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“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...

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...

  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...

  “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...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy  Christmas is a time for traditions. One of ours is attending the annual production of “A Christmas Carol” at South Coast Repertory. This year is the 37th annual production of the perennial holiday favorite, starring SCR...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy  Juliette Kitchen & Bar on Bristol Street has introduced a Social Hour menu offered Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., so we figured it was our duty to go check it out, especially since it had been several years...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy  It’s time for a Holiday. Holiday, Westside Costa Mesa’s new social lounge/speakeasy, has officially opened to the public after several months of soft openings with VIP and charity events. Holiday’s press material offers...

  South Coast Repertory’s 53rd Season Gala, “Stagestruck!”, brought out the Southland’s movers and shakers – and theater lovers – for a highly imaginative evening in celebration of all things theatrical. With their arrival at The Westin South Coast Plaza, the Orange County...

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...

The holidays are a time for tradition, which means it’s time for a traditional holiday show. This year, holiday offerings range from SCR’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” to ABT’s “The Nutcracker” at Segerstrom Center to a new holiday-themed show...

Christmas is considered a family affair; so too is South Coast Repertory’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” that starts previews this weekend. Hal Landon Jr. returns to play Scrooge for the 36th year, and a handful of other longtime SCR favorites are back in pivotal...

When it comes to smashingly effective stagecraft there’s this thing our British Cousins do very well indeed. Call it the art of the ensemble, the troupe. Anyone lucky enough to have seen the entire Royal Shakespeare Company gloriously inhabit every last nuance of Dicken...

South Coast Repertory is kicking off 2015 with a pair of plays as different as you can get. Now playing through Jan. 25 on the Julianne Arygros Stage is “The Whipping Man” by Matthew Lopez, whose interest in the Civil War helped shape his play. Founding Artistic Director Martin...

Fun is something good old Ebenezer Scrooge was sadly missing (for much of his life, at least), but the cast of South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol” likes to celebrate the season with all the mirth it deserves. At least that’s the word backstage, where Dickens’ growly...

By Christopher Trela & Catherine Del Casale | NB Indy Orange County’s two largest theaters – South Coast Rep and Laguna Playhouse – are staging holiday-themed shows, but they’re about as different as you can get. So are the restaurants we dined at prior to seeing the play...

Two fictional and feisty holiday characters come to town this week: Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” at South Coast Repertory, and Mr. Grinch in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at Segerstrom Center. A Christmas Carol In real life, Hal Landon Jr. is one of the nicest guys...

Consciously or otherwise, Theresa Rebeck, author of the play “Zealot” (currently enjoying a thrillingly thought-provoking world-premiere at South Coast Rep through Nov. 16), has borrowed a page from George Bernard Shaw. The great Irish dramatist was famous for his...

Small cast plays can offer big theatrical rewards, especially when the plays are from the pens of noted writers. Such is the case with the current productions at OC’s two largest theater companies. Laguna Playhouse One-person plays have become all too common, so it’s refreshing...

Shakespeare occasionally used magical elements in his plays, but “The Tempest” takes illusion and manipulation to another level. “The Tempest” was the last play penned by The Bard, and it’s a good one: Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan and something of a wizard, plots revenge...

By Elizabeth Greenberg | NB Indy Prepare to join the Lost Boys and fly away to Neverland with South Coast Repertory’s Summer Players production of “Peter Pan” August 9-10 and 15-17. Directed by SCR’s Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa with musical direction by Erin...