From left: Cole Massie (Boy) and Carene Rose Mekertichyan (Girl) in "Room by the Sea" at Outside In Theatre (Photo by Mallury Patrick Pollard Photography) Outside In Theatre, a new nonprofit stage in Highland Park, focuses on producing stories for and by traditionally marginalized groups and their allies. Its impressively restored venue boasts several performance spaces and a picturesque bar area. Together with Coin & Ghost and After Hours Theatre Company, its current staging

Before piercing became a sterile, clinical business, Fakir Musafar celebrated it as a spiritual experience associated with sex, bondage, pain, pleasure, sickness and healing. Self-portrait "A Perfect Gentleman, 1959" by Fakir Musafar. Image courtesy of Fakir Musafar Estate. In 2026, it isn't uncommon to see bodies adorned with piercings and tattoos on people we interact with every day. Blue collar, white collar, business owners, food servers, lawyers, even cops can be found w

Troy Dunn (Vanya) in "Uncle Vanya" at City Garage Theatre (Photo by Paul Rubenstein) Anton Chekhov’s 1899 play “Uncle Vanya,” adapted by Neil LaBute in 2020 and directed by Frédérique Michel at City Garage Theatre, unfolds on a Russian country estate where the routine of maintaining the property has hardened into resignation. Vanya (Troy Dunn) and his niece Sonya (Anabela Nguyen) have devoted their lives to managing the estate in the service of Sonya’s father Serebryakov (And

Brian Henson in "Puppet Up! – Uncensored" (Photo by Omar Gaieck) As the old saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In “Puppet Up! – Uncensored” — returning to Los Angeles at the Montalbán Theatre through March 1 — Brian Henson and troupe have put together an awesome assembly of puppets and made them funny, relevant and ADULT! The troupe offers a great evening of taking random scenarios — and I mean RANDOM! — thrown out from the audience, fielded by improv a

Ann Noble (Richard) in "Richard III" at A Noise Within (Photo by Craig Schwartz) A Noise Within theatre company has a knack for making old plays seem new. William Shakespeare’s historical tragedy “Richard III” is no exception, not least due to casting Ann Noble in the title role. Her performance as the ruthlessly manipulative would-be king is riveting, heightening our emotional investment in this gruesome tale of royalty behaving badly. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos with a

From left: Marianna Gailus (Sylvia) and Cillian O'Sullivan (Ted) in "Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia" at Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Jeff Lorch) Rising playwright Beth Hyland’s “Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia,” having its world premiere at Geffen Playhouse, is just what you’d want in a new play — ambitious and compelling in a well staged and performed production. Bringing to life poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as they affect a current writer and her husband, the play challenges expectations in

From left: Amber Tiara (Maureen) and Rosie Byrne (Deena) in Open Fist Theatre Company's "Brownstone" at Atwater Village Theatre (Photo by Erin Clendenin) Catherine Butterfield's "Brownstone," having its Los Angeles premiere by Open Fist Theatre Company in the Atwater Village Theatre, is an exploration of city living in three distinct stories set in the 1930s, 1970s and early days of the new millennium. Set in a classic New York brownstone, each story follows a young couple na

From left: Gildart Jackson (Robert Shaw), Adam Poole (Roy Scheider) and Will Block (Richard Dreyfuss, under table) in Ensemble Theatre Company’s “The Shark Is Broken” at New Vic Theatre (Photo by Jason Niedle/TETHOS) Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s “The Shark Is Broken” — having its West Coast premiere by Ensemble Theatre Company under the direction of Pesha Rudnick in Santa Barbara’s New Vic Theatre — offers an honest, sharply observed behind-the-scenes look at the making of St

From left: Michael Dukakis (Nick) and Dylan Griner (Damon) in "Punish Me" at Hudson Backstage Theatre (Photo by Avi Kaye) Michael Dukakis’ world premiere psychological thriller “Punish Me,” directed by Monique Sorgen at Hudson Backstage Theatre, follows Nick (Dukakis), a Greek screenwriter who comes to Los Angeles chasing a dream that feels within reach. This desire feels almost certain when he meets Damon (Dylan Griner), a charismatic stranger who offers romance, access and

Eddie Izzard in "The Tragedy of Hamlet" (Photo by Carol Rosegg) You may know Eddie Izzard for comedic performances, which may be why she (Izzard’s preferred pronoun, according to the director’s note ) had to make very clear at the start of her one-person show “The Tragedy of Hamlet” that it is indeed a tragedy … albeit with some funny moments. Izzard’s performing genius is on full display in this show, delivering lines for 23 characters of William Shakespeare’s play, as adapt

Shara Kirby in "The Miraculous V: he Bizarre Awakening of a Virgin Witch" at Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre (Photo courtesy Shara Kirby) Shara Kirby’s “The Miraculous V: The Bizarre Awakening of a Virgin Witch,” directed by Kaylie Flowers and part of the “30-Minutes or Less Festival” at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, is a one-woman show that’s funny, honest and way more layered than the title suggests. The short play follows V (Kirby), a Black, plus-sized, quirky virgin

Rick Simone-Friedland (Tennessee Williams) in "Kind Stranger" at Zephyr Theatre (Photo by Steven Simone Friedland) Conceived and performed by Rick Simone-Friedland and adapted and directed by Steven Simone-Friedland, “Kind Stranger” is a one-man memory play built entirely from playwright Tennessee Williams’ 1975 autobiography “Memoirs.” Set in New Orleans in the early 1970s, the piece moves through the highs and lows of Williams’ later years — the work, the fame that still li

From left: Alysha Deslorieux (Middle Allie) and Ken Wulf Clark (Middle Noah) in "The Notebook" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre (Photo by Roger Mastroianni) If you are a fan of the 2004 film “The Notebook” or Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel on which it is based, you'll love “The Notebook: The Musical,” continuing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through Jan. 25. The musical conveys the story of Allie and Noah, two youthful lovers who first lose then find each other years later,

From left: Joslynn Cortes (Tzipporah) and Diego Huerta-Guttierez (Moses) in DreamWorks "The Prince of Egypt: The Musical" at CASA 101 Theater (Photo by Steve Moyer) CASA 101 Theater’s production of DreamWorks’ “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical” excels especially in production design and choreography, delivering a fantastic experience of a biblical tale. The musical tells of Moses (Diego Huerta-Gutierrez), born to a Hebrew enslaved family in ancient Egypt who is sent away as a

From left: Philip McNiven, Rick Batalla, Matt Walker and Chelle Denton in the Troubadour Theater Company’s production of “Die Heart: The Director’s Cut” at The Colony Theatre (Photo by Ashley Erikson) Like the return of double-breasted suits with shoulder pads, Polaroid cameras and boom boxes, the 1980s are back on stage, too, as the Troubadour Theater Company (affectionally known as the Troubies) brings us the latest iteration of one of its famous mashups of well-known stori

Cast of first national tour of "Stereophonic" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre (Photo by Julieta Cervantes) If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to produce a 1970s-era hit record, “Stereophonic” is the play that will take you there. Written by David Adjmi and directed by Daniel Aukin, “Stereophonic” opened on Broadway in 2024 and received more Tony Award nominations than any other play to date, winning several, including Best Play. Now at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre t

Written and directed by Billie King, “Brown Broadway: The Musical” follows Timothy Jackson (Jarrel O’Neil), a New Orleans musician carrying unresolved history into his new life in Los Angeles. As Jackson chases his dream, he becomes tangled in ambition, romance and a past that refuses to stay buried. The show positions Los Angeles’s Central Avenue as both backdrop and heartbeat, honoring its legacy as a cultural home for Black and brown performers. Promotional image for "Bro

From left: Maya Keleher (Alice Paul) and Marya Grandy (Carrie Chapman Catt) in "Suffs" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre (Photo by Joan Marcus) Actress and composer Shaina Taub’s new musical “Suffs” couldn’t be better timed to perform at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. It’s about the early 20 th -century U.S. women’s suffrage movement, but Taub’s vibrant music and compelling lyrics ensure it’s not just a dry history lesson. Instead, this touring production’s powerhouse cast s

From left: Eiko Eisen-Martin (Dallas), Michael Rishawn (River) and Gail Bean (Jada) in "Table 17" at Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Jeff Lorch) Sometimes you just want good entertainment without any heavy messaging to weigh it down. Enter “Table 17,” actor and playwright Douglas Lyons’ rollicking romantic comedy set in a restaurant with tables on stage and no fourth wall. Thanks to dynamic acting, lighting and sound, “Table 17” keeps the audience laughing in sympathy and recognit

Will Coile’s “Trap Doors,” written and performed by Coile and directed by Amanda Bird, is a deeply personal one-man magical theatre experience that blurs the line between illusion and introspection. Performed at The Noisy Nest, the show follows Coile as both magician and storyteller, guiding the audience through a series of acts that explore identity, fear and the masks we wear to face the world. Beneath the sleight of hand lies a meditation on vulnerability and the courage i