I expected President Drumpf to embarrass himself—and us by proxy—when he went abroad last month. He did not disappoint, so

The year 2015 is slipping away into history, and more importantly into memory. We are oblivious to the value of memory

By Ernest Kearney  —  James Royce is an okay mime. It’s ironic in a way that he’s performing his show in

What’s so embarrassing for me (an old white man) about watching an old white presidential candidate say—almost indignantly—“Well

Just as we were about to yawn and say pass the potatoes please, three unique Points of Play in The

There's a lot of hot to the touch TV to watch these days. Only a few shows on the buzzed

"Nothing Bad – A Werewolf Rock Musical" has spun the 1987 vampire film, "The Lost Boys" by way of the

WHEN TO WATCH: Pick a broadcast network and watch the nightly news. Any day. Or pick a cable network opinion-veiled-as-news

The Fall: Season 2, on NETFLIX, got more personal and crossed more lines than could be handled by the Paris Metro

Do you know his favorite Karaoke song? I do. And he sings it with me. The man, the legend talks

What "Help! I Might be Fabulous" presents is a modern fable by way of Stonewall and "La Cage aux Folles,"

Donald Trump knew that he lost the third debate long before it was over. As he seems to know, finally,

by Ernest Kearney  —  Imagine if Donald Trump was president for life, that all the TV stations were operated by

…that’s the current liberal fantasy, and we can sweeten it even more by taking the rest of America’s “left coast” with

By Ernest Kearney  —  "Uncivil Correctness: Joan Rivers, Abbie Hoffman, Bin Laden," apparently, began as a class project and, unfortunately,

Last year (2014) The Honorable Woman snagged two TVolution Honors: the Bravest and the Best Freshman Drama of the summer. A creative

In spite of a ferociously inappropriate title, "Two Motherfuckers on a Ledge," running at Asylum @ Studio C during the

OMG moments on Empire: • While trying to steal a top rap artist from a rival music competitor, Lucious and Anika

by Ernest Kearney — Forough Farrokhzad was the subject of Sussan Deyhim’s The House is Black which I recently reviewed

Rectify creator Ray McKinnon had a seed of an idea: "I was just interested in the life of a man

Our little game of Political Survivor abruptly expanded to the House of Representatives last week, with potentially explosive results. Speaker John Boehner

Wendy Graf has written an intelligent, craftsman work about an idealistic All American Girl seeking to convey her love of

By Ernest Kearney  —  There is some solid writing in Playwright/Director Travis Snyder-Eaton’s "Glitch," a two-person play about Rachel, a journalist

The November 13 Paris attacks changed the trajectory of our 2016 presidential election, and not for the good. I know

Is anyone still criticizing quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem? “Some people say” that his actions are

From Space.com: Overall, dark energy is thought to contribute 73 percent of all the mass and energy in the universe. Another 23

Both Alton Sterling and Philando Castile told the officer who shot them, “I have a gun.” They may have thought

Think of a row of dominos as scenes in a film. The first domino strikes the one before it; the

In its quintessence, theatre is the bonding of poetry and dance. That is oft forgotten in this age of directors as

The Lula Washington Dance Theatre (LWDT) the Los Angeles-based repertoire dance ensemble will perform in a joyous evening of dance,

It amazes me what a higgledy-piggledy of sources have served as inspiration for musicals. Little Shops of Horror, Cats, Sunset Boulevard

During Empire Entertainment's famous white party, Lucious reminds Jamal that music is the truth. So Jamal explains his sexual preference

Hamid Rahmanian is a film maker and graphic artist who in 2013 undertook to illustrate the Shahnameh.  He has now

Who wouldn't be excited to see what the producing team, who gifted viewers with the much lauded Entourage, has in

At 11:30 on New Year’s Eve, a friend asked me what actual “new” things would come in 2016. The political

Wendy Williams stops by Books and Books in Coral Gables to sign her new book Ask Wendy. How you doin'?

Meg Miroshnik’s The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls is a frequently poetic, consistently absorbing mishmash of Paglia’s pronouncements, Bettelheim’s theories

For the first decade of this century I didn't pay much attention to the music business. After close to 30

Say it ain’t so

For the Hollywood Fringe 2016, I employ a rating scale that should be familiar to my readers. For newcomers, I've inserted

Okay

The Hollywood Fringe Festival's Week One Diary—Part III is all about the Bard who is nicely represented this year with a

If you're not excited about the return of Matthew Rhys on The Americans tonight on FX, then you haven't been watching.

by Ernest Kearney “My mother didn’t wear sneakers,” Fahn proclaims at the opening of her one-woman show, Under the

When I first heard news of a weekly series set in hip hop and R&B music industry with a predominately

Conceived, written and produced by Linden Waddell — who also performs, with Miller directing — Hello Again! The Songs of

Ivo Van Hove’s production now at the Ahmanson has worked through both London and New York with great triumph.

There are a number of events and venues here in L.A. which I maintain are under appreciated. I’m talking about

"Secret Honor, The Last Testament of Richard M. Nixon" is a torrential tirade spewed by a scotch-soaked Richard M. Nixon,

The Antaeus Theatre Company always amazes me. The work they do is of the highest quality, and the actors that make

A lot of us who respect Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House want to curl up and hibernate

The folks who produce Survivor think that they understand tribes. Jeff Probst’s first official duty, on the first episode of every season,

The Algerian War, 1954-1962 is a struggle, all but, forgotten today in the West. For brutality, employment of terrorism, and the

The old elephants in the room for Republicans—racism, sexism, disdain for the poor (to name a few)—are no longer invisible

Political Survivor: USA. This show plays almost continuously, with an ever-changing cast, on many shows and many networks. I discovered the

By Ernest Kearney Playwright Greg Kalleres opens "Meanwhile Back at the Super Lair" interestingly enough; with a

I really love theatre that boldly goes where no ensemble has gone before. In the past William A. Reilly and Gary

The film opens with a laconic, heart rendering simple and sincere shriving, "I'm sorry. I know that means little at

Seven years prior to American Idol breaking out on Fox to become one of the most successful and talked about

Now we know. The Game's Episode 5 delivered—as promised—the identity of The Mole. Clever writing, this, from series creator Toby

By Ernest Kearney — Bad Jews at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble was hard for me to watch. Hard in the same

Let the Games Begin in How To Get Away With Murder

Sarah Manning is the key. She is brave, brash and ballsy. It’s one or a combination of these traits that

A lot of attention is being given to that first basket, the “basket of deplorables,” as Mrs. Clinton called it

"It was like the eve of a battle; the hearts beat, the eyes laughed, and they felt that the life

Let's imagine one could take a heaping jigger of Citizen Kane, another of Blade Runner, pour in a dash of

By Ernest Kearney — Premise-wise "Small Mouth Sounds," by Playwright Bess Wohl, has a lot of potential. The highly touted

We love Angela Lansbury. And PBS announced today, "She's ba-a-a-ck." Dame Lansbury with Michael Gambon will head the cast in

Pete Docter began Inside Out with a seedling of an idea, after he noticed the transition that his adolescent daughter

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 14. 2016) — Members of L.A.’s “PRO-99” theater community continue to gather signatures to demand a new

"La Razón Blindada," by Argentinean playwright Aristides Vargas, achieves many things on stage; it is disturbing and insightful, but more

All playwrights of any merit explore those vast and stretching abysses that form human relationships. In his earlier work, “The

By Ernest Kearney  —  "Easy Targets: Artists and Heroes" doesn’t quite reach the same heady heights as the Burglars of Hamm’s HHF17

Candidates, hang yourselves! Nobody does it better than you. The victories scored by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the April

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends We're so glad you could attend Come inside! Come inside! There behind the

(Now please, if you can’t make it through this rather long winded harangue of homage, simply scroll to the end

It is odd to admire the seed but fault the fruit. But Brittanie Richardson’s solo show "Art and Abolition" has

With hardly an exception the American Experience historical programs are gems. That the dumb heads in congress have succeeded in

At 100% full on energy the entire night, Garth Brooks IS the ultimate entertainer. From the moment he takes the

The question, for all (or it should be) GOT viewers: Will the Snow 'who knows nothing' return? HBO’s just released promotional

Ana Lily Amirpour's intelligent and superbly crafted film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is definitely a world view

Suffering from Copper withdrawal yet? No worries. Another period-based crime thriller is just around the bend. Lying in wait down

I’ve started this column several times, but the news keeps getting ahead of me. And not in a good way.

Office Beat: A Tap Dance Comedy playing now at 2016's Hollywood Fringe: A review

Looking for the “Big Bang” — that spark which initiated what would become America’s if not the World’s interest in comics

Wake up you princes of Westeros. Stay alert you Mother of Dragons. Justice is sweet. Justified vengeance is better. HBO released

by Ernest Kearney - Richard Lucas' award-winning  "Bono and the Edge Waiting for Godomino's," has been remounted and is running

Dry Land by Ruby Rae Spiegel drew its inspiration from a 2012 article in The New Republic concerning the assault

Arms and the Man is one of George Bernard Shaw’s most appealing plays; which is what he intended it to

The incident that actually coined the phrase "October Surprise" came when Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon’s National Security Advisor, lied just

"He was looking for someone else, you say—someone who was not you?" "He was looking for little Miles." A portentous clearness

For those of you who are unschooled in America’s favorite pastime, Van Lingle Mungo was a Major League pitcher who

Jack Lukeman has a voice that feels like a friend’s hand on a troubled shoulder.  From his 1995 debut album

A recap of The Musketeers — Season One. Season Two begins January 17, 9/8c only on BBC America.

Never start off your career with a masterpiece. Where do you go from there? Known in some circles as the Joseph Kesselring

For those who have not cultivated an appreciation for the theatrical craft and are unaware of the merits and delights

There were Poirots before him. There will be Poirots to follow. Right now, for over seven hundred and fifty million

The movie Jurassic Park removed an intriguing side plot from Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, that I think applies directly

“I was trained as a classical musician, so my approach to theater comes from a different perspective than most playwrights.”

Start in a state with an active electorate of six million (say, Pennsylvania in 2016). Now poll a thousand of

For a complete medal tally for all 60 viewed by this contributor see click HERE.  Below is a The TVolution

Beheadings– Fratricide - Infidelity - Parricide – Rebellion - The swain of Avon – And toe tapping ditties. One must admire the chutzpa Michael Shaw Fisher displays

In James Cougar Canfield’s historical play Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII the “ladies” in question are the

The Clone's world has expanded

The Chromolume Theatre at The Attic has been the site of some stunning successes, and while their current production of

In "Ashlee Olivia Presents E.A.R.T.H.A.," Ms. Jones delivers an exceptional performance of an exceptional performer

In the words of an FTWD character: “When civilization ends, it ends fast.” That’s Right. I love The Walking Dead. The discovery that I

Sometimes, someone posts something on Facebook that is of intrinsic value. The following thought-piece—published here with the author’s permission—is such

Well once again you have the opportunity of experiencing one of the true treats of L.A. Sunday, May 22 – Forever

We're back on the boat deck filled with potential Survivor contestants, waiting to see who will commit by jumping into

Sunset Baby is an intelligently written play with a superb cast that positively gleams from those benefits which blesses any

The personalities with whom playwright, Steven Vlasak populates “Nights at the Algonquin Round Table” are some the most acerbic wits,

The tunes in "Save Me a Spot" were both charming and moving, and wisely limited to ten in number.

Placas: The Most Dangerous Tattoo has only a week left on its limited run at Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights,

By Ernest Kearney — The other night my lovely wife Marlene and I were out walking with a couple of

"Kinsherf’s Coat" harkens back to one of the Sixties most lamentable losses – “The Happening," which was was an indiscernible

Going into South Coast Repertory’s production of adapter/director David Catlin’s Moby Dick, based on the novel by Herman Melville, I

"The Spidey Project" has been one of the most popular shows at Fringe 2017 and it’s easy to understand why

"Silent Sky" in its final weekend at Long Beach's International City Theatre, is a well-crafted feel-good evening in the theatre. 

1897. The Glorious Century, a period of unprecedented peace across all Europe was at a close. As that gilded, moribund age

Here’s a quickie to help you prepare for the Republican debate on Thursday August 9. In 2012, my wife and

By Ernest Kearney - The Cherry Poppins Productions have embraced a formula which has served them well in Hollywood Fringe

"Do You: Migration of the Monarchs" is a dazzling concept conveyed in a visually rich language, not a play as

The Superhero and his Charming Wife purports to be “inspired by archetypes and dreams” presented in the style of “an

Now I’ve seen some truly remarkable acting at this year’s Fringe, but here are two amazing ensembles that stand out

The Hollywood Fringe is in full-on fourth gear mode. Festival Director / Fringe Founder Ben Hill with his “crack team

The peaceful dawning has come and gone. This day is like a long breath of air that has been held

There are more individuals whose talents deserve some Note of Distinction this year, and we, at TheTVolution wish the privilege

The Echo Theater Company is one of the newer jewels in the crown of Los Angeles theatre, and with their

A life lacking passion is paralysis. The particular focus of that passion counts for beans. Take your pick: Video Games, Persian rugs,

What can be said about A Haunted House 2? My, it is rare to see such a testament to mediocrity.

By Ernest Kearney — This is Festival Fringe Time in Hollywood 2018 -Part II. This being Hollywood Fringe,

By Ernest Kearney - "House of Tales" is bursting with concepts and ideas to the point of avalanching the audience

Forgive the projection, but are producer/writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss attempting to 1) let us down easy by forecasting

You enter the REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CaLArts Theater) to find a mass of chairs arranged seemingly haphazard in the

THE GOLD MEDALS: ANNABELLA BOOZE, BALLS AND BLUEGRASS THE DEVIL YOU SAY RESERVE CHAMPION REVOLUTIONARY LOVE THE THREE MUSKETEERERS: CLOWNS WITH SWORDS THE BRONZE MEDALS: FIFTY SHADES OF

Above: Screen grab from a YouTube video of the 2018 Golden Globes on NBC. There are so many ways to be

"There are so many sounds I still want to make, so many things I haven't yet done." B.B. King   The summer of

Well Hello Dolly! Without even needing a warm-up band or an opening act, the music starts, the lights come

The most disappointing feature of Lee Blessing’s succinct if a tad “lite” A Walk in the Woods now gracing the

How rare a thing; a thinking man's sci-fi both stimulating and satisfying. Penned by Jerome Bixby known for such works

A few weeks back, Molly Ball wrote in the Washington Post about the 2016 Presidential Campaign’s “…rich irony that America's

by Ernest Kearney  —  IAMA Theatre Company’s production, "Sinner’s Laundry," at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood, can be summed up

Michael Ondaatje’s eponymous 2011 novel grants romance and intrigue to the lowliest dining area on a ship—The Cat’s Table. There

I always feel a kinship between August Wilson and the ancient Greek playwrights. Like the dramas of Euripides and other Athenian

"The Tomb" by Ed Sharrow (at the Complex Theatre during Fringe 2017) is an encapsulated tale of Anthony the Great,

Photo above is from Creative Commons: “hacker army 2.0” by Rodrigo Paoletti is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Long-awaited "Game of Thrones'" Season Seven—winner of 12 Emmy's just last September, remember— is no longer coming. It's Here: July

Above: July 18, 2017 MSNBC screen grab. At you thought he couldn’t look stupider! Let’s be truthful about the reason that

Let’s say you’re a hotshot movie producer and I’m this schlub of a writer who thinks he’s bringing the next

The Latino Theater Company offers up a first-class troupe for the world premiere of Jonathan Ceniceroz’s “The Cruise.”

For Daniel Holden, danger lurks not just behind shadows, but in the harsh light of day; often prancing down the

Playwright Laurel M. Wetzork has filled Blueprint for Paradise, now playing at the Hudson Theatre, with fascinating tidbits plucked from

You’re in Los Angeles and looking for the perfect space to mount your production. Available for your play, meeting, workshop or

The bed is our most formidable arena. And two people in bed alone are never really by themselves. Bed by Sheila Callaghan,

If you follow economic or political news at all, you know there has been a lot of discussion about our

In "Andy: The Red-Nosed Warhola," director/adapter Ezra Buzzington has crafted a swift, stylish and oh so entertaining rendering of the

This is actually a treatment, the longer form that follows a successful pitch …because a treatment is longer and lots

I hate writing "bad" reviews for shows. Hate it. Don't get me wrong, I will bring out the ol' file and

by Ernest Kearney — Forgiveness seems to be the theme of “Redline,” now playing in rep with “Sinner’s Laundry”

After a wait of more than a decade since her last release, Melissa Manchester's 20th album, You Gotta Love the

By Steve Schlich — A lot of people think of our president as a divider, but last weekend he did

In the U.S. recently: Pope Francis. Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin. And a political zombie—yet another threat

When Stephen Colbert coined the word "truthiness" in 2005, he meant "

As casual as can be, Julia Migenes strolls on the nearly bare stage at the Odyssey Ensemble Theatre. The only

"An Evening With John Wilkes Booth" by Clinton Case and Lloyd J. Schwartz (who also directs), presents a solid and

Actually, “muttered” does no justice to the chanting and booing that echoed like city noise down an abandoned alleyway as

I must admit an admiration for Tricia Aurand’s undertaking in "Nicaea." Not only does she present an historical tale, but

Whether a Bill Nighy fan or a David Hare follower, tune in to PBS, Masterpiece Contemporary, for Part II of

By Ernest Kearney —  "Shakes on the Rocks" has a poor concept of what it wants to be. Eleven actors

Frankly, I wasn’t planning on writing this review. I saw the show, and well

Walking Dead, Season Five

Here's the bulletin: A tough new detective, year 1864, is coming to our airwaves. Tom Weston-Jones stars in BBC America's,

In the 1998 film Bulworth, Warren Beatty played a disillusioned politician who puts out a contract on himself, and then feels

The Goodwill store outlets are a treasure trove for the adventurous DVD hunter. After extended practice I can breeze through the

For the most part, Korean cinema has not rung the dong for me. I Saw the Devil (2010) Kim Jee-woon’s brutal and

Forever Flamenco, have I said it once?  Have I said it twice?  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve

The intended purpose of this monthly column is to bring to the attention of cinema junkies those odd and typically

Victorian era pulp fiction by another name could have been Penny Awful, Penny Number, Penny Blood or Penny Horrible. The

It's been nearly two years since The Reichenbach Fall and the deadly confrontation between Sherlock and his psycho-nemesis Moriarty, wherein

If The Honorable Woman was the bravest Freshman Drama of Summer 2014, Extant was the Most Surprising. Academy Award winner Halle

The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2015 has drawn to a close. The following is the Medal Tally for the 57 Shows I attended: 13

The Coeurage Theatre Company has a mission statement, startling in both brevity and boldness: “…to make impassioned theatre accessible for

Flamenco is exceptional. Nowhere is grace found infused with such power, nor the sorrow and the joy of the human condition expressed

We are all Donald Trump now. In 1963, JFK went to the Berlin wall and said, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I

On the hunt for a different sort of dark-doing this Halloween? Look no further than the Echo Theater Company’s production

The Republican side of this primary season, nearing its final throes, is playing out like a vintage horror movie that

Santiago Cabrera is Aramis.  Though they are, the four of them, multilayered individuals, Aramis would seem to be the one

I’m sorry, but the Hitler analogy is at last appropriate. You can hear the original Führer’s hateful nationalism in nearly

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is a premier example of a thriving Los Angelean creative arts scene. Modeled after the famed Edinburgh

Netflix is shooting out product faster than the bullet train. The Jason Bateman starrer, "Ozark," streaming now, is sprinting toward

by Ernest Kearney — The world premiere of "Jackie Unveiled" by award-winning playwright Tom Dugan has been extended at the

The Americans, season 4 premiere 10pm, Weds. (March, 16) on FX. Be prepared for a whip-lash year. Now, it’s possible you

Loser! The Tweet Defeat of Donald Trump did not begin with “Liddle’ Bob Corker” and his oh-so-devastating viral tweet: https://twitter.com/SenBobCorker/status/917045348820049920? Wham! Impressive. But

by Ernest Kearney — In "Keith Moon the Real Me," playing at Hudson Theatre’s Maintstage thru April 15, writer

The Tragedy of JFK (as told by Wm. Shakespeare) is cleverly conceived, beautifully acted and stylishly staged. (If this review

Jesus Christ Superstar is a great show. Lyrics by Tim Rice, and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and for my

When the topic turns to the worst series ever, one is walking a tightrope of wet tissue.

Full disclosure: I am not a fan of the shows of playwright Peter Lefcourt and director Terri Hanauer. Their prior productions,