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Theatre, Concerts & Opera

Ahmanson Theatre:  Los Angeles Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles (213/628-2772)   TheatreGroup.org    Funny Girl, the sensational musical comedy revival,  features iconic songs including Don’t Rain on my Parade, I’m the Greatest Star and People.   This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice.
As a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage, everyone told her she would never be a star, but then something funny happened – she became one of the most beloved performers in history.   April 2-28.

Upcoming:  A Strange Loop tells the story of a young gay Black writer who hates his day job, writes a musical about a young, gay Black writer who’s writing a musical about  a young, gay Black writer.  June 5-30.

A series of special events and programming at the Mark Taper Forum, the Kirk Douglas Theatre and throughout greater Los Angeles.   CTG:FWD.   The events provide greater opportunities for community gatherings and conversations, can’t miss special events  and ways to help center Los Angeles based artists and the arts community.  It also provides an opportunity to open the doors of the Mark Taper Forum during this pause in traditional season programming .  The initial slate of programming includes Alex Edelman’s Just for Us, Feinstein’s at the Taper,  Amal Walks Across America.

Upcoming Season: six productions including two Tony Award winning Best Musicals, A Strange Loop, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; also the Broadway revival of Clue.   

A number of services  to accommodate persons requiring mobility, vision and hearing access.   American Sign language interpretation is offered.  Contact  CenterTheatreGroup.org/Access


A Noise Within:  3352 E. Foothill Bl., Pasadena    (626/356-3100)  www.anoisewithin.org  Diabolical comedy, stunning terror, razor sharp sit and extraordinary, soaring music.  Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the dark, brooding, yet sharply comic story of love, revenge and meat pies by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler that has become a modern classic.  Feb. 11-March 17.  A Noise Within continues its commitment to August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with King Hedley II, the ninth play in Wilson’s extraordinary 10-play cycle that explores the Black experience in 20th century America decade-by-decade.   March 31-April 28.

Colony Theatre: 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank  www.colonytheatre.org    Footloose The Musical opened on Broadway in 1998 and ran for 709 performances and received four Tony Award nominations.  Now celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original film and 25th anniversary of the Broadway musical, Footloose is about the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another and the power of forgiveness.  March 1-17.

Crypto.com Arena: (formerly the Staples Center) 1111 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles (213/ 742-7100)  www.cryptoarena.com  Check for all upcoming concerts, family shows and special events.  Tickets on sale now.

LA Opera presents The Dwarf

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion: Los Angeles Music Center, 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles. (213/972-8001)  The Double bill of Highway 1, USA by William Grant Still and The Dwarf (Der Zwerg) by Alexander Zeminsky  marks a return to the company’s celebrated Recovered Voices initiative, dedicated to rediscovering operas by composers whose work has been unjustly neglected due to prejudice. Norman Garrett’s magnificent  baritone voice and Nicole Heaston’s soprano made the part of Bob and Mary in  Highway 1 exceptional.  The set of The Dwarf provided a spectacular  setting  for this touching story. March 3, 6, 14 & 17.   Verdi’s beloved romantic tragedy La Traviata starring soprano Rachel Wills-Sorensen.   April 6-27.     The season features beloved classic operas, world premieres and top talent from around the globe:  Madam Butterfly, Romeo & Juliet, Cosi Fan Tutte, Ainadamar and Rigoletto.  Patti LuPone  performs A Life in Notes,  April 20. 

Fountain Theatre:   5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles. (323/663-1525)  www.fountaintheatre.com    Fatherland,  a true story of the 18-year-old son who turned in his father to the FBI because of his dad’s role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.   Fast moving, powerful and theatrical, it erupts  verbatim from the official court transcripts, case evidence and public statements.  Thru May 26.

Hollywood Bowl:    2301 Highland Ave., Los Angeles ( 323/850–2000)  hollywoodbowl.com  Season highlights include 9 performances with Gustavo Dudamel and the  LA Phil, Zubin Mehta’s return after 30 years, world premiere of Infinita Saga Concert Experience, stellar assists, classical superstars, Jazz Festival, July 4th fireworks, Herbie Hancock, Maestro of the Movies to mention a few.  Great season!!

Kirk Douglas Theatre: 9820 Washington Bl. Culver City (213/628-2772) www.centertheatregroup.com


Los Angeles Theatre Center:   514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles  (213/489-0994)  www,latinotheaterco.org

Mark Taper Forum: Los Angeles Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles (213/628-2772) CenterTheatereGroup.org     Alex Edelman’s Just For Us returns as part of the Spring 2024  programs March 26-31.  This hilarious show tackles identity and antisemitism so pertinent to be aware of at this time. After attending a meeting of White Nationalists, Edelman was inspired to create the show which is shockingly relevant and utterly hilarious.


Morgan Wixson Theatre: 2627 Pico Bl., Santa Monica (310/828-7519) www.morganwixson.org,      Alice in Wonderland for the whole family.   March 9-24.

Musco Center for the Arts:   Chapman University,  (714/997-6812) Ticketing@chapman.edu    Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, March 3, The Wailin Jennys, March 9,  Jazzy Steam,  March 14,  Orange County Master Chorale & Southern California Children’s Chorus,  March 17, Lawrence Brownlee, March 27, Kishi Bashi, April 27.

Michelle Danner Acting Studio: 10820 Washington Bl., Culver City                                                                          http://historicalerecords.brownpapertickets.com  Dive into the vibrant world of Historical Records where history leaps off the pages and onto the stage in an electrifying fusion of beats, rhymes and past legends    This show takes the audience on a rhythmic journey through time, re-imagining  the lives of iconic American historical figures through the dynamic lens of freestyle hip-hop.  March 9-30

Odyssey Theatre:  2055 S. Sepulveda Bl., West Los Angeles (310/477-2055) odysseytheatre.com      Music at the Odyssey series returns  with five lively engaging and intimate evenings of music and song — an eclectic combination of musical cabaret and Latin sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba March 9, 10, 16, 22 & 23.   Stalin’s Master Class, a wildly comic, music-filled drama where politics collide with art when “Father of the People” Joseph Stalin and Soviet cultural minister Andrei  Zhdanov summon composers Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovitch to the Kremlin for a vodka-fueled music lesson.  Can artistic expressionism be forced to conform to political ideology?  April 3-May 26.   Kevin Flynn’s funny, moving Fear of Heights, the story of an Irish American kid’s phobias, family life and the meaning of success.   Flynn’s grandfather, a tough, Irish steelworker, may have been unafraid to perch precariously on a steel beam high above the New York skyline — but young Kevin finds himself dreaming of the bright lights of Hollywood instead.  A funny, moving autobiographical solo show  in which Flynn, a former professional soccer player and current award winning stand up comedian, actor, writer and TV host, examines the American experience through the lens of his Irish immigrant family.  April 5-14.  Comedy Night at the Odyssey series curated by Kevin Flynn on the third Thursday of every month, March 21, April 18, May 16 & June 20.  Ireland’s Fishyamble returns to the Odyssey with King,  the newest work by solo performer Pat Kinevane. A deeply moving exploration of prejudice, privilege and resilience…an extraordinary solo show.   April 18-May 5.

Robey Theatre:   514 S. Spring St.,  at Los Angeles Theatre Center (213/489-7402)  info@therobeytheatrecompany.org 

Royce Hall:  UCLA campus, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood (310/825-2101)  www.cap.ucla.edu

Santa Monica Playhouse:  1211 4th St., Santa Monica (310/394-9779 ext 1)  https://www.evenbrite.com/e/unsavory-fellow-a-one-man-show-starring-nick-james-tickets-789781677257?aff=oddtdtcreator  theatre@santamonicaplayhouse.com    Nick James, originally from Cleveland, spent his growing up years in Santa Monica near the beach.  In school he wanted to be one of the cool kids but the Midwestern transplant sometimes felt like more of a geek in Unsavory Fellow, written, directed and performed  by Nick James.   His stepfather had warned him against falling in with the bad boys or, as he termed them, “unsavory fellows”  Guess what happened?   April 4-27.

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Segerstrom Center for the Arts: 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, www.SCFTA.org  (714/556-2787)    MJ makes its Costa Mesa premiere from March 19-31.  Michael Jackson‘s unique and unparalleled artistry comes to life as MJ, the multi Tony Award winning new musical  centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour begins a tour of its own. A Broadway Birthday:  Sondheim, Lloyd Webber and Friends, March 28.  Upcoming Dance Headliners and in conversation series for the 2024 season includes Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Turn It Out with Tiler Peck, American Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo’s Coppel-o/A,  American Ballet Theater Mixed Repertory.   Headliner Series features Get Happy: Jessica Vost, Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Being Alive, A Broadway Birthday, Sondheim, Lloyd Webber and Friends.

American Ballet Theatre presents the North American Premiere of Wayne McGregor’s  Woolf Works inspired by the writings of 20th century modernist author Virginia Woolf, marking American Ballet Theatre’s first full-length production by McGregor whose multi-award winning ballet Triptych is inspired by three of Woolf’s seminal novels. April 11-14, 2024,


Theatre 40: Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills  (310/364-0535) www.theatre40.org  Power and Light, the story of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla who are rivals in a contest to see who will determine the future of electric power in America in a struggle which spans decades. This story follows the battle  of the development of electricity between these two great minds creating sparks of tension  as they illuminated the world. March 28-April 30.  Playing in repertory, Into the Breeches, the story of a delightful celebration of collaboration and persistence when the show must go on.  While a theater director and leading men are off at war with the Axis, the directors wife sets out to produce an all-female version of Shakespeare’s Henriad, assembling an increasingly unexpected team, united in desire if not actual theatre experience.  March 21-April 25.

Free staged reading of the new play Toxic Murder,  April 13.  1:00 p.m.


Theatre 68 Arts Complex:  The Emerson:  511 Lankershim Bl., North Hollywood   www.onstage411.com/ConeyIsland  Coney Island Land, a story about memory, nostalgia, middle age and love  in the time of a pandemic.  Feb. 16-March 17.

Theatre West:  3333 Cahuenga Bl. West, Los Angeles (818/761-2203)  www.theatrewest.org  Storybook Theatre presents Cinderella,  a joyful, version specifically created to appeal to young children and the whole family.  Feb. 17-June 1.

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Kavli Theatre: 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard,  Thousand Oaks (800/745-3000) www.startheatricals.com 

UCLA Nimoy Theater:  1262 Westwood Bl., Los Angeles (310/825-2101)  tickets@cap.ucla.edu  Singer Tarrey Torae and musicians join him as part of the first installment of Poetry Uncut, a four part series of curated poetry evenings and music hosted by Ivy and featuring guest artists.  Feb. 3 & 17, 2024 culminating in a final poetry jam, April 6. Upcoming highlights for the 2024 season include:   Rapper Omaer Offedum’s The Little Syria Show, Ethiopian ensemble Ethioand Cabaret sensation Meow Meow, Acclaimed playwright Daniel Alexander Junes, Choreographer-dancer Calib Teicher and pianist-composer Conrad Tao. 

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis): 9390 N. Santa Monica Bl., Beverly Hills (310/746-4000)  www.thewallis     The Wallis continues to offer free events for families and young audiences.

Walt Disney Concert Hall - Photo: Grant Mudford

Walt Disney Concert Hall – Photo: Grant Mudford

Walt Disney Concert Hall: 151 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles (213/972-7288) www.wdch.com
The Frank Gehry designed home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of both the City of Angels and its world-class orchestra under the direction of  maestro Gustavo Dudamel and features the works of the world’s musical greats featuring Classical, World Music, Jazz, Songbook and the Master Chorale.   The season features programs that reflect on the profundity of our cultural moments by examining themes of life, death and transcendence in music.  In their first live appearance in over four years, Dirty Projectors team up with the L.A. Philharmonic for the U. S. premiere of Song of the Earth, a song cycle for orchestra and voices.  March 2.  Dianne Reeves, March 3; Chamber Music featuring Brahms and Beach, March 5;  Music 101: Inspiration, March 6;  Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, March 7, 9, & 10; Swan Lake re-imagined (symphonies for youth) March 9; Superman Concert – John Williams Spotlight, March 15.  GALA 2024 will transform the Hall into a sparkling supper club and celebrate the bohemian glamor of contemporary Los Angeles honoring Grammy Award nominated Rufus Wainwright,  April 29.  Season highlights include Dudamel leading 11 performances in Mahler Grooves Festival, Seoul Festival, John Williams Spotlight,  Emmanuelle Haim begins her 3 year tenure as Artist-Collaborator with Han del Project, Pan  American Music initiative, World Premiere of Carlos Simon’s Gospel Mass…and much more.

                                                                                                             


Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum: 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga (310/455–3723)  www.theatricum.com       The upcoming summer season will transform the stage  alternately into the captivating countryside of Bohemia in The Winters Tale by Shakespeare, the encchant5ed woods of Athens in A Midsummer Nights Dream, the imaginary isle of Neverland in the world premiere of Wendy’s Peter Pan, Tartiffe: Born Again  translated and adapted from Moliere and the USA Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote by Bernardo Cubria. June 1-Sept. 30.