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Los Angeles
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Los Angeles Dance Review: THE MISSING MOUNTAIN (L.A. Dance Project)
MURDER MYSTERY THEATER, WITHOUT THE MURDER PART Performers romp through a mist-filled space, trying to be mountains in this continuous dance performance. At the start of L.A. Dance Project’s The Missing Mountain by L.A. Dance Project choreographic Artists-in-Residence Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, is the sound. As the audience enters the theater, we are…
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Theater Review: LOVE AMONG THE RUINS (El Portal)
LOVE AMONG THE RUINS Hearing the vintage recordings of Judy Garland and male crooners singing with society pop orchestras from the post-depression era, coupled with seeing black and white etchings of London skylines projected onto a scrim framed in an elegant art deco-inspired false proscenium, one would expect to see a romantic love story. However,…
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Opera Review: STAR CHOIR (World Premiere by The Industry at Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles)
WHAT’S NEXT, TURANDOT AT THE SPHINX? Space pageantry reaches new heights inside Mt. Wilson Observatory’s 100-inch telescope. The experimental opera company The Industry is known for their innovative productions, held in unconventional locations. There was Hopscotch — a “mobile opera” that ferried audience members between the LA River, Bradbury building, an Airstream, and in…
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Theater Review: THE SORCERER (Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)
THE SORCERER TAKEN FROM THE SOURCE This weekend, the Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company began its three-weekend run of The Sorcerer, a revival of their 2016 production. It is Gilbert and Sullivan’s first full-length opera and infrequently performed today. Subject to revisions since the opera’s 1877 premiere, this version reinstates the original Act…
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Music Review: STRAVINSKY AND SHOSTAKOVICH WITH DUDAMEL (Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason; Conductor Gustavo Dudamel; LA Phil at Disney Hall)
AN UNEQUIVACABLE TRIUMPH FOR LA PHIL… AND MY MOTHER The strains of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 have forever held a special place in my heart. It is a sentimentality rooted in a rather extraordinary moment of my own origin, an occurrence forever entwined with the ethereal melodies of this masterpiece. On that fateful December…
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Dance Review: HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO (Ahmanson Theatre)
SHOTA MYOSHI THRILLS WITH STREET PERFORMANCE The Chicago veteran contemporary dance company, one of America’s finest, doesn’t disappoint in a dancey triple bill at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Triple Bill last Friday consisted of a variety of styles. The first piece, Aszure Barton’s Busk (2009) is a genre-bending contemporary piece,…
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Dance Review: GRAHAM100–AMERICAN LEGACIES (Martha Graham Dance Company at The Soraya)
A SHOWCASE OF HISTORY, AMERICANISM AND HUMOR And An American Classic, Polished and Gleaming For readers not familiar with the modern dance pioneer Martha Graham, I would sum up her contribution in one word: contractions. No, I’m not referring to pre-birth convulsions; Martha Graham technique, in contrast to ballet, is based on “contraction of the…
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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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Theater Review: THE TRAVELERS (Latino Theatre Co. & Magic Theatre at the Los Angeles Theater Center)
WHY ARE THE TRAVELERS NOT MOVING? The calendar listings for Luis Alfaro‘s The Travelers, currently playing at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, say “We are all travelers, Brother. Our journeys take place inside.” The trouble is that journeys presented on the stage should not only be inside, but also aesthetical and active and must be treated…
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Recommended Concert: THIS, AND MY HEART: A PORTRAIT OF EMILY DICKINSON AND HER WORLDS THROUGH TEXT AND SONG (Fox Singers of The Verdi Chorus)
It seems that every time Emily Dickinson’s name is mentioned, people have an instant reaction accompanied by a smile. Her poetry has inspired books, films, and plays – and now, the Verdi Chorus is kicking off its 40th anniversary season, by presenting with the Sahm Family Foundation, This, and My Heart, A Portrait of Emily Dickinson and Her Worlds Through Text…
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Opera Interview: ANTHONY LEÒN (Now Appearing in LA Opera’s “Don Giovanni”)
Anthony Leòn, a 27-year-old tenor of American-Cuban and Columbian descent, hails from Riverside, California. His journey into the world of opera is nothing short of remarkable, marked by a childhood infused with musical influences. Leòn’s early connection with music blossomed when, at the tender age of two, he memorized Luciano Pavarotti’s iconic aria “La Donna…
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Concert Review: JAMIE CULLUM (Disney Hall)
JAMIE CULLUM’S TWENTYSOMETHING ALBUM AND DISNEY HALL BOTH TURN TWENTY: WHAT A PARTY Singer-pianist Jamie Cullum made a rare Los Angeles appearance for a recent concert at Disney Hall. Born and raised in England in 1979, he recorded his first album in 1999 and had great success with 2002’s Pointless Nostalgic and particularly 2003’s Twentysomething….
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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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Highly Recommended Dance: BODYTRAFFIC (2023/24 Season Launch at The Wallis in Beverly Hills)
HERE’S L.A. TRAFFIC YOU’LL LOVE: BODYTRAFFIC L.A.’s amazing dance company BODYTRAFFIC returns to The Wallis‘s gorgeous Bram Goldsmith Theater in Beverly Hills this weekend with a two-night engagement of four outstanding works that will prove why this L.A.-based contemporary company has continually taken the dance world by storm, easily surpassing LA Dance Project as our…
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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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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 Theater: INHERIT THE WIND (Pasadena Playhouse)
A LEGAL DRAMA OF EPIC PROPORTIONS The casting for Pasadena Playhouse’s fresh take on Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s powerful drama Inherit the Wind has been announced. Playing November 1-26, 2023, with official opening on Sunday November 5 at 5pm. For this new production, audience members will be a part of the action with…
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