From Dolly to Sondheim

9 TO 5: A couple of long-time friends accosted me recently and said, “Why haven’t you written anything about Long Beach in a while?” They were correct, so here goes: Long Beach has a number of theatres of various sizes. My favorite is Musical Theatre West, a pro/am company which produces four fully staged musicals each year and has been around for some 70 years. This year’s quartet starts off with 9 To 5, Dolly Parton’s musical. It is even more fun than the film and worth catching during its run February 10-26. This company uses a full live orchestra and a combination of professional actors and volunteers, though the productions always look totally professional. 9 To 5 will be followed by An American in Paris April 14–30 with a trove of George Gershwin tunes; The Wizard of Oz (calling all friends of Dorothy) July 7-23; and The Sound of Music October 20 – November 5. All shows are presented at the Karen and Richard Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. www.musical.org

THE SECRET GARDEN: Los Angeles’s Ahmanson Theatre is dusting off a 30-year-old beauty, The Secret Garden, with its first full production since it debuted on Broadway in 1991. The music is lush and memorable, though certainly more serious (ie, classically inspired) than most of the shows I mention in this column. Mary Lennox, a sickly 10-year-old girl living in India, loses her parents to cholera and is sent to England to live with her mysterious uncle. She meets a little boy and together they discover … well, think about the title. The adults are all seasoned professionals, but much depends on the two young leads, and no one can say for sure how they are in performance because they haven’t done any, but they were selected after extensive audition. It is likely to be a visually stunning show along with some truly haunting music. Plays February 9 – March 26. www.centertheatregroup.org

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE: In honor of the passing of Stephen Sondheim last year, Pasadena Playhouse, California’s State Theatre, is presenting a variety of shows by and about the musical genius. In January they hosted Into the Woods performed by high school students. This month is Sunday in the Park With George, February 14 – March 19, a musical about George Seurat the painter who developed pointillism. It is considered a masterpiece and rarely performed in a fully staged production. It will be followed by A Little Night Music April 25 – May 21, and Bernadette Peters in Concert June 10 – 11 (she was his favorite leading lady). There are a couple of related celebratory events including the unique Sondheim on Sondheim where a video version of the composer explains how numbers came about and then they are performed onstage by live performers. That one event is presented at USC’s Bing Theatre April 20 – 26. All others are at Pasadena Playhouse, a historic and delightful theatre to visit for any reason. www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org