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Death House Reviewed by Lovell Estell III The Road on Lankershim Extended through March 23 RECOMMENDED Few elements of the criminal justice system generate more discourse and lack of consensus than capital punishment. There are now some 3,000 men and women on death row in the United States, many of whom have been languishing there for decades. Closer […]
Hir Reviewed by Terry Morgan Odyssey Theatre Ensemble Through March 17 The word “hir” is a gender-neutral, third-person pronoun that replaces “him” or “her.” It’s an appropriate title for Taylor Mac’s play, which examines gender definitions in the context of an American family drama. This is certainly an interesting and ever-evolving subject to explore, but […]
Forever Brooklyn! A Kosher Musical Comedy Reviewed by Dana Martin Whitefire Theatre Through February 9 Playwright Mark Wesley Curran’s new play Forever Brooklyn! A Kosher Musical Comedy follows a young Jewish kid from Brooklyn desiring to forge his own path. A nostalgic, unsentimental flashback to simpler times, the story is predominately told through silly, satirical song spoofs and sweet-but-surface […]
Smart Love Reviewed by Terry Morgan Pacific Resident Theatre Extended through March 17 One of the hallowed maxims of writing teachers everywhere is: “Show, don’t tell.” Simply put, the actual experience of a thing is much more effective than simply hearing about it. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule (Swimming to Cambodia comes to mind), […]
Stockholm Reviewed by Stephen Fife Triptych Theatre Group Through January 28 RECOMMENDED Among the ranks of serious-minded playwrights working today, there are few more serious (sometimes sledgehammerly so) than Bryony Lavery. Deeply influenced by fellow-Brit Caryl Churchill, Lavery has a special feeling for death and the perverse nature of fate. In her most famous play, Frozen, […]
Jocasta: A Motherf**king Tragedy Reviewed by Iris Mann Ghost Road Theatre Company Through February 10 The myth of Oedipus was first told in dramatic form by Sophocles around 429 B.C. This updated version — conceived by Brian Weir and developed in workshop with the Ghost Road Theatre Company — presents the story from the standpoint of Jocasta, […]
A Misunderstanding Reviewed by Deborah Klugman Rubidor Productions Through February 3 Just what does it mean to be human? Are men and women merely the sum of our neurons and biological processes, or is there a spiritual force that drives our actions, one that empirical science needs to acknowledge? That question has preoccupied playwright Matt […]
Special Reviewed by Julia Stier Ol’ Bait Shop Productions Through January 13 The year is 1978, and the executives at CBS think they have a brilliant idea on their hands. The galaxy had been rocked the year before by the arrival of Star Wars, George Lucas’ epic space fantasy/adventure film. In an attempt to make […]
