Los Angeles Archives | The Theatre Times

“Happy Days” at the Mark Taper Forum – Sorrow Keeps Breaking In

Posted by Christine Deitner | 25th May 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

For the most part, Ms. Wiest seems to place Winnie’s voice at the upper end of the vocal range giving her a light, airy, pitched tone that all but says, ‘I mean no harm’. When the emotion takes the character or the story turns on her unexpectedly, a sudden drop into her lower register is more impactful than a sea of tears could ever be and it makes us feel for this poor character that Beckett has trapped in a mound of what feels like years of disappointment.

“Diana of Dobson’s” at Antaeus Theatre Company

Posted by Christine Deitner | 25th Apr 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

A young woman with no family to fall back on earns a meager living as a shopgirl but her salary is...

“Les Miz And Friends: A Puppet Parody” At The Hudson Theatre Is An Absolutely Hysterical Delight.

Posted by Christine Deitner | 21st Apr 2019 | Los Angeles, Puppetry, Review, United States of America

The press for the show promises audience interaction and improv but the way both are utilized here is utterly impressive. In three of those many “Master of the House” reprises, Flati and Makarayk sing songs about three members of the audience who have volunteered and base their verses off of the volunteers entirely. This is a talented cast of truly funny people who can really, really sing. And if you are a fan of any Muppet-inspired vehicle, it’s hard not to be jealous of those three volunteers for they get to interact with such beautifully crafted characters.

“All My Sons” at The Lounge Theatre

Posted by Christine Deitner | 13th Apr 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

With a President in the White House whose ethics seem to be in question on an hourly, if not daily, basis and the tragic recent Boeing crashes taking the lives of hundreds of people for no clear reason other than one that saved the company money, it’s little wonder that Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” might be of interest. Gary Lee Reed directs the Wasatch Theatrical Ventures presentation of the play at The Lounge Theatre in Hollywood, CA and as he states in his note in the program “the devastating impact of lies and denial are often never exposed… until it’s too late.” With the revelation of these lies and the inevitable betrayals they engender, Mr. Reed oversees a talented cast but there are questions about the emotional depths and lengths to which they go to shed light on this complex question.

“The Things We Do” at Odyssey Theatre

Posted by Christine Deitner | 11th Apr 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, Theatre and Age, United States of America

The latest guest production at Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles is Grant Woods’ The Things We...

The Importance Of Theatre For The Youth With Jonathan Dorf

Posted by Vanessa Diego | 6th Apr 2019 | Interview, Los Angeles, United States of America

Jonathan Dorf is a Los Angeles playwright and screenwriter with work produced worldwide. He’s...

Block Party and “Rotterdam” at the Kirk Douglas

Posted by Christine Deitner | 5th Apr 2019 | LGBTQ Theatre, Los Angeles, Review, Theatre and Gender, United States of America

The Center Theatre Group’s second Block Party show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Century City is...

Lyric Hyperion Brings The Spirit Of Gaulier To Silver Lake

Posted by Colin McIsaac | 4th Apr 2019 | Interview, Los Angeles, United States of America

Phil Burgers is an award-winning comedy writer and performer who has moved from clowning in France...

Brian Friel’s “Faith Healer” At The Odyssey Theatre

Posted by Christine Deitner | 30th Mar 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

It is the Odyssey Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season and in honor of this wonderful accomplishment the company starts off with an intimate and powerful bang with Brian Friel’s “Faith Healer” as directed by Ron Sossi, the company’s artistic director. In the program notes Mr. Sossi points out that though the theatre launched in 1969 and the play didn’t appear on the scene until the late 1970s, the play seems a “most apt prelude to the[ir] retrospective” season due to its innovative role in developing what we now know as the ‘monologue play’. It was also the first play the company performed when they opened their new/current space 30 years prior on S. Sepulveda Blvd in Los Angeles.

Theatre Unleashed: Lauren Gunderson’s “Ada and the Engine” – A Must-See in Koreatown

Posted by Christine Deitner | 28th Mar 2019 | Los Angeles, Theatre and Gender, Theatre and Science, United States of America

es, it’s possible if not likely the play has simply conjured up all of this complexity of feeling and that nothing ever existed between Ada and Babbage beyond their shared vision. Yes, I know, there have been multiple instances over time where Ada’s contribution to the invention of the first computing machine has been questioned and tested and even dismissed.None of that matters, for the romantic liaison that Gunderson has crafted and Powers has brought to life delivers one of the loveliest and mature romantic moments I’ve seen on stage.

“The Bourgeois Gentlemen” at the City Garage Theatre, Santa Monica CA

Posted by Christine Deitner | 24th Mar 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

The City Garage once again shows its audiences in Santa Monica, CA how much Moliere’s work is both relevant and necessary with their revival of “The Bourgeois Gentleman”. Originally produced by the company in 2008 with a new English translation from the show’s director Frédérique Michel and the producer/production designer Charles A. Duncombe, the play centers on a wealthy merchant with dreams of becoming a member of the aristocracy.

“For The Love Of , Or, The Roller Derby Play”: Block Party 2019 Off To A Strong Start At The Kirk Douglas

Posted by Christine Deitner | 19th Mar 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, United States of America

It is Block Party time again at the Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver...

“America Adjacent” At The Skylight Theatre Is Worth Consideration…

Posted by Christine Deitner | 28th Feb 2019 | Los Angeles, Review, Theatre and Gender, United States of America

If this sounds stark, that’s only because a simple paragraph of explanation cannot possibly do the script justice. Los Angeles based playwright Boni B. Alvarez is himself a son of Filipino immigrant parents and he has tapped into his roots to craft multi-dimensional characters that deliver surprising levels of humor in spite of the fact that they are essentially prisoners. The humor reveals the humanity and depth of these characters in ways that draw you close to them no matter how far removed you might feel from their situation.