Email Author Robrt L. Pela

2007 Stories by Robrt L. Pela

• Theater Scene

  published May 10, 2007

  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Phew. It looked for a second there as if theater audiences were actually... More >>

• Crashed Diet!

  published April 26, 2007

  The folks over at North Valley Playhouse had better hope that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation doesn't get wind of the offensive... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published April 26, 2007

  The Pillowman: Child abuse and child murder are all the rage in theater these days. There’s John Patrick Shanley’s... More >>

• Fatal Flaw

  published April 12, 2007

  I greeted the announcement of Stray Cat Theatre's Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy with great glee, thinking, "At last! Someone has... More >>

• Amanda Monrad

  published April 12, 2007

  She´s come a long way since playing a fawn in a grade-school pageant, and actor/director Amanda Monrad has learned plenty along the way.... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published April 12, 2007

  Well: Lisa Kron’s autobiographical play, set in the Lansing, Michigan, neighborhood where she grew up, delves into her family... More >>

• My Super Sweet Six

  published March 29, 2007

  Sarah Donnelly isn't having a great day. It's her seventh birthday, and she's surrounded by all her best friends. And a clown. And a pony. And a... More >>

• Working Classy

  published March 22, 2007

  On paper, Richard Dresser's Augusta sounds a whole lot more dreary than it turns out to be. Thanks to some fine acting and smooth... More >>

• Christ Complex

  published March 22, 2007

  I suppose it could happen to anyone: You spend a good chunk of your professional life getting paid to pretend you're Christ, and after awhile you... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published March 22, 2007

  Previews and reviews by Robrt L. Pela Frozen: Bryony Lavery’s dark, thoughtful drama about a pedophile serial killer wo... More >>

• Closer to Perfect

  published March 15, 2007

  To get an idea of why I was so deeply frustrated by Black Theatre Troupe's excellent production of Fabulation or the Re-Education of... More >>

• Speech Impediments

  published March 15, 2007

  Fortunately for the folks in the audience at Phoenix Theatre, Black Theatre Troupe executive director David Hemphill is appearing in PT's current... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published March 15, 2007

  My Fair Lady: The rain in Spain will, these next several weeks, be falling mainly on the theatrical plain of Broadway Palm Dinner... More >>

• Ugly Betty

  published March 1, 2007

  About halfway through the second act of Christopher Durang's wildly funny Betty's Summer Vacation, a couple of electric saws appear out of... More >>

• Best Bettys

  published March 1, 2007

  Betty Comden: As one half of the legendary musical duo of Comden and Green, Betty Comden produced six decades' worth of Hollywood and... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published March 1, 2007

  My Fair Lady: The rain in Spain will, these next several weeks, be falling mainly on the theatrical plain of Broadway Palm Dinner... More >>

• Sad Sedaris

  published February 15, 2007

  David and Amy Sedaris' The Book of Liz is a smart, funny, shrewdly crafted piece of writing, full of sly social commentary and jam-packed... More >>

• Judy Kaye

  published February 15, 2007

  Who says Phoenix doesn't turn out winners? Not former Phoenician Judy Kaye, on whose mantel rests a Tony Award for her portrayal of Carlotta in... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published February 15, 2007

  Munched: This workshop reading of local actor/author Kim Porter's new play features Ken Love in a story about Munchausen Syndrome by... More >>

• Ella Be Good

  published February 1, 2007

  It isn't difficult to believe that Tina Fabrique is the real Ella Fitzgerald while watching her perform in Ella, the musical biography of... More >>

• Ella: High Points

  published February 1, 2007

  1934 In her first stage performance, Ella Fitzgerald wins an Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater. 1936 Ella's first... More >>

• Theater Scene

  published February 1, 2007

  The Death Bite: Hal Corley's unfortunately named drama is not about vampirism, but rather about 18 hours in the life of Robyn Fair,... More >>

• Hung Out to Dry

  published January 18, 2007

  Imagine being trapped in a tiny room full of people who cannot sing but insist on doing so anyway (at the top of their lungs!), and you'll... More >>

• Laura Kerrigan

  published January 18, 2007

  She'll empty ashtrays and even clean the lobby toilet, but don't ask Laura Kerrigan to make your dog a star. By day, Kerrigan is Desert Stages... More >>

• The Year in Revue

  published January 4, 2007

  Forced to give a name to the past year in theater, I would have to call it The Year of Ron May, because while many of his compatriots struggled to... More >>