REVIEW: ROMEO AND JULIET BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Of the 37 plays written by William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet is still a household name after 400 years. Everyone knows the plot of this tragic story: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl, and boy and girl die, the end. However, […]

REVIEW: A CLASS ACT BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Musical Theatre Guild brings us an evening to remember, the life of composer-lyricist Edward Kleban as portrayed in the musical A Class Act. This quasi-autobiographical musical is based the life of Edward Kleban who died at the age of 48 in 1987 and is best known for […]

REVIEW: CLOSER THAN EVER BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO International City Theatre opens its 2016 season with the updated musical revue Closer Than Ever by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. The revue is a collection of songs that are presented in a continuous manner and explores a multitude of issues in the modern world. These […]

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Here is a recap of the concluding evenings at the 2016 ASACAP/DreamWorks Musical Theatre Workshop. Night No. 2–February 17, 2016 THE PANELIST: Irene Mecchi Mecchi is an American writer for television, movies, newspapers, and Broadway. She has worked on Herb Caen’s books, and is the co-screenwriter of Disney animated movies such […]

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO It’s the time of year again for new musicals! The 23rd year of the ASCAP/DreamWorks Musical Theatre Workshop under the leadership of Stephen Schwartz is back. Additionally, The Wallis has partnered with the ASCAP and DreamWorks Studios to present the workshop at the beautiful Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in […]

REVIEW: DREAM BOY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Celebration Theatre presents the LA premiere of Dream Boy, based on the novel by Jim Grimsley. This play by Eric Rosen skillfully adapts the content, themes and characters of novel into a play that is beautifully natural, raw and captivating on stage. Dream Boy is a poignant tale […]

INTERVIEW: TODD NIELSEN BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO International City Theatre opens its 2016 season with the updated musical revue Closer Than Ever by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. The musical is an Outer Critics Circle Award winner for Best off-Broadway Musical that also netted Drama Desk nominations for lyricist Maltby and Shire. This productions is directed and choreographed by Todd Nielsen, marking Nielsen’s […]

REVIEW: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO A tale as old as the 18th century, a favorite Disney movie and Broadway’s ninth longest-running production in history—Beauty and the Beast the musical as presented by 3D Theatricals is an enchanting night at the theatre for the whole family. All the songs, characters and more […]

INTERVIEW: SAM HARRIS BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Sam Harris, multi-million selling recording artist, Tony nominated Broadway/television actor, playwright, composer, and director brings audiences memories and stories from his life in a wonderful musical format. Ham: A Musical Memoir, now Ovation reccomended, plays at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre until February 7, 2016. Here is […]

TOP THEATER PICKS STILL PLAYING:   1) EMPIRE the Musical La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts (Jan. 22–Feb. 14, 2016) Creating and producing an original musical of this magnitude is no easy task, yet co-creators Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull rise to the occasion with Empire the musical. Over 16 years in the making Empire is a tribute […]