Feature: StageMage
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Theater Review (NYC): Villa Diodati at the New York Musical Festival— With youthful energy suddenly emerging in musical theater, Villa Diodati seems at least 50 years out of date.
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Theater Review (NYC): Fifty Words— Michael Weller's play is an expansive look at marriage, seen through the looking glass of one couple’s long night’s journey into day.
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Opera Review (LA): The Fly— Can bad science fiction made good opera? Not in the case of the recent outing of "The Fly" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.
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Theatre Review (La Jolla, CA): The Third Story by Charles Busch at the La Jolla Playhouse— Scientists, clones, misshapen experiments, a female mob boss, an old Russian folk tale, and Charles Busch.
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Theater Review (LA): Inside Privates Lives— It's a little bit of history, a little bit catty, and a lot of fun: six newsmakers portrayed with aplomb.
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Theatre Review (Costa Mesa, CA): Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl at South Coast Repertory— Answer a dead man's cell phone and you might get a life.
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Theatre Review (Ventura, CA): She Loves Me by Masterhoff, Bock, and Harnick— Just when you think the story is going to get sentimental, Masterhoff changes the mood with a joke.
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Theatre Review (San Diego): Back Back Back by Itmar Moses at the Old Globe Theatre— A dramatic - but not dramatic enough - stage exploration of the baseball steroid scandal.
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Theatre Review (NYC): The Tempest— I don’t think I would be accused of telling tales out of school if I said that the best part of this production is the intermission.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Night Carter Was Bad by Ben Cikanek— Commitment problems are the standard male character flaw of our age, but "Carter" is a compelling, even sympathetic bastard.
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Theatre Review (San Diego): The Women by Claire Boothe Luce at the Old Globe— What makes The Women so special is that despite the period and class of these gals, they are totally recognizable today.
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Theatre Review (LA): Kiss of The Spider Woman by McNally, Kander and Ebb at the Bootleg Theatre— Fans of the original production, which won seven Tony Awards, will not be disappointed.
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Theater Review (NYC): Three Changes Starring Dylan McDermott and Maura Tierney— Three Changes is an exercise in frustration. Better you should ride the #4 at rush hour.
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Theater Review (NYC): Beast— All I can tell you is that Michael Weller has been reading one too many Marvel Comic Books.
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Theater Review (NYC): Equus— Richard Griffiths knows every millimeter of the story he is telling, as well as how to make you listen to every syllable of every word.
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Theatre Review (LA): Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam at The Blank— A funny, touching, and satiric look at the hypocrisy of the adult world.
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Theater Review (LA): Bye Bye Birdie at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center— The classic rock-and-roll musical triumphs in Redondo Beach.
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Theatre Review (LA): Ragtime: The Musical at the Hudson Theatre— Directorial problems can't take away from this show's great music.
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Theater Review (NYC): Taboos by Carl Djerassi— Carl Djerassi, the inventor of the Pill, sees his scientific perspective conflict with his dramatic one in Taboos.
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Theater Review (LA): The Four of Us by Itamar Moses at the Elephant Theatre Lab
— Some find find this navel-watching annoying, while others love the puzzle of it all.
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Theatre Review (Stratford-on-Avon): Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company— Can you believe the hype? Is the hottest Shakespearean ticket in years worth selling a kidney for? Find out now!
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Theater Review (NYC): Quickening— Privacy may be on the way out, but this abortion story makes compelling drama out of one of women's most private matters.
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Theater Review (LA): Beethoven As I Knew Him - Written and Performed by Hershey Felder at the Geffen Playhouse— With his one-man biographical musicals Felder gets us closer to the men behind the music.
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Theater Review (LA): The House Of Blue Leaves by John Guare at the "New" Mark Taper Forum— A new production of John Guare's classic is worth seeing, if a little slick.
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Theater Review (LA): Seesaw at the Alex Theatre— Musical Theatre Guild gives a rarely produced Coleman-Fields musical a nice one-night production, and Jason Alexander is spotted - scouting it?
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Theater Review (LA): As U2 Like It by Shakespeare and Matt Walker at the Falcon Theatre— Shakespeare meets Bono in the Troubadour Theatre Company's latest.
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Theater Review (NYC): An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen— The Phoenix Theatre Ensemble throws modernism under a bus with its watered-down staging of Ibsen's classic.
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Theater Review (Costa Mesa) An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville by Labiche, Strand and McCarthy— South Coast Rep presents a cute new musical adaptation of a classic French farce.
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Theatre Review (La Jolla): Memphis - The Birth of Rock and Roll by Joe DiPietro and David Byran at the La Jolla Playhouse— A new musical tells the story of the white deejays who popularized early rock and roll.
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Theatre Review (Pasadena): Vanities - A New Musical by Jack Heifner and David Kirshenbaum at the Pasadena Playhouse— The smash hit play Vanities is now a delightful musical.
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Opera Review (LA): Il Trittico by Puccini at the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion— William Friedkin and Woody Allen direct a smashing production of Puccini's last complete opera.
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Theater Review (NYC): A Great Place to Be From by Norman Lasca— The heat gets to the characters, but's that's as far as this ambitious play goes.
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Theater Review (NYC): Sa Ka La by Jon Fosse— Two sisters' helplessness in the face of their mother's precipitous decline rides a wave between heartrending and frustrating.
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Theatre Review (San Diego): Sight Unseen by David Margulies at the Old Globe— A wonderful production of a modern classic.
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Theater Review (NYC): A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally— A forgotten masterpiece by Terrence McNally gets a timely revival by WorkShop Theater Company.
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Theatre Review (LA): Agamemnon by Aeschylus— Tyne Daly and Delroy Lindo star in a powerful production of the 2,500-year-old classic.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Chalk Boy by Joshua Conkel— Teen girl anxieties meet existential angst in Joshua Conkel's The Chalk Boy.
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Theater Review (LA): Once On This Island by Ahrens and Flaherty at the Freud Playhouse— This vibrant new production is an auspicious start for the new Reprise team.
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Theater Review (London): Liberty at the Globe— There's sex, there's passion, there's politics here, in a nicely, if a touch too calculatingly, assembled mix.
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Theater Review (San Diego): Summer Shakespeare Festival at The Old Globe Theatre— Those merry wives are at it again, meeting Romeo and Juliet along with way - and all's well that ends well.
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Theatre Review (Stratford-on-Avon): Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company — David Tennant is Hamlet. It was tempting to add ‘Nuff said’ to that first sentence and leave it at that.
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Theater Review (LA): Some Kind of Love Story by Arthur Miller— The West Coast premiere of a play by Arthur Miller - an undiscovered gem? If it sounds too good to be true . . .
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Theater Review (NYC/Fringe Festival): Creena DeFoouie and The Redheaded Man— The NYC Fringe Festival concludes with a taste of the weird and the traumatic.
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Theater Review (Santa Cruz, CA): Shakespeare Santa Cruz 2008 at UC Santa Cruz— Marco Barricello begins his stewardship of Shakespeare Santa Cruz with a splash.
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Theater Review (NYC/Fringe Festival): Zombie and The Corn Maiden— Two adaptations of Joyce Carol Oates novellas at the NYC Fringe show two approaches to staging psychology.
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Theater Review (NYC): One Nation Under by Andrea Lepcio— Rich folks' conservative views grate against the realities of inner city working-class life in this gripping play.
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Theater Review (NYC/Fringe Festival): The Boy in the Basement and Kansas City Or Along The Way— At the NYC Fringe Festival, The Boy in the Basement shines while Kansas City Or Along The Way flounders
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Theater Review (LA): Les Miserables at the Hollywood Bowl— An extraordinary, all-star cast made this a more enjoyable Les Miz for me than even when I saw it in New York.
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Theater Review (NYC/Fringe Festival): Cake and Plays...But Without the Cake and The Grecian Formula— Monsoons is a stark, blackly comedic vignette about a failed first date, frequently hilarious, but never letting its audience laugh too long.
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Theatre Review (London): Her Naked Skin at the National — The truly memorable scenes are those at the heart of the suffragette struggle.
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Theater Review (LA): Alice In One-Hit-Wonderland 2: Through The Looking Glass— Lewis Carroll's Alice, The Brady Bunch, and rock and roll mix it up in a hilarious musical.
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Theater Review (NYC): 7 Stories by Morris Panych at the Gene Frankel Theatre— An Everyman contemplates jumping to his death while an assortment of hilarious eccentrics babble on.
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Theatre Review (London): The Wizard Of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall— A balmy night in London is a rarer sight than a performance this mediocre at the RFH.
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Theater Review (LA): Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) by Eric Idle and John Du Prez at the Hollywood Bowl— Life of Brian, sheep, a pipe band, and Eric Idle - in an oratorio.
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Theater Review (NYC): Hair in Central Park— "The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" returns to work magic under the stars in Central Park.
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Theater Review (London): Cosi at the White Bear, Kennington— If any of the currently dark and silent West End theatres are looking for a transfer show, they could do a lot worse.
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Theater Review (LA): Singin' In The Rain at The Cabrillo Music Theatre— Director Larry Ruben captures the funny as well as the poignant, and has cast a super group of actors in those iconic roles.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Artistical Process of Mark and Andy by Jeff Sproul— This play does a truly commendable job of making something out of nothing.
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Theater Review (NYC): What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends by Larry Kunofsky— Larry Kunofsky's hilarious new play explores the absurd social dynamics of modern adult friendship.
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Theater Review (NYC): Stain by Tony Glazer— This melodramatic new play by Tony Glazer can't find the dramatic conviction to support its offensiveness.
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Theater Review (LA): Great Expectations— Miss Haversham sings, and its a Pip.
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Theater Review (NYC): TRACES/fades by Lenora Champagne— This insufferable experimental work is probably better suited for the art gallery than the theater.
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Theater Review (LA): Julie Andrews: The Gift Of Music with Julie Andrews at The Hollywood Bowl— A musical version of Julie Andrews' "Simeon's Gift" plus a Rodgers and Hammerstein tribute.
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Theatre Review (Stratford-upon-Avon, UK): The Merchant of Venice— How do you solve a problem like Shylock? Has Tim Carroll's production ripped the heart from Shakespeare's problem play?
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Theatre Review (LA): Zastrozzi by George F. Walker at the NoHo Arts Center— A criminal mastermind, a virgin, a vamp, and a religious fanatic, brought to you by a Canadian playwright.
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Theater Review (LA): American Tales by Jan Powell and Ken Stone for The Antaeus Theatre Company at Deaf West Theatre— Mark Twain and Herman Melville, set to music, make for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
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Theater Review (LA): Desert Sunrise by Misha Shulman at the Lillian Theatre— West Bank combatants meet in a moving, tragic-comic play written by an Israeli Army veteran.
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Theater Review (LA) : The Voice Of The Prairie by John Olive at the Colony Theatre— A tale of the early days of radio, broadcast from the American Prairie.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Strangerer by Mickie Maher— A fine existential play comes to New York, and will either baffle its audience to catharsis or bore it to sleep.
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Theater Review (LA): The Wizard of Oz at The Carpenter Center— Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My.
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Theater Review (NYC): Bouffon Glass Menajoree— This parody of the Tennessee Williams classic is grotesque in the original and best sense of the word.
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Theater Review (LA): Looped by Mathew Lombardo at the Pasadena Playhouse— Valerie Harper triumphs as Tallulah Bankhead.
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Theater Review (Milan): Imperium by La Fura Dels Baus at Pals Sharp— Imperialism, subjugation, and bare-breasted women - I can only imagine how it played in Beijing.
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Theater Review (NYC): Life in A Marital Institution by James Braly— James Braly's nakedly honest one-man show covers more than one side of married life.
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Connecting New York and Chicago: A Four-Year Theatrical Odyssey— Going from New York to Chicago and back, you could see the Chicago invasion coming a mile away.
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Theater Review (LA): In On It by Daniel Maclvor at The Chandler Studio Theatre Center— Three plots for the price of one, by a GLAAD and Obie Award winning playwright.
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Opera Review (Verona): Nabucco by Verdi at Arena di Verona— The most beautiful-sounding chorus in opera is the real star of this fine production.
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Theatre Review (NYC): Edward Albee's Occupant— This fabulous production has been extended so there is still time to see it.
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Opera Review (Verona): Tosca by Puccini at Arena Di Verona— Tosca reaches new heights in Verona.
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Opera Review (Verona): Aida by Verdi at Arena Di Verona— Egypt comes to Verona again, in a sumptuous updated version of a legendary 1913 production.
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Opera Review (Milan): La Traviata by Verdi at Teatro Alla Scala— Mariella La Devia sings Violetta at La Scala, but Renato Bruson is the biggest crowd-pleaser as Germont.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Pleasures of Peace by the Medicine Show Theater Ensemble— Fighting complacency, one wisecrack at a time.
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Dance Review (Milan): Diavolo Dance Theatre at Teatro Arcimboli— Diavolo shows Milan a bit of the ether.
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Theater/Burlesque Review (NYC): Revealed— Bawdy fun in the East Village.
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Theater Review (NYC): Vendetta Chrome — You have less than a week to hustle on over to this fine show.
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Theater Review (NYC): All Kinds of Shifty Villains: A Carnival Noir— A hallucinating gumshoe, a sinister clown, and a femme fatale collide in this shifty new play.
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Dissonance and Dissidents Between Marxist Theory and Practice in Tom Stoppard’s Rock 'N' Roll— In two contrasting worlds, Stoppard's play shows how Marxist materialism became indefensible in the Soviet bloc.
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Theater Review (NYC): Coming Home - the Fourth Annual Festival of One Act Plays— This is a trio of plays worth your bother, and it closes too soon!
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Opera Review (Florence, Italy): La Traviata by Verdi at the Duomo Auditorium— Violetta dies more than once in Florence.
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Theater Review (NYC): Three on a Couch by Carl Djerassi— A nervous shrink, a devilish plot, revenge, and a mango fuel the American premiere of Carl Djerassi's dark comedy.
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Theater Review (NYC): Standing Clear— The show's creators use subway vignettes to make us look closely at ourselves - and to laugh at what we see.
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Theater Review (Milan): Il Ventaglio (The Fan) by Goldoni at the Teatro Strehler— Goldoni hits "The Fan" in Milan.
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Young Frankenstein and the Theater Experience— Seeing the story on the stage brings a wonderful new dynamic.
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Theater Review (Huntsville, AL): I Hate Hamlet— They don't really hate Hamlet, and Theatre Huntsville's production will make a Hamlet fan out of you, too.
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Theater/Dance Review (Brooklyn NY): The Judgment of Paris by Austin McCormick and Company XIV— This dazzling new dance-theater piece incorporates elements of pre-ballet Baroque dance.
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Theater Review (NYC): Armor of Wills— The Beggars Group loves theater, but this production does not match the quality of their commitment.
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Theater Review (NYC): Curtains with David Hyde Pierce— David Hyde Pierce stars in the new Kander and Ebb musical comedy murder mystery.
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Theater Review (Milan): Profondo Posso Il Musical with the Supervision of Dario Argento at Teatro Smeraldo— This stage version of Dario Argento's classic cult film is a musical misfire.
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Theater Review (NYC): Macbeth— Whether you’re playgoing or simply stargazing, you’re likely to find something scary at this uneven Macbeth.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Sound And The Fury (April Seventh, 1928)— This company's considerable strength is sourced in ritual, chance, focus, and risk. The combination is glorious.
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Theater Review (NYC): Cherry Docs— A Jewish attorney defends a skinhead in this snappy little play that won't bust your billfold.
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Theater Review (NYC): Henry James's The Aspern Papers, Adapted by Martin Zuckerman— Henry James' suspenseful tale of duplicity, set in a backwater of Venice, comes luridly to life on stage.
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Theater Review (Houston): Susanna and Will - A Reckoning Among the Dead in Stratford-upon-Avon— Shakespeare's daughter Susanna challenges the Bard with tough personal questions about life and love.
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Theater Review (NYC): Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle— Cast and crew's great cleverness and enormous talent make Brecht's masterpiece pulsate with the outsized, exaggerated energy of real life.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Country Girl— No one could be sadder than I. Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher: what could possibly go wrong? A lot.
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Opera Review: The Barber of Seville (Bern, Switzerland)— A modern take on Il Barbiere di Siviglia complete with trashcans.
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Theater Review (Milan, Italy): La Divina Comedia by Marco Frisina, Gianmario Pagano, and Dante at Pala Sharp— Life can be Hell according to Dante. Now let's sing about it.
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Theater Review (New York): Chamber Music and The Day The Whores Came Out To Play Tennis— There are pauses in these two plays during which you could unload a banana boat.
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Theatre Review (NYC): “Foul is Fair” - Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood Uncover the Power of Shakespeare’s Dark, Psychological Tale of Macbeth— Director Rupert Goold’s filmic version of Macbeth is novel but distracting.
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Theater Review (New York): The Little Flower of East Orange— LAByrinth Theater Company is not neat and tidy-making. It bubbles and evolves with every production.
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Stars Honor Bill Withers and Our Time, an Artistic Home for People Who Stutter— Our Time Theatre Company provides an artistic home for kids and teens who stutter.
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Theater Review (NYC): Another Vermeer— It is in spaces like the Abingdon that New York theater is truly born.
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Theater Review (NYC): Sizwe Banzi is Dead— This play speaks only of one town in one country, but it transcends time, race, sex, and class.
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Theater Review (NYC): Arthur Kopit's Chamber Music and The Day the Whores Came Out to Play Tennis
— Susan B. Anthony, Joan of Arc, and Amelia Earhart fear an attack from the men's ward.
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Theater Review (London): I Saw Myself— Sleev is super-intelligent, manipulative, and magnificent. With a different set of genitals she'd have made a superb king.
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Theater Review (NYC): Dirt— An Iraqi immigrant who knows he cannot be loved invites hatred and abuse instead, because at least it's something.
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Theatre Review (NYC): Something You Did— This is a quiet little play about big ideas, a fine and thoughtful feast for mind and spirit.
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Theater Review (NYC): Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley— All's well that ends well - except for poor Essex, of course.
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Theatre Review (NYC): Macbeth— In all the times you have seen Macbeth, did you ever get the impression that Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth were actually married?
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Theatre Review (NYC): The Drunken City
— This play doesn’t quite land on its feet, but it has wonderful moments of surprise with excellent performances.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Four of Us— This is a sweet play. That sounds gushy, but there is not another way to describe it.
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Theater Review (NYC): Hostage Song— Two war hostages are wrenched into a space so unreal that erupting into song seems as sensible as anything else.
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Theatre Review (Norman, OK): Lend Me a Tenor— Just be glad your life is not this complicated.
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Theater Review (NYC): Rainbow Kiss— Like its plot and character development, the Rainbow Kiss is MIA.
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Theater Review (NYC): Almost An Evening by Ethan Coen, with F. Murray Abraham and Mark Linn-Baker— F. Murray Abraham as a hilarious, thundering Jehovah in Ethan Coen's first Off-Broadway play.
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Theatre Review (LA): Mask by Mann, Weil, and Phelan— Allen E. Read's voice is enough reason to see this version of the inspiring story of a disfigured teenager, with songs by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
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Theater Review (NYC): Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?— Churchill's writing drops like a sinker on the end of a fishing line. She is direct and determined.
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Theater Review (NYC): Dead Man's Cell Phone— Nothing gets in the way of the glow from Sarah Ruhl's squirrelly little mind. The plot is all in the title.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Violet Hour by Richard Greenberg at Theatre Tribe— A mysterious printing press predicts the future, but to no avail.
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Theatre Review (LA): Secrets of the Trade by Jonathan Tolins at the Black Dahlia Theatre— Mentorship, gays, parents, and John Glover in a powerful and funny play.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Dying Gaul by Craig Lucas at The Elephant Theatre— A famous statue of a dying Gaul inspires a play about grief, Hollywood, infidelity, and murderous impulses.
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Theater Review (London): Days of Significance by the RSC at the Tricycle— The subject is Iraq, and the "heroes" are the achingly young, ill-educated lads who wind up in the British army ranks.
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Theatre Review (San Diego): The American Plan by Richard Greenberg— First-rate performances enliven this production of Richard Greenberg's twist on Henry James's tale of a Catskills heiress.
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Theatre Review (San Diego): Dancing in the Dark by Dietz, Schwartz, and Beane at The Old Globe— Scott Bakula climbs on the bandwagon but dances in the dark.
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Theater Review (NYC): A (Tooth) Fairy Tale— It takes a special council of the heavies of faerydom to figure out how to set things right.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Dead by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey at The Open Fist— A terrific revival of the musical based on James Joyce's story.
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Theatre Review (LA): Victory by Athol Fugard at the Fountain Theatre
— Trouble in the new South Africa.
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Theater Review (NYC): TBA by Carla Ching— A gifted writer locks himself in his apartment and creates worlds from within.
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Theatre Review (LA): Thrill Me: The Story of Leopold and Loeb by Stephen Dolgiff— Leopold and Loeb sing for their supper.
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Theater Review (Milwaukee): The Night Is A Child at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater— Sadness never leaves. Happiness does.
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Theatre Review (Houston): The Alley Theatre Performs Othello
— Sheer physicality and a maritime motif heighten James Black's portrayal of Shakespeare's greatest villain, Iago.
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Theatre Review (LA): All Shook Up with the Music of Elvis Presley— Elvis is all shook up in Los Angeles.
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Opera Review (LA): The Broken Jug by Ullmann and The Dwarf by Zemlinsky at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion— A splendid new production of two forgotten masterworks from the Holocaust at the LA Opera.
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Theatre Review (LA): Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare at A Noise Within— Shakespeare's Fatman and Robin - er, Hal.
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Theater Review (NYC): Two Detectives— Top-notch supporting performances partially save Daniel Landon's foray into the world of noir.
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Theatre Review (LA): Dickie And Babe: The Truth about Leopold and Loeb— Leopold and Loeb - the unvarnished truth.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the 68 Cent Theatre— A provocative Judas Iscariot whodunit by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
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Theater Review (NYC): Great Hymn of Thanksgiving and Conversation Storm at the Frigid Festival— The play's deliberately fractured action careens between genuinely dramatic intensity and inexplicable weirdness.
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Theater/Opera Review (LA): Otello by Giuseppe Verdi at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion— This new production of Verdi's Otello at the LA Opera features a smashing Desdemona sung by Christina Gallardo-Domas.
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Theater Review (NYC): STUCK! at the Frigid Festival— Kiki's frazzled morning slams to a halt when she gets locked in the basement bathroom of a Starbucks.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Memoirs of Abraham Lincoln by Peter King Beach— Abe Lincoln tells his side of things in this masterfully performed one-man play.
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Theatre Review (LA): Stay Forever: The Life and Music of Dusty Springfield with Kirsten Holly Smith— An exciting and moving show about Dusty Springfield's life, music, and legend.
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Theatre News (LA): Twice Upon A Time by Ray Cooney, Chris Walker and Mary Stewart-David— A new musical from Ray Cooney, "Master of British Farce."
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Theater Review (Brooklyn, NY): Macbeth with Patrick Stewart
— Patrick Stewart and Rupert Goold's Macbeth has top-notch acting, of course, but also flair and humor and bonechilling thrills.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Play About the Naked Guy— It spoofs Off-Broadway and the gay club scene, yet it's a delicious entertainment for everyone.
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Theater Review (Milwaukee): Grafton City Blues— The rise and fall of Paramount Blues, where many of the most important blues records of all time were made.
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Theater Review (NYC): Conjur Woman - A Folk Opera— A harrowing trip into the heart of darkness courtesy of a bag of charms, a rope, and Shelia Dabney's worldly-dark voice.
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Theater Review (LA): Orson's Shadow — This polite history of backstage dramatics is given a light-filled, lively production at the Pasadena Playhouse.
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Theater Review (LA): Ray Bradbury's Invisible Boy— This bill of three one-acts based on Ray Bradbury stories seems underdeveloped for dramatic effect.
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Theatre Review (Boston): Angels in America— Still painfully relevant today, Angels in America is a modern masterpiece with an ambitious new revival in Boston.
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Theater Review (Bronx, NY): Agnes of God— The ghost of America circa 1979 retains its power to haunt.
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Theater Review (NYC): Glimpses of the Moon at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel— From the first Gershwinian piano chords, we know we're in for a roaring good time in this jazzy 1920's tale.
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Theater Review (NYC): Fabrik— Using puppets and masks, this powerful historical drama fuses crafty stage magic with near-minimalist economy of narrative.
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Theater Review (NYC): Wanda's World— A delightful romp of a show for kids of most ages - and for any adult with a yen for fun.
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Theater Review (NYC): North at La Mama— Strange singing and avant-garde staging mark singer-songwriter Heather Christian's icy theatrical landscape.
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Theatre Review (LA): Orson's Shadow by Austin Pendleton at the Pasadena Playhouse— Orson Welles, Joan Plowright, Lawrence Olivier, and Vivien Leigh meet a Rhinoceros.
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Theater Review (London): Believe at the New End— If you're a man with a guilty conscience about how you've treated a woman, you should go - the nightmares should be good for your soul.
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Theater Review (Boston): Third by Wendy Wasserstein— Despite the flaws, Third is very effective in presenting its issues with biting humor and honesty.
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Theater Review (LA): The Catholic Girl's Guide To Losing Your Virginity— A 25-year-old woman wants to lose her virginity.
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Theater Review (London): Walking on Water at the White Bear, Kennington— Superb acting and neat writing can't entirely save this depressing story we've seen many times before.
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Theater Review (LA): The Common Air by Alex Lyras and Robert McCaskill— Six characters with "baggage" wait out a possible terrorist scare in an airport in this funny, profound, well-acted play.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Pirates of Penzance— Dazzling staging and choreography, superb singing, and rich, zany humor add up to an exhilarating evening for all ages.
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Theater Review (LA): As Much As You Can by Paul Oakley Stovall— Tonya Pinkins stars in this play about a gay black man with family problems.
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Theater Review (LA): Edge by Paul Alexander with Angelica Torn at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble— Angelica Torn plays Sylvia Plath, and it's perfection.
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Theater Review (NYC): Young Frankenstein— The cast is bland, the music is boring, and the direction is of paint-by-numbers quality.
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Theatre Review (Stratford On Avon, UK): Henry V— After 409 years, Henry V retains the power to expose all aspects of war, and the motives of its brokers.
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Theater Review (LA): Alice Sit By The Fire by J. M. Barrie— In this seldom-performed Barrie play, unlike in Peter Pan, the parents are the subject, and learn from the kids.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Honor and the Glory of Whaling: Following the Northern Star at La Mama— If Bruce Springsteen had grown up in a New England fishing community he might have written characters like these.
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Theatre Review (LA): Love Loves A Pornographer— Cucumber sandwiches, secrets, adultery, and the usual British wit, set in an English manor house.
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Theatre Review (LA): The Color Purple - The Tour— Here comes Celie, on tour and singing in The Color Purple.
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Theater Review (LA): A Charlie James Brown Christmas by The Troubadour Theatre Company at The Falcon Theatre— A retelling of a classic TV Christmas special with music from The Godfather of Soul
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Theater Review (NYC): A Kid's Life— A fun family show, not necessarily for all ages.
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Theater Review (LA): The Charles Phoenix Holiday Jubilee by Charles Phoenix at Disney Hall— Marionettes, yard ornaments, a retro slide show, and ambrosia.
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Theater Review (LA): Twist by Gila Sands and Paul Leschen at the Avery Schreiber Theatre— Oliver gets twisted and has a Dickens of a time.
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Theater Review (LA): The Kid From Brooklyn - The Danny Kaye Story by Mark Childers and Peter J. Loewy at the El Portal Theatre— The Danny Kaye Story, complete with music.
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Theater Review (LA): Anything by Tim McNeil at the Lillian Theatre— Transvestite and Southern widower find love, and it's funny.
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Theater Review (Brooklyn NY): A Midsummer Night's Dream — Tuckaberry Productions' revival of the Shakespeare comedy classic is lots of fun, thanks to a spirited ensemble.
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Theater/Cabaret Review (NYC): Ben Rauch is Horace Vanderveer— Rauch's xylophone transcription from Rent is priceless - and I don't even like Rent.
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Theatre Review (LA): Chicago— Those murderous Chicago girls are at it again, but in a 99-seat theater.
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Theater Review (LA): Hair at The Met Theatre
— A new Hairdo courtesy of Ragni, Rado, and Butler at The Met (Hollywood that is).
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Theater Review: (San Diego): How The Grinch Stole Christmas— He's green and hairy and he sings better than a frog. Is there a Dr. Seuss in the house?
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Theater Review (NYC): Scapin by Molière— The four walls of the tiny Turtle's Shell Theater can hardly contain the antic gusto of this new Molière production.
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Theater Review (LA): The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare at A Noise Within— BRRRRRR - its cold out there in Sicilia, and there are bears too.
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Theatre Review (La Jolla, CA): Cry-Baby— John Waters again set to music. Don't be a crybaby.
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Theater Review (LA): Winter Wonderettes by Rodger Bean at the El Portal— Four girls sing Xmas songs in a hardware store.
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Theater Review (LA): Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein— On stage, Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit TV musical is happy, tuneful, pretty to look at, and thoroughly entertaining for the kids.
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Theater Review (NYC): The Puppetmaster of Lodz— Art and imagination can keep war at bay, at least for a little while, but they also keep it alive.
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Theater Review (LA): Atlanta by Marcus Hummon and Adrian Pasdar at The Geffen Playhouse— Atlanta burns up in Atlanta in Atlanta. Confusing? Sure. Good tunes? Definitely.
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Theatre/ Opera Review (LA): Don Giovanni by Mozart at the LA Opera— Superb singing lights up an adventurous production of Mozart's great opera.
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Theater Review (NYC): Edward II by Christopher Marlowe— A modern production of Marlowe's bloody tale of Edward II, the Gay King.
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Theater/Opera Review (LA): La Bohème by Puccini at the LA Opera— Oh, those Bohemians - poor but always singing.
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Theater Review (Ventura CA): You Can't Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman— An eccentric family finds love and freedom of choice in NYC.
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Theater Review (LA): A Very Grand Guignol Christmas— A mad doctor drills the truth into a rival's skull. And sock puppets!
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Theater Review (New York): Secret Order by Bob Clyman— A remarkable story of hope and treachery set in the world of scientific research.
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Theater Review (New York): The Receptionist by Adam Bock
— The story is so simple it will make you feel as though you tied your own shoes together just after you sat down.
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Theater Review (LA): The History Boys by Alan Bennett at the Ahmanson Theatre— Boys touched by teacher in many ways, all in an English grammar school.
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Theater Review (LA): As Thousands Cheer by Irving Berlin and Moss Hart— Aimee Semple MacPherson and Gandhi together again with Irving Berlin and Moss Hart.
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Theater Review (Las Vegas): Mystère at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino— The Cirque Du Soleil show that sets the Standard
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Theater Review (Las Vegas): Spamalot at the Wynn Las Vegas— Zany goings-on in the Holy Land are portrayed in Sin City at the Wynn Hotel and Casino.
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Theater/Dance Review (Maui): Ulalena— The birth of the Aloha Spirit in the land of Hawaii.
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Theater Review (London): The Lightning Field at the Oval House, South London— There are plenty of laughs in this fast-moving one-act production, but "light" it certainly isn't.
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Theater Review (Las Vegas): Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian Resort and Casino— A monster in the basement, singing at the Venetian.
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Theater Review (Las Vegas): Le Rêve by Franco Dragone at the Wynn Las Vegas— The thrilling imaginings of a dreamer.
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Theater Review (LA): Grand Delusion by David Rock at The Lost Studio— Mad, zany world leaders meet and cause World War One.
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Theater Review (LA): Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett at A Noise Within— Two bums are stuck in desolate landscape waiting to be saved.
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