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“Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys” The Fountain Theatre (323) 663-1525 Through Nov. 10

Controversial historical dramas are difficult to stage in small theaters, especially when the topic of the dramatization is a heinous event. However, The Fountain Theater succeeds at not beating the audience senseless with politics and melodrama in “Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys.” This powerful piece unveils the true story of racial injustice told through the satirical lens of a Vaudeville performance. The story reenacts the trial and conviction of the Scottsboro Boys, nine black teenagers who were wrongfully accused of raping two white prostitutes in Alabama in 1931. This historical event infuriated the nation, and its aftermath ended up being one of impetuses that eventually led to the Civil Rights movement. The play is described as “an evening of Vaudeville and sorrow,” and the play is performed in past-tense by the eponymous nine in the purgatory of a train station. The performances of the nine-member, all-black cast are first rate all-around. Their routines are amusing, yet when the underlying truths are revealed, the effects are chilling. There are some uncomfortable moments in the play, including references to the prison rape of one of the boys, who was 13 years old, but what makes the scene most discomfiting is the truth behind the drama. This production is an example of the power that live drama can possess. This play will make you laugh, it will make you angry, and you will exit the theater in a daze. -Scott Schultz

“Nickel and Dimed” Mark Taper Forum (213) 628-2772 Through Oct. 27

The truth about the “working poor” springs into view and onto the stage at downtown’s Mark Taper Forum. “Nickel and Dimed” is a socially minded play based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.” The book was the culmination of many months spent living the life of America’s working poor by taking on low-paying jobs and cheap housing. The play, written by Joan Holden, alters very little to fit the book onto the stage. Sharon Lockwood plays Barbara, while the rest of the cast fluidly moves through each vignette playing different characters in each. All of the actors do a great job fleshing out characters even when they cross lines of race, geography and gender. The dialogue is well-written, poignant, true, and funny. The storyline is engaging – it is hard not to get captivated by each of Barbara’s low-wage jobs and people and conflicts that fill them. The only real disappointment comes early in the second act when one of the characters breaks the fourth wall and starts telling the audience why some people really need maids. Regardless of how this segment was intended, it comes across as a way to excuse some of the play’s convictions about middle-class America’s antagonization of the working poor. But the Taper should be applauded for putting on a show that makes the political so personal, creating both a social critique as well as a funny and entertaining show. -Kelsey McConnell