Arts & Entertainment

ICT Opens Season With ‘Desperate Measures’

International City Theatre launches its 40th anniversary season of premieres with the Los Angeles premiere of “Desperate Measures,” a foot-stompin’, knee-slappin’ musical inspired by Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” Saddle up for this joyous musical comedy with a score by award-winning composer David Friedman and book and lyrics by two-time Tony nominee Peter Kellogg.

Todd Nielsen directs and choreographs the three-week run, Feb. 21 through Mar. 9, alongside music director Daniel Gary Busby. Performances take place at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, with two low-priced previews set for Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.

Amidst the joyful, Wild West, musical comedy fun, Desperate Measures – like Shakespeare’s unconventional comedy about ethics, sexuality and deception on which it’s loosely based – manages to ponder the true nature of love and justice. When a narcissistic governor (Christopher Karbo) sentences dangerously handsome Johnny Blood (Aaron Gibbs) to hang, Johnny must put his fate in the hands of a wily sheriff (Daniel A. Stevens), an eccentric priest (Jason Whitton), a saloon girl-gone-good (Madison Miyuki Sprague) and a novice nun (Gabbie Adner). Together, they face uncharted territory as laws are broken and hearts are won.

The 2017 Off-Broadway production extended three times at the York Theatre, where it was the winner of two Drama Desk Awards for “Outstanding Musical” and “Outstanding Lyrics”; the Outer Critics Circle Award for “Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical”; and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for “Best New Musical.”

This year, ICT celebrates its 40th anniversary with a season of five premieres, including, in addition to the L.A. premiere of Desperate Measures, the American premiere of The Violin Maker by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum and Ronda Spinak, revealing the stories behind a collection of restored violins damaged during the Holocaust; the Los Angeles premiere of a screwball comedy, The Angel Next Door by Paul Slade Smith; the world premiere of Masala Dabba, the newest family drama by Los Angeles playwright Wendy Graf; and the Los Angeles premiere of Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson–Apt. 2B by Kate Hamill, an irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick.

The creative team for Desperate Measures includes set designer Destiny Manewal, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey; and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The stage manager is Donna R. Parsons.

Desperate Measures runs Feb. 21 through Mar. 9 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Thursday, Feb. 20, each at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $56 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except opening night (Friday, Feb. 21) and $59 on opening night and at Sunday matinees. Low-priced tickets to previews are $44.

As part of International City Theatre’s 40th anniversary celebration, the company will honor Dr. Jane Close Conoley on opening night, Friday, Feb. 21, for her career of service to California State University Long Beach, to ICT and to the community of Long Beach.

International City Theatre is located in Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Beverly O’Neill Theater at 330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.

‘Yoga Play’

Directed By Reena Dutt, “Yoga Play” runs Feb. 27 to Mar. 8 at University Theatre, California State University Long Beach. “Comic nirvana … an uncommon comic electricity,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Los Angeles-based, Calcutta-born playwright Dipika Guha has written a biting satire not just of the yoga-consumerism industrial complex, but also of the global economy’s worship of branding. Reena Dutt – well-known for her work with new and reimagined texts, will direct the students of CalRep to new heights.

A biting comedy about Joan, hired to save a yoga brand after a PR scandal, who devises a daring plan that risks everything. A sharp, funny, heartfelt look at authenticity in a world obsessed with selling peace and enlightenment. Yoga Play is a journey toward enlightenment in a world determined to sell it.

Info: https://www.csulb.edu/theatre-arts/yoga-play.

Unforgettable Evening with Arturo Sandoval

Long Beach Symphony welcomes legendary trumpeter, pianist, composer and storyteller Arturo Sandoval for a concert on Saturday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. This highly anticipated event promises an electrifying night of world-class music and captivating performances.

 A protégé of jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval has dazzled audiences worldwide with his unparalleled artistry and magnetic stage presence. His remarkable career spans multiple genres, from jazz to classical, earning him prestigious accolades, including the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors, 10 Grammy Awards, six Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award. His life was the subject of the film For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000) starring Andy García. He has performed at the White House and at the Super Bowl.

Tickets are available at https://aabn.short.gy/CD1Xdx or by calling (562) 436-3203, ext. 1.