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 to make a film...

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 course, both had...

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 stories and musical...