The Hot Sheet

Theater

FDR — In a commanding solo performance, Ed Asner chronicles Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and demonstrates its relevance for today’s audiences. He shows Roosevelt addressing the Great Depression and World War II with a boldness we’d love to see coming from Washington now, and reminds us that right-wing demagogues attacking a liberal leader are nothing new. The play also touches on FDR’s complex yet mutually supportive relationship with wife Eleanor, the physical challenges imposed on him by polio, and the clandestine gay life of a key adviser. At California’s Pasadena Playhouse through November 7.

Take Me Out — A fine cast, particularly Thomas James O’Leary in the showiest role as a smitten gay business manager, highlights a spirited revival of  Richard Greenberg's Tony award-winning play about Darren Lemming, a baseball player who comes out of the closet at the peak of his stardom and the tragic consequences the announcement has for his teammates. The play is performed in the round at Los Angeles's Celebration Theatre through October 31.