Read more about the article Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Behind the Scenes at “A Rat Pack Christmas”
"Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Christmas" features (clockwise from top left): Angelo Babbaro as Frank Sinatra, Sandy Hackett as Joey Bishop, Kenneth Jones as Sammy Davis, Jr., Lisa Dawn Miller as Frank's One Love, and Tom Wallek as Dean Martin.

Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Behind the Scenes at “A Rat Pack Christmas”

BY CARY GINELL December 12 marks the centennial of Frank Sinatra's birth, which makes the arrival of Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Christmas, which plays for one performance this Saturday at the Thousand…

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Read more about the article Theater League’s “Elf” Is Sparklejollytwinklejingley Fun
Daniel Patrick Smith (Buddy) and ensemble in "Elf"

Theater League’s “Elf” Is Sparklejollytwinklejingley Fun

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL At one point during the brilliantly colored musical Elf, Jovie, the disillusioned girlfriend of Buddy the Elf, tells him her philosophy on life: "Lower your expectations so you…

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Read more about the article You think YOUR family is dysfunctional? Check out Elite’s “The Lion in Winter”
This ain't "My Three Sons." Adam Womack (Richard), Eric McGowan (Geoffrey), and Trent Trachtenberg (John) in "The Lion in Winter."

You think YOUR family is dysfunctional? Check out Elite’s “The Lion in Winter”

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL Two very different works by playwright James Goldman are currently being featured in Ventura County during November - and they couldn't be more different from one…

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Read more about the article Rubicon’s Two-Piano Version of “My Fair Lady” – a Simply Loverly Production
Joseph Fuqua (Henry Higgins) and Kimberly Hessler (Eliza Doolittle)in Rubicon Theatre’s two-piano production of My Fair Lady (photo by Jeanne Tanner)

Rubicon’s Two-Piano Version of “My Fair Lady” – a Simply Loverly Production

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL In the opening scene of the Rubicon Theatre Company's production of My Fair Lady, buskers in London's Covent Garden, where Cockney Eliza Doolittle works as a flower…

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Read more about the article Santa Barbara’s Out of the Box Theatre Presents the Edgier Side of Musicals
Out of the Box Theatre Company artistic director Samantha Eve

Santa Barbara’s Out of the Box Theatre Presents the Edgier Side of Musicals

BY CARY GINELL Today we visit with Samantha Eve, artistic director and founder of the Out of the Box Theatre in Santa Barbara. Although we're not changing our web name…

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Read more about the article Combustible Performances Highlight “Small Engine Repair”
"Small Engine Repair" Top: Eric Mello. Bottom: Michael Wayne Beck, Brian Robert Harris, and Joshua Kahn

Combustible Performances Highlight “Small Engine Repair”

REVIEW BY CARY GINELL When you walk into the plain storefront that serves as the home for The Flying H Group Theatre Company, you have to do a double-take to make…

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