{"id":84856,"date":"2025-02-06T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=84856"},"modified":"2025-02-06T09:02:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:02:06","slug":"theater-news-whats-playing-in-long-beach-this-month-musicals-magic-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/theater-news-whats-playing-in-long-beach-this-month-musicals-magic-and-more","title":{"rendered":"Theater News: What\u2019s playing in Long Beach this month? Musicals, magic and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0for our Eat See Do newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February has begun with some much-needed rain, but it\u2019s warm, dry \u2014 and dramatic \u2014 at Long Beach\u2019s many live theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the exciting happenings on stages near you this month:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Beach Playhouse<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd\u201d is ending its run at the Long Beach Playhouse this weekend<\/i>, so catch this Agatha Christie mystery while you still can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up is August Wilson\u2019s haunting and evocative drama \u201cThe Piano Lesson.\u201d One of Wilson\u2019s \u201cPittsburgh Cycle\u201d of plays reflecting the African American experience, the play tells the 1936 story of a brother who wants to sell a piano in his sister\u2019s house to buy precious farmland while she wants to keep it to preserve their family\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Humorous, but richly layered in terms of language, slavery\u2019s legacy and ghosts that literally and figuratively hover around this family, \u201cThe Piano Lesson\u201d engages the audience in a battle that may only find its answer in transcendence. Perfect for Black History Month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Piano Lesson\u201d runs Feb. 21 through March 22, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Long Beach Playhouse is at 5021 E. Anaheim St. and parking is free in the lot behind the theater and on side streets. For tickets, call the box office at 562-494-1014 or visit <\/i>LBPlayhouse.org<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

International City Theatre<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Kicking off its 40th season (wow!), International City Theatre is offering \u201cDesperate Measures\u201d at the Beverly O\u2019Neill Theater \u2014 a musical comedy that won the Drama Desk Best Music award in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story features \u201cdangerously handsome\u201d Johnny Blood whose fate falls to the hands of a \u201cmysterious sheriff, eccentric priest, narcissistic governor, saloon girl gone good and a nun out of the habit,\u201d according to the theater. Sounds like a blast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDesperate Measures\u201d runs Feb. 20 through March 9, with shows Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Beverly O\u2019Neill Theater is near the convention center at 330 E. Seaside Way, with paid parking available at garages across the street. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-436-4610 or visit <\/i>ICTLongBeach.org<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Beach Shakespeare Company<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Following its successful staging of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cRichard III<\/a>,\u201d the Long Beach Shakespeare Company will transform its Helen Borgers Theatre into the KBRD radio station for \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d performed as a 1940s-style radio play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actors enter the studio ready to read their scripts and create sound effects for the radio show while also breaking to deliver cute ads for local businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d radio play runs Feb. 21 to March 2, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Helen Borgers Theatre is at 4250 Atlantic Ave. with free parking available on surrounding streets. For tickets, call the box office at 562-997-1494 or visit <\/i>LBShakespeare.org<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical Theatre West<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
A preview scene from Musical Theatre West’s “Jersey Boys.” Photo courtesy of Musical Theatre West.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just in time for Valentine\u2019s Day, Feb. 14, and continuing through March 2, the musical \u201cJersey Boys\u201d rocks Musical Theatre West\u2019s stage at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the CSULB campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the real 1960s boy band The Four Seasons, the musical traces four blue-collar Jersey kids\u2019 rise to stardom, with songs that include nostalgic hits such as “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJersey Boys\u201d runs Feb. 14 to March 2, with shows Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Carpenter Center is at 6200 E. Atherton St. with paid parking available in front of the theater. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-856-1999 or visit <\/i>Musical.org<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California Repertory <\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Also on CSULB\u2019s campus and part of its Theatre Arts Department, California Repertory is collaborating with U.K.-based Frantic Assembly<\/a> to stage \u201cFrantic\/Tempest\u201d \u2014 a more physical rendition of Shakespeare\u2019s 1611 play \u201cThe Tempest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Tempest\u201d is set on an island where magician Prospero has been raising daughter Miranda using the labor of enslaved Caliban and magical sprite Ariel \u2014 until some long-lost relatives get washed ashore by a storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cal Rep notes that this action-packed version of \u201cThe Tempest\u201d is set in a Los Angeles warehouse against the backdrop of climate change and social isolation, during a time of loss and revenge of the natural world. Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrantic\/Tempest\u201d performs at CSULB\u2019s University Theatre, located at the corner of 7th St. and Campus Dr., at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21. Paid parking is on an adjacent lot. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-985-5526 or visit <\/i>CSULB.edu\/theatre-arts\/california-repertory-company<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Landmark is performing \u201cThe Christians\u201d by award-winning American playwright Lucas Hnath\u2019s during the weekend of Feb. 21-23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the play, the pastor of a megachurch will deliver a new message that \u201cwill shake the foundation of everything he has built,\u201d according to the theater company. \u201cHnath\u2019s play looks with great complexity and compassion at the relationship between belief and behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play also features a full choir, which is fitting because the theater is housed in the First Congregational Church of Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Landmark Theatre is located at 241 Cedar Ave. For tickets, call 562-366-0085 or visit <\/i>LBLandmark.org<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The popular “Jersey Boys” musical, a “frantic” reimagining of Shakespeare and a perfect drama for Black History Month are all playing this February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":84857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32337],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-84856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-theater-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84856"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84864,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856\/revisions\/84864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84856"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=84856"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}