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Jim Allen

  • Film Review: CASINO ROYALE (directed by Martin Campbell)

    By Jim Allen | January 18, 2019
    in

    CASINO ROYALE It’s no doubt been quite some time, but you now get to revisit the outstanding Bond movie from 2006, Casino Royale. Adapted from Ian Fleming’s first novel, written in 1953, the hero is different from Marvel Comic-type superheroes and other slot-game characters like Top Cat, where you can get a free spiny. Produced…

  • Music Review: ZUBIN MEHTA’S BRAHMS (LA Phil)

    By Jim Allen | January 8, 2019
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    ZUBIN (MEH)TA Since classical concerts are scheduled up to two years in advance, there is no possible way to know if an artist will need to be replaced. This is why, in opera for example, singers don’t always seem best-suited for each other when one must cancel. But it’s also how I discovered some bedazzling…

  • CD Review: LIFE (Igor Levit, solo piano)

    By Jim Allen | December 28, 2018
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    LIFE-AFFIRMING Along with Daniil Trifonov, pianist Igor Levit’s concerts and CDs must recall what it first felt like to encounter Gilels and Richter, two other super-talented Russian pianists who brought  excitement to classical music.  When I saw Igor Levit live, one of the most striking aspects for this sensitive and strong pianist was the fascinating combination of…

  • Film Review: THE GAMBLER (directed by Rupert Wyatt)

    By Jim Allen | December 18, 2018
    in

    A GOOD GAMBLE Remade from the 1974 film, The Gambler  (2014) is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Wholly different than the original, it sure has the needed charisma to do that. Made under the direction of excellent filmmaker  Rupert Wyatt, the script was reportedly offered to many top directors, including Martin Scorsese….

  • CD Preview: MICHAEL LONGORIA: MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING (Broadway Records)

    By Jim Allen | December 15, 2018
    in

    LET YOUR HEARTH BE GAY Celebrate the holiday season with Broadway Records first Christmas album, Michael Longoria: Merry Christmas Darling. Best known for his star turn on Broadway as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, he has amassed 15 numbers for this  romantic holiday album with a throwback 60s vibe but a modern man-to-man sensibility.  His original Christmas…

  • CD Preview: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (Soundtrack)

    By Jim Allen | November 29, 2018
    in

    AWESOME SOUNDTRACK ARRIVES THIS WEEK Walt Disney Records releases the soundtrack for the hit film Ralph Breaks the Internet this week. The album features original songs “A Place Called Slaughter Race” (performed in the film by Sarah Silverman and Gal Gadot) and “Zero,” written and performed by Imagine Dragons; as well as “In This Place,”…

  • CD Review: DESPERATE MEASURES (Original Cast Recording, Off-Broadway)

    By Jim Allen | November 11, 2018
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    THERE’S TREASURES IN MEASURES This Off-Broadway hit, which just closed at New World Stages on October 28, 2018, is a Wild West musical inspired by,  meaning it’s very loosely based on, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. When the dangerously handsome Johnny Blood’s (Conor Ryan) life is on the line, he must put his fate into the hands…

  • Film and Music Preview: NOSFERATU & VAMPYR (Theatre at the Ace Hotel and Disney Hall)

    By Jim Allen | October 26, 2018
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    SILENT SCREAMS Two of the spookiest horror films ever made were completed before much of today’s audiences were born. One, Nosferatu, is far better known than the other, especially for the creepy-ass make-up given to the vampire. But have you ever heard of Vampyr, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 masterpiece? Horror buffs have, as it regularly…

  • Theater Preview: THE BARBERSHOP CHRONICLES (Freud Playhouse at UCLA)

    By Jim Allen | October 10, 2018
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    Newsroom, political platform, local hot spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. They talk, argue, unwind and, of course, get their hair cut. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling. For one weekend only,…

  • CD Review: HILARY HAHN PLAYS BACH

    By Jim Allen | September 27, 2018
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    BACH TO BRILLIANCE It’s now practically lore that violinist Hilary Hahn decided that her debut album would not only be solos, but partitas and a sonata by Bach, works that have been held as the zenith of violin composition and the most intangible of objectives for a newcomer recitalist. It was a move that raised…

  • Theater Preview: THE MOST HAPPY FELLA (Musical Theatre West in Long Beach)

    By Jim Allen | August 6, 2018
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    ABBONDONZA If ever there was a reason to say, “Absolutely, positively, do not miss this event,” this is it. For one night only on Sunday August 19 at 7pm, Musical Theatre West’s Reiner Reading Series offers the final show of its eighth and final season, Frank Loesser’s  The Most Happy Fella. While it’s been an incredible…

  • Theater Preview: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (5-Star Theatricals in Thousand Oaks)

    By Jim Allen | July 19, 2018
    in

    SHE’S STILL A BEAUTY It is sheer luck that I’ve been able to see Broadway Baby Susan Egan in over 10 shows since the mid-1980s. From intimate stages (Babes  at the Matrix;  Hello, Again  at the Blank) to national tours (Bye Bye Birdie  as Kim) to Broadway (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Triumph of Love), she has always glowed with professionalism…

  • CD Review: FRANZ KROMMER SYMPHONIES 4, 5 & 7 (Orchestra della Svizzera italiana – Howard Griffiths)

    By Jim Allen | June 10, 2018
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    CAPTIVATING KROMMER Quick: Who was Franz Krommer? Don’t worry, many don’t know. A contemporary of Mozart by birthdate, this classical composer (b.1759, d.1831) was one of the most successful Czech composers in Vienna. “Franz Krommer” was born Frantisek Kramár, and at times his Bohemian and Germanized name were combined into Krommer-Kramár. Scholars assert that this…

  • Opera Review: RIGOLETTO (LA Opera)

    By Jim Allen | June 3, 2018
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    CARO RIGOLETTO In  Rigoletto, Verdi’s score is as delightful and charming as ever, with such memorable songs as “La donna è mobile” and “Caro nome.” Moreover, it is perfectly balanced between large ensemble scenes and more intimate duets.  Rigoletto  doesn’t drag either, nor is it overly long, but lasts a reasonably full two and a half hours, including…

  • CD Review: BILL WHELAN — RIVERDANCE: A SYMPHONIC SUITE (James Galway, David Brophy and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra)

    By Jim Allen | May 21, 2018
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    NEW LIFE FOR RIVERDANCE MUSIC Mention the name Bill Whelan and you may get a blank stare, even though this Irish composer, arranger and producer (who collaborated with, among others, U2, Kate Bush, and Van Morrison) has been a successful artist since 1970. But mention the word “Riverdance” and eyes will light up. Whelan won…

  • CD Review: BRUCKNER 9 with reconstructed finale (Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, John Gibbons)

    By Jim Allen | May 19, 2018
    in

    BACK TO BRUCKNER That there are over 100 recordings of Bruckner’s Ninth — his final and unfinished symphony — speaks to the enormous popularity of this spectacular creation.  In 1926, American critic Paul Rosenfeld stated that “Bruckner’s symphonies have scarce commenced heaving their mighty volumes through time, before we know we are come into a world…

  • Bay Area Theater Review: AMÉLIE, A NEW MUSICAL (Berkeley Repertory Theatre)

    By Jim Allen | September 29, 2015
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    IN CHARM’S WAY Turning a beloved French film into an American stage musical is a dicey proposition at best, but that’s precisely what Berkeley Rep has done with Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 Oscar-nominated film, Amélie. It is  charming, visually appealing and succeeds on numerous levels, calling for just a bit of tweaking before it heads for the…

  • San Francisco Theater Review: CALL ME MISS BIRDS EYE: A CELEBRATION OF ETHEL MERMAN (A.C.T.)

    By Jim Allen | July 9, 2015
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    MAY THIS SHOW NEVER BE  FROZEN One of the first rules of etiquette I ever learned was: if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Were I inclined to heed that sage advice, my review of Call Me Miss Birdseye: A Celebration of Ethel Merman would end right here. However, as a journalist…

  • San Francisco Theater Review: ELF THE MUSICAL (Curran Theatre)

    By Jim Allen | December 18, 2014
    in

    MY KINGDOM FOR SOME INSULIN Known by many as “the most wonderful time of the year,” Christmas has richly earned its reputation for gooey sentimentality, decking the halls with mucho kitsch, and spreading good cheer to all of those people you’ve managed to ignore all year. Despite its questionable source material, Elf, Will Ferrell’s hit…

  • Bay Area Theater Review: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER (TheatreWorks in Palo Alto)

    By Jim Allen | December 11, 2014
    in

    NOT ONLY WILL YOU FLOAT OUT OF THE THEATER, YOU MAY EVEN FLY Have you ever wondered how the original “lost boy” became Peter Pan and what his life was like before flying out the Darling’s nursery window with Wendy, Michael and John in tow? Adapted by Rick Elice, with musical interludes by Wayne Barker,…

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