Warner Bros. Discovery reboots the Kid ‘n Play ’90s comedy classic when House Party is set to release in theaters on Friday, January 13.
Continue reading “The Cast of ‘House Party’ Talks about Acting, Music, and Parties”
To be watching plays again inside a theatre after 18 months was certainly a strange experience considering that Poor Clare, now playing at the Echo Theater Company, was something I was supposed review right before the pandemic shut everything down and drastically altered our lives for many months to come. To finally be able to watch this play (written by Chiara Atik and directed by Alana Dietze) was made all the worthwhile in how utterly fantastic it was and how much its themes struck even harder after everything we experienced during this chaotic time.
Continue reading “Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Poor Clare’”
Since the pandemic closed theaters, the Big Apple has been longing for the amazing allure of the Broadway lights, sights, and songs! Thankfully, Broadway is making a major comeback this fall, so fans can immerse themselves in the glory of the stage once more. But while we all await the rise of live curtains, theater geeks everywhere can at least get their fix through the magic of streaming, from the debut of Hamilton on Disney+ last year, and now once more with the upcoming premiere of Come From Away on Apple TV+.
Continue reading “Broadway Smash, ‘Come From Away’ is Coming to Apple TV+”
Now that In the Heights is officially in theaters and streaming on HBO Max, what better time than now to re-up my convo with Lin-Manuel Miranda, originally recorded for the Hard NOC Life podcast.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Making of ‘In The Heights’”
In the first of two episodes of Hard NOC Life releasing this week, Keith sits down with Broadway superstar and now, children’s book author, Mandy Gonzalez to talk about her new middle grade novel, Fearless. They also talk about her career — from originating the role of Nina for In the Heights to replacing Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica in Hamilton — and why being fearless has helped her cope while Broadway is shut down.
Continue reading “Hard NOC Life 212: Mandy Gonzalez is ‘Fearless’”
On a new episode of Southern Fried Asian, Keith is joined by one of the stars of the HBO Max series Warrior, Perry Yung.
It was only a matter of time. Fans have been clamoring for years, and today Funko Toys announced they are finally producing a wave of Pop! Vinyl Figures based on the Broadway phenomenon, Hamilton! Entertainment Earth has pre-orders open now!
Continue reading “Just You Wait: ‘Hamilton’ Funko Pops Are Coming”
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for... Entertainment Earth has announced pre-orders are open for their exclusive Hamilton Pin Mates collectibles!
Continue reading “Do Not Throw Away Your Shot to Pre-Order ‘Hamilton’ Pin Mates”
Earlier this month, I watched the opening premiere of West Adams at the Skylight Theatre Company and the first immediate thought I had when it finished was:
“Oh damn, this is Rich Liberal White People (And One Chinese Woman) Gone Crazy.”
I’ll definitely go more into this after the break as there were tremendous things to be praised for this show (acting, directing, and production design aspects) but at the core of it was a very troubling and, at times, a baffling story. Who was the intended audience? That aspect remains unclear but more on this later:
Continue reading “A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘West Adams’”
Co-written with Edward Hong
What do you do when you’re born with a superpower but it’s really not that super? Especially if it’s a power that can accurately pinpoint the success or failure of any romantic relationship? Gifted, which is currently playing at the Sacred Fools till February 29, explores this question in a world not at all too different from our own. Written by Bob DeRosa and directed by Rebecca Larsen, the play takes a somewhat absurd premise into a truly in-depth and touching story that is a feast for the eyes, ears, and the heart.
This marks my second NOC Theatre review since Hannah and the Dread Gazebo performed at the Fountain Theatre a few months back and it was here that my key interest in doing so was a commitment/announcement of sorts. For as much as I can, my focus will be to review plays & musicals with the qualifying criteria that the director, writer, and/or one of the main cast members (not supporting/ensemble but one of the leads) MUST be a non-white artist. The more PoC in the cast/production team, the better I’ll want to review it as I’ll give a glaring stink eye to all things tokenism.
”This is for ones like us, that had big hopes and dreams but didn’t make it.” — Lea Ibragimova, Shanae Bennett, and Valentina Vidal Ortega from Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies
There’s nothing like seeing Hamilton the Musical with a crowd of high school juniors. They laugh at the sex jokes, they get squirmy about death, and they echo the chorus of “ohhhh” at every diss in the show. Having seen Hamilton three times now (yes, I’m bragging a little — you would too), it was absolutely the best audience to see the show with. But it wasn’t the centerpiece of the day.
Continue reading “#EduHam: ‘Hamilton’ Puts History in the Hands of the Future”
For those living in the Los Angeles area, the Hollywood Fringe Festival is upon you. Perhaps you might have seen their flags flown throughout the city or perhaps you might have heard whispers of it from your actor friends yapping away about which fringe play to watch. And you go, “What the heck IS the Hollywood Fringe Festival?”
Continue reading “Getting Geeky With The Hollywood Fringe Festival”
