DUDAMEL LEADS THE TRISTAN PROJECT & More Lead Los Angeles' December Theater Top Picks
Each month we're rounding up 10 recommendations for Los Angeles audiences not to miss!
By: BWW Staff Dec. 01, 2022
Los Angeles is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month. Coming up this month we've got fantastic picks from the LA Phil, LA Opera, CTGLA, and more!
Dudamel Leads the Tristan Project
Los Angeles Philharmonic - December 09, 2022 through December 17, 2022
For the first time, Gustavo Dudamel conducts the return of this remarkable production of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, directed by Peter Sellars with video by Bill Viola, one of America's leading visual artists. Matching Wagner's 19th-century desire to expand what opera could be with 21st-century innovation, Viola's and Sellars' staging explores the psychological, spiritual, and elemental subtext of the story. This rare opportunity to see the Tristan Project features a globally celebrated cast, headlined by Michael Weinius and Miina-Liisa Värelä. In the opera, Wagner tells the star-crossed tale of two doomed lovers, but it was his musical setting that caused a revolution. Beginning with the very first notes, including the famed "Tristan chord," Wagner elicits an endless yearning that mirrors the tumultuous emotional worlds of our heroes, with an innovative harmonic approach that left an unavoidable impact on generations of composers.
For tickets: click here.
Ain't Too Proud
Ahmanson Theatre - December 16, 2022 through January 01, 2023
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations is the electrifying, new smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations' extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. Nominated for 12 Tony® Awards and the winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, Ain't Too Proud tells the thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal, as the group's personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest in America.
For tickets: click here.
The Nutcracker
The Broad Stage - November 26, 2022 through December 04, 2022
The longest-running NUTCRACKER production in SoCal returns beginning Thanksgiving weekend for eight public performances at BroadStage in Santa Monica. A Los Angeles holiday tradition for all ages since 1973, Westside Ballet's version of the classic preserves the spirit of choreographer George Balanchine as carried on by Westside's co-founder Yvonne Mounsey, who pioneered the role of Center Spanish while a New York City Ballet principal dancer.
For tickets: click here.
INVINCIBLE - THE MUSICAL
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts - November 22, 2022 through December 17, 2022
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts WORLD PREMIERE presents INVINCIBLE - THE MUSICAL, featuring the music of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, from November 22 to December 17, 2022, in The Wallis Bram Goldsmith Theater. This inventive new work weaves the four-time GRAMMY Award and 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees legendary catalogue and inspired new songs throughout a reimagining of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Invincible The Musical is set in the modern, war-torn metropolis of Verona where the newly elected Chancellor Paris vows to destroy the progressive resistance and return the city to its traditional roots. The star-crossed lovers story, exploring how love and equality battle for survival in times of great transformation, envisions peace in a divided world. Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene (resident director of Hamilton), with a book by Bradley Bredeweg (creator of Good Trouble and GLAAD Award-winning The Fosters TV series), music direction and arrangements by Jesse Vargas (Love Actually Live, Broadways Glory Days), and orchestrations and arrangements by Neil Giraldo, Invincible The Musical is presented by Special Arrangement with Jamie Cesa, Cody Lassen & Bel Chiasso Entertainment.
For tickets: click here.
Dead Man's Cell Phone
Lindhurst Theatre - January 24, 2023 through January 28, 2023
An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet cafeé. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man. So begins Dead Man's Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative comedy by MacArthur fellow Sarah Ruhl. When Jean finally picks up the dead man's phone, her days become intertwined with his past and the life that goes on without him. As an employee at the Holocaust museum, Jean is well acquainted with the idea of morality and redemption-but the dead man's funeral forces her to confront her long-standing assumptions. With twists and turns and a bit of whimsy, this off-the-wall play explores our need to connect in a technologically-obsessed world.
For tickets: click here.
Billie! Backstage with Lady Day
Sierra Madre Playhouse - January 13, 2023 through January 22, 2023
Actor-singer-playwright Synthia L. Hardy brings the story of Billie Holiday to vibrant life. In Billie! Backstage with Lady Day, Billie is being interviewed by unseen reporters as she unfolds the story of her turbulent life. Billie, accompanied by a live four-piece combo, sings her greatest hits, including God Bless the Child, Strange Fruit, Good Morning Heartache, Lover Man, and many more.
For tickets: click here.
Little Red Riding Hood
Theatre West - October 29, 2022 through January 28, 2023
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD is Storybook Theatre's award-winning musical retelling of the famous fairy tale. There is a Granny at the Pianny, a funny wolf, and an adorable Little Riding Hood. There are opportunities for audience participation as Little Red Riding Hood goes through the woods to Granny's house. Fun for the whole family. Book, music and lyrics by Lloyd J. Schwartz. Directed and produced by Barbara Mallory.
For tickets: click here.
Juan Diego Florez in Recital
LA Opera - January 23, 2023 through January 23, 2023
Early in his career, he got his first big break with a last-minute Italian debut in a role he learned in just a few days. Now, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flrez is recognized as one of the most admired singers of our time, hailed for his fearless vocal agility, unparalleled lyrical elegance, dashing stage presence and glorious high notes. Hell perform a program of rapturous arias by his favorite composers along with a selection of beloved Spanish songs. For this eagerly anticipated recital, he'll partner with his longtime collaborator, pianist Vincenzo Scalera.
For tickets: click here.
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