From left: Ledisi, Chester Gregory and Connie Jackson in "Ain’t Misbehavin’" at Ebony Repertory Theatre (Photo by Craig Schwartz) Ebony Repertory Theatre’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” — at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center through June 8, in association with Fig Street Films — is a vibrant and deeply enjoyable celebration of Thomas “Fats” Waller’s music and cultural impact, as conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz. Directed by Wren T. Brown, this production capture

Henri Lubatti (King Berenger) in "Exit the King" at A Noise Within (Photo by Craig Schwartz) A play called “Exit the King” seems perfect now when democratic values and personal freedoms are under threat by a president who seems to have monarchical ambitions. Eugène Ionesco’s 1962 play, currently on stage at A Noise Within, does skewer tyrannical behavior, but also makes clear that the tyrant is each of us. Translated from the French by Donald Watson and directed by Michael Mi

Cast of "Made in Brasil: Solo Works" at Highways Performance Space (Photo courtesy of the show) Created and produced by Leopold Nunan and directed by Bia Oliveira, “Made in Brasil: Solo Works” at Highways Performance Space is more than just a night of solo performances. It is an immersive celebration of Brazilian artists, culture and identity that begins the moment one walks in the doors. Before the first act even begins, the production sets a tone that feels intimate, commun

From left: Chuma Gault and Jason Delane in "Hymn" at Odyssey Theatre (Photo by Cooper Bates) One of the great powers of theatre is that it can evoke entire worlds and lives on a simple wooden stage, and with only a couple of immersed actors. Such is the case with “Hymn” at the Odyssey Theatre, co-produced with Lower Depth Theatre and written by Lolita Chakrabarti — who also adapted the novel “Life of Pi” for the stage — portraying two English brothers forever changed after fi

From left: Marcel Licera and Suzy London in "The Young and the Rest of Us" at Group Rep Theatre (Photo by Doug Engalla) Tamir Yardenne’s new play “The Young and the Rest of Us,” directed by Douglas Jewell in its world premiere at the Group Repertory Theatre, is a chaotic, satirical dark comedy that blends a murder mystery with the emotionally heightened world of soap opera culture. Set on the night a long-running soap-opera series celebrates its Emmy nominations, the play fol

Aynsley Bubbico (Jake's Mom) in "Millennials Are Killing Musicals" at The Colony Theatre (Photo by Ashley Erikson) If the title alone of “Millennials are Killing Musicals” intrigues you, know that the show fully delivers on its suggestion of theatrical fun. With a talented, high-energy cast and a story that reflects our digital times using immersive projections, this world-premiere musical by Nico Juber at The Colony Theatre is #fabulous. Juber first wrote the musical as a 90

From left: Jah Shams and Kimberly Bailey in "Colored People's Time: A History Play" at The Robey Theatre Company (Photo by Kermit Carlyle Photography) Leslie Lee’s “Colored People’s Time: A History Play,” directed by Ben Guillory at The Robey Theatre Company, is a powerful series of vignettes that moves through different eras of Black American history, roughly from the 1850s to the 1950s. The play touches on slavery, Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, racism in entertainment a

From left: Bre Melino and Leilani Nicol in "An Ode to Parenting" at Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre (Photo by Chance Lang) “An Ode to Parenting,” written and directed by Chance Lang and presented at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, is a collection of five, two-person vignettes that explore parenting as an ongoing experience shaped by love, sacrifice and personal evolution. Each piece stands on its own while contributing to a larger examination of family, touching on themes

From left: Lucy Rodriguez (Mercy) and Sal Lopez (Serafina) in Latino Theater Company's "The Storyteller of East LA" (Photo by Grettel Cortes Photography) Latino Theater Company’s world premiere of “The Storyteller of East LA” offers the best kind of theatrical experience — an intimate, beautifully produced and directed story that will make you laugh even as it moves you to tears. The production is infused with the talents of Latino Theater Company members, many of whom are fo

From left: Richard Baird and Louis Lotorto in "The Maltese Falcon" at Laguna Playhouse (Photo by Aaron Rumley) Using more contorted similes and metaphors than an English professor teaching romantic poetry to hard-boiled detectives, “The Maltese Falcon” at Laguna Playhouse delivers chuckles with a side of noir. A new commissioned play by Matthew Salazar-Thompson that recently premiered at North Coast Rep, “The Maltese Falcon” sends up Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel while remain

Scene from MUSE/IQUE's "Back to Oz" at the Mark Taper Forum (Photo by Haoyuan Ren for MUSE/IQUE) Local orchestral ensemble MUSE/IQUE — whose goal is to produce accessible, live, immersive music for all — has achieved that mission with “Back to Oz” at the Mark Taper Forum. “Back to Oz” offers a polished showcase of the enduring cultural impact of “The Wizard of Oz” — from L. Frank Baum’s original 1900 novel to the 1939 MGM musical film starring Judy Garland to “The Wiz” in 197

From left: Casey Morris (Todd) and Carolina Rodriguez (Susan) in "Blue Kiss" at Ruskin Group Theatre (Photo by Amelia Mulkey) Stephen Fife’s play “Blue Kiss,” directed by Mike Reilly and having its world premiere at the Ruskin Group Theatre’s new Audre Stage, is an intimate, dialogue-driven drama that leans heavily on tension, perception and psychological unraveling. The play follows Susan (Carolina Rodriguez), a high school student who meets Todd (Casey Morris), an English t

From left: Ben Beatty (Hally) and John Kani (Sam) in "'Master Harold'...and the Boys" at Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Jeff Lorch) South African playwright Athol Fugard’s “’Master Harold’…and the Boys” was first staged in 1982, before apartheid ended in 1990, but set in 1950, two years after that racially segregationist policy was implemented. The play features two Black South African men and the younger white “Master Harold” (or Hally) who is buddies with them — to a point. The

From left: Crystal Yvonne Jackson (Scilla) and Monty Renfrow (Renton) in "Twisted" at Theatre West (Photo by Garry M. Kluger) Chris DiGiovanni’s new play “Twisted,” directed by Marc Antonio Pritchett at Theatre West, is a contemporary drama set in the suburbs of Philadelphia that centers on Scilla Claroe (Crystal Yvonne Jackson), a struggling writer preparing to document the story of Renton Downey (Monty Renfrow), a man on death row for a mass shooting. As Scilla interviews R

From left: Pierre Adeli (Mr. Zero) and Mariana Jacuzzi (Ms. Devore) in "The Adding Machine" at The Actors' Gang (Photo by Bob Turton Photography) How do you enslave yourself? What soulless thing do you regularly do because you believe you have to, even though it detracts from your sense of life’s beauty and joy? Despite its calculating title, those are the questions behind “The Adding Machine,” boldly staged by The Actors’ Gang through this weekend. Creatively directed by Cih

From left: Mathias Brinda, Xol Gonzalez, and Khalif J. Gillett in “Level Up!” (Photo by Jenny Graham) From the moment you walk into the Latino Theater Company to see “Level Up!,” you feel like you’re in The Matrix . Credit for that goes to scenic designer François-Pierre Couture, lighting designer Xinyuan Li, sound designer Robert J. Revell and especially projections designer Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh. It’s not often that the creative team behind a play is mentioned first in a theatr

From left: Sean Yves Lessard (Jamie) and Cat Rojo (Cathy) in "The Last Five Years" at Hudson Backstage Theatre (Photo by Sydney Belabin) Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 “The Last Five Years,” directed by Aaron Byrnes at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, is an intimate two-person musical that explores a relationship at its breaking point. The story unfolds through two timelines told simultaneously. Jamie Wellerstein (Sean Yves Lessard), a novelist, moves forward from t

Featuring two one-act plays by Harold Pinter: "Party Time" and "The Lover" Paul Marius (Terry), seated, and Michelle Ghatan (Dusty) in "Party Time," part of "Sex, Lies and Harold Pinter" at Odyssey Theatre (Photo by Jacques Lorch) The Odyssey Theatre is hosting a unique visiting production that presents two one-act Harold Pinter plays in one show dubbed “Sex, Lies and Harold Pinter.” “Party Time” (1991), a timely political satire, followed by the humorously twisted “The Lover

“Four thousand years ago, someone pressed a reed into clay to preserve this story. Tonight, we sing it forward.” — Diana Farrell, librettist and artistic director Ahmad Joudeh (young Gilgamesh), center, with ensemble in "Gilgamesh: The Opera" at Cerritos Center (Photo by Christina Gandolfo) The 4,000-year-old epic tale of Gilgamesh was brought to life last weekend in the form of a lush opera five years in the making. With culturally inflected orchestral music, a rich libret

From left: Amy Melendrez (Rosalí), Blanca Araceli (Carmen García) and Laura Vega (Pancha) in "Real Women Have Curves" at Casa 0101 Theater (Photo by Steve Moyer Public Relations) Josefina López’s "Real Women Have Curves," directed by Corky Dominguez at Casa 0101 Theater, drops us into a small East Los Angeles sewing factory in the late 1980s. The story follows five Latina women racing to meet an almost impossible deadline while quietly navigating a constant fear of immigratio