Terry Morgan

Neil LaBute's current adaptation of August Strindberg's Miss Julie is a lackluster affair, and miscasting in the Geffen Playhouse production hurts it further.

Beau Willimon's new play, The Parisian Woman, offers a glimpse of unorthodox power plays in Washington, D.C. Its machinations, however, feel familiar. Although loaded with strong actors—several of whom you're likely to recognize from TV—the production is only mildly entertaining.

The world premiere production of "American Misfit" by the Theatre @ Boston Court is unable to rise above the problems of the script, and unfortunately adds a few of its own.

Sacred Fools have done it again with 'Neverwhere,' a big-canvas fantasy that, while rough around the edges, still preserves the charm and magic of Neil Gaiman's novel.

People (including myself) often criticize Center Theatre Group for playing it safe, relying on proven hits imported from Broadway and London instead of taking a chance on original plays. Thus it is only fair when CTG does something original, they should be praised for it, and so I congratulate them for the artistic impulse that led them to produce The Nether, a show with genuinely controversial subject matter. I just wish it were a better play.

The thing about George Bernard Shaw's plays, what makes them still compelling a century on, is that they weren't intended to make his audiences comfortable. Either he'd find a way to offend or confuse you right away, or even better, he'd allow you to feel superior to all those people who were so easily offended. Then, right when you were smugly enjoying yourself, he'd turn back around and agree with the other side.

Rogue Artists Ensemble has been a unique company for some time now, using theatre tools and multimedia in impressive ways that have set them apart as an intriguing presence in L.A. theatre. Their production of Songs of Bilitis is, unfortunately, a well-intentioned disappointment.

One thing theatre arguably does better than film or novels is dealing with uncomfortable issues. This has worked from works as disparate as Saved to Equus, and it works again in Doris Baizley and Susan Raffanti's Sexsting, which is currently receiving its West Coast premiere in a strong production at the Skylight Theatre Complex.

In the 70's, Ladyhouse Blues premiered in the late '70s was one of the most produced plays in the country in part because it provides five solid roles for women, a relative rarity in modern American theatre. The new production by Andak Stage Company revels in this fact, presenting a moving character study and a showcase for some terrific acting.

The complicated issues that arise when trying to do business in a foreign country is the theme of David Henry Hwang's entertaining and thought-provoking new play Chinglish, which is receiving a first-rate production at South Coast Repertory.