Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Tharp’s choreography, Sinatra’s voice star in ‘Come Fly Away’

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–It’s not that I haven’t seen this show, Come Fly Away before, because I have. It’s not that I don’t love Frank Sinatra. I do love his voice. It’s because of the above-mentioned Sinatra voice and Twyla Tharp’s absolutely stunning choreography that I love this show. Once in Vegas was not […]

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Gypsy’ overcomes small theatre space

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–No it’s not Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell, Tyne Daly or even Patty LuPone. It’s our own Linda Libby who heads up the first ever big-time musical, or musical for that matter, staged by ion theatre in the company’s BLKBOX space in Hillcrest. Libby, whose credits stretch from stage to TV, is

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Social protest in ‘Hair’ at Civic, and outside by ‘Occupiers’

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — It didn’t take the observations of a rocket scientist to see the comparisons between the ‘Occupy San Diego’ movement outside the Civic Theatre and the 44-year-old (but revised) smash hit of the late 60’s Hair. Here’s what the young folks protesting the Vietnam war in the 60’s were railing

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

West Side Story sequel needs some retooling

By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO—Somewhere between reality and romanticism is the space in which the Candelaria Family lives. Somewhere is also the title of one of Leonard Bernstein’s reflective ballads from his popular West Side Story and it is also the title of Matthew Lopez’s brand new world premiere comedy drama now being given a

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Mame thrives at the North Park Birch Theatre

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–Jerry Herman’s Mame is one of those oldies but goodies that hasn’t been around the San Diego musical theatre scene for over thirty years. With book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, and based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and the play Auntie Mame Herman’s familiar music (Hello Dolly

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Welk’s ‘La Mancha’ still pleases after decades

By Carol Davis ESCONDIDO, California — It mattered not that the actors in the Dale Wasserman (Book), Mitch Leigh (Music) and Joe Darion (Music) mega musical hit of the 1965 Broadway Production, Man Of La Mancha, based on the 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, by Wasserman were also the musicians in this current offering of

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Lend Me a Tenor’ well worth up to five tenners

By Carol Davis SOLANA BEACH, California—I can’t remember when the last time was that I had such fun in the theatre as I did the night I attended the North Coast Repertory Theatre’s production of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor. I know, it’s supposed to be funny. It is after all a farce. But

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Felder dazzles with insights into Leonard Bernstein

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO —Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein is Hershey Felder’s personal love letter to Leonard Bernstein. Felder, the consummate master of bringing musical genius alive by adopting the persona of the masters and becoming them has been a treat for yours truly in the past. He has paid tribute to George

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish choirs’ ‘Sing Out’ was OUTstanding

By Cantor Sheldon F. Merel LA JOLLA, California–Jewish Choral Music is alive and well at the Jewish Community Center. It was truly a “ Sing Out” on Sunday Afternoon, April 3rd at the JCC featuring two separate choral concerts from  several local  congregations plus independent choral groups. It was a showcase of San Diego Jewish choirs

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Grandchild and grandparents agree choir program was grand

By Sandy Golden LA JOLLA, California — “Behold How Good …..” and it was good! — In fact, it was not only good,  it was great!–, the it being the “Sing Out!” of the nine San Diego Jewish Choirs  that  performed in a double concert program  at the Lawrence Family  JCC on Sunday afternoon,  April 3. This entire musical

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

‘I Love a Piano’ is an Irving Berlin revue

By Carol Davis VISTA, California–How does one pay tribute to an American icon who lived to be 101 years old, wrote over a thousand songs, nineteen were Broadway scores, eighteen Hollywood films scores with several nominations for Academy Awards, plus “God Bless America”, “Easter Parade” “This is The Army” and “White Christmas” and still do

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

San Diego Opera unveils 46th International Season

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — There is nothing quite as exciting as an opera. It has all the elements you would want to see and hear in theatre. Beautiful music, dance, drama (oft times melodrama) comedy, tragedy, stunning costumes and scenery and of course acting are all combined to make this wonderful medium unique.

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Forever Plaid’ makes a comeback…from heaven

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — For the “Forever Plaids” their return to San Diego is a welcome sight.  Just as a short trip down memory lane the musical Forever Plaid started at the Old Globe way back in 1991. The off- Broadway musical comedy, written by Stuart Ross hit New York in 1990 and became

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast