Jesse Vargas News

Casting has been announced for For The Record and The Wallis’ production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

INVINCIBLE The Musical is a new Broadway-Bound production featuring the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, with book by Bradley Bredeweg, direction by Scott Schwartz, choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Grant, orchestrations by Neil Giraldo, music direction & arrangements by Jesse Vargas.

Feinstein’s at the Nikko and For The Record Live—the nationally acclaimed genre-bending series that brings classic movie soundtracks to thrilling life on stage—announced the extension of BratPack, the celebrated immersive ‘80s theatrical live-concert event featuring music and moments from some of the ‘80s most beloved high-school comedies.

In a year that promises particularly joyful holiday reunions, LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, and the biggest hit in The Wallis' history, is back by popular demand as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances from Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31, 2021.

INVINCIBLE The Musical, a new Broadway-Bound production featuring the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, with book by Bradley Bredeweg, direction by Scott Schwartz, choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Grant, orchestrations by Neil Giraldo, music direction & arrangements by Jesse Vargas will have an industry presentation.

Tease your hair, dig out those Trapper-Keepers and your favorite acid wash jeans, and get ready for the party of the year! Feinstein's at the Nikko announced today that For The Record—the nationally acclaimed genre-bending series that brings classic movie soundtracks to thrilling life on stage—will make their San Francisco debut with BratPack.

LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of the beloved holiday film from Universal Pictures/Working Title, and the biggest hit in The Wallis’ history, is planning to be back by popular demand, as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances currently scheduled to run Saturday, November 27 – Friday, December 31, 2021.

Shane Scheel and his live show production company For The Record Live has found their new Hollywood home in The Bourbon Room. With their official re-opening, featuring Shoshana Bean, an impressive success (obvious from the love and applause flowing forth from The Bourbon Room audience.), FTR will follow up with be a concert from Alisan Porter (August 1st), and their new and improved production of TARANTINO LIVE, now TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN (beginning August 5th). Had the chance to chat with Shane, FTR’s executive producer, on FTR staying connected during the pandemic, and their already planned shows and those hoped for scheduling.

Once upon a time in Hollywood, a couple of friends decided to stage a concert with a few unbelievably talented vocalists singing songs from Quentin Tarantino's roster of movie soundtracks and an actress from Death Proof reciting a few of her movie lines.

Pasadena Playhouse has announced the launch today of In Development: Iceboy!  on PlayhouseLive. Join Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Adam DeVine and Laura Bell Bundy as they perform 4 new songs and give a rare early look at  Iceboy!, a new musical by Mark Hollmann, Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss.

The Broadway star is fast becoming a star of the concert and cabaret stage and these two CDs show why it was inevitable.

A LITTLE MORE ALIVE, a musical with a book, music lyrics by Nick Blaemire, has released a 20-song compilation album from the show. It is now available on Apple Music. It will arrive on Spotify in the next few days.

On this day in 2008, Glory Days had its opening night on Broadway, and subsequently joined just a handful of musicals in history to post a closing notice on the same night. 

Jamie Cesa and Bel Chiasso Entertainment will present an invite-only industry workshop of the new Broadway-bound musical, THE ROMEO & JULIET PROJECT, featuring the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, with the book by Bradley Bredeweg, music direction & arrangements by Jesse Vargas, and choreography by Lauren & Christopher Grant. The workshop will be directed by Scott Schwartz. The presentations will take place in NYC on May 12th, 14th & 15th.

Tease your hair, put on your shoulder pads and acid wash jeans, and get ready for the party of the summer! Feinstein's at the Nikko is thrilled to welcome the Northern California debut of For the Record: The Brat Packa?"the immersive, totally awesome, criticallya?"acclaimed theatrical rock 'n' roll experience where classic '80s movie soundtracks come to lifea?"performing Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, August 2, 2020.

With a title like a?oeOne Hit Wonder,a?? you might think you know what to expect: a series of well-known one hit wonders strung together with a loose story that feels more like a musical revue than a musical, but my experience seeing Landmark Community Theatre's production of One Hit Wonder flipped those expectations on their head and left this reviewer bopping in his seat to songs he hasn't heard since he was a child.

Rex Smith and Tomasina Abate recently teamed up for a cover of the Oscar-winning Best Original Song, Shallow, from the film A Star is Born.

Taking the film and its music to the next level, The Wallis and For The Record are presenting a holiday season encore of last year's LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE world premiere in the Bram Stoker Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills through December 29. The multimedia presentation, adapted and directed by Anderson Davis with musical supervision by Jesse Vargas, turns the theater into a giant, immersive, cinema in a three-dimensional world where the film and live action seamlessly intertwine throughout the London setting. Each scene is a festival of excellent characterizations, extraordinary lighting effects and costumes, brilliant and fast-paced direction and choreography, and the joy of great music that perfectly expresses the mood and themes of the movie and jukebox musical LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE. No doubt this suburb holiday musical will be making its return to The Wallis each December!

Casting has been announced for The Wallis and For The Record's production of LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29). Returning from the 2018 production are Rex Smith (RIAA Gold® recording artist), Carrie Manolakos (Broadway's Mamma Mia!, Wicked), Doug Kreeger (Broadway's Les Misérables), Tomasina Abate (For The Record's Scorsese: American Crime Requiem, Tarantino), Carson Higgins (international tour of Green Day's American Idiot) and the multi-dimensional Emily Lopez. New this year to the lineup of outstanding performers are Rogelio Douglas Jr. (In the Heights and The Little Mermaid on Broadway), Declan Bennett (Once, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Taboo in the West End, American Idiot and Rent on Broadway), Jon Robert Hall (Fox's Grease: Live, “Glee”), Chris Mann (NBC's “The Voice,” The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour), James Byous (Scorsese: American Crime Requiem, Netflix's 'Westside'), Ruby Lewis (Cirque du Soleil's Paramour, Lights Out: Nat 'King' Cole), singer/songwriter/actress Aubrie Sellers (one of Rolling Stone's best country albums of the year), Gabriela Francesca Carrillo (American Mariachi, Netflix's Homecoming), Levi Smith (A Bronx Tale: The Musical, It's a Wonderful Life, Mary Poppins and The Music Man on Broadway), young singer/actress Nayah Damasen, John Battagliese and accomplished violinist Molly Rogers. 

The Wallis and For The Record present LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert celebration of one of the most beloved holiday films of all time and the biggest, record-breaking hit in The Wallis' history, which is back by popular demand, now as a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles tradition with performances beginning the day before Thanksgiving (November 27) and running through the weekend following Christmas (December 29).