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Willie C.
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Theater Review: PETER PAN GOES WRONG (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts)
SECOND STAR TO THE RIGHT—AND STRAIGHT INTO HILARIOUS DISASTER The La Mirada Theatre’s Broadway Series takes a gleeful nosedive into chaos with Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Mischief Theatre’s follow-up to The Play That Goes Wrong. Directed with buoyant precision by Eric Petersen, this meta-farce turns every technical blunder and mistimed cue into artful slapstick that…
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Concert Review: SARABANDE AFRICAINE (Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma at The Hollywood Bowl)
From “Blewu” to Bolero: Yo-Yo Ma and Kidjo Bridge Worlds Yo-Yo Ma’s charisma, joy, and childlike wonder never fail to delight. On this cooling summer night, August 28, at the Hollywood Bowl, I was reminded again why Ma remains such an extraordinary ambassador of music. Joined by Angélique Kidjo on vocals, Thierry Vaton on piano,…
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Concert Review: TAIKOPROJECT (25th Anniversary Show at Disney Hall)
25 YEARS OF BEATS, SWEAT, AND COMMUNITY: TAIKOPROJECT’S ANNIVERSARY SHOW HITS (MOST OF) THE RIGHT NOTES Bryan Yamami and Masato Baba, the powerhouse duo behind TAIKOPROJECT, are still going strong after 25 years — and honestly, that’s impressive on so many levels. Not only are they raising families and still moving like dancers half their…
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Theater Review: LIFE OF PI (National Tour at Segerstrom Hall)
TIGERS, TRAUMA, AND THEATRICAL MAGIC: LIFE OF PI ROARS TO THE STAGE Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel’s story has found enormous commercial success — first in Yann Martel’s Booker Prize–winning novel, and then in Ang Lee’s visually stunning film adaptation. Now, in its national tour, Life of Pi makes an ambitious leap to the stage at…
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Dance Review: DANCE OF ORIENTAL (Oever; World Premiere at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles)
Southern California hosts one of the largest Sino diaspora communities in the United States. Approximately 4% of the population—over 5,000 first-generation immigrants—centers around the 626 Asians, a celebrated food haven in the San Gabriel Valley (area code: 626) for authentic Chinese regional cuisine. Angelenos, fortunate to enjoy a diverse cultural landscape, have developed a taste…
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Theater Review: BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL (National Tour at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa)
THE DELOREAN IS THE ONLY THING THAT FLIES IN THIS DUMPSTER FIRE Since the release of the Stranger Things television series in 2016, the public appeal of all things ’80s has left very few stones unturned. From the lady wrestler phenomenon reimagined in the Netflix TV series GLOW to the surreal neo-noir film Drive, the…
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Theater Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (South Coast Rep)
FEED ME MORE OF THIS DELICIOUS PRODUCTION Stroll down Skid Row to visit Mushnik’s Flower Shop and immerse yourself in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical masterpiece Little Shop of Horrors at South Coast Repertory. This musical has it all. A love story, a dream for the future, a chance of a lifetime, and a Faustian…
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Highly Recommended Film Concert: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE LIVE IN CONCERT (International Tour)
GET STICKY WITH IT Building on the success of sold out shows worldwide, a new 50+ city U.S. tour has begun of the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga. The highly-anticipated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert will land at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Hall for one performance only on Sunday, October 27 at 2 before flying to spin its webs elsewhere. Tickets are available now by calling…
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Theater Review: THE CHER SHOW (2024-25 National Tour)
I’VE GOT SOME GREAT NEWS TO CHER The Cher Show, a new musical that follows Broadway’s continuous trend of capitalizing on rockstar jukebox bio-musicals like MJ The Musical and Tina The Tina Turner Musical, stopped at Long Beach’s Terrace Theatre as part of its 2024-2025 national tour (the show closed after a year on Broadway…
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Theater | Art Review: À LA MODE: THE ART OF FASHION (Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach)
STRIKE A POSE! Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. — Coco Chanel Returning to the beautiful outdoor Irvine Bowl in style, Pageant of the Masters is honoring all things that can…
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Theater Review: CLUE (National Tour)
MURDEROUS LAUGHTER In 1945, “Cluedo” first came on the scene in the United Kingdom to the delight of board game lovers. Created by game designer Anthony E. Pratt, this beloved family friend board game, better known as “Clue” in the United States, has been a staple in the American zeitgeist for over half a century….
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Theater Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY (Long Beach Playhouse)
IT’S SILLY BUT NOT KOOKY (SNAP, SNAP) Every generation, there is an iconic TV family that defines the era. From the perfect clan of The Donna Reed Show to the trashy hellscape of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, American audiences have always been enamored by family drama. After all, is anything more universal than having…
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Theater Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE (North American Tour)
HELLOOOOOO! The 90s zeitgeist has returned in the form of drag Scottish nanny Mrs. Doubtfire, the eponymous movie of which has been turned into a Broadway musical, and is now on a national tour stopping at Hollywood Pantages through June 30. From her comically high-pitched Scottish accent to the iconic pastel cardigans, our titular drag…
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Theater Review: FUNNY GIRL (National Tour at Segerstrom Hall)
THERE’S A STAR IN THIS DUSTY OLD COUCH OF A MUSICAL Funny Girl — the musical narrative of the ugly duckling turned Ziegfeld star turned tragic heroine — takes center stage once more. With beloved songs written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, Isobel Lennart‘s 1964 book was updated by Harvey Fierstein for Broadway in…
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Theater Review: DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Nocturne Theatre in Glendale)
THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST OF POPCORN THEATRE In Nocturn Theater‘s inaugural season, the company embarked on a daring journey, presenting some of Broadway’s most iconic works. From Into the Woods to Jekyll and Hyde, this young theater company is carving its own path with a unique blend of theatrical storytelling, variety-show style entertainment, and…
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Theater Review: URBAN DEATH (Zombie Joe’s Underground)
KINK SHAME: AN ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE MASSES In North Hollywood, the audience’s senses were assaulted, mainly by each other, in the reception room before we even got into the theater for the return of Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group‘s signature production Urban Death, a cornucopia of short, and I mean brief, minutes-long scenes of the…
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Theater Review: KAIROS (East West Players)
A HEARTBREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL MINDFUCK “He was immortal, so he couldn’t die, but this pain, it was agony — it was a wound that would never heal. So he begged the other deities to make him mortal. He knew that death was the only way to stop the pain.” Sylvia Kwan Laughter and pain are always…
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Music Review: ELGAR AND VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (LA Phil; Simone Young, conductor; Gautier Capuçon, cellist)
STUDY WAR NO MORE Last night’s program at Disney Hall began with a subdued but clear strike on the chime. It came in without warning. The atmosphere is austere and solemn, and under the clear and watchful eyes of Maestro Simone Young, the LA Phil slowly unfolds the lush colors of Arvo Pårt‘s Cantus in…
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Theater Review: MARILYN, MOM & ME (International City Theatre in Long Beach)
HOW I WISH MARILYN MONROE WAS MY MOM In Luke Yankee‘s Marilyn, Mom & Me, the playwright-director takes the audience on a ruminative journey based on the complex relationship with his mother, character actress Eileen Heckart, and her recollection of the unique friendship she forged with America’s timeless sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, on the set…
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Highly Recommended Concerts: SAMORA PINDERHUGHES LIVE (tour at UCLA, NY’s Winter Jazzfest and more)
Composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist Samora Pinderhughes will take his acclaimed performances to select cities across the U.S., including a date at New York’s Winter Jazzfest on January 12. The multidisciplinary artist will also kick off the 2024 lineup at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, bringing a combination of new and…
Theater Review: I DO! I DO! (Palm Canyon Theatre)
by Stan Jenson | January 18, 2026
in Palm Springs
(Coachella Valley), TheaterTheater Review: EUREKA DAY (Dezart Performs)
by Jason Mannino | January 16, 2026
in Palm Springs
(Coachella Valley), TheaterOff-Broadway Review: THE DISAPPEAR (Minetta Lane Theatre)
by Rob Lester | January 15, 2026
in New York, TheaterTheater Review: YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2026 (Pegasus Theatre Chicago)
by Mitchell Oldham | January 14, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterTheater Review: LIBRARY LION (Adam Theater)
by Lynne Weiss | January 13, 2026
in Boston, TheaterTHE ROLE OF FAITH-INSPIRED LITERATURE IN CHILDREN’S STORYTELLING
by Susan Hall | January 13, 2026
in Books, ExtrasBroadway Review: BUG (Manhattan Theatre Club)
by Carol Rocamora | January 12, 2026
in New York, TheaterAudition Announcement: BEACHES, A NEW MUSICAL (Are You a Little Cee-Cee?)
by Connor McCormick | January 12, 2026
in New York, Theater
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