Areas We Cover
Categories
Regional
-
Theater Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE (North American Tour)
ROB MCCLURE IS ON FIRE AS MRS. DOUBTFIRE Mrs. Doubtfire started its theatrical life as the hit 1993 film starring Robin Williams. As happens so often with hit movies, it was adapted into a stage musical in 2019, ending its life struggling through several COVID-plagued short runs until it finally closed on Broadway in 2022….
-
Theater Review: FUNNY GIRL (National Tour at Segerstrom Hall)
THERE’S A STAR IN THIS DUSTY OLD COUCH OF A MUSICAL Funny Girl — the musical narrative of the ugly duckling turned Ziegfeld star turned tragic heroine — takes center stage once more. With beloved songs written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, Isobel Lennart‘s 1964 book was updated by Harvey Fierstein for Broadway in…
-
Theater Review: GALILEE 34 (South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa)
A STUNNING WORLD PREMIERE, Galilee 34 blends the divine and profane in its exploration of early Christianity Eleanor Burgess, a prolific playwright whose works have graced numerous stages (The Niceties, Wife of a Salesman) and who has penned scripts for several television series (Perry Mason, Interview with the Vampire), offers us the world premiere of Galilee…
-
Theater Review: JERSEY BOYS (La Mirada Theatre)
THE BOYS ARE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER In the never-ending array of jukebox musicals that have lit up Broadway’s vibrant landscape, Jersey Boys shines like a brilliant star. Premiering in 2005, this musical biography of The Four Seasons skillfully transcends the usual by-the-number plot, weaving a rich tapestry that intertwines their legendary hits with…
-
Theater Review: PRELUDE TO A KISS, THE MUSICAL (World Premiere at South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa)
WITH A MAGICAL IMBALANCE, THIS KISS IS MORE LIKE A PECK In the world of theater, revivals and adaptations often serve as a bridge between eras, illuminating how the sensibilities of one time can resonate, or clash, with those of another. Craig Lucas‘s Prelude to a Kiss, originally developed as a 70-minute play commissioned by…
-
Concert Review: A BROADWAY BIRTHDAY: SONDHEIM, LLOYD WEBBER AND FRIENDS! (Segerstrom Concert Hall)
A BITTERSWEET BIRTHDAY In the luminous world of musical theater, two names stand as colossi, casting long shadows across Broadway and the global stage. Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, though walking parallel paths, have carved their legacies with distinct artistic chisels, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of audiences and the annals of…
-
Concert Review: BERNADETTE PETERS (Tour at Luckman)
SAINT BERNADETTE After she hung up her late-Victorian hat after taking over for Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, the inimitable Bernadette Peters made her West End debut in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on the West End, which ended on January 6, 2024. Now, she has embarked on another concert tour, making her first…
-
Dance Review: COPPÉL-I.A. (Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo)
AN UPDATE COPPÉLIA ABOUT A.I. IS ALL INTELLIGENCE AND NO ARTIFICE Coppélia — a comic ballet from 1870 with music by Léo Delibes and libretto by Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter — is produced quite often, either in a classical vein a la Giselle, or with updates to make the story relevant to a particular era. Opening tonight…
-
Theater Review: MJ THE MUSICAL (First National Tour)
IF YOU WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’, COME FOR THE MUSIC AND DANCE The musical biography of Michael Jackson (tersely titled MJ) is playing a brief one-week run at the San Diego Civic Theatre as part of a national tour. The show is an exhilarating audience experience whenever the hugely talented large cast sings and dances….
-
Theater Review: REDWOOD (La Jolla Playhouse World Premiere Starring Idina Menzel)
THE TALLEST LIVING THING ON EARTH INSPIRES A MUSICAL ACORN As one who has hiked many times deep in the ancient Redwood groves, those which have been relatively untouched for thousands of year, and it truly does steal your heart. And with names such as “Cathedral Grove Trail,” Redwoods are spiritual. There’s magic in them…
-
Upcoming Theater: SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (A Dance-Forward Production, Axelrod Performing Arts Center, NJ)
Grind Arts Company presents a bold reimagining of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Sunday in the Park With George March 8-24, 2024, at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center (100 Grant Avenue, Deal, NJ). Official opening night is Saturday, March 9 at 8 PM. For tickets, visit Axelrod Arts Center. Eamon Foley brings a bold,…
-
Theater Recommendation: GUN & POWDER (New Musical at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey)
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCESFULL CAST & CREATIVE TEAM FORGUN & POWDER The full cast and creative team has been announced for the new musical Gun & Powder, which — with book and lyrics by Angelica Chéri and music by Ross Baum.– explodes onto the stage at Paper Mill Playhouse April 4 – May 5, 2024, with opening…
-
Theater Review: CHICAGO (National Tour)
ALL THAT JAZZ AND MORE The national tour of Chicago at the San Diego Civic Theater — now through Sunday — reaffirms what generations of theater fans have recognized. This musical ranks among the major theatrical entertainments in the history of American musical theater. For verification, consider the full house at the Wednesday night performance…
-
Highly Recommended Theater: ULYSSES (Elevator Repair Service at The Fisher Center at Bard, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)
ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE’S ULYSSES, A WORLD PREMIERE, IS PART OF SUMMERSCAPE 2024 AT FISHER CENTER (JUNE 20 – AUGUST 18, 2024) Elevator Repair Service (ERS) has mastered the art of staging modernist literature with their highly-acclaimed productions Gatz (see Stage and Cinema’s review), The Sound and the Fury (review), and The Select (The Sun Also Rises)….
-
Theater Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Chance Theater in Anaheim)
WIG SNATCHED! 1998 QUEERGENDER MUSICAL STILL SLAYS IN 2024 In the pantheon of (so-called) rock musicals, Hedwig and the Angry Inch holds a distinct and unparalleled position, merging raw energy with emotional depth in a way that few other shows can claim. Witnessing its 1999 iteration with Michael Cerveris in the lead role was a…
-
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…
-
Theater Review: ALL THINGS EQUAL — THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG (Pre-Broadway National Tour)
FROM NOTORIOUS TO VICTORIOUS Michelle Azar vividly invokes the spirit of famed jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Rupert Holmes’s one-woman show All Things Equal. As implied in the play’s subtitle The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ginsburg faced many trials in and out of the courtroom. Set in Ginsburg’s chambers at the United…
-
Theater Review: THE LION KING (National Tour)
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER IT’S THE KING OF MUSICALS OR NOT; IT’S THE KING OF EXPERIENCES Endearing heroes and villains. Shakespeare and ancient myth. Coherent storytelling. Anthropomorphic jungle animals. Gorgeous African chanting. Transfixing puppet pageantry on a pythonic, prodigious level. A celebration of theatrical ingenuity. Forty-nine cast members –six of whom are South African. Over…
-
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…
-
Highly Recommended Theater: CHICAGO (National Tour at San Diego Civic Theatre)
MY KIND OF SHOW, CHICAGO IS Coming to the San Diego Civic Theatre is the National Tour of the 1996 revival of Chicago, now the longest-running revival in Broadway history, and the second longest running musical behind Phantom of the Opera. But it’s a short run, February 13-18, 2024, so don’t say I didn’t give you…
Search Articles
Please help keep
Stage and Cinema going!
