REVIEW: OKLAHOMA! BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The musical Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II was know as the “musical heard ‘round the world” in 1943 as it was the first full realization of the new concept of the “book musical” (where the music and dances are woven tightly into the dramatic structure of […]

REVIEW: NICKY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO When we think of plays by Anton Chekhov lengthy dramatic works come to mind. Even when Chekhov was commissioned to write a comedy in 1887 he instead wrote a four-act drama entitled Ivanov. Now Coeurage Theatre Company brings a world premiere adaptation of Chekhov’s Ivanov, entitled Nicky to the […]

REVIEW: DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Imagine what happens when the Peanuts are in high school overflowing with hormones and teenage angst. In Bert V. Royal’s play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead this is the reality as he puts these characters and their problems front and center […]

REVIEW: TURBULENCE! BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Robot Teammate has returned to this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival with their latest original musical Turbulence! and they’ve hit the mark once again. When it comes to original Fringe musicals, Robot Teammate sets the standard, and the standard is high. Turbulence! is a perfect example of the group’s ingenuity for […]

REVIEW: BLACK AND WHITE IN PARIS BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Get caught up in the romance of Paris with Kelby Thwaits’ original cabaret show Black & White in Paris: A Cabaret Musical now playing at Stage 12 at Sunset Las Palmas Studios for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show is an exciting musical revue style […]

REVIEW: COMIC-CON THE MUSICAL BY RYAN M. LUEVANO Writing a new musical is a long journey and most musicals rarely make it to a staged production, at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival the musical Comic-Con the Musical made it. Creators Laura Watkins and Nicholas David Brandt have brought L.A. audiences a close to first full version […]

REVIEW: NEXT TO NORMAL BY RYAN M. LUEVANO Even now, it’s not too long ago that Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt’s musical Next To Normal received three Tony Awards back in 2009, followed by a national tour that included a visit to the Ahmanson Theatre where I first experienced this powerful musical. The story centers […]

BY RYAN LUÉVANO Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra is Los Angeles’ newest orchestra that braves new works and classics too. The orchestra was formed as a conductorless ensemble to foster a collaborative process for the musicians without the autocracy of a conductor. The ensemble seeks to make music available to all the communities of Los Angeles with their ‘pay what […]

REVIEW: WEST SIDE STORY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO West Side Story is unlike any other musical. Generation after generation, it stands the test of time both in admiration and in the message it relates: hope heals and hate destroys. This beloved musical was created by the juggernauts of the industry: Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein […]

REVIEW: SISTER ACT  BY RYAN LUÉVANO Based on the hit 1992 film comedy of the same name, the musical Sister Act is now playing at Cabrillo Music Theatre. The musical brings audiences an evening of rapture as the beloved story is amped up with even more singing, dancing and laughs. This California born feel-good musical premiered […]