A theme is emerging in the performances I’ve seen in the opening days of the 2017 San Diego International Fringe Festival: A lot of these pieces have a social and/or political message. And, while I’m thrilled to see artists who give a damn about what’s happening in the world, the... Read more »

Those classical music followers who know Peter Maxwell Davies’ sonorous picture postcard “An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise” for orchestra or his haunting chamber opera The Lighthouse will find his 1969 “8 Songs for a Mad King” rather shocking. One of the British composer’s brash, avant-garde theater pieces from his rebellious... Read more »

Patrons who perused the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra’s final concert program ahead of time knew they were in for a certain amount of humor Saturday (June 24) at the Balboa Theatre. Haydn’s notorious “Farewell” Symphony—also known as his Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp Minor—requires the orchestra players to depart one... Read more »

The San Diego International Fringe Festival is taking place downtown through July 2, and it’s a whirlwind of performers, venues, and experiences. In the interest of letting you know about shows when you still have several opportunities to see them, I’ll be doing “Fringe Flashes”—brief impressions rather than deeply thought-out... Read more »

Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra at the Balboa Theatre, used by permission of Mainly Mozart Festival Thursday evening’s Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra’s program entitled “Exotic Inspirations” at the Balboa Theatre offered much to commend it, with several reservations. The charming program of Mozart, Ravel and Mendelssohn broke no new musical ground... Read more »

For composers, success can be a curse. Take Sergei Rachmaninoff and his famous Prelude in C-sharp Minor, the composition that had become his calling card early in his career as a concert pianist in his native Russia. However, later in his career as a touring virtuoso, American audiences would insist... Read more »

Rob Elk. (Photo courtesy of BOP Productions.)As could be expected for a late Thursday afternoon, the 2017 San Diego International Fringe Festival didn’t start with a large attendance. Several shows had less than five audience members, which is something that I’ve rarely experienced at any theatrical event. Regardless of the... Read more »

“All my love, all my kisses, you don’t know what you’ve been ‘missin, oh boy…” Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is a co-production by Intrepid Theatre Co. and New Village Arts. It’s a true story about a creative spark cut short during turbulent times, and we can’t help but sing... Read more »

(Note: If you already know enough about Shakespeare’s history plays, feel free to skip the next dozen paragraphs of context.) There have been conflicts longer and bloodier and even more complicated that the English civil wars of the 15th Century, but none have been chronicled by William Shakespeare. Only Blind... Read more »

Omri Schein and Phil Johnson. (Photos courtesy of Daren Scott.)While writing “Wuthering Heights,” novelist Emily Bronte probably didn’t expect so many adaptations of her book. Numerous film, television and theatrical television interpretations have come out since the story was published in 1847. The Roustabouts Theatre Co.’s new comedy, Withering... Read more »