GRASPING FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Throughout Southern California, there are young artists breaking bread together while dreaming of becoming a theatrical force in their own community. In the instance of Oceanside Theatre Company,  the building blocks were laid a decade ago. Now, under the energetic leadership of artistic…

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE ACTing/REACTing – the stuff of an actor’s craft. Coincidentally, the core of this comedic-drama now playing in Scripps Ranch somewhat mirrors that same process cleverly and – occasionally – achingly. Mark St. Germain’s play DANCING LESSONS aims to reveal two disparate characters existing in…

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL… The walls are tumbling down (at least that’s the way this guy sees it). One of the joys of writing for this blog is the opportunity to visit theatres throughout Southern California while experiencing LIVE theatre at its finest. Some of these theatres…

DOES IT SUCK TO BE ME? Puppets on Broadway? Let’s see…there was CARNIVAL!, FLAHOOLEY, THE LION KING, WAR HORSE and I believe Bill Baird had a show on the Great White Way as well. When AVENUE Q arrived on the scene in 2003, though, it actually resonated as…

WHAT’S NORMAL THESE DAYS ANYWAY? It’s anything BUT… NEXT TO NORMAL down there in Coronado. Plenty of really strong performances are holding forth on that stage. No, it’s not the Lamb’s Theatre this time; instead, it’s the CORONADO PLAYHOUSE sending out some seriously significant sound waves. And it’s…

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE Maybe the wedding bells finally will chime.  At least that’s on the mind of “Karen Baedeker” (Kay Marian McNellen) as she considers whether or not to seize the day and embrace her romantic leanings or instead, listen to the practical urgings bouncing around…

SEEING RED? Reddy or not, here I come! Not talking about hide and seek, but John Logan’s TONY award-winning RED, the cerebral, engaging play now having its exhibition on stage at the BROOKS THEATRE in Oceanside. The community’s fledgling OCEANSIDE THEATRE COMPANY, under the artistic leadership of Ted…

RESURRECTION FOR JEROME ROBBINS? A number of years ago this reviewer took in the much talked about national tour of WEST SIDE STORY at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.  That production’s raison d’ etre was its insertion of Spanish elements in a revised Arthur Laurents libretto. Well, of…

CLEVELAND WILL NEVER BE THE SAME Slamming doors can be so invigorating. It is especially so when integrated into a high calibre farce. Certainly one of the champions of this genre in our country has to be Ken Ludwig’s LEND ME A TENOR which lovingly satirizes the opera…