A program note for "Twist: An American Musical," the new adaptation of Dickens's "Oliver Twist" set in 1920s New Orleans, suggests that audiences should "feel free to tap your toes to the music" and affirms that "it's okay if the [show's] book...moves you to tears or to laugh out loud." But these are unlikely responses to this show. more ›

Soyon An is on fire! Her name is making headlines for her celebrity styling, wardrobe work, and costume design. She’s a two-time Emmy Award winner for her work on So You Think You Can Dance. Her wardrobe styling for American Idol has been seen by millions. Her clients include Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, to mention a few. She’s assisted in styling projects for Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, and more. And she’s currently doing the Costume Design for the highly anticipated Dangerous Beauty, opening at the Pasadena Playhouse on February 13. more ›

The former Pasadena home of Elmer Grey, the architect who designed the Pasadena Playhouse, Huntington Art Gallery, and Beverly Hills Hotel, is back on the market after 50 years, reports The Huffington Post. The 3,400 square foot, 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom estate is currently listed at $1.8 million and "sits on private, landscaped grounds" with an emphasis on "indoor/outdoor living." According to Curbed LA, only two families have ever owned the residence. Have yourself an architecturally significant little Christmas. more ›

After two months of reorganization, the famed and historic Pasadena Playhouse has emerged triumphant from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and has just announced plans for their new season, reports the Star-News. more ›

Just a couple months after filing for bankruptcy, the famed theatre has emerged and plans to stage a production this fall. The Pasadena Playhouse, which opened in 1917, announced in early January that it would be closing its doors and laying off staff. A coalition of supporters made up of the city, board of directors and staff “have all combined to create a plan to resurrect the Playhouse from years of unbearable debts,” the executive director, Stephen Eich, said in a statement, according to the New York Times. “Although we will be moving slowly in the future to ensure financial responsibility and stability, we will in fact be back.” more ›

Dark since February of this year, the historic Pasadena Playhouse has announced they have filed for bankruptcy, and hope to reorganize and re-open, according to the SGV Tribune. Despite having a $1-per-year lease from the city of Pasadena, the theatre, open in 1917, has been in dire financial straits in recent years. When they reached their breaking point a few months ago and closed up, all the staff except "[Executive Director Stephen] Eich, Artistic Director Sheldon Epps, an accountant and an assistant were laid off." At that time, they had $500,000 in bills in addition to $1.5 million owed in loans, and funds that could only be used to refurbish the structure. more ›

Tonight is closing night for "Camelot" and the theatre in which it's been running. The Pasadena Playhouse is closing its doors following tonight's performance, thanks to about $3 million in debt, reports KTLA. more ›

With the Pasadena Playhouse set to close in seven days, ticketholders are still in the dark about the money they've spent on future shows. Now a coalition of theatres, with the L.A. Stage Alliance in the lead, are working towards a solution, according to Michael Seel of the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena. They are looking for ways to "support the Pasadena Playhouse and its subscribers, either through offering tickets to upcoming productions or in other ways, soon to be determined," he wrote in an e-mail newsletter. "We believe in the vital importance of theatre in the lives of those who love it and we will do our best to allow Playhouse subscribers the opportunity to continue enjoying theatre while the Playhouse reorganizes. We'll have more details about this program soon and will share it with our members." more ›

Bad news for one of the region's major cultural players: Pasadena Playhouse employees learned yesterday that come February 7th, after the final performance of the current staged production, they will be out of a job, according to the LA Times. With $500,000 in bills in addition to $1.5 million owed in loans have leaders looking into the possibility of bankruptcy. Although there is $6 million in their possession, that money can only be used for refurbishing the building. The theatre opened in 1917. more ›

The Orphans West Symposium, a weekend film series dedicated to home movies, amateur and educational films, industrial and sponsored films, experimental films and newsreels, concludes today at the Silent Movie Theatre. The theme of the 2 pm screening is “On Location: Place and Region in Forgotten Films” and features “Space Explorations: Scott Stark,” “Building the Hollywoodland Sign” (1923) and Early Middle Eastern Films. The 4:30 pm screening is dedicated to “Science, Industry and Education” and features segments on “Sex Mis-Education: The Sex Ed Film in the Moving Image Archive” and “Science in Action (CAS 1952 - 66): Spectral Uses of Kinescopy.” Tickets for each show are $13. more ›

Tucked away in a cozy upper floor of the Pasadena Playhouse is the Carrie Hamilton Theater, a dark, unassuming, 99-seater that is regularly packed with patrons eager to see stage performers with a lot of heart. These performers are members of the Furious Theater Company, a successful nonprofit organization that was formed over seven years ago, whose plays have continued to not only entertain, but incite controversial question after controversial question with each passing season. more ›

THEATRE more ›

What’s up with all the development in Downtown LA? What’s it going to look like in 5, 10 or 20 years? Moderated by Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times architecture critic, ALOUD at the Central Library features panelists Lauren Bon, Tom Gilmore, Martha Welborne and James Von Klemperer, AIA to discuss all things Downtown and development. more ›

There’s something for everyone in LA theatre scene this week: old stuff, new stuff and stuff that’s just out there. Canned Peaches in Syrup The Furious Theatre Company presents this post-apocalyptic comedy, where two tribes of humans remain: cannibals and vegetarians. “Can star-crossed lovers Rog and Julie cross tribal lines?! Can Rog's taste for flesh be suppressed?! Can Julie deny her parents' "meat is murder" mantra?! And, who exactly is Blind Bastard? A lone can... more ›

Willie @ Hollywood Bowl Rakim @ House of Blues Tool @ Staples Center Vibrators @ Anarchy Library Blowfly @ Knitting Factory Fences @ Pasadena Playhouse Jerker @ Moving Arts Northern @ Spaceland 311 @ Greek Sugarcult @ Ventura Theatre Kansas @ Grove of Anaheim Dragonforce @ Wiltern Motochrist @ Cat Club Oslo @ Key Club Kennedy @ Largo Nouvelle Vague, The Submarines @ Henry Fonda photo by jerry milton via flickr... more ›

Coming to a Close: Sexuality more ›

The Furious Theatre Company is the luckiest little ensemble in town, having snagged a residency at the Pasadena Playhouse's balcony theatre at a time when companies are losing their spaces left and right. They've adventurously chosen to use their good fortune to explore a risky undertaking: a new adaptation and re-staging of seventeenth-century dramatist Thomas Heywood's The Fair Maid of the West, Parts I & II. We saw the Fair Maid last Sunday night, in a long, narrow theatre with ropes and rigging draping from the sides, and she's Furious, all right - furiously swashbuckling. Here be pirates. more ›

Okay, it's true confessions time. We've been waiting for Tea at Five, the one-woman play about the life of Katharine Hepburn, to hit the west coast for over two years now. We took our seat in the lovely and historic Pasadena Playhouse opening night, practically biting our nails in nervous anticipation. After all, it seems to take a Kate (or a Cate) to play the Great Kate, and we were ready to see Mulgrew tread the boards in shoes that could be too big to step in to. Tea at Five takes place at Fenwick, the Hepburn family's second home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, the first act one stormy eve in 1938, and the second act in 1983. The two acts are almost as disparate as the decades they represent, and stikingly so. Mulgrew bears a fair resemblance to Hepburn the younger; what she lacks in physical proximity (she's shorter and more voluptuous, certainly) she tries to make up with prancing and posing. While it's in an effort to capture the boundless energy and athleticism of the outspoken star, at times it is distracting and a tad bit far-fetched. Act one plays like a frantic highlight reel of Hepburn's trials and tribulations: she's considered "box office poison" after a series of flops, she's not in the running to play Scarlett O'Hara, her brother Dick has penned an inflammatory play, she's turned down a Mr. Hughes' proposal, and there's a hurricane a-comin'. Granted, all of these moments are absolutely historically accurate (though perhaps not on the table all in the same day), but many of the more so-called intimate insights are full of invention and error. The fault lies not in Mulgrew's bold and daring performance, but in Matthew Lombardo's try-hard script; surely if his aim was to uncover the secret thoughts of "Katharine of Arrogance" he would have studied the same material that any devoted fan would have. Certainly the objections of Hepburn's extended family did not gain him access into any top-secret material, and some of his liberties, such as the convoluted tale of her first lover Luddy, border on offensive. It seems Lombardo put the 1993 All About Me videotape on a loop and copied down Kate's witticisms as fast as he could type--the cleverest lines were all written or said by Hepburn herself. more ›