Written by Shak Kanish and directed by Fabiana Medici and Chris Prinzo, “Melt” is a new play about college-student actors Eli and Ryan rehearsing a play written by their professor, performed on June 11 at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Set design is simple but effective. A blue couch, red theatre seats, a locker, and small table help establish a college environment and give the characters a clear space in which to exist. Lighting design is one of the stronger tec

Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Zephyr Theatre, “Arguments!” is a one-act play by Evelyn-Claire Smith about a couple living together in New York who learn more about each other through their arguments. The performances are natural, grounded, and easy to invest in. Actors Nikki Marie as Alma and Charlie Bauer as Alex each have a strong grasp of their characters and create believable chemistry that keeps the story moving. Their comedic exchan

Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Broadwater Second Stage, “My Brother’s Room” — co-written by Angus Leslie and William MacDonald — is about estranged brother Bobby returning into his younger brother Carson’s life, only it turns out he’s not the hero Carson wants him to be. Set design is intricate and thoughtfully put together, bringing to life the brothers’ shared bedroom. The production clearly took its time creating a bedroom that feels sp

Benjamin B. in "The Anti-Magic Magic Show" at The Hobgoblin Playhouse/Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 (Photo courtesy of the artist) Illusionist Benjamin B.’s “The Anti-Magic Magic Show” — billed as a magic show for people who don’t love magic shows — is having its world premiere at The Hobgoblin Playhouse as part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. Benjamin’s performance is lighthearted, clear and informative. Since this is an anti-magic show, the production does not re

Mark Vigeant’s “Out There” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is a solo show that blends live video with clowning, about a burnt-out engineer hoping for viral fame by livestreaming his survival adventure in Alaska. But when the wild pushes back against his questionable survival skills, his mission soon spirals into chaos. Performed at the Broadwater Mainstage, Vigeant’s acting is raw, unfiltered, honest and memorable. At a recent showing, I really appreciated the way he

Lucas James Nelson’s “Angst” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival follows a man dealing with the physical manifestations of his anxiety and a nonstop voice inside his head. As he learns how to manage it, he begins to understand what it truly takes to live with himself and accept who he is. Performances by Spencer Weitzel as “Anybody” and Theo Fay as “Angst” are smooth, conversational, and grounded in honesty. Both actors have a strong understanding of their characters, delivering

Maya Drake (Ali), right, and the company of the North American Tour of Alicia Keys’ “Hell's Kitchen” (Photo by Marc J. Franklin) The Public Theatre in New York City may be the theatrical equivalent of Max Martin or Quincy Jones in terms of its hitmaking history. The shows it has sent to Broadway over the years have included iconic, award-winning works like “Hair,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Normal Heart,” “Topdog/Underdog”, and more recently “Hamilton,” “Fun Home,” “Fat Ham,” “Suf

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

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: 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