Playwright Laurel M. Wetzork has filled Blueprint for Paradise, now playing at the Hudson Theatre, with fascinating tidbits plucked from Los Angeles and Southern California history. The ruins of Hitler’s California “White House,” the first African-American to be granted membership in the American Institute of Architects,
Do not be fooled by the title, One of the Nice Ones. There is nothing “nice” about Erik Patterson’s play. Point of fact, it is relentless in its anti-niceness. Think your typical office politics row only with Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken taking turns holding a
Never start off your career with a masterpiece. Where do you go from there? Known in some circles as the Joseph Kesselring Curse (as in Arsenic and Old Lace which was then followed by ten flops), Tennessee Williams compounded on this by starting his career with a
It amazes me what a higgledy-piggledy of sources have served as inspiration for musicals. Little Shops of Horror, Cats, Sunset Boulevard are three examples of successful adaptations from odd starts. Stephen Sondheim has made a career crafting shows from subject matter that hardly seems suitable for
Four Chords and a Gun at the Bootleg Theater, which relates the stories of when The Ramones worked with Phil Spector on recording their End of the Century album, is scary. Now the story of anyone working with Phil Spector, (legendary music producer of “Be My
At the top of where the Angel’s Flight Trolley once deposited its riders (and hopefully will again one day), nestled between a pair of impressive skyscrapers, you’ll find the California Plaza and one of L.A.’s best kept secrets, the Water Court. An artfully designed combination of
It is not with eyes alone that we read a novel’s passage or play’s scene; we read them through the grinded lens of culture and the glass of moment. Some times these “bi-focals” bring the matter read into a startling clarity never appreciated before, with new
This is a thank you to Colin Johnson my stage manager on My Alamo War. Colin helped set the stage, made the preshow announcement, lit the show, ran the lights, helped clear the stage, worked box office, recovered lost items, and a bunch of other
For a complete medal tally for all 60 viewed by this contributor see click HERE. Below is a The TVolution Category Best of Fringe 2016 breakdown and be sure to check the Fringe schedule below to see if a show you missed has been extended! BEST
Well another Fringe has come and gone. I attended 60 shows and managed to review 55 (denoted by the asterisk: “*”), and I must say there were some gems. So here is my final call, including those shows that ranked as Platinum. Congratulation to all
