The British have arrived at the Geffen Playhouse in the form of the hysterical, perfectly cast U.S. premiere of “Yes, Prime Minister.”  Co-writer Jonathan Lynn skillfully directs his sharp script (written with Antony Jay and based on their award-winning BBC television sitcom of the same name) with the precision of a winning race car driver.
The [...]

The Pasadena Playhouse has a sure-fire hit with the world premiere of “Sleepless in Seattle – The Musical.” The Playhouse’s Artistic Director Sheldon Epps fluidly directs his strong, perfectly cast ensemble in a rousing two hours and 10 minutes of soaring vocals and clever choreography (Kudos to Spencer Liff!) encased in a lean, mean, multi-level [...]

Theatergoers familiar with Antaeus in North Hollywood know that the renowned classical theater ensemble double casts its productions — as a way for the actors both to learn from each other and to better make a living by being available for work in TV and film. But this may be the first time that Antaeus [...]

Sometimes the simplest recipes yield the most delicious results. In Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca we have love, lust and murder — a torrid triumvirate of terms cooked up by the marketing department at LA Opera. Yet it describes quite succinctly the dramatic feast that viewers are in for. Just add music and stir.
Puccini based his 1900 [...]

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro” this month marks the second installment in the Mozart/Da Ponte Trilogy, the Phil’s three-year plan to perform the operas Mozart composed to librettos by Lorenzo da Ponte. Culture Spot called last year’s “Don Giovanni” “an impressive spectacle of music, voice and art.” The current opera, [...]

One of the best-kept secrets of the LA classical music scene is not so secret anymore. I’m talking about Le Salon de Musiques, held monthly from October through April on the fifth floor of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Le Salon harkens back to the days of Schubert, before chamber music musicians played in concert halls, when [...]

Hollywood has nothing on LA Opera’s enthralling production of “The Flying Dutchman” (Der fliegende Holländer). A vampiric ship’s captain and ghoulish choruses of sailors and young women entrance us with Richard Wagner’s 19th-century ghost/love story — an old legend in tune with popular culture’s fascination with vampires and the undead. Wagner’s grand, evocative music and [...]

Many Angelenos might be surprised to know that a rich vein of theatrical ore is waiting to be mined amid the malls and casual dining chains of East Pasadena at A Noise Within. The place may be a bit out of the way, but any theatergoers who hesitate to make the trek are doing themselves [...]

Everything about Cavalia’s Odysseo is big. The white big top by the 5 Freeway in Burbank is 10 stories high and about the size of a football field, with seating for 2,000 people. The show features a herd of 67 horses, representing 11 breeds, and a cast of 44 artists — acrobats, aerialists, riders, dancers [...]

Noel Coward aficionados, and theater lovers in general, will be in for a delicious hour-and-45 with the Pasadena Playhouse’s current production of “Fallen Angels.” Director Art Manke, a veteran of six Coward shows, keeps his talented cast of six smoothly paced through the traditionally wordy Coward prose, hysterical physical pratfalls and paper-thin cover-ups.
The plot revolves [...]