IS THERE A SHOW DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? There is a method of political activism called a "zap." Basically, zaps are militant but non-violent face-to-face confrontations with persons in position…
HAVING A “‘S WONDERFUL” TIME It should come as no surprise that the song catalog of George and Ira Gershwin"according to Los Angeles Times"generates about $8 million a year…
I CAN'T CAVE ENOUGH In 1917, Kentucky cave explorer Floyd Collins discovered Crystal Cave. Located in the same area as Mammoth Cave"the longest cave system known in the world"the site operat…
A WITLESS TWILIGHT Noël Coward referred to his final play, A Song at Twilight, as his "swan song." The last installment of his Suite in Three Keys (a trio of plays set in the same hotel s…
THE FUTURE LOOKS BLIGHT While there are a few missteps in both playwriting and direction, ion theatre's presentation of two one-acts definitely held my attention. The only similarities betwe…
COME JOIN THE CIRCA Brisbane-based Circa creates circus that moves the heart, mind and soul. The company discovers, cultivates and presents works and experiences from the living heart of cir…
THE ACTUAL CITY OF DETROIT HAS FEWER PROBLEMS THAN THIS PRODUCTION After watching San Diego REP's production of Lisa D'Amour's Detroit, most audience members will be dumbstruck that this bla…
LBO MAKES A KLINGHOFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE The big story this weekend isn't the appearance of John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer. Since its arrival in 1991, the opera has been encircled by c…
I LOVE LUCIA Lucia di Lammermoor, Gaetano Donizetti's darkly romantic tale of honor, betrayal, loss and madness, opens this Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and plays through April …
SHAKESOPHRENIC, OR SCHIZSPEARE American director Barry Edelstein knows his Shakespeare. Before being appointed Artistic Director of the Old Globe 16 months ago, he was Director of the Shakes…
INTRIGUE? I'M GLAD YOU MASKED The poster of San Diego Opera's production of Verdi's A Masked Ball claims "Based on a True Story." This is not hyperbole. When their production opens on Saturd…
BASKETBALL MUSICAL IS ONE BIG PENALTY You wanna know how great the Chance Theater is? They actually made it a palatable experience to sit through one of the most half-baked and frivolous new…
REFLECTIONS ON L.A. DANCE PROJECT The uneven and uninspiring effort presented by L.A. Dance Project last night isn't bad news; it just means that this nascent company needs to hone its visio…
THE BLOOMING OF A BUDD IN L.A. Based on Herman Melville's classic American tale, adapted into a libretto by English novelist E.M. Forster and writer Eric Crozier, Billy Budd tells the …
LOVE WITHOUT THE TRIMMINGS My darling, dearest Noël: It only just occurred to me that I haven't written you since I saw your play Peace in our Time. Do forgive me, lamb chop. Let me cut t…
THE MUSIC MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC MAN When Musical Theatre West announced their production of The Music Man, which opens tonight at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, I actually got excited. I…
FUNK ME Director and choreographer Otis Sallid wants to illuminate how James Brown's funky music and original dance styling has influenced contemporary culture. He engaged PHILADANCO (Philad…
LASAGNA AND MOANERS AND KASHA AND TRIPE The comical but frothy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike arrives at the Taper this week, but instead of a delectable meal, Christopher Durang's play…
MTG DEFIBRILLATES DOA MUSICAL Sheaths can be written about how deadly the musical Death Takes a Holiday is, and where the creators went wrong. What's more important is that director Calvin R…
DAISEY: I LOVE HIM, I LOVE HIM NOT I'm jealous of Mike Daisey. In American Utopias at Royce Hall, the infamous monologist fulminated and commentated about three interpolated subjects near an…
IF I LOVED YOU At a time when many ballet companies are commissioning short dance pieces, it's refreshing that John Neumeier"since 1973, when he became Artistic Director and chief choreograp…
KILLER PUSSY Suicide! Euthanasia! Incest! Health Care! Racism! Old age! Corporate America! Spirits! The afterlife! Prison! Duplicity! Playwright Josefina López (Real Women Have Curves) is…
GISELLE'S GAZELLES First staged in 1841, Giselle is one of the oldest surviving ballets still in the international repertory, especially because the lead role is a showcase for the world's l…
MAKE IT ANOTHER OLD-FASHIONED PLEASE It's something of a shocker, really. I had a great time watching Let's Misbehave, a jukebox musical slim on both premise and reality. It's actually more …
QUEENIE WHY? When George C. Wolfe first tried adapting Duke Ellington's unfinished work Queenie Pie in 1986 it was subtitled "A Jazz Operetta in the Key of Make Believe." Ellington called it…