SOMETHING WILD BLOOMS ON A DESERT PIANO When one thinks of small desert towns, images come to mind like dive bars, a little grill stop for burgers, and maybe a trinket shop for passersby. What certainly doesn’t come to mind right off is an outstanding cabaret act in the lobby of a lovely hotel with […]
MEMORIES OF CHERISHED TIMES As we age and our memories fade away, certain items from our lifetime can trigger both happy and unpleasant memories, making us feel in the moment without worrying about what we may have already forgotten. Thus, your life can become a joyous celebration of happy times filled with love and great […]
OH, SUSANNA!! For two performances only, October 24 & 25, 2024, two-year old Source/Filter Music Collective took a big step, producing its first fully-staged opera: Paul Hindemith (music) and August Stramm’s (libretto) scandalous 1921 Sancta Susanna. Timed for Halloween and staged inside the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church at Heritage Square Museum, this production also marked […]
The devil’s voice is sweet to hear. — Stephen King, from the novel Needful Things Steppenwolf’s production of Leroy and Lucy by Ngozi Anyanwu is a seductive and life-affirming reimagining of the legend of Robert (Leroy) Johnson and his deal with the devil. Little is known about Robert Johnson’s life, largely because it was so […]
The Los Angeles Opera’s revival of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette dazzled in its opening performance last night, thanks to extraordinary vocal performances and masterful conducting. With Amina Edris and Duke Kim delivering passionate portrayals of the star-crossed lovers, and Domingo Hindoyan leading the orchestra in a lush, romantic interpretation of Gounod’s score, the evening was […]
OOH LA LA FORÂ LA CAGE AUX FOLLES With songs by the incomparable Jerry Herman, bookwriter Harvey Fierstein once again broke ground after his Torch Song Trilogy with La Cage aux Folles. It was groundbreaking as the first Broadway musical to prominently feature a gay couple as main characters along with an ensemble of drag queens, […]
HOT DOGS! Red Theater’s Take on Speed Eating is a Fast and Furious Glimpse into the Fascinating Sometimes you need to head in a different direction to uncover life’s true hidden treasures. The Edge Off Broadway, an unassuming theatrical venue just south of Bryn Mawr, harbors one such gem in Red Theater’s Dogs, which opened […]
There’s an eponymous and ominous presence onstage at New York City Center Stage I. You can’t see him. But his evil, autocratic and tyrannical nature permeates every scene in Erika Sheffer’s riveting play, Vladimir, from the moment we see a drunk Boris Yeltsin resign to the play’s tragic ending. That man, of course, is Vladimir […]
THE WALLIS HOSTS EXTRAORDINARY THEATER Handspring Puppet Company (War Horse) joins Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre to bring Life & Times of Michael K to the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis in Beverly Hills November 21 to 24, 2024. I was lucky enough to catch it at St. Anne’s Warehouse in Brooklyn and it’s a must-see to […]
Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ) has carved out a unique corner of the internet, skillfully merging the sounds and aesthetics of bygone musical eras with the digital reach of modern-day social media. Founded in 2010 by jazz pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, PMJ began as a grassroots project in a basement apartment, reimagining contemporary pop hits in […]