday, May 30, 2014
MORE LANG FOR YOUR BUCK While Jessica Lang has made a name for herself in the dance world as an independent choreographer, dance patrons in Los Angeles may find this dancemaker difficult to …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:09PMThursday, May 29, 2014
趙 氏 孤 兒 COMES TO A.C.T. Who amongst us can deny that at one time or another we have been wronged or injured by someone else? But how many feel that retaliation by exacting punishment…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:44PMMonday, May 26, 2014
AMERICAN HERO OR AMERICAN ZERO? While researching a speech on the origins of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” I came across a name that I remembered from a visit to Gettysburg National Milita…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:03PMThursday, May 22, 2014
SAY IT, MOTHERFUCKER When you see the word “Motherf**ker” in the title The Motherf**ker with the Hat, what comes to mind? Why, “Motherfucker,” naturally. While the asterisks may be n…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:55PMWednesday, May 21, 2014
TWO TONY’S UNITE FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST THEATER EVENTS OF THE YEAR For anybody starved for smart and thrilling playwriting, your destination is Berkeley Rep, which is unfurling the West Co…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:31AMTuesday, May 20, 2014
A PRODUCTION FOR TUTTE TO COSÌ UP TO For those who think that the “semi-staging” for Così fan tutte, which opens on Friday at Disney Hall, is simply a world-class orchestra accompanyin…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:19AMMonday, May 19, 2014
COME HOME TO THE THEATER Statistics vary, but there were approximately 700,000 homeless Americans in 2013. While the government reports that figures are less drastic since the 2007 economic …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:48PMFriday, May 16, 2014
a poem about a play This critic, this poet this pinch faced sailor Blueblack eyes like wet rocks icy sharp nose like a dagger screams I AM A PLAGIARIST this poem MY poem paraphrased from act…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AMThursday, May 15, 2014
A ROAD TRIP YOU HAVE TO TAKE Some may not know this, but Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor, ex-cowboy, and musician Sam Shepard is also an amazing short story writer. After reading Cr…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:29PMMonday, May 12, 2014
DAZZLING DOMINGO IN MASSENET’S MASTERPIECE What do world-renowned singers do once they have reached the age of retirement? On the strength of their name, they fill cabarets and concert…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AMSaturday, May 10, 2014
THE OLD SONG-AND-DANCE Full of vitality, eagerness, and joie de vivre, the indefatigable, cheerful, and fast-talkin’ showman Maurice Hines is offering a walk-down-memory-lane with song, bi…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:28PMFriday, May 9, 2014
GOING WHERE NO FESTIVAL HAS GONE BEFORE Writer and actor David Dean Bottrell came up with a swell idea for Los Angeles—a science fiction theater festival. Consisting of two different progr…
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:37PMThursday, May 8, 2014
INTO THE WORDS For his production of Into the Woods, director T.J. Dawson notes that Stephen Sondheim’s score is often revered as genius. “However, many of his incredible lyrics rush by …
SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:29AM 
