Reviewed by Amanda Callas H*tler's Tasters is an irreverent, playful, provocative satire about fascism at Rogue Machine on Melrose through June 3, 2024. It is springtime for Hitler's girls in a military bunker, who are assigned the dubious patriotic honor of tasting the Führer's vegetarian food before he eats it.  Every day, three times a day, they eat, and then wait and see if they will die.  The girls take selfies, gossip, dance, and reveal their inmost secrets.  The dark comedy by Michelle Kholos Brooks is inspired loosely by real events and the life of a German woman named M ..read more

by Nyla Arslanian There's nothing I enjoy more than what I call "pin drop theatre" the magic moments when a production has the rapt attention of the audience. There were so many of the moments on Monday during Fatherland at the Fountain Theatre. Truthfully, every time I go to the Fountain Theatre, I'm sure it will be an extraordinary play. They just don't do anything that isn't superlative-that I've seen anyway. Fatherland is no exception. Reviewed at the beginning of its run and extended until May 26, it definitely was worthy of another look. (You may also want to read Amalisha HuEck's earlie ..read more

by Harrison Held The Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards were presented at the luxurious Taglyan Complex in Hollywood nicely hosted by Galaxy Press president Gunhill Jacobs.   The big winners were  writer Jack Nash of Arlington VA & illustrator Tyler Vail of Bryan TX who respectively won Grand Prizes for the 40th Annual Writers of the Future & 35th Annual Illustrators of the Future of the  2024 L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards in Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Writers from all over the world compete and the elegant black tie event featured great ent ..read more

By Harrison Held The Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards were presented at the luxurious Taglyan Complex in Hollywood nicely hosted by Gunhill Jacobs.  The big winners were  writer Jack Nash of Arlington VA & illustrator Tyler Vail of Bryan TX who respectively won Grand Prizes for the 40th Annual Writers of the Future & 35th Annual Illustrators of the Future of the  2024 L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards in Science Fiction and Fantasy.   Writers from all over the world compete and the feel good  black tie event  featured great entertainm ..read more

Reviewed by Michael Edwards A Noise Within production of August Wilson's King Hedley II is simply stunning. From its staging to its set design to the dramatic excellence displayed by each and every artist involved, the ninth play in Mr. Wilsons' 10 play cycle directed masterfully here by Gregg T. Daniels is a marvel to take in and a joy to receive. Set in Pittsburgh, PA (as always), the play tells the story of its namesake, King Hedley II, a recently released ex-con attempting to rebuild his life by raising 10,000 dollars through 'sketchy' used refrigerator sales so he can buy a video sto ..read more

Reviewed by Michael Edwards The Noise Within production of August Wilson's King Hedley II is simply stunning. From its staging to its set design to the dramatic excellence displayed by each and every artist involved, the ninth play in Mr. Wilsons' 10 play cycle directed masterfully here by Gregg T. Daniels is a marvel to take in and a joy to receive. Set in Pittsburgh, PA (as always), the play tells the story of its namesake, King Hedley II, a recently released ex-con attempting to rebuild his life by raising 10,000 dollars through 'sketchy' used refrigerator sales so he can buy a video s ..read more

Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck  Great opening! A woman comes on the stage and the first word we hear is a call for "Line"... and with shaking voice and hands anxiously waits for it for a moment. One feels for her and wonders; is she nervous and forgot the lines - for real??!  Facing the audience she then introduces a one-woman show and continues struggling through her monologue. We then understand - the one-woman show is about a woman with dementia. The relationship between Mom (Deborah Geffner) and her son (Stefan Marks) is introduced as they pack to move Mom to memory care. The kinship ..read more

"The Black Crowes" Greek Theater April 13, 2024 by Claudio Vernight With showtime temperatures bottoming out at 49 degrees, the crowd for the Black Crowes came bundled up. But come they did, heating up the Greek for another rousing sold out opener for this, its 2024 season. A local youngster from Sherman Oaks, Billy Tibbals, warmed the crowd as best he could, doing his impersonation of a rock star with swagger. Decent songs but at least he was playing for an appreciative audience.             When the Crowes took the stage, fever pitch app ..read more

Reviewed by Michael Edwards The Geffen Playhouse's production of James I James' 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning, and 4-time Tony Award nominated comedy Fat Ham directed by Sideeq Heard, is a treat not to be missed for Los Angeles.  Based on William Shakespeare's, "Hamlet," this all African American, direct from Broadway cast stops the show on multiple levels. The belly laughs are loud, and the human drama is smart, dark, and quite cutting. This is a run, don't walk to see, 'tour de force' event. Do not miss. When "Juicy" (our Hamlet representative) attends his recently widowed and too recent ..read more

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck  As every fairy tale begins with, 'Once upon the time...' The Pillowman story also begins as a fairy tale. How ironic, when in fact most of the stories are the series of murders of little children, where 'the little geniuses end up down the bottom of the wishing well, which becomes the child killer's heaven.' The show opens with the writer ( Steven R. O'Brien - "Katurian"), in a state of wonder and fear of police brutality and what the detectives will do to him during the investigation. Every new sound makes him jump, duck, or l ..read more