Regional

NEW MUSICAL IN RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT NEEDS TO UNLOCH MORE Fostered completely under the roof of the Chance from conception to premiere, Loch Ness is a new musical developed specifically for the space and cast at the Anaheim theater, a rare trajectory observed in the theater world these days. With lyrics/book by A.D. Penedo and…

EXCITING QUARTET COMES TO SEGERSTROM I’ve been on a chamber music kick for about four years now. From intimate salons in living rooms to concert halls, I’m discovering composers I’ve never heard of who have’â€for reasons beyond their amazing work’â€frustratingly not become ensconced in the repertoire. I’ve also been introduced to pieces by well-known composers…

IT DOESN’T SUCK TO BE AVENUE Q AT CORONADO In the right setting, irreverence is so jovial. Perhaps our era of thought-police and political correctness has made it delicious to pervert that which seems simple and pure solely for the sake of entertainment, but musicals such as The Producers and The Book of Mormon are…

HOT AUGUSTIN NIGHT In the past five years, I have encountered only a handful of fresh-to-the-scene classical soloists who completely enraptured’”those who combine the old-school magnetic quality of superlative technique with energetic experimentation, soul, and discovery. Among the electrifying performers that have made me literally lean forward in my seat are cellist Alisa Weilerstein and…

EVERYBODY LOVES SHE LOVES ME I’ll be the first to admit that it may be impossible to create a bad production of the 1963 jewel-box musical She Loves Me. This perfect show, based on the 1937 play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo, is so resplendent, so charming, and so well-constructed that a 2011 gathering of literati…

A NEW WORLD OF DVOŘíK AT SEGERSTROM Decca just released a 6-CD box set by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) of the complete symphonies and concertos of Antoní­n Dvořák, and I don’t remember when I’ve been quite so taken with such an utterly certified interpretation of Dvořák’s work. Not only is the recording quality impeccable,…

HERE’S YOUR CHANTS A concert for the ages’”and all ages’”arrived at the stunningly gorgeous Segerstrom Concert Hall last night. The tremendous spirit of Pacific Symphony’s presentation of Ottorino Respighi’s Church Windows (1925) and Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem (1947) was more than matched by the sheer size of the event. Written for SATB choir and soloists, there…

THIS VENUS HAS THE RIGHT PAGE David Ives’ two-character adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel Venus in Furs wowed New York in 2010, largely for its star turn by Nina Arianda as an actress auditioning for, and then auditing the deepest morality of, a playwright who has adapted Venus in Furs (but lopped off…

THERE’S A BRIGHT STAR SOMEWHERE ON THE HORIZON It takes a while to get on board with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s new musical at The Old Globe. In fact, emotional involvement by intermission is as distant as the Big Dipper. It’s certainly not a complete wash up before the second half, but the unwieldy…

MAGICIANS OF THEATRICALITY Aaron Posner is on fire right now. His adaptations, My Name Is Asher Lev  and Stupid Fucking Bird, are being produced all over the country, and his version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which he co- adapted and -directed with sleight-of-hand artist Teller in Las Vegas and Boston, now resides at South Coast Rep…