A group of journalists were invited to meet director Michael Arden and the cast of The Pride at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. I learned from Artistic Director Paul Crewes that previews begin on June 8 and Opening Night is June 14. What’s unique about The Pride is that it takes place in…
Category: Jill’s Theatre Reviews
Actually is Awesome at The Geffen
Excitedly I brought my recent college graduate to see the play Actually written by the brilliant Anna Ziegler. My daughter has been part of an Advocate support group that she and seven other students started in 2014 at Pitzer College. They support survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and hate crimes. The group…
Joyous Jersey Boys
Los Angeles has become a theatre destination, similar to NYC. The touring company of Jersey Boys rocks with Mark Ballas (Dancing With The Stars), Aaron De Jesus, Miguel Jarquin-Moreland, Matthew Dailey, Keith Hines, and Cory Jeacoma. Here’s my review of Lyrics by Bob Crewe, Music by Bob Gaudio, Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Directed by Des McAnuff…
Wildly Joyous Georgia McBride at The Geffen Playhouse
Walking into the Geffen Playhouse theatre, I admired how lighting designer Josh Epstein draped an array of jewel colored string lights from the stage out into the side walls of the theatre, creating an ambiance of a dive bar or nightclub. Above the center stage is a framework of lighting trusses with red rope lights,…
The Encounter at The Wallis Theatre
Read my review of the latest production at The Wallis in Beverly Hills featured in The Stage Review – Click here to read my review
Flying High After Seeing Finding Neverland
My friend Toni had an extra ticket to Finding Neverland at The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Since I love musicals, I enthusiastically said yes. Little did I know, this entertaining show would capture both of our hearts with its talented cast, sets, and multi-media “magical” experiences. Based on the book by James Graham and music…
Another Winner at The Wallis
Director Emma Rice received a phone call from her mother about a wonderful book that she was reading to her nieces. She urged Rice to bring The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, by Michael Morpurgo (one of the Uk’s most beloved storytellers) to life on stage. Read my review about how she and others brought…
Actor Burt Young
Meeting actor Burt Young during a rehearsal at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles, I learned that he was a tough kid as a teen living in Queens, NY. He dabbled in gambling and boxing before joining the Marines. Acting was the furtherest thing on his mind, it was “too corny,” Young told me….
12 of the Best LA Theatrical Performances in 2016
I’ve been blessed to see some of the best theatrical productions in Los Angeles in 2016, as a guest columnist for an informative East to West Coast Theatrical Review and News site – The Stage Review. Here are my top 12 shows that inspired me to write the following reviews – Beautiful at The Pantages…
Interview with Actress Saycon Sengbloh at The Wallis in Beverly Hills
Broadway veteran Saycon Sengbloh, who was nominated for a Tony Award last year for her role in Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed, is now in Los Angeles, starring in Michael Arden’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s masterwork Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. I recently caught up with the striking Saycon…
