Curtain Call

Garage Theatre’s annual “melodrama” energetic and silly as always

For those unfamiliar with melodrama, on opening night director Rob Young defined it as “basically a cartoon.” That’s not quite…

11 months ago

SoCal debut of “Groundhog Day: The Musical” … in a church? Sure as heckfire!

Groundhog Day is one of the more memorable comedies of the 1990s partly because of its novel premise: nasty weatherman…

11 months ago

Second LB Playhouse “Hedwig” looser, funnier, still too quiet

It was approximately 75 seconds between my coming across Long Beach Playhouse’s audition notice for Hedwig and the Angry Inch…

12 months ago

Long Beach Symphony brings the soul for upcoming “Pops” show

After covering arts in Long Beach for, gawd, 17 years or whatever, somehow it wasn’t until this spring that I…

12 months ago

“Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”: No meat, all Fats

Right off the top I have to confess I am not a Fats Waller fan — and that’s kinda the…

12 months ago

First of two LB Playhouse “Hedwig”s well-sung, way too quiet

For a quarter-century after Hedwig and the Angry Inch entered the Zeitgeist — first as a fin de siècle stage…

12 months ago

“In the Blood” goes all-out for feels but doesn’t flesh out its characters

Hester (Victoria Dunn) lives on the streets with five children she’s had by five different men over the past 11…

1 year ago

To Avoid Negative Reviews, One Theatre Company Blackballs the Messenger

If I had my way, right now you’d be reading a review of International City Theatre’s current show. The good,…

1 year ago

“The Pillowman” is Martin McDonagh and Long Beach Playhouse at their best

Times change. I’ve now seen three McDonagh plays at the Playhouse, two in the last three seasons. And while the…

1 year ago

Puzzling Staging Undercuts Pulitzer-Winning “Sweat”

Greggory Moore reflects that Lynn Nottage's Sweat, much like her previous work Intimate Apparel, failed to impress him, with confusing…

1 year ago