Paul Crewes News

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is teaming up again with Los Angeles  magazine to present Center Stage:  Mapping the Ecology of Dance in Los Angeles, a dynamic discussion with both established and emerging leaders in LA's dance world on May 17, 2018 at 9:00 am. This two-part panel will explore the exciting and explosive growth of dance in Los Angeles in recent years and the influences that have made it possible. Admission is free, but reservations are required.This special event, taking place in advance of Dance USA's 10thAnnual Conference in Downtown Los Angeles, will also be available as a Facebook Live stream on The Wallis' Facebook page.  

Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Long Day's Journey Into Night  comes to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts for a limited three-week engagement from Friday, June 8 through Sunday, July 1. Richard Eyre's acclaimed Bristol Old Vic production stars Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons(Brideshead Revisited, Reversal of Fortune,  'The Borgias') and Olivier Award winner and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville(Another Year,  'Harlots,' Phantom Thread). Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game, The Riot Club), Rory Keenan (BBC's 'War & Peace,' 'Peaky Blinders') and Jessica Regan (reprising the role as Cathleen from the 2016 Bristol Old Vic production) round out the ensemble cast.  

The Wallis production of BLUES IN THE NIGHT, conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, starts performances next week in the intimate Lovelace Theater! Artistic Director Paul Crewes snuck into rehearsal to chat with cast members Yvette Cason, Bryce Charles, Chester Gregory, and Paulette Ivory about this exciting new production.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is teaming up again with Los Angeles  magazine to present Center Stage:  Mapping the Ecology of Dance in Los Angeles, a dynamic discussion with both established and emerging leaders in LA's dance world on May 17, 2018 at 9:00 am. This two-part panel will explore the exciting and explosive growth of dance in Los Angeles in recent years and the influences that have made it possible. Admission is free, but reservations are required.This special event, taking place in advance of Dance USA's 10thAnnual Conference in Downtown Los Angeles, will also be available as a Facebook Live stream on The Wallis' Facebook page.  

BritWeek and The Wallis are proud to announce A Shakespeare Jubilee!  BritWeek, the largest and most visible celebration of the creativity and innovation between the UK and the US, celebrates its twelfth year with three significant events in Los Angeles. BritWeek has become a global forum that highlights British excellence and influence in theater, films television, music, fine art, and sport. This year's opening event is A Shakespeare Jubilee!, BritWeek's first co-presentation with The Wallis.Produced and directed by Louis Fantasia, and featuring a star-studded cast of 27 actors, A Shakespeare Jubilee! takes place Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 7:30pm in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis and tickets are now on sale.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the cast for its upcoming production of Blues in the Night.  Conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, the production will feature Yvette Cason (Shout Sister Shout, Broadway and film versions of Dreamgirls), Bryce Charles (The Book of Mormon, ABC's "Black-ish"), Paulette Ivory (Disney's Aida and the West End premieres of The Lion King and Blues in the Night) and Chester Gregory (Broadway's Motown: The Musical, Hairspray and  Sister Act).  Blues in the Night will begin performances April 27 through May 20 in the Lovelace Studio Theater.

Traditional and contemporary versions of Vivaldi's iconic "The Four Seasons" are juxtaposed in a distinctive program by the acclaimed Zurich Chamber Orchestra, led by Music Director Daniel Hope, who serves as violin soloist in both works, presented by the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, March 22, 2018, 7:30 pm.  The concert includes Vivaldi's classic cycle of the famous Baroque violin concertos followed by Vivaldi Recomposed, Max Richter's contemporary minimalist take on the masterpiece.  Hope, "among the best in the world" (The Observer), also conducts/performs Fabian Muller's Intermezzo III "Winter" for Violin and Ensemble

American baritone Nathan Gunn and pianist Julie Gunn, partners in life and often on stage, will make their debut at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in an evening of cabaret by iconic composers ranging from Leonard Bernstein and Cole Porter to Billy Joel and Tom Waits.  The evening concert from an eclectic American Songbook joins Bernstein at 100, the worldwide celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history. An Evening with Nathan and Julie Gunn takes place Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 7:30pm in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis.

wild Up, under the direction of conductor Christopher Rountree, is an adventurous Los Angeles-based chamber orchestra committed to creating visceral, thought-provoking musical happenings. For its debut at The Wallis, wild Up: Future Folk explores music from ancient India, modern California, post-war New York, as well as American works rooted in folk ethos. wild Up: Future Folk takes place Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 7:30pm in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis. Classical KUSC's Brian Lauritzen will talk to wild Up's Chris Rountree on the Bram Goldsmith Theater stage starting at 6:30pm.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Chita Rivera will perform two concerts at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) for one night only alongside Sirius XM Radio host and music director Seth Rudetsky (Broadway's Disaster!) on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30pm and 9:30pm.

The magical world of artist Marc Chagall and his wife Bella will be tenderly brought to life onstage at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) next month in director Emma Rice's production of Daniel Jamieson's The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk.  Partners in life and on canvas, Marc and Bella are immortalized as the picture of romance. On the painter's canvas they flew, but in real life they walked through some of the most challenging times in 20th Century history-navigating the devastation of war, the Russian Revolution and each other. Following the artistic heights of Brief Encounter and 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, Kneehigh and Rice return to The Wallis with a production that combines the visuals of Chagall's paintings with the music and dance of the Russian-Jewish tradition. Performances begin February 23 and run through Sunday, March 11, 2018 with opening night set for Saturday, February 24 at 7:30pm. The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is made possible in part by the generous support of Camille and Arnon Adar. Theater @ The Wallis Series is sponsored by Montage Beverly Hills and Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills.

The Wallis will be the place for jazz lovers this month when the performing arts center, in conjunction with the Arturo Sandoval Institute, present a special four-night musical celebration curated by the dynamic American jazz legend Arturo Sandoval from Today, January 25 through Sunday, January 28. Sandoval shines a spotlight on his legacy, as well as up-and-coming musicians, in an exciting jazz series featuring a Master Class, sponsored by the Arturo Sandoval Institute; two extraordinary nights of emerging jazz artists, whom Sandoval proudly calls the Young Lions; and an unforgettable concert of his own with special guests.

Kneehigh founder and owner of the world's most malleable face David Mynne brings his extraordinary one-man portrayal of Charles Dickens's Great Expectationsto the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) for six performances only in February. With just a suitcase, bowler hat, tiny forge, candlestick, mirror and some cloth, Mynne tells the gothic tale of Pip's journey through life and his great expectations at the hands of a mystery benefactor. Directed by fellow Kneehigh colleague Simon Harvey, Great Expectations will be performed in the Lovelace Studio Theater from Thursday, February 8 through Sunday, February 11.

Two-time Tony and GRAMMY Award winner Patti LuPone returns to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis), as part of the acclaimed Broadway @ The Wallis series, for a one-night-only Valentine's Day event featuring two intimate concerts at 7:30pm and 9:30pm on Wednesday, February 14, 2018. The Broadway legend will be joined on stage by Broadway @ The Wallis series host and music director Seth Rudetsky who wrote and starred in the Broadway musical Disaster! in a not-to-be-missed night of singing and conversation produced by Mark Cortale. The Broadway @ The Wallis concert is made possible by generous support from Ken and Wendy Ruby.

Hailed as the best ensemble of its kind in the world, (Manchester Evening News), the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet make its debut at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Art (The Wallis) with one of the most distinctive artists of his generation, pianist and MacArthur Genius Stephen Hough, in a one-night-only performance in the Bram Goldsmith Theater on Saturday, February 10 at 7:30pm. The evening concert includes works by W.A. Mozart, Samuel Barber, Jacques Ibert, Francis Poulenc, and an original work by multitalented Hough.

Great books haunt Laurie Anderson's bold experimental performances. From Moby Dick to The Tibetan Book of the Dead works of literature are embedded in many of her films, stories and songs. In celebration of her new book, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) and The Library Foundation of Los Angeles' ALOUD series present the West Coast Premiere of Laurie Anderson in All the Things I Lost in the Flood on Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm. Through intimate storytelling and bold digital language, this original one-woman piece gives a tour of the creative process noting both successes and failures behind Anderson's many operas, projects and installations, and invites audiences to witness how a book comes to life as a performance.

The 2018 ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop, in partnership with The Wallis and Universal Theatrical Group (UTG), returns to Beverly Hills on February 7 9, 2018. The three-day annual workshop gives select composers and lyricists the opportunity to present new original musical works-in-progress for professional critique.

The Wallis will be the place for jazz lovers this month when the performing arts center, in conjunction with the Arturo Sandoval Institute, present a special four-night musical celebration curated by the dynamic American jazz legend Arturo Sandoval from Thursday, January 25 through Sunday, January 28. Sandoval shines a spotlight on his legacy, as well as up-and-coming musicians, in an exciting jazz series featuring a Master Class, sponsored by the Arturo Sandoval Institute; two extraordinary nights of emerging jazz artists, whom Sandoval proudly calls the Young Lions; and an unforgettable concert of his own with special guests.

In the last few months of his short life, prolific Austrian composer Franz Schubert wrote some of the most miraculous music ever created. Now, acclaimed Los Angeles-based pianist Ory Shihor presents the story behind Schubert's last compositions in the world premiere of Last Thoughts: Schubert's Final Works at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 7:30pm. With words by master musical storyteller Hershey Felder, Shihor's program includes the two of three final piano sonatas created by Schubert, who bridged the worlds of Classical and Romantic music in the early nineteenth century. This performance is made possible in part by the generous support of Camille and Arnon Adar.

Internationally recognized for its unique blend of African, Afro-Caribbean, modern, street dance and jazz techniques, the Lula Washington Dance Theatre (LWDT) provides brilliant depictions of African-American experiences, past and present. Now the company founded in 1980 and considered one of the premier African-American arts institutions on the West Coast makes its Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts debut featuring three different programs that celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over the course of three evenings in the Bram Goldsmith Theater on January 11 13, 2018.