SOUTH PACIFIC
Sunday, December 9th, 2018
Intimacy isn’t a word normally associated with the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, just one reason the 200-seat Rubicon Theatre Company’s two-piano revival is a December must-see. Others are its superb quartet of lead performers, an all-around terrific supporting cast, direction by a gifted young Brit, refreshingly original choreography by a SoCal star, and a simply gorgeous production design, all of which more than do justice to a 20th-century American musical theater classic.
(read more)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A CHRISTMAS ROSE
Saturday, December 8th, 2018
Belle calls Laguna Beach home this holiday season as Laguna Playhouse and Lythgoe Family Panto treat SoCal audiences to Beauty And The Beast: A Christmas Rose, the funniest and most pop-hits-filled version yet of the classic 18th-century conte de fées.
(read more)
BUS STOP
Friday, December 7th, 2018
No one wrote about 1950s middle-America more accurately, astringently, and affectionately than “Playwright of the Midwest” William Inge, proof positive of which can now be seen in Theatre 40’s absolutely terrific revival of Inge’s 1955 gem. (read more)
KING LEAR
Monday, December 3rd, 2018No one trims the Bard down to basics better than director-of-all-trades Denise Devin, and with Robert A. Prior editing and adapting Shakespeare’s mammoth text in addition to delivering a masterful star turn in the title role, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group’s 90-minute King Lear packs a powerful punch whenever His Royal Majesty is center stage.
(read more)
A CAROL CHRISTMAS
Monday, December 3rd, 2018
A bossy, workaholic fashion mogul makes major life changes thanks to a trio of late-night visitors in The Group Rep’s World Premiere holiday musical A Carol Christmas, a tuneful Charles Dickens-inspired crowd-pleaser that with some astute revisions could well end up a regional December delight.
(read more)
JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA: THE MUSICAL
Sunday, December 2nd, 2018
If Jane Austen didn’t exactly invent the contemporary romantic comedy, she came pretty darned close, proof positive of which can be found in Jane Austen’s Emma: The Musical, Paul Gordon’s magical stage adaptation of Miss Emma Woodhouse’s misadventures in matchmaking circa 1815, now getting a picture-perfect Orange County Premiere at Chance Theater.
(read more)
ELF THE MUSICAL
Saturday, December 1st, 2018
After taking the movies by storm in 2003 and winning Broadway’s heart seven years later, Buddy The Elf has traveled by iceberg to Long Beach to offer Musical Theatre West audiences the season’s most delightful musical treat for grown-ups and kids alike.
(read more)
WHOLE FOODS: THE MUSICAL
Wednesday, November 28th, 2018If you love musicals and you love comedy but you’ve got less than an hour to spare on the fourth Tuesday of every month, Upright Citizens Brigade on Sunset is the place to be for UCB’s Quick & Funny Musicals as the monthly series’ latest installment, Whole Foods: The Musical, made mirthfully, melodically clear.
(read more)
Since 2007, Steven Stanley's StageSceneLA.com has spotlighted the best in Southern California theater via reviews, interviews, and its annual StageSceneLA Scenies.
COPYRIGHT 2026 STEVEN STANLEY :: DESIGN BY