#curtaincall

“A Man of No Importance” bets on emotional payoff, wins with restraint

“I am the love that dare not speak its name.”                    …

1 week ago

Energy and loving attention to detail make kitschy “Reefer Madness: The Musical” funnier than expected

In the United States, Schedule I substances are illegal supposedly because they are categorically unsafe, with no accepted medicinal use…

2 weeks ago

Long Beach Opera opens busy season with palate-cleansers

Because Long Beach Opera’s 48th season features their biggest-ever bill of fare, perhaps it’s fitting to start with what director…

3 weeks ago

One-night sound-art event returns to Belmont Shore for second year

One year ago, the inaugural LBsoundbrowse was an experiment. Could Long Beach’s main shopping and dining drag successfully accommodate the…

1 month ago

“Night of the Living Dead” a brisk bit of Halloween fun

You may not have seen the film, but you know the premise, so deeply is the legacy of 1968’s Night…

1 month ago

After a minimal year, Long Beach Opera is back with its busiest calendar ever

Over the course of three sparsely programmed seasons during which four scheduled shows were cancelled, Long Beach Opera needed a…

1 month ago

“The Swan”: Hyping the transformative possibilities of love

When it comes to men, Dora (Whitney Ellis) is accommodating to a fault. Married milkman Kevin (Matthew Anderson) is merely…

2 months ago

“Hangmen”: Lesser McDonagh, imperfectly staged — but still fun

You can rely on Martin McDonagh. Black humor. Sardonicism. Impending menace. Clever twists. Simple phrases reworked ‘til they rise above…

2 months ago

“Cyrano de Bergerac” with a side of meta: A fresh take on an old chestnut

Is Long Beach Shakespeare Company having an identity crisis? This year, five of their 12 offerings are live radio shows,…

2 months ago

“A Doll’s House, Part 2” is…well, you know what they say about sequels

In 2017, when I first saw a production of A Doll’s House, Part 2, it might have been, I dunno,…

3 months ago