In a small empty theatre of the sort that would be familiar to dedicated Los Angeles theatre-goers, writer/actor Tom DeTrinis fires up a solo performance of extraordinary power and range. The breathless press release calls Making Friends “gaytastic,” which it certainly is. From first moment to last, Tom DeTrinis is balls-to-the-wall out there, as he … Continue reading “Making Friends” at IAMA Theatre Company
As we close in on the 2020 presidential campaign, International City Theatre in Long Beach offers up a streaming version of Sean Devine’s political drama, Daisy, a searing evocation of the 1964 presidential campaign and the creation of the most famous television advertisement ever shown, “Daisy.” Those of us of a certain age will always … Continue reading “Daisy” at International City Theatre
Somewhere in my dim, dusty path, a professor in the drama department said something like “all that is needed for a play is a plank, an actor, and an audience.” I know that it is true. During the student rebellions of the 1960s, a group of us did protest performances on the street, or on … Continue reading “Tell Him It’s Jackie” at Dugan’s Backyard Playhouse
When I was offered the chance to review Fountain Theatre’s streaming revival of The Ballad of Emmett Till, written by Ifa Bayeza and directed by Shirley Jo Finney, I jumped at the chance, stirred myself from pandemic lethargy, and set up to view the show on my Macintosh computer. Soon the cast, led by the … Continue reading “The Ballad of Emmett Till” at the Fountain Theatre
Over its thirty-year existence Open Fist Theatre Company has produced a lot of bold theatre in Los Angeles, new plays and revivals. Its annual Christmas delight, Both, a musical retelling of the Christmas story set to the tunes of the Beatles, is simply brilliant. Other recent hits are Under Milk Wood, Dancing at Lunasa, and … Continue reading “Rorschach Fest—Inkblot C” at Open Fist Theatre
Odyssey Theatre’s revival of Jean-Claude van Itallie’s ensemble play, The Serpent, brings back vivid memories of my college days in the Sixties, the decade when everything changed for the worst. The bright, shining hope that John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave this teenager was shattered with his assassination. I was in my high school drama class with … Continue reading “The Serpent” at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
John O’Keefe’s short play, Ghosts, shares a title with the searing domestic drama that caused an uproar in certain circles back in the late 19th Century. Ibsen’s play had the unsavory elements of incest, venereal disease, philandering, and more. O’Keefe’s play concerns the dead. And a lively bunch of dead they are. They are confused … Continue reading “Rorschach Fest—Inkblot A: Ghosts” at Open Fist Theatre
The valuable and venerable Open Fist Theatre Company opens its 30th Anniversary season with Rorschach Fest, a series of unique plays by playwrights known and little known. The performances are cataloged as Inkblot A, Inkblot B, and Inkblot C, and require the committed theatre-goer to return to the Atwater Village Theatre three times to experience … Continue reading “Rorschach Fest—Inkblot B” at Open Fist Theatre
Doug Haverty’s play, In My Mind’s Eye, takes place in San Jose, California between 1968 and 1981. I lived in San Jose as a boy part of that time. I have vivid memories of those years. In My Mind’s Eye is the true tale of a young woman, legally blind, who becomes a school teacher, … Continue reading “In My Mind’s Eye” at The Group Rep
Lee Blessing is a prolific, award winning and award nominated playwright. In my relatively short time as a Southern California theatre critic, I have seen and commented on three of his plays and am now adding a fourth. I have found his works to be stimulating, thought provoking and entertaining, about as much as anyone … Continue reading “A Body of Water” at Actors Co-op
