In Will Arbery's "Evanston Salt Costs Climbing," the mundane task of salting icy roads becomes a metaphor for our complex relationship with environmental change and technological progress. Director Guillermo Cienfuegos brings a compelling touch to this meditation on existential dread, crafting a production that balances humor with underlying tension. The play transforms everyday municipal workers into prophetic figures. Through the interactions of salt truck drivers Peter and Basil, we witness the human cost of progress... Read more →
In "Beatnik Girl," playwright Leda Siskind scripts a fascinating narrative that intersects with the cultural zeitgeist of 1957 New York's Lower East Side. Through the character of Edie Gordon, Siskind explores the complexities of artistic ambition colliding with societal constraints. The play's setting during the Beat Generation provides more than mere historical backdrop; it serves as a mirror that reflects contemporary discussions about gender equality and artistic freedom. The production, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky,... Read more →
Charles Morogiello's Spacefuzz project “Crush Depth” emerges as a transformative sonic journey that navigates the depths of personal isolation. Through a fusion of psychedelic experimentation and symphonic structure, this double album crafts an underwater soundscape that mirrors the artist's emergence from crisis into connection. Morogiello builds upon the influence of Brian Wilson's contrapuntal innovations. He develops what he terms "counterpoints of counterpoints" to articulate the competing realities within mental health experiences. The album's four sides... Read more →
In "Last Night at Mikell's," playwright Larry Muhammad paints an intimate portrait of James Baldwin's return to New York City that weaves jazz, literature, and friendship into a meditation on legacy. The play transforms Theatre 4 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center into Mikell's, the legendary jazz club where Baldwin's brother David tends bar. Muhammad's script positions Baldwin at a crucial moment: after two heart attacks, he seeks solace in familiar surroundings, only to find... Read more →
Jaxx Theatricals' revival of "Cabaret" marks Jeremy Lucas's return to the stage as the Emcee after a seven-year performing hiatus. This dual role - as both artistic leader and performer - adds an interesting layer to the production's dynamics. The production, directed by Sasha Travis, places the decadent world of 1929 Berlin's Kit Kat Klub against the ominous rise of Nazi power. This juxtaposition creates a haunting resonance that feels relevant to contemporary audiences. Travis's... Read more →
In Dipika Guha's "Yoga Play," directed by Reena Dutt at CSULB's University Theatre, commerce collides with spirituality in a razor-sharp examination of authenticity in our brand-obsessed world. The play follows Joan, a crisis management expert tasked with salvaging a yoga brand's reputation after a PR disaster. Through Joan's journey, Guha crafts a multilayered critique of how Western capitalism commodifies Eastern spiritual practices. Dutt's direction navigates the fine line between satire and substance. Her experience with... Read more →
“You Cannot Know the Hour” plunges into the murky waters of guilt, innocence, and psychological manipulation. Director Trace Oakley, known for his deft handling of complex narratives, brings Katrina Wood’s new psychological thriller to unsettling life at the Sherry Theatre. The play centers on Mr. Brown, a cantankerous widower whose world becomes increasingly unstable with the arrival of a mysteriously adversarial nurse and visitations from his deceased wife’s ghost. Raquis Da’Juan Petree embodies Brown’s deteriorating... Read more →
"UNCONDITIONAL, A Musical Memoir" chronicles the journey of two women who, in their mid-forties, embark on a quest to build a family. Margot Rose's autobiographical musical delves into the complexities of queer parenthood, capturing both the determination required to create a family and the devastating aftermath of loss. The narrative unfolds through a blend of original music live with a four-piece band on stage, and personal storytelling to explore how life continues even when traditional... Read more →
Lisa Adams’ haunting composition "The Master Narrative" presents us with a dramatic confrontation between the mathematical precision of geometric abstraction and the raw, indifferent force of nature herself. Against a turbulent sky of both light and menacing clouds, a fractured mechanical form ascends – or perhaps plummets – like some fallen angel of the industrial age. Adams deploys a stark color palette that seems to mock the very notion of natural harmony. The sharp reds... Read more →
Rajiv Joseph's "Gruesome Playground Injuries," directed by Wolfgang Bodison at Playhouse West, weaves a tapestry of human connection through physical trauma. The production strips away theatrical artifice to expose the raw essence of friendship's persistence across three decades. Through the characters of Kayleen and Doug, portrayed by Marilyn Bass and Grant Terzakis, the play explores how physical wounds mirror emotional scars. Bodison's direction, complemented by his set design, creates an intimate space where time becomes... Read more →
In "Frantic/Tempest," director Ezra LeBank reimagines Shakespeare's classic through the lens of physical theater, creating an urgent contemporary dialogue about environmental crisis and human connection. The production transposes The Tempest's magical island to an urban Los Angeles warehouse, where themes of isolation and revenge resonate with pressing modern concerns. LeBank's collaboration with UK-based Frantic Assembly introduces their renowned Building Blocks Method, resulting in a kinetic interpretation that strips the original text to its emotional core... Read more →
In "Control Anatomy," Mahmoud Alhaj crafts a haunting visual meditation on surveillance and colonial violence in Palestine. Through his mastery of digital media, Alhaj deconstructs and reassembles images that have lost their initial impact, breathing new life into forgotten visual documents of oppression. His work "402 of Gray" notably resonates, dissecting the apartheid wall while drawing parallels to Gaza's containment - a prescient commentary on containment architecture. What distinguishes Alhaj's work is his methodical approach... Read more →