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“In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” “Doctor I’ve wrestled with reality for 40 years and I’m happy to say that I’ve finally won out over it.” “I always have a wonderful time, wherever I...

Natalie Powers recalls sitting in Segerstrom Hall with her mother 10 years ago to watch a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” starring Topol. Now, Powers returns to Segerstrom Hall May 7, but this time she’ll be on stage playing the part of Chava, one of Tevye’s daughters, in the...

They say that cats have nine lives, but the Broadway musical “Cats” seems to live forever. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” the original Broadway production of “Cats” opened in 1982 at Broadway’s Winter Garden...

In 2003, Disney’s California Adventure began a multi-year run of a 45-minute, live action musical adaptation of the 1992 animated musical movie “Aladdin,” with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Upon seeing that show when it premiered, I told...

How can you make a musical about the thousands of passengers who were stranded in Newfoundland for four days when all air traffic in the United States was grounded after 9/11? It’s an unlikely concept, but the Broadway musical “Come From Away” that plays at Segerstrom Center...

“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd / His skin was pale and his eye was odd / He shaved the faces of gentlemen / Who never thereafter were heard of again / He trod a path that few have trod / Did Sweeney Todd / The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” And so begins Steph...

On January 16. 1964, the Jerry Herman musical “Hello, Dolly!” had its World Premiere on Broadway starring the inimitable Carol Channing. On January 15, 2019, nearly 55 years to the day, Carol Channing passed away at her home in Palm Springs. She was 97. Tributes poured in for...

Affable, affectionate and charming, the 1988 play “Driving Miss Daisy” by American playwright Alfred Uhry, about the relationship of an elderly white Southern Jewish woman (Daisy) and her African-American chauffeur (Hoke) is one of those character-driving plays that requires...

Some people get into the holiday spirit by shopping for presents or decorating a tree. For me, it’s seeing a holiday-themed show. Last weekend, I got a double dose of seasonal cheer when I took my friend Della to see ABT’s “The Nutcracker” at Segerstrom Center on Friday night,...

South Coast Rep has its “Christmas Carol” and Segerstrom Center has its “Nutcracker,” but Laguna Playhouse has established a holiday tradition of its own with its annual presentation of an elaborate “panto” courtesy of Lythgoe Family Panto. Panto, short for Pantomime, is a...

Calling Aubree Sweeney an RV comedienne might be confusing, but then again Sweeney does tour in her own RV, and she’s staying at the Newport Dunes RV park while she’s in town to headline a comedy night Oct. 18 at the Back Bay Bistro. Sweeney was born in Nebraska, studied creative...

Nathan Andrew Riley remembers being a wide-eyed 12-year-old boy sitting in the last row of the balcony of the Pantages Theater in Hollywood watching a production of “The Lion King” and thinking he wanted to be on stage in a show. Now, Riley is fulfilling that dream as the Orange...

In 1964, Orange County’s population was about to hit one million, Irvine was still a dream waiting to be built, and John Wayne had settled on Newport Beach as his new home. Newport Beach is also where college pals Martin Benson and David Emmes (who attended Newport Harbor High...

You may recall the 2003 movie version of “School of Rock,” starring Jack Black. In the movie Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is kicked out of his band and subsequently masquerades as a substitute music teacher at a prestigious prep school. Now you can...

The first North American Tour of the Tony Award-winning Broadway Revival of “The Color Purple,” which the New York Times called “a glory to behold,” comes to Segerstrom Center for the Arts June 19-24. The cast is led by members from the 2016 Broadway revival, including Adrianna...

I’ve seen Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” musical more times than I should admit (about a dozen), starting with the L.A. production in 1990 and continuing through the latest touring incarnation that came to Segerstrom Center a couple of years ago (boasting new sets...

To say the latest Cirque du Soleil is unique is a given; they are all different. After 38 shows over 34 years it may be hard to come up with something new, yet the latest Cirque du Soleil iteration, “Luzia,” does just that. “Luzia” is a Mexican fiesta; a party, which includes...

Nancy Sinatra had a hit with the song “These Boots are Made for Walking,” but she probably did not take into account the stiletto footwear worn by the cast of the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” that returns to Segerstrom Center Feb. 6-11. “I spend about 85 percent of the show in...

It’s 1934 in Providence, Rhode Island. Eight sisters of Irish descent meet on alternate Friday evenings to play bridge and gossip. Hardly seems a likely scenario for a play, but “The Octette Bridge Club” by P.J. Barry has become a popular community theater production since it...

  The movie “Shakespeare in Love” nabbed seven Academy Awards in 1998, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. The romantic comedy is in essence an ode to The Bard and cleverly tells the story of how Romeo and Juliet was created. It’s filled with quotes and characters...