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Los Angeles
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Dance Review: COMMON GROUND(S) / THE RITE OF SPRING (Pina Bausch International Tour at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
RITE ON! As part of an international tour, the weekend-long dance program that opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday — an extra-added night due to ticket demand — gave us a taste of the neo-expressionist work of trailblazer Pina Bausch, whose company The Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch made its American debut here in…
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Theater Review: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills)
YOU MIGHT WANNA MISS THIS TRAIN Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 psychological film noir thriller Strangers on a Train, which he directed and produced to mixed reviews, was based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. But since then, the film has been regarded much more favorably; and in 2021 was selected for preservation…
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Dance-Theater Review: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (North American Tour)
A SHOW THAT SENDS OUT AN S.O.S. Set to 28 songs of pop icon Sting, newly arranged and recorded with Beverley Knight and Lynval Golding (of The Specials), Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince (So You Think You Can Dance, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) and her Zoo Nation company have a story to tell about the refugee…
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Interview: ANN HEARN TOBOLOWSKY (Director of MERCURY at Road Theatre Company)
ANN HEARN TOBOLOWSKY RAISES THE TEMPERATURE ON LOS ANGELES THEATER I have been following the work of extraordinary director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills for quite some time, including The Half Light, Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Silent Sky, Good People, As Good As Gold, Bus Stop, Holy Days, Driving Miss Daisy, and Another Part of…
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Theater Opening: YBOR CITY (The Actors’ Gang in Culver City)
THE ACTORS’ GANG PRESENTS YBOR CITY, A HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL NEW PLAY Ybor City tells the story of overworked Cuban cigar factory immigrants in 1931, who find themselves inspired by the spirit world toward revolution. Ybor City in Tampa, Florida which dates from the 1880s, was founded by Vincente Martinez-Ybor, who moved his cigar factory from…
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Theater Review: MYSTIC PIZZA THE MUSICAL (National Tour)
A TASTY SLICE OF 80s NOSTALGIA In the ever-evolving landscape of film-to-stage musical adaptations, the latest entrant Mystic Pizza emerges as a charming addition. Based on the eponymous 1988 cult-classic film delight, we are brought back to the quaint environs of Mystic, Connecticut, and the intertwined lives of three young Portuguese-American women, childhood friends working…
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Theater Review: TINY LITTLE TOWN: A NEW MUSICAL (Theatre Movement Bazaar at Broadwater Theater)
TINY LITTLE TOWN OPENS WITH A BANG, BUT GETS CORRUPTED BY INCOHESIVE STYLES Theatre Movement Bazaar’s Tiny Little Town, a new musical comedy now playing at the Broadwater Main Stage, starts out with a bang. The entire company gathers to perform the opening title number, done in the style of a 1970s variety special, begging…
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Dance Review: MATTHEW BOURNE’S ROMEO AND JULIET (North American Premiere, Ahmanson Theatre in L.A.)
DANCE OF DESPAIR AND DESIRE Sir Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet, which made its North American premiere at the Ahmanson last night, is a bonafide hit, redefining this classic ballet (based on Shakespeare’s 1597 masterpiece) for the 21st century. Bourne, a visionary in the world of dance, has crafted a production that pulsates with modern…
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Theater Review: POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE (Geffen)
A TOOTHLESS POTUS Seven women propping up one man at The White House — that’s the premise behind Selena Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. The widely produced play, which had its Broadway debut just a little over a year ago, is political but not partisan because its critique of…
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Theater Review: AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Laguna Playhouse)
THE JOINT IS, INDEED, JUMPIN’ The musical revue 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 evokes the humor and infectious energy of…
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Cabaret Review: CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ – JESSICA VOSK (Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa)
DREAMY DREAMIN’ In the shimmering galaxy of cabaret, few stars under the twilight of retirement sparkle with the vivacity and brilliance of Jessica Vosk, who, at 40, is the real deal. Her latest foray onto the stage, California Dreamin: Jessica Vosk Sings the Songwriters of Laurel Canyon, which played last night at Segerstrom Concert Hall,…
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Highly Recommended Concert: MARTIN CHALIFOUR AND FRIENDS FROM THE LA PHIL (St. Alban’s Episcopal Church)
Martin Chalifour (violin) is the Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1995. Apart from his LA Phil duties, he maintains an active solo career, playing a diverse repertoire of more than 60 concertos. And rare is the opportunity to see him in such an intimate space as St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, where he…
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Theater Interview: CHELSEA SUTTON (Rogue Artists Ensemble Associate Artistic Director on “Carousel of Fools” at Santa Monica Pier on January 25, 2024)
Playwright, fiction writer, director, and immersive experience creator for weird, fantastical artistic ventures Chelsea Sutton has always had a very unique sense of humor. Hearing of her involvement presenting Rogue Artists Ensemble’s upcoming benefit at the Santa Monica Carousel and Pier, Stage and Cinema‘s Shari Barrett decided to speak with her about her vision for the…
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Theater Review: KATE (Pasadena Playhouse)
OFFBEAT AND OFF TRACK In the often-unpredictable world of theatrical comedy, Kate Berlant‘s Kate promised to be a groundbreaking foray into the realm of absurdist humor. Yet, in its execution, the show — which opened last night at the Pasadena Playhouse — treads a precarious line between pioneering artistry and sheer incomprehensibility. The opening scene…
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Theater Review: MERCURY (Road Theatre Company / North Hollywood)
ECLIPSING NORMALITY: THE DARK ORBIT OF STEVE YOCKEY’S MERCURY Steve Yockey‘s work in the theatre world undeniably polarizes audiences, eliciting fervent admiration from some and equally passionate disdain from others. As for myself, I am firmly ensconced in the camp of his admirers. His unique approach to storytelling, marked by an intricate blend of the…
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Opera Review: DUDAMEL LEADS DAS RHEINGOLD (LA Phil)
AMID SOME LESSER JEWELS, THERE’S GOLD IN DISNEY HALL The Los Angeles Philharmonic brought the full gamut of its immense resources to bear on a weekend-long production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold. That includes an expanded orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, a cast of internationally renowned singers, and new stage design that significantly improves the Phil’s…
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Highly Recommended Cabaret: CUPID’S EROS (Troubadour Theatre — aka “The Troubies” — at Getty Villa in Malibu)
A VALENTINE’S CABARET WITH MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES PERFORMING SONGS OF PASSION Join the Troubies, masters of musical mirth, for an hour-long, family-friendly, song-filled sojourn with classic characters from antiquity at their Valentine’s presentation of Cupid’s Eros. See Medusa & Perseus, Achilles & Patroclus, Pandora and her Box, Polyphemus & Sheep and more, sing and dance for…
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Highly Recommended Theater: THE NOSEBLEED (National Tour Jan 25 – Feb 8, 2024 at The Walker, REDCAT & The Wex)
The Nosebleed, the Obie Award-Winning Show from Playwright and Director Aya Ogawa now on national tour The Walker, Minneapolis (Jan. 25-27); REDCAT in L.A. (West Coast Premiere Feb. 1-3, 2024); The Wex, Ohio State (Feb. 8-10, 2024) The Nosebleed (Brian Rogers) As part of its 2024 national tour, the profound and beautiful 2022 Obie Award-winning The Nosebleed…
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Theater Review: THE WIZ (Pre-Broadway Tour)
I WISH I COULD SAY “NO BAD NEWS” BUT… The large opening night audience at the San Diego Civic Theatre last night seemed to be having a good time watching the the musical revival of The Wiz, in town through Sunday before a pre-Broadway national tour (the show opens March 29 at the Marriott Marquis)….
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Highly Recommended Concert: CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT (Samueli Hall at Segerstrom)
Hooray and hallelujah! Long before her CDs Ghost Song, The Window, and Dreams and Daggers — winning three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album after being nominated in 2014 for her WomanChild — I have always been a fan of jazz vocalist and song interpreter extraordinaire Cécile McLorin Salvant. But seeing her live…
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