Women of a Certain Age Shine in “Broads!” at the El Portal Forum

BY AMY LYONS

They’re not dead yet. That seems to be the overarching message in “Broads!” a musical about four female senior citizens who sing, dance and stare down old age with sass.

The story surrounds Nilda (Ivonne…

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The Relative You Don’t Want on Your Bad Side: ‘Cousin Bette’

BY AMY LYONS

She’s a poor, pitiable scrap of a woman turned sinister, revenge-seeking spinster: the title character in Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Honore de Balzac’s “Cousin Bette” at the Deaf West Theatre is a conniving force to…

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Mesmerizing, compelling “Sidhe” at The Road Theatre Company

BY AMY LYONS

Two sets of siblings become entangled in a web of violence and grief in Ann Noble’s new play, “Sidhe” (pronounced “shee”) at The Road Theatre Company. Communication from otherworldly spirits might only be the voices…

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“How I Learned to Drive” is a gem of a production at The Chandler Studio Center

BY AMY LYONS

Yet another show shines in the capable hands of The Production Company, the ambitious theatre group that doesn’t let their shoebox-sized playing space at The Chandler Studio Theatre inhibit their finely crafted work. Paula Vogel’s…

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Barry Manilow Meets Frosty the Snowman at The Falcon Theatre

BY AMY LYONS

It’s a classic Christmas story told via classic crooner tunes. “Frosty the Snow Manilow” finds the Troubadour Theatre Company up to their usual hilarious antics, pairing the story of a magic-hatted snowman with songs that…

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‘Noises Off’ at A Noise Within

BY AMY LYONS

Michael Frayn’s classic farce about the neuroses and narcissism of theatre people is the perfect vehicle to flaunt the talents of the troupe at A Noise Within.

Co-directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott (also the…

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Diva Does Damage in ‘Molly’ at Victory Theatre

BY AMY LYONS

The love triangle at the heart of Simon Gray’s “Molly” resembles one of the many seething threesomes crafted by Harold Pinter. Gray and Pinter collaborated often, and both lauded British playwrights died last year, but their work…

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Talented cast shines in “As White As O” at The Road Theatre

BY AMY LYONS

Jack Hawley (Vince Tula) tastes love, smells rain hitting his skin and sees letters in specific colors. His out-of-whack senses are symptomatic of synesthesia, a condition that makes him touch, taste, hear and see things in a…

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Aging Baby Boomers in the San Fernando Valley Rock on in “That Perfect Moment”

BY AMY LYONS

Watching a person past his or her prime cling to younger days can be slightly awkward at best, downright disturbing in many cases. Writers Charles Bartlett and Jack Cooper risk putting audiences in that uncomfortable place with…

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Unhappy Wife Barrels Off to Niagara Falls in “Wonder of the World” at Little Victory Theater

BY AMY LYONS

Ever thought of skipping out on your spouse and subsequently splashing over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire assigns the female protagonist of Wonder of the World a version of that journey, and…

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