I HAVE A LOVE Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony have just released a live recording of the first ever complete concert performances of West Side Story. I wanted …
MEGALOMANIA WAS NEVER SO MUCH FUN Move over Evita, there's another Queen of Hearts in town. And she likes diamonds too. I'm talking about Imelda Marcos"she of the thousand pairs of shoes"who…
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…
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 cycle. T…
FAR 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…
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 c…
LINDEN 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 of genui…
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…
ONCE 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 yo…
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…
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 Jun …
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 hallmarks…
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 was …
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…
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…
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 k…
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 we …
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 tours,…
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, “…
FRACTURED 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 …
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 …
趙 æ° å¤ å…’ 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 exac…
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 Military P…
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 necessary…
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 Coas…