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Los Angeles
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Highly Recommended Theater: AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Musical Theatre West at The Carpenter Center in Long Beach)
ONE OF THE ALL-TIME FEEL-GOOD MUSICALS COMES TO THE CARPENTER CENTER Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a sizzling celebration of Fats Waller’s music ’” songs that he made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood and concert stages around the world. This delightful revue conceived by Murray Horwitz &…
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Theater Review: BLOOD/LOVE (Crimson Nightclub, Hollywood)
VOCALIZING VAMPIRES & THE UNDULATING UNDEAD BITE ME! SUCK ME! ROCK ME! From Dracula to Dark Shadows, vampires have always been an entertainment staple during the Halloween season. This year, it’s the all-original “popera” Blood/Love with book and music by Carey Sharpe and Dru DeCaro, and additional music by Concord Records’ artist Erin Boehme and Adam…
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Theater Review: THE (MOSTLY) TRUE STORY OF A COMMON SCOLD (L.A. Performing Arts Productions, Promenade Playhouse)
As a female journalist myself, I was curious to learn about the life of Anne Royall, a former maid who married her employer, a landed gentleman in the early 1800s when such marriages were rarely allowed, and then rose to become America’s first female journalist at a time when women were “supposed” to stay home…
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Theater Review: TESLA: A RADIO PLAY FOR THE STAGE (Tour at Cal Tech and Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center)
AN ELECTRIFYING TESLA Much has been written about Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, radio and so much more, ever since his name became one of the world’s most known electric automobile brand names in 2003. Robbed of the scientific accolades he deserved by others more in tune with how to make…
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Theater Review: THE VERY BEST PEOPLE (IAMA Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre)
BLOOD AND RANCH DRESSING In December of 2020, the world was still in the grip of COVID-19’s unpredictable terror. Moderna and Pfizer had just released their vaccines, but supply was scarce and available only to a few high-risk groups. Physical distancing, masking, and sanitizing were all top of mind, as were, shall we say, “competing”…
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Event Review: ONE NIGHT STAND WITH STORMY DANIELS (The Bourbon Room in Hollywood)
STORMY, WHO STORMED VOLDEMORT’S CASTLE “It was a dark and Stormy night:” That was my favorite of the various taglines printed on the shirts of the eclectic crowd who attended One Night Stand with Stormy Daniels at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood, Saturday, October 5th, 2024. This was a crowd brought together by an uncanny…
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Recommended Exhibits & Performances: WAVES UPON WAVES (Fulcrum Festival 2024 in L.A. | Citywide, Oct 16-20, 2024)
Fulcrum Festival offers opportunities for discovering the fascinations, curiosities, and tensions ignited by the integrations of art and science. For over 20 years, Fulcrum Festival (formerly the AxS Festival) has presented a regional celebration across Greater Los Angeles that foregrounds the union of art and science as a powerful engine of contemporary culture. This year’s…
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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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Recommended Theater: ROOM-I-NATION (CAP UCLA’s Nimoy)
Aditya Prakash’s ROOM-i-Nation, an unprecedented adaptation of his 2023 album ISOLASHUN, comes to CAP UCLA’s Nimoy Theater on October 4 & 5, 2024. Drawing from his vibrant Los Angeles upbringing and rich musical education in India, Prakash seamlessly blends the ancient rhythms of Karnatik music with contemporary sounds. His journey of self-discovery, reflected in every note, resonates…
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Cabaret Review: IN MY LIVING ROOM (Jessica Vosk at Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine, Malibu)
LIVING IT UP IN HER LIVING ROOM In the shimmering galaxy of cabaret, few stars sparkle with the vivacity and brilliance of Jessica Vosk, who, at 40, is the real deal. You’re talking about a woman who sells out Carnegie Hall. On September 19, a raucous and appreciative audience — mainly students at Pepperdine University’s…
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Highly Recommended Theater: THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK: A BURLESQUE PARODY (The Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood)
IT’S OK TO GET SAUCED FOR STUNNING SAUCY STRIPPERS AND SPECTACULAR SAUCERS, OR MAY THE TORSO BE WITH YOU Forget about Broadway or the latest Marvel Comic movie. The fun, hip and cool burlesque Star Wars parody ’” which isn’t just for fans of the franchise ’” is the show to see live onstage. Surprised by…
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Theater Review: ONCE (Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura)
SEEING ONCE ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH Ironically, the real-life love affair between collaborators Glen Hansard, an Irish singer-songwriter, and Markéta Irglová, a Czech songwriter, fizzled after John Carney’s 2007 film became a success (well, it’s not called Once for nothing). But the Tony-triumphant 2011 stage musical, now offered in Rubicon Theatre‘s enchanting and bittersweet yet…
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Theater Interview: MICHAEL ROTH (Music Director for Randy Newman’s “Faust” at The Soraya, September 28 & 29, 2024)
LIFE IN THE FAUST LANE There’s Gounod’s Faust (the opera), Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus (the novel), Christopher Marlowe’s Faust (the play), then there’s the classic Faust — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s massive tome, published in two parts in 1808 and 1832, that is both rhymed-verse poem and play, considered by some to be the greatest work of…
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Opera Review: MADAME BUTTERFLY (LA Opera)
TAKE. CUT. PRINT. A BUTTERFLY IN A 1930 MOVIE STUDIO ENTHRALLS Stage and cinema have merged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for what may be the most glorious and cogent version of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly you will ever see. Certainly, this is the most inspiring and satisfying version of this oft-produced opera that I have…
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Highly Recommended Theater: PARENTS IN CHAINS (Developmental Workshop Production at Whitley Theatre in L.A.)
It’s rare to see so many superstars on stage at once. That’s what you’ll get for Parents in Chains, a new comedy by Jay Martel, which will have a developmental workshop production at Hollywood’s Whitley Theatre on Monday, September 30 and Tuesday, October 1 at 8pm. It’s also rare that such a production is open…
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Theater Review: TICK, TICK … BOOM! (Theatre Palisades)
IT TICKS, IT BOOMS, IT EXPLODES! Theatre Palisades has struck gold with its astoundingly entertaining and moving production of Jonathan Larson‘s Tick, Tick … BOOM! Expanding the cast from three to six, director Lindsay Johnson takes what normally feels like a song cycle and turns it into a full-fledged story, upping the emotional resonance of…
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Theater: WAITRESS (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts)
If the heat in the kitchen is getting you down, you’ll want to head on over to La Mirada Theatre, where the Broadway hit Waitress opens tonight and plays through October 13. Designed by an all-female creative team and featuring Jessie Mueller in its 2016 premiere, it received a Tony nomination for Best Musical (but…
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Theater & Cabaret Review: CRIMSON & CLOVER (Cinegrill Theater at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel)
YOU’LL WANT TO SEE THIS CLOVER AND CLOVER AGAIN There’s a wonderful new show playing at the Cinegrill Theater at the gorgeous Hollywood Roosevelt that is not so easy to shoehorn into a simple definition. It’s burlesque, immersive theater, cabaret, dance show, nightclub and more. The name of the show, Crimson & Clover, comes from…
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Theater Review: 3 FACES OF STEVE: SONDHEIM IN CONCERT (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble)
A MASTER OF MUSICAL THEATER; TWENTY-SEVEN SONGS; THREE GREAT PERFORMERS; ONE TERRIFIC REVUE 3 Faces of Steve: Sondheim in Concert at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is a revue that spans the breadth of Stephen Sondheim’s work. Director Angelina Réaux, the soprano who personally knew and worked with the great composer, joins world-class singers Michael Sokol, baritone,…
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Theater Review: CLARKSTON (Echo Theater Company)
TRYING TO MAKE LIFE BETTER AT ANY COSTCO Head north to the small town of Lewiston, Idaho, and you’ll discover how the town got its name. One of the town’s main attractions is the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center. Located along the banks of the Snake River, the center chronicles the journey of 19th-century explorers…
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