Critics’ Choices
Daniel’s Husband
This absorbing drama by Michael McKeever, which was a hit off-Broadway, explores the debate on same-sex marriage from a less obvious angle. Set in the “perfectly appointed” home of a gay couple, the play examines the conflict between Daniel and Mitchell, committed partners in their 40s who have polarized views on holy matrimony. As gleaming as a coffee table book, what begins as a contemporary gay comedy takes an unexpected turn that can’t be revealed, but it changes the stakes of the marriage debate and turns comedy into serious drama. Gaining strength from the intimacy of the Fountain Theatre and the general excellence of the production, “Daniel’s Husband” begins in laughter, culminates in tears and leaves off in contemplation of the dangers in putting off for another day what matters most. (C.M.) The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A. Sun., next Sun., 2 p.m.; Mon., Sat., 8 p.m.; ends July 28. $5-$50. (323) 663-1525. fountaintheatre.com
Men on Boats
This side of an amusement park, you’re unlikely to find more thrills, chills and death-defying spills than you will in this impeccably realized production. Jaclyn Backhaus based her meticulously researched play on the travel journals of John Wesley Powell, whose 1869 expedition to survey the Grand Canyon in four rickety wooden boats was perhaps the last great adventure into the uncharted West. In a stripped down, marvelously inventive staging, director Barbara Kallir and her superlative cast make us feel every harrowing beat of Powell’s death-defying escapade. As the playwright intended, an all female, non-binary cast performs the all-male roles — a device that ineffably but undeniably deepens our connection to what might otherwise have been a standard recapitulation of historical events. (F.K.F.) Son of Semele Theater, 3301 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Sun., next Sun., 5 p.m.; Tue., 7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends July 28. $20, $25. (213) 351-3507. www.sonofsemele.org
Moby Dick — Rehearsed
Director Ellen Geer and a cast of 19 imaginatively bring to life Orson Welles’ 1955 adaptation of Herman Melville’s philosophical whaling novel, constructing the Pequod of little more than a bit of rope and sending it into the rolling Atlantic. The ghostly title cetacean isn’t physically manifested, but we see it nevertheless in the wonder and terror in the actors’ eyes. (D.H.M.) Sun., Sat., 4 p.m.; ends Sept. 29. $10-$42; 4 and under, free. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com
Ragtime: The Musical
Although written about America at the dawn of the 20th century, this musical based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel is packed with issues that demand our attention today. It’s a powerfully uplifting tale about people who dare to hope amid even the bleakest circumstances, finding unity in diversity. Director Casey Stangl has cleverly rethought this massive show for a tiny space, making the story at once intimate and epic. (D.H.M.) Chance Theater, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Sun., 3 p.m.; next Sun., 3 p.m.; Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; ends Aug. 11. $25-$49; discounts available. (888) 455-4212. ChanceTheater.com