No sugar-coated tale, this hit from London has a Dickensian sensibility infused with wit.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos 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 ...
Thought provoking it ain't. But the two actor/pianists and a vaudevillian setup makes this a frothy, fluffy entertainment.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos 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 ...
Addressing racial themes, this family "dramedy" plays up the laughs and downplays character development.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos 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)? ...
A tale of two struggling teens is redeemed more by the playwright's ear for adolescent edginess than her recourse to magic realism.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos 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 ...
Don't go looking for a thought-provoking exploration of spirituality in this mildly entertaining play about a TV news anchor.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
I keep hoping for transformative theatrical moments at Westwood's inviting Geffen Playhouse. Sadly they are few and far between. There is no doubt that playwright Stephen Belber thinks he has penned such a piece with "The Power of Duff." Billed ...
The cast looks and sounds as if they are thoroughly enjoying themselves in this winning production.
Karen WeinsteinMusicLos Angeles,
What is not to like about Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro"? Not much. When skillfully executed, the music is Mozart at his liveliest. The story is a convoluted farce with overtones of the conflict between the classes and the eternal battle ...
The production's singing, while generally good, is often overwhelmed by froth and exaggerated charm.
Karen WeinsteinMusicLos Angeles,
"The Barber of Seville" has been seen somewhere every year since its initial production almost 200 years ago. A light spirit and beautiful music that wafts through your mind long after you have left the theater make it easy to ...
Hang in there: This drama of marital and family friction comes to life in the second act.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
How often have you thought a second act was the meat of a play? Not very, I would guess. Arthur Miller's 1968 family saga, "The Price," is one of those rare instances where this is the case.
The wealthy ...
Andrew OsborneEtcLos Angeles,
5:44 PM - Amy's currently predicting that Marion Cotillard will win the Red Carpet...and she also thinks Anna Kendrick's already out of the competition with her pretty dress...pretty boring.
6:15 PM - While we're waiting for the Red Carpet to really start ...
This much-heralded Irish drama ends up an uneasy mix of "rescue fantasy" meets "no good deed goes unpunished."
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
Alas, dear reader, once again I am stuck in a tale of good-news/bad-news. Being a glass-half-full kind of a gal, I figure why not try to start with the good? "The Night Alive" is the much-awaited winner of the New ...
