Los Angeles Theater Reviews

Review: 3 FACES OF STEVE: SONDHEIM IN CONCERT at Odyssey Theatre
by Amanda Callas - September 08, 2024

Memorable, entertaining and show-stopping, 3 Faces of Steve is a special treat to be savored.  The lavish, luxurious operatic voices and powerhouse emotive performances of Angelina Réaux, Michael Sokol and Bernardo Bermudez shine in the intimate, warm space of the Odyssey....

Review: MEMNON at The Getty Villa
by Andrew Child - September 07, 2024

Though the language is easy to imagine as the foundation for a more ostentatious spectacle, the sweeping narration is deftly relayed by a mighty fistful of actors and a polished trio of dancers in a way that allows grand battles and weighty sociopolitical musings to service the intrinsic poetry of t...

Review: THE HISPANIC/LATINO/LATINA/LATINX/LATINE VOTE at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
by Evan Henerson - September 02, 2024

The work’s premiere at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum feels like a couple of different narratives – along with a screed or two – stuffed into a single evening. It’s an identity quest! It’s a perilous journey to motherhood! It’s a rumination/condemnation on what it means to be Latino! It’s a…circ...

Review: THE BROTHERS SIZE at Geffen Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - August 28, 2024

THE BROTHERS SIZE, a heart-rending, music-suffused three-hander exploring the strength and limits of fraternal bonds, is being staged in the Geffen’s smaller Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre, where it fits beautifully....

Review: HAPPY FALL: A QUEER STUNT SPECTACULAR at Rogue Artists Ensemble
by Andrew Child - August 25, 2024

Director Sean Cawelti has crafted a handful of stunning visuals which punctuate the narrative with video projection, meticulously-rendered puppet choreography, and a particularly stunning sequence with pyrotechnics....

Review: HUMAN ERROR at Rogue Machine At The Matrix Theatre
by Amanda Callas - August 22, 2024

In the sublime tradition of the madcap screwball comedies of the 1930s and the great farces of the stage by writers like Molière and Aristophanes, Human Error has dazzling, brilliant writing. ...

Review: IF I NEEDED SOMEONE at City Garage
by Evan Henerson - August 19, 2024

The world premiere of the LaBute-ian tango, IF I NEEDED SOMEONE, is being staged at Santa Monica’s City Garage where director Frédérique Michel and actors Devin Davis-Lorton and Adam Langsam serve it up with (sorry, Jules) considerable sweetness....

Review: PATIENT 13 at Rogue Machine
by Amanda Callas - August 18, 2024

A smash hit at Hollywood Fringe, Patient 13 follows Gail Thomas on her journey with cancer, mental health, and becoming the subject of a medical study about the clinical use of magic mushrooms.  ...

Review: DIDO OF IDAHO at Echo Theater Company
by Harker Jones - August 15, 2024

DIDO OF IDAHO is a dark comedy by Abby Rosebrock that tackles intense themes of grief, trauma, and obsession. Deftly directed by Abigail Deser, the show is powerful, pointed, and poignant with solid performances and clever staging. Another in a long-running series of knockouts from the Echo Theater ...

Review: A Delightful, Reimagined PETER PAN Musical Flies Into OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - August 14, 2024

Aimed at offering a more progressive framework that tweaks the infamous story, this admirable revised version reflects a purposefully modern approach to the classic story, attempting to balance the original's charm and whimsy with contemporary sensibilities. This brand new national tour continues at...

Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at Independent Shakespeare Company In Griffith Park
by Evan Henerson - August 11, 2024

Director David Melville's Forest of Arden has plenty of space for the melancholy, the displaced and the lovelorn alike, even for a frisky French goatherd who warbles merrily as she bags goat poop. ISC free Shakespeare patrons only get one production this summer, but it’s a winner....

Review: MURDER AFTER HOURS at Lonny Chapman Theatre
by Harker Jones - August 06, 2024

MURDER AFTER HOURS is exquisitely well done and will keep you guessing up until the affecting and surprising end. It’s well worth spending an evening in the British countryside among the snipes and snubs of the upper class at the Lonny Chapman....

Review: Hollywood Bowl Celebrates Boublil and Schonberg Musicals
by Michael Quintos - August 06, 2024

Filled with incredible showstoppers, many familiar theatrical staples, and some exquisite singing from an all-star cast of theater vets, this well-curated “greatest hits” concert honoring Boublil and Schonberg was a fitting, glorious celebration of the creative partnership responsible for two of the...

Review: THE GROWN-UPS at Baby Teeth
by Andrew Child - August 05, 2024

The universe seems to have contrived to allow them to present a near-perfect production. With the gentle sounds of crickets in the background and the sporadic circling of LAPD’s helicopters, the seasoned cast weaves an intimate tale that is booby-trapped with a million Chekhovian guns which fire rap...

Review: CLUE at Ahmanson Theatre
by Harker Jones - August 03, 2024

Filled with puns and pratfalls, mugging and mannerisms, the energy never flags in this delightful screwball comedy...

Review: COMPANY at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
by Andrew Child - August 03, 2024

The production is entirely fused with the bluish glow of the cellphones which tether the characters together and, in many ways, the continued relevance of the themes of the piece shine through. Musings on connections and loneliness seem freshly pertinent as Bobbie flicks through voicemails alone in ...

Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at Morgan Auditorium At The University Of La Verne
by Amanda Callas - August 02, 2024

Merrily We Roll Along is that rare gem, a grown-up, subtle, perceptive musical that can delight both audiences love musicals and audiences who hate them.  This production by the Inland Valley Repertory Theatre, with brilliant direction by Frank Minano, is complex, bittersweet, funny, heartfelt, ulti...

Review: South Coast Repertory Presents THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON
by Michael Quintos - August 02, 2024

Originally created by PigPen Theatre Co., this engaging, creatively quirky play with music requires audiences to concentrate intently to follow the outrageous tale that involves expansive world-building and a seemingly endless cavalcade of eccentric characters. The family-friendly fantasy continues ...

Review: HENRY 6 at Old Globe Theatre
by Evan Henerson - July 29, 2024

In Barry Edelstein, we’ve got an adaptor/director who is guiding these proceedings with a rock and roll brio...The production is big, brash, often overreaching, occasionally pandering and utterly arresting through its nearly six hours (over two evenings) of stage time....

Review: MY (UNAUTHORIZED) HALLMARK MOVIE MUSICAL at Irvine Theater Company
by Melissa Heckscher - July 29, 2024

The 90-minute 'My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical, playing at the Irvine Theater Company through August 10, pokes fun at the rom-com genre’s formulaic “Love always wins” conventions while fully embracing its tropes....

Review: THE PITCH at Odyssey Theatre
by Amanda Callas - July 26, 2024

Based on playwright and lead actor Tom Alper’s real life experiences, this is a boiler room tale of telemarketing and desperation.  For something that is fiercely realistic and edgy, with a New York fighter’s indie heart, The Pitch is also hilarious, life-affirming, and an insanely good time.  It’s ...

Review: Musical Theatre West Stages Exuberant Production of Disney's NEWSIES
by Michael Quintos - July 25, 2024

Filled with high-energy singing and dancing that explodes out of an inspirational story based on real events, MTW's new production of this Disney stage musical is a guaranteed fun time, thanks to a terrific ensemble, and memorable music from Alan Menken and Jack Feldman. The show continues at the Ca...

Review: THE SUBSTANCE OF FIRE at Ruskin Group
by Evan Henerson - July 29, 2024

Rob Morrow has found a dramatic vehicle that – more than 25 years after its premiere - is deepening and maturing as intriguingly as the actor himself. Baitz’s play is small with a loud heart. Director Mike Reilly, Morrow and co. do it up proud....

Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The Bank Of America Performing Arts Center
by Melissa Heckscher - July 22, 2024

5-Star-Theatrical’s gorgeous and faithful production of Sound of Music, playing through July 28 at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, delivers the classic show that we know and love — no more, no less — with stellar performances, stunning sets, and an energetic cast that wi...

Review: PETER PAN at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
by Andrew Child - July 21, 2024

In attempting to reinvent Peter Pan for a modern audience, NETworks Presentations has embraced a major challenge. On the one hand, they have a gem. Jerome Robbins’ original production was packed with humor, heart, and adventures that captivated generations of audiences, not to mention a beautifully ...