{"id":88503,"date":"2026-03-19T11:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=88503"},"modified":"2026-03-19T11:23:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:23:50","slug":"theater-news-off-the-beaten-track-theater-experiences-this-weekend-including-a-free-in-the-belmont-heights-block-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/do\/theater-news-off-the-beaten-track-theater-experiences-this-weekend-including-a-free-in-the-belmont-heights-block-party","title":{"rendered":"Theater News: Off-the-beaten-track theater experiences this weekend, including a free \u2018In the (Belmont) Heights\u2019 block party"},"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

Long Beach is fortunate to have so many theater venues to choose from, whether you like musicals<\/a>, Shakespeare<\/a>, comedies<\/a> or dramas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019d like to get off the beaten track while still staying local, here are three different kinds of theatrical events to consider this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the (Belmont) Heights\u201d block party<\/strong>: In advance of staging Lin-Manuel Miranda\u2019s musical \u201cIn the Heights\u201d next month, Musical Theatre West is throwing a free<\/em> community party at 4350 E. Seventh St. this Saturday, March 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe event celebrates the vibrant Latinx and Chicanx cultures that help shape Long Beach,\u201d the theater says. \u201cThe afternoon will be filled with great visuals and community energy, including salsa dancing led by the CSULB Salsa Club and live music performances throughout the event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides music and dancing, there will be food such as street tacos and opportunities for hands-on instrument making with musician Martin Espino, interactive art activities and games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theater is teaming up with community partners Aquarium of the Pacific, Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), History Society of Long Beach and Friends of the Long Beach Public Library for the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful opportunity to highlight local culture and preview the spirit of \u2018In the Heights\u2019 ahead of its opening at Musical Theatre West,\u201d the theater says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scene from Cirque Kalabant\u00e9’s “Afrique en Cirque,\u201d performing at the Carpenter Center this Saturday, March 21. Photo courtesy of the theater. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfrique en Cirque\u201d<\/strong> is a unique show by Cirque Kalabant\u00e9 performing one night only this Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created by Guinean-born multidisciplinary artist and former Cirque du Soleil performer Yamoussa Bangoura, the show highlights \u201cthe strength, agility and communal traditions of West African culture in a performance for all ages,\u201d the theater says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Long Beach stop on Cirque Kalabant\u00e9 national tour offers a \u201crare opportunity\u201d to experience a contemporary circus shaped by West African performance traditions inspired by daily life in Guinea, the theater says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show features \u201cgravity-defying acrobatics and human pyramids,\u201d as the theater describes it, set to live Afro-jazz, percussion and kora, a stringed instrument made from a gourd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And bonus! The theater is offering a special discount of buy three tickets, get one free with code FAMILY4PACK. For tickets and information, visit <\/em>CarpenterArts.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCrabs in a Bucket\u201d<\/strong>: And finally for something different, though this one is an actual play, it\u2019s a boldly relevant student production by California Repertory, the producing arm of CSULB\u2019s theatre department. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEqual parts feral comedy and heartbreaking truth,\u201d Cal Rep describes, \u201c\u2018Crabs in a Bucket\u2019 skewers the grind of ambition with clown-infused chaos, blistering wit and a painfully familiar question: Why do we tear each other down when we could lift each other up?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Mexican playwright Bernardo Cubr\u00eda \u2014 who calls Los Angeles home and has won several local awards for his work \u2014 the show explores ambition and social struggle, with characters trapped in a cycle of competition, sabotage and systemic inequality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the title implies, the play features a bucket full of crabs who \u201cclaw, curse and scramble for a chance of freedom, only to drag each other down,\u201d the theater says. When a bright-eyed newcomer crashes into their world, \u201cthe whole ecosystem cracks wide open.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show is co-directed by CSULB alum Carolina Montenegro, who has acted in \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d and \u201cTeen Wolf: The Movie,\u201d and Turner Munch, founder of a clown comedy group who has directed animated shorts for Mattel, the maker of Barbie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith sharp dialogue and strong physical movement, \u2018Crabs in a Bucket\u2019 offers a powerful commentary on the pressures that shape our lives,\u201d the theater says, \u201cand challenges audiences to reflect on the complex dynamics of humanity and what it means to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California Repertory\u2019s \u201cCrabs in a Bucket\u201d is performing at The Players\u2019 Theatre on the CSULB campus March 18 to 28, with shows daily except Monday at 7:30 p.m., plus 2 p.m. matinees on weekend dates. For tickets and information, visit <\/em>CSULB.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s also a one-night-only show by a former Cirque du Soleil performer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":88504,"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":"There's also a one-night-only show by a former Cirque du Soleil performer.","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":[32367],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-88503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-do","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88503","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=88503"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88510,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88503\/revisions\/88510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88503"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=88503"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=88503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}