Doug Davis News

Nine revolting children take center stage in the San Diego Regional Premiere production of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical at the Moonlight Amphitheatre July 17 through August 3 at 8 p.m. The Tony Award-winning musical is inspired by the twisted genius of British author Roald Dahl (novels Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG among others; and the screenplays of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and is brought to life on The Moonlight stage by the creative team of Director Jamie Torcellini, Choreographer Colleen Kollar Smith, and Music Director and Conductor Elan McMahan

Today, Orlando Fringe announced the appointment of four new members of their Board of Directors. 

City of Hope, the cancer research and treatment center, announced that Stephen Schwartz will be the recipient of the Warner/Chappell Music 'Icon of Hope' Award at the 14th annual Songs of Hope event.

Rare is the occasion when an artist arrives on the scene who fundamentally reawakens your understanding not just of music but world history, common cultures, and shared values. Dongfeng Liu is this very type of artist. He is a maestro composer, arranger, jazz pianist and educator who draws upon musical influences from his native China, and fuses them with American jazz harmonies with Caribbean rhythms. China Caribe uncovers those buried pages of history in which Chinese immigrants journeyed to the Americas as early as the 1860s. In fact, Havana boasted the largest Chinese population in the Western hemisphere during this period.

Frequently described as a cross between steel and gossamer, Kander and Ebb's musical of Manuel Puig's mind-boggling novel Kiss of the Spider Woman is nothing short of breathtaking when properly produced. Dealing with reality versus illusion (steel, for prison bars and gossamer, the feminine side of Molina's mind), the play adapts perfectly to musical form, where Molina (Jeffrey Scott Parsons) and his troupe play out Aurora's (Natalie Nucci) screen life through song and dance. In fact, I've always found the musical more intriguing than Hector Babenco's 1985 film also because of the omnipresent operatic themes of romance, love, passion, violence and betrayal.

A friend referred to The King and I as a war horse, an old chestnut, for it has surely surpassed time as an enduring musical classic, but upon seeing it again, one realizes just how potent, vibrant and topical a piece it truly is. Musicals of such depth and perspective with a keen eye to the future seem to be a thing of the past. Yes, it's a love story at the core, an unlikely one, but with many, many more levels. It entails issues of race, slavery, the urgency for a king of a tiny uncivilized kingdom to change his primitive, barbaric ways, and for his children to receive a truthful education as he embarks on assimilating 19th century Siam to western culture and civilization...and to repeat, it's a bigger-than-life love story that has become eternally revered not only for its music but for its intolerance of bigotry of any type. At Welk Resort, Escondido, Joshua Carr has staged generously yet simply, the result of which is a truly stellar production of the story of Anna and The King performed through April 5

The 2013-14 Encore Awards nominees are announced.

When Oklahoma! was first produced on Broadway in 1943 it became the first smash hit for newly formed collaborating team Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and also the first real book musical, preceded only by Showboat. It was a breakthrough musical, which when given a first-class production, is still, some 71 years later, without question, one of the greatest American musicals ever written. 'The Farmer and the Cowman' truly represents the philosophy of what America is all about, a unity and pride that is unmistakably individual. Welk Resorts' newest production is wonderfully entertaining, retaining a lot of traditional elements. Director Dan Mojica jubilantly brings together a very talented cast now in Escondido through November 16.

Clive Davis, Dr. Luke, Colbie Caillat, Brian Tyler (film music composer of 'Iron Man 3,' 'Thor: The Dark World,' 'Fast Five') and music and entertainment industry giants committed to fighting cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases will take part in the 10th anniversary of Songs of Hope

MadLab Theatre presents Theatre Roulette 2014! In its fifteenth year, Central Ohio's longest running shorts festival presents 3 very distinct nights of new works rotating over 3 weekends culminating in the final day when all 3 nights of programming are performed.

Back with their 15th annual Theatre Roulette, MadLab Theatre continues to crank out Columbus' longest running shorts festival. Central Ohio's longest running shorts festival presents three very distinct nights of new works rotating over three weekends, culminating in the final day when all three nights of programming are performed. Scroll down for a sneak peek at this year's productions!

MadLab Theatre presents Theatre Roulette 2014! In its fifteenth year, Central Ohio's longest running shorts festival presents 3 very distinct nights of new works rotating over 3 weekends culminating in the final day when all 3 nights of programming are performed.

Moonlight Stage Productions' 33rd summer season continues with the Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, presented professionally for the first time in Southern California, with performances now through September 7. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, based on the hilarious 1974 film by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder that spoofed the horror film genre, opened on Broadway in 2007 and toured the U.S. in 2009. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Moonlight Stage Productions' 33rd summer season continues with the Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, presented professionally for the first time in Southern California, with performances from tonight, August 21 to September 7.

Moonlight Stage Productions' 33rd summer season continues with the Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, presented professionally for the first time in Southern California, with performances from August 21 to September 7. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, based on the hilarious 1974 film by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder that spoofed the horror film genre, opened on Broadway in 2007 and toured the U.S. in 2009. Single tickets are priced $15 to $50 and include price levels for student rush, military, senior, and family discounts. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (760) 724-2110 or visit moonlightstage.com.

Clive Davis , Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, Jimmy Jam, Trevor Rabin (composer and vocalist of Grammy Award-winning group Yes) and music and entertainment industry giants committed to fighting cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases will take part in Songs of Hope VIII, a special event and silent auction that supports lifesaving research at City of Hope. Held at Rolling Stone's exclusive House of Rock in, Santa Monica, Calif. , the Oct. 18 event will be emceed by Jimmy Jam and feature an intimate performance by Edmonds.

More than 100 local and national theatre artists representing more than 40 San Diego theatrical productions at a dozen local theaters will compete for the 2011 Craig Noel Awards on Feb. 6, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle announced today.

HAIRSPRAY, the most anticipated musical theatre event of the summer, comes to the stage of the Moonlight Amphitheatre as part of Moonlight Stage Productions' 31st Summer Season. HAIRSPRAY is the Broadway musical phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture and captured eight Tony Awards including Best Musical in 2003. Now, for the first time at Moonlight, audiences will be swept away to 1960s Baltimore in this smash-hit musical that's piled bouffant-high with comedy and music. Tickets are priced $22-$50 and are on sale now through the VisTix Ticket Office at (760) 724-2110 and online at moonlightstage.com.

Carmel Community Players recently announced the theme and productions for its 2010-11 season at its Annual Meeting on May 19th. Make 'Em Laugh is the theme chosen by CCP's artistic director, Lori Raffel and will include five hilariously funny comedies along with a Rising Star youth production to be directed, produced, and starred in by kids 18 and under.