Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo & Juliet” brought Shakespeare to young people and convinced them it was cool. Now, Luhrmann attempts to turn them on to Italian opera. Read more...

“The 2004 Golden Globe Awards” NBC Jan. 25, 7 p.m. Look! It’s a Dr. Evil punch line waiting to happen … the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual awards show is basically the margarine to the Emmy’s butter, the Diet Coke of the Oscar’s Coke Classic. Read more...

When remembering the classic musical “West Side Story,” the image that pops into most people’s heads is probably the dance-fighting sequence between the Jets and the Sharks, who finger-snapped their way into theater lore. Read more...

Famous for making his plays available for the public to adapt, playwright Charles Mee is quickly becoming a household name. The saying that Mee’s plays are everywhere ““ not least at UCLA ““ is becoming a bit of a cliché. Read more...

UCLA theater student Heather Leimberg trained her whole life to perform on Broadway. This past summer, sweating in ballet class and nailing those notes in singing lessons paid off when she shared the stage of New York’s Neil Simon Theatre with Tony Award winners as part of the ensemble cast in the musical “Hairspray.” Based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name, “Hairspray” is set in the 1960s, following Tracy Turnblad’s transformation into a teen celebrity after winning a spot on a local television dance program. Read more...

On Friday night, my dad, brother and I went out to dinner to a somewhat-expensive Italian restaurant in Brentwood. My dad was paying. As we began our meal, we noticed the restaurant’s staff working vigorously to prepare two tables near us. Read more...

One seldom finds a comedy show more concerned with making the audience talk than making them listen. But that’s what Standup For Peace is all about ““ talking. Read more...