Here are my quick picks for Theater in LA in the New Year.
Let's start intimate at Rogue Machine with Evanston Salt Costs Climbing by Will Arbery. I've been a sucker for Hugo Armstrong's acting for literally decades. If you're lucky, you may have seen him own Uncle Vanya at Pasadena Playhouse. Any time he's onstage. I'm there. It plays at Rogue Machine from January 29th through March 9th. Remember those dates... you'll see them come up again.
Next up, head downtown to the Taper for LA playwright Larissa Fasthorse's world premiere of Fake It Till You Make It. From CTG: "Meet Wynona, the Native American proprietor of N.O.B.U.S.H., and River, her white counterpart at Indigenous Nations Soaring. Their escalating rivalry ensnares colleagues and bystanders, leading to the unraveling of secrets that highlight the absurdities of ambition and authenticity." The second play of new artistic director Snehal Desai's Taper season, it will be interesting to see not just the play but "how it plays." The Taper is at a crossroads and with only three plays in the season — will audiences stick with it? That, and it's great to see Ms. Fasthorse get a local production. Another theme that recurs: a co-production — this one with Arena Stage. And the dates? January 29th through March 9th.
And if you don't already have plans for... January 29th, head across town to the Geffen Playhouse for... a co-production (catch the theme?) of Noises Off. Michael Frayn's comedy is a play that comes up invariably in a season-planning discussion when someone asks "Why don't we just do a comedy the audience will love?" The reason it always comes up is that, as a play, its comedic architecture is so solid. That's both a blessing and a curse. It's sort of like a comedic Macbeth. Both plays have such strong structures that all you have to do is do the thing. But... that's also the downfall of bad productions. If you don't nail it, it's really obvious. This one is a co-production with Steppenwolf Theatre Company where it played in the fall to mixed reviews. Let's hope their 'out-of-town trial run' has them ready for LA. It plays... can you guess? Well, this time it's January 29th through March 2nd — almost!
My last pick isn't till April and you can only get on a waitlist — but it's still worth it. Elevator Repair Service is coming to UCLA's Nimoy Theater April 4th and 5th with Ulysses. If you've seen any of their other work, you know why I'm so excited for this one. It is sold out, but flood their waitlist with requests to convince them to add shows and bring the company out for the full week.
I'll continue next week with what these two recurring themes — co-productions and overlapping schedules — tell us about the state of LA theater.
This is Anthony Byrnes opening the curtain of LA Theater for KCRW.