(photo credit: vanguard uni)
It was a dark and stormy night, but I ventured forth to the Lyceum Theater to see The Drowsy Chaperone. I’m glad I made the journey. Cold, rainy, and windy as it was outside, everything was red hot on stage. Continue Reading
Taken from the press release:
February 11th, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Music Man By Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey is coming to Irvine High!
Irvine High School is proud to present the hit sensation The Music Man this spring at 4321 Walnut Avenue, Irvine, CA 92604.
The Music Man follows con man Harold Hill on a quest to organize and lead a boys band. He scurries around selling innocent townsfolk band instruments and uniforms but with his little musical knowledge, Harold plans to skip town before he has to give his promised music lessons. Strait-laced librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo, sees right through him. When he agrees to help her younger brother overcome his awkwardness, Marian finds herself falling for him. Being a charmer, he risks getting caught in his scheme to win over her heart. This story is told through some of the broadway hit songs which include: “Seventy-Six-Trombones,” “Marian The Librarian,” “Pickalittle (Talk-A-Little),” and “Gary, Indiana.”
(Photo credit: Doug Catiller)
Taken directly from the press release:
LIST OF THIS YEAR’S NOMINEES
Outstanding Production of a Play
Actually, The Wayward Artist
Cry It Out, Chance Theater
Kim’s Convenience, Laguna Playhouse
King Kong, Maverick Theater
The Whale, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Photo by Francis Gerard
You know you’ve struck gold when you’ve created something that is rewatchable. People will rewatch new productions of Les Mis and Into the Woods until the cows come home. These are good stories and good plays. Even when we know how it’s going to end, we want to watch it again. I experienced this with the musical comedy A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (hereinafter referred to as Gentleman’s Guide). It’s got a fantastic book of memorable tunes, and it’s genuinely funny. I was not surprised to find out it won a Tony. This new production of Gentlemen’s Guide from Southgate Productions captured the show’s spirit. Even if you’re only vaguely paying attention, it’s not bad. However, overall, the details keeping you engaged were at times lacking. Continue Reading
photos by Jon Blea
This was a unique experience. One, I don’t often see plays at 9:30 am. Second, besides a few teachers, I was noticeably one of the oldest people in the audience and was surrounded by a bunch of kids from Orangethorpe Elementary. However, there I was to review the new, original play by OC playwright Callie Prendiville Johnson. She is also the director and the co-artistic director of The Electric Company Theatre, the group producing the show. Johnson has created a musical about local historical figure Leo Fender. The kids in attendance and I found it fun, educational, and, most importantly, the play ROCKED! Continue Reading
(photo credit: Jenny Graham/SCR)
Little Foxes is an older play from the 1930s written by Lillian Hellman, a famous Broadway playwright. It’s wonderful we still have new productions of these old classics. Are some of the ideas dated — most definitely. But they provide us access to the time and the mindset of people living at that time, and that’s well worth exploring. South Coast Repertory’s production of Little Foxes tells this brutal story of the lengths some people will go to obtain power. This production lacks strong direction, and the unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19 sadly affected the quality of performance on stage. Continue Reading
