Freud's Last Session: Judd Hirsch and Tom Cavanagh star as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis in Mark St.

Nods this week for Laguna Playhouse's production of Neil Simon's Chapter Two and Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground at Zombie Joe's Underground in North Hollywood. For the latest new reviews and comprehensive stage listings, see below .
Tanna Frederick and Robert Standley star in N. Richard Nash's The Rainmaker , which just opened at Edgemar Center for the Arts . Why stage this 1956 chestnut in 2013? This week's Stage feature asks just that.
GO CHAPTER TWO Famous for the broad, mainstream comedies that made him the 20th century's most commercially successful playwright, Neil Simon suffered the shocking loss of his first wife to cancer, leaving him devastated. A new relationship with emerging stage and screen star Marsha Mason pulled him out of depression psychiatric travel nurse jobs and into a new chapter of his career in which his bright comedies were infiltrated by darker, sometimes angrier tones that led to his later, more substantial works. This highly autobiographical play mirrors that unhappy passage of his life, beginning with a first act closely resembling his earlier comedies in witty repartee and one-liners, but breaks into emotional pain through Act 2. While a bit clumsier than most of his work, its juxtaposition of light and heavy offer a good indication of his future, deeper dramas. Despite a bit of overwriting, director Andrew Barnicle finds his way through to the heart of the matter with an outstanding cast, headed by Caroline Kinsolving as a young divorcee and Geoffrey Lower as the novelist who stands in for Simon. Each scene between these two captures the essence of loneliness giving way to openness. As her best friend and his younger brother, Leslie Stevens and Kevin Ashworth skillfully provide the broad characters Simon's audiences had expected up to this point. Bruce Goodrich's set presenting two contrasting Manhattan apartments on one stage provide perfect visual cues about characters' economic class as well as elegant space for Barnicle to stage with his signature precision. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach; Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Feb. 17. (949) 497- 2787, lagunaplayhouse.com . (Tom Provenzano)
modern-day Los Angeles, Dostoevsky's hilariously unforgiving novella about the extremes of self-consciousness proves an excruciating roller-coaster plunge into hairpin-turned self-abasement. In this Zombie Joe-adapted musical abbreviation (adroitly directed by Josh T. Ryan), Michael Blomgren vividly brings Dostoevsky's self-lacerating antihero to life with a Rupert Pupkin-like intensity. Blomgren portrays a maniacally misanthropic member of the black-fingernail-polish demimonde -- a narcissistic, North Hollywood slacker "violently and shamefully aware," whose depths of self-pity and supreme pettiness are both paralytic psychiatric travel nurse jobs and bottomless. Those depths reach their comic heights in the deranged contest of wills between the protagonist and his dourly laconic manservant, Apollo (a slyly understated TJ Alvarado). Leif La Duke, Julie Bermel and Chelsea Rose cannily caricature the dinner-reunion scene as an agonized study in nouveau riche Hollywood vulgarity, while Jenna Jacobson injects a note of aching psychiatric travel nurse jobs pathos as the prostitute Liza. Ryan sets the proceedings into ironic relief with wittily staged
renditions of existential psychiatric travel nurse jobs rock roll brooders such as Joy Division's "Atmosphere" (Alvarado), Daniel Johnston's "Devil Town" (Bermel, Jacobson, Rose) and Pink Floyd's "Hey You" (Jacobson and Alvarado). Zombie Joe's Underground, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., psychiatric travel nurse jobs NoHo; Fri., 8:30 p.m.; through March 1. (818) 202-4120, zombiejoes.com . (Bill Raden)
Paul North's script is plagued psychiatric travel nurse jobs by basic credibility problems. The daughter in question is Mary (Laura Michl), a successful actuary who, we're told, wants desperately to rescue psychiatric travel nurse jobs her father, Lloyd (Edmund Wyson), from his gambling psychiatric travel nurse jobs addiction. But she left home seven years ago and hasn't been back since. Instead, she sent him a letter every month, with a check for $2,000, which makes her more an enabler than a rescuer. Lloyd has never read any of the 79 letters, but his slutty, gold-digging girlfriend, Elaine (C. Ashleigh Caldwell), has appropriated the checks for herself. Mary returns home to announce her engagement psychiatric travel nurse jobs to cloddish, vulgar Jack (J.R. Mangels). Also present are Mary's grandfather (John Dickey) and Willy (Tyler Derench), Elaine's troubled adolescent son. An overly neat ending improbably solves everybody's problems. psychiatric travel nurse jobs Some decent performances, under Brian E. Smith's direction, sweeten the mix. Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 10. (818) 508-3003, eclecticcompanytheatre.org . (Neal Weaver)
PHAEDRA'S LUST Director Steven Sabel's cunning adaptation of the Racine (and Senecan) tragedy about a horny stepmom who has a major jones for her hot young stepson might have you thinking that you're watching an episode psychiatric travel nurse jobs of Cougar Town, if it weren't also so suffused with themes psychiatric travel nurse jobs of rage, guilt and shame. Sabel's emotionally rich production focuses on the agony of characters who know that they're doing wrong but can't help themselves -- to say they think with their hoo-hahs would be an understatement. Phaedra (Anna Walters), the wife of Athenian King Theseus (Elias McCabe), psychiatric travel nurse jobs is so besotted with a dangerous lust for her stepson Hippolytus (Benjamin Campbell) that she makes a pass at him -- and his response results in a parade of unbelievable psychiatric travel nurse jobs horrors. The cast's performances suggest the elevated levels of pure rage and passion of characters actually being driven insane by their desires and furies -- though some of the supporting actors have an unfortunate tendency to jarringly overact. Still, Walters makes a wonderfully driven psychiatric travel nurse jobs and ferocious Phaedra, with flashing eyes and snarling desperation, and Campbell's Hippolytus is a wonderfully naive manboy, possessing psychiatric travel nurse jobs a surprising vulnerability as he finds himself in deeper than he should be. Archway Theater, 305 S. Hewitt St., dwntwn.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (213) 237-9933, archwayla.com . (Paul Birchall)
PICK OF THE VINE, SEASON 11 The eight courses, served at roughly 10-minute intervals, in Little Fish Theatre's short-play festival are not unlike Thanksgiving dinner with your grandparents: There are some buttery, wonderful mashed potatoes and a deliciously spiced homemade pumpkin pie, but the bulk of the meal -- green bean casserole, canned cranberry sauce and steamed asparagus -- is a bit bland and banal, if nostalgically comforting. psychiatric travel nurse jobs From 594 nationwide submissions, eight plays were chosen for this year's showcase, of which the decadent dessert is surely "The Eiffel Truth" by Susan Apker, which centers on a chance meeting at the Paris landmark. Benjamin (Bill Wolski), a snarky Brit who has just been jilted at the altar, receives sympathy and handkerchiefs from Lucy (Rachel Levy), a kindly Yank who teaches history at Michigan. Though Wolski and Levy are competent in some of the other plays, psychiatric travel nurse jobs they find a unique chemistry in this funny and sentimental piece. Holly Baker-Kreiswirth's direction demonstrates sensitivity and a creative use of space, bringing to life Apker's psychiatric travel nurse jobs clever writing. The other standout of the evening is "A Fine Romance" by Ben Jolivet, which feels like what Larry David's take on the male-female power-struggle play Venus in Fur might be. In it, a first-grade teacher (Baker-Kreiswirth) chances upon the author of the vampire romance novel she's reading (Don Schlossman) psychiatric travel nurse jobs as they share a park bench. To attempt to transcend the awkwardness of their initial flirtation, they begin to role-play as characters from the novel and hilarity ensues. The remainder of the works are mostly comedies, ranging from best friends who practice kissing ("The Kiss"), to a couple who simply can't decide on a baby name ("A Name"), to a gun-slinging deity visiting a do-nothing couch potato psychiatric travel nurse jobs to motivate him to live his life ("The Divine Visitation of Joe Pickelsimer"). Two of the works, psychiatric travel nurse jobs however, are more serious, including one that explores, through answering-machine messages, the mindset of individuals psychiatric travel nurse jobs experiencing 9/11 ("Disconnections"). With a number of sold-out performances and an enthusiastic audience, the showcase psychiatric travel nurse jobs clearly has resonance in the community ... just like grandma's comfort food. Perhaps that's why it has been a part of the company's repertoire for more than a decade now. Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre St., San Pedro; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; added perfs Wed., Feb. 6-Thurs., Feb. 7, 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 3 10, 2 p.m.; through Feb. 16. (310) 512-6030, littlefishtheatre.org . (Mayank Keshaviah)
Boeing-Boeing: Marc Camoletti's international-playboy comedy, translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, directed by Jeff Maynard. psychiatric travel nurse jobs Starting Jan. 19, Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Wednesdays, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 8 p.m. Continues through Feb. 10. La Mirada Theatre psychiatric travel nurse jobs for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, 562-944-9801, psychiatric travel nurse jobs www.lamiradatheatre.com .
GO Chapter Two: Written by Neil Simon, directed by Andrew Barnicle. Sundays, 2 p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 20, 7 p.m.; Thu., Jan. 24, 2 p.m. Continues through Feb. 3. Laguna Playhouse, psychiatric travel nurse jobs 606 Laguna Canyon psychiatric travel nurse jobs Road, Laguna Beach, 949-497-2787, www.lagunaplayhouse.com . See New Reviews
Freud's Last Session: Judd Hirsch and Tom Cavanagh star as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis in Mark St. Germain's philosophical debate. Tuesdays-Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 8 p.m.; Sundays, 1 5 p.m. Continues through Feb. 10. Eli Edythe Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310-434-3414, www.thebroadstage.com .
Ganesh Versus the Third Reich: Presented by Australia's Back to Back Theatre. Thu., Jan. 24, 8 p.m.; Fri., Jan. 25, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 26, 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 27, 2 p.m. UCLA Freud Playhouse, 245 Charles E Young Drive E, Los Angeles, 310-825-2101.
GO Hansel and Gretel: Avoiding junk food and getting through tough times together are the upbeat messages in t