ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

posted on February 20th, 2014 at 6:42 PM by Steven Stanley


Playwright Joseph Kesselring may have written only one enduring hit in his lifetime, but endure Arsenic And Old Lace most certainly has, its latest revival by Inland Valley Repertory Theatre providing 2014 audiences with as many laughs as must have greeted the black comedy’s Broadway debut back in 1941.
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posted in Comedy, San Gabriel Valley, Theater Review, WOW!

THE MUSIC MAN

posted on February 18th, 2014 at 5:03 PM by Steven Stanley


Musical Theatre West takes one of the truly great 20th Century musicals and gives it a splendid 21st Century revival, one that would be even more splendid with an age-appropriate leading man.
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posted in Long Beach/San Pedro, Musical, Theater Review, WOW!

LYSISTRATA JONES

posted on February 17th, 2014 at 9:05 PM by Steven Stanley


Lysistrata Jones may have flopped on Broadway a couple seasons back, but the Tony-nominated musical proves itself a winner at Chance Theater while at the same time providing a terrific way for audiences to discover the Chance’s brand spanking new digs down Anaheim Hills way.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

posted on February 16th, 2014 at 7:09 PM by Steven Stanley


Centipede, Earthworm, Ladybug, Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, and their human chum James all come to life “on the legitimate stage” as South Coast Repertory presents Roald Dahl’s James And The Giant Peach, the best possible gift any parent could give his or her child (age four and up) this month.
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posted in Musical, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

posted on February 15th, 2014 at 2:05 PM by Steven Stanley


One of this century’s most entertaining and original new musicals, William Finn’s 2005 Broadway smash The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, returns to delight L.A. audiences in a fabulous 99-seat production at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre, one which features an all-around brilliant cast under the inspired direction of Kristin Towers-Rowles
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posted in Musical, North Hollywood, Theater Review, WOW!

PASSION PLAY

posted on February 14th, 2014 at 4:48 PM by Steven Stanley


Sarah Ruhl examines how a centuries-old theatrical tradition and the folks who take part in the spectacle year after year are affected by the epoch in which they create this annual event in Passion Play, and before you jump to the conclusion that such heavy subject matter might prove too weighty to be entertaining, remember that it’s Tony-nominated Ruhl we’re talking about.
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posted in Comedy-Drama, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

THE WIZARD OF OZ

posted on February 13th, 2014 at 7:13 PM by Steven Stanley


The beloved characters of L. Frank Baum, the iconic songs of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, the musical gifts of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the spectacular creations of a world-class design team, and the contemporary sensibility that has helped make Wicked a blockbuster international smash—all of these combine to give Southland audiences the fabulous hybrid that is the North American Tour of the 2011 London Palladium production of The Wizard Of Oz, now playing at the Segerstrom Center For The Arts.
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posted in Musical, National Tour, Orange County, Theater Review, WOW!

DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY

posted on February 11th, 2014 at 7:12 PM by Steven Stanley


A gorgeous if derivative score and creaky book did not add up to off-Broadway smash status (or a Broadway transfer) for 2011’s Death Takes A Holiday, but with a cast chock-full of L.A. musical theater stars and director Calvin Remsberg providing expert guidance, Musical Theatre Guild’s first concert staged reading of 2014 garnered a deserved standing ovation this past Sunday at Santa Monica’s spiffy new Moss Theatre.
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posted in Concert Staged Reading, Theater Review, West Side/Beverly HIlls, WOW!

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