Long Beach Playhouse

As Ever, Long Beach Playhouse’s “A Christmas Carol” Warms the Heart in Our Cold, Cruel World

An experiment: every December go to a traditionalist take on A Christmas Carol put on by a particular theatre company,…

2 years ago

“Emma” Adaptation Lacks Coherence and Spark

Although Jane Austen is not one of my favorite novelists, she’s far and away #1 on my list when it…

2 years ago

“The Motherfucker with the Hat” Wickedly Funny, Superbly Acted

Perhaps no Long Beach theatre company is more unpredictable than its oldest, Long Beach Playhouse. I’ve been reviewing them for…

2 years ago

“The Diary of Anne Frank” Fails to Bring Her Story to Life

Dennis Hopper tells of an acting tip he received from James Dean: “Just drink the drink — don’t act drinking.” …

2 years ago

“She Kills Monsters”: A Lite Meditation on Self-Empowerment and Belonging

It’s 1995, two years since average, 20-something Agnes (Deva Marie Gregory) lost her nerdy little sister Tilly (Fiona Burrows) and…

3 years ago

Standard-Issue “A Christmas Carol” Still Reminds Us How to Be a Better People

Before A Christmas Story, before the classic claymation ofRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, even beforeIt's a Wonderful Life, Charles Dickens’sA Christmas…

3 years ago

“The Cripple of Inishmaan” a Distinctive but not Ideal McDonagh Showcase

There isn’t much life for a 16-year-old orphaned cripple like Billy on the little Irish isle of Inishmaan in 1934.…

3 years ago

Long Beach Playhouse Ill-Equipped for Sondheim’s “Company”

My friend just finished coaching a season of rec league basketball for 10-year-olds, kids who can’t maintain a dribble and…

3 years ago

“Intimate Apparel” Fails to Connect with Audience at Times ― But They Don’t Seem to Mind

Tone can be a slippery thing. Small differences in interpretation or delivery can determine whether you take your audience where…

3 years ago

“A Doll’s House, Part 2” Retreads Broken Ground on the Way to Nowhere New

At the end of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora leaves her husband and children, putting selfhood above wife-and-motherly “duties.”…

3 years ago