Whether you view the later works of Irish playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett as avant-grade, Theatre of the Absurd, tragicomic minimalism or a dramatic con job, they do provide an intriguing Rorschach experience for any audience. The Odyssey Theatre’s Koan Unit created an evening aptly enough
Please believe me when I tell you that Julia Migenes is an amazingly talented performer. She originated the role of Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof playing opposite the legendary Zero Mostel. She sang in La Bohème. Mahagonny and other classics at the Metropolitan Opera, and
What does this all mean? A flashy, vulgar celebrity/businessman runs for public office with no prior experience except having run a beauty pageant. His sound bites are laced with sexual innuendos and veiled racism. He finds popularity by attacking the media as dishonest and by spewing
With Black History Month you hear accounts of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Cyrus Attucks and other historical black figures in America’s past. I would like to call attention to another hero of our past, but this one is a “Lost American.” FRANK WILLS: A Lost American In
Going into South Coast Repertory’s production of adapter/director David Catlin’s Moby Dick, based on the novel by Herman Melville, I immediately encountered a red flag in the program notes by Kat Zukatis with the opening line: “Let’s all agree: Moby-Dick is a terrible novel.” My lovely
What strikes one—when inspecting television’s hugest failures—is the large percentage of those which are remakes and retooling’s. Now with the right amount or effort applied, with minimal intelligence and imagination, “Derivation” cleans up like Cinderella bound for the ball. Comb its hair, tell it to stand
The Algerian War, 1954-1962 is a struggle, all but, forgotten today in the West. For brutality, employment of terrorism, and the pitting of Muslim against European interests, on the surface, it seems painfully familiar. But it was so much more. Algeria was “French” to France, and
You need valleys. Without valleys how can you appreciate the heights of hills? For me 2016 was a valley, 2014 and 2015 both hills. That’s not to say 2016 lacked stand-out productions and performances, however, they were fewer and farther between. So without much rhyme, but packing plenty of
For those who have not cultivated an appreciation for the theatrical craft and are unaware of the merits and delights to be derived from the stage, there are certain theaters in Los Angeles that I always try to persuade them to attend. Theaters whose productions
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh speaks fluent Grand Guinol, but speaks it with the lilt of Galway. The importance of this has more resonance than, at first, one might realize. There’s an old axiom which is presently leaving the airy realm of proverbs for the more solid firmament
