Lovell Estell III was jaded when it came to magic acts. Then he saw Albie Selznick's autobiographical magic act "Smoke and Mirrors." It's effect struck him "like an angry mule's kick," when he came to realize that the show had tapped long-dormant childhood memories. "Smoke and Mirrors" is back with a new director, David Schweizer, and our critic went to re-visit the show, and its magician.
The Live Arts Exchange (LAX), produced by Los Angeles Performance Practice and the Bootleg Theater, brings together a collection of unconventional work from artists both within and outside the LA theater community. Amongst the various artistic styles, genres, and mediums making their way onstage, the backstories and inspirations of the pieces paint a colorful portrait of the experiences and thought processes behind the innovative artists and performers. BY REZA VOJDANI
Customers can choose to watch a selection streaming over the internet or download it and watch it offline. The prices are quite reasonable, with $5.99 for a rental, $12.99 to buy, and $15.99 for an HD purchase. There is also a West End Theatre series screened in cinemas, but as of this writing there don't seem to be any current dates in the U.S. Digital Theatre Plus (digitaltheatreplus.com) offers schools and universities a way to help educate their students about the arts, with subscription programs that include behind-the-scenes material and study guides. The latest release on Digital Theatre is the Almeida Theatre production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, starring Lesley Manville and directed by Richard Eyre. BY TERRY MORGAN
"Although a few of Ivy Bottini's pieces in the exhibition reflect her activism, most of the work on display is non-political - a gladdening medley of sensuous nudes, penetrating portraits and abstract floral designs." By Deborah Klugman
As with all music festivals, the performances at the 2014 FYF (in Exposition Park and the Sports Arena) provided food for the ears and eyes, an all-you-can-eat-buffet of sounds, beats, voices, visuals, and rhythms. BY DEVIN WEIL
“There was lots of back and forth, about the notion of "The Persians" being the first [extant] play,” said Bogart at an earlier press event. “As a theater company who is very much invested in theater from our past -- where we come from, our genealogy -- the honor of doing the first play is extraordinary. Sometimes I say, if theater were a verb, it would be, ‘to remember.’ To put things back together again.” BY DEBORAH BEHRENS
Co-artistic directors and married couple Zushi and Alkazian have differing views on matters of principle, ranging from how to edit a Shakespearian text to the best financial model for their theater. So far their dialectic has resulted in an intriguing fusion of ideas, but not without its tensions. BY ASHLEY STEED
As part of Stage Raw's "View From the Bridge" outreach program, Paul Birchall joined 21-year-old Occidental College graduate Devin Weil at City Garage's production of Maria Irene Fornes's "The Conduct of Life." How do 20-year-olds respond to local theater? Read Paul's interview with Devin, and compare their reviews of the production.
TERRY MORGAN reviews National Theatre Live's broadcast of Alan Ayckbourne's "A Small Family Business," and looks at L.A. Theatre Works's radio broadcast of "August: Osage County"
Performer Nadia Parvez Manzoor was raised in a conservative Pakistani Muslim home in cosmopolitan London. Her autobiographical solo show, "Burq Off!" (Hollywood's Elephant Theatre, July 17-19; San Francisco's Exit Theatre, July 24-26), illuminates her experience as an independent-minded young woman struggling to become her own person amidst the strictures placed upon her by her culture. BY DEBORAH KLUGMAN