REVIEW: WEED SHOP THE MUSICAL BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO We are currently in a renaissance of new musicals—it’s a new golden age of musical theater. Perhaps, like Oklahoma was in 1942, Hamilton was the shot heard ‘round the world announcing that musicals are cool again. It also let producers know that there’s money to be made if […]

REVIEW: GEM OF THE OCEAN BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO There’s something fascinating about plays that are set in the ‘olden days’; simpler times, when people just sat around talking to one another face to face. Watching one of these works is like finding a secret door that takes us back in time, if only for […]

REVIEW: BURIED CHILD BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO I remember picking up Sam Shepard’s play Buried Child from the, now closed, Samuel French Bookshop on Sunset Blvd., a couple years ago. Then upon reading this strange, dark and humorous play, I remember thinking: What just happened? Who are these people? How could a whole family be so […]

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Playwright Paula Vogel has dedicated her life to bringing underrepresented “real” people to the stage, examining traditionally controversial issues, and telling the stories that as she puts it “[…] wound our memory so we can remember.” Her mission began as a high schooler who ditched school to visit the Library of […]

REVIEW: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO 1964 was a great season for Broadway—it included Funny Girl, Hello Dolly!, Man of the Manchaand Fiddler on the Roof, the revival of which is having its Orange Country debut at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. It’s hard to believe that Fiddler is now fifty-five years old. Yet even so, […]

REVIEW: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Opening the 2019 season for Domino One Productions is the swashbuckling play with music Peter and the Starcatcher adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. This play tells the story of how an unnamed orphan boy becomes the beloved Peter Pan we all know and love. Starcatcher also […]

REVIEW: MATILDA BY RYAN LUÉVANO Matilda the musical is now on stage at 5-Star Theatricals with a splendid production that’s a treat for the whole family. This British import plays like a delicious British cake—it’s chock full of hilarious physical comedy, witty and charming songs, and storytelling that so perfectly from the across the pond. […]

REVIEW: THE GLASS MENAGERIE BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO For Tennessee Williams, his 1944 autobiographical play, The Glass Menagerie changed his life forever. Upon its premiere in Chicago, then its transfer to Broadway, William’s went on to become one of America’s most beloved playwrights. The motto “write what you know” comes to mind when discussing Menagerie—there are glimpses […]

REVIEW: RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL BY RYAN. M. LUÉVANO The Pasadena Playhouse’s first offering in 2019 is the American musical Ragtime: The Musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty—and what an offering. Ragtime is a big show on so many levels, thematically it deals with immigration, racism, white privilege, women’s […]

REVIEW: COME FROM AWAY  BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The musical Come from Away is a love letter to humanity, a reminder that when times are tough you can always count on people to help you weather the storm—especially Canadians. The “9/12” musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein tells the story of what transpired when […]