All stories by Don Shirley on BroadwayStars

Friday, February 11, 2011

Pantages Awakening, Clybourne Calling, Wrong Theater for 33 Variations? by Don Shirley

Which theater company attracts the most young adults? Why can't Clybourne Park coincide with A Raisin in the Sun? Would 33 Variations fit the Taper better than the Ahmanson?  READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 10:37PM
Friday, February 4, 2011

Atwater Sex, Sister’s Audience, Furious Farewell by Don Shirley

The new Atwater Village Theatre and Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA offer two views of sex-besotted characters in Mlle. God and Crack Whore Galore--Live. Why can't Sister's audiences ask tougher …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 11:50PM
Friday, January 28, 2011

Liking ‘Adding Machine’, Not Loving ‘Repeating’ by Don Shirley

Of two new musicals with similar roots, Adding Machine adds up to more than Loving Repeating.  In the group therapy genre, Circle Mirror Transformation requires less suspension of disbel…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 09:35PM
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Observing Ovations on MLK Day, an LA Circus Festival by Don Shirley

Let's look at the Ovation Awards and their ceremony in Thousand Oaks on MLK Day -- the good, the bad and the loud.  Also, LA is suddenly enjoying an inadvertent circus festival in three ve…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 11:33AM
Friday, January 14, 2011

Westward Ho to the Ovations, Gustavo Marceau, Razon Re-Visited by Don Shirley

The Ovation Awards ceremony ventures outside LA County, Gustavo Dudamel resembles a great mime from the best theater fan's seats in Disney Hall, and persistence pays off for the 24th Street …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 10:57PM
Friday, January 7, 2011

From Haircut to Hair by Don Shirley

A haircut is part of John Lithgow's Stories by Heart at the Mark Taper Forum, where we see a big actor in a small but intricate ode to storytelling. The touring Hair fills the Pantages Thea…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 08:25PM
Friday, December 31, 2010

Ten Hopes for 2011 by Don Shirley

Don Shirley discusses his hopes for greater LA theater in 2011 -- including developments in LA, Pasadena, Orange County, and the nationwide perception of the LA theater scene. READ MORE.

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 09:05PM
Thursday, December 23, 2010

Ten Types of 2010 Highlights by Don Shirley

Don Shirley takes 26 pof his favorite productions of 2010 and categorizes them into 10 groups. READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 07:07PM
Friday, December 17, 2010

Much Ado Over Shakespeare Center and Troubies by Don Shirley

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles is evolving with a too-brief, indoor Much Ado at the beautifully raked Kirk Douglas. While you might detect a resemblance between the Troubies' The Firs…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 07:02PM
Friday, December 10, 2010

Gay Marriages on Stage, West Side Story by Don Shirley

Why haven't playwrights overwhelmed our theaters with stories about gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell? At least we've got Caught and Standing on Ceremony. And a few footnotes on the to…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 06:09PM
Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Next to Normal — and Other Major League Musicals by Don Shirley

Next to Normal demonstrates that rock isn't restricted to the young. Also a few thoughts on Harps and Angels, Maestro and Uptown Downtown. READ MORE

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:04PM
Friday, November 19, 2010

Calligraphy on an Equity Contract, Examining Heralds by Don Shirley

In the late ’80s, Los Angeles Theatre Center was, at the very least, L.A.’s second most important theater company, almost up there with Center Theatre Group. With its cluster of …

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 08:24PM
Friday, November 12, 2010

Culture Monster, Pub Plays, Prison Plays, Human Monsters by Don Shirley

Beginning this week, the LA Times Culture Monster brand - best known for its blog - is also attached to an arts-dedicated page in the print edition of the Times, each Wednesday. Because audi…

SOURCE: LA STAGE Times at 05:53PM