Scene from "The 39 Steps" at Whittier Community Theatre (Photo courtesy of the theatre) The historic Whittier Community Theater, now in its 102nd season, is staging a wonderful rendition of Patrick Barlow’s “The 39 Steps.” Barlow adapted his 2005 play from John Buchan’s 1915 novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film based on it — but uses only four actors to play dozens of roles in a fast-paced, comedic style. Susan Hunter Eiden directs the tight ensemble on a stage set simply

From left: Petey McGee and Ugo Chukwu in "Primary Trust" at the Mark Taper Forum (Photo by Jeff Lorch) Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Primary Trust” has good intentions. Its 38-year-old protagonist has suffered lifelong anxiety compounded by childhood trauma, making him immediately sympathetic and a poster child for today’s heightened focus on mental health. Yet the play itself suffers from a sense of incompleteness and disproportion, often relying on telling

Ensemble cast of "Hummingbirds Are Not Machines" at LA City College Theatre Academy Shewan Edward’s “Hummingbirds Are Not Machines” — presented as an “elevated” staged reading at LA City College Theatre Academy’s Cameo Theatre and directed by Edward — is a contemporary play about a group of young adults confined in a medical facility as they try to understand the loss of someone close to them. The production deals heavily with grief and identity, showing how people process pa

From left: Russell Edge, Trieu Tran, Iris Liu and Jorge-Luis Pallo in “Ascent” at Skylight Theatre (Photo by Randy Wong-Westbrooke) Recently, many Americans (and people around the world) were captivated by the Artemis II mission, which was the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. We watched videos of the astronauts in their space capsule floating in zero gravity, marveling at a solar eclipse and views of our home planet, before finally splashing

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

This review was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on May 21, 2026. From left: Amanda Karr (Eleanor) and Noah Wagner (Henry) in "The Lion in Winter" at Long Beach Playhouse. Photo by Mike Hardy. If you think your family is a piece of work, wait until you experience the dysfunctional royal household in “The Lion in Winter” in Long Beach Playhouse’s stellar production. Featuring a king, queen, three princes and a mistress holed up in a F

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: Sawyer Reece Maier, Abel Miramontes and Paul Burt in Alchemy Theatre Company's "Murder on the Orient Express" (Photo by Katelyn Abaya) All aboard! Present your tickets for a first-class ride through “Murder on the Orient Express,” adapted by Ken Ludwig from Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name and fantastically presented by Alchemy Theatre Company at the Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center. World-famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (superbly played by Ab

This review was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on May 7, 2026. From left: Aaron Pelt, Andrew Laughery, Michael Taber, Cassie Korrie, Charles Massaro and Nate McFadden in "Tea with Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice" at the Historic Bembridge House. Photo courtesy of Michael Taber. Perhaps the only thing that could make a Shakespeare play better is staging it in a historic Long Beach house with full tea service and, yes, maybe shor

This review was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on May 7, 2026. From left: Bruce Nozick and Anna Van Valin in "Warsaw" at International City Theatre. Photo by Jordan Gohara. Sometimes the past is more intertwined with the present than you’d think, and more able to change it than you’d expect. “Warsaw,” a new play by Paul Webb — a British playwright who wrote the screenplay for the 2015 movie “Selma” — explores just that kind of hist

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