Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open at El Centro Theatre

Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open

El Centro Theatre
804 N. El Centro Hollywood

Actress/musician Gwendoline Yeo (Desperate Housewives) brings Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open, the sharply observed and riotously funny story of her cultural journey from Singapore to America.

Thru - Dec 19, 2010

Price: $22.50-$30

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 323-230-7261

www.elcentrotheatre.com

Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Mark St. Amant and his design team shape Yeo's story with deft lighting and music cues; even so, the episodic format occasionally feels underdeveloped and scattered. A brilliant mimic, Yeo zeroes in on the core of her parents' marriage with more acuity than some of her own experiences (like a problematic relationship with a college professor). But this buoyant actress-musician always brings the funny, and "Laughing" deserves more development and a wider audience."

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- Charlotte Stoudt

LA Weekly - Recommended

"...Yeo's a vivacious performer, especially when playing her Chinese long zither, and a self-aware writer -- little touches like a Hello Kitty backpack, the high school Asian-American "popular girl" blaring Notorious B.I.G., and her aunt's emphasis on a prize of jade earrings all gently rib both the stereotype and the culture on which it's based. With squares of canvas hung around the stage onto which images are projected, the economical scenic and lighting designs (by Adam Flemming and Leigh Allen, respectively) are complementary to each other as well as to Yeo's script."

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- Rebecca Haithcoat

Backstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Mark St. Amant elegantly adds texture and visual interest to the evening, which unfolds on a much-appreciated raked stage, covered in squares of carpets that delineate the playing spaces. David B. Marling's sound design is a show in itself-including creaking floors, wielded canes, and clattering chopsticks that suddenly stop as bad news is delivered. But at a few points Yeo spends too long changing costumes, affording audience members the time and inclination to glance at our watches."

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- Dany Margolies

Edge - Highly Recommended

"...Besides the brilliance of Yeo's fast-paced writing, her skills on the zither are awe-inspiring. The set by Adam Flemming is simple and nicely set off by effective lighting and projections by Leigh Allen that give us a sense of location. If this show is any indication, Yeo is on her way to a long and successful stage career to go along with the rest of her achievements."

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- Obed Medina

EyeSpyLA - Highly Recommended

"...From Singapore to San Francisco, Desperate Housewives actress Gwendoline Yeo navigates her difficult childhood and awkward adolescence with the help of a loyal Speak N' Spell, her beloved zither and a keen wit that will leave audiences smiling."

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- M.R. Hunter

Examiner - Recommended

"...Mark St. Amant's wise direction and Adam Flemming's projections (both men are of the famed Road Theatre Company) add welcome visual interest and dimension to Yeo's otherwise linear play. The projections, in fact, are among my favorite elements. They are varied. They are interactive. They are even symbolic because isn't a life story, after all, just a series of projections'"

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- Andrea Kittelson

Socal - Highly Recommended

"...Overall, I cannot recommend Laughing With My Mouth Wide Open enough. Funny and heartfelt, it provided a great night of theatre for the sake of theatre-a rare gem and treat to find in Los Angeles."

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- Christian Torres

Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open at El Centro Theatre