Amanda Callas

Written by acclaimed actress and playwright June Carryl and produced by Imagine Theatre, this light-hearted, fantastical voyage through the savanna is inspired by folktales and origin stories from South Africa.  There is a charming Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland feeling of whimsy and adventure afoot in this production.

This production feels contemporary and fresh, with an edgy, f-you, punk rock rebelliousness.  Yet it also feels profoundly truthful to the original grittiness of A Streetcar Named Desire, how it was received when it premiered — its New Orleans funk and grime, its rough, perverse sexiness and sweatiness.

Vibrant, colorful, and charming, this Inland Valley Repertory Theatre production of the Academy Award winning 1989 animated Disney film is a delight.  Looking around the enthusiastic opening night audience, I see everyone from seniors and date-night couples to toddlers on laps completely enraptured by the music, dazzling costumes, and effervescent performances.

This is a small-scale, intimate human story that feels like a slice of life, entertaining, touching, and deftly told with wildly abundant, delicious humor.  Mostly Demolition is a comedy, observant, delightful, laugh-out-loud funny.  There is a thoughtful drama lingering here too — slowly, astutely, whisper-quiet, unpeeling the skin of everyday things.

The Skin of Our Teeth is an astonishing production of the classic play at A Noise Within through September 29th.  It is insatiably alive with sharp-fanged wit, whimsical thoughtfulness, and improbable wonder.  The Skin of Our Teeth is audaciously satirical, but also earnest its incandescent meditation on the eternal human cycle of apocalypse and overindulgence.

With the stars of Pascal & Julien and the theatre’s creative team, we explored what it means to deeply engage children and families in theatre, how theaters can open up to the community, working with child actors, discovering authenticity and delicious subtext on stage, and the creative journey of the play in its US Premiere.

Pascal & Julien is the US premiere of a magical play about childhood and friendship at the award-winning 24th Street Theatre in West Adams running through October 27th.  Written by Australian playwright Daniel Keene, Pascal & Julien is the tale of two quirky, annoying loners who discover the tender beauty of friendship. 

TH IR DS is the world premiere of a new dystopian drama, a messy play with a lot of interesting things on its mind. 

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.

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. 

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.  

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, ultimately joyous and inspiring.

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 a sold-out smash hit at the Odyssey Theatre.

Tartuffe: Born Again is an imaginative, hilarious, delightful adaptation of the classic Molière play running at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum through October 13th. Tartuffe: Born Again is an absolute gem, a sheer, show-stopping delight, and you do not want to miss it.

A glamorous, pansexual, queer 1930s romp through the world of artists, playwrights, interior decorators, and their lovers, Design for Living was an instant hit with the sold-out audience on the afternoon I attended, who loved every minute of it.

By the end, of the night, I was laughing, crying, and cheering for everyone on stage.  You Can’t Take It with You is a heartwarming, delightful gem, a sold-out smash hit for the Group Rep.

Psycho Beach Party is a classic summer comedy at the Matrix Theatre on Melrose through July 7th.  It is glorious, glorious fun, campy, frisky, outrageous, and hilarious from start to finish.

The Sandwich Ministry is an intimate, small town story. It is about faith, smelly church centers, natural disasters, loss, sandwich fixings, and the struggle to find meaning and community.  Playwright Miranda Rose Hall celebrates the unassuming, rich beauty of female friendship and the things that keep us going when everything else falls apart. 

The Winter’s Tale at Will Geer Theatricum Botanical is a true joy of a production. There is a terrific cast of lively, powerhouse performers and many irresistible moments of magic, delight, drama, and fall-out-your-chair-laughing hilarity.  I absolutely loved it.

The Spy Who Went Into Rehab is a cheeky, high-spirited, brilliant new world premiere comedy at the Pacific Resident Theatre.  This sexy, adventurous, romp follows a simple and hilarious premise — what would happen if James Bond were court-ordered to rehab?