116 stories by "Terry Morgan"
The phrase “for want of a horse” is most commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack from 1758, describing the cascading effect of how the absence of one small…
I am a longtime fan of Tom Jacobson’s theatrical work. I think he’s one of Los Angeles’ best playwrights, and he has been for decades. He’s equally at home with structurally and them…
These days, when I read that a particular play has won the Pulitzer Prize, I unfairly become a bit more dubious of that work's quality. The same applies to the Tony awards " I've just seen s…
Some parts of the world seem to provide more fertile soil in which plays can grow. Ireland and New York have been especially fruitful, providing O'Neill, Miller, McPherson and McDonagh with …
It seems puzzling to me why the Taper is currently housing a musical (Here Lies Love), while the much bigger Ahmanson is showcasing Kim's Convenience, which is essentially a small comedy/dra…
Theater encompasses every type of theme, from dealing with any number of adversities to how to sell more meat pies, but here's one you don't encounter very often " how does the brain create …
 Arthur Miller is often described as one of the moral arbiters of twentieth-century American theater, a writer whose works frequently wrestled with how capitalism, corruption and self-de…
An ill-shaped wretch no sane person would want to gain power. A habitual liar who will say absolutely anything to get ahead. A monster who uses people to get what he wants and then immediate…
Writing, at the best of times, is a tricky proposition. Some authors claim that they can't stop writing, that it's a function like breathing to them, whereas other scribes do everything in t…
Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. I've seen it onstage several times, watched the film, enjoyed a cast recording (Cerveris/LuPone), and loved the Angela Lansbury/George Hearn version bles…
When I first read about the subject of Robert Axelrod's Lifeline, I thought it was going to be about the stress of working at a suicide hotline center and was expecting it to be a very depre…
 Terry Morgan gives a wrap up of the best theatre productions of the past year. There was a nice mix of shows in 2025, from a huge play that ran for months to tiny productions that rewar…
When a play rolls into town promoting itself as the most Tony Award-nominated play in history, and the winner of Best Play and other awards, it creates high expectations. Which is fine, espe…
It's a truism that, as one gets older, time seems to move more quickly. One is more aware of the sound of the ticking clock of mortality, and the myriad of possible futures one idly contempl…
Here's something I never thought while watching the film Paranormal Activity in 2009: One day I will be writing a review of the theater version of this found-footage movie. I vividly recall …
When one is feeling confused or scared, it's human nature to try to find somebody who knows more and be guided by their knowledge. This is great when A) said person actually does know more a…
I'm combining two reviews in one article this week, one unique solo show at the Pasadena Playhouse and a sequel to a popular play at East West Players. These productions are not connected in…
What is real? Perhaps more than any time in human history, there is more of an ability to realistically fake anything. Worse, there are any number of people actively trying to use those tech…
"Only connect," wrote E. M. Forster in his 1910 novel, Howards End, an epigraph encouraging the merging of the mind and the heart so as to live a fuller life. That doesn't mean it's easy to …
When one reads the title The Night of the Iguana, one hopes that it will be one of those Fifties flicks about radiation creating a giant iguana terrorizing hapless humans. But, alas, it is n…
 As I trust you all know, back in 1743 an Italian playwright named Carlo Goldoni wrote a play in the commedia dell'arte style called The Servant of Two Masters. It probably swept the Ita…
Gone are the days of yore when sex farces frolicked across the theatrical landscape like so many smarmy bunnies, slamming doors and likely featuring partial nudity, if one lived in a part of…
I've been reviewing theatre for twenty-eight years and writing criticism for thirty-five years in total. Early on I came up with what I think of as "the Critic's Prayer," which is: "Dear God…
One of the most important things that art does is to put a spotlight on or explore topics that would otherwise not get the public notice that they deserve. The primary beauty of art is the o…
Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play, Gaslight, is the only theatrical title I can think of that later became a verb, and moreover one that's still in use today. The show was a success, running as A…
