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Handjob Reviewed by Terry Morgan Echo Theater Company Extended through October 28 RECOMMENDED Erik Patterson’s new play, Handjob, aims to be provocative, and it succeeds in its goal. While the show features the explicit depiction of a sexual act (I bet you can guess which one), the playwright is going after bigger themes than sex […]
Self-Injurious Behavior Reviewed by Julia Stier Theatre 68 Through September 28 RECOMMENDED After committing her son who has autism to a full-time care facility to prevent him from injuring himself, Summer (Jessica Cavanagh) is struggling to cope. Even after her sisters, Sage and Harmony, whisk her away to a renaissance faire for the weekend, she […]
Always Running Reviewed by Dana Martin CASA 0101 Theater and Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural and Bookstore Extended through November 24 RECOMMENDED Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis J. Rodriguez believes that art holds the power of transformation. His new play Always Running, based on his 1993 memoir entitled Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., […]
Our Lady Of 121st Street Reviewed by Lovell Estell III Loft Ensemble Through September 15 Stephen Adly Guirgis has a knack for scripting characters that “stick” with you, and a keen ear for dialogue that is, by turns, wrenching and humorous. In this dramedy, Guigis creates a gallery of raucous misfits who are brought together […]
Driving Wilde Reviewed by Deborah Klugman Theatre of NOTE Through September 21 In The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde’s title character makes a Faustian pact to preserve his beauty at the price of his soul, transitioning, in the course of the narrative, from a naïve, guilt-free youth to a cruel and vicious narcissist. The book […]
The Joy Luck Club Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian Sierra Madre Playhouse Through October 5 Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1989) has undoubtedly become a classic piece of mother-daughter literature. The novel is composed of 16 vignettes, which tell the story of four Chinese immigrant women and their American-born girls. Despite focusing on one single ethnic […]
Macbeth Reviewed by Stephen Fife 134 West Productions Through September 7 The opening moments of Alyssa Escalante’s production of Macbeth at Art Share L.A. are exquisite. It begins with a standing screen at the rear of the stage that displays a painted blue sky with fluffy white clouds. When the houselights go dark, the screen […]
Hannah and the Dread Gazebo Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian The Fountain Theatre in association with East West Players Through September 22 Currently experiencing its California premiere at The Fountain Theatre, Jiehae Park’s latest play is a cute, but messy dramedy that combines Korean culture and politics with a unique, yet relatable story about spirituality and identity. […]
