BWW Reviews: New British Musical CONFESSIONS OF A RABBI'S DAUGHTER Makes LA DebutMarch 28, 2014Emily Rose has been traveling around the United States presenting her fictionalized one-woman musical CONFESSIONS OF A RABBI'S DAUGHTER. The show enjoyed a performance at the York New Musical Festival, a successful run in the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, and an Off-Broadway run before making its current LA debut at the Complex in Hollywood this weekend.
BWW Reviews: THE PETRIFIED FOREST is a Clever Mash-Up of a Love Story, Gangster Tale, and Political DramaMarch 24, 2014THE PETRIFIED FOREST endures because it has it all: romance, suspense, danger, sex and even a little politics. A fantasy of the highway, it unfurls like a dream of a still-untamed corner of the American West. Although it has some of the flavor of an adventure, its multiple themes (men and women, working class struggle, class conflict gender issues, left vs. right) still resonate today.
BWW Reviews: GOD ONLY KNOWS Asks the Question 'What Does it Mean to Have Faith?'March 22, 2014According to the Oxford Dictionary, faith means having complete trust or confidence in someone or something, a strong belief in God or in a doctrine of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. In GOD ONLY KNOWS, Hugh Whitemore presents his audience with a factual, intelligent and intense debate over the validity and origins of faith, especially Christianity. It also explores humankind's need to believe in or have faith is something greater than ourselves.
BWW Reviews: SECRETS Attempts to Present a Raw Graphic Portrait of a Failing MarriageMarch 19, 2014In SECRETS, Evan and Merisha struggle to save their once-fairytale marriage amidst mounting secrets that explode in their faces. According to writer/director (and star) Wallace Demarria, SECRETS explores infidelity, lies, lack of attention and communication, and much more. "If you ever wondered why men and women cheat or have been cheated on, then you will want to see this play.'
BWW Reviews: World Premiere WILD SONGS AND NAKED SOULS Shares Literary Musings on the Obsession Called LoveMarch 17, 2014In this day of instant communication, how do you feel when the person you love does not answer a text or email within an hour? Makes you wonder what that person is up to and with whom, doesn't it? So image how was it in the days when the only way to reach a loved one was by sending a letter, and then having to wait for weeks or months for a response. Certainly the most outrageous scenarios would play in your head as to what was really going on.
Photo Coverage: Kentwood Players' FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Celebrates Its Spectacular Opening Weekend!March 16, 2014Audiences and critics are raving about the Kentwood Players production of the Tony Award winning FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, presented at the Westchester Playhouse during the musical's 50th anniversary celebration of its 1964 Broadway debut. With packed houses during its opening weekend, be sure to call (310) 645-5156 to get your tickets in advance for performances through April 19.
BWW Reviews: A STEADY RAIN Examines the Special Bonds of Male FriendshipMarch 8, 2014A STEADY RAIN is first and foremost a story about Denny and Joey, two Chicago cops caught up in a series of violent events that alter the course of their lives and their understanding of the world they inhabit. The play is also an exploration of the special bonds of male friendship, and the forces that test those bonds.
BWW Reviews: DERBY DAY Proves Some Families Are Better Bets Than OthersMarch 7, 2014The Los Angeles Premiere of the critically acclaimed DERBY DAY written and directed by Samuel Brett Williams explores love, family and mortality in his dark comedy set in his hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The play centers on the dysfunctional Ballard brothers who are in town for their abusive, alcoholic father's funeral. They drink, cuss and fight over family secrets and wager one last bet for the chance at finally becoming a family.
PHOTO FLASH: First Onstage Photos of Kentwood Players' FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Opening 3/14March 7, 2014Kentwood Players proudly presents the Tony Award winning musical "Fiddler on the Roof" with book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Jerry Bock, and music by Sheldon Harnick from March 14 to April 19 with 20 performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm, and Thursdays on April 3, 10, and 17 at 8pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045.
BWW Reviews: THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE Fills the Night with Great MusicMarch 4, 2014On the first Sunday of each month at Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, dinner cabaret nights are presented to packed houses. Due to the Oscars, this month's event was held on Monday, March 3, saluting THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE whose career has spanned over sixty years and who, as producer and/or director is responsible for some of the greatest musical theater triumphs of all time.
BWW Reviews: THE TRIP BACK DOWN Misses Making it to the Checkered FlagMarch 2, 2014While attempting to confront his career's inevitable downslide, unremarkable race car driver Bobby Horvath visits his family and friends back in Mansfield, Ohio, while trying to determine which way to go with his life. Over the course of numerous flashbacks, past and present collide as Bobby takes a serious look at where he has been and where he wants to be in the future. But if winning is all there is, it is going to be a long road for Bobby to make it to the finish line.
BWW Reviews: GENE KELLY: THE LEGACY Offers a Very Personal Look Into the Life of a Hollywood LegendMarch 1, 2014Patricia Ward Kelly's compelling presentation combines rare and familiar film clips, previously unreleased audio recordings, personal memorabilia, and insights culled from her hours of interviews and conversations with her husband whom she met in 1985 in Washington, D.C., where she was the writer for a television special about The Smithsonian for which he was the host and narrator. She was 26; he was 73. Soon after, he invited her to California to write his memoir. They fell in love, married, and were together until his death in 1996.
BWW Reviews: OBAMA SPY DRAMA Offers Comical Proof That Someone is Always Watching YouFebruary 24, 2014With the Winter Olympics upon us, and recent attempts to reign in NSA spying, the time is ripe for a musical comedy with a Russian accent. And that's what OBAMA SPY DRAMA, the new show from City in a Swamp Productions, provides in abundance. Along with musical parodies, the satire is filled with spy agency intrigue, romantic complications and a display of international muscle.
BWW Reviews: Faith Makes a Family in THE WHIPPING MAN at the Pico PlayhouseFebruary 22, 2014What does it mean to have faith in God? What makes a family? These two questions fuel conflicting passions in the Los Angeles premiere of Matthew Lopez's THE WHIPPING MAN, directed with a deep understanding of the Jewish faith by Howard Teichman, Artistic Director of West Coast Jewish Theatre.