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last minute prices in advance

Reykjavik, Iceland

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Reykjavik Attractions

Apart from one-of-a-kind scenery and the breath-taking natural phenomenon you’ll find here, Iceland attractions boast important historic icons as well.

Thingvellir is home to Iceland’s first Parliament, which was built in 930 AD. This icon of glass and stone is one of the most important Iceland attractions.

Tip: Bring your fishing equipment. The nearby lake is the largest and one of the most renowned Iceland attractions.

The National Theater is another important Iceland attraction. Visit the three major stages where local and international stars have made their debut.

The Culture House in Reykjavik offers wonderful exhibits relating the history of the Norse gods. There’s also a large display of Arni Magnusson’s lifetime work. He dedicated his career to preserving important Icelandic manuscripts.

Arnesinga Folk Museum, built in 1765, is a must for all visitors. It’s set in the oldest buildings of the Country. It was once the home to trading merchants. Today it relates the history and traditions of the region.

Another important cultural icon and best of Iceland attractions is the Skogar Folk Museum. It showcases over 6,000 artifacts. There’s also an interesting section relating Iceland’s architectural history.

And for those who love art, the Reykjavik Municipal Art Museum is impressive. See the displays of modern Icelandic and International works.

Religious Sites
The church of Hallgrimur with 1,000 seats and nearly 240 feet in height is an impressive site. Its home to the statue of Leifur Eiriksson. He’s said to be the first Viking to step on American soil.

The Vidimyri Turf Church is also worth a visit. It was built in 1834 and is a great example of the region’s architecture. The pulpit dates back to 1616.

Nature Wonders
If there’s one reason for visiting Iceland, it’s the Northern Lights Phenomenon. It can be seen between September and March. This most amazing show of nature is a collection of electrical particles that cause the air to glow. This is caused by changes in the direction and intensity of light in the sky. The array of colors is indescribable. You simply have to see it for yourself to appreciate it. It ranks as the top of Iceland attractions.

The Blue Lagoon toward the southern part of the country is another must on a visitor’s list. It’s renowned for its positive healing qualities. Algae in distinct blue and green colors as well as white mud account for the waters turquoise tones.

The south is also the site of the Golden Circle. It’s formed by three important Iceland attractions: the Parliament, Gullfoss and Geysir. Gullfoss is a most impressive waterfall that flows 98 feet down. The views of the canyon are guaranteed to leave you speechless. Geysir is site to great hot springs and a superb place to relax.

In Iceland, there’s much more to see. Cruise the Westfjords or hike up to Landmannalaugar. See large dormant volcanic craters. Visit lava caves and see why Jules Verne mentioned Snaefellsnes Glacier in one of his books. Iceland attractions will convince you of making another trip back.
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Louisiana Tech Hosts San Jose State on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Kerry Rupp and the Bulldogs take on San Jose State on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Kerry Rupp and the Bulldogs take on San Jose State on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Feb. 3, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader

Western Athletic Conference co-leader Louisiana Tech hosts the conference's leading scorer Adrian Oliver and the San Jose State Spartans on Thursday at 8 p.m.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Regional, apart of ESPN Gameplan, and will be shown locally on Cox Sports Television.

Over the span of four days, Louisiana Tech (18-4, 6-2 WAC) will have a chance to redeem both of their losses as they face the Spartans on Thursday and play at New Mexico State on Monday.

San Jose State (12-9, 5-4 WAC) has won three of their last four games and sits in fifth place in the WAC. They are coming off a 77-58 loss at Utah State and have lost all four of their conference road games. Oliver, their sharp-shooting junior guard, erupted for a career-high 39 points in the Spartans upset of Louisiana Tech in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 21 in San Jose, Calif.

"We've got to do a great job defensively on everyone, but he (Oliver) will definitely be a focus," head coach Kerry Rupp said. "He is very clever and uses shot fakes very well. He can post up inside and can lull you to sleep with the dribble. We've got to have concentration and focus on each possession."

Oliver leads the conference in scoring and ranks seventh nationally at 22.5 a game. Over his last 13 games, he has averaged 26.2 points a game. The Bulldogs' Kyle Gibson is the second-leading scorer in the WAC at 21.6 a game, the 13th best mark in the NCAA.

LA Tech is coming off its second loss in its last three games, a 91-77 defeat to New Mexico State in front of 5,028 fans. The season-high attendance mark was the most at LA Tech in three seasons. Senior Magnum Rolle provided 27 points and 15 rebounds, but the Aggies shot 53.6 percent and led nearly the entire game.

The Bulldogs did not receive any points from the bench as it was outscored 24-0. For the season, Tech's starting five of Gibson, Rolle, Jamel Guyton, Olu Ashaolu and DeAndre Brown has accounted for 88.9 percent of the team's total points this season.

Along with the television coverage for the game, the contest can be heard live throughout the LA Tech Sports Network, including KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston), KBYO 92.7 FM (Monroe/Farmerville) and 95.7 FM (Shreveport). "The Voice of the Bulldogs" Dave Nitz will call the game as well as a 30-minute pregame and postgame show.

LA Tech fans can also access the game via the internet by subscribing to LA Tech All-Access (log onto www.latechsports.com) as the audio and video will be streamed live. Livestats are also available on the website.

Promotions: Thursday night will be Greek Night at the Thomas Assembly Center and the winner of the first-annual Greek Spirit Cup will be announced.

Bulldog Scoop: Join LA Tech Director of Basketball Operations Cody Fueger as he conducts a preview of San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. in the Waggoner Room in the Thomas Assembly Center. It is open to anyone and free to attend. Bulldog Scoop takes place 30 minutes before every home game.

For ticket information, log onto www.ticketmaster.com, www.latechsports.com or call the Tech Ticket Office at 318-257-3631.


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Enter for a chance to win 2 tickets to Sundance Next Fest

TV ratings: CMA Music Festival earns ABC No. 1 spot in key demographic

Country Music Awards Music Festival telecast on ABC draws roughly 7.1 million viewers

ABC's telecast of the Country Music Awards Music Festival helped rock TV ratings on Tuesday night but fell short of last year's ratings, according to Nielsen.

With a rating of 1.8 in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic, the three-hour special "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" made ABC the most watched network of the night in the desired category.

However, the telecast was down 10% from last year, when it earned a rating of 2.0 in the same category.

Roughly 7.1 million people tuned in to watch footage from June's four-day CMA Music Festival, which featured performances by Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, the Band Perry and other country music stars.

NBC, which drew about 7.3 million viewers, was the most watched network of the night.

The network, which posted a 1.7 rating in the key demo, aired episodes of "America's Got Talent" and "Food Fighters."

More than 8.9 million people watched "America's Got Talent," which earned a rating of 2.0 in the key demo. Despite being down 17% from last week, tying its series low in the live plus same day ratings, the show was the most viewed in the key demo and overall.

"Food Fighters," the culinary competition show hosted by Adam Richman, was down 8% from last week's episode, with a rating of 1.2 in the key demo. Roughly 4.3 million peopled tuned in this week.

Spanish-language network Univision was the third-most watched network of the night in the key demo, with a rating of 1.4. The network aired episodes of the telenovas "Lo Que la Vida Me Robo" and "Mi Corazon es Tuyo."

On CBS, "NCIS" was the second-most watched show of the night with roughly 7.7 million viewers. The network was the third-most watched overall with 5.8 million viewers.

For more news on the entertainment industry, follow me @saba_h

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Enter for a chance to win 2 tickets to Sundance Next Fest

TV ratings: 'Dateline' O.J. Simpson special tops Wednesday

NBC's 'Dateline' nabs TV ratings win with O.J. Simpson special

It's been 20 years since the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but the continued fascination in the O.J. Simpson case drove NBC's "Dateline" to a ratings win on an otherwise quiet Wednesday night.

The "Dateline" special, "The People vs. O.J. Simpson: What the Jury Never Heard," drew 6.23-million viewers on average, according to early numbers from Nielsen, making it the most-watched program on the four major broadcast networks.

"Dateline" also won the night in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic, earning a rating of 1.4, where a ratings point equals about 1.3-million viewers.

Adding in the low results from the finale of the canceled rookie comedy "Growing Up Fisher," NBC tied dance-off-driven Fox in the key demo. Each notched a 1.3 in 18-to-49, pending updates from Nielsen, while NBC had a roughly 1-million-person advantage in overall viewership.

Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" earned a 1.3 in the demo, down 13% from last week.

Elsewhere on television, Univision's telenovela "Lo Que La Vida Me Robó" actually matched "Dateline" in the 18-to-49 demo.

Meanwhile, Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final between the L.A. Kings and the New York Rangers aired on cable, so its national numbers won't be released until later Thursday.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter: @rfaughnder

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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A love affair with Morocco's wines and cuisine

The Review: Latest Bastide is simply a joy

I've never met the man. But by all accounts, commercial director Joe Pytka is talented, difficult, sophisticated, a wine connoisseur, a design savant, and an exacting taskmaster. He's also wealthy -- wealthy enough in the days before he opened his own restaurant to routinely drop thousands of dollars at a time on food and wine at L.A.'s best restaurants. Wealthy enough to keep Bastide closed for months after he tired of its last iteration (its fourth) and thought about what he wanted to do with the space next.

But now, more than seven years after he first flung open Bastide's pale blue (now tomato red) doors on a rigorous French restaurant helmed by Alain Giraud and curated by French design doyenne Andrée Putman, comes the new and much more casual Bastide. Gone are the expensive tasting menus (which, I should point out, were always a bargain compared with restaurants of the same quality in France) and the breathtaking wine prices.

Bastide is no longer one of the last bastions of fine dining in the city. But why should we care? Because this Bastide has a wider appeal while still retaining most of its charms, among them the iconic garden patio (the most beautiful in L.A.), the expansive wine list, and the excellent service, albeit with a much reduced staff. And while the menu is not as ambitious (or expensive) as it once was, chef Joseph Mahon turns out fresh and appealing California fare.

Why review the restaurant yet again? Because, despite the name, which has stayed constant, Bastide isn't the same restaurant at all. It's almost as if Pytka is trying out a series of high-end pop-up restaurants in the same place, in the same enviable place, that little house with an enchanting garden behind the high walls on Melrose Place.

Bastide has been, in this order, a serious French restaurant with exclusively French wines under Giraud, an ambitious cutting-edge restaurant under the mercurial Ludovic Lefebvre, a smart California-French boîte under Walter Manzke, and then a sensuous California restaurant under Paul Shoemaker (with a wildly eclectic and exciting wine list from Belgian sommelier Pieter Verheyde).

Pytka closed each Bastide chapter with a slam. Been there, done that. Between each iteration, he took his own sweet time to come up with the next concept and find the right chef. That's a deep pocket.

For this latest, he toyed with turning Bastide into a cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner and renaming it Bookshop Bistro to reflect the fact that the space is also part bookshop selling the lavish design and art tomes of the French publisher Assouline.

But Bastide it stayed, opening with lunch only and, as chef, Mahon, who previously worked with Daniel Boulud and David Bouley in New York, as well as David Myers at Sona here. Dinner was added in early February, only when Pytka was good and ready.

Pytka seems to have ratcheted down his ambitions for the place, content to have a very good but not remarkable restaurant. I suspect the simpler, more casual menu is exactly the way Pytka wants to eat right now, since he's always used his restaurant more or less as his personal commissary.

This time around the food, wine, service and setting pull together to make something seamless, a restaurant where the separate elements retreat into the background, where the focus is on the conversation and the company and just maybe the terrific soundtrack playing lightly, almost unobtrusively in the background.

Unfortunately, they've tried to jazz up the decor with banana leaf wallpaper and hanging lights made of Campbell's soup cans. Quirky, but not an improvement to Putman's stunning original design work. At dinner, guests can opt for the chef's table, the dining room with its vertical garden, or the communal table in the bookshop.

Or you can sit at one of the marble tables under the olive trees in the garden, which has to be one of the primo dining spaces in L.A. The only one that ever came close to competing was the one at the now-shuttered Les Deux Cafes in Hollywood.

But even though the menu is stripped down and more easygoing, dispensing with tasting menus in favor of à la carte, it is well-executed and delicious.

Mahon does a beautiful yellowtail dish, barely poached in an apple soy dressing and served with shaved asparagus and radish, that's the essence of spring. Squid with earthy cranberry beans, cool cucumber and sweet fennel jazzed up with some spicy chorizo butter is another dish that really works. I liked the seared scallop sitting on a swatch of crab meat in a brilliant green basil broth too.

Pristine Kumamoto oysters on the half shell come with a splash of Banyuls-shallot mignonette. But the server says the chef suggests ketchup with them and proceeds to apply a dot of ordinary ketchup to each of the pearly gray oysters. Huh? For me, that dab of sweetness grates.

The menu never proposes more than half a dozen first courses, a handful of salads and six or so entrees, all à la carte, and priced relatively reasonably, especially compared with what they were before. Mahon is making all the right moves in terms of ingredients. You can taste the quality of each element.

It's a tradition at Bastide to list the dishes by main ingredient, so the main courses read halibut, salmon, chicken, steak frites, lamb. No purple prose here, just the facts, ma'am.

But if you read on: That Alaskan halibut, stark in its purity, is set off with potatoes crushed with whole grain mustard, crinkly morel mushrooms and pretty fiddlehead fern tips in a shellfish nage, which makes the prosaic fish a lot more interesting.

Chicken is impeccably cooked, the breast firm and moist, the leg and thigh full of flavor, a dish that could come from a French country kitchen with its classic accompaniments of spring peas, carrots, a good smoky bacon and a subtly rich brown butter jus. Steak is steak, except this one arrives with an anchovy butter (on the side, so you can dose it how you like) and slender matchstick frites.

Bastide has always been one of the few restaurants in L.A. to forbid wine buffs from bringing in outside bottles -- but this time around, the wine list is so engaging and well-priced, I can't imagine anyone would mind. Sommelier Dario Dell'Anno has expansive tastes and always has a few bottles that haven't made it onto the list yet. He has a easygoing tableside manner too.

For dessert, my first choice would be the puffy, warm beignets with three sauces for dipping: chocolate, strawberry and softly whipped cream. Then there's an elegant, updated pain perdu, or French toast, right now with puckery kumquats. Or one or more lovely ice creams and sorbets.

The new Bastide (version 5.0) still excels at luxury: the menu's typeface and paper, the worldly wine list, the heavy linen napkins, the dark honeyed glow of beeswax candles under glass and the perfume of potted lavender.

I've said it before. I'll say it now. Dining at Bastide is civilized in the best sense. At dinner, or at lunch when you can fully enjoy that enchanted garden, the restaurant is a rare and subtle joy.

I may miss the chefs and their cooking from previous versions of Bastide. But they had their moment and they're gone. Now, here's a new spirit -- more relaxed and less ambitious, yes, but nevertheless one to enjoy.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Location: 8475 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, (323) 651-5950. http://www.bastidela.com

Price: Dinner appetizers, $10 to $15; salads, $11 to $16; main courses, $21 to $36; desserts, $9 to $14; lunch appetizers and main course salads, $9 to $21; tartines, $15 to $18; main courses, $19 to $28; desserts, $9 to $14.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday (until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). Wine and beer. Valet parking, $5.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Sports Lakers

Lakers will take their chances in NBA draft lottery on Tuesday

Lakers had their worst season since moving to L.A. but have only a 6.3% chance of landing top overall pick
Lakers also have a 7.1% shot at getting No. 2 pick and 8.1% chance at No. 3
Lakers could fall to as low as No. 9 though the draft lottery

The month of May is sometimes referred to as a dress rehearsal for the Lakers, who have played into June, and the NBA Finals, 16 times in the last 35 years.

Now it's merely time for ping-pong-ball percentages and crossed fingers.

The Lakers will finally learn their draft lottery fate before Tuesday's Miami-Indiana playoff game. Their season of woe and all their historic lows netted them the NBA's sixth-worst record and a 6.3% chance at the No. 1 pick in the June 26 draft.

Hoping to catch a stroke of luck after everything that went awry, the Lakers sent James Worthy to New York to represent them in the televised part of the lottery because he was their last No. 1 overall pick (1982).

The Lakers also hold a 7.1% chance of moving up to the second spot and an 8.1% chance of getting the third pick. They cannot move up to fourth or fifth because only the top three picks are "unlocked" on lottery day.

Worthy said he planned to bring three lucky items with him — bobbleheads of Chick Hearn, Jerry Buss and Bill Sharman.

"They hold special places in my heart," Worthy said. "Hopefully they'll be watching from up in heaven."

An upward move in the lottery would affect the Lakers in two ways.

An old team would immediately be infused with youth and presumably talent, two elements sorely lacking this season as the Lakers went 27-55, their worst record in 54 years in Los Angeles.

If they moved up in the lottery it could also tilt the Lakers toward hiring a younger candidate in a wide-open search for a new coach. If they stayed in their current draft spot or fell, they might lean toward a more veteran coach because the team would not be as dependent immediately on a young player.

The Lakers' most likely probability Tuesday is staying at No. 6 (43.9% chance), though they have a 30.5% chance of dropping to seventh and remote possibilities of falling to eighth (4%) or ninth (0.1%).

The top three draft prospects currently are thought to be Kansas center Joel Embiid, Duke forward Jabari Parker and Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins.

If the Lakers have questions about the lottery, they can always consult the Clippers.

No strangers to the annual event, the Clippers struck it rich in 2009 when the machine spat out ping-pong balls numbered 5, 3, 6 and 10, one of 177 combinations they were randomly assigned ahead of time. There were 1,000 combinations in all, giving the Clippers a 17.7% chance of winning the top pick, which turned into Blake Griffin.

The Lakers will have 63 combinations out of 1,000 Tuesday. Team publicist John Black will represent them in the private room where the ping-pong balls are drawn, a process overseen by an independent accounting firm and a representative from each team. Anybody who enters that room is sequestered until the often dramatic TV show ends in an adjacent studio.

The NBA created the lottery system in 1985 to prevent teams from purposely losing games to clinch the top draft pick.

Only four times since the lottery's inception has the worst team actually won the top pick, most recently Orlando in 2004.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a deplorable 15-67 this season but hold only a 25% chance of winning the top pick. The almost-as-bad Philadelphia 76ers lost 26 consecutive games and finished 19-63 but have only a 19.9% chance of winning the top pick.

Phoenix barely missed the playoffs with a solid 48-34 record, the NBA's 14th-worst, and owns a correspondingly low 0.5% chance of taking the top pick Tuesday.

Winning the lottery can change a franchise overnight.

Orlando senior vice president Pat Williams has been the executive with the biggest smile four times at the lottery — with the Magic in 1992, 1993 and 2004 and with Philadelphia in 1986. The 1992 pick turned into Shaquille O'Neal; in 2004 it was Dwight Howard.

"What a way to make a living," Williams said. "A bunch of ping-pong balls rattling around in a machine determines your destination in this profession.

"Perfect example is San Antonio. They win it in 1987 and there was David Robinson sitting there for them. Then there was a period where they have injuries and have a terrible year and guess what happens? They win the thing again [in 1997] and there is Tim Duncan waiting there for them. That gives them about a, what, 25-year run with those two big guys who never get hurt, play every night and they contend every year. Wow."

The league was compelled to install the first lottery a year after the Houston Rockets "went into a complete nose dive" toward the end of the 1984 season, Williams said, eventually winning a coin flip for the top pick and later selecting Hakeem Olajuwon.

When the lottery debuted, a large plastic cylinder was turned by a crank and held paperboard logos of seven teams. There was controversy from the beginning because the New York Knicks had the seventh-worst record but got the first pick and later took Patrick Ewing.

"Right away, there were accusations and fingers being pointed," Williams said of allegations the NBA favored the big-city Knicks. The less-popular Golden State Warriors had the NBA's worst record that season.

Williams was inadvertently part of a major change after the lottery in 1993 when his Orlando team won it a second consecutive time after owning only one of 66 ping-pong balls shot out from a plastic cylinder infused with air.

"The league turned their mathematicians loose so that would never happen again," he said. "At that point, these complicated procedures [were installed], which no one can describe. We refer to it as the Orlando rule."

The league responded by moving from 66 ping-pong balls to its more complex system of combinations.

The Lakers obviously hope one of the top three combinations is theirs Tuesday. They're not used to this event, taking part in it for only the third time since its inception.

Williams, the four-time winner, has some advice.

"Over the years, we've taken the rabbits feet and four-leaf clovers and Lucky Charms cereal boxes. But I've discovered that it doesn't work," he said. "The best thing we have learned is to have lots of ping-pong balls in the machine."

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Kathleen Turner

Say hello to National Poetry Month!

Say hello to National Poetry Month!

Today marks the start of National Poetry Month, the monthlong celebration of the verse inaugurated in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. The April initiative aims to highlight the legacy and achievements of America's poets, and is among the largest literary celebrations in the world. This year, in bold defiance of gloom over the postal service's recent travails, the academy is focusing on the role correspondence has played in poetry over the years.  It celebrates not just of the epistolary form in poetry but the decades-worth of letters exchanged by poets like Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, Denise Levertov and Robert Duncan, and Langston Hughes and Bessie Head. On...


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Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

This week's Theater Feature on Camelot and Baal

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo courtesy of Highways

Next Friday and Saturday, January 29 and 30, at 8:30 p.m. Highways presents (Un)Concrete Musique, a trio of of multimedia musical performance.

In "Trauma Doll," Cora Ripatti employs an original electronic music soundscape, a backdrop video by Danish filmmaker Karim Ghahwagi, live vocals and dance to grapple with the emotional tears from the death of her sister to lupus, and a shooting that left her other sister paralyzed.

Y&S present "Luz Y Sombra," an electro bilingual opera set in L.A. -- "a tragedy that can dance too."

Marlena Dali and Michael Turner's "Siren Reef" is an environmentalist, multimedia art performance and gallery installation that stresses the importance of protecting the world's various coral reefs.

Highways Performance Space is located at 1651 18th Street, in Santa Monica, CA, ½ block north of Olympic. (310) 315-1459 or here.

For COMPLETE THEATER LISTINGS, press the Read On tab directly below.

Our critics are Paul Birchall, Lovell Estell III,Martin Hernandez,

Mayank Keshaviah, Deborah Klugman, Steven Leigh Morris, Amy Nicholson,

Tom Provenzano, Bill Raden, Luis Reyes, Sandra Ross and Neal Weaver.

These listings were compiled by Derek Thomas

ACME SATURDAY NIGHT ACME's flagship sketch show, with celebrity

guest hosts each week. Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.;

Sat., 7 p.m.. (323) 525-0202.

ACME 2NITE New sketches and old favorites, ACME style. Acme Comedy

Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Sat., 9 p.m.. (323) 525-0202.

BAD THING "Asher Hartman mixes elements of theater, installation,

performance and painting to explore the guilt and pleasure inherent in

American violence.", free. SEA AND SPACE

EXPLORATIONS, 4755 York Blvd., Highland Park; Fri., Jan. 22, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 23, 8 p.m.. (323) 982-0854.

BOBRAUSCHENBERGAMERICA Charles L. Mee's "fantastical road trip

through the American landscape written as Robert Rauschenberg, one of

America's greatest living artists, might conceive it". [Inside] the

Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., L.A.; opens Jan. 23; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 3 & 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 28. (323) 461-3673.

IBEX Puppetry present the story of an aging socialite and her

philandering game hunter husband. VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA, 1122 W. 24th

St., L.A.; Jan. 28-31, 8 p.m.,

(213) 746-2166.

CAROUSEL Reprise Theatre Company presents the Rodgers and

Hammerstein musical. UCLA Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall, Westwood;

opens Jan. 27; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 &

7 p.m.; thru Feb. 7, (310) 825-2101.

THE CITY Clyde Fitch's 1909 play, adapted and directed by Stan

Mazin. Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd.,

North Hollywood; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru

Feb. 28, (818) 700-4878.

DARWIN: AN ADVENTURE FOR ALL AGES Kid-friendly blend of puppetry,

technology and dance, created by Corbin Popp and Ian Carney. Kirk

Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; Sat., Jan. 23, 11

a.m. & 3 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 30, 11 a.m.. (213) 628-2772.

dark parody of the "Peanuts" comic strip. Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa

Monica Blvd., L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 31, 7

p.m.; thru Feb. 6, (323) 469-9988.

EXILES Carlos Lacamara's story of Cuban refugees adrift. Hayworth,

2509 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3

p.m.; thru Feb. 27. (323) 960-4442.

"FIRESIDE AT THE MILES" Reading of The Young Man From Atlanta,

by the Ruskin Group Theatre. Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln

Blvd., Santa Monica; Sat., Jan. 23, 8 p.m.. (310) 458-8634.

THE GOLDEN GAYS The drag sitcom spoof continues with the girls

moving on up to a de-luxe apartment in the sky. Meta Theater, 7801

Melrose Ave., L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 31,

THE GOOD SOLDIER SCHWEIK Ken Roht directs Robert Kurka's satirical

opera. Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Center Theater, 300 E. Ocean

Blvd., Long Beach; Sat., Jan. 23, 8 p.m.. (562) 432-5934.

KATAKI Shimon Wincelberg's WWII tale of an American soldier and a

Japanese soldier stranded together on a Pacific island. McCadden Place

Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Pl., L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 13, (323) 856-0665.

THE KINGS OF THE KILBURN HIGH ROAD Jimmy Murphy's Irish wake at a

London pub. The Banshee, 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank; opens Jan.

23; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 28, (818) 846-5323.

MALINCHE The life and influence of Malintzin Tepenal, by Victor Hugo

Rascon Banda. (Alternating perfs in English and Spanish; call for

schedule.). Frida Kahlo Theater, 2332 W. Fourth St., L.A.; opens Jan.

22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; thru Feb. 28, (213) 382-8133.

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR Shakespeare's comedy, set in the frontier

mining town of Windsor, Colorado. Lyric Theatre, 520 N. La Brea Ave.,

L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 14, (323) 939-9220.

NAKED IN THE TROPICS Odalys Nanin's story of gay sex, drugs and

rock'n'roll in a West Hollywood night club. Danny Indart, lyrics by

Odalys Nanin and Danny Indart. Macha Theatre, 1107 N. Kings Road, West

Hollywood; opens Jan. 23; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Feb.

21. (323) 960-1057.

NARROW WORLD Fresh Baked Theatre Company presents Daniel Damiano's

dystopian drama., Lex Theatre, 6760

Lexington Ave., L.A.; opens Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.;

thru Feb. 7. (602) 689-7714.

"humorous observations on life and news in Southern California.".

Hermosa Beach Playhouse, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach; opens Jan. 22;

Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 24, 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 31,

2 p.m.; thru Jan. 31, (310) 372-4477.

PASTORAL Reading of Frank Tangredi's drama about a pastor's test of

faith. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Jan. 26-27,

8 p.m.. (626) 356-PLAY.

finalists in the 2010 Play Contest, including three new pieces by Los

Angeles playwrights. Underground Theater, 1312 N. Wilton Pl., L.A.;

Tues., Jan. 26, 8 p.m.; Tues., Feb. 9, 8 p.m.. (323) 467-0036.

SEX, DREAMS & SELF CONTROL Kevin Thornton's coming-out memoir.,

$10. Cavern Club Theater at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A.;

Tues., Jan. 26, 8 p.m., (323) 969-2530.

SIX DEGREES OF FORNICATION World premiere of David Wally's sex

comedy. Whitefire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; opens

Jan. 28; Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru March 4. (866) 811-4111.

Care Hospice Foundation presente Ms. Refeld's one-woman show., $25.

James R. Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance; Sun., Jan.

24, 7 p.m.. (310) 781-7150.

SPIKE HEELS Theresa Rebeck's contemporary comedy exploring "sexual

harassment, misplaced love, and the possibility of a four-sided love

triangle.". Actors Circle Theatre, 7313 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; opens

Jan. 22; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Jan. 31, (323) 965-9996.

STAGE DOOR George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's Depression-era

comedy. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; opens Jan.

22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru March 13,

(323) 882-6912.

STOMP Return of the avant-garde noisemakers. Pantages Theater, 6233

Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; opens Jan. 26; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 &

8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; thru Feb. 7,

(213) 365-3500.

of the rock & roll legends, written and directed by P.M. Howard.

Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. Sixth St., San Pedro; Jan. 22-23, 8 p.m., (562) 480-7951.

WHO IS CURTIS LEE? World premiere of Ashford J. Thomas' play set in

1950s North Carolina. MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., L.A.; opens

Jan. 22; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 24, 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 28. (323)

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo by Craig Schwartz

David Lee's 8-actor version of Lerner & Loewe's musical chestnut

uses its economical imperative to strive for an ensemble concept that

makes fun of its own minimal devices. The result is somewhat tentative,

a production groping for its purpose, but it's also pleasant. Shannon

Stoke's vocally pleasing and gentle King Arthur needs the machismo of

Richard Burton, despite his pacifist politics, or the subtext of his

wife's (Shannon Warne) erotic distraction is a wee too obvious. Warne's

voice is gorgeous, as is Doug Carpenter, who conjurs memories of Robert

Goulet playing Lancelot. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave.,

Pasadena; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 4 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7

p.m. (no perf Jan. 19, 27 and Feb. 3; added perfs Feb. 3, 2 p.m.); thru

Feb. 7. (626) 356-7592 (Steven Leigh Morris) See Theater feature

GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira

Gershwin, starring Hershey Felder. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon

Road, Laguna Beach; Sun., 2 p.m.; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8

p.m.; Sun., Jan. 24, 7 p.m.; Thurs., Jan. 28, 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 21, (949) 497-2787.

JACKIE MASON: NO HOLDS BARRED The funny man's comedy tour de force.

Wadsworth Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd. (on the Veterans Administration

grounds), L.A.; Through Jan. 23, 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 24, 3 p.m., (800) 982-2787.

GO MARY POPPINS The riveting theatricality of Bob

Crowley's production design, climaxing in chimney sweep Bert (Gavin

Lee) soft-shoeing straight up, then upside down across the proscenium

arch, and culminating in a showstopping umbrella flight over the

audience by the famous titular nanny, produces an excitement that far

outshines the limited value intrinsic in much of the musical's written

material. Likewise the sublime showmanship of choreographer Matthew

Bourne and stage director Richard Eyre hides the flaws in Julian

Fellowes' disjointed script and new music by George Stiles and Anthony

Drew. Unlike most of Disney's Broadway smashes that producer Thomas

Schumacher has magically transformed from animated film to stage, this

is a hybrid between Disney's 1964 movie masterpiece, whose fun and

fanciful score by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman still holds up, and

the operetta gleaned from the original novel (with rights held by the

Cameron Mackintosh team). The two styles battle one another for

dominance, and neither wins. Most of the film's story lines are

banished in favor of closer adaptation of the P.L. Travers books with

the familiar songs wedged into the scenes, while the new songs more

closely fit the story, but lack spark. Nevertheless the production is

an audience pleaser, with demonstrable talent on or off the stage. (Tom

Provenzano)., $20-$92. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.;

Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; thru

Feb. 7. (213) 628-2772.

ORDINARY DAYS Though meant to be ironic because it is a story of New

York City, which, of course, is always extraordinary, the title is

actually prophetic about Adam Gwon's light, predictable pop-musical

"ode to New York," which only occasionally rises above the ordinary.

Four whimsical young characters (played by Nick Gabriel, Deborah S.

Craig, David Burnham and Nancy Anderson) try to navigate the turbulence

of Manhattan, searching for love and purpose. Unfortunately most of the

18 songs are pattery ditties that give the talented cast little to work

with. Only Burnham gets to let loose with his belting voice. At one

point, in the Metropolitan Museum, Gwon's composition actually moves

into high gear with some complicated rhythms -- beautifully handled by

musical director Dennis Castellano -- which actually sound like an

homage to Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. The

characters are in simple situations of youthful angst -- though a

moving tribute to 9/11 stops the show with unearned emotion. The

evening's best aspect is Fred Kinney's mechanical stage design of

Manhattan architecture, complemented by Jason H. Thompson's clever

projections. (Tom Provenzano). South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center

Dr., Costa Mesa; Sat.-Sun., 2 & 7:45 p.m.; Tues.-Fri., 7:45 p.m.;

thru Jan. 24. (714) 708-5555.

PALESTINE, NEW MEXICO When U.S. Army Captain Catherine Siler

(Kirsten Potter) stumbles into "Bumfuck" -- a New Mexico Indian

reservation -- she's already tripping, exhausted from crossing the

desert, dehydrated and addicted to her now-terminated prescription meds

for pain and stress. That's before she drinks a peyote-laced beverage

given to her by one of the natives, for dehydration. So in Richard

Montoya's mess of a new play, which contains the germ of a beautiful

idea, there are dreams, and then there are dreams. I tracked at least

four plays, each in different styles, and for a 90-minute experience

without intermission, that's the dramaturgical definition of a cake

just been put in the oven, with ingredients still bumping up against

each other. Lisa Peterson directs. (Steven Leigh Morris). Mark Taper

Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.; Tues.-Sun..; thru Jan. 24. (213)

GO POINT BREAK LIVE! Jaime Keeling's merciless

skewering of the 1991 hyper-action flick starring Keanu Reeves and Gary

Busey is loaded with laughs, as well as surprises, like picking an

audience member to play Reeves' role of Special Agent Johnny Utah. It's

damn good fun, cleverly staged by directors Eve Hars, Thomas Blake and

George Spielvogel. (LE3). Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.;

Fri., 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m.. (866) 811-4111.

THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW Paul Reubens returns as the kooky character

he debuted on the Groundling stage in 1981. Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic

Blvd., L.A.; Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m.; Sat., 4:30 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 4

& 7:30 p.m.; thru Feb. 7, (800) 745-3000.

7-and-under set, this good-natured interactive musical exudes appeal

beyond its demographic. Inspired by a German folktale, writers Lloyd

Schwartz and Hope Juber's adaptation features a good fairy named

Hyacinth (Mary Garripoli) as the prime mover of events. After she

welcomes the audience with a song about the importance of "doin' good,"

along comes a prince (understudy Iain Gray) who sings about "lookin'

good." His attitude so annoys Hyacinth that she turns him into a frog,

stipulating that he can only return to his natural form if kissed by a

princess. The rest of the story proceeds along more or less traditional

lines: The frog recovers the lost ball of a querulous princess (Jenn

Wiles) who is reluctant to keep her promise to kiss him until pressured

by her father, the king (Anthony Gruppuso). Much of the piece's charm

stems from the delight -- and the unintended comedic faux pas --

displayed by the youngsters called up on the stage to participate. The

non-patronizing performers seem to be enjoying themselves as well. A

song "Croak Croak, Ribbit, Ribbit" involving a couple of frog puppets

is contagiously entertaining, whatever one's age. The uncredited

costumes are fun too. Barbara Mallory Schwartz directs, with songs by

Hope Jube and musical director Laurence Juber. (Deborah Klugman).

Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, L.A.; Sat., 1 p.m.; thru Feb.

27. (323) 851-7977.

RIVERDANCE The Irish step-dancing spectacular. Pantages Theater,

6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.;

Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; thru Jan. 24, (213)

WAITING FOR GODOT Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic. A Noise

Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Fri., Jan. 22, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan.

23, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 24, 2 & 7 p.m., (818) 240-0910.

1920s Shanghai is the setting of Debbie McMahon's wonderfully

environmental tour de force of clowning, dancing and blood, which

evokes, with ferocious imagination, not just a bygone era but also the

atmosphere of the Grand Guignol. Upon arrival at the theater, we are

ushered into an ante-chamber outside the actual auditorium, which has

been set up to resemble a Shanghai bazaar. There are sallow-eyed

maidens serving tea -- and also warm absinthe, strained through sugar,

Thomas De Quincey--style. The scent of the absinthe wafts through the

entire theater, melding with dry ice and creating a mood that elegantly

mixes pleasure and decay. The play's first act, "Sing Song Girl Sings

Last Song," is a haunting ballet of despair, involving a cast that

includes jaded "Sing Song Girl" prostitute Bright Pearl (Tina Van

Berckelaer), a young virgin protégé (Amanda Street) who dreams of

becoming Top Whore, and calculating Madame Old Bustard (Dinah Steward),

who plots to sell the virgin to be raped and mutilated by a piglike

mobster (Roy Starr). Anchored by Jeanne Simpson's pleasingly

melodramatic choreography, the dance tackles a compelling story of

rage, despair and vice. Steward's charmingly sinister Old Bustard

steals every scene she's in -- but Street's scheming, loathsome virgin

is a standout as well. Act 2's vignette, Chris Bell's "The Cabinet of

Hands," is a gripping horror tale, with a sharp twist of quirky humor.

A prissy young French couple (Robin Long and Zachary Foulkes),

vacationing in Shanghai, gets more than they bargain for when they go

slumming at the opium den owned by a seemingly kind old woman (Kevin

Dulude). As the thrill-seeking Westerners get happily stoned on The

Dragon's Tail, the old woman's diabolical true nature shows through.

The final scene consists of a jaw-dropping gorefest that will have you

simultaneously howling with terror and laughter (while slipping your

hands in your pockets for safekeeping). Dulude's wicked old woman is

the perfect embodiment of mysterious evil -- and the horrific fate of

Long's ill-fated naif hilariously suggests an anti-drug teaching moment

that's very effective. (Paul Birchall). Artworks Performance Space,

6569 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 23. (800)

GO ACCOMPLICE: HOLLYWOOD Part game, part theater,

part tour: It all begins with a phone call disclosing a secret meeting

location. Aided by clues and mysterious cast members strewn throughout

various locations, such as street corners, bars, iconic landmarks and

out-of-the-way spots, the audience traverses the city streets, piecing

together clues of a meticulously crafted plot. (Steven Leigh Morris).

Hollywood Blvd., TBA, L.A.; Fri.-Sat.,

GO BAAL Peter Mellencamp's adapatation

of Bertolt Brecht's early, poetical drama is about the cruelty and

demise of a Bacchanalian poet who recognizes, curses and is cursed by

civilization's thin veneer. Ben Rock's staging is sometimes forced,

more often intense and seductive, with Gregory Sims' growling title

character bearing a physical resemblance to young Al Pacino, but with a

voice like Tom Waits. Sacred Fools Theatre Company, 660 Heliotrope Dr.,

L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (added perf Thurs., Jan. 28, 8 p.m.); thru Feb.

20. (310) 281-8337. (Steven Leigh Morris) See Theater feature

GO BLOOD AND THUNDER In the Ninth Ward of New

Orleans, Marcus (Keith Arthur Bolden) isn't scared of the newly arrived

hurricane, Katrina. Marcus is an expert on everything -- at least, he

watches a lot of TV -- and vows the water won't rise above 10 feet. But

Marcus' theories and conclusions have always gotten him, brother

Quentin (Tony Williams) and Marcus' girlfriend, Charlie (Candice Afia),

in over their heads with one bad hustling scheme after another. Still,

Marcus is convinced he's the brains of the group, even if he has to

badger Quentin and Charlie until they agree. When Quentin limps in,

sopping wet, still wearing his orange prison jumpsuit with a bullet

hole in his thigh, the two siblings have a violent score to settle.

Terence Anthony's taut one-act drama is effective agony. Two character

twists may not add up, but while the audience perches practically in

the living room of Jorge I. Velasquez's realistic, dingy set, with the

rain hammering down, the tension is as thick as the storm clouds we

imagine overhead. Solid performances keep the spell going, particularly

by Afia as the strong-willed girlfriend trying to break free of Marcus'

emotional abuse. Sara Wagner directs. (Amy Nicholson). Moving Arts,

1822 Hyperion Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb.

28. (323) 666-3259.

Baker productions in a yearlong celebration of the marionette theater's

50th anniversary. Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St.,

L.A.; Tues.-Fri., 10:30 a.m.; Sat.-Sun., 2:30 p.m.; thru April 11, (213) 250-9995.

THE BOB BENDICK PODCAST . Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Mon., 5:15 p.m.. (323) 525-0202.

CONFUSIONS Quintet of interlinked plays by Alan Ayckbourn. Lost

Studio, 130 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.;

thru March 7, (323) 960-5775.

DOCTOR NOGUCHI Given director-playwright Gary

LeGault's pedigree, you would think that a camp meditation on

celebrity, based on the star-studded body count of L.A. County's

controversial, former Chief Medical Examiner, Thomas T. Noguchi (Hayden

Lee), would be a comedic slam dunk. You'd be wrong. Despite a list of

credits that includes working with the likes of Charles Ludlam and

Warhol superstars Jackie Curtis and Holly Woodlawn, LeGault's

indifferently staged, pallidly scripted evening delivers little of the

outrageous burlesque or incisive social ironies those names might

imply. Charting the publicity-seeking coroner's career between Marilyn

Monroe's (Julia Stoddard) "suicide" in 1963 and John Belushi's (Jeremy

Ebenstein) overdose in 1982, the play unwinds as a series of vignettes

in which a quizzical Noguchi ponders the paradox of his illustrious

clientele's self-destruction while at the peak of their fame, even as

he is visited by each of their resurrected spirits seeking some sort of

existential closure. But if LeGault's necrographic portraiture rarely

achieves even a Wikipedia-weight likenesses, the production is not

without its charms. These are mainly found in Lee's slyly winsome

portrayal of a flawed philosopher-poet, whose fastidious pursuit of

truth becomes corrupted by his own vanity and the corrosive effects of

fame-by-association. With decided deficits in plot and engaging

conflict to fuel that performance, however, LeGault's slender conceit

simply lacks the comic mileage to make it to the final curtain. Ruby

Theater at the Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood;

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.; thru Jan. 31. (310) 360-7064. (Bill

F*CKING MEN Joe DiPietro's observations on the sex lives of modern

urban gay America. Celebration Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica Blvd.,

L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 14. (323) 957-1884.

GO THE GLASS MENDACITY Devotees of Tennessee

Williams will surely delight in this send-up of the playwright's

best-known dramas. Maureen Morley and Tom Willmorth have blended

characters and motifs from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire

into one big, irreverent stew of laughs. Gathered together at the Belle

Reeve plantation are Mitch (Ken Johnson, who doubles as a narrator),

Amanda (Stephanie Strand), Maggie (Renee Scott), Brick (a dummy named

Eliot Barrymore), Stanley (Joe Dalo) and Blanche (Catherine Cronin, who

traveled by way of a certain streetcar). The occasion is Big Daddy's (a

hilarious Quincy Miller) arrival from the hospital and a celebration of

his birthday. As in Cat, the cigar-smoking patriarch has cancer but is

told he is suffering only from a "spastic colon." And we must not

forget dear Laura Dubois (Strand), who limps and vomits her way

throughout, while fixated on her menagerie of animals made of ice

cubes. From this disparate collection of Williams' familiars, the

writers weave a quirky narrative involving lust, insanity, infidelity,

sibling rivalry, intrigue and lots of mendacity. It probably helps if

you have some knowledge of Williams' plays, (in one scene Stanley calls

out "Starland," instead of Stella). Andrew Crusse provides the solid

direction. (Lovell Estell III). Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Blvd.,

L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Jan. 30,

(323) 969-1707.

GRAVITYWORKS L.A. premiere of creator-director-producer Russell

Boast's cabaret that's "part comedy troupe/part vaudeville act/part

kick-ass music.". Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Second Level, L.A.;

Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; thru Feb. 25, (800)

HAMLET The Porters of Hellsgate present Shakespeare's tragedy.

Flight Theater at The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.;

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 13. (951) 262-3030.

HELLZ KITCHEN ABLAZE Tommy Carter's drama of urban malaise, police

brutality, and corruption. Elephant Space Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica

Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 6, (323) 962-0046.

THE INTERNATIONALISTS Poor Dog Group re-creates the space race.

Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Jan.

JUST A SONG AT TWILIGHT Willard Manus' drama about growing up in a

deaf household. Write Act Theater, 6128 Yucca St., L.A.; Thurs.-Sun..;

thru Feb. 28. (323) 469-3113.

GO LIFE COULD BE A DREAM This affectionate doo-wop jukebox musical by writer-director Roger Bean (The Marvelous Wonderettes),

with clever choreography by Lee Martino, handsome set by Tom Buderwitz,

and spectacular lighting by Luke Moyer, is designed to incorporate hit

songs of the 1960s, ranging from the goofy "Sh Boom" and "Rama Lama

Ding Dong" to anthems like "Earth Angel," "Unchained Melody," "The

Great Pretender," and "The Glory of Love." In small-town Springfield,

the local radio station is sponsoring a rock-and-roll contest, and

go-getter Denny (Daniel Tatar) is convinced he can win and become a

star. He enlists his klutzy, nerdish, endearing friend Eugene (Jim

Holdridge) and church-choir singer Wally (Ryan Castellino) to join him.

Needing a sponsor to provide the $50 entrance fee for the contest, they

apply to the proprietor of the local auto chain. He sends his top

mechanic, handsome, hunky Skip (Doug Carpenter), and his pretty

daughter Lois (Jessica Keenan Wynn), to audition the guys, and by the

end they're incorporated in the new group, Denny and the Dreamers. This

is pure fluff, and the terrific ensemble makes every note count in this

rousing good-time musical. (Neal Weaver). Hudson Mainstage Theatre,

6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8

p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 28. (323) 960-4412.

MOIST! Mariann Aalda and Iona Morris are MILF-y inspirational

sexperts, heading (so to speak) the Multiple Orgasm Initiative for

Sexual Transformation. Hayworth, 2509 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; Sun., 7

p.m.; thru Feb. 28, (323) 960-4442.

ORPHEUS DESCENDING Gale Harold, Denise Crosby and Claudia Mason star

in Tennessee Williams' modern retelling of the ancient Greek legend.

Theatre/Theater, 5041 Pico Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2

p.m.; thru Feb. 21, (800)

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE Steve Martin's 1993 comedy. East Theatre

at the Complex, 6468 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 13. (323) 960-7714.

Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, opens Robert Prior's play by defending his

friendship with 11-year-old Alice Liddell before taking major hits off

a hookah. (A professor, Michael Bonnabel, scribbling the mathematical

formula for Wonderland, leaves that substance out his equation.) Thus,

um, inspired, Carroll (Lon Haber) dons a blonde wig and reveals himself

as Alice before plunging down the rabbit hole. Apart from the entrance

of five other Alices chanting Carroll's lines like a Greek chorus,

Prior's Wonderland is familiar turf -- a trip though our

childhood memories of the text and the Disney cult cartoon laced with

Jefferson Airplane and melodramatic music, but otherwise played

straight. The stars here are Teresa Shea's costumes and sets and Lynn

Jeffries' puppets, a whirlwind of giant lobster claws and waves of

parachute silk and 15-foot flower hats and packs of angry cards buzzing

about the stage. Amidst the chaos, standouts include Bonnabel's

Caterpillar, Jabez Zuniga's Queen of Hearts, Matthew Patrick Davis's

Mad Hatter, Lori Scarlett's Mock Turtle -- hell, pretty much everyone

navigating this manic, uncertain, but enthusiastic staging. Bootleg

Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.;

thru Jan. 31. (213 389-3856. (Amy Nicholson)

SUNDAY OF THE DEAD All-new sketch and improv by the Sunday Company.

Groundling Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.. (323)

specializes in improvising full-length plays in the literary style of

prominent writers, including Jane Austen, Tennessee Williams and

Stephen Sondheim. Here, under the direction of artistic directors Brian

Lohman and Dan O'Connor, they're tackling the Bard, taking the most

minimal suggestions from the audience and spinning them into dizzily

amusing mock-Shakespearean epics. At the performance I attended, they

created a comedy that might be called Much Ado About Bluebirds.

Miranda (Lisa Frederickson) is the slightly deaf daughter (she seems to

hear clearly only the songs of bluebirds) of the Duke of Kent (Lohman).

Kent has decided to marry her off to the elderly Duke of York (Floyd

Van Buskirk), but she has already developed a fancy for Price

(O'Connor), a young man from the village, who loves her, and has

learned to tweet like a bluebird to woo her. The course of true love is

threatened by a couple of mischievous fairies (Brian Jones and Edi

Patterson) and a man-eating bear, until the blissful final scene, which

is as sententious as any old Will created. The company (including

Michele Spears and Stephen Kearin) is clever, nimble and quick on its

feet, and the result is an amiable, crowd-pleasing divertissement.

(Neal Weaver). Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Sun., 8

p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 14, (323) 401-9793.

SIT 'N' SPIN Storytelling by Jill Soloway, Maggie Rowe, Jaclyn Lafer

and assorted guests of varying hilarity., free. COMEDY CENTRAL STAGE,

6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Every other Thursday, 8 p.m., (323) 960-5519.

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo by Jordan Photography

Tilted Frame Network

is the creation of Combined Artform, a San Francisco based theatrical

production company headed by artistic director Matthew Quinn. This

multi-media, improv comedy show has audiences and actors in Los Angeles

and San Francisco interact with each other via internet and television.

It's an intriguing idea with loads of potential but one in need of much

fine tuning. The performance I attended started out with the customary

routine involving audience suggestions, but quickly morphed into an

awkward free for-all, with so-so performances by cast members in both

cities. The material, for the most part, was quirky and capable of

tickling some funny bones, but little that was breath-taking. One

really funny skit was a take on The Dating Game, with Misa Doi,

LaKendra Tookes and Natalie Chediak as three eligible bachelorettes.

Daniel Sullivan was in the hot seat up in San Francisco asking the

questions. Ditto for Paul Baumgaertner as a friendly cable-car pot

dealer. A bigger problem besides the hot and cold material was the many

technical gaffes that occurred throughout. Blank screens, sound

implosions, and malfunctioning monitors kill the spontaneity that is

the heart of improv comedy. This show has "test product" written all

over it, but there are sparks of  brilliance here that provide hope for

future outings. Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood;

Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., thru Jan. 29. an Artform production. (Lovell Estell III)

THEATRE'S CLASSIC HITS A sampling of theater history, from

Shakespeare to Chekhov to Oscar Wilde. Knightsbridge Theater, 1944

Riverside Dr., L.A.; Sat.-Sun., 5 p.m.; thru Jan. 31. (323) 667-0955.

THE TOMORROW SHOW Late-night variety show created by Craig Anton,

Ron Lynch and Brendon Small. Steve Allen Theater, at the Center for

Inquiry-West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Sat., midnight. (323)

TWENTY-TWO A friend once explained his decision to quit cocaine as

his weariness of the disreputable types with whom he was forced to deal

and of the even scarier places where they invariably dealt. So it is in

actor-playwright Julia Morizawa's hyperkinetic, autobiographical

addiction nightmare. For Leila (Morizawa), the story's 22-year-old

heroine, however, no amount of unsavory associations can deter her from

her unapologetic, single-minded snorting of coke with the fierce

efficiency of a Shop-Vac. Her unbridled enthusiasm for the powder soon

ensnares her two best friends, Zoe (Shaina Vorspan) and the musician,

Danny (Matthew Black), whose cluttered apartment becomes Leila's de

facto drug den. With her boyfriend/dealer, Eric (Raymond Donahey), as

their enabler/supplier, the friends' walk on the sordid side quickly

careens into a coked-up version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Director

Donahey intensifies the luridness of the proceedings by seating the

audience on the set like so many uninvited guests. But Morizawa's

restricting focus on the outward spectacle of her characters' free fall

rarely musters pathos for their plunge. While the play hints at deeper

demons whetting Leila's manic appetite (i.e., fear and self-loathing),

the evening's most poignant and revealing moment belongs not to its

protagonist but to its bogeyman, Sol (the fine James Adam Patterson),

when the unscrupulous street dealer speaks with pride over a daughter's

scholastic achievements. Had Morizawa been as generous with her other

characters, she might have delivered something more engaging than

sideshow debasement and morbid, voyeuristic thrills. (Bill Raden).

Knightsbridge Theater, 1944 Riverside Dr., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

thru Jan. 30. (323) 667-0955.

THE WINDUP PUPPET SHOW Windup puppets come to life to the music of

Manheim Steamroller. Created by Chris Berube, directed and co-written

by Wendy Carter. Next Stage Theater, 1523 N. La Brea Ave., Second

Floor, L.A.; Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 28, (323)

AFTER HOURS SHOW Presented by Neo Acro Theatre Company. Avery

Schreiber Theater, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., 11

p.m.; thru Jan. 30...

ALMOST, MAINE Love is very much in the air in the idyllic community

of Almost, Maine, the setting for John Cariani's homage to Cupid's

often strange, unpredictable machinations. The play is formatted as a

series of star-filled, romantic encounters that are mostly sugary

sweet, with a sprinkling of salt for good measure. Director Ashley

Archambeau does a fine job marshaling the cast of 18, all of whom turn

in good performances. This more than makes up for the sillier, vacuous

moments that spring up during some of these vignettes. A good example:

"They Fell," with Erol Dolen and Adam Sandroni as two pals whose

underlying sexual attraction for each other causes them to fall on the

floor. It's funny for all of 10 seconds, but the skit lasts far longer.

Ditto for "This Hurts," where a bout of head bashing with ironing

boards turns gratingly sentimental and silly. "Where it Went" is a

heart-wrenching meditation on love lost with Luke Wright and Arianna

Arias as a couple whose once magical attraction has evaporated. "Sad

and Glad" tosses in a bit of the mysterious with Greyson Lewis and

Lauren Andrea as strangers brought together by a misspelled tattoo.

(Lovell Estell III). Avery Schreiber Theater, 11050 Magnolia Blvd.,

North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 30,

ARTS IN THE ONE WORLD Only at Calarts: "Presentations, performances

and workshops that demonstrate how survivors, artists and scholars give

testimony and bear witness to circumstances of conflict and social

injustice, opening imaginative space for participation in the recovery

of historical memory and social renewal.". California Institute of the

Arts, 24700 McBean Pkwy., Valencia; Through Jan. 24, (661) 253-7800.

A BIG GAY NORTH HOLLYWOOD WEDDING Interactive homo-nuptials by

William A. Reilly and Ben Rovner. Crown City Theatre, 11031 Camarillo

St., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 23. (818) 605-5685.

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo by Daniel Cerny

of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret (though sans music), this adaptation by

director and producer Pavel Cerny of Leonid Andreyev 1914 Russian play,

He Who Gets Slapped,   shifts the setting to Weimar Germany circa 1933.

A small traveling circus run by Ludwig Bricke (John Moskal) and his

common-law wife/lion-tamer Maria (Stephanie T. Keefer) serves as a

haven for those at the margins of society: Jackson (Jeff Williams), a

black American clown in whiteface; Tilly and Polly (Justin Hertner and

Lee Biolos), a longstanding gay couple; Bezano (Patrick Koffel), the

Communist horse trainer; and the newly-arrived mysterious clown named

"He" (an impressively nuanced Joshua Grenrock).  As the story, which

takes place entirely in the circus dressing room, unfolds, multiple

love triangles emerge, though the one of greatest consequence is that

between Bezano, Maria, and the bare back rider Consuelo (Tanya Goott),

who is engaged by her father Count Mancini (Kurt Hargan) to the wealthy

Baron Von Reinhardt (Ed Brigadier), the head of the local SA

stormtroopers.  While the remaining vestiges of the original melodrama

detract from what could be an extremely compelling piece of theatre,

Cerny has done his best to minimize them, and his Brechtian-style

entr'acte additions, such as the "news clowns," provide girding for the

menacing backdrop of Nazi Germany on the rise. Whitefire Theatre, 13500

Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Sun., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.; thru February

14. (866) 811-4111.  An Orpheum Theater Corporation Production.

(Mayank Keshaviah)

FRIENDS LIKE THESE Gregory Crafts' teen violence drama. Sherry

Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru

Jan. 30, (818) 849-4039.

GBLT: GAYS, BACON, LETTUCE AND TOMATO Tasty treats from Theatre

Unleashed's sketch comedy troupe Die Gruppe. Sherry Theatre, 11052

Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood; Wed., Jan. 27, 9 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 30,

10:30 p.m., (818) 849-4039.

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Paula Vogel's story of survival behind the

wheel. Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., Valley Village;

Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 20, (800)

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo courtesy of Parson's Nose

Davis' abridged 75 minute adaptation  of Moliere's classic eschews all

subtlety in an amusing, accessible romp with plenty of flair and humor.

Davis plays Argon, a mousey, myopic hypochondriac in a tizzy over his

mounting medical bills.  His solution: to marry off his unfortunate

daughter  Angelique (Amanda Pajer) to the loutish son of a quack

doctor,  in order to secure his in-law's services for free. Possessed

of a gargantuan ego, the self-preoccupied ninny Argon swallows whole

the extravagant protestations of love by his beautiful but conniving

second wife (Marisa Chandler)  -- even as she plots with her lover

(Mark McCracken), behind Argon's back -- to secure all his wealth.

Under Mary Chalon's direction, the production evolves with outsized

brio --  a stylistic  approach that succeeds  by virtue of  Davis'

considerable  acting skill, in tandem with the talents of Pajer and

Chandler, both of whom render their shtick with calibrated craft. Some

of the other characters come across as less crisply but are still good

enough to keep the farce crackling. Designer Holly Victoria's lovely

period costumes add professional polish. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los

Robles Ave., Pasadena;  Fri.-Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 5, (626)

403-7667. A Parson's Nose Theater Company production (Deborah Klugman)

THE JAMB World premiere of J. Stephen Brantley's comedy. Eclectic

Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village; Fri.-Sat., 8

p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 21. (818) 508-3003.

GO JUST IMAGINE The fun of seeing and hearing Tim

Piper's great John Lennon impersonation in an intimate setting with an

outstanding band, under Greg Piper musical direction, is just

undeniable. The evening, which includes a large portion of the Beatles

catalogue followed by Lennon's solo work, never misses a beat or lick

with Piper's perfectly pitched and accented voice and expert

instrumentation: Don Butler's hot guitar, Morley Bartnoff's keyboard

and Don Poncher's drums. The guys scruffily kowtow to Lennon's lead,

creating the perfect illusion of superstar power. Jonathan Zenz's sound

design achieves a powerful volume without killing our ears in the small

Noho Arts Center space. Lighting by Luke Moyer along with Tim Piper's

video images complete the double fantasy of Lennon before and after

Yoko. The musical portion is so enjoyable, under the overall eye of

director Steve Altman, that we hopefully forget the lame one-man play

that slips between the songs. Perhaps the plan is to pull Lennon off

his lofty saint-like perch, but the result of a plodding timeline

narrative bio leaves Lennon sounding dull and whiney, until the music

returns him to his proper place. (Tom Provenzano). Platinum Live, 11345

Ventura Blvd., Studio City; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.. (866)

MIXED BLESSINGS World premiere of Jeff Bernhardt's drama about a gay

German college student and his straight Jewish roommate. NoHo Actors

Studios, 5215 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Jan. 31,

(800) 838-3006.

NEW BEGINNINGS Neo Acro Theatre Company presents six original short

plays by local writers. Avery Schreiber Theater, 11050 Magnolia Blvd.,

North Hollywood; Sun..; thru Jan. 31...

ON THE AIR Golden Age of Radio murder-mystery musical comedy.

Whitefire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Sat., 8 p.m.;

thru March 6, (323) 960-4420.

ONE MAN, TWO PLAYS Dan Hildebrand in The Nonsense by Kevin Cotter and Whatever Gets You Through the Night by Andrew Kazamia. Sidewalk Studio Theatre, 4150 Riverside Dr., Burbank; Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 25. (323) 960-5650.

PROOF David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize winner, starring disabled

actress Teal Sherer. NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North

Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 21. (323)

RAY BRADBURY'S WISDOM 2116 Two by science-fiction author Ray Bradbury: Wisdom (1916), a new play, and 2116,

a new musical, book and lyrics by Bradbury, music by John Hoke,

developed, directed and choreographed by Steve Josephson. Fremont

Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 27, (323)

GO THE BROWNING VERSION Though not as widely known

or acclaimed as his contemporary British playwrights, Terence Rattigan

was a superb dramatist and chronicler of human emotions. Here,

Rattigan's The Browning Version, the gloomy story of an aging

schoolteacher crushed by failure and disappointment, receives a stellar

mounting by director Marilyn Fox. A well-regarded scholar of the

classics, Andrew Crocker-Harris (the superb Bruce French) has spent the

last 18 years as an instructor at a public school in England but must

leave the position because of failing health to take a less-stressful

job elsewhere. Now the object of jokes and ridicule by his students,

and denied a pension by the school, he has a bearing that is subdued by

sadness, yearning and a palpable "gallows" surrender to circumstance.

His wife, Millie (Sally Smythe), has given up on being happy with him

and has contented herself with numerous dalliances with his colleagues

(which she delights in reminding him of), and cruelly undermining what

remains of his sense of manhood. Her current lover, Frank (understudy

David Rogge), is torn between a sense of guilt, his admiration for

Andrew, and the dying embers of lust for Millie. It is only when the

professor is presented with a rare translation of Agamemnon

from a student (Justin Preston) that his mask of stoic restraint melts

to reveal a desperately fragile inner life. From this sedate tapestry

of characters, Rattigan artfully probes marriage, relationship and our

perverse capacity to embrace lacerating emotional pain and self-deceit,

which all unfolds beautifully on Norman Scott's cleverly designed

sitting-room mock-up. Fox directs this piece with masterful subtlety

and draws devastatingly convincing performances from her actors.(Lovell

Estell III). Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice;

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Feb. 14. (310) 822-8392.

CHAPTER TWO Neil Simon's 1977 comedy about a widowed writer. Theater

Palisades' Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific

Palisades; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 14. (310)

11, SEPTEMBER Playwright-performer Paul Kampf may have come up with

the perfect rationalization for writing what would seem, at face value,

the most implausible plot twists for his psychological thriller. It

concerns an affair between a mathematician, Martin Healy (Kampf),

visiting New York from his London home to attend a conference, and a

waitress, Angela Madison (Liz Rebert), with whom he becomes smitten.

Under Gita Donovan's direction, the actors' waves of attraction and

repulsion (from mutual distrust that slowly and hauntingly seeps out)

have a truthfulness that matches the authenticity of the uncredited

studio apartment, where the entire saga plays out. A rising tension

from the violence in the air and some very intriguing interconnections

add to play's capacity to entrance, and Chris Cash's musical

compositions help segue the many scenes with a delicate solemnity,

giving the event a cinematic feel. References to chaos and conspiracy

theories become the philosophical frame for plot developments that

might otherwise raise eyebrows in skepticism. The play rides the line

between exploring and exploiting coincidences, yet it gets bogged down

in its own psychological realism. This raises questions that can't be

answered by chaos theory, or any other -- such as why the characters

sometimes blurt out incendiary details of their past, given how neither

is particularly trustworthy, or why Martin would drop by uninvited and

wind up reading Angela's diary, conveniently left in her bed. (Steven

Leigh Morris). Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.;

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 7, (310) 477-2055.

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo by Jeremy Rousch of Vibble

Tiffany Antone's choppy farce, the sensibility of a Saturday morning

cartoon collides with a potentially fecund philosophical debate on the

ego's relationship with the id. Yet, the results are strangely

disjointed and unsatisfying. Jane Doe (Jessica Runck) is desperate to

scale the career ladder at her marketing job, but her many hours of

overwork are being undercut by bizarre nightmares and odd signals from

her subconscious - she dreamily fills her briefcase with ice and snow

shoes instead of the important files she needs, for instance, while

travel brochures for trips to the North Pole mysteriously appear on her

desk.   Her well meaning shrink, Dr. Annabelle (Coco Kleppinger), is

sympathetic - but Dr. Annabelle's partner, bug-eyed, twitching, and

stammering Dr. Snafu (Isaac Wade, annoyingly channeling the mad

scientist from the Back to the Future movies) has a more intriguing

suggestion.  He offers to clone Jane, so that she will be able to get

more done.  It's an idea that you and I both know will clearly end in

tears - and, sure enough, Jane's clone (a sweetly gamine Sara Kaye)

turns out to be nothing like her original, and winds up eclipsing

Jane's life.  With a frenetic staging that makes an imaginative if

assaultive impression, director Mary Jo DuPrey's production boasts some

tight choreography, strong comic timing and gleeful mugging.  Runck's

priggishly brittle Jane is nicely contrasted against Kaye's sweet,

earth-mother  clone.  Marika Stephens's calculatedly surreal set - all

sloping, angular furniture that puts one in mind of the villain's lair

in an old Batman episode - abets the cartoon mood.  However, all the

craftsmanship is ultimately in the service of a half baked play, whose

uneven tone, glib dialogue and messy plotting get stranded somewhere

between a theological argument and a screenplay wannabee about a wacky

office. Powerhouse Theater, 3116  Second Street, Santa Monica.

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 6. (310) 396-3680.  Los Angeles Theater

Ensemble. (Paul Birchall)

ITALIAN AMERICAN RECONCILIATION John Patrick Shanley's comedy about

two lifelong friends. Ruskin Group Theater, 3000 Airport Dr., Santa

Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 23. (310) 397-3244.

IT'S CRIMINAL! THE COMEDY! Courtroom adventures with criminal

defense attorney Murray Meyer. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St.,

Santa Monica; Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 13. (323) 960-7780.

LOVE IN BLOOM By Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie. Santa Monica

Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6

p.m.; thru Feb. 26. (310) 394-9779.

Stage Raw: Trauma Dolls

Photo by Vitor Martins

Tony Pasqualini's drama, Frank (Michael Rothhaar) and Joy (Robin

Becker) have lost a son, Andy, to the war in Iraq. Now they have become

fanatical super patriots, eager to condemn anyone who questions the

war. Their best friends, Mel (Sarah Brooke) and Andrew (writer

Pasqualini) also have a son, Michael (Albert Meijer), an émigré from a

Muslim country, whom they have adopted. Andy and Michael were

inseparable friends throughout their childhood, but their courses have

diverged. While Andy enlisted and went to his death in battle, Michael

also enlisted, but decided it was a mistake, and deserted his post.

Though Mel and Andrew are sympathetic to their son, Frank and Joy are

determined to force the boy to face his fears and accept his duty, even

by reporting his whereabouts to the authorities. This issue becomes a

catalyst, leading to disaster for both families. Pasqualini's play is

not really a thesis drama, but it often sounds like one, treating its

characters as mouth-pieces. There are, however some potent scenes.

Though we're clearly intended to sympathize with Michael, he's too

whiny and self-centered to take seriously. Director David Gautreaux has

able actors but sometimes allows them to succumb to wearisome hysteria

and shouting. Pacific Resident Theatre, 705 ½ Venice Boulevard, Venice;

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., thru March 28. (310) 822-8392 or (Neal Weaver)

GO AN OAK TREE On the simplest storytelling level,

actor-performer Tim Crouch's play is the tale of a hypnotist falling

apart at the seams, who after accidentally striking and killing a young

girl with his car, one day finds the victim's father on his stage.

Wrenching stuff. But on a conceptual level, the event takes this very

emotional saga and uses it as a kind of Ping-Pong ball to bat around

the idea of suspension of disbelief -- realities that we create through

suggestion. In order to accomplish this, for each performance he

employs a different actor, whom he meets less than one hour before the

performance, and who reads the role of the father from a script. And

so, through a frame of hypnotism that's just one of the play's many

artifices, begins a breathtaking examination of the blurred line

between what is real and what is suggested, of how we live in dream

worlds in order to get by, and how theater itself is a kind of hypnosis

that serves this very same purpose. Its brilliance is unfettered, and

inexplicably moving, for being such a head trip. (Steven Leigh Morris).

Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.;

Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 14. (310) 477-2055.

raves. Garage Theatre, 251 E. Seventh St., Long Beach; Fri., 8 p.m.;

Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.; thru Jan. 30. (866) 811-4111.

PICK OF THE VINE Nine original short plays selected from submissions

by playwrights from around the world. Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre

St., San Pedro; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 31, 7 p.m.; Thurs., Feb.

11, 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 13. (310) 512-6030.

PRINCESS BEAN'S MESSY WORLD Rock & roll kids musical about a petite

punk princess. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sat., 12:30

p.m.; thru Feb. 6, (310) 490-2383.

RUN FOR YOUR WIFE Ray Cooney's marriage farce. Morgan-Wixson

Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2

p.m.; thru Feb. 13, (310) 828-7519.

THE SENSUOUS SENATOR Michael Parker's 1988 bedroom farce. Sierra

Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Fri.-Sat., 8

p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; thru Feb. 27,

(626) 256-3809.

3RD STREET COMEDY . Promenade Playhouse, 1404 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica; Sat., 9 p.m.; thru Jan. 30. (310) 656-8070.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION The Kentwood Players present John Guare's

drama. Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8

p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 13, (310)

A SONG AT TWILIGHT Orson Bean, Alley Mills and Laurie O'Brien star

in Noel Coward's last play. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.,

L.A.; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru March 7, (310) 477-2055.

UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL Glen Berger's tale of a library book returned

133 years overdue. Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre St., San Pedro;

Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m.; thru Jan. 28. (310) 512-6030.

WEST Steven Berkoff's 1983 working-class London play. Electric

Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru Feb. 6, (310) 823-0710.

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text:
The Cinema Bar

3967 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230

  • Daily 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.
  • Full bar
  • Street Parking
Touted as "the world's smallest honky-tonk," this postage-stamp-size tavern is one of the oldest bars in Culver City. Over the decades, its tiny stage has hosted some big country, Americana, folk and roots acts. While the intimate room is most often associated with such country-rocking regulars as Rick Shea, the Dustbowl Revival, Randy Weeks, the Groovy Rednecks, Jaimi Shuey, Tony Gilkyson, Mike Stinson and I See Hawks in L.A., the booking policy also encompasses power-pop mavens like Anny Celsi and Ben Vaughn and freakier bands like Finland Station and Neighborhood Bullies. More than anything else, though, this neighborhood bar has a friendly vibe and an unpretentious atmosphere with its cheery Christmas lights, wood paneling, vintage photos of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and a jukebox that's stacked with classic country oldies. A large-screen television is often tuned to sports, and there's an open-air back patio for smoking. Live shows occur every night, and there's never a cover. Full bar. Ages 21 & over. Street parking.

Related Stories (2)

  • Anny Celsi
    1 year ago by Falling James

    Anny Celsi is one of this city's smartest and catchiest pop songwriters but, as is the case with so many talented musicians, she's far more popular in Europe than in her hometown. She might even be too clever for her own good, adapt...

  • Dive Bar Report: Cinema Bar
    5 years ago by Noah Galuten

    The Place: Cinema Bar: 3967 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City; (310) 390-1328. The Hours: Every day from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Digs: The self proclaimed "oldest bar in Culver City," with live music every night and no cover cha...

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text:
Brill’s Discontent

"Im taking on the last bastion of unbridled power in America: the press. So I knew Id get criticized by them." Indeed, Steven Brill has been getting hammered in the weeks since he launched his new media-watch magazine, Brills Content.

Brill, the media-savvy founder of American Lawyer magazine and Court TV, has never shied from controversy, and he took on all comers last week during a visit with the Greater L.A. Press Club at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. "Its a magazine and it has a point of view," Brill said of his Content . "My agenda is not hidden." But it isnt Brills agenda that has come under attack by the major players profiled in "Pressgate," the extensive and sensational cover story on press coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal that Brill penned for the debut issue of Brills Content . Instead, it was Brills ethics  just the sort of questions Brills Content is devoted to covering. The first criticism was leveled by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who said he was quoted out of context in a "reckless and irresponsible attack that borders on the libelous." In the ensuing weeks, several prominent journalists chimed in, claiming they were misquoted in the lengthy piece. Brill sidestepped those challenges in his L.A. appearance, telling an audience of 25 Press Club members and reporters that the simplest solution to this controversy would be for Starrs office to release all their telephone and in-person interview logs. Brill also called for more stringent fact checking throughout the industry. At his own magazine, Brill said he is requiring writers to provide comprehensive background and source material to corroborate their stories. His publication is also sending out questionnaires to a random sample of identified sources, to assure that writers actually did the interviews cited in Brills Content . "Nonfiction, whether its delivered in print, TV, radio, books or Web sites is either reliable or its not," said Brill. "Consumers need to have faith that it is." Love him or hate him, Brill is undeniably a master of timing, and not just for his headline-grabbing cover story. The launch of his new media review comes on the heels of a spate of recent scandals that include reporters fabricating quotes, fictionalizing characters or using apparent misinformation at The New Republic , Boston Globe and, most recently, CNN/Time Magazine , stories which have landed Brill appearances on Meet the Press and Nightline. While Brill has accumulated more publicity for Brills Content than any other start-up magazine in recent memory, the allegations of misquotes by reporters are indeed troubling. Brill quoted Susan Schmidt of the Washington Post saying she "heard from sources in Starrs office something about Vernon Jordan and coaching a witness." Schmidt immediately wrote Brill, denouncing the quote as false and defamatory. She also demanded a public correction. Now Newsweeks Michael Isikoff, another veteran investigative reporter, whose work on Linda Tripp, Lewinsky and the special prosecutor are central to Brills article, alleges that Brill "fabricated events and conversations" having to do with him and Newsweek . "Yes, I have a big problem with what he wrote," Isikoff told the Weekly . "As far as his reporting on me is concerned, there is nothing that he got right. I believe its truly dishonest, not just sloppiness. And I think its supremely ironic that he has the nerve to lecture other reporters on the need for factual accuracy." Isikoff added that Newsweeks Washington Bureau Chief, Ann McDaniel, sent a long letter to Bill Kovach, an ombudsman hired by Brill to keep the magazine honest. Isikoff said the letter details a long list of alleged inaccuracies and misquotes, and demands a blanket correction. Brill replied in writing to Schmidt, stating, "I specifically remember your having made both the statements you now dispute. And my notes clearly reflect that." Schmidt commented on Brills Press Club appearance by derisively asking, "Was he there looking to hire a fact-checker?" She also said the entire matter is now in the hands of management at the Washington Post . "Ive washed my hands of all this," Schmidt said. Ironically, Schmidt also received one of the questionnaires sent to cited sources. "It asks me if I was quoted accurately," she said with a laugh. As for Newsweek , Brill said Isikoff was the only journalist who extracted a prior agreement regarding their interviews. "I read every quote back to him, including the sentence in front and behind the quote so he could double-check the context in which his words were used," said Brill. "He knew and approved every quote. "From now on I want all the writers to try and get permission to tape their interviews, particularly those which might end being challenged by the participants."

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"Grim Sleeper" Story Stirs Comment

Comments from on Christine Pelisek’s story “Grim Sleeper” [Aug. 29–Sept. 4]:

The silence of the city toward the black and poor communities never ceases to amaze me. This is a serial killer actively operating; THAT alone should have everyone, no matter what race, class or neighborhood, let alone city office, up in arms. It does make this Angeleno wonder what would happen if the killings were occurring on the Westside or in hipster Silver Lake.

Posted by Terri Lloyd, Aug. 29

I am a black, 38-year-old South L.A. resident. I remember the “Hillside Strangler” and even the “Wilshire Strangler.” People dying in South L.A. has always taken a backseat to what happens on the Westside. Hundreds had died before gang violence was even considered an issue. We blame others, but our own politicians (whom we repeatedly, blindly re-elect) don’t fight for us on issues that don’t bring them some type of political exposure.

Posted by Charles Mincy, Aug. 31

What a shame that Pelisek had to turn this into an anti-Westside, “silverware bandit” screed, conjuring up bogus bogeymen of race and discrimination/favoritism once again. The fact that well over a dozen old ladies on the Westside and Santa Monica were assaulted in their homes at gunpoint, usually in the middle of the night as they slept (though a few during the day), by someone who threatened to kill them if they didn’t turn over their valuables is in no way responsible for what’s going on in South L.A. This killer has apparently just resurfaced after many years, and your article blaming the Westside for Bratton’s alleged lack of concern ... is just plain harmful to all sides.

Posted by Suhina from Santa Monica, Sept. 1

Mixed reactions to Jonathan Gold’s article on a new cafe [“Tierra Mia Explores Coffee for the Latino Palate,” Aug. 29–Sept. 4]:

Tierra Mia has great coffee; I am a coffee freak and it has the best brews I have ever tasted. Its original creations — the horchata blend and the beans-and-rice blend — are worth taking a road trip for.

Posted by George from Bell, Aug. 23

Just another coffee clone. ... Some different flavors like horchata and other Hispanic tastes, but it feels like this establishment is trying to tap into the pockets of Latino people.

Posted by Lee from the O.C., Aug. 24

An article by Max Taves, “UCLA Profs and Scientists Sued Animal-Rights Radicals” [Aug. 29-Sept. 4], incorrectly said that currently provides personal information on UCLA researchers. In fact, under court order earlier this year, the Web site operator, Jean Barnes, removed the personal information.

Send letters to L.A. Weekly, 3861 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA  90230. Fax: (323) 465-3220; e-mail:

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Legal Question in Personal Injury in California

At Parkside Bistro, Ogden believes that he was overcharged and shoves Nellie, the waiter. Nellie sues Ogden, alleging that the shove was a battery. Ogden is liable

1. if Ogden acted out of malice.

2. if the shove was offensive.

3. under no circumstances⎯the shove was not a battery.

4. if Parkside did not overcharge Ogden.

Asked on 6/22/12, 8:40 pm

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3 Answers from Attorneys

Michael Stone-Molloy The Lion's Law Office

Please do not use this message board to cheat on your studies.

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Answered on 6/22/12, 9:12 pm
Timothy McCormick Libris Solutions - Dispute Resolution Services

Cheating on law school work constitutes moral turpitude. Really worth being blocked from taking the bar exam to get a better grade in torts class? Really?

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Answered on 6/22/12, 10:09 pm
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

You are supposed to be learning how to answer questions like this yourself. Asking us to do it for you is cheating.

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Answered on 6/25/12, 1:24 pm

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VMI Comes up Just Short Against Jacksonville

LEXINGTON, Va. -- VMI gave one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's top teams all it handle Saturday afternoon, but a five third-quarter by Jacksonville cooled off a rally-oriented Keydet squad at Drill Field #2.

Down by multiple goals several times in the first half of the game, which was just the second at home for VMI this season, the Keydets rallied to tie game on two occasions, including 5-5 at halftime. But the Dolphins, who improved to 4-0 in MAAC play and 6-3 overall, posted five goals in the third quarter, while VMI had just one, to break the game open.

"I was really happy to fight to get this thing tied back at 5-5 entering the half and they (Jacksonville) capitalized on a couple of our turnover mistakes and hit us for two good transition goals in the third and put us back in the hole we had to fight back out of," said VMI head coach Brian Anken, now in his third season at the Institute.

The Keydets were paced on offense by senior Russell East, who tagged his fifth career hat trick. East was crucial to VMI's comeback bid, striking on back-to-back goals in transition midway through the fourth quarter to make it a three goal game, 11-8.

Junior Bernie Mowbray put up a pair of goals while Mike DeBlasio, Gage Snowbarger and Brad Biondello scored once each. DeBlasio wrapped up a two-point day with an assist late in the first quarter. Anthony Mordaga was VMI's leading assister with a pair while Will Baker kicked in a helper as well.

Jacksonville was led offensively by Ari Waffle and Cameron Mann, each of whom scored three goals. Kyle Rebman and Rob Wertz chipped in two each as Will Crenshaw, Dakota Rohlin and Brian Kensil each tallied one marker. James Trentini had a three-assist day to lead the game while David Goldman matched Mordaga's pair. Mann, Rebman and Waffle all contributed one assist each.

It was another monster day for senior goalkeeper Matt Lindemann, who made 19 saves, the third-most saves he's made in a game this season. With that total, Lindemann has made 296 career saves, ranking him ninth all-time in program history. Late in the game, Lindemann made a flurry of saves to help keep VMI within striking distance.

On the other end of the field, Jacksonville was anchored by 15 saves from its goalkeeper, Pete DeLuca, including seven in the fourth quarter.

VMI had one of its best defensive outings of the season, holding Jacksonville to 13 goals, two of which came in the final 1:10 of regulation. The Keydet backers were led by sophomore Tyler Prasnicki, who returned after missing last weekend's game with an upper body injury. The Rockbridge County High School product forced five Dolphin turnovers, leading VMI to 14 caused turnovers as a team.

"There is no doubt in the difference he makes on defense immediately," said Anken of his starting defenseman. "Five caused turnovers, multiple groundballs and the communication piece he brings to the rest of the defensemen it elevates their level of play just having him on the field."

In the clearing aspect of the game, VMI had its finest outing of the year, gaining the offensive zone 27 times against 28 attempts. Jacksonville went 26 of 29 for the game. For the first time since Feb. 2, a span of six games, the Keydets out-groundballed an opponent, albeit by a narrow 36-35 margin. Four different VMI players had four groundballs, with starters DeBlasio and Lindemann joined by Drew Epps and Will Baker off the bench each grabbing four.

VMI was efficient on the extra-man during the second-ever varsity game at Drill Field #2. The Keydets went three for six with the man advantage, scoring all three in the first half on four chances. The first two extra-man goals helped VMI eliminate a 3-0 deficit as Snowbarger and Mowbray banged home goals. DeBlasio tallied VMI's third during the second quarter.

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3.16.035. Regulatory approval needed

            Before offering or providing any services pursuant to the franchise, a provider shall obtain any and all regulatory approvals, permits, authorizations, or licenses for the offering or provision of such services from the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities, if required, and shall submit to the City upon the written request of the City evidence of all such approvals, permits, authorizations, or licenses.

Ord. No.97-35, Recodified, 6/19/1997
Ord. No. 97-62, Enacted, 10/16/1997

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