Cynthia Citron

Story and photo by Cynthia Citron STUDIO CITY, California —  “In my family we would scream and yell at each other and then we would have dessert.” In Sherry Glaser’s family, there was a lot to scream about — a mother who was manic-depressive and schizophrenic and proud of it, a grandmother who was also mentally deranged […]

By Cynthia Citron BURBANK, California — If you were an actor whose most recent claim to fame was playing a pimp in the men’s toilet in Central Park, an impromptu trip to Uganda might not seem so unreasonable. At least it didn’t seem so for Johnny O’Callaghan, one of the main performers in a thriller

By Cynthia Citron NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California — Who would have suspected the sophisticated, debonair, and wittily  dismissive Noel Coward to be a mooshy patriot?  Anyone who’s ever seen his play Peace In Our Time, that’s who. This intense drama, first performed in 1947, is being given a brand new outing by the excellent Antaeus Company.  Seldom performed because of  its large cast, it has not

By Cynthia Citron HOLLYWOOD — If you are a Frankie freak—and who  among us is not?—you will find no greater pleasure than flying away to the Pantages Theatre before November 6th.  There Sinatra reigns supreme, singing 27  of his all-time hits—songs that make you want to hug whoever’s sitting next to you. Come Fly Away is

By Cynthia Citron SANTA MONICA, California –You might think that The Tragedy of the Commons deals with some sort of disaster that befalls Mr. and Mrs. Commons.  But no, the commons referred to here is that pristine public park set aside in a newly established village for the enjoyment of its inhabitants.  Early on, however,

  By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — The God of Isaac is an irritatingly unconvincing play, despite the earnest charm of its leading man, Adam Korson. Korson plays Isaac Adams, a Jewish journalist in Chicago happily married to his blonde “shiksa goddess,” a badly wigged fashion model played by Corryn Cummins.  Isaac, like so many

By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — Pedro Almodovar’s imaginative new film, The Skin I Live In, is a bizarre amalgam of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Pygmalion. Shot in the glowing sunshine of an idyllic Spanish country estate, it is a brooding, dark fantasy of love, hate, and revenge. A strikingly handsome Antonio Banderas

By Cynthia Citron Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — Watching a marriage implode can be painful.  Watching two marriages implode can be hilarious.  In playwright Theresa Rebeck’s play Poor Behavior, now having its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum, two couples, long-time friends, are spending a weekend together in the country.  They are not academics

By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — Aleksei Fedorchenko’s latest film, Silent Souls, is both silent and soulful. And incredibly Russian. The story revolves around the ritual burial of Tanya (Yuliya Aug), the much-loved wife of the manager of a paper factory, Miron (Yuri Tsurilo). Unwilling to involve “outsiders” in the funeral preparations for Tanya, Miron

By Cynthia Citron PASADENA, California — Like In the Heights, the recent happy musical set in New York’s Washington Heights, South Street, the new musical that had its world premiere this week at the Pasadena Playhouse, also glorifies a neighborhood. The setting is Philadelphia, home of the Phillies, the cheesesteak sandwich, and Sammy’s Place. This

By Cynthia Citron PASADENA, California –“I started out in college in pre-med, but I couldn’t hack the chemistry. Then I switched to pre-law, but I found it boring. Then I went to see a production of Georges Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear, and it hit me like a ton of bricks — ‘That’s what

By Cynthia Citron BURBANK, California –“A woman needs to marry before she gets too interesting,” Elena says ruefully. And Elena, as played by Michelle Duffy, is one of the most interesting characters you’ll see on stage this year. Elena is a hippie who never got over it. She also, apparently, never quite got over her

By Cynthia Citron NORTH HOLLYWOOD — His exuberance could suck all the air out of a venue as large as New York’s Winter Garden. His massive ego was on display as he referred to himself in the third person, as Jolie, and as “the WOW.” He bragged that he was the first to break the