Candida, and Other New Theater Reviews . . .

Categories: Stage Raw
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Aaron Morgan
"Candida," produced by Crysalis Stage at The Complex

Chrysalis Stage's revival of G.B. Shaw's Candida at The Complex nabbed this week's Pick of the Week.

Our critics also liked On Holy Ground with Salome Jens at the MET, in Hollywood. See here for all the latest New Theater Reviews. Also, later this evening, check out this coming week's Stage Features on Beth Henley's The Jacksonian at the Geffen, with Bill Pullman, Ed Harris and Amy Madigan; and a peek at a work-in-progress, Critical Mass' An Alcestis Project, being developed at the Getty Villa under Nancy Keystone's direction.

2012 L.A. Weekly Theater Awards nominees were announced last week. Reservations are now open for nominees at (310) 574-7208; tix for guests and the public go on sale Feb. 23 at http://laweekly.com/theaterawards

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The Weekend's Stage Listings; Theater Awards Updates

Categories: Stage Raw
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Courtesy Jonathan Viguers
Jose Rivera's "Marisol" (Art of Acting Studio) is being reviewed this weekend. Check out all new stage reviews on Tuesday

Thanks for the comments on prior blog. Two actors are now sharing one nomination (Leading Male Performance, Camino Real, Theater @ Boston Court/CalArts School of Theater) in the 33rd annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards.

Matthew Goodrich rehearsed and performed the play one night, injuring himself on that opening performance. Understudy Chris Chiquet performed the remainder of the run. Both actors will share the nomination.

Here is a list of all the nominees; further information on whether you are a nominee can be found here. Latest New Reviews here. The weekend's Stage Listings are here, or you can find them after the jump. Check back on Tuesday for the weekend's new reviews.

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L.A. Weekly Theater Awards: The Nominations

Categories: Stage Raw, Theater
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John Flynn
Corryn Cummins and Sam Anderson in Blackbird, nominated for multiple awards

On April 2, L.A. Weekly will honor the best work on our small stages from 2011 at the 33rd annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards. Lauren Ludwig directs music/sketch comedy troupe Lost Moon Radio, hosts of the Greek bash at the Avalon in Hollywood. The event will be a replication of the first-ever theater awards ceremony, circa 450 B.C., honoring Dionysus, god of fertility and wine.

The dress code is togas (if you insist on bringing out that leather jacket or cocktail dress, be sure to tuck your toga underneath it). Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30. Buffet after. Come party with us. Tickets cost $25 and will go on sale Feb. 23. Nominees may RSVP at any time at the Theater Awards hotline:  (310) 574-7208. To find out if you are a nominee, click here.

This year's nominees, as voted by our theater critics, are as follows:

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Sarah's War, Other New Reviews, and L.A. Weekly Theater Awards Info

Categories: Stage Raw
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Jordan Elgalby
"Sarah"s War is this week's Pick. Go to the jump for all other new stage reviews.

The nominees for the 33rd annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards can be found here.

Lauren Ludwig directs Lost Moon Radio, host of the bash, with an ancient Greek theme. (Wear your toga!) It takes place Monday night, April 2, at the Avalon on Vine Street, in Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30. Tickets for guests and the public will be available Feb. 23 here. It's open seating. Tickets are $25 each. All nominees get one comp, all nominated companies (in "production" categories) get 10 comps per company. For queries or for NOMINEE rsvps only, please call (310) 574-7208.

You are a nominee (1) if your name appears in the posted article, (2) for any nominated ensemble category, if your name appears in the your show's program as an actor, (3) for production of the year, revival production or musical of the year categories, if your name appears in your show's program as an actor, author, director, producer, stage manager, choreographer or designer, (4) in production design category, if your name appears in your show's program as a designer, director or producer.

Press here for the latest New Theater Reviews, or go to the jump. The weekend's Stage Listings coming tomorrow.

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L.A. Weekly Theater Awards Nominations Coming Next Week; See Below for Stage Listings

Categories: Stage Raw
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Jordan Elgrably
Valerie Dillman's "Sarah's War" takes a different spin on the Rachel Corrie story, opening this weekend at the Hudson Backstage Theatre.
















Check back early next week for the weekend's New Theater reviews. Also, stay tuned for next week's announcement of the 2011 L.A. Weekly Theater Awards nominees.

Stage Listings for the remainder of the week are here; also check out last week's New Theater Reviews, plus longer stage features: an interview with William Shatner (with outtakes)  taking his new show to Broadway and then to the Pantages; and a review of Oswald: The Actual Interrogation,  at Write-Act Fep, about the last 48 hours in the life of JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.


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William Shatner Interview Outtakes: Star Trek Star on His Solo Show, Horses and Starbucks

Categories: Stage Raw, Theater

Nanette Gonzales

William Shatner, as you can imagine, has a lot to say.

​Now 80, the Star Trek legend opens his one-man show, Shatner's World: We Just Live in It, on Broadway Feb. 16, before launching the national tour at the Pantages on March 10.

Here are some outtakes from our William Shatner interview we featured in print this week:

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Short Eyes, King of the Desert, The Lonesome West, and more New Stage Reviews . . .

Categories: Stage Raw
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Federico Mata
Urban Theatre Movement's "Short Eyes" now playing downtown at Los Angeles Theatre Center













Miguel Pinero's 1970s prison play Short Eyes nabs this week's Pick of the Week.

Good notices also for Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West at Santa Monica's Ruskin Theatre Group; Rene Rivera's King of the Desert at Casa 0101 in East L.A.; and Molly Smith Metzer's new play, Elemeno Pea at South Coast Rep. Here are all the latest New Stage Reviews, or you can find them after the jump. This week's stage features include reviews of Oswald: The Actual Interrogation, at Write Act Rep in Hollywood, and an interview with William Shatner, as he's about to take his one-man show to Broadway before bringing it back to the Pantages. The coming week's Stage Listings are coming tomorrow.

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Clybourne Park's Broadway Plans Derailed (See Update), Plus This Weekend's Stage Listings

Categories: Stage Raw
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Craig Schwartz
CTG/Playwrights Horizons "pre-Broadway" run of "Clybourne Park" currently playing at the Mark Taper Forum
























Jaws have been dropping since the New York Post broke the story yesterday

that producer Scott Rudin was walking away from plans to produce Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Clybourne Park, on Broadway later this season. The blowup between the producer and the playwright-actor appears to have been retaliation for Norris' decision to walk away from a contracted agreement to appear in an HBO pilot being produced by Rudin based on Jonathan Franzen's novel The Corrections. This has got to be disheartening for the Playwrights Horizons cast and director (Pam MacKinnon) currently performing Clybourne Park in what was to be its pre-Broadway run at the Mark Taper Forum, whose artistic director, Michael Ritchie, holds out hope that other producers and investors can still be found to give Norris' excellent play its moment on Broadway.

UPDATE 3/3/12: Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theatres, announced this morning that he will bring Clybourne Park to Broadway, regardless of the departure of producer Scott Rudin from the project.  

Check out the local reviews of Clybourne Park and the play it's spun from, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, produced by Ebony Repertory Theatre. For the latest New Theater Reviews, click here. For this coming weekend's Stage Listings, go to the jump.

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Hollywood Fringe Fest Applications Open Today; Dreams of the Washer King, and More New Reviews

Categories: Stage Raw
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Ed Krieger
"Dreams of the Washer King" at Theatre 40; see the review after the jump.

Registration is now open for the Third Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival, a noncurated open-invitation performance festival situated in Hollywood, and slated for mid-June. For more info, go to HollywoodFringe.org.

Also, the Festival announced yesterday that its headquarters, aka Fringe Central, will be the Open Fist Theatre, located on Santa Monica Boulevard, near El Centro Avenue.

Click here for the latest New Theater Reviews, or go to the jump; Later today, check out this week's Stage Feature comparing the interrelated plays and productions of A Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park -- the former a presentation of Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the latter a Playwrights Horizons production at the Mark Taper Forum.

This week's Stage Listings coming Thursday

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City Garage Call for Actors

Categories: Stage Raw
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Paul M. Rubenstein
Charles L. Mee's "Agamemnon," presented by City Garage

City Garage, the Santa Monica-based experimental theater troupe now situated in Bergamot Station, is seeking ambitious and dynamic actors for an upcoming project -- a new play Charles Mee has written for the company.

The actors are invited to participate in the company's weekend style workshops, at no charge, with the aim of casting the play later in the month. For more information contact citygarage@citygarage.org

Click here for all the latest New Theater Reviews, Also check out stage features on playwright Tanya Saracho, whose Mexican adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard opens this weekend at the Fountain Theatre, and a review of Our Town at the Broad Stage, in Santa Monica.

Click here for the weekend's stage listings, or find them after the jump.

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