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Anita W. Harris
Sep 18, 20234 min read
The Geffen's ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ grapples with suicide, but emotion is lost in translation
“Every Brilliant Thing,” continuing at the Geffen Playhouse’s Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater through Oct. 15, explores the effects of a...
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Anita W. Harris
Sep 14, 20233 min read
Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ delights at the Pantages with culturally appropriate cast
The national touring company of Disney’s “Aladdin,” performing at the Hollywood Pantages through Sept. 23, features a more ethnically...
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Anita W. Harris
Sep 13, 20233 min read
ANW’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ gazes intently at internalized racism
Lydia R. Diamond’s adaptation “The Bluest Eye”—deftly dramatizing Toni Morrison’s novel of the same name—is gracing Pasadena’s A Noise...
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Anita W. Harris
Sep 4, 20233 min read
International City Theatre’s riveting ‘Exit Wounds’ explores family fallout from a school shooting
How fortunate are LA audiences that International City Theatre (ICT) in Long Beach is staging the world premiere of award-winning...
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Anita W. Harris
Aug 30, 20233 min read
Teen-girl drama meets ‘The Crucible’ in ‘Our Dear Dead Drug Lord’ at Kirk Douglas Theatre
A collaboration between Center Theatre Group and IAMA Theatre Company, Alexis Scheer’s “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” finds four young women...
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Anita W. Harris
Aug 17, 20234 min read
‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ at the Ahmanson in just the right way
“Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” from the mischievous creators of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” uses the same formula of having everything that can...
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Anita W. Harris
Aug 7, 20234 min read
‘Les Misérables’ breaks sound barrier at Pantages … well, almost :)
With a resounding orchestra and booming vocals eliciting an equally ardent audience response, “Les Misérables”—a story of revolution,...
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Anita W. Harris
Jul 14, 20233 min read
‘Into the Woods’ entwines fairytales with enchanting music and humor
Like the tangled vines of Jack’s beanstalk or Rapunzel’s braided hair, “Into the Woods” weaves together several fairytales in a magical,...
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Anita W. Harris
Jul 12, 20233 min read
Talent shines in Musical Theatre West’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’
You don’t have to go “Over the Rainbow” to experience Musical Theatre West’s (MTW) enchanting production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 22, 20233 min read
MLK-inspired ‘The Mountaintop’ soars at Geffen Playhouse
Amanda Warren gives a tour-de-force performance as Camae, a hotel maid who brings coffee to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his final...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 15, 20233 min read
Musical ‘Six’ burns up the Segerstrom stage in an energetic, historical romp
If only all history—or rather “her-story”—could be as energetically entertaining as the musical “Six,” its “Aragon” national tour...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 14, 20233 min read
International City Theatre’s delightful ‘Into the Breeches!’ gender bends Shakespeare
It’s 1942 Long Beach. While most of the men are in Europe fighting in World War II, the women are holding down the home front while...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 5, 20233 min read
‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ brings high-voltage song and dance to La Mirada
As one of its songs goes, “Strange as it seems, there’s been run of crazy dreams” in Egypt, but also in the City of La Mirada, thanks to...
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Anita W. Harris
Jun 5, 20233 min read
Riveting ‘A Soldier’s Play’ at the Ahmanson roils in race
Philadelphia-born playwright Charles Fuller’s riveting drama “A Soldier’s Play”—continuing at the Ahmanson Theatre through June 25—won a...
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Anita W. Harris
May 18, 20233 min read
Review: Smart, funny and poignant ‘The Book of Will’ at A Noise Within
Lauren Gunderson’s 2018 play “The Book of Will”—continuing at Pasadena’s A Noise Within (ANW) through June 4—dramatizes how William...
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Anita W. Harris
May 8, 20233 min read
‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ at LB Playhouse captures quirkiness—but sound is off
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a musical first produced on Broadway in 2005 with a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel...
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Anita W. Harris
May 7, 20233 min read
‘Murder on the Links’ dazzles in world premiere at North Coast Rep
“Murder on the Links” is a 1923 Agatha Christie mystery featuring that most particular of detectives, Hercule Poirot. Brilliantly adapted...
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Anita W. Harris
May 1, 20232 min read
‘Under the Skin’ at International City Theatre probes family ties
Michael Hollinger’s play “Under the Skin”—having its West Coast premiere at International City Theatre (ICT) through May 14—takes a deep...
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Anita W. Harris
Mar 23, 20234 min read
La Jolla Playhouse’s world premiere of ‘The Outsiders’ stays gold
True to both S.E. Hinton’s seminal 1967 novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s subsequent film, La Jolla Playhouse's world premiere of “The...
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Anita W. Harris
Mar 8, 20233 min read
Fountain Theatre’s ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ examines truth in media
Based on the 2012 book of the same name, and continuing at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood through April 2, “The Lifespan of a Fact”...
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