Astra Lumina★★★★★Nighttime walk through botanical gardens and a series of immersive light-and-music shows that you can take at your own pace. Definitely worth it!
Beauty and the Beast (2010 Tour)★★★☆☆
San Diego, 2012 The simpler staging & costumes work well enough, but the big numbers suffer from the smaller cast.
Beauty and the Beast (3D Theatricals)★★★★★
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 2016 An elaborate production by a local company with great performances from the leads, and a surprise understudy.
Belle’s Dreams of AdventureI never thought Belle gave up her dreams of adventure. I figured she had one, and gained the opportunity to have more. That’s why I hate the song ‘A Change in Me.’
Chess in Concert: Post-Cold War Edition★★★★☆
Claire Trevor School of the Arts, 2017 The cold-war musical Chess works surprisingly well set in the present day.
Cirque du Soleil: Iris★★★★★Cirque’s acrobatics are always impressive, but IRIS’ focus on early cinema makes the clowns’ story is just as enjoyable, and video effects give it an entirely new look.
Cirque du Soleil: Kooza★★★★★Impressive acrobatics as always, contortionists, extra clowns, a rainstorm and the Wheel of Death (really).
EquivocationGeffen Playhouse, 2009 Can Shakespeare discover the truth about the Gunpowder Plot? And if so, can he afford to tell it? Political intrigue, terrorism and torture (plus plain old personal conflicts) make for a compelling story.
Frost/Nixon★★★★★
Peter Morgan
Ahmanson Theater, 2009 Gripping play about the negotiations behind David Frost’s famous TV interviews with ex-President Richard Nixon.
The Glass Mendacity
Ark Theater, 2010 This spoof of Tennessee Williams’ most famous plays is funny on its own, but even funnier if you know the source material.
Ordinary Days
South Coast Repertory, 2010 A slice-of-life musical about four people living in New York, their paths intersecting.
Ragtime★★★★★
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 2014 Ragtime has even more emotional impact on stage than the songs do alone, and the historical themes resonate strongly with the present day.
Xanadu (Stage Musical)★☆☆☆☆
Segerstrom Center, 2009 The stage musical of Xanadu is a silly, self-aware parody that revels in its camp. I really liked about 10% of it. The rest, not so much.
