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The Broadway musical “Cats” has had at least nine lives since it opened at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in 1982. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” (which never made its way on my “must read” list), “Cats” ran for...

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...

A season of Tony Award-winning Broadway hits including Center premieres and returning favorites await audiences during Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 2018-2019 Broadway and Curtain Call Series. Coming to the Center for the first time are “Waitress,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Come...

By Christopher Trela & Shelly Zavala  “I believe that ancient Jews built boats and sailed to America. I am a Mormon! And a Mormon just believes.” Belief is the prevalent theme of the wildly popular Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon,” which makes fun of everything from...

“Hamilton” caused a sensation on Broadway, and it’s on a sensational tour that stops at Segerstrom Center for the Arts next spring. But before “Hamilton” takes its best shot, a handful of other musicals make their way to own, starting next week with “Something Rotten” and ending...

“Unfortunately, Megan Hilty won’t be able to do the phone interview this morning. Our apologies for the last minute cancellation,” read the email from Pacific Symphony on March 13. The cancellation was understandable—Hilty had gone into labor with her second child! Her son...

What do Susan Egan, Krysta Rodriguez and Lindsay Mendez have in common? They’ve all performed in Broadway musicals, and they’re all graduates of the Orange County School of the Arts. Established in 1987 and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, OCSA has an enrollment of...

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...

How popular is the movie “La La Land?” So popular that the Orange County Film Society hosted a private “members-only” screening of the film on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the Lido Theater. In “La La Land,” Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy  We always look forward to attending musicals at Segerstrom Center because it means we get to enjoy a special themed menu at Leatherby’s Café Rouge. Chef Ross Pangilian has been creating these special menus for several...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy “Life is a cabernet, old chum, so drink up the cabernet.” Yes, it’s supposed to be cabaret, but because we were going to Leatherby’s Café Rouge for dinner prior to attending the opening night performance of “Cabaret” at...

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...

Known for such classic musicals as “South Pacific” and “The Sound of Music,” Rodgers and Hammerstein also created a musical especially for television: “Cinderella,” which aired on March 31, 1957. It starred Julie Andrews and was watched by more than 100 million viewer...

It’s outrageous and in-your-face funny, but that’s to be expected for a musical penned by the folks behind the equally-outrageous animated series, “South Park.” Yes, “The Book of Mormon” has returned to Segerstrom Center, much to the delight of a packed house on Wednesday night...

It’s irreverent, controversial and outrageously funny. It’s also been hailed by the New York Times as “The best musical of the century.” The winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, “The Book of Mormon” is one of the biggest blockbuster Broadway shows this decade. It’s...

Segerstrom Center recently announced its 2016-2017 Broadway Series and Curtain Call Series, and as usual they are packed with blockbuster shows that offer a mix of new and classic musicals, including “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,” “Elf The Musical,” “Matilda,” “Finding...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy  Among the hundreds of musicals that have come and gone over the years, only a handful have transcended their traditional theater roots to become bona fide phenomena. “Wicked” certainly falls into that category. The story...