Theatrical shows registered on the Better Lemons calendar!
For more shows visit our Calendar. For shows with a LemonMeter rating, visit our LemonMeter page.
Always Open
“Nothing happens. Everything changes. 11:45 pm on a Sunday in 1994 at an all-night diner where a group of friends idle their lives away. Two new additions make them reflect on who they are. Told first inside the diner, then the same time period from outside.”
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The Rat Mentalist
“He reads minds! He sends thoughts! He eats cheese! He’s a rat! Sprinkles, the Clairvoyant Rat, (with the aid of his handler and partner Christopher T. Magician) will gnaw away at your preconceived notions of reality as he demonstrates his uncanny extrasensory abilities. The impossible will seem possible as you witness him receiving thoughts from audience members, transmitting specific numbers into others’ minds, swapping brainwaves with a human, and perfectly predicting future events. The unbelievable will become believable when you experience The Rat Mentalist!”
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A Streetcar Named Desire
“In the sultry streets of New Orleans, passions flare and cultures collide in Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece. Blanche DuBois, a fading relic of the Old South, searches for refuge at her sister’s home, only to collide with reality in the form of Stanley Kowalski, her brutish brother-in-law.”
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You Win or You Die: Tales of the Seven Kingdoms and Beyond
“Celtic Arts Center friend Becky Bishop is coming into town from Portland to play a live performance of Game of Thrones-inspired songs — both original and song covers from the series. The music is in the Celtic/world/folk and folk rock styles and featuring some fine LA players.”
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PRETTY, WITTY NELL
“HE’S BACK! Hollywood Fringe International Award Winner 2015 & 2016 – Comedy Award Nominee 2016 – famed British playwright, Ryan J-W Smith, (“The Bard Mark Two” – BBC) returns to LA with his celebrated theatre company, Rogue Shakespeare®, to present his latest comedy, PRETTY, WITTY NELL, penned in his iconic, award-winning iambic verse. PRETTY, WITTY NELL is an outrageous farce that retells the history of scandalous English actress/courtesan, Nell Gwynne – the famous mistress of the wild British monarch, King Charles II. Like all of Smith’s plays, PRETTY, WITTY NELL is written entirely in rhyming iambic pentameter.”
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Swipe Right: The Musical!
“’Swipe Right: The Musical!’ is just as silly and stupid as you’d hope. The story follows one woman’s bold decision to swipe right and take a chance on “Mike,” a fuckboy with a heart of gold. Will they end up together? Or just bang one to three times and never speak again?… Swipe Right details the rise and fall of one brief, insignificant, dating app love affair. If you’ve ever been single, then you’ll understand. ‘Swipe Right: The Musical!’ is purely about having fun and laughing at our pain. Think ‘My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ meets every bad date you’ve ever been on. It’ll leave you screaming, ‘no he didn’t!’ and, ‘I can relate, honey.’”
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Tethered
“Tethered is a furiously paced and whip-smart tale set in the world of mid-market mayoral politics. At its core, it’s a Sorkin-esque blistering portrayal of the characterizations that can both define us and hold us back. Tethered asks difficult questions and explores their implications in a manner that combines tense exchanges with astute cultural observations. It’s a story about individuals that resist and embrace the labels applied to them, and the expectations placed on us in complex circumstances. How these characters navigate their values and what’s politically expedient will define their moment, and ultimately ours.”
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HARVEY
“It is a spring afternoon at the Dowd family home when Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend Harvey, a six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit, to guests at his sister Veta’s society luncheon. Horrified that the embarrassing family secret is now exposed, Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium, but a mistake is made when Veta is committed rather than Elwood. French Stewart (“3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Mom”) and real-life wife Vanessa Claire Stewart (Laguna Playhouse’s “Keely” in Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara) star in Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy that has everyone questioning what exactly is real, and who is really crazy?”
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The Pirates of Penzance
“Gilbert and Sullivan’s musical comedy is packed full of sentimental pirates, blundering policemen, absurd adventures, and performed by some of the San Gabriel Valley’s most talented juvenile actors and singers.”
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Hoboken
“Jack and Erica find love after a one-night stand leaves them hopelessly trying to uncover more of each other. She wants to be a famous actress and he’s a mysterious Irishman who has the money to make her dreams come true – until a Russian screenplay, two million dollars in unmarked bills and taboo desires threaten to tear them apart. How much is too much?”
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Edward: Black Psycho
“After ‘Edward James’ is slain by police, he rises from the dead and wreaks havoc on America. Edward: Black Psycho is a one-act solo play that explores why the marginalized riot. It believes that Suppression and Oppression lead to Pain and that pain leads to revenge. The play blends horror; drama; satire and spoken word to explore the many facets of marginalization and the cycle of hurt it perpetuates.
It’s Edward’s riot … don’t take it personally.”
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BECOMING PEACE: A One Woman Dramedy about Power, Culture, Violence and Nonviolence
“’BECOMING PEACE,’ [is] a One Woman Rhythmic Dramedy about Power, Culture, Violence and Nonviolence – explores the little known Power and Possibility of Nonviolence (Satyagraha/Ahimsa/Peace) – and just how much Life and the World can transform when we ‘attack the wrong and not the wrongdoer!’”
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Dead Accounts
“Quick-witted Jack, a banker from New York, unexpectedly returns home to Ohio after several years in the Big Apple. His smart, acerbic, and yearning-for-more sister, Lorna, and his worried and talkative mother, Barbara, immediately suspect he is in some kind of trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when Jack’s estranged wife, Jenny, comes to town and reveals that Jack has stolen 27 million dollars…this comedy tackles the timely issues of corporate greed, small-town values, and whether or not your family will always welcome you back, with no questions asked.”
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Kentwood Players Presents Pippin
“The award-winning musical PIPPIN tells the story of a young prince who longs to find passion and adventure in his life. PIPPIN originally debuted on Broadway 1972 with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. This beautiful and thought-provoking musical uses the premise of a magical and mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to lead the audience through Pippins adventures.”
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Food For All
“A 412-pound man sitting in a 4-wheeled chair glutting his gut for more becomes dismayed that more is not enough. His chair rolls him nowhere but where he’s always been, a prisoner in his own rage-cage, beating its bars to be free of who he is and those who put him there. It is when he stops rolling and tilts his chair backwards, seeing the audience upside down, does he see his life in true perspective and understand that more has never been enough, that enough is not in chitlins, sowbelly, and ‘lasses but just possibly in the small bite of an apple.”
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UNDERTOW
“In Bruce Ducat’s play, Undertow, the crosscurrents of Jake’s and Shelly’s lives pull them into the depths from which there is no escape except the choice to live or not to live. To live is liberation from despair. Not to live is suicide. Can Jake find life in death? Is Shelly struggling to live, or is she already dead?”
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Mormon Playgirl
“CC Sheffield presents the many characters that make up her world- sometimes dark, sometimes hilarious, always unpredictable. From Mormon teen to the Babylon of Hollywood. Charlie Sheen, Harvey Weinstein and endless nights in the club. All the big and little triumphs that make a Mormon Playgirl.”
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No More Toys
“No More Toys follows Todd, a local college recruiter, who, after a successful presentation, returns to a high school classroom to retrieve his forgotten baseball cap. Upon his arrival, Todd realizes that something is off – and doesn’t take the hint to leave and suddenly finds himself held hostage by a disgruntled student in the room.”
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
“Step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s modern classic, Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, an international sensation that continues to amaze and delight with its captivating story of soaring romance, bright humor, and thrilling adventure. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of composer Alan Menken’s (The Little Mermaid and Newsies) memorable songs from the film, plus delightful new ones. Nominated for nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, it’s a tale as old as time… given a fresh, inventive, lively new production you won’t want to miss!”
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Fifty Shades of Melania
“Fifty Shades of Melania is a deep-dive comedic take on the various faces of the FLOTUS who doesn’t really care – or does she? – and the complicated spectrum of stereotypes women constantly fight, exploit, or reverse. Victim or accomplice? Trapped or willing agent? Melania Trump is an enigma; her actions and words contradictory. As both the media and public speculate about the First Lady’s true emotions concerning her husband and the presidency, she maintains an air of mystery – perhaps on purpose.”
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The Long Gravel Road
“Conjuring the spirit of Court Jester, Clown, Fool and Harlequin, The Long Gravel Road is part mythology, memoir and part invention and tells the story of thoughts inside just a few seconds in a person’s mind while retrieving the morning paper. Accentuating essence of experience over rational text this work invokes French actor/director theorist Artaud’s famous radical manifesto on ‘Metaphysical Mise en Scene’ in which a noise, glance, gesture or touch when combined can create a feeling of unity with all things and dovetails into space where movement and sounds are more predominant than plot.”
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SPEAK I WILL: A FRACTURED SHAKESPEARE
“By piecing together some of the Bard’s most famous texts, the performers create their own unique Fractured Shakespeare monologues. Don’t miss Fractured Shakespeare as they combine the words of Beatrice, King Lear, Lady Macbeth, Henry V, Katherina ‘The Shrew’ and more, to explore issues of gender, power, identity, and love.”
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Ragtime
“Famous historical characters and a rich score propel Ragtime through a spectacular re-creation of turn-of-the-20th-century New York. Based on E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed novel, this 13-time Tony-nominated musical paints a nostalgic and powerful portrait of three people — a stifled married woman from the upper classes, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young musician from Harlem — whose fates become unexpectedly intertwined.”
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Stranger Things 2: The Musical Tribute
“Before “Stranger Things 3” premieres on July 4, come recap with “Stranger Things 2: The Musical Tribute!” It’s a sequel to the sold-out live show at El Cid with a book adapted from Season 2 of the Netflix mega-hit and 13 original songs inspired by the sounds of 1984 from Van Halen to Prince to Run-DMC. Fast-paced and high-octane, the ensemble cast of seven plays 21 characters.”
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Wigfield
“Wigfield — the can-do town that just may not — is shadowed by the Bulkwaller Dam, a structure the government wants to tear down. Since the ‘residents’ (squatters) of Wigfield have built ramshackle structures that violate all ordinances of the fire code, the government has no plans to pay for their relocation and the ‘town’ will be flooded. Wigfield must prove they are a town worth saving and maybe … even recognizing.”
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The Producers
“When a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, things go awry when the show is a hit. THE PRODUCERS skewers Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners as it proudly proclaims itself an ‘equal opportunity offender!’”
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A Terrible Show for Terrible People
“You’re not just watching a Terrible Show – you’re participating in the destruction of common decency. A Terrible Show for Terrible People is a non-verbal solo clown performance that Stage Raw calls ‘hilarious, irreverent.’ Let physical comedian Bonnie He bring you on a fun, flirtatious journey…A Terrible Show for Terrible people is winner of the ‘Craziest Solo Show’ from the Crazy Woke Asians Solo Performance Festival at the Santa Monica Playhouse.”
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The London Rose
“’The London Rose’ tells the story of Edward, a transgender man. It’s 1895 and Edward Kingsley returns to London after escaping his former life as ‘Emily.’ He builds his new life with help from the quick-thinking Lee, the sardonic Rosanna Winchester, and the tortured, closeted John Collins. When Oscar Wilde’s conviction for homosexuality turns life upside-down in Londontown, Edward must fight for the safety of his loved ones and for his own human dignity.”
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Birthday by Michael David Ker
“After a shitty year – losing both parents, then his home in the Woolsey fire – one man attempts to rise from the ashes and celebrate LIFE in a new way. Imagine if a raging fire was outside your door, about to burn your home to the ground. You have only minutes to grab a few items and get out before everything goes up in smoke. What would you take? What would you leave behind? What do you treasure the most? This one-person-show is a comic reexamination of what’s really important in life. It’s about holding onto humor, hope, and trusting that something bigger is at play, even in the midst of tragedy.”
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Anne, A New Play
“In celebration of what would have been Anne Frank’s 90th birthday this June, the Simon Wiesenthal Center presents a unique play that reframes Anne’s story through an unconventional lens. In this new adaptation of the immortal Holocaust story, 13-year-old Anne Frank imagines her life as a young woman — safe in a post-war world. When she meets a publisher who expresses interest in her story, Anne looks back on the two years she spent hidden away with her family during the Nazi regime. This innovative production eschews traditional sets and costumes to place the audience and actors on the same dramatic plane as the characters — all real people under real circumstances — fighting for their lives, sanity and dreams of the future.”
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How To Be A Rock Star
“Artist Sam Pocker takes songs from his catalog (he recorded 7 albums in one year) and combines them with some of his large-scale performance art pieces to create an all-new show. The performance will include elements of rock, pop, opera, country, dance, musical theatre, magic, illusion, mime, spoken word, puppetry, circus arts, and glow sticks. As the self-proclaimed ‘Robert Wilson of dive bars.’ Pocker is looking forward to using this festival to try out some new routines along with popular favorites from his band ‘The Pretty Colors.’”
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Mandy Picks A Husband
“Mandy, nearing 40, living alone in LA with her 13-year-old cat, takes the audience on a hilarious 60-minute rollercoaster ride as she relives her odyssey to find the perfect life partner while simultaneously searching to find herself. Through twists and turns, laughs and tears, Mandy continuously spins from boyfriend to boyfriend, from self-help coach to healer, on a quest to unearth the magic elixir for her unmarried soul. ‘Mandy Picks A Husband’ is Amanda Broomell’s new raw and witty autobiographical solo comedy of self-discovery and lifelong commitment.”
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The Notorious M.O.M.S.
“Before Seinfeld. Before Eddie Murphy. Before Robin Williams. Before Andrew Dice Clay. Before Whoopi or Wanda Sykes, there was Moms. From her start in the Vaudeville “Chitlin Circuit” to her groundbreaking political and gender-bending stance in an ever-changing world throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the spirit of Moms Mabley’s voice echos in the world of comedy today and forever. Introducing The Notorious M.O.M.S!”
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Danny and The Deep Blue Sea
“Violent, vulnerable, yearning for something. Two strangers find their way to each other in a dark and dirty bar. They are both in deep need but without the wherewithal to help themselves. They do, however, attempt to reach outside of their broken exteriors and connect. From the moment these two share the same air they engage in what Shanley refers to as, ‘An Apache Dance; a violent dance for two people’. The push/pull between them is palpable, hungered for, and may burn out as quickly as the flame was lit.”
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What I Never Told You
“An adult dramedy that reminds us why it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Alysha and Nick have been together for 7 years, never married and no children. After Nick arrives home beyond fashionably late for a much-needed date night out, he and Alysha begin down the road of discussing their relationship. Through arguing over things all couples can relate to, laughing at old memories, sharing secrets, insecurities, and honest thoughts of how their life could be, they ultimately remind themselves how deep their love is. A knock on the door, however, brings the world crashing down around them.”
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The Blank Theatre 27th Annual Young Playwrights Festival
“Professional actors and directors present 12 winning plays by young playwrights from across the nation during this prestigious four-week festival. Three different plays are presented each week.”
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To Richard!
“An older white lady, Carol, and a younger Latino man, Andrew, cross paths deep in the woods of Connecticut. Carol carries a monogrammed L.L. Bean canvas tote bag. And Andrew … shouldn’t his name be Andrés? After sufficiently freaking each other out, this comedy of errors quickly devolves into a soul-baring, truth-revealing tête-à-tête that both magnifies and transcends Carol’s and Andrew’s differences, proving that sometimes polar opposites have more in common than meets the eye.”
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She Kills Monsters
“How do you connect with your sister when she’s dead? By ass-kicking your way through Dungeons and Dragons, of course! Qui Nguyen’s play is re-imagined with shadow puppets, soundscapes, and swords. And monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.”
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