‘A Strange Loop’ at the Ahmanson is strangely loopy
Following its Tony Award-winning success on Broadway in 2022, and a 2020 Pulitzer Prize for writer Michael R. Jackson, the musical “A...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 183 min read
International City Theatre’s ‘The Outsider’ plays up the farce of politics
This review was also published in the Long Beach Watchdog on June 25, 2024. It seems likely that whomever we elect to our highest office...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 113 min read
Troubadours get no- no- notorious with ‘Duran DurAntony & Cleopatra’
The Troubadour Theater Company doesn't miss a beat with its latest music-meets-classic story mashup, “Duran DurAntony & Cleopatra,”...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 43 min read
STC’s operatic ‘The Matchbox Magic Flute’ enchants with humor
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s (STC) “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – continuing at STC's Klein Theatre through June 16 – makes opera...
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Anita W. Harris
May 314 min read
Theatre review: How ‘Funny Girl’ is like ‘Barbie’ and why it matters
The 2022 Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” – its touring production continuing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts through June 9 – has...
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Anita W. Harris
May 213 min read
Immigrant mom clashes with American daughter in Chance Theater’s dynamic 'Alma'
In Benjamin Benne's “Alma” – a gem of a play extended at Chance Theater through May 31 – a mother who immigrated from Mexico 17 years...
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Anita W. Harris
May 203 min read
Review: Melancholic beauty of ‘Girl from the North Country’ at the Pantages
It’s a dark Minnesota winter in 1934, during the Depression. Several souls shelter in a guesthouse around Thanksgiving, their deep...
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Anita W. Harris
May 93 min read
‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ at ICT gets personal and political, with spunk
This review was published in the Long Beach Watchdog on May 13, 2024. In this pivotal election year, it may be especially important to...
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Anita W. Harris
May 73 min read
Charmed magic of an American dream in ‘The Hope Theory’ at Geffen Playhouse
The world premiere of “The Hope Theory” – extended at Geffen Playhouse through July 14 – makes an American immigrant tale magical....
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Anita W. Harris
May 13 min read
‘The Body’s Midnight’ at Boston Court illuminates blank spaces of the mind
“The Body’s Midnight” by Tira Palmquist — having its world premiere through May 26 at Boston Court Pasadena (BCP), co-produced with IAMA...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 303 min read
‘Stalin’s Master Class’ of cultural oppression at Odyssey Theatre
Though billed as a comedy, the Odyssey Theatre’s “Stalin’s Master Class” by David Pownall is more like a lively character portrait of...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 244 min read
Chance Theater’s ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’: beautiful acting of a savior story
In her 2012 book “Tiny Beautiful Things,” Cheryl Strayed recounts giving online advice to anonymous letter writers under the pseudonym...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 194 min read
Musical Theatre West’s ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ rocks the Carpenter Center
This review was published in the Long Beach Watchdog on April 22, 2024. On a cold Dec. 4, 1956, four now legendary musicians happened to...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 193 min read
Fountain Theatre’s verbatim ‘Fatherland’ portrays Jan. 6 from the inside
With an election coming up and possible presidential pardon for those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 – or a possible former...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 144 min read
Wartime ‘Macbeth’ smolders at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Director Simon Godwin’s smoldering wartime version of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” featuring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma,...
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Anita W. Harris
Apr 103 min read
‘Fat Ham’ at Geffen Playhouse flips Shakespeare’s script
If you Vitamixed the existential pages of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with a crockpot of Southern barbecue sauce, you might end up...
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Anita W. Harris
Mar 123 min read
Narrative-driven ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ entrances at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Three men telling a family story spanning three generations over the course of three hours and two intermissions doesn’t sound like a...
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Anita W. Harris
Mar 64 min read
Long Beach Playhouse’s ‘Ben Hur’ is charming chuckle-fest
This review was published in the Long Beach Post's "Hi-lo" culture section on March 10, 2024. You may recall snippets of Williams Wyler’s...
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Anita W. Harris
Feb 223 min read
Brilliant acting buoys ‘Marilyn, Mom, & Me’ at International City Theatre
This review was published in the Long Beach Post's "Hi-lo" culture section on Feb. 25, 2024. Luke Yankee’s autobiographical drama...
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Anita W. Harris
Feb 183 min read
Dancing sparkles in Musical Theatre West’s '42nd Street'
This review was published in the Long Beach Post's "Hi-lo" culture section on Feb. 18, 2024. If you are a fan of Broadway musicals, look...
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LA Theatrix Theatre Reviews
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