REVIEW: REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The Pasadena Playhouse revival of the Josefina Lopez play Real Women Have Curves is a production that touches the soul and encourages self-reflection. There are many important themes wrapped up in this play about a group of five Latina, curvy women working in a tiny sewing […]

REVIEW: BONNIE & CLYDE BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Another opening, another closing, and both on the same night true to Musical Theater Guild fashion, as their fantastic production of the Frank Wildhorn (music), Don Black (lyrics), and Ivan Menchell (book) musical Bonnie & Clyde graces the stage of the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Despite the […]

REVIEW: WELCOME TO MY WORLD By Ryan M. Luévano Billed as ‘a brand new one-girl musical,’ Welcome to My World (book, music, lyrics and directed by Bruce Kimmel) gives the impression that there are many ‘one-GIRL musicals’ when there are none, even one-woman musicals are few and far between. Unlike plays, though also challenging, one-person (man, […]

REVIEW: ASSASSINS By Ryan M. Luévano The Pico Playhouse gives refuge to John Weidman and Steven Sondheim’s Assassins, a musical about nine real-life people who both attempted and succeeded in killing U.S. Presidents. This production’s high-level dramatic, aesthetic and performance elements break down the walls of the 99-seat theatre and bring us a production that’s […]

Man, Woman, Psyche and a Rock REVIEW: Up Here BY Ryan M. Luevano The La Jolla Playhouse is the home for the new musical Up Here written by the brilliant power couple in show business, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Just when you think the classic boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back musical plot is passé, Up Here […]

REVIEW: Sex, Love and Yoga By Ryan M. Luévano Sex therapy’s in session at the MACHA Theatre in West Hollywood where the new musical Sex, Love & Yoga (SLY) is being produced. This musical mixes Kundalini yoga with sex therapy to touch upon various sexual issues that affect many people. The main character of the […]

REVIEW: Tarzan, 3D Theatricals By Ryan M. Luévano If the opening night performance of 3D Theatricals production of Tarzan in Redondo Beach proves anything, it’s that when it comes to 3D: it’s always theater worth driving for. This production of Disney’s Tarzan marks the regional premiere for Southern California bringing the audience into the African jungle where […]

REVIEW: ADAM & EVE AND STEVE By RYAN M. LUÉVANO With an abundance of new black box musicals sprouting up all over Los Angeles, attending one of these productions is certainly a shot in the dark. You never know if what you’re about to see is brilliant or lousy—of course that’s also part of the […]

REVIEW: Road Show, Musical Theatre Guild By RYAN M. LUÉVANO Musicals in 25 hours! Musical Theatre Guild’s closed their 19th season with a rousing production of Stephen Sondheim’s heavily revised musical Road Show at the Moss Theater in Santa Monica. The musical, based on the story of the brothers Wilson and Addison Mizer’s search for […]

REVIEW: Waterfall, The Pasadena Playhouse By RYAN M. LUÉVANO The Pasadena Playhouse launches a world premiere of the new musical Waterfall, book and lyrics by Tony winner Richard Maltby, Jr. and music by Academy Award and two-time Grammy winner David Shire. An adaptation of sorts stemming from the Thai musical Behind the Painting (2008) which […]