Taking my seat during the opening night of Lackawanna Blues, two women named Pam and Sally sat down next to me. They started talking about their friend, writer, performer and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson. They shared with me how Pam is Ruben’s publicist, and that the first reading of Lackawanna Blues was in the living room…
Tag: Mark Taper Forum
Go See Valley of the Heart at the Mark Taper Forum
As the front doors opened at the Mark Taper Forum, three Japanese style drummers led the audience into the theatre to see Luis Valdez’s newest stage production Valley of the Heart. Sitting in my seat, I looked down admiring John Iacovelli’s exquisite wood floor stage displaying rays of sun, and a mesmerizing thin blue line…
Water by the Spoonful
Latin music sets the mood for Quiara Algeria Hudes emotional journey of Water by the Spoonful. It’s the second story of a trilogy about struggling with addiction and how it can affect one’s social and family life. Each character in Water By the Spoonful has obstacles, flaws and struggles that they must confront in order…
Head of Passes at the Mark Taper Forum
Who knew that Tony and Emmy nominated Phylicia Rashad, who many people fondly remember as Clair Huxtable on the long-running iconic 1980s television show The Cosby Show, could move every single audience member into tears with her electrifying, King Lear-style soliloquy during the opening night of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play Head of Passes? Rashad, dubbed…
Seeing Mary Louise Parker in Heisenberg
I’ve never seen the Mark Taper Forum stage transformed to look like a fashion runway, and chuckled when I heard one audience member ask an usher “Is the stage always going to look like this?” Scenic designer Mark Wendland’s stage worked well for the two award winning performers Denis Arndt (Tony nominee) and Mary-Louise Parker…
12 of the Best LA Theatrical Performances in 2016
I’ve been blessed to see some of the best theatrical productions in Los Angeles in 2016, as a guest columnist for an informative East to West Coast Theatrical Review and News site – The Stage Review. Here are my top 12 shows that inspired me to write the following reviews – Beautiful at The Pantages…
