Empire Stage Archives – Theatrical Musings

Photo courtesy of ArtBuzz Theatrics and Empire Stage The women of Sordid Lives are eccentric yet well-meaning. By AARON KRAUSE In a scene from the hilarious and moving hit play, Sordid Lives, a small-town Texas therapist in 1998 tries to “dehomosexualize” a gay male transvestite. The scene, which may…

Photo by Amy Mahon Lily Harrison (Lory Reyes) is clearly not pleased as Michael Minetti (Larry Buzzeo) is comically over-the-top. By AARON KRAUSE Since its Los Angeles premiere and Broadway opening, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks has undergone translations into 14 languages and traversed the globe with productions…

Photo by Joseph Long Annie Wilkes (Elizabeth Price) tends to Paul Sheldon (David R. Gordon) in Empire Stage’s triumphant production of Misery. By AARON KRAUSE The riveting stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 suspenseful novel, Misery, grabs you in a vice-like grip and never lets go. Undoubtedly, you…

Photo by Carol Kassie The ghost of Elliot Weiss (Murphy Hayes) tries to express himself but Asher (Eytan Deray) is having none of it. By AARON KRAUSE If you were blessed with an Elliott Weiss in your life, Educating Asher, a heartfelt and humorous new play, will touch you…