What the Butler Saw

"Tasty Little Rabbit" explores how art, morality and political persecution intersect in a story that feels eerily relevant. Tom Jacobson's new play, directed by George Bamber, examines the 1936 Fascist Italian investigation of Wilhelm von Gloeden's photographs, revealing deeper secrets from the 1890s involving von Gloeden, poet Sebastian Melmoth, and a young Sicilian model. The production refuses easy categorizations. It doesn't just rehash debates about art versus pornography but shows how moral panics serve political... Read more →

In its reimagining of L. Frank Baum's world, "The Enemy of Oz" transforms Oz from a fairyland into a hotbed of political intrigue and conflict. Christopher Ureña's script weaves contemporary themes of power and corruption into the familiar Oz tapestry, creating something both nostalgic and new. What makes this production revolutionary isn't just its story but its performers. Theatre by the Blind - the only all-blind theater company in the United States - gives this... Read more →

In "Augenblick," Katrin Korfmann disrupts our conventional understanding of the photographic moment through compositions that collapse multiple temporal dimensions. Her work deliberately subverts Henri Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" by creating layered visual narratives where urban spaces become stages for human performance and social interaction. Korfmann's images of freerunners navigating Amsterdam's architecture and surfers riding artificial waves in Munich reveal how citizens reclaim and transform public spaces in unexpected ways. These works function as documentation and artistic... Read more →

In "Sound Formations," the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art bridges sonic utility and visual aesthetics. Co-curated by Michael Kotzen and Martin Maudal, this exhibition reveals Claremont's rich musical heritage while celebrating craftspeople who turn instrument-making into fine art. The show doesn't just display instruments; it reveals the relationship between maker and musician, material and sound. The curators go beyond mere display. They've created a sensory journey that shows how these handcrafted objects work as both... Read more →

Swaptik Chowdhury's column "AI for Artists" serves as a critical bridge between rapidly evolving AI technologies and a creative community caught in their crosshairs. His approach is twofold: he explains the technical underpinnings of generative AI and contextualizes them within the real challenges artists face. What makes Chowdhury's perspective valuable is his dual positioning as both an AI researcher and an advocate for artistic integrity. The column walks a tightrope between technological enthusiasm and ethical... Read more →

Caridad Svich's "Red Bike" uses a simple narrative to explore American identity through a child's eyes. Director Alana Dietze brings this poetic text to life in CalRep's intimate Players Theatre. The production marks CalRep's return to small venues, with the 82-seat theatre serving as the perfect setting for this personal journey. Svich's text creates a landscape where childhood innocence meets harsh economic reality. "Red Bike" turns a child's bike crash into a window on contemporary... Read more →

bG Gallery's "Regenesis – Phase Two" presents a powerful narrative of resilience through female artistic voices. The exhibition, which coincides with Women's History Month, chronicles transformation rather than merely showcasing art. The collected works show a progression from devastation to renewal without sentimentality. The diverse media on display - paintings, sculptures and mixed media - serve as different languages expressing similar themes. Each artist brings her personal experience of adversity to the work, translating emotion... Read more →

Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!" at Kentwood Players explores gay male identity at the crossroads of desire and mortality. Set across three summer weekends at a lakeside retreat, the production creates an intimate space where eight men's lives intersect in moments of raw vulnerability. Director Aric Martin orchestrates these encounters with a delicate hand. He allows the humor to emerge naturally from the characters' foibles rather than forcing comic relief. The ensemble cast moves through... Read more →

In "Directors Tell The Story," veteran television directors Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli have opened a window into the world of directorial decision-making. This third edition builds upon their established framework with crucial updates that reflect the industry's evolution, including sections on directing apps, intimacy coordinators, and virtual production. This book abounds with practical wisdom, gleaned from the authors' combined decades behind the camera. Rooney, whose career spans from "St. Elsewhere" to current procedurals... Read more →

In "Regenesis," bG Gallery presents a timely exploration of renewal and resilience through the lens of contemporary art. The exhibition convenes diverse artistic voices, including Danielle Eubank's work, in a narrative that speaks to both personal and collective recovery. Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles's ongoing dialogue with natural disasters, the show transforms bG Gallery into a space where art becomes a vehicle for community healing. The exhibition serves dual purpose: while serving as... Read more →

In the rugged terrain of Hebei Province, Zhuang Shen's Aranya Jinshanling A... Read more →

Li Jun's exhibition "Purple Air Coming from the East" reveals an artist who... Read more →

Ben Abbott's "Buddies" tackles the deceptively complex terrain of adult male friendship with humor and depth. The play zeroes in on David, a man whose social life revolves around obligatory hangouts with his wife's friends' husbands. Then he meets Adam, his sister-in-law's new boyfriend. Their immediate connection sparks what Abbott calls a "bromantic comedy" that chronicles their fumbling attempts to forge a meaningful friendship. Abbott's work recognizes a rarely acknowledged social phenomenon: the difficulty men... Read more →

In "The Little Match Girl Isn't Going to Die," playwright Kevin B. flips the script on Hans Christian Andersen's tragic tale with a metafictional twist that's both playful and poignant. The play poses an intriguing question: what happens when a character refuses their preordained fate? This podcast production, directed by Bernadette Armstrong for Open-Door Playhouse, transforms a nineteenth-century tearjerker into contemporary commentary on narrative agency and self-determination. The casting reflects the play's boundary-crossing sensibility. Gloria... Read more →

In Angela Beloian's paintings, fantasy and reality intertwine in a mesmerizing underwater ballet. Her mixed media works reveal a vision of ecological harmony where microscopic and macroscopic worlds coexist. Drawing from both scientific precision and imaginative freedom, she creates luminous aquatic dreamscapes that pulse with life. Her delicate line work traces jellyfish tendrils, sea anemones, and coral formations against watercolor-like backgrounds that shift between cerulean blues and misty grays. The paintings function as both biological... Read more →

In "The Land and I" at Zawyeh Gallery Dubai, Palestinian artist Nabil Anani transcends conventional landscape painting through his innovative use of organic materials. His work transforms the physical elements of Palestine - wood, straw, herbs, seeds - into powerful statements about identity and belonging. Anani's technique of incorporating these natural materials directly into his paintings creates a literal and metaphorical fusion of art and earth. This materiality serves dual purposes. It grounds the work... Read more →

Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie" shines as a masterful study in human loneliness, brought to life in Two Roads Productions' intimate staging. Set in a seedy 1928 New York hotel lobby, this one-act play strips away the veneer of social pretense to reveal raw human need. Dan Frischman embodies Erie Smith, a small-time gambler whose façade of success crumbles as he confronts the death of Hughie, the night clerk who validated his existence through patient listening. The... Read more →

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 →

In "End of Times Therapy," Solange Castro explores human resilience against the backdrop of a dystopian Los Angeles. Set in 2040, the play weaves together themes of survival, gender politics, and psychological healing in a world teetering on the brink of collapse. Castro's decision to center the narrative around a therapist's practice in La Crescenta serves as both literal setting and metaphor for humanity's persistent need for connection and understanding, even in the darkest times.... Read more →

Beth Lopes's radical reimagining of "Measure for Measure" at the New Swan Shakespeare Festival confronts us with urgent questions about power, agency, and justice. Her production centers Isabella's perspective, using amplified heartbeats to connect viewers viscerally with the character's mounting trauma over 24 harrowing hours. Lopes enhances female roles throughout - elevating Mistress Overdone; introducing Mariana earlier; and gender-swapping Escalus - while maintaining Shakespeare's core narrative. She frames Vienna as a near-future dystopia where women... Read more →

Lynn Nottage's "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" deconstructs Hollywood's racial dynamics during its Golden Age through a layered narrative that spans seven decades. The play's meta-theatrical structure interrogates both historical representation and contemporary interpretation of Black actresses' experiences in early cinema. Director Rondrell McCormick's navigates these temporal shifts with precision, allowing the parallel stories of Vera Stark and Gloria Mitchell to expose persistent patterns of racial typecasting and cultural erasure. The play's examination of... Read more →

In “Unreconciled,” Jay Sefton elevates personal history into a powerful examination of trauma, weaving together individual resilience with the broader challenge of holding institutions accountable. His dual role as playwright/actor infuses the work with raw authenticity while maintaining artistic distance. The production's 80-minute structure mirrors the fragmentary nature of memory, allowing Sefton to weave between past and present with calculated precision. Sefton's background as both actor and mental health counselor emerges in his portrayal of... Read more →

Joe Praml's "The Trick" weaves an intricate tapestry of human desperation and connection through the chance encounter of two businessmen and two call girls in a seedy saloon. The play's structural brilliance lies in its use of an external catalyst - a potential suicide across the street - to unlock the inner worlds of its characters. This device, reminiscent of Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," serves as both a mirror and a... Read more →

Dan Ruth's "A Life Behind Bars" transforms personal struggle into theatrical alchemy. His solo performance excavates the gritty underbelly of pre-Giuliani New York City's bar culture, where dreams of stardom often dissolve into the bottom of a glass. Ruth's character work brings to life eighteen distinct personalities. Each one emerges from the shadows of dive bars and late-night haunts with startling clarity. Under Tanya Moberly's direction, Ruth navigates the fine line between comedy and despair.... Read more →

In "Control Anatomy," curator Rana Anani presents a haunting examination of colonial surveillance through the lens of Palestinian artist Mahmoud Alhaj. The exhibition, sited at Zawyeh Gallery, investigates the evolution of control mechanisms deployed across Palestinian territories, with particular focus on Gaza. Alhaj's work transcends traditional documentary approaches. It deploys digital manipulation and archival imagery to deconstruct the colonizer's gaze. His series "402 of Gray" dissects the apartheid wall's oppressive presence, while "Fragile" uses empty... Read more →

In "Happily Divorced," Ruth Brandt transforms personal upheaval into compelling theater. The result? A solo performance that navigates the complex terrain of marital dissolution with sharp wit and unflinching honesty. She draws from her background in comedy and culinary arts to weave together the threads of domestic life and personal reinvention to create a narrative that transcends mere autobiographical storytelling. Under Mark Hatfield's direction, the production eschews melodrama in favor of nuanced exploration of identity... Read more →

In "BIG HAIR: A Rad and Wild Love Affair," Maegan Mandarino balances homage and innovation, crafting a one-hour production that transcends biographical storytelling. Through her exploration of comedy legends Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder, Mandarino weaves a tapestry of vaudeville-inspired musical numbers and absurdist theater that speaks to both the heart and mind. The production deploys a layered approach to storytelling, utilizing rare film footage and interview clips as punctuation marks in a larger narrative... Read more →

In "Jane Austen in 89 Minutes," Syrie James orchestrates a bold temporal experiment that collapses the distance between Regency-era England and contemporary society. The production's meta-theatrical framework allows for a nuanced exploration of Austen's enduring literary influence while it critiques modern pop-cultural appropriations of her work. James, wearing multiple hats as playwright, director, and designer, demonstrates a deep understanding of both Austen's narrative techniques and contemporary theatrical conventions. The decision to set the play within... Read more →

Cyril Morin's "One Voice: Searching for Michael Spears" navigates the delicate art of the documentary interview. Through his lens, we witness an intimate dialogue with Lakota Sioux actor Michael Spears that transcends the typical celebrity profile. Morin's dual expertise as composer and director shapes the film's careful pacing. This allows Spears' reflections on family, tradition, and contemporary Indigenous life to resonate against Montana's winter landscape. Morin's interview technique draws out Spears' thoughts on everything from... Read more →

The Arts in Review Holiday Special” presents an ambitious double billing of radio dramas that demonstrate the enduring power of audio storytelling. Under Julio Martinez's stewardship, this 37-year-running program shows how radio theater can illuminate both sacred music history and religious tradition. The premiere of "Following Yonder Star" (written by Julio Martinez) explores the genesis of the beloved hymn "We Three Kings," while "Dreidels and Donuts" returns with its exploration of Hanukkah traditions. The productions... Read more →

In this new musical adaptation of a Norwegian folk tale, composer Larry Evans and librettist Kai Cofer explore sacrifice, transformation, and the redemptive power of love. Making its world premiere at Lineage Performing Arts Center, the production balances traditional musical theater elements and contemporary storytelling sensibilities. Evans's score, informed by his extensive background in classical and theatrical music, provides a rich foundation for Cofer's libretto. The musical's narrative structure, centered on Karen's bargain with an... Read more →

"The Brothers Abelson Since 1946" examines the intersection of family duty and personal identity through the lens of post-war Jewish American experience. Playwright Dennis Danziger, known for his work in television and theater, builds a narrative that begins as comedy but evolves into a profound meditation on intergenerational trauma and concealed truths. Set during Thanksgiving 1977, the play uses the protagonist Benny Abelson's cartoonist perspective to frame the unraveling of his family's carefully maintained façade.... Read more →

Tan Jazz Mont’s exhibition “One of Your Girls or Your Homies” marks a significant moment in contemporary Chicanx art. Presented alongside the Garcia Collection’s historical survey of some of the most important Chicanx artists of the last 50 years, Mont’s work both honors and expands upon traditional narratives by introducing new perspectives on identity and representation in the twenty-first century. Mont’s paintings and sculptures navigate complex territories of cultural heritage and personal truth. His work... Read more →

In "Living On Hart" at CANADA Gallery, Janis Provisor presents a body of work that navigates the delicate boundary between abstraction and representation. Her approach to paint application - alternating between watery washes and impasto-like textures - creates surfaces that pulse with psychological depth. The exhibition showcases her handling of "saturated yet muted color," often laid over dark grounds that imbue the works with a nocturnal quality. Provisor's technique of incorporating handwritten notes beneath layers... Read more →

Mark Blanchard brings a profound theatrical vision to Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" at The Colony Theatre. His directorial experience, spanning from New York's HB Studios to Los Angeles stages, positions him to tackle this masterwork. Blanchard's background in both film and theater will infuse this production with a cinematic scope while maintaining its theatrical intimacy. His casting choices reveal keen dramatic instinct. Joe Cortese, a veteran of both stage and screen, embodies Willy... Read more →

Cristina Barroso's "La rivière intérieure" explores the intersection of identity, geography, and memory through a blend of cartographic art and personal narrative. The Brazilian-born artist, who works between São Paulo and Stuttgart, transforms traditional school maps into complex visual meditations on displacement, belonging, and cultural hybridity. Drawing from the Brazilian Anthropophagic manifesto of 1922, Barroso "digests" Western cartographic conventions, reimagining them through the lens of native symbols and narratives. Her work particularly shines in pieces... Read more →

The convergence of desire and metamorphosis that unfolds before us cannot be mistaken for anything but a supreme moment of what we call le merveilleux quotidien. Here, we witness the precise instant when reality surrenders its tedious logic to the superior logic of dreams. What more perfect assassination of reason could we demand than this fusion of man and beast, where neither maintains the integrity of their original form? The horse - that ancient symbol... Read more →

In "Listing," Russell Brown's debut theatrical work, the playwright translates his cinematic sensibilities to the stage. He builds a narrative that interweaves Los Angeles' architectural heritage with contemporary social tensions. The play centers on Raymond, a real estate agent whose professional and personal worlds collide when he takes on the listing of a modernist masterpiece. Brown's background in film and his work with FORT: LA infuse the production with an authentic understanding of Los Angeles'... Read more →

Matt Roth's direction of "Bob's Holiday Office Party" cleverly balances small-town satire with broader cultural commentary. The production, marking its 27th year, transforms the Odyssey Theatre into a microcosm of Midwestern social dynamics. Roth orchestrates the chaos of this annual insurance office gathering with precision, allowing the ensemble's competing energies to build naturally toward hilarious crescendos. The staging uses the office setting to underscore themes of entrapment and aspiration, as Bob Finhead's dreams of escape... Read more →