Since its premiere 139 years ago, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” has become one of the most popular and important light operettas of all time. The satire of 19th century British institutions features several songs that have flourished outside the context of the show, including “Willow, Titwillow,” “A Wandering Minstrel I” and “The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring.” But […]
On the Town
Fans of beloved TV series are in for a big treat with 3-day Simi festival
Their house was little, but the influence of the Ingalls family remains gigantic. The 1880s-era adventures of this pioneer family were first chronicled in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s bestselling books in the 1930s and ’40s. New generations of fans began discovering the Ingalls when the “Little House on the Prairie” TV series debuted in 1974. Five decades later, the series—filmed in […]
Play is searing indictment of antisemitism in the South
THEATER REVIEW /// ‘Parade’It’s been over a 100 years since Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old Atlanta pencil factory worker, was horrifically murdered. Leo Frank, the Jewish man who managed the factory, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. Though his sentence was later commuted to life by the Georgia governor, an antisemitic mob kidnapped Frank from jail and lynched him. Today, many […]
WHS choir goes back in time
It’s been a while since we checked in with Westlake High School’s choir program so we thought we’d see what its acclaimed show ensemble, A Class Act, was up to this semester. In its pre-pandemic phase, ACA performed tightly arranged themed medleys of songs with the members of the choir decked out in rented glitzy uniform/dance costumes. Today, choir director […]
Soulful gospel and R&B tunes
CONCERT REVIEW /// Blind Boys of AlabamaAn enthusiastic audience at the Kavli Theatre on Feb. 8 clapped and shouted, bobbed and bounced, and were altogether thrilled by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the venerable vocal group that has blended blues, gospel and R&B since the first members formed in 1939. Over their long career, which started at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind […]
Follow the yellow brick road to an excellent, enchanting adventure
THEATER REVIEW /// ‘The Wizard of Oz’Theater presents stunning visuals and fine singing and acting
The plot in “The Wizard of Oz” has been jokingly reduced to “two women fight to the death over a pair of shoes,” but to millions of fans around the world, “Oz” is an almost sacred subject. The classic 1939 film is so embedded in our collective psyches that anyone from 8 to 80 can tick off its most memorable […]
As walls fall down, you’ll collapse with laughter
THEATER REVIEW /// ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’In live theater, the work of prop masters and set designers is often given scant notice compared to the attention paid to actors, directors and choreographers. But never have props and sets been more at the forefront than in the stage anarchy of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which is onstage now at Conejo Players Theatre in Thousand Oaks Theater […]
Timeless tales, modern tastes
RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT /// Twisted Oak TavernA visit to the Twisted Oaks Tavern in Camarillo is like a trip down memory lane. Situated on Ventura Boulevard in Old Town, the majestic building where the restaurant and bar resides was built in 1916 by Lewis & Sons, their name still prominent at the front of the structure. Even after almost 100 years, it embodies the plentiful and […]
Savor some saucy delights
RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT /// Valentino’s Take ’n’ Bake Pizza & DeliYears back in Ventura, a teenage Jason Gray was looking for a job when he found one at a local pizza place. Ever since then, the now-36-year-old has been involved in the Valentino’s Take’n’Bake pizza business, which Tom and Tori Dann still run in Ventura, now open for 25 years offering folks freshly made custom pies that take less than […]