BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO New York City is considered the mecca of musical theater which makes sense given its history with the genre that goes all the way back to operetta. Thus, it comes as no surprise that there are countless venues and organizations that provide an outlet for new musicals to present their work. […]

INTERVIEW: CASEY CHRISTENSEN AND JENNIFER GOODMAN BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Ten years in the making, conceived by Jennifer Goodman, Casey Christensen (book and lyrics), celebrity vocal coach Rachael Lawrence’s (music) musical Life in Boobs will have its debut at Second City Hollywood. The musical deals with the journeys many women face with their boobs, from training […]

REVIEW: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO 1964 was a great season for Broadway—it included Funny Girl, Hello Dolly!, Man of the Manchaand Fiddler on the Roof, the revival of which is having its Orange Country debut at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. It’s hard to believe that Fiddler is now fifty-five years old. Yet even so, […]

REVIEW: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Opening the 2019 season for Domino One Productions is the swashbuckling play with music Peter and the Starcatcher adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. This play tells the story of how an unnamed orphan boy becomes the beloved Peter Pan we all know and love. Starcatcher also […]

REVIEW: MATILDA BY RYAN LUÉVANO Matilda the musical is now on stage at 5-Star Theatricals with a splendid production that’s a treat for the whole family. This British import plays like a delicious British cake—it’s chock full of hilarious physical comedy, witty and charming songs, and storytelling that so perfectly from the across the pond. […]

REVIEW: COME FROM AWAY  BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The musical Come from Away is a love letter to humanity, a reminder that when times are tough you can always count on people to help you weather the storm—especially Canadians. The “9/12” musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein tells the story of what transpired when […]

REVIEW: VALLEY OF THE HEART BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Proclaimed by president Barack Obama for “bringing Chicano culture to American drama”, playwright Luis Valdez’s (most notably known for Zoot Suit) latest play Valley of the Heart brings both Chicano and Japanese culture to the stage. Based on Valdez’s life experiences as a child growing up […]

REVIEW: TENOR BY NIGHT BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO With shows like Fresh Off the Boat and the recent summer hit Crazy Rich Asians the Asian community is more and more receiving representation in the entertainment industry which is a boon for all minorities. That being said, the recent original musical Tenor by Night that played […]

REVIEW: SWEET CHARITY BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO The theatre company formerly known as Reprise! (now Reprise 2.0) is back and better than ever serving up a sensational presentation of the classic musical Sweet Charity. For their inaugural season the resurrected theatre company has partnered with the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television’s Department of […]

REVIEW: VIOLET BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO Unless you’re a musical theatre aficionado or follow the work of composer the brilliant composer Jeanine Tesori, you may have never heard of the 2014 musical Violet. But just because show’s name isn’t familiar, doesn’t mean that Violet should be overlooked. Violet may not have the sparkle of a […]