Email Author JOEL BEERS

Awards

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published April 1, 2010

  "Family Not-So-Friendly"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published September 30, 2010

  "Man Loves Goat"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published November 11, 2010

  "Teen Cheerleader Orgy Porn"

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2009 Stories by JOEL BEERS

• [Year In Review] The Arts and the Crafts and the Waves of 2009

  published December 31, 2009

  The Arts & the Crafts & the WavesFrom paddle-outs to homemade stockings to theatrical closings to tattoo-art shows: A year of... More >>

• Flogging Molly

  published December 31, 2009

  With lead singer/songwriter Dave King hailing from the Emerald Isle, the band’s music is most aptly described as LA-based Celtic... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  Bird Cage Theatre's Annual Productions at Knott's Get to the Heart of What the Holidays Are About

  published December 17, 2009

  Spirit of the SeasonThe Bird Cage Theatre’s annual productions at Knott’s Berry Farm get to the heart of what the... More >>

• 'Borneo Bob' Asks the Question: What's Eating Walter?

  published December 10, 2009

  What’s Eating Walter?The amusing Borneo Bob showcases a hilarious character with a voracious appetite for human... More >>

• It's a Stevie Wonderful Life

  published December 3, 2009

  Once annual fixtures on OC stages, the Los Angeles-based Troubadour Theater Company hasn’t visited our fair environs in several years. So,... More >>

• 'A Current Nobody' Is Far From Homer

  published November 26, 2009

  Far From HomerAn updated, gender-switched retelling of The Odyssey works well when it focuses on familial relationships.... More >>

• How Much Do These Plays Make You Feel Like the 12 Days of Christmas Are More Like 12 Weeks?

  published November 19, 2009

  Bah! And Furthermore, Humbug!On a scale of 1 to 100, how much do these plays make you feel like the 12 days of Christmas are more... More >>

• Does 'Saturn Returns' at South Coast Repertory Pass the Reality Check?

  published November 5, 2009

  Reality CheckIf Saturn Returns is what it appears to be, then it’s an amusing but inconsequential wish-fulfillment... More >>

• The Chance Theater Masters Anton Chekhov's 'The Seagull'

  published October 15, 2009

  Mastering a MasterThe Chance Theater’s take on Chekhov’s The Seagull manages the neat trick of remaining faithful... More >>

• Julie Marie Myatt's 'The Happy Ones' Explores Big Themes Through Moments In Its Characters' Lives

  published October 1, 2009

  Happy TalkJulie Marie Myatt’s new work explores big themes—the Vietnam War, Black April, the American Dream,... More >>

• Fred Willard

  published October 1, 2009

  The last time actor/comedian/living legend Fred Willard graced the OC with his presence, he received a key to the city of Fullerton at a minor... More >>

• '77 Million Paintings': From Brian Eno's Brain to Yours

  published September 24, 2009

  From Eno’s Brain to YoursIs 77 Million Paintings nothing more than your iTunes visualizer writ large, or an... More >>

• Hunger Artists Concoct a Fascinating Brew of Sex, Death and Disease in 'One Flea Spare'

  published September 10, 2009

  The Plague YearsHunger Artists concoct a fascinating brew of sex, death and disease in One Flea... More >>

• The Autumn of Our Content on Local Stages

  published September 3, 2009

  Autumn of Our ContentWhether or not our local stages actually observe the theatrical “seasons,” this fall’s lineup... More >>

• 'Land Sea Air' Retains the Elements of Surprise

  published August 27, 2009

  Thar She Blows!Big-ass fans notwithstanding, ‘Land Sea Air’ still retains the elements of surpriseSay... More >>

• 'The Merchant of Venice' as Proto-Bromantic Comedy?

  published August 20, 2009

  I Doth Love You, ManDrag your pounds of flesh to see the stellar lead performances in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of... More >>

• Snap Judgments About the Late, Lamented Polaroid at the Hibbleton

  published August 13, 2009

  MementosSnap judgments about the artistic relevance of the now-obsolete Polaroid, courtesy of ‘Instant Gratification’... More >>

• 'Presidential Hopeless' Works as a Farce, Not as Satire

  published August 6, 2009

  The Change It NeedsJohn Richardson’s retooling of the seminal play Ubu Roi works as a farce but doesn’t quite... More >>

• Banned Book Group: Ask the Dust

  published August 6, 2009

  Long before Charles Bukowski and right around the same time as Raymond Chandler, John Fante was writing eloquently about the streets, bars and... More >>

• A Few Bones to Pick With 'Cannibal! The Musical'

  published July 30, 2009

  A Few Bones to PickGarage Theatre tries to capture the schlocky intentional-badness of Cannibal! The Musical, but did the... More >>

• 'Third Tree on the Left' Breaks Through the Stigma of Mental Illness

  published July 23, 2009

  Branching OutA powerful collaboration between theater professionals and people living with mental illness breaks through ... More >>

• New Works Festival

  published July 23, 2009

  Seven new works by unknown, emerging and established writers who happen to have Spanish-sounding names will be presented this weekend as part of... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  The More the OC Fair Has Changed, the More Its Rites and Rituals Have Stayed the Same

  published July 16, 2009

  The Birds and the Beasts Were ThereThe more the OC Fair has changed, the more its rites and rituals have stayed the same:... More >>

• Pop-Inspired Musicals Like 'My Way' Put Asses in Seats

  published July 2, 2009

  Jukebox HeroesPop-inspired musicals such as My Way may not be Beckett, but they do put asses in seats—which just... More >>

• Reefer Madness

  published July 2, 2009

  You don’t come to Reefer Madness seeking literary merit or intellectual gravitas. The 1936 film is a notorious example of... More >>