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These Paper Bullets

Karen Weinstein Theater September 23, 2015 Los Angeles,

Here is the recipe: one part ersatz Shakespeare, one part ersatz Beatles, one part fake British accents. Bake for almost two and a half hours. Will you like it? I suppose that’s a matter of taste. ...

The Princes of Kings Road

Karen Weinstein Theater September 21, 2015 Los Angeles,

Intense friendship derailed by jealousy and/or competition. It makes a good story. Most of us do not have to scratch very deeply to bring such a memory to mind. The two midcentury architectural icons, Rudolf Schindler and Richard ...

Gianni Schicchi & Pagliacci

Los Angeles Opera

Karen Weinstein Music September 14, 2015 CA,

For the opening of its 30th anniversary season, the LA Opera has turned to Hollywood for a 2 hour and 40 minute double bill: Woody Allen's production of "Gianni Schicchi" and Franco Zeffirelli's "Pagliacci." The Chandler was packed for opening ...

Bent, LA

Moisés Kaufman's fine revival of this tale of Nazi persecution of homosexuals is both entertaining and tragic.

Karen Weinstein Theater August 9, 2015 Los Angeles,

A play based on fact is a reflection of the time in which it is written as well as the time in which it is set. If revived, a further layer of dust accumulates. Martin Sherman’s “Bent” — a holocaust ...

From left, Kelley Dorney, Michael Spaziani and Jotape Lockwood in

Adam and Eve and Steve, LA

This funny, pleasantly melodic and wittily lyrical musical fits the bill for cheerful farce.

George Alexander Theater July 22, 2015 Los Angeles,

The elements of farce, according to theatrical canon, are absurd characters and situations, slapstick physical humor and shovelfuls of risqué banter and behavior. “Adam and Eve and Steve, A Musical Comedy” satisfy those criteria and then some. The five ...

Bad Jews, LA

If you can bear it, this 90-minute play is a crash-course in religious zealotry.

Karen Weinstein Theater June 29, 2015 Los Angeles,

"Oy, such a shreier," my immigrant grandfather would have said of Daphna Feygenbaum (Molly Ephraim), the lead in the Geffen Playhouse production of "Bad Jews.' "Vy vould you vant to spend the evening listening to such a voman?" Good question, ...

Matilda The Musical, LA

No sugar-coated tale, this hit from London has a Dickensian sensibility infused with wit.

Karen Weinstein Theater June 10, 2015 Los Angeles,

Honestly, you really do not need a kid in tow to justify going to see "Matilda the Musical." Great if you have one conveniently at hand; he or she will be forever a convert to live performance. But "Matilda" is ...

Murder for Two, LA

Thought provoking it ain't. But the two actor/pianists and a vaudevillian setup makes this a frothy, fluffy entertainment.

Karen Weinstein Theater June 6, 2015 Los Angeles,

Yesterday I wasted quite a bit of time trying to write a theater review of "Murder for Two." Silly me. "Murder for Two" is not a play. It is a piece of vaudeville nonsense. Viewed as such there is lots ...

From left, Mark Jude Sullivan, Cynda Williams, Bryan Terrell Clark, Kamal Angelo Bolden and J. Nicole Brooks in “Immediate Family”

Immediate Family, LA

Addressing racial themes, this family "dramedy" plays up the laughs and downplays character development.

Karen Weinstein Theater May 7, 2015 Los Angeles,

Who is in your immediate family? Is it nice and tidy, with Mom, Dad, you, and your 1.3 siblings? Or have things gotten a bit mixed up? Half-siblings from one or the other parent's previous (or subsequent) marriage(s) or relationship(s)? ...

I and You, LA

A tale of two struggling teens is redeemed more by the playwright's ear for adolescent edginess than her recourse to magic realism.

Karen Weinstein Theater April 27, 2015 Los Angeles,

One thing you can count on with the Fountain Theatre, they never put on a really bad play or production. On the other hand, not everything they do is perfect, or a crowd-pleaser. "I and You" falls in the ...