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What’s it like playing a pop music icon in a Broadway musical? Jonny Wexler, who portrays Frankie Valli in the touring production of “Jersey Boys” that comes to Segerstrom Center for the Arts Jan. 19-21, seems to take it in stride. Of course, Wexler spent three years playing Joe...

  “Was ever a scarf so red?” Yes, “A Christmas Carol” has returned for its 38th year at South Coast Repertory, and with it Hal Landon Jr. as Ebenezer Scrooge, and his iconic red scarf. In fact, several other SCR founding artists, including Richard Doyle and Art Koustik, are...

“Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make!” That infamous line was uttered by Bela Lugosi in the classic 1931 film “Dracula,” directed by Tod Browning. “Dracula” had little music to accompany its ghoulish dialogue, but that changed nearly 20 years ago when...

Attending a play or concert with a friend is always fun, but what happens when you get nine neighbors together and make a group trip to Laguna Playhouse to watch a weekend matinee performance of “Twelve Angry Men?” Last Saturday, nine neighbors (including me) who frequently meet...

The Broadway musical “Finding Neverland” at Segertstrom Center for the Arts through April 2 is the mostly true story of how J.M. Barrie created his classic fable “Peter Pan,” and it’s the opportunity to bring along someone who will be absolutely delighted with the show: your...

Pianist and actor Hershey Felder has been keeping busy—very busy. He’s played over 4,500 performances of his self-created solo productions around the world, breaking box office records and drawing critical acclaim for his one-man shows that revolve around noted composers. Up to...

The last time I saw Ron Raines, we were having lunch with fellow opera singer Roberta Peters at Amici Restaurant prior to a rehearsal of the Opera Pacific production of “The Merry Widow.” That was in 1994. Since then, Amici and Opera Pacific have closed their doors, but Raines is...

Is it a children’s musical for grownups, or a grownup musical for children? Whatever the case, it’s clear that “Matilda” is popular with audiences of all ages. The show received its West End premiere in November of 2011 and was immediately acclaimed by British critics and...

Think your schedule is busy this month? Check out the myriad holiday-themed concerts and shows on stage at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in December. Dec. 9-18: Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents “The Nutcracker” by American Ballet Theatre.  Dec. 10: Philharmonic Society of...

“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue / An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view / A wondrous, woven magic in bits of blue and gold / A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold.” The lyrics to “Tapestry” by Carole King are, like the other songs on her 1971...

Often imitated yet never topped, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 cinematic masterpiece “The Godfather” is considered one of the greatest, most influential films ever made.  The saga of the Corleone family and their rivalry with other New York crime families between 1945 and 1955...

All good things must come to an end—even the Pacific Symphony’s annual summer season at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. For nearly three decades, the Pacific Symphony has drawn audiences from throughout Southern California to its summer concerts, which have ranged from patriotic...

By Lily Williams | NB Indy The newest show at the Newport Theatre Arts Center (NTAC), “Groovy,” aims to take you back to the ‘60s by celebrating hippiedom and flower power. The retrospective musical is a part of NTAC’s youth theatre program, which puts on a production each summer...

Kids take center stage at South Coast Repertory this summer when the group’s Summer Players tackle Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” on the Julianne Argyros Stage through August 14, directed by Hisa Takakuwa, with music direction by Erin McNally.     “Beauty and the Beast” is a...

Summer is almost here, which means it’s nearly time for the annual Pacific Symphony Summer Festival at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. It’s a bittersweet season for the symphony, as it’s their final five concerts at Irvine Meadows before its scheduled closure later this year. This...

By Daniella Walsh | NB Indy  It’s three days before graduation and Roosevelt High School basketball star Joe Marks is not only beset by senioritis, but horniness that addles his senses. He jeopardizes a college scholarship and an NBA fantasy during a final English exam by passing...

Seasoned actors are often intimidated by Shakespeare, so imagine what it would be like for teenagers to try and tackle something like The Bard’s classic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” At South Coast Repertory, they don’t just imagine. They do. On May 14-15 and 20-22, SCR’s...

Audiences know funnyman Martin Short from his appearances on Saturday Night Live and his hilarious turns in “Father of the Bride” and “Three Amigos.” Now, Short adds singing and dancing to his mix of talents when he performs with Pacific Symphony Pops April 15 and 16 in the Renée...

Take John Wayne, the Marx Brothers and Mel Brooks, throw them in a blender, and out comes “Blazing Saddles,” one of the funniest comedies in the history of cinema. Released in 1974 and directed by Mel Brooks, “Blazing Saddles” is outrageous, over-the-top, clever, and silly. It’s...

It’s not every day you’re invited to stand on the Segerstrom Hall stage and watch a Broadway musical being installed, but it’s not every day that the phenomenon known as “Wicked” comes to town. The story about what happened before Dorothy dropped into the Land of Oz, “Wicked”...