In a well-performed production, the playwright ponders wealth and what a once-wealthy family does to regain its lost status.
George AlexanderTheaterLos Angeles,
Affluence is a major issue in American society today — a few people have a lot of it while a lot of people have none and probably never will — so it’s not surprising that some playwrights are drawn to ...
Despite the brevity of the scenes and the number of undeveloped sub-plots, the vitality of this drama's performers rings true.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to win a MacArthur genius grant? I mean, aside from the fact that a sweet stipend would come to you for five years, no questions asked, no forms to be filed, ...
Cicely Tyson gives a luminous performance in this old-fashioned drama.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
"The Trip to Bountiful" is an old-fashioned story mounted with old-fashioned style. Not that that is all bad. It is what passes as a classic in the 21st century. Horton Foote's first iteration of this memory tale was as a ...
Despite the impressive bios of the creative team, this excessively wordy drama never comes to life onstage.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" was the mantra of my youth, but that mantra does not serve a critic well. Looking forward to the opening night of "Marjorie Prime," I thought, "At last Michael ...
While updating Verdi's tale of star-crossed romance to the Roaring Twenties is open to debate, this production remains true to his glorious music.
Karen WeinsteinMusicLos Angeles,
The question: To be or not to be faithful to the original setting of an opera is known to evoke passions as intense as those expressed by the originalists fighting with the rest of us who think the Constitution should ...
This fictional take on an employee in Barbra Streisand's real-life basement mall is a bright, fresh pleasure.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
Somewhere folks who make up summer reading lists and compile theatrical playlists get the notion that we still have the summer off from school to simply be amused before we return in September. The curmudgeon in me screams, “I haven’t ...
Now in its sixth national tour, this evening of shtick is good for a few laughs if you don't mind the premise.
Karen WeinsteinTheaterLos Angeles,
Are you thinking you caught me leaving out some important information in the heading? Like the actor's name? Well, I am glad you are awake, but here is the dilemma: At this point I think I should put in a ...
The world premiere of this comedy of manners takes pains to remind you of its Chekhovian inspiration, with often less-than-inspired results.
George AlexanderTheaterLos Angeles,
The program for “The Country House” digs its pointy elbow into your ribs to ensure you get “it” — the parallels, that is, between this Donald Margulies play and Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull,” “Uncle Vanya,” and “The Cherry Orchard.”
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The latest in a series of works about the mysterious death of Pope John Paul I, this drama presents the back story in a compelling new way.
George AlexanderTheaterLos Angeles,
Wal-Mart? A mom-and-pop corner store, despite its 2.1 million employees worldwide. Bank of America? A payday loan business, despite its $115 billion in assets. Chicago? A shining city on the hill, despite its long and well-earned history of municipal corruption ...
The time-honored theme of academic principles versus entitlement gets a twist in this invigorating drama.
George AlexanderTheaterCA,
Spoiler Alert: Animals are, indeed, hurt in this play.
They’re the oxen gored by playwright Steven Drukman and they can be found at almost any university today — from the president to a major department chair to a ...
