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BWW Reviews: Awestruck! BLUE MAN GROUP Astounds at The McCallum Theatre
I will admit, from the start, that I was not racing to the theatre to see BLUE MAN GROUP. Having only seen them once or twice on television, and never being blown away by what I saw, I was more attending the show to fulfill my obligation of covering all of the Broadway offerings at The McCallum The...
BWW Reviews: NAKED BOYS SINGING Delivers “Gratuitous Nudity” and Little More at The Palm Canyon Theatre
Everyone is familiar with the old adage 'You Get What You Pay For'. Never was it more true than with NAKED BOYS SINGING, now playing for a limited engagement at The Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs. You get exactly what you pay for - six naked boys singing. So who could complain? They don't promi...
BWW Reviews: SCR Stages Emotionally-Gripping Play THE WHALE
Beautifully acted and heartbreakingly stirring, Samuel D. Hunter's excellent, emotionally-gripping play THE WHALE, plays at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through March 31. The play follows the story of Charlie (Matthew Arkin, in a truly transformative performance that many will remember for de...
BWW Reviews: Jefferson Mays and A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER
D'Ysquiths are dropping like flies in The Old Globe's world premiere musical, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, and each time one dies, Monty Navarro moves one step closer to becoming the ninth Earl of Highhurst....
BWW Reviews: The SPIRIT OF THE KING is in the Building at Spa Resort Casino
Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connol...
BWW Reviews: Fountain Theatre's ON THE SPECTRUM Is Engrossing Theatre
Ken LaZebnik's west coast premiere play On the Spectrum at the Fountain Theatre is a life-affirming work that explores the power of love between two autistic people, and the repercussions on those around them. Thanks to LaZebnik, a trio of fine actors and splendid direction from Jacqueline Schultz, ...
BWW Reviews: THE BABY DANCE Challenges Beliefs on Poverty, Adoption, Religion, and Disparity Between Classes
THE BABY DANCE centers on two couples: Rachel and Richard Lieberman, a successful Los Angeles couple who have everything but can't have children, and Wanda and Al, a poor, pregnant Louisiana couple who already have four kids but can barely support them. Both couples' desperate choices lead to an ins...
BWW Reviews: An American Musical Theatre Treasure, Barbara Cook Mesmerizes at The McCallum
It is probably not the best form for a writer to begin a composition with “There are No Words To Describe” … but that is the first thing that came to mind after spending a glorious evening in the theatre with a true American Musical Theatre treasure, Barbara Cook, last Thursday at The McCallum...
BWW Reviews: Easy to Fall in Love with Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at The McCallum Theatre
Last night I fell in love … again … with Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! And that was surprise. The Musical holds a very special place in my heart since Broadway's original Belle, Susan Egan, and Broadway's final Belle, Anneliese Vanderpol, are both former students of mine. I was looking forward ...
BWW Reviews: REMEMBRANCE Celebrates Love in the Golden Years at Theatre 40
It is always said that a parent should never have to deal with the death of their child. In 1988 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant parents were dealing with the death of their children on a daily basis for no other reason than their religion, political affiliation, or just ...
BWW Reviews: Charmingly Flawed CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Lands in L.A.
While certainly a fun, buoyant little show---featuring some enjoyable music from HAIRSPRAY composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as a very likable, extremely talented young actor, Stephen Anthony, at the center of its semi-autobiographical tale of successful grifting---CATCH ME IF YOU CA...
BWW Reviews: Quilter's END OF THE RAINBOW Blows Into the Ahmanson
For diehard fans of Judy Garland, for those who adored every song she sang and every word she uttered, Peter Quilter's account of Judy's final comeback in the UK at Talk of the Town in December, 1968, called End of the Rainbow must be seen. Yes, it's darkly frank showing literally the decay of the a...
BWW Reviews: Kentwood Players Stage Melodically Rousing RAGTIME
Since its creation in 1997, Ragtime has remained one of my favorite musicals for two reasons. Its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to the bone, and it has more meaningful historical content about America at the turn of the 20th century than...
BWW Reviews: Nightmarish WOLVES Entertains at Celebration
The short and fast-moving Wolves, which comes in at about one hour, is a smart, scary, thrilling theatrical ride akin to a nightmare. What in the beginning upsets, though, sooner or later yields enlightenment and even an odd sense of relief. The whole bleak argument of the city as wilderness and man...
BWW Reviews: A Star Is Born in NUTTIN' BUT HUTTON
Triple threat actress/singer/dancer Betty Hutton is perhaps one of the greatest yet lesser known musical film stars of the 40s and 50s. Star of Annie Get Your Gun and The Greatest Show on Earth, Hutton possessed a uniquely energetic style that can be most realistically described as 'manic'. It seems...
BWW Reviews: Actor/Director Ben Rimalower Talks About PATTI ISSUES
Actor/director Ben Rimalower brings his critically acclaimed show Patti Issues (about his infatuation with Patti LuPone) to Casita del Campo for two performances only Friday March 29 and Saturday March 30. Gravelly, yet sexy-voiced Rimalower, reminding me somewhat of a young Harvey Fierstein, is o...
BWW Reviews: Fun, Pulsating CATCH ME IF YOU CAN at Pantages
It used to be, in days gone by, that hit Broadway shows would be made into movies; now, it's the reverse. With a dearth of ideas for Broadway musicals, the trend lately has been to turn to the big screen and revamp a popular film for the stage, adding song and dance. Such was the case with 9 to 5 an...
BWW Review: Palm Canyon Theatre's SUNSET BOULEVARD Is Worthy Of A Close-Up
I am a big fan of The Palm Canyon Theatre. It is a community-based theatre with community at its heart. The casting and creative team is a mix of industry professionals with dazzling resumes (most of whom are locals) and 'just plain locals' with a passion, if not professional aspirations, for theatr...
BWW Reviews: Nina Raine's TRIBES Is Electrifying Theatre Not to Be Missed
Nina Raine takes the problems of a hearing vs. nonhearing world to a new and much higher level in her Drama Desk Award winning play Tribes now making its West Coast premiere at the Mark Taper Forum. Whereas Mark Medoff introduced audiences to the deaf community in his brilliant Children of a Lesser ...
BWW Reviews: TRIBES Enthralls in West Coast Debut
TRIBES is a gripping, if somewhat uneven, play by Nina Raine, which has garnered accolades in both its run in London at the Royal Court Theatre and it's off-Broadway debut at the Barrow Street Theatre prior to its West Coast premiere Sunday night at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum....
BWW Reviews: AVENUE Q is Part Flesh, Part Felt and Packed with Lots of Heart at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
AVENUE Q, the zany, adult-themed spoof on Sesame Street, won the Tony "Triple Crown" for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Now onstage through April 6 at Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre, the show is part flesh, part felt and packed with lots of heart. With 2,534 performances, Avenue Q r...
BWW Review: PARADISE, a Divine Bluegrass Musical Comedy has World Premiere at the Ruskin Group
The small coal mining town of Paradise has seen better days and its citizens are facing hard times. Can a charismatic new preacher, Rev. John Cyrus Mountain (the remarkable and versatile Jonathan Root) who has arrived in town with his bombshell sidekick Chastity Jones (Nina Brissey), rescued from t...
BWW Review: WEST SIDE STORY Misses Emotional Mark at The McCallum Theatre
West Side Story is widely considered to be one of the finest musicals ever written and it can be one of the most moving and emotionally-draining experiences one can have in the theatre. It has the capability of taking the audiences on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows - from laughter to d...
BWW Reviews: DIVORCE PARTY THE MUSICAL - The Hilarious Journey to Hell and Back
The West Coast premiere of DIVORCE PARTY THE MUSICAL continues at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood through April 14. Whether you have been through a divorce or not, I guarantee you will be swept into the fun created onstage by the very talented cast of five....
BWW Review: Night And Day! Michael Feinstein Brings Style and Sophistication To THE SINATRA PROJECT at The McCallum Theatre
Michael Feinstein's SINATRA PROJECT at The McCallum Theatre was 'Night And Day' above the theatrical offering I had seen the night before. (See my review of 'Prince Poppycock and Frenchie Davis' if you want to know what I am talking about). It was everything a concert should be and he was everything...
Videos
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The Most Happy Fella North Coast Repertory Theatre (6/03-6/28) |
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Millennials Are Killing Musicals Colony Theatre (4/30-5/17) |
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Melt : The Play The Marilyn Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Institute (6/11-6/13) |
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August Wilson's FENCES Mark Taper Forum (5/26-7/03) |
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The Riot Stage: The Play. The Movie. The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (5/20-5/21) |
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Peter Hook And The Light Hollywood Palladium (9/19-9/19) |
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Les Talens Lyriques Zipper Concert Hall (5/24-5/24) |
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Dead Man The Broadwater Black Box (6/07-6/26) |
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Lustily Ever After: The Musical Broadwater Black Box (6/09-6/23) |
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The "It" girl Art of acting studio (6/12-6/14) |
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