One of the frustrations of theater, which I love, is the inability to stop time. Actors in costumes and make-up whirl around a stage involving us, hopefully, in their dialog and action. The magic is in the energy and, perhaps, the fact that we can’t freeze frame and rewind. We have to be there.

Here are three shows that offer a closer examination, beginning with Hamilton. Artist Josh Lehrer managed to convince the cast of that hit musical, which just opened at the Pantages, to sit for portraits as their personae dramatica. Creator Lin Manuel Miranda is a recognized celebrity but the rest of the actors can be seen here in relaxed, sincere poses that allow us to absorb their appearances and appurtenances such as the buttons on their coats or bows on their dresses. Lehrer took the images using antique cameras and lenses and printed them in black and white to get a better feel of a time in the past. They are on view in My Shot: Portraits from Hamilton at Diane Rosenstein Gallery until this Saturday, August 26, and a portion of the sales goes to CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in LA.

Airs August 24, 2017 at 6:44-6:47pm

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