by Jordan R. Young | Sep 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
The cast of Ma Rainey; photo by Craig Schwartz. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” by August Wilson (at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. through Oct. 16) is ostensibly about the titular personality known as “the mother of the blues” and the small group of jazz musicians who...
by Jordan R. Young | Aug 17, 2016 | Uncategorized
No bald sopranos or rhinoceroses in sight, but “As You Like It” is evidence the Bard indulged in theatre of the absurd long before Ionesco. This just might be the most convoluted, improbable rom-com ever written, but New Swan Shakespeare Festival makes sense of the...
by Jordan R. Young | Aug 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
It should come as no surprise that the guy who wrote The Great American Novel, “The Grapes of Wrath” (at least in my opinion), also wrote a play that ranks alongside Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” in its merit and timelessness. The guy is John Steinbeck, of...
by Jordan R. Young | Jul 9, 2016 | Uncategorized
Shakespeare/Summerfest Orange County’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet” (through Jul. 23 in Garden Grove) has its strengths and weaknesses, not unlike the play itself. David Denman anchors the play with a strong performance in the lead, though he seems physically wrong for the...
by Jordan R. Young | Jun 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
The surprise highlight of a busy theatre weekend was courtesy of a choreographer who’s not afraid to break with convention and do the unpredictable—namely Mats Ek of the Royal Swedish Ballet. His “Juliet & Romeo” (at Segerstrom Center for the Arts) delivered the...
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