From left: Achintya Pandey and Pia Shah in "नेहा & Neel" at Latino Theater Company (Photo by M Palma Photography) There are not many plays that center on the Indian American experience, and even fewer that do so with an easy humor that illuminates rather than preaches. The world premiere of “नेहा & Neel” (“Neha & Neel”) at Latino Theater Company avoids the pitfalls of portraying an underrepresented community on stage: flat characters that play to type, didactic monologues and

Manuel Oliver in “GUAC” at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Photo by Cameron Whitman) “When you lose a son, what do you do?” This urgent and gut-wrenching question rang in the ears of writer Manuel Oliver from the moment his son Joaquin (nicknamed “Guac”) was murdered in a 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. It’s also the opening line of Manuel’s solo performance dedicated to Joaquin, which, layer by layer, begins to provide the answer. Fro

From left: Marlon Alexander Vargas (Fito) and Alex Hernandez (Bastian) in "littleboy/littleman" at Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Jeff Lorch) Infused with high energy of athletic acting supercharged by dynamic lighting and sound, the world premiere of “littleboy/littleman” at Geffen Playhouse tells of two brothers originally from Nicaragua making their way in Sweetwater, Fla. One is practical and driven while the other is a poet, dreamer and performer. Both try to uphold the lega

The company of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” at the Mark Taper Forum (Photo by Javier Vasquez/Center Theatre Group) The power of a play...

From left: Alan McRae (Dennis) and Tom Jenkins (Bobby) in "Parallel Process" at Odyssey Theatre (Photo by Lua Rasga) “Parallel Process”...

There’s something about stepping into complete darkness that forces your body to react before your mind does. That’s exactly what happens...

From left: Randy Vasquez (Mayor Alvarado), Xavi Moreno (Juan Perez) and Ruth Livier (Nancy Juarez) in "The Little King of Norwalk" at...

Cast of "Luminous Streets" by The Roots and Wings Project (Photo by Jesse Bliss) “Luminous Streets” is a site-specific theatrical tour of...

Roxana Ortega in "Am I Roxie?" at Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Jeff Lorch) Written and performed by Roxana Ortega and directed by Bernardo...

Alexandra Lee (Taylor F.) in Rogue Machine's "Adolescent Salvation" at Matrix Theatre (Photo by Jeff Lorch) “Adolescent Salvation,”...

From left: Neo Barnes (Albert) and Jillian Lee Garner (Lucy) in "Goldfish" at Noisy Nest (Photo courtesy of The Nest) Written by John...

From left: Matt Walker (Oedipus) and Beth Kennedy (Jocasta) in "Oedipus the King, Mama!" at Getty Villa (Photo by Craig Schwartz...

This review was published in the Long Beach Post , a nonprofit news organization, on September 4, 2025. From left: Timylle Adams (Tina) and Nandini Minocha (Aditi) in "Masala Dabba" at International City Theatre (Photo by Jordan Gohara) In Wendy Graf’s new play “Masala Dabba,” the mother of a 14-year-old girl is estranged from her own mother, who has just flown all the way from India — and has never met her granddaughter. Add an African American husband to the mix and the res

From left: Gerald C. Rivers and Ensemble in “Strife” at Theatricum Botanicum (Photo by Ian Flanders) Shakespeare’s plays continue to be...

From top: Lodric D. Collins (Jackie) and Jordan Marinov (Veronica) in "The Motherf*cker with the Hat" at Odyssey Theatre (Photo by Cody...

Playwright Harold Pinter’s 1978 “Betrayal” follows the unraveling of a love affair between Emma and Jerry, which Emma’s husband Robert...

According to its website, Impro Theatre “creates completely improvised, full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest...

From left: Jonathan Miller and Michaela Kahan in "Bedridden" at Eastwood Performing Arts Center, reprising its Hollywood Fringe Festival run (Photo by Joshua Opper) Haley Cooper’s “Bedridden” — in a recent reprise of its Hollywood Fringe Festival run at the Eastwood Performing Arts Center —follows Laura (Michaela Kahan) and her best friend Jarod (Jonathan Miller) as they try almost everything imaginable to get her out of bed. What starts as playful and comedic quickly become

Chelsea Newman (Dottie) in "Killer Joe" at the Sherry Theater (Photo by Noah Paul) “Killer Joe” is a two-act play by Tracy Letts that...

From left: Carly J. Casey, Jeremy S. Walker, Sarah Wolter and Matthew Downs in "Menage à Quatre" at Los Angeles LGBT Center’s...