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Chicago Theater Review: THE LAST ACT OF LILKA KADISON (Lookingglass Theatre Company)
NOTHING FEEDS YOUR HEART LIKE A GOOD STORY Truth be told, The Last Act of Lilka Kadison chronicles an entirely conventional story – but Lookingglass Theatre’s production elevates this historical melodrama to a work of theatrical magic. Written by Nicola Behrman, David Kersnar, Abbie Phillips, Heidi Stillman, and Andrew White, The Last Act of Lilka…
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LA Theater Review: A MEMORY OF TWO MONDAYS (Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica)
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY Occasionally, I attend theater with no intention of reviewing a show, but afterwards my spirit is so refreshed by an uplifting and inspiring experience that an urgent plea for your attendance is my only priority. It was at the Ruskin Theatre that my need for ensemble acting of the highest order…
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Theater Review: SANDRA BERNHARD: I LOVE BEING ME, DON’T YOU? (REDCAT)
I HAD A GAY OLD TIME A letter to Sandra Bernhard: Dear Sandy: Oh my God, it thrilled me to no end when I was assigned to review your latest show at REDCAT: Sandra Bernhard: I Love Being Me, Don’t You? Ever since you took off your clothes and sang, all feline-like, to a tied-up…
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Chicago Theater Review: MIDDLETOWN (Steppenwolf)
STEPPENWOLF PROVES ITS WORTHY REPUTATION Will Eno’s Middletown suggests that life is a black hole; there will always be a gulf between reality and our perception of it, between our desire for human connection and our ability to actually connect. Loneliness pervades this small mid-American town. Yet in a beautiful production, Steppenwolf fosters an inspiring…
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Opera Review: TROUBLE IN TAHITI (Pacific Opera Project)
NO TROUBLE HERE Although the run of Pacific Opera Project’s Trouble in Tahiti was two days long, I had to check out this new company whose mission it is to use local talent and bring affordable opera to Los Angeles. With only one piano accompanying five singers in the overheated Santa Monica Playhouse, there were…
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Festival Review: LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961, d. Alain Resnais)
[NOTE: Film Critic Kevin Bowen is visiting his hometown – El Paso, Texas – and attending the third annual Plaza Classic Film Festival. The festival, running from Aug. 4 to Aug. 14, features 80 classic films. Bowen will write sporadic reports based on his viewing of the classic films as watched at the festival.] NOT…
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Festival Review: THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937, d. Leo McCarey)
[NOTE: Film Critic Kevin Bowen is visiting his hometown – El Paso, Texas – and attending the third annual Plaza Classic Film Festival. The festival, running from Aug. 4 to Aug. 14, features 80 classic films. Bowen will write sporadic reports based on his viewing of the classic films as watched at the festival.] THE…
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Movie Review: 30 MINUTES OR LESS (nationwide)
A TASTY TICKING CLOCK Like any good pizza delivery driver with a bomb vest strapped to his body, 30 Minutes or Less knows how to get there, get the job done, and get it over with a second to spare. When it comes to explosives, every second counts, and there aren’t many films with such…
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LA Theater Review: FEAR FACTOR: CANINE EDITION (Hollywood Fringe / Edmonton Fringe Festival)
DOG GONE Having immersed myself in forty Fringe shows this year, I have become highly suspect of those shows that bounce from Fringe to Fringe across the land, cross-promoting like oversexed insects until they garner enough publicity to hype unsuspecting theatergoers into believing that their pablum is actually worth the attention – which, of course,…
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Theater Review: THIS (Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City)
WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT? At the top of Melissa James Gibson’s This, five urbanite thirty-somethings take part in an innocent parlor game that inadvertently goes awry for one of them: an unsuspecting woman just before the anniversary of her husband’s death. Not only does the scene become the best 10-minute play ever written, but the…
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Theater Review: MOBY DICK REHEARSED (Lyric Theatre in Los Angeles)
A SHOWCASE FOR ORSON WELLES PROVES DIFFICULT TO REVIVE Whitmore Eclectic, a non-profit theatre company now in its second season, brings us a presentation of the tricky Moby Dick Rehearsed, Orson Welles’ 1955 theatrical adaptation of Herman Melville’s famous story. In this version, a Nineteenth Century theatre company must adjust to the fact that they…
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LA Theater Review: NAZI HUNTER – SIMON WIESENTHAL (Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills)
NEVER FORGET Writer/performer Tom Dugan’s solo show Nazi Hunter – Simon Wiesenthal capitalizes on the strengths of the famous Nazi hunter – his resilience, tenacity and humor – but largely overlooks his checkered results and disputed claims that he flushed out nearly 1,100 war criminals. Dugan has crafted a show in which the retiring Wiesenthal…
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Orange County Theater Review: PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS: ONLY MAKE BELIEVE (Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach)
THE FANTASY FIZZLES Since 1933, Pageant of the Masters has been a Southern California must-see for tourists and locals alike. The professionalism with which they stage tableaux vivants (living pictures) is unsurpassed – a remarkable achievement given that 500 volunteers are necessary to create their incredible productions. Supported by a 35-piece orchestra, terrific writing, superlative artisans,…
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Theater Review: 1776 (Glendale Centre Theatre)
A LIBERTY BELL OF A SHOW STILL RINGS TRUE Strength. Courage. Character. Fortitude. These are traits that have inspired Americans, both in our leaders and in folklore. The 1968 musical 1776, now receiving a splendid production at Glendale Centre Theatre, is chock-full of the spirit that audiences need to experience in uncertain economic and political…
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Theater Review: FLEETWOOD MACBETH (Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre, Burbank)
THE SAME OLD RHYME I herewith invite you to check out The Troubies (especially those who may call yourselves Newbies). Though their antics are puerile You’ll smile for a while With this assortment of talented boobies. First they take Shakespeare and give him a whack By adding pop music (for this, Fleetwood Mac). Then they…
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LA Theater Review: I’M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY (Crown City Theatre Company in North Hollywood)
MARK ME DOWN AS MILD ABOUT HARRY What’s a critic to do when he desperately wishes to support Los Angeles theatre, but also desires to hold theatre to a higher level? During the intermission of I’m Just Wild About Harry at Crown City Theatre, one patron’s comment summed up this critic’s complex condition perfectly: “You…
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Movie Review: THE CHANGE-UP (nationwide)
TWO GUYS WHO LOOK ALIKE SWITCH BODIES This summer, we’ve reached a crisis point in the American comedy: why can’t Jason Bateman get promoted or laid? The summer comedies are stocked with middle-aged men who dream of having sex but never do. That’s a healthy sign for marriage, I suppose. But if you’re a married…
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Orange County Theater Review: JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA (Chance Theater)
SING TO THE HAND A literally damning critique of American popular culture, Jerry Springer: The Opera soars in the Chance Theater’s Southern California premiere. An opera this critical could have only originated across the Atlantic. British duo Stewart Lee (book and lyrics) and Richard Thomas (book, lyrics, and music) incisively lambast our culture’s quest for…
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Movie Review: THE GUARD (limited release)
IN THE HEAT OF THE IRISH NIGHT What is a veteran Irish policeman to do? There he is, tending to his rounds of bar fights and domestic disturbances. Stealing drugs off car wreck victims. Indulging in lovely imported visitors from “the agency.” Thinking nothing of selling the IRA back their lost-and-found weapons. In The Guard,…
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Movie Review: CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. (nationwide)
IS BETTER QUALITY THE SAME AS HIGH QUALITY? I like marriage. I do. At least in theory. I am unmarried, myself. But my parents are married. My friends are married. It seems like a good deal. So why is it that more and more, I find myself rooting against marriages when I watch them on…
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