S.D. Arts & Culture Newsletter: Actor is ‘Fully Committed’ to challenging stage role By David L. Coddon September 5, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. This week, San Diego's LGBTQ festival FilmOut, the San Diego Beatles Fair, 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice' and...
Theater | Review: Thoughtful and funny play ‘Best Laid Plans’ explores life after loss By Pam Kragen September 3, 2024 at 1:35 p.m. Robert Salerno's world premiere play about an architect rebuilding his life after going blind is...
Things to do | ENVZN Urban Arts fest celebrates creativity, culture from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border By Serena Neumeyer September 1, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. The upcoming visual and performing arts festival will feature a variety of different art forms...
Theater | New actor steps into the platform heels of Frank N. Furter for Cygnet’s return to ‘Rocky Horror’ By David L. Coddon August 29, 2024 at 9:52 a.m. Actor Nathan Madden will play the lead role in the stage musical comedy 'Richard O'Brien's...
Arts & Culture Newsletter: Casbah music club at 35 is happy to stay put By David L. Coddon August 29, 2024 at 5:30 a.m. Also this week: San Diego Symphony's Tchaikovsky Spectacular, Chicago, Shakespeare and more
Theater | Review: Felder’s masterful ‘Rachmaninoff’ play a dark, fascinating drama By Pam Kragen August 28, 2024 at 2:26 p.m. Felder plays numerous challenging piano works and gives a heartbreaking performance as the famed Russian...
Theater | Review: Nostagia reigns in New Village’s ’70s musical revue ‘8-Track’ By Pam Kragen August 28, 2024 at 2:27 p.m. More than 60 songs from the 1970s are featured in the upbeat show now playing...
Theater | Vantage Theatre’s world premiere play ‘Best Laid Plans’ to explore triumphing over adversity By David L. Coddon August 23, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. Robert Salerno's play, which co-stars Blake Stadnik of the TV series "This is Us," brings...
Arts & Culture Newsletter: San Diego Symphony to celebrate Sondheim By David L. Coddon August 22, 2024 at 5:31 a.m. This week: Rapper Common in Del Mar, film fests for both children and cat fans,...
Review: Thoughtful new ‘Cleopatra’ play uncovers the hidden story of Egyptian queen By Pam Kragen August 19, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. Moxie Theatre and Loud Fridge Theatre Group are co-producing Joy Yvonne Jones' world premiere drama
Theater | Review: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Velour’ a drag spectacular with a heart By Pam Kragen August 26, 2024 at 1:41 p.m. Cowritten by Sasha Velour and director Moises Kaufman, it's part drag show and part touching...
Drag queen Sasha Velour presenting ‘Spectacular’ memoir play at La Jolla Playhouse By The Washington Post August 18, 2024 at 10:49 a.m. The star and producers of this world premiere play, 'Velour: A Drag Spectacular,' aim to...
Entertainment | The Rosin Box Project dance company prepares to turn motion into magic By Marcia Luttrell August 18, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. The Rosin Box Project contemporary ballet company performs new works next weekend in Escondido
Theater | Review: Moonlight’s well-staged ‘Beautiful’ so much more than a jukebox musical By Pam Kragen August 15, 2024 at 1:46 p.m. Inspired by the life and music of songwriter Carole King, it opened Wednesday at Vista's...
San Diego Arts & Culture Newsletter: ‘Dark Winds’ headed to Netflix By David L. Coddon August 15, 2024 at 5:31 a.m. Also this week: Steve Poltz in Solana Beach, a '70s music review in Carlsbad, a...
Sebastian Maniscalco never dreamt he’d play arenas … like this week’s gig at San Diego’s Viejas Arena By Tribune Content Agency August 12, 2024 at 5:31 a.m. The standup comic performs Friday in San Diego, then on Saturday at the new Intuit...
Hershey Felder returns from Italy with world premiere of ‘Rachmaninoff and the Tsar’ By Pam Kragen August 11, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. Besides his new show in San Diego, the popular theater producer is now the artistic...
Theater | Review: Old Globe’s ‘Holmes’ update a funny, fashionable take on literary classic By Pam Kragen August 13, 2024 at 2:02 p.m. The Balboa Park theater is presenting the San Diego premiere of Kate Hamill's contemporary and...
Theater | Star of Moonlight’s ‘Beautiful’ aims to embody Carole King’s talent and vulnerability By David L. Coddon August 9, 2024 at 5:30 a.m. Melissa Musial stars as the famed songwriter in this biographical musical at Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre
Entertainment | S.D. Arts & Culture Newsletter: ’35MM: A Musical Exhibition’ opens in Mission Valley By David L. Coddon August 8, 2024 at 8:51 a.m. Also this week, Poway filmmaker's 'Scuba' now streaming, HIllcrest's CityFest returns, Edinburgh Fringe goes online...
Theater | Actor-playwright returns to San Diego with Shakespeare-inspired play ‘Cleopatra’ By Noah Lyons August 6, 2024 at 9:01 a.m. Joy Yvonne Jones' solo play tells the legendary Egyptian queen's story from her own perspective
Brian Stokes Mitchell to lead cast of L.J. Playhouse musical ‘3 Summers of Lincoln’ By Pam Kragen August 5, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. Also featured are former San Diego fixture Eric Anderson, as well as Carmen Cusack and...
Review: North Coast Rep’s ‘Dinner’ is fun but slightly overcooked By Pam Kragen August 3, 2024 at 11:14 a.m. The bedroom farce, about a married couple who are both hiding extramarital affairs, was first...
Review: Patio Playhouse’s ‘Hello Dolly’ entertains on Escondido’s amphitheater stage By Pam Kragen August 2, 2024 at 1:51 p.m. The grand-scale community theater production features strong lead performances and choreography
Theater | Theater review: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Derecho’ not quite the storm imagined By Pam Kragen August 2, 2024 at 10:57 a.m. The world premiere play by Noelle Viñas is about a family dust-up over heritage, privilege...
Prebys foundation announces $5.7 million in grants for local arts organizations By Pam Kragen August 1, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. Thirty-eight groups, from the Borrego Art Institute to the Old Globe, received grants ranging in...
Arts and Culture Newsletter: San Diego Paralympian profiled in ‘Power of Sports’ documentary By Pam Kragen August 1, 2024 at 5:30 a.m. Also this week, a book on the Sagon Penn case, the Midway Museum's 20 millionth...
Turkish folktale the inspiration for next weekend’s ‘Chasing Fear’ musical By Pam Kragen July 29, 2024 at 9:11 a.m. Blindspot Collective and UCSD ArtPower present a concert staging of the Truth Future Bachman/Blake McCarty...
Father turns grief over son’s slaying in 2018 Parkland school shooting into solo play visiting San Diego this week By The New York Times July 28, 2024 at 6:06 a.m. Manuel Oliver's anti-gun violence play 'Guac,' has been on a national tour that wraps up...
Theater | Updated ‘Peter Pan’ without Native American stereotypes playing in San Diego through Sunday By Tribune News Service July 31, 2024 at 12:59 p.m. Barona Band of Mission Indians tribe member Kenny Ramos is in the touring cast
Theater | La Jolla Playhouse stirs up a storm with ‘Derecho’ world premiere By Pam Kragen July 26, 2024 at 7:33 a.m. The play by Noelle Viñas is about two Latina sisters who clash over values, lifestyles...
Theater | Old Globe play gives a female twist to Sherlock Holmes mysteries By David L. Coddon August 1, 2024 at 10:56 a.m. The Old Globe is presenting the San Diego premiere of 'Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson...
Theater | Theater review: Old Globe’s engrossing ‘Henry 6’ an eye-popping thriller By Pam Kragen July 23, 2024 at 7:40 a.m. With two-part adaptation by artistic chief Barry Edelstein, the 89-year-old Balboa Park theater finally completes...
Arts and Culture Newsletter: Broadway’s Ben Platt, Bayfest, KT Tunstall, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and more By David L. Coddon July 18, 2024 at 5:31 a.m. Also in this week's arts newsletter: San Diego Bayfest, KT Tunstall, "Pulp Fiction," Buzz Aldrin...
Theater review: Onstage shocks with toxic workplace drama ‘Gloria’ By Pam Kragen July 16, 2024 at 7:43 a.m. This has been a good summer for playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose stunning racism-themed drama “Appropriate”...
La Jolla Playhouse-born Idina Menzel musical ‘Redwood’ announces Broadway dates By Pam Kragen July 16, 2024 at 7:42 a.m. “Redwood,” the Idina Menzel-led musical that made its world premiere earlier this year at La...
Theater | Director of North Coast Rep farce ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ is back for seconds By David L. Coddon July 17, 2024 at 9:13 a.m. Sixteen years ago, Christopher Williams acted in the same play at the Solana Beach theater....
Music and Concerts | Broadway and film star Ben Platt now singing the songs he wish he’d heard growing up By Pam Kragen July 16, 2024 at 7:41 a.m. The Tony-winner's 'Honeymind' album, which he'll introduce at a concert Sunday in San Diego, is...
Theater | Diversionary Theatre takes transformative step with new artistic director By David L. Coddon July 14, 2024 at 6:03 a.m. Newly appointed Sherri Eden Barber is the 38-year-old LGBTQ theater company's first woman artistic leader
Theater review: ‘Duel Reality’ athleticism dazzles at the Globe, but story is muddled By Pam Kragen July 16, 2024 at 7:46 a.m. The new theater piece by Montreal's the 7 Fingers mixes Shakespeare with acrobatics
Here’s who’s playing at Southern California casinos this summer By Pam Kragen July 16, 2024 at 7:47 a.m. SoCal casinos will host concerts this summer by Keith Urban, Jason Mraz, Lea Salonga, Dogstar,...
Theater | Theater review: Young talent lights up the stage in Moonlight’s ‘School of Rock’ By Pam Kragen July 11, 2024 at 4:02 p.m. The musical at Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre is based on the 2003 Jack Black movie of...
Theater | Theater review: Cygnet’s ‘tick, tick’ digs deep into emotional territory By Pam Kragen July 11, 2024 at 8:29 p.m. The three-character musical was inspired by writer-composer Jonathan Larson's desperate desire to find artistic success...
Obituaries | Philanthropist Dea Hurston, who opened doors to the arts for many San Diegans, dies at 73 By Pam Kragen July 17, 2024 at 11:37 a.m. Dea Hurston, longtime San Diego arts philanthropist, playwright and volunteer, passed away Sunday
Theater | Theater review: CCAE’s touching ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ celebrates the best things in life By Pam Kragen July 10, 2024 at 1:18 p.m. The unique one-person play involves in the audience in a journey of discovery about finding...
Entertainment | San Diego Dance Theater’s Live Arts Fest expands programming By Marcia Luttrell July 7, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. At the Liberty Station event, Live Arts Fest will feature local and international choreographers debuting...
Theater | Old Globe’s ‘Duel Reality’ will mix circus arts with Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ By Pam Kragen July 11, 2024 at 4:27 p.m. The show was created by Montreal's The 7 Fingers troupe, which presented 'Passengers' here last...
Theater | Local actor-teacher a perfect fit for Moonlight’s ‘School of Rock’ By David L. Coddon July 5, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. Zane Camacho makes his debut in a starring role at Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre in "School...
S.D. Arts and Culture Newsletter: Need nostalgia for July 4th? Check out ‘American Graffiti’ on Netflix By David L. Coddon July 4, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter. I’m David L. Coddon,...
Theater | For CCAE’s ‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ the audience is part of the story By David L. Coddon July 2, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. The interactive play features an alternating mix of solo actors and audience members sharing their...
Theater | Theater Review: Backyard’s ‘Beauty Queen’ play a dark and engrossing journey By Pam Kragen July 1, 2024 at 2:42 p.m. The 1996 Irish play by Martin McDonagh will leave you guessing to the end
Theater | Theater review: Coronado Playhouse’s ‘Nine’ musical is lavish and well-sung By Pam Kragen July 1, 2024 at 2:52 p.m. Inspired by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini's film "8-1/2," it's the story of a man at...
Video games and ancient Greece fuse at Opera Nero’s summer festival By Beth Wood June 30, 2024 at 6:02 a.m. The San Diego company will conclude its 13th season with performances in Balboa Park and...
Theater | Cygnet Theatre set to light the fuse for ‘tick, tick … BOOM!’ By David L. Coddon June 28, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. The musical by the late Jonathan Larson was inspired by his lack of career success...
S.D. Arts and Culture Newsletter: ‘Paradise’ musical comedy defies explanation By David L. Coddon June 27, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. Looking for things to see, do, watch and enjoy around San Diego and beyond over...
Theater | Review: Loud Fridge’s zombie Shakespeare comedy is clever, funny and free By Pam Kragen June 27, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. The world premiere play "Twelfth Night of the Living Dead" examines the gender duality in...
Theater | Review: New Village’s vivacious ‘Color Purple’ rings with joy, emotion By Pam Kragen June 27, 2024 at 10:31 a.m. "The Color Purple" musical, based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, is making its San...
Theater | Old Globe’s ‘Henry 6’ to be theater’s biggest production in its 89-year history By Pam Kragen June 25, 2024 at 6:06 a.m. San Diego theater completes the Shakespeare canon this summer with a massive project involving 1,000...
World Ballet Festival brings Tiler Peck and much more to San Diego By Marcia Luttrell June 23, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. Producing a star-studded ballet production is not unlike the sensation of a roller coaster ride...
Loud Fridge planning zombie version of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ By David L. Coddon June 21, 2024 at 8:49 a.m. A.J. Schaar's play 'Twelfth Night of the Living Dead (Or What You Kill)' will premiere...
Backyard’s ‘Beauty Queen’ will re-team actors in mother-daughter roles By David L. Coddon June 21, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. Less than a year after battling as mother and daughter in Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s production...
San Diego makes an awards splash at the 77th Tony Awards By Pam Kragen June 18, 2024 at 6:15 a.m. The La Jolla Playhouse-born musical 'The Outsiders' won Best Musical and three other awards at...
Theater | La Jolla Playhouse-born ‘The Outsiders’ wins best musical at Tony Awards By Mark Kennedy June 17, 2024 at 6:48 p.m. “The Outsiders” became the essence of a Broadway insider on Sunday as the gritty adaptation...
Theater Review: Lamb’s ‘Spelling Bee’ a hilarious microcosm of youth angst By Pam Kragen June 30, 2024 at 8:07 a.m. The audience-interactive musical re-creates the drama of a middle-schoolers' spelling contest
New Village Arts readies ‘The Color Purple’ musical in Carlsbad By David L. Coddon June 19, 2024 at 7:45 p.m. It’s been more than 40 years since Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” won the...
Arts and Culture Newsletter: Local filmmaker brings award-winning film home By David L. Coddon June 13, 2024 at 2:02 p.m. Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter. I’m David L. Coddon,...
THEATER NEWS: San Diego at the Tonys and more By Pam Kragen June 14, 2024 at 6:36 a.m. Many San Diegans will be tuning in to CBS at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 16,...
Things to do | Scripps Ranch Theatre’s ‘Vanity Fair’ offers a fresh, feminist take on 1848 novel By Pam Kragen June 12, 2024 at 11:34 p.m. If you've read "Vanity Fair," William Makepeace Thackeray's 1848 satirical novel of manners, you'll recognize...
Things to do | La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Johnny and June’ is tuneful, well-cast but missing the dazzle By Pam Kragen June 21, 2024 at 4:05 p.m. Forty years ago this week, Des McAnuff opened "Big River" at La Jolla Playhouse, which...
Things to do | Moonlight’s ‘Escape to Margaritaville’ lifted by its laid-back lead singer By Pam Kragen June 8, 2024 at 1:30 a.m. "Escape to Margaritaville," the Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical that made its world premiere at La...
Things to do | Lamb’s Players Theatre planning a trip to the ’25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ By David L. Coddon June 7, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. Maybe you think a musical about a spelling bee is old-fashioned or outdated. Consider the...
Things to do | Like the movie, entertaining ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ musical is all about the man behind the mask By Pam Kragen June 7, 2024 at 1:20 p.m. It's rare for a Tony-nominated actor who originates a role on Broadway to play the...
Entertainment | Arts & Culture Newsletter: Jon Stewart, Wanda Sykes headed this way for laughs By David L. Coddon June 6, 2024 at 1:20 p.m. Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your...
Things to do | Even on a small stage, North Coast Rep’s ‘Camelot’ really sings By Pam Kragen June 4, 2024 at 9:27 p.m. Whenever I think of the musical "Camelot," I remember the sweeping 1967 film adaptation starring...
Things to do | ‘TL;DR’ a fun, free-wheeling and comic musical about queer iconography By Pam Kragen June 4, 2024 at 2:34 a.m. Ever since the first Pride march in June 1970, members of the LGBTQ community have...
Things to do | Old Globe’s ‘Fat Ham’ a hilarious and surprise-filled look at Black masculinity By Pam Kragen June 1, 2024 at 7:13 p.m. The challenge for a theater critic is to tell just enough about a play or...
Things to do | National tour of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ musical makes first visit to San Diego next week By David L. Coddon May 31, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. When creating dance for the musical adaptation of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” choreographer Lorin Latarro just followed...
Entertainment | S.D. Arts & Culture Newsletter: San Diego’s 2024 Fringe festival winds down By David L. Coddon May 30, 2024 at 10:51 p.m. Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your...
Things to do | North Coast Rep planning scaled-down but fully realized production of ‘Camelot’ By David L. Coddon May 24, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. Among the many celebrated Broadway musicals Jeffrey B. Moss has directed, including “South Pacific,” “Man...
Entertainment | S.D. Arts & Culture Newsletter: Natalie Merchant to deliver more ‘Merch moments’ at Humphrey’s By David L. Coddon May 23, 2024 at 3:58 p.m. I call them my “Merch Moments,” musical memories of Natalie Merchant (that’s a lot of...
Things to do | Onstage Playhouse’s surrealistic ‘Devil in a Box’ explores the roots of addiction By Pam Kragen May 22, 2024 at 4:37 p.m. In Tori King's fever dream of a play "Devil in a Box," audience members don't...
Things to do | San Diego Musical Theatre’s high-energy ‘Legally Blonde’ bubbles with fun By Pam Kragen May 21, 2024 at 7:27 p.m. As stage musicals go, "Legally Blonde" has its pros and cons. It's not quite as...
Things to do | L.J. Playhouse musical to tell the unvarnished story of country legends Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash By Pam Kragen May 20, 2024 at 4:09 p.m. Back in 2005, the feature film "Walk the Line" told the fiery, decades-long love story...
Things to do | Opera La Carte San Diego makes an impressive debut with well-sung ‘La boheme’ By Pam Kragen May 17, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. Most long-established American opera companies have struggled to rebuild their audiences post-pandemic so they have...
Things to do | ‘Fat Ham’ to take a funny, contemporary and unconventional look at Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ By David L. Coddon May 17, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. Both Prince Hamlet and Juicy, the protagonist of James Ijames’ “Fat Ham,” have an existential...
Things to do | Someone San Diego Should Know: Annette Hubbell By Jan Goldsmith May 17, 2024 at 6:38 p.m. Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who participated in a network of safe houses known as...
Entertainment | Arts & Culture Newsletter: Free music program for San Diego students hosts spring recital Wednesday By David L. Coddon May 16, 2024 at 12:31 p.m. Good morning, and welcome to the U-T Arts & Culture Newsletter.I’m David L. Coddon, and here’s your...
Things to do | Can’t get to 70 shows? Here are 15 picks for what to see at this month’s San Diego’s Fringe festival By Pam Kragen May 16, 2024 at 1:07 a.m. SAN DIEGO — The San Diego International Fringe Festival opens Thursday with 10 days of nearly 70...
Things to do | Oceanside Theatre’s risk pays off with ‘Next to Normal’ musical By Pam Kragen May 14, 2024 at 11:10 p.m. Over the past few years, Oceanside Theatre Company has become increasingly ambitious with its programming,...
Things to do | Strong singing, dazzling visuals honor Sondheim’s memory in Moonlight’s ‘Into the Woods’ By Pam Kragen May 16, 2024 at 9:59 p.m. Reviewing a show in the final days of its run is unusual for me, but...
Things to do | Old Globe’s cooking-themed play ‘Stir’ is warm and touching, but needs more time By Pam Kragen May 14, 2024 at 12:42 a.m. The last time Old Globe audiences saw actor-playwright Melinda Lopez in 2022, she was performing...
Entertainment | Les Ballets Jazz Montreal sets the music of Leonard Cohen to dance By Marcia Luttrell May 12, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. The marriage of music and dance requires a careful collaboration, one that allows for both...
Things to do | San Diego’s Fringe Festival roaring back with 300 performances at 11 venues around San Diego By David L. Coddon May 12, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. What a difference a year makes.The 2023 San Diego International Fringe Festival? Three venues, 19...
Things to do | New musical inspired by ‘Thelma & Louise’ will give famous film duo their ‘queer happy ending’ By David L. Coddon May 15, 2024 at 10:11 p.m. When Thelma Dickinson and Louise Sawyer drive their T-Bird off the edge of the Grand...
Things to do | San Diego theater designer celebrates his first Tony nomination By Pam Kragen May 9, 2024 at 3:56 p.m. On the night before this year's Tony Award nominations were announced last month, San Diego...
Things to do | This year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ‘Primary Trust,’ headed to La Jolla Playhouse this fall By Pam Kragen May 6, 2024 at 9:09 p.m. "Primary Trust," a heartwarming new play by Eboni Booth about a man who starts over...
Things to do | San Diego Opera unveils 60th anniversary with season that will look back and ahead By Pam Kragen May 5, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. Fifty-nine years ago today, San Diego Opera was born. Launched on a shoestring budget by...
Things to do | Puerto Rican nationalist’s story to be retold with a drag twist in Moxie’s ‘Notes’ By David L. Coddon May 14, 2024 at 11:49 p.m. Besides its marquee-crowding title, “Notes on Killing Seven Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board Members,”...
Things to do | Star of San Diego Musical Theatre’s ‘Legally Blonde’ aims to defy expectations By David L. Coddon May 3, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. Like Elle Woods, the high-heeled heroine of “Legally Blonde,” Johnisa Breault once felt underestimated because...
Things to do | Mysterious pop-up art exhibit fueled local man’s magic-filled show ‘Us’ By Karen Billing May 2, 2024 at 11:44 a.m. Over the course of seven weeks in the summer of 2017, Rancho Santa Fe residents...