Tag Archives: Show

Maggie’s Getting Married – Torrance Theatre Company

A very delightful and poignant romp! My favorite characters were Axel (the actor boyfriend of title character Maggie’s older sister) and Maggie’s father, Tom. Axel’s delivery was just very hilarious and I really enjoyed watching him deal with Maggie’s older sister Wanda and all the craziness that ensues during the play (I felt like I kind of identified with him too). I also kind of identified with Tom (Maggie’s father) merely from the perspective of him being a married man, but he had these really great moments where he just had these stares-into-space reactions that were hilarious. Heck, as long as I’m being honest, I identified with Maggie a little bit as I was worried about my parent’s empty nest syndrome when I got married. For the second time, we chose to sit in the small side section which, while not “ideal” for seeing the show as optimally designed (1316 … Continue reading →

Million Dollar Quartet – Segerstrom Center For The Arts (OCPAC), Costa Mesa, CA

A delightful romp that, unlike the fanciful show Tin Pan Alley that theorized a meeting between the legendary Irving Berlin and Scott Joplin, details an actual event where four legends of rock and roll met under the same roof. On December 4th, 1956, Sam Phillips – creator of Sun Records, has coerced and cajoled Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley to “come home” and visit the place where they all got started (or in Lewis’ case where he was about to get started). So aside from having an evening of chart-topping rock-and-roll hits, you’re also treated to a bit of a history lesson regarding rock ‘n’ roll and how it came about. My knowledge of the events were sketchy at best and influenced mostly by Scot Bruce’s speech about Sun Records during his show and the Johnny Cash biopic Ring Of Fire. But it was absolutely … Continue reading →

A Streetcar Named Desire – Golden West College

Kim Brown was the primary reason we came (and Laurie Reynolds…and Veronica Mullins…and Mason Meskell…and Nika…and…well you get the picture), but the raw emotional power onstage was the reason we stayed. One particular moment is still shudderingly vivid in my head…it’s in Blanche’s Act II monologue about what really happened to Belle Reve and the line where Blanche calls to the soldiers creeped me the hell out! And the music was fantastic (Veronica told us later that she just brought in her collection of jazz and told the director, “Here.” LOL).

October Theatre (The Importance Of Being Ernest, The Wedding Singer, The Woman In Black)

The Importance Of Being Ernest – Golden West College Tony Graham, Angele Lathrop, Merci Hase, Sara from Seven Brides, Gina from Breaking Up, … Really liked Algernon…he played the character really well and gave Rupert Everett a definite run for his money. The Wedding Singer – California State University Fullerton Katie Del Vecchio, Amanda Shay, Millie from Torrance’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and the always amazing Cindy Shields. It was nice to see it on a big stage (loved the use of Thriller for “Casualty of Love” as well…) as the only other time I’ve seen it was when David Green produced it at OCPAC’s Founder’s Stage. This production was excellent and highly enjoyable. The music is awesome and fun to rock out to and even though this production was tracked, everyone did a really good job (I don’t remember any major slips or delays while waiting for the … Continue reading →