We decided to give our new local theater a chance, and we absolutely made the right choice…read more *The Venue: Its LOCAL, thats the best part. The space is beautiful, clean and modern and just good energy. The theater seating was set up with every seat having a great view. *The Bar: Prices were fair and compare to the rest of york... BUT the bartenders were super kind... so extra points there. You can also take your drinks into the show, so you can keep the good time going. *The Show: The show itself was the perfect outing. We were able to contribute improv ideas, so that was exciting. Fairly priced tickets, but a beyond expectations show. Honestly, super funny. The performers worked really well together, and stuck to their character. We cant wait to go back. *After the show: You still can grab more drinks from the bar, but we decided to step right outside and grab some tacos from the La Estrella taco truck. *Overall: It felt like a complete night out. Drinks, a show, and dinner. Highly recommend.

All the shows I catch here are always a blast. You get to meet the actors after the show, and…read morethey're super chill and professional. Sometimes you can even hang out with them after. You can grab tickets ahead of time or just get them at the venue. Just a heads up, it's street parking only.

A little late on reviewing, but their performance of Jesus Christ Superstar was THE BEST experience…read moreI've ever had in any theater. Everyone gave it their all, and you could really feel the passion. Sat in the second row nearest the stage, "best seats", and they were totally worth it, but I think from any spot in the house you'd have a good time. No section was 'ignored', so I wouldn't worry about missing out from any angle. I will definitely be back!!

Great venue. Great talent, especially the dance and costume/makeup…read more We will return for the next show that tickles our fancy!!

What an amazing venue for live music! This is nothing short of a gem in Eagle Rock. The acoustics…read moreare fabulous and the setting is intimate. Do yourself a favor and come catch a live show here! Prices are very reasonable, the staff are very cool people and the parking is easy.

The place has great acoustics and a nice diverse lineup of musicians. I enjoyed the vibe and the…read moreatmosphere of the church sanctuary that also serves as a music venue.

This was the first time I attended the Pasadena Playhouse. Came here to see Amadeus. I really…read moreenjoyed the venue as well as the play. Loved the historic feel of the playhouse which was very appropriate for the play. We didn't know exactly where to park but found out afterwards that the parking was conveniently located across the street. Will definitely consider coming here again in the future.

Briga-DOOMED. If the absolute pinnacle of your theatrical…read moreexperiences have taken place on a Carnival Cruise ship, then you will feel right at home with the aggressive mediocrity of Brigadoon at The Pasadena Playhouse. I can tolerate that "Heather Hill" is rendered as a single, cheesy theatrical flat utterly devoid of perspective. I can even forgive the glaring budget constraints, keeping in mind that The Pasadena Playhouse seems to perpetually teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. But as a 40-year patron of this theater, what I cannot accept are the catastrophic casting choices. The roster is wrong on so many fundamental levels that the production's grasp of "Scottish authenticity" aligns more closely with a McDonald's drive-thru than actual Highland heritage. Speaking of which, was it strictly necessary to cast a Jeff Douglas who is two-and-a-half times the size of everyone else on stage? Was that a deliberate choice for cheap, cruise-ship-level sight gags? More importantly, in the entirety of Hollywood, are there truly no male leads who can actually sing and look like they possess even a drop of Scottish blood? If the entire premise relies on the magic of an ancient Scottish village, why bother with period costumes when the actors look entirely out of place? This massive visual disconnect instantly shatters any illusion and rips you right out of the story. Topping off this masterclass in poor choices were the grossly flubbed lines from the Widow Lundie actor--on opening night, no less. It leaves you seriously questioning whether the word "professionalism" is even in this theater's vocabulary anymore. I have seen some good performances at the Pasadena Playhouse. This one needs to vanish into the mist as quickly as possible.

We absolutely adore Daurden (DPAC). Our daughter been with DPAC since the Atwater studio, and we…read moreare thrilled with the new, gorgeous Eagle Rock space. Our daughter absolutely thrives here and has discovered a passion for dance and theater. She started out just doing hip hop, but now she takes ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, contemporary, musical theater and aerial arts. She has made close, life-long friendships and has an incredible mentor in the owner, Cassandra Daurden whom I admire greatly. The performances are professional and spectacular to watch. I can't even believe the aerial skills and singing voices that come from these kiddos! They are not your everyday kids dance recitals, they are stunning top-notch performances. This is an incredible gem and we are filled with gratitude for this amazing DPAC community.

I cannot stress enough how amazing this place is. Cassandra has been a blessing. My daughter…read morestarted here a few months ago and joined the ballet (5-8). She loves everything about it. It is a great space that is clean and well kept. The instructors there are amazing and their love of the arts and kids is shown through all the students and performances. I plan on keeping my daughter here for as long as possible. I enrolled my daughter into two summer camps. I definitely recommend a class here. You will not regret it.

How many of you out there can can you've been to a marionette show? Put this on your list of things…read moreyou have done and that you're glad you did it. I'd never been to one before but had a chance to go with a group that was going. What the heck, a new life experience, and it turned out to be a good one. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is the longest continuously running puppet theater in the USA. It's a non-profit organization, so that's even more reason to support it! It was a wonderful experience. We saw the Winter Wonderland show. They change the shows throughout the year. The show is super family-friendly, and "children of all ages" will thoroughly enjoy it. I was really impressed with how tight the show was. Each scene was about three minutes long (it seemed) and there were no gaps, just non-stop marionette action. I have no idea how they keep track of everything backstage. My hats off to the entire crew for keeping it all together and putting on a seamless show. You can meet the puppeteers before and after the show. They are so nice and uber talented! It's a small theater. Not a bad seat in the house. There are even tables and chairs in the back part of the theater. There are pillows on the floor right at stage level for the kids so they get the best view possible. Also, there's a gift shop that helps support the theater. Very reasonable prices. Credit cards only. You've got to do it. At least once! ...and then you're probably going back again...bringing some new friends along to enjoy the experience! You want another reason to go? They gave us free ice cream after the show!!

Step inside the Bob Baker Marionette Theater and invite whimsy, joy, and childlike wonder into your…read moreheart. There's something so heartwarming and wholesome about seeing a bunch of people of all ages having fun and smiling during these performances. I always get a tiny bit emotional at the collective effervescence in this place. At the beginning of their Winter Wonderland Holiday Special, one of the marionettes tells you to "let the outside world fade away" while you're enjoying the show - and im pleased to say it's so easy to do that while these marionettes are dancing and frolicking in front of you. If you're on the fence about getting tickets to a show, just do yourself a favor and get them. The shows are always so well done, with my favorite being the Halloween Spooktacular. The performances range from funny to heartwarming to a tiny bit racy, with a particular black or pink cat and her hijinks among the audience. Speaking of the audience, if you sit in the very first row, the marionettes may come up to you and sit in your lap, take your hat off, or even shimmy in your face. It's different every show and it's always fun to see the audience reactions. If it's not obvious from my review, I love it here and hope they're around forever.

Oxy Arts is an arts and culture space run by Occidental College. A public center funded by private…read moremoney, progressive and community-oriented while wearing the full garb of a gentrification horseman, it occupies what is probably an uneasy position in Highland Park. I'm always a big fan of the arts, and to be perfectly honest, my interactions with Highland Park are limited to the corridors of York and Figueroa that cater to people from outside the neighborhood, but I like Oxy Arts. I've visited twice, both times as a guest of the college. It's a lovely venue, an attractive gallery with a lot of room to set up chairs for a seated event. The current exhibition, on view for a couple more weeks, features work by Occidental's 2022-2023 artist in residence, Kenturah Davis. I got a chance to admire her art when I went for an event called 30 Years On: Pan-Asian and Black Solidarity and Conflict Since the LA Uprising. This was part of Occidental's Community Book Program, which featured my book this past year. I've done a lot of book events, but this was a new one for me. I learned a lot from the other panelists, a group of academics and organizers with tons of insight into the history of L.A. My other visit to Oxy Arts was to run one of a series of writing workshops, which was free and open to the public. I'm not saying my particular instruction was a great gift to the community, but I do think this sort of free programming is a wonderful thing. If you have any interest in arts and culture, Oxy Arts is worth checking out.

Better as a science experiment than an art exhibit, FLOW was a major disappointment. There are…read morebarely 2 rooms, and the first one is a major fail. First, you have to make an appointment, which is a joke, since there are no visitors in the first place. Even when you make an appointment, you have to call a number listed on the door outside before they will let you in. They act like they're doing you a favor by admitting you even though they should be happy to have an audience. You are first ushered into a dark room with a screen on the inside displaying what is on the camera mounted on the front of the building inside, which is supposed to explain how the eye interprets images. The space is poorly designed because they forgot to add ambient light so you go from being in sunlight outside to total darkness inside. I tripped over the base of the screen, and almost toppled it in addition to stubbing my right toe and scraping the top of my foot (I was wearing sandals). For the theme of "Optics," the third and final installment of the exhibit, the irony of the poor layout was not lost on me. Whoever designed this show was probably on a heroin bender at the time, and should be forever banned from designing anything else in the future.

Another fun night...a lively crowd with Western Standard Time Ska!…read more If you haven't been here for a show, look at their calendar. I wasn't looking forward to this because I was exhausted,, but hubby bought tickets and it was a great and lively evening listening to Western Standard Time Ska. Their front act was a great start. My apologies to them - I don't recall their name, but will revise this post when I find out. I love the water jug and cups readily available. Go, go, go!

For my 1st review of 2026, I choose the legendary venue The Lodge Room because it has hosted…read moreeverything from kick ass concerts, to wrestling, and comedy shows that featured everyone from DEFY Wrestling to POPPY and Dave Chappelle through the years of its continuing lifespan. Now, this area is pretty cool all around because they have random stores, bars, grocery stores and restaurants nearby. Parking can be a bitch, but that's life telling you to get to your event a little early. After 9pm, I believe it's FREE. When I saw POPPY perform here years ago right after COVID, it was my first concert here and this place is dope because you're literally so damn close to the artist(s) you watch because the stage isn't too high. The acoustics, bass and all around sound here is NICE for a small, intimate venue. ALL of the workers I've met/interacted with were all so damn nice and helpful as much as they can. This place also has a nice restaurant inside from what I've seen and NEED to check out in the future. I was blessed to even hang out at their Green Room for a gig and it's just so damn cool to know that Dave Chappelle and others have been inside the same room before and after shows!

We've found a musical home for our 3 year olds! Over the last year, Teacher Rae has taught our…read morefellas note and symbol recognition (they can identify a: quarter note, half note, dotted half note, whole note, quarter rest, crescendo and decrescendo) and have learned how to read them on a staff. They've also learned to identify solfege hand symbols both in and out of "do re mi" order. She uses both repetition and variation that seems helping our fellas learn music more intuitively than letters and numbers. Thank you Teacher Rae and SPAMA for creating a warm, inclusive and fun learning environment. We look forward to seeing our kids grow with your expert nurturing!

We love, love our instructor Jacob who my son enjoys working with. He is knowledgeable and has my…read moreson play music that he will be interested in learning. I feel the price is fair.

Not sure this place still exists. I called a few times during the week to get some details, left a…read morevoicemail, but never got called back. I showed up on a Saturday at 7, found a small door leading into a set of apartments for the entrance--locked. A tenant coming in had no idea about any writer's workshop. If it does exist somewhere else, I'd love to know about it.

I was very tired tonight but had RSVPed for this LADWP meeting in Little Tokyo. I found parking on…read morethe street, wondered what I was getting myself into, walked up the long staircase, and knocked on a mysterious door. A friendly woman, Alana, answered and welcomed me in to a room full of warmth, safety and smiling faces. We started the meeting by chatting about our writing experiences. Our thoughts and feelings about the subject. We then moved on to each person going to the microphone to read the "homework" (which I quickly did while there as I was a "drop in"). It was a top 10 list. It didn't have to be funny, just 10 things. It was fascinating to see what others wrote about. After each we would discuss what we liked and how it made us feel. Alana gave positive feed-back and if you were comfortable some constructive criticism. Next we each read a Haiku and then did a mash up at the very end, making a new and surprisingly poignant collaborative haiku based on what we had already written. We ended by discussing the exercise and again everyone giving feed-back. This all was a surprising burst of creativity that I have been longing for for a while. My creative meter was running dry today and I left with a full, overflowing tank! Safe environment. Collaborative and individualistic. Teacher who really has a 6th sense and gift for drawing out confidence and creativity in others. And a chance to explore different perspectives. I highly recommend this class to anyone needing to break out of the hum drum of everyday L.A. life and reconnect with their creative side. I'm looking forward to returning.