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Willie C.
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Theater Review: FLOWER DRUM SONG (East West Players & JACCC at the Aratani Theatre)
A NEW BEAT ON AN OLD DRUM A vibrant revival powered by talent, spectacle, and cultural pride Crazy Talented Asian Americans! “To create something new, we must first love what is old.”– Mei-Ling from Flower Drum Song I fell in love with East West Players and JACCC’s co-production revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum…
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Theater Review: MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT (North American Tour)
HOLY GRAIL, WHOLLY DATED A high-energy tour packed with talent, nostalgic chaos, and humor that doesn’t always land in 2026 Risking impalement by a heavily armored knight, and death by cheeky British puns, I joined a lively crowd at Segerstrom Hall for Monty Python’s Spamalot. Shockingly, I am a virgin—to the musical, that is. The…
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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…
Music Review: NELLIE McKAY (City Vineyard)
by Rob Lester | April 29, 2026
in Cabaret, New YorkOff-Broadway Review: BROKEN SNOW (Theatre 71)
by Gregory Fletcher | April 28, 2026
in New York, TheaterTheater Review: THE SECRET SHARER (DNAWorks at Emerson Paramount Center)
by Lynne Weiss | April 27, 2026
in Boston, TheaterBroadway Review: JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE (Barrymore Theatre)
by Paola Bellu | April 25, 2026
in New York, Theater
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