By Steve ZALL and Sid FISH

February 2024

Our local theaters have lots of new offerings. It’s time to treat yourself to the magic of live theater by going to see a show!

COVID protocols continue to be dictated by each individual venue so bring a facemask to wear during the show in case the venue requires it. It’s a good idea to check with the theater before attending a show to find out what is its current policy.

The information presented in this column is the latest available at the time of printing; however, it should be verified with the theater before making definite plans. Here are the shows that have announced opening dates for this month, or are already running:

Opening

 “Grumpy Monkey, The Musical” Meet Jim Panzee and all his friends as they enjoy a wonderful day of exciting adventures. There’s just one problem: Jim is in no mood for any fun or games and no one knows why! It’s the perfect story for families and kids because we all experience those big feelings. Not every day is a good one, and that’s okay.

Written by Nina Meehan, adapted from the Book by Suzanne Lang & Max Lang, with music by Daniel Mertzlufft & Jacob Ryan Smith, and directed by Nina Meehan, it runs Feb. 3 through March 3 at the Porticos Art Space in Pasadena. For tickets, call (626) 356-7529 or visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” follows Julia, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer alongside the death of her sister Olga – who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed. This poignant and vibrant new work is a love story of young Chicanas who, in trying to find the truth about the people and the world around them, end up finding themselves.

Written by Erika L. Sánchez. Adapted for the stage by Isaac Gómez and directed by Sara Guerrero, it runs Feb. 3 through Feb. 25 at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (323) 673-0544 or visit www.GreenwayCourtTheatre.org.

“Arrowhead” Gen is unexpectedly pregnant. Gen is also a lesbian. Yeah, it’s confusing. So, Gen does what any unexpectedly pregnant lesbian with a doe-eyed, (potential) arsonist of a girlfriend must: she goes and throws a secret abortion party at a lake house with her straight friends from college. With the arrival of her lesbian best friend and a few other unexpected visitors … what could go wrong?

Written by Catya McMullen and directed by Jenna Worsham, it runs Feb. 8 through March 4 at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (323) 380-8843 or visit www.iamatheatre.com.

“42^nd Street” “42^nd Street follows Peggy Sawyer (Emma Nossal), a small-town dancer who uses her naïve charm to win her way into the hearts of the audience and onto the chorus line of the biggest show on Broadway. Beloved by generations, “42^nd Street” celebrates the “hip hooray and ballyhoo” of musical theatre and the courage to chase one’s dreams. Audiences can expect to be amazed by an incredible cast, ensemble talent that includes working professionals alongside 10 students from the Orange County School of the Arts, a stunning score and thrilling choreography.

Written by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, with music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin and directed by Cynthia Ferrer, it runs Feb. 10 through Feb. 25 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. For tickets, call (562) 856-1999 or visit www.Musical.org.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” From rags to riches, dreams to destiny, Joseph’s extraordinary journey will captivate audiences of all ages. Witness his meteoric rise from favored son to betrayed brother, from Egyptian prisoner to Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Sing along to iconic hits like “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door” and let the infectious rhythms of country-western, calypso and French balladry carry away audience members.

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, it runs Feb. 16 through March 3 at the Rose Center Theater in Westminster. For tickets, call (714) 793-1150 Ext. 1 or visit www.rosecentertheater.com.

“Mack & Mabel” tells the story of the tumultuous romantic and artistic relationship between silent movie director Mack Sennett and one of his biggest discoveries and stars, Mabel Normand. In a series of flashbacks, Sennett relates the glory days of Keystone Studios from 1911, when he discovered Normand through his creation of Sennett’s Bathing Beauties and the Keystone Cops, to Normand’s death from tuberculosis in 1930.

Written by Michael Stewart, revised book by Francine Pascal, with music by Jerry Herman, and directed by Scott Thompson, it runs Feb. 16 through Feb. 18 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. For tickets, call (818) 508-4200 or visit www.ci.ovationtix.com/371/production/1180065.

“Marilyn, Mom & Me” Eileen Heckart, the no-nonsense Broadway actress, and Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous Hollywood legend, developed an enduring bond during the filming of “Bus Stop” – perhaps the most important film of Monroe’s career. Forty-five years later Yankee, Heckart’s now-middle-aged son, tries to unravel his mother’s relationship with Monroe in order to better understand his own path with this highly critical, yet loving woman.

Written and directed by Luke Yankee, it runs Feb. 16 through March 3 at the International City Theatre in Long Beach. For tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

“Sex With Strangers” This thought-provoking play explores the intersection of love, ambition and the digital age. It’s a captivating journey of passion, connection and the complexities of modern relationships.

Written by Laura Eason and directed by Kate Sargeant, it runs Feb. 17 through March 3 at the McCadden Place Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets, visit www.sweet-tix.com.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Savor the macabre madness as a murderous barber, hungry for revenge for his lost family, strikes a partnership with a beastly baker in this eight-time Tony Award-winning masterpiece that will leave audiences gasping with fear and delight.

Written by Hugh Wheeler, adapted by Christopher Bond, with music by Stephen Sondheim, and directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, it runs Feb. 17 through March 17 at the A Noise Within in Pasadena. For tickets, call (626) 356-3100 or visit www.anoisewithin.org.

“Matty” is the life story of Christy Mathewson, legendary Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Giants (1900 to 1916): gentleman, philosopher and first true American hero who inspired a whole generation of fans to make baseball America’s pastime. Mathewson was arguably America’s first major baseball legend – a college-educated all-American farm boy from baseball’s age of innocence, a multi-faceted baseball player with homespun wit. Besides his ballpark records, still among the most impressive ever posted, he was an author of books for boys, toured in vaudeville and made a motion picture and was a war hero, a coach, a sportswriter and very likely the first major sports figure to be a product spokesperson.

Written by Eddie Frierson and directed by Kerrigan Mahan, it runs Feb. 23 through Feb. 25 at the Santa Monica Playhouse in Santa Monica. For tickets, visit www.SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com/matty.

“Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” offers a candid and thought-provoking perspective on a significant chapter in American history. Set at the President’s farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania a year after leaving the Oval Office, the play opens in 1962 as the New York Times Magazine releases its inaugural ranking of American Presidents based on greatness. Eisenhower reflects on his life and legacy, recalling pivotal moments including his Kansas upbringing, distinguished military career, triumphs in World War II and his two terms as President. The exploration revolves around the qualities and challenges that define greatness in an American President.Written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Peter Ellenstein, it runs Feb. 24 through March 10 at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. For tickets, call (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org.

“Fatherland” is a riveting true story. A 19-year-old faces the hardest day in his life when he testifies in federal court after informing the FBI of his father’s involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Fast-moving, powerful and theatrical, “Fatherland” erupts verbatim from official court transcripts, case evidence and public statements.

Written and directed by Stephen Sachs, it runs Feb. 25 through March 30 at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (323) 663-1525 or visit www.FountainTheatre.com.

Continuing

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” It’s 1930s Harlem and the joint is jumpin’! Nightclubs, like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom, are the playgrounds of high society and dive bars on Lenox Avenue pulse with piano players banging out new tunes that are a wild mix of raucous, rowdy and mournful. Featuring the intoxicating music of Thomas “Fats” Waller – the big-hearted, bigger-than-life impresario and international jazz pianist who helped create and define American swing with a song list that includes “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love” and dozens more.

Written by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz, with music by Thomas “Fats” Waller, and directed by Yvette Freeman Hartley, it runs through Feb. 11 at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach. For tickets, call (949) 497-2787 or visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

“Love’s Labour’s Lost” Games, hilarity and matters of the heart take center stage in this fun and fast-moving romantic Shakespearean comedy. After taking a vow for three years to avoid women and commit to a life of study and self-improvement, the king and two of his friends have to host a princess and her two ladies. The three men fall in love and decide to court the women. The couples fall in love but their love and trust will be tested.

Written by William Shakespeare and directed by Maren English, it runs through Feb. 17 at the Helen Borgers Theater in Long Beach. For tickets, visit www.LBShakespeare.org.

“POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” A derogatory comment, a summit gone awry, an anal abscess – it’s a bad day at the White House. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, it inevitably falls on the seven women he relies on most to clean up the mess. Take a raucous romp through the halls of the West Wing in a riotous and irreverent farce about the men who hold the power vs. the women who get the job done.

Written by Selina Fillinger and directed by Jennifer Chambers, it runs through Feb. 25 at the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (310) 208-2028 or visit www.geffenplayhouse.org.

Please help keep our theaters open by supporting live theater whenever you can.

We wish everyone good health, prosperity, and joyful times throughout the new year!

Steve Zall, Publisher
Sid Fish, Co-Publisher and Editor
Scene in LA