jacquetta szathmari

Pat and Booth are cute when the lights go up standing there on stage looking ready to perform a folk concert, but they are down right adorable when the off color songs and remarks start to fly. These guys can really sing and are working their buts off up there to bring you to tears of laughter. The show is high energy and you find yourself humming along to songs about STDs, The Dick (gotta love it) and other pop culture references such as why "let it be" shares the same melody with about 17 other... full review

When I bought my tickets I had no idea that I might be part of the show despite the fact that the title clearly says "audience participation". I assumed some type of call and response from the safety of my seat- wrong. The gentleman story tellers invite audience members up on stage to choose a topic from a bowl and then the show begins. I chose the topic "guns". As I stood on stage, a little nervous at first, Niemi began to tell me an adventurous tale of young love involving-of course-a gun and b... full review

Neff somehow manages to bring 15 characters to life- including her larger than life father- without confusing or exhausting the audience or overacting. The subject matter- the effects of mental illness on the individual and family dynamics - is heavy, yet bearable in her capable hands. The story begins when "Ange" is a child and slowly becomes aware of her father's battle with substances and the workings of his own mind and ends with his dramatic suicide. In between we are treated to a sensitive,... full review

Unlike many one-woman shows this was not a showcase, it's great storytelling. Bonnie in Brighton tells the familiar story of a young woman who goes abroad to discover the world and finds herself but with a twist- she doesn't find herself, she finds Bonnie. Erin Parks portrays both her selves (yes plural) in a way that makes you instantly fall in love with the characters. Bonnie's moods are infectious, when she cries you cry and when she laughs you howl. Full of unexpected plots twists, this bare ... full review

While I appreciated the performance given by Joe Calarco (he played a dozen characters including a squirrel) I was disappointed that many of the characters seemed to be variations on a theme, that theme being the self indulgence of a privileged and/or vapid male Angeleno with issues. However, this may have been intentional. The staging, sound design and lights really made this production stand out, but I did not prefer the voice overs throughout. In the end I was not sure what the piece was about... full review

First off- I am sucker for verse, so they kind of had me at lights up. There were so many clever lines. My fave- I will take the Mach out of Machiavelli. The story had it all- love, hate, vengeance, scheming, bloody murder, a decent body count, fratricide, a crooked philandering Pope, seduction, sword fights. The only thing missing were men in tights. The actors were able to carry off a difficult text with little difficulty and the bare bones set worked to create the world of Valentino- a driven ... full review

Each of the three one acts in this production has a distinctly different feel and approach to the subject. The first piece really began to pick up once the characters/dieties are established--which took a little time and exposition--and being to interact with each other in a series of 2 person scenes. The opening tableau of the second one-act, “Interrogation”, was breathtaking. The actor playing the part of Suspect deftly walked the line between creepy and endearing and was a great compliment to ... full review

His Minute Hand is visually and intellectually stimulating theatre. Cleverly adapted to work in an intimate black box space, this place takes a hard look at how human behavior is affected by a restrictive political regime. The characters are written in such a way that at once you love them, hate them, and sympathize with them. In each scene the stakes are high--we’re talking life and death here. All four performers are at the top of their game and you watch their characters develop and live out t... full review

I am not a fan of musicals, but I enjoyed this one because the concept is hilarious and the writers really took some risks with the material. Nice book and music. Wonderful performances. Some of the lines caught me by surprise and made me laugh after I processed what had happened. Killer lines such as "look Calvin Coolidge in blackface right there in the oval office", and material about child marriage and animal cruelty made me want more biting commentary. I became impatient with the footage sho... full review

I went to this show today and I was blown away- a historical account that tugs on the heart strings. The characters- and there are many- are fully developed from JD Rockefeller to a child laborer in the mines to company men on both sides of the union struggle to Mother Jones herself. Well staged and well acted. As a performer I learned a lot from her performance.... full review