So Cal Arts & Entertainment

If timing is everything, what more relevant time for not one but two plays about the rise of fascism and antisemitism in pre-war Germany? The title isn’t likely to pull you in, but anyone who loves compelling drama is urged to head over to the Victory Theatre Center...

What do women want? It’s a question old as time. In David Harrower’s “Blackbird” at the Chance in Anaheim Hills (through June 23), a young woman’s motives remain unclear even after she identifies a middle-aged man as a former partner in an illegal relationship and...

Despite some unfortunate opening night sound issues—or perhaps just the usual weak acoustics—one thing comes through loud and clear in Beetlejuice at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa: Miss Isabella Esler, a recent high school grad in her professional debut...

It’s that time again. Turner Classic Movies’ 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival is fast approaching, slated for April 18–21 in Hollywood. Among the highlights: actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster will be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese...

If the arts are still slowly emerging from the pandemic, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s Coppél-i.A. is proof positive imagination is alive and well. This adaptation of the classical ballet Coppélia, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through Mar. 10, is not...

Passes and tix are now on sale for the 27th San Francisco Silent Film Festival, taking place April 10–14 at San Francisco’s historic Palace of Fine Arts. The Beaux Arts-style Palace was originally built for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The iconic...

Must-see TV? Must avoid is more like it these days. My idea of a must-see is Itzhak Perlman, who returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts tonight (Jan. 24) in Costa Mesa, courtesy of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. [https://www.philharmonicsociety.org]...

Anything directed by Hayao Miyazaki would be an event—not unlike the way Woody Allen movies were events in the ‘70s—but the first Miyazaki feature film in 10 years definitely qualifies. With the master of Japanese animation having already announced his retirement...

A now-defunct record shop I used to frequent had a CD of Yiddish songs called “Mamaloshen” on display. I ignored it until one day it was on sale for a very low price. I bought it and took it home for a spin, discovering that Mandy Patinkin was not only a terrific...

South Coast Repertory’s bold, imaginative 60th season opener, Octavio Solis’ “Quixote Nuevo” (continuing through Oct. 28), is as far from “Man of La Mancha” as one can get. Indeed, it is only loosely adapted from Miguel de Cervantes’ classic tale of the chivalrous...