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Los Angeles
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Opera Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (Pacific Opera Project at The Ford)
THE BARBER OF HOLLYWOOD Last Friday, a beautiful night at The Ford amphitheater in the Cahuenga pass, Pacific Opera Project presented a one-night-only performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. As with earlier productions, POP has given The Barber of Seville a decidedly local vibe, relocating the opera’s setting from 17th-century Spain to 1980s glam…
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Music Review: HIAISHI & LA MER (Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl)
The sold-out performance at the Hollywood Bowl, led by the multi-talented Joe Hisaishi, was an unforgettable evening that showcased the brilliance of Hisaishi’s compositions and the exceptional talent of the orchestra. As a composer known for his work on numerous film scores, particularly those in collaboration with renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, Hisaishi brought his distinct…
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Dance Review: CONGRESS VIII (Legalize Dance in partnership with LA Dance Project)
WHEN DOES AN ARTIST PREVAIL? “Dance is a unifying and sacred act,” a blonde woman in velvet black evening gown and netted 1930s “fascinator” cap bellows to a room of dancegoers. “Congress,” she continues, every word laden with religious gravitas, “exists to protect and hold that act:” She crouches to her knees, contorting her body,…
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Recommended Theater: THIS IS NOT A TRUE STORY (Artists at Play in association with the Latino Theater Company at Los Angeles Theatre Center)
The world premiere of This Is Not a True Story, written by Preston Choi and directed by Reena Dutt, is a new comedy that tackles, head-on, the fetishization and anti-Asian racism of Oriental works. It opens at the Los Angeles Theatre Center on September 16. Two low-priced previews take place on September 14 and September…
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Theater Review: HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING (Rogue Machine’s L.A. premiere at The Matrix Theatre)
A HEROIC PRODUCTION Heroes of the Fourth Turning is a riveting and thought-provoking play that delves into the complexities of ideology, faith, and the generational divide in contemporary America. Written by Will Arbery and premiered in 2019, this Pulitzer Prize-nominated play offers a profound exploration of the ideological tensions that define the modern political landscape,…
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Recommended Theater: HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING (Rogue Machine at The Matrix Theatre)
A HEROIC PLAY Days after the white-supremacist riot in Charlottesville, four old friends gather for a reunion at their conservative Catholic alma mater in Wyoming. The four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos…
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Dance Review: ¡AZíšCAR! (CONTRA-TIEMPO, West Coast Premiere at The Ford)
GET UP AND DANCE! I was fifteen, watching the musical Hair, when I last remember getting up out of my seat and dancing with performers at a show. I’ve always found that moment (you know the one I’m referring to, dancers inching closer to you, extending their hands, inviting you to participate) a mortifying one;…
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Theater Review: A PERFECT GANESH (Theatricum Botanicum)
A PERFECT PERFECT GANESH In the realm of contemporary theater, where scripts often tend to shy away from tackling profound and uncomfortable subjects, A Perfect Ganesh is a remarkable outlier. This captivating play penned by Terrence McNally transcends the boundaries of conventional storytelling, delving unflinchingly into themes of loss, self-discovery, and spirituality. With its poignant…
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Theater Review: PETER PAN GOES WRONG (Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles)
A PERFECTLY CRAFTED TRAINWRECK Having brought the house down with The Play that Goes Wrong, Mischief Theatre Company has followed up with a delicious offering: Peter Pan Goes Wrong. Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the play introduces the fictional Cornley Youth Theater to theatergoers and their catastrophic attempt to stage a production of the 1904…
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Theater Review: THE RED SUITCASE (Broadwater Theatre Main Stage in Hollywood)
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE The Red Suitcase, written by Jiggs Burgess and directed by Del Shores, with assistant direction and additional staging by Blake McIver Ewing, is a remarkable play that delves into the complexities of the father-son relationship and the moments that shape our lives. The play, seeing its world premiere at the Broadwater…
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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 and…
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Theater Review: RENT (Chance Theater)
VIVA LA VIE CHANCE Rent by the late Jonathan Larson (tick, tick… BOOM!) is a musical theater phenom; productions are as ubiquitous as the stars in the firmament. The show is about a year in the life of bohemian artists struggling to survive, and if that sounds familiar, Larson based his 1996 rock musical on…
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Theater Review: PIPELINE (Art of Acting Studio)
A PIPELINE TO THE TROUBLED SOUL One of our era’s greatest dramatists, Dominique Morisseau (Skeleton Crew, Ain’t Too Proud) sheds light on the complicated realities of urban African-American communities. Her 2017 Pipeline, which opened last night at The Art of Acting Studio, concerns Nya Joseph (beautifully underplayed by Fadhia Carmelle Marcelin), a divorced mom and teacher…
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Theater Review: LA HAVANA MADRID (South Coast Rep at Mission San Juan Capistrano)
HOT CHA-CHA-CHA As I stepped into the beautiful grounds of the San Juan Capistrano mission for La Havana Madrid, I was filled with anticipation and curiosity about the promised time travel through the vibrant and tumultuous history of Chicago’s Latino community. Eduardo Enrikez and Marlene Martinez Tristan Turner La Havana Madrid is an enchanting and…
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Dance Review: ESTANCIA WITH DUDAMEL (LA Phil and Grupo Corpo at The Hollywood Bowl)
PAMPAS PASTORAL A glimpse of “disappearing Argentine Gaucho culture” at the Bowl The Ballet Estancia is one of two musical suites by Spanish composer Alberto Ginastera. Originally intended for a 1942 Latin America tour, the ballet is a love story between an Argentinian city boy and a rancher’s daughter, demarcated by time of day over…
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Theater Review: CRABS IN A BUCKET (World Premiere by Echo Theatre Company at Atwater Theater)
CRAB’S LAST TAPE Ah, Theatre of the Absurd. a place where characters can grapple with existentialism, that which is the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. Well, not always people. In the case of Crabs in a Bucket, it’s, well, crabs….
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Music and Concert Review: QUINCY JONES’ 90TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION (Hollywood Bowl)
JONESING FOR JONES For two nights at the Hollywood Bowl, quite an all-star cast paid tribute to arranger-composer-producer Quincy Jones. His 90th birthday actually took place last March 14 but it was a good excuse to celebrate “the Dude’s” musical legacy. Angélique Kidjo Samara Joy, Patti Austin, Jacob Collier Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was born in…
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Recommended Theater: GROUP THERAPY (Theatre 68)
THEATER AS THERAPY The waiting room at a psychiatrist’s office is an emotional airlock between the chaos of the outside world and the sanctuary of the therapy office. It’s public yet private, a shared place of solitude. It’s a space to transition and collect your breath as well as your thoughts and feelings while entering…
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Theater Review: CINDERELLA (5-Star Theatricals)
DELIGHTFUL PRODUCTION; SLIPPER-Y NEW SCRIPT Arriving for last Saturday’s matinee performance and observing the front of house community support made for a welcoming atmosphere. It was delightful to see all the little girls in their sparkly gowns and tiaras, (crowns and wands were also available for purchase should you have forgotten yours at home). I…
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Theater Review: STEW (Pasadena Playhouse)
STEWPENDOUS Pulitzer-Prize finalist Stew by Zora Howard, and directed by Tyler Thomas, opened last Sunday at the Pasadena Playhouse. This play invites audiences into the intimate and transformative space of a kitchen, where Mama and her daughters prepare a special stew while confronting their past and present. With a seamless narrative, Howard delves into the complexities…
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