News And Blogs

Playwright Ayad Akhtar knew he wanted to be a writer at the age of 15. Until that time, Akhtar—the son of two doctors—was sure that his destiny lay in the world of medicine. Then his high school literature teacher changed his life. When I met her, she was in her late 50s. She’d been through five husbands. She lived on 40 acres of land north o...

Asking the Deep Questions with Ayad Akhtar

Critics and audiences across the country (including the Pulitzer Prize committee) have been raving about Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced since its 2012 premiere. But Disgraced and the actions of its characters are not without controversy and can be difficult to watch at times....

‘Disgraced’ Does Not Apologize

While serial murder is not often considered fertile ground for comedy, when one actor plays all eight of a play’s ill-fated characters, as in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (which plays the Ahmanson Theatre through May 1, 2016), the potential for comedic virtuosity becomes endless. But what are the logistics of playing ei...

A Backstage Ballet...An Actor and his Dressers

Ahmanson Theatre audiences are getting a very special treat for the entire run of The Bridges of Madison County (through January 17, 2016): composer Jason Robert Brown, who won two Tony Awards® for the show (Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations), is conducting the orchestra. A former Angeleno, Brown is a big fan of the Ahmanson and is excit...

Composer Jason Robert Brown Switches Hats to Conduct at the Ahmanson

Why is a massive cross dominating the stage of the Mark Taper Forum, and why is a choir belting out hymns? These are two ways The Christians, which plays the Taper through January 10, 2016, is immersing audiences in an evangelical church where they play the congregation. At the pulpit, a pastor questions a core tenet of Christianity, organized reli...

In 'The Christians' L.A. is The Choir

Before theater veteran Bartlett Sher directed The Bridges of Madison County on Broadway in 2014, and before its 1995 run as a movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, the love story was a slim book penned in two weeks by an unlikely first-time Iowa novelist, college business professor Robert James Waller....

'The Bridges of Madison County' Gets the Broadway Treatment