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Jim Allen

  • Gameplay Review: ENCHANTED PRINCE SLOT

    By Jim Allen | November 16, 2019
    in

    GAMEPLAY REVIEW OF ENCHANTED PRINCE SLOT Since ancient times, one of the most exciting fairy-tales ever has been the Enchanted Prince Slot. This tale is about a beautiful prince who gets transformed into a frog by a maleficent witch, who pronounces a magic spell. This spell can be broken only by a kiss from a…

  • Theater Preview: MOMENTOS MORI (Manual Cinema)

    By Jim Allen | March 22, 2019
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    THIS IS THE MOMENTOS I have seen the Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema on their home turf twice, and the theatricality is awesome. This endlessly inventive group of artists uses disarmingly simple tools — live music, paper puppets, overhead projectors — to tell transformative stories. Their enchanting works unsettle the boundaries between cinema and theater….

  • CD Review: BULLDOZER: THE BALLAD OF ROBERT MOSES (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording)

    By Jim Allen | February 22, 2019
    in

    BULLDOZED It breaks my heart that another poorly made production with no soul or message gets recorded as an Original Cast Recording. Those who may think that  Bulldozer is a musical about construction equipment should read the subtitle: The Ballad of Robert Moses, which is indeed about the renowned and controversial “master builder” of mid-20th century…

  • Film Feature: FINDING NEVERLAND: A MILESTONE IN HISTORICAL FANTASY

    By Jim Allen | February 12, 2019
    in

    FINDING NEVERLAND: A MILESTONE IN HISTORICAL FANTASY Following up his critically acclaimed Monster’s Ball, director Marc Forster took on this biography of playwright James Matthew Barrie, the scribe who penned the children’s classic Peter Pan. Johnny Depp stars as the turn-of-the-century writer as the film follows Barrie as he struggles to write and have his…

  • 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
    in

    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
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    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…

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