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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A Doll's House, Part 2

1 week 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 week 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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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.
Ironbound - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Marin Ireland and Jon Bernthal (Photo by Jeff Lorch)Reviewed by Philip BrandesOjai Theatre FestivalThrough May 18. RECOMMENDED“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” beckons the iconic bronze plaque beneath the Statue of Liberty. But for desperate immigrants in pursuit of the American Dream, the invitation comes with strings attached — yearning is no guarantee of fulfillment.
Fences - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

K.J. Powell, Corey Jones, Tamarra Graham and Matt Orduna (Photo byJason Niedle/TETHOS)Reviewed by Socks WhitmoreLaguna PlayhouseThrough May 18, 2025RECOMMENDEDFences is one of two Pulitzer Prize-winning works in August Wilson’s Century Cycle, a series of 10 plays written between 1982 and 2005 intended as a microcosm of the Black experience in Pittsburgh across the 20th century.
The Spitfire Grill

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Treva Tegtmeier, Caitlin Gallogly and Lori Berg (Photo by John Dlugolecki)Reviewed by Iris MannActors Co-op David Schall TheatreThrough June 8RECOMMENDED The Spitfire Grill, which reportedly has been performed more than 250 times around the world, premiered at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey in 2000 and off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons the following year. Directed by Bonnie Hellman, the musical is currently receiving a first-rate rendering at the Actors Co-op.
The Homecoming - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

Adam Langsam, Angela Beyer and Taylor Lee Marr (Photo by Paul M. Rubenstein)Reviewed by Lovell Estell IIICity Garage TheaterThrough June 15 RECOMMENDEDIt’s been six decades since Harold Pinter’s enigmatic, controversial two-act drama about family conflict and dysfunction had its debut in London, yet it continues to lend itself to interpretative wrangling and ambiguous coloration.
Write of Spring - Stage Raw - ARTS IN L.A. - SERVED FRESH

3 weeks ago | stageraw.com | Steven Morris

“Aftertaste”: Gwendolyn Joyce, Helema Maggiore, Justin Gubersky (Photo by Mitch Metivier)Reviewed by Asa FrisWrite Act Rep at Brickhouse Theater Thru May 18Write of Spring (2025) premieres six one-act plays, all using “Art” as a theme or inspiration, tied together as a tour of the new paintings. The theme is interpreted in a number of ways, and there’s no shortage of creativity in the plays, though they achieve varying levels of success.