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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: EVITA (Cygnet Theatre in San Diego)
EVITA IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOR YOU The Cygnet Theatre revival of the musical Evita has already been extended to October 1, 2023, due to positive ticket buyer interest. Cygnet visitors should find much to admire in the production, though it does have issues. But decent presentations of Evita don’t come around very often, so area…
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Theater Review: THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre)
THE WEARYING WIVES OF WINDSOR Scholars generally believe that William Shakespeare wrote about 38 plays. And those scholars likely would rank the comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor at or close to number 38 in the Shakespearean canon. The play centers on Sir John Falstaff, one of the great comic characters in world literature. According…
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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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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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Theater Review: BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY (Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA)
DOWN AND UP IN HARLEM Barrington Stage Company’s riveting production of Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky, directed by Candis C. Jones, opens with a fast-paced scene in which Guy Jacobs (Brandon Alvión) drags a seriously drunk Angel Allen (Tsilala Brock) up to his apartment with help from a stranger, Leland Cunningham (DeLeon Dallas)….
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Theater Review: FENCES (Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts)
A FENCES THAT KEEPS US IN Actors “ranney” and Ella Joyce bring a fresh and warm humanity to Shakespeare and Company‘s excellent and very satisfying production of August Wilson’s Fences, which opened this week at the Tina Packer Playhouse in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Troy Maxson is a character not often included in our representations…
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EXPLORING THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
The entertainment industry holds a captivating allure that resonates with audiences worldwide. From mesmerizing movies and addictive video games to chart-topping music and exhilarating sports events, entertainment enriches our lives in countless ways. Beyond its ability to entertain, this dynamic sector also wields a significant financial impact. In this article, I will explore the financial…
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HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MUSICAL: FINDING THE PERFECT SHOW TO FIT YOUR TASTES
Are you a theatre aficionado who loves nothing more than attending the opening night of the latest musical production? Or perhaps it’s time to introduce your family or friends to the joys of live performance, and you need something that’ll genuinely entertain. Choosing which musical is right for your audience can be daunting! Knowing what…
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Theater Review: CABARET (Wildsong Productions at The Ocean Beach Playhouse, San Diego)
PERFECTLY MARVELOUS You better tell Momma and everybody else to come see Wildsong’s production of Cabaret, which opened last weekend in Ocean Beach. When you take into consideration that this is “community theater” on a shoestring budget, it is nothing short of miraculous that this incarnation has some of the most indelible moments of any…
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Theater Review: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: A COMEDY (Old Globe in San Diego)
YOUR ONLY CRIME WOULD BE MISSING THIS PUNISHMENT The Old Globe Theater is presenting the world premiere of Crime and Punishment, A Comedy and it is a gem of a satire on one of the most famous novels in 19th-century Russian literature. In a bit under 90 uninterrupted minutes, co-authors Steve Rosen and Gordon Greenberg…
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Theater Review: PIPPIN (North Coast Repertory)
GOOD NEWS: PIPPIN‘S A PIP Some shows stay young by never growing up: With a book by Roger O. Hirson, this 1972 hit show originally directed by Bob Fosse is the perfect example of a musical that’s saved by its spirit and songs — those cheeky and sophisticated tunes by Stephen Schwartz got more than…
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Theater Review: IS IT THURSDAY YET? (La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego)
DIAGNOSIS: DANCER Human nature loves to ponder the impossible to answer: What does food taste like to other people? What does a colorblind person imagine color looks like? What is it like to be inside the mind of someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? There may never be a show about the first two, but…
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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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Theater Review: THE TEMPEST (Antaeus Theatre Co.)
THE TEMPEST AS RADIO PLAY One can only wonder why productions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest have been sprouting up like magical vines in the jungle. Is it because the tale is about revenge as much as it is about redemption? What I can say is this: When the sorcerer Prospero discards his magic staff and…
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Theater Review: THE ANTS (Geffen Playhouse)
ANTSY The subject of “haves” and “have-nots” in the theater is nothing new, having been explored from The Greeks to Molière. More recent hallmarks are the Industrial Age’s The Hairy Ape by O’Neill; Odets’ Depression era Awake and Sing!; and John Osbourne’s “Angry Young Man” hurled in the world’s consciousness in Look Back in Anger….
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Theater Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ (Musical Theatre West in Long Beach)
OOHS AND OZ Just in time, a new, colorful and fun version of everyone’s childhood favorite movie is here in Long Beach. Musical Theatre West’s Royal Shakespeare version of The Wizard of Oz — a faithful recreation of the 1939 movie — which opened last Saturday at the Carpenter Center, isn’t just for kids. Over the…
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