Theatre In LA Top Rated Plays List - The Highest Rated Shows In the LA area
The "Theatre In LA Top Rated Plays List" is a list of the top rated plays now running in the Los Angeles area based on what the current reviews are saying. To see all of the play reviews go to Review Round-Up.
Do gay men become their mothers? That is the question asked in Leslie Jordan's hilarious and touching new romp, FRUIT FLY. Mr. Jordan travels back in time using show-and-tell to take the audience on the ride of a lifetime. Childhood recollections combine with perilous teenage shenanigans. From the day a teenage Leslie sits down with his poor, clueless mother to inform her that he has decided to forego college to become a female impersonator, all the way to a Gay Alaskan Cruise on which a 53-year-old Mr. Jordan witnesses his aging mother's astounding metamorphosis (and whose only real concern about a gay cruise to Alaska is that she doesn't want to go ice fishing), Mr. Jordan is in his element. His storytelling skills abound and will make for an evening of fun and thought-provoking theater.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
Variety-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
LA Theatre Review-
Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Recommended
Stage Scene LA-
Recommended
StageHappenings.com-
Recommended
ArtsBeatLA-
Recommended
Frontiers-
Recommended
TheatreMania-
Recommended
Simply saying what the play is about, at least on the surface, is inadequate. A plain middle-aged woman, trapped in a life as a caretaker to her infirm but iron-willed mother in rural Ireland, is offered a last chance at love. But wait. If BEAUTY QUEEN is a bucolic cousin to The Heiress' it also has the more toxic elements found in Grand Guignol films like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. And Mr. McDonagh has a master's hand at building up and subverting expectations in a cat-and-mouse game with the audience. The play offers the satisfactions of a tautly drawn mystery, yet it is by no means airless. There's plenty of room for ambiguity and for the intricacy of character that actors live for. And the cast of BEAUTY QUEEN is a powerhouse foursome from The Production Company: Judy Nazemetz, who dazzled in last year’s Fifth of July, and Ferrell Marshall, who was revelatory in TheProdCo’s To Kill a Mockingbird, play mother and daughter Mag and Maureen, caught in an ever twisting dance of victim and torturer. Ovation nominated actor Rob Herring returns to our stage as Ray after starring in The Diviners and Sweeney Todd. The cast is complete with the subtle and intricate performance of Alex Egan as Maureen’s last hope, Pato; last seen in The Diviners alongside Mr. Herring.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Recommended
Stage Scene LA-
Recommended
StageHappenings.com-
Recommended
ReviewPlays.com-
Recommended
“An explosive, deeply affecting study of alienation and the redemptive power of love.” –NY Daily News STARRING: Juliet Landau* (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, ED WOOD) Matthew J. Williamson (SEDONA, HELTER SKELTER) DIRECTED BY: John McNaughton (MAD DOG AND GLORY, WILD THINGS, HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER) AUTHOR: John Patrick Shanley (DOUBT, MOONSTRUCK, JOE VS. THE VOLCANO) Shanley describes this play as an Apache dance and dedicates it to, “everyone in the Bronx who punched me or kissed me, and to everyone whom I punched or kissed.” THE STORY: The play revolves around the dilapidated lives of Danny and Roberta, two tortured strangers who meet by chance at a dive bar in the Bronx. Danny, an emotionally unstable, street brawling truck driver, and Roberta, a self-loathing, troubled woman, collide in a morbidly humorous, violent and vulgar fairy tale about a frightening and ultimately fascinating relationship. A BRUTALLY, SWEET LOVE STORY
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
Broadway World-
Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch-
Recommended
NoHoArtsDistrict-
Recommended
The tough, unforgiving environment of a New York City detention center is the setting for the play’s story. The population of the institution is an assembly of racially and ethnically divided cliques in an internally constructed society with its own rules and boundaries, peopled with violent felons, thieves and killers, whom the world at large has locked away for its protection. Into the midst of these desperate men is inserted a new prisoner, a middle-class white man named Clark, accused of child rape. Men like Clark are dubbed “Short Eyes” by the other prisoners and even among criminals are considered the vilest of the vile. Gentle-mannered Clark, surrounded by tough customers, had better make some friends fast, if he is to survive at all. He gets the ear of an inmate named Juan, but Juan must keep Clark at arm’s length for Juan’s own protection. Clark is clearly a sick man, thrust in the midst of career criminals. Can he possibly survive? Given the extreme nature of his offense, can even the theatre audience recognize his underlying humanity?Adult themes, some rough language. Suggested for audiences 13 to adult.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
Back Stage-
Recommended
LAist-
Recommended
SoCal-
Recommended
LA Stage Times-
Recommended
Troilus and Cressida is the story of the romance between a young, Trojan prince and a high-born girl at the height of the Trojan War. It is also the story of that war; The Greeks, in a quest to regain what they believe is rightfully theirs (the beautiful Helen, “a pearl, whose price hath launched above a thousand ships”) have been encamped on the beach of Troy for seven years with no exit strategy, and no plan to form one. Amongst their camp discontent and disunity rages, while Hector, eldest prince of Troy and commander of its armies, continues to defeat them in the field and hold them to the beach. Tragedy and romance set amidst the seemingly endless warscape, The Porters focus on the cyclical nature of possession and lust, centering on an exploration of value, the endeavor for honor and eternal canonization, and the furious discussion that rages within even the warring nations of todaywhat is worth fighting for? What is worth dying for? In the war for answers, the question remains: “What’s aught but as ’tis valued?”
LA Weekly-
Recommended
The Tolucan Times-
Recommended
LA Stage Times-
Recommended
Melpomene Blogs Back-
Recommended
Advice To The Players-
Recommended
Days Of Wine And Roses is J.P. Miller's haunting social drinking drama that has been universally praised for its uncompromising and raw portrayal of alcoholism and the harsh realities of addiction. It is 1962, and we meet and watch Joe and Kirsten Clay go from giddy and happily in love young adults to full blown alcoholics desperate for their next “high.” Will they ever be able to overcome their addiction?
LA Weekly-
Recommended
Back Stage-
Recommended
Edge-
Recommended
Stage Scene LA-
Recommended
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!
Back Stage-
Recommended
Stage Scene LA-
Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
The Stage Struck Review-
Recommended
Remember learning your lessons from stories read to you by teachers and parents? Well, grown-ups need lessons too, from sex to relationships to financial stability to Smartphone addictions. Join Percy Rutherford and his trusty trio of Puppeteers as they bring to life hilarious fairy tales.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
ReviewPlays.com-
Recommended
Culture Spot LA-
Recommended
What is more valuable - good art or good friends? Serge, Marc and Yvan are about to find out. When Serge drops a small fortune on a controversial painting, the sparks (and words) begin to fly as each experience the dire consequences of adhering to one's taste in art. Written by white-hot playwright Yasmina Reza (GOD OF CARNAGE), this acclaimed international hit will be directed by nine-time Emmy Award-winner David Lee. David has directed many of The Playhouse's biggest hits, including CAN-CAN, LIGHT UP THE SKY and CAMELOT.
Los Angeles Times-
Somewhat Recommended
Back Stage-
Recommended
Stage Scene LA-
Recommended
StageHappenings.com-
Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
The Tolucan Times-
Recommended
On Stage Los Angeles-
Recommended
TheatreMania-
Recommended
NoHoArtsDistrict-
Recommended
Culture Spot LA-
Recommended
The Stage Struck Review-
Recommended
In this world-premiere dark comedy written by and starring Johnny O'Callaghan, a ladies' man who happens to prefer men has just become single. He receives a last-minute invitation to go to Africa, and what happens next is a roller coaster ride straight to the heart. O'Callaghan is a writer and actor (TV's We Were the Mulvaneys) whose latest theatrical piece, Ladies and Gents, was performed in and around the public restrooms of Central Park in New York City -- to sold-out audiences.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
StageHappenings.com-
Not Recommended
ReviewPlays.com-
Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
The Tolucan Times-
Recommended
SoCal-
Recommended
Frontiers-
Recommended
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch-
Recommended
Melpomene Blogs Back-
Recommended
Culture Vulture-
Recommended
NoHoArtsDistrict-
Recommended
Culture Spot LA-
Recommended
Two different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics and two seminal events—50 years apart—in the same Chicago neighborhood. The 1959 landmark drama A Raisin in the Sun provides a contextual center for this rich and darkly satirical Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy. Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics, pitting race against real estate at the crux of two seminal events—50 years apart—in the same North Chicago habitat.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
Variety-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
Back Stage-
Recommended
Entertainment Today-
Recommended
LAist-
Recommended
LA Splash-
Recommended
StageHappenings.com-
Somewhat Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
CurtainUp-
Recommended
LA Stage Times-
Recommended
OC Register-
Recommended
Neon Tommy-
Somewhat Recommended
Culture Vulture-
Recommended
Total Theater-
Somewhat Recommended
DREAMS OF THE WASHER KING is Christopher Wall’s story of people who live far away from wherever it is you are right now. They don’t have computers - they barely have electricity. These four people who are caught in the space between the past and present, revisit one life-changing event in this powerful, mind-bending drama. Wall’s unique vision unfolds among a field of capsized washing machines and a rainstorm of grass to reveal a haunting story of lost love and childhood dreams. “…A beautifully crafted exploration of time and memory that will be haunting you for quite some time” ”Critic’s Pick” - BackStage.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
LA Splash-
Somewhat Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
Advice To The Players-
Recommended
Cirque du Soleil makes an exciting return to its Grand Chapiteau at Santa Monica Pier, and some of the best seats are being offered to Goldstar members to buy at full price before they go on sale to the general public. OVO takes you into the colorful, energetic world of insects in these amazing artists' latest breathtaking extravaganza. The insects' daily routine is shaken up by a gawky, quirky new arrival, and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye. With stunning aerial acrobatics and music, this Cirque du Soleil production of OVO is a whimsical wonderland for the whole family.
Los Angeles Times-
Recommended
LA Weekly-
Recommended
Broadway World-
Recommended
Edge-
Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Not Recommended
Eye Spy LA-
Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
OC Register-
Recommended
