Shon LeBlanc News

Actors Community Theatre in Jasper, Indiana has announced its production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's classic musical Into the Woods directed by Evansville native Matthew Herrmann with music direction by Adrienne Collignon. There will be four performances only at the Jasper Arts Center beginning Thursday, July 25 at 7:30pm and continuing on Friday, July 26 at 7:30pm, Saturday, July 27 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, July 28 at 2pm.

I have a special appreciation for artists who really learn their craft; that surround their entire lives dedicated to observation, listening, learning, searching then discovering, creating, improving, perfecting and twerking it a bit to make it organic and unique. When you have experienced performers who have done it all in their careers in key roles putting together a musical production of this type, it is quite apparent in the outcome. With the esteemed team that is at the 'helm' of this production, Director Josh Finkel, Choreographer Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Costumes Designed by Shon LeBlanc, Lighting Design by Derek Jones, Artistic Director of the Sierra Madre Theatre Christian Lebano, and Live One-Man-Orchestra Sean Paxton; (Google all!) it is full tilt ahead and all aboard for an evening of superb and satisfying entertainment.

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

there is an excellent staging of Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, directed by Jack Heller as a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre, presented by Dance On Productions in association with Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger, that will allow you to forget how much time passes due to the skill of its playwright, understanding by its director, the brilliance of its cast, and most importantly, Joel Daavid's incredible multi-level scenic design which fills every possible inch of the stage with not only the two-room Kowalski apartment but also several outdoor spaces including a winding New Orleans-style wrought iron staircase leading up to their neighbor's front-door balcony. And from the moment I walked in and sat down, it was easy to hear all the audience accolades rightly being thrown Daavid's way.

Ruby gets off the bus from Utah with 'nothing but tap shoes in her suitcase and a prayer in her heart.' As fate would have it, she is immediately cast in the chorus of a Broadway show. When the theatre is forced to close, Ruby's songwriting sailor boyfriend persuades the Captain of his ship to allow the show to move on deck. Voila! Dames at sea! When the show's lead gets seasick, Ruby may have to go on for her. Will Ruby come back a star? Do you need to ask?

Even before it opened this month, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment knew they had a hit production on their hands with SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, based on the greatest movie musical of all time with screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green and songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name which starred Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagen, the plot closely adheres to the original story set in 1920s Hollywood during the waning days of the Silent Screen era, focusing on romantic leading man, Don Lockwood, his tap dancing sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's platinum blonde leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in the new talking pictures.

The team behind 2016's acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams' rarely-seen Kingdom of Earth, is back - this time, with Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire. Jack Heller directs Susan Priver (down-on-her-luck showgirl Myrtle in Kingdom of Earth, LA Weekly award-winning The Lover by Harold Pinter) as Blanche DuBois and Max E. Williams (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., numerous productions with Elephant Theatre Company) as Stanley Kowalski in a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre presented by Dance On Productions in association with Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger. Passions flare and cultures collide in the sultry streets of New Orleans beginning May 25, with performances continuing though July 7.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment (celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary at the theatre) are thrilled to present SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, based on the greatest movie musical of all time with screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. The fresh new production will be directed & choreographed by Spencer Liff (Emmy nominee for TV's So You Think You Can Dance and Broadway's Head Over Heels, Hedwig and the Angry Inch & Falsettos). The Associate Director is Cynthia Ferrer (original Kathy Selden in first National Tour of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN) with musical direction by Keith Harrison.

'All My Sons' is the story of Joe Keller (played by the engaging Mark Belnick), a successful, middle-aged, self-made man who has done a terrible and tragic thing, by framing his business partner for a crime that caused the death of hundreds of servicemen from World War II, and engineering his own exoneration. Now, his son Chris (the charismatic Jack Tynan) is about to marry the partner's daughter (the solid Alexis Boozer Sterling), the incident is revisited, and his lie of a life is unraveled.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment (celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary at the theatre) are thrilled to present SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, based on the greatest movie musical of all time with screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. The fresh new production will be directed & choreographed by Spencer Liff (Emmy nominee for TV's So You Think You Can Dance and Broadway's Head Over Heels, Hedwig and the Angry Inch & Falsettos). The Associate Director is Cynthia Ferrer (original Kathy Selden in first National Tour of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN) with musical direction by Keith Harrison.

GOOD MORNING TO YOU! LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT (celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary at the theatre) are thrilled to present SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, based on the greatest movie musical of all time with screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green and songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.

Having seen the musical HAMILTON when it was in Los Angeles, like many others I learned more important details about the founding fathers while watching it than I felt I had ever learned in school. Lin-Manuel Miranda who created that uber-successful musical in 2015, has said that 1776 THE MUSICAL, written in 1969, during another time of political and social unrest in the United States, has 'one of the best books-if not the best-ever written for musical theatre.' And now I can say I certainly agree with him. In fact, The perfect way to prove the arts can teach valuable history lessons to its audiences is by encouraging everyone to see 1776 THE MUSICAL, presented by La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo and impeccably directed & staged by Glenn Casale through Sunday, February 3, 2019 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts or at The Soraya at CSUN from Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10.

A brilliant cast and production highlights McCoy Rigby Entertainment's '1776,' with bravura performances from Andy Umberger (John Adams), Peter Van Norden (Benjamin Franklin) and John Barbour (Edward Rutledge).

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment present the award-winning and revolutionary 1776 THE MUSICAL at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya), February 8 through 10. 1776 THE MUSICAL, the Tony Award winner for Best Musical (1969) and has music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone. It is directed by Glenn Casale with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo.

Rod Serling's television anthology series The Twilight Zone was a popular and critical success when it ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964, shot entirely in black and white. The series introduced many Americans to appreciate stories in various genres including fantasy, science fiction, suspense, horror and psychological thrillers, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist, usually ending with a moral explained by the writer himself. It has remained so popular that you can often find The Twilight Zone marathons running on various television stations, especially on holidays. As a fan of the show, I often watch episodes when they are shown, keeping my The Twilight Zone Companion handbook close by to check on facts and cast information from each episode. So I made plans to attend when I heard Theatre 40 was going to be presenting ROD SERLING'S STORIES FROM THE ZONE adapted and co-directed by multiple Ovation Award winning set designer Jeff G. Rack and Charlie Mount.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT (celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary at the theatre) are thrilled to present the award-winning and revolutionary 1776 THE MUSICAL, with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo and directed & staged by Glenn Casale. 1776 THE MUSICAL will preview on Friday, January 11, 2019 (with a press opening on Saturday, January 12 at 8pm) and runs through Sunday, February 3, 2019 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

LaMirada and McCoy Rigby Entertainment will present the award-winning and revolutionary 1776 THE MUSICAL, with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo and directed & staged by Glenn Casale. 1776 THE MUSICAL will begin previews on Friday, January 11, 2019 (with a press opening on Saturday, January 12 at 8pm) and runs through Sunday, February 3, 2019 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

The holiday hit of last Christmas season is back this year with some new cast members and more fun.

The nominees for the 29th Annual LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement throughout Los Angeles, were announced this week.

The holiday hit of last Christmas season is back this year with some new cast members and more fun.