Melinda Koen

The long awaited revival of Jason Robert Brownand Alfred Uhry's gripping Tony Award-winning murder mystery musical PARADE as presented in 2013 at Fullerton's Plummer Auditorium by 3-D Theatricals (3DT) of Los Angeles and Orange County, once again takes a bow at two Southern California main stage theatres. It began June 1 - 10 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and now continues June 15 - 24, 2018 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

The long awaited revival of Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's gripping Tony Award-winning murder mystery musical PARADE as presented five years ago at Fullerton's Plummer Auditorium by 3-D Theatricals (3DT) of Los Angeles and Orange County, will once again take a bow at two Southern California main stage theatres beginning June 1 - 10 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and June 15 - 24, 2018 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. Broadway's JEFF SKOWRON*, RUFUS BONDS JR.* and DAVIS GAINES* lead many returning cast members of the original 2013 3DT production.

Each summer, the Torrance Theatre Company opens its season with a musical production at the James Armstrong Theatre. This year, it's SISTER ACT, the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg as disco diva Deloris Van Cartier, who witnesses a murder and is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won't be a found: a convent! Featuring original music by Tony (and eight-time Oscar) winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), this uplifting musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Torrance Theatre Company production is directed by Jim Hormel with musical direction by Bradley Hampton, and choreography by Christopher Albrecht, and features an outstanding live orchestra who knows how to rock the house! The production features a cast of 30 actors from all over Southern California, starring Ashley Elizabeth Crowe as Deloris who transforms herself into Sister Mary Clarence. Crowe will grab your attention every moment she is on stage with her booming voice and over-the-top energy.

Disney's and Cameron Mackintosh's MARY POPPINS, a musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, with original music & lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and book by Julian Fellowes, featuring new songs and additional music & lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, just opened at La Mirada Theatre and runs through June 21, 2015. Scroll down for photos from the musical's opening night festivities!

There's an old showbiz cliche that says that you shouldn't work with kids or animals. Luckily, both contribute an enjoyable, charming quality to 3D Theatricals' gargantuan stage production of THE WIZARD OF OZ, its latest stage offering that performs at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, CA through October 30. Despite being haunted by an onslaught of technical glitches and unfortunate gaffes, the show still manages to be fairly fun and lively in its attempt to recreate a beloved novel and film for the stage.