A Letter to John Kelly

By Patrick Hurley

Dear Mr. Kelly,

This is in response to your solo performance art piece titled, Time No Line that I just saw at Redcat in Los Angeles.

New Musical “Upstairs” Offers a Familiar View of LGBTQ*

By Patrick Hurley

The new musical The View UpStairs, is making its West Coast premiere at Celebration Theatre. The musical which features book, music and lyrics by Max Vernon is a sort of nostalgic, slightly politicized and gaycentric piece that raises comparisons of violence toward the modern LGBTQ community and the early 1970s, where community was a much different word and idea.

Privilege Has a Price for Straight White Men

By Patrick Hurley

What does white privilege look like? Playwright Young Jean Lee not only wants to show us what it looks like, but she places it into such sharp focus in her hilarious new play Straight White Men, playing now at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, that the result is a stunningly authentic and honest piece of naturalism that beautifully explores the nature of sibling and paternal relationships.

La Mirada’s Rent Is Somewhat Extravagant, But Still Resonant.

By Patrick Hurley

Tackling addiction, poverty, and love Rent, is a dark, somewhat overwrought depiction of life in the East Village of New York City in the middle of the AIDS crisis.

Cirque goes Steampunk!

By Patrick Hurley

Anyone who’s ever experienced Cirque Du Soleil can attest to the fact that the physical feats are the draw. We want to see incredibly, nearly impossible human ability.

Extreme Guards Makes for Great Theater

By Patrick Hurley
Average men having to do unimaginable things strikes a violent and elegiac chord in The Geffen Playhouse production of Guards at the Taj, playing now through November 15. The play, written by Rajiv Joseph is a two-handed exploration of truth, beauty, and friendship at its most heightened extreme.

Bullets is Paper Thin, But It’s Also Entertaining.

By Patrick Hurley
The idea of updating, modernizing, and reimagining Shakespeare’s plays is nothing new. And for the Yale Repertory Theatre Production of These Paper Bullets, Presented at the Geffen Playhouse in association with Atlantic Theater Company, with its self-proclaimed “modish”ness, is an updated, kind of modernized, somewhat reimagined Much Ado About Nothing, and the whole thing is a frothy, watered-down, clunky affair.

When it Finds its Focus, Bent Becomes Beautiful

By Patrick Hurley Taking its cue from the gay rights movement of the late 1970s, when it was written, Martin Sherman’s play Bent, playing now through August 23 at the Mark Taper Forum, wants to make a statement to the gay community.

Richard Struggles for Control

By Patrick Hurley
Richard III, Shakespeare’s history play about political posturing, manipulation, greed, and power that ultimately led to the end of the war of the roses is playing now through August 30 at the Eclectic Theatre Company.

First Love is a Tender Thing in Wonderful Girlfriend

By Patrick Hurley

The awkwardness of first love is sweetly and nostalgically captured in the Actors Theatre of Louisville Production of Girlfriend, playing now through August 9 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.