Posts by Martin Jones Westlin
‘Next to Normal’ Sports a Flaw — But the Ensemble…
A logistical flaw threatens to throw San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Next to Normal” off track — but the bottom line is that it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the excellent cast sings and works its way through this important story about a family struggling with the central figure’s mental illness.
Read More‘Fallen Angels’ Ignores the Important Stuff
Men do enjoy fooling themselves into thinking they’re something they’re not, and it’s their wives’ job to join in the fun accordingly. That’s the take-away from North Coast Repertory Theatre’s ‘Fallen Angels.’ Now, if it only had some characters to impart the lesson…
Read MoreFunny ‘Regrets Only’ Easily Survives Itself
We love who we love, and we’re willing to bear the consequences, at least the way Paul Rudnick’s ‘Regrets Only’ tells it. Diversionary Theatre’s latest entry veers too close to farce at one point, but its storytelling is rife with sometimes painfully funny one-liners and situations to that end.
Read More‘Once’ Is Far from Enough
Ireland and the Czech Republic are two indispensable world nations, and that means they have a trove of cultural insights with which to color their indigenous characters. Then why does Broadway/San Diego’s Once, which centers on a budding love relationship between two natives, feel as lackluster as the rest of the show? Probably because there’s no script…
Read MoreNo Words to Describe Lamb’s’ Stupendous ‘Les Miz’
France and the United States may not know it, but they enjoy a very special bond among nations. That’s why ‘Les Miserables’ touches American audiences so deeply — and the stupendous turn that Lamb’s Players Theatre gives the play is proof enough.
Read MoreCygnet’s Great ‘Pageant’ Caught in a Time Warp
Beauty contests are sitting ducks for the high-camp treatment that casts and directors give them. That’s what makes Cygnet Theatre’s Pageant such a funny play; the show’s ensemble culture and hilarious writing take it from there.
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