Stage Raw

"The symbolism could not be more apparent: Does one sever oneself from one’s legacy in order to move beyond it, or does one treat legacy as a road from past to future, on which one must tread in order to sustain identity and purpose?” Get tickets for "The Piano Lesson" at A Noise Within, running now through November 10!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/the-piano-lesson/

“Disney’s swift movements and enthusiasm contradict Riefenstahl’s oblivious N**i rhetoric, making this scene hauntingly effective while still provoking laughs from the audience.” Catch "Crevasse" at the Victory Theatre Center, running now through November 10!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/crevasse-3/

Recommended this week:

Mason McCulley in "Carole Cook Died for My Sins" in which the author-performer tells of his grief and recovery following the death of his mentor, theater star Carole Cook. Reviewed by Steven Vargas
https://stageraw.com/carole-cook-died-for-my-sins/

"The Orphans' Revenge" The Group Rep reprises its family-fare musical melodrama parody. Reviewed by Martín Hernández.
https://stageraw.com/the-orphans-revenge/

All new reviews (this week includes coverage of "Yamel Cucuy" (Glass Half Full Theatre Company at LATC, and Neo Ensemble's "I'll Be With You Shortly."
https://stageraw.com/reviews/

Deborah Klugman compiled this week's regional stage listings.
https://stageraw.com/stage-listings/

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LOCAL THEATER!

Image: Mason McCulley in "Carole Cook Died for My Sins" at the Skylight (photo by Jeff Lorch)

"Weaving elements of Mexican folklore and modern horror tropes with the very real horror of immigration agents hunting down migrants." Get tickets for "Yamel Cucuy" at the Los Angeles Theater Center, running now through November 8!

Read More: https://stageraw.com/yamel-cucuy/

"Democracy is like a streetcar: You get off once you have reached your destination."

"Theater is the sound we make to overcome fear."

These are lines from playwright Jeton Neziraj and director Blerta Neziraj's Brechtian satire/parable of democracy's decline in Turkey, imbued with puppetry and shadow puppetry to underscore themes of, well, puppets and shadows.

The production is the anchor presentation of the Albania/Kosovo Theatre Showcase, and it was performed last night in Tirana (Albania). It was surreal for this American to be sitting here, on the other side of the world, anxious about our razor-close election that could cut like a razor, or make the sound we need to overcome fear.

My own play, "The Whites" is being performed on this same stage today. What an honor to be in such company.

"Carrie, the victim of a car crash, is inexplicably forced to linger in this in-between place while others are quickly expedited to their final destinations." Get tickets for "I’ll Be With You Shortly" at the Neo Ensemble Theatre, running now through November 7!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/ill-be-with-you-shortly/

"How does a play grapple with contemporary racial politics without boiling-to-death in what’s become a calcified stew of current passions?" Find out by tickets to see "Trouble in Mind" at Actors Co-op, running now through November 10!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/trouble-in-mind/

"The choice and arrangement of the material underscore themes of struggle and resilience that transcend the music." Catch "Ain’t Misbehavin'" at Musical Theatre West, running now through November 3!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/aint-misbehavin-4/

"Director Beatrice Casagrán’s claustrophobic set is emblematic of Florence’s cluttered and confused brain, with characters playfully popping in and out of her closets, oversized trunks, and from under her bed." Don't miss "The Second Death of a Mad Wife" at Ophelia’s Jump, running now through November 2!

Read more: https://stageraw.com/the-second-death-of-a-mad-wife/

"Every screwball element is right there on the surface…what you expect to see is exactly what you’ll get." Catch "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" at The New Vic, running now through October 27!

Read more here: https://stageraw.com/dracula-a-comedy-of-terrors/

As election lunacy bears down, Stage Raw has been crossing bridges (rather than burning them down). The results of two partnerships are in:

PLAY LA (in partnership with Stage Raw) has selected five playwrights to develop a play from the ground up (playwrights were selected by a team of playwright-judges not associated with Stage Raw); each recipient will work with a local theater in presenting those plays in a 2025 readings festival at Greenway Court Theatre, and each will receive $1500 for their trouble. Hopefully this will lead to a production with the theaters they work with. The playwrights are: RACHEL BORDERS, LOUISA HILL, INDIA KOTIS, MATTHEW SCOTT MONTGOMERY, and ERICA WACHS.

Meanwhile, in partnership with Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, Stage Raw has posted the first wave of writings (short reviews) from its new class of young writers in our Youth Journalism fellowship. The writers selected productions that most interested them. They range in age from 17-25. Two chose to review Tom Jacobson's "Crevasse" at The Victory Theatre Center (LUCINDA LINKLATER and ASA FRIS), two wrote on Daniel Passer's "Heading into Night" at the Odyssey Theatre (MOLLY MCLEAN and ISADORA SWANN). Reviews also came in for Alice Childress's "Trouble in Mind" at Actor's Co-op (THATIANA SMITH), "Green Day's American Idiot" at the Taper (MATTHEW BEYMER) and "A Going Away Party Play" at Boston Court (URSULA YOUD).

All of these writings are here:
https://stageraw.com/category/reviews/youth-journalism-fellowship/

Very busy week in the city, theater-wise;

Recommended this week:

"The Piano Lesson" (A Noise Within), the fourth play in August Wilson's "American Century" play cycle concerns a brother and a sister feuding over what to do with a legacy family heirloom piano. Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
https://stageraw.com/the-piano-lesson/

"Ain't Misbehaving'" (Musical Theatre West) The Broadway musical inspired by the songs of Fats Waller, reviewed by Joel Beers
https://stageraw.com/aint-misbehavin-4/

"Buyer & Cellar" (The 6th Act at the Whitefire Theatre) Emerson Collins portrays an assistant to Barbra Streisand in Jonathan Tolins's one-man play. Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
https://stageraw.com/buyer-cellar-2/

"summertime, an interlude" (Loft Ensemble) Aniello Fontano's new play about a cluster of characters in the wake of a community leader being shot. Reviewed by Nola Bowie (a Youth Journalism Fellow from last semester -- yes the system is working!)
https://stageraw.com/summertime-an-interlude/

"Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" (Ensemble Theatre Company, Santa Barbara. Reviewed by Philip Brandes
https://stageraw.com/dracula-a-comedy-of-terrors/

"I, Daniel Blake" (Fountain Theatre) Adapted from the Paul Laverty film of the same name, this play is a poignant critique of how capitalist societies treat the less fortunate. Reviewed by Madison Mellon
https://stageraw.com/i-daniel-blake/

"The Civil Twilight" (The Broadwater) Shem Bitterman's thriller about an unlikely meeting between an male a.m. radio talk host and a female acolyte. Reviewed by Iris Mann
https://stageraw.com/the-civil-twilight/

"The Importance of Being Earnest" (Antaeus Theatre Company) Oscar Wilde's comedy of bad manners, reviewed by Amanda L. Andrei
https://stageraw.com/the-importance-of-being-earnest/

"Being Piaf" (Odyssey Theatre) Eleanora Owen's portrayal of the French songbird, Edith Piaf. Reviewed by Julyza Commodore (another former writer in the Youth Journalism Fellowship)
https://stageraw.com/being-piaf/

Stage Raw reviewed eleven productions last week: these also included Eugene O'Neill's one-act "Hughie" at City Garage, and Kelly McBurnette Andronicos’s "The Second Death of a Mad Wife" (Ophelia's Jump). All new reviews are here.
https://stageraw.com/category/new-reviews/

Deborah Klugman and Quinton Carroll compiled this week's Stage Listings.
https://stageraw.com/stage-listings/

Thanks you for supporting local theater!







Image: "The Importance of Being Earnest (Antaeus Company), Jay Lee and Alessandra Mañón (Photo by Jeff Lorch)

"There is no singular standout actor and that is because they are all impressive in their own right. From Cherie Carter to Aron Cobbs to Dr. John P. Crocker to Aneisha Hughes to Daphne Jones to Joe Nassi to Jaimyon Parker to RJ Wayne and Terrence Wayne Jr., each actor holds their own weight in each of their acts."

Get your tickets for "160 Years of Walking" at the Stella Adler Theatre, running now through October 27th!

"Strength, humor, wit, and class are what come to mind when I think of Owen’s rendition of Piaf, beautifully displayed here." Catch "Being Piaf" at the Odyssey Theatre, running now through October 27!

"Director Chuma Gault helms the production expertly, setting just the right pace as the action ebbs and flows, and establishing emotional levels for the actors that fit the tone of each scene." Don't miss "Robbin Hood" at the Road Theatre, running now through November 17! https://stageraw.com/robbin-from-the-hood/

"The stunning open captioning captures musicality in writing, creating artful distractions on a busy stage." Get your tickets for "American Idiot" at The Mark Taper Forum, running now through November 16! Read more https://stageraw.com/green-days-american-idiot-2/

"The cast are spirited, plucky and energetic, both individually and in the aggregate. Rosner is nicely laid back and underplayed in his lynchpin role, while Jabari ‘s glitzy, poignant Angel emerges as the moral center of the piece." Don't miss out on "Rent" at Jaxx Theatricals, running now through November 2! Read more here https://stageraw.com/rent/

From the Archives: Victory Theatre Center (California Theatre Annual: 1983) -- see photo

Recommended this week:

"Rent" (Jaxx Theatricals) Jonathan's Larson's AIDS-crisis musical riff on "La Boheme." Reviewed by F. Kathleen Foley
https://stageraw.com/rent/

"160 Years of Walking" (Towne Street Theatre) David Lee Lindsey's theatrical-historical pageant of Black American resilience. Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
https://stageraw.com/160-years-of-walking-1865-to-2025/

"Trouble in Mind" (Actors' Co-op) Alice Childress's 1955 play about a company of mixed-race thespians rehearsing a "colored" play (with a White author and director) on Broadway. Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
https://stageraw.com/trouble-in-mind/

"Someone Like Me"/"In Whose Eyes" (Art of Acting Studio) One-acts by George Kappaz and Richard Gustin wrestle with the forgiveness of war crimes, and domestic predatory behavior. Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
https://stageraw.com/someone-like-me-in-whose-eyes/

"Robbin, From the Hood" (Road Theatre Company) Marlow Wyatt's new play in inspired by the medieval social justice warrior. Reviewed by Irish Mann
https://stageraw.com/robbin-from-the-hood/

Other new reviews include "Green Day's American Idiot" -- marking the season's re-opening of the Mark Taper Forum
https://stageraw.com/reviews/

Deborah Klugman and Steven Leigh Morris compiled this week's regional stage listings
https://stageraw.com/stage-listings/

Thank you for supporting local theater!

Image: "Rent" (Jaxx Theatricals): Cameron Jackson, Hanna Stauginger and Blake Rosier (Photo by Corran Villalobos)

"William Salyers brings gravity and charisma to Major DeRudio, tilting the jury’s favor with a haunting performance." Get your tickets for "Someone Like Me/In Whose Eyes?" at the Art of Acting Studio, running now through October 28! Read more here https://stageraw.com/someone-like-me-in-whose-eyes/

"Long’s Nathan Detroit is reliably zany, and Spirito’s Adelaide is excellent, especially when she explores the character’s pain and inner world." Catch "Guys and Dolls" at Altadena Music Theatre, running now through October 20! Click the link to read more https://stageraw.com/guys-dolls/

“Many aspects stand out with this production; however, the fleshed-out characters are of premium quality.” Experience "Demolition" at Pacific Resident Theatre, running now through November 24!

Going . . . going . . . still here! I was rifling around in my basement and found an analog, beautifully conceived record of local theater, edited by Barbara Isenberg. It was called the "California Theatre Annual" and I have three volumes (1981, 1982, and 1983) that I copped from the" L.A. Weekly" theater office when I was moving out, knowing full well that that by that time (2015), nobody who was left there would have the remotest interest in this well-documented history of our stage scene. Here are five random snapshots, and that's what they are, snapshots in time. If you peruse, you'll find (or I found with great joy) three companies still at it: The Victory Theatre Center, Theatre of NOTE, and the Odyssey Theatre. There's also a registry of the then-new venue STAGES, on North McCadden, run by a Frenchman named Paul Verdier. International superstar playwright Eugene Ioneso was a frequent visitor to that venue (because they did his plays). There's also a snapshot of a very young Murray Mednick, founding the Padua Hills Playwrights Festival

The Persistence of Memory: of Los Angeles, of Los Angeles theater, and reviews of "Heading into Night (Odyssey Theatre) and "Electric, I" (Theatre of NOTE)
https://stageraw.com/the-persistence-of-memory-heading-into-night-and-electric-i/

Also recommended this week.

"Demolition" (Pacific Resident Theatre) Matt Letscher's living room drama about a wall that needs to torn down. Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
https://stageraw.com/demolition/

"Luzmi" ( HERO Theatre at Inner City Arts) Diana Burbano’s environmental justice play about a female scientist who returns to her native Colombia. Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
https://stageraw.com/luzmi/

"Blood/Love" (The Crimson) A "rock popera" about vampires, and more . . Reviewed by F. Kathleen Foley
https://stageraw.com/blood-love/

All New Reviews
https://stageraw.com/reviews/

Deborah Klugman compiled this week's listings.
https://stageraw.com/stage-listings/

Thank you for supporting local theater!

“As the death toll mounts, seclusion takes a psychic toll on the immured, who call upon gods from diverse cultural traditions for help.” Catch "Topsy Turvy" at The Actors’ Gang Theater, running now through November 16!

“Make no mistake, this is an Event with a capital ‘E.’” If you want to kick off the Halloween season with a bloody bang, get tickets for "Blood/Love" at The Crimson, running now through November 2!

The Persistence of Memory: What our theater was, and what it's become, through the lenses of "Heading into Night" (Odyssey Theatre) and "Electric, I" (Theatre of NOTE)

https://stageraw.com/the-persistence-of-memory-heading-into-night-and-electric-i/