John LaLonde

The marriage of ballet and Disney musical is a delightful one. Beauty and the Beast was a sold-out smash hit at the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga March 2nd through 10th.  A joint production of the Candlelight Pavilion and the Inland Pacific Ballet, this Disney musical was lavish and entertaining.

Inland Pacific Ballet in partnership with Candlelight Pavilion will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast the Broadway Musical, the international sensation nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Inland Pacific Ballet will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast next month. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, this stage version includes all of the songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman.

Inland Pacific Ballet in partnership with Candlelight Pavilion will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast the Broadway Musical. Learn more about the show here!

Inland Pacific Ballet’s 29th season kicks-off with a Fall Dance Fest fundraiser taking place at IPB’s Academy studios in Montclair. Learn more about the event and find out how to get tickets here!

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA by CCAE Theatricals is a gorgeous trip to 1950s Florence, Italy that should not be missed. Full of soaring vocals, beautiful costumes and sets, and absolutely lush orchestrations played by a live orchestra this is a show that is fantastic from start to finish.  THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA through June 25 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

Young love and secrets, set against the backdrop of the enchanting city of Florence, Italy, takes center stage at California Center for the Arts, Escondido with the multi-award-winning musical The Light in the Piazza from June 17-25 in the Center Theater. Get a first look at photos!

Young love and secrets, set against the backdrop of the enchanting city of Florence, Italy, takes center stage at California Center for the Arts, Escondido with the multi-award-winning musical The Light in the Piazza from June 17-25 in the Center Theater. Produced by CCAE Theatricals, with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Kari Hayter will direct. Tickets are available online at www.artcenter.org

Young love and secrets, set against the backdrop of the enchanting city of Florence, Italy, takes center stage at California Center for the Arts, Escondido with the multi-award-winning musical The Light in the Piazza from June 17-25 in the Center Theater. Produced by CCAE Theatricals, with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Kari Hayter will direct.

Man of La Mancha /book by Dale Wasserman/music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion/ directed by Chuck Ketter/choreographed by Daniel Solis/ music direction by Douglas Austin/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre/through February 22 This has to be my hundreth viewing of this show. As many times as I see Man of La Mancha, I relish the music and high dramatic moments of this classic piece of theatre. Such is the case when the production is top notch, with the perfect actors and highly skilled direction. Candlelight Pavilion's current revival is fantastic with artistic director John LaLonde stepping into the role of Cervantes for the sixth time. In spite of the entire cast's excellent performances, he is the main reason to see this fine production.

Inland Valley Repertory Theater company (IVRT) will present the regional premier of the musical Fun Home at the Candlelight Pavilion September 17 and 18 for three performances only.

The Bodyguard The Musical/based on the film with screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan/book by Alexander Dinelarissir/music: the hit songs of Whitney Houston/directed by John LaLonde/choreography by John Vaughan/musical director: Kevin Casio/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through September 28 As much as I admired Whitney Houston's phenomenal vocal instrument, I did not much care for 1992's movie of The Bodyguard. Apart from the music, I found it relatively boring. Houston's role Rachel Marron seemed of lesser focus than that of her bodyguard played by Kevin Costner, and maybe screenwriter Kasdan didn't feel that Houston, in her first film, could cut the acting. Now onstage in a revamped version, The Bodyguard The Musical took my breath away from moment to moment. The focus here is on Rachel Marron (Daebreon Poiema) and her sister Nicki (Deanna Anthony) who sing the hel

Peter Pan is an enchanting tale that delights children of all ages. Children dream of being able to fly and to live freely, without attachments or responsibilities. With the right casting, the show is pure magic. Now onstage through August 18 at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Peter Pan will never grow up, thank heavens! In this case there is not a famous star attached to the role....and director John LaLonde has cast a male in the lead. A refreshing change...and, let's face it, it must work. Peter is a boy, after all. Gavin Juckette is an immmensely talented triple threat who has played the role previously on the East coast. La Londe has cast this Peter Pan very well, making it soar.

No No Nanette/book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel/adapted by Burt Shevelove/'music by Vincent Youmans; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach/directed by John LaLonde/choreographed by John Vaughn/musical director: Douglas Austin/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through April 13 Based on Frank Mandel's 1919 play My Lady Friends, the musical version No No Nanette bowed on Broadway in 1925 and spawned many movies through the years. But it wasn't until 1971, in a rollicking revival adapted by Burt Shevelove, that the

Disney's The Little Mermaid/book by Doug Wright/music by Alan Menken/lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater/directed by John LaLonde/choreographed by Chelsea Morgan Stock/musical director: Julie Lamoureux/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through September 1 Disney's The Little Mermaid is an entertaining treat ... it's aglow and scintillating for kids of all ages. Young kids laugh and hiss at Ursula and her mad pranks; older ones love Ariel's romantic reverie with the Prince. All the color and splendor of the ocean is onstage without water, and that has a lot to say about the creative team who strive to make us believe where we are. As technical aspects of the show are working smoothly, and splend

I have seen Ragtime the Musical a half dozen times since it premiered in LA in 1997 prior to Broadway and...have never tired of it. Why? First, its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to tears. Secondly, it presents elements of pop culture mixed in with the meaningful historical content of America at the turn of the 20th century, making it the most relevant show in the last 25 years. Now by means of Candlelight's revival production, onstage in Claremont through February 24, Ragtime continues to enlighten and enchant simultaneously.

The pivotal event in American history will blaze to vivid life at the Norris Theatre in a staged concert performance of the musical, '1776,' November 11-12 at 8 p.m.

The pivotal event in American history will blaze to vivid life at the Norris Theatre in a staged concert performance of the musical, '1776,' November 11-12 at 8 p.m.

Guys and Dolls/music & lyrics by Frank Loesser/book by Joe Swerling and Abe Burrows/based on stories by Damon Runyon/directed by John LaLonde/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through February 27

There's no finer Christmas entertainment than an original story about home and family that has lots of humor, music and more than enough touches of magic...and of course, several kids and, to top it all off, Santa and Mrs. Claus. That's pretty much it in a nutshell with Home For Christmas, 2015's holiday show currently onstage at Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont through December 27. It's a whole lot of imaginative fun that you cannot afford to miss.