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Los Angeles
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Opera Review: DON GIOVANNI (Los Angeles Opera)
A DON GIOVANNI FOR THE #METOO ERA Mozart‘s Don Giovanni — which opened last night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — is considered a masterpiece due to its exceptional musical composition, complex characters, well-crafted dramatic structure, emotional depth, cultural relevance, enduring themes, and its influence on subsequent operatic works. Its ability to engage audiences both…
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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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Concert / Opera Review: LISE DAVIDSEN (West Coast Debut at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica)
A NIGHT OF HIGH ANTICIPATION MET BY DISAPPOINTMENT The arrival of dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen on the West Coast was nothing short of a highly anticipated musical event. Davidsen, reminiscent of the iconic Wagnerian opera singers of bygone eras, stands at an imposing 6 feet 2 inches, hailing from Norway, and possesses a voice so…
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Jazz Concert Review: BUDDY GUY & CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM (The Hollywood Bowl)
BLUES NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL On a Wednesday night, the Hollywood Bowl showcased two giants of the blues, representing its storied past and its potential future. Buddy Guy, the last of the veteran greats, was the main attraction while Christone Ingram (known as Kingfish) showed that the blues will not run out of gas…
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Theater Review: ALADDIN (National Tour)
DR. STAGELOVE or: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING DISNEY’S REMAKES WILL BOMB Huzzah! As if by magic carpet, Aladdin’”the stage musical’”has flown into the City of Angels for a two-week stint at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Based on Disney’s 1992 animated film, this touring production of the 2011 Broadway musical is a bold, colorful…
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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…
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Recommended: LONG BEACH OPERA (2024 Season)
THE 2024 LONG BEACH OPERA SEASON Season tickets now on sale at longbeachopera.org ISOLAMusic by Alyssa WeinbergPoetry by J. Mae BarizoWORLD PREMIERECompound, Long Beach1395 Coronado Ave, Long Beach, CA 90804February 3,10 and 11 2024All performances at 7:30 PMGeorge R. Miller, Director (LBO directorial debut)Lucy Yates, Music DirectorAriadne Greif, Soprano ISOLA is a prismatic meditation on time,…
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Theater Review: OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD (Kirk Douglas Theatre)
OUR DEAR DEAD PLAYWRIGHTING In Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, which opened last Sunday at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, feral feminism from sociopathic fledglings starts out fantastic but goes off the rails in a burst of magical realism. What could have been a complex, smart exploration of loss, idol worship, and teen angst is in…
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Theater Review: THE BLUEST EYE (A Noise Within)
THE TRUEST EYE It’s been 12 years since A Noise Within’s architectural repurposing of the 1958 Stuart Pharmaceutical Neo-Formalist building in Pasadena into a theater complex. For those who haven’t seen it yet, its sleek mid-century interior, smartly decorated with seating and tables, has a lobby functioning as a lounge with attractive displays of past production portraits…
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Theater Review: THE RIGHT IS OURS! (Sierra Madre Playhouse)
TECHNICAL ISSUES ASIDE, THIS NEW MUSICAL IS FULL OF HEART The Right is Ours!, a world premiere new musical which opened yesterday at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, tells the story of the friendship between women’s rights pioneers Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Emily Abeles) and Susan B. Anthony (Anna Mintzer), starting with their meeting in 1851, and…
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Theater Review: THE SOUND INSIDE (The Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena)
A HAUNTING SYMPHONY OF SOLITUDE AND CONNECTION Set in the dimly lit confines of a college creative writing class and the private world of its reclusive protagonist, The Sound Inside, which opened last night at Pasadena Playhouse, is a riveting exploration of the human condition, loneliness, and the pursuit of meaningful connection. TV and stage…
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Concert Review: BOY GEORGE & CULTURE CLUB / BERLIN (The Hollywood Bowl)
TERI NUNN ROCKS! On the clear summer Saturday night, August 27, at the Hollywood Bowl, with a comforting chill after a day of sweltering heat in the valley, it was nice to settle down for a program of music that takes us back to a time that was once considered both weird and wonderful. Boy…
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Theater Review: THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS (Getty Villa Outdoor Theatre in Malibu)
THE GOSPEL AT GETTY Created by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson, The Gospel at Colonus — a Greek tragedy turned Pentecostal revival — had its original 1983 production at the fBrooklyn Academy of Music in New York with Morgan Freeman as the preacher and the great Blind Boys of Alabama as Oedipus. If, you’ve never…
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Theater Review: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica)
AN UNSTOPPABLE TRAJECTORY Ruskin Group Theatre‘s season-opener, a landmark drama from 1955, exploded into relevance last Friday night. A rarity worth a return, Arthur Miller’s drama of an inevitable domestic tragedy focuses on the family and the neighborhood in which they live. The strengths are compassion for the characters; a plot that’s both relentless and…
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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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