33 Variations - Theatre Review

Posted By Bekah Caden

by Bekah Caden As one the most influential composers of all time, Beethoven's legacy weighs heavily on this production, and playwright Moises Kaufman puts his reverence for art centerstage. 33 Variations follows two stories. Ludwig van Beethoven ...

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Game of Thrones the Musical - Theatre Review

Posted By Joshua Kahn

by Joshua Kahn You've got Silence! , the "Silence of the Lambs" musical. You've got Bayside! , the "Saved By the Bell" musical. You've even got Thrones! , another Game of Thrones musical currently playing in Los Angeles. The world is rife with parody ...

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The Princess and the Frog - Theatre Review

Posted By Jen Brown

by Jen Brown What happens to a frog when kissed by a Princess? It turns back into a Handsome Prince, of course! But not before he has learned to be gracious and good and a little less self-obsessed. Storybook Theatre productions always impart ...

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Plasticity - Theatre Review

Posted By Bill Garry

by Bill Garry Plasticity, now running at the Hudson Guild Theatre in Los Angeles, is a remarkable production. A single actor (Alex Lyras, who co-wrote the play with director Robert McCaskill) plays ten separate characters, interacting with the ...

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Motown the Musical - Theatre Review

Posted By Joshua Kahn

by Joshua Kahn Like other LA natives, I grew up listening to K-Earth 101 on countless car rides, raised on the music of Motown and the "Keyes on Van Nuys" jingle. For me and my fellow millennials, the music of Motown has a mythic tinge to it; it ...

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The Found Dog Ribbon Dance - Theatre Review

Posted By Bekah Caden

by Bekah Caden Echo Theatre Company's most recent production examines the very base of theatre and art; connection. The Found Dog Ribbon Dance follows a professional cuddler, Norma, as she navigates between providing warmth and happiness for a few ...

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Brilliant Traces - Theatre Review

Posted By Bekah Caden

by Bekah Caden Experiencing the almost 30-year-old play Brilliant Traces at the Underground Theatre put me in a quandary. I left thinking, "What did I just see? What were they trying to say?" The next day I bought the play book. "This," I thought, ...

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Hidden Figures - Film Review

Posted By Joan Alperin

by Joan Alperin Watch the video here! I loved 'Hidden Figures' so much that I saw it twice, and I'll probably see it again. It is one of the most inspiring, touching films I've seen in a long time. It's also a film that reminds us there are times ...

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Inside Job - Film Review

Posted By Bill Garry

I don't know if Inside Job, the debut short from Matt Nagin, will do much for America's image in the world (it just won First Place in competition at the Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes ), but it is a dynamic showcase for this up-and-coming actor, ...

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Bakersfield Mist - Theatre Review

Posted By Bill Garry

by Bill Garry You walk through the intimate theater's door into a kitschy, run-down mobile home in Bakersfield. Mellow music from a local radio station is playing. Maude Gutman, foul-mouthed and 70, is sitting at her kitchen table waiting for a ...

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Rouge One: A Star Wars Story

Posted By Joan Alperin

Once upon a time far far away in another galaxy Star Wars was born. Well it wasn't another galaxy where it was born, but that's where the action takes place. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is part one of an anthology. The film is set in a time before ...

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La La Land - Film Review

Posted By Joan Alperin

When I saw "Whiplash" I knew I was seeing the birth of a brilliant director and now with Damien Chazelle's latest film, "La La Land" he more than proves I was right. This flm is not only a beautiful homage to the musicals of long ago, but it's a ...

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When Jazz Had the Blues - Theatre Review

Posted By Joan Alperin

Billy Strayhorn (Frank Lawson) ever hear of him? Probably not. Well for one thing, he was the love of Lena Horne's (Michole Briana White) life and most importantly he co-wrote some of Duke Ellington's (Boise Holmes) hits. He also happened to be black ...

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Blood - Theatre Review

Posted By Bill Garry

Kabuki is a stylized form of Japanese dance and drama dating back to the 1600s. When, after World War II, Japan put Kabuki on global tour in an attempt to strengthen diplomatic relations, the word took on a new, cynical meaning: self-serving ...

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Bob's Holiday Office Party - Theatre Review

Posted By Joshua Kahn

Bob's Holiday Office Party makes its way to the Atwater Village Theatre for its 21st consecutive year of drunken revelry. I must admit that I'd never heard of this long-running show until seeing it, but now I'll be hard-pressed to forget. Most ...

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