The production value was there. From the first moment you…read morearrived at this theatre everyone was exceptionally nice and welcoming. The space is beautiful! The reception area - pies everywhere (?) - is super clean and inviting. The seating is also very good. This is theatre in the round - successfully. Such an amazing experience. I am looking forward to more theatre here. Congratulations!!

This theater is a little gem! I had no idea it was there! Every seat in the house is great. Get…read morethere early to park!

Took my little to see The Little Mermaid. It was fantastic! Actors , actresses, dancers, singers…read moreall fabulous! They truly give it their all! So so good! Costumes, makeup was all amazing! We sat in row C West seats 9&10, isle seats. Great seats, I think you could see anywhere in this theater. Closer to the floor is more interactive for the littles. I would say next time I want to sit in row B North near the doors where the actors come in and out they tend to gather there and little ones would love this. This play/musical was so good it had me thinking about it days later. Park at 222 North Orange and pay $1 with validation. You have to walk up the street a short distance to the theater. We throughly enjoyed it!

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!!

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.

Pasadena Playhouse. Brigadoon. If you're considering…read morespending your hard-earned time and money at the Pasadena Playhouse, do yourself a favor: skip opening night. Wait for the unbiased reviews to trickle in before committing to their latest offerings, because if Brigadoon is the current standard, the bar hasn't just been lowered--it's been buried. Wednesday's opening night was, to put it bluntly, a stinker. We arrived with open minds and tempered expectations; we weren't looking for a Gene Kelly reincarnation or a Broadway-scale miracle. We understand the constraints of regional theater. However, what we witnessed was so profoundly lackluster that it felt less like a professional production and more like a mediocre college workshop. The "Highland" Lowlights: * Atrocious Casting: With the sole exception of Betsy Morgan--who possessed the only singing and dancing chops worthy of the material--the casting was a disaster. * Cultural Caricature: The premise of Brigadoon relies on a town preserved in time to protect its Scottish heritage. Why, then, was this cast like a generic Disney Channel original movie? The "Scottish" culture on display was a cringeworthy caricature reminiscent of a Mike Myers sketch. In a city like Los Angeles, home to thousands of versatile actors, is authenticity really that hard to find? * Anemic Energy: The choreography was limp, and the vocal performances were consistently weak. The sound system was so quiet it felt like a mercy killing; perhaps turning it up would have provided the "punch" the performers so desperately lacked. I cannot remember the last time I saw a professional audience flee after only a few scenes. We endured the first half, but left at intermission. It was simply that unbearable. While the Pasadena Playhouse relies on the generosity of donors to stay afloat, one has to wonder: is there any quality control left? Or is the current mode of operation simply to shovel substandard content at a captive audience? Thank God we aren't trapped in this version of Brigadoon for a hundred years. 45 minutes was more than enough.

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.

I like that this is old school theater geared ro kids, but adults get a huge kick out of it too…read more Parking is rough, especially for handicapped. So go early or get a ride.

What a delightful escape from the world. Fun for all ages…read more I love that they do birthday shoutouts

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!

The voice and piano teacher here does an excellent job with my child. The song choices spark…read moreinterest and the lessons are fast paced and challenging enough to keep attention. We find the location to be managed well. Scheduling online is easy.

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.