From left: Ahkei Togun, Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis, Rama Orleans-Lindsay and Luis Kelly-Duarte in “Red Harlem” at Company of Angels (Photo by Rafael Cardenas) I t’s 1932, and in the midst of Hoover’s bid for reelection during the early years of the Great Depression, a member of Stalin’s Communist Party turns up in Harlem, New York, joins forces with the first Black candidate to run on a presidential ticket, and recruits a group of Black actors and performers to sail to the USSR

From left: Casey Dean-Buxton, Connor Keithley and Thomas McNamara in "And What of the Children?" at the Broadwater Black Box (Photo by Angel Moreno) Writer and director Ryan Lisman’s “ And What of the Children?” is a psychological drama. The play follows three siblings placed in witness protection after escaping a traumatic childhood in Alaska. More than a decade later, the fragile stability they have built begins to fracture as their past resurfaces. What unfolds is an exami

Paul Coates’ “Boy in a Box,” directed by Thomas Zoeschg at the Whitefire Theatre, is an unsettling one-man examination of race, history and confinement. The show follows Alexander MacMillian (Coates), a history professor who adopts a homeless “crack baby” and raises him inside a box. Through direct narration and pointed audience interaction, Alexander dissects America’s racial legacy and forces us to confront the psychological and literal consequences of living within imposed

Reanne Acasio and the company of “Here Lies Love” at the Mark Taper Forum (Photo by Jeff Lorch) There are a surprising number of parallels between Imelda Marcos and Alexander Hamilton: both grew up on small islands; both sailed to more cosmopolitan cities in search of better lives; both engaged in politics, appreciated sartorial finery, and were involved in violent episodes with political rivals; both strongly influenced the histories of their respective nations; and of cours

International City Theatre’s production is poignant and funny. This review was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on February 26, 2026. From left: Will Riddle and Erika Schindele in "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" at International City Theatre. Photo by Jordan Gohara. The first play of International City Theatre’s new season — “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” by Joe DiPietro with music by Jimmy Roberts — is an unexpec

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

This review was originally published in the Long Beach Post , a nonprofit news organization, on February 19, 2026. From left: Monika Peña (Aldonza), Richard Bermudez (Don Quixote) and Reggie De Leon (Sancho Panza) in Musical Theatre West's "Man of La Mancha." Photo by Sujan Creative. Miguel de Cervantes’ 1605 novel “Don Quixote” tells the story of a nobleman who becomes a knight errant, traveling the land doing chivalrous deeds with his more realistic sidekick Sancho Panza —

From left: Norbert Leo Butz (Paul Child) and Christina Kirk (Julia Child) in "The Recipe" at La Jolla Playhouse (Photo by Rich Soublet II) A commissioned work by Tony-nominated playwright Claudia Shear, La Jolla Playhouse’s world premiere of “The Recipe” tells the story of how rebellious Pasadena native Julia McWilliams became masterful French cook Julia Child, based on Bob Spitz’s 2012 book “Dearie.” Beginning with her time at Smith College, the two-act play covers Julia’s s

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

These interviews were originally published in the Long Beach Post,  a nonprofit news organization, on Jan. 22, 2026. Scene from "The Simon & Garfunkel Story," coming to Cerritos Center on Jan. 29 and 30. Photo by Timothy Norris. The Cerritos Center has two upcoming shows — “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” on Jan. 29 and 30 and “STOMP” on Feb. 4 and 5 — designed to delight fans and newbies alike through storytelling and music.  Performers in both shows talked to the Long Beach Po