Newport Beach News

Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort kicks off the holiday season in Newport Beach with the 32nd annual Lighting of the Bay that starts Friday, Nov. 25 and continues nightly through New Year’s Day. On November 25 from 4 to 9 p.m., the opening night festivities include live musical performances, stocking decorating,...

By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy Comedies that take us behind the scenes of a production wring laughs by showing us the difficulties of putting on a play. Most theater lovers would correctly regard “Noises Off” and the more recent “Curtains,” a hybrid of backstage musical comedy...

By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy Many a contemporary playwright and screenwriter have returned to fairy tales for inspiration, creating new ways to tell stories we’ve all our lives. Greg Banks is a great example. An all-purpose theater guy (actor, director, playwright and scenic designer), Banks has specialized...

Winter comes early this year thanks to Winter Fest OC, which returns to the OC Fair & Event Center November 25 through January 1. Billed as Southern California’s largest winter festival, Winter Fest was on hiatus for two years (although they did produce the Night of Lights OC drive-through holiday...

In 2001, the jukebox musical romantic drama film “Moulin Rouge” – directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann – was released and dazzled moviegoers with its stylized production and captivating concept. Nearly 20 years later, Luhrmann’s over-the-top visuals and musical mosaic has been translated to the stage, and it’s even...

There is no more time-honored and cherished holiday tradition in Orange County than South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol.” Adapted from the Charles Dickens classic story by Jerry Patch, “A Christmas Carol” has found a home at SCR for more than four decades. SCR Founding Artist Hal Landon, Jr. originated the...

Jazz fans know the place to be on Thursday and Friday nights is Bayside Restaurant in Newport Beach, but this month you can add Tuesdays to your schedule because the producers of the very successful Sunset Jazz at Bistango summer series, Joe Rothman and John McClure, are continuing to...

By Simone Goldstone | NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist Why do some people play the drums? Many musicians head straight to the melodic guitar or lead singing and they leave the primal beats to a more rhythmically inclined bandmate. For others, there were no other instruments but the drums. Why are some people...

Balboa Bay Resort had a successful Howl-o-Ween event featuring costumed fur babies (the four-legged kind), wag bags, and a special doggie-centric menu at the resort’s A+O Restaurant. That was just the start of the resort’s holiday celebrations. Throughout November and December, guests can enjoy family-friendly culinary experiences to an adults-only...