BY RYAN LUÉVANO Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra is Los Angeles’ newest orchestra that braves new works and classics too. The orchestra was formed as a conductorless ensemble to foster a collaborative process for the musicians without the autocracy of a conductor. The ensemble seeks to make music available to all the communities of Los Angeles with their ‘pay what […]

REVIEW: WEST SIDE STORY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO West Side Story is unlike any other musical. Generation after generation, it stands the test of time both in admiration and in the message it relates: hope heals and hate destroys. This beloved musical was created by the juggernauts of the industry: Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein […]

REVIEW: SISTER ACT  BY RYAN LUÉVANO Based on the hit 1992 film comedy of the same name, the musical Sister Act is now playing at Cabrillo Music Theatre. The musical brings audiences an evening of rapture as the beloved story is amped up with even more singing, dancing and laughs. This California born feel-good musical premiered […]

REVIEW: LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD’S HOME FOR UNWED MOTHERS  BY RYAN LUÉVANO Skylight Theatre Company’s latest world premiere play is Louisa Hill’s Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers, and once you get past the play’s lengthy title, what appears is a gripping and tender work that any mother or anyone that has a […]

REVIEW: MAN OF LA MANCHA BY RYAN LUÉVANO “To dream … the impossible dream,” the lyrics to the hit song of the 1964 musical Man of La Mancha have never meant as much as they do in A Noise Within Theatre Company’s revival of this work. This production eschews the customary opulence of traditional staging […]

REVIEW: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF BY RYAN LUÉVANO An exciting time for Antaeus Theatre Company also proves a favorable boon for the Los Angeles theater community. The theatre company, once located in North Hollywood, has recently moved into a new custom space in Glendale, and has opened a thrilling revival of Cat on […]

REVIEW: ELEVATOR BY RYAN LUÉVANO Award-winning filmmaker and playwright Michael Leoni’s hit play Elevator returns to L.A. for a limited run at The Coast Playhouse. The premise is simple: seven strangers are trapped in an elevator. However, what ensues is a stimulating experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In both presentation […]

REVIEW: AT HOME AT THE ZOO BY RYAN LUÉVANO Just last September the world lost the great American playwright Edward Albee who had bestowed upon us so many wonderful plays most notably: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, A Delicate Balance and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Now the Wallis Annenberg Center […]

REVIEW: AH, WILDERNESS! BY RYAN LUÉVANO Explore the humor of playwright Eugene O’Neill in A Noise Within Theatre company’s revival of his 1933 play Ah, Wilderness! The play represents, as O’Neill put it, the “other side of the coin” regarding his work. It’s his only comedy in the sea of tragic visions that populate his oeuvre including: Mourning Becomes Electra, […]

REVIEW: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND BY RYAN LUÉVANO The musical Once on this Island may not be a household name like West Side Story or Wicked, however this show, with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, takes audiences to an exotic island in the Caribbean boasting messages of goodwill and […]