Arts & Entertainment

‘Plaza Suite’ at Playhouse

Neil Simon is one of America’s best-known playwrights, and one of his best-known shows is Plaza Suite, running Nov. 1-29 at the Long Beach Playhouse.. The play is composed of three acts, each involving different characters but all set in Suite 719 of New York City’s Plaza Hotel.

In the first act, we meet a not-so-blissfully wedded couple who are revisiting their honeymoon suite hoping to bring the love back into their marriage. The second act involves a meeting between a movie producer and his childhood sweetheart whom he hopes to seduce. In the third act a married couple, at the hotel for their daughter’s wedding, are begging their daughter to come out of the locked bathroom and get married.

Simon’s humor infuses each act with laugh-out-loud lines but also finds the common experiences of love, marriage and relationships that evoke compassion for the people and the situations.

“Each act is brilliantly constructed,” said Sean Gray, artistic director for the Playhouse. “The situations give actors the chance to use all their tools in the telling of the story. Each of the acts has surprises, some are funny, some are sad, but they all pull the audience into the story and hold them there from beginning to end.

“I chose James Rice to direct because he is a master of drawing out the emotions in the script and responses to the circumstances the characters find themselves confronting. He’s got strong actors, and the resulting show will be one we are all proud to present.”

Madison Mooney, Playhouse executive director, adds, “The set designers are Greg and Donna Fritsche. Christina Bayer and her volunteers are working their magic in the costume shop.

“The set and costumes will be visually striking and give the perfect set and look for the actors and the story. I’m looking forward to watching the audiences laugh, applaud and walk out talking about the great show they just saw.”

The show’s six-member cast brings together five returning actors and one making her debut. Returning are Lee Samuel Tanng, Lisa J. Salas, Todd Rew, Charlie Rodriguez and Jessica Plotin. Making her debut is Ryabrae Ngaida.

Mooney said, “This play exemplifies the saying ‘If walls could talk.’ And, it’s perfect for the month of Thanksgiving. It reminds of to be grateful for what we have and to look forward to what comes next!”

Ticket prices for Friday are $27 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. On Saturday and Sunday, adults are $32, seniors $25 and students $20.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday, 3-8 p.m. and Sundays 1-2 p.m. on scheduled matinees.

‘Beethoven & Beyond’

The Long Beach Symphony invites audiences to an unforgettable evening of music on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Terrace Theater.

Under the baton of Music Director Eckart Preu, Beethoven & Beyond pairs beloved masterworks with a compelling contemporary voice, creating a program that feels both timeless and fresh.

The evening begins with Houtaf Khoury’s The Journey, a modern work of striking emotional depth. This moving and richly expressive work for solo violin and strings will feature the Symphony’s own Concertmaster Roger Wilkie. In a fitting tribute, Wilkie takes center stage in his 35th season with the orchestra, a remarkable milestone in his distinguished career.

Returning to the Long Beach Symphony stage, audiences will be dazzled by the internationally celebrated Silver-Garburg Piano Duo, performing Bohuslav Martinů’s Concerto for Two Pianos. Known for their dynamic artistry and seamless unity at the keyboard, the husband-and-wife duo brings this vibrant, rhythmically charged concerto to life with brilliance and passion. Composed in 1943, this music represents a combination of Martinů’s European roots and his time in the United States, recognized for its energy and rhythmic complexity, typical of Martinů’s neoclassical style.

The program concludes with one of the most cherished works in the symphonic repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, “Pastoral.” Beethoven loved nature. He often took long walks in the countryside to think, be alone and find peace. This symphony vividly depicts rural landscapes, shepherds and the serenity of the countryside. Overflowing with warmth and joy, the Pastoral immerses listeners in nature’s beauty, from flowing brooks to summer storms, offering solace and serenity that resonates as deeply today as it did in Beethoven’s time.

“This program is a journey in itself – from Khoury’s modern reflections to Martinů’s vibrant energy, culminating in Beethoven’s universal celebration of nature and humanity,” says Long Beach Symphony President Kelly Ruggirello. “It’s a concert that speaks to both heart and mind.”

Tickets start at $39. A subscription to include the four remaining concerts in the classical series start at $100. Visit longbeachsymphony.org or call (562) 436-3203 for tickets and more information.

Landmark Presents‘Jagged Little Pill’

Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company announces an upcoming production of Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill: The Musical,” the Tony Award-winning musical inspired by Alanis Morissette’s iconic 1995 album.

Presented in the stunning sanctuary of First Congregational Church of Long Beach, the production will bring the show’s raw energy and contemporary relevance to local audiences. This thrilling production runs Nov. 7-23, 2025, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m.

Crafted by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody, with music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, “Jagged Little Pill” follows the Healy family as seemingly perfect lives begin to fracture, revealing a story about resilience, truth-telling and healing. Audiences can expect an electrifying score, powerful choreography and immersive staging that amplifies the show’s themes of identity, addiction, trauma and what it means to be seen.

The show premiered on Broadway in December of 2019 and was an immediate critical and commercial success, earning 15 Tony Award nominations in 2020 – including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. Forced to close on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show returned to Broadway in October of 2021, becoming one of the first major musicals to reopen following the shutdown.

A North American tour ended in 2023 and Landmark’s production will be the Southern California premiere of this important and award-winning work.

“Jagged Little Pill” is directed by Richard J. Martinez, a veteran Long Beach theater artist whose work spans performance, direction and education. Richard is also a sought-after teaching artist, known for his dynamic improv workshops that help performers unlock spontaneity, presence and creative risk-taking. This expertise, along with his life-long personal connection with the source material, make him uniquely suited to guide the emotionally raw and musically charged world of Jagged Little Pill.

“Jagged Little Pill is about finding your voice when the stakes are highest,” said Richard J. Martinez. “I’ve had a deeply personal journey with this show – I was there at the world premiere at the A.R.T. in 2018 and I’ve followed every iteration since: the original run, the pandemic closure, the triumphant reopening and the national tour. Each time, I’ve been moved by its raw honesty and musical power. Our Landmark production harnesses that emotional force and pairs it with bold, human-centered storytelling in one of Long Beach’s most acoustically resonant spaces.”

Music Director Curtis Heard will lead a live band performing Morissette’s chart-topping songs including ‘You Oughta Know’, ‘Hand in My Pocket’ and ‘Ironic’, alongside new original compositions created for the musical. The high-powered creative team is overseen by Landmark’s Artistic Director Megan O’Toole and Producing Director Jay Dysart.

After having been at the directorial helm of nearly every Landmark production to date, Jagged Little Pill marks a powerful return to the stage for Landmark Artistic Director Megan O’Toole in a leading role. O’Toole brings her remarkable voice and signature heartfelt storytelling directly to audiences in the role of Mary Jane Healy - the seemingly perfect suburban mother struggling to hold her family together while navigating her own unspoken crisis.

“Stepping back onto the stage as Mary Jane is both thrilling and deeply humbling.” said Megan O’Toole. “The Landmark stage feels like home and it is a great gift to share this journey with extraordinary artists that I love - while upholding the standards of expression and craft our audiences have come to expect. This role pushes me to face the hardest parts of myself and reminds me why I fell in love with this art form in the first place – the courage it takes to face yourself and the beauty that comes from telling the truth, even when it’s messy.”

The casting also pairs Landmark Producing Director Jay Dysart with O’Toole in a new extension of their multi-faceted artistic collaboration - as Dysart assumes the role of husband Steve Healy. The 21-person locally based ensemble cast is bursting with talent and includes familiar Landmark performers along with many new faces.

Tickets range from $40 to $70 and are available for purchase online. Don’t miss this groundbreaking musical that revolutionized Broadway, praised by critics for its unflinching honesty, emotional power and seamless integration of Alanis Morissette’s iconic songs into a compelling contemporary story.

For more information contact Jay Dysart at jay@lblandmark.org.