All stories by Sharon Perlmutter on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

La Mirada Premieres New Musical "Empire" by Sharon Perlmutter

Despite all that needs fixing in Empire, it has a lot going for it and may well be worth the effort. There are eye-popping visuals, a huge tap ensemble hoofing its heart out, and some deligh…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 10:10AM
Sunday, September 20, 2015

Geffen Playhouse "These Paper Bullets!" by Sharon Perlmutter

It's a ripoff of Much Ado set in the universe of the Quartos�a quartet so suspiciously like the Beatles, their album covers look exactly alike, although the titles are somewhat different ("H…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:43PM
Saturday, June 20, 2015

Pasadena Playhouse Premieres Malty & Shire's "Waterfall" by Sharon Perlmutter

To be sure, there are a lot of things that need work in the new Richard Maltby Jr./David Shire musical premiering at the Pasadena Playhouse...

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:21PM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Dangerous Beauty - Los Angeles Review by Sharon Perlmutter

First, the good news: the world premiere musical Dangerous Beauty at the Pasadena Playhouse is full of good, strong voices. Everyone in this show can sing and sing well. The bad news is that…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:58PM
Wednesday, June 4, 2014

"Dorian's Descent" in Hollywood by Sharon Perlmutter

I have seen several attempts to put The Picture of Dorian Gray on stage. Be it play, musical, or dance, people keep trying to dramatize the piece, sensing its inherent theatricality. And whi…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:51PM
Friday, April 4, 2014

La Mirada "Floyd Collins" by Sharon Perlmutter

La Mirada has created a small space in its huge space, by curtaining off the wings and the house, and placing seating on three sides of the stage. The result is a theatre that is simultaneou…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 09:39AM
Saturday, November 30, 2013

Geffen Playhouse "Play Dead" by Sharon Perlmutter

Sure, I could nitpick Play Dead�the cross between a play and a magic show, sprinkled with a bit of haunted house, currently playing in the small Audrey Skirball Kenis theatre at the Geffen.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 10:46AM
Monday, November 18, 2013

"Barrymore" in L.A. by Sharon Perlmutter

For us to buy Barrymore's Hamlet, we have to be completely committed to the idea that a conversation with John Barrymore is a wild ride-just strap yourself in and be prepared for anything, e…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:57PM
Friday, October 11, 2013

Deaf West "Flowers for Algernon" by Sharon Perlmutter

Standing alone, the story of Flowers for Algernon is solidly fiction�it was originally published in a science fiction magazine�because, let's face it, there is no operation that transforms t…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 09:37PM
Friday, September 20, 2013

"Lost Girls" at L.A.'s Rogue Machine by Sharon Perlmutter

It is a nightmare scenario for any parent: your car is gone, your 17-year-old daughter is nowhere to be found, and there's a snowstorm making driving especially hazardous.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:57PM
Saturday, September 14, 2013

Lisa Wolpe is "Hamlet" by Sharon Perlmutter

... in Hamlet, the company has achieved a true company production�a Hamlet that doesn't noticeably drop in quality whenever Hamlet is offstage.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:00PM
Wednesday, July 31, 2013

"A Parallelogram" at Mark Taper Forum by Sharon Perlmutter

Bad news, nerds: Bruce Norris's A Parallelogram is not about math. Good news, though: It's about time travel.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 11:17AM
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

L.A.'s Rattlestick "Slipping" by Sharon Perlmutter

On a scene-by-scene basis, Talbott has a true gift for realistic dialogue; and, when directing his own work, he knows exactly where the pauses ought to go, to make for true-to-life conversat…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 01:10PM
Thursday, April 11, 2013

Mitzi Sinnott's "Snapshot" by Sharon Perlmutter

Mitzi Sinnott's one-woman show is part political statement and part theatre. As the former, it is a pretty powerful piece, as she recounts�and, with certain dramatic license, reenacts�her fa…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 06:18PM
Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Colony Theatre "I'll Be Back Before Midnight" by Sharon Perlmutter

In its Los Angeles premiere production at the Colony theatre, it is perfectly executed. This is a show that won't leave you debating about anything in the car on the way home, but it will le…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:03PM

L.A.'s Musical Theatre Guild "Chess" by Sharon Perlmutter

[E]ven with a concert staged reading, the downright awfulness of the book takes its toll.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:02PM
Sunday, December 2, 2012

Eleveator Repair Service "Gatz" in L.A. by Sharon Perlmutter

Elevator Repair Service has chosen not to adapt the novel for the stage, but to instead perform every word�the script must look like the book with a lot of stage directions.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:05PM
Friday, September 28, 2012

Musical "Justin Love" in L.A. by Sharon Perlmutter

Justin Love gives an old plot a modern twist, shines it up with with a bright and upbeat score, adds genuinely clever dialogue and lyrics, and wraps it all up in a Hollywood that only exists…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 11:25AM
Wednesday, September 19, 2012

World Premiere "Year of the Rabbit" by Sharon Perlmutter

I don't think I'd ever actually considered the possibility that our soldiers fighting in the Middle East might be the children of our soldiers who fought in Vietnam. Keliher Walsh's world pr…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:32PM

World Premiere "Three Views of the Same Object" by Sharon Perlmutter

It's a play about aging�Stop! Wait! Don't turn away! It's an honest, frank-and-sometimes-funny look at people making difficult life decisions at a time of life when their conversation focuse…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:31PM
Monday, August 27, 2012

Athol Fugard's "The Blue Iris" U.S. Premiere by Sharon Perlmutter

It's hard to know exactly what to make of The Blue Iris, Athol Fugard's latest play to have its U.S. premiere at the Fountain.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:26PM
Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"The Exorcist" at Geffen Playhouse by Sharon Perlmutter

When you enter the theatre for the world premiere adaptation of The Exorcist, you'll notice that the set looks church-like, with a massive wooden cross suspended over the stage. There is not…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:38PM
Monday, June 11, 2012

Hollywood Fringe Festival by Sharon Perlmutter

Reviews of four productions in the Hollywood Fringe Festival: "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes," "The God Particle Complex," "Speed Merchant (of Venice)" and "Tape."

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 01:11PM
Friday, June 8, 2012

"Los Otros" Premieres in Los Angeles by Sharon Perlmutter

The world premiere musical Los Otros is perfectly named. It's an exploration of the relationships we have with the "others"�those people who come from different social, economic, racial or e…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 11:07AM
Tuesday, May 1, 2012

"The Fix" in L.A. by Sharon Perlmutter

The plot of The Fix is at its best when it is in unapologetic farce mode.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:10AM

Deaf West "Cyrano" by Sharon Perlmutter

Cyrano is deaf, and finds himself running up against jerks who see him as someone who can't hear, can't speak, and flails his arms around in a wasteful and senseless attempt to make his pres…

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:10AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards