Posts by Martin Jones Westlin
Playwright Takes No Prisoners in Innermission’s Good ‘Revolt.’
The world seems determined to sabotage its best efforts — even as it clearly defines its problems, its myopic better angels can’t deliver the cure. Innermission Productions’ good ‘Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.’ looks at the state of humanity and doesn’t hesitate for an instant to point the finger of blame.
Read MoreCygnet’s Good ‘Brilliant Thing’ Passes As a Public Service on Rigors of Life
Adjusted for age, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 24 percent between 1999 and 2014, from 10.5 to 13 suicides per 100,000 people — the highest rate in 28 years. That’s a horrible portent — but Cygnet Theatre Company’s good ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ offers the right philosophical alternative.
Read MoreNeil Simon (such as he was)
Marvin Neil Simon, whose name and reputation equated with massive Broadway and Hollywood success amid stories about the grit of the big-city day and the familial entanglements within it, died Sunday, Aug. 26 at Manhattan’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital of complications of pneumonia. He was 91. For those familiar with the mid-20th century’s Sid Caesar and…
Read MoreMoonlight’s OK ‘Hunchback’ Is Torn Between Two Competitive Worlds
The world has enjoyed author Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” since its original publication in 1831 — so much so that the story has commanded lots of attention amid technical advancement. Moonlight Stage Productions is giving the live show, based on Disney’s 1996 animation, a go — and the result is a cautionary tale about the theater’s errant place in matters that probably shouldn’t concern it.
Read MoreClosely Held Characters Hobble Funny But Uneven ‘Romeo, Romeo & Juliet’
Despite its reputation, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ does have its funny moments. That makes it a fairly likely send-up piece — but in its latest entry, the Roustabouts Theatre Co. has neglected the guy that made it possible.
Read MoreLamb’s Players’ ‘Once’ an Excellent Mosaic Amid Collaborative Direction
If you were unfortunate enough to see Broadway San DIego’s ‘Once’ in 2014, you might want to consider the recast at Lamb’s Players Theatre — Kerry Meads’ excellent direction makes all the difference as she mines an actual play.
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