2018 ASCAP FOUNDATION MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop, now presented in a new partnership with Universal Theatrical Group, has returned to The Wallis in Beverly Hills this February. This workshop pioneered by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) provides […]

2017 Ovation Award Winners BY RYAN LUÉVANO The moment you’ve all been waiting for . . . AND THE 2017 OVATION AWARDS GO TO: Best Season ROGUE MACHINE Dutch Masters Les Blancs Still Life The Super Variety Match Bonus Round Best Production of a Play (Intimate Theatre) 33 VARIATIONS Actors Co-op Best Production of a […]

REVIEW: CABARET BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO With just a drum roll and a cymbal crash, the iconic 1966 musical Cabaret, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, begins, luring audiences into the dingy cabaret, the Kit Kat Klub, in 1930s Berlin. Since its opening on Broadway, this eight Tony […]

REVIEW: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Classic musical comedy is alive and well at the Garry Marshall Theatre. Continuing their inaugural season is the laugh-out-loud production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. The 1962 musical farce, with music and lyrics by […]

REVIEW: THIS LAND BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO What began as a commission by Center Theatre Group for Mexican-American playwright, Evangeline Ordaz, to write about the changing demographics of Los Angeles has morphed into a play that’s powerful and compelling. This new play, This Land, presented by Company of Angels, tackles 150 years of gentrification through the plight […]

REVIEW: WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO In our techy-world where we use text messages, emails, skype and apps to connect with other people, true face-to-face communication can be challenging for some, making the creation of deep connections even more problematic. In Boston Court’s West Coast premiere of Julia Lederer’s play, […]

REVIEW: THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL  BY RYAN M . LUÉVANO Following its three-show run at the Underground Theatre during this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival, Contempo Productions is back with an extended run of the swashbuckling adventure musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. This unfamiliar musical, with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, is […]

REVIEW: THE VIEW UPSTAIRS BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Earlier this month I interviewed Max Vernon, the creator of the new musical The View Upstairs, that’s currently having its West Coast premiere at Celebration Theatre. About his show, Vernon said, “The musical [. . .] contrasts two different eras of gay life, and questions if we’re […]

INTERVIEW: PETER RICHARDS BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO In an age when people take their cell phones everywhere, those tiny devices have much to tell about our lives. And in the West Coast premiere of emerging playwright Kevin Armento‘s play Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, a cell phone is our narrator personified on stage by Thomas Piper. The play chronicles […]

REVIEW: A TALE OF TWO CITIES BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Whether you’ve read Charles Dicken’s epic novel A Tale of Two Cities, or not, you’re likely familiar with the novel’s opening lines: “It was the best of times. . .” and if you’re even more well versed, you may also know the last line too: […]