Kenneth Cavander‘s translation & adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophokles, now playing at the Antaeus Theatre Company, is a confused but well-acted production with clunky sound design that unfortunately uses West Asian architecture, set, and music for its aesthetics without hiring any West Asian creatives or actors to tell the story.
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Outside In Theatre never ceases to enthrall me and their latest production O: A Rhapsody in Divorce continues that magic in their most definitive work yet. Written by Jami Brandli and directed by Jessica Hanna, it is a joyous marvel that fantastically adapts the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey for the modern age and transforms it into a truly breathtaking production filled to the brim with humor, heartbreak, and awe-inspiring imagination.
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Henry Ong‘s final play Ascent, now having its world premiere at the Skylight Theatre Company, is an urgently relevant production from Plain Wood Productions based on a true story about Chinese aerospace engineer Qian Xuesen. Though the play’s pacing is bogged down by far too many short scenes coupled with laborious scene transitions and the second half of Qian Xuesen‘s fascinatingly complex life in China unfortunately omitted, it has tremendous heart that is filled with incredible performances from their ensemble cast.
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A decade after taking the world by storm, fans of Hamilton will no longer have to wait for it to come to physical media. Disney has announced a special collector’s edition 4K UHD blu-ray will be available on June 16!
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Despite this new revival of Flower Drum Song having a second revision from David Henry Hwang, no amount of rewrites can shake the core that this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, now playing at East West Players, is still very much outdated as an orientalist and voyeuristic crowd pleaser for old white people with subpar musical numbers.
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It’s been a few days but after watching the world premiere of Olivia Dufault’s For Want of a Horse at Echo Theater Company, I am still at a loss of what exactly the point of the play is. It’s well acted and well directed with perhaps a deep meaning to it but ultimately, it’s a play about a man who has sex with a horse. Are we supposed to be more empathetic of folks who commit such acts? Do we condemn it? Is this even a discussion worth having?
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Gabriel Rivas Gomez‘s Level Up!, now having its world premiere at the Latino Theater Company, is a cute and ambitious multimedia-heavy play that is unfortunately bogged down by too many storylines.
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Nocturne Theatre’s Jesus Christ Superstar has not only reinvigorated this classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with their astounding production work and talent but through conscious & well thought-out casting decisions, has given it urgent relevancy in the world we live today.
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Though Kim’s Convenience, now having its run at Center Theatre Group, is enjoyable in its many funny and touching moments, Ins Choi‘s 2011 play is very much outdated in its necessity to showcase Korean identity and culture that is completely catered to white people.
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Hamid Rahmanian‘s Song of the North, now currently playing at Pasadena Playhouse, is an extraordinary multimedia production that is a marvel for all ages to enjoy. Utilizing shadow puppetry (483 puppets!!) and projected animation with immense success to reimagine the Iranian epic Shahnameh, the joy and magic found in this adaptation is undeniable.
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Do you like quiche? Do you like immersive theatre? Do you like outrageous comedies fused with social commentary in the form of a nuclear apocalypse? Then 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, now having its Los Angeles premiere via New Forms LA, will fill that savory spot just right, even if its pacing suffers a bit near the end before revving right back up for a fantastic finish.
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There are many incredible ingredients at work with the Los Angeles premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury‘s 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning drama Fairview, now playing at Rogue Machine Theatre: a crackling ensemble cast, an intriguing and twisty premise, and a thrilling direction by Oz Scott. But despite these elements present, the play fall short of its clever ambitions as it settles into an abstract moral message play written primarily for white people.
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There is something truly remarkable when you witness a play that not only makes marine biologist wholly relatable but that you feel so much compassion for a giant octopus puppet and inspire mythical wonder in the deep watery unknown. Such is the accomplishment of Weston Gaylord’s Octopus’s Garden, now having its world premiere in this gorgeous co-production with Boston Court Pasadena, Circle X Theatre Co., and Outside In Theatre.
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Exceptionally strong acting from their two leads make up for a somewhat predictable and safe pyramid scheme story in Lauren Smerkanich‘s The Dignity Circle, now having its world premiere at Theatre of Note.
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It’s been so long since I felt this indelible feeling of magic while watching a play but the world premiere of John Guerra‘s Room By The Sea, a triple co-production with Coin & Ghost, After Hours Theatre Company, and Outside In Theatre, has achieved just done that. This is a tale that not only transports the audience to a fantastical place but like the best of genre, it creates a haunting parallel to our current world. And best of all, the immense efforts to incorporate significant global majority and accessibility presence is truly what Los Angeles theatre at its finest is all about.
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A fantastic all-Filipino cast cannot hide the simple fact that Here Lies Love, now having its West Coast premiere at Center Theatre Group, is a shallow, poorly written musical with relentless static disco tunes. It is also absolutely confused in whether they want to glorify their subject Imelda Marcos or warn about the dangers of fascism.
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Despite a golden missed opportunity to cast global majority actors for the main roles of Mozart/Salieri/Constanze that would have richly amplified the narrative, there is a lot to love about the Pasadena Playhouse production of Peter Shaffer‘s Amadeus with the fantastic set and lighting design, the incredible ensemble cast, and the powerhouse performances of their lead actors Jefferson Mays and Sam Clemmett as Salieri and Mozart respectively.
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With the West Coast premiere of Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience at the Fountain Theatre, this uniquely moving and stirring choreopoem honors the work and life of June Jordan, one of America’s most fearless writers and human rights activists.
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The Los Angeles independent remounting of Rajiv Joseph‘s Guards at the Taj (the last one was in 2015 at the Geffen Playhouse) is a strikingly well done and hauntingly relevant production that also utilizes fantastic genderbent casting and an endearing post finale that credits all crew involved, a practice that is rarely ever seen in theatre.
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There is no doubt that the events of 2025 and already the first two months of 2026 have provided an unfortunate wealth of materials for playwrights to mine from. But with the world premiere of The Circle at Greenway Court Theatre, the clock rewinds back to July 2016 in Texas set during the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred immediately after the murder of Philando Castile.
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With the holiday season in full swing, one will find numerous renditions of The Nutcracker in their area for their own enjoyment. Here in the Los Angeles area, we had last week’s coverage of American Ballet Theatre but now I would love to put a spotlight on Pasadena Dance Theatre with their fresh and imaginative production of this timeless Tchaikovsky classic coming to the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on December 20 and 21, 2025.
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The prestigious American Ballet Theatre celebrates its tenth season of The Nutcracker at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts as it returns to the stages for 14 spell-binding performances from December 11 to 21. This landmark season features ABT’s international all-star cast under the leadership of artistic director Susan Jaffe, with choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, costumes by Tony winner Richard Hudson, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s iconic score performed live by Pacific Symphony. With this significant milestone, we wish to highlight the incredible global majority artists that will grace the stage!
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We speak with actress Susan Pourfar of Meet the Cartozians, currently playing at New York City’s Second Stage Theater until December 14.
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