Theater Digest - August 26, 2024
New thoughts on The Brothers Size at the Geffen.
Hello theater lovers! I’m Katie, and I see a lot of theater! Currently, I’m seeing 0-2 shows a week, depending on my schedule.
Since this newsletter is geared towards people in the entertainment industry, there's a good chance I won't like a show that you or someone you know was involved in. I'm sure that you/your friend put a lot of effort into your/their work! I've been in a few shows, I know how much work goes into putting on a show. But just as you're entitled to dislike TV shows your friends worked on, I'm allowed to dislike theater you/your friends may have worked on. I try not to be vindictive, but I also do make it clear when I don't think a show is worth the price of a ticket or the time spent watching it.
I won't be writing much/any synopsis in these blurbs, but feel free to check out other reviews for synopses! Or just check out other reviews in general! Keep theater journalism alive & well!
Worth seeing:
The Brothers Size at the Geffen [LA]. Years before Moonlight was released as a film, Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote a trilogy of plays called the Brother/Sister Plays. McCraney recently started as the artistic director at the Geffen, and in his inaugural season, the middle story of that trilogy is being staged, directed by Bijan Sheibani. I saw In the Red and Brown Water at Studio Theatre in DC in 2010, and it moved me tremendously then, so I was happy to return to the trilogy in 2024 in an equally moving production. Sheibani’s staging, which is stripped down, really lets the words and performances shine through. They do, with great poignancy. Sheaun McKinney and Alani iLongwe shine as the titular brothers, the responsible Ogun and the carefree iLongwe, respectively, and it’s easy to see how Malcolm Mays, as Elegba, entices iLongwe’s Oshoosi. They’re complemented by fantastic lighting design by Adam Honoré, and full sound design, composed and performed live by Stan Mathabane. It’s a short run in the Geffen’s smaller space, so get tickets while you can.
Closes Sep. 8 in LA.
Six on Broadway [NY] and on the West End [London]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Excalibur [Vegas]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas and London [Vegas/London]. Read my thoughts on it here!
A Mixed Bag:
Cabaret on the West End [London] and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on the West End production here.
Back to the Future on the West End [London] and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Mad Apple at New York New York [Vegas]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Hadestown on tour and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it here!
& Juliet on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it from when I saw it in London in 2019 here!
The Play That Goes Wrong off-Broadway and on the West End [NY/London]. Read my thoughts on the 2019 tour national tour here, or my full review for Stage Raw here.
Not worth it:
Reefer Madness at the Whitley [LA]. Read my thoughts on it here, or my full review for Stage Raw here.
Closes Sep 15 in LA.
On my radar:
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Stereophonic on Broadway
Suffs on Broadway
Oh, Mary! on Broadway
Next to Normal in London
Kiss Me, Kate in London
Why Am I So Single? in London
Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway (coming to the Ahmanson)
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