FILM AND THEATER REVIEWS
FILM REVIEWS
Sweet Talk
“Sweet Talk” is director Terri Hanauer’s first feature film — and she does an admirable job of extracting memorable performances from her leads, as well as the supporting cast, who also happen to turn up as various characters within the film’s fantasy sequences.
As low-budget indie romance dramedies go, “Sweet Talk” delivers a surprisingly enjoyable experience.
Mutually erotic storytelling…
For those of you who miss ‘Red Shoes Diaries…
Quietly trailblazing…
Cerebrally erotic, beautifully executed…
Recycling Flo – Short Film
Winner – The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – BEST SHORT
Winner – Farmington Comedy Film Festival – BEST SHORT
Finalist LA Indie Film Producers Short Film Contest
THEATER REVIEWS
Group Therapy
“Group Therapy” is a brilliantly engaging, laugh-out-loud funny play. It’s perfect for the Theatre 68 Arts Complex, which seems hell bent on giving home to new, very clever, gorgeously produced work such as this.
Director Terri Hanauer injects as much dynamism as possible…
…clocking in at a refreshingly brisk 75 minutes, Peter Lefcourt’s latest is anything but dull, and under Terri Hanauer’s confident direction, its three stars deliver the serio-comedic goods in spades.
But what do you do if your therapist is delayed and you’re sitting there waiting? You’re trapped. Etiqutte would dictate that you remain silent and don’t engage with others, but when three people are stuck in a therapist’s waiting room in Group Therapy — Peter Lefcourt‘s new dramedy — they’ll learn things about one another they would rather not know. Now, how dangerous could that be?
Remembering the Future
WINNER for BEST DIRECTOR (2022) by BROADWAY WORLD LOS ANGELES
Director Terri Hanauer skillfully helms the talented ensemble cast, who have just the right chemistry to keep this potentially philosophical tale grounded in the humor and pathos of everyday life.
…brilliantly directed by Terri Hanauer…
It’s another Peter Lefcourt/Terri Hanauer gem.
Remembering the Future’s thin-but-clever story gets a big boost from the cast, all of whom contribute strong, vivid performances, backed up by skillful direction…
Director Terri Hanauer skillfully helms the talented ensemble cast, who have just the right chemistry to keep this potentially philosophical tale grounded in the humor and pathos of everyday life.
…brilliantly directed by Terri Hanauer…
It’s another Peter Lefcourt/Terri Hanauer gem.
Remembering the Future’s thin-but-clever story gets a big boost from the cast, all of whom contribute strong, vivid performances, backed up by skillful direction…
The 2022 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Awards:
Best Direction – Winner: Terri Hanauer
Best Performer In A Play – Winner: Michael Corbett
Best Immersive Production – Runner-Up
Best New Play Or Musical – Runner-Up
Best Supporting Performer In A Play – Runner-Up: Andrew Neaves
The Death and Life of Mary Jo Kopechne
Director Terri Hanauer has the pulse of this tale and helms the show with precision and compassion.
Combining magical realism, sharp wit, and compassion for its heroine, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARY JO KOPECHNE reminds us that she was a woman whose life mattered, and not merely a footnote in the story of a prominent and powerful man during a time when the world was changing at an astounding pace.
Drama Queens from Hell
Get ready to laugh out loud…
…this outrageously hysterical play with music is bound to sell out…
The Way You Look Tonight
What I loved most about this production, besides the stunning writing, was the stellar directing. Terri Hanauer (director) navigates the actors with absolute precision, making this simple story a sheer joy to watch – grasping the funny moments, but letting the honesty of the story shine without making it seem silly.
Funny, touching, quirky, surprising, romantic and thanks to an incredible cast, and terrific directing by Terri Hanauer, this is a play you do not want to miss.
An intriguing premise… the cast is game… directed with élan by Terri Hanauer.
Cafe Society
This is the play for L.A.! … the best I’ve had the pleasure to review in many a year. Everything about it is so damn clever and up to date, as well as wildly entertaining… directed by Terri Hanauer…an up to the minute theatrical romp you won’t soon forget.
WOW! Zaniness reigns supreme… terrifically performed, imaginatively directed, cleverly designed… I laughed hard and loud throughout.
Winner – Best Acting in Ensemble Comedy
Notable Mention for Best Director in a Comedy
The Trip Back Down
Nominated for BEST DIRECTOR (2015) by BROADWAY WORLD LOS ANGELES
Compellingly involving… Directed with pulsating passion by Terri Hanauer… try to catch it!
Terri Hanauer’s well-designed staging realizes the plethora of cathartic pit stops marking Bobby’s journey.
The entire 15-member cast is terrific. Terri Hanauer’s direction is spot on.
La Ronde de Lunch
…in a delightfully over-the-top staging, director Terri Hanauer lets her large and talented cast off the leash, allowing them to romp freely through Lefcourt’s extravagancies.
Hanauer does a bang-up job of directing, letting loose a stellar cast of actors to perform at their creative best while still holding a firm rein over the tone of the piece. Her use of imaginative props, music, choreography (Tracy Silver) and costumes (Shon Le Blanc) add immeasurably to the evening.
Director Terri Hanauer’s inventive and creative direction mines every visual laugh while keeping the character development on track.
Terri Hanauer directs the actors to perform at their creative best while still holding a firm rein over the tone of the piece. Her use of imaginative props, music, choreography (Tracy Silver) and costumes (Shon Le Blanc) add immeasurably to the evening.
LA STAGE SCENE AWARDS:
Best Production Comedy
Best Direction of a Comedy – Terri Hanauer
Best Acting in Ensemble Cast Comedy
Best Performance by a featured actor/Comedy – Brynn Thayer
Costume Design – Shon LeBlanc
Best Scenic Design – Jeff McLaughlin
LA RONDE DE LUNCH – Ovation Recommended
Collected Stories
Under helmer Terri Hanauer’s relentlessly intuitive guidance, Lang and Sutherland achieve an emotionally tangible final scene schism that sucks the air right off the stage.
Director Terri Hanauer elicits fine performances from her cast and expertly calibrates the shifts in the women’s ever-changing relationship.
Mutually Assured Destruction
Director Hanauer’s dynamite cast, coupled with a clever script, makes for a light-hearted evening of theatre and in the words of the Bard, “All’s Well That End’s Well” or a mutually assured evening of enjoyment.
Witty and intellectually sharp…Terri Hanauer’s direction was spot-on for the piece, and the actors did not miss a cue.
April, May & June
…the play was artfully directed by Terri Hanauer. Terri gave this very real and earthy script about real sisters and their feelings about each other, their father and especially their mother, an incredible warmth and passion that makes you feel like you are as invested in them as they are in each other.
Director Terri Hanauer deserves special applause since, while keeping the story of the bond between sisters flowing energetically, she has a room full of knickknacks cleared, packed and ready for Goodwill in under 2 hours.
Director Terri Hanauer has done an excellent job of helming this family drama while slipping effortlessly between comedy and tragedy – and everywhere in between. Award-winning Hanauer’s directorial skills have extended to both screen and stage and come full flower to APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE.
Director Terri Hanauer elicits some terrific work from a trio of L.A. favorites believably bonded by onstage sisterhood, from Laks’ tightly-wound, seemingly self-confident April to Taub’s earthy, self-deprecating May to Thomas’s sexy, salty-tongued June.
This very enjoyable new production is smoothly directed by Terri Hanauer…
Mutant Olive
Awarded Best Solo Show – Whitefire Theatre Solo Festival
DARING… cleverly directed by Terri Hanauer … This is deep digging.
ELECTRICALLY PACED by director Terri Hanauer… Hara’s go-for-broke performance is compulsively watchable… a surprisingly original thrill.