Stage Raw

Stage Raw is an online journal that celebrates and explores the rich arts and culture scene in Los Angeles through various forms of media. The platform provides free searchable listings of events, along with reviews available in both written and podcast formats. Additionally, it features articles, profiles, humor, and essays that highlight diverse perspectives from around the world, aiming to deepen our understanding of local experiences and emotions. We champion the actors on stage, the directors interpreting classic works in new ways, and the creators—be it playwrights, artists, comedians, or musicians—who may lack representation but possess a genuine message. Stage Raw seeks to inspire thought and support both artists and their audiences in the ongoing quest to understand our lives and the significance of our city.

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Edith - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Reviewed by Lovell Estell IIILoft EnsembleThrough June 15Salt has at various times and for various religious groups represented healing, purity and spiritual covenant. It was even was used for coin in the long distant past. In playwright Noah T. Parnes highly problematic dark comedy, old sodium chloride is enmeshed in a ritual of heavenly ire that starts in the home of a not-so-ordinary family.
Notebook from Tokyo: Reflecting on American Theatre From Overseas

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Image: Tokyo’s Santa Monica Boulevard (photo by Amanda L. Andrei)What are the Spirits of American Theater? My last day in Tokyo, waiting for Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba): Attack on the Swordsmith Village to open, a woman seated next to me pulled out a hand-sized figurine of Hantengu, a frail-looking yet vicious demon from the story. She propped it on the aisle railing and took its picture against the backdrop of the smoky stage. In that moment, I knew that this show was going to be good.
"L.A.'s Theater" Largely Ignores L.A.: Center Theatre Group's 2025-2026 Season - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Center Theatre Group's 2025-2026 Season"Dream Big" is the name of the Center Theatre Group's 2025-2026 season. Oh, sweet marketing. The authenticity of that moniker depends on how one defines "dream" and how one defines "big." Center Theatre Group calls itself "L.A.'s theater." That depends on how one defines L.A., which seems, from the cluster of incoming shows in CTG's three theaters (The Ahmanson, The Mark Taper Forum, and The Kirk Douglas Theatre), to have been pretty much left out of the mix.
Steel Magnolias - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Roxy Payne and Katrina D. Richard (Photo by Michael Hardy Photography)Reviewed by Dana MartinLong Beach Playhouse Through June 14Steel Magnolias, an 80s relic by Robert Harling about sweet Southern friendship in small town Louisiana now playing at the Long Beach Playhouse, is too precious for words. It’s springtime in Chinquapin Parish and Truvy’s Beauty Salon is ripe with excitement. Salon owner Truvy (Katrina D. RiChard) and new-hire-with-a-past Annelle (Roxy Payne) prepare for a big work day.
Becky's New Car - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Jennifer Robbins and John Combs (Photo by Gabe Tejada)Reviewed by Catherine CrouchTheatre 40Through June 15RECOMMENDED “When a woman says she needs new shoes, what she really wants is a new job. When she says she needs a new house, she wants a new husband. And when she says she wants a new car, she wants a new life.”Written by Steven Dietz, Becky’s New Car probes the common question: How far would you go for chance to start over?
A Doll's House, Part 2

1 month ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Elizabeth Reaser and Kimberly Scott (Photo by Jeff Lorch)Reviewed by Isadora SwannPasadena PlayhouseThrough June 8RECOMMENDED“Someday, everything will be different, and everyone will be free—freer than they are now.”A Doll’s House, Part Two, written by Lucas Hnath and currently showing at the Pasadena Playhouse, leaves no stone unturned in its sharp examination of marriage, gender roles, and societal expectations.
Urban Death - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

1 month ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Matt Keim and Elif Savas(Photo by Denise Devin)Reviewed by Asa FrisZombie Joe’s Underground TheaterThough June 14RECOMMENDEDIt’s the 20th anniversary of Urban Death, a show that explores grotesque, carnal, and off-putting subject matter. Creators Zombie Joe and Denise Devin of Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater imbue Urban Death with a series of kinetic scenes, many of which overindulge in obscenities, but ultimately prove entertaining because the cast and crew execute them with precision.
A Man of No Importance

1 month ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris |Steven Morris

Kasey Mahaffey and ensemble (Photo by Craig Schwartz)Reviewed by Steven Leigh MorrisA Noise WithinThrough June 1RECOMMENDEDIn dark cape, wide-rimmed homburg hat, and brandishing a walking stick, Oscar Wilde (David Nevell) haunts both the stage and the imagination of Alfie Byrne (Kasey Mahaffy), a city of Dublin bus conductor and the protagonist in A Man of No Importance, the current production at A Noise Within.
Love's End - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

1 month ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Ann Sonneville (Photo by Cooper Bates)Reviewed by Madison MellonOdyssey TheatreThrough June 15RECOMMENDEDIn Love’s End, now playing at the Odyssey Theatre, the end of a relationship is explored through two towering monologues. Written by Pascal Rambert, the piece lays bare all of the rawness, hurt, and failure to communicate that often comes as a relationship dissolves.
Loser - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

1 month ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Soren Royer-McHugh (Photo courtesy of Highways Performance Space)Reviewed by Steven VargasHighways Performance SpaceThrough June 22RECOMMENDED“I have to take a piss,” Tommy (Soren Royer-McHugh) says as he rummages through Blockbuster VHS tapes, pornographic magazines and Funko Pops. At first, the crude first line to Royer-McHugh and Derek Spencer’s Loser seems like an off-putting aside, but as the play progresses, it becomes clear that everything is intentional.