LA Theater Review

'Happy Face Sad Face' Comes Up Blank

R.J. Colleary’s “Happy Face Sad Face,” at the Elephant Lillian Theatre, never gets past its underlying gimmick of telling one story two ways: as a comedy and as a drama.

Poignant 'Driving Miss Daisy' Well Worth the Trek to Sierra Madre

“Driving Miss Daisy,” Alfred Uhry’s 1988 Pulitzer Prize–winning drama, is getting a first-rate production at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, skillfully directed by Christian Lebano.

'Boeing-Boeing' Doesn't Fly High Enough

La Mirada Theatre’s slickly professional staging of the 2008 revival version of Marc Camoletti’s “Boeing-Boeing” is sexy, fluffy, and frantic but also silly and patently illogical.

‘Freud’s Last Session’ Is More Scholarly Debate Than Sparring Match

Despite Judd Hirsch’s turn in the title role of Mark St. Germain’s “Freud’s Last Session,” getting its L.A. premiere at the Broad Stage, the hit Off-Broadway play feels locked down.

Autobiographical 'Chapter Two' Still Charms Nearly 40 Years On

Shrewd direction, a timeless look, and detailed performances boost Laguna Playhouse’s production of Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two” while downplaying character clichés and zingy quips.

Dostoevsky's 'Notes From Underground' Perfect Fodder for Zombie Joe

Zombie Joe’s Underground’s avant-garde stage adaptation of Dostoevsky’s pioneering paean to human indulgence and perversity, “Notes From Underground,” works like gangbusters.

A Dry Production Hampers 'The Rainmaker'

N. Richard Nash’s fanciful “The Rainmaker,” from Henry Jaglom, Rainbow Theater Company, and Edgemar Center for the Arts, is undercut by director Jack Heller’s prosaic production.

'The Grand Irrationality' Is Full of Ideas but Awfully Stiff

The actors do their best in Jemma Kennedy’s “The Grand Irrationality,” at the Lost Studio, but this tale of family feuds and love triangles is several drafts short of being stage ready.

‘The Motherf**ker With the Hat’ Finds Its Laughs in Unlikely Places

Stephen Adly Guirgis’ ruthlessly funny “The Motherf**ker With the Hat,” about love, fidelity, and substance abuse, gets an expertly acted staging from South Coast Repertory.

A Good Time Is Had by All in 'Beyond Dark'

“Beyond Dark,” from the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, is a fascinating if uneven blacked-out theatrical experience full of fun, unexpected curves, with genius sound by John Zalewski.