July 10, 2026 | By Bruce R. Feldman In a recent New Yorker essay, Joshua Rothman takes on one of modern travel’s most surprisingly emotional questions: should you recline your airplane seat? The piece frames the issue as both tiny and enormous: only a few inches are involved, but those inches can feel like a moral referendum on how we behave in shared space. Rothman calls it “the central dilemma of our time,” with a wink, but the essay’s point is serious: airline cabins have

"Master Harold…and the Boys,” Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, Apr. 16 – May 10, 2026 April 20, 2026 | By Bruce R. Feldman In Brief: John Kani’s monumental performance quietly builds to an emotionally shattering conclusion in this engrossing revival of Athol Fugard’s drama about racial inequality in South Africa under Apartheid. L-R: Ben Beatty, Nyasha Hatendi and John Kani in Master Harold...and the Boys at Geffen Playhouse. (Photo: Jeff Lorch) In Master Harold...and the

“Level Up,” Latino Theatre Co., Los Angeles, Mar. 26 – May 3, 2026 Apr. 12, 2026 | By Bruce R. Feldman In Brief: A teen-themed drama about sexual identity, family, and the immersive fantasy world young Desi concocts to cope with a vortex of adolescent emotions. The ideas in Gabriel Rivas Gómez’s text aren’t new, but the cast is winning, and the production is first rate. Mathias Brinda, Xol Gonzalez, Khalif J. Gillett in Level Up (Photo: Jenny Graham) In Level Up , two b

‘Sex, Lies and Harold Pinter,’ Odyssey Theatre, West Los Angeles, Mar. 20 - Apr. 26, 2026 April 3, 2026 | By Bruce R. Feldman In Brief: The modestly stimulating double-bill now at the Odyssey offers a glimpse into the mind of Harold Pinter through the lens of two of his lesser-known works, one from early in his development, before he had achieved fame and notoriety, and the other written some 30 years later. Michelle Ghatan, Paul Marius, Larry Eisenberg, Mouchette Van Helsd