LA Theater Review

‘Tartuffe Lab’ Riffs Electrifyingly on Molière

More examination of Molière than scripted event, California Repertory Company’s “Tartuffe Lab,” directed by Eberhard Koehler, is a rollicking, hugely original freeform grab bag.

'Jekyll & Hyde' Hits the Pantages Prior to Broadway

Dynamic design choices energize Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn’s musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” but story is second to spectacle due to the overly amped pop-concert approach.

Veteran Cast Floats 'A Heap of Livin’'

Aging and forgiveness are themes in Elliot Shoenman’s “A Heap of Livin’,” a new play from Inkwell Theater made better by the efforts of director Mark L. Taylor and a superb cast.

'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' Belongs More to the Page Than the Stage

Though this biographical collage about Lorraine Hansberry is historically interesting, “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” from Actors Co-op, only comes alive during play excerpts.

Promising 'Sixty Miles to Silver Lake' Can't Quite Get There

Time twists, and the difficult relationship between an estranged father and son twists along with it in Dan LeFranc’s “Sixty Miles to Silver Lake,” from IAMA Theatre Company.

'When You’re in Love, the Whole World Is Jewish' Lacks Variety

“When You’re in Love, the Whole World Is Jewish,” derived from 1960s Jewish comedy albums and directed by Jason Alexander, is mostly a long, repetitive list of stereotypical jokes.

'Catching the Butcher' Is a Striking Piece of Work

At Long Beach Playhouse, Adam Seidel’s striking black comedy “Catching the Butcher,” about the inner life of a serial killer, is brilliant and funny but not frivolous.

'The Gift' Eventually Falls Off the Tracks

Chris Mulkey as a boor-turned-sage and Kathy Baker as his new horizons–seeking wife are better than their material in Joanna Murray-Smith’s “The Gift,” at the Geffen Playhouse.

'Fallen Angels' Is Crackling Coward

Pasadena Playhouse’s sparkling production of “Fallen Angels,” Noël Coward’s 1925 farce about the lure of lustful sex, has expert direction and outrageously hilarious performances.

'The Deep Throat Sex Scandal' Revisits the Swinging '70s

There is much promise in David Bertolino’s “The Deep Throat Sex Scandal,” at the Zephyr Theatre, but a creatively engorged first act devolves into a flaccid finale.