A ‘Hungry Ghost,’ satiated, at Skylight Theatre
It’s everyone’s nightmare … to have a very weird white man, a hermit who lives in the woods, pry apart your sliding-glass doors and invade your crib, your private space, your digs, your boite, your last-ditch barrier of bricks-and-mortar against … people like him. And yet, that’s exactly what happens in Hungry Ghost, a new ...
Adieu to two valiant dancing women of Los Angeles arts: Deborah Lawlor & Flip Manne 2
Fountain Theatre co-founder Deborah Lawlor, who died May 2, 2023, began her career in the ’60s as a dancer, choreographer and actor in New York, where she was a member of the Judson Church/Caffe Cino scene in the Village. She moved to South India in 1968, there pioneering Auroville, a 12-square-mile utopian international community created ...
Jerry Robbins to be remembered on ‘Meaningful Monday’ at cool shul
They call it the Actor’s Temple. They also call it the “cool shul.” Both names work for artsmeme! Douglas J. Cohen and Carol Ostrow present an special event celebrating the Broadway career of the Broadway director and choreographer Jerome Robbins; well as honoring Tony winner actor Jason Alexander on his Broadway debut as director of The Cottage. It happens as part ...
At The Actors’ Gang, watching ‘(Im)migrants of the State,’ in mutual migration
May
2
2023
It packs a wallop. So seeing it on a Sunday matinee was a nice way to go. After being intensely swept into a theatricalized showcase created and performed by a compelling chorus of the formerly incarcerated, I felt blessed to walk freely into the late-afternoon sun. It’s (Im)migrants of the State, a workshop-style production at ...
Sunday evening at the Pasadena Playhouse with Seurat & Sondheim
a sunday on la grande jatte — 1884, georges seurat Can you accept a gift? Then give yourself one, and ticket up for Sunday in the Park With George — the first main-stage production of Pasadena Playhouse‘s six-month festival celebrating Stephen Sondheim. The theatrical genius whose pedigree connects him directly to the great, preceding generation ...
Good listening: rare one-acts by Albee, Pinter at Pacific Resident Theater
Jan
5
2023
Way too much aural gobbledygook has littered our tender ears of late: Take, for example, these pithy words spoken by the aspiring* Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy: mccarthy quoted by dana milbank in the washington post This word salad tossed in diesel fuel reflects the immense decline in the quality of American ...
The joy of ‘Nutcracker’ puppetry, courtesy of Bob Baker Marionettes
Where puppet-theater is concerned, the “fun for kids of all ages” slogan is almost a cliche. And yet, it really applies. I am enchanted by the stringed shenanigans that are standard fare at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Cuz, you get two shows in one, right? You get to watch the cleverly coiffed-and-garbed herky-jerky puppets … ...
Happy string-pulling: Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Bob Baker, Wizard of Fantasy, c. 1970. Hand-crafted marionette (vac-u-form plastic, felt, and string),50 x 20 x 10 inches. Courtesy of Bob Baker Marionette Theater Bob Baker Marionette Theater: 60 Years of Joy & Wonder is a retrospective exhibition that examines the beauty and history of a beloved Los Angeles institution. Approximately 100 artifacts belonging ...
Critical jottings: “Tiny Little Town” from TMB
Jul
27
2022
‘plein air’ rehearsal, courtesy tmb Summertime and the living is meant to be easy …. so why doesn’t it feel that way? Not really loving the Congressional Hearings? Spending $120 at Trader Joe’s for a bag of stuff that recently cost half that much? Is it the fact that COVID just won’t stop — and ...
Musical melange: ‘Moulin Rouge’ at Pantages
It packs a wallop. But gosh, getting walloped this way is so much fun. I experienced a nearly constant state of joy witnessing the ballistic pageant of song, dance, and bombast better as Moulin Rouge: The Musical, now on at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Not since the ornate theater’s vaudeville days has its gilded ...