By May S. Ruiz In keeping with their Christmas tradition of adapting the classics into family Panto events, the Lythgoes premiere ‘The Wonderful Winter of Oz’ at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium from December 15 to December 30, 2018. This star-studded presentation headlines singer, actress, and dancer Mackenzie Ziegler as Dorothy, Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret…
Three Christmas Ghosts Visit Monrovia This Weekend
Centre Stage Inc., a non-profit community theatre company, will offer five different showings of Charles Dickens’ timeless “A Christmas Carol.” This musical adaptation, featuring music by the Broadway heavy hitters Alan Menken (Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Little Shop of Horrors”) and Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime,” “Seussical,” “Once on This Island”), will…
Pasadena Playhouse Presents ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Radio Play
By May S. Ruiz There are some movies that so embody the spirit of Christmas that we want to watch them every year. One of those films is Frank Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ which is now considered one of the best motion pictures ever made. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,’ will…
Monrovia Unified Partners with Community Theater to Bring ‘Annie’ to the Stage
Monrovia Unified students will join a cast of professional actors, singers, and dancers in December for the theatrical production of “Annie,” Monrovia Theatre’s 12th professional show to be held at the Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center. The Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center is a Monrovia Unified School District facility on the campus at…
Make Your Way Downtown With Monrovia Historic Preservation Group
On Saturday, Dec. 1, the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group (MOHPG) will conduct another walking tour of Downtown Monrovia. The cost of the tour is $5 per person with proceeds directly benefiting MOHPG. The tour covers past and present information about the town and some of the many aspects which make Monrovia such a unique place…
Johnny Schaefer’s New CD ‘Finlandia Brasileria’ Sounds of a Bossa Nova Christmas
With lush melodies and Brazilian rhythms, this is a holiday song like no other Johnny Schaefer has combined his two loves, music and Christmas to release another highly acclaimed Christmas song. Titled “Finlandia Brasileria,” Johnny penned a serene Christmas lyric to the melody “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius. Produced by Stephan Oberhoff, (Heartbeat Brazil) fresh from…
CSArts-SGV and MediaV Premiere ‘The Merry Lives of Windsor High’
By May S. Ruiz This weekend, California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV) and mediaV, a Santa Monica-based production company, will jointly premiere a retelling of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor.’ Renamed ‘The Merry Lives of Windsor High,’ it will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1, at…
Ragtime at Monrovia’s Myrtle Tree Café
The Rose Leaf Ragtime Club meets on the last Sunday of every month at The Myrtle Tree Cafe, 405 S. Myrtle Ave., in Monrovia from 1-4:30 p.m. to share their musical talents with the community. Piano (or other instrument) players and listeners are all welcome during the meet-up. The next meeting there will take place on Sunday, Nov. 25. Parking…
SGVCC Presents ‘Messiah’ in Monrovia
Join the San Gabriel Valley Choral Company (SGVCC) on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Romanesque ambiance of historic St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (122 S. California Ave., Monrovia) for a moving choral concert featuring excerpts from George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece “Messiah,” featuring soloists, and chamber musicians, in the style Handel originally intended. Visiting Artistic…
Feels Like the First Time All Over Again With Foreigner
By Edwin Folven Rock ‘n’ roll fans rejoiced on Nov. 9 when Foreigner took the stage at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles Friday. The band with 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 top 30 hits showed why it remains one of the most popular rock groups of all time. Every song was culled from…