Posts by Martin Jones Westlin
OB Playhouse’s Earnest ‘Hair’: That’s the Spirit!
‘Hair: The American Tribal-Love Rock Musical’ made waves in the Broadway of 1968 with its nudity and its public opposition to the American military effort in South Vietnam. It’s frankly not the best script in the history of the universe — but OB Playhouse correctly sees its value as a marker for Ocean Beach and the spirit of the times.
Read MoreMaelstrom That Is NVA’s ‘Avenue Q’ Has the Theatrical Goods from A to Z
Egypt’s pharaohs had nothing on the puppets their dynasties loved, just as the postmodern era has embraced puppetry with vigor and delight. New Village Arts’ very good ‘Avenue Q’ capitalizes on our centuries-old affair with our inner marionettes — with a big dose of the real world to keep things in perspective.
Read MoreSpirit Tops the Logistics in Cygnet’s Unfinished ‘Wind And the Breeze’
Your universe is as big, or as small, as you care to make it — after all, it’s your universe. ‘The Wind and the Breeze,’ Cygnet Theatre Company’s current entry, can’t quite decide between the dimensions, but its spirit and production values count for a lot.
Read MoreThe A’s, E’s and I’s Have It in NCR’s OK ‘Other Half’
Britain’s Sir Alan Ayckbourn is the best at his craft since Sir Noel Coward — the problem is that the era he chooses to reflect doesn’t always define the grit of day that Coward faced. Despite that, his ‘How the Other Half Loves’ holds water, as North Coast Repertory Theatre’s current turn illustrates.
Read MoreOne Program Note Is Key to Inventive ‘Men on Boats’
New Village Arts’ ‘Men on Boats’ features more than a female cast. It sets a certain bar for the availability of material regardless of gender — and as important as that is, the production values don’t hurt, either.
Read MoreFreewheeling ‘Love Never Dies’ Does (Almost) Everything Well
‘Love Never Dies,’ the sequel to the all-time great ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ makes a worthy spectacle. In fact, it does everything a spectacle should do — except one.
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