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Tony Frankel
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Theater Review: OLIVER! (5-Star Theatricals)
WHO WILL BUY IT? Endearing and sometimes exhilarating in its zest to please, 5-Star Theatricals‘ heartfelt but uneven revival of Oliver!, staged like community theater on steroids by Kari Hayter, only occasionally earns its exclamation point. The good news is that even with all-over-the-map dialects, so-so choreography, milquetoast drama, and mixed performance styles from Broadway…
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Event | Music Review: 66th MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL (September 22-24, 2023)
With five stages going strong, the 66th Monterey Jazz Festival was in full swing September 22-24, 2023. And I do mean “swing”! As if to celebrate Artistic Director Tim Jackson, who steps down as artistic director after 33 years, the crowd socialized like it was a block party. With a superb combination of old-school pros…
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Theater Review: BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble)
A FEATHER IN ARYE GROSS’S CAP Playwright Anna Ouyang Moench uses the setting of a wooded area — beautifully designed at Odyssey Theatre by Mark Guirguis — as the backdrop of this beautiful family drama. The father, John (Arye Gross), is just about equally bound to his liberal and earth-loving principles, his love of bird-watching, and…
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Theater Review: FOLLIES (Musical Theatre Guild)
A FULFILLING FOLLIES One night? I mean, ONE night? Then again, the reunion in Follies we witness takes place on one night as well. And for those at said reunion and those of us lucky enough to be at Musical Theatre Guild‘s staged concert performance of Follies last Sunday, it was a night to remember….
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Highly Recommended Concert: FRAGMENTS 2 (Alisa Weilerstein, cellist; presented by La Jolla Music Society and the San Diego Symphony)
I have been following Alisa Weilerstein for over fifteen years, but until about five ago it was only on recordings and YouTube. Having seen her perform live four times since I can assert that the phenomenal American cellist has attracted attention worldwide because her playing combines a natural virtuosic command and technical precision with impassioned…
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Recommended Event: TIKI MARKETPLACE (Alohana Palm Springs at the Palm Springs Cultural Center)
ENCHANTING “ALOHA” SPIRIT IN THE DESERT Alohana’s Tiki Market: an unforgettable day filled with tiki treasures, delectable treats, lively entertainment, and a heartwarming commitment to giving back. Tiki Marketplace Alohana Palm Springs Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Rd. Sunday, October 15, 2023 12-4pm for tickets ($5), visit Alohana! Prepare to be transported to a…
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Recommended Jazz Music: BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB AND THEATER (October, 2023)
WHERE THE RHYTHM SWOOPS AND SWIRLS, THIS IS THE JAZZ CORNER OF THE WORLD There is so much excitement this month at Birdland Jazz Club on 44th near Times Square — it’s becoming even more of a hotspot than it used to be. Now when I attend, shows are PACKED. This sophisticated, intimate club hosts…
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Highly Recommended Dance: TURN IT OUT WITH TILER PECK AND FRIENDS (Tour)
YOU’LL DIG THIS SHOW A BUSHEL AND A PECK The California native and phenom Tiler  Peck is the toast of New York City, a prima ballerina for New York City Ballet, and now a producer and director and choreographer and teacher. Time Spell choreographed by Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers, and Tiler Peck (Luis Luque, Luque Photography)…
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Theater Review: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (Chance Theatre)
AN AMAZING INCIDENT Meet Christopher Francis Boone, a wannabe bloodhound who has significant social, behavioral and communication challenges; we assume the unnamed disorder is on the autism spectrum, but this magnificent play isn’t about his mental challenges, nor is Christopher’s neurodivergent condition even mentioned. The British teen ’” the unlikely hero of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel…
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Recommended Theater: NOLLYWOOD DREAMS (San Francisco Playhouse)
San Francisco Playhouse has begun its 2023-24 Season with the West Coast Premiere of the romantic comedy Nollywood Dreams, directed by Bay Area theatre veteran Margo Hall. Written by Ghanaian-American writer/performer Jocelyn Bioh (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding now playing on Broadway, School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play and the book of the musical Goddess), this hilarious play with…
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Theater Review: MEASURE STILL FOR MEASURE (Boston Court Pasadena)
#METOO FOR MEASURE I can’t imagine the work that writer/director Jessica Kubzansky put into the world premiere of her immersive, hybrid-theater, play-within-a-play Measure STILL for Measure. The logistics alone! At Boston Court Pasadena, where Kubzansky is artistic director, utilized are the 99-seat Main Stage, the dressing rooms (seen via video), the lobby, the parking lot,…
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Dance Recommendation: JUNGLE BOOK REIMAGINED (Global Tour at the BroadStage)
THIS BOOK HAS A NEW CHAPTER At the end of October, BroadStage presents it most important offering of the 23-24 season: The United States premiere of Jungle Book reimagined October 26-28, 2023, as part of Akram Khan Dance Company‘s global tour. Jungle Book reimagined presented by BroadStage at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage 1310 11th St.,…
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Film Screenings: ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES (Screenings and Programs October 2023)
JOHN WATERS SCREENINGS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING A treasure trove of film screams into October at the Academy Museum (programs below). In the meantime, this Saturday, September 30, 2023, the Academy Museum celebrates its two-year anniversary by offering FREE ADMISSION to all guests! Advanced reservations are encouraged, and walk-up tickets will also be available.The anniversary…
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Recommended Theatre and Album: THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE: THE MUSICAL (Original London Cast Album from Sony Masterworks Broadway)
Sony Masterworks Broadway has released the Original Cast Recording to The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical, available everywhere now. The musical is now in previews and opens on November 1 at the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End. Henry and Clare’s relationship is like no other. And yet, it’s like all others. Clare is a talented…
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Highly Recommended Off-Broadway: FARíNDULA (Jazz Vilá Comedy at Repertorio Espaí±ol)
THE CUBAN THEATRICAL PHENOMENON OF THE LAST DECADE ARRIVES IN NYC One of my favorite places to see plays in NYC is also NYC’s most prominent Latino theatre companies: Repertorio Espaí±ol. Performed in Spanish with easy-to-read supertitles in English, the plays are always original and thrilling. Now comes Farándula, which will premiere September 28–October 1,…
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Opera Review: IL TROVATORE (San Francisco Opera)
ANGEL BLUE TRIUMPHS IN IL TROVATORE San Francisco Opera is now reviving what is perhaps Verdi’s most popular opera, Il Trovatore (The Troubadour), which itself is a revival which I saw at LA Opera and Lyric Opera. But something is different here: intimacy on a grand scale. The massive set seems more imposing, and the glorious…
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Theater Review: WOLF PLAY (Shotgun Players)
LIBERTY FOR WOLVES IS DEATH TO THE LAMBS Gabby Momah makes a star turn as Ash, a conflicted non-binary adoptive parent and up-and-coming boxer in Hansol Jung’s Wolf Play, a fascinating, thrilling, sad and sometimes elusive new play now making its west coast premiere at Shotgun Players in Berkeley, easily one of my favorite spaces…
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Theater Review: LES MISÉRABLES (National Tour)
DON’T MIZ IT Unlike most of the characters in the blockbuster sung-through musical Les Misérables, the show itself will never die. Consistently presented either on Broadway, national tours, and globally since the English-language version opened on the West End in 1985, audiences can’t get enough of Victor Hugo’s story about ex-con and do-gooder Jean Valjean…
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HIGHLY Recommended Jazz Concert: DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER & BILL CHARLAP (Royce Hall, UCLA)
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap Fri, Sep 22 at 8 pm Royce Hall at UCLA When the extraordinary, multifaceted jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and masterful jazz pianist Bill Charlap come together on stage, expect the inimitable musical chemistry borne of opposites attracting. Presented by CAP UCLA, join the musical conversation this Friday, September…
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Theater News: TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY NAMED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
In 2010, I witnessed the work of playwright Terrell Alvin McCraney for the first time. I knew immediately that his would prove to be an important voice in the theater. Since that fateful day I reviewed Marcus at A.C.T. ’” his third of the trilogy The Brother/Sister Plays beginning with The Brothers Size and In…
Off-Broadway Review: THE MAIDS (St. Ann’s Warehouse / Brooklyn)
by Gregory Fletcher | May 27, 2026
in New York, TheaterTheater Review: AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (TimeLine Theatre / Chicago)
by Croydon Fernandes | May 27, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterTheater Review: LE BAL (Trap Door Theatre / Chicago)
by Croydon Fernandes | May 26, 2026
in Chicago, Theater
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