Pantages Awakening, Clybourne Calling, Wrong Theater for 33 Variations? by Don Shirley

Which theater company attracts the most young adults? Why can't Clybourne Park coincide with A Raisin in the Sun? Would 33 Variations fit the Taper better than the Ahmanson?  READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 10:37pm on February 11, 2011☆⚑

Atwater Sex, Sister's Audience, Furious Farewell by Don Shirley

The new Atwater Village Theatre and Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA offer two views of sex-besotted characters in Mlle. God and Crack Whore Galore--Live. Why can't Sister's audiences ask tougher …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 11:50pm on February 4, 2011☆⚑

Liking 'Adding Machine', Not Loving 'Repeating' by Don Shirley

Of two new musicals with similar roots, Adding Machine adds up to more than Loving Repeating.  In the group therapy genre, Circle Mirror Transformation requires less suspension o…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 9:35pm on January 28, 2011☆⚑

Observing Ovations on MLK Day, an LA Circus Festival by Don Shirley

Let's look at the Ovation Awards and their ceremony in Thousand Oaks on MLK Day -- the good, the bad and the loud.  Also, LA is suddenly enjoying an inadvertent circus festival in thre…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 11:33am on January 19, 2011☆⚑

Westward Ho to the Ovations, Gustavo Marceau, Razon Re-Visited by Don Shirley

The Ovation Awards ceremony ventures outside LA County, Gustavo Dudamel resembles a great mime from the best theater fan's seats in Disney Hall, and persistence pays off for the 24th Street …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 10:57pm on January 14, 2011☆⚑

From Haircut to Hair by Don Shirley

A haircut is part of John Lithgow's Stories by Heart at the Mark Taper Forum, where we see a big actor in a small but intricate ode to storytelling. The touring Hair fills the Pantages Th…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 8:25pm on January 7, 2011☆⚑

Ten Hopes for 2011 by Don Shirley

Don Shirley discusses his hopes for greater LA theater in 2011 -- including developments in LA, Pasadena, Orange County, and the nationwide perception of the LA theater scene. READ MORE.

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 9:05pm on December 31, 2010☆⚑

Ten Types of 2010 Highlights by Don Shirley

Don Shirley takes 26 pof his favorite productions of 2010 and categorizes them into 10 groups. READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 7:07pm on December 23, 2010☆⚑

Much Ado Over Shakespeare Center and Troubies by Don Shirley

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles is evolving with a too-brief, indoor Much Ado at the beautifully raked Kirk Douglas. While you might detect a resemblance between the Troubies' The Firs…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 7:02pm on December 17, 2010☆⚑

Gay Marriages on Stage, West Side Story by Don Shirley

Why haven't playwrights overwhelmed our theaters with stories about gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell? At least we've got Caught and Standing on Ceremony. And a few footnotes on the …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 6:09pm on December 10, 2010☆⚑

Next to Normal " and Other Major League Musicals by Don Shirley

Next to Normal demonstrates that rock isn't restricted to the young. Also a few thoughts on Harps and Angels, Maestro and Uptown Downtown. READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 5:04pm on December 1, 2010☆⚑

Calligraphy on an Equity Contract, Examining Heralds by Don Shirley

In the late ’80s, Los Angeles Theatre Center was, at the very least, L.A.’s second most important theater company, almost up there with Center Theatre Group. With its cluster of …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 8:24pm on November 19, 2010☆⚑

Culture Monster, Pub Plays, Prison Plays, Human Monsters by Don Shirley

Beginning this week, the LA Times Culture Monster brand - best known for its blog - is also attached to an arts-dedicated page in the print edition of the Times, each Wednesday. Because audi…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 5:53pm on November 12, 2010☆⚑