All stories by Margaret Gray on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

'Cockfight Play' goes around in circles at Rogue Machine Theatre by Margaret Gray

“We’re just going around in circles,” a character accurately observes in British playwright Mike Bartlett’s “Cockfight Play,” having its L.A. premiere at Rogue Machine Theatre. (…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM
Tuesday, September 9, 2014

An inventive, lively 'Equivocation' at Theatricum Botanicum by Margaret Gray

It may sit uneasily with our notion of Shakespeare to imagine him tackling the hot-button issues of his era like a Jacobean David Mamet. 

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:08PM
Thursday, August 14, 2014

Review: 'Visionary Man' at Hudson Mainstage turns into a long sermon by Margaret Gray

J.B. Murray, the outsider artist and subject of the musical hagiography “Visionary Man” at the Hudson Mainstage, was an illiterate Georgia farmer who at age 70, after receiving a message…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:30PM
Friday, August 8, 2014

Fine acting makes 'Reasons to Be Pretty' at Geffen Playhouse engaging by Margaret Gray

New York is only three hours ahead of L.A., but in theatrical time, the distance often seems greater. Broadway events, like starlight from distant galaxies, can take years to reach us.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:01PM
Thursday, August 7, 2014

'The Taming of the Shrew' is given a playful touch at Griffith Park by Margaret Gray

Sometimes I wish Shakespeare had written a different version of “The Taming of the Shrew” — one in which the shrew is “tamed” with, say, empathy and affection instead of torture.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM
Thursday, July 17, 2014

'The Way You Look Tonight' at the Odyssey Theatre by Margaret Gray

A divorced couple and their new partners meet for a dinner that shakes up their lives in Peter Lefcourt’s romantic comedy “The Way You Look Tonight,” premiering at the Odyssey Theater …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:12PM
Friday, June 13, 2014

'Brothers Size' thrills with wit, vibrancy at Fountain Theatre by Margaret Gray

The Fountain Theatre follows up its award-winning 2012 production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “In the Red and Brown Water” with a vibrant incarnation of “The Brothers Size,” the sec…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:25PM
Friday, May 23, 2014

"Hit" at the Los Angeles Theatre Center by Margaret Gray

Whenever I read about the artistic scandals of the past — the near-riot provoked by Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” for example — I glumly conclude that we have grown so jaded t…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:39PM
Thursday, May 1, 2014

Review: The dissonant works in 'Woman Parts' derail good intentions by Margaret Gray

Son of Semele Ensemble has selected two startlingly different short plays for “Woman Parts,” a double bill planned, according to the program, as a corrective to the underrepre…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:30PM
Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Theater review: 'Five Mile Lake' at South Coast Repertory flows nicely by Margaret Gray

Among the revivals and West Coast premieres that dominate our theatrical offerings, the startling phrase “world premiere” implies an exhilarating, possibly risky novelty: You can…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 10:30AM
Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Theater review: "Everything You Touch" at Boston Court Performing Arts Center by Margaret Gray

You may have seen your share of makeovers, but nothing like the one Sheila Callaghan inflicts on her heroine in “Everything You Touch,” her lushly written dark comedy world-premi…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:00PM
Friday, April 4, 2014

Theater Review: A haunting 'Floyd Collins' by Margaret Gray

I had never seen anything quite like it, and it grew on me slowly. But I can’t stop thinking about, and humming snippets from, La Mirada Theatre’s revival of “Floyd Collins…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 03:15PM
Thursday, March 27, 2014

Review: In 'Paul Robeson,' an inspiring life falters in the telling by Margaret Gray

Even the sparest account of the life of Paul Robeson, the lawyer, actor, singer and civil rights activist who died in 1976, has a mythic power: He accomplished more, against greater odds, th…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:45PM
Friday, March 14, 2014

Review: 'Slowgirl' peels back the layers of hidden feelings by Margaret Gray

Theater review: Rae Gray and William Petersen of 'CSI' are a well-balanced odd couple discovering each other in the jungle.In Greg Pierce's "Slowgirl" at the Geffen Playhouse, 17-year-old Be…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 09:00AM
Friday, December 13, 2013

Review: 'A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens!' fun yet scattershot by Margaret Gray

As irresponsible as it may be to encourage drinking at this time of year, you are more likely to enjoy “A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens!” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre if you…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:50PM
Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Review: 'The Pain and the Itch' at Zephyr Theatre leaves bad taste by Margaret Gray

Bruce Norris, whose “Clybourne Park” won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the 2012 Tony Award for best play, has a merciless ear for the hypocrisies we all helplessly reveal with ever…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:19PM
Thursday, October 24, 2013

Review: Disney story 'When You Wish' leaves 'em wishing for more by Margaret Gray

If you’re craving the art and music of the late Walt Disney, you should go anywhere but the world premiere of the affectionate “When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney” at …

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:14PM
Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Review: A family 'Falling,' trying to catch itself by Margaret Gray

In Rogue Machine Theatre’s beautifully directed and acted West Coast premiere of Deanna Jent’s heartbreaking play “Falling,” teenaged Lisa Martin begs her mother, Tam…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:29PM
Thursday, October 10, 2013

Review: Provocative moments unfold in smart drama 'The Interview' by Margaret Gray

In Susan Josephs’ new play, “The Interview,” premiering at Studio/Stage, couples must apply to the “U.S. Department of Parenting and Child Welfare” for permissi…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:00PM
Friday, September 20, 2013

Review: Yellow brick road construction work in 'The Wizard of Oz' by Margaret Gray

Like most little girls, I loved the movie “The Wizard of Oz” even though, or maybe because, it left me with so many questions.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:45PM
Sunday, September 8, 2013

Review: Blue Man Group makes merry at the Hollywood Bowl by Margaret Gray

Thomas Wilkins, principal guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, had a tough show this weekend, when Blue Man Group was in town.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:05PM
Thursday, June 27, 2013

Review: 'The Judy Show' explores the power of the sitcom family by Margaret Gray

How the Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage will affect comedy may not have been the first question on everybody’s mind Wednesday. But for the audience at Judy Gold’s o…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:38PM
Friday, June 7, 2013

Review: 'His Girl Friday' still a crackling good story by Margaret Gray

Clattering typewriters, jangling telephones and a haze of cigarette smoke, once journalism's inalienable backdrop, can no longer be found in any newsroom on Earth. But those who crave a glim…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 07:28PM
Thursday, May 30, 2013

Review: 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical' is irresistible by Margaret Gray

The 1994 movie “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” begins with a glimpse into the bleak lives of three struggling drag performers in Sydney, Australia, who have no…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:48PM
Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Review: 'The Women' a lively revival at Theatre West by Margaret Gray

“What else is there for a woman but l’amour ?” wistfully muses a character in Clare Boothe Luce’s “The Women,” in a good-humored revival at Theatre West.…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:54PM
Thursday, May 23, 2013

Review: Dim view on 'Through a Glass Darkly' at the Raven Playhouse by Margaret Gray

Every element of Ingmar Bergman’s 1961 film “Through a Glass Darkly” — the performances, the plot, even the scenery in Faro, Sweden — seems to exist solely to e…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 02:36PM

Review: A pleasant 'Cooperstown,' but questions stand out by Margaret Gray

Jackie Robinson never appears in Brian Golden’s “Cooperstown,” currently enjoying its West Coast premiere at the Road Theatre Company’s shiny new second stage, but th…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 01:26PM
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Review: Back to Barrie with 'Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers' by Margaret Gray

Well, Peter Pan, I -- speaking as a mother -- never liked you much either. So I retorted, inwardly, upon hearing the title of Michael Lluberes' new play, "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mother…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 04:20PM
Monday, April 22, 2013

Review: 'The Parisian Woman' entertaining, yet stuck between genres by Margaret Gray

Francophiles be warned: Beau Willimon’s new play, “The Parisian Woman,” at the South Coast Repertory is not actually about a Parisian woman. Its title is a vestige of its c…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 06:00PM
Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Jefferson Mays' fractured personality by Margaret Gray

In 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder,' he portrays nine aristocrats bumped off by an ambitious relative. It requires a certain pallor and a lot of color.While Jefferson Mays was perfor…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 08:48PM
Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Review: The harsh beauty of A Noise Within's 'The Grapes of Wrath' by Margaret Gray

Whatever your cause for complaint — traffic, work, kids, in-laws — as you settle in to A Noise Within’s production of “The Grapes of Wrath,” you’ll soon s…

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 05:41PM

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