Southern California Guide

by Valerie Summers Final Interview, now playing at the intimate Pico Playhouse, is by far the best drama I have seen in a very long time.   Featuring two main characters, a big shot head of a large company and an interviewee, an apparently bumbling, insecure guy who is not making a very good impression. […]

by Valerie Summers The best recipe for fun filled holiday entertainment calls for a mixture of Charles Dickens’ traditional and beloved A Christmas Carol spiced with contemporary comments about the world we live in. Mix in the musical genius of Carole King.  Stir thoroughly with a colorful, talented group of actors, singers and dancers who […]

by Valerie Summers Just opened, one of the funniest comedies of the year…Screwball Comedy, at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills.  The packed house was roaring with laughter as the tale of a wanna be reporter who  is assigned to interview the newspaper’s owner’s son regarding his pending marriage gets her chance.  Set in the 1930’s, […]

by Valerie Summers Now, more than ever, this beautifully organized exhibition tells the story of one of the most creative artists of our time…the unique Jim Henson.  He took puppetry to a whole new level with his creations which not only made us laugh but sent a strong message about differences and getting along…most appropriate  […]

Josh Grisetti and Rob McClure with the cast of Something Rotten! Photo: Jeremy Daniel by Valerie Summers In all my years of attending theatrical productions, last night, at the opening of Something Rotten! at the Ahmanson Theatre, I witnessed a first…a standing ovation in the midst of the performance.  Multi-award winning brothers Karey Kirkpatrick and […]

by Valerie Summers The Los Angeles premiere of Honkey Tonk Laundry at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre makes for an evening bursting with the talent of its two stars, Bets Malone and Misty Cotton.  Displaying the kind of friendship like Thelma and Louise, these two women get back at the men who done them wrong supporting […]

By Valerie Summers More than 20 years ago, I traveled the Silk Road across China.  I was stunned by the many exotic sights but the one that captured my heart was my visit to the Mogao cave temples, Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road…unforgettable. Situated near the town of Dunhuang at the edge of the […]

by Valerie Summers At long last, Los Angeles International Airport has unveiled a new and greatly improved Terminal 2 with an updated look and a plethora of new amenities.  Sustainable design is a key component of the improvements which incorporate new technology including lighting and decreased water consumption.  Passengers will enjoy major upgrades to the […]

by Valerie Summers U.S. Highway Route 66 is both a physical road and a romantic notion much of which is both confirmed and dispelled in the current do not miss exhibition at the Autry National Center of the American West. This is not a “fluff” presentation as portrayed in TV shows of days gone by […]

by Valerie Summers Having recently briefly visited the newly transformed Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, I had the good fortune to return for a closer look.  The  stunning 150,000 square foot Great Hall creates an impressive send off to passengers traveling abroad.  It’s a shoppers paradise with world class shopping at the mega duty […]

by Valerie Summers Although the Valley Performing Arts Center opened three years ago, my first visit occurred recently when I headed over to the San Fernando Valley for a performance featuring the great jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis.   Situated on the southeast corner of  the California State University, Northridge campus, the stunning  glass walled landmark […]

by Valerie Summers At last visitiors from foreign countries arrive and depart in  Los Angeles at a terminal that Angelenos can be proud of.  Although not entirely completed, it is a good start.  The area for arriving passengers is now comfortable and attractive with places to have a drink or a bite to eat while […]

by Valerie Summers Multi-talented does not begin to describe  Daniel Beaty, star of The Tallest Tree in the Forest which just opened at the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center.  In this one-man show, Beaty artfully and believably portrays the life story Paul Robeson but embellishes the tale with more than a […]

In the charming, rustic open-air Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, I was deeply touched by the story of the aftermath of the 1988 crash of Pam Am 103 over Lockerbie Scotland, the first of what would become many senseless acts of terrorism.  Inspired by a true story, The Women of Lockerbie, by Deborah Brevoort, […]