Areas We Cover
Categories
Jason Mannino
-
Theater Review: RENT (Revolution Stage Company)
NO DAY BUT TONIGHT Revolution Stage Company’s Rent delivers heart and heat, if not always polish Revolution Stage Company’s production of Rent, directed by James Owens, bursts with passion and commitment, offering an earnest exploration of love, loss, and survival in New York City’s East Village at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The energy…
-
Highly Recommended Event: PALM SPRINGS PLAZA THEATRE COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
RAISING THE CURTAIN AGAIN Palm Springs Plaza Theatre celebrates its grand reopening with a free community open house After a two-year, multimillion-dollar restoration, the historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre will reopen its doors with a free community open house and block party on Saturday, November 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can…
-
Cabaret Review: LT’S MUCH TOO GAY CABARET: A PERFORMANCE FOR LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN (Revolution Stage Company)
MUCH TOO GAY? JUST GAY ENOUGH! This past Thursday evening, Revolution Stage Company presented a dazzling, high-energy celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, self-acceptance, and joy—filled with wit, glitter, and heart—in LT’s Much Too Gay Cabaret: A Performance for Ladies, Gentlemen, and Everyone in Between. The show embraced the gay experience in all its vibrancy, tackling everything…
-
Theater Review: PINOCCHIO (The Conservatory at Coachella Valley Repertory in Cathedral City)
WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT? CV REP’S PINOCCHIO CARVES OUT A WINNER The Conservatory program at Coachella Valley Repertory opens its arms wide to the next generation of theatre lovers with Pinocchio, Greg Banks’s zippy retelling of the wooden boy who just wants to be real. Director Howard Shangraw packs Banks’s fast-paced adaptation with physical comedy,…
-
Opera Review: HANSEL AND GRETEL (Coachella Valley Classical Voices at Palm Canyon Theatre)
SHRINKING THE SCALE, NOT THE MAGIC Coachella Valley Classical Voices’ recent production of Hansel and Gretel, the beloved 1893 opera by Engelbert Humperdinck, ran this past weekend at Palm Canyon Theatre, which provided the space. The result was a fresh, intimate twist on the classic tale, a charming evening of music and storytelling, featuring a…
-
Theater Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE MUSICAL (Desert Theatricals)
SPOOKY CHARM MEETS UNEVEN MATERIAL The Addams Family: The Musical invites audiences into the delightfully macabre world of America’s favorite gothic household — and while the show itself can feel like it’s caught between a coffin and a hard place, Desert Theatricals’ production, which ran this past weekend at Rancho Mirage Amphitheatre breathes more life…
-
Theater Review: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Palm Canyon Theater)
A SUGAR RUSH WITHOUT THE GOLDEN TICKET Palm Canyon Theatre kicks off its 39th season with David Greig‘s musical adaption of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a production that’s as colorful and sugary as a Wonka Bar — but often hollow once you bite in. Directed by Se Layne, the production bursts with…
-
Cabaret Interview: LEE ROY REAMS (Appearing in a Tribute to Lauren Bacall at CV Rep)
A BROADWAY BACALLBACK FROM LEE ROY REAMS Few performers embody the golden age of Broadway quite like Lee Roy Reams—a Tony-nominated actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer whose career has spanned decades and stages around the world. From originating iconic roles to working alongside legends like Jerry Herman, Lauren Bacall, and Richard Rodgers, Reams has…
-
Cabaret Interview: DAVID BURNHAM (Appearing in “The Tom Jones Songbook” at CV Rep)
IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO LOVE DAVID BURNHAM The tenor is back in the desert with a Tom Jones bang— and a burning bush in his future. Broadway leading man David Burnham—known for starring as Fiyero in Wicked, Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza, and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—returns to CV…
-
Cabaret Interview: JEFF HARNAR (Appearing at CV Rep with “Sammy Cahn: The Second Time Around”)
CAHN-DO SPIRIT: HARNAR’S ELEGANT REVIVAL Jeff Harnar, the celebrated cabaret artist known for his insightful interpretations of classic material, brings his acclaimed Sammy Cahn celebration The Second Time Around to CV Rep on Thursday, July 24. Revisiting his 2001 album—now remastered, reimagined, and expanded with new tracks—Harnar dusts off the tux and martini glass for…
-
Cabaret Interview: CLAYBOURNE ELDER (On Tour With “If the Stars Were Mine”)
Sondheim, Slightly Inappropriate Stories, and Spiritual Whiplash: Claybourne Elder Unplugged Best known for roles in Company, Torch Song, and HBO’s The Gilded Age, Broadway and television performer Claybourne Elder now steps into the spotlight as, well, himself in If the Stars Were Mine—a new cabaret blending song, stand-up, and deeply personal storytelling. Currently touring nationwide,…
-
Theater Interview: LARRY FULLER, CHOREOGRAPHER (Appearing at Broadway Showstoppers at CV Rep)
A Celebration of Legacy: Larry Fuller in Conversation Larry Fuller’s career has spanned some of the most influential and transformative moments in musical theater history. As a choreographer and collaborator, his work has been integral to the success of iconic productions like Sweeney Todd, Evita, and Merrily We Roll Along. Known for his creative vision…
-
Book Interview: LAURA STEARNS (Author of “Daring to Heal”)
On Healing Out Loud, Reclaiming Joy, and Daring to Speak Truth Laura Stearns is no stranger to transformation. An accomplished actor, director, advocate, and author, she has spent decades making her mark both onstage and off. Having begun her career in professional theater at just thirteen, Laura has worked across nearly every department in theater…
-
Cabaret Interview: ALIX KOREY (Appearing at CV Rep June 24 for the Summer Cabaret Series)
If I Sing: Alix Korey on Art, Activism, and Singing Her Truth With decades in cabaret and a résumé that reads like a Broadway hall of fame, Alix Korey is not content to rest on laurels. Known for her biting wit, emotional depth, and a voice that can punch through walls or melt them entirely,…
-
Cabaret Interview: ANDY CLEMENTS aka DREW SEBASTIAN (Performing in “It Had to Be Drew”)
A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW Drew Sebastian doesn’t just step into the spotlight—he claims it. Known to many for his work in adult film, and to just as many for his fearless authenticity, Drew is now bringing his full self to the stage in his new cabaret, It Had to Be Drew at The Roost in…
-
Cabaret Interview: SALLY MAYES (Appearing at CV Rep June 19 for the Summer Cabaret Series)
From Broadway to Cabaret: Sally Mayes on Music, Mentorship, and Meaning She belts when it counts, crafts when it’s quiet, and teaches with heart— Sally Mayes is still doing it all, her way. Tony-nominated actress and cabaret favorite Sally Mayes will appear as part Coachella Valley Repertory’s Summer Cabaret Series on June 19, bringing her…
-
Theater Review: DEAL WITH THE DRAGON (Palm Springs Cultural Center)
WHEN THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS (AND IN THE ART WORLD) For a limited engagement, Kevin Rolston brings his darkly whimsical Deal with the Dragon to the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and it’s a thrilling, compelling reminder of how a single performer can conjure an entire world onstage. Written by and starring Rolston, Deal…
-
Cabaret Review: BROADWAY’S BAD GUYS (Erik Scott Romney at Revolution Stage Company in Palm Springs)
CHARMING AND CHILLING If villains get the best songs, Erik Scott Romney proves they might also give the most captivating performances. In his solo cabaret Broadway’s Bad Guys!, which ran at the Revolution Stage Company in Palm Springs this past weekend, Romney takes a devilish delight in embodying musical theatre’s most infamous miscreants. It’s a…
-
Theater Review: THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL PEACE TALKS (CV Rep)
FUNNY GIRL, SERIOUS STAKES In the world premiere of The Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks, now running at Coachella Valley Repertory, playwright Gregg Ostrin (The Spy Who Went Into Rehab) blends political farce, nostalgic Hollywood glamor, and razor-sharp insight into an unexpectedly moving comedy that feels as timely as tomorrow’s headlines. Directed with elegance and…
-
Theater Interview: DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL (New Solo Show “Teenage Wasteland” Now on Tour)
Teenage Wasteland: David Dean Bottrell Brings His New Solo Show to Revolution Stage Company An award-winning actor and writer dives into the awkward, hilarious, and heartfelt moments of adolescence—ages thirteen to fifteen—with his signature wit and warmth. David Dean Bottrell, acclaimed actor and storyteller known for his roles in Frasier, Modern Family, and his work…
Concert Review: LET’S GET AWAY FROM IT ALL (Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall)
by Paulanne Simmons | November 11, 2025
in Concerts / Events, New YorkFeature Story: RAYMOND MUNRO (On Adapting Works by Raymond Carter into Story Theatre on Film)
by Emily Brenner | November 11, 2025
in Books, Film, VirtualTheater Review: ARMS AND THE MAN (Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado)
by Milo Shapiro | November 11, 2025
in San Diego, TheaterTheater Review: RENT (Revolution Stage Company)
by Jason Mannino | November 11, 2025
in Palm Springs
(Coachella Valley), TheaterTheater Review: THE BEAUTIFUL LAND I SEEK (LA LINDA TIERRA QUE BUSCO YO) (Teatro Chelsea)
by Lynne Weiss | November 10, 2025
in Boston, TheaterTheater Review: THE HEART SELLERS (South Coast Rep)
by pwsadmin | November 10, 2025
in Los Angeles, Regional, Theater
Search Articles
Please help keep
Stage and Cinema going!
