John Turner
Rags-To-Riches Musical ’42nd Street’ Returns to Hollywood Pantages
42nd Street • Published on May 2016
“You’re going out there a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!” More than any other in the show, that single line encapsulates the exhilarating, stars-in-your-eyes spirit of “…
Rockwell Table & Stage Presents ‘The Unauthorized Musical Parody of The Big Lebowski’
Rockwell Table & Stage • Published on May 2016
“The Dude abides.” That single, short line from the cult comedy classic “The Big Lebowski” subtly and hilariously encapsulates the 1998 film, which has since inspired millions of…
LA Opera Closes Season With La Bohème’ at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion • Published on May 2016
Nearly 120 years after Puccini’s opera “La Bohème” had its U.S. premiere in Los Angeles, the timeless opera is having a homecoming of sorts. To close its 2015-16 mainstage season,…
East West Players’ 50th Season Culminates With Diversity in ‘La Cage Aux Folles’
David Henry Hwang Theatre • Published on May 2016
Since it opened in 1965, East West Players has been heralded as the nation’s longest-running professional theater company of color. And to culminate its 50th anniversary, EWP is…
DelGaudio Returns to Geffen Playhouse With ‘In & Of Itself’
Derek DelGaudio • Published on May 2016
“Metaphoric labyrinth.” “Allegorical illusions.” “A single paradoxical truth.” These are just a few phrases in the seemingly intentionally vague show “In & Of Itself.” This new production by…
‘Father Comes Home From The Wars’ Is Epic Drama
Father Comes Home From the Wars • Published on April 2016
As with any time period, modern drama owes much of its appeal to the symbolic, representative works of the ancient Greek masters. And never is that more evident than in “…
Meta-Theatrical Kisses Abound in ‘Stage Kiss’
Barry Del Sherman • Published on April 2016
Author and playwright Oscar Wilde once opined that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” And in “Stage Kiss,” the thoughtful and hilarious play that has…
‘Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast’ to Tape Live at Ace Hotel
Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast • Published on April 2016
Since it first aired in April 2009, “Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast” has delighted millions of fans around the world, many of whom have been true disciples of…
Brandy and Eddie George to Reprise Broadway Roles in ‘Chicago: The Musical’ at Hollywood Pantages
Brandy • Published on April 2016
Los Angeles will get a double treat when “Chicago: The Musical” returns to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre for a one-week engagement starting April…
‘TeatroCinema: Historia De Amor’ Finds a Stunning Way to Tell a Twisted Story
REDCAT Theater • Published on March 2016
A disturbing story of love and obsession along with live actors and stunning visual effects equals a brilliant, unique production. That’s the formula behind “TeatroCinema: Historia de Amor,”…
‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ Mirrors Reality
A Noise Within • Published on March 2016
The relationship between the writer and his audience and their connections to reality itself are the themes of “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” Luigi Pirandello’s philosophical drama…
‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’ Kills at Ahmanson Theatre
A Gentlemen's Guide to Love & Murder • Published on March 2016
In recent decades, the musical comedy has been all but lost as a pure theatrical art form. But “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” which has performances…
Jane Lynch Continues to Rise in ‘SEE JANE SING’ at Largo
Features • Published on March 2016
The only people who don’t know of Jane Lynch are the few unlucky souls without a television. For the past several years, Lynch has been everywhere on the…
Shen Yun Performing Arts Brings Divine Beauty to Los Angeles
Microsoft Theater at LA Live • Published on March 2016
The Chinese phrase “shen yun” can be translated to “the beauty of divine beings.” And those two words – “beautiful” and “divine” – only begin to describe the magic that is…
‘Casa Valentina’ at Pasadena Playhouse Questions Gender Identity
Casa Susanna • Published on March 2016
“Casa Valentina” makes its west coast premiere on March 15 at Pasadena Playhouse. This play propels the concept of freedom to a thought-provoking and…
Biting Comedy ‘Women Laughing Alone With Salad’ Is a Feminist Fantasia
David Clayton Rogers • Published on March 2016
Looking for a raucous deconstruction of our image-obsessed culture? You’ll no doubt find it – and more – in “Women Laughing Alone With Salad,” a “Feminist Fantasia” comedy…
Broadway Hit Musical ‘Once’ Returns to the Hollywood Pantages Stage
Features • Published on March 2016
True love and music are two concepts that never seem to stray too far from one another. And in “Once,” the smash Broadway musical that has performances at…
‘Direct From Vegas! A Salute to Sinatra’ Channels Ol’ Blue Eyes
Direct From Vegas! A Salute to Sinatra • Published on February 2016
“Swing, baby, you’re platinum.” That phrase, one of Frank Sinatra’s most iconic and often-used, will surely be heard on the afternoon of Sunday, February 28 during “Direct From Vegas! A…
‘Jersey Boys’ Goes Behind the Music at Fred Kavli Theatre
Features • Published on February 2016
“Jersey Boys,” the stirring rags-to-riches-to-rags-again jukebox musical about pop sensations Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, is a documentary-style examination of the group’s rise to (and fall from)…
A Stripped-Down Version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Takes the Stage at A Noise Within
A Noise Within • Published on February 2016
“Street theater on a stage” is the central idea behind “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s classic love story that opens at A Noise Within…