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Chicago Theater Review: LOUIS AND KEELY, LIVE AT THE SAHARA (The Royal George Theatre)
MY FAIR SONGBIRD They were the proverbial strange bedfellows who forged a classic Vegas act. The template for Sonny and Cher, they also held a mirror up to a misfit marriage. But Louis & Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara is also a tale of a maker unmade, a Pygmalion outdone by his Galatea just as Henry Higgins…
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Regional Theater Preview: NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT (National Tour at Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
LAST CHANCE TO GET THIS WORK Get ready for this 1920s-era feel-good musical, complete with extravagant dance numbers, glittering costumes and an unlikely love story between a wealthy playboy and a rough and tumble lady bootlegger. This lighthearted crowd pleaser is set against the backdrop of classic Gershwin hits like “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,”…
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Regional Dance Preview: THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (American Ballet Theatre at Segerstrom Hall)
REAWAKENING A TIMELESS BEAUTY Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts once again proves itself as one of the country’s most exciting dance centers by presenting Alexei Ratmansky’s all-new full-length production of American Ballet Theatre’s The Sleeping Beauty, the classic 1890 ballet originally choreographed by Marius Petipa at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. ABT’s…
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Los Angeles / Chicago Theater Review: CINEASTAS (Grupo Marea at REDCAT in L.A. & MCA in Chicago)
SHOW BIZ KIDS Cineastas at least doubles the self-reflexion of your average REDCAT show. In this new Argentinian play, written and directed by Mariano Pensotti, you watch no fewer than four writer/directors make existential movies, putting themselves into their art and their art into themselves. Hell, that’s more mirrors than a Fellini dolly shot. Maybe…
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Los Angeles Dance Preview: FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY (Alberta Ballet at Royce Hall, UCLA)
A TAB OF ECSTASY Following Alberta Ballet’s triumphant tributes to the music of Canadian legend Joni Mitchell and England’s international superstars Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, a “pop-fusion” ballet, features the music of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, whose melodious music is the inspiration and soundtrack to this beautiful performance. The company…
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Event Preview: KODO ONE EARTH TOUR: MYSTERY (North American Tour)
A POUND OF CURE Ever since man could bang a stick on a rock, percussion has been a way for humans to express themselves. From your teenager’s bedroom to the battlefield to the theater, percussion has evolved from communicative and ritualistic purposes into an art form. We take for granted the use of percussion as…
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National Tour Review: BLITHE SPIRIT (Ahmanson)
BIRD THOU SURE AIN’T NOW Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! Bird thou never wert, That from Heaven, or near it, Pourest thy full heart In profuse strains of unpremeditated art. – P.B. Shelley, “To a Skylark” If time had not shown that Noël Coward’s 1941 comedy Blithe Spirit is a funny play, one would not find…
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Los Angeles Theater Review: NORTHANGER ABBEY (Broad Stages in Santa Monica)
JANE AND HER PUPPETS The works of Jane Austen are delightful – and so are puppets. So, when you hear that this adaptation of Austen’s classic satire of gothic literature, Northanger Abbey, is actually performed by two actors, wielding seven puppets – well, what is not to like? If the notion of combining Jane Austen…
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National Tour Theater Review: NEWSIES
HAWKING HAPPINESS Winner of two 2012 Tonys for best score and choreography, the rampaging romp called Newsies is a special delivery indeed. It comes from the Disney dreamers who fleshed out The Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. This screen-to-stage adventure is very well-fleshed out, with the most attractive, athletic cast since…
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Event Tour Preview: SHEN YUN 2015 (Hollywood, Northridge, Costa Mesa, Thousand Oaks, Long Beach)
SHEN YUN RETURNS TO SO CAL Inspired by the spirit of an ancient culture, Shen Yun Performing Arts brings to life classical Chinese dance and music in a gloriously colorful show. With an elite company of dancers, singers, and musicians, the New York-based Shen Yun returns to Southern California in January and February 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UtxvkD3Krg…
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Chicago / Tour Opera Review: WILLIAM TELL (Teatro Regio Torino at the Harris Theater)
TELL US SOME MORE Turin, Italy’s Teatro Regio Torino opened its first ever North American tour with a magnificent concert performance of Gioachino Rossini’s William Tell at the Harris Theater on December 3. Energetically conducted by musical director Gianandrea Noseda, the four-stop tour continues with performances in Toronto, New York, and Ann Arbor. William Tell…
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Chicago Dance Review: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM (Auditorium Theatre)
PERFECT PLACEMENT AND PERPETUAL MOTION Making a too-brief, always welcome return to Chicago’s gorgeous Auditorium Theatre (now celebrating its 125th anniversary), Dance Theatre of Harlem never looked more awesomely athletic, devotedly disciplined or able, as much as eager to please. Closing tomorrow, their three-ballet program, a feat for the limbs and a feast for the…
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San Francisco Theater Preview: KURIOS – CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (Cirque du Soleil U.S. Premiere)
A CASE WHERE CURIOSITY WON’T KILL THE CAT Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the global phenomenon Cirque du Soleil arrives at San Francisco’s AT&T Park for the U.S. Premiere of its 35th production: KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities. Utilizing the Montreal-based company’s trademark astonishment and enchantment, KURIOS, which runs November 14 – January 18, 2015, has…
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Tour Review: LEGENDS (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus)
SOME VERY MATERIAL MAKE-BELIEVE The self-described “greatest show on Earth” has now reached the greatest city on Lake Michigan. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s very literal Legends ups the circus ante by conjuring up even greater make-believe than animal acts and death-defying trapezes. We’re treated to somewhat cheesy recreations of Pegasus the Flying Horse…
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Los Angeles / Tour Dance Preview: BALLETBOYZ (Ahmanson Theatre)
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYZ Conquering the globe with appearances on stage and screen, BalletBoyz is one of the most audaciously unique and groundbreaking influences in modern dance. The distinctive style merges remarkable dance, both robust and nimble, with music and film. The UK company’s 2014 U.S.A. tour doesn’t make a lot of stops, but…
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Tour Theater Review: KING LEAR (Shakespeare’s Globe at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica)
MORE SINNED AGAINST At one point in act four, the disillusioned and blinded Gloucester refuses help along the road: “I have no way and therefore want no eyes.” It’s a line that Bill Buckhurst would have been wise to cut before directing a King Lear as wayward as the one that has landed in Santa…
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Theater Review: PIPPIN (National Tour)
I’M NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD BE SKIPPIN’ PIPPIN, BUT: Prepare yourself. After all the rave reviews and buzz from New York, Diane Paulus’s Tony-winning revival hits the road filled with enough high-flying frivolity to bedazzle even the most jaded of theatergoers. But for all its extraordinarily magical moments it ends up being a soulless circus…
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Los Angeles Music Review: LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (Valley Performing Arts Center)
NOTHING FOGGY ABOUT THIS LONDON OUTFIT Yet again, the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) is proven to be one of the best venues for music concerts in this or any other city. Not only is the gorgeous hall blessed with terrific sight lines and extraordinary acoustics, but the ticket prices are basically half of what…
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National Tour Theater Review: JERSEY BOYS (Pantages)
BOY OH BOYS With a career spanning over five decades, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons have amassed an impressive catalog, including numerous #1 hits (“Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man”) and over 100 million record sales worldwide. Furthermore, countless covers have been done of the group’s work that extend far beyond the pop rock genre,…
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Chicago / Tour Theater Review: THE MAGIC FLUTE (Isango Ensemble at Chicago Shakespeare)
THIS MAGIC FLUTE IS ALL TOO ORDINARY South Africa’s Isango Ensemble is undoubtedly full of talented actors, singers, and musicians, but doesn’t quite have the specialized skills required to pull of Mozart’s masterful The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo). While the production doesn’t aim for a straightforward rendering of the original, it does retain much of…
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