Category: Previews, Reviews & Venues

When I invited two gifted Irvine jazz musicians — Celine You and her husband Forest Muther — to join me on my patio for lunch and an interview, I got lucky. The weather was ideal, my table overlooking Shady Canyon was set, and they showed up.

For me, plays, movies, dramas — live or on TV — afford boundless satisfaction. The welcome opportunity to explore the thoughts of a creator of theatre works came during an interview enjoyed with UCI Professor Annie Loui.

The opera The Impresario, composed by W. A. Mozart, was recently performed by the students of vocal arts at UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

We have all been thirsting for images and dialog distinct from what’s flushing from our current insentient media portal. UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, like an ark, disembarks with something living: The west coast premiere of Rebecca Oaxaca Lays Down a Bunt (Rebecca). And it’s funny.

I had the good fortune of recently meeting Eli Simon, the director and helmsman of this ark. Eli has been teaching drama at UCI for the past 34 years.

In 1990, the non-profit, 750-seat Barclay Theatre opened as a collaborative venture — owned by both the City of Irvine and the University of California, Irvine.

That’s because for the past six years, the Barclay’s president has been Jerry Mandel, a self-described “Theatre Rat.”

A long, l-o-n-g time ago — prior to masks and physical distancing — back in 2019, I attended an original play called Reading Frankenstein. It was staged in UCI’s Experimental Media and Performance Lab (xMPL).

Recently, we were able to chat face-to-face over coffee.

UCI’s Clair Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) presented their second virtual “Jazz Small Groups Concert.”

Chancellor’s Professor of Jazz & Piano, Kei Akagi, said: “Although the students can’t bond with the audience right now, they’ve learned to find their own way to communicate with other players and the faculty.”  After attending their first concert, I think he’s correct.  It satisfied my craving for a breath of musical fresh air.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the production crew for UCI’s New Slate Online dance concert mixed live and pre-recorded material, added music, and then uploaded it on Vimeo for the performance that those of us in the audience watched.  Which scenes were pre-recorded, and which were live?  There was no way to tell.

Taking the unusual “seat in the audience,” in front of my PC at home, I was surprisingly delighted by this very unique spectacle!

At UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA), modern dance is alive and well, with a twist this year!

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, UCI’s New Slate Online dance concert series was streamed via YouTube on December 10th. This free event featured both live and virtual dances. The performance was followed with live artist-audience conversations about these new ways of dance making. Albeit, a YouTube window, it’s still a breath of artistic fresh air.

We don’t have to look far for ideas about how to be more productive while staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After completing a year on sabbatical leave, Daniel is now putting the finishing touches on his first symphony.

Theatre curtains are down.  Dance studios, practice rooms, and classrooms are locked tight.  Faculty members are available only in “virtual” classrooms.  

As someone who appreciates the amazing local talent and wide range of performing arts productions at Irvine colleges and universities, I have been wondering how this new stay-at-home regimen is impacting the academic performing arts community.

Two of this year’s Grammy nominations had a local connection.  Nominated songs “Fanm d’Ayiti,” by Nathalie Joachim and “Perpetulum” by composer and pianist, Philip Glass were both commissioned privately by Laguna Beach music benefactors Elizabeth and Justus (Jay) Schlichting.