REVIEW: ARCADIA BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO As part of A Noise Within’s 25th Anniversary Season themed “Beyond Our Wildest Dreams” comes their presentation of Tom Stoppard’s brilliantly crafted play Arcadia. Although, meticulous, captivating and masterful Stoppard’s Arcadia is not for those in search of get to the point drama and storytelling. It’s a play that, […]

REVIEW: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Hunchback has arrived—La Mirada Theatre provides L.A. audiences with the unique opportunity to see an exquisite production of the highly anticipated new Disney musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This recent musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, on October 26, 2014 and […]

REVEW: THE FANTASTICKS BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The Fantasticks, music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, as endured the test of time as the world’s longest-running musical; however the musical itself has not necessarily kept up with the times . . .until now. Under the direction of Seema Sueko and with the collaboration […]

REVIEW: MUTUAL PHILANTHROPY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO It’s a shame that people don’t attend more plays than they do movies or sporting events because Karen Rizzo’s new play Mutual Philanthropy is a work that everyone should experience. The premise of her play is simple: two couples from different socioeconomic backgrounds have dinner together—that’s it. However, […]

REVIEW: NEXT TO NORMAL BY RYAN M. LUEVANO In 2008 the concept of the musical Next To Normal about a mother who struggles with inflaming bipolar disorder and the effects that her illness has on her family was experimental to say the least. Yet after years of workshops the Next To Normal found its way to […]

REVIEW: MAESTRO BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The name Leonard Bernstein may not be a household name today, but 40 years ago it was acclaimed and known worldwide. Bernstein was a true Renaissance man as an accomplished conductor, pianist, author, educator, librettist, television star, and the composer of symphonies, iconic film scores and American musical classics. […]

REVIEW: FUNNY GIRL LONDON CAST RECORDING BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Funny Girl, which first opened on Broadway on March 26th 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre, is still known today by this original production starring Barbra Streisand. Due the show’s success, in large credit to Streisand’s performance, the musical has spawned a string of proliferations such […]

REVIEW: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS  BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The 80s musical Little Shop of Horrors, which these days is widely performed in high school, community theatres and colleges across the country, has been given a fresh reimaging by The B Productions at the NoHo Arts Center. Director Brianna McDonnell sets this show in the […]

REVIEW: BLUEPRINT FOR PARADISE BY RYAN M LUÉVANO It’s frightening when a work of fiction bears an all too familiar resemblance to what’s happening in our current society, this is the case of Laurel M. Wetzork’s new play Blueprint for Paradise. In this electrifying play, based on true events, we see the story about a […]

REVIEW: HELLO DOLLY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO 3D Theatricals proves that the musical Hello Dolly is still going strong long after the original Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre over fifty years ago. Here the musical is reinvigorated with fresh and imaginative contemporary productions values and a stellar cast that bring this Jerry […]